Page 25 of The Arabis Triad

Nowthatwas unexpected. She glanced at him over her shoulder, her gaze drifting down, before she gasped and her eyes widened. She turned back quickly, mostly so he wouldn’t see her cheeks go red.

His grin went wide. “I’m not stupid enough to wreck a pair of leathers like my brother.”

He was buck naked, and what a glorious sight he was. She drew in a shaky breath. Even though she’d had an orgasm with Ashir, her body warmed with arousal once again.

“Get out of your head, Evelyn.”

“Huh?”

His fingers worked down the outside of her arms. “We know humans don’t have a mating bond. Tell me, don’t your species feel a special link with their intended?”

His touch dropped to her hands, massaging each finger and adjusting ligaments that really did ache.

“If you’re talking about love, then people find each other. They date, which means they go out with each other. Learn about each other. In some cases, feelings develop, and in other cases, they don’t. If feelings develop, then they will like each other, maybe lust after each other, and then fall in love. If they fall in love, then they marry. Or not. But it’s normally between a man and a women. One man. One woman.”

“There’s nothing biological about it. Nothing fated?”

“No. It’s a choice. Generally speaking.”

His hands massaged her waist, drifting over her stomach. His thumbs grazed her breasts and she shucked in a quick breath. “In our Homeland, there is one Triad to one Fated. We know the bond as soon as we see each other. Until recently.”

His fingers slid higher, and he brushed her nipples. They went rock hard in an instant.

She swallowed, trying to focus on the conversation. “Until recently?”

His hands captured her breasts, massaging in the soap. He stepped forward, pressing her against his chest. “Our crystals were stolen, and without them, there have been no new Quads formed for a decade. No mates. No children.”

“Crystals?” She wondered if that was the thing the Reptile had made her touch, and when she had, it had sparkled with light. “How do the crystals work?”

Coltan nuzzled her neck. Tingles erupted deep in her belly, her core becoming heavy and achy. She tilted her head to allow him better access.

“Ours is the Arabis crystal. It gives us our connection to our mates. We feel you. Inside us. That is why you are so special to us, Evelyn. We knew you were our mate because the crystal was close when we saw you, otherwise we might never have felt the connection.”

She reached back, finding his huge thighs, and curled her fingers around them. “They made me touch a crystal when I was there. In that cage.”

His hands trembled, but then he rolled her nipples between his fingers. She arched her back and threw her head against his shoulder.

“They made you touch the crystal?”

“Yes,” she said, and took in a deep breath. “All of us. When I touched it, something strange happened. It happened to Lucie as well, but not to any of the others.”

One hand dropped down her belly, coming to rest just above her pubis bone.

“What happened, Evelyn?” He kissed the lobe of her ear, drawing the sensitive tissue into his hot mouth.

“It lit up. Pink and purple light came out of it. Like a Christmas tree. It was beautiful.”

“And what of Lucie? What happened to her when they made her touch the crystal?”

“Hers lit up with greens and blues. It was also beautiful. That’s when one of them grabbed me from the cage.” She shuddered. “I’m so worried about her.”

“We have word that Lucie has been rescued and is safe with the Erion royals. They made it back safely to our Homeplanet,” Coltan said.

Her knees went weak with relief. She gasped out a breath and her eyelids drifted shut. “Thank God.”

“I knew that news would bring your relief. Tell me. Evelyn, what did the scaled ones do when they saw the crystals light up?”

“They became very excited about it. I guess if your planet needs them to make babies, they’re pretty powerful. What do they want them for, Coltan?”

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