Guardian of Honor (39 page)

No control. None. He yanked the belt of his robe open, brought her
onto him. Plunged into her deep.

She sang a Song of rising desire and he had to have her. Magic and
body, heart and soul. Her Song plucked all his own chords, pulled at his magic
to blend with hers.

He forged into her, retreated, lunged deep again, the rhythm and
beat and Power nothing he'd felt before, nothing he could deny. Her hands
convulsed around his shoulders, nails digging in. He had to taste her mouth as
she climaxed, had to drink her Song into himself. His wild magic burst free and
he shuddered, pouring all of himself into her.

That night he shared himself with her as he'd done with no other.
He fulfilled unrecognized desires. Only sensation, only loving, only intimacy
mattered.

20

I
f Alexa opened her eyes, she'd see sunlight—and she wasn't ready
for the day.

"I'm sorry," Bastien whispered. The lightest of
butterfly touches flowed into her mind with the lilting melody reverberating
between them. Though his voice was rough with morning, waves of tenderness
flowed to her from him, along with his gentle caress on her shoulder.

No use pretending she was asleep. No use pretending either, that
there was no Pair link between them. The Song ran true and strong. She opened
her eyes to see him on his side, leaning toward her, eyes intense. Suddenly the
strangeness of him, of the bond, of
everything
hit her and she scrambled
out of bed. She grabbed a throw and draped it around herself. Alexa didn't know
what he was apologizing for and didn't think she wanted to know. Her face
heated as she recalled everything they'd done to each other
in the dark.

"Good, fine," she squeaked. She looked around. Where was
Sinafin when Alexa needed her as a distraction?

He stacked a couple of pillows and plumped them up, then sank back
on them with a sigh, still staring at her. The covers rode downward and exposed
his muscular torso.

"I'm sorry that I ran from you the last time we had loving,
just as you're trying to distance yourself now. It's a little fearsome, isn't
it, being so close to a person—physically, mentally, emotionally?"

His words were loud and distinct in her mind, in her ears.
Lladranan, but better than before. The floor seemed to tilt under her feet. She
let go of her tunic and grabbed the bedpost. "Lladranan. The language,
it's even clearer now. I think I'm getting nuances, inflections, connotations.
Whew!" And because she could, she knew how heavy her accent was. She
wanted to plop down on the bed, but it was too damn high.

Bastien sat up, set his hands on her waist and lifted her back to
the bed beside him with no magic, sheer muscle. Another daunting thing—that he
was so strong. She'd have to grab on to her self-confidence, hard, or he'd
overwhelm her.

He looked smug.

His arm came around her waist and pulled her close. "I'm
sorry I ran. It was rude."

He brushed a soft kiss on her mouth and her insides clutched at
the taste of him. With every word, every gentle caress, she felt her options
narrowing, felt more herded down a specific path.

"Shh." His large hand stroked down her back. "Don't
be afraid. This will come out all right."

She fought to keep her inward trembling from showing and wondered
how often the shock of being in an alien culture would overwhelm her.

"So I am sorry I ran from the situation. That was my worst
fault with you, but not the only thing I must apologize for."

The warmth of his body comforted her. She could deal with this new
turn of events, she knew it, she just needed a little time. Being so intimate
with another could be a
good
thing, cement her status in Lladrana. The
night before, he'd been so easy to talk to, so understanding. Maybe she could
give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, there was no denying how far
they'd explored each other. It
hadn't
been just sex.

He set her back in the curve of his arm, then tipped up her chin
so her eyes met his. Since his touch was gentle, one she could break easily,
she let him do it.

"I'm also sorry that I never thanked you for saving my
life."

She dipped her head. "You're welcome. Last night, you said
you remembered. I didn't think you could."

Bastien chuckled, stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Not
remember such a face, the color of cream? Not recall such hair, so light and
fine? Such striking eyes?"

She blinked. "I think you're trying to use charm on me."

His smile was simply stunning. "Is it working?"

"Maybe."

He kissed her again, a little harder, a little deeper. "Your
charm works on me too. Your many charms."

The alarm claxon shrieked. Alexa was out of bed and dressed in two
minutes, padding, mail and all, and heading toward the door, when Bastien
snagged her arm.

"Wait."

"I can't." She struggled against his grip.

"Wait!
You are Paired now, and so am I. We are
Paired."

Alexa froze. "We fight together?"

"Yes," he said aloud.
Urvey, my gear, now!
he
mind-called, and Alexa heard him.

This would take getting used to.

Since she was waiting, she did some stretches. Wearing chain mail
hampered a person, even though it was magically "lightened." She
loosened her baton and her sword in their sheaths.

Sinafin zoomed in through the window, no longer a pretty red bird
with a long tail, but a hawk, ready to fight.

Jumpy at being made to stay when she itched to go, Alexa demanded,
"Where have you been?" It was the first time she'd ever asked. She'd
always figured Sinafin was entitled to her privacy.

The bird stared at her, at Bastien who strode to the door to open
it for Urvey.
Good. You have composed a Pairing Song between you. Now we
will see real results!

"Yeah, sure." Today would be
the
day. The day she
was no longer just Marshall Alexa. The upcoming battle would determine her
status once and for all, and the longer she had to wait, the more anxious she
became. It was so much easier to get into the middle of a fight and let her
physical and magical training take over.

She went into her sitting room, where Urvey was garbing Bastien.
Big, strong, tough. Her breath clogged in her throat. She was looking at a male
in his prime, a man ready to defend his land with his life. It didn't matter
that she was clothed the same way, she felt a primal wave of attraction of the
female for a strong male protector. She shook her head at her reaction. She was
a liberated woman, but her hormones kept tingling.

Bastien wore his new chain mail and a midnight-blue surcoat. The
surcoat had his coat of arms and her purple flower embroidered on it. Alexa
inhaled shakily.
Paired.
This man would work with her, fight with her,
defend her. And she would do the same. Even now she felt the deep humming of
the tune between them, signifying the bond that would make them a team as good
as any of the Chevalier Pairs. Their energy would mix well, providing them both
with strength; their communication would be flawless.

As he raised his arms for Urvey to buckle his swordbelt on,
Bastien winked.

Alexa tried a smile.

He grinned, then lowered his arms and settled his sword in place.
Alexa wondered which baton he would choose, if he Tested to be a Marshall. She
was sure he'd pass. But would he want to Test? She frowned. He'd made no bones
about not caring for the Marshalls. How would he work with his father? How
would
they?

She started her deep-breathing cycle, raising her magic, and
knew
that she and Bastien would outperform Reynardus and Ivrog. Perhaps even
Thealia and Partis.

Bastien strode over, spurs jingling. His hands were still bare, as
were hers. He grasped her fingers and brought both her hands to his lips,
kissed her fingers, then released them and donned his flying gloves.
"Ready to go, Pairling?"

Alexa made her smile brighter. "Of course." She'd rather
crawl back into bed—or under it.

When they flew above the new incursion, they saw two groups of
Chevaliers battling some horrors—slayers and renders, with only one
soul-sucker. A few yards down the border, about fifteen monsters ran from the
rocky outcroppings of their own land into Lladrana. Alexa gasped. This was the
largest conglomeration of evil beasts she'd seen since coming to Lladrana.

She pointed, and Bastien nodded, his face grim. His volaran
plummeted down near the new horrors.

Bastien's volaran whirled, dove, pirouetted—and lost Alexa. The
flying horse's horrified neigh matched Bastien's clutching heart. He
could
not
lose her, not after they'd had so very few minutes together.

Alexa found herself airborne. She drew in a huge breath of sharp,
cold air and let it out in a shrilling "Eek" that was also a spell.

It slowed her descent, and seemed to slow time too, so she could
think.

Being a lousy rider and flier, she'd known this would happen.
Maybe often. So she and Madame had prepared for the worst. When Madame had
asked what she would naturally say in the circumstances and Alexa had let out
her "eek," Madame had looked appalled. Alexa always knew Madame was a
tough cookie, but that had confirmed it. No doubt, Madame, if she'd been so
clumsy as to fall off a horse, would have chanted "float like a
feather." Alexa just figured "eek" was better than
"shiiit."

She'd hit the ground and roll, had to be ready to fight.

Midair she pulled her broadsword, bespelled to be light and
magical and very, very sharp.

She cut off upraised paws, then cleaved the render's body in two
furry halves as her feet hit the earth. She blocked out the sight of spurting
dark blood, of mutilated monster parts. The kill had steadied her landing. She
spun and her sword sliced the abdomen of the slayer open, spilling slimy green
guts.

Hearing a cry, she ran toward it, panting, scanning her path for
monsters. Thealia shouted again, and took the head off a soul-sucker. The
monster crumpled.

It materialized from a dark thickening of the air, wings flapping
with a slow, scaley thunder.

"Dreeth!" Faith screamed.

The pterodactyl-thing dove for the largest volaran on the
field—Bastien's.

Then Alexa was there, before it, encompassed by it, slashing its
leathery underbelly, hacking at a wickedly clawed ankle. She didn't know how to
fight it. Didn't know anything save it was huge and its stench choked her and
she was terrified it would kill her and if she killed it first it would fall
and crush her. Her baton flew to her left hand. She stepped in, closer to the
underbelly.

Alexa!
Bastien shouted-sang in her ear. A whirlwind of Power snapped
between them, sounding like the roar of a cannon, blinding her, deafening her,
bathing her in an eerie green aura.

She jammed the flaming end of her baton into the dreeth.
"Die!" she screamed, and flung all that she had, all that she was,
and all she could of Bastien, into the command-spell, pouring the dark horror
of Power into its convulsing body until blackness claimed her.

It's falling! Help me get her!
Bastien cried,
desperate to link with the Marshalls and save his lover.

Power flooded into him, more than he'd ever had even in his
wildest times of uncontrolled magic. He pulled his short-sword and directed the
Power. "Burn!" he commanded. The sword did, and when he thrust it
into a membraned wing, the dreeth went up like torched parchment. Bastien
jumped from his volaran, scooped up his fallen woman—she was so small!—and ran
from the flaming monster, which was burning like a small tower.

His volaran caught him by his neck and took off, carrying Bastien
and his lady, flying only a few feet from the ground and then landing in the
midst of the gathered Marshalls.

Bastien sank to the ground, cradling Alexa. She was pale, but breathing,
alive and strong—he knew that from their link, the Song that reverberated to
the depths of his mind, his heart. Her hand still curled around the Jade Baton,
which looked completely unharmed. A marvel.

"Congratulations!" Reynardus grinned and slapped Bastien
on the shoulder. "You have found your fate,
Shield
Bastien."

Thealia sent Reynardus a dirty look. "It has never been a
dishonor for a man to be a Shield, for a team to be female Sword and male
Shield."

"Of course not," Reynardus said, his tone clearly
indicating the opposite.

Settling Alexa more comfortably in his arms, Bastien used
trembling fingers to smooth her silver hair back from her face. Then he
narrowed his eyes and looked up at his father with an equally mean grin, baring
his teeth.

"It's been a long, long time since a Marshall Pair has
brought down a dreeth."

Reynardus frowned. Before he could speak, Faith said, "Three
centuries, since the last one appeared. A bad sign that it has come now."