Severed Read online

  “The night,” Rylee mused as we left the food prep area with its large pot of nutri-slime and went down the long, curving corridor that led to the guest quarters. “But isn’t it always night in space?”

  “Technically, yes,” I said. “But we hold with the standard twenty-seven hour solar day, just like we have on Denaris.”

  “Huh—our days are only twenty-four hours on Earth,” Rylee remarked and yawned again. “I’m sorry—I don’t know why I’m so tired.”

  “Like you said, you had a long day, baby,” I told her gently.

  She looked up at me, her black eyes flashing.

  “Why do you keep calling me that?”

  I shrugged. “You said it was a term of affection. I guess I was feeling…affectionate. I think Lucian feels the same way.”

  “Is that why he keeps calling me “ma 'frela? What does that mean?”

  “I’m not the one to ask about Fang Clan dialect,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure it means ‘beautiful one’ or ‘lovely little one.’ Something like that.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Would you rather we only called you Rylee?”

  “Well…” She frowned, considering. “We don’t really know each other well enough for nicknames.”

  “Don’t we?” I asked her quietly. I was thinking of the intense surge of sexual pleasure that we’d all experienced when Lucian and I held hands with her. From the rosy tint of Rylee’s cheeks, she must have been remembering the same thing.

  “I…uh…” she stammered. Then I opened the door to one of the guest rooms—the one beside my own—and her eyes lit up. “Oh—it’s gorgeous in here!”

  I had to admit she was right. The copper walls were lit from above and below with colored glows that switched slowly from pale blue to light purple to forest green, one tint shading into another so gradually it was hard to catch them doing it. For art, there was a shimmering display of vanites framed in a large plasti-glass aquarium which took up most of one wall. They also changed color, forming ceaseless patterns as they enacted their endless mating dance over and over, no two patterns ever the same.

  “Oh,” Rylee breathed, walking over to take a closer look. “They’re like fireflies—multicolored fireflies!”

  “Fireflies?” I asked, frowning.

  “They’re like a kind of bug back on Earth. They light up but usually only in yellow. These are like a living rainbow!”

  “I thought you didn’t like bugs?” I said, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “I don’t mind them as long as they’re not huge.” Rylee frowned. “And as long as they’re not all over the place. These, uh, can’t get out, can they?”

  “Completely contained,” I assured her. “They’re only there for your amusement. Some people think they bring good dreams if you watch them before going to sleep.”

  Rylee yawned again. “I’m down with the sleep part. Is that the bed?”

  She pointed to the large, flat sleeping platform which was hovering above the floor at about waist height to me—which was more like chest-height to Rylee. It was made of deep blue padded sensu-foam which cradled the body comfortably in any position. Neatly spread across it was a shiny silver tempra-quilt which would adjust to whatever body temperature would be most conductive to sleep for whoever used it.

  Of course, the sleeping platform was huge because it had been made for Triumvirate use. Rylee was probably going to look like a doll in it.

  “Yes, that’s the sleeping platform,” I said. “You need a boost up?”

  “I think I can manage. Just don’t look,” she directed me. “In case this jacket thing rides up.”

  Gripping the sides of the sleeping platform, she hoisted herself up—or tried to, anyway. She nearly fell—would have fallen if I hadn’t caught her.

  “Hey—I told you not to look,” she complained as I grabbed her by her waist and deposited her neatly on the platform.

  “I caught the motion of you going over from the corner of my eye,” I said blandly. “What was I supposed to do—let you fall?” I didn’t add that I’d also caught the sight of her full, rounded ass which made me wish I could join her on the platform.

  But of course, it wouldn’t feel right if it was just the two of us—we needed another male—someone to lie on the other side of Rylee to help me pleasure her. For a moment I pictured Lucian there—the three of us wrapped in each others’ arms, giving and receiving pleasure as we acted out our own mating dance, every bit as intricate and endless as the dance of the vanites.

  I pushed the idea away—it was Goddess-damned ridiculous. We’d have no one to perform the Beta’s duties and I knew I sure as hell wasn’t going to perform them. I doubted Lucian would be interested either.

  “You said you were going to find me something to wear?” Rylee said and yawned again. She really did look tired, poor little female. It made me want to tuck her in.

  “Yeah—I think Lucian has a clothing-simulator somewhere on the ship. Just let me see what I can do and I’ll be right back,” I promised her. “Lights, dim,” I added and the multicolored glows dimmed until they were barely visible. Only the shifting pattern of lights from the vanites allowed me to see Rylee’s face.

  “Okay, thanks.” She had already snuggled down under the silver tempra-quilt and her eyelids were heavy. I wondered if she would even be awake when I came back.

  “Sweet dreams,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

  “Thanks. But I think I’m already dreaming.” She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.

  Before I could ask what she meant, Rylee was already asleep.

  I tucked the tempra-quilt more firmly around her shoulders.

  “Sleep well, baby,” I murmured. I couldn’t resist the urge to touch her again—didn’t even try. Gently, I stroked the curve of her cheek with one finger. Her skin was satiny soft and warm to my touch. She sighed and snuggled deeper under the quilt. Gods, she was beautiful!

  I wished we could keep her.

  But there was no point torturing myself with hopeless dreams. Instead, I went to find Lucian.

  He was in the control area of the ship, entering the final coordinates for our home planet. A vast array of perfectly designed controls surrounded him, calibrated down to the nth degree. Lights blinked and a 3-D holo display-map showing the stars and wormholes in our local quadrant floated in front of his face. When I walked in, he looked up.

  “How is she?”

  “Asleep.” I nodded at the co-pilot’s chair. “You mind?”

  Lucian considered for a moment, then shrugged.

  “All right. Why not?”

  I sat, a little stiffly. We’d been trying to avoid each other as much as possible almost from the moment we’d been bonded. This was the first time I’d ever willingly sought my temporary bond-mate out for any kind of discussion but I felt like we needed to talk.

  “She’s really something, isn’t she?” I said. “Brave…gorgeous… Special.”

  “She’s a La-ti-zal,” Lucian pointed out. “She ought to be special, especially at the price we paid.”

  “Any price is worth it to sever the bond. To be free of each other,” I pointed out. “Don’t you agree?”

  “Yes, of course,” he said quickly, scowling.

  I shrugged. “Just asking. You seem sorry we paid.”

  “No.” He was clearly on the defensive. “I never said that. But you must admit it’s a lot to pay when we can’t even keep her.”

  “Keep her and do what with her?” I demanded, even though I’d been thinking the exact same thing not five minutes earlier. “It’s not like we can offer her a solid bonding and a proper fucking Triumvirate.”

  “I know.” He glared at the controls. “The sooner we get her back to Tanta Loro so she can dissolve our bond, the better. I just…I wish I could have met her under different circumstances.”

  “Meaning with a bonded Beta psy-mate.” I played aimlessly with the lighting controls, causing the overhead glows to brighten, then dim