Valan's Bondmate (8 page)

"Come here, Lia."

"I haven't finished my juice." She pretended to take a sip from the empty tankard.

"Get over here, now. I want to talk to you."

"I can hear you from here."

"I want you closer."

Reluctantly, she approached him and stood with the desk between them. Valan rolled his chair away from the desk and beckoned to her. One large hand fell to his hard lap. "Here."

She stayed where she was, indecision on her beautiful face. "You said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, and when we talk, this is where you will sit."   

"Why?"

"Because it is what I want and it will help you to concentrate on one thing at a time."

"You're the only one having trouble doing that." She blushed a fiery red when she realized she’d just told him she was angry he’d aroused her and then walked away.  

"Last night you pleased me very much."

He confused her. One moment he was harsh and demanding, the next, he was gentle and soothing. Her own feelings confused her even more. Earlier, she’d been angry but now her rage was mixed up with this strange desire for him. 

He patted his thighs, and grinned at her. "Here."   

"Is it the law I must sit there?"

Valan sighed. "It’s my law, Lia. Now, get your ass over here before I decide to take my hand to it." 

She responded to the tone of his voice more than his words and allowed him to pull her onto his lap. One hard arm supported her back, the other slid across her thighs and caressed her hip.

"The gowns in the closet are for you, Lia."

"I want my own clothes back."

"You’re clothes have been destroyed. You'll have to wear the gowns I chose for you."

"There are no shoes."  

"You don't need shoes."  

"My feet are cold."

"I’ll warm them." His hand slid down her leg to her foot. She tucked it out of his reach.

He grinned at her. "Now, tell me the real reason you don’t want to wear the gowns."

"They are the gowns of a pleasure giver."

"You are a pleasure giver." He caressed her hip as he spoke. "My pleasure giver."

His words brought tears to her eyes. She buried her face in his neck and hid them from him. She couldn't bear it if he laughed at her for wanting a child of her own. His arms tightened around her.

"Besides preparing our meals you will be responsible for keeping our quarters clean."

"What will I do with the rest of the cycle?"

"When I bathe, you will wash my back."

That wiped the smirk off her face.

"I won't."

"You will. You'll do whatever I demand of you."

When she stiffened and sat up, he jerked her against his hard chest. She let out a small shriek of outrage.

"You will obey me in all things, Lia. Do you understand me?" He slid his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face when she didn't answer him immediately.

"I understand your language perfectly, Valan."

"And, you will obey me?" When she hesitated, he growled.  

"Yes," she snapped. Then, added peevishly, "stop growling." 

One dark brow flicked up. "Is that a command?" His voice soft but threatening.

She shook her head.

"Rephrase your request."

"Please, stop growling at me, Valan."

"Better. You will not be allowed to leave these quarters without me. When you are allowed to leave, you will behave. Any mischief you cause will be harshly disciplined. In a few cycles, if you behave, I will take you on a tour of my starship."

"So, you expect me to accept this situation? I won't, and no amount of disciplining will make me." As he started to interrupt her, she rushed on. "You wouldn't accept being abducted and held against your will."

"I’m a warrior."

"It doesn't make a difference. Females have feelings, Valan. I have feelings."

"You will please me by accepting your position as my pleasure giver."

"What if I don't want to please you? What if I don't want to be a pleasure giver?" The knowledge that she would never be a mother reminded her of her own mother and the last words she’d spoken to her. Tears ran down her cheeks. "What about my mother, Valan? She must be frantic with worry by now."

***

Valan never had to deal with these kinds of tears before. In the past, females cried in his arms with pleasure, but never sorrow. They’d cried when they wanted a trinket or when he’d left them. Lia slid her arms around him and rubbed her wet cheeks on his chest. The action had a profound effect on him. Clumsily, he patted her back, as he was filled with an unfamiliar wave of remorse. 

Had his own mother ever cried like this? He couldn't remember ever seeing her cry. His twin sister, Magda, cried all the time. Usually, when he and Cam refused to allow her to come along on one of their adventures. But, as young warriors, they’d simply laughed at her tears and tried to send her away. She’d never obeyed them though. Stubbornly, she’d follow behind them until they gave in and made her part of their group.

The memory of how disobedient Magda was surprised him. He remembered complaining to his father about her but he’d only laughed and ordered him to let Magda tag along. A wave of sorrow and longing rushed over him. He hadn't thought about his twin sister in annuals. It’d been easier to remember her and his mother the way they’d been the last time he’d seen them. Happy and eager for his and his father’s return when the truth was they’d already been dying from the Wrothian virus and didn’t know it.

"Can't you let her know I’m alive, Valan?"

Lost in his memories, it took him a moment to answer her. "No."

"Please, Valan. You can't let her go on hoping to find me. That would be cruel."

Her words, coming so soon after his memories of his mother and Magda tore through him. "Cruel? You Wrothians know about cruelty. Thank Tor, you're still alive and not dead like my mother and sister." Standing, he let her slip from his lap to the floor at his feet. He bent down, looming over her. "Do you think I wanted you, the daughter of Selik ad-San as my mate? Don't ever beg me for mercy, Lia. For you, I have none." He stepped over her, slammed his hand against the panel on the door and stormed out.

Chapter Four

Cursing her, Valan stormed into the gymnasium with the intention of working off his rage. It should have been empty. Instead it was crowded with warriors. Some of them leaned against the walls, dripping with sweat, as they watched their companions fight. The battle practice was unusually fierce, and the room rang with their curses and grunts of pain. Seeing Cam slumped in the corner of the room, Valan squatted down next to him.

"What are my warriors doing?"  

"Fighting."

"I can see that, but why so fiercely?" Observing them, he saw most sported bruises on some part of their body. Surprisingly, not one of them had a mark on his face. A dark brow lifted in inquiry.

"It’s the plan."  

"The plan?"

"Doctor Veeson said the more we touch our mates the more our fever will transfer to them. Tonight, I will demand my female massage my bruised body." His wicked grin told the rest of the story.

"The others?" Valan asked, indicating the other warriors in the room.

"The same."

Valan laughed. The other warriors, suspecting what he’d been told, joined in. Cocky grins replaced disgruntled frowns. Valan stood. "I bid you luck. Now, who challenges me?"

***

Lia muttered as she absently straightened the room. Her nose twitched as she caught a whiff of Valan's scent as she smoothed the white fur over the bed. Unlike Gorm, who always smelled of blood and sweat, Valan's scent was clean and tantalizing. Frowning at her thoughts, she patted it into place and bent to pick up his discarded clothes. She hung them in the closet next to the gowns he’d chosen for her and cursed him again. So, he hated all Wrothians but her specifically!

She chose a green gown from the rack and held it up to the light. It shimmered and changed from green to gold as the light played over it. The material was beautiful and felt soft and silky. It looked more like the white gown she'd first worn on the starship although the material felt thicker.

She tried it on and smiled, fanning her hand over the row of gowns. All of them were designed like the one she'd first worn. She giggled when she realized she’d chosen a sleeping gown to wear to lunch. No wonder he'd been amused. He must think she was an idiot.

With the room cleaned and nothing left to do, she wandered to the bookshelves, chose a couple of books, and paged through them. Her attention was caught by a phrase on one of the pages—the best defense is a good offense. Intrigued, she read what the author had to say on the subject and laughed when she recognized the philosophy behind his thoughts. It was the same as the lessons her mother taught her on how to deal with unreasonable warriors. Of course, the weapons were different but the end results were the same.

She curled in his chair and plotted his downfall. Before they reached Zarronia she had to convince him to make her a child giver. Her first weapon would be his desire. Even though he claimed to hate her, she noticed he got aroused every time he came near and it would work in her favor.

His behavior confused and enraged her but she'd been taught nothing caught a warrior’s attention faster than a sweet, willing woman. Satisfied with her plan, she propped her bare feet on the edge of his desk and read while she waited for her opponent to return.

***

Valan grunted his approval of the room’s neatness, while absently rubbing the bruises and welts on his chest. His eyes darkened when he saw what she was wearing. Stalking around the desk, he lifted her into his arms, gave her a bone-crushing hug and rocked his hips against hers. Urgently, he nibbled on her neck, while charting a path to the bed.

"Valan?"

"Hmmmm?" He licked her earlobe, then blew on it, drawing a shiver from her.

"I'm hungry."

"Good. Me, too." He nibbled on her lobe then adjusted her hips closer to his erection.

"Valan. Let me go. I’m hungry. I’ve waited for you to return so I could eat."  

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what?" Lia tipped her head to the side to give him better access to her neck.   

"Why didn’t you eat?" 

"You didn’t give me permission to eat."

Valan lifted her chin with his fingers and gave a fierce frown. "Have you been going without food?"

"You didn’t say I could eat without your presence."

"From now on you will eat whether I am present or not. Prepare our meal now."

He set her down and she hurried over to the food processors and began pushing buttons. She put the trays on the table and turned back to choose drinks for the two of them. He moved behind her and his hands made a quick foray down her back and gave her bottom a gentle pat. One arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his chest. The other came over her shoulder and pushed a button on the beverage processor. When the door slid open, he handed her a glass of wine and took the other for himself.

They ate in silence. Lia noticed his glass was empty so she fixed him another and received a smile when she placed it in front of him. Sipping at her own wine, she watched him take a drink and wondered how much it would take to get him drunk. Measuring his size, she decided there probably wasn't enough wine on the ship to do the job. She finished her meal, and quickly disposed of her tray and glass then grabbed his tray as soon as he took the last bite.

Valan cradled his glass in his large hands and watched her intently. "Have another glass of wine, Lia."

Nervously, she prepared another glass and carried it to the table. She sipped it and then ran her fingertip around the rim of the glass, making the crystal rim hum. "I'd like to talk to you about Zarronia, Valan."

"Then you know what you must do." His eyes swept to the chair behind his desk, then back to her.

Deliberately misunderstanding his silent message, she moved to the desk chair, and patted her lap.

Valan grinned. "If I did, there wouldn’t be enough left of you for me to enjoy."

A few seconds later he was in the chair and she was on his lap. She made herself comfortable then ran her fingers down his chest and grinned when the muscles rippled and tightened. She traced the ridges of his muscles, enjoying the feel of his bronze skin beneath her fingers. "I’ve been thinking about what you said. About hating me because of my sire." As he started to interrupt her, she covered his mouth with her slender fingers. "Please, let me finish."

Valan nodded, his eyes narrowed, one black brow drawn down. 

"Will the people on Zarronia hate me?" Her fingers pressed harder against his lips when he started to answer. He licked her fingers and she jerked them away. Her skin felt hot where his tongue had left a trail of moisture.

"If they find out who you are they will." His voice was casual as if it didn’t matter.   

"Oh." Unwanted tears gathered in her eyes. She’d hoped he would deny hating her, but not only did he hate her…all of his people would hate her. What kind of life was he taking her to? With the exception of Gorm, the people of her village liked her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what being surrounded by enemies would be like. "Are you going to tell them?"

"No. Stop crying. I don't like it."

"I can't help it. I don't want them to hate me."

"You will not concern yourself with the feelings of others. Your only duty is to please me." When the tears didn't stop, he carried her to the bed and dropped her on it.

"I will shower, and then you’ll massage my body."

Aggravated by his assumption she would obey his high-handed command, Lia frowned and furiously blinked the tears from her eyes. The war had begun. This was the first battle and he'd handed her a weapon. She was very, very good at massage. It was one of the things she’d been trained to do. With a soft giggle, she sprawled back on the bed and waited for him to return. The barbarian didn't know it, but she was about to win their first battle.