Tarrel’s hands trailed down her back. “Melon,” he noted. “What does melon colored mean?” He drew a finger over one spinal bone.

She smiled. “Something different on every Elaran. It’s not a map to what I’m thinking,” she chided.

“Too bad. I’d really like to know what you’re thinking,” Tarrel said.

She caught her lip when a shy flutter tickled behind her breastbone. “I’m thinking,” she said hearing the words come out before she could stop them. This time, it didn’t bother her in the least. “That standing between you two in a pool of warm water is better than being any other place in the universe.”

“Is that so?” Thrax teased, sandwiching her between them.

She leaned her head on Tarrel’s shoulder to look up at Thrax. “It is. But you know what would be better?”

“Tell us,” Tarrel whispered near her ear, loud enough for the king to hear.

“Having you inside me at the same time,” she answered.

“That can be arranged,” Thrax told her.

He reached below the water and hooked an arm behind her knee. She squealed when she was nearly taken off balance. Thrax scooped his fingers into something on the floating tray. When his other hand disappeared, it was only a matter of seconds before she knew his intent.

Fingers slicked over her anus. She laughed and squirmed until he’d finished administering the salve.

“Waterproof,” Thrax informed them.

“Perfect,” Tarrel chuckled. “I love a girl with a backdoor policy.”

She swatted behind her, succeeding only in splashing water and doing that poorly.

Tarrel caught her lobe between his teeth. “Are you complaining?” he asked around the morsel.

“Not yet. But I retain the right to grimace.”

“It’s yours,” Tarrel agreed.

Thrax cupped his hand underneath her hair and touched a spot at the base of her skull. Instantly, her mind opened up. Sensations not only her own, but Thrax’s spilled across an invisible mental veil. She knew without seeing that he reached behind Tarrel and touched his skull similarly. They seemed above themselves without actually leaving their bodies. A nebulous inter-moving of spirit and sense became universally shared between the three of them.

Prillians were empathic, but this extended beyond any understanding of that talent she could’ve known. It was terrifying and beautiful. Any lingering concerns she had about hiding her true nature dissipated. Surrounded by love and acceptance, holding back didn’t have a place in her thoughts.

She ran her hands down Thrax’s body, loving the way his muscles quivered beneath her fingers. She felt his desire for her, and it nearly took her breath away. Knowing she made the right move, she pressed a line of kisses to his neck and shoulder.

Tarrel moved behind her. He touched every part of her that he could reach without dislodging his hands, and she gave over to the sensuous slide. If she closed her eyes, it was as though she was infusing the shared consciousness with liquid gold. It burned hot and bright, expanding until they all felt it as intently as she did.

“I love you too,” Tarrel acknowledged first.

“With everything I have,” Thrax continued.

“And everything I am,” she finished.

Neela took him in her hand, admiring his girth and the way he slid easily in the warm water. She didn’t want to wait any longer. She wanted him inside her. He knew, of course. They all did.

She guided him against her, felt his cock probe the opening of her cunt and thrust deep inside. She gasped at the sudden fill. The men groaned, and Tarrel pushed at her anus. Once he nudged in the tip, Thrax pulled almost all the way out, letting Tarrel sink deeper into her body in increments.

Like everything else, they knew what she could handle and what she wanted based on the link they shared. Slowly they built a rhythm, seesawing into her. Neela clutched Thrax’s hips, holding on to the tenuous grip of reality when her mind wanted to take her body with it.

Even in the water, friction rode her hard as they increased their pace. Tarrel rolled her nipples in sharp pinches that brought her groaning to the edge of pleasure. She needed more and instantly, his fingers were pressing her clit into tight circles.

Neela whimpered. The galaxy exploded inside her and rained down something far more lasting that ecstasy. It made her mind glow with the warmth of it. They loved her. In their own way, and jointly, these men loved her and she loved them too.

She blinked in the afterglow. Where did that leave them now?

Chapter Six

Neela rolled, bumping into another solid body. She cuddled close. Without opening her eyes, she knew this was Thrax. Warm, hard, bigger than Tarrel, he also smelled like musky vanilla. She smiled as she inhaled more deeply.

A hand rested on her hip and squeezed. Tarrel’s hand, to be exact. His long fingers had callus spots where he gripped a weapon in training. She had similar calluses, but hers were from the staff she carried.

Neela sighed happily. Two days of blissful negotiations. Who knew politics could be so-stimulating?

Tarrel climbed out of bed and padded across the floor. A moment later, he returned. The bed dipped and he scooted close behind her. He arm draped her torso oddly. When he didn’t readjust, she opened her eyes to see the metallic spray dispenser of the antidote.

“What do you think?” he asked her.

“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.