Page 53 of The Ozar Triad

“You never asked for details,” Rujali said.

“How would it even cross my mind that not only are you royalty, but you are reigning kings?” She looked up at him, her eyes wide and brows raised.

“I thought the way people bowed and scraped to us could have been a giveaway,” Rujali said.

She scoffed. “They do no such thing.”

Not so much bowed and scraped, as went about doing what they were asked in a super-excited and efficient way. It seemed the flurry of activity was underlined by a commotion on their return. It went beyond returning countrymen. It seemed as though everyone on a personal level was ecstatic to have them all home.

After she’d eaten and drunk her fill, she’d been cleared by Sakena after the fastest healing session she’d ever experienced—walking out of a doctor’s office three hours later without a bruise or scratch on her. She was then collected by the Royal carer staff and taken to the most luxurious bathing room she could imagine, where she indulged in a long, warm bath scented with an exotic floral scent that almost made her fall asleep.

She was washed of all dried blood, her hair cleaned of all oil and dirt, her skin massaged with fine oil until she was a pile of noodle-flesh, and then wrapped in silk so soft she had to check she actually wore clothing. It was there that she’d seen what all the fuss was about. Her eyes trulydidglow! She didn’t know how it happened, or why, but somehow the crystal had bonded with her. The crystal glowed gold, and now so did she. The best thing about it was that she matched the glow of her mates’ eyes.

Mates! She could hardly believe it. Had barely had time to contemplate it and now she was in this ginormous bedchamber with Rujali.

Cleaned and dressed, he stood with his hands clasped behind her back, his torso covered with a black silk shirt which was tucked into skintight, midnight black leathers. His kick-ass boots were replaced by sleek shining black leather boots that covered his calves, decorated with a line of silver buckles. The way he stood, exuding simple power, gave her no doubt he was indeed the ruling king of his home world.

She stood there spellbound, until he sensed her, and turning, held his hand out to her. She went without hesitation to stand by his side. “It’s beautiful.”

Neat, clean city streets stretched before her. The buildings were made from a creamy colored brick and were one to three stories high. The streets were made of some kind of brownish-golden material, on which a steady stream of vehicles travelled, and people walked on a raised walkway. It was so like a city back home, yet not.

“Welcome to Eytol, the capital of the Ozar Homeland,” Rujali said, bending to place a lingering soft kiss on her lips.

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. “Is it always so… glowy?”

He smiled. If she thought he was handsome before, he was devastating now. “We’ve replaced the crystal back into its rightful place in the Ozar Tower. You can see it here.” He pointed to a distant hill, where a lighthouse-style building radiated a resonating silvery-golden glow.

Waves of golden color washed over the land. The Tower itself also seemed to glow, the bricks infused with an overlay of light that made the edges look fuzzy. People sat on the lawn and strolled through the beautiful gardens that framed the tower. She stared at it, breathless for a long moment, basking in the beauty of the scene.

“Has it always looked that way?”

“It’s brighter, as though the crystal itself is happy to have returned. Everyone now has new hope,” he said. “Thanks to you, Riley.”

She scoffed. “I did nothing but get abducted. Not so good when you’re meant to be an experienced soldier.”

Rujali frowned. He turned so that they stood chest to chest. “We will find out why that was done to you.”

“It wasn’t just done to me. There were others, back in that amphitheater place I woke up in. A hundred. Maybe more. All women.” Her fingers crushed his shirt. “There were no men. I mean, I was in the middle of a battle and that type of thing doesn’t really register at the time, but now, thinking back… they were all girls. What the hell?”

Rujali took her hand in his. “We’ll find out what it is these scaled ones are up to. We’ve never seen their species before. I have Anjev working on a translation device so that we can interrogate the prisoner.”

“I hope he talks. What if there’s more women out here? They won’t know what the hell happened to them. What if those Reptiles still have some of them? And why would they even be taken? It doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “If that thing doesn’t talk, I’ll have a go at him.”

Rujali chuckled, despite her dark thoughts. “And that’s the bloodthirsty mate I love, but now, on to more pleasurable things.” He gripped her chin between his thumb and finger., tilting her head up, “Now that the crystal has been returned to the tower, we can now begin the mate-sync.”

She should be scared—wary, in the least—but a thrill of excitement raced through her at the prospect. She had an idea of what would happen. Her men—mates—all three of them entering her. At the same time. And then a total fusion of spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical would happen. She was hazy on the science behind it, but she suspected it went beyond that and somehow it was all tied to these crystals and the planet and the people. Her mind spun when she tried to find the logic, but then decided it transcended that.

The other thing that occurred to her was that she couldn’t wait. She was in love with Rujali, Setzan, and Klaej. There was no life without them in it. Even though it hadn’t exactly been her choice, it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Now she had a full life of love to look forward to, other than a sure death in some battle in the ass end of the world somewhere, with no one to mourn her loss or even miss her. Yes, this was a vast improvement. Somehow, she doubted life would be that empty ever again.

And these guys weren’t just anyone. They were kings, for Heaven’s sake.

She looked up at him. “Does this mean I’ll be some sort of a princess, or something like that?”

That devastating smile return. “You are much more than that.”

“I like the sound of that.” She cupped her palm behind his neck and edged him down.

His lips settled against hers. His silken tongue sank into her mouth without hesitation. She met it, stroke for stroke. His muscled arms wrapped around her and crushed her to him. His erection was cushioned by her belly, the hard rigid length of him spiraling her excitement.

---