Brennan stands over me. He’s over seven-foot of towering, protective strength – and something magical that I never had the chance to experience; and I’m now terrified I never will.
Suddenly, images flash into my mind and I’m overwhelmed by them. I ache to feel the pure protection of his arms wrapped around me. I want him to make me feel safer than ever before, even as I become completely and utterly vulnerable to him…
…the moment I spread my legs and let him enter me.
But the closer Brennan approaches me, the farther I feel from him.
“I can’t keep you safe, Natali. I’m sorry. We never should have…”
His words cease the moment I step forward, and remove the last few inches that had stretched between us. All distance is gone now, as I place my hand gently against his broad chest.
I touch the light armor – shielding that has protected him against pincer claws and the darting tails of venom-filled Scorp, and who knows what other manner of danger. He could have died a thousand times on his way to me – taken from me before I was even born, as Otho could have been when he’d received that huge wound across his skull.
But he didn’t die. Nor did Otho. Fate brought them to me – all three of them. I can’t believe it would be so cruel as to take them away again so quickly.
And then, I can suddenly feel the darkness in Brennan.
I look up and see a change in his expression, and it’s almost like I can feel what he’s feeling. He feels like he’s done everything for his Empire – even the things he wasn’t openly supposed to do.
He’s betrayed his honor in the pursuit of Orbs for his Queen – knowing that his own honor was worth the sacrifice. It was nothing to him – nothing compared to the value of his work in ensuring the survival of the Aurelian species in the coming storm.
He’s done terrible things – but only ever in the service of his Empire. He’s never broken the rules or the law for selfish reasons – for himself…
…but now, he’s thinking about it.
Right or wrong, he feels a connection with me; one that I can’t pretend isn’t burning like lava within my own veins. It’s as if we’re meant to crossed paths this way…
…but, at the same time, Brennan knows he can’t pull me into a dangerous life on the run. That his best move in protecting me is to keep very, very far from me.
Brennan is a man who has always put others before himself – and now, it’s as if he’s balanced on a tipping point. He’s lost all trace of his cocky arrogance, now. Ironically, at his most vulnerable, he stands the strongest.
“Brennan.”
I say his name softly, tasting each syllable – as if this might be one of the last times I utter it.
You’ve set me free.
I mouth the words to him, and the pain crystalizes on his face. For a moment, he stands stunned – and then Brennan leans down and kisses me tenderly. He kisses me as gently as if I’m a piece of priceless art he’s scared of breaking.
His lips find mine – and suddenly, I’m ready. If I can ever be ready, I’ll be ready for him. My body suddenly trembles like a leaf; caught in the maelstrom of his masculine presence.
I don’t know if I hear them or just feel them, but Otho and Lazar step in closer, too.
The crazy thing? These guys are my captors. I am their prisoner…
…and yet, I don’t feel trapped between these three huge, alien warriors.
I feel protected, instead. More protected than I ever have before – even after a life in which I’ve experienced nothing but my father trying to protect me.
I’m so safe between the three shields of these immense, muscular bodies. As long as they surround me, the outside world disappears. Everything beyond this room has evaporated. Everything beyond the warm, protective bulk of these three bodies ceases to exist.
Fingers suddenly graze my thigh. I gasp.
I don’t know which of these three perfect men they belong to – and I don’t care. I’ve never been touched this way before, and the sensation instantly sends shivers tingling all over me.
Goosebumps ripple across my skin – while a deep, burning need inside me ignites in the presence of these three, huge, alpha males.
The slightest touch of their fingers draws out something new from deep within me. Every harsh breath catching in their mouths utters a promise – the confession of their burning desire for me.
My body reacts instinctively to the proximity of these huge aliens. My nipples harden into points, desperate for their touch. Fingers – Lazar’s, I think – graze through my hair, teasing at my ear.
Brennan’s hands wrap around my waist – his huge palms cupping my ass as he pulls me closer to him.
Oh, God… This is all happening so fast, but it feels so right.
Brennan handles me possessively. I can barely think, so overwhelmed am I by these incredible sensations. I can’t believe I’m being touched this way. I’ve never felt hands groping at my ass before – and instead of feeling frightened, or objectified, or mauled… It actually turns me on so much that the only thing I feel scared by is the intensity of my body’s reaction.
I don’t know if I love or hate these new feelings – these drowning sensations, of being utterly unable to control my own burning, heated need.
Heat rises between my legs, and I suddenly want him.
I need him.
Three sets of hands explore my body. Huge, marble-white hands run over my curves, trembling as if the
