Page 64 of Bought and Shared
The portal protests, then gives way, after much effort. We’re in. Where the entrance dumps out, the schematics don’t say. So, in the interest of safety and whatever stealth we might still retain after our argument with the stubborn door, only Knox passes through. He does some brief scouting before poking his head back into the tunnels and signaling the rest of us to enter.
One by one, we file into what must be the basement of Aurora’s childhood home. Locating the stairs to the first floor, we quietly climb them and emerge into the kitchen. It’s past ten, and all the lights are off, the entire house quiet and still.
Knox continues to take the lead and we follow his movements like water flowing to its lowest point. When we reach a second set of stairs, I can feel my mate’s fear growing and my pulse begins to quicken. Aurora is in trouble. I know it. Ifeelit.
We’re on the upper level before I can blink. The door opens and Knox and I enter our mate’s room, while Skell and Farron remain outside to cover our backs. The sight that greets me causes my muscles to contract and blind fury to boil my blood.
Standing shirtless, his pants around his ankles, looming over our mate, is Micah.
Aurora
My eyes grow wide as I look beyond Micah and see the door slowly open. Thinking it’s the drugs, I figure I’m witnessing a phantom. No, two phantoms, in the shape of Oren and Knox. The fantasy men, like my savage saviors, slip into the room and quietly sneak up on Micah. Without missing a beat, Knox pounces, wraps his arm around my former fiancé’s throat and squeezes.
Micah doesn’t struggle for long. He’s unconscious in seconds before Knox lowers his body silently to the floor. With the speed born of the well-practiced, Knox kneels and efficiently hog-ties and gags the odious man.
Oren approaches me carefully as I begin to whimper with joy at his presence. He cuts through my bonds with a tactical knife and I’m in his arms before he can say, “It’s okay, my little mate.” I press my face to his chest and breathe in his scent as he holds me tight to him.
Knox carries an unconscious Micah outside the bedroom door and then reappears. Pulling free from Oren, I find my second mate’s warm embrace as he bends to envelop me in his arms, thesafest place I can imagine. His voice is husky when he whispers into my ear, “We’re here. We’ve got you, Materi.”
“There isn’t much time, Kitten,” Oren warns as Knox squeezes me so hard my ribs threaten to break. “We’ve got to go.”
Nodding, I try to rise but my legs are like jelly.
“Those fuckers must have given her something,” Knox says scathingly. “I can smell it on her. There’s a medicinal scent coming from her skin that isn’t natural.”
“Micah put something in my soup at dinner,” I slur, my tongue still feeling numb and thick and my head woozy.
Gathering me into his arms, Knox says, “I’ll carry you, sweetheart. Oren, lead the way back to the ship. Skell has our prisoner.”
The prisoner? He must mean Micah.
“We’ve decided to bring him along for what reason?” Oren asks with open disgust.
“Intel,” Knox says with a toothy grin. “And I intend to be the one to personally beat him, I mean, pump him for as much information as the little shit has to offer.”
CHAPTER 21
Aurora
The trip back to the base is a blur. Even though I’m sort of awake for it all, it still seems like a dream—one from which I never want to wake. I’m found and in the safety of my mates’ arms. Nothing could feel or be better than this.
Exhausted, I tumble into a dreamless sleep the moment my head hits the pillow in my bed at our home. When I awake, the drugs are out of my system and my mates are waiting with food to aid in my recovery.
They let me eat as Oren tells me he’s cleared his schedule for the rest of the day. I know exactly how meaningful that is, as both my mates are incredibly busy men with endless responsibilities.
When I’m finally full and set my fork down, my men are watching me closely. “What is it?” I know they want to tell me something. It’s written across both their handsome faces.
“We want to have a conversation with you about something important, Aurora,” Oren carefully begins. “It’s about a topic you’ve brought up in the past. It’s about becoming our mate.”
I’ve wanted to have this conversation for some time. Now that we’re having it, I somehow feel wholly unprepared. “I’m listening.”
Oren stands, fetches himself a stiff drink, and prepares one for Knox. When he looks at me, I shake my head in the negative.
Returning to the couch, he settles in beside me. “You once asked me about what the word “mate” means to the Voltan. Now that Knox is here, we want to explain it in more depth and alleviate any fears you might have about becoming ours.”
I nod, feeling my skin prickle with excitement. “Yes, please. I want to understand.”
“To us, “mate” means beloved. The one you connect and bond with unlike any other. That’s why being squad mates is such an honor. Even though it isn’t the same relationship, the core premise is. A squad mate is trusted and valued above all others,” Oren explains.
