Page 80 of Bonded Queen: to the Alien Warlord Triad

“The Bond. It will go fully dormant,” says Kriz, kissing me gently on the neck, then up the back of my head, breathing in the smell of my hair.

I wasn’t expecting it, but his words make me feel reassured. I swallow hard, because as badly as I wanted Ra’al’s vision to come true…

Being Bonded to the three of them is one thing. Being with their child is another.

The rock of the walls is so stable underneath us, but I have seen how that rock can crack and crumble against the firepower of their enemies.

I pull myself from their arms, and Kriz lets me get up, and I walk back to the edge of the platform, the wind whipping at my body. I look down at the bustling city, the black ships descending, the Aurelian triads who train in the grounds and walk the streets. Seed drips down my legs. I’m hot and sweaty, and the wind cools me.

I turn, looking up at Orr. He is so imposing, his black beard, his huge body, his muscles that near burst from his broad physique as he stands naked, unbothered by the wind.

I want them. I want the three of them, so desperately. I want to live with them, to have them by my side. I don’t need to be a queen in a castle. I don’t need anything but them.

“Can we…can we go somewhere?”

Ra’al stands, naked, his cock still thick and hanging between his legs, everything about him exuding royal power. For all his perfection, the only thing I can see is the black, gleaming brand on his chest. “What do you mean?”

I swallow. “When you left, you appointed a triad to rule in your absence. Couldn’t you stay here and have that triad lead the next attack?”

The three men are silent. Ra’al walks forward and grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I wish I could, my Mate.”

Kriz steps forward. “You haven’t seen what’s coming, Rachel. This Scorp attack was nothing. I don’t know why it’s happening, but there has never been a wave so big, not even when humanity first took to the stars and was nearly wiped out. The Aurelian Empire can’t protect planets. Obsidian is retaking planets that declared Independence. They fall within hours to our men, and they’d fall even quicker against Scorp.”

Ra’al. “Only Obsidian can tame this universe. When it is time, we must follow his call.”

I look down at the ground, then back up at Ra’al. “I understand,” I say, and coast over my own emotions. I push everything down, smiling, letting myself feel something close to happiness on the surface, while deep down, I’m back in the pleasure room, screaming into the endless darkness, feeling every blow, every time the Orb-Blades sliced their flesh, the darkness growing in their being as they cut down men who looked and felt just like them.

I imagine holding a child in my arms and standing on this wall, alone, while the triad leaves, knowing that if they don’t come back, that son will grow up without fathers.

I stare out at the city, filled with life, and I feel so very far away.

“Shall we return?” Ra’al’s voice is deep, so certain all the time.

“Yes,” I say and turn, smiling sweetly at him.

30

Rachel

My hands are on my lap, my back straight. We’ve gone through near all the day’s petitioners. I’ve grown accustomed to the throne, where we cast judgment and decide the fates of the citizens for two hours a day, daily for the last month. The triad listens to any complaint, no matter how small, and rules with harsh fairness.

I was nothing more than a servant. Now I wear a fine woven black dress, with a black crown that is weightless against my golden curls. It was brought by Priests days after my triad returned victorious. My triad wears the same—not given to them for saving the billions of lives of Trebulous, but earned for conquering an Aurelian Empire controlled planet. My triad is kings and rulers of both. They keep me here, where it’s safer.

“We were scared. We only had a shuttle for two people, and if we told our employees… They’re stronger than us. They would have taken it. We had no choice,” comes the quavering, nervous voice. In front of us now is a wizened old couple. They’re terrified, wearing their finest clothes—a mistake. They should have worn something humble instead. They must be in their eighties. A line of people is streaming through the door, and the guards close them, telling the others waiting that they’ll have to come back the next day.

Guards are posted at the door, and though they’re hard to see, I know there are at least two triads of snipers hidden in alcoves and crannies, perfectly still as they train their weapons on the throne room.

“You left your servants to die with no warning. They could have mounted a defense.” Kriz speaks precisely, laying out the facts, and the old man recoils like he’s been slapped.

“My king, please, understand, we didn’t think anyone could survive. We could have taken the drone system with us, but we left it behind, to protect them as long as possible.”

“Could he have fit the drones in his ship?”Ra’al poses the question to us as we contemplate.

“Yes. That model can circle a shuttle, providing light protection. It could have protected his shuttle against minor asteroids, but they left it to protect their servants,”Telepaths Kriz.

“They left five servants to die. Servants under their protection! They should not have left them behind. If they were Aurelian soldiers, they’d be thrown out of an airlock. How can they leave those under their command?”Orr’s aura is filled with scorn as he looks down at the elderly couple.

“They thought they were all dead, even in their shuttle. That ship of theirs couldn’t make a journey to any other planet. They were trying to gain a week of life. That’s all. They are not like the others.”Kriz is rational as he lays out the case.

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