Page 36 of The Ozar Triad

He set the projectile to maximum setting and squeezed the trigger. A liquid blue stream of laser-heat erupted, slamming into the beast. It writhed as the laser cut a pathway across its skin. An eerie scream rent the air, almost making Setzan drop the weapon and cover his ears. A sharp, acidic smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils, and his stomach turned.

Rujali severed the black strands that held their mate down. The creature screamed again, writhing in pain as the ends of the tendrils oozed yellow fluid. They flapped around and drops of yellow splattered them all, reeking of rotting innards of the long dead.

Setzan kept up a steady laser stream while Rujali grabbed Riley’s outstretched hand and pulled her away from the beast. Klaej charged in, stabbing the creature over and over with the blue end of the analgesic device.

The creature erupted with another ear-splitting scream as parts of its body became more and more inflexible.

The analgesic was working.

Riley struggled to her feet and pulled a Blowgun from one of the many sheaths she had strung around her waist. Setzan gasped as he saw just how many weapons she had strung off her tiny body. Their mate was truly a warrior in her own right. She cocked the weapon—how did she even know how to use it?—pointed the end, and squeezed the trigger.

A steady stream of light-formed bullets sprayed the creature. Each bullet burst through its skin. It thrashed about and with a tremendous screech, twisted around and slithered away.

His weapon clattered to the ground, lost from his numb limbs. He stumbled to Riley, catching her arms in his hands, and checked for blood, bruises, injuries. To his horror, she was covered in them.

She swayed on her feet. She was pale, her lips chapped, hair matted and covered in blood—but she wasalive.

“Are you gonna keep on turning me like a Christmas Turkey, or are you gonna hug me?” she asked, pushing a faint smile.

She wanted to be held. He was only too happy to comply. He crumpled her into his chest, wound his arms around her, and held her as tightly as he dared.

She tapped his shoulder. “Can’t. Breathe.”

He eased his embrace, but not so much that she could move away from him. He descended on her, devouring her mouth in one fluid motion. His heart pounded when she wrapped her arms around his neck, pushed close up against him, and kissed him back with as much fervor. His tongue swept inside her mouth, delving into her wet heat. Her taste exploded on his tongue. He moaned into her mouth and the feeling of completeness swept through him. Something inside him calmed, and then sparked with a burst of heat. His groin thickened with excitement, pressing against her belly. He couldn’t help the way his hips twitched, or the spark of desire that was quickly peaking.

“Setzan. My turn.” It was Klaej, his voice rough.

Setzan pulled back from the kiss, noting with satisfaction the glazed look in Riley’s eyes and her lips wet and puffy.

Klaej’s skin had become the color of emeralds as he stood watching Setzan kiss their mate. Klaej needed her as much as they all did. Setzan handed her over to Klaej, helping her wind her arms around his brother’s neck.

Klaej cupped the back of her head and devoured her mouth as his thick arms embraced her small form. Setzan couldn’t stop touching her. He came behind her, pressing his front into her back, needing that contact. He ran his fingers down the curve of her spine, fascinated by the delicate arc before both hands came to rest on her curvaceous backside. He kneaded the muscle there, captivated by how the plump cheeks filled his palms in just the right measure.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked up at Rujali. He would also need their mate. Setzan went to move so that he could tend to Riley, but Rujali held him there.

“No. Stay there,” he said. “She needs to feel all of us.”

Klaej pulled back from their kiss and Rujali cupped Riley’s chin, gently turning her head towards him. Rujali bent, stroking his mouth against hers. Tension escaped Rujali’s shoulders. His tongue flicked out, tracing the soft pillow of her lips. His eyes flickered closed as he kissed her in the gentlest of ways.

“See how much we care for you, mate. See what you do to us,” Setzan murmured in her ear.

He slid the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear, delighting when she shuddered with tiny little tremors.

His fingers of one hand delved between her backside, following the deeper heat that was between her legs. He rubbed back and forth, his middle finger roving so far beneath her that he only retreated back when he found the end of her slit.

His increased the strength of his touch, pausing when he reached her clit. She jolted when he circled that little nub and then applied pressure. She was in the cage of all of them, caught when she tried to move out from his touch.

“Now, now, mate. You need to take whatever we wish to dish out,” Setzan said.

“What are you doing, brother?” Klaej asked.

“I’m circling her little clit and it’s causing little electric currents to jolt right through her body. Isn’t that right, mate?” Setzan said.

Rujali intensified his kiss, latching onto her lips more fully, while his tongue dipped and explored her mouth. Her hands fluttered as she moaned, one finding Klaej, the other between him and Rujali, interlocking them all together.

“Is she getting wet, brother?” Klaej asked.

“I think so, but it’s hard to tell with all this material in the way. Let me check,” Setzan said.

---