Casey's Warriors (Bondmates) (30 page)

He’d suffered and triumphed with these men, building a bond in battle and in times of peace that couldn’t be denied. Because Lorn loved them in an odd way she did as well even though she’d never met them. It was kind of like the way she loved her best friends, but a little more intense. Lorn made no effort to hide the fact he found the idea of these men bonding with her to be highly arousing.

Highly
arousing.

And when he talked about Nast being with her, his horniness shot off the charts to the point where he’d had to stop and fuck her into a screaming orgasm before he could continue. Not that she minded that one bit. If half of what Lorn had told her about Nast was true he was a remarkable man by anyone’s standards and Lorn loved him deeply. She waited to feel jealous of their love, had expected resentment, but it was impossible for her to be jealous of something that really did not affect Lorn’s feelings for her. During their discussions he kept his side of the bond wide open, letting her experience every nuance of his emotions. Whenever he talked about Nast she’d experienced her husband’s love for him like it was her own, a rather peculiar sensation, but not bad.

Lorn had charmed her with stories of growing up with Nast, making it hard to reconcile the mighty Warrior Jaz told her about with the man who’d cleared a spot of land by hand so that she might have a garden where she could go if she needed some time by herself. She had to admit she was more than a little curious to see if Nast lived up to her husband’s expectations. Hell, if she was being honest with herself she was more than curious, she was eager in a way she didn’t quite understand but didn’t fight. It sure beat the hell out of being scared.

“Ready,
alyah
?”

Blowing out a long breath she nodded. “Let’s go.”

He laughed and held her hand as they left their apartment. “You look as if you are going off to battle. Relax, Casey. I promise you will enjoy this almost as much as I will.”

“Right.”

Lifting her in his arms he brought her up so she was eye level with him. “You do not have to do this,
alyah
.”

“I want to do this. You know I do.”

“I also feel your apprehension. If it is too soon please tell me. I would rather wait until you are ready than to push you into doing something you do not want.”

She gripped two fistfuls of his hair and brought their faces together until they were forehead to forehead. “Listen to me, husband, I want to do this, and not just for you. Shit, look, I…I dreamed of Nast last night. At least I think I did. Does he have light green eyes and a scar on his neck going from his ear to his collarbone? Does he have a ticklish spot on his shoulder where if you bite him there it makes him shiver? And does he like to sing to you while he holds you?”

“For you he would sing. It is the tradition for the men of his region to sing love songs, but only for their
alyah
.” Joy surged through him and he hugged her so hard she had to thump him to ease up. “You true dreamed of him.”

Slipping out of his arms she scowled at him as she tried to fix her dress. “What does that mean?”

“It means your souls found each other. The Lord of Life will sometimes show you your bondmate before you meet so you know it is meant to be.”

“Wow…really?”

“Yes, really. I dreamed of you while I was still on Kadothia. It was such a strong dream that I still carried the scent of you on my hands when I woke.”

“That’s crazy. Why didn’t I dream of you?”

“It is usually one partner that dreams of the other. I sometimes wonder if we true dream and neither of us remember it.” He shrugged. “I have no idea why, the priests and philosophers have their theories. I just accept it as the will of the Lord of Life. My personal belief is he sends the dream to the person who needs it the most. Before I found you I was terrified, Casey, by the thought that I was not meant to find my bondmate in this lifetime.”

A hint of his fear stroked her and she grabbed his hand, tugging him down until he knelt before her. “What is it you always tell me? That the Lord of Life is love? Well if anyone is worthy of my love it’s you, Lorn. You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a husband.”

He smiled at her and gently kissed the swell of her breast where his mark stood out against her pale skin. “You are my greatest joy.”

Closing her eyes for a moment she let Lorn’s love wash over her and sent hers back to him before gently closing their bond. “Are you ready?”

“Ready to watch you have orgasm after orgasm? Of course.”

“Pervert.”

She rolled her eyes at him but his teasing did help a bit. Then they left the living quarters and came to one of the main social areas of the ship and she forgot about everything but the amazing sight before her. An open area about the size of two football fields stretched out six floors below her where all manners of stalls and tents had been set up in the space.

“What is that?”

“We have a fully operational public market available for our brides. It helps to show the wares of the planet and gives the bondmates an excuse to spoil their wives.” He gently tugged her arm. “Come on,
alyah
, if you like, we can go there later. I would love to take you to a restaurant where they serve food from the part of Kadothia where our home is. We grow the most perfect
sanga
fruit in all the galaxy and it is made into an exceptional wine.”

Reluctantly, she let him pull her away, fascinated by not only the items displayed below but by the people browsing the wares. It was easy for her to spot the Earth women among the crowd; they were much smaller than everyone else, and they were everywhere. Each one was smiling, touching and holding their bondmates, obviously in love. Seeing so many women from her planet did her heart good and helped ease some of her homesickness.

Lorn led her further through the immense ship and the reception they received startled her. Every Kadothian man they passed would salute her by touching the space over his heart with his fingertips and a small bow of their head. Lorn had told her no response was expected from her, but she couldn’t help but smile in return and that led to more than one bewildered man. After her smile caused a Scout they passed to walk into the wall she stopped Lorn so she could tug him down and whisper in his ear.

“Why are they so shocked when I smile at them?”

“You are a high-ranking Matriarch. It would be like…like a princess on your planet smiling at janitor.”

“That’s weird.”

He grinned and tugged her along. “Come, your Knights await.”

The urge to stick her tongue out at him was strong, but with the way people were studying them she resisted.

They reached a closed door and Lorn gave her hand a squeeze. “Lower your shields a bit, Casey. It will be easier for you. Remember, to them you are a princess and they are but lowly servants. Even Nast. Maybe especially Nast.”

She did as he asked and his emotions flowed through her, a mixture of anticipation, worry, and love. A moment later he pressed his palm next to the door and a chime sounded before it slid open. Her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest as she entered the room and faced the three men her husband wanted her to have carnal relations with.

The apartment was similar to the one she shared with Lorn, but there was no artwork on the bare walls and it had an empty feeling. The men all stood as one, two Warriors in black and one Healer in green, each more than handsome in their own way and from their expressions, nervous as hell.

Well, except for the one in the middle.

Nast.

God, he looked just liked he had in her dreams and…hungry. No, ravenous, like he was a starving man and she was an all you can eat buffet. Her body gave a surge of arousal as she met his green-eyed gaze and embarrassment had her looking away while her nipples stiffened with desire. It didn’t help, because the image of Nast’s beautiful green eyes and chiseled features were etched forever into her mind, blending with her dreams and making her ache for his touch.

Worse yet, she could
feel
him and it was all she could do to stay in place and not throw herself at him so he would pick her up, hold her to that amazingly hard body and give her the gentleness he hid from the rest of the universe. The intense reaction of both her body and mind scared her. She didn’t feel this way about strangers, hell she didn’t feel this way about anyone but Lorn, yet there was no denying her soul deep need for this stranger with his silken red and gold hair. Her heart raced and she reached out to Lorn, letting out a shuddering sigh when his love embraced her and chased away the fear.

Lorn looked down at her and gave her a smile filled with gentle understanding. He bent and whispered into her ear, “Be easy,
alyah
, what has upset you so?”

She tugged him down until she could whisper as soft as she could directly into his ear, “I can feel Nast. I can feel how much he needs me. His hunger…God I’ve never felt anything like that. How can he live with such hunger without going mad?”

He turned his head to speak into her ear so his lips grazed her skin. “Do not be afraid, he will not push you into doing anything.”

“I’m not afraid of Nast. I’m afraid of how much I want him, of how much I want to fill the emptiness in his soul, of how desperate I am for his touch. This is insane.” Happiness combined with desire flowed through their bond and she huffed out a breath. “Don’t get all excited. I haven’t promised to do anything.”

“But you want to,” Lorn said with laughter in his voice. She tried to jerk away but he looped an arm around her waist, holding her close. “Be calm, Casey. We will take this slow and easy. Let me introduce you to the men. Perhaps it will ease your anxiety if you know them.”

Her husband released her and stepped forward then clasped the shoulder of the man on the left. “My Matriarch, may I present Onyo of the House Casil.”

Grateful he hadn’t started with Nast, she focused on the young Warrior and tried to ignore the increasing clamor of her heart for Nast. With long black hair and golden skin, Onyo had surprisingly full lips any woman would kill for. His eyes were a pretty light green and when he stepped forward and knelt before her, she found that he smelled like a pleasant mixture of spices. Even on his knees he was almost as tall as she was so when she moved to give him the ritual kisses of welcome, the first being on his forehead, his face was almost buried in her breasts, exposed to show her bondmark. Leaning forward, close enough now that his lips barely grazed her cleavage, she bestowed the welcoming kiss on his forehead, then on each of his soft eyelids, an act of supreme trust on his part meant to honor her.

A blast of male heat came from Lorn and she shot him a dirty look while he had the balls to try and appear innocent. When Onyo stood again his gaze held a definite sensual tone and she inwardly sighed. While Kadothian men had sex with women, they were usually brothel workers who knew not to get attached. To have a Matriarch touch them in such an intimate fashion was one of the most erotic moments of their lives. To these men she was the epitome of sexy, which was very, very weird.

Lorn moved onto the next man. “My Matriarch, may I present Nast of House Enn.”

Almost unwillingly her gaze went to the man who meant so much to her husband, and if she was being honest, to her as well. As soon as he filled her sight, a warmth surged through her that made her pant softly while her body went into sexual overdrive. She fought the sensation, and she might have been able to handle her own desires, but with Lorn practically screaming his need at her she was helpless to do anything more than remain upright.

There was a definite swagger in Nast’s stride as he moved to kneel before her. With his exotic deep red-streaked blond hair he was undeniably handsome. Add the sea green tilted eyes and he rivaled Lorn for the Sex-on-a-Stick title. There was something about him, some intangible energy that seemed to draw her. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through his fabulous hair, to kiss the scar that ran from his ear to his collarbone. For some reason Nast seemed more…real than the other men. She knew he was older and it showed in the way he carefully assessed her. While the younger men might look at her with something bordering on awe, he looked at her like a grown man confident in himself and in what he wanted.

And Nast wanted her with a passion so great she struggled to understand it.

Taking a deep breath she stepped forward and stiffened when he boldly nuzzled her breasts. Acting on instinct, she grabbed his ear and jerked his attention to her. “Behave.”

The other men laughed while Nast gave her a roguish grin. Oh, he was trouble. “Forgive me, Matriarch, it has been a long time since I’ve been presented with such bounty. You smell like the sweetest summer sunshine, all warmth and life. So sweet that your body melting on my tongue would taste like candy and I have a very big sweet tooth.”

All she could do was blink at him while Lorn’s arousal added to her own burn until she ached and the swollen folds of her pussy flooded with her juices to the point where her inner thighs grew slick. Nast flared his nostrils and audibly inhaled, then gave her a slow, dirty smile. He lowered his head again and her nipples grew hard and aching from more of Lorn’s hot male desire pouring through their link. Well, that and her own sudden urge to let Nast do whatever the hell he wanted to her. There was no denying how much she wanted him, not when she stood here glassy-eyed with desire. When she leaned forward to kiss his forehead, Nast’s breath was hot on her skin, stroking her own excitement until she shuddered at the slightest brush of his lips over her cleavage when she kissed his eyelids. She didn’t move away immediately; instead, she fairly shook with the need to touch him. Her skin grew excruciatingly sensitive and she whimpered.

Nast whispered against her breasts, “Easy, little Matriarch. I will take care of you.”

When Nast stood again he paused for a moment to look down on her, his gaze promising a long, hard fuck if she’d give him the chance. Then his desire pulled back and the loneliness, the desperation filling him tickled at her senses and she stood on her tiptoes and reached up, brushing a stray strand of his hair back from his face.