Page 18 of The Ozar Triad

“We will care for you and you will learn your new life,” he said. “You will be happy.”

“I’ll be happy when I step foot on my home soil and go about my business,” she said.

Rujali sighed. “Once you are on our Homeland, you will be settled. It’s the way it will be because it’s the way it always has been. You will soon see.”

She swallowed despite her dry throat, on the verge of hyperventilating. “You can’t do this to me. I’m an adult. You don’t own me. I choose my future and I choose to go home.”

“And you will go home. Our home will be your new home.” Before she could answer, he went on, “Setzan. Klaej. Bathe our mate, then bring her to our quarters where she will rest. I will prepare the jet and we will recover the crystal. After that, we’ll head back to Negari without delay.”

He stalked from the room.

“Wait! You can’t say all that and then just leave,” she yelled.

The wall miraculously opened to let him through before closing again.

“He left! He damn well just left without a word.” She stared at the blank wall.

Klaej collected the instruments and together they worked on her shoulder with deft skills she had to admire. Soon her shoulder was cleaned, the wound closed, and a bandage sealed. All without pain.

Setzan slipped his arms beneath her shoulders and knees and pressed her into his impressive chest before she remembered she’d been naked the entire time they’d spoken. He picked her up as though she weighed nothing at all. She might have enjoyed that if she wasn’t roiling with rage.

“Put me down and give me back my clothes,” she said between clenched teeth.

“Do you bathe wearing clothes?’ Klaej asked, matching pace with Setzan.

“What? No! Give me back my clothes because I’m not going to bathe and I’m getting the hell out of here.” Maybe with Rujali gone, she might be able to talk them round. He seemed to be the clear leader in their little group. Without him messing with their heads, they might see sense.

“No, Little One,” Klaej said. “You heard Rujali.”

She pinned her best puppy-dog stare on him, even though it pained her to do it. He seemed like the easier target. “Surely you know this isn’t right. If I’m your mate, then aren’t we all equals? And if we’re equals, we all get a say. If you want to make the best of this relationship, everyone should be listened to.”

Klaej paused, his head tilted to the side. Her heart skipped. Maybe she was finally getting through to someone. She always excelled at hostage negotiations, albeit she was never the hostage, but the principles were surely the same.

“Are you saying we should not listen to Rujali?” he asked.

She licked her lips, “I’m saying we need to think for ourselves. One person can’t be right about another person.”

Not when that person is confused as all fuck and needs space to get her shit together.

Klaej moved so close, the heat from his skin sank into her body like sunshine on a cold day. She kept her gaze locked with his. She wouldn’t chance any sort of distraction.

“Just get the device, Klaej. Give me the red light. We’ll all be on equal terms. Then we can talk, and you can tell me all about this mate thing. I’m more likely to be accepting about the whole situation if I had my body back.”

Seztan merely cradled her closer to his chest that acted like an electric heater. She did her best not to close her eyes and bask in his warmth. “I like holding you, Riley. It’s my new favorite thing to do.”

She glared up at Setzan while Klaej trailed a fingertip along the line of her jaw. His touch was so gentle compared to the brute size of him. Her eyelids fluttered shut as arousal washed through her – a soft wave, but there none-the-less. Her core throbbed and blossomed in awareness. What the hell was happening to her? She cracked open her eyes to see his vibrant gaze looking down at her.

“Our mate is very intelligent. You will be an asset for our Quad. I could not have hoped for a better female to protect, cherish, and love. You will never have need to worry. We will take care of your body, mind, and soul. Once the mate-sync is established, we will know your needs and you will know ours. There will be no discord. There will be no need not to trust us, but before that happens, it is our job to make sure you are safe and cared for. We will bathe you and let you rest. It has been a big day for you and you must be exhausted. You need sleep to repair your body. Trust in your mates to take the best care of you.”

An internal moan brushed through her. What he suggested sounded so good. Half of her balked at the idea, but the other half, the half her body was listening to perked up in interest. How good would it actually be, just for once in her life, to allow someone to care for her. To give in to kindness when it was offered. And this was kindness. They were bold, but they weren’t taking advantage of her. Not in the basic way she’d come to expect from all men.

The wall opened, and Setzan carried her into a bathroom. A huge shower was in one side of the room. There were a few differences but it was still recognizable. As was the toilet and washbasin. It seemed bathrooms were the same the universe over.

Universe over. I am going insane if I’m not already.

Klaej turned the water on in the cubicle big enough to fit five of her, but if these guys were anything to go by, they needed space. Steam came off the warm water. When he was happy with the temperature, he undid the tie at his trousers and stripped off his pants.

She now knew that aliens didn’t wear underwear.

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