One Four All

Lira Pakan, heir to the Throne of Zhinshu, has vanished. Her zealots gather along the border with the neighboring state of Khubuk, awaiting the outcome of her father's pleas to the World Court.

Captain Tanner Kepp serves in the elite Special Forces of Khubuk. When the captain is ordered to choose two men to accompany him to Land's End, an isolated compound on the maritime border between Khubuk and Zinshu, the last thing he expects to find is the missing princess.

Captain Kepp, Arms Master Cer Watso and Sergeant Redda Till realize they must rescue her and avert all out war.

The princess, however, has other plans. These men can be more than her rescuers. According to the law of Zhinshu, she must choose three men as consorts. Her people say: "one to guard the right hand, one to guard the left hand, and one to guard the back, always."

Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Science Fiction
Length: 32,827 words

ONE FOUR ALL

Julia Rachel Barrett

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

ONE FOUR ALL

Copyright © 2010 by Julia Rachel Barrett

E-book ISBN: 1-60601-957-0

First E-book Publication: September 2010

Cover design by Jinger Heaston

All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter from Julia Rachel Barrett

Regarding E-book Piracy

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for purchasing my book. As authors, we put our heart and souls into our work. E-book piracy hurts every single one of us. We appreciate your support. Buy e-books! Avoid pirates!

With deep gratitude,

Julia Rachel Barrett

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my author friend, Mia Watts, who encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone and write a ménage.

ONE FOUR ALL

JULIA RACHEL BARRETT

Copyright © 2010

Chapter One

“Captain Kepp, come into my office for a moment.”

The tall man lifted his head from the duty roster.

“Yes, sir.” He rose and followed Commander Grange into the cramped mobile field headquarters.

Ducking to clear the low doorway, Kepp’s eyes fell on a short, balding man partially hidden by a stack of files. He wondered how the man had managed to slip past him. He’d been standing at the table in front of the door since dawn. Kepp raised his eyebrows and looked at his commander.

“Sir?”

“Kepp, this is the Secretary of Banking and Commerce, Tuth Regnan.”

Kepp extended a hand, but the man ignored him and remained seated. Rude fucker.

“I believe you’ve heard the name,” continued Commander Grange.

“Who hasn’t?” Kepp replied, and added, “sir.” He watched and waited for his commanding officer to explain himself.

“Captain, you and I are the only two men on this base who know that the Secretary of Banking and Commerce is here. I’d like it to stay that way for the time being.”

Kepp nodded.

“General Battarq has advised the Secretary to come to us for some assistance with a private matter. The general thought it expedient to send him here so he could discuss the situation in person. The secretary has explained his problem to me, and he has mentioned that General Battarq personally recommended you for this assignment.”

A plumb covert assignment behind enemy lines? Kepp took a second look at the man. The Secretary of Commerce and Banking seemed an unlikely messenger from General Battarq and the junta. If anyone was to show up with a private message, Kepp expected it would be one of the general’s personal advisors.

“Secretary Regnan? Would you like to explain your request to Captain Kepp?”

“Yessssss,” Kepp heard the small man answer his commander, “if you consider him trustworthy. This is a sensitive matter.”

Kepp bristled at the implication. If a viper could speak, he thought, the tone of its voice would sound about as slimy as this man’s did.

“I trust Captain Kepp with my life and the life of every single man in this platoon.”

“But is he discreet?”

Kepp caught the look of unveiled contempt that flitted over his commander’s face. The secretary seemed to miss it altogether. Commander Grange answered with one word, “Very.”

The man sighed. “I suppose I have no choice. What did you say his name is?”

Kepp was sick of being talked about as if he wasn’t even in the room. “Kepp,” he answered for himself. “Tanner Kepp.”

The secretary’s eyes flitted over him. In that brief moment, Kepp glimpsed a mixture of loathing and fear. What a horse’s ass.

“Mr. Kepp, I have a…there’s a personal matter I need attended to. It’s not something our forces would usually be involved in, but there is a great deal at risk, and I, well, I simply must have help from the best man available. Are you the best man available?”

The man was speaking in riddles. “Mr. Secretary, I can’t exactly claim to be the best man available for an assignment when I don’t know what the assignment is.”

“I need you to watch my wife,” the man blurted out.

Kepp laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it. He heard the secretary clear his throat and he saw Commander Grange trying to hide his grin.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Secretary, but that sounds like a house problem. I’m a soldier, not a nursemaid. There are many private security firms available for hire.”

“No. No. No. No private security firms. Private security firms can be bribed. I need a patriot, a good, solid, reliable patriot. And the general says that you fit the bill. You see, my wife is in grave danger. Grave danger.” The man fiddled with his tie, brushing aside an imaginary speck of dust. “As you know, I am a man of great influence, power, and wealth. I have made enemies over the years, both internal and external.” Secretary Regnan raised his eyes and then lowered them just as quickly. “My enemies have been unable to get to me and lately they’ve turned to my retinue. Specifically, they’ve targeted my wife. I want her watched.” The man hesitated. “Perhaps ‘protected’ is a better choice of words. Yes, I need my wife protected.”

Speechless, Kepp glanced from Regnan to his commander. “You want me to act as a bodyguard?”

“It would be a temporary assignment, Captain. Three to six months while the Secretary is out of the country, no more,” replied Commander Grange. “The general has ordered you to choose two other men. We would transport you to the secretary’s compound as soon as possible.”

“You require three men to watch one woman?” asked Kepp, incredulous.

“My wife is a very important woman,” huffed Secretary Regnan.

Kepp turned to the commander. “Sir, I don’t see how I can leave the men right now. The Zealots are massed on the borders. There have been incursions. Sir, Mr. Secretary, I appreciate the consideration, but I really don’t think I’m the man for this job.”

Commander Grange rocked back on his heels. He looked amused. “Well, Captain, unfortunately General Battarq thinks you are, so you’ll choose two men today, pack your gear, and we’ll ship you out by fourteen hundred. I’ve got a heli-jet waiting. The secretary leaves in one hour for the Pacific Rim, and he doesn’t want his wife left with nothing more than his personal guards for any longer than necessary.”

For fuck’s sake, is the woman made of solid gold?

“Sir…”

“Sorry, Captain Kepp, there will be no further discussion. Dismissed.”

Fuming, Kepp saluted, and with one last glance at Secretary Regnan, turned on his heel and ducked beneath the door frame.

Bloody son of a bitch. Just when it seemed they would see some action, off he goes to babysit a spoiled rich biddy who was probably terrified to see her own shadow in broad daylight. Well, if he had to suffer, so would Red and Wat. If he was going to be forced to tote around shopping bags and eat petit fours and drink herbal tea, then he wanted his two friends with him to commiserate. Damn his bad luck.

Chapter Two

“What’d you say the name of this place is?” Red asked for the tenth time.

“I don’t know,” Kepp grumbled. “Land’s End or something idiotic like that. Get your gear stowed.”

“And they need three special ops to babysit?” asked Wat, tossing his bag in the back of the heli-jet. “Who the hell are we babysitting? The Empress of Siquan?”

“No, a politician’s wife. Regnan, the Secretary of Banking and Commerce, a goddamned swamp rat bastard if I ever smelled one,” answered Kepp.

“And you roped us into this?” asked Red. He threw his bag on top of Wat’s and crossed his strong arms. “Why?”

“Because there’s no way in hell I’ll do this on my own for six fucking months. If I go, the two of you go.” Kepp laughed, “Besides, you’d miss me.”

Wat raised an eyebrow. “You mean you don’t want us seeing any action without you.”

“No fucking shit,” added Red.

Kepp growled at his friends. “Get your asses in there and buckle up. That’s an order, gentlemen. We’ve got a long flight ahead of us.”

* * * *

He was leaving. Praise the Gods, he would be gone for several months. Of course, he hadn’t given her any information. She’d overheard the housekeeping staff talking. They spoke in soft voices, forewarned, afraid to cross him. Lira knew how they pitied her, pitied the fact that she was forced to allow the sweaty pig anywhere near her. If she could, she’d have threaded a needle through his eye and into his vile brain. But General Battarq held her young sister, Meme, hostage to her good behavior. If she uttered a single word of protest, if she tried to escape, Regnan would contact Battarq, and Meme would be beaten.

In public, Regnan referred to her as his wife. The staff knew her as Lisa Regnan. Some of the more perceptive understood that not everything was as it seemed, but they would never utter their suspicions out loud. They weren’t even allowed to speak to her directly. All communication went through her so-called husband or his guards. Only her maid had access to her. It was the only concession Regnan had been willing to make, because he thought her maid a harmless, stupid mute. F’yit was neither stupid nor mute. She was Lira’s eyes and ears, and Lira hoped the maid would keep her one step ahead of the bastard Regnan.

Regnan planned to get her with child. Lira shuddered. He claimed a child would end hostilities between their two peoples. Bullshit. If it wasn’t for the fact that he knew any child conceived without her consent could not rule, he would have acted already. When she’d refused him this last time, Regnan had been so furious he’d ordered his personal guards to strip her and beat her while he looked on. She’d accepted the beating in silence, convinced that any show of weakness on her part would have given him great pleasure. Regnan would like nothing more than to hear her cry out. Over her dead body, she thought. He would have no pleasure from her, and she would never submit to him. She’d seen his puny member once, when he’d thought to seduce her. He ought to be more careful with it, Lira mused. If he tried that again, she’d find some way to cut it off. It was so very small, he’d hardly miss it.

Lira turned around so she could view her back in the mirror. The bruises across her shoulders and ribs and on her buttocks were fresh, a deep purple in color. They stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. She sighed. They would heal as they had the last time he’d ordered her beaten. He made the guards take care not to cause any permanent injury, just in case. In case he ever returned her to her own people, she supposed.

Her poor father must be frantic with worry. She’d had no news of Zhinshu other than the rumors she and F’yit managed to overhear from the staff. It seemed the Zealots were massing on the borders. Lira knew that her father had surely appeared before the World Court to accuse General Battarq of kidnapping, but of course the bastard would huff and puff and claim he had nothing to do with the disappearance of King Pakan’s two daughters. Hah. She knew Battarq for what he was, a demon straight from the bowels of hell. He must have wanted her little sister, just as Regnan had wanted her. There was no other explanation. Whatever General Battarq wanted, he took, yet according to her own captor, the general had sworn by his holy book that if she behaved herself, he would wait to use her sister until she was of age.

If Regnan told the truth, and that was a big if, it seemed Battarq hoped Lira would be agreeable and produce an heir for Zhinshu. Then he could use her child to rule both nations. Well, he could wait until his Central States of Khubak froze over. In the meantime, while Lira searched for a way out, she would try to stave off Regnan.

Lira sighed with relief. Today she could let down her guard. For the first time in months, she would be free of his foul stench. Lira heard a familiar knock on the door. She hurried to pull her tunic about her to hide the bruises.

“Come.”

F’yit entered, head bowed. She closed the door behind her. “My lady.” The maid kept her eyes glued to the floor. Both women muted their voices.

“Is he away?”

“Yes, my lady. He flew off late last night, and he has not returned. I overheard his valet say that he’d packed enough bags for a very long trip.”

“Has anyone mentioned when he is expected back? I overheard one of the housekeepers say he would be gone for months.”

F’yit shook her head.

“Then we must keep our eyes and ears open.” Lira softened her voice, speaking barely above a whisper. “We must use this time to plot our escape.”

The maid moved closer. “Mistress, there are but two ways out, and the gates are guarded every hour of every day. Any guard who falls asleep is immediately dismissed. All vehicles are searched. Every woman must show her face…” F’yit hesitated. “The guards know your appearance well. All the staff is aware of what happened yesterday. It is the talk of the household.”

Lira leaned towards her maid. “Do you think there is anyone here with the courage to help us?”

Again the maid shook her head. “You may have their sympathy, but, no, they will not stand up to him.”

“Then we’ll have to rely upon ourselves. Come. Look.” Lira walked to the window, the shorter woman following like a shadow. “See my way out.”

The maid blanched. For a moment, she said nothing, and Lira saw the fear in the woman’s eyes.

“You cannot think to swim,” F’yit whispered. “My lady, the water is like ice. The far shore of Zhinshu is a good mile off. What of the currents? My lady, please, I beg you, not that way. Death waits in those waters.”

Lira stared down. “No, F’yit, you’re wrong. Death is right here. I am a strong swimmer. I have to make the attempt.”

“I cannot swim,” the maid murmured, and she reached a tentative hand toward her mistress. “You would have to leave me behind.”

Lira took hold of the small, cold hand and squeezed.

“I have seen fishing boats ply the channel. At dawn, when the tide is slack and the currents are quiet, they anchor right there.” She gestured toward a promontory. “I can get you that far, F’yit. I swear it.” The maid held tight to her hand, and Lira knew the woman didn’t believe her. Why should she? Lira lied, and they both knew it. They would most likely die in the water, but there were worse things than death. The touch of Tuth Regnan was one of those things.

“Perhaps you should give him what he wishes,” F’yit mumbled. “Perhaps then he would treat you with kindness.”

Lira shuddered. “Never,” she replied.

One way or another, she would be gone before he returned. If she survived, she would find a way to help her sister. If she died, well, her sister’s fate lay in the hands of the gods.

“Come, mistress.” F’yit’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Let me help you bathe, and I will rub soothing oils into your bruises. This time they will have a chance to heal.”

Chapter Three

“What the hell do you mean we’re not allowed to speak to her? We’ve been pulled off the front line to protect this woman, and we can’t even talk to her?” Kepp was furious. Before he and his men could even get out of the heli-jet, the guards had greeted him with a list of rules they were to adhere to religiously.

“You will not speak with her,” the guard repeated in a stubborn voice. “If you encounter her in the hallway or anywhere in the compound, you will avert your eyes.”

“Now wait one fucking minute,” interrupted Red from over Kepp’s shoulder. “How the hell are we supposed to protect someone if we can’t speak to her…if we can’t even look at her? Captain Kepp, this is idiocy.”

“I agree,” said Kepp. “We need to meet Lisa Regnan. For fuck’s sake, how are we supposed to avoid a woman if we don’t even know who she is? We need to check out the compound and assess the area for any potential threats. In other words,” he looked at the guard’s badge, “Mr. Speth, we need to be allowed to do our job. Sergeant Till, Arms Master Watso, stay where you are.” Kepp crossed his arms and blocked the open hatch.

“With pleasure,” agreed Wat. Both he and his friend, Red, sat back and buckled their safety harnesses.

As Kepp watched, nonplussed, the two guards retired into their bulletproof Plexiglas booth to discuss the situation. Kepp and his men didn’t give a shit. They could wait or they could leave. Leaving would be preferable, and they weren’t willing to wait for long. One of the guards picked up a com unit. Kepp turned around and winked at his friends. “Fifty bucks says we get the hell out of here. Tell the pilot to warm her up.”

The guard slammed down the headset and stomped out of the booth.

“Follow me,” he growled.

“Fuck.” Kepp rolled his eyes. “Grab the gear. We stay.”

The three men followed well behind the guard.

“We trying to keep someone in or out?” Wat asked in a low voice, nodding his head at the high, slick-metal, electrified inner walls.

“I agree with Wat,” commented Red. “Somethin’ ain’t kosher ‘round here. Look at these gardeners cringing. I can smell the fear rolling off them from fifty yards.”

Kepp slowed his stride. “Keep your eyes and ears open and your wits about you. Watch your back, and whatever happens, we keep each other in the loop. Leave these asshole guards out of it. I don’t like this any better than you do. You’re right, something stinks to high heaven.”

The guard pressed a button, and the heavy doors leading to the private quarters opened. Uniformed domestic staff, both men and women, scurried out of sight, heads down.

“What kind of crazy rich bitch are we dealing with?” Red hissed in Kepp’s ear.

The captain muscled his friend behind him and kept walking, wondering exactly the same thing. The men climbed up three stories along a grand, sweeping staircase and followed the guard down a series of corridors. Kepp noted everything they passed so he and his men could find their way out in a hurry if need be.

“Speth,” Kepp called out. “Hold up a second.” The guard stopped but refused to turn around. “Where are the emergency exits?” Kepp continued, “I can’t believe that staircase is the only way in or out of this place.”

Impatient, the man sighed and faced them.

“We entered through the main door and climbed the main staircase. There is another entrance through the kitchen and a set of servants’ stairs. That will be how you enter and exit the premises. After I show you to your suite, I’ll give you a tour of the areas you’ll need to become familiar with. Do not assume for one minute that you’ll be allowed to roam free. You’ll go where I say, and you’ll follow my instructions.”

If Kepp had been a dog, every hair on his body would have stood on edge at that moment. In the thick silence that followed, the two men faced off. Red and Wat reached for their knives.

Kepp’s words, when he finally spoke, were clipped and tinged with menace.

“General Battarq asked us to leave our platoon to do this job. Your master,” he spat the word, “came to camp to speak with me himself this morning. Now, either you and your men stay the hell out of our way, or we radio for air transport out of this fucking place. That heli-jet can turn around and be here in ten minutes. Have I made myself clear, Mr. Speth?”

The other man paled but didn’t back down. He opened his mouth. “Fuck you.”

“Wrong answer,” said Kepp, and his big fist nailed Speth in the jaw, slamming him into a closed door. The door crashed open beneath his weight, and the man fell onto his backside into the room beyond.

“Fuck me,” hissed Wat.

“Fuck me, indeed,” added Red.

Her back to them, a woman rose from a pool of steaming water sunk into the floor of the room. Kepp noticed a number of things about her all at once. Her movements were as graceful as those of a ballet dancer, her ass was wondrously round and shapely, and that same ass, along with her lovely, slender back and shoulders, was covered with wide, purple bruises. Without a hint of embarrassment in her posture, the woman turned to face them. Kepp sucked in a breath at the sight at those high, pert breasts with their puckered rosy nipples, and he muttered a prayer that his army fatigues were baggy enough to cover the size of his sudden erection.

A small woman came running from an adjacent room, carrying a flimsy wrap of some sort. She handed it to the taller woman, but it was too little, too late. The gauzy wrap stuck to her wet, naked body like a second skin. Kepp, along with Red and Wat, who had crowded into the doorway beside him, had no difficulty viewing every single inch of her long, lithe frame.

“Why does Mr. Speth lie on my floor?”

“What?”

“Mr. Speth.” She motioned with a graceful wave of her hand. “He lies there, bleeding.” And she smiled.

Kepp looked down at the prostrate man. He’d forgotten all about him.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t…” Kepp lifted his eyes. “Who are you? And who the hell beat the shit out of you? Pardon my language, ma’am.”

The woman glanced from Kepp’s face to Mr. Speth and back again. Kepp felt as if he could read an entire world in that one look. Before she had a chance to answer, the guard lurched to his feet.

“Mrs. Regnan,” the man growled, holding the back of his hand to his bleeding mouth, “and she fell down the stairs yesterday.”

“Isn’t that always the story,” commented Red, staring daggers at the guard.

“Tell them,” Speth ordered.

“You always speak to your mistress in that tone?” asked Wat. “Secretary Regnan know how disrespectful you are to his wife?”

“I’m not…” the man muttered, “I’m not the one throwing punches and knocking down doors.”

Kepp walked forward. The woman clutched the wrap with her left hand. She didn’t wear a wedding band. He reached for her right hand and clasped it in both of his. She squeezed back with surprising strength.

“I’m Captain Tanner Kepp, ma’am. This is Sergeant Redda Till and Arms Master Cer Watso. We’re from the Seventh Squadron, and we’ve been assigned to protect you in your husband’s absence.” The woman shook hands with both Red and Wat.

“Protect me from what?” she asked, a hint of warning in her voice.

“Perhaps we’re here to see that you don’t,” Kepp cleared his throat, “fall down the stairs again.” He watched the woman close her wide, gold-brown eyes, and he could feel her inner struggle. When she finally opened them, the pleading she radiated pierced him to the core.

“Thank you, gentlemen. I’m sure my…my husband will be pleased by your concern for my well-being. Where are you to be housed?”

“Next to you.” Speth’s voice sounded harsh. Kepp saw him jerk his head at the smaller woman, and she ran to fetch a towel from a neat stack on a table. Speth grabbed it from her and pressed it to his bleeding mouth. “That way, they’ll be able to keep an eye, uh, it will be easier for them to protect you, Mrs. Regnan.”

Kepp watched as the woman’s delicate, pink tongue flicked out to touch the tip of her teeth, and his lust for her flared in tandem with his fury at whoever had beaten her. Mr. Speth stepped between the woman and the three soldiers. The woman backed away, and over Speth’s shoulder Kepp watched her disappear into the adjoining room. She walked with dignity, hips swaying gracefully despite the pain he knew she must feel from the beating. The shorter woman followed, closing a door behind them.

“This way.”

Speth led them out the open door and into the hallway. He’d told the truth, their suite of rooms did adjoin hers. Kepp looked around. He spotted a connecting door in the wall, and he wondered on which side the door locked, but he didn’t bother to ask the guard. He and his men would figure it out quick enough. The men remained curt as he showed them around.

“Here’s your video cam, your com link to the guard stations…”

“Guard stations?” interrupted Kepp. “I only saw one.”

“There is a small side entrance for the hired help. Delivery trucks pull up there to drop off foodstuffs, linens, and other supplies. I’ll be back later to show you.”

Red flipped on the video cam. “What’s this for?”

Speth rolled his eyes. “So you can watch her, idiot. What do you think?”

“What the hell? You’ve got a camera in her room? Why would you have a camera in her room?” Wat asked. “Exactly who do you think is going to bust in there? The Zealots?”

Kepp could tell that Speth had had enough of them and wanted to get as far away as possible.

“Look,” the man said, “just do your job. If General Battarq sent you, then he must have briefed you. When my master returns, he’ll want his wife here and in one piece. Think you three can manage that?”

“Sure,” replied Kepp, “as long as you stay the hell away from her.”

“It’s my job to…”

“Beat her?” interrupted Red.

“I do as I’m told,” shouted Speth.

“Like a good little sadist,” commented Wat.

Kepp intervened. “I guarantee she’ll be here and in one piece when your master returns. I’m afraid I can’t say the same for you if you don’t get out of my sight.”

Speth stalked to the door.

“Oh,” called out Kepp, “send another man to give us a tour of the place and introduce us to the staff. I don’t want to see your butt-ugly face unless it’s absolutely necessary. Got it?”

The man nodded, but he didn’t turn around. He vanished down the hallway. Kepp made certain the man was long gone then closed the door. He motioned to Wat.

“Get out your gear,” he said, his mouth against Wat’s ear. “Sweep for bugs. They got eyes on her, you can bet they got eyes on us. I want them found, and I want them smashed.” Wat nodded and went for his bags.

Kepp walked over to the video cam and adjusted the picture. Red stood beside him.

“You think you can tell from the angle of this shot where they stashed this camera?”

“No problem,” Red mouthed in reply.

“There are bound to be others,” Kepp said. “I want them all ripped out of her rooms. We set up our own equipment and link it to our portables, with her permission, so we can tell if those assholes try to get into her room.”

“You think she’s his wife?” Red asked, his voice a mere whisper.

“Fuck no,” replied Kepp. “His prisoner, more like.”

“Catch the tat on her right wrist?” Red continued.

Kepp nodded his head.

“I’ve seen one like that before, just once, in a training session. It’s called an Ouroboros, a snake biting its tail. Only women of the Royal House of Zhinshu are allowed that specific tattoo. They have it put on when they, you know, when they first start to bleed. Shows they’ve come of age or something. It’s a symbol of infinity. You have any idea what we’ve gotten ourselves into, Captain?”

“Not a fucking clue,” whispered Kepp. “No fucking clue.”

* * * *

“Those men have shamed you, my lady,” whispered F’yit, her lips barely moving.

“Shamed me? In what way? You believe these men have shamed me and the guards have not?”

“They’ve seen you, Princess. They’ve seen your body. It’s shameful to openly display yourself like that to the enemy.”

Lira shook her head.

“Oh no, F’yit. I had my reasons. Those men saw me. They saw the bruises. They looked into my eyes. One of them even stared at the serpent. He recognized it. I’m certain of it. No, F’yit, you are wrong. These three men are sent by the gods. They will be our salvation.”

“How?”

“Isn’t it the duty of the heir to the throne to choose three men or women as consorts? Isn’t it my duty? One to guard the right hand, one to guard the left hand, and one to guard the back, always. That is what we say. It is the law of our land.”

“But mistress,” F’yit hesitated, “mistress, we are not in our land, and I repeat, these men are the enemy.”

“I know what they are, F’yit, I know, may the Gods help me. But I believe in the saying, “The honor of a righteous enemy is worth the weight of a thousand friends.” These men may be my enemy, but they are righteous. I read it in their eyes, in their very stance. In the crash of Mr. Speth through my doorway.” Lira allowed herself a small smile.

F’yit fell silent as she helped Lira to dry her long hair and began to plait it.

“I am afraid of these men,” she whispered at last.

“Why would you fear them? They will help us.”

“But what do I do now?”

“You do nothing more than before. You remain mute when you are among the staff, and we play the same game. We keep our heads down. We wait for an opportunity. I will bring these men to our side, I swear it.” Lira laid a gentle hand on her maid’s bowed shoulders. “Perhaps you will not have to swim after all, F’yit.” Her voice very soft, she added, “Now, I will bare my breasts for the guard’s camera and distract them, while you unlock the adjoining door. Then leave me. Make certain the men in the other room see you leave. If one follows after you, he will try to get you alone, ask you questions. Only answer if you are isolated and there are no prying eyes and ears. Keep your answers short. I will tell them whatever truth they need to know. Do you understand?”

Lira saw the fear in her maid’s eyes, but the woman nodded her agreement. Lira depended upon F’yit to do as she was told.

* * * *

All three men heard the snick of the latch being unlocked. They deliberately ignored the sound and went about their business. Out of the corner of his eye, Kepp saw the smaller woman, the one he assumed to be a maid, tiptoe past their open doorway. He flicked a glance at Red, who gave him a slight nod and went after her. After tossing a few items of clothing onto one of the beds, Kepp crossed the room to stand close to his friend, Wat.

“What you turn up so far?” he asked.

“One lens here, one in the other room. Amateurish jobs. They didn’t work too hard to hide them. Nothing wired for sound, other than the com link to the guard house. I’ll rewire ‘em tonight, short ‘em out.” He tilted his head toward the adjoining door. “Hers will be tougher. Might want to leave it alone. We can probably get away with shutting the vids down in here because of your rank, but removing the video cams in her rooms will just arouse suspicion. You want me to do it anyway?”

Kepp rubbed the stubble along his jaw line. “No, you’re right. Take these out now. Leave the video cams in her rooms. Chances are she already knows the cameras are there anyway. Wonder how she distracted the guards so the maid could sneak over and unlock that door?”

“How do you think? Showed off those sweet tits of hers. Jesus,” Wat muttered. “That first look at her had me about coming in my pants, bruises or no bruises. I’d like to beat the shit out of that fucker Speth. You know he did it.”

“He said he was following orders,” replied Kepp. “Her so-called husband’s, I imagine.”

Wat straightened up and stretched. “What do you think? You met him.”

“Regnan’s a fucking weasel. The kind who wouldn’t do it himself, but he’d get his jollies watching someone else do it.”

“So what do we do, Captain? Radio Commander Grange? Tell him there’s a pile of shit here that stinks to high heaven?”

Kepp looked around the suite. “No. Not yet. We get our gear unpacked, take our pick of beds, and find the kitchen. Make friends with the staff. What they don’t say is every bit as important as what they do say. If we get the chance, we check her for broken ribs. Make sure her injuries are superficial. We all have medical training. She didn’t show it, but she’s gotta be in some kind of pain.”

Wat grinned, showing his very white teeth. “We can try, but I doubt I can trust myself to just check her ribs.” He glanced around. “Pretty luxurious digs, eh? Look at this shit. Sure beats curling up in the mud with your poncho for a bed. Go take a piss. The bathroom will rock your world.”

Kepp laughed. “Guess it doesn’t take much to make you happy, Wat.”

“Nope.” His friend’s grin widened. “A soft bed, a clean place to take a piss, and the sight of a beautiful, naked woman. A man can’t ask for much more.”

Chapter Four

Lira faced the open window and stared out over the channel. Anyone looking on would assume she watched the water, but she saw nothing, heard nothing. The princess had fallen into a meditative state as she prepared to practice Kinji Watah, the Death Dance. Today, she would practice with more vigor and more enthusiasm than she’d felt in months. Hope had filled her at the sight of the three men, three big, strong, righteous warriors. The fact that they fought for the other side meant nothing. Very soon, they would fight for her. She felt it with every beat of her heart. The tall, lanky one with the long red braid and the dimples, the one called Redda Till, he would fight on her right hand. The handsome dark man with the very white teeth, Cer Watso, who wore his hair in what his own people called dreads, that man would fight on her left hand. And their fierce, blue-eyed, golden-haired commanding officer, the one called Captain Tanner Kepp, he would guard her back and hold the Ouroboros, the circle, together.

Wearing nothing but her skin-tight practice jersey, Lira turned away from the window. Her eyes closed, movements slow and defined, she began the ritual of Kinji Watah. The pain Lira felt from the bruises focused her, strengthened her, and she visualized a kick to the throat of Tuth Regnan, to the head of the guard named Speth, and to the sternum of General Battarq.

* * * *

“Hey, Kepp, get a load of this.” Watching the video cam, Wat stuffed a hunk of bread into his mouth. “This for our benefit or the guards’?” He grabbed a crisp, red apple from the tray of food one of the kitchen staff had brought up to the room.

Kepp and Red stopped cleaning their weapons and looked over Wat’s shoulder to check out the picture on the video cam.

“You don’t recognize that?” asked Red. “Remember the training vids about combat with the Zealots?”

Wat shook his head. “Nah, I think I slept through most of those vids.” He glanced up at Kepp. “Sorry, Captain. Looks like she’s doing ballet or something.”

“Not ballet,” replied Kepp. “It’s the Death Dance, the Kinji Watah, a Zhinshu form of martial arts practiced by men and women. A well-placed kick to the groin, the solar plexus, the knee, or the Achilles tendon will disable a man. A kick to the throat, the sternum, the side of the head, or the back of the neck will kill him.” Kepp leaned over the screen. “Red, tell me again about that tat on her wrist.”

Red stretched out on the floor and tossed grapes up into the air, catching them in his mouth. “The Ouroboros. A snake biting its tail. It’s a circle. The people of Zhinshu say, “One is the all.” It’s a symbol of infinity, I guess. Like I said, every royal female receives the tattoo on her right wrist when she proves her fertility. So the question is…”

“What is a female of the Royal House of Zhinshu doing here, married to Secretary Regnan?” Kepp finished for him.

“Married my ass,” commented Wat, his eyes glued to the video screen. “You want to say it or should I?”

Captain Kepp sat in silence for a moment. He tapped a finger on the edge of the video screen.

“General Battarq asked us to come here.”

“You mean he asked you to come here,” Red interrupted. “Wat and I are just along for moral support.”

Kepp snorted. “He ordered me to bring two men. He must have had a good reason. Didn’t seem to me like Regnan would have asked for me, or anyone for that matter, without a little push. He’s got his guards to keep tabs on his wife, if that’s what she is. No. There’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye, and we all know it. Wat, what you were about to say, keep it to yourself for now. Red and I both know what you’re thinking, and if we’re right, our mouths stay shut for her sake.”

“And if she’s who we think she is?” asked Wat.

“I don’t know. Red?”

“Yeah, boss?”

Kepp stared at the woman moving on the video screen. “When you were out getting food, you find a gym or a place to lift? I need to work off some steam.”

“Fully equipped. Two floors down. I got the grand tour. Showed my dimples to the cook’s assistant and she couldn’t resist.” Red grinned.

Tearing his eyes from the screen, Kepp grabbed his sweats.

“Get changed, and show me. Wat, one of us will relieve you in an hour and you can have a turn.” He tossed a tiny perdi to his friend and shoved another in the pocket of his sweatpants. “That asshole Speth or any other guard shows up here, you buzz me.”

Wat grinned.

“Sure, I’ll buzz you after I cut off his dick and shove it in his mouth. That sound good?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Red, stripping off his shirt and tugging on a pair of loose sweatpants. “C’mon, Kepp, let’s go. Afterwards, I’ll show you around the grounds, and we can talk without worrying about any prying ears. I can tell you what I learned from the kitchen staff.”

Chapter Five

Lira stood on her balcony, head thrown back, allowing the ocean breeze to cool her over-heated body. Beneath the rush of the wind and the crash of the waves far below, she heard her stomach rumble. The sound amused her. This was the first time she’d felt hungry in the two months she’d been held captive in this rich functionary’s hellhole. She’d eaten, but only because she had to in order to maintain her strength, to fight for her life if need be. Now she thought she might be hungry enough to eat a proverbial horse.

As Lira turned back towards the room, planning to shower off and call for a tray, she caught sight of two of the men, the ones called Tanner Kepp and Redda Till. They’d doffed their shirts, and their bodies glistened with sweat in the red light of the setting sun. Lira found her eyes riveted on one freckled set of broad shoulders and one sun-tanned, rock-hard chest. As she watched, the men turned and strolled in the direction of the side gatehouse. Their posture was that of warriors, on their toes, at the ready. She saw how they bent their heads close together, talking so that no one could overhear. Discussing her situation, why they’d gotten themselves involved, and how the hell they could get out of it, no doubt.

She would have to connect with them tonight. Delay was a luxury she could ill afford. Without these three, all was lost. One thing concerned her. Why had Regnan asked them to come? His guards were perfectly capable of monitoring her movements about the compound. Speth and his two buddies had bullied her often enough that Regnan knew she’d stay in her rooms and out of their way as much as possible. Unless he didn’t trust them to keep certain parts of their bodies to themselves. After what Speth and his cronies had already shown themselves willing to do, rape wouldn’t surprise her.

These three men were different, almost like another species. They had been pulled from Battarq’s elite forces. Why? Battarq wanted her kept a prisoner, didn’t he? Why would Regnan ask for them and risk exposure? She already knew part of the answer to that question. He wouldn’t. Battarq must have forced him to do so. But again, her question was, why? What sick political game did the general play?

Her eyes followed the two men, and she perused the movement of their buttocks beneath the sweats they wore. Despite the seriousness of her predicament, Lira smiled. She couldn’t help herself. Perhaps it was the sight of two strong, beautiful, healthy male bodies striding across the thick, green lawn in the fading light. Perhaps it was simply the nearness of honorable men. The dark shadows the two soldiers cast upon the ground gave her an idea. She’d have to wait until the dead of night when the compound was quiet and all three were in their suite. It would be a risk, but the men didn’t seem like mere functionaries. In fact, they seemed quite the opposite, more like the knights in shining armor she’d read about in books from the palace library. Chivalrous, courageous, respectful men, the kind of men she had dreamed would be her consorts one day.

This was why she’d trained in the high pavilions, so she would understand how to give and receive pleasure, so she could bind her chosen consorts to her. Her body would be her bond. If they accepted her, she would be honor-bound to give up her life for them, to protect her consorts until she breathed her last.

Lira tore her eyes away from the darkening lawn. Her father would take her back, she didn’t doubt that. He would welcome her and her young sister with open arms if they could escape their captors, but her people would be another matter altogether. There was a good chance she would no longer be an acceptable heir to the throne. They might not believe that she had been forced by Regnan. She feared her people would consider her tainted, and she worried about her sister’s reputation. In order to rule, she or her sister needed to retain the respect of the people.

On the other hand, if she was able to rescue her sister and return home accompanied by three strong, virile, loyal consorts, not only would she salvage her reputation, it would go a long way to ensure something like this never happened again. She imagined her appearance before the World Court to accuse Battarq and his ruling junta of warmongering, subversion, and kidnap. If nothing else, her words would condemn the man in the court of world opinion.

To these three soldiers, such an action would be treasonous. But if they were the honorable men they seemed, wouldn’t they view Battarq’s actions as treason? By kidnapping the heir to the throne of Zhinshu, it was as if the general had flipped a switch and turned on a light that could only be turned off by death on a battlefield.

Many men on both sides will die. There’s more at stake than my life. There’s more at stake than my sister. With these men standing beside me, I might be able to prevent all-out war.

Chapter Six

“All right,” said Kepp, “let’s hear it. What did you find out?”

The men walked across the thick, green lawn as the sun set beyond the mountains across the channel. The building behind them cast a soft, rosy light over the grass.

“I didn’t learn much,” replied Red. “But what I did learn, you’re not gonna like.”

“The maid?”

“Nah, she ran off like a house afire. Besides, according to the kitchen staff, she’s a mute, not that I believe that shit for a second. Smart way to get information. If people think you can’t repeat what they say, they’ll say anything in front of you.”

“So who’d you speak to?”

“This second cook, or whatever they call ‘em. Cute little girl, a local, got hired on a year or so ago. She said two months back, Regnan shows up with this woman veiled from head to toe in black. He claims he got married and she’s his wife. Then he orders the staff not to speak to her without his permission. If he’s not here, he tells them they need Speth’s permission. He grabs her by the arm and throws her in his bedroom and locks the door.”

“He happen to mention to anyone he was getting married beforehand?”

“No. And this girl says he didn’t come in through either gate. He brought her up from the cellar with that terrified maid in tow like he’d smuggled her into the place in a crate or something. That’s not the bad part.”

Kepp stopped.

“I think I know where this is headed,” he growled.

“Yeah, well. I don’t like it any better than you, but I don’t know what the hell to do about it right now.” Red paused. “I’m guessing she fought him something fierce because he called for three guards to go into his room with him. She must have resisted because they beat her. After that first time, one of the guards quit. His body was found a couple days later in a ditch outside of the village. The local doc claimed he died of alcohol poisoning.”

“Who’s the other guard involved? Besides Speth, I mean.”

“One of his buddies up front, and there are four more of Regnan’s personal guards manning the main gate. The crew that works the side gate is made up of locals. Seems like nobody is too happy with the situation, but the pay is good, and Regnan is the biggest employer around here. You saw when we flew over. Land’s End sits smack in the middle of nowhere.”

“She, this woman he’s calling Lisa, try to talk to anyone? Has she asked for help?”

“Not that the girl mentioned. The woman is barely allowed out of her suite of rooms.”

“Red,” Kepp strode forward, “I know you remember the name of King Pakan’s daughter, the one he claims General Battarq kidnapped.”

“Yeah, I remember. So do you. So does Wat. Lisa…Lira, doesn’t take much imagination. Her private jet vanished over the ocean. As you recall, she was on her way to interview candidates to be her consorts. You know,” Red commented, “the heir to the throne of Zhinshu chooses three mates.” Kepp sped up his pace, and Red caught up to him. “If the heir is a woman, she spends a few weeks in what they call the pleasure pavilions so she doesn’t have to go to her marriage bed inexperienced. If she allows three men to take her at once, Captain…you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Kepp snorted. “You mean about three consorts?” Kepp laughed. “I’m trying not to think about that. No, I’m wondering about Battarq, wondering if the general arranged for her disappearance or if he discovered that Regnan did. The second reason makes more sense. That’s why Regnan pulls his sudden disappearing act and Battarq sends us to protect the little hausfrau,” said Kepp.

“We’re fucked, huh?”

“No. Not yet. I think he wants us to get him out of this mess without causing an international incident. The general wants to keep his hands clean. We do his dirty work.”

“So, what dirty work do we do, Kepp?”

“What we always do, reconnaissance and confirmation. And if she’s who we think she is, if she’s Lira and not Lisa, we get her out of here as quick as possible and hole up somewhere safe. If there’s a way out through the cellar, we need to find it.”

“Ain’t gonna be easy. Might have to bash a few heads,” Red commented. He glanced back toward the building. “Wat’s probably gettin’ antsy about now. I’ll go relieve him. Want me to give him the word?”

“I suspect he’s already figured it out for himself.”

Red turned to leave.

“Hold up,” said Kepp.

“Yeah?”

“You might want to knock. The way Wat was staring at the video cam, he’s probably jacking off.”

Red laughed.

“Shit, he’s done by now. I’m sure he hit it the minute we left the room.”

Chapter Seven

For the first time since she’d set foot in her suite of rooms, Lira thanked the Gods for the thick, lightproof electronic shutters Regnan had installed. He’d ordered her to keep them shut after sunset, so she asked her maid to close them, just as she had every night for two months. She prepared for bed as usual, brushing her teeth and donning one of the gowns Regnan had provided for her. Lira loosened her braid. When she came out of the bathroom, F’yit had already turned down the lighting. The maid brushed her mistress’ waist-length chestnut hair until it glistened in the soft, golden light.

When F’yit had finished and cleaned the brush, Lira spoke. “You are dismissed for the night. You may sleep in your own quarters.”

“Mistress, you don’t want me to, to spend the night with you?” F’yit whispered.

“It’s not necessary,” Lira insisted, keeping her voice even and just as soft as the maid’s. “He’s not here. There are three men next door who will keep Mr. Speth far away from me. There’s no need for you to worry. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

The maid rose from the bed, reluctance and concern evident in her face, but Lira pretended not to notice. “Please turn off the lights on your way out, F’yit. Good night.”

The maid’s steps were slow, but she did as she was told. The rooms were plunged into darkness as thick as heavy black satin. Lira heard the door close, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her stomach churning with anxiety, she lay back on the bed and pulled the quilts up to her chin. Reminding herself that she must feign sleep, Lira attempted to slow her breathing. Tonight, when the house was still, she would attempt the impossible. She must convert three of her enemies into friends. Not just friends, but her protectors, her defenders, her lovers. Her life, as well as the lives of many men on both sides, depended upon the outcome of this one night.

Chapter Eight

“Wat, get some sleep. I’ll take watch.” His friend could barely keep awake.

“Yeah, sure, Kepp.” Wat rubbed his eyes. “Just don’t stare directly at the screen, it’s too dark in her rooms to see anything if you do.”

“So, use my peripheral vision to pick up movement, and sit tight, unless Speth opens her door and then we bust through the wall.”

Wat chuckled and headed to the bathroom. When he came out, he stopped behind Kepp.

“We gotta find an opportunity to talk to her. Now might be a good time.”

“And scare the hell out of her?” Kepp shook his head. “Not tonight. Let’s give her a day or two before we climb into her bed.”

“Well,” said Wat, “if her bed is anything like these, we won’t have a problem sharing. I’ve never slept in a bed this big. I’m not sure I like this, too lonely. You wanna come on over and warm me up, boss?”

Kepp snorted. “Get some sleep. We’ll find someone to warm your bed tomorrow.”

Wat lay down and wrapped himself in the blankets.

“No question in my mind who I want warming it,” he muttered, and he promptly dropped off to sleep.

The only light in the room came from the edges of the video screen. The woman’s room was black as pitch. The captain sat sideways and leaned back in his chair, one eye on the screen. Damn. He tried to make sense of the situation. If Battarq had kidnapped a royal princess, the heir to the House Zhinshu, why would he risk exposure, international censure, and even open warfare by ordering Kepp here? He had to know Kepp and his men would realize that one plus one did not add up to two in this case. The only answer Kepp could come up with was that Battarq had uncovered Regnan’s treason but couldn’t afford to appear involved. He’d sent Kepp, not only to figure things out, but to deal with the problem in a way that would somehow keep the General’s reputation unsullied and, if they were lucky, avoid all-out war with the Zealots.

Battarq obviously didn’t want the woman vanished. The man was a pragmatist above all else. If the general wanted her disappeared, then she’d already be gone.

“She’d be dead and buried or burned or fish food,” Kepp murmured, careful not to wake the sleeping men.

No, Battarq wanted Kepp to rescue him from this predicament. That was the only explanation that made any sense. Well, how the fuck was he supposed to do that? Spirit her out in the middle of the night covered by a black veil, like she’d been spirited in? How the hell did Regnan do that, anyway? She hadn’t climbed out of a heli-jet or driven up in a car. There must be another way in, a way known only to Regnan and a few of the guards.

What about the guard who quit and was found dead a few days later? Alcohol poisoning? Unlikely. According to Red, the kitchen staff claimed in all the years he’d worked here, the man had never drunk more than an occasional beer. Speth and his buddies had probably held him down and poured the drink down his throat. Yeah, they were sadists all right. The kind of guards a man like Regnan would surround himself with.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kepp caught…what the hell is that? Something shifted on the video screen. Is that movement? He blinked to clear his vision and turned his head further to the side, squinting, hoping to isolate the nearly-invisible shape he’d caught. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe I’m too sleep-deprived to see straight. There’s nothing on the screen.

As if to deliberately prove him wrong, he heard the soft, metallic phish of a door opening on well-oiled hinges. His nostrils flared as a thread of jasmine perfume drifted his way, the same scent he’d caught earlier when he’d first met the woman.

Rising soundlessly on his bare feet, Kepp stepped toward the shadowy figure at the precise moment she crossed the threshold between the two rooms. Moving quickly, he grabbed for her, managing to wrap one strong arm around a slender waist and press a big hand over a soft, lush mouth. He heard a gasp as he drew her body hard against his, pinning her arms, but aside from that small sound, she struggled in silence. Light sleepers, Red and Wat were by his side in a heartbeat, holding onto her, careful not to cause her any injury, but using their bulk to force her to hold still.

It felt to Kepp like she’d swathed herself from head to toe in some kind of dark, gauzy fabric, and everything he touched during their struggle indicated she was naked as a jaybird beneath. His right arm circled her waist, his left he’d wrapped around her chest, and his hand had somehow ended up cupping her firm breast. Beneath the fabric covering her, a very erect nipple nestled in the center of his palm, bringing his cock to rapt attention. On his right, he sensed that Wat had caught hold of her arm. Red was on his left, holding tight to her hips. He knew both men had slipped out of bed, every bit as naked as she was. All four were breathing hard, and Kepp couldn’t blame that all on their struggle. Heat radiated from their bodies, circling them like a snake biting its own tail.

Kepp swallowed around the sudden dry lump in his throat. He placed his mouth against her ear.

“We won’t hurt you.” He kept his voice soft and slow, his words clear. “Why are you here? Why did you come into this room?”

“I could not…” The woman inhaled, and as her chest expanded, her nipple hardened even more against Kepp’s open hand. “The guards would have seen me in the daytime. I had to come now, in the dark. I need your help. I need you.” Her words ended in a quiet sob.

“It’s all right.” Kepp smoothed his voice, reassuring her. “We’re here to help you. Close the door, Wat,” Kepp ordered, speaking barely above a whisper. He heard the woman’s soft whimper, and he realized that as he held her, his fingers had begun to stroke her breast. His thumb flicked back and forth across that enticing little bud of a nipple. Fuck. His erection pressed uncomfortably against his zipper. He removed his wayward hand and reached between them, repositioning himself. There was no way she could miss his reaction to her presence. He guessed Wat and Red were each sporting a major hard-on too, although the four of them might as well be blind for all the light the video screen gave off.

“Sorry,” Kepp muttered, but he couldn’t quite stop himself from returning his hand to its previous position. He buried his nose in the woman’s hair. For fuck’s sake, she smelled delicious up close, good enough to eat. He felt the back of Red’s hand brush past his stomach, moving along her lower back, testing. Shit. This close to her, his friend was experiencing the same problem he was. Before he knew it, Wat had returned, and Kepp could feel him press his body in close. He bumped heads with Kepp as he dragged his lips along the edge of her shoulder. Kepp heard his friend inhale deep, taking in her scent.

Furious with his inability to stop his hand from stroking the soft underside of her breast, Kepp forced himself to speak.

“We need to stop. Red…Wat …”

At that moment, the woman arched her back and pushed her rounded bottom against his thick, hard cock. She moaned.

“No. Don’t stop. Touch me. Please. All of you.” Her low, smoky voice dripped over them like warmed honey, and Kepp knew he was lost. From the grunts of agreement he heard on each side, he suspected his friends had already passed the point of no return.

* * * *

The three men stripped the black veil and tossed it aside, exposing her nakedness. The cool air of the room hit her, but surrounded by hard, hot male bodies, Lira struggled to breathe. She couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen. She knew only three men touched her, but in the dark, she had no way to keep track. Urgent hands grazed her skin everywhere. Lira found herself braced against a hard chest. Tanner Kepp, she’d recognized his voice the instant she heard it. He slid a big hand beneath her hair. Wrapping a fist around her long tresses, he shifted her curls to the side and leaned into her. His lips brushed the side of her neck, his tongue slid along her shoulder. His other arm had already slipped around her waist, but then he dipped his hand lower, across her belly.

Fierce now, he brought her body back to him. His erection felt hard as a steel club pressed against her bottom. She heard him growl low in his throat while he ground himself against her. Overwhelmed, Lira’s head fell back into the hollow of his shoulder, and the hand in her hair followed, tilting her, holding her at just the right angle to allow him to sample her with his hungry mouth.

His kiss stole away whatever breath she had left. The man’s soft lips rubbed against hers, nibbling, demanding that she open for him, and she did. He tasted sweet, just as she imagined he would. His tongue explored her mouth with abandon, tangling with hers, driving her wild with need. She lifted both arms up and back, feeling for his long, golden hair, threading her fingers through his heavy braids, holding his mouth locked against hers. As she did so, her breasts were lifted into another man’s welcoming hands, allowing calloused fingers to toy with her nipples.

Lira felt a man’s mouth and tongue weave along the underside of her upper arm as the soldier she knew to be Wat kissed his way to her breast. When his mouth closed around her nipple, Lira let out a keening sound. She jerked, tearing her mouth away from Tanner’s, as Wat nipped at her, played with her, rolling her erect nipple between his tongue and palate until she thought she might scream. She heard Tanner rumble deep in his chest as his hands slipped down to her bottom, squeezing with abandon.

“Your ass is a thing of beauty,” he whispered. “So fucking round.” His voice sounded raw, his breathing as ragged as hers. Tanner backed away a bit. Still behind her, he slid a hand between her legs.

At that moment, Wat’s fingers left her other breast and moved lower, caressing her hips. His hand, too, reached between her legs, joining Tanner’s, and he fell to his knees in front of her.

“God, woman, you smell so sweet. Let me taste you,” he whispered. “Kepp, lift her for me.”

Tanner wrapped a muscular arm around her waist from behind while he slid his other hand farther between her legs, his fingers searching for the entrance to her body. Lira bit her lip to keep from screaming as his big finger thrust inside her. Without hesitation, her body responded, her inner muscles contracting around him. She knew there was no way he could miss the signals her body gave off.

“Oh fuck,” he gritted out.

“Let me have some of that,” groaned Red. Lira felt the other man’s finger slide inside, joining Tanner’s. She whimpered at the sensation of two fingers, two men, moving together, touching the heat inside her.

“Fuck, yes,” mumbled Red. “You are so fucking wet, woman. Jesus.”

The men lifted her then, two hands between her legs spread her wide, two fingers moved in and out of her body. Wat rested her thighs on his broad shoulders.

“Don’t worry, sweet, we’ll take good care of you.” His fingers were gentle as he spread her delicate folds. “God, I wish I could see you. You smell so pretty. You smell like a beautiful woman.”

Lira felt his warm breath against her, intimately. His tongue flicked out as if he wanted nothing more than a single sample of her. But then the man leaned forward into her body, twirling a determined tongue over her clit, up and around and down to where the two other men, both from behind her now, moved their fingers within her. He used his mouth with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes.

Tanner held her steady on Wat’s shoulders, his teeth nibbling the back of her neck while the man named Red leaned over and took her nipple back into his mouth. The pleasure she felt was so intense Lira feared she might die. She reached out and touched Red’s cock where he brushed it against her thigh. Her hand circled the swollen head. A bead of liquid lingered there, and she had just enough presence of mind to run her thumb through it, using his own arousal to ease her motion as she slid her hand up and down his erection. She heard his breathing quicken, and he sucked hard, scraping her nipple with his teeth.

Wat sucked on her swollen clit, and a moan escaped her as she clung, helpless, to the men on either side of her. Her back arched, her hips pressed up towards the man between her legs. Behind her, Tanner seemed to know exactly what she needed, and before she could lose all control, he covered her mouth with his, effectively swallowing her scream.

“Yes,” Red hissed, right before he bit down on her nipple, sending spikes of electricity directly between her legs where Wat pressed his firm tongue against her clit.

Lira jerked in their arms as her orgasm took her, Wat sucking on her clit, Red, a nipple, and Tanner’s mouth crushing hers. Fingers pressed deep within her, and she writhed, caught between them in the throes of pleasure. Tremors shook her body. Her mouth clinging to Tanner’s like a drowning woman, Lira lost all sense of time and place.

From a distance, she heard one of the men speak.

“Me first,” he said. “I’m about to fuckin’ come right now. I get her first. Help me.” She identified the voice. It was Wat.

“No,” she heard Tanner say. She felt his hot breath on the side of her face. “Not without her permission.” He and Red slid their fingers out of her, sliding through her wet folds, lingering over her clit, sending small jolts of pleasure through her entire body.

Wat lowered her legs to the floor and rose to his feet. His soft lips descended upon hers while his fingers closed on her nipples. She parted her lips for him and touched his questing tongue with her own. Tanner rubbed his rock-hard cock along her backside while Red pressed his against her thigh.

“Ma’am,” Wat lifted his mouth from hers, “may I fuck you?”

Lira sobbed.

“Yes…yes…all of you. I want all of you, please.”

“Well, just me for now,” he breathed in her ear. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Before she could say another word, Lira found herself swept off her feet once again. Tanner leaned against the nearest wall, pulling her along with him, supporting her. Red spread her long legs, and Wat stepped between them, wrapping them around his waist. She felt the head of his penis press into her. He kept his movements slow and measured, but, nevertheless, she gasped at the size of the man who filled her, wondering how she would accommodate three such well-endowed men, even if it was one at a time. The other two were equally big and just as hard. Wat invaded her, entering her a little farther with each thrust of his hips, giving her body time to adjust to him, until he seated himself to the hilt. He held a hand on each of her thighs, and at that moment, he squeezed. The groan Lira heard leave Wat’s lips touched her deep inside. It was deep and visceral and sounded as raw as she felt.

Behind her, Tanner growled as he felt her body pushed back against his.

“Play nice,” he ordered Wat. “Remember the bruises. Red,” he ordered, “help me hold her. I want to see how tight this little ass of hers is.” Lira whimpered at his words. She was suddenly afraid she couldn’t handle this situation. Perhaps she’d gotten in way over her head.

“No, honey,” Tanner murmured against her lips as she twisted her head and his mouth found hers. “Just my finger. Just my little finger. I won’t hurt you, I promise. It will feel good, very, very good.” Red shifted closer to help Tanner balance her while Wat pumped in and out of her body, his every thrust tugging on her clit, pushing her closer and closer to the edge again.

She felt Tanner’s little finger against her lips.

“Lick it,” he demanded. She opened her mouth, and he thrust his pinky inside, making sure to wet it, then he pulled it out. He moved his hand below her bottom, feeling for her tight, little aperture. Lira choked back a cry as his finger circled her and then slipped inside. He pressed upward, pushing against Wat’s cock as it plunged into her.

“Enjoy this.” His voice sounded low against her ear. “Close your eyes, sweetheart, and let yourself feel. Red,” Tanner muttered, “kiss her.”

“Yes, sir,” Red replied, and he did. The big, red-haired man took her mouth the way Wat took her pussy, the way Tanner took her soul. Nearing orgasm, Lira responded to the red-haired man’s kisses, while her nails dug into Wat’s shoulders, and she pressed back against the man behind her as if her life depended upon him. It seemed to the woman that three things held her suspended above the earth, Wat’s thick cock, Red’s soft, seeking lips, and Tanner’s little finger in her back passage.

Lira tore her lips from Red as Wat plunged into her, once, twice, three times, and he exploded with a deep, guttural groan. Tanner seemed to sense that she, too, was ready because he slid his finger deeper, and that little movement pushed her over the edge. For a few moments, Lira flew so high she felt as if she’d sprouted wings. At last, she fell back, limp, limbs shaking, her body spent.

* * * *

Sweat cooled their heated bodies as the four of them stood, braced against each other, panting, the woman suspended between the three men. Kepp wanted her something fierce. Feeling that tight, little ass contract around his fingers when she came…fuck, he’d almost exploded right along with Wat. He’d actually felt Wat climax inside her. He’d never done anything like this before, not with other men, but, God in heaven, he’d never wanted to fuck a woman like he wanted to fuck this one. Knowing that his friends wanted her just as bad made him hard as a bloody rock. He never thought he was the type to share a woman, but the pleasure the three of them had just given her made him hurt with longing.

Kepp steadied the woman while Wat pulled out with a deep groan. She tried to balance on shaky legs. Standing close beside him, he felt Red slide an arm around her waist. His friend spoke in a quiet voice.

“If you’ll have me, I’m next, sweetness, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

When the woman answered, her voice trembled, but her words were clear.

“You are the one called Red. Your name is Redda Till?”

“Yes.”

“Redda Till, you may have me any way you wish. I am yours.” As she spoke, she turned her face to Kepp, brushing her nipples against his chest. “I wish to belong to each one of you.”

To Kepp, it felt as though she intended those words for his ears alone. Her arms went around his shoulders, and he lowered his lips to hers. Without breaking the kiss, Kepp lifted her against his chest and carried her to the closest bed. He lay down on his back and pulled her over him. Red followed and stopped at the edge of the bed. In the dark, Kepp could feel Red’s knees against his as the man raised the woman’s hips and spread her legs so that she straddled Kepp’s muscular thighs.

“Woman, it may be dark in here, but I can tell by feel alone that your ass is incredible,” Red said, admiration in his voice.

“Red,” said Kepp, tearing his mouth from hers, “let me make her come.” The woman made a tiny keening sound at his words, and he wondered if she was afraid.

“Shhhh,” he comforted her. “It will be all right. Red would never hurt you. It’ll feel good, I promise, just like before.”

“No,” she whispered, “I’m not afraid. It’s the sound of your voice. Hearing you speak like that makes me feel as if your hands are already on me. Touch me, Tanner Kepp. Gods, touch me.”

Kepp reached for a small, pert breast, cupping it with his palm. He lifted his head from the soft bed and closed his mouth around her nipple while his other hand sought her clit. Beneath his fingers, he found Red’s cock pressed against her opening, and he couldn’t resist. He slid a finger into her just as Red thrust inside. Fuck, she was soft as silk, hot, wet, and tight. The woman sucked in a breath at the sudden intrusion but then her lips were taken by Wat, who had moved to lie on his side behind Kepp.

“You are cream, woman,” Kepp purred, lifting his mouth from her puckered nipple, “pure cream.” He pulled his finger out of her and wove his way back to her clit, rubbing small circles around the full bud. He listened to the soft mewing noises she made, the noises Wat muffled with his thorough kisses. Her thighs moved rhythmically against his as Red pumped into her. Fuck, he wanted a turn with her. His cock had never felt so bloody big. He ached to bury himself in this woman’s sweet heat. The warm scents of spice and musk and cum swirled around them like a cloud of enticing, delicious pheromones. The smell alone had him strung tight with lust, ready to burst.

“I can’t wait, man, I have to come,” groaned Red. “She’s so fucking tight, God in heaven. Make her come, Captain. Now.” Kepp felt Red’s thrusts deepen, forcing the woman’s body forward, closer to his own stomach and chest.

Kepp’s fingers circled her clit in a sure, steady rhythm. The thumb and forefinger of his other hand tugged on one nipple while his tongue played with the other. Within seconds, her tiny muscle contractions began, and Kepp slid just the tip of his finger inside her again, eager to share the satin of her body with his friend. In the darkness, he looked up and could just barely make out the shape of Wat’s hands threaded in her hair, holding her still for his kisses as he swallowed her screams of pleasure.

Just like the first time, for a few moments, no one had the strength to move. Kepp felt the woman’s arms begin to shake.

“Let me have her,” he said. Red withdrew from her in a gentle motion, and Kepp drew her to him. She collapsed onto his chest. Her head lay against his, her glorious hair splayed about his shoulders. He caressed her back and her buttocks with his fingertips. A fine sheen of sweat covered her velvety skin, and Kepp couldn’t resist. He licked her, wanting to taste the salt of her, inhaling the sweet musk of her body.

The woman’s legs rested across his thighs, his cock pressed against her belly. Although he tried to restrain himself, he gave in to his desire and pulled her higher, sliding his erect penis through her wet warmth. He was surprised and pleased when her hips moved against him in response. Her teeth nibbled a delicate path along the sensitive tendons of his neck, driving him wild. His friends had stretched out on either side of them, the heat of their bodies washing over him, and he was aware of their presence. But as he felt her tongue taste his skin, the same way he’d tasted her, it seemed to Kepp as if only two people occupied the bed. He was one, the woman who lay sprawled atop him, the other. Now was not the time to hold back. Despite her body’s initial resistance to the size of his erection, he entered her in one smooth motion. He’d waited his turn. He hadn’t been the first, but, by God, he would be the last.

His deep thrust had her moaning with pleasure. Kepp groaned in response. He wanted nothing more than to flip the woman over so he could spread her wide and pound into her, but he held back. Wat and Red had already taken her, and he worried about the bruises on her back. No way in hell would he do anything to hurt her.

“Kiss me, Tanner,” she whispered in his ear. “Kiss me as if we are the only two people in this world.”

So she feels the same thing I do.

Her soft, sweet lips brushed along his jaw as her hips met his, thrust for thrust.

“Kiss me,” she sighed, her breath warm against his mouth.

Kepp’s hands slid along her rib cage, and he lifted her with gentle pressure so that her breasts with their erect nipples swept over his chest. He brought her mouth to his, biting her love-swollen lower lip, forcing her to open for him. His tongue plundered her warm, willing mouth, tasting her sweetness. He swallowed her ragged cries before they could escape those luscious lips.

Kepp’s focus was all on the woman. Nevertheless, he felt Wat step between their legs, and he knew his friend wanted to take her again, to share her, to fuck that succulent ass of hers. Kepp tore his mouth from hers.

“No,” he growled at the man. “Not now. She’s mine.”

“My finger, at least,” Wat begged. “Give me that much.”

The woman in his arms whimpered, and he thrust up, deep and hard, as if to emphasize his ownership of her body, at least for now. But Wat would add to her pleasure and, above all, Kepp wanted this woman pleasured.

“Anything but a finger, and I cut it off.”

“Yes, captain.”

Kepp heard Wat suck on his finger, and in another moment, he felt the woman jerk in his arms as she impaled herself even deeper on his cock. She gave a little squeak. Good lord in heaven. Holy fuck. Kepp half expected the top of his head to explode. Maybe both heads. Her body gloved him like tight, hot, wet satin. He could feel the pressure of Wat’s finger pressed against his cock, and if his ears were still working right, it sounded like both his friends were jacking off. He knew they’d come on her back or her ass. The thought didn’t bother him. On the contrary, it turned him on even more. He understood their aching need for the woman he held in his arms as she rocked her hips up and down, riding him like she rode a horse, a big fucking horse.

The pace of her breathing increased. Hearing her moan once more, Kepp lifted her higher, his hands under her breasts, his thumbs rasping over her sensitive nipples. He took her mouth again to stifle his roar as he pressed up, hips rising high, burying himself inside her. As his orgasm began, he could feel her inner muscles tremble and contract around him. Her hands gripped his hair, her tongue sucked his, and she came in complete silence, milking him for all she was worth, milking him dry. Kepp had never come so hard in his entire life. As she fell over him, he heard Wat and Red grunt with their nearly simultaneous release, and the two collapsed back onto the bed, one on either side of him.

When his brain began to function again, Kepp pulled out of her, taking care to keep his movements slow and easy. He knew she might be sore, and the last thing he wanted to do was add to that. Her body released him with reluctance, and he heard the tiniest whimper escape her throat as he withdrew. Kepp scooted up in the bed, carrying the woman with him. Red and Wat joined them, and the four slid under the quilts, chilly now that the sweat began to cool on their bodies.

The woman came to him, curling her body against his without hesitation as though she belonged there. Kepp pressed her head into the hollow of his shoulder, caressing her thick hair with a gentle hand. Wat lay on his back on one side of Kepp, his arms folded behind his head, while Red stretched his long body on the other side of the woman, draping himself over her like a blanket.

When their breathing had resumed its normal rhythm and their hearts had slowed to steady thumps, Kepp lifted his head and cupped the woman’s chin with his hand. He brought her mouth to his. With a motion that was both lazy and enticing, he rubbed his lips over hers and pressed the tip of his tongue against her teeth. He lay back down with a satisfied sigh. Now, he decided, was the perfect time to begin.

“Tell me, princess, how did Regnan steal you, and why does the son of a bitch call you his wife?”

* * * *

Lira lay against the man, sated, her mind drifting, thoughts hazy. The pleasure pavilions had not prepared her for the raw intensity of the real thing, the bonding with three chosen consorts. Every nerve ending in her body still tingled with excitement and arousal. It was as if these men had turned on a switch inside her, one that could only be turned off by death.

For the first time in two months, she felt safe and protected, and her heart filled with hope. These men would die to keep her from Regnan and Speth and men of their ilk. She felt it in her bones. They were men of courage and honor. She opened her mouth to ask them how they came to be assigned to protect her when Tanner Kepp, the one who seemed to be the master of them all, spoke up. His words made it clear he knew who she was, so it followed that all three men must know the truth. If they knew and they’d taken her with full knowledge of her identity in their minds and hearts, then that meant they would accept their roles. Whether they realized it or not, they had become her official, legal consorts according to the constitution of Zhinshu.

Lira lifted herself on an elbow and rested her head on her hand. Her other hand played with the hairs on Tanner’s broad chest, smiling at the goose bumps that rose beneath her fingertips. She reached across his body to touch Wat and then swung her arm behind her to include Red.

“I am not Regnan’s wife.” She tried to keep some of the venom from her voice. “I am his prisoner. He forced me here, tried to make me accept him as consort. He wanted a child so he could control both nations. Only a child conceived with consent of the heir to the throne can rule.” She willed herself to be calm. “Regnan tells me it must be this way so Battarq can rule both nations. He claims he acts in the general’s interests.”

“But now, because of what we’ve done, Regnan can never have me, and Speth can no longer beat me to try to force me into submission. I am bonded tonight, to the three of you. My body is my pledge. I belong to all of you.” Lira raised a hand. “It is the way of my people.”

All three men bolted upright.

“I tried to tell you, Captain,” said Red with a snort. “If the heir to the throne of Zhinshu willingly and deliberately takes three men to bed with her at once, they become her legal consorts.”

“And you didn’t think to stop us?” Tanner’s voice sounded incredulous. He reached across her to give Red a shove. “We’re loyal soldiers of Kuhbak.”

Red gave another snort in response and fell back onto the bed.

From the other side of the captain, Wat spoke up.

“Guess we’re married loyal soldiers of Kuhbak.” He laughed. “Hold me, Captain.”

“Damn it, woman,” Tanner grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake, “you tricked us.”

Lira winced at the pain she felt from her injuries, but mostly from his words. The man seemed to realize what he was doing because he released her.

“I did not trick you,” she countered, anger in her voice. “And you, Captain Kepp, are not thinking clearly. As my consorts, you are under my protection. Speth and these other men,” she swept an arm towards the door, “they are already dead. They are dead and buried. My Zealots will see to that, but you three will be spared. Even as loyal soldiers of Kuhbak, you will be honored above all others. I want to end this war of attrition. The three of you can help me do that.”

“Besides,” she softened her tone, “by Red’s own admission, he was aware of the law. He could have spoken up. And it did not seem to me as if any one of you was an unwilling participant. I showed you just how much I trust you. I would never have stepped through that doorway if I had any doubts about your honor.”

Tanner rubbed his jaw.

“You’re right about one thing, you didn’t force us.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Red, his hand vanishing beneath the quilts. “I’m feelin’ a might coerced right now. I think it’s the way you smell.” He turned Lira around and kissed her. “Like sex on a stick. You up for another go-round, wife?”

Despite her anger, Lira found it impossible to stifle her grin.

“Get off her, Red.” Tanner shoved him aside, his irritation obvious. “We need to talk about this before we get in any deeper.”

“I don’t know,” said Wat, “I can get it in pretty deep. I’m up for more if you are.”

“This isn’t a joke.”

From the way his muscles tensed behind her, Lira knew she’d pushed the captain too far. She needed to diffuse the situation.

“Captain Kepp, please, I beg you to listen to me for a moment.” She reached for him, scooting up on her knees so that she knelt by his side. “I was brought here against my will. For two months, I’ve searched for a way out or for a way to contact my people. Until you three arrived yesterday, I had no hope of escape. When you,” she brushed the captain’s shoulder with her fingertips, “knocked Mr. Speth through my door, I knew you were the ones I had prayed for. The possibility was plain to see. As plain as the nose on your face.”

“That was lust you saw, pure and simple,” Tanner commented, his voice dry as toast.

“Well, if lust binds you to me and you help me escape, lust will have to be enough. There is always a beginning, Tanner Kepp. Once you begin with the heir to the throne of Zhinshu, you cannot turn back. I’ll answer any questions you may have, and then, if we have time, I’d like to bathe. I’m a bit, um, sticky.” A corner of her mouth turned up.

“You’d like to bathe with us?” asked Red. He sounded curious.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Tanner asked. Lira heard the distrust in his voice, and it stung.

“I can’t bathe in my own quarters at this time of night. The guards would become suspicious, and in truth, it would be a relief to bathe without prying eyes. And there is another reason.”

Wat leaned over and took her nipple into his mouth. His tongue was gentle but persistent. When he finished, he leaned back and touched her wet skin. Red scooted close and watched with interest. Lira noticed that Tanner tried not to.

“Nice,” Wat commented, his thumb rolling over the puckered, wet tip. Lira caught her breath. “What’s the other reason?” he asked.

“I think I know this.” Red spoke for her as his fingers slid into the soft wetness between her legs. “You need to,” Lira heard the man swallow hard, “bond with all three of us at once, don’t you? And I’m guessing you think it would be easier in that sunken tub in there. Am I right?”

Lira inclined her head. That seemed to be about all she could do. As his fingers worked magic, her voice refused to work at all.

Wat climbed over everyone and headed into the bathroom.

“Wait,” ordered Tanner, “we have questions.”

“Sorry, captain, bath first, questions later.” Lira heard Wat flip on the water as the captain cursed under his breath.

“Look, Kepp,” began Red, “we’re already in this up to our necks, and I say we might as well come clean, so to speak.” Lira could just barely make out his grin in the dark. “You want to sit here on the sidelines? She needs all three of us right now. We can sort everything out later after we get her back to her own people.”

“Be honest, Red.” Tanner’s voice sounded harsh to Lira’s ears. His hand reached for her arm, and he held her on the bed. “You just want to fuck her again.”

“Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, Kepp, but you gotta give me some credit here. I want more than that. She’s right, you know. If the three of us rescue her, we can stop this war before it begins. Maybe prevent hostilities in the future. Maybe I was the only one, but I knew what I was getting into when she offered herself.”

“There’s a lot to consider,” replied Tanner, talking over Lira’s head. “Depends on how deep this goes. If Battarq is involved…”

Lira turned her eyes on Tanner, her voice indignant, “If your general is not involved, I’ll eat my veil. Regnan has told me over and over again that Battarq,” she spat the name, “holds my little sister, and he will beat her if I don’t comply with his wishes. I’m desperate to secure her freedom.”

“Your sister?” asked Tanner.

“Yes, my sister, the Lady Meme.”

“Fuck.”

“Double fuck,” Red added.

“What?” she demanded. “What about my sister? Has she been harmed?” Lira grabbed Tanner by his broad shoulders. “Tell me. You must tell me.”

Tanner held her hands and pulled her against his chest.

“They didn’t take your sister,” he whispered, brushing the hair from her face with a gentle hand. “They took you and only you.”

Tears filled Lira’s eyes. “Then Meme is safe? She’s safe at home?”

“Yes.”

“Praise the Gods. Praise the Gods, Tanner Kepp. My little sister is safe.”

Wat sat down on the bed. “The water’s ready.”

Lira heard his words, but she was too choked up to move a muscle.

“Give us a minute,” said Red. All three men wrapped their arms and even their legs around her, cocooning her in a warm, tender, full body embrace. Lira had held back two months worth of tears., Curled against Tanner’s chest, with Wat and Red on each side, she let them flow. Violent sobs shook her. It wasn’t until she felt herself lifted in careful arms and lowered into a pool of steaming water that she became aware of her surroundings.

Tanner supported her, soothing her heart with the sweet words he spoke in his deep, husky voice, while Wat and Red soothed her body. Their gentle hands lathered every inch of her with scented soap as if rinsing away the foul stench of captivity. The strained muscles in her body began to relax. Lira rested her head on Tanner’s shoulder, her breathing slow and even. The men’s voices faded, becoming indistinct murmurs. She gave herself over to their tender, loving care.

* * * *

All three men stood waist deep in the steaming hot pool, an emergency pack light switched on and dimmed by towels in a corner, their eyes fixed on the woman dozing in Kepp’s strong arms.

“If we begin,” Red spoke, keeping his voice soft, “there’s no going back.”

Wat ran a dripping hand through his equally wet hair. “If we commit to her, will we be traitors to our own country?”

“Regnan’s the traitor,” growled Kepp, “not us, and I’m pretty sure General Battarq knows it. The one thing we can’t do is leave her here at the mercy of Regnan and his merry band of sadists. Why else did Battarq send us? I’m just not sure about the rest of it.”

“The consort part, you mean?” asked Wat.

“Yeah,” said Kepp, “the consort part. For one thing, I’ve never been into sharing.”

Red snorted. “First time for me, too. This is the first time I’ve done anything like this. Not that I haven’t fantasized…”

Kepp rolled his eyes. “You put your mouth on me, Red, you’re dead meat.”

“I don’t know,” Wat flashed a toothy grin at both his friends, “I might give it some consideration. I mean, this is a first for me too.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll consider just about anything if it gets you off,” commented Kepp.

Wat crossed his arms. “That’s not entirely true,” he replied, his tone good-natured. “Ya’ll might think I slept through every lecture on the royals of Zhinshu, but I was wide-awake when they showed the vids on the subject of the three consorts. I know what we’d be getting ourselves into. That’s why I’m asking if we’d be considered traitors.”

Kepp looked down at the woman in his arms. He repositioned her, shifting her just enough so that she was cradled against his chest. He knew in his heart he wanted to possess her, but possessing her meant sharing her body and her life with Red and Wat. Kepp wondered if he could do that. He reminded himself that actions spoke louder than words. He’d already shared her. He’d taken her without hesitation the first time, knowing full well that he was taking a Royal Princess of Zhinshu, and he didn’t regret it. Quite the opposite, he’d never been so fucking turned on in his entire life.

Red’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Captain, it’s your call.”

“She took a big risk in coming to us. For all she knew, we’d treat her the same as that bastard, Speth, or worse.”

“Maybe she figures this is the only way we’ll help her escape,” said Red.

Wat spoke up. “I would have helped her anyway.”

“We all would have helped her,” said Kepp. “No, she wanted to bind us to her, and I’d say she succeeded. If memory serves, it’s the duty of the three consorts to protect every child born to the heir as their own. It occur to anyone to grab a condom?”

Both men shook their heads.

“Then I guess we’re in this balls deep,” sighed Kepp. “I won’t order either of you, but I recommend we go all the way or we go home. Any objections?”

“None,” said Red, without hesitation.

“I’m in,” said Wat.

Kepp handed Lira over to his two friends. “Then we let this play out unless she says otherwise. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

* * * *

Lira realized she must have fallen asleep because she opened her eyes to find Red and Wat holding her upright while Tanner, wet and steaming, knelt on a cushion at the side of the pool. As she watched, he turned to reach for a pile of towels. His erection jutted towards her, tempting her. Before she could stop herself, she leaned over and licked him, running her tongue over his length from root to tip. His resulting groan set her alight. The man was silk over steel, and she wanted to take all of him into her mouth, but he was too big. She circled the sensitive, swollen head with her tongue, running her dripping fingers up and down his hard shaft. The man tasted of the sea, salty, tangy, pure, and clean. Lira wrapped her lips around him and took him in. She sucked, and Tanner responded by twisting his hands in her wet hair, holding her in place, moving his hips forward and back, careful to push his cock only as far into her mouth as she could manage.

Someone’s fingers threaded their way through her pussy, seeking her clit, while another finger thrust inside her. A mouth tugged on each nipple, one man rolling the swollen tip with his tongue, the other biting just hard enough to make her squeak.

As Lira’s arousal increased, she found she could take Tanner deeper. She wanted him as far as she could get him. She relished the press of her lips around him, the hard feel of him on her tongue, the man-taste of him. Wat and Red continued to stroke her inside and out, playing with her clit and her nipples until she came, her muscles contracting around their fingers. Tanner’s cock filled her mouth so that she could barely make a sound.

Before her orgasm even ended, he lifted her from the pool and tugged her towards his lap. The man impaled her upon his body, inch by glorious inch. Lira wriggled against him in ecstasy as he rode her through the last of her climax.

“We’ve discussed it, sweetheart,” he said, his voice languid, as if he’d been drugged by the powerful aroma of sex in the warm, wet air. “We accept your offer. All three at once. Your pussy is mine.” And as if to make his point, he slid a fingertip inside her along with his thick cock. “Wat gets your luscious mouth and Red, your sweet ass. Do you have any objections?”

Straddling him, Lira could only nod her head. What was there to object to? It was as if they’d read her mind. She’d imagined them taking possession of her in the exact positions they had agreed upon. But she was afraid. The three men were so big, so virile. A trained male courtesan had prepared her for this act of joining so she would feel pleasure and not pain, but, by law, he had been allowed access to only one part of her body, the place Tanner now occupied. The thought of all three men at once intimidated her. Lira began to tremble.

Before she could protest, Wat had tossed Red a bottle of sweet almond oil. Tanner seemed to sense the tension flowing through her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

“Shhhhh,” he murmured in her ear, “everything will be all right. Nobody is going to hurt you or make you do anything you don’t want to do. We’ll take it easy, sweetheart. Slow and easy.”

Lira took comfort in his words and the warmth of his broad chest. Hands caressed her bottom and lifted while Tanner kept himself seated within her. Holding her breath in anticipation and not a little anxiety, Lira felt oiled fingers circle her tight aperture. A gentle finger entered her, spreading the light oil inside and out. A whimper escaped her as Tanner rocked her body up and down his cock and that seeking finger. She heard Red’s voice. “I’ll grease myself up too, darlin’, so don’t worry. It’s gonna feel sweet, I can promise you that.”

Lira couldn’t see what was happening behind her, but the image of Red preparing himself for her was almost too much. Tanner’s hands slid up over her rib cage to cup her breasts, and he pinched her nipples at the exact moment Red pressed the head of his cock against her. Tanner lifted her chin, and his lips claimed hers, his tongue seeking her own, distracting her.

“Fuck, yes, this is gonna be a tight fit,” Red groaned as he inched his way inside her. “I gotta go slow, sweets. Fuck,” he repeated in a hoarse voice, “I gotta go very slow.”

As Red began to fill her, Lira sucked on Tanner’s tongue, digging her nails into his shoulders, holding on for dear life. Even though the man held himself still for the moment, the pressure of two men inside her at the same time was more intense than she’d imagined.

Tanner tore his mouth from hers. “Breathe,” he instructed her, his voice a mere rumble. “Breathe, Lira.”

Eyes closed, she clung to the sound of him with the same ferocity that she gripped his shoulders. As promised, Red took his time. At last, he’d seated himself deep inside her. He wrapped his arms around her, and his hands joined Tanner’s on her breasts, his fingers sharing her taut nipples. “Good God, woman, you’re a tight fit,” he breathed against her neck. “One of the wonders of the world.”

A quiet moan escaped Lira’s lips as both men moved, one thrusting up as the other moved down. Unearthly was the only word that came to Lira’s mind. She had no other way to describe the gift of pleasure the two men gave her. Red slid a hand down her belly to her clit, and he began to caress her, his fingers circling her almost painfully swollen nub. Tanner’s hands remained on her breasts, and Lira knew it was time for Wat. She turned her head and rested her cheek on the captain’s broad shoulder. The third man knelt right there, watching the three of them through half-closed eyes, both hands stroking his long, hard cock.

Lira reached a hand to him and cupped his heavy scrotum while he brought the head of his penis to her kiss-swollen lips, rubbing himself against her mouth. She licked him, tasting his sweet salt, and, with a soft, kittenish mew, opened for him. The man tried to hold back, Lira could tell, but she took him as deep as she could, pressing her tongue against the thick vein on the underside of his shaft. Lira began to suck while Wat rocked his hips back and forth. She watched him place a hand on Tanner’s shoulder for support and then she closed her eyes and gave herself over into the possession of her three chosen ones.

Tanner’s mouth settled on her left shoulder, and Lira felt his teeth nibbling on her skin as he thrust into her. Red nuzzled the back of her neck, keeping his movements restrained but persistent, while Wat twined a hand in her long, wet, tangled tresses, groaning aloud as he guided her over his length. Her movements were restrained by the three men invading her body, Lira could only receive. This act was the ultimate in trust. It was what she had to do, what she wanted to do for her three chosen ones. These men were her destiny.

Between cocks and hands and lips in her, on her…sweet gods in heaven, within a few short, heady moments Lira found herself careening, helpless, toward orgasm. Her cries were muted by Wat’s thrusts. In a haze, she tasted his sweet salt as he came with her. Tanner and Red thrust deep, and Lira could feel her inner muscles clasp them both. If it had been possible, she would have screamed out loud when she heard the two big men growl low in their throats. They buried themselves inside her, climaxing at almost the exact same instant.

Wat was the first to rouse, and he pulled his softening cock from Lira’s mouth. She swallowed and waited, relying upon Tanner to support her as Red withdrew from her, taking care to keep his movements slow and easy as he’d promised. Tanner was the last to let go of her body. As he did so, his finger brushed her clit, and his lips touched hers, which stirred her once more. Yes, Tanner Kepp was the man who would hold them all. He would be her pillar of strength. The other two men would follow his lead, and she could trust him, them, with her life and the lives of any children she might one day bear.

“C’mon, honey,” said Tanner, rising to his feet and pulling her after him. He used a wet cloth to wash her and then wrapped a thick towel around her, drying her with gentle caresses. “Let’s get you back into your room. It’s close to dawn, and you need some sleep. We’ll discuss how to get out of here later.”

“Mmmmmm,” was the only response Lira could muster.

Tanner lifted her in his arms and carried her back into the bedroom. Wat retrieved her veil, and he and Red shook the fabric out. Lira knew she should cover herself and return to her own bed, but she found herself reluctant to leave. Now that she’d bound herself to the three men, she dreaded the thought of being apart from them.

“Don’t worry.” Tanner kissed her, his lips firm and warm and reassuring against hers. “We’ll get you out of here.”

“Yeah, darlin’,” Red added, “you’ll be going home real soon.” He elbowed Tanner out of the way, taking his turn with her mouth.

All Wat said was, “Mine,” and he grinned as he gave Red a shove and kissed her, licking her lips with a warm, wet tongue. Shoulders shaking, Lira covered her mouth with her hands and began to laugh. She was still grinning when the men draped the black veil over her head and arranged the material so that it covered her entire body. Arms surrounding her, they escorted her to the connecting door. Tanner’s voice brushed by her ear. “Pleasant dreams, sweetheart,” he murmured.

“Doubtless they’ll be very pleasant, Tanner,” she whispered. Lira slid the door open on silent hinges, stepped across the threshold, and closed it behind her. Her feet made no sound on the soft carpet, and she didn’t remove the veil until she’d buried herself in the thick down quilts. Lira stuffed it into a pillowcase and curled onto her side. Her body tingled and burned, reminding her exactly how and where the big men had possessed her. These sensations, both the pleasure and the tiny bit of soreness, confirmed for her that these men were what she’d hoped they’d be, hers. She fell sound asleep without a single regret.

Chapter Nine

“I need to get out of here so I can use the com without any listening ears,” said Kepp as the men dressed.

Red and Wat glanced up. “Leave through the back entrance,” suggested Red, “you’re less likely to be stopped. Don’t you have a secure frequency?”

“Not sure it’s secure enough.”

“Here,” said Wat, searching through his bag. He tossed Kepp a small, wrapped pack. “I brought a burn set. If you want to reach the commander, it should have plenty of range.”

Kepp caught the pack with one hand and grabbed his shirt with the other. “Thanks. I’ll have to get as high as I can.”

“Up on the outer walls or the roof,” said Red, “you should be able to jack into a communications satellite from there.”

“If not,” added Wat, “let me know, and I’ll see what I can rewire.”

Kepp walked to the vid screen. “Any movement yet?” He motioned at the view of Lira’s suite.

“Nothing.” Red smiled. “I don’t think she’ll be stirring for a bit, not after last night.”

“You don’t think we were too much for her, do you?” asked Wat, tugging his shirt over his head and shaking out his long dreads.

Red winked at him. “You were. I know I wasn’t. I fit inside that woman like a wet dream. Damn, man, makes me hard just thinking about it.”

“I’m glad you said that.” Wat grinned. “I’m usually the one obsessing about sticking my dick somewhere warm and wet.”

Kepp’s mind roamed the luscious silk of Lira’s skin, the feel of her inside and out. He felt his cock stir to half-mast, but he pulled himself back and rolled his eyes. “Knock it off. This isn’t about sex. What we did last night was promise to get her out of here in one piece. To protect her and die for her if need be. It works both ways, and Red,” he pointed at his friend, “you know the facts as well as I do. Her body is her bond. Last night, according to the laws of Zhinshu, she made a promise to lay down her life for any one of us. If she fails in her duty to us as her chosen consorts, her throne and her life are forfeit.”

“Shit,” teased Wat, “and here I thought it was all about the best fucking blow job I’ve ever had.”

Red laughed. “Well, it was, mostly, but even you aren’t that single-minded.”

“Nah.” Wat stretched. He stuck his combat knife in its sheath and clipped it to his belt. “I knew what I was getting myself into. She’s something, isn’t she? Guess I’m a married man now, till she says otherwise, just like you and Kepp. Balls deep, remember?” He nodded at the screen. “The maid just went into her room. You mind taking first watch, Red? I’m starved.”

“My pleasure.” Red sat by the vid screen. “Bring me back something good.”

Wat nodded. He vanished down the hallway.

“If I can’t get a signal,” said Kepp, “I’ll try to talk my way out the back and get clear of any interference. A single thing happens you don’t like, buzz me on the perdi.”

“Got it, captain.” Red rubbed his chin. “Hey, Kepp, how soon you think we can get her out of here? I’m not liking the odds much if we overstay our welcome, which I’m pretty sure we’ve already done.”

“Yeah,” replied Kepp, “this place isn’t my cup of tea. If I can reach Commander Grange, I’ll try to convince him to send a heli-jet today. Worse comes to worst, we might need to bust a few heads.” He pointed to the vid screen where they could see the maid heating up the water in the bathing pool. “Once she’s up and dressed, see if you can get her to leave the room. I’d feel more comfortable if she was out in the open where there are witnesses. The thought of her stuck in this isolated section of the compound makes me nervous.”

Kepp explored the long hallways, searching for a staircase. None of the staff had been forthcoming with a map of the compound. He found the servant’s stairs and climbed, assuming they would lead to the uppermost floors and the roof. He was right. He found the door to the roof latched but not locked. Kepp stepped out onto the flat surface, making sure to leave the door cracked open behind him. He picked up a loose pebble and jammed it into the frame as a safeguard. It wouldn’t do to be locked up here.

Feet apart and combat ready, he swept his eyes over the entire roof. He stood on the highest section. Far below, he watched Wat stride across the green lawn toward the rear gate. His friend called out something to the guards, probably something bawdy, because Kepp could make out the sound of their answering laughter. Wat would keep them entertained, and they’d never think to look up.

Kepp was about to open the burn set when he caught the tiniest flash of reflected sunlight a couple of floors below. Another guard, one of Speth’s companions, stepped into view, his hand resting on the butt of a pistol. He stood along a walkway two hundred yards to Kepp’s left, high up on the wall that faced the sea. Kepp was grateful the man had moved out of the shadows to check on Wat’s activities. Fortunately, he looked down, not up. Staying out of sight, Kepp hunkered down to watch, wondering what the man was doing up there. He saw him glance over his shoulder and back to Wat, then over his shoulder again. What the hell was the man looking at? There shouldn’t be anything behind him but waves breaking against the sea wall.

Back bent, feet quiet, Kepp ran towards the door and around the far wall where he crouched low, keeping out of the guard’s field of view. Taking care not to set any roof tiles clattering, he crept over the lip of the wall and onto an overhang where he could look down on the sea.

For a few moments, he saw nothing but waves crashing against the breakwater. He studied the channel and the far shore, a wild and uninhabited area of Zhinshu. Dangerous currents competed and clashed in the waters between Land’s End of Kuhbak and the maritime border of Zhinshu. Gulls circled high over the center of the blue channel. Kepp noticed a fishing boat moored about a quarter mile away. That made no sense. Any seagull worth his weight would be above the fishing boat, not over the center of the deep water channel. As he scanned the area, Kepp caught a hint of movement beneath him. He peered down over the edge. A shadow appeared on the narrow strip of beach between the two breakwaters. Kepp squinted against the morning sun, wondering if it was a trick of the light. No, the shadow was no illusion. A man stepped out from under the rocky cliff. Even from this height, Kepp recognized him. Speth.

As Kepp watched, Speth waved a yellow flag to signal the fishing boat. A man shinnied down a ladder, untied a zodiac, shoved off, and headed their way. Kepp didn’t hear the hum of an engine. Must be an electric motor. He watched the solitary sailor maneuver the small, underpowered craft through the currents and thread the boat through the breakwater with caution, like he was threading the eye of a needle. When he reached the lip of the rock shelf, the man slipped out of the craft. He waded through the shallows. Speth joined him, and together they dragged the boat over the rocks, up the beach, and out of sight.

Kepp rolled onto his back, a hand shading his eyes from the sun. So that’s how Regnan got her inside the keep. He brought her by boat. There must be a passageway below the compound. That zodiac can only mean one thing, Speth plans to sneak her back out the same way. Wonder if Regnan is on that fishing boat? Wouldn’t put it past the bastard.

Kepp crawled back the way he’d come. He leaned against a small utility shed and switched on the burn set. For a few seconds, all he heard was static. When the electronic interference cleared, he pressed in the private code for his commanding officer.

“Grange.”

“Captain Kepp here, Commander.”

“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon, Captain. Is there a problem?”

“A big problem, Commander. We need evacced today. How soon can you send a heli-jet?”

“A heli-jet? Captain Kepp, you and your men are there for the duration. You’re assigned to Land’s End until the secretary returns.”

“Commander Grange, we’re up to our ears in shit here, and I don’t expect the secretary will be coming back, at least not the way you think. Unless you want to risk an international incident and you’re willing to lose three good men, send the heli-jet.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Captain?”

Kepp rubbed his jaw, wondering how much to say. “Sir, I’ve been under your command for five years. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”

“No, Kepp, never.”

“General Battarq didn’t send me here to protect the secretary’s wife. You can take my word for that. Tell the general that I’ve found it and I need to get it somewhere safe. That’s about as specific as I can be. I guarantee he’ll know what I’m talking about, and he’ll authorize our evacuation.”

Kepp waited in silence while the commander considered his words.

“All right, I’ll contact him, and I’ll pass on your message. I won’t have a heli-jet available until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Can you hold out that long?”

“If there’s no other choice,” replied Kepp. “If we’re not here when the heli-jet arrives…”

With an abrupt buzzing sound, the burn set cut off. Shit. Time to formulate plan B.

* * * *

“Sergeant Till, would you walk with me?”

Lira had decided she would leave her room today. Why not? She had three strong men to protect her. The red-haired man shot her a crooked grin.

“Sergeant Till, is it? After last night you’d think we would be on a first name basis.”

Lira laughed. For the first time in a long time, she felt at ease. “What would you have me call you in public?”

“Oh, ‘big guy’ might be nice,” he teased. “Call me Red.” The man extended a muscular arm, and Lira took it without hesitation. “You look very pretty today, my lady.”

“Call me…” Lira hesitated. “Perhaps you should call me Lisa, as Regnan does. There are many ears about.”

“I’d prefer not to call you by that name, if you don’t mind.”

“What will you call me, then?”

Red winked at her. “Mine.” He laughed. “Although I may have to beat Kepp and Wat off with a stick. Perhaps I should just call you ours. How does that sound?”

Lira laughed with him. She steered him away from the keep toward the relative isolation of the garden. “Then you have no second thoughts? I will not force any of you to act against your conscience.”

She heard a guffaw. “I don’t recall being forced,” he said, his voice dry. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so eager to participate in a group exercise in my entire life.”

Lira blushed at his words.

“Don’t worry.” Red patted her hand. “It’s our secret. Well, yours, mine, Kepp’s, and Wat’s.”

Lira looked around. “Where are Captain Kepp and Arms Master Watso?”

“Right here,” came a low voice from behind a rock wall. Lira turned around just as Tanner and Wat got to their feet. Apparently they’d also sought out the garden for a little privacy.

“Where is Mr. Speth?” she asked in a whisper.

“Not here,” replied Wat.

A shudder ran through Lira’s body. She was grateful when the three men surrounded her and kept her huddled in their midst as they passed through a high, arching gateway. Lira stopped beneath the thick branches of a flowering quince.

“What did he beat you with?” Tanner asked the question.

“A horse crop.” Lira tried to keep her voice matter-of-fact, like his.

As she watched, a look of fury passed over Tanner’s face, and the smell of righteous anger reached her. She studied the three grim faces before her. If Mr. Speth could see what she saw in their eyes, he might express some concern for his longevity.

Tanner practically growled. “It won’t happen again. I can promise you that. He won’t get anywhere near you. We won’t let him.”

“I know.” She reached up a hand and pulled a bright pink blossom close to her face. The fragrance was sweet, light, a perfect match for the fresh, hopeful spring morning. “I knew that the instant you tossed him into my room.” Lira let go of the flowered branch. Her eyes met Tanner’s, then Red’s, and, finally, Wat’s. “This morning is far too quiet,” she announced. “Usually Speth or the man named Uke stand outside my door. They follow me everywhere. Today they are nowhere to be seen.”

“That’s because we’re here,” said Wat.

“No.” She shook her head. “They have something planned for me, I can feel it, but first they will have to get rid of the three of you. I think you should leave this place as soon as possible.”

Red pulled her against his side, wrapping her in his protective embrace. “Not without you.”

“That’s right.” Wat spoke up. “We don’t go anywhere without our woman.”

Tanner crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. His eyes issued a challenge. “You want to be rid of us so soon?”

Lira relived the feel of the three of them in her, on her, surrounding her with their strength. Her body warmed at the memory. “No,” she murmured, and she looked into the questioning eyes of each man. “I don’t want you to die. I’m in no serious danger. Regnan won’t kill me, but he won’t hesitate to get rid of you if he thinks it’s in his best interest. If the three of you leave now, you can bring back help.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt Regnan wants us gone,” answered Tanner. “But I think his plans extend to you. He knows his secret is out. The sooner we get you away from here, the better. Do you remember how Regnan brought you in?”

“No. All I can recall is the smell of the sea, but that could have been because of the location of Land’s End.” Lira nodded her head at the high wall. They could just make out the noisy crash of the waves beyond. “I climbed into the royal jet, took my seat, and fastened my seat belt. F’yit sat behind me, two guards sat across from me. The pilot announced that we’d been cleared for takeoff. That’s the last I knew until the moment I found myself standing on wobbly legs in the marble entryway, covered from head to toe with that thick, black veil, Regnan’s vile voice hissing in my ear. He said my little sister would suffer if I didn’t cooperate.”

“Where are your guards?” asked Wat.

“I don’t know. Dead, I assume.”

Red rubbed the copper stubble on his chin. “What did he mean by cooperate?”

“He wanted me to lie down and spread my legs for him,” Lira spat.

“Why didn’t you, if you thought your sister was in danger?” The question came from Tanner.

Lira felt a rush of indignation. “Because I would rather lie with my maid a thousand times than bring such dishonor upon my body and the House Zhinshu.”

Tanner reached for her and placed a big, warm hand on each of her shoulders. “Weren’t you afraid for your sister? That’s all I’m asking.”

Tears stung Lira’s eyes, and she willed them not to fall. They fell anyway. “Yes. I was terrified for her. But even Battarq could not be so cruel and so stupid as to abuse a sixteen-year-old royal daughter of Zhinshu. Even though I thought Battarq held her as a hostage, I believed Regnan to be bluffing. I am the heir. It’s my body he needed, not hers.”

“We’re being watched,” commented Wat, in a casual voice. Lira shot a glance in his direction. He leaned against a redbud tree, his pose casual, relaxed.

Tanner’s hands dropped from her shoulders. “Who?”

“Two guards up left, one up right. Fuckin’ A. Can’t get out of here soon enough for me,” Wat added.

“Let’s move,” said Tanner. “You should return to your rooms. Red will keep an eye on you. Wat and I are working on finding our way out of this place.”

He wrapped an arm around Lira, prompting her to turn. Together they stepped forward. Red and Wat automatically followed his command, flanking them. Lira knew she had chosen well. These three men would stand with her. She would die before she’d let them down.

Chapter Ten

“This way,” Kepp signed to Wat, using combat hand signals. Silent as a stalking tiger, the big man followed him down the dank passageway. The algae-slicked walls and ceiling dripped water on the floor, making the footing slippery and the going slow.

Wat had managed to get the young cook’s assistant alone. Terrified, the tearful girl admitted she’d seen Speth and some of the other guards enter and exit through a small door hidden behind the shelving in the pantry. Getting her to show them the location of the secret passage had taken quite a bit of persuasion. Not only did the girl fear losing her job, she worried she’d receive the kind of beating Lira had been subjected to, or worse. It seemed she’d been trysting with one of the delivery boys back there for several months. Although she hadn’t witnessed Lira’s appearance, she’d seen the men coming and going on three separate occasions. The third time had been this morning. She’d watched Speth vanish through the doorway at dawn. He may have returned, but, if so, she hadn’t seen him. She’d hightailed it out of the pantry as soon as he’d closed the secret door behind him.

Lucky for them, the girl was a cautious one, and she knew how to keep her mouth shut. She claimed she was certain Speth had no idea she and her delivery boy had been crouching in a dark corner behind the stacked fifty-pound bags of flour when he’d passed right by them.

Despite the infrared goggles they wore, the men had to watch their step. The passageway was black as deepest night, and they couldn’t risk using any artificial light. Since the girl hadn’t seen Speth return, for all they knew he was still holed up somewhere with the man who’d brought in the zodiac. Besides, neither man wanted to sprawl headlong into the muck, sprain an ankle, or give the guards any advance warning of their approach. The tunnel twisted and turned, always heading in the general direction of the sea. At times, the salty seaweed smell hit them with a powerful blast of cold air, but they’d turn a corner and the sea smell would diminish and fade into the background. At last they arrived at a fork, and both men stopped. One passageway led right, one left. Tilting his head back, Kepp opened his mouth and sniffed the air. From the right passage, he detected cooler, fresher air, and the sea smell was stronger. He motioned for Wat to follow him.

Just as the tunnel narrowed to the point where only a single man could pass through at a time, Kepp arrived at the top of a steep flight of stairs cut into the rock wall to his left. The stairs spiraled down toward a small square of natural light. As Wat reached him, Kepp pointed to the opening in the rock wall below. Both men removed their night goggles and pulled out their combat knives. Kepp knew in his gut that the stairs led to the way out and the small stretch of beach would be guarded by one, if not two or three men. Better to be prepared and hope to hell they weren’t.

* * * *

Lira set her book aside. She hadn’t read it anyway. She’d stared at a single page for an hour. Something was wrong. She felt it in the churning of her stomach. Something was very wrong. Pacing might burn off some nervous energy but that would tip off any guards watching her. And where had her maid got to? She hadn’t seen F’yit since breakfast, and the single member of the household staff she’d managed to question had no idea where she was. Head bowed, eyes glued to the floor, the woman said, “No, Mrs. Regnan, I haven’t seen her.” Where could she be? To the best of Lira’s knowledge, F’yit had never wandered farther than the kitchen gardens. She needed her maid. The woman was her eyes and ears. Well, if she didn’t appear within the hour, Lira would search for her, guards or no guards.

Perhaps the continued captivity was taking a greater toll on her maid than Lira realized and F’yit simply needed time alone. Without question, it was taking a toll on her. Lira’s skin crawled with the need to be away from this prison. Regnan could fill her suite with luxuries, but it was a prison nonetheless.

Lira needed some activity to settle her mind and occupy her body. She hurried to change into her skintight practice jersey. Barefoot, she stalked into the main room, her one consolation the thought that Red kept a wary eye on her. If he noticed anything amiss, he would crash through the adjoining door in a flash. Trying to slow her racing heart, Lira pressed her palms together and closed her eyes. She began the Kinji Watah, taking several deep, cleansing breaths, repeating her private mantra with each exhalation in an attempt to clear her mind of negative thoughts and emotions.

The sound of a heavy thud against the wall jerked her to full awareness. Lira’s eyes flew open and, throwing caution to the wind, she ran for the door to the adjoining room, ripping it open with one swift movement. Red lay prostrate on the floor in front of her, fresh blood on the side of his head. Two guards stood over him, Uke and another man she didn’t recognize. Uke held a gun in his hand. He glanced up at her and, with a grin that bordered on demonic, pointed the gun at her helpless mate.

Without a second thought, Lira growled and threw herself over Red’s helpless form, landing a vicious kick against Uke’s kneecap. She felt the flat bone crack beneath the sole of her foot, and he crumpled to the floor with a scream. Moving quickly, before the other man recovered from his shock and could unclip his holstered weapon, she downed him with a swift kick to the solar plexus. Unable to inhale, he fell to his knees beside Uke. Quick as a flash, Lira kicked the weapon from Uke’s hand and scooped it up. She’s never participated in true combat before, and she took no pleasure in injuring anyone, even Uke who had laughed as he beat her. However, she couldn’t risk their escape. They would warn the other guards. She saw Uke already dragging himself toward the open door. A swift kick to the side of his head stopped him and he lay still. The other man watched her, his eyes glazing over as he slowly suffocated. Lira took pity on him and stopped his heart with a well-placed strike to his chest.

You will not vomit, Lira ordered herself as she knelt beside Red. Her fingers sought the pulse point on his neck. His heartbeat felt strong and regular, his breathing was even, but he’d suffered a blow to his temple, and although the man might be tough and hardheaded, this injury could be serious. She had to get him out of the keep. How? Lira sat back on her heels. She could perhaps fight her way out, but not if she had to support Red.

Quick as a fox, she stripped the holster from Uke’s prone body. She strapped it about her waist and snapped the gun into the sheath. She took the holster from the other man and wrapped it around one shoulder and over her chest, clipping the weapon belt in place. Water. She needed a good look at Red’s injury. Keeping an eye on the doorway, Lira ran to the bathroom and flipped on the spigot. She soaked a towel with ice cold water and returned to Red, pressing the wet cloth to the side of his head. When she heard him groan and saw his eyelids begin to flutter, Lira let out a sigh of relief.

“Red,” she whispered, “Red, it’s me, Lira. We have to get out of here as quick as we can.”

“Lira?”

“Yes, I’m Lira. Red, you were attacked by two of the guards. You were hit on the head. We have to move before anyone else comes. Do you think you can sit up?”

“Yeah, gimme a minute,” groaned the big man. “My head feels like it’s been split in two.”

“Well, it pretty much was,” Lira commented, lifting his head into her lap.

“Did you save me, honey?” Red’s grin was lopsided and when she saw it, she knew he would be all right.

Lira planted a kiss on his forehead. “Yes,” she smiled a weak smile, “I guess I did.”

“You sealed the deal then, darlin’.”

“You are my consort, my beloved. I had no choice, and even if I did, I would choose the same. Can you rise?”

Red sat up with Lira’s help. “That was pretty stupid,” he said, feeling the side of his head. “One man walked in and said something about your maid needing my help, and that was the last thing I knew until I heard your voice. How long was I out?”

“Not long. I heard the thud of your big body…”

“And you came flying to the rescue,” Red interrupted. He stared at the two dead men. “You do this?”

Lira’s face grew warm. She did not want to look at the men she’d killed. “Yes.”

Red must have seen her distress because he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Sweetheart, you did what you had to do. You don’t have to like it. I don’t expect you to like it.”

Tears filled Lira’s eyes. “It is not in my nature to kill a man, even an enemy.”

“Well,” said Red, climbing by slow degrees to his feet, “it was them or me, so I can’t say I’m all that conflicted.” Digging into one of his pockets, he leaned on Lira. When he opened his hand, Lira saw a small communications device. “It’s a perdi,” Red volunteered, pressing a small tab. “It’s like an emergency buzzer, and it can be used as a beacon if necessary. I’m buzzing Kepp and Wat. You haven’t seen them, have you?”

“No, and my maid, F’yit, is missing. Perhaps the guards realized she was not what she seemed and they’ve taken her away, or worse.”

“Maybe,” Red replied. “But we can’t worry about that right now. Right now we’re going to get rid of those bodies, grab Wat’s bag, and get the hell out of here. I know where Kepp and Wat went, I just hope to God they’re all right.” He and Lira dragged the bodies into the bathroom and locked the door from the inside, closing it behind them. At least there was no blood trail.

“Which is Wat’s bag?” Lira asked.

“The big, black one, over there.” He pointed to the farthest bed.

She helped Red to lean against the desk. She retrieved the bag and slung it over her shoulder.

“That sucker’s heavy,” commented Red. “I should carry it.”

“No.” Lira shook her head. “You concentrate on walking. I’ll carry the bag.”

“Give me one of those pistols, at least,” said Red. “Even if I can’t see straight, I can still shoot straight.”

Lira unclipped the safety strap and handed Red one of the guns.

“Can you fire that if necessary?” he asked, pointing to the other gun.

“Of course. My training also included marksmanship. I’m a very good shot.” She tried hard to keep the hint of pride out of her voice. She must have failed because Red flashed that grin of his.

“Then let’s be on our way, sharpshooter wife of mine, before there’s a reason for you to show me exactly how well you can shoot.”

* * * *

Lira and Red stumbled along the dark passageway. Lacking night vision goggles, each kept a hand on the dripping, wet, slimy wall. Lira wondered a bit about bats and rats and spiders, but she decided she’d killed two men. Bats and rats and spiders paled in comparison. Red managed to remain conscious, but the farther they went, the more of his weight she was forced to support. Her only hope was that they could manage to find an exit before he collapsed. She prayed he’d suffered nothing worse than a concussion, and every few minutes she asked him a question to make certain he still knew who and where he was.

“I’m okay, Lira,” he said. “I’m counting our steps in case we need to backtrack. I’m not gonna pass out on you if that’s what you’re worried about. Just have a nasty headache.”

“Are you sure we’ll find Tanner and Wat down here?”

“Not one hundred percent, but I think this is our best shot. They were looking for a way out, and they found this. It’s probably how Regnan slipped you into the compound.”

Eventually, they reached a point where the single path they followed divided into two. Lira led the way down to the right. The air seemed to be fresher in that direction. The tunnel narrowed, and Lira went in front, dragging one hand along the wall, Red followed, gripping her shoulder as if his life depended upon it. The sooner she could get Red some medical attention, the better she would feel. He might have a skull fracture. Even if they managed to get away, where were they going to find a doctor? And she couldn’t leave Tanner and Wat behind.

At last the darkness lifted, and Lira found herself standing at the top of a long staircase cut into the rock wall. She stopped short, and Red bumped into her, nearly knocking them both over the edge. She shoved him back, and he sat down, hard, on the floor of the passage. From far below they heard the low hum of voices.

Lira knelt beside Red. “There are men down there. I can hear them talking, but I can’t tell who it is.” One look at Red’s face and Lira put her hand over his mouth. She shook her head. “Be reasonable. You can barely stand upright. I’m going down there. If anyone comes up these stairs or down that passage besides Tanner, Wat, or me, you shoot them.”

Red flashed her that winning grin of his. “You sure know how to make a man feel like a man.”

Lira choked back her laughter. “I felt you last night, remember? I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Red grabbed her by the hair and pressed his lips to hers. When he let her go at last, he said, “You be careful, woman, you hear me? It could be Kepp and Wat, but Speth could just as easily be down there.” He took her hand and rubbed her palm over the front of his trousers, letting Lira feel his hard-on through the rough material. “I’ve gotten quite attached to you, and when my head stops pounding, I plan to use this.”

“Promise?”

“I swear it.”

Lira watched as Red slid farther back into the shadowed passageway and propped himself against the wall, using Wat’s bag as a cushion. She pulled the holster over her head and, despite his protests, handed him the other gun. Keeping quiet was her primary concern. She didn’t expect to shoot anyone. She hoped to reconnoiter and get back to Red as quick as possible. After taking one last look at him to reassure herself his seat was secure if he lost consciousness, she began to climb down. She was glad of her bare feet, for they made no sound on the cold, wet stone.

The closer she got to the opening, the more distinct the voices became. Lira stopped beside a small alcove just inside the exit. She could make out two figures pacing back and forth on the small beach. One man she readily identified as Speth, the other a man she’d never seen before. He wasn’t dressed as a servant. He wore a sailor’s uniform.

“Uke should have brought her here by now,” Speth was saying. “She was alone, with only one of them watching.”

“Maybe he ran into the other two men,” the man commented.

“Not possible,” replied Speth. “They would have raised the alarm and, as head guard, I would have been the first person notified.”

“Let me go back up. I can find out what’s happened.”

That’s F’yit’s voice. They must have grabbed F’yit. Lira bit her lip to stop herself from yelling the maid’s name. Send her to look for me, she willed the men. Send her this way so I can save her.

“You think you can get her to follow you down here?” Speth’s voice.

“Of course,” scoffed F’yit. She’s laughing? Holy Gods. Lira held her breath, waiting to hear what else might come out of the woman’s mouth. “The princess trusts me with her life. I can convince her to follow me anywhere. All I have to do is tell her one of those soldiers is injured. She’ll come running.”

“Find Uke first,” ordered Speth. “Ask your husband what the hell he’s been doing all this time.”

Husband? Uke is her husband? Lira clutched at her stomach, the mere sound of the words making her sick.

Speth continued. “I need to get her out of here before those soldiers of hers make any more trouble. Once she’s gone, I can deal with them and then we all need to disappear for a while. Battarq’s on to us. There’s no other reason for those men to show up.”

As Lira watched, F’yit came into view, her back blocking the light from the opening.

“What about our money?” the woman whined. “You promised to have our money waiting for us. I spent four fucking years of my life as that whore’s maid, and I was promised compensation, a great deal of compensation. Before I take one more step, I want to know where it is.”

“In an account in Swasi.” Speth sounded impatient. “We all have money in a bank in Swasi, you and Uke, me and Kess, all of us. The secretary said he’d send us the account numbers and passwords as soon as she’s on board and they’ve cleared the channel.”

“How can I be sure he’ll keep his word?”

You can’t be sure. You’ll be dead. You know too much. Speth will kill you as soon as I’m gone.

Lira shuddered at the sweet falseness in Speth’s voice. She was amazed F’yit didn’t seem to pick up on it. The man was as venomous as a pit viper. “You are a loyal subject of Khubuk, Sunn. The secretary recognizes your tremendous sacrifice. Never doubt that you will be well rewarded.”

Sunn. Her real name. Her lying, treacherous Khubuk name.

Her heart filling with an unfamiliar murderous rage, Lira fought to hold herself back. She wanted to wrap her hands around the woman’s neck and squeeze the life out of her then tear the two men into small pieces. Along with Regnan, these people had conspired to kidnap her, throw her country into confusion, and drive two nations to the brink of all-out war.

Lira heard the woman sigh as if she felt put upon. “All right, I’ll go get her. I suspect I’ll run into my husband on his way down. You are too impatient, Speth. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in four years, it’s how to bide my time.”

The woman turned and entered the cavern. Lira knew she would be momentarily blind after stepping from bright daylight into the dank darkness. Heedless of the noise she made, Lira snagged the woman she knew as F’yit by the hair and smashed her face against the rock wall. She tossed her to the floor of the cavern and set a foot against the side of her neck.

Kill her before they are on you. Kill her. She deserves to die. Hearing the woman’s pathetic moans, Lira couldn’t finish her. Instead, she burst through the entrance to the cavern onto the sliver of beach and slammed straight into Speth’s big body heading full speed in her direction. With a grunt, the man staggered back a few paces, while Lira sank to her knees on the sand, the wind knocked out of her.

She looked up and saw recognition dawn in the guard’s eyes. He glanced over her shoulder and, without warning, strong arms wrapped around her chest, and she found herself dragged toward a zodiac that had been drawn up on the beach.

“Red.” Lira tried to yell for him but managed only an inarticulate croak. She would have to help herself. Lira did her best to dig her heels into the wet sand and make herself dead weight. As the man tried to reposition her and improve his grip, she saw Speth unsheathe a knife and disappear into the cavern. Oh, Gods, not Red. But the man returned shortly. He cleaned his knife in the sand.

“Thanks. Saved me a shitload of trouble.”

“Fuck you, Speth,” Lira managed to spit out in a hoarse whisper.

“Really?” The man laughed. “Don’t mind if I do. Hold her down for me, will you, Trey?” As Lira watched him unbuckle his belt, she realized that her lungs had begun to work again. She opened her mouth and screamed loud enough to wake the dead.

“Shut up,” Speth shouted, and he smacked her so hard across the face that her vision blurred and the man holding her lost his grip. Lira sprawled onto her stomach in the sand, tasting blood. Then Speth straddled her, tugging at her jersey. The tough material resisted his attempts. It was glued to Lira’s body with sweat and water from the cavern. With her peripheral vision, Lira saw him whip out his blade to cut it away. Desperate, she bucked beneath him and, grabbing a handful of sand, turned just enough to sling it into his face with all her strength.

Infuriated, cursing a blue streak, Speth grabbed her by the hair and hauled her to her feet. He stumbled with her to the shore, half-carrying her, avoiding her kicks, ignoring her screams.

“I’ve had enough of you, bitch,” he yelled. They reached the water, and he waded in with her pinned under his arm. At last he seemed to feel he’d gone far enough. He shoved her beneath the waves, forcing her underwater, keeping her submerged with a knee pressed against her back.

So now I’ll drown. How sad. Perhaps Red or Tanner or Wat will survive to tell my father what happened to me…

* * * *

Kepp’s heart thudded in his chest as he and Wat scrambled down the side of the cliff. They had to reach her before Speth succeeded in drowning her. Heedless of the noise they made and careless of their own safety, both men slid down, sending a shower of loose stones onto the head of the man who watched Speth drag Lira into the waves. By the time he looked up, it was too late. Wat landed on him and tumbled with him onto the wet sand. Confident that Wat could handle the man, Kepp sprinted through the sand toward the surf line. His only thought was of Lira, and he hoped to God she could last another thirty seconds.

Speth’s attention was focused on the struggling woman. He didn’t see the man running towards him or the flash of the steel blade he pulled from his belt. It wasn’t until the blade was buried deep in his back that Speth realized there were other people on the beach, and by then it was too late. He dropped Lira. Rising from his knees, he turned to face Kepp, a puzzled expression on his face just before he fell back into the water, dying fast.

“Lira,” Kepp yelled, “Lira.” He passed Speth’s body and grabbed for her arm, dragging her limp form from the shallows. She wasn’t breathing. He tossed her over his shoulder and lifted his feet high to sprint back to the beach. He threw her onto the sand, her legs still in the foaming surf, and began mouth-to-mouth. Wat rushed to her side to begin cardiac compressions. It seemed like an eternity, but Kepp knew maybe only twenty or thirty seconds had elapsed before he felt Lira move beneath his hands. She retched several times, and he flipped her onto her side so she could get rid of the seawater she’d swallowed.

Kepp sat back on his heels, a hand supporting Lira’s head. Thank God he and Wat made it off that cliff in time. He’d been waiting to catch all the men involved when he’d seen Lira come flying out of the cavern onto the sand, seemingly hell-bent on getting herself killed. For fuck’s sake, how had she found out about this? And where the hell was Red?

Lira finally stopped coughing, and Kepp gathered her into his arms.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he murmured, brushing the wet, sticky strands of hair from her face with a gentle hand. “I took too long getting to you. You could have died.”

Lira looked into his eyes. “I thought I would die,” she whispered. “Red?” She peered around. “Find Red. I left him at the top of the staircase. He’s injured.”

“Don’t worry your pretty head, darlin’,” said Wat, taking her hand. “Red doesn’t kill easy. I’ll find him.”

Wat disappeared into the cavern while Kepp helped Lira to sit up. “He was attacked by two men in your quarters. I think he has a skull fracture.”

“How’d you get him out, sweetheart?”

“He could walk a bit, and he knew where you and Wat had gone, but I couldn’t support his weight on the stairs. It would have been too dangerous. We heard voices, and I came down to find the two of you.” Lira wriggled in his arms. “F’yit? She’s in there.”

“Alive?” asked Kepp.

Lira shook her head.

“I figured. I saw Speth disappear inside and return with a bloody knife.”

“I heard what she said. I know what she was, Tanner. I almost killed her, but I stopped myself.”

“She was a traitor,” said Kepp. “She betrayed you, and she betrayed her own country. Whatever you did, it was justified. Can you stand? We’ve got to get out of here, fast.” When Lira nodded, he pulled her to her feet.

“Where will we go?”

“Across the channel.” Kepp pointed. “To Zhinshu. Home.”

“Can we take that?” She pointed to the zodiac.

“If they don’t blow us the hell out of the water, yes.”

Lira stared at the far shore. “Then we’d be safer waiting until nightfall. But I don’t know if Red can hold out that long, not without medical attention. He took a pretty hard blow to the head.”

“Then it’s a damn good thing I’m so hardheaded,” said Red. He hobbled toward them wearing his trademark lopsided grin, an arm thrown around Wat’s shoulders for support. “If it wasn’t for the blurred vision, the headache, and the blood, everything would be fine. Hey, why the hell is your mouth bleeding?”

“The son of a bitch slugged her,” said Kepp, studying Lira’s face. With gentle fingers, he tugged her lower lip down to check the cut. It didn’t need suturing, but her mouth was going to be sore. As they huddled together, the wind increased. Lira began to tremble. Kepp realized that the scanty practice jersey she wore offered very little in the way of protection and warmth when it was dry, let alone when it was soaked with ice-cold seawater. Within seconds, she was shaking outright, and he wondered if she was going into shock.

Kepp swung her into his arms. He looked around for some sort of shelter that couldn’t be seen from the mouth of the cavern or the fishing boat. There was a small cavity in the rocks about twenty yards down the beach. That’s where he’d take her.

“We need to get her warmed up. Wat, get rid of these bodies and then bring Red. We have to keep out of sight. Lira’s right, we can’t risk the zodiac until after nightfall, but we’ve got to stay alive until then.” He strode across the sand, determined to protect this courageous, headstrong woman.

Red followed, his pace slow, but Kepp felt reassured when he saw his friend moving under his own power. He dragged Wat’s bag with him. Kepp carried Lira out of the wind. He laid her across his lap and searched the jersey for the fastening tabs, but the garment was so wet that although he could get the tabs open, he couldn’t remove it.

“C-c-c-cut it off,” Lira ordered through chattering teeth.

Kepp slid his knife out of the sheath. Red did the same. Together, the two men began to cut the garment from her, taking great care to slice the material and not the woman. As they stripped the fabric away from her wet skin, Wat joined them.

“Damn,” he said, “you started without me. I want some of this.” He whipped out his blade and began cutting the sticky fabric away from Lira’s thighs.

The pace of Lira’s breathing increased, and Kepp stole a quick glance at her face, worried she might be suffering from hypothermia. One look told him it wasn’t hypothermia she felt. She was aroused, just as he was. When he peeled the fabric from her breast, her rosy nipple puckered and pointed in a determined fashion, right at his mouth. It would take a strong man to resist such an invitation, and if there was one thing Tanner Kepp had come to realize, where Lira was involved, he had little resistance.

“Fuck.” Kepp gave in and lowered his mouth to her.

Lira responded with a soft keen of pleasure.

“Gimme some of that action,” said Wat as he finished stripping the soggy material from Lira’s thighs. He shoved a warming blanket beneath her hips to cushion her from the rocks, right before he spread her legs and buried his mouth in her pussy. “Damn, woman,” Wat lifted his head, “even when you’ve been dunked in seawater you taste sweet as honey.”

“Hey,” cried Red, “what about me?”

Kepp pulled his mouth from Lira’s breast with a slow, lingering tug on her nipple. He shot his friend a wicked grin. “You have a head injury. You should sit this one out.”

“Not on your fucking life. She’s as much mine as she is yours,” Red protested.

“Right now, gentlemen,” interrupted Wat, “she’s mine. I can’t wait any longer.” He unzipped his trousers and freed his erect penis. “Besides,” he added with a groan as he buried himself in Lira’s body in one smooth move, “somebody needs to keep watch.”

“I’d rather watch this,” commented Red. “Might help my headache.” He lay on his side next to Lira, resting his head on her shoulder. He unzipped his pants and wrapped his fist around his own erection. “Mind if I jack off?” Lira reached out a shaky hand to help him. Red wrapped his eager fist around hers.

“Be my guest,” groaned Wat, hips moving rhythmically, his thick cock appearing and disappearing into the woman, glistening with her slick arousal.

Kepp watched his friends for a moment, his own hard-on so painful he thought he might burst. As he reached down to make himself more comfortable, he realized Lira was staring at him.

“What?” he asked, his voice soft.

“Kiss me, Tanner.”

“But your lip…?”

“My lip wants yours. Now.” Panting, Lira arched her back, and Kepp knew she was about to come. She threaded her free hand through his long, golden braid and drew him down to meet her.

Kepp tried to be gentle, but Lira wouldn’t have it. She thrust her tongue into his mouth, keeping time to the rhythm of Wat’s thrusts into her body. Kepp felt like he was the one fucking her. When she came, she came hard, biting his lower lip until he tasted blood, sucking on his tongue, arching into the hand he held on her breast. Shit, he nearly exploded.

* * * *

Wat climaxed with a roar. He had barely finished before a growling Tanner shoved him aside and buried himself in her, as she’d heard the men say, balls deep. He pounded, hard and heavy, into her body, possessing her with a violence and a fire that rocked her very soul.

One of her hands gripped Red’s cock. Holding his fist around hers, he tugged her palm up and down his silky skin as he stroked himself. She kept her other hand twisted in Tanner’s braid. Lira dragged his mouth back to hers, demanding that he claim her mouth every bit as hard as he claimed her body.

It didn’t take long for Lira to come. Again and again and again. Lost in a haze of passion, she felt Red’s movements speed up until at last he let out a loud groan and held her hand still. She felt his hot seed pulse upward and spill out of him, over her naked breast. In that moment, Lira relived the all-consuming pleasure of the night before. The memory of all three men in her, coming at once, launched her into another orgasm, the strongest she’d ever experienced.

Lira tore her mouth from Tanner’s and screamed his name just as he threw his head back, lost, as his own climax began. She watched the straining tendons in his neck while he thrust deep within her, once, twice, three times, and then he came with a roar that rivaled the crash of the waves along the rocky shore.

Tanner fell over her, both of them drenched with sweat despite the chill sea air. Lira lay still beneath him, awed by the power of their joining. She thanked the Gods for placing these three men in her path. Any one of them would have been enough. Each was a courageous, righteous man. If she wasn’t the royal heir, if she didn’t need to find three mates who could share her attentions and her body without acrimony, she would have loved any one of them on his own, Red or Wat or Tanner.

Each man held a portion of her heart. Wat, she loved for his brash good humor, his generous spirit, and his ingenuity, Red, for his kind heart, his devotion, and his winning smile, and Tanner, because he was the powerful glue that would bind the four of them together. He was their center, their beating heart, and he would keep them safe. His courage was boundless. Lira felt confident that every one of them would give his life for her and for their children, no matter who fathered them. They could have left her to her fate. Instead, they risked themselves to save her.

We’ll escape Land’s Endand the dynasty my ancestors founded six hundred years ago will prosper because of these men.

She embraced Tanner, caressing him with great tenderness. Her hands left him to seek out Wat and Red, and she held onto them, too. They were in this together, the four of them. Lira knew with great certainty that the men were hers, that they would never abandon her.

Chapter Eleven

“Pity we can’t contact the commander from here,” commented Wat.

“Cliff’s too high and we can’t risk exposure out in the channel,” replied Kepp. He cast a look over his shoulder at Lira and Red asleep, clasped in each other’s arms.

After cleaning Red’s injury and gluing the edges of the wound together, he’d wrapped his friend in the blanket and ordered Lira to put on the extra pair of fatigues Wat had dug out of his gear bag. The man’s clothes hung on her but they were better than nothing. Kepp shoved her under the blanket and told them to warm up beneath the overhang. Looking at the two of them now, Kepp grinned. Both somehow managed to fall asleep despite their rocky bed and the cold wind blowing off the water. They looked cozy.

Kepp figured it the best way to keep Lira warm. He’d bunked with Red before in the middle of winter, and the man gave off a lot of heat. Kepp fought the temptation to crawl beneath the blanket to warm her himself. Red needed her body more than Kepp did right now. Kneeling beside the two, he checked his friend’s breathing. As if he sensed Kepp’s movements, Red opened his eyes and winked at his captain. “I’m all right,” he whispered. “A mild concussion, no more. I’ve been hit harder.”

Taking care not to disturb the woman, Red pulled his arm from beneath her and climbed out from under the blanket, tucking the loose edges around her. A soft sound of protest escaped her, but Lira’s eyes remained closed, and she snuggled deeper, burying her face into the lingering warmth. Red extricated his long limbs from the small cavern and joined his friends. The three men peered out over the channel, willing the sun to set faster.

“The other guards should have come looking for us by now,” said Wat. “Where are they?”

“Dead,” replied Red. “At least the two who attacked me are dead.”

“You took care of them?” asked Kepp.

“Uh-uh.” Red shook his head. “Her. I was out of it. When I came to, they were dead, and she was looking sick to her stomach. You know, that classic sick look you get the first time you find it necessary to kill a man.”

“She shoot ‘em?” asked Wat.

“No,” replied Red, “Kinji Watah.”

“She kicked them to death?” Wat was incredulous. “Two men with guns and knives?”

“Well, I guess a couple well-placed kicks were all she needed to incapacitate them. And it was them or me. She chose me.”

Kepp glanced back at the woman. He remembered how his heart had thudded to a stop when he saw her charge from the cavern and careen headlong into Speth. Her reckless courage nearly got her killed. Thank God he’d reached her in time. He wouldn’t have forgiven himself if Speth had raped her or, worse, drowned her. The asshole deserved what he got. “I doubt there was anyone else involved. This isn’t the kind of thing you want too many people knowing about. If there was anyone else involved, that fishing boat wouldn’t be waiting out there.”

Wat gestured toward the channel. “How long you think they’re gonna wait?”

Kepp took a deep breath and stretched. “I’m guessing they think there’s been an unexpected snag. Maybe they’ll wait until dawn, maybe not. I suspect the plan was to bring her to the fishing boat under the cover of darkness anyway. That’s what I’d do.”

“Then why not grab her at night?” asked Wat. “Why try to sneak her out of the compound in the afternoon?”

“Four men, plenty of time to kill until sunset. Use your imagination. Probably part of the deal they made with Regnan. Reimbursement for the risk they were taking.” Kepp picked up a rock and sent it flying across the sand.

“Why now?” asked Red. He stared out over the water, his chin resting on his knees.

“Regnan knows Battarq is after him. He’s looking at a firing squad for his treason. He figures he’ll disappear with the evidence and, when the time is right, use her as a bargaining chip, trade her life for his.”

“I’d like to get the fuck out of here,” grumbled Wat, “sooner rather than later. The sun’s halfway behind the mountains on the far shore. You think we can risk it?”

“Another half hour at least,” answered Kepp. “I’d rather err on the side of caution.”

“What happens when we get to Zhinshu?” asked Red. “If there are any Zealots over there, they won’t be too happy to see us. They might shoot first and ask questions later, and Lira’s wearing Khubuk army fatigues.”

Kepp pointed across the water. “See that promontory? You can just make it out, near the mouth where the channel opens up. We radio for help out in the channel and then we head for that point. I’m hoping Battarq can clear the red tape and get us airlifted out before we all end up dead. You’re right, Red, in the dark, nobody’s going to ask who’s who. They’ll just sort out the bodies in the morning.”

Chapter Twelve

Lira was lost in a dream of home. She stood on a balcony in her wing of the palace, a balcony that overlooked her personal gardens with their tall date palms and red hibiscus. Swans floated, carefree, below her in the blue waters of the spring-fed lake. The fragrance of frangipani drifted up to where she stood, and as the warm air rose, a hummingbird, his feathers an exquisite luminescent green in the sunlight, appeared before her. He hovered there, tiny wings beating so fast she couldn’t distinguish individual beats. The bird’s wings seemed to be keeping time to the rapid beat of her heart.

“Lira, wake up. It’s time to go.” She recognized the voice, it was Tanner. “Lira, sweetheart, wake up, we need to get moving.”

Yes, get moving. Seems like a good idea. Except I don’t think I can move. Lira heard someone groan, and she realized it was her. You are not a baby, and you will not be sick. Open your damn eyes. She did. Tanner’s face loomed over hers. He seemed a bit blurred about the edges. Lira mustered a smile. “Yes, I’m trying,” she said, her throat burning, her voice hoarse. To show him she could move, she pulled an aching arm from beneath the blanket.

Tanner’s palm rested on her forehead then slid over her cheek. He stuck his hand under the blanket to touch her chest. His hand felt like he’d dipped it in ice water. “Shit. You’re burning up,” she heard him say.

“No,” she protested, attempting in vain to sit up, “I can move. We have to get out of here.”

“We’re getting out of here all right,” Kepp replied. “I’ll carry you to the zodiac.” Lira tried to stop him, but Kepp wrapped the blanket tight around her and maneuvered her out from beneath the low overhang. He lifted her in his arms. She felt limp as a dishrag. “C’mon, honey,” he said, “time to go.”

He strode across the rocky beach with her pressed against his broad chest. “She’s sick,” he said to Wat and Red, “burning with fever. We need to get the hell out of here, and with this piece of shit, underpowered electric motor, it’s going to take forever. Red…” He tossed her into the zodiac where Red caught her. “You hold onto her. Wat, what do you think our chances are of reaching that point if we drift with the current?”

Lira could feel herself grinning despite her aches and her fever.

“What are you grinning about, sickie?” asked Red.

“Tanner,” she whispered. “I love the way he takes charge.”

Red chuckled, and Lira bounced up and down against his chest. “You like that, do you? It’s his job, sweetie. If you want, when this is over, we can have him tie you up.”

Lira looked up at the tall man. “Tie me up?”

“Yeah, tie you to a bed. Then he can really take charge. Might be kinda fun, if you know what I mean.”

“Ah.” Lira snuggled against Red’s chest. She felt the zodiac being pushed out into the water. “You mean bondage.”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

“Have you tried it?” she asked.

Red coughed. “A man doesn’t discuss what he’s done with another woman with his wife, now, does he?”

“You don’t have to tell me about another woman,” Lira murmured. “I might have to find her and kill her.” She felt Red’s laughter. “I’m just wondering if you would enjoy this bondage.”

“All of us?” Red rubbed his erection against her hip. “I’m way ahead of you, woman.” He kissed her forehead. “Kepp’s right,” he commented, “you are burning up. I think you’re a bit delirious, talking about bondage at a time like this. Are you always this funny when you’re sick?”

“I don’t know,” Lira replied, rubbing her cheek against Red’s chest. “I don’t get sick very often. Right now, I’m happy to imagine such a perfect delirium. Me, tied up, the three of you, doing things? The picture makes me feel better.” She felt the small boat rock as Kepp and Wat jumped in.

“Makes me feel better, too,” Red growled in her ear, “but that’s enough of that. I need to concentrate, I’m the lookout. I can’t focus when all I can see is you tied to a bed and I’ve got a picture in my head, in both my heads, of the things the three of us might do to you.”

Wat slid next to Red. He leaned over and kissed Lira’s forehead. “Damn, girl, you are burning up. What are you two whispering about?”

“Oh, silk scarves and bedposts.” Red grinned, and Lira pinched him, but the man was unrepentant. “She’s interested, when the timing’s a bit better.”

Wat laughed. “I’m always interested. Count me in.”

“Hey, Wat,” Tanner’s quiet voice interrupted them, “we’ll need to start up the motor after all. If we don’t, I’m afraid we’ll be tossed up on those rocks over there.” He pointed to the near shore. “We can’t risk capsizing.”

“On it, boss.” Wat shot Lira a wicked grin and climbed to the rear of the zodiac.

Lira bit Red’s chest, and he smacked her bottom in return. “Bad girl,” he teased. “That’s enough out of you. Go back to sleep before I do something Kepp will regret.”

“Like what.” She yawned. She was growing very sleepy.

“Use your imagination,” the big man said. “Close your eyes and we’ll be across before you know it.”

* * * *

“I’m a little worried about her, Kepp. She was getting kind of goofy right before she drifted off.”

“Yeah, I caught some of that.” Kepp grinned despite his worry. “Her fever seems pretty high, but I don’t want to give her anything just yet. She might need the fever to fight the infection.”

“We have an injection pack in the med kit,” said Red.

“I’ll use an antibiotic if I need to. This seems to have come on awfully fast to be pneumonia, but she did almost drown. Might be as simple as her body’s reaction to the seawater in her lungs. If her fever’s still climbing by the time we reach the shore, I’ll give her something.”

“What did the commander say?”

“There’s a heli-jet on the way. I’ve given him our current coordinates and Wat’s estimate of the coordinates where we’ll land. He knows about the fishing boat, and he’s passing the information onto General Battarq.” Kepp tilted his head in the direction from which they’d just come. “There’s still a single light back there. Whenever we crest the peak of a wave, I can see it.”

“Then if we’re lucky, a Coast Guard cutter may reach us first,” said Red. “If I have my druthers, I’d prefer to avoid a patrol of Zealots.”

The men listened in silence to the low hum of the electric motor. Wat steered the little craft with expert hands. Red shifted Lira in his arms.

“You want me to take her?” asked Kepp. “Your head still hurting?”

“It’s not too bad,” replied Red, “but you might as well. You know you want to.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“To someone who’s known you for ten years, yes.”

Careful not to wake her, Kepp reached for Lira. He cradled her against his broad chest. Damn, she’s everything I want in a woman, and in order to have her, I’ll have to share her with my two best friends for the rest of my life.

“So do you think you can really do this and not hate our guts?”

“What?” asked Kepp.

“Share,” said Red. “It’s one word, but three men. Share. That’s what you’re wondering, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know.” Kepp stared down at the woman in his arms.

Red looked out over the water. “You’re the one, you know. If she could only have one of us, she’d pick you.” When Kepp didn’t reply, Red continued. “I can accept that. Even knowing how she feels, I still want to be with her.”

Wat spoke up. “Me too. I’ve given this some thought. If I could choose one woman in the world to spend the rest of my life with, it would be Lira. No one else is half as interesting or nearly as brave. She saved Red’s life, and she came for us. I can share a woman like Lira. What I can’t live with is the idea of three other men taking her, and that’s what will happen if we walk away.”

The thought hadn’t occurred to Kepp. If they left her, she’d be required by the laws of her land to choose three other consorts and what if…by God, what if they’d managed to get her pregnant? It was certainly possible. What would happen to their child?

“It’s harder for you,” commented Red. “You have more to lose than Wat and I do. Your commission, for one thing, your family’s holdings for another.”

Kepp snorted. “I haven’t spent more than a couple of months on the ranch in five years. My brothers can handle just about anything that comes up, and my parents are still in good health. It’s just,” he struggled to find the right word, “it’s just that I think I’m in love with this woman. It never occurred to me that I would have to share the woman I love with two other men for any reason, let alone because it’s the law in Zhinshu.”

“Not that it ever occurred to any of us we’d be sharing a princess, the heir to the throne.” Wat laughed. “Look at it this way, Captain. You’d be with two men you can trust with your life. That has to count for something.”

“We’d have to make a pact,” interrupted Red, “that’s what we’d do. We make a pact that we never come to blows over her. I, for one, would prefer not to beat the shit out of my two best friends.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Wat grinned. “But, then, nothing gets me too riled up. The way I see it, Lira’s the whole package. I can’t do any better.”

Kepp felt Red nudge him. “What do you say, Captain? You gonna back out now?”

The captain held the woman in his arms and imagined how it would feel to let her go. He could if necessary, for his country, but the truth was, he didn’t want to leave her. He never wanted to lose Lira. Leaning down, Kepp brushed his lips over her forehead. “Hey, Wat,” he said in a quiet voice, “how much longer? She’s burning up.”

“Another twenty, thirty minutes maybe,” replied his friend. “This engine’s a piece of shit.”

“You want the med kit?” asked Red. He sounded worried.

“Yeah,” Kepp answered. “Get me a ketoprofen injection. I’ll see if that will bring her fever down.”

Red wrestled the med kit out of Wat’s bag and searched for the prefilled syringes. “Hard to tell what’s what in the dark,” he muttered. “I’m gonna have to risk a little light.”

Kepp peered in the direction of the fishing boat. They’d traveled quite a ways down the channel. “I think it’s safe,” he said. “Keep your body between the pen light and the shore at Land’s End. That should block any view from the fishing boat, too.”

The small metal cylinders containing injectable medication clacked against each other as Red thumbed through them. “Here.” At last Kepp heard his friend unscrewing the lid. There was a small hiss as the hard, plastic catheter slid into place, puncturing the vacuum seal. “Ready. You want to do this, or should I?”

“Go ahead,” Kepp instructed Red. “Stick it into the big muscle in her thigh. You can shoot it through the fatigues.”

Red pulled the blanket away from Lira’s leg.

“Right here,” said Kepp, and he pinched up a section of Lira’s quadriceps. The set was an auto-ject. All Red had to do was hit the spot.

“Got it.”

Lira gave a little jerk when Red stuck her with the catheter, but the process took less than two seconds. As Kepp watched, Red withdrew the catheter and flipped on the safety cover. He returned it to the canister and tossed it into Wat’s bag.

Lira looked up at Kepp. Despite the darkness, he could see the pale whites of her eyes. “Why did you pinch me?” she asked.

“You have a fever, love. We gave you some medicine.”

“Oh.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “I was dreaming we were in the bathtub again, like last night, and the water was hot, very hot.” She gave him a little smile. “I’d like to do that again, Tanner. Perhaps you can be the one to take me from behind the next time? I haven’t had you that way, and I was hoping...” Lira fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.

Red grinned unabashedly at her words while Wat made a valiant attempt to smother his laughter.

Kepp bit back a curse. He wondered if he looked as miserable as he felt. Damn her, he did want to fuck her from behind. He wanted her every which way. Just the smell of jasmine drifting up from her hair made him hard as a rock. He’d promised himself to her and now, like a coward, he wanted to cut and run just because the rules she lived by didn’t award him the biggest piece of pie. Shit, he didn’t want a piece of the pie, he wanted the whole thing all for himself. He wanted to eat it still steaming-warm from the oven with thick, sweet cream poured over the top.

Kepp wanted to kick his own ass. It’s what he deserved. Lira trusted him. Christ, she’d killed two men to protect Red, and she’d rushed to save him and Wat with nothing more than her bare hands. If that wasn’t devotion, what was?

“Twenty yards to shore, captain,” whispered Wat. He cut the engines. Their own momentum carried them into the shallows.

As Kepp handed Lira over to Red, he noticed that she’d opened her eyes. He wanted to say something to her but there wasn’t time. He and Wat jumped out of the craft, and together they hauled it onto the beach.

“C’mon, Lira, let’s go,” said Kepp as Red lifted her into his arms. “We need cover. Let’s head for the trees. We should be able to turn on our signal beacon so the pilot can locate us.”

Wat slung his bag over his shoulder and, pistol in his hand, took the lead. Red followed. Kepp, carrying Lira, brought up the rear. They were just a few steps from the safety of the forest when Kepp heard the sound of a clip being shoved into an automatic weapon. He stopped in his tracks.

“Well, well, well. Welcome to the beautiful shores of Zhinshu, Khubuk scum.”

There was the sound of more weapons being drawn and then the sight of men pouring from the trees, surrounding them. Wat and Red turned to flank him. Fuck. If they were dead men, then Lira would die with them.

Kepp turned toward the voice. “You can’t kill us.”

“Why not?” The Zealot laughed, his soft voice tinged with menace in the dark night. “It’s what we do best.”

“Because,” Kepp removed the blanket from Lira’s face, “the woman I hold in my arms is the Princess Lira Patan. She’s sick, and she requires medical attention. I’ve already radioed for a medic. A heli-jet is on its way.”

* * * *

Lira heard threats spoken in the language of the Zealots. Tanner still held her, but she knew she had to muster the strength to stand on her own two feet and confront these men. If not, they were all dead.

She called out in their tongue, “He speaks true.”

When the Zealots fell silent, she placed her palms against Tanner’s chest and shoved. “Put me down,” she insisted. She could sense his reluctance. “Tanner, we are outnumbered. Only I can save us now.”

The man slid her down his body, and her feet touched the cold, wet sand. Her legs felt wobbly, but he steadied her from behind, and she drew strength from his calm.

These are my own trained men, and they will hesitate to kill a woman. Take heart. If I die this night, I will die with the men I love.

Lira bared her right wrist and raised her arm. “One of you must have a light. Shine it on me,” she ordered the men, her voice imperious.

She heard muttering, and she expected to be challenged, but her assumption was correct, her Zealots balked at shooting a woman. At last a man stepped forward and shone a small snare-light in her direction. In the thick silence that followed, they studied her tattoo. Lira felt as if they all stood poised on the edge of a knife blade. At last, a tremor made its way through her troops. They lowered their weapons and dropped to their knees.

Head bowed, a tall man spoke up, his words contemptuous. “Why is the princess in the company of these infidels?”

Lira’s voice lashed over him like a whip. “These infidels have saved my life. They are my three Chosen Ones. I have bonded with them of my own free will. If you wish to kill these men, you’ll have to kill me first.”

“I beg your pardon, my princess, but your father…”

“What about my father? Will he complain about men who have risked their own lives to return his daughter to Zhinshu?” Lira knew she could not remain upright much longer, but she feared for Tanner, Red, and Wat if she was unable to defend them. She tasted bile. But then Tanner wrapped an arm about her waist for support while Wat and Red flanked her. Lira felt some strength return. “The government of Khubuk is sending a heli-jet to take me to the capital city. I am sick.” She cleared her throat. “As Captain Kepp explained to you, I am in need of a doctor. Please radio my father’s personal guard and inform him. And commander…What is your name?”

“Sinat Dhan, Princess.” The man rose to his feet.

Lira made certain her voice carried. “These men are to be cherished as you cherish me, Sinat Dhan. If any harm should come to them, I will hold you personally responsible. It will mean your head and the head of every man who serves with you. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Lady.”

With a flick of his wrist, Sinat Dahn motioned to another man who pulled out a small communicator. Relieved, Lira heard the man radio to their nearby encampment. The men there would find a way to contact the palace. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned back against Tanner. One of her hands sought Wat’s, the other she folded in Red’s big paw.

“It will be all right, Lira.” Tanner’s deep voice rumbled against her back.

“It has to be,” she said. “I can’t lose you now.”

Chapter Thirteen

“General Battarq will see you.”

“About damn time,” Kepp heard Red mutter under his breath.

The leather of the chairs creaked as three men rose simultaneously. Following the general’s aide down a long corridor, their boots clacked on the hard stone floor. Kepp hoped he could keep Wat and Redd from jumping down the general’s throat. More than that, he hoped his friends could keep him from doing worse. They’d been held in isolation at an outpost deep in the mountains for three solid months with no news of the conflict, no news of events at the World Court, and, most important, no news whatsoever of Lira. He thought he’d go crazy with worry.

That night on the beach, they’d been forced into their own heli-jet, leaving her in the hands of the Zealots. Kepp’s only consolation was the knowledge that those troops were sworn to protect her. He, Wat, and Red had no choice but to leave her and return to Khubuk. Nobody wanted a bloodbath with Lira caught in the middle.

The past months had taken their toll on each of them. The normally garrulous Wat had grown serious and circumspect. He ran miles every day and watched vids of Zhinshu until late into the night, studying the country’s history and culture and attempting to learn the dialect of the Zealots.

Red practiced his weapons training with an intensity Kepp had never before seen. While Wat had lost weight, Red had added muscle to his lanky frame. Like Wat, Red, too, seemed more serious. Gone was the ready smile, that winning, toothy grin that lit up his entire face.

Kepp wondered what he looked like to his friends. He’d been moody, touchy, spoiling for a fight, desperate for news, aching deep down in his gut for a woman he feared he’d never see again. Despite the fact that they weren’t superstitious, the men had avoided discussing Lira, fearing that the mention of her name would attract the evil eye. Kepp worried she’d been sicker than he thought. What if she’d died or been imprisoned for consorting with the enemy? He didn’t think he could bear it. He was desperate to see her lovely face, feel the silk of her skin beneath his fingers, taste her sweetness, hear her melodic voice with his own ears.

The hesitation he’d felt about sharing her with Wat and Red had long since vanished. In the forty-eight hours they’d spent together, he’d fallen in love with her. He wanted the woman any way he could get her. Given the chance, the four of them would make it work. Kepp had come to realize he would give anything for that opportunity.

This morning, they’d been rousted out of bed well before dawn, ordered to shower, shave, and put on their dress uniforms. They’d been ushered aboard a private government jet and flown to Issi, the capital city of Khubuk.

The aide stopped before an open doorway. He turned aside and, with the word, “Gentlemen,” ushered them over the threshold. He closed the door behind them, leaving them alone with the head of the ruling junta.

General Battarq was a tall, slender, very pretty man. Kepp had trained with him years before in hand-to-hand combat, and he knew that beneath the attractive, almost-feminine exterior lay a formidable intellect and an iron will. Even when beaten in a training fight, the man had refused to submit. He’d stepped in when the president and his entire cabinet had been assassinated in a series of bomb blasts by separatists. Most citizens were grateful and relieved when Battarq brought about an end to a period of chaos, economic disarray, and bloodshed. The general had single-handedly restored order. Government institutions had resumed their normal functions, and the rule of law once again prevailed. The general had pledged to step aside and hold free elections in two years. Kepp took the man at his word. He’d always thought of the general as an honorable man which made him wonder why in the hell they’d been kept in seclusion.

“Gentlemen, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.”

Kepp saw Red open his mouth. He caught his friend’s eye and shook his head. He would take the lead. If Red got started, Kepp might not be able or even willing to stop him. Taking the hint, Red closed his mouth and sat.

“How is she? Where is she? Why the hell did you send us into the mountains when we should have been with Lira?”

A small smile tugged at a corner of Battarq’s mouth. “The princess is well. She has recovered from her pneumonia.” Kepp began to interrupt, but the general held up a hand. “It was not the near-drowning that caused it, although I imagine that didn’t help. The pneumonia was the result of rib fractures sustained before you arrived at Land’s End.”

Wat exploded out of his chair. “Goddamn, Speth.”

“Please, Mr. Watso, sit. Give me a moment to explain my actions.”

Without comment, Kepp folded his arms across his chest and stared into the general’s eyes. His two friends followed suit.

Battarq tapped his keyboard, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Perhaps it would be better to show you.” He motioned to the high-def screen mounted on the wall above his head. “This official statement was released by the High Council of Zhinshu last night.” His index finger clicked a key.

For a few seconds, all Kepp saw was static. A Zhinshu news reporter appeared on the screen, a portable mic in her hand. “Today, the High Council announced that they have rescinded the death penalty in absentia that was leveled upon the three Khubuk soldiers alleged to have kidnapped Lira Patan, former heir to the throne of Zhinshu.”

Former heir? Death penalty in absentia?

“Following moving testimony by the princess, and after considering the pleas from the government of Khubuk, the Supreme Court dropped all charges against the three men.”

“After his recent arrest, Khubuk’s former Secretary of Banking and Commerce, Tuth Regnan, was handed over to the Zealots for trial. The man admitted to the kidnapping of the princess. His signed confession will be published in tomorrow’s newspapers. The execution of the traitor was carried out today by firing squad. The government of Khubuk declined to file any sort of protest with the World Court.”

“This afternoon, General Battarq issued a formal apology to the princess, the royal family, and the entire nation of Zhinshu. King Patan’s press secretary informed our office just moments ago that the Zealots have been recalled from the borders, trade negotiations between Zhinshu and Khubuk have reopened, and travel restrictions between the two nations have been lifted.” Battarq clicked the vid screen off.

Kepp, Wat, and Red exchanged puzzled glances. “Former heir to the throne?” asked Kepp. “You still haven’t told us where she is.”

The general walked out from behind his desk and leaned his long body against the polished wood. He faced the three men, amusement in his eyes.

“When Lira Patan was released from the hospital, she demanded to be reunited with her three chosen consorts. The High Council refused and put a price on your heads, a very high price, I might add. In retaliation, the princess abdicated her position as heir to the throne, and she sent a representative to request asylum in Khubuk.”

“Well, fuck me,” mumbled Wat.

Battarq smiled. “Concerned for her safety, as I was for yours,” the general nodded at the men, “King Patan spirited her off to his private retreat in the Raspat Mountains. She’s remained there in seclusion, under heavy guard, while the High Council has considered the king’s strongly-worded request.”

“What was that request?” Red drawled.

“The king insisted that the fathers of his grandchild be granted dual citizenship.”

“When do we leave?” growled Kepp.

“I received word early this morning.” At last the guarded expression fell from the general’s face. He laughed out loud. “The binding ceremony takes place tonight, and the princess will be restored to her throne. This is a first in the bloody history of our two nations. Make sure it’s not the last.” He grinned at the men. “Well done, gentlemen, well done.”

Chapter Fourteen

As the government jet taxied toward the gate, Lira lifted her skirts and, in a very unprincess-like way, sprinted onto the tarmac, bodyguards hot in pursuit. The door opened and three tall, strong men stood at the top of the stairs. They were the most beautiful sight she’d ever laid eyes on. Lira hoped one day soon her countrymen would know Redda Till, Cer Watso, and Tanner Kepp as she knew them.

The three men shoved their way down the stairs, smiles wide, eyes twinkling. Reaching the tarmac, they stopped and opened their arms to her. With complete abandon, Lira threw herself into their warm embrace. The three hellish months spent in limbo were forgotten in an instant. Lira felt hands on the small swell of her belly while three sets of lips vied for possession of her mouth. Tonight she would be with them. The feverish words she’d uttered on the beach months ago returned to her. Yes, Tanner would take her from behind. He would be the first to have her. Then she remembered her conversation with Red about bedposts and silk scarves. Lira shivered with pleasure.

One to guard the right hand, one to guard the left hand, and one to guard the back, always.

“I love you,” Lira murmured, her mouth responding to each man in turn.

“We love you,” said Red, his lips on hers. He lifted his head and grinned at her. “Be careful what you wish for, Princess. You’re stuck with us.”

“Hey,” Wat whispered in her ear, “I don’t suppose you have one of those huge bathtubs, do you?”

Lira glanced at his face and caught his mischievous wink. She burst out laughing. Before she could catch her breath, she found herself swept up into Tanner’s arms.

“Don’t let these two idiots fool you.” A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Me first, and they know it. I love you, Lira Patan.” He carried her to the waiting motorcade, and the four climbed inside the royal limousine.

When Wat raised the privacy screens, no one uttered a word of protest.

THE END

http://juliarachelbarrett.net

Glossary

Ouroboros – one is the all, a snake biting its tail, an ancient symbol of infinity.

The Zealots – the hordes massed on the border of the Central States of Kuhbak – they are attacking as they believe the junta has kidnapped their princess, oldest child and daughter of their king, King Pakan.

Perdi – personal communication device

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Rachel Barrett writes both fiction and nonfiction. Her favorite genres to read and write are romance/suspense and science fiction romance. She can now add ménage to that list. She and her husband live in Northern California with their three children, new German shepherd puppy, assorted cats, and two talkative parrots. She loves to hear from her readers.

Also by Julia Rachel Barrett

Siren Classic: Captured

Siren Allure: Anytime Darlin’

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