Severed Read online

  It was all so gorgeous and exotic I hardly knew where to look first. And except for the strange coloring of everything (and the tiny pink pterodactyls) it was surprisingly Earth-like. Well, except for the people.

  There were a few other couples—or I guessed I should say threesomes—visiting the beach. Some even had children with them. I noticed that the men seemed to come mostly in shades of blue and green—although I saw some red skin tones as well—and the women were a pearly gray. And just as Drace and Lucian had told me, the women were mostly my size or maybe even a little smaller. Watching one, who looked to be only around five foot three walk by, flanked by two massive seven-foot tall males, I wondered how the tiny woman managed to accommodate her huge husbands…and shivered.

  Good thing I don’t have to worry about that! I told myself. Then, remembering the dream-sequence I’d shared with Drace and Lucian the night before, I felt a stab of guilt. In the clear light of day I had to wonder why I had allowed them to do that to me, even in a dream. But still, the memory of having both of them touching and tasting me at once, the feeling of their big, hard bodies on either side of me, their hot mouths sucking my nipples at the same time, started a little fire in my belly. One I couldn’t put out, no matter how much I scolded myself.

  Trying to put the whole thing out of my mind, I looked around, wondering how the Denarins would react to the sight of an Earth girl.

  A few of the natives looked askance at us, but not as many as I would have thought. Lucian had assured me that Denarin males often traveled outside their own planet to find the right female to bond with. Maybe that was why no one was very interested in the strange alien girl who had showed up on their beach.

  Actually, my two guys seemed to get more strange looks than I did. People would look at the two of them, their noses would wrinkle, and a look of disbelief or confusion would come over their faces. Some of them shook their heads or muttered to each other. But though they had to be seeing the strange reaction too, Drace and Lucian kept their heads high and refused to acknowledge the way people were staring and talking.

  I wanted to ask what was going on, but I decided to wait until we were someplace more private, like wherever this mysterious Tanta Loro they kept talking about stayed. I still didn’t understand why they had brought me to the beach in the first place—did she have a house here? As far as I could see, the only structure built on the silvery sands was a little hut made of the wood of the bluish-purple trees.

  As we got closer, I saw the beach hut was a kind of open-air shop with shelves filled with strange products whose uses I couldn’t begin to guess. There was a bored looking young man sitting inside the hut, behind the counter. He was reading what might have been a girly magazine—that was, if a magazine had crystal clear pages you could see through and all the pictures moved,.

  I noticed something else about the “magazine”—every single picture displayed a threesome. There were always two males with one female between them and some of the things they were doing made me blush. It was porn—pure and simple but the young Denarin guy, who had reddish skin and black hair, didn’t seem the least embarrassed when we walked up to him.

  “Hello.” Lucian rapped on the counter for service and the guy put down his magazine—though he didn’t bother trying to hide it.

  “What do you need, good sirs?” he asked in a bored voice. “A filter-frond to block the light? Maybe a privacy shield so you can pleasure your female without prying eyes seeing?”

  “That won’t be fucking necessary,” Drace growled, looking menacing. “And watch your mouth around our female—she’s a lady.”

  “Oh!” The young Denarin sat up straighter and I saw his nose wrinkle as he looked between Lucian and Drace. “Forgive me—I, uh, made a mistake. I thought the three of you were a Triumvirate. But of course I see now that must be impossible.”

  “Why would it be impossible?” I demanded, putting a hand on my hip. “Because I’m from another planet?”

  “No, of course not, beautiful lady!” The young man was looking more and more uncomfortable and embarrassed. Well, it was about time he got embarrassed about something since being caught ogling porn didn’t apparently faze him.

  “Why, then?” I persisted.

  “Rylee…” Lucian said in a low tone but the young Denarin was already answering.

  “Well…because both of these esteemed males are Alphas,” he said. “So they cannot be bonded together even if…” He trailed off.

  “Even if what?” I asked, frowning.

  “Even if their, uh, scent says they are. Bonded, I mean.” He looked truly miserable now and I was beginning to feel sorry for him, especially considering the way Drace was glaring at him and Lucian was frowning.

  I finally began to understand what was going on—apparently what they’d told me about not wanting to be stuck together because they were both Alphas had some actual substance to it. Somehow everyone on their home planet could tell what they were and the fact that they were together—and none of them approved.

  Now all the reactions of the other threesomes we’d seen on the beach made sense. We were getting the same kinds of looks that an interracial couple or a gay couple might get if they went to a less progressive part of Earth. Or anywhere people were bigoted assholes, really.

  For the first time, I understood their desperation to be free of each other. It was one thing to be out and proud about it but neither Drace or Lucian wanted to be together. They were like two straight guys somehow stuck in a gay partnership—they were being stigmatized for something they weren’t, which is never any fun.

  “As a matter of fact, they are bonded,” I told the shop keeper briskly. “But we’re about to take care of that right now.” I turned to Drace and Lucian. “All right, guys, why are we here?” I asked. “I mean, why did you take me to the beach? It’s pretty and all but I thought we wanted to get down to business. Where is Tanta Loro?”

  “Tanta Loro?” The young Denarin’s red skin turned a dirty pink color and I realized he had suddenly gone pale. “You’re going to visit the sea witch?”

  That got my attention. “Sea witch? Nobody said anything about a sea witch—you guys said a ‘wise woman.’ I was picturing a little old lady with puffy white hair and a cat sitting on her lap while she served us herbal tea.”

  “What?” Drace frowned. “What is a cat? And why would a wise-woman have white hair?”

  “A cat is a kind of animal on Earth,” I said. “A pet. And on Earth, at least, when people get old and wise—well, old anyway—their hair often turns gray or white.”

  “Tanta Loro is very ancient and wise,” Lucian said thoughtfully. “But I’m afraid she has no hair at all.”

  “What—she’s bald?” I asked, surprised.

  “No—she hasn’t got hair because she’s got tentacles,” Drace growled.

  “Tentacles?” I stared at him. “We’re going to see a sea witch who has tentacles? What is this—the Denarin off, off, off Broadway production of the Little Mermaid?”

  “What?” Lucian and Drace were both looking at me in obvious confusion.

  “Never mind.” I shook my head—this was getting bizarre. Well, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about trading away my voice for legs since I already had them. But still…it was weird. “Listen,” I said. “Just tell me—why are we going to see a witch?”

  “Because she’s the only one who can help us,” Lucian said, frowning. “Don’t worry, ma 'frela, you will be safe between us the entire time.”

  “Lucian’s right—we won’t let anything happen to you, baby,” Drace assured me.

  “So…you’re really going to see her?” the shop attendant asked, wide-eyed.

  “We are if you’ll ever stop gawking and sell us some breath-weed,” Drace growled.

  “We need three doses to last at least two standard hours apiece. Do you have that?” Lucian asked him.

  “Well…sure. I mean, of course I do.” With trembling hands, the attendant reach