Page 14 of Her Alien Cyborgs (The Drift: Haven Colony #10)

She couldn’t remember the last time her ship had been this full of life and laughter.

Her guests—no, she corrected herself—her crew were surprisingly good company despite the suffering they’d endured. She shared funny anecdotes about her life and even told them about how Phylomenia had recruited her onto this mission.

“Do you think they’re all right?” Fyr’enth asked. “What are the chances that Colonel Barrios realized they were the source of the signal that scrambled their sensors?”

“I hope so. I don’t want anyone getting into trouble for helping us escape.” Kalan fixed her with a meaningful look as he spoke.

It felt good to know someone was worried about her. Well, other than Anya. Her daughter’s concern was a constant that had been with her for decades.

She tapped her fingers on the table as she reviewed the ideas she’d come up with earlier.

Getting her thoughts in order was harder than it should have been.

With an inward sigh, she realized the problem.

The three of them had been together in the small galley for more than an hour, and it was apparent that in the battle between the pheromones and the air scrubbers, the scrubbers were losing.

She pulled her legs in closer to her side of the table so they weren’t touching either male and proceeded.

“For now, I think our best bet is to disappear. It’s not a long-term solution, but it will give our allies time to react to everything that happened today.

My primary focus is to keep the two of you away from anyone I don’t trust, and right now that list includes most of the damned galaxy. ”

“Are you saying you want to protect us, Alyssa?” Fyr’enth sounded both surprised and pleased.

“Damn right I do!” She cut herself off before she said anything else. What she wanted to say would sound ridiculous. They weren’t hers. “Mine” was something Vardarian males growled to their mates. Not the other way around.

“We feel the same way about you,” Kalan said. He took her hand again, and this time Fyr’enth mirrored the gesture.

Uh-oh.

The connection immediately amplified the effects of the sharhal. Her heart rate spiked, and heat pooled low in her stomach as every thought evaporated in the blaze of lust that threatened to consume her.

“We should, uh, table this discussion until tomorrow.” She tried, and failed, to tug her hands free from theirs. “It’s been a long day for everyone.”

“We’re not tired. We’re cyborgs. Remember?” Kalan’s voice was more rumbling growl than real words, but she understood him well enough. His interest was obvious, and damn if she didn’t like the way he looked at her. She’d had lovers. Plenty of them over the years, but this was…this was the sharhal .

“This is—” She tried to protest, but her brain refused to give her the words she needed.

Fyr’enth tightened his grip on her hand. “This is not something any of us expected. But does that make it wrong?”

Fraxx . It seemed unfair that he could still make rational arguments while her brain had turned to mush. It would be so easy to give in to desire and deal with the consequences later, but would that be fair to them?

“You deserve better,” she blurted out the thought that had haunted her since the moment she’d felt the first stirrings of desire.

Fyr’enth shook his head. “I don’t believe that. You risked everything to help us escape. Since coming on board, you’ve offered us food, clothing, and comforts we’ve only dreamed of. You even made us part of your crew.”

She waved his arguments away. “I did what I thought was right. That doesn’t mean I’m the female you deserve. I’m older than you and far too cynical. You two are at the beginning of a grand adventure. You shouldn’t be stuck with someone like me.”

Kalan bared his teeth at her. “Stop. You told us earlier that consent is important. That means we should make this choice ourselves. You can only decide what you want.”

She didn’t understand how they could be so logical about this. She also knew they were right. She couldn’t make this choice for them, even if it still felt like they were getting the raw end of the deal.

“You’re not wrong. I can tell you all the reasons this is not a good idea, but in the end, it’s your call.” She chuckled softly. “And I’d be a liar if I pretended I don’t want this to happen. This fraxxing sharhal is no joke.”

“It’s all-consuming,” Fyr’enth agreed.

“Is that a yes?” Kalan asked.

She stood on the precipice for one long moment, aware that once she made this leap, there would be no turning back.

Then again, that ship had left orbit the moment the three of them met.

The sharhal was irreversible and undeniable.

The few who tried to resist had suffered both physically and mentally. Some had even gone insane.

“Yes. Stars help me. My answer is yes.”

Kalan got to his feet while still holding her hand. “Then I think we have talked enough. We still have plans to make and information to share, but for now, there are more important things for us to do.”

Fyr’enth stood up, and the two of them seemed to fill the entire galley. “Yes, there are. The first thing on my list is to claim a kiss from our mahaya.” He shot his companion an annoyed look. “Because you’ve already had one.”

“Oh no. There will be no keeping score in this…whatever this is. That way leads only to jealousy and arguments. I’d rather avoid those navigational hazards, thank you.”

“I’m still claiming my kiss.” Fyr’enth moved around the table and drew her off her seat and into his arms. “Then I will stop counting.”

She rose and let him pull her closer, anticipation making her blood sing in her veins.

“You are beautiful,” Fyr’enth murmured as he wrapped one strong arm around her waist and pulled her in tightly against his body.

She stopped herself from arguing that she was no such thing.

Beautiful women didn’t have white hair and wrinkles.

She had both, and that was okay. The lines on her face had been carved by a lifetime of tears, laughter, and challenges.

Her hair had been blazing red once, but now it was mostly white with only a few traces of flame left to remind of her youth.

No , she told herself. No doubts. No second-guessing. Not right now. It was time to let go and enjoy herself. Later, they would have to deal with the long list of challenges and potential crises. Later .

She rose on her toes, her hands splayed across his bare chest as she reached up to kiss him.

He bent his head, meeting her halfway. His lips were soft against hers, but nothing was gentle in the way he claimed her mouth, his tongue sliding along the seam of her lips as his beard rasped against her skin.

She reached up, her fingers sliding along the hard planes of his chest to his shoulder and then higher. He shuddered and groaned against her mouth as she caressed the short hairs at the nape of his neck.

She parted her lips, allowing him entry. A moment later his tongue was tangled with hers.

This was what she needed. What she craved . He cradled the back of her head in one large hand, holding her in place as he took the kiss even deeper.

He pivoted to the right and took her with him. She barely noticed the move until Kalan claimed her newly exposed back. Caught between their bodies, she felt like the filling in a sinful sandwich.

When Kalan kissed the side of her neck, a wave of fire engulfed her. She moaned and tipped her head further to one side without breaking her kiss with Fyr’enth.

Both of them ground their cocks against her, letting her feel how aroused they were. Their hands were everywhere, stroking and teasing her until the heat between them ignited like a match tossed in rocket fuel.

“I don’t like what you’re wearing.” Fyr’enth broke their kiss to frown at her. “There are too many layers.”

“Ship suits were never intended to be worn in situations like this. They’re comfortable and practical, but they don’t come off easily.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Kalan nipped her ear lobe before moving away from her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, still woozy from their attentions.

“Removing an annoying barrier to progress,” Fyr’enth said and then kissed her again, cutting off any chance of protest.

She almost didn’t notice the sound of a drawer slamming shut. What was Kalan up to?

The answer came less than a minute later, when the distinctive sound of tearing fabric caught her attention. A gentle tug was all she felt followed by cool air hitting her skin.

“Much better,” Kalan said, and then she saw the knife in his hand. He’d cut her clothes off!

“That’s your solution?” she asked, amused and somewhat incredulous.

“It was quick, straightforward, and allowed me to do this.” Kalan reclaimed his place behind her before tugging off her now ruined outfit.

She gave in to the inevitable and let go of Fyr’enth to slide her arms out of the sleeves. Naked to the waist, she wondered how long before they cut her free of the rest.

“I think you should go shirtless, like we do. It would be much simpler.” Fyr’enth cupped her breasts in his hands. His eyes gleamed with desire as he growled low in his throat. The possessive, primal sound made her want to swoon.

“Show me,” Kalan demanded. Hands landed on her hips, their grip firm as he spun her around to face him.

“Alyssa,” he said her name like a prayer, raw and full of wonder. He dropped his head and kissed her hard enough she saw stars as sparks of desire danced across her skin.

She closed her eyes to savor the moment, and when she opened them again, she found Kalan staring down at her, his eyes burning with need. His scales had tightened until his skin shimmered like molten silver, transforming him into a work of living art.

“You are beautiful,” she told him as she ran her hands along his powerful shoulders and down his arms.

“Show me the rest,” Kalan said, his tone almost a command.

“Not here,” she said. “My room. There’s more space.”

“And softer surfaces,” Fyr’enth said.

“Agreed.” She tried to step away from them, but Kalan held her in place.

“We know the way,” he said and then surprised her by lifting her into his arms.

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. “We should probably stop by your cabins on the way. We’re going to need a bigger bed.”

Of all the upgrades and improvements she’d made to the Gambit in her time, the one thing she’d never expected to change was the size of her single bed.