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He blushes. Poor boy. He’s been flourishing as manager of the station after he set up the Orb-Power to all vital functions. In a pinch, we can even make the entire station Orb-Shift short distances—as if I was suicidal enough to risk it. Ships are going missing when they shift, and there’s no way I’d put myself in that strange space between realities you go to when you shift.

“It’s, um, good,” he says, wringing his hands, clearly wanting to change the subject. In some ways, he’s like a kid. Larixa is just as bright as him with a computer, which I didn’t think possible, and seems to have taken a liking to him. I think she’s good for him.

“That’s great! Have some fun with her. Go out and get some drinks or something. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. You know, when you walk away, she stares at your butt.”

His face goes beet red, and he clears his throat. “I’ve got a call with Tasha. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure!” he blurts out and rushes away.

There’s an icon on the top right of the screen showing that Tasha is calling me. I wave my hand, answering the call.

“Tashaaaaaa!” I yell.

“Sawoooooooooot!” she screams back, giddy through the screen. Her digs aren’t as nice as mine, because it takes a hell of a lot longer to terraform a planet than it does to get a space station up and running. She’s in an industrial, bare-bones habitat on it as machines build up an atmosphere. The whole thing is very confusing, and from what I understand, cost a fortune.

Luckily, with the Orbs from the mothership, Aelon and Tasha had a fortune to spend.

Tasha appears in front of me, a holographic representation sitting in a chair that almost looks real. She glimmers when she moves, the 3D images glitching out just long enough for me to tell it’s a holo-projection. “So what have you been up to since we last talked?”

We’ve video-chatted once a week like clockwork for the last six months. At that time, my triad goes to the other end of the ship, and Aelon and his men don space suits to explore their planet or take the Reaver away. Even a little distance takes the edge off the Bond.

“Just enjoying some me time,” I reply. “But honestly? I’m happy they’re on their way back. How’s life on Galleous without those three around?” I can feel the triad of auras slowly approaching. I wonder, if I went to the massive telescope, if I could find their Reaver coming back from Tasha’s planet, Galleous.

“I know exactly what you mean. You think the boys had fun?”

I nod. “Yep. I could feel it in their auras. I’m pretty sure they blew something up.” I felt a wave of excitement coming from my triad—but we didn’t telepath to each other. We made a deal we’d spend a week apart without thought-messages. Even thinking about them can trigger a wave of need from the Bond, and I wanted it to be as painless as possible.

“Probably target practice. Aelon’s competitive.”

“Bet he and Tar’ank butted heads. How have the urge waves been?”

Tasha shrugs. “Manageable. Intense, sometimes, but manageable.”

We’ve started calling thethrumof the Bond an urge wave. I get them enough on my own when I think about the three men. I never thought sex could be so…primal. When the Bond enhances my need? I can’t think about anything but being with them.

“Same here. I know exactly what you mean. The second Garrick, Tar’ank and Markrin are back, we’re going straight to the pleasure room.”

Tasha looks embarrassed for a second, but I can see the jealousy on her face. She’s still a little shy talking about her triad this way. I’ve always been more open about sex, thinking about it more as a biological need where she views it as something more private—but I know she’s eager for her pleasure room to be built once the planet is terraformed enough to host life.

“I hate you. You’re so lucky.”

“I’m always lucky,” I grin back. “Hey, something random. Have you noticed more Scorp attacks?”

Her eyes go wide. “That’s so weird. Our Reavers interceptedthreeOrg-Ships since we last spoke. I’m not worried, withThe Instigatorprotecting us, but it’s strange, right?”

I nod. “Yeah. Real strange. The Orb-Shifting getting worse…Scorp going mad…it feels like we’re on the verge of something.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I didn’t mean for the talk to get so serious, so fast. I was hoping to catch up with my bestie and giggle like old times.

It’ll be nice to hear about the trip from my men when they’re back. I’ve seen it through holo-vid, but it doesn’t give the full picture. The planet is a two-day, non-stop voyage away, and my triad met halfway with Aelon’s. We’re forming a sort of perimeter of safety. They’re out in Wild Space, just out of the bounds of the Human Alliance, while my space station is safely in the territories.

Which means we pay a hell of a lot more tax, but no pirate or Toad would dare to touch us when we have Alliance backing. We don’t haveTheInstigatorlooming over us keeping us safe.

“It’s getting stressful, right? Aelon was telling me a triad got executed on Colossus. They were conspiring against the Aurelian Empire. There was no hard evidence that they were working for the Priests, but still…”

“Who else would they be working for? Fuck. I don’tgetthe Aurelians who want the Old Ways. They already have women flocking to their harems from all over the universe. Why the hell do they need to claim more?”

I ask the question, but I know the answer.

They rankle under the rule of a human, female queen who is competent enough to enact policies while working together with her ferocious triad.