Chapter 5 Noelle
NOELLE
The long-range shuttle was sleek, silver, and surprisingly roomy. Noelle hadn’t known what to expect when she agreed to travel with Bright and Burn to meet the mysterious Seer, but it certainly hadn’t been a private spacecraft with chrome accents, wide doors, and—of all things—a plush interior.
“All the luggage is stowed in the rear cargo chamber,” Bright said, beaming as he led her up the ramp into the central cabin. “And welcome to our humble ride, my lady.”
“‘Humble’?” Noelle echoed, stepping inside. The door whooshed shut behind her and sealed with a hiss. “This is nicer than my apartment on Earth.”
“Well, it’s a long-range shuttle,” he said modestly. “So it’s built for comfort as well as travel. Come on—I’ll show you around before takeoff.”
Burn was already up front, settling into the pilot’s seat. His deep voice drifted back from the cockpit.
“You’ve got five minutes, Bright. The ship’s primed and the Fold’s already open.”
Bright waved a hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll be strapped in before you can say ‘space-time fracture.’”
Noelle followed him through the open central walkway, which led to a compact but stylish galley with glowing counters, a living room with a long, low couch facing a viewing screen for entertainment, a curved glass fresher door, and finally, a bedroom with one massive bed dominating the space.
The bed was… enormous.
Noelle stopped in the doorway, blinking.
“Oh. That’s…really big,” she murmured.
It had to be at least ten feet across, with an intricate headboard and silky navy sheets. There were three plush pillows, two on either side and one in the center. Her throat went a little dry.
Bright grinned.
“It’s made for three—so Twin Kindred can share their mate. Of course,” he added, his tone innocent, “We won’t be sleeping here unless our mission takes longer than a day and a night. But that probably won’t happen. Folding space will get us to Therim Five immediately.”
“Right. Of course,” Noelle echoed.
But her eyes were still locked on the bed.
She couldn’t help it…as she stared at it, her mind started forming ideas…and images.
Suddenly she wasn’t standing beside Bright in a Kindred shuttle. She was in that bed—between the two huge warriors.
Bright would be all sunshine and teasing fingers, touching her gently, worshipfully, coaxing soft moans from her lips. His mouth would trail kisses over her neck, down to her breasts, maybe even lower…
And Burn? He’d be behind her, solid and massive, the heat of his big body pressed against her back.
She imagined him growling in that deep, hungry voice of his while his hands slid possessively around her waist…
one rough palm cupping her full breast, the other slipping lower…
cupping her pussy and stroking her clit while Bright sucked her nipples as she moaned and writhed between them…
Dios.
Her thighs clenched and she realized her panties were getting wet. She had to stop this!
The image was so vivid it made her breath catch but she did her best to push it away. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep, calming breath.
Stop it, Noelle. You are not going to be shared by two gorgeous alien warriors in a bed the size of a small moon. You’re going on a spiritual quest. With friends. That’s all they are—just friends, she lectured herself. Hot, muscular, too-young-for-you friends…
Burn’s voice boomed from the cockpit, pulling her out of the fantasy.
“If the two of you are finished with the grand tour, it’s time to take off. The Mother Ship already folded space for us and we need to get the fuck out of here.”
Bright shrugged.
“Guess that’s our cue.” He touched her elbow gently. “Come on, my lady—we need to get strapped in.”
The cockpit had three seats arranged in a wide arc. Burn sat at the controls, all coiled power and focused intent, his big hands gripping the steering yoke like he was ready to tear space in half by sheer force of will.
Bright gestured for Noelle to take the center chair—the “bride seat,” as he called it. Of course he did.
“Right between us. You’ll be safest here,” he assured her.
“Okay…” Noelle murmured, settling into the seat. The harness was complicated—five separate straps, all crossing between her thighs and over her chest. She fumbled awkwardly for a moment until Bright leaned in to help.
“Let me,” he murmured.
His hands were deft and careful, not lingering, but there was no way to ignore the heat of his fingers brushing her inner thighs while he adjusted the strap between her legs.
Noelle shifted slightly, feeling embarrassed when she remembered her damp panties and wishing she’d worn jeans instead of a skirt. But to his credit, the Light Twin didn’t take advantage. He only did what was necessary to strap her in… though his smile said he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“There,” he said. “All set.”
He sat down beside her and clicked his own harness into place with quick, practiced moves.
“All right, Burn—we’re ready.”
“About fucking time,” Burn growled, not taking his eyes off the navigation panel. “You know it takes a fuck-load of power to fold space and the longer we wait, the more energy we waste.”
Bright leaned over to whisper in Noelle’s ear, his breath warm against her skin.
“Don’t worry about him—he’s just grumpy because he doesn’t believe this is really going to work. He thinks there’s no way we can actually form a Twin-Bond… but I have faith.”
Noelle blinked in surprise. She turned to look at Burn, who kept his eyes forward.
“I can hear you, you know,” he said flatly. “And you’re right—I don’t believe this is going to fucking work.”
“Then why are we going?” she asked, honestly confused.
Burn sighed, the sound low and rough.
“Because Bright is my friend—the best one I’ve ever had. So if he wants to try something impossible, who am I to stop him?”
The Dark Twin’s words hit her. Hard.
So Burn didn’t believe in the prophecy or the mission—but he was still coming along. He was doing all this because he cared for Bright. That said something about Burn, who seemed so gruff and growly on the outside, and it made her heart ache in a way she hadn’t expected.
But she didn’t have much time to think about it because then the ship shuddered softly and lifted off. The view through the front viewscreen shifted as they rose upwards in the Mother Ship and then out of the atmosphere bubble, going from metal hull to starry sky.
Noelle gasped at what she saw.
There was a horizontal slash in the blackness of space, wider than the Mother Ship itself and red as fresh blood. It shimmered like a wound in the universe—glowing…pulsing.
“That’s the Fold,” Burn said, glancing at her. “The connection between this galaxy and the one where Therim Five orbits.”
“It looks like…” Noelle couldn’t quite find the words. “Like someone tore the universe open.”
“Don’t worry—it looks scary, but it’s painless to fold space,” Bright assured her.
“Unless you’re pregnant,” Burn added, eyeing her sidelong. “You’re not, are you? Because folding space is bad for a baby.”
“Pregnant?” Noelle nearly choked. “No—there’s no way I could be pregnant. I haven’t even had sex in…”
She trailed off, her cheeks going crimson.
“Since when, my lady?” Bright asked gently.
“Never mind.” She shook her head, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. Why had she said such a thing? “There’s no chance I’m pregnant. Let’s just leave it at that.”
What she didn’t say was that her ex had never wanted sex unless it hurt her.
That was why she fantasized about something different…
something gentle and slow. Branson had never wanted tenderness or connection—he wanted control and more than anything, he loved to make her cry.
When he’d finally declared that she was “too fat and too old” to be desirable anymore and had stopped sleeping with her altogether, she’d been incredibly relieved.
It had been over a year since she’d been forced to undergo sex with her ex and Noelle felt like she was starting to heal. At least her sexual desire seemed to have returned—it had been absent through most of her marriage.
She was glad she’d never had any children with Branson—though he had claimed to want them and had even ordered her not to take birth control. (It went without saying that he wouldn’t wear a condom.)
Noelle had gone to a clinic in secret and gotten birth control pills, hiding them in an old vitamin bottle.
She’d known—only months into their marriage—that she never wanted to bring his child into the world.
Any baby she had with Branson would be another prisoner… another soul trapped under his thumb.
But not anymore. Not today. Today she was free and about to go on an adventure with friends.
Noelle pushed the bad memories away as she looked out at the crimson fold in space, feeling a jolt of excitement in her chest.
This was a new life—a new start. She’d spent years living in fear—it was time to seize all the joy she could and hold onto it.
She was flying into the unknown with two warriors who respected her, who made her feel needed, and who needed her in return to help them form a Twin-Bond. Everything was looking up.
“Here we go,” Burn said.
The ship surged forward.
And together, the three of them dove into the crimson wound in space… and left the whole world behind.