WarriorsandLovers Read online

  Nieko turned toward the sound of her voice and his guard dropped. Elijah’s punch landed hard on the side of his jaw. His legs buckled and he swayed for a moment, then he straightened his shoulders, turned and walked to the far side of the room. He didn’t look at either of the other two.

  “What is wrong with you two fools?” Eora grumbled. “There’s a real enemy out there we have to fight. How are we going to do that if you can’t manage to survive five minutes together?”

  She stood there, her hands on her hips, a white fluffy towel wrapped around her, held together at the throat by sheer strength of will as far as Elijah could tell. She looked determined, sexy and magnificent.

  She strode to the king-sized bed and turned back the covers. “I’m going to bed. I don’t care what you two do.”

  She dropped the towel. The blood in Elijah’s body broke several speed records in its rush to get to his cock. He forgot Hopewood, forgot everything but Eora. Nieko still glowered in the corner but Elijah didn’t care.

  He shoved his pants down his legs and slid into the vacant space alongside her.

  She only hesitated for a moment before she turned toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her skin was still faintly damp from the shower and he drank her in like water.

  He’d have taken his time, but she rolled with him until he was flat on his back. She took his cock in her hand and hummed in satisfaction. She sat up and straddled him, raising herself then lowering again. The breath hissed out of him as she gripped him in her tight, hot pussy.

  Any hope for control he had fled. She rode him, her strong thighs bouncing her up, sliding back down, her juices making slick, sucking noises that made him rock hard.

  His balls tightened and he knew he was going to come—too soon, but too late for him to do anything about it.

  He surged up, back arching, hips thrusting. She grasped his hips and held on, driving back, grinding her clit against the root of his cock.

  He bit his lip, the taste of the blood mingling with the salt of sweat and the hot musk of sex, but nothing could stop the overwhelming rush. His cock flexed and spurted and he came in hot, hard splashes that drained him of sight.

  Through the darkness clouding his vision, he heard a deep roar. At first it was so in tune with the thrum of blood in his ears that he didn’t recognize it as a voice. Then the wordless shout grew louder and Eora suddenly flew upward. He stared down at his semi-erect cock and the wet patch on his groin where she’d been.

  His sex-dazed brain cells began to fire up again and he pushed himself to his elbows.

  All he could see was Nieko’s broad back and slender hips, flexing and bouncing as he rammed Eora up against the wall. Rage burned the last remnants of euphoria from Lije’s system. He’d kill the bastard. Rip his balls off and shove them down his throat.

  He’d taken only one step toward them when he froze.

  “Yes. Yes. Yes.” Eora huffed, each exhalation in time with the powerful slamming of Nieko’s hips. Her legs, wrapped around his waist, tightened, the muscles standing out in proud relief, and the words faded into a series of high-pitched moans that culminated in a breathy scream.

  And still Nieko’s hips pistoned, his knees flexing, Eora’s back thudding against the wall. Over the pounding, Elijah heard him say, “Want you. Forever.” Then Eora’s gasps grew louder and Elijah knew she was close to coming again.

  Nieko’s arms, wrapped under her buttocks, held her, lifted and pulled her closer. Elijah felt the telepathic force of her pleasure. It surrounded him, taking him up with her. This time when she came it was like a detonation. He felt it in his head and in his skin. New. Different. Wildly satisfying.

  Then Nieko’s feelings swamped his senses. Pressure built like a head of steam, hot, dangerous and explosive. A wave of pleasure so intense it felt like pain burst into a red-hot flow as he came. He shook and shuddered for long moments. They clung together, then Eora unlocked her ankles from around Nieko’s back and slid her feet onto the floor.

  For a moment Nieko broadcast nothing other than pure, all-consuming physical relief. But as the ecstasy faded it was replaced by cascade of regret. The emotion swirled in a powerful torrent into Elijah’s mind.

  He reeled under the pressure as he felt his thoughts merge with the Dvalinn’s. Then a wall crashed into place between them and he was left with nothing.

  He lay there stunned. He’d been inside Nieko’s mind. Seen him for what he truly was. Seen his suffering. The power of it momentarily dwarfed their enmity and rivalry.

  Elijah took a step to bring him physically close and put his arm around Nieko’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  Nieko’s skin was warm and unexpectedly soft for such a hard, muscular physique. The scent of sex and sweat filled Elijah’s nostrils. His cock twitched again, hardening and pressing lightly against Nieko’s thigh. For a moment Nieko looked at him, confusion in his eyes, then he shook Lije’s hand off and stepped away.

  “Why shouldn’t he be all right?” Eora asked, her eyes wide.

  “I’m fine.” Nieko shook his head. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry.”

  She took his face in her hands. “We both know you have never hurt me and you never would.” She leaned up and kissed him on the mouth, the tender gesture a startling contrast to the wild bout of sex that had gone before. “I’m fine. Better than fine. I’ve waited a long time for this. For you. I’ve tried everything I could think of to get you to this point.” She patted his bum. “I’m going to wash up. When I come back, we’ll talk.”

  When the bathroom door closed, Nieko slumped onto the side of the bed. Elijah sat next to him. Nieko stiffened but didn’t move away.

  “When you were…balls-deep just now, I could read you,” Elijah said. “I didn’t mean to,” he went on hastily as Nieko’s fists clenched. “You were broadcasting pretty loud and clear.” He scrubbed his hands down his face. “To tell you the truth, it was unsettling. More intimate than sex in a way.” He sighed. “It was as if we became each other for a moment.”

  Nieko’s head dropped and he stared at the floor. “So you know?”

  “How much you want her? Yeah. What I don’t understand is why you feel so bad about it. She seems to like you well enough.”

  “Dvalinn don’t accept that kind of need,” Nieko said. “Eora wants sex, not love.”

  “Have you asked her? Because I gotta tell you, man, from where I’m standing, there’s some pretty tight bond between you two.”

  “Not that tight. After all, she wanted you,” Nieko said.

  “It didn’t stop her enjoying the hell out of sex with you just now,” Lije replied.

  “Interesting discussion,” Eora said, from the doorway. “It would have been nicer if you’d waited for me to come back.”

  “The conversation’s over,” Nieko said.

  “Like hell it is,” Eora snapped. “Nieko, we need to talk. About why you and I went so long without sex. About how I feel about Elijah. About how you and I feel about each other.”

  “No.” Nieko pressed his back to the wall, looking as if he expected to fend off a physical attack. “I won’t discuss this. Not now and not in front of the human.”

  “You’re being ridiculous,” Eora snapped. “Tell him, Elijah. Tell him humans are okay with this sort of stuff.”

  If Eora couldn’t tell Nieko was wound up to detonation point, Elijah could. The last thing he wanted right then was to get involved in the emotional blast zone.

  “We have a mission to complete,” he said. “This kind of personal stuff can wait.”

  As a diversionary tactic it worked better than he’d hoped. Nieko jumped on it. “The human is right. Tomorrow we confront Hopewood. Weakness of any kind will destroy us.”

  “But…” Eora took a deep breath and held up her hands. “I’ve waited this long. I can wait one more day to have it out with you.”

  Nieko nodded. “You two can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  “
No you won’t.” She sat on the bed and pulled Elijah down with her. “We all need a good night’s rest. No one’s going to get that on the floor.” She patted the space on the other side of her. “This bed is bigger than the last one we shared. There’s plenty of room.”

  Nieko shook his head. “I’m not sharing with him.”

  Her brow furrowed and she frowned at him. “You don’t want to discuss anything personal. Okay. I accept that. But if you’re so focused on being efficient, prove it. Get into bed. Get some sleep.” Her chin jutted upward. “Or are you too scared to trust yourself in here with me?”

  “I’m not scared,” Nieko said defiantly. He muttered something Elijah didn’t quite catch but he slipped into the bed as Elijah had been sure he would. He hadn’t known either of them long, but he’d already recognized that Eora was an expert in getting people to do exactly what she wanted them to do.

  Nieko rolled onto his side, facing away from Elijah and Eora. Eora simply spooned in beside him, flung her arm over his waist and pulled him in close. It seemed like a good move to Elijah, so behind her, he did the same thing. His arm went across Eora’s slender hips and his hand settled on Nieko’s flank. He waited for the Dvalinn to fling it off, to order him to back off, but Nieko lay perfectly still, his ribs rising and falling regularly.

  Elijah couldn’t see how he could have fallen asleep so quickly, but if he was feigning it, there was no reason for Lije to move his hand.

  He curled his legs up underneath Eora’s bottom, took a deep breath and let himself drift into sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Elijah awoke to the beeping of the alarm. The aroma of last night’s sex lingered in the air but Eora was no longer in the bed. Lije’s groin was nestled up against Nieko’s firm buttocks, his hand wrapped around Nieko’s impressive morning erection. Nieko was still sound asleep. Elijah gently opened his hand and let Nieko go.

  Nieko murmured something unintelligible and rolled over. His arm reached over Elijah’s shoulder. As if compelled by an invisible force, Elijah sank into the embrace. He held his breath as Nieko snuggled closer and closer until they lay face to face, their mouths separated by no more than the width of a piece of paper. A silver trickle of drool made Nieko look so vulnerable, so normal, so human.

  Elijah couldn’t help himself. He closed the short distance, his lips touching Nieko’s, breathing the air he breathed, letting his tongue slide inward. Nieko’s lips shaped his, his arm tightened and the kiss grew deeper. Elijah’s heart pounded and his cock hardened and grew.

  Lije slid his hands down Nieko’s back, cupping his buttocks, pulling him in so they were groin to groin, cock to cock. For a moment he broke the kiss and pulled back, hoping to see the response in Nieko’s brown eyes, but they remained shut.

  Elijah dropped his head once more, eager to taste Nieko’s musky morning kisses, but Nieko moaned again. He said one word, clear and devastating—“Eora.”

  Elijah jerked backward and Nieko’s eyes blinked open. He murmured, “Wass happenin’?” His gaze focused on Elijah and he blinked once more. “Elijah.”

  His voice was husky. His pupils grew wide and black. “You kissed me!”

  “Um, yeah,” Elijah said waiting nervously to see Nieko’s response.

  It was swift and devastating. Nieko rolled away from him and stood with his back turned as he dragged on his pants. “Get up. We have a job to do.”

  “We’ve got time to talk,” Eora said from where she stood, already dressed, on the other side of the room. “Elijah, I think there’s something you should be telling us.”

  Lije blew out a heavy gust of air and scrubbed his hands across his face. “I’m attracted to Eora—”

  “You don’t need to tell us that!” Nieko burst out. “It’s bloody obvious.”

  “I wasn’t finished,” Elijah snapped back. “The part you don’t know is, I’m attracted to you, too, Nieko.”

  He watched the blood recede from Nieko’s face, leaving him ashen. His mouth opened then closed again, but he didn’t say a word.

  What had he been expecting? Being gay was almost acceptable, at least among humans. Being bi was something else. Some claimed people like him didn’t exist. Maybe they were right. No one like him had ever existed. Half-Dvalinn, half-human. Neither one thing nor the other. No wonder he faced constant rejection.

  Then Eora surprised him. “I knew. You might shield your emotions but you haven’t been able to hide your body’s response. I’ve seen the way you look at him. The way your movements mirror Nieko’s. The arguments? Hot as hell and definitely fueled by sexual tension.”

  “Bullshit.” Nieko had found his voice, but if that was his reaction Elijah almost wished he hadn’t. “I fucking argue with him because he’s a human, a potential murderer and a…a prick!”

  Eora chuckled. “Interesting word choice Nieko. Because I’ve been watching you too. That attraction? It’s not all one-sided.”

  Elijah swung his gaze to look at her. She stared steadily back, one eyebrow raised. “I know Nieko better than anyone. He’s good at disguising what he feels but a few of things have slipped through the cracks.”

  “You don’t know Nieko all that well if you think he’s attracted to me,” Elijah said. “Or you’re not very good at telepathy.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked. “What have I missed?”

  “Nieko is—” Elijah started to say.

  “Shut up!” Nieko shouted. “Both of you! Human, you don’t say another fucking word about me! I don’t give a fuck how you feel. I don’t give a fuck about you. Got that? And Eora? You’re mistaken. I don’t want to hear any more of your misguided speculation.”

  “But—” Eora’s protest was cut off by Nieko’s upraised hand.

  “I won’t discuss this. We have a duty to perform.” He looked at Eora, clearly waiting for some response.

  “Our duty to the people comes first,” she agreed. If Elijah ever needed evidence of how important this mission was to the Dvalinn, there it was. Nothing else could have made Eora back off.

  The atmosphere swirled with tension as each one of them battled to rebuild impenetrable mental walls.

  “I got us each a change of clothes yesterday,” Elijah said, rising from the bed and grabbing a shopping bag. “There wasn’t much choice but it will do until we get to somewhere bigger. At least they’re clean.”

  He dropped some shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans on the bed, reserving a set for himself. He was just zipping up the new pants when Nieko lifted one of the shirts, holding it at arm’s length, pinched between his thumb and forefinger.

  “You expect me to wear a woman’s garment.” Nieko’s lips narrowed. For a second Lije thought he was going to try to punch him again. “You maybe think I’m a woman?” He let the shirt fall to the floor and glared at Elijah with searing menace.

  Elijah shook his head. “I think you’re a hot-headed jerk who’s likely to draw exactly the type of attention we don’t want.” He picked up the plain khaki shirt and threw it at Nieko. “Put the damn thing on or stay here while Eora and I go and get the job done.”

  “If I have to wear it to get out of here, I will.” He punched his arms into the sleeves, his face contorted into an expression of distaste. “But I won’t wear these blue things,” he said, dismissing the jeans Elijah had bought. “Eora and I will keep our own.”

  Elijah looked at the baggy cargo-style pants they wore. They weren’t too filthy but they did look like something held over from a decade before. “Really? I think the things I bought will help you fit in better.”

  “These are combat-ready,” Eora said. “They have specially designed pockets to hold the chemicals needed to make fireballs.”

  “Shit!” Elijah snapped. “You have those chemicals with you? On you? In your pockets?”

  “Yes,” Nieko said, as if he were talking to an idiot. “We had to bring them with us. Where do you think we stored them?”

  “You might have said something.” Elijah took a
step back. “How bloody dangerous is it?”

  “It’s not dangerous at all until the chemicals are combined. The pants are specially designed to prevent that happening until we’re ready,” Eora replied.

  “You’d better hope it’s safe. In your world you’ve got rocks and not a lot of flammable material. Here it’s different.” Elijah looked around. “I’m a firefighter. I’ve seen the effects of fire too many times. Don’t tell me that stuff is safe. You make damn sure it isn’t active until it needs to be.”

  “You know about your world,” Nieko conceded. “But we know how to handle fireballs. You get us to the target. We’ll do the rest.”

  They finished off the last of the food. Elijah ushered them out of the room, back into the elevator. Nieko and Eora maintained a stolid silence as they began their descent, not relaxed but not revealing the nervousness of yesterday.

  At the car they balked, but Elijah muttered, “Suck it up,” and opened the car door. He pushed Eora into the backseat, then opened the passenger door for Nieko. Nieko stared at him.

  “You get in the car or you walk,” Lije told him.

  “You will have control of this machine,” Nieko said. Elijah couldn’t tell whether it was a statement or a question.

  “Damn right I will.”

  Nieko snorted and climbed into the passenger seat.

  Elijah huffed out a breath. With Nieko’s argumentative attitude, he’d half expected him to demand to drive even though he’d never seen a car before in his life.

  “How long is this going to take?” Nieko asked, arms folded across his chest and a scowl on his face.

  “Not long,” Elijah replied. “Hopewood has his headquarters in Salisbury. The next city.”

  He started the car and drove off. When they reached Salisbury, Elijah let the GPS direct him to a major shopping center. “I have to get something. Do you trust me enough now to let me go alone, or do you have to come with me?”

  “We’ll wait,” Nieko replied. He looked at the streets, already teeming with early shoppers. “I prefer not to be so close to humans. If you don’t come back, it won’t matter. Eora and I will carry out the mission on our own.”