Chapter 12

SHE HAD THE MOST NONPRODUCTIVE day she'd ever had at work. Her coworkers gave her suspicious looks and ask probative questions about her dreamy expression and persistent distraction. She didn't say a word and tried to keep to herself, and far away from Adria. That worked until the office cleared out for lunch.

She declined an offer to go to the diner with Meghan and Kenny and said no to the Lunch Counter with Juna and Bethann. Her excuse was catching up on her computer entries she had fallen behind on while she daydreamed about the two incredibly handsome men she had fallen head over heels in love with. Naturally, she didn't disclose the latter part of that.

She thought everyone had left when her door swished open and shut behind her. Swiveling in her chair, she watched as Adria put her delicate nose in the air and sniffed. Her eyes narrowed, and she skewered her with a look.

"I'm quite busy," Amy said, not truly expecting her feeble excuse to deter her friend's obvious suspicions.

This proved true when she crossed the room without a word, peeked through the lobby window, then waved a hand over the sensor that closed the glass panels. Only when she was assured they had complete privacy did she look at her, hands on her hips, and demand, "Why do you scent of a warrior? "

"I...uh..."

Adria held up her hand. "Don't bother denying it." She leaned close and sniffed her neck rather rudely. "It's Tarus, I believe. Although, it could also be Remus. Since they are identical, it is hard to distinguish one from the other."

Amy twisted her hands, uncertain what, if anything to reveal.

"Primarian noses never lie," her friend asserted, observing her intently with pursed lips and a scrutinizing gaze, as if attempting to diagnose a peculiar condition in a patient. "You look different, too."

"I do?" she asked, hope swelling within her. Had she undergone some kind of transformation without realizing it? Excitement surged through her as she retrieved her bag from a drawer, eagerly searching for her compact to check her appearance.

"Not physically different," Adria clarified. "Your mood seems brighter, and you appear more relaxed. It's definitely a change. What's happening?"

"I don't know what you mean," Amy replied, trying to deflect, as she dropped the compact mirror back into her purse after seeing her same old red hair and blue eyes. Filled with disappointment, she closed the drawer with a bit more force than intended.

"I think you know exactly what I mean. You've never been one to focus on your appearance, yet here you are. Something is undeniably different, and it's not only the fact you have the distinct scent of two warriors—" Suddenly, Adria gasped. "You had sex!"

Amy stared at her, utterly flabbergasted. "How could you possibly know that? "

"It happened to me recently, remember? I walked around with a dreamy look on my face, too."

There was no point in hiding it. It was only a matter of time before it became common knowledge throughout the colony. Besides, this was Adria, her closest, dearest friend.

"I'm a mate, as it turns out," Amy confessed, although she wouldn't fully believe it until she saw proof with her own eyes.

"But how? I thought you didn't find a match with anyone?" she asked, puzzled.

"I didn't. And there's a chance we might not be compatible. We haven't actually...well, you know. They've done some things to me, but it was only to mark me with their scent. Not, um...the other thing." Amy stopped stammering like an embarrassed virgin and covered her flaming cheeks with her hands.

"By ‘the other,' do you mean the breaching?"

Amy wrinkled her nose in distaste. "That's a terrible word, don't you think?"

"It's better than the slang words humans use," Adria pointed out. "Most of them are vulgar."

She wasn't wrong. Many came to mind, especially the word that started with F that topped the list.

"When did all of this happen? You never said a word."

"It has been building for the past week or so, which is fast, isn't it? I know with Primarians it's about instincts and awakenings and transformations, but humans don't work that way. It may not even happen for me." Disheartened, Amy's shoulders slumped. "What am I saying? Given my track record, may not is more likely probably won't ."

"You should trust your mate's instincts. And afterward, you must give it time. The transformation doesn't always occur overnight. It can take days to weeks, and, with humans, even longer." She interrupted her positive spin to hit her with some truth. "Ellar will want to retest."

"No, thank you. I've had my fair share of that already," she declared with a firm shake of her head.

The tests weren't painful. They were inconvenient, and waiting for the results was nerve-racking, but these were minor annoyances and an excuse to avoid facing the more significant issues. She worried that, like with all the other males in the database, she wouldn't be compatible with the twins.

Even if they overcame that major obstacle, what if their conservative council of elders opposed a triad of mates? Most of the population had accepted the integration of humans into their society, but there were still fringe elements who would never fully accept the idea of blending any inferior species with their "pure" race.

She'd rather not stoke the flames of dissent unless it became necessary. Which is why she asked for her friend's discretion. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it yet."

"Why?"

"Please," she urged.

Her friend frowned, but she'd been doing that almost the entire time since she came into her office, sniffing.

"I'll keep your secret," Adria said at length. "But Ellar will find out, eventually. The more you are with them, the stronger the scenting will become."

"I'll avoid him, and wear perfume."

"Good luck with that," she muttered. "Are you happy? "

"I'm anxious about how this will all play out, but yes, I'm happy. I never thought it would happen after being deemed unworthy."

"Incompatible," Adria quickly corrected. "You're more than worthy." Finally, a smile emerged on her best friend's beautiful face, and she enclosed her in a hug. "I'm happy for you. And for Tarus."

Amy didn't correct her assumption. She'd never lied to Adria, but omitting important details deliberately was pretty much the same thing in her book. But it would need to be decided with her warrior mates how and when they took their unusual relationship public.

WITH REMUS OCCUPIED with duties that night, Tarus kept her company. They opted for dinner in and spent the evening talking and cuddling on her couch.

Tarus' kisses were like a drug. The more she had, the more she craved, and while she overdosed on his lips and tongue and even the little nibbles from his teeth, his hands moved under her clothes, tracing frissons of tingling current along her skin. When his hand found their way into her panties, his fingers set her body ablaze. Time stretched endlessly as waves of anticipation coursed through her, until, finally, he granted her release.

Then, to her great frustration, he tucked her into bed with a kiss on the forehead and left her to sleep alone.

The next night, Remus arrived with dinner—sandwiches and to-die-for potato salad already prepared courtesy of the Lunch Counter. While they ate, he entertained her with stories from his childhood, making her laugh at his antics, which Tarus usually got sucked into.

"Please tell me you didn't actually sneak into the elder council's chambers and steal the princep's gavel."

"We gave it back," he declared, as if that justified their actions.

"Did you willingly return it or because you were caught?" she inquired.

"It was a bit of both. We would have gotten away with it if it weren't for someone who looks, sounds, and scents exactly like me feeling guilty." With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he challenged, "Guess his name in one try."

"Obviously, it's Tarus, your serious doppelg?nger brother," she giggled.

"Doppel-what?" he asked with an utterly perplexed expression she found oddly hilarious.

"Never mind," she gasped, wrapping her arms around herself. "You must stop. My stomach hurts from laughing so much."

"We can't have that," Remus said, his slow grin erasing any lingering confusion. "Let me see what I can do to make it all better."

He swept her up like she weighed nothing and carried her to the couch. Gradually, he pushed up her top, spreading kisses on the newly exposed skin from belly to breasts to neck then he whisked it over her head. He made quick work of her bra, leaving her bare from the waist up. More kisses and caresses ensued as his hand ventured into the front of her panties.

Remus had her writhing and gasping for breath in no time, but he was far from finished. The rest of her clothes joined the pile on the floor. Then, with her legs draped over his shoulders, he used his mouth and incredibly agile tongue to bring her to orgasm.

Regrettably, like the previous night, her big, sexy warrior exhibited restraint, and she went to bed alone. With promises of boundless pleasures to come, he left her eagerly awaiting tomorrow night's breaching and a future with countless hours of shared passion in her mates' arms.