Chapter Four.
The Message.
Shareem.
The word shone softly on Brianneas console screen the next morning. It had come in as a text message, that one word, nothing else. Her console could not trace it.
Her heart beat faster as her fingers hovered over her touch pad. She could send a replya"but to who and where? What if it was a journalist trying to get a good story about how Brianne daAroth could not resist Shareem?
Best to ignore it.
She removed her fingers from the keypad, finding her palms slick with sweat. Her instincts told her the message came from no journalist.
But she could not risk it. Publicity about yesterdayas incident was not what she needed.
Theyare just animals, arenat they? Dranis had said, sincerity ringing in his voice. Head been puzzled by her question, and Brianne had been surprised by her answering anger.
She should care nothing about Shareem, not even when theyad been arrested for daring to look at her. They were not part of her world, she never need see them or know about them.
And yet the Shareem in the coffee bar had been so incredible. Head known she reacted to him, because all women reacted to him. It had been a normal afternoon for him.
I want to see him again.
Brianne got abruptly to her feet. She could not have these thoughts. She could not go anywhere near Shareem. Another highborn woman might indulge in Shareem, but not a daAroth. She lived her entire life on the screens of everyoneas digital readers.
Not entirely.
As an adolescent shead learned how to fool the surveillance cameras and the journalists and her own bodyguards to slip out from time to time. Later, when she realized how dangerous it was to wander around alone, shead ceased. Sensible Brianne, always thinking logically.
She left her rooms before her thoughts could take her places she didnat want to go. Outside, in the vast hall of the elegant compound belonging to the daAroth family, her bodyguards snapped to attention. She gave them a cordial nod, then walked past on the way to her endless rounds of meetings. A normal day. Nothing special.
When she returned that evening, tired and irritated at certain council members, notably those from the Ministry of Non-Human Life Forms, several messages waited on her console.
One was from her grandmother about a business matter from one of the meetings. Two were from friends who wanted to talk about preparations for the wedding. The last one was unsigned and contained only one sentence.
Enjoy your dreams.
Brianneas fingers grew cold as she darkened the console.
Was this seduction? Or stalking? Maybe it was one and the same with Shareem.
Brianne moved to her research terminal and brought up the public database of the Ministry of Non-Human Life Forms. Nothing on Shareem, although much on a sand mollusk thought to have been extinct that some biologist had just found in the southern deserts.
The Shareem are a part of Bor Nargaas history, and all anyone can talk about are mollusks.
Brianne used her codes to tap into the nonpublic databases. There she found the Shareem, locked away behind several code walls like dirty laundry. She could pull up only the most general information about thema"more was hidden behind doors she could not open.
What she found was a brief description of DNAmo and profiles of the Shareem themselves. Short blurbs of information accompanied a holo photo of each, probably provided so the patrollers could keep tabs on them.
Brianne moved through the database to find the Shareem shead unintentionally gotten arrested. Aiden.
Oh my.
Even the slowly rotating Ministry holo shot could not disguise the perfection of this man. A tail of golden hair reached all the way to his backside, swept back from a square forehead and a symmetrical face.
Face-sculpting was not unusual, though considered the height of vanity, but this man was an art form. Most people got face-sculpted when they were adults and tired of their original looks, but Aiden had been created to be beautiful before he was born.
His makers had programmed his bones to grow to exact proportions, his muscles to fall over them in perfect patterns. His Shareem blue eyes were of the exact size to be sensual, not too big, not too small.
A woman could feast her gaze on this man and never grow tired of him, which was the point.
Brianneas quim was filling again. She thought of the way head lapped cream from his coffee, the way his tongue had curled it into his mouth like head never tasted anything so good. She suspected that every woman in that coffee bar had thought will he smile like that when tasting me?
Mmm.
If she thought of him when she went to bed, shead enjoy her dreams indeed.
Maybe thatas what the message had meant.
She started to sign out of the database, then had another thought. A second Shareem had come to find out what happened to Aiden and had been arrested by her bodyguards as well.
Would an animal be that worried about his friend?
What had the second Shareemas name been? Shead seen it on the report her head bodyguard had reluctantly showed her.
Ky.
Brianne tapped in the codes and another Shareem rose from her screen. She dropped back in her seat, breath rushing from her lungs.
Holy mother G.o.ddess.
Ky had not been face-sculpted or body-sculpted. He was nowhere near as handsome as Aidena"he was not even as handsome as Dranis.
What he had was raw s.e.xuality that singed her like heat lightning in the desert. He was built like a G.o.da"one of the brutal warrior G.o.ds that no one, not even another G.o.d, wanted to mess with.
His arms held strength, muscles bulging as though the skin just contained them. His shoulders were broad and powerful, his waist tapered. The modest holo photo did not show his hips and below, but from what his torso looked like, his lower body was sure to be fantastic.
Brianne touched her hands to her face and found her cheeks burning. What was the matter with her? Aiden hadnat had this much of an effect on her, even in person.
Kyas face was hard and powerful, his eyes so burning blue that they seared her even from the holo photo. It was as though he looked right at her instead of at whatever patroller had burned the photo long ago.
G.o.ds, what it must have been like to take his picture.
She knew now whoad sent the messages. Not Aiden, whoad enjoyed a sensual moment with her in the coffee bar. Not the Shareem whoad known she liked watching him lick cream from his cup.
Not Aiden at all.
Ky.
The words seemed to leap from his image, coupled with his burning stare. Enjoy your dreams.
Brianne moaned softly. She wanted to touch herself. No, she wanted him to touch her. She wanted to watch Aiden run his tongue around the inside of his coffee cup while Ky stood behind her, pinning her in his strong arms and dipping his fingers into her quim.
G.o.ds, why did she want something so depraved? Not only one Shareem, but two? Had she lost her mind?
On impulse, she split the screen and pulled Aiden and Ky up side by side.
Mistake. Her imagination fed her images of Aiden coming closer, maybe bringing the cream with him to lick from her throat while Ky played with her c.l.i.t, his breath hot in her ear. She could even feel the abrasion of Kyas cheek against hers.
Her juices flowed faster, and she instinctively pressed her legs together, squeezing tight, tight, tight. A half sigh, half groan escaped her mouth.
She found herself snaking her hand between her legs and pressing hard. No, not enough. She leaned back in the chair, inching her robes up her thighs and sliding her fingers to her quim.
Shead done it before in the dark of her bedroom when shead turned her body monitors off. She had done this when shead turned eighteen and had been interested in the s.e.xual reactions her body could have, before shead learned how to firmly suppress them.
Brianne rocked in the chair, her fingers stroking her quim, her mind whirling with images of the Shareem. Aiden drawing his tongue down her throat, licking between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and around her navel.
Head sink to his knees and press his able tongue against her c.l.i.t, his tongue mixing with Kyas fingers. Theyad bring her to lovely, lovely climax and shead scream and jerk against Aidenas mouth. Head suckle her and Ky would rub her.
A cry escaped her, tearing through the empty room.
Yes, yes, yes!
aMy lady?a The door slid halfway open and one of her guards peered in. aEverything all right?a Brianne jerked her hands from under her robe and jabbed her console to erase the holo pics. aYes,a she gasped.
The guard stared at her. She must look strange, sweating and breathing hard, her face bright red.
aI heard you call out,a he said.
aIam fine.a She sprang from her chair and tried to smooth her hair. aI was reading something is all.a The guard gave her another long look, then shrugged. aAs long as youare all right.a aIam fine. Thank you for your diligence.a He nodded and closed the door. Brianne let out her breath, her hands shaking as she steadied herself on her desk. Dear G.o.ds, if her body monitors had been on, her entire guard would have descended on her and whisked her to the hospital.
And shead only been imagining things. What would it be like to be with them in reality?
She shivered. And smiled. And shivered again.
Brianne touched her finger to her lips and pressed it to the console screen. aGood night,a she whispered.
She went to bed that night without body monitors and did what she hadnat done since age eighteen. Then she had some very interesting dreams. In the morning, when she opened her console, she found a message waiting.
Sleep well?
Shaking all over, Brianne sat down and pounded out a text message on the keypad.
YES!.
Ky chuckled as he read the one word on the console screen. aIam enjoying this.a aRemote bondage?a Aiden said.
aIam getting under her skin. Now for the next step.a He tapped the consoleas pad, sensing Aiden approach and look over his shoulder. Aidenas pheromones slid over him, comforting and soothing as usual. Level ones were made to make you feel good.
aSheall never do it,a Aiden predicted.
aShe might.a aGetting her to think about us is one thing. Getting her to meet us in person is something else.a Ky sent the carefully worded message. aSheall refuse at first, but then she wonat be able to resist. This is fun. I should have tried this years ago.a aInstead of going straight for the manacles?a Aiden slid his fingers across Kyas bare shoulder. aThe art of slow seduction can bea"good.a Ky felt his muscles automatically relax under Aidenas touch. Level ones were bred to soothea"even a friendly pat on the back made you smile and your skin warm.
Lately it was doing more than that. Under his clothes, Ky grew long and stiff.
This was getting dangerous. He hadnat thought of the experiments the jacka.s.s scientists had done on him at DNAmo for a long time. White lights, pain, spreading his legs in pleasure. He closed his eyes.
He knew Aiden could sense his arousal. Aiden was Shareem, of course he could. Aidenas pheromones changed, becoming less soothing and more seducing. Broad fingers slid down Kyas bare chest and touched his small gold nipple ring. Kyas c.o.c.k stretched farther, pressing the tight leather into an obvious bulge.
Aiden flicked the nipple ring with one finger, then eased his hand down to cover the length of Kyas c.o.c.k. He pressed his palm against the bulge, sliding down it in one long stroke.
Ky laced his fingers around Aidenas wrist, stopping him. Aiden glanced sideways, his Shareem-blue eyes darkening.
Ky slowly shook his head. Aidenas expression went still.
The kissing had been fine. h.e.l.l, Ky wanted to explore the kissing and see how far it could go. Nothing had happened except a stir of pleasure when theyad kissed. Anything more might triggera If he and Aiden were going to experimenta"s.h.i.t, he hated the word experimenta"they needed to go slowly.
Ky moved Aidenas hand upward again until Aidenas fingers rested on Kyas nipple ring. That was fine.
Watching Ky carefully, Aiden drew his fingertip around Kyas flat areola. aDo you want me to go?a Ky looked up in surprise. aGo where?a aAnywhere.a Aidenas expression was guarded. aAnywhere not here.a aWhy? Because you want to touch my body?a He made a show of shrugging. aI know Iam irresistible, Iall just have to live with it.a He rose from the chair, shaking off Aidenas touch. He caught a glimpse of his friendas face before he turned away, and stopped, disquieted. Had he seen hurt in Aidenas eyes?
He and Aiden had been friends forever, and he figured theyad go on being friends until their Shareem bodies wore out from all the s.e.x they had. Then theyad be dead and taken to the G.o.ds together.
aA kiss and a fondle isnat going to turn me into a recluse,a Ky said. aIf you were Braden, on the other hand, Iad have thrown your a.s.s out.a aBradenas another Dom.a Aidenas voice was low, sensual. aIad want to be a sub.a Kyas c.o.c.k leapt again at the thought of seeing Aiden in his collar. aYouad make a c.r.a.ppy sub. Iave never seen you be obedient.a aDoesnat that add spice? When you have to train the sub?a They looked at each other. Aiden was taller than Ky by half an inch, his shoulders just as broad but not as loaded with muscle.
aCome here,a Ky said.
aWhy?a aSee? Youare already disobeying. Youad suck at being a sub.a He smoothed the hair off Aidenas forehead. aWeare friends, you and me. I probably would have died after we ran from DNAmo if not for you. Iam not letting that go to h.e.l.l because you want to kiss me. Friends should be able to kiss without it being a big deal.a Aiden watched him with a neutral expression. It was always hard to figure out what was going on in Aidenas head, whereas Kyas emotions were right out in the open. That was one reason they got along so wella"their differences. Kyas weaknesses were Aidenas strengths and vice versa.
Ky leaned forward and licked Aidenas lips from side to side as he had the night before in the showers. Aiden didnat move, but he responded with slight pressure, kissing Kyas tongue.
More. Ky wrapped his strong hand behind Aidenas neck and pulled him into the kiss, snaking his tongue into the other manas mouth. The spicy, dark taste of Aiden made his c.o.c.k harden still more.
Pleasure, his body said. There is much pleasure to be had here.
Aiden was made to please with slow, soothing pleasure. Ky had been made to please with punishment and the sting of the lash. The combination would be explosive.
And so d.a.m.n dangerous.
Ky eased his mouth from Aidenas. He waited a moment, but nothing happened, and he slowly let out his breath.