Triad Read online

  They all settled onto chairs. Garin sat at the head of the oblong table, Bandar and Levitt on one side, Letos and Mirella on the other. “I’ve updated Commander Levitt and Bandar regarding the possible opportunity.” She didn’t miss the emphasis he put on “possible”. Obviously, he had doubts that Xorran would do as he’d promised. “We’re all anxious to hear what you two decided.”

  She looked at her mate and he offered her a secretive smile that made her heart flutter. They’d debated how much to tell the others. Bilarrians spoke freely about their abilities with other Bilarrians, but detailing one’s power with off-worlders was seldom done. Still, it was obvious that General Nox wouldn’t tolerate half-truths or evasions.

  “As we see it, there are three primary obstacles,” she began.

  “Only three?”

  Garin’s tone bordered on condescension, but Mirella simply ignored it. Picking a fight with General Nox right now would be counterproductive. They were on the same side, working toward the same goals. Hopefully his attitude would improve when he realized they had a legitimate plan.

  “One of the advantages of running the Integration Guild is having access to manufacturer information. If we keep each boarding party small, I have a device that can get two, possibly three teams on board without their systems registering the breech,” Letos explained.

  “That’s a good start,” Garin said, his tone more respectful. “Continue.”

  “We suggest three simultaneous targets,” Mirella told them. “Letos and I will go after Paytor, team two should target the ship’s covert shields, and team three needs to take over the command center.”

  Garin glanced at Bandar. “We’d come to much the same conclusion, though the order was somewhat different.”

  “We’re here to offer suggestions,” Letos stressed. “We’ll take care of Paytor, and we can smuggle two additional teams aboard. The rest is entirely up to you and your men.”

  “Everything hinges on incapacitating Paytor,” Garin agreed. He was clearly the spokesperson for the battle born. Neither of the other two said a word. “Without their commander, the crew will be much more likely to surrender. With him still firing them up, they might fight to the death. I’m not interested in a slaughter.”

  “Good, because I would have no part in it if you were.” The comment made Garin smile. However, the expression was far from warm. She wasn’t sure if it was her gender or the fact that she was Bilarrian, but something about her annoyed General Nox.

  “You’ve volunteered to take on the most challenging phase of the mission,” the general pointed out. “Please explain how you intend to incapacitate Apex General Paytor on his own ship. He might be past his prime, but I assure you he’s far from helpless.”

  She looked at Letos, her expression serious. She hadn’t expected Garin to let her slide without an explanation. Still, it felt odd to detail her abilities for a stranger. “As Letos said, he has a device that can modulate a small section of the external shields. I can teleport, but I would set off their intruder alarms without the shield modulator.”

  “I’m aware of the shield modulator. Your mate was kind enough to give us one a couple of months ago. It has come in handy more than once. However, a shield modulator won’t get you past the energy net surrounding Paytor’s cabin. If you intend to take him anywhere else, you’ll need a larger team.”

  “We intend on surprising him in his bed, preferably while he’s sleeping.”

  “How honorable,” Systin Levitt muttered.

  “Challenging him when he’s alert and armed might be more ‘honorable’, but an ambush is safer.”

  The commander said nothing else, so Garin asked, “How do you get past the energy net?”

  “I don’t intend to get past it,” she told him. “I’m going to flow under it.”

  “Water, sir,” Letos said. “My mate comes from the coastal region of Erotious. Her region honors water.”

  Garin seemed to understand what that meant. The other two clearly did not.

  “So water can flow under the net. How does that help us?” Bandar asked.

  Knowing that a demonstration was much more effective than a description, Mirella closed her eyes and looked inward. Her surroundings faded to an indiscernible buzz as she accessed her elemental energy. She felt Water flowing through her body, in her blood, in her muscles and tissues, and finally in the individual cells. She called forth the energy, drawing it closer to the surface as she released her physical form. Water beaded on her skin, then her body dissolved in a gush of liquid.

  The last sound she heard was someone gasping, then perception changed. She was fluid, rippling across the floor, aware but unable to interact. Not willing to waste the energy it would take to create a Water icon so she could speak with them, she reversed the process and returned to her natural form.

  Four sets of eyes stared back at her in wonder. She’d told Letos about her ability, but this was the first time he’d seen it. “Getting past the energy net won’t be a problem. I’ll use the utility conduits to enter his cabin.”

  “If I hadn’t just seen it with my own eyes…” Levitt shook his head, unable to complete the thought.

  Garin emerged from the stunned stupor next. “Can you take a weapon with you? How will you incapacitate him once you’re inside?”

  “What if he wakes up before you do whatever you intend to do?” Bandar still seemed a bit dazed.

  “My mate doesn’t need to bring a weapon with her. She is a weapon.” Letos’s eyes gleamed as he explained, “She can control water, drastically increase its volume or evaporate it entirely. Around sixty percent of our bodies are water. She can fill up your lungs in an instant, or suck you dry within seconds.”

  His obvious pride in her filled Mirella with pleasure. She’d spent much of her life wishing her grandmother would use that tone of voice. “It’s not my intention to kill him. I’m not an assassin. But sudden dehydration can have some nasty effects without causing lasting damage.”

  Garin finally smiled at her, his gaze warm and accepting. “I admit it, I’m impressed.”

  Letos slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “She’ll open the door for me before she attacks if Paytor sleeps through her arrival. If not, we’ll have to trust her to deal with him.”

  Bandar laughed, then leaned over and slapped his brother on the back. “How’s that for irony. The success of the battle born rebellion hinges on a Bilarrian female.”

  “She’s only half Bilarrian.” Garin looked at her as he corrected his brother, but he offered no other information. The message was clear. He knew about her father, but it was her secret to tell.

  “All of this depends on Xorran transmitting an accurate location of the Triumphant,” Systin reminded.

  “He won’t let us down,” Letos insisted.

  She appreciated his vote of confidence. She just wished she shared his certainty.

  * * * * *

  Xorran’s transmission arrived at nine thirteen the following morning. Their planning session with Garin ended in the wee hours of the morning, so they’d returned to Letos’s ship. They’d slept for a few hours, but a ticklish sensation gently drew Mirella from sleep. She squirmed and muttered a protest as she tried to roll away. Warm hands grasped her hips and pressed her down into the bed.

  “Part your thighs, love. I’m hungry for my mate.”

  The dark promise in Letos’s tone sent desire spiraling through her body. “Didn’t you get enough of this last night?”

  He lifted her legs slightly, draping them over his shoulders as he settled on his stomach between her thighs. “I’ll never get enough of you.”

  She kept her eyes closed as his mouth teased its way down the inside of her thigh. This was the third time he’d pleasured her with his mouth. She was determined to return the favor. “When you’re finished, I want to do you.”

  His teeth caught her tender flesh hard enough to make her yelp. “Pay attention.”

  She
laughed. “Yes, sir. I’m paying attention.”

  He kissed his way to the sensitive hollow where leg met hip. His lips slid and his tongue swirled against her skin. He was clearly in no hurry as he built the heat inside her. Soon she was squirming and arching, and his mouth wasn’t even touching her sex yet.

  “Please.” She groaned, her center tense and aching.

  “Please what, my love?”

  “Please kiss me where it counts.”

  “But there are so many places that count.” He reached around and cupped her breasts as his warm breath teased her folds. “These soft mounds certainly count.” He lightly pinched her nipples. “And these little jewels deserve attention.”

  “You know what I meant.” She arched again, pressing her slit against his lips. “There. Lick me there.”

  A wicked chuckle slipped from his throat and then his mouth opened against her, his tongue sinking between her folds. He circled her clit twice then raised his head.”

  She tangled her fingers in his hair and guided him back down. “More. Please, more.”

  Apparently happy to comply, he continued to caress her breasts while his mouth explored her sex. She closed her eyes and let the pleasure take her. He knew how to touch her, when to lick and when to gently suck. She felt tension gather beneath his mouth and couldn’t remain still.

  His hands slid down her sides and anchored her hips, holding her steady while his mouth grew more demanding. She rotated her legs out and drew her knees up until only her feet remained on his shoulders and her thighs were open wide.

  “Oh yes,” he whispered against her creamy flesh.

  He took her right to the blissful edge then pushed two fingers into her core. She gasped and trembled as the slight fullness confused her senses. He’d distracted her just enough to interrupt her impending orgasm, yet the slide of those fingers quickly pushed her toward a higher peak.

  “Yes.” She gasped. “I’m so close.”

  His fingers moved faster and his lips closed around her clit, sucking on the puffy little bundle of nerves. Let go, mate. I want to feel you come.

  Having his deep voice in her mind, whispering something so intimate sent her over the edge. She came in shuddering waves, her hands twisting the bedding.

  He rocked back onto his knees and quickly flipped her over.

  “Wait. I want to—”

  His hands grasped her hips, drawing them up as he slipped between her thighs. Her creamy response to his carnal kiss eased his way into her core. She moved her legs farther apart and braced her forearms against the bed. She’d known it could be done like this, but this was the first time she’d tried the position. She missed seeing his face, but the rhythmic slide of his cock was even more evocative. He felt huge and hard as he slid inside her. His strong legs slapped against hers as their bodies collided again and again.

  She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sensations ricocheting through her. He was pressed against her, and he filled her, yet she felt somewhat separated from him.

  I’m right here, love. Feel me all around you.

  His energy flowed across their link and cascaded through her body. She felt his pleasure and the urgency driving him. Each time they joined their link grew stronger, bound them more closely together.

  Sensing her restlessness, he reached around her hip and slipped his fingers between her thighs. He touched where they were joined, accenting how tightly she stretched to take him. Then he gently stroked her clit while his shaft continued to fill her.

  She cried out and tossed her head, needing to come, needing to feel him lose control. He circled her clit and she tightened her inner muscles, clinging to him as he slid in and out.

  “That’s right, love. Squeeze me hard.”

  She bore down on him again and again while his thrusts pounded into her eager body.

  The end came suddenly, stealing her breath as it drenched her senses in pleasure. She moaned, shuddering violently as his orgasm echoed hers. She felt the sensations bombarding him, which only made her own release more intense.

  He wrapped both arms around her and collapsed onto his side. Their bodies were still joined and his harsh breathing stirred her hair. “Good morning,” he whispered.

  She laughed. “Will you wake me like that every morning?”

  “If you don’t beat me to it.” He nipped the back of her neck as one of his hands found her breast.

  “You have been horribly selfish with your body.”

  “Is that so?” He flexed his hips, making his cock bob inside her. “I’ve spent as much time inside you as I possibly could, considering our circumstances.”

  “I wasn’t talking about this. I was talking about—”

  Xorran’s message interrupted her complaint and set them in motion. They quickly showered and dressed for the coming conflict. Garin had found her a uniform that more or less fit. She had to roll the pants up, but the top was loose enough to allow her freedom of movement. Letos’s uniform fit perfectly, but she was so used to seeing him in a business suit, it felt strange to see him dressed like the battle born soldiers.

  Letos paused long enough to retrieve a shield modulator from one of the storerooms, then they headed for the Defiant.

  Garin was waiting for them when they bio-streamed onto the larger ship. “So where has the bastard been hiding?” he asked without preamble.

  “I’ll have to enter the coordinates into a navigational computer,” Letos told him. “Unlike you, I don’t have all of Rodyte space memorized.”

  With a brisk nod, Garin led them toward the nearest computer access terminal, which happened to be in one of the ship’s common areas. Mirella tried to ignore all the curious stares, but the men were acting as if they’d never seen a female before.

  Letos entered the coordinates and a star chart appeared, indicating the location.

  “Unbelievable,” Garin muttered. “We’ve scanned that quadrant multiple times. I knew something was there.” He quickly contacted the command center and gave Commander Levitt the coordinates. “I need your top speed, Systin. We cannot let Paytor move that ship.”

  “Copy that, sir. I’ll push her as hard as we dare.”

  Garin turned from the terminal with a sigh. “It will only take an hour to reach the location, but we all agreed not to attack until third shift. That’s when Paytor is most likely to be in his cabin asleep.” He motioned to the common room. “I can arrange for a cabin if you like or you can make yourselves at home here. This is the officers’ mess so it shouldn’t get too crowded.”

  “A cabin isn’t necessary,” she told Garin before Letos could offer an opinion. She had to stay focused on the mission, and being alone with her mate would make that impossible.

  Letos held up the shield modulator. “Someone needs to install this before we get started. This one’s a little different than the one I gave you before. It works with the bio-stream engine and allows us to stream teams of up to four through the covert shields. Unfortunately, we can only activate it two or three times before the effect becomes detectible.”

  Garin took the device with another nod. “I’ll take care of it.”

  After the general left, Letos finally looked at her. His expression was guarded yet tender. “We have four maybe six hours to kill. You might regret that decision.”

  “I have to stay focused. This is too important.”

  Letos accepted her decision with a nod, then caught her hand and led her toward the bank of nutrition kiosks. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”

  “Civata brew would be nice if we’re stuck here for six hours.”

  He entered the order and waited for the kiosk to dispense the steaming beverage. “If they don’t stop staring at you, I’m going to punch someone.”

  Mirella smiled then took his face between her hands and kissed him on the mouth. “I belong to you, and you belong to me.”

  They sat at a table near the door, putting as much space between her and the crewmembers as possible. Mirell
a didn’t mind her mate’s mild possessiveness. They were in the throes of bonding fever after all. “How long have you known General Nox?”

  “I’ve only known him for the past few months, but I’ve known of him for years. He’s made quite a name for himself in certain circles.”

  “The sorts of circles that won’t mind him attacking an apex general?”

  “His fans won’t mind and his critics will be silenced by Paytor’s removal. Paytor is the elite’s last hope at recapturing their power. With the entire military united at Garin’s back, he will be unstoppable.”

  “But he isn’t interested in ruling the planet?” Mirella wasn’t endorsing the move, but it seemed the logical result of a military rebellion.

  Letos shook his head. “It would have been simple for Garin to claim the throne for himself when he deposed Quinton. He proposed the Triad instead.”

  “But he made sure one of his brothers represented the battle born. That’s a little underhanded.”

  “Bandar is smart and experienced, he’s hard to rile and willing to hear other opinions. Brother or not, he was a good choice.”

  “I managed to rile him.” She took a sip of tea as she remembered Bandar’s immediate hostility. “Do you think he’ll ever accept me?”

  Letos reached over and took her hand between his, lightly rubbing her pale skin. “He has no choice, but I’m pretty sure he’ll come around.”

  They chatted for the first hour, enjoying the lull in activity yet ever aware of the looming danger. Mirella had been trained to use her power by the most talented masters in the region. Still, she had no practical experience. And taking on Paytor was one hell of a first mission.

  Garin returned to the common area early in the second hour. He didn’t look pleased. “We’ve reached the location Xorran gave us, but all our sensors indicate that there is nothing there. If we launch a shuttle or even a small projectile, we reveal our location to them. Do you know how Xorran verified that the Triumphant is actually there? Did he make physical contact with the ship?”