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And they get off on thepowerof owning a woman without her coming to him. Of claiming andtaking.

“Men. You know the kind, Sawoot. We met plenty of them. Ugh, let’s talk about something nice. We have oxygen! It’s not enough to support human life yet, but I’ve started planting low-O biomass. Well, by planting, I mean I’ve got the robots out there planting with me sitting on top of a massive tractor in a space suit.”

“Yeeha,” I laugh. Then I double over as the most powerful urge wave I’ve ever felt rushes over me. My triad are getting close, and I gasp in need, feeling like I’m starving for them. I need them as much as I need air.

“Oh. Bad one?” I rub my eyes. Tasha’s nervous, waiting for the Bond to hit her, too. Her triad must be getting close.

“Holy fuck. Real bad.” I’m bombarded by a wave of lust, and I imagine the three of them surrounding me as I’m helpless in the pleasure room. We don’t use it often. It’s too intense.

I blink, realizing I’ve stood up and started walking towards it. The Bond makes my need so deep it starts to take control of my body.

I’m desperately eager to experience a week of pent-up aggression from my triad. I want them to let it loose on me, holding nothing back, and that’s coming from me, not the Bond. The Bond just magnifies everything I’m feeling.

“Will it ever end?” I ask, scared of her answer. I’m supposed to be the expert on Aurelians. Now I feel like I know nothing.

“From what I’ve heard, it goes away during a…successful mating. Then after you have a kid, it’s gone…and it might never come back. I know it’s intense, but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts. Gods, Sawoot. I never thought anything could be sogood.”

“Me neither. It’s a far cry from some roughneck fumbling with your clit, that’s for sure,” I say, and Tasha still manages to look scandalized, even though I know she’s done things with Aelon that would make an adult holo-vid star blush.

I’m still shocked I can orgasm from sex. I push that thought out of mind, sitting back down, but now I can’t relax. I’m like a taut wire stretched to the limit—and it’s made worse because my triad reacts to my need. I can feel the excitement in their auras as the tension builds and builds.

I clench my fists, breathing deeply, and the urge wave passes. I’m getting better at controlling it…

But the second they are with me on the station, I’m going to be a bitch in heat. There’s no other way to describe it.

I don’t just want them to cum in me.

I need it.

“How fucking long is it going to take to get pregnant? I thought the Bond would make it quick,” I growl. It’s weird how quickly my perspective on things has changed. Before, I was living moment to moment, but now when my life span has been multiplied by ten, I don’t want to waste a second.

I know—and it isn’t the Bond talking, it’s me—I know that Garrick, Tar’ank, and Markrin will be perfect fathers. I think about it every day. A little Aurelian growing up in the space station, learning under our tutelage. I always heard from mothers that kids grow up too fast. I feel weirdly lucky that Aurelians are slow to age, because I’ll get to have ten times the experiences as a normal mother.

If I can get pregnant.

It’s weird. With what we’ve been doing, I would have thought I’d be pregnant already. Tasha isn’t, either, so that calms me.

Tasha shakes her head. “Queen Jasmine was quick. I think she was pregnant with her first just months after being Bonded. And now she’s had, what, seven sons? I know we both want relief…but the Bond going dormant after a pregnancy kind of scares me. How you never know if it will come alive again.”

The three auras are getting closer, and my heart pounds in excitement. My nipples harden into sensitive buds, desperate for their mouths. I feel like I’m on fire, tingling in anticipation, my body hyper-sensitive.

“They’re close.”

Tasha leans back, stretching out. I can tell her triad is farther away from mine. “Good luck! We’ll talk again soon…and enjoy yourself,” she says, with a sly grin.

“You know I will,” I say, giving her a wink and hanging up the holo-vid.

The Bondthrums

Oh fuck.

4

Sawoot

“You are eager for our return.”It’s a statement, not a question, from Garrick. There’s no cocky edge to it. No teasing. He’s just telling me he can feel how turned on I am through the Bond. I could hide my thoughts from him, shutting down my aura until he feels distant, but I’m learning to enjoy the special kind of vulnerability when a man canfeelwhat you’re thinking.

I reach out, experiencing his aura. He’s in my mind, but it doesn’t feel crowded. I’m not fully sure how to explain it to someone who isn’t Bonded, but being alone in my own mind feels utterly…lonely now.