Tangled Shadows by Tina Christopher Read Free Book Online Page A

any clue how much power she has herself,” Galen said. He wanted to pace or even punch something, but one of them had to remain calm.
    “We have to tell her.”
    “No, we have to give her some space.” He held up his hand when Nikolai was about to interrupt. “She trusted us last night and we broke her trust. When she lets us, we have to explain why we did so and our plan.” His hand curled into a fist. They destroyed something beautiful and fragile with their lies.
    Nikolai sighed. “And hope the connection we’ve established will be enough for her to come back to us.”
    Galen pulled him close. “Yeah, and hope she doesn’t want to leave once this is done.” He kissed Nikolai, long and deep. His partner gave as good as he got. They dueled for supremacy, channeling their worry in a different manner.
    But Galen knew something was missing.
    He loved Nikolai, would give his life for him, but part of his soul needed somebody else as well. He gentled the kiss and pulled back.
    Nikolai leaned his forehead against Galen’s. “You feel it too?” he whispered.
    Galen nodded. “It feels as if part of my soul is empty.” Nikolai tightened his embrace. “I love you.”
    Galen’s vision blurred. “I love you too.” He pulled Nikolai even closer. “I don’t want to lose you,” he whispered.
    Nikolai gripped Galen’s face in his hands, making sure their eyes met. “That will never happen, Galen. We haven’t lost anything, we’ve gained a third. We filled the void—the empty space both of us felt, but never spoke about. We’ll make sure she understands.” He shook Galen a little. “Are you with me?” Galen met his lover’s blazing gaze. And despite the pressure in his chest, he had to smile. Power and pride filled Nikolai’s eyes. “You know the answer,” he said. “I’ll always be at your side.”
    Nikolai kissed Galen. “Then let’s go and get the girl.” Galen grabbed his enthusiastic partner by the back of his suit. “Hang on, hang on. I still believe we should give her some time alone. We knocked her down pretty bad.
    Give her a chance to find herself, to gain confidence again.” Nikolai frowned.
    “It’ll also give her the opportunity to miss us.” His partner smiled. “Ah, I knew there was more to it. You’re playing one of your games.”
    31

     
    Galen shook his head. “Not really. I only remember what it was like after we fucked for the first time, how much I needed you. I was hard for three days straight until I tracked you down.” He threw his arm around his partner’s neck and mock-strangled him for a moment. “You did that on purpose, you bastard.” Nikolai snorted. “I suffered as well. We’re both just too good at evasion.” Galen stroked his cheek and grinned. “Took us days to get the need out of our system, neither of us could walk at the end.”
    Nikolai looked at the closed door. “You think she’ll be in a similar situation?” Galen hugged Nikolai’s warmth around him. “I’m hoping, babe, I’m hoping.”
    * * * * *
    Brooke stormed to the guest cabin. Her steps echoed off the synth-metal and rang around her. Of course, it had to be right across from the master cabin. If those bastards thought physical closeness would make any difference, they could think again.
    She wished for doors she could slam, but the gliding e-panels gave her no such opportunity. Brooke kicked the wall instead.
    It wasn’t enough.
    How dare they kidnap her and drag her back to where she’d lost not only her ship, her crew, and a bunch of settlers, but also part of herself? She crossed her arms over her chest and wanted to pace, but the cabin was too damn short to give any sort of satisfaction. And the bloody bed stood in the way.
    She kicked the wall again.
    What were they hoping to achieve? Why would a Vampire and a Naema even be interested?
    She stopped her pacing and dropped onto the much smaller bed. The cabin was sparse, no personal items here. But the sheets were made from the