16
____________
Myla
Panting, I recover my awareness and look down at Zeno, who is licking a drop of blood from his lips. My blood.
“What the hell was that?” I demand breathlessly.
“That was us claiming you.” He crawls up beside me on the bed.
“You’re talking about being husband and wife.”
“It’s husbands and wife, and yes, that’s one way of looking at it.”
Zeno tenderly picks me up.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Shower.”
The sonic shower is huge, with plenty of room for the four of us to stand under the beam. I still prefer a bath, but this works. Heading back to the bed, Zeno lays me in the middle then lays next to me. Vi’del lays on the other side while Tekil is between my legs, his head on my stomach. I immediately stroke his hair.
Even though I’m tired and my body is still singing, now that I’m back in my right mind, I need answers.
“Alright, someone start talking,” I demand firmly.
“We knew in the beginning that you were our mate by your smell,” Vi’del begins. “However, until we escaped, there was nothing we could do about it.”
“And then we all escaped but we knew you were hesitant,” Zeno chimes in.
“In my defense, it’s not normal to have three husbands.”
Tekil grins. “Right. And it isn’t normal for us to want to have sex so bad it hurts.” He pauses. “Although I recall reading that polygamy was a custom in some cultures and religions on Earth until the last century or so.”
“Well, yeah, but not my specific culture,” I reply, then take a deep breath, stroking his head. “I didn’t know you were hurting.”
Zeno props his head in his hand.
I can’t believe I just had sex with these three hunky guys and loved every single minute of it…
“And then Moak, Serkan, and Bastian explained that we are all clones, created in a laboratory…with memories from the original hosts,” Zeno says.
“What?” I feel the anger swiftly rise. “What do you mean you were created? Who created you?”
Vi’del props up on his elbow, facing me. “Our own people.”
“The Kintue government—I mean, Ruling Quad?”
“Yes,” Vi’del replies. “They’ve been selling clones to the Acradidia , who then altered our DNA to turn us into N-taps.”
My head is spinning. “What is that?”
“Night-Time Assassin Patrols.”
With narrow eyes I silently mouth the words then exclaim, “You’re assassins?”
Zeno chuckles. “We had not made it that far in our training. There was a slight… holdup.”
“What holdup?”
“Me,” Tekil chimes in. “They were trying to find a way for me to learn how to shift completely, and at will.”
I know how sensitive Tekil is to his half-shifted form, so even now I try to put him at ease as I run my fingers through his hair.
Zeno shifts, caressing my cheek lovingly. He’s so different at times. Loving one minute, demanding the next…
“What do we do now?” I ask.
How would Mom and Dad react? I ask myself. Damn, I don’t think I can take them home…
I can almost picture Dad’s face if I showed up with the three of them. Of course, he might be glad to have the extra help on the farm, but I’m sure he would try to make us sleep in separate rooms. And who came blame him? Even I am just now getting on board with the idea…
I study each man in turn.
Nope, can’t see these guys as farmhands. If I found it boring and wanted more…they’re not made for that life any more than I am, and I grew up there! Tekil didn’t even seem to fully grasp what a farm is when we talked about it…
Zeno runs his fingers through my hair. “Tia’s father is the Hi-Cas…”
“Isn’t that the leader of the Galactic Council?” I ask, thinking the title sounds vaguely familiar.
“Yes.” Zeno grins at me, still playing with my hair. “He has declared us a new species—the Kintolf —and has awarded us the planet Taugon.”
“Your own planet?”
“Our planet.” Vi’del leans in and tenderly pecks my lips. “There are teams there now, building cities.”
I’m not sure how I feel about all this…
“What about my mom and dad?”
No one speaks.
I need to at least talk to Mom and Dad, explain the situation, tell them everything that’s happened. I owe them that much. I also need to contact Aunt Viv. Maybe she can talk to Mom before me, prepare her somewhat… Yes, I’m a chicken.
Finally, Tekil speaks up. “We can all visit your Earth, and they are welcome to live on Taugon with us. But we will not let you go.”
I raise one incredulous eyebrow. “Excuse me? I can go wherever I damn well please!”
He caresses my thigh. “That is not what I meant.”
“Since we have been declared a new species,” Zeno interjects, “we need to help build Taugon. There are not many of us, but we each contain the necessary information to create an advanced society. That being said, we will not stay there without you.”
“So…if I wanted to go home…you would go with me?”
Zeno and Vi’del both say “Yes” at the same time Tekil says “Of course.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Myla.” Vi’del strokes my cheek. “We are all in this together.”
Together. I like that; hearing them say it makes me feel so much better. A yawn stretches my mouth wide and a wave of sleepiness washes over me. It’s been a long day.
Vi’del lays on his back and holds out his arm. Immediately, I snuggle into his side. Zeno snuggles at my back and Tekil stretches across the bed near the foot. Yes, the bed is that big.
Before drifting off to sleep, I take a moment to realize how comfortable I am nestled between the three of them. It may not be the Earth way, but it feels so good, and somehow, I know it’s going to be our way.