Tribute

Chapter 6

CHAPTER

SIX

“Come in.” Kai held the door open as Rehz Akran and his mate Anna Lee came into his apartment. “How are you both?”

“More importantly, how are you?” Rehz’s professional gaze swept over Kai. “You survived—as did your trainee, so you’re out of the program, right?”

“If he survives to be medically cleared.” Kai helped himself to a kvas and offered one to Anna and Rehz.

Anna’s strange blue eyes locked on his face.

“You think he’s that fragile? Is that why you asked us over?

” She turned to survey the small apartment.

“Where is he?” She was dressed in a tight blue T-shirt and a skirt short enough for Rehz to get his hands up it whenever he wanted.

And Rehz hadn’t taken his hands off Anna since she emerged from Ungrich space.

“In his room.” Kai sighed. “He locked the door on me yesterday. I haven’t seen him since.”

Her face paled. “Is he still alive?”

“I assume so. He’s not the kind of person to kill himself.

” Kai hoped he was telling the truth. The devastated look on Price’s face when he’d turned him down refused to erase itself from his memory.

“I’ll go and see if he’s up. I wanted him to tell you what he learned from the Ungrich before he blurted it out to anyone official. ”

“Why?” Rehz’s smile disappeared.

“You’ll see.” Kai went down the hallway and banged on Price’s door. “Hey, we’ve got company. Come out.”

The door opened and Price stood there, his expression unsmiling.

He wore a thin white T-shirt that made him look even paler than usual, and low-slung military pants that barely clung to his hips.

He stepped past Kai, deliberately knocking into him.

There was no warmth in Price’s gaze, which made Kai feel better, but also made him feel like a complete bastard.

Rehz stood as Price approached him. “I’m Rehz Akran and this is Anna Lee.”

Price sat on the couch. “I heard a lot about both of you from Palk.”

Rehz’s eyebrow went up. “Palk’s a sadistic bastard.”

“Agreed. He seemed to have a thing for you two, though.”

“Not anymore. He already knows that I’m willing to kill him.” Rehz’s smile was lethal. “He doesn’t get to fuck with me or my mate.”

Kai handed Price a kvas and sat on the couch next to him. “You’d better listen to what Price has to say, because you might want to consider whether you’re willing to carry out your threat.”

“Why?” Anna stared at him and then at Price. “What happened?”

“Price was asked by the Ungrich about males and females.”

“They didn’t seem to understand that they needed both to procreate,” Price said quietly. “They seemed to think that stuffing us full of seed and emotionally screwing with our pheromones would make us pregnant.”

Rehz leaned forward with a scowl. “So what the fuck did you tell them?”

“That we weren’t like them.” Price sighed. “They were also really interested in the difference between my human and Mitan DNA.”

“Human?” Anna grabbed Rehz’s hand. “Oh, fuck.”

“Yeah.” Kai held up his kvas bottle. “Exactly. If Price reports this conversation to Palk or the authorities, they’ll have you and him right back in there. You know it.”

“Anna is not fucking going back in there.” Rehz drew Anna tight against his side. “Palk will have to go through me to make that happen.”

“And he will.” Kai stared at his friend. “You know he’ll do anything to cause you pain and to promote the Tribute program.”

Price pointed at Anna. “Hold up. You have human DNA?”

“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I was actually born on Earth.”

“Greez ,” Price muttered and shoved a hand through his thick red hair. “I think I remember them mentioning you by name.”

“Then we’re fucked,” Kai said grimly.

Price looked at him. “Not if I don’t tell them.”

“You’re prepared to lie to your military superiors?”

“I don’t give a fuck about the military. If it means I don’t have to go back in there, then yes, I’ll lie through my teeth.” He gestured at Anna. “I’m fairly certain Anna doesn’t want a return trip either.”

Rehz had remained silent, his expression blank. “Don’t you think it is strange that two trainees with human DNA turned up in the last two Tribute groups?”

“It is something of a coincidence,” Kai agreed, “seeing as I’d never heard of Earth before I met Anna. Is it possible that the Ungrich had already identified DNA they wanted to see more of?”

“It’s possible,” Rehz said slowly.

Aled’s mouth twisted as he mulled over the new information. “They certainly recruited heavily to get me into the program.”

Rehz looked straight at him. “Are you really willing to conceal this information?”

“Yes, I am.”

Kai reached over to put his hand on Price’s shoulder. “He’s one hundred percent trustworthy.”

“Good to know,” Rehz said. “Now how about more kvas ?”

Shrugging Kai’s hand off his shoulder, Aled went over to the kitchen and opened the fridge to get the kvas . The obvious closeness of Anna and Rehz defied Kai’s stated belief that relationships forged in the heat of the training ground couldn’t survive.

“Thanks.” He turned to find Anna at his elbow. She took her kvas and smiled at him. “And not just for the kvas but for everything.” Her smile faded. “I don’t think I could survive going back in there again.”

“Me neither.”

She waited until he set the other bottles on the counter, blocking his exit from the kitchen. “If they took your sperm, what did they take from me?”

He froze in place. “I don’t know.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t be nice. I bet they stole my eggs, didn’t they?”

Rehz suddenly appeared behind her. “What’s up, Lee?”

“They took my eggs, didn’t they?” She turned and grabbed a handful of Rehz’s black T-shirt. “Can you find out?”

Aled almost had to look away as the big, scarred man drew his mate into his arms and stroked her hair with unexpected gentleness. “Sure, we’ll find out. I’ll get hold of every medical report I can find on you, and we’ll work it out.”

Aled finished his kvas in one gulp and got another as Anna looked up into Rehz’s face and he kissed her. Since the kitchen exit was blocked, he vaulted over the countertop and headed for his room.

“Aled, stop.” He only turned because it was Anna calling him. She came toward him, her hand outstretched. “Don’t go. I wanted to ask you something.”

“What can I do for you, Anna Lee?”

Her smile was a mixture of sweet and sad. “I . . . wanted to thank you.”

“You already did.”

She came even closer. “I also wanted to offer you a place in our bed tonight.”

“I . . . what?”

“I know how hard it is to have sex after being with the Ungrich . I thought you might like to start with me, or Rehz, or Kai. Or even all of us together.”

He couldn’t help his wary gaze shifting to Rehz, who appeared to be resigned and totally okay with the offer.

“It’s very kind of you, but I’ve never been attracted to females.” It wasn’t exactly true; he’d probably been with more women than men before the training, but Anna Lee didn’t need to know that.

“Then just take Rehz and Kai.” She bit her lip and her cheeks reddened. “As long as you don’t mind if I watch.”

“I would be honored if you wanted to watch, and I repeat: this is very kind of you, and I don’t want to give offense.” He smiled at her. “But I prefer one man at a time, and seeing as that particular man doesn’t want me, I’d rather sleep alone.”

“As you wish.” She kissed his cheek. “Be well, Aled, and thank you.”

He walked away, leaving a heavy silence behind him. If Kai didn’t believe he was wanted now, then there was nothing else Aled could do.

Kai turned away from the sound of Price’s door shutting, to find Rehz and Anna staring at him.

“What?”

Rehz raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have hurt your trainee’s feelings.”

“He’s still emotional about his Ungrich experience, and he’s fixated on me as his savior.” Kai managed to shrug. “You know how it goes.”

“Nope, never happened to me.” Rehz looked down at Anna. “Even Lee wanted to kill me when she got out, but I talked her around.”

“Huh.” Anna poked Rehz hard in the chest. “I had to convince you that I was worth a shot. Kai is just like you. Both of you think you’re too damaged or unworthy to be loved.”

Rehz’s glance collided with his and they both looked away.

“Price doesn’t love me.”

“How do you know? Have you even given him a chance to tell you?” Anna shook her head. “I bet you’ve just shoved him as far away as you can. Because gods help anyone who wants to get close to an Ungrich survivor.”

“Shut up, Lee.”

“Don’t speak to her like that,” Rehz growled and took a step toward Kai before Anna slammed her hand on his chest.

“I don’t need you to defend me. This is Kai . He wants to provoke you into a fight so he can get fucked and forget about anything important, like working out how he feels about Aled.”

Kai ignored Anna and stared straight at Rehz. “Can you please ask your mate to stop talking greez ?”

“No.” Rehz eased an arm around Anna. “Because she’s right.”

“And you are so pussy-whipped,” Kai muttered. “Are we going to bed?”

“I’m more than willing to hammer some sense into you with my dick. Anna enjoys watching that.”

They followed him into his bedroom, and Kai drew the drapes.

By the time he turned around, they were both naked and Rehz was on top of Anna, fucking her hard and fast. He watched for a minute and looked down at his unresponsive cock.

What the hell was wrong with him? He could walk over there, fuck Rehz’s ass, and get well fucked himself.

If he begged, he might even get a taste of pussy . . .

He forced himself to move to the bed, as Rehz slowed his stroke, making Anna pummel him with her heels and beg him to move faster.

Her hand shot out and grabbed Kai’s dick, holding him trapped against her.

He got hard despite himself; years of training would never let him forget how to do that, even for Palk.

Rehz groaned and froze over Anna as his ass flexed and he climaxed.

Anna followed him over, her grip on Kai’s cock little short of excruciating.

With a rough apology, he disengaged her hand and escaped.

Without pausing to think about it, he retraced his steps through the kitchen and found himself outside Price’s door.

He pushed on it and realized it was locked.

“What?”

Aled opened the door and stared at Kai. He was naked and his hair was a mess. The surprise in his eyes was quickly muted and replaced with a weary resignation Kai hated.

“I suppose you want to fuck me.”

Slamming one hand over Price’s mouth, Kai used the other to shut the door behind them before crowding Price onto his bed and onto his back.

He didn’t have an answer. He just knew he had to be with Aled or die.

He craved what they’d had together before his trainee had ruined everything with feelings and all that greez Kai couldn’t deal with in his life.

Reaching between them, he caught Price’s rapidly hardening length against his own and worked them both until Price was gasping his name.

He slicked the pre-come back, rimming Price’s hole, and then eased his cock inside, relishing every tight inch and tremor around his shaft as Price let himself be taken.

And Kai took him hard, pounding him into the mattress and milking his cock until Price cried out and came all over Kai’s fingers.

He didn’t let up, didn’t know what he was trying to prove or not prove, and just kept fucking until Price was hard again.

Reaching down, he coated his fingers in the second wave of Price’s come and sucked them into his mouth before joining his lips to his lover’s and feeding him his own seed. Price took it all, the hard fuck and the come, and begged for more, demanded it as Kai kept going.

Price grabbed his hair, making him wince, and made him look into his eyes. “Come with me. Please. This time. Please.”

And this time he obliged, and they came together.

Price mewled with each jet of come forced from his overused cock as Kai filled his ass.

Then Kai collapsed over Price and just lay there, listening to the sound of his own tortured breathing and Price’s racing heart.

He didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay with his cock buried in Price’s ass and keep him pinned down against the mattress.

That thought alone was enough to make him roll off Price and stare up at the plain white ceiling. What the greez was he supposed to say now? He sucked at this emotional crap.

“Aled . . . I’m sorry, I—”

Price shifted on the bed and moved onto his side before standing and heading for the bathroom.

Kai had expected some kind of inquisition about his motives and his feelings, and stared after him.

After a few minutes, when he heard the shower turn off, he sat up and warily approached the bathroom himself.

Price was drying himself off with a towel, but he stopped when he saw Kai. He looked far too calm for Kai’s liking, his eyes flat and guarding his emotions. It was as if everything soft had been burned out of him. That should have made Kai happy. But all he could feel was his heart ripping in two.

“If you want to shower, there’s another towel.”

Kai tried again. “I shouldn’t have done that. Considering how you feel, I—”

Aled slammed a folded towel against his chest. “It’s okay. I get it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re the one who likes to be hurt, not me.” Aled wrapped a towel around his hips and went toward the door. “I’m a good, cheap, willing fuck though, so don’t feel guilty about taking advantage of me until I leave, will you?”

Kai scowled back at him, aware that his feeble attempts to initiate a meaningful conversation had backfired spectacularly. “Fine, if that’s the way you want to play it, I fucking will.”

He closed his mouth. He didn’t fucking know what he wanted anymore. With a curse, he threw the towel on the floor and stormed out.