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  “Why is it no longer necessary?” Eckhar murmured in her ear.

  “The first generation were folk torn from their homes and transformed while in adulthood or late adolescence. They fought for their creators and when they returned to their bases, the creators faced the decision, create breeding females or let their new pets scatter through the universe creating havoc wherever they went.”

  “Instead of abandoning their project, they kidnapped and created females with genes programmed to intensify the strength of the shape shifter traits.”

  “Class Zeros?” Hailial was making frantic notes.

  “Yes.” She drained her glass and put it down on the table with a solid click. “Just like me.”

  Chapter Seven

  Eckhar took her hand and held it while she fought for emotional control.

  “The notebook detailed the selection process for the males and females and how his grandfathers respected each other while each was devoted to his grandmother.”

  “Does he name her?”

  “Iharica Jarel. Her mates were Nico Vosnar and Orvan Kel. She had five children, one of whom was his mother, Narra Orbic. His father was named Hackru.”

  Hailial crowed with triumph. “I found them. Their line still continues to this day.”

  Razi smiled. “Good. His words were the means by which we ended up here today.”

  She continued. “So, after I went through the documents and translated all of the old Oefric, I sent a mission proposal to the Alliance and the Oefric governments. That is how Ailan and Eckhar came to be involved.”

  Eckhar chipped in. “The Oefric councils have found that the Terran women make excellent mates. They are useful members of several colonies and make their mates very happy.”

  Razi snorted. “All women love being described as useful. Anyhow…I got the mission funding and authorization I needed and I sent the information to the Oefric council. They had Ailan and Eckhar waiting for me on the jump ship. After that it was three jumps and a quick flight to the surface while we watched the world around us shudder and collapse. The clock was ticking and we had to get what information we could.”

  “The first day was simple recon and the next morning we went inside the largest structure. The information was so old it was hard for me to read it, but the recorders fed all the information to my shuttle and you should be able to access the files from here.”

  “While examining some of the glyphs and structures a chasm opened in the floor and I fell in. I woke two days later and Ailan had done repairs on me. We were inside the original Oefric design centre.”

  Althoush gasped.

  “I accidentally turned on the AI, and it restrained the men and dumped me in a tank. Since I was the only non-Oefric there, Nala decided to remedy the situation by giving my body the original programming given to your ancestors.”

  Eckhar took over. “With Razi in the tank the computer tried to test the genetic lines it had created. Nala sent her bots to torture us and while we took damage it was not long before she produced Razi in a pre-shift state.”

  “She was going to shift immediately and time was of the essence.”

  Hailial looked at her with compassion. Razi felt a little embarrassed.

  “We walked her through the shift and as soon as she complete the move, Nala let us leave, burrowing her consciousness into Razi’s computer. As soon as we docked, I ripped out the nav system and here is the creator of our species.” He tapped the box on the centre of the table and sat back.

  Razi was exhausted all over again. “Is there somewhere for me to rest? I am suffering a little bit of culture shock at the moment.”

  Captain Althoush straightened. “Of course. Hailial will take you to the VIP suite. Your men can stay with you or you can have them assigned to other quarters.”

  She thought about it. She really wanted them close, but not in her bed. Not yet. “Can I think about it?”

  Hailial grinned. “Yes. Your room is a suite though, so they can take on the outer room and you can have the bedroom.”

  Eckhar lifted her hand to his lips. “As long as we are near and other men aren’t, I am good.”

  She snorted. “As if I would have any interest in additional Oefric men.”

  His grin blinded her and she closed her eyes for a moment before she turned back to Hailial. “Where is this mythical room?”

  Laughing, the captain’s wife stood up and led Razi out of the boardroom and down the hall. The room was keyed to her thumbprint and she entered the room with a sense of relief. The front room had couches and a vid screen as well as a food dispenser.

  “I will have some clothing brought for you, but if you are engaging in shift practice you might want to simply wear a robe with a pressure seal. I have some on hand that I will have brought to you in a few hours. For now, I think some alone time would do you a world of good.”

  Razi’s expression must have said it all. With a quick hug, Hailial left her alone to wander the suite or take a nap. All choices were hers.

  Fur tickled her nose and she rolled over to escape it. More fur waited on the other side. Sighing, she opened her eyes to find the feline translation of Ailan’s features staring at her.

  “That isn’t creepy at all, but I am glad that you are feeling better.” She scratched behind his ears, completely at ease with his body and her own nudity. The rumbling purr made her smile and she backed against Eckhar in his favoured form, the wolf against her spine.

  Chortling she rolled to her back and used each hand to pet her males until their eyes were closed happily. She sighed and flopped back, extricating her arms from under them while manoeuvring to sit up.

  “So, what are you two up to today?”

  They shifted into their normal forms and seeing it close up was fascinating.

  Ailan smiled and gave her a soft kiss on her neck. “Shifting practice for you.”

  Eckhar nibbled his way across her breast and she sighed and arched into his mouth. They petted, stroked and warmed her flesh in turn, her body responding to them like a finely tuned instrument.

  Her body readied for penetration rapidly making their abandoning of their ministrations a cruel taunt to her system.

  “Come along, Razi. Shifting practice.” Eckhar laughed at the evil look that she shot him but he merely rolled away from her and reached back to haul her to her feet.

  Ailan followed into the outer room where a folded pile of fabric called her.

  “Hailial had these delivered. The dress on top is a simple wrap.” Ailan lifted it and held it out. “It has panels on the side to stretch with your shift. If you forget to remove it, you might be trapped in your clothing, but you won’t be naked.”

  She nodded and put the dress on. It had a magnetic seal that would open easily if she forgot to remove it. “How long does it take to get used to being nude in public?”

  They shared a look. “It depends on who is in the vicinity. I am sure that your nudity in public will never be comfortable for us.”

  She laughed. “Honest at least. Where will I be doing my shifting?”

  “There is a gym and exercise facility. It has a track where you can run.” He said the last on a singsong.

  “Tease. Let’s go.” She couldn’t help it, she wanted to run.

  They left the suite together and walked the halls with Ailan on one side and Eckhar on the other. No other male was allowed near her without receiving a scowl and a snarl from her companions.

  Inside the exercise area she took a deep breath, got a confirming nod from her companions and removed her dress. It took a lot of effort to shift with every male in the room staring, but she managed to get into her bobcat form and immediately took off running.

  The tail took some getting used to, but even here she wasn’t alone. Ailan was a huge lion on her right, while the enormous black wolf that was Eckhar protected her rear flank from the prying eyes of other males.

  A few hardy souls tried to join them on the track but they were quick
ly shoved to one side as she ran laps until her blood was singing.

  Razi finished her run and collapsed next to her gown. She shifted back to her normal shape and struggled into the wrap dress before she could dwell on public nudity.

  With her body covered she sat on a nearby bench and caught her breath. Ailan and Eckhar weren’t panting like she was, but they had a bright sparkle to their eyes from the exercise.

  She got to her feet and they escorted her from the room. “The tail thing takes some getting used to.”

  A lighter mood came over them as a group and she had to admit that the joint run had cemented something in her. These were her mates and if she didn’t get them to herself soon, she was going to engage in drastic measures.

  Chapter Eight

  The days took on a strange routine. Each morning she was run through her paces in the exercise room in a number of shapes. She had mastered a bear, wolf, bunny, and most peculiarly, an eagle. Learning to fly was the hardest part of the entire exercise and she crashed into the walls more than once.

  Each afternoon was spent in the com room, talking to researchers and Alliance bureaucrats about the Oefric site.

  The evenings were spent having dinner with the officers of the ship and her nights were spent in a welter of lust and torture.

  Every evening, she woke to her men caressing, teasing and stopping just short of bringing her to orgasm. She went to sleep frustrated and spent the following day irritated.

  At another officer’s dinner she was finishing dessert when Eckhar and Ailan stood up, calling everyone’s attention.

  Eckhar spoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, I, Eckhar Minkoss…”

  “And I, Ailan Dar would like to make…”

  “Our formal declaration that we are engaged in deliberate courtship of Razi Nelson. Led by instinct and emotional attachment, we are here to declare intent to mate.”

  “We have found Razi to be a worthy female with emotional stability and a strong talent that will be an asset to our community as well as personal lives.”

  Captain Althoush stood and inclined his head. “Your proposal is logged and recorded. When do you wish to formalize the union?”

  Ailan grinned. “As quickly as possible.”

  Eckhar smirked, “We have waited long enough.”

  Razi was astonished. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

  The captain grinned, “You already have. The exercise room is thick with your pheromones when you leave. Your body has already agreed.”

  She blinked. “Well, damn.”

  The captain bowed slowly. “I will take on the representation of her family.”

  “Like hell.” A woman with all the hallmarks of a Terran female came forward with a hulking Oefric male behind her. He had the same look in his eyes the Razi had come to associate with Eckhar. The look of a professional peace officer.

  “As much as the Terran Volunteers appreciate your offer, Captain, I am her family.” The human woman stood proudly at the side of her very serious-looking male.

  Captain Althoush nodded. “Please identify yourself.”

  The brunette with pale green eyes smiled and curtseyed. “I am Gwen Steryio Mathijen, matchmaker of Raxos. This is my husband, Alpha Etien Mathijen of the Raxos Oefric outpost. You passed through our space and I perked up at the sound of a fellow Terran in the area.”

  The male sighed and extended his hand in greeting to the captain. “Please pardon my mate, but she is strong minded and feels it is her job to make sure that every passing Terran has a true match.”

  The captain smiled and shook the other male’s hand while Gwen rolled her eyes.

  Razi stifled a smirk of her own. “I am very pleased to meet you, Gwen. Has your time on Raxos been entertaining?”

  Gwen came forward and gave her a hug. Razi scented the other female and found the peculiar crackle that she was beginning to associate with psychic talents in the odour that was Gwen. “You are a psychic matchmaker?”

  “I am. You can tell that through smell?”

  Razi blushed but smiled as the other woman pulled her away from the cluster of men in the room. “Yes.”

  “Huh. Well, I used to be an enforcer, but when I was given a secondary assessment, it was found that my skills could be effectively used to match women and men with their ideal mates.” Gwen looped her arm with Razi’s and walked down the hall toward the garden.

  “How do you know your way around so well? I can find the garden by the smell, but you…”

  “I have been on many of these ships. They are all laid out the same. Also, even with my normal human senses, I can smell the damper air of the arboretum.”

  Razi was finally able to ask the questions she had bottled up. “Can you tell me what it is like to be married to an Oefric?”

  Gwen rubbed the back of her neck. “It depends. When I am with Etien, it is wonderful, but when he is pulled to mediate colony matters, I miss him. The Oefric emote a lot, but you never have to wonder what your mate is thinking. If you can’t figure it out, they tell you. Subterfuge is not a very strong trait in their lines.”

  “As a matchmaker, did you have a chance to see how Ailan, Eckhar and I resonate?”

  “I did and the selection process was very accurate. You have complementary harmonies but do not move completely in unison. You will have your ups and downs and different interests, but you will always return to each other.” She was businesslike but not unkind when she said it.

  “Excellent. I thought that might be the case, but with two of them…How am I going to deal with two of them?”

  Gwen barked a laugh. “Multiples are not uncommon among the Oefric. With your redesign, it is no wonder that you ended up with the set being your match. With just one of them, you would be incomplete. I don’t know how else to describe it. Is having sex with both of them a problem?”

  Razi’s body leapt to immediate attention, her frustration evident. “No, in fact, that would make things easier, but they keep holding back and I am going out of my mind.”

  The flowers were in bloom and their scent reminded Razi of the previous evening’s tease. One flower and a delicate stroke along her body while Ailan held her hands to the bed had been enough to make her bite her lip until it bled. Sharing kisses that allowed them to taste her blood had caused her heart to start tripping in her chest, but at the end of the evening, they had taken their rest in the outer room, leaving her alone and frustrated as hell.

  Gwen’s chuckle grated along her nerves.

  “It isn’t funny.”

  “It is actually. They are trying to make your wedding night special. The anticipation also has the added effect of advertising your constant arousal to all of the men in the area, making their constant attendance mandatory. They tease you to madness and then have to defend you from the lust of other men. It is a little counterintuitive, but it is the Oefric way.”

  “It’s fucked up.”

  “Succinctly put. But, with me here, we can have your wedding tomorrow if you like. Etien and I will kick your mates out of your quarters and tomorrow, you will have them all to yourself.”

  “Done. I don’t have a dress.”

  “I brought one. Several in fact. Didn’t know what you would like.”

  They finished their turn around the garden and approaching the doorway when three males blocked their path.

  Etien came forward. “Is it settled?”

  Gwen nodded. “It is. We are moving into her quarters and you gentlemen will enjoy crew accommodations for the night.”

  Razi knew that Gwen had saved her bacon when her fiancés perked up. “You don’t mind?”

  Ailan grinned. “Of course not. It means that you agreed to the ceremony and tomorrow night we will be together.”

  “And nights alone will be a thing of the past for all three of us.” Eckhar was smiling.

  Etien straightened and scowled at the other men. “As the Alpha of the family, I am telling you to bid your future bride good night and we will see you a
t ship’s dawn. I will make the arrangements with the captain.”

  Eckhar didn’t waste time. He lunged forward and caught Razi in an embrace that had her head swimming as the contact points between their bodies flared with heat. His kiss started with a quick lick to her lower lip and then his tongue flicked out to taste her.

  She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, going up on her toes to press her breasts firmly against him.

  “My turn.” Ailan pried them apart, but instead of trying to wipe the memory of Eckhar from her lips, he went for her vulnerable neck.

  As his lips and breath heated her skin, teeth were scraping to cause her to sigh and tilt her head. He sucked, licked, nipped and caressed her neck until she was twisting against him, her clit throbbing and channels slick with moisture.

  Her heat roared to her sense of smell and when Etien cleared his throat, her suitor stepped back, a heated expression in his eyes but satisfaction written on his face.

  Etien stepped between her and her men.

  Gwen pulled her away from the heady scent of her aroused mates and out the door.

  “It’s hard to walk away from them, isn’t it?” Gwen’s voice was low.

  “It is like tearing part of me away. Funny, but that is how it feels.”

  “You will see them tomorrow and in the light of the ship’s dawn, you will be with them completely for the first time.”

  “It still seems hard to believe.”

  Gwen sighed. “We were born on a planet that thought of creatures like this as myths and legends. Getting naked with one is a dream that we never thought possible. Stop gloating, Etien.”

  A masculine laugh sounded from behind them.

  “Don’t let him fool you. He took a position with the colony just so he could court me.” Gwen’s smug tone was unmistakeable.