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 Copyright
© 2020 by Charmaine Ross

Edited in UK/Australian English

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be
reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express
written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief
quotations in a book review.

Published in Australia
First Published 2020

web: www.charmaineross.com
twitter https://twitter.com/CharmaineRossAu
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/charmaine.ross.01

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places,

events and incidents are either the products of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
 The Ozar Triad
A Negari Sci-Fi Alien Abduction Reverse Harem Romance
Book 1

Three Alien Warrior Princes. One human female abducted by

an evil race of Reptiles intent on taking over the universe by
any means possible.

Riley
Riley Sharp can fight her way out of anything. She’s a special ops
soldier. Trained for war and hardened for battle. Nothing surprises
her, but when she finds herself in a battle with Reptile aliens, she
fights for her life as well as her sanity.

Rujali, Setzan and Klaej - The Ozar Triad

The Ozar Triad are on a last-ditch mission of revenge. They are
tracking the stolen crystal that powers all life on their Homeplanet.
Without the crystal, their species is on the brink of disaster.

What they don’t expect to find is their fated mate—the only

female in the universe that can turn their Triad into a Quad. But when
Riley fights them every step of the way, they find themselves in more
trouble than just retrieving their precious crystal and saving their
Homeland. She’s their saviour. Their mate. Their everything.

Only she has no idea.

Can one human female fend off three sexy-as-sin alien

warrior princes and find the love she never thought she would
find, while fighting nefarious forces, or will she succeed in
returning to her world nobody has heard of before?

The Ozar Triad is book one is the next series after The Hexonian
Series set in an alternate universe where the Reptiles have
developed into intelligent evil beings intent on bringing the unseen
entity into another universe. You don’t have to read The Hexonian
Series to enjoy The Ozar Triad, but if you like sexy alien warriors and
not-so-helpless plucky human females fighting an enemy too evil to
be true, then you might like to start your journey with Jo’Aquin.

Begin the adventure with:

The Hexonian Series:

Jo’Aquin – Book 1
Striker – Book 2
Alastor – Book 3

The Negari Series:

The Ozar Triad – Book 1
The Arabis Triad – Book 2
The Erion Triad – Book 3
 Chapter One

Riley

The change in pressure made Riley’s ears explode. Black spots

spun across her vision. Her knees gave out and she came down fast
on a hard, cold surface. This was not the gritty sand of wherever the
hell she’d been. Her nose was now intimately acquainted with the
slightly oily surface of wherever the hell she was with no idea how
she got here.
She had been fighting monsters straight from her nightmares
that had turned out to be real. When she’d first regained
consciousness, it was to find herself trapped in a cold, slimy cell
she’d had to tear herself out of, and then she’d stepped into a battle
with lizard people that looked more prehistoric with their long snouts,
rows of razor-sharp teeth, deadly claws and dark-green scales that
sucked the light out of the air. They were more terrifying Iguanas that
walked upright and were killing unarmed women. Civilians.
A battle, she could understand, and she’d kicked straight into
soldier mode. Maybe it was survival mode. It sure as hell beat the
reality in front of her. So, she’d fought. She managed to kill a couple
of the creatures before people—or not-people, but massive men with
skin the color of gold—charged into wherever they were to fight the
reptilian monsters as well. She’d barely drawn a breath when some
of the golden men had surrounded her. She didn’t trust the reptile
monsters. She sure as hell wasn’t going to trust men that didn’t look
quite right.
 She did the thing she did best—fought them—when she was
surrounded by frigid black clouds. Claws grabbed her, she was
pulled into a void of nothingness. Her head exploded and darkness
had descended on her. That was all she knew until she found herself
face down on an oil-stained surface, head pounding, ears ringing,
and stomach churning.
A nightmare. She was still in that nightmare. That had to be it.
She wondered vaguely why she was still trapped in it. Maybe she’d
finally gone insane.
Her ears rang with a low-pitched tone, obscuring all other
sounds. NIHL. Noise Induced Hearing Loss. She’d suffered that
multiple times in training when a grenade had blasted too close while
on duty in the side alleys of Yemen, or she’d forgotten to put in ear
protection at the firing range. But added with the change of pressure,
as though she’d come up too fast from a deep scuba dive, her brain
pounded in protest and her stomach fought to expel its contents.
She tried lifting her head, but the damned thing was too heavy
and all she could do was stay where she was, sprawled on an oil-
stained ground, dragging in jagged breaths.
A rough hand grabbed her bicep. Only it wasn’t a hand. It was
a claw with vicious, long black talons that sank through her skin and
muscle like it was as substantial as butter. Agony ripped through her
as she was lifted from the ground. Her legs wobbled beneath her.
Only the claw impaling her arm kept her upright. She might have
screamed—she probably did—but she couldn’t tell from the tinnitus
in her ears.
The thing that impaled her moved its maw, only she still
couldn’t hear what it said over the ringing in her head. Her heart
pounded with rapid-fire beats as she came face to face with one of
the reptilian monsters.
Its black, beady eyes were intelligent, and it pierced her with a
hard stare as though she was no more than a hunk of meat. Saliva
dripped from the corner of its jaw, splattering onto the ground. She
shivered. Two more reptiles surrounded her, one on either side. The
monster shook her until her head rattled on her shoulders.
Heat washed over her skin and her vision whitewashed.
Despite after all she’d seen and done, she’d never been so terrified,
and she’d been in some hairy situations in her time. Her experience
ended at dealing with upright iguanas.
Think, soldier. Keep cool. Think and survive.
The claws slid out of the holes they’d made in her arm. Blood
gushed from the open wounds and seeped between her fingers
when she pressed them to her arm to stem the flow. She sagged to
her knees, head swimming, her legs too weak to keep her upright.
The three monsters argued with each other. One of them held
a crystal that glowed with a strange golden light. The creature tossed
it from claw to claw, handling it gingerly as though it was hot.
The monster that had wounded her grabbed the crystal and
pressed it to her arm. The crystal glowed so brightly that it blinded
her, and she had to look away. Heat seared across her skin and pain
ripped through her.
Her senses slowly returned to find she was flat on her back on
the ground and there was no sight of the crystal. The monsters were
fighting a few feet away. One pushed the other. It staggered
backwards, before it leapt forward, slamming its chest to its
opponent. The other joined in and a fight erupted. None looked at
her, their attention on their own fight.
The little voice that had saved her skin more times than she
could count, screamed at her. “Move! Run! Get away!”
She clenched her teeth, summoning everything in her body to
stagger to her feet. Ignoring her screaming muscles and fading
vision, she stepped back a few paces before the rest of the world
materialized through her battered senses and she stumbled to a
stop.
Creatures of all shapes and sizes scuttled around her. Some
were dressed in fatigues, some in gowns, others in clothes she
couldn’t name. Some were so small, they came to her knee, others
so tall she would have to crick her neck to look up. The creatures
had skin of different colors. Some had hair and others did not,
several boasted scales, a few glowed. There were gelatinous blobs
that rolled along and a few stalking furry beasts with spikes down
their back.
While she wasted time gawking, more and more sets of eyes
turned towards her. Some creatures stopped walking to outright
stare at her.
She had a horrible, sinking feeling that this was not a dream,
or even a nightmare, that this might in fact be reality. Her throbbing
arm and pounding head certainly made it real. Besides, her
imagination wasn’t that good. She simply couldn’t make shit like this
up.
She was in some sort of airfield. Crafts of various structures
and sizes scattered about, but they weren’t anything she had seen
before. Some were circular, others square. A few sleek silver ones
rested nearby, and beyond them, some were so black they seemed
to suck the very light out of the air. Creatures scurried between them
and down a central aisle that was as wide as a highway.
There was a blast and a roar as one of the machines rose
from the ground. Hot air and debris scattered everywhere before it
levitated, hanging in mid-air for a moment and then disappearing
from sight—one moment there, the next gone.
No, her imagination definitely wasn’t that good.
A door slid open in the side of the sleek, jet-like contraption
close by and a man the size of a yeti appeared, silhouetted in the
interior light. He wasn’t just huge, he was massive. Just the outline of
his bulging biceps and thick shoulders was enough to make her look
twice. He stood so tall that he ducked his head as he stepped
through the doorway.
Long, black strands of hair ran from his head down his back,
the ends capped with golden beads. His skin was a burnt mocha
color, of which a lot was showing as the only articles of clothing he
wore were tight black pants and knee-high, thick-soled black boots
that she instantly wanted for herself.
His chest was darkened by thick, swirling tattoos that covered
across his shoulders, down his arms that never seemed to end,
across his defined pecs, and trailed over abs she could cut her teeth
on, to disappear into the waistband of his pants. Leather straps that
held various lethal-looking weapons within easy reach were strapped
around his torso. A massive bladed weapon was strung low on his
hip, the tip nearly reaching the ground.
Behind him, two other men appeared. They were just as tall
and muscle-bound. The one on his left was bald, and achingly
handsome—square jaw, thick neck leading to shoulders that could
balance barrels and still have room for more. His skin was a swirl of
emerald green, intertwined with a pattern that looked as though it
was made from golden thread.
The one on the right had black hair that flickered with electric-
blue highlights. Fine strands were brushed off his face, the ends
grazing his shoulders. He wasn’t quite as broad as the others, but
his arms were a work of chiseled art, decorated in swirls of deep
lavender and black ink. He wore a sleeveless flak jacket, in which
silver projectile-type objects were packed into the folds. Two pistols
hung at his hips in a low-slung holster.
Each of the men had horns that twisted from their temples,
sleek and matte black. One set curled upwards, another swept
backwards and into glossy black hair, and the other followed the
curve of his skull to disappear behind his head.
The men stilled in the open doorway of their craft. Their heads
swiveled in unison to pin her. Pierce her. Impale her.
Her heart pounded and she flushed hot from her head to her
toes. Everything around her dimmed, fading to black, except for the
complete and utter focus on these three beings. Her skin pickled with
awareness and her core throbbed with a heavy pulse. What the hell
was wrong with her?
Move! Run! Get away! Survival drummed into her over many
years kicked in. She forced her gaze from the strange men and the
monsters, looking for somewhere to hide. She took a stumbling step
forwards and fire lanced through her shoulder.
Claws sank into her flesh to the bone. She was dragged back
against a scaly chest, her throat gripped by another clawed hand.
Her lungs seized in agony, her airways constricting. She clutched its
wrist, struggling to keep it from tearing her neck clean off.
She was distantly aware of a thundering roar and through
blurred vision, she saw the mountain-men race down the ladder from
their craft and bolt towards her, looks of absolute fury on their faces.
They clutched bladed weapons that could only be described as
brutal.
More reptilian monsters raced towards them across the
highway between aircraft, meeting the trio in a headlong rush. The
first man slashed into one of the reptilian monsters without breaking
stride.
She gasped sweet air as the monster pinning her released
her neck to tug a weapon from its belt. She sagged, but was held
upright by the claws still embedded in her shoulder. A light flashed,
and a crimson streak appeared on the arm of the tallest man. He
didn’t even flinch, simply stepped forward and decapitated another
monster with an almost languid sweep of his hand that held the
lethal sword in his grip. The head tumbled across the ground in a
gush of bright green blood. The body dropped a moment later.
If they could be so brutal to these monsters, then there was a
high probability she would be next. Nobody pinned a person with
stares like that if they didn’t have something on their mind, and by
the size and aggression of them, she didn’t stand a chance.
Inherently she sensed if she didn’t get away now, she never would
once they reached her, and she was no man’s toy.
A glimmer of metal caught the corner of her eye. She glanced
down at the knife lodged in the belt of the monster that had clawed
her arm. Her training kicked in. In one smooth motion, she yanked
the knife free and sliced through the wrist holding her. The claws
ripped through muscle and skin as the creature staggered back. She
stumbled as a fresh wave of agony seared through her. The monster
held up a severed stump, green blood pouring from the wound.
She ripped the severed hand free from her shoulder. Pinning
her arm to her chest in a futile attempt at minimizing the white-hot
agony of her torn arm and shoulder, she used the confusion of the
battle and pushed through creatures that had stopped to watch,
disappearing between the crushing bodies of the crowd. She didn’t
know where she was going to go, or what she was going to do, but
she needed to get away from here.
All she had to do was work out what sort of nightmare she’d
found herself in and try and get the hell back home. Even if it was
the last thing she ever did.
 Chapter Two

Rujali

It couldn’t be.
Rujali could hardly comprehend they’d found their mate, but
he knew it as a certainty as soon as he stepped out of their jet and
into this godsforsaken place, loosely termed a space port in Isildur. It
was a haven for the worst kinds of species, but the one their long
search had brought them to.
The Ozar Crystal was here without a doubt. After a year-long
pursuit without setting foot on their Homeland, they were close
enough to retrieve it. Hope was finally in reach. A blast of ethereal
energy had alerted the central intelligence tracker on board the
cramped jet they’d called home for too long and they’d flown to this
hellshole of a place to follow the signal.
The loss of the Ozar Crystal had been felt by every member
of his Homeland. Without the crystal, no mate-bonds could form.
Without mate-bonds, there were no Quads, and without Quads there
were no children. That, coupled with the infighting between the
Homelands of the Arabis and Erion, the Ozar Homeland’s future was
at stake.
They’d kept the loss of their crystal a secret. The Ozar wasn’t
unique. Each Homeland was powered physically and spiritually by
their respective crystals. Without the crystal, the Ozar Homeland was
weakened. If the Arabis or the Erion Homelands found out, with the
power of their crystals behind them, the Ozar Homeland was
seriously threatened. The three Homelands had been infighting and
bickering on and off for centuries and no love was lost.
Truly, Rujali was sick and tired of it. It was unrelenting and
unproductive, but no matter how anyone had tried to rectify the
situation over the decades, their differences had just been too
difficult to overcome. So, for the protection of his Homeland and for
the future of his people, it was imperative that they find and bring
back their crystal.
They could not return home empty-handed. He’d thought he’d
be able to locate the crystal, and the species who had stolen it, the
moment they landed. Instead, he’d found something even more
precious. Something he’d never dared hoped to find out of their
Homeland, let alone in a place like this.
“Is it…?” Klaej asked with a gasp.
Setzan nodded. “Mate.”
Rujali’s gaze fell to the small female standing at the base of
the jet staring up at them, as though she had been inexplicably
drawn to them, just as they were drawn to her, held together on that
transcendental moment of mate recognition. He couldn’t identify her
species, but he had never laid eyes on one so perfect before.
She was tiny, yet her small body revealed gentle curves he
knew would be soft under his hand, different to their own hardness.
Her skin was pale, lacking the deep colors of their own kind, yet
alluring. Her mop of mid-brown hair flopped over her startled eyes,
the color of his favorite dessert. Her hair was shaved on one side of
her head, while a long lick of a fringe fell to her chin on the other
side.
From this moment forward, she would be his favorite dessert.
One he would eat any time of the day if she would allow it. He could
imagine folding her over his bed and entering her most secret of
places over and over again. His cock twitched with the thought,
something that had not happened in the ten years since the Crystal
of Ozar was stolen. That part of him had remained as dead as his
Homeland.
Without the crystal, there were no mating Quads in his
Homeland. With no mating Quads, there were no children. His race
was dying. Without the crystal, there was no hope.
 Now, not only had they tracked the crystal here, but they’d
also found their mate.
He could hardly believe it was true, but she was here, right in
front of his eyes. Their mate. The female that would save not only
their Homeland, their Triad, but their entire race. She was precious
beyond belief.
If he’d known he might have found her here, of all places, he
would have happily lived in this hellshole for the entire year of the
search both he and his brothers had embarked on, simply to wait for
her and save himself the endless traveling, the endless arriving at
intergalactic pit-holes only to find that they were too late, that the
energy the tracker had detected from the crystal was only residual.
Why it had been stolen, he had no idea, but between the three of
them, they were going to find out, and return it to its rightful place in
the Ozar Tower back in their Homeland.
“She’s beautiful beyond words,” Klaej said, his voice soft.
“Breathtaking,” Setzan said.
Rujali nodded. “She is ours, brothers.”
“What could she possibly be doing in a place like this?” Klaej
asked.
“That is the question. Let us go down and introduce ourselves
to our mate, and then we will take her out of this place and put her
somewhere much more suitable,” Rujali said.
Tossing his long braids behind his shoulders, he stepped
towards his future.
The female seemed to snap out of her trance and staggered
away from the group of scaled creatures close behind her. One of
them hissed and lashed out at her, sinking his talons into the soft
flesh of her shoulder. She screamed as crimson blood poured from
between its imbedded claws. Their mate was wounded! Blinding hot
rage raced through him, her agony his. A roar erupted from him. He
ripped his sword from the sheath at his back, jumping the distance to
the ground, and pounded towards his mate. The ground shook as his
brothers followed him. He wasted no time and slashed the head from
the shoulders of the first scaled creature.
There was a hot flash, and a laser seared his arm, but he
didn’t even feel it. Keeping the momentum of the swing, he changed
the arc and slashed downwards and severed the creature’s head.
Klaej roared behind him, and Rujali spun to face him as several of
the scaled-ones bore down on them.
Where the hells had they come from?
Heated laser fire danced around them. Rujali slashed at the
closest creature, slicing a green strip of welling blood down its front.
Setzan grunted as he impaled another with his short-blade. He sliced
upwards, gutting it before it had a chance to topple dead to the
ground.
He’d not seen these creatures before in any of his long
travels, and he’d been over great distances in the universe. They
seemed almost out of place. Just as out of place as their female.
He glanced around to see where she was, his heart lurching
when there was no trace of her. “Brothers. She is gone!”
Setzan glanced around with a scowl before roaring his warrior
cry and lashing into the fold of scaled-ones that descended on them.
Klaej severed the head of one, while Rujali plunged his long sword
into the soft underbelly of another.
At a loud clack-hissing sound from one of the creatures, the
rest scattered like the cowards they were.
Setzan started to pursue one, but Rujali barked at him, “Leave
them. Our mate is more important.”
Setzan gripped his sword tight in his fist. It went against every
fiber of their being not to end a fight, yet he managed to turn away,
the heat of battle on his face, his features tight and grim.
He lifted his head, scenting the air. “She is bleeding.”
A growl thundered in Rujali’s chest. “And they will pay, brother
—we will make sure of it—but she is our priority.”
“This way.” Klaej pushed through the crowd of onlookers.
Setzan snarled at them, and they scurried away like bugs.
While Rujali and his brothers were bigger than most, nothing
stood between a Negari and their mate. And they were royalty. The
mate-sync was the strongest of them all. Finding her was imperative.
If they had to stomp over every species in this space port, they
would. It was wise that every being stayed out of their way.
Klaej squatted and swiped his finger on the ground. Rujali
saw the Klaej’s fingertip was coated with crimson. Klaej tasted her
blood. Rujali knew Klaej’s body would merge with her essence. It
would be easier to scent her that way. His brother was known for his
tracking skills.
“She is hurt. I can taste her pain. And her fear.” Tension
radiated from every pore in his body.
The same tension now rippled through Rujali and Setzan.
Triplets were connected that way. What one felt, so did the others,
especially with extreme emotions like this. Urgency to find her
writhed through Rujali’s veins like a living thing. It was untenable to
think that she was hurt and scared in any way.
Rujali pressed his hand to Klaej’s shoulder. “Then lead the
way and we will find her.”
Klaej gave a sharp nod. Now was not the time to delay with
wasted emotions like fear for the safety of their mate. She was in
need, and they would put aside their weaker emotions.
Their mate wouldn’t be lost for long. They would soon have
her where she belonged: in their arms and in their bed. Safe.
Protected. Cherished.
She didn’t know how important she was to them.
But she would understand soon enough, and she would
comply like mates should. It was their duty to protect her, just as it
was her duty to submit.

* * *
Riley

Riley held onto consciousness by a thread. It was only sheer

stubbornness that kept her on her feet. That and the knowledge that
if she showed any weakness at all, she would be at the mercy of the
owners of the many pairs of strange eyes that openly darted her
way.
If those reptile creatures weren’t still after her, those men
who’d put WME wrestlers to shame, would soon follow. She didn’t
have the time, nor the energy, to waste. She staggered to a wall and
leaned heavily on it. Warm wet heat pulsed between her fingers. She
needed to stem the blood from her arm wound, and she needed to
hide.
 There was a chittering sound and an alien with the head of a
praying mantis came her way. Its mandibles clicked and translucent
wings rose behind its back.
That thing did not look like good news.
She lurched in the opposite direction and darted into an alley
between two walls of sandstone. It was the same material as the
ground—tan and gritty. Her entire surroundings seemed to be made
of it. It seemed that apart from the space port, the planet was nothing
but sand.
Various creatures strolled past the other end of the alley,
which appeared to be a bustling street. No better place to become
lost in than a sea of… things. There looked to be a range of them.
Hopefully she could blend into the crowd.
She approached the end of the alley and peeked around the
corner. Various stalls lined the street, offering different wares. Food
smells wafted from all directions. Creatures sauntered past the stalls,
pausing, looking, and buying. The creatures screeched, clicked,
barked, and whistled. Vendors yelled at those passing by to
purchase their wares.
She huffed a surprised breath. A market! Either marketplaces
were a common occurrence throughout the universe, or her
imagination was flatlining in creativity. She was just so damned
weary. Every step was such agony, even her brain was having
trouble conjuring up material. It was on the verge of total shutdown.
She needed to find a safe place to bunker down and rest for a
while. Her muscles shook with fatigue and the coating of sweat on
her skin was hot and sticky. Time to rest and then work out what
clusterfuck she was in the middle of.
She spied a stall offering garments that fluttered in the
breeze. Too many eyes kept coming her way. She needed a
camouflage. She put her head down and as she slid past the stall,
grabbed a garment and threw it around her shoulders and over her
head as though she owned it.
Skin tingling, she forced herself to match the slow pace of the
passing crowd so as not to stand out, all the while expecting
someone to yell for their stolen garment. She passed more stalls,
losing herself between bodies of different heights and shapes—
creatures out of nightmares, dreams, and everything in between.
Her mind wanted to force herself into thinking she was
dreaming, but the solid ground underfoot, the smells, the heat of the
sun—no, make that two suns—beating on the thick, roughly woven
material of the coat were too much to ignore.
She stumbled into a doorway, trying to organize her thoughts.
She shoved the pain of her throbbing shoulder aside, using
everything in her training to compartmentalize so that her mind
cleared enough to work out a plan. A sketchy plan, but a plan,
nonetheless.
How she wound up here, she had no idea, and that was the
most frightening thing of all. The last thing she remembered before
her life went to hell was racing along the Erye Highway along the
Nullarbor on a reconnaissance mission to find missing SAS captain
Vivien Demalzi. Best damn captain in the army, she should never
have been disgraced by top brass, in her opinion. Top brass didn’t
know shit from clay sometimes. Demalzi was a hero given the rough
end of the stick for a mission gone wrong through no fault of her
own, but people needed someone to blame and she’d been singled
out.
The last thing Riley remembered was watching bright lights in
the sky grow even brighter, and then… She shivered, her mind going
back to when she’d first woken confused, disoriented, freezing, the
world in total chaos. Apart from the freezing part, things hadn’t
changed. Only now she hurt like a mother and she still had no
answers in sight.
A hulking giant of a creature lumbered close. The being
looked more like a lion, with a shaggy mane, flat nose, and rounded
eyes. There was a fine layer of fur on its skin, much like a house cat,
but that was where the similarity ended. It was dressed in a tanned
trench coat and huge boots, and it carried weapons slung over its
torso like clothing. Its massive furred paw gripped an evil-looking
weapon as big as her leg. The creature stood over two heads taller
than her.
She shrank into the doorway, tugged the hood over her face,
and tried to make herself small, hoping that it would pass her by.
 Two large boots stopped right in front of her. It took her a
moment to realize that his grunting was actually him speaking to her.
She shook her head, pulling the rim of her hood lower, hoping he
would get the hint and go away.
She peeked from beneath the rim, looking for an out. Up
ahead, the three men from the craft strode through the crowd. The
creatures parted to let them through. Their faces were tight and
focused, and they looked at everything and everyone surrounding
them. The man with deep emerald green skin changed with
splotches of crimson. The designs on his skin shone bright gold in
the sunshine. He was beautiful in a harsh, kick-ass way. All three
were.
“Magnificent,” was the word her brain supplied—along with
the distinct impression that what they looked for so intently was her.
She stifled a shiver. The need to move, to hide, overrode
concern for her immediate safety with the lion creature. She ignored
the shriek of agony from torn muscles and skin, and darted away
before any of them could lay a hand on her.
A large paw brushed past her back. She zigzagged around
groups of people, ducking low, and crossed the street. She
sidestepped into another alley leading away from the main
thoroughfare. The place seemed to be riddled with them.
She wound through a warren of smaller and smaller
alleyways, turning left and right without any discernable pattern, until
she wasn’t even sure if she could make her way back if she wanted
to. Peering over her shoulder intermittently, she verified no one
followed.
As she took another turn, her knees wobbled and she
stumbled.
She leaned against the rough-hewn wall, panting through the
throbbing pain of her shoulder. A trickle of sticky perspiration ran
down her forehead and stung her eye. Burning heat welled up from
inside her, consuming and sucking what energy remained in her
body. She was going to crash, and it was going to be soon.
The top half of her body throbbed in time with each heartbeat.
She hadn’t even looked at the mess those talons had made. She
didn’t have the energy to do that right now, but she would get to it—
right after she passed out.
She’d been injured in Iran, when she’d been on her second
tour, in a bid to stop some infighting in a back alley similar to this, but
she’d received pain inhibiters almost immediately when a team
member had come to her rescue.
This pain was grating, and getting worse. If it kept going like
this, she wasn’t going to be able to even think soon.
She spied a door through watery vision and stumbled over to
it. She cracked the door open, peering inside. The room beyond
seemed to be a living area of some sort, almost homey if she could
ignore the not-quite-rightness of the furniture and metallic material of
the walls.
She crept inside, closing the door behind her. Quickly and
silently, she made her way through the living area and through a
meal prep area until she came to another door leading out into a
much quieter back alley. So quiet, in fact, no one seemed to be in
here with her.
Large, black bins lined the walls, as big as back-alley bins in
her home city. The aroma of garbage seemed to be universal. She
knew bad smells would be a deterrent to anyone looking for her. She
hoped these bins would be a perfect place to hide. She couldn’t risk
being found while she slept, not by the reptile creatures, and not by
the men looking for her. Why they were so persistent, she couldn’t
understand. Not for anything good, if she knew how people worked,
and she’d seen them at their very worst.
A flutter in the pit of her stomach was the only warning that
she might be wrong.
She stumbled to the closest bin. With her remaining strength,
she lifted the lid and, ignoring the waft of rotted food and the scream
of white-hot agony in her shoulder, slid under the lip and toppled
inside. She surrendered to the blackness before the lid slammed
closed.
 Chapter Three

Setzan

Setzan stalked close behind his brother, gripping and regripping his
sword. If anyone could find a missing person, it was Klaej. After
ingesting her blood, Klaej’s body would assimilate with her essence
and he’d be able to smell her wherever she might be. He’d be able to
detect her when they were close enough, but by the gods, the agony
of not being able to find her in this crowded hellshole set his teeth on
edge.
That she was also injured and frightened was untenable. His
nostril flared as heat seared his bones. His ears twitched with every
sound, the light bright enough to sear the back of his skull. His whole
body was on full alert. Every sight, every touch, every sound had him
twitching with the need to find her. Even the theft of the Ozar Crystal
was nothing compared to every second their mate wasn’t close by
and in their arms.
“Where can one small female possibly have got to?”
“If anyone has taken her…” Rujali’s words dissolved into a
growl.
Species surrounding them scuttled away, their fright clear on
their faces. Even the most hardened amongst the crowd gave them
a wide berth. They had due cause to be scared. Nobody stood
between a Negari and their mate. That was a well-known fact,
galaxywide.
 That they had just found her yet were unable to hold her and
touch her made him bare his teeth at anyone unlucky enough to look
at him. From now on, only their mate’s touch could soothe the slow
burn than ran through their veins. He felt his brothers’ burn as much
as his own.
He clenched his teeth, forcibly stemming his aggression. His
baser emotions would do nothing to find their mate.
“If she is taken, they will not get to live a second more from
the moment we find them,” Klaej said.
The gold threads in his skin glowed, his skin turning more
crimson than emerald. He was usually emerald and was the calmest
of all of them. It was his soothing influence that both he and Rujali
relied on when emotions ran high.
Each of them balanced the other. Klaej was placid—normally.
Rujali was level-headed, a clear leader, able to cut through the crap
and find the best path of action to take.
Setzan was—he didn’t actually know. He was hot-headed in
battle, quick to anger, quick to laugh, quick to find fault. He truly
didn’t know how that balanced anything out, but he vowed to make
amends now, to become a better person for their female. Their mate.
They would protect her with their lives, which brought about
the puzzle of why she’d run. Any female who felt the mate-sync
came to her mates without question. It was never an issue back in
their Homeland.
“Do you think it’s possible she doesn’t know how important
she is?” Setzan said.
That she didn’t know was deeply unsettling. Unacceptable.
“Undoubtedly, judging by her fear. I can taste her confusion.
Her terror,” Klaej said. His skin bristled with more crimson.
“She also isn’t one of our species,” Rujali shoved a slow-
moving Antonine out of the way. The voluminous creature moved
away with a gurgling sound, probably not even aware that Rujali had
pushed at it. The layers of glutinous fat surrounding its muscle made
it slow, but well-protected its innards from projectiles. Its scarred skin
told of its many run ins and was most probably employed as a guard
of some sort. Most of them were employed in similar roles the
universe wide.
 “How can our mate be of another species? There has never
been an inter-species mate before,” Setzan said.
“The crystal has ever been stolen before either.” Rujali’s frown
grew deeper
“No. It hasn’t.”
Rujali’s thoughts churned. Somehow, the crystal had been
stolen from its protected position, deep with the Ozar Crystal tower.
They only knew of its disappearance when the tower had lost its
glow.
“Is the Ozar Crystal still here?’ Rujali asked.
Setzan tugged a crystal chip from his pocket. They’d taken a
part of the tower with them, despite it being a travesty to have
damaged its crystal walls. It was the only way they could locate the
Ozar Crystal that powered it, though.
Rujali had cleaved the chip off, the only person capable of
doing something like that. The tower was virtually indestructible and
had existed since the beginning of time, certainly since the inception
of the Negari. It was what allowed their species to live. To love. To
provide generation after generation. The crystal glowed with life
when a new soul was brought into the Homeland, one dependent on
the other.
However, no new births had been welcomed into the world
since the crystal theft and he didn’t know how much longer it would
live without new life energy to sustain it. It had already been a
decade, and lately the signal had become weaker and weaker.
It was a near miracle they’d managed to track it here. If not for
the blast of recent, pure energy, Setzan would have all but given up
hope.
The chip, no bigger than a sliver the size of his thumbnail,
glowed like a tracking beacon whenever the crystal was near. The
blush of light from the crystal lit his hand and warmed his skin, as
brilliant as a ray of sun.
“I haven’t seen it so bright before,” Rujali said.
“Nor have I.” Setzan stared at the tiny piece of crystal.
“Could have something to do with our mate being so close,”
Klaej said.
 Rujali pursed his lips. “You could be right. Still, for it to burn so
bright is nothing short of a miracle.”
“Just like finding our mate.” Klaej said.
“At least we know the crystal is still planet side,” Setzan said.
Relief flooded his system. “We’re close. At last.”
“We find our mate first,” Klaej said. Some emerald broke
through the crimson on his skin.
“That goes without saying, brother,” Rujali said.
“Surely a creature so different couldn’t have gone unnoticed in
this place,” Setzan said. “I’ve never seen anything like her. Not even
heard of a species who looks like her.”
“I never thought to see a female so perfect.” Klaej paused,
nostrils flaring, before he turned into an alley, breaking away from
the main thoroughfare.
“What species do you think she is?” Setzan asked.
“I have no idea. She looks close enough to us, but she’s so
small. Her skin is the color of nothing I’ve seen before. And she
doesn’t have horns either,” Rujali said.
“Do you think she’s…compatible?’ Setzan asked.
“Even if she wasn’t, she is still our mate, but I don’t think the
fates are so cruel. Our Homeland needs children and she has been
chosen for not only us, but our Homeland.” Rujali brought his gaze to
first Setzan and then Klaej.
“I’d like to know how she even came to be in a place like
this.,” Setzan said.
The Helion 6 spaceport was a rough place, known for its high
crime rate and equally lawless state. If there were any law enforcers
here, they either made themselves scarce, or were as corrupt as the
rest of the population. Honesty was not a high commodity here.
“We’ll work everything out once we’ve found her,” Rujali said,
and then turned to Klaej. “What’s going on?”
Ignoring Rujali, Klaej paused and scented the air. He turned
into yet another alley. Setzan had rarely seen him more focused, but
if finding one’s mate wasn’t a good enough reason, he didn’t know
what was.
They followed him deeper and deeper into a labyrinth of
narrow walkways. There seemed to be no pattern with the twists and
turns she’d taken. Worry dampened his excitement. Their mate was
hurt and, judging by the haphazard twisting and turning alleyways,
might also be hopelessly lost. It was not a good combination.
Klaej paused at a corner, a deep growl reverberating in his
chest. Setzan stooped at his side. A smear of blood in the shape of a
dainty hand stood out alarmingly on the light tan sandstone. All
emerald disappeared on his skin, the crimson bleeding out the gold.
He was almost the same color as that of her blood. It wasn’t a nice
thought.
“She’s still bleeding.” Klaej’s claws curled into a fist.
The scaled ones had really hurt her. Badly, judging by the
amount of blood she’d leaked by the time she’d come through here.
The first thing he’d do after they’d found her and made sure she was
safe was to seek retribution. What sort of species purposefully
injured innocent females?
The females of their Homeland were fragile. Timid. Easily
upset. They didn’t have the means to fight back. They simply didn’t
know how. That was why it was the males’ duty to love, protect, and
care for them. Without them, there would be no future. To protect a
female was to protect the future.
Not only was she hurt and afraid, she was probably beside
herself, if their own sister and mother were anything to go by. They
would need to be gentle when they found her, no doubt. His heart
was heavy. By the gods, he’d never felt this way before. He didn’t
have an inkling what it might be like to find their mate. It wasn’t
responsibility, as much as feeling completely undone. His life had
changed so much in the space of a few moments, and instead of his
mate being in his arms, sated and content after all three of them
loved her, she was nowhere to be found.
What had once been a normal thing to find a mate on their
Homeland was vastly different to finding a mate somewhere like
here, especially finding a mate that was not of their species, but life
hadn’t been normal since the day the Ozar Crystal had been stolen
and Rujali had asked both Klaej and himself to find it—no matter
what.
As royalty, it was up to them, but duty or not, they would have
done it: for their parents, their sister who had yet to find her mates,
and everyone in their Homeland. They’d travelled for so long across
such great distances, and privately, Setzan had given up hope of
ever finding a mate.
He could barely come to terms with the fact it had actually
happened.
Klaej stopped at a door. A faint red outline of their mate’s
dainty hand was smeared on the paneling. Rujali’s growl echoed in
the narrow walkway.
Close by, a door slammed shut, someone not wanting to get
caught up in their business.
Wise choice.
“Is she close by, Klaej?” Setzan asked.
Klaej’s shoulders tensed until he was twice as broad as he
normally was. The red tone of his skin told Setzan he was barely
keeping it together. Klaej couldn’t go rushing to their mate like this.
He would likely scare her in this state.
Setzan placed a hand on Klaej’s arm. “Pull yourself together,
brother. You don’t want to frighten her more than she probably
already is.”
Rujali pushed past Klaej, no mean feat, and slammed his
shoulder into the door. The material splintered with a crack. A middle
panel crashed into the inside wall, showering them with door shards.
“Where is our mate!” Rujali bellowed.
Setzan filled his lungs with a tense breath. “I’m glad you’re
being gentle and subtle. That’s the way to do it.”
Klaej slanted a look in his direction before stepping behind
Rujali. Both his brothers filled the small room inside. Setzan pushed
Klaej aside. He needed to be the first male she saw. He, at least,
was calmer—by a thread—than his brothers.
He knew how… intimidating… they could be.
All he saw was a swathe of dirty, rough-hewn material shaking
at Rujali’s feet. No female. No mate. Just a filthy pile of rags.
Definitely not what he wanted to find.
Setzan took a sniff. The stench emanating from this being
was not his mate, and it was so bad it cloyed in the back of his
throat, but underneath the reek of this being came the faint
undertones of their mate’s blood.
 The final vestige of calm snapped. He launched himself at the
being, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck, and held it at eye level. Its
feet dangled far off the floor. It couldn’t be worse. A Norvegicus.
Panic took a hold of his heart and choked him with it. A Norvegicus
with their mate’s blood on it didn’t mean anything good.
“You have hurt her! Where is she?” he said with a growl.
The creature flinched. Its nose twitched and its whiskers
danced. Setzan shook the Norvegicus. Even by the species
standard, this one was grimier than most. A state they liked to be in.
Not only were they filthy on the outside, they’d sell their own mothers
for credits without a second thought. They were the vermin of the
universe and didn’t find anything wrong with being that way. More
than a few beings had been sold to slavery—and worse—at the
hands of these beings.
“Are you looking for someone? A female perhaps? If you are
agreeable I can show you a whole roomful of them. Some are even
willing, but if you’re not in the mood for that, I can get some unwilling
if you like a fight. If you prefer them more placid, they don’t even
have to be conscious. It’s entirely up to you and your tastes.” The
creature lifted its top lip to show crooked yellowed teeth in what
Setzan assumed was a smile.
Klaej roared and his chest heaved. “Have you taken our
female?”
The Norvegicus’ whiskers twitched and it rolled its little clawed
paws. “Would you like me to take your female? I can have her
chained and whipped into submission if you don’t want to be
bothered with her screams. Or her blood. Pesky things, females. Not
worth the upset she seems to be causing all of you. Are you sure
you still want her? I’ll make it worth your while if you want to sell her
to me.”
“Where. Is. Our. Mate?” Klaej boomed, his skin flaring with
deep crimson.
The creature’s enormous buck teeth clacked in fright.
Splatters sounded on the ground, and the stench became worse.
Setzan held his arm out at full length and stepped back, trying to
ignore his watering eyes. Norvegicus’ urine was notoriously hard to
wash out, the smell often lasting years.
 “If you’ve wrecked my boots, you worthless piece of drumas
crap—” Setzan began.
“Setzan,” Rujali interrupted, placing his hand on Setzan’s
forearm. “We need him to talk.”
Setzan took a deep breath and forced the anger down. There
was a real danger that if the Norvegicus had taken their mate was
lying to them, they might never see her again. They needed
information, which they couldn’t get if he choked the Norvegicus.
These species had no respect for females. Didn’t they see that
females were the lifegivers of the universe and should always be
treated with the utmost care and respect, no matter the species? If
there were no females, there was no life. If it had taken their mate,
there would be no other for them.
Setzan loosened his fingers from around its neck, realizing
just how tightly he had been gripping the creature. The Norvegicus
gasped, its frantic breathing fanning over his arm. Setzan forced
himself not to gag with its fetid breath.
“So she is your mate? I have several products that will help
you train her into the docile mate all males like. She’ll be good for
cleaning and fucking and will do anything you tell her to do.
Overnight she will be transformed,” the Norvegicus said.
“Talk!” He shook the Norvegicus again, but not as roughly.
“She came through here. I can smell her in your domicile. If
you have laid one claw on her, you will be sorry,” Klaej said.
The Norvegicus’ nose twitched. “I did smell something when I
came home, but I thought it might have been a thief. If I thought it
was a female, I would have looked for her.”
Setzan’s fingers twitched with the pulsing need to find their
mate. Blind rage fueled his blood and he clenched his teeth to
contain himself. Setzan growled, his frustration. The creature
squeaked as its tiny black eyes bulged.
“Where is she?” Setzan yelled.
He heard, and felt, the Norvegicus swallow. “You make it very
hard not to be extremely frightened of you. It makes business
arrangements very uncomfortable.”
“I’m finding it very hard not to pulverize your face.” Setzan’s
jaw ached with the pressure of grinding his teeth.
 “Put him down, Setzan. He’ll talk if he’s more comfortable,
won’t you, drumas turd?” Rujali stepped very close to the Norvegicus
and growled.
Setzan knew that particular growl. Rujali was hanging on by a
thread, just like he was.
The creature nodded, its small clawed hands desperately
scratching at Setzan’s fist. Setzan grimaced as he put the
Norvegicus back to its feet. He hoped the scratches didn’t become
infected.
Although Norvegicuses were unpleasant, they did also have
an excellent sense of smell. Better than Klaej. The creature would
have to know the direction their mate had taken after she’d come
through by the smell of her blood. That was if it hadn’t stolen her
first.
“If you talk, we’ll let you go.’ The creature knew something it
wasn’t telling them. They always knew something.
Rujali towered over the creature. “Tell us where she is.”
“You know, this is a very poor planet and a person must find
coin where he can…” A pained expression crossed the Norvegicus’
face and its paws twisted over and over. “You don’t find females to
sell just on any corner. Maybe a few coins will jolt my memory—”
Klaej shouldered past Rujali and roared. Something rattled off
the top of a table and crashed onto the floor. The Norvegicus shook
so much, Setzan wondered how its cloak remained on it.
“I can always tell when a Norvegicus is lying. You argue, and
you evade direct questions, much like you’re doing now, so you have
one more chance. Where. Is. She!” Rujali bellowed.
There was splattering sound and another waft of urine. The
Norvegicus’ long pink tongue darted out of its mouth and licked its
dry lips. “You have to understand. If I knew anything you can be
assured I would sell her back to you. Relatively unharmed, I might
add.”
“Where?” all three of them yelled.
“In… in the dumpster,” it said, pointing to a door to the right.
“Out the back.”
 Chapter Four

Klaej

Klaej splintered the door the Norvegicus indicated with his shoulder.
His gaze landed on the standard issue waste container. The smell of
her blood was strong, despite the overpowering stench of waste
which made his gut churn inside out.
A few short strides took him to the container where a smeared
bloody handprint painted the lid. He ripped the lid off its hinges and
threw it, barely hearing it clatter down the alley.
Their mate was there, thrown inside as though she was trash.
He leapt over the edge, careful to land on either side of her
before gathering her limp body up in his arms.
“Is she..?” Setzan’s voice sounded choked.
Klaej glanced in his direction. Both of his brothers looked as
though their still-beating hearts had been ripped from their chests.
He brought her to his chest, her body slumped against his. Lifeless.
Silken strands of her hair brushed his bare skin.
He was inadequate. How could he tell if one of her species
lived?
He cupped the back of her head, supporting her, his insides
twisting in helplessness.
“Brother. Are we too late?” Rajuli’s quiet voice cracked.
“I… I don’t know.” Klaej had never felt so helpless holding
their mate. He was a fighter. Knew how to work things out with his
blade and his fists, but now, having this precious female in his arms,
made him realize just how vulnerable he truly was. The universe
could really hurt him now.
Her head slid backwards, and glazed large brown orbs stared
at him. His entire body tensed and his chest rumbled. Her small
hands rose to his biceps. Her grip was weak, but there was a sense
of rightness when she touched him.
“My mate?” He tried to speak gently, but his voice deepened
with his concern.
Her fingers firmed on his arms and she said words he didn’t
understand. He glanced at Rujali. He was the linguist of their trio and
naturally spoke many languages without use of the translator. “Did
you understand her?”
Rujali shook his head, his beads swaying. His brows pushed
together. “I have not heard that language before. It sounds so
strange.”
Her body stiffened and her fingers tightened, before she
yelled something and jerked out of his grasp. He would not let her
fall and held her tightly.
“Be still,” he said. “You’ll hurt yourself even more, my mate.”
As he spoke, the smell of fresh blood was foremost in his
senses. He growled. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a gasp of
air.
She reached back, formed a fist, and struck him in the center
of his chest. The resounding sound of flesh against flesh seemed to
be much louder than it actually was. Rujali blanched and Setzan
gasped. Her knee connected with his thigh, and another fist struck
him in the same location. That wasn’t a mistake. There was a fair bit
of force behind her punches, as though she knew what she was
doing. He’d never known a female to be this way.
“Stop her, Klaej. She’ll hurt herself more!” Rujali’s fingers
circled over the lip of the container.
Setzan’s jaw fell, revealing his fangs as his jaw became slack.
It had been few and far between since he’d seen him look so
destroyed. They’d been five annuals old when Setzan had learned
his favorite pet Clavas had found its way into the great beyond. That
was the same look as now.
 “I’m trying,” Klaej said. His hands felt big and clumsy as he
tried to be gentle while she thrashed, but he was not going to let her
go. Not when she would fall into garbage.
“Do something, Klaej!” Rujali bellowed.
Klaej hooked one arm beneath her rump and the other around
her waist and brought his lips to hers.
She body went still, and he thought he’d been able to calm
her. Then she pushed against his biceps and kicked his knee. She
tried to shift away from his kiss, and he moved his hand from her
waist to splay around the back of her head. He slid his tongue along
the seam of her closed lips. They were so soft. Pliable. And her taste
—ambrosia.
Her limbs stopped moving, and he was pleased to note that
both Setzan and Rujali had joined him in the container. Rujali was at
her back, cushioning her movements with his chest as well as
holding her arms in a position so as not to hurt her. Setzan knelt and
wrapped his arms around her legs, keeping her still so she couldn’t
kick and hurt herself against his much-harder thighs.
She spoke gibberish, but the quake in her voice told him just
how scared she was. Once they had her back on their jet, they would
give her a translator and then she would understand.
Her eyes darted between Setzan, Rujali, and then back to
Klaej. They were filled with a terrified alarm that tore through him like
a lash. Their mate must never fear them. She would learn that she
would feel nothing but pleasure from them, and she should learn
now. She couldn’t move. She was safe, but her expression told him
she didn’t know this.
“Kiss her again, Klaej. Calm her some more,” Rujali said.
Stabilizing the hand on her head, he placed his lips against
hers once again. She clamped them shut, making an outraged
sound in her mouth, dragging a breath in through her nose. She
would learn to accept the gentleness they gave, but she was a
different species. They would need patience, just like gentling a wild
standon.
She tried moving her head to the side, but he firmed his long
fingers so that she was still. Rujali made a shushing sound, his lips
near her ear, and Setzan rubbed her thigh, a low comforting purring
emanating from his chest. She was surrounded by her mates, as
was her rightful place to be.
He slid his tongue along the seam of her mouth, exploring.
Tasting. He used his lips to massage hers, caressing and teasing.
Slowly, the stiffness went from her body, the tension draining from
her limbs until she was supple and pliant in his arms.
He gently nipped her lips, letting her learn the feel of him,
letting her taste him as much as he tasted her. This was what she
needed, a slow introduction to her mates. Her body, her instincts
would tell her what to do.
She made a small sound, one so quiet he barely heard it, but
then her lips softened and parted. He didn’t waste a second. He
swept his tongue into her mouth and groaned. This was more than
he could ever have anticipated. She was a drug and he was already
hooked.
His heart rate spiked when she made another little noise and
kissed him back, her lips as soft as the most luxurious silks of their
Homeland. Her lips caressed his, tentatively at first, and then firmed
as she melted against him.
Her tongue danced with his, tasting him back. Their kiss grew
deeper, more urgent. His cock hardened in his leathers almost
painfully. He pressed his hips into her belly, letting her know how
much he desired her.
Setzan’s purr grew louder, vibrating around them. Rujali ran
his fingers through her hair and down her shoulders, his own rumble
joining his brothers.
Her mouth fell away from his. He drew back, his eyes
opening, though he hadn’t realized he’d even closed them. She was
a dead weight in his hands. Her breathing was even, her heart a
steady thump against his chest.
“You kissed her unconscious,” Setzan said.
“I didn’t mean to.” A cool slither of worry worked its way
through the haze brought on by her kiss. “Do you think…” He
swallowed. “I didn’t hurt her, did I?”
Rujali brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “No,
brother, but she is injured and was scared. You calmed her. I think
the stress of her situation has taken its toll.”
 “At least you calmed yourself,” Setzan said. “Your skin is all
lovely and green. Not a trace of red of to be seen.”
Klaej couldn’t thump his brother as he normally would
because of his precious bundle. Instead, he growled.
“Enough fooling around. Let’s go,” Rujali said.
Setzan jumped over the edge and waited with his arms out.
Klaej handed their mate over, careful not to hurt her. Once she was
secured in his brother’s arms, he leapt off the stinking pile of rubbish.
Rujali’s face screwed up with distaste. “Why was she in this
refuse container?”
A growl rose in Klaej’s check. “When I find out who put her
there, their days will be numbered.”
Rujali placed a hand on Klaej’s shoulder. “And we will be
there to help you do the job. Now, we’ve found her. Let’s get her
back to the jet. She needs medical attention. There is no more time
to waste.”
Back inside, Rujali brushed passed the Norvegicus, followed
by Setzan carefully holding their mate in his arms. Klaej stopped by
the creature. Its beady eyes dropped to the ground, darting about but
never landing anywhere. It had seen the whole thing. That wasn’t
good.
Klaej tugged its whiskers so that it had no choice but to look
into his face. “You need to forget what you just saw. If you say one
word to anyone, I will come with my brothers and you will lose more
than a mere loose bladder. Do I make myself clear?”
The creature’s pink tongue darted out of his mouth and along
its narrow lower lip.
Klaej suppressed a shudder. He shook its head by its
whiskers. The creature squawked.
Klaej brought his head closer and paused until the beady
eyes locked on his. “Do. You. Understand?”
It worried its claws together, “Yes, yes. Of course. Not a word.
Or you will come find me. I swear this will go no further. I’ve already
forgotten, yes, I have.”
Klaej paused long enough for the Norvegicus to start to
tremble. He didn’t trust the creature at all, but maybe the fear of
whatever gods it prayed to would work to keep it silent. Not satisfied,
but wanting to join his brothers for the sake of his mate, he turned
his back and stalked back through the domicile.
He resisted the urge to look back at the creature, trying to
ignore the slither of unease that worked its way into the pit of his
stomach. The sooner they got off this godsforsaken rock, the better
as far as he was concerned.
 Chapter Five

Riley

Riley rose through layers of unconsciousness quickly, as she’d

been trained to do. Coming to consciousness fast might mean the
difference between life and death in a battle. That was something
her commanding officer had drilled into her time after time. As was
being able to quickly assess a situation under sub-optimal
conditions. The last thing she remembered…
But no, that had to be a dream. She couldn’t have been
kissing a massive red, horned man with skin like velvet and lips that
could sear flesh. As she hovered behind closed lids, she sorted
through her memory. It was one of the men from the place with those
reptile creatures. She’d seen three of them, all built like Mack trucks
with muscles on muscles coming at her. They’d tracked her in the
street. She’d run, found shelter.
Crap, the smell of the rubbish hadn’t been a deterrent, judging
by the predicament she’d found herself in—surrounded by three
men, one kissing her so thoroughly, she’d succumbed and kissed
him back as though it was the most natural thing in the world. She
hadn’t been able to deny the urge for some strange reason.
That didn’t happen to her
Ever.
She was a kiss ’em quick and fuck ’em even quicker kind of
gal. No lingering, not ever. Not when her job put her life at risk on a
regular basis like it did. Once her physical need was sated, she
moved on.
She’d never been kissed quite like that. It was as though he’d
kissed her for her pleasure. He’d put effort into it after all three of
them had surrounded her. Three men. Six hands. All on her. If she
hadn’t been semiconscious at the time, her underwear could have
melted right off and she wouldn’t have complained.
Who wouldn’t have responded to that? A girl would have to be
made of wood, and the last time she looked, she was flesh and
bone.
At the thought of flesh and bone, she realized she lay on a
soft bed. Definitely not in the garbage bin then. It didn’t smell either.
The air wasn’t exactly fresh, but filtered. Much better than the
dumpster mixed in with the hot, arid air.
Her arm and shoulder didn’t hurt so much, and a soothing
warmth washed over the injury. She had to be medicated, but she
didn’t feel lightheaded or woozy like she usually did from painkillers.
The docs liked to keep those hurt badly enough sedated to save
them from the worst of the pain.
She cracked open her lids. She was surrounded by silver
walls. The lighting wasn’t bright, saving her a wince at least. The
number of times she’d come awake under a bright surgical light
when she’d been injured in the line of duty, she knew what to expect.
A panel was fitted to the wall and flashed with strobing lights.
Various machines surrounded her, all medical looking. She couldn’t
identity what they could be used for, though. Beside her hung a
mechanical arm in which a sharp needle was pointed in her
direction. It moved towards her.
Her eyes flew open. She tumbled off the bed. Her knees gave
out beneath her and she stumbled against a wall, sliding away from
the wicked-looking instrument. The room was small. No windows. No
doors. There were rectangular shapes curt into the smooth surface
of the walls with no discernible function. She had no idea where she
could be and she was trapped.
She also realized she was naked. Her skin broke out in
goosebumps in the cool air. She belatedly realized the wounds at her
shoulder were closed, however the punctures were still deep red.
Still, how had she healed so fast? She trembled as adrenaline
pulsed through her system, urging her to run, but she had nowhere
to go.
Part of the wall moved, and she stood transfixed as the metal
seemed to dissolve, then horror reared through her when large
figures appeared where the metal once was. The air caught in her
lungs. It was the three men who had been tracking her, and, judging
by the way they stared at her, she was in deep shit.
She held her hand out. It shook, much to her disgust. She
was too well-trained to have a shaking hand, so she opted for
pointing at them.
“Stay right where you are,” she said, voice steady.
To her amazement, they stopped, but the intense way they
looked at her told her it probably wasn’t going to be for long. The
slightly larger one with thick dreads that ran halfway down his back
spoke to her in a deep, growling language.
“I have no idea what the fuck you just said, but let’s just hope
you didn’t ask for sex,” She said, but even in her confused state, she
thought that sex with him might be an agreeable enough suggestion.
For god’s sake, brain. Keep it in your pants.
Her gaze dropped to his package, and then shifted over all
their packages that filled out the front of their leathers. Her eyes
lingered until her brain started working again. Confused at her
reaction, she forced her attention back to their faces. The one with
the fine raven-black hair and close-cropped beard smirked. He
hadn’t missed where she’d looked. Asshat.
Dreads stepped towards her, palms raised in a universal
gesture of “I’m not going to hurt you.” Last time she’d fallen for that,
she’d received twenty stitches on her thigh when she’d come too
close to the hidden knife the teen wielded.
She snatched an object on a close-by tray, waving it in front of
her. The long object was cool to the touch and felt like plastic, but the
material glowed with a blue light like nothing else she’d ever seen.
Dreads growled again, making the mistake of coming closer
to her. Too close for her comfort.
“Not happening, bud.” She lashed out, catching the end of the
object on his arm. There was a beep and a flash of blue.
 He growled as his arm hung limp at his side. He moved back,
but not far enough for her liking.
“That’s interesting,” she said. She waved it at all of them in an
attempt to keep them away. “There’s more where that came from, so
just stay back like good boys or you’ll end up like your friend here.”
Dreads pinned her with a look from beneath lowered brows.
Her insides quivered, and not just in an I’m-in-deep-shit kind of way,
which she chose to ignore. He uttered a snarl and the two other
behemoths stalked towards her. She tried to swallow, but it was hard
with a mouth that suddenly went as dry as the Sahara. Panic
fluttered like a living thing in her chest.
First lesson being a captive: don’t go down without a fight. Her
body responded automatically. She bent her knees and held the
device towards them, calculating her options.
Kisser was the closest. So be it. She waited until he was close
enough and lunged at him. He leaned back just as quickly, and she
thrust the end of the device harmlessly through the air.
“You’re quick for such a Neanderthal.”
Usually the more muscled a man, the slower they were. In this
case, that wasn’t true.
Beard lunged at her, coming around the end of the narrow cot.
She wasn’t going to be able to beat them in a fight. The only option
she had was to run.
She catapulted over the cot, but Beard was faster than she
anticipated. He caught her ankle. She belly-flopped onto the cot,
lashing out with her other foot. It caught him square in the jaw. She
noted a flash of surprise on his face before both she and the cot
tumbled to the floor.
Her shoulder throbbed, stealing her breath for a moment, and
she felt the fresh wash of warm blood seeping through the wounds.
She tried to scramble to her feet, but a heavy weight landed on her.
Her breath whooshed out… and stayed out. The damned man was
using his weight to pin her down. Her lungs constricted further,
burning with the need to breathe. Her vision faded at the edges. She
was going to pass out if she didn’t get any oxygen.
She forced her body to relax, despite her heart trying to
pummel its way out of her chest. His weight lifted, and while she was
busy sucking in a deep breath of air, he turned her on her back. He
dropped over her splayed form, although it was just enough to
secure her, not to make it hard to breathe.
She looked up into the face of the man towering down at her.
Even one-armed, Beard looked like a man she would think twice
about fighting. She found her breath caught in her throat, but for an
entirely different reason.
This close, Beard was absolutely gorgeous. His eyes were so
dark—the pupils nearly indiscernible—set beneath brows that
slanted ever so slightly beneath a faintly lined forehead. His lips
were set in a firm line, yet were still pillowed enough for her to
wonder what they’d feel like if he kissed her, like Kisser had done.
She was immobilized with the intensity of his stare when she
realized she just lay there, like an offering. Her breath hitched and
she punched him on his arm. He didn’t even notice and she knew
how to hit.
“I’ll keep on punching the longer you keep on lying on me,”
she said with a growl.
He barked out a short command, and Beard knelt next to her.
He gripped her wrists and pinned her arms above her head with his
one working hand. She struggled even more, realizing her breasts
were right beneath Dread’s face. They could do anything to her and
she wouldn’t stand a chance. She screeched as panic gripped her.
Kisser came the other side of her. He held the device that had
rendered Dread’s arm lifeless. He pointed the end towards her. She
couldn’t move to get away.
“You don’t have to do that, Kisser. I’ll behave.” Her voice
caught as her breath hitched. She hated showing any weakness, but
three men surrounding her naked butt was cause for her to thrash as
though her life depended on it.
It most probably did.
She didn’t miss the look of concern that passed over Kisser’s
face. However, he still lined up the end of the device with her neck.
She thrashed her head from side to side. If she wasn’t still, he
couldn’t inject her with whatever the fuck that was.
A large hand covered her forehead and then she couldn’t
even move her head. Kisser murmured something that sounded like
regret, and then pressed the cool end of the device to her neck.
There was a beep and a flash of blue.
She closed her eyes, expecting… something, but she felt
normal. Dreads hooked a cautious expression on her before slowly
moving up and away. The air cooled on her skin as his body heat
evaporated with the distance. Her skin broke out with goosebumps
and to her horror, her nipples pebbled.
She wanted to move her arms to cover herself, but her limbs
refused to work. She frowned, definitely sending the command from
her brain to her arms. Nothing. She tried moving her legs, but her
body remained unresponsive. It was strange. She retained total
sensation of her body. There was no heaviness, no tingling, no
residual lethargy of drugs, yet she couldn’t even move a damn toe.
Then she realized she felt no pain. Her shoulder still bled, but at
least the throbbing agony had vanished.
“What the fuck have you done to me?” At least she could still
speak. And breathe. Her heart was still beating. She could still think
—which didn’t do her much good the way her thoughts were turning
at the moment.
Dreads spoke as he moved into a sitting position and Kisser
aimed the device to his arm. Instead of a blue pulse of light, this time
it was red. Dreads waited a moment, and then fisted his hand and
jiggled his arm as though working out pins and needles.
“You think you can do that to me? I promise I’ll behave.” she
said.
All three sets of eyes turned to her. This time, the panic she
had set at bay lashed through her defenses and overpowered her.
She started to hyperventilate.
She was naked, vulnerable, completely at their mercy and
there wasn’t a damn thing she could do when Dreads reached for
her.
 Chapter Six

Rujali

“Easy, Rujali. You’re scaring her,” Setzan said when their mate
whimpered as he reached for her.
“Scared she might be, but at least she can’t hurt herself
anymore,” Rujali said. His heart pounded at the way in which she’d
reacted, appalled that they’d caused her so much terror.
“She’s never seen our species before, but surely she should
sense her mates,” Klaej said.
Rujali’s blood ran cold at the thought. When frightened, some
species curled into a little compliant ball, while others lashed out to
protect themselves.
“Gods, Rujali. Do you think she doesn’t recognize who we are
to her?” Setzan asked.
Rujali gathered her in his arms, the whimper she made tearing
his heart in half. She was so cold. Freezing. He held her close to his
chest, trying to provide warmth from his own body.
“Right the table,” he said. “Now.”
Klaej set the medical table on its legs and Setzan gathered the
sheet from the floor.
Rujali laid her gently on the bed. “Do you understand me, Little
One?”
Her eyes widened and she spoke. Her soft voice didn’t hide the
tremor underneath. Her heart fluttered in her chest as the pulse beat
wildly at her throat. He couldn’t understand the words she said, but
he knew the tone of someone begging.
“That may be the case, brothers. We’ll need to install a
translator so we can at least talk to her. When we can explain to her
who we are, she will calm.”
Klaej went to the steri-cabinet set into the wall and selected a
translator small enough for a child. It was a small metallic disc with
wires that would become organic once it merged with her ear canal
and the language receptor in her brain. When he turned, instrument
in hand, their mate began speaking again. This time, her voice was
hard and choppy.
The confusion in her eyes was replaced with anger. Such a
spitfire. He was used to quiet mates. He was finding a more spirited
mate intriguing, but she was so different to those females of his own
race, he was at a loss to know exactly how to treat her.
“Make sure she doesn’t feel any pain. Her species might not
react like ours,” Setzan said.
“She’s under the effects of the analgesic. She shouldn’t feel
any pain.”
“I hope you’re right,” Klaej said as he moved to her side.
He placed the translator onto the applicator and readied it for
insertion. Her panting was audible as he placed the Analdev to her
ear. It would deliver the translator deep within the ear canal and
change the soundwaves into something her brain would interpret
and understand. The language center in her brain would also change
so that when she spoke, she could produce sound waves suitable for
other translators. It was very basic technology.
She uttered words that ran into each other as her gaze
bounced between them. He held her hand, knowing she could feel
him and that it might bring her comfort.
He pressed the button to administer the inserter. There was a
slight click as the translator was delivered. Their mate’s face tensed
and her mouth fell open wordlessly. Her pupils dilated, the color of
her eyes an incandescent brown.
Rujali caught a concerned glance between Setzan and Klaej.
Her harsh breath as her lungs finally opened up was the best thing
he had ever heard.
 She sucked in two quick breaths. “What the fuck did you just do
to me, you asshats? If you’ve tagged me to sell in some slavers’
market like some livestock, after you’ve raped and pillaged me, I’m
gonna tear your balls right off your body and stuff ’em down your
throat.”
Setzan’s eyes lit. His gaze roamed between Rujali and Klaej
before dropped to their mate. “I can understand her!”
“We will not sell you as livestock. You are much too valuable for
that,” Klaej said.
“You will not swear like that either, mate. It is unattractive for a
female of your beauty,” Rujali said, a slight frown warred with his
worry.
Her plump, kissable mouth fell open. Her tongue darted out.
There was an answering tightening in his groin.
“What? How?” Her voice was breathy and thin, as though she
couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.
“Klaej fitted you with a translator device,” he said.
“How do you feel, mate? I hope I did not hurt you.” Klaej bent
over her, his skin flashing with spots of crimson.
Setzan took a hold of her hand. “Just say the word, and I will
knock Klaej’s skull with my fist if he has caused you any discomfort
at all.”
Her startled gaze went from Klaej to Setzan. “I… I… Give me
back my body.”
Setzan’s gaze drew down her naked form and back up to her
eyes again. Her cheeks grew a delectable shade of pink.
“I’m enjoying the view too much to do that,” Setzan said.
She whimpered, and Rujali growled at Setzan. She might be
angry, but she was also scared.
Rujali shifted and her eyes locked in him. “My apologies. It’s
not my intention to scare you, however you are hurt and your
shoulder will cause you pain if the analgesic is removed. Klaej will
have to treat it, and if we allowed the pain receptors to return, you
would be uncomfortable.”
“I don’t care. Let me move. I know you can do it. Just flick that
red button with that device thing. I’m used to pain. It won’t be
anything different to me,” she said.
 Rujali caught the distraught look on Klaej’s face.
“Our mate will not feel pain,” he said.
He was right. It was up to them to make these types of
decisions for their mate. “You will remain like this until we are sure
you will not suffer.”
“You can’t do that to me! I demand you set me free.” The
muscles worked at her jaw.
He would like to have softened and given in to her wish, but the
thought of her suffering was greater. Besides, he wouldn’t put it past
her to fight again and cause herself more injury. That would not do at
all. She had to be healed and free of any pain before they would
claim her.
And he did like looking at her naked body too much. It was
selfish, but she was their mate and would soon be comfortable in
such a state. He also intended to be naked in her presence in return
and spend many a pleasurable hour without the need for any
clothing.
“Klaej will clean and dress your wounds, then after that we will
bathe you and wash off the residue of the refuse we found you in.”
Rujali said.
Klaej grunted his affirmation. He pushed on one of the inlaid
cabinets in the wall and the steri-cabinet opened silently, sliding out
to reveal packed shelves of equipment. He set about retrieving the
materials he needed, placing them on a metallic table that he could
wheel closer to her when he had everything in place.
“How did you come to be there? Tell us who put you there and
we will seek retribution,” Setzan said.
Their mate kept her gaze trained on Klaej. She was wary. That
meant she was also intelligent and aware. That was good. He
wanted an intelligent mate who would keep him on his toes. It
seemed the fates had heard their prayers after all.
Klaej set the steri-cleansers and bandages on the table next to
the medi-bed. Her attention remained on the objects. He went to
wipe away the blood that streaked her arm.
“Stop,” she said.
Klaej’s hand hovered over her wound. “My mate?”
 Her gaze darted to Rujali. “Why are you helping me? What do
you want from me?”
She made a demand of them, but spoke to him. Had she
detected him as the alpha of the brothers? She was intelligent as
well as shrewd. He folded his arms over his chest, trying to ignore
the hardening of his cock.
Rujali nodded to Klaej to continue to attend to her. “Why would
you say that?”
He watched for any indication that she might be in pain as
Klaej worked, but she merely glanced at what he was doing and then
focused her attention back to him. Interesting. Her injury didn’t faze
her. That was unusual.
“Because there is always an ulterior motive,” she said.
His arms fell to his side and frowned. “Who has wronged you to
make you think that way?”
“Why do you even care? God, this is some nightmare I’m
having. Maybe it’s not a nightmare. Maybe I’ve finally lost it. PTSD.
They said it would happen sooner or later. Too much shit for it not to
have some sort of effect.” She made an angry strangled noise, trying
to fight the effects of the analgesic. She clenched her eyes shut and
tossed her head from side to side. She didn’t seem to know it
couldn’t be released without the Corrective. “Who are you people?
What do you want with me? Where am I even?”
A tear leaked from beneath her lashes. The monitor that was
wirelessly connected to the medi-bed detected alarmingly elevated
heart rate. He worried that her frail body might be harmed through
fighting.
He put his hand on her cheek, stroking her with his thumb.
“Calm, Little One. This fighting is not doing you any good.”
Her eyes snapped open. “I wouldn’t be fighting if you hadn’t
done this… this thing to me. If you really wanted me to be calm,
you’d take this away.”
She clenched her teeth as more tears fell from her eyes and
made a sound born of anger and frustration.
“There are other ways to calm you,” he said.
He continued to stroke her cheek, marveling at the soft
smoothness of her skin. She tilted her head into his palm, just
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
(See Chapter XXVI
for further reference
to the pathology of
hydatid cysts.)
—The treatment is
purely operative. The
contents of the cysts
should be evacuated
and its walls radically
destroyed by caustic,
spoon, etc. All
sequestra should be
removed; in the limbs
amputation is
sometimes
necessitated by the
extent of the
affection.
—The general
character of this
parasitic disease has
already been
considered. (See
Chapter VIII.)
The peculiar fungus
may be found in the
periosteum, in the
compact outer layers
of the bone, or within
its more spongy
depths. When the
lesion is sufficiently
large to be
recognizable to the
naked eye it
assumes, for all
practical purposes,
 Achondroplasic skeleton. (Porak.) the appearance of
Hydatid Disease of Bone. Treatment. Actinomycosis.caries,
like that
due to tuberculous or leprous diseases, while in the pus or debris
discharged from the same or contained within the invaded bones the
characteristic yellow, cheesy, or calcareous particles will always be
recognized. In this disease there never seems to be the slightest
tendency to encapsulation nor to protect against further spreading by
any process of repair. The diseased area constantly enlarges its
dimensions, involving everything as it spreads, it being limited by no
membrane or tissue of the body. Occurring in the bones, it is usually
a secondary or metastatic infection, and may be found in any part of
the body.
The symptoms will be those of osteoperiostitis, first occurring
frequently in the jaws, as it nearly always does in cattle, and often in
man; this is accompanied by loosening of the teeth and involvement
of the submaxillary tissues. The course of the disease is slow, with
little or no tendency toward spontaneous recovery.

TROPHONEUROTIC DISEASES OF THE BONES.

Under this heading it is proposed to group a number of diseases
whose clinical manifestations are distinct or classic, but whose
underlying causes are more or less obscure.
Achondroplasia.—This is a lesion of intra-uterine life which
includes a softening of primary cartilaginous
structures and curvature or malformation of the bones which should
be formed from them. It belongs to that period of fetal life between
the third and sixth months. It is sometimes referred to as intra-uterine
rickets. Under this name it was first described by Müller, in 1860, and
since then under various names, most commonly as fetal rickets. It
appears that in this disease the fetal cartilage contains mucus
abnormally collected, quite generally, in minute cavities or cells just
at its borders. The chondroblasts and osteoblasts are not regularly
dispersed, and the development of the growing bone is thereby
much interfered with. The periosteum appears to have nothing to do
with this condition. In consequence the cartilage does not do its
proper duty. The long bones fail to attain their proper proportionate
length, but become thicker than normal, the periosteum being
unaltered. On the other hand, those bones into whose formation
cartilage enters but slightly, such as the clavicle and the ribs, retain
their normal proportions—the consequence is a peculiar
malformation and disproportion of the whole skeleton (Fig. 236).
These deformities are symmetrical, and pertain mostly to the
bones at the base of the skull and to the long bones of the limbs;
therefore the distinctive appearance may be recognized even at the
birth of the child. The head is disproportionately large, the spinal
column short, the lumbar curvature exaggerated, all of which is
rather the reverse of the ordinary rachitic manifestations. The
disease is not common (Fig. 237).
Prognosis.—The prognosis is
Fig. 237
unfavorable, because it seems
impossible to undo the faults of
the intra-uterine condition. The
disease, however, is not
incompatible with a long life.
Rachitis.—This also is a
constitutional
condition, and has been
described in Chapter XIII. So far
as the manifestations in the
bones are concerned it is a
constitutional dystrophy caused
by improper deposition of
calcareous material in the
softened and somewhat
perverted fetal cartilages. It is a
condition, however, pertaining
rather to postnatal life, and while
inconspicuous at birth becomes
more and more marked as the
child develops. It is essentially a
disease of malnutrition, and
Achondroplasia. (Lugeol.)
consequently may be seen in all
walks of life, as well in the bottle-fed babies of the wealthy as in the
best-nourished children of the poor. The subject should be studied
also in connection with the facts set forth in the chapter on the Status
Lymphaticus, which bear on the relation of the ductless glands to
tissue growth, and especially to rickets. The lesions are widely
distributed. The disease is divided by some writers into three
periods: (a) Rarefaction of bone tissue; (b) softening of same; (c) re-
ossification.
The first stage is the intra-uterine part; the second and third stages
are postnatal. To fetal rarefaction have been attributed intra-uterine
fractures, even by Hippocrates.
The general dyscrasia and visceral alterations of rachitis interest
us here less than deformities of the various bones. The head is
disproportionately large, the vertex flattened, the frontal and parietal
eminences pronounced; the anterior fontanelle closes very late. To
the atrophic alterations of the head have been given the name
craniotabes. The face is disproportionately small, the lower jaw
assuming a polygonal shape. The palatal vault is of the Gothic type,
dentition irregular and retarded. In the thorax the clavicular curves
are exaggerated, by which the bones are shortened and the
shoulders made narrow. The costochondral junctions are enlarged,
the result being the so-called rachitic rosary. The sternum projects
and gives the peculiar appearance known as pigeon-breast. The
pelvis is often deformed, and frequently distorted to such an extent
as in after years to make normal delivery impossible. The spinal
column may either be distorted early or is likely to undergo
alterations of curvature, due to the combined results of pressure and
traction upon softened vertebræ. The joint ends of the long bones
are enlarged or clubbed, this being true even of the phalanges. Joint
movements are often accompanied by crepitation. The axes of the
long bones are distorted, and more or less marked deviations and
curvatures result, giving rise to such deformities as knock-knee,
bow-leg, etc. (See pp. 161 and 162.)
Osteomalacia.—As rickets is essentially a disease of early
childhood, osteomalacia is practically confined to
adults. The name implies a peculiar softening of the bones, by which
their resistance and rigidity are weakened and deformity permitted.
The disease is common to man and to animals in confinement, and
is frequently noted among wild animals dying in zoölogical gardens.
It commonly occurs in pregnant women, where it would appear as if
the mineral elements needed for the growing fetus were abstracted
from the mother’s bones rather than from the food ingested. It is
brought about also by starvation, possibly by lactation, especially
among those who nurse their children for unusual periods.

Fig. 238

Osteomalacia: celebrated case of Moraud, 1753. (Skeleton now in Musée

Dupuytren.)
 Spontaneous fractures, especially of the long bones, are frequent.
These may refuse to unite properly and false joints may result. The
urine will under these circumstances contain an excess of mineral
salts, carbonates, phosphates, and oxalates, and when these are
discovered in the urine of those suffering from fractures it should
always be a warning to administer calcium salts and mineral acids,
preferably phosphoric, internally, and to carefully watch the
excretions. The progress of the disease is slow, yet steady, and often
not easily checked, if at all affected, by mineral acids. Occurring in
pregnant women, it may be checked after delivery, especially if the
child be not allowed to nurse from the mother. In some instances it
occurs with each successive confinement in the same patient, and
makes distinct advance with each fresh attack.
Prognosis.—The prognosis is therefore unfavorable, least so in
puerperal cases.
An infantile form, as well as a fetal form, have been noted, but it is
doubtful whether these forms really come under the same category,
and whether they are not manifestations of rickets. A senile form has
also been described which affects most frequently the sternum and
thorax, which is characterized by excess of nervous excitability and
by bone pains, as well as by liability to multiple fracture upon the
slightest provocation. This form, however, differs but little from the
osteoporosis of advanced years, and scarcely deserves distinct
consideration. Certain writers have also mentioned a symptomatic
form—cancer, syphilis, scurvy, etc.—which, however, is
unnecessary, since the fractures occurring in cases of cancer or
syphilis are due to secondary lesions of the same character, while
those occurring during scurvy are simply an expression of starvation
and weakening, even of the bones. Cases of cancer, for instance,
where bones have broken without being previously weakened by
secondary growths, are exceedingly rare.
Under the name of osteogenesis imperfecta has been described
the “fragilitas ossium” of certain writers. The condition has also been
known as congenital fetal rickets. These cases may usually be
recognized in infancy, in that the extremities are more or less bent
and deformed, and the bones very fragile. Sometimes intra-uterine
fractures occur, which may be recent or old, and united with more or
less callus and deformity. The spinal column will be soft and friable,
with marked divisions, and the ribs are often fractured. The clavicle
shows lesions of this kind more frequently than any other single
bone. Bones so affected will be found extremely fragile and delicate,
and sometimes so thin that they may be crushed between the
fingers. They are defective in every respect of structure. But these
changes pertain mostly to the shafts of the long bones, and do not
concern the cartilages. They are to be distinguished from
chondrodystrophia fetalis, in which the extremities are shortened, the
skin thickened, and the subcutaneous tissues extremely fatty or
edematous.
The condition is to be distinguished from rickets, as there is no
enlargement of rib ends or epiphyses and no disturbances of the
alimentary or nervous systems. Osteomalacia usually occurs after
puberty. Hereditary syphilis, in very rare instances, is a factor, but
should give additional evidences in other parts of the body. At
present there is no satisfactory explanation as to the cause of the
condition.
—The treatment for all these conditions should be removal of the
cause if discoverable and the administration of calcium salts in
accessible shape, as in cases of rickets, combined with thymus or
pituitary extract.
—This is a condition distinct from osteomalacia and is due to trophic
nerve disturbance. The condition seems to be hereditary, often
extending through several generations. It is characterized by fracture
of long bones upon the slightest provocation, and is common to all
ages. While apparently congenital in origin, it persists often
throughout life, no impression being made upon the condition by
medication. It is not characterized by distinctive histological changes,
and all theories heretofore advanced toward its cause are
disappointing. It is seen, at least in this country, most often in
paretics and inmates of insane asylums. The ease with which the
bones of such patients are broken has given rise to repeated
charges of violence or homicide. From one case in which this charge
was made I secured specimens of the ribs, which were so fragile that
they could be crumbled between the fingers. Such patients might
easily sustain serious fractures when undergoing necessary
 Treatment.restraint, Fig. 239
even of the gentlest
nature. Allegations of
undue violence are
frequently made in
these cases, which,
especially in asylums,
may be most unjust
and difficult to prove
or disprove.
The relationship of
osteomalacia to
exophthalmic goitre
furnishes another
illustration of the
peculiar and
mysterious influences
which the thyroid
exercises upon
nutrition. The
conditions have a
similar geographical
distribution, as well as
being coincidental in
the same individual.
Honicke, who has
recently studied the
subject, believes the
bone condition to be
an expression of
thyroidal disorder, the Osteopsathyrosis. (Blanchard’s case.)

Osteopsathyrosis, or Fragility of Bones.more so in that

castration does not
remedy the disease, thus proving that the genital glands are not at
fault.
 The peculiar relationship between the bone and the thyroid in
these cases is probably one of disturbance of the elaboration of the
phosphorus compounds which are necessary for the proper
development of bone, these compounds being excreted rather than
utilized.
Osteopsathyrosis of this congenital type is perhaps best illustrated
by a case reported by Blanchard,[35] of Chicago, in the case of a
woman twenty-seven years of age at the time of his report, who up
to that time had sustained over one hundred fractures. In her case it
was sufficient to merely gently slide from the sofa to the floor to
break some bone. Treatment in her case had been of no avail. (See
Fig. 239.)
[35] Trans. Amer. Orthopedic Assoc.

Senile Fragility of Bones.—This means weakening of the bones

which is incident to advanced age in
either sex, due to and comprised under the term osteoporosis.
Added to this, in certain places is a positive change in shape, also
characterizing the senile condition—e. g., the neck of the femur.
Under these circumstances bones will break with a minimum of
violence and without invoking any theory of osteomalacia,
osteopsathyrosis, or the like. As bone disappears under these
circumstances fat usually takes its place, so that while the volume of
the bone may not be particularly diminished, its weight and density
are materially altered. (See introductory remarks to this chapter.)
Atrophic Elongation.—This is a term first applied by Ollier, and
refers to a distinct type of alteration in long
bones by which their actual volume is relatively diminished, although
they increase in length. It is produced largely by lack of pressure,
and is seen in many amputated stumps, in which it has much to do
with the conicity of the same. It is seen in certain cases of typhoid
fever or in forced confinement of the young in bed, where the bones
appear to grow at a much more rapid rate than normal. It may also
be due to unequal amounts, or defects, of nutritive supply, especially
that furnished by the periosteum, and in certain other cases seems
to be a purely reflex or trophoneurotic change which is always
inexplicable. Frequently accompanying it is muscular wasting, which
is to be explained rather by reflex action through the cord, produced
perhaps through the mechanism of the terminal filaments of the
articular nerves.
Ostitis Deformans.—Ostitis deformans is often called Paget’s
disease of the bones, and is a condition found
alike in long and flat bones, the osseous tissue being condensed in
texture and increased in amount, or at other times the osseous
tissue becoming quite porous and the spongy tissue rarefied without
alteration in the marrow. It is due to the unknown causes which may
be summed up in the expression trophoneurotic, a painful and a
painless form having been described, the former the more frequent.
It produces deformities, disfigurements, and hypertrophies of the
long bones. It is distinguished from arthritis deformans, described in
the previous chapter, which is a distinct malady.
In the skull it is usually the face bones which are most involved,
although the disease often commences in the cranial bones. The
skull proper may be thickened even to 3 Cm. The thorax becomes
globular or cubic in form, the arms are relatively too long, and there
is usually dorsal kyphosis; the pelvis is thickened and distorted; the
ribs are augmented in size and the femora irregularly curved; the
patellæ enlarged; the tibiæ more massive and their curves
exaggerated. The disease is essentially symmetrical, commonly
commencing in the cranium and radius. Fractures are rare, because
the bones become stronger rather than weaker.
In many instances these changes are accompanied by severe
pains, which may be exaggerated by pressure. The malady is
usually regarded as rheumatism, but it may be said that even were
accurate diagnosis made early it would scarcely avail in treatment,
since there is none for it. It may require to be distinguished from
hereditary syphilis, in which the tibiæ have more of the saber shape;
from acromegaly or leontiasis, which begin in the bones of the face
and involve the cranium only secondarily.
Osteoarthropathie Hypertrophiante Pneumique.—Under this
title, which has
no exact equivalent in English, was described, in 1890, by Marie, a
peculiar affection, often wrongly spoken of in this country as Marie’s
disease. This is in large part a pulmonary affection accompanied by
enlargement of the extremities. There is reason to believe that there
are present microörganisms, giving rise to products that are
absorbed into the general circulation, the result of whose presence is
an irritative hypertrophy of certain parts, particularly the joints and
ends of the fingers, the elbow-, shoulder-, and knee-joints, and often
the wrist. There is also ordinarily dorsolumbar kyphosis, which in
acromegaly is usually cervicodorsal. The cranium remains intact; the
borders of the jaw are sometimes involved.
Acromegaly.—Acromegaly is so named from its tendency to
increase the volume of the bone extremities or
apices. The first case of this disease was published by Marie in
1885. It is characterized by progressive increase in weight, by
enlargement of all the extremities, bones and soft tissues alike; but
the most characteristic involvement is that of the lower jaw, the upper
jaw being little if at all affected. The lower jaw assumes enormous
size and projects so that its teeth are far in front of those of the
upper. The supra-orbital ridges enlarge, as do also the sternal ends
of the clavicles and costal cartilages. As the disease progresses the
ribs are widened and the scapulæ enlarged, the vertebræ and the
intervertebral cartilages thickened and fused together, causing
usually cervicodorsal kyphosis. The long bones of the limbs suffer
later, especially at the lowermost joint ends—i. e., hands and feet.
The viscera are rarely affected, but there is a peculiar and
characteristic enlargement, usually of the thyroid and pituitary
bodies. The lower cervical ganglion of the sympathetic is also
sclerosed; the mucous membrane of the nose is usually
hypertrophied; the uvula is enlarged and the larynx often participates
in the changes. Acromegaly is essentially symmetrical, and for each
change upon one side of the body is noticed a corresponding
alteration upon the other. Particular features are observed in
individual cases, but the above are practically common to all.
Fig. 240 Fig. 241
 Osteoarthropathy. (Marie.) Acromegaly. (Original.)

The underlying pathological condition is as yet undetermined,

though most indications point to late alterations along the original
craniopharyngeal tract of the young embryo, whose remains are best
known in the pituitary body and the thyroid. On this account there is
reason for trying the treatment by extract of the pituitary body, or
even of the thyroid. The greatest complaint usually is of headache,
which is difficult of relief. The disease is steady, progressive,
unaffected by treatment, and the prognosis bad, though its course is
slow.
Leontiasis.—A diffuse bilateral, symmetrical hypertrophy of the
bones of the face and later of the cranium, described
first by Virchow, the real origin appearing to be in the superior
maxillæ, the result being a peculiar leonine appearance of the face,
hence the name given to the disease. There is no distinct tumor
formation in the bone, but rather the entire structure of the bones
involved is affected. As it advances function of the parts is interfered
with, mastication becomes impossible, headache and pain are
constant. The special senses are disturbed because of involvement
of their nerves, and patients die usually from inanition, because no
longer able to chew and swallow food. It is distinguished from
Paget’s disease, because it shows no tendency to involve the rest of
the skeleton; from acromegaly, in which the general shape of the jaw
is preserved, though its dimensions are magnified; from tumors of
the jaw or face, because of its symmetrical enlargement. Its
pathogeny is as obscure as that of the other bone affections
mentioned in this list, and its treatment as unsatisfactory.
 Fig. 242

Leontiasis: skull of a Chinese woman. (U. S. A. Museum, No. 10,620.)

TUMORS OF BONE.
As between the various hypertrophic conditions of the bones
above noted should be distinguished the true neoplasms, which
answer all the requirements of the definition given in Chapter XXVI.
There are few of the true tumors which may not be met with in bone,
including the periosteum.

Fig. 243

Multiple enchondromas of fingers.

Fibromas.—Fibromas may spring from the periosteum, especially

about the jaws and from the base of the skull, from
which latter place they may project into the nasopharynx and
interfere with the welfare of the patient. Some of these tumors are
soft and succulent, as well as extremely vascular, and I have seen
death occur upon the table in an endeavor to remove a growth of this
kind, hemorrhage being uncontrollable.
 Fig. 244

Multiple ecchondroses and exostoses. Skeleton in the museum at Lyons.

(Poncet.)
 Fig. 245

Multiple ecchondroses and exostoses. (Lexer.)

 Fig. 246

Cancellous osteomas springing from the diploë. (Musée Dupuytren.)

 Fig. 247 Fig. 248

Sarcoma of femur. (Buffalo Fungating osteosarcoma of cranium.

Clinic.) (Pemberton.)

Cartilaginous Tumors.—Cartilaginous tumors, as stated in

Chapter XXVI, are not often found outside
of the bony skeleton. They may spring from cartilaginous extremities
of growing bones, from epiphyseal cartilages, or from the interior of
long and short bones, where their origin is probably due to inclusion
of cartilaginous elements, as comprehended in Cohnheim’s theory.
In young children they are often multiple and involve various parts of
the body. Occurring in adults they are less often multiple, but may
attain considerable size. (See Fig. 243.) They are found usually
about the ribs, sternum, pelvis, and femora. If the entire structure of
a given bone be involved in a growth of this kind, its eradication—
that is, amputation—will probably be necessary.
When otherwise, complete removal with careful cauterization of
the base of the growth or surface from which it sprang will usually be
sufficient. These cartilaginous tumors tend on one hand to mucoid
softening and cystic formation, and on the other to calcification or
ossification, by which the original cartilaginous character of the
growth may be concealed.
—Osteomas are by some writers made to include exostoses and
hyperostoses. In accordance with the system followed in this work
only those growths are considered as tumors which are of no
physiological usefulness, and it is preferable to maintain a distinction
between osteomas and the exostoses or bone hypertrophies, which
pertain either to evolutionary relics or to constitutional affections.
There is, however, a peculiar form of exostosis which becomes
covered by an adventitious bursa, whose walls become in time quite
thick, which is called exostosis bursata. In the cavity of this bursa
may frequently be found rice-grain or other fibrinous concretions.
This lesion is common in the neighborhood of joints, and the new
bursa frequently communicates with the joint cavity (Fig. 249).
—Myxomas are rare in bone, and are seen usually only as
degenerated forms of cartilaginous bony or malignant growths. They
lead to cystic degeneration. A primary growth of this kind has for its
origin the bone-marrow.
—As already described, sarcoma of bone should not be confused
with osteosarcoma. (See Sarcoma.) The former refers to sarcoma
springing from the true osseous tissue or periosteum. When central
the bony walls are expanded and form a shell. Osteosarcoma refers
to a tumor springing from the original connective tissue which holds
the bony elements together, and contains osseous tissue scattered
through it. Sarcoma occurs usually in the long bones, although none
are exempt; mostly single, it nevertheless may be multiple. It occurs
frequently in the young, is seen even at birth, and in these instances
is supposed to take its origin usually from epiphyseal structures. No