“I think it’s time,” Thrax encouraged.
She pushed herself upright, effectively knocking away his arm. She sat up against the headboard. “Are you serious? It might change everything.”
“It won’t change the way I feel about you,” Thrax reminded her.
“Or me. I’ve always loved you and you know it.”
She had, on some level. Thrax’s affection had been more recent, but the attraction between them had been evident from the beginning. Maybe that’s why she’d been so stubborn with him.
“Maybe, but the Neela you’ve both been with isn’t the same as the Neela you’ll get when I accept the antidote.”
“What do you want to do?” Thrax asked.
She wanted to be herself, but she also wanted to be the woman they desired. She liked the permission she’d been given to explore her sexuality in an unrestrained way. If she took the medicine, she’d feel compelled to keep herself at a distance. Wouldn’t she?
Tarrel continued to dangle the metal dispenser between his thumb and forefinger. He arched a brow. “You aren’t scared, are you?”
The taunt had her reaching for the spray before she’d thought about it. Now in her hands, she hesitated all the same.
“I love you, Neela. Soft or fierce, you’re the only woman I want to be with. You always have been. If you take that and decide you feel differently about us, then at least it will be a decision you’ve made with all your faculties in place,” Tarrel said.
“The warrior woman is who I desired,” Thrax began. “I’d have permitted you to use the spray before we were intimate.”
“I know. You offered,” Neela remembered.
“Then what is it?” Thrax asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, rolling the spray canister in her hand. “When I was on Elara, I was nervous about taking the inhibitor. We’re private people. We keep our own counsel and allow very few people to know our thoughts.”
“And now?” Tarrel pressed.
“Now it’s the opposite. I wanted to keep you both away from my inner mind, away from knowing me too well. Away from being able to hurt me.” She looked at both men. “But you haven’t, so locking them behind silence feels dishonest.”
“It’s not dishonest. It’s who you are,” Tarrel insisted. “I love who you are.”
“You deserve the privacy of your mind as much as you deserve the fluidity of emotion, my dove,” Thrax added. “You know I can share and amplify our experiences. Isn’t that enough to offer you the comfort of both?”
She smiled. “It would be, if I had two mates.”
The men exchanged glances. Tarrel cocked his head.
“There’s no law that says a Queen can’t have her consort and a king,” Thrax mused.
“Queen? It’s been three days. Don’t you think you’re moving a bit fast?” she asked.
“Three days and years of building anticipation,” Tarrel corrected. He laid down, his hands behind his head. “You really need to make an honest man out of me.”
She laughed and nudged him with her knee. She caught her lip under her teeth settled the tip of the spray injector at her jugular. The men watched. Despite all their bravado, they looked worried, and somehow it comforted her to know she wasn’t the only one.
Neela depressed the release. Her blood tingled as it coursed through her body. It almost felt like an iron door was closing in her mind, putting everything into order, dusting out the wayward thoughts. The return of peace comforted her, but she wondered about the rest of it. She wanted to feel. Would she lose that too?
She looked from Thrax to Tarrel thinking of all they’d shared. She remembered each tender kiss and exquisite rush of lust they inspired. Her heart skipped and her chest felt tight and hot as they gazed lovingly back at her, waiting for her to say what was on her mind, if she chose to share it.
All the feelings were there where she’d left them. Fully lived and fully experienced, she’d lost none of it. Rather it sat in her mind like an open treasure chest to admire.
She smiled slowly. “Gentlemen, I believe a celebration is in order.”
Epilogue
Four months later…
Tarrel landed at the royal docking gate on Prill. Neela unfastened her belt and stood with him as the doors opened to the massive stone corridor. The guard escort took them to the king’s living quarters and left them.
The force field cleared and opened. Tarrel snatched her hand and squeezed. She lifted her brows but made no objection. Thrax stood on the other side.
“It’s about damn time,” he blustered grabbing her into a long, full-body hug. “I missed you, dove. A Queen apparent should be overseeing her imminent realm.”
“I told her that.” Tarrel grinned and accepted the great backslapping bear hug from his co-mate.
“She’s not convinced, is she?” Thrax rejoined.
“She’s standing right in front of you and has ears,” Neela noted calmly.
Thrax lifted the purple bead dangling from her ear cuff. “And such lovely adorned ears they are.”
“We have news,” she interrupted. “Tarrel and I are accepting an outpost position to oversee the ore trade with the Elaran government.”
Tarrel grinned widely. “I told you I’d get her back into Prill airspace.”
Thrax laughed loudly and drew them both into his arms. “Fantastic. Now I merely have to convince her to marry me.”
“And me, unofficially,” Tarrel added.
Neela unhooked her military issue top and let it slide to the floor. She stepped around them and headed toward the bedchamber. “Let the negotiations begin, gentlemen.”
About the Author
Hi, I'm Katie Blu, the alter ego of Mia Watts. After unsuccessfully mixing genres under one name, I realized that readers needed to know what they could expect from me. So, Katie Blu has been recreated to explore the relationships between men and women.
Like Mia (because if you note above, I am Mia), I make my home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I spend my days at my day job and every other available minute writing. I strive to make my characters believable, loveable, unforgettable, and-oh yeah-hot for each other.
