Page 19 of Viken Command

Nodding, Leah continued. “Yes. She is the one true heir destined to unite the planet once more. You see, she’s not from one sector. She’s the only one on the planet with DNA from all three sectors. Remember, my mates are identical triplets. Their DNA is the same.” Leah’s gaze turned dark again as she inspected the large weapon strapped to another guard near the door. “And those ion cannons aren’t designed to kill elephants, but they’ll take down a shuttle or a small military craft with one hit.”

“Shit.” That was a lot of firepower to be carrying around in what amounted to a tea parlor.

“Exactly. Which is why they are illegal outside of the Coalition War. It’s like in the US where assault weapons in the wrong hands can be used in bad ways.”

She didn’t have to explain the mass shootings back on Earth to me. They’d only gotten worse since she left the planet.

“My mates were very insistent, which is why they were given special permission from Prime Nial himself to use them to protect our daughter and me.”

That was a sobering thought. Maybe I did need three mates to protect me. Maybe Viken wasn’t the peaceful utopia I’d dreamed of. Sure, this pleasure resort—as the guys had called it—looked safe enough, but outside?

The queen cleared her throat. “Forget about all that and explain to me why your three mates have not claimed you together. That is highly unusual.” She leaned her head to the side, tilted at an odd angle as she whispered so low that only I would hear her once again. “Did you deny them, then? They can be a bit intense, so I would understand if you wanted to work your way up to three slowly.”

That would have made me laugh out loud if I hadn’t suddenly been wondering why Oran had chosen to work last night. He was a guard, as were Alarr and Teig. Surely in a place of this size, there had to have been someone to cover his shift for him last night.

“No, that wasn’t it.”

“Hmmm.” Her raised brow and curious gaze moved to my mate and stayed there. “Interesting. I wondered why my mates gave in to my request to come here so easily.”

“What do you mean?”

Her gaze shifted from the king back to me, and she leaned forward, motioning with her finger for me to do the same so she could whisper. “They are always trying to protect me, but I have my own network of females all over the capital city.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There have been a lot of illegal weapons turning up in areas outside of Coalition control. They tracked the smugglers to Viken. With your mate working last night, and their meeting with the kings, I am beginning to think they have tracked the illegal weapons to this area. Maybe even this resort.”

My blood cooled as the implications of that sank in. I looked to Oran whose intense eyes were focused on something the king was saying. He did not look amused or happy. He looked… like a special operations soldier in the middle of a mission. Shit. “You think my mates are trying to capture these arms dealers?”

When I asked Leah that question, Oran turned to look at me at once, as if he’d been listening and was shocked at what he had overheard. Could he hear our conversation?

Queen Leah leaned back, and I did the same, her body language a clear signal that we’d been too close for too long. She smiled at me and adjusted her skirt, even though it didn’t need it. “I don’t know, Whitney. But be careful. Whoever is doing it, they’re very smart and very dangerous. I overheard Lev talking with my other mates earlier. They seem to believe the bad guys are on the inside. Maybe even part of the security team at this resort.”

“An inside job?”

She nodded. “Maybe even the commander, but they aren’t sure yet. Some guy named Clive.”

Shit. “Okay. I’ll be careful.” I forced a smile on my face, more than ready to move on to a new topic that didn’t include my mates not claiming me the way they should have or the idea of arms dealers running around my new paradise. All of it made me uneasy, and the fact that Oran had chosen work over this formal claiming made me wonder if I were lacking somehow. I wouldn’t have thought so after what Alarr, Teig and I did the night before. But after years of feeling less than perfect, and now having talked with the queen?

Did Oran really want me? Or was he using work as an excuse?

No. Not going there.

I cleared my throat. “So, how old is Allayna?”

Leah’s eyes lit up, and she pulled a small tablet from a delicate satchel on the floor. “I have pictures. I don’t want to be one of those bragging moms, but she’s so darn cute.”

Of course, she was.

Success. Leah forgot all about my mates’ seemingly unusual sexual behavior and focused the rest of our visit on telling me about her family, about the history of Viken, and of the wild adventure she’d had being claimed by all three of her mates within minutes of her arrival.

She’d been blindfolded so she wouldn’t know which one of them touched her.

The idea sounded all kinds of kinky and fun to me.

With all three of my mates. Not two. Not one. Three.

Maybe the three of them weren’t as set on being a family as I’d assumed. Maybe they weren’t into getting naked and getting it on with me all together? I hadn’t asked, just taken them at their word in the transport room. What did I know about Viken claiming? And after that? Well, there hadn’t been much talking going on.

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