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  The connection had been set by Jezar’s touch and now his full powers were unleashed inside her head. Like when Kera bridged her mind to Tory’s, she felt stretched, pulled forward. And Tory was there waiting.

  Their touch was easy, almost natural. Jezar still held them, but she followed the path of the lines between them, ethereal and only visible in her mind. Familiar. Comfortable.

  This time, instead of seeking particular thoughts, sharing a similar vision, all of Tory’s thoughts flooded her. Every one of them.

  Disjointed, yet orderly. The deaths, the blood, the scrabbling he’d experienced all his life clicked through her mind. Like an old slideshow of ancient pictures bright and clear, each scene bombarded her. Low murmuring added to the confusion and suddenly his thoughts were streaming through her mind like an ongoing background noise.

  The last of my line. How can I protect what I have left? If I die here, there is nothing left in the universe to carry on my line. I waited too long. I should have taken Alexandra with me.

  At first, many thoughts slammed into her at once. Thoughts about Teran One, thoughts about their mating, things she’d never wanted to know, things she’d always wanted to know. But after a few seconds, she realized there were layers. Some thoughts were unconscious, his mental stream that flowed beneath the surface. Other thoughts were the ones on the surface, the ones that weren’t as deeply connected to his subconscious.

  Her head strained, throbbed, the pain slicing through her. When she lifted her hands to clutch her head, Tory’s hands caught hers and suddenly, it all blurred. His thoughts, her thoughts, his feelings and hers, blended until she couldn’t tell whose was whose anymore.

  Little things like that his brother had carried him on his shoulders on a sunny day. His mother had kissed him like a real mother did, like her mother never had. Tory’s father, enraged when Tory’s brother had died, seemed to never smile again. A day on Teran Four when he’d seen five children shot down by a soldier for being “mixed Teran blood” and later when Tory had killed a whole camp of those soldiers as a result. All his doubts about his ability to read a man since Pulzer had betrayed him.

  It was too much. And Tory was fairly organized in his thinking. How the hell would he make sense out of the mess in her head?

  I have a hell of a headache, but it’s not as bad as you think it is.

  Well, that’s something, I guess.

  No, really. Once I figured out the pattern, your thinking is fascinating.

  He really thought that. Tory was filtering, digging through her thoughts, turning them over, testing their flavor. He enjoyed the challenge, the puzzle she presented. His mental fingers delved into every corner, enjoying the freedom of exploring.

  Maybe he had the right idea. I think I’ve been too afraid to look.

  Well, seeing how your life has been, dear heart, that’s understandable.

  She began to explore, tentatively at first, then with more curiosity. The way he boxed things, filed things away, everything was there neatly labeled. Except for her. She didn’t fit neatly into his little boxes. But there were a few other things dangling. Conflicted thoughts about his bloodline, his family, dominated the odd bits that didn’t fit. His father’s words drifted into her mind.

  The bloodline is more important than our own lives, son. It’s all we have left now. A boy. He’d been a boy when his father instructed him in duty. But in his family, duty was tempered by love, affection, connection. Those intense feelings of loyalty were shattered when his family disintegrated in the face of one loss after another. He joined the military because he thought it was something he could do. Fight and kill.

  And then he’d met her, fought with her. All those feelings of loyalty, to blood, to family, transferred to her.

  She had no idea why. Clips of their time together all those years ago snapped one after another. One wrenched her heart. She remembered that moment. Stuck in a trench, a muddy hole really, on Teran Five, she and Tory had spent forty-eight hours cut off from their team, alone, with their lives hanging in the balance. The things they’d said, the secrets they’d revealed, exposed them both.

  I knew then, Tory told her.

  I was afraid.

  I know. And yet, only two months later you presented a Courtship Contract to your father. For me. I wish I’d known that.

  All those years, Tory. She was back to the place she’d come to when they’d connected before. But this time, his mind and hers were entwined more closely.

  Alex, all things happen for a reason in the universe.

  Jezar’s mental voice intruded briefly. It’s true. Had you mated five years ago, you would probably be dead. This process began two generations ago on Ardasia. Had either of you chosen a different path, this opportunity to stop it would not have presented itself.

  Stunned, Alex reviewed all that had happened and realized Jezar was correct. What if the plague had been transported by someone else? What if Darius hadn’t come after her? What if Tory hadn’t stopped the transport in an effort to save the woman he loved?

  Everything happened for a reason. Those five years weren’t wasted. To save her planet, her people, humanity, it was worth the fleeting pain she’d experienced without Tory.

  This thought made their coming mission easier to face.

  Together, we are a powerful force, Saria.

  They would have to be.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Alex’s headache receded and the murmuring in the background drifted away to silence. Jezar had been right. It would take time for her and Tory to adjust to the closeness, the intimacy, of the permanent bridge. For two hours, Jezar helped them, guided them, to exercise the mental control to block each other and the constant chatter.

  Tory adjusted better, blocking her fairly quickly, until she could only read bits and pieces. She took longer, struggling to block his forceful mental touch. The longer they were connected, the more she realized he was more violent, more aggressive than he appeared outwardly. Years of learning to deal with civilization spread a veneer over his real male self but the thrusting male part of him resided in his thoughts. Thoughts that were difficult to block.

  Your thoughts are like a symphony with different parts all assaulting my ears.

  Is that a compliment? Because it doesn’t feel like one.

  He only chuckled and they kept at it. Control was the name of the game here. She had felt it the minute Jezar had withdrawn from their connection. Yet, he’d just been a presence, a voice in her mind, not connected to her the way she was connected to Tory. The bridge held and the connection went on, reflecting back on itself, like mirrors of mirrors.

  In a few hours, she grasped the skill to build the wall. It had to be a push, a powerful mental shove, to keep him out. Her head stopped hurting and only a rush of warmth remained. She’d done it.

  Tory smiled. “Now, we have to practice it.”

  She sighed. “I’d really like to rest a bit. We’re going to be on Teran One tomorrow. I want to be sharp, not tired.”

  “Sure,” he told her. They headed back to their quarters, each alone with their thoughts for the first time in hours.

  Odd, but the connection still tied her to him, even though his mind was closed to hers. The bridge had only solidified what was already there.

  Feelings, warmth, sexual energy spread through her body. It was as if he touched her, his hands brushing over her nipples, her pussy. So, specific thoughts she could block, but his rush of sexual need seeped through. She’d make him pay for that.

  Instead of giving him the mental shove he deserved, she amplified his feelings with her own, delving into her sexual fantasies for inspiration. The warmth in her body spiked to heat and a feral growl emanated from his throat. Still, she kept his thoughts at bay and reflected his desire back. The problem was her body reacted, her pussy dampened and her heart pounded. The visions of Tory spanking her with her body in the rack, the sight of his hard cock buried in her while her legs were wrapped around his
waist, the sound of the slap of their flesh all spun toward him.

  His visions clarified, sharp and clear. In his, she was bound and gagged, her screams muffled and sexy. He, too, wanted the slap of his hand against her flesh, the hot skin turning a sweet flushed pink under his gaze. She shuddered with arousal.

  Damn it. She couldn’t block him now. The connection, the ties, were like ropes that pulled at both of them. By the time they reached their quarters, they were both out of breath and frantic with need.

  The door whooshed behind them and she faced him. Suddenly, she dropped all her walls between their mental connection and the need, the desire, and the hot flood of lust slammed into her like a fist. She let it wash over her, her mind receiving it the way her body welcomed him.

  He was on her in a second, tearing at her clothes as frantically as she tore at his. Naked, her body swayed toward him making her nipples brush along the skin of his chest and she gasped at how close she came to an orgasm just from that sensation. The mental connection, the flow of disjointed words and feelings, increased the fire between them until she could have come just from his mental command.

  Her hand wrapped around his cock and she felt it jump in her hand as well as the hiss in his mind. Everything intensified as what he felt seemed to amplify what she felt. Their mutual senses not just doubling, but quadrupling the arousal they both experienced. Through their connection, she felt the way her soft skin drove him crazy, the way he needed to be inside her, and the driving force of his passion for her.

  Close. Fuck, they were both so close. All it took was a tiny shift, the right word—but all that flew out of her mind when his fingers sought her pussy and stroked her clit. She jerked, mind blanked, desperate to hold on.

  Come for me. Come all over my fingers. Even his mental voice was strained, almost a growl.

  He slid his fingers along her clit again and she shuddered, shattered really, her whole body tense, her cum wetting his fingers. Her back arched and she couldn’t control the low cry that grew louder as her orgasm continued unabated. Finally, she drifted.

  She opened her eyes, not remembering when she closed them, and found him watching her, studying her. His thoughts were of how beautiful she was, how every inch of her face showed her release, how he could barely hang onto his release when she found hers.

  She squeezed his cock, still hard in her hand, and moved up and down until he groaned aloud. He pushed her hand away and shoved her back on the bed. When she fell backward, he gave her no time to catch her breath, but parted her legs with his shoulders, and his tongue lashed against her slit.

  His fingers circled her anus, sending shards of pleasure cutting through her. Sharp and hard, she came into his mouth, her hips violently thrusting toward his wicked tongue. He jammed two fingers inside her ass and his tongue rhythmically fucked her pussy. She screamed, her whole body thrashing beneath his ministrations. He moaned, his mouth vibrating her clit and ecstasy swept along every nerve, every muscle.

  With their minds wide open, she felt everything he did, every thought about her, every single thing he wanted to do her but couldn’t because he had to fuck her right this very second or die. Her body ached for his cock inside her. That’s what she wanted. The connection of his cock to her pussy, key to her lock.

  He caught her broken thought and lifted his head to stare at her. His gaze was still locked with hers when he towered over her and thrust inside her. She exploded, her orgasm pounding her over and over, her muscles strained. Her keening cry echoed in his mind and reflected back to her, extending her pleasure.

  She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think. Feeling, slipping into a world of intense erotic ecstasy, falling, drifting. In that moment, there was only him, only his touch. Nothing else existed for her. But when he came, lights cascaded in her mind like fireworks and heightened the sensations until they were sharp and needy. Like echoes on a canyon wall that went on and on, his release amplified hers, which augmented his until it seemed as if there was no end.

  How long they were held there, she had no idea, but finally their bodies gave out, a sudden collapse, and he lay on her, his hot breath on her skin. She whimpered, her entire system unraveled, quaking beneath him.

  Thoughts, sensations, floated between them. The intense love he felt for her, the way she always amazed him, the way her body fit his. She purred and wrapped around him like a vine. Stay just like that and don’t move. Ever.

  Rest. Together. Connected.

  And still buried inside her, his breathing deepened and lulled her into a comfortable, warm sleep.

  * * * * *

  I don’t mean to intrude, Commander, but we are nearing Teran One. So far, we have not been identified. Jezar’s voice woke Tory up out of an erotic dream. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he wasn’t sure which, he got a massive hard-on from those dreams. Still buried inside his mate, Tory gasped when she squirmed beneath him just as he received Jezar’s mental nudge.

  He growled, his thoughts fuzzy and uncoordinated. Damn it. Alexandra, we have to wake up. Jezar says we’re almost to Teran One.

  No time for a quickie?

  He almost laughed out loud at the severe disappointment in her mind. No, but I promise, my Saria, I will make up for it.

  They groaned in unison when he backed out. Visions of showering together slammed into his mind from Alex. He groaned again and caught a mischievous grin on her face. He blocked her, his mind creating a wall. Her grin disappeared and she pouted. “It’s not fair. You’re better at this shit than I am.”

  He stroked her cheek with his finger. “You’ll have to keep practicing.”

  They dressed and headed for the bridge. In the elevator, he shot a glance at her. Her braid was ruthlessly in place, her uniform perfect and unwrinkled. No one would ever know how completely out of control she’d been only hours before. Somehow, it turned him on, that this woman, so straitlaced, so perfect, had been undone by his hands.

  She caught his glance. “Your wall is down.”

  He smiled. “So?”

  She rolled her eyes. The doors opened and the bridge crew immediately relaxed. Dink spoke first. “The news on Teran One isn’t good.”

  “What now?” Tory strode to the Commander’s chair and Alex stood at his right.

  “The vid of the woman being tortured has been released on viral stream and everyone is up in arms about it.” Dink shot Alex a nervous glance. “We didn’t put it out there, but someone did. Pontoon has begged Darius to come back and the whole planet is on the verge of civil war.” Dink clicked a few buttons and a news story appeared on the screen.

  Fighting in the streets, still fairly localized, but intense, filled the stories. Old family ties were strengthened and newer families were being targeted as if they were the threat. The tenuous peace between the First Families and the lesser bloodlines had broken down. The old bloodlines had realized they were being eliminated, but they didn’t understand who was behind it. Their violence was too random, indicating an underlying panic. It was like a sight from ancient days before the advent of the Saria contracts, back when families aimed for bloodline genocide. Alex’s fists clenched.

  Tory reached out and took one of Alex’s tight fists in his hand and gently stroked the knuckles. “Ena Solly has made her first move.”

  “Also, Alex has been reported as dead,” Dink announced. Another button and another vid appeared.

  Her death was attributed to Darius Stender.

  What the hell was Ena doing? Eliminating the possible survivors of course. The story went on to say that a memorial was planned during the Shoshani celebration.

  “What does Ena gain by declaring Commander Zeerah dead?” Dink asked.

  “A power shift,” Alex answered. “My death forces some political factions to choose a side.”

  “She’s very popular with the Teran One people,” Tory added. “Ena probably wants to use Alex’s death to discredit the royal government.”

  “How do we proceed?” she asked Tory
, though he had already leaked several thoughts.

  “Nothing has changed. The confusion works in our favor. We’ll slip in easier and make contact. Let Ena think she’s succeeded in elimating Alex as a threat.” Tory studied his crew. “Pulzer send any transmissions about Darius?”

  “Only that Darius was barreling down on us in two warships. That must be where Ena got the idea to spread the word that Commander Zeerah was dead.”

  A very ugly thought slammed into Alex. Oh shit. Not that. It couldn’t be. She met Tory’s gaze, her thoughts totally open to him. He shot a glance at Jezar.

  The three of them came to the same conclusion.

  She saw the vision.

  That meant there was another person involved in this mess. Someone who wasn’t Teran One. Someone who saw visions of the future.

  An Ardasian.

  Jezar, is that why you signed on with me? Tory didn’t want to believe it. For Jezar to hide the fact that another Ardasian was involved from Tory hurt him deeply.

  No. I signed on with you because I saw that you would save us all. This other person is a surprise to me, Tory, I swear.

  Her mate was silent, but his reluctance to believe the Ardasian and the conflicting desire not to have been wrong about someone else warred within him.

  Open up, Jezar, she demanded. It can go both ways. Open up. She pressed, her new-found mental talents expanding to dig at Jezar’s brain.

  Surprisingly, he did.

  He only allowed her into certain parts, neatly sectioned, but she wanted his reasons for being on The Pinnacle. She found them.

  He’d been sent by the Judges of Ardasia.

  Find the bonded pair that would save humanity from genetic destruction. For a moment, she was there, in the Judge’s chamber on Ardasia. They told Jezar that the humans were needed to save Ardasians from a genetic dead end, that inbreeding on Ardasia had created a crisis that only human beings had solved. Her own ancestor, married to the famous Dudley, had bred the future of Ardasia and saved Jezar’s planet from stagnation and eventual death. But the plague could wipe out the so many humans that the gene pool would shrink. The Ardasians had become dependent on humanity, which was why the aliens had interfered when the Huacan released the plague on Old Earth and why they insisted Jezar interfere now. If the Teran planets fell to the Ardasian line of humans, they were all doomed.