Chapter One
Lania, having just finished her repairs on the communications array, felt a chill skitter down her spine. The hair on her nape stood on end, and goose bumps pebbled down her bare arms. She lifted her head, scenting for danger. Nothing there. But the sensation of being watched--hunted--remained.
Taking a mal driver and an earpiece from her case, she stood and strode toward the console to test the long-range radio. Still the strange sensation made her wary. When she'd begun to think her imagination was getting the better of her, two gorgeous men stepped onto the bridge.
She had to keep her mind off of them before she made a stupid mistake. In an attempt to ignore their presence, after testing the radio, she crawled beneath the console to make one last check before she left. But she couldn't concentrate on her work. Her mind kept wandering back to the pair. One blonde, the other dark, they looked like complete opposites from each other. The jumpsuits they both wore identified them as high-ranking council officials.
Even though they were both tall, the brunette still seemed to tower over his companion. His black gaze bored into her from a distance. Avoiding direct eye contact, she rushed to pack up her tools, casting furtive glances their way the whole time, suspicious for a reason she couldn't define. Once everything was returned to their proper place, she headed for the door. Unfortunately, she saw the nao wrench on the floor a bit too late.
She fell flat on her face, her bag split open, and her gear scattered over the hard metal deck. One wrench landed with a thump against the booted foot of the taller of the two men, while another slid beneath the piece of equipment she'd just crawled out from under. She wanted to hang her head in utter humiliation and wished the deck would open up and swallow her.
They hurried to her side, both helping to retrieve her tools as they took turns sniffing the air around her. She tried to ignore them. Some men were naught more than horny beasts with little more on their minds than their pleasure. Besides, it was their fault she'd tripped. If they hadn't walked onto the bridge looking so damned good, causing her internal alarm to ring, perhaps she would have watched where she was going.
The blonde picked up her tool bag, and they both held out their hands to help her up. Like all Narians, she knew the bonding laws. They had been ingrained in her since birth. Even before perhaps. But she also knew that it would be rude to accept one hand over the other. Sandwiched between them the way she was, she had no choice but to accept their help. Besides, she had no worries. The two men certainly weren't seeking to bond with a woman they didn't know.
Reaching up, she accepted both their hands and was hit with a sudden jolt of fear.
You have just accepted us as mates. You know the laws concerning triad bonding, the taller man said, staring down at her. His badge bore the name Konstantinos, which she recognized as belonging to the co-commander of the ship. She swallowed thickly and pulled from their grasp. Fear and anger warred within her. She glared at them. Unwilling to cause a scene, she answered back through their mind link. You tricked me. You knew I would never have believed you would want to mate with a stranger, or I would never have accepted your hands. I don't wish to mate. I don't even know you.
The two men looked at each other and grinned, then turned to her. Their fangs were visible--no longer hidden as they should be. Why did they show her their teeth in such a way? The males should not display their fangs in that manner until they were ready to complete the physical act of mating.
She shivered in apprehension. She'd heard about the ritual taking of blood during sex. She just wasn't sure she believed it.
Only a true triad mate can communicate telepathically. You know this, they both responded in unison.
Lania swallowed again. Her stomach flip-flopped. Damn! Why hadn't she just ignored them, pretended she hadn't heard their telepathic comment? If she had, she would still be free. But, she couldn't and wouldn't break the laws of her people. She was well and truly caught.
)
