Page 27 of The Hive

Ghost had a funny way of going about it, but he had the same goal. So, when he asked me to roll over, I did it without question even though I knew the tiny thong I wore covered nothing. He cleared his throat, and nudged me over so I was flat on my belly, before he lowered himself down behind me.

His voice was soft in my ear. “I want to show you how to use the panel in case something happens to us and you need it.”

It seemed like this was just an excuse to get a little extra snuggle time in, but I wasn’t complaining. The ridge of his stiff cock pressed firmly between the globes of my ass and I arched my back, pressing into him. My body responded to his by reflex, and it felt so good that my breath caught in my throat.

“Pay attention, princess.” He nipped my ear and rocked against me once more before guiding my hands to the panel, demonstrating how to uncover the circuit board and which leads needed to be connected to where to open, close, and initiate movement. He explained that Grey had assigned the pod to Lex’s cell, but the destination could be changed at any time by the keepers. It wasn’t complicated once you knew what did what, and I was confident I could do it again in an emergency.

I rolled over, so I was on my back, facing him. “I’ve got it. Thank you.”

He arranged my legs around his waist so he could settle over me more comfortably. And then his lips descended on mine, pressing a gentle kiss and urging them to part. His teasing nips sparked the heat in my core, and I opened for him. He deepened the kiss and flexed his hips between my thighs.

Shadow’s curse was barely audible over the thrumming of blood in my ears. But then Ghost tensed above me and Shadow was there taking Ghost’s place. His teeth were sharp but gentle, biting my lips and working his way down my neck. I didn’t know what pushed him over the edge, but the thought of being shared between them made my whole body tingle. The proximity of their solid weight pressed on either side was sending me into a spiral.

We needed to stop, but it felt so good.

With much reluctance, I shoved at them both and gasped for breath. What were we doing? “We have to stop. We can’t.” As much as I wanted this feeling to continue, I knew we couldn’t go on. “What about Lex?” His name was like a bucket of ice water, and they jerked to a stop as if they’d been slapped.

Shadow rolled out of the nest like he was being chased and started pacing. “Fuck.”

“Fuck is right.” Ghost grumbled, flopping onto his back and stared at the stars through the clear canopy of the ceiling. His chest rose in gusty breaths as he fought to collect himself.

I groaned in agreement, and buried my head under a pillow.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Axion

That night was torture. I could feel her warmth through the blankets, but I couldn’t touch her. After the near disaster earlier, we needed to be more careful. The suppressant was wearing off, if not already gone, and by the time we were ready to go, she might not have to fake her heat at all. We didn’t plan for that, but we would overcome whatever was in our path. It was that or death, and I wasn’t ready to die. Not when I had just found her, my mate.

I’d suspected it from the moment her scent called to me. And when I tasted her lips, I knew. It pissed me off the way Valyx treated her, but when I saw him kiss her last night, I thought there was a chance she was his mate as well, and he resented her for it. He hated being told what to do, even if it was the Stars doing the telling. The only person he listened to was Lex, and sometimes me. He was going to fight it with everything he had, but he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

I wondered what Lex would say to my claim. He was her intended husband, had been as long as I could remember, but he hadn’t been a saint while he was looking for her. None of the team had been, but we never had serious relationships either. Maybe because she was the one for us all along. Valyx would laugh at my superstitions, but the Stars had a funny way of putting people where they needed to be. Even if it was halfway across a solar system.

The next day was just like every other day on the Hive. Breakfast, classes, lunch, classes, dinner. Following our little omega around as she went through the motions with a brave face. All the while, curious eyes followed our group, wondering why we weren’t gone yet. The length of time was getting suspicious, and I was glad it was almost over.

There was a subtle tremor in Saphyra’s hands as we returned to our cabin that night after dinner. The paranoia was taking a toll on her, and I wasn’t going to sit by and watch it happen. When she walked past me toward the wardrobe, I grabbed her hand and towed her to the nest with me, pulling her down on top of me as I lay back in the plush bedding. Her eyes shone in the dim light, and a playful grin pulled at her lips.

Shadow grumbled something and went into the bathing room, leaving us in silence.

“Hey, you okay, baby?” I settled her on my lap and rested my hands on the curve of her hips as my fingers pressed soothing patterns into the tense muscles of her lower back.

She looked surprised by my familiar handling, but the ship was departing tomorrow. We could probably risk it tonight, considering I would likely have to fuck her in the morning. We had to convince the keepers we were lost to rut—there was no way around it—or we risked getting kicked out of the pod.

“I’m nervous. A little scared, too.”

I bundled her closer to me, laying her down on my chest and cradling her in my arms. “It’s okay to be scared, princess. We won’t let anything happen to you.” My heart expanded painfully in my chest. The feeling of her wrapped around me, taking the comfort that I offered, changed something in me.

Then I did something I had never done before. I purred.

The strain immediately left her body, and she melted into me. Her ear pressed to my heart where the even rumble rolled on, steadily soothing her strained nerves. Her fingers curled around the hem of my shirt, and I smoothed the golden hair back from her beautiful face. By the time Valyx came out of the bathroom, Saphyra was sound asleep.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked quietly so as not to wake her.

Around the rolling purr, I answered as best I could. “She was unsettled.”

He shoved his towel roughly down the laundry shoot. “A firm spanking would have settled her, too.”

His idea of caring for an omega was not the same as mine, but his techniques could be useful. It was a good thing she had us. She was going to need us. She didn’t know it and I’m sure Valyx hadn’t accepted it, but I knew. There was no way I was wrong about this, even if there hadn’t been a known mated pair, or group, for decades.

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