I had been blindfolded and had no idea who had done what to me. It was the three of them, together, who had taken me. It didn’t matter whose cock filled me, they’d all fucked me. But for some reason, I wanted to know which touch belonged to him, which hard cock had been his.
I studied him. The resemblance between the three of them was remarkable. The strong jaw, the shadow of whiskers that covered it. They hadn’t given me the chance to touch them, but I wondered if they would be soft or scratchy beneath my palm. His eyes were dark, much darker than his hair. Tanned skin indicated that he spent a lot of time outdoors. The scar that bisected his brow was evidence that he had seen danger. The way the three of them did not panic when the attack came added proof. These men were warriors.
“You all fucked me out of duty alone,” I said, my voice quiet. “None of you wanted a mate.” I was quickly turning into a hot mess. My emotions were shifting so quickly that I was roiling inside. Confused, hurt, needy all at once. So much had happened to me in only a few hours—and I didn’t mean just being fucked by three strangers—that I was overwhelmed. If I were on Earth, I’d say I was hormonal. Here, perhaps it was that odd seed power. Either way, some enemy I didn’t even know was trying to take me, for a dark purpose I could only imagine. For my mates, I was just a baby machine, and that was all.
Lev’s gaze shifted in all directions, probably watching for any possible danger. He didn’t look at me as he answered. “Viken is a complicated place, Leah. There have been decades of war and a very tenuous peace. My brothers and I, we are the true leaders of Viken. Separated as infants, we were used to maintain this peace, but at the cost of a divided planet. It is you, and our child, who will bring all Vikens together once more.”
I was lying in a wooden canoe—a simple canoe—and I held that much power in my womb? Right. How could I, simple Leah from Earth, hold such power? And I noticed that he hadn’t answered my question.
“You did not want me, Lev. Not one of you wanted me. You simply wish to save your world by breeding me.” Surely he could hear the disdain in my voice at that word.
I’d wanted children, someday, but not because a child was needed for planetary harmony. I wanted to have a child with a man—not three—who longed for the sleepless nights, the first steps, the milestones of watching a person grow from a helpless infant into a full grown adult, as much as I did. I wanted my child to be a creation of love, not political gain.
His gaze met and held mine. “No, I did not want a mate.” While he didn’t deny it, it didn’t lessen the sharp pain of his words. “All three of us were summoned to Viken United today under false pretenses. You were dangled in front of us like a special sweet. The last time my brothers and I were in the same room together was when we were four months old.”
“And you were separated, sent to grow up in the various sectors?” I asked, remembering bits and pieces of their words from earlier.
I couldn’t imagine that, being separated from siblings like that, and for political reasons. I’d heard of identical twins being able to read each other’s thoughts. I’d heard they couldn’t be apart, that it hurt them somehow. I’d even heard they knew the moment their twin died. But triplets separated so young? I ached for them. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one sacrificing.
Lev nodded. “When our parents were murdered.” He switched the oar to the other side and the boat turned slightly. “Our separation has kept the peace, saved many lives. But not enough. It is not enough. Now we focus on killing each other instead of protecting the planet. Our warriors have grown complacent and forgotten the true danger to our people. You will remind them. Our child will unite them.”
“How can you believe that? You three came together for me just a few hours ago and already the fighting has started.”
He tilted his head and looked at me. “There was always strife, but the power you will hold is enormous. And there are those among us who do not wish for peace.”
“How am I powerful?” I asked, asking what I’d previously thought. “I’m just a woman from Earth who left because—” I bit my lip, not wanting to share with him how weak I really was. If I was the woman, the link that joined these men together to make a baby, the mother of a new life destined to be the leader of an entire planet, he didn’t need to know I was such a loser for being engaged to such a dangerous and evil man, for believing his lies.
“You hold great power because we chose to give it to you,” he replied.