Authors: Elle Amour
“Aye,” both Drakkar and Rurik stated together.
“Good. Those items in disagreement then are our issues to
discuss.” Sophos’s golden gaze pierced through Jinn’s fragile demeanor. “Jinn, I
am witness to the fact that you promised yourself to Drakkar. This cannot be
denied. However, you are correct in stating that a time frame was not set, nor
were the conditions of the bonding. First, I am assuming that the rite is of
the more modern variety.”
“Hell, yes,” Drakkar spat while Rurik grimaced. “I don’t
need any observers to tell me how to fuck.” He cast an eye at Rurik, whose face
had contorted so much it looked like a prune.
If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Jinn would have
laughed for over ten sleep cycles at her brother. Before Craddock’s devilment
had been revealed, as headmaster their uncle had required the witnessing during
Rurik’s bonding with Trista. It was an ancient and definitely out-of-use part
of the rite, but it remained on the books. Obviously, Rurik was still
uncomfortable with that.
Jinn’s annoyance peaked. “Sophos, what did they say? Will
they let me have the time or not?”
Drakkar scowled as he straightened and crossed his powerful
arms over his wide chest. Her brother practically did the same.
Jinn swallowed.
“They have a counterproposal. You want to be a warrior, yet
Drakkar has pledged to protect you. He does not want to risk his life
needlessly, thus, he wants you to prove yourself—by Vulgarian standards.”
Jinn glanced at Drakkar. His dark countenance boded ill.
“How?” she quipped, giving him a glare in return.
“By training in the Warrior’s Way.”
“What?” Jinn squinted, disbelieving what she’d just heard.
Behind her, Khariton’s muffled words hummed and a chair shifted.
“That isn’t fair.” Jinn pointed at Drakkar.
“It’s the only way they will accept your demands,” Sophos
intoned. “Doing this will give you time to think and to prove yourself.
However, neither Drakkar nor your brother are willing to wait indefinitely and
neither are your people. The treaty must be put into effect.”
Jinn crossed her arms over her breasts and scowled. “How
long is that going to take?”
“That depends on you,” Drakkar stated. “However, if you fail
the trial, you must agree to give up your warrior status and live with me on
Vulgaria. I will accept no less.”
Shatz
. Jinn really did want to scream. The arrogant
son of a bitch! “You cannot tell me what to do.”
The sinister leer on his face grew. “I won’t have to. You
will have already agreed. And after that, whatever you decide to do as a
profession must have my approval.”
“Screw you.”
His smirk only broadened. “I’m hoping that will be the case.
Often.”
“Grrr.” Jinn steamed as the other men in the room chuckled.
“God’s teeth, I hate men. Especially
you
.” If she’d had daggers, she
would have thrown them at Drakkar.
Rurik quirked his lips. “That never seemed to be the case
before. I know. I’ve had too many injuries from breaking up the paramours that
fought over you. Seems you pleased them quite well and they pleased you in
return. Jinn…”
His voice softened but she didn’t want to hear it. “Go to
hell, Rurik.” She turned to avoid looking at them both.
Rurik sighed. “It’s the only way, Jinn. The treaty has to go
into effect. You know that. And although you don’t agree with including the
bonding in the official transcript, you know, for our people at this time, it
only makes sense. Besides, you’ll have your freedom this way.”
She sneered. “Only with his approval.”
“That’s only for what you want to do as a profession.”
She closed her eyes at the onslaught. “The Warrior’s Way was
made for ground troops, the physical toughness of men. No woman has ever
completed it. I know. How am I supposed to compete with that?”
“Jinn,” Drakkar said, a quiet pleading echoing in his voice,
“the final stage includes being judged by your peers. You know how to work in a
team, how to lead men. That will show through. You’re right. No woman has ever
truly passed but there are a few that have come close. You could be the first.”
Jinn snapped her head toward him, ready to spit another
invective, but the look in his face told her he meant what he said. He was
giving her an out—the only one he knew. “Why do you want me to do this? Why not
just stand on your principles and tell me no?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. She knew him well enough by
now to know he fought the idea within himself. “You know my arguments against
your warrior status. I have not changed my mind on that.” He paused, contorting
downward a corner of his full lips. “What you don’t know is that I admire what
you have accomplished so far. I do not want to control your life, although it
might seem so. What I want is peace for our people and for you to be safe. I
cannot go about my duties if I think you are constantly putting yourself in
danger. I know you do not agree with this view, however, it is how I feel, and
I wish that my feelings in this be as respected by you as your desires are by
me. I am not neglecting what you want but I have pledged my life to protect
you. I do not think it an unreasonable task to prove to me that you can protect
yourself, if needed.”
His honesty did more to unseat her resolve than anything
else they had tried. “But this trial? There is no way I can best this.”
He huffed and smiled at the same time. “You won’t if you
believe that.”
She gulped. He was right. She glanced at her brother. Hope
glimmered lowly in his blue eyes. He wanted her to be safe as well.
And he trusted Drakkar to do just that.
She swallowed and turned away to let the enormity of this
sink in. It would upset her plans, but by the look of things, they would be
upset no matter what, still… “What happens
if
I fail?”
“We bond in the traditional way and you choose another
profession.” He snorted. “And we get off these damned infusions.”
She couldn’t help it. Even she snickered at that. Glancing
over her shoulder, she eyed the man she would one day pledge her life to. “And
if I pass?”
The gleam left his eyes, leaving only the sincerity. “I’m
good to my word, Jinn. I will let you be what you want. But either way, we
officially bond and live together on Vulgaria. We will have our children
there.”
She knew that about him. That he kept his word. Per his
sister, Kaia, Drakkar never broke it. Jinn sighed. It would delay her personal
mission—getting Craddock—but she knew there was no other way and she doubted
anyone else but her could find their uncle now. Inhaling slowly, she put her
own plans in place. Drakkar had stated that he would have to approve of her
profession if she failed.
But he never said anything about her hobbies.
“Fine.” She turned to face the two men who controlled her
life, ensuring her body stayed tense and that the angry glare still simmered on
her face. She didn’t want them to suspect she had her own path already set.
Both men sighed with relief, especially Drakkar, only his face was now lined
with tiredness. “It will be as you have stated.” She sneered then lowered her
voice and infused an ominous ring into the tone. “But don’t expect me to lose.”
Drakkar cast a knowing glance at Rurik and the two men
nodded. They expected her to fail. She knew that.
What they didn’t realize was that she’d already figured a
way out.
“Careful or I might think that you set this up on purpose just
to torment me,” Drakkar muttered through the side of his mouth after Rurik made
another muffled comment, ribbing him about Jinn’s agitated state, her coming
test at the hands of the Vulgarians and the lack of carnal pleasure that
Drakkar would receive from her, especially since she was convinced that the
Warrior’s Way was Drakkar’s idea.
But right now none of that mattered. What counted was
watching her formally verbalize the private agreement regarding their bond,
engraving it in the galaxy’s political, albeit secret, records—at least for
now. Jinn would officially mate with him and live with him on Vulgaria. More
pressingly, she would test herself with the rigors of the Warrior’s Way, opting
not to leave Vulgaria for any reason without Drakkar’s permission until the
trial was through. And if her attempt at the training failed, she would pick a
profession acceptable to Drakkar before they took the bonding rite. The
agreement was important. This union had to work. If it didn’t, the war might
start again, either side blaming the other for the failed marriage. Yet if
their bonding stood the test of time then Drakkar thought for sure their people
would find peace. He believed Rurik felt the same.
He just wished Jinn could understand this.
Which was why they needed to get off these damn infusions.
Their shared drive claimed each other and without consummation, he’d go
practically insane.
“How did you do it?” he muttered to Rurik who now watched as
Sophos read aloud the agreement.
“Do what?” his brother-in-law, in practice if not quite on
record, replied in a low voice from the side of his mouth.
“Stay away from Trista, your mate, for so long?”
Rurik huffed then smirked. “I didn’t want to endanger her
life. The risk to her safety was the only thing that kept me sane.” The man cut
his ice-blue eyes to him. “That and pounding the crap out of my enemies.
Especially you.”
Drakkar snorted and met him eye to eye, meeting the sardonic
challenge the man presented. “I did my best to oblige,” Drakkar grumbled,
emphasizing the mock aggression in his voice.
Rurik quirked one side of his lip upward. “I know.” He
rubbed the upper part of his arm as if wounded. “I felt the pain many times.”
They chuckled together in soft undertones so as not to
interrupt the proceedings, yet the understanding was there. They might not
trust each other or like each other, but they respected one another. That was
at least a start.
The room lay quiet as Sophos’s soprano voice resonated
within, the sound peaceful, calming. Drakkar watched Jinn, her emotions
unguarded. She worried her lower lip then licked the fleshy ridge and made it
wet.
His mate was troubled. Yet that one movement made him want
her. He knew her body now. How she felt in his arms. How his penis claimed the
moist center of her. How he could please her. He wanted to do that. Please her.
Yet he was unsure if he could. Something still troubled her. Something she kept
hidden from the rest of the galaxy. Even her brother. Something more than just
finding her uncle because Jinn just didn’t seem that avenging.
Drakkar wondered at that. Wondered what it could be and
prayed that time would tell. Somehow he had to find a way to combat whatever
the issue was.
“Rurik,” he muttered once more, hoping to get some
enlightened thought from one of the galaxy’s most brilliant strategists, “you
say you are now truly discovering your mate. That she fights you and stands
against the customs of our people.” He cleared his throat, hoping to word his
concern without causing any worries in his brother-in-law. “Is that affecting
your…relationship? How are you dealing with that?”
Rurik arched a brow at him.
Drakkar growled low in his throat. The mocking quirk of the
man’s mouth made Drakkar want to kick himself for revealing this weakness.
Mercifully, Rurik bent toward Drakkar’s ear. “I love her.
Even though we argue, I love her and always will. We will work it out because I
can no longer be without her.” He straightened and stared at Sophos in the
midst of completing her part of the proceedings. “Find that with Jinn and you
will succeed, no matter what happens.”
Love
. Drakkar turned back to study Jinn. He had loved
once or thought he had. But only after the damage was done had he discovered
that it hadn’t been love.
It had only been convenience. At least on his part. Yet he
ended up destroying the one woman who had ever told him she cared. He sighed,
knowing the war had hardened him. Could he ever harbor such a notion again?
He knit his brows as he watched Jinn. He’d already given a
voice signature to the agreement. Now it was her turn. She glanced warily at
him then at her brother. From a side glance, Drakkar eyed the man’s stern
profile.
Jinn pressed her lips together and straightened, putting on
a mantle of courage but Drakkar thought her eyes were overly bright. The
official documentation saddened her. She stared at Rurik a moment longer then
huffed and looked at Sophos.
“I agree to all that is in this, the bonding document
between Drakkar of Vulgaria and myself, Jinn of the royal house of
Skarptförstånd of Svendia.” She repeated Sophos’s words. “I swear it on the
blood of the ancients.”
The final words that sealed a pact between the Vulgarian and
Svendian people.
Before Drakkar could move, Rurik approach Jinn. He hugged
her to him and kissed her temple. “Be happy, baby sister,” he uttered, his
voice gruff. Then Rurik turned to Drakkar. “Take proper care of her.” Rurik
formally presented Jinn to Drakkar. “Take her with the family’s blessing.”
Fear still shone in Jinn’s eyes, yet the lust lingered
there. Drakkar took the proffered hand and pulled his mate into his embrace.
Finally, Jinn was his.
“He did what?” Craddock paced as Cassius relayed the terms
of the personal agreement between the regal Svendian and the common Vulgarian.
“Damn it. How could Rurik allow such a thing? Jinn is of royal blood.” He paced
again. “Things are moving too fast. I should have foreseen this and the fact
that Sophos would be involved, the bitch.”
Cassius held his tongue. The man bordered on insanity. How
could he reject the thought of a Svendian with a Vulgarian? They were of the
same people and Cassius was well aware that Craddock and his cronies used both
as volunteers in their fertilization studies. Craddock and a few of the others
had some lame idea that the split in their people was what caused the
infertility problem, but not so. It was the life-lengthening changes to the
ancients’ genomes that created the many infertility problems. But their belief
was another reason why Craddock and his compatriots wanted the war to go on.
Although they used the fighting as a cover for their practices, inherently they
wanted the people joined once more, but of course, that would be only under
their administration—one with an iron fist and the repressive practices of old.
“You must hurry and take her before they depart. Who knows
what that bastard will do to her?”
Cassius was sure it wasn’t anything as heinous as what
Craddock had planned to do to Jinn before he knew his niece was fertile.
“Move. Now. Before the portals open to space travel again.”
“Yes, Master.” Cassius bowed his head. He would not find
Jinn. Cassius would be surprised if the two of them hadn’t already departed
before the last portal closure but Craddock would not relent. He was too far
gone.
Gritting his teeth, Cassius donned his cape and hurried into
the cold pounding rain. He would meander around to buy some time and then try
to reach Hypatia, yet he couldn’t do that until the temple had cleared its
visitors.
Drawing in a deep breath, he rushed forward, wondering what
news the young Nyphosian priestess had for him.
* * * * *
Home
.
Drakkar stared out the viewing window into deep space,
relieved. The negotiations were behind him, thank God. He’d hurried to exit the
planet before the scheduled portal closure, an act instituted on Telrusia due
to their political upheavals. A mixed contingent of Vulgarians and Svendians
escorted Jinn and him to the small ship that had brought him, Khariton and
Hunter. Once on, Drakkar set the coordinates. Knowing the rush Drakkar was in,
Rurik had given Jinn a quick hug before he ushered her aboard and, Drakkar
suspected, he also gave her some advice. Once Drakkar and Jinn were boarded,
the rest left. Rurik was the last to exit. He hugged his baby sister again then
walked off the ramp. Even as Drakkar closed the bulkhead, Rurik’s gaze looked
worried. Drakkar understood. If it were his sister, he would feel the same.
Rurik trusted him to keep Jinn safe. Drakkar hoped he wouldn’t let the man
down, but he needed more information from Jinn to do that.
Drakkar pressed a few more buttons to activate the monitors
and set the autopilot. In his hunt for his mate, he’d opted for the much
smaller, fleeter ship than his battle cruiser. Being untagged, the vessel would
have proved harder for her to identify, should she have come across them. Since
they weren’t to be officially bonded—yet—he’d decided to take the craft and
leave the flagship to Khariton to manage.
This way their trip to Vulgaria could be kept secret, at
least for a while. Only the few who were at the Nyphosian outlet would know
about the agreement and Drakkar trusted those involved to keep things quiet,
but he also knew that would only last so long. Eventually, the word would get
out, which worried Drakkar, because until he understood Jinn’s true purpose for
clinging to her warrior status, he didn’t know where any threat would come.
Drakkar scanned the cramped helm as if looking for answers
to questions he had yet to ask. Not getting the required response, he settled
for appreciating the limited room. The ship only needed one person to run it,
which was good. It left Jinn alone with him. He wouldn’t have much time with
her before the new training cycle started. How much he wasn’t sure but he
needed to make the best of whatever time he had. His first priority was to get
to know her better and for her to get to know him. Hopefully she would allow
that to happen but knowing her level of irritation, he rather doubted she
would.
Frowning, he checked a few indicators on the screen. For a
long time, his soul had been devoid of passion. After his father’s demise in
the war, as well as one of his cousins and an uncle, Drakkar’s spirit had
hardened, his heart focused on winning or finding a peace.
Too much death. Too much pain.
Too much to let the
war go on. It inured him to all but finding an answer. Drakkar had always been
a logical man, and this forced him entirely into the train of thought, and how
to defeat Rurik or at least, how to come to an impasse and force the Svendians
to the peace table. But in a way, Rurik, helped that.
When he found that his uncle Craddock had been the one
behind all the tragedies, well, that cinched a small connection between Rurik
and himself. The losses on both sides were so great. Rurik had lost his father
too. Drakkar knew his number one combatant shared his hopes of peace. Now, the
realization of the dream was close. With the bonding of Jinn and him, the peace
would finally come.
Drakkar’s spirit soared at this knowledge, especially after
realizing Jinn, Rurik’s sister, was his mate. The scent of Jinn when he first
spied her in the Earther woods knocked him off his feet. His body knew she was
his, although his logical mind tried to get in the way. Yet, now the deed was
almost complete. Jinn would be his.
And the long-sought-after peace would be complete.
Drakkar checked the screen once more. The way was clear. A
solar wind from the Telrusian sun helped to speed them along. His planet would
be a sleep cycle or two away.
He watched the lights blink, mesmerizing him to some extent,
helping him to think, to plan his strategy to win Jinn over. She was angry with
him. In fact, she was pissed, but he hoped her ire would be short lived. Her
brother seemed to think so—if Drakkar didn’t do anything else to tick her
off—but who the hell knew with women? He’d never been able to figure that out,
not on a personal level.
Which was why the two of them needed to spend more time to
get to know one another. He wanted to understand what drove Jinn, what made her
tick. Why in the hell was she so adamant to find her uncle? So much that she
would risk her life to do so? Could it be vengeance, as Rurik suggested?
Drakkar huffed, thinking there had to be something more.
Jinn was smart, resourceful. And experienced. He could
personally vouch for that. If she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have been able to
elude him for so long. No, if vengeance was the only goal, she’d have played
this better, would have used all the sources at her command and been less
concerned that the one to deal the final blow would be she. Not that Jinn would
have wanted to let someone else mete out the justice. At least, he didn’t think
so, but the end result would have taken precedence.
At least, that’s what a man would have done.
Baffled, Drakkar shook his head. He rechecked the
coordinates before he rose and glanced at the closed door of the only sleeping
area. He steeled himself, ready to do battle against this woman—in some kind of
persuasive fashion. She couldn’t escape now, even if she wanted to. They were
too far from Telrusia and Rurik’s flagship, the
Punisher
. No, there was
no turning back for her.
Nor for him. The agreement to bond had been made. It was
time for him to do his part. But how did a man romance a woman warrior whom he
didn’t want to be a warrior in the first place?
He closed his eyes to give himself a moment’s peace. The hum
of the engines reverberated throughout the vessel, easing Drakkar’s anxiety,
giving him the time to control his emotions in order to face his mate alone. He
knew the next steps for the two of them would be difficult but there were some
advantages to the way things had worked out for Jinn.
Perhaps he could stress those. Since the peace agreement
couldn’t be formalized before they found Jinn, Rurik, Sophos and he had been
able to keep some aspects of the treaty private. During the initial
negotiations, Rurik had insisted that Jinn not be specifically named, and
simply included that Drakkar would bond with a member of the headmaster’s clan.
At the same time, the idea went against Drakkar’s grain.
What if something went wrong? But he understood Rurik’s intent. He didn’t want
Jinn hurt. With the seedy places she was known to haunt on a quest, the danger
was real. If those around Jinn had known of her fertility, it could have
jeopardized her in other ways. Abduction and slavery weren’t out of the
question. There were other humanoid races that needed fertile females to mate.
No, he was glad now that Rurik had insisted. Even though
many of his crew knew the truth about Jinn, they were forsworn not to discuss
it. He trusted his men and Rurik had done the same for the few Svendians who’d
been in the glade the day Jinn’s secret was revealed. That left most of the
general public of the Svendian and Vulgarian people unaware, which could at
least delay the rumors.
Plus, outside the Nyphosian parlor, no one knew the task
that Jinn was about to embark on and Drakkar knew those within the negotiation
room would keep silent. This way Jinn could go into training with an alias and
in disguise. Drakkar could claim her as a Vulgarian from a poor family of a
distant Vulgarian outpost. Hopefully the truth would not be uncovered until
after her participation in the program. Otherwise, her life on Vulgaria could
be more than miserable.
It could be dangerous. People were people and he was afraid
there were too many Vulgarians who had suffered loss and would easily take
their hate out on his mate. Besides, Drakkar didn’t want the training
experience to jade Jinn even more against his planet. Bad enough to be the
first Svendian to go through the trials but as a woman and part of the Svendian
headmaster’s clan, if she was found out, she would have no end to the taunting
and hazing Drakkar was sure would come. His people weren’t perfect and the two
planets had been at war a long time.
Drakkar frowned. Even with the precautions, he knew the
risks they took. Secrets stayed hidden for only so long. At some point, someone
would slip and the knowledge would be out.
Still, the delay achieved by keeping this part of the treaty
quiet gave Drakkar some respite from the reverberations of his actions, a rest
he dearly craved so that he and Jinn would have some time to be alone to
discover each other.
Drakkar sucked in a deep breath then slowly released it,
echoing the silent plea in his head for a satisfying union with his mate. He
wanted to find some way to please Jinn, especially after he’d been so adamant
about how she would fit into his life. He knew she would have a difficult time
adjusting, and she was right about many of the reasons why. People would not
accept her, especially not at first, yet he would not tolerate anyone’s cruelty
to her.
Still, a gnawing guilt struck within his breast. Everything
he’d insisted on was for his advantage, not hers. He needed to find the
strengths in this bond that would benefit her as well.
Gazing at the stars, he closed his eyes and said a silent
prayer. War sickened him. He was tired of fighting, of seeing his people
suffer. Peace was in his grasp and God how he wanted to live a peaceful, normal
life.
Could he do so with a woman warrior? With Jinn?
A muffled scraping sounded behind him. He glanced over his
shoulder. Jinn emerged from the sleeping quarters and wrung her hands briefly.
Her brow furrowed, giving her face a tentative, studious look. He turned and
scanned her lithe body.
She’d ditched the male Svendian garb and donned the military
uniform that Rurik had brought for her, yet he wished she’d accepted the
Nyphosians’ offer, a small wardrobe of fertile female attire, a present for
saving one of their own. Still, even the harsh uniform couldn’t hide her
sylphlike form. He looked away so she wouldn’t see his disappointment. When he
recovered his composure he looked back at her, remembering that Rurik had asked
that he give her time.
She jutted her chin in the air and crossed her arms. “What’s
our ETA?”
Drakkar huffed, eyeing the lines of her body and the
defensive posture she took, wondering with her approach if the celestial power
he’d just prayed to played some ironic joke on him. Turning, he pressed his
palms against the console and leaned forward, pretending to study the
indicators. “If all goes well, we should be there by this time tomorrow.”
The air stirred as he felt her move. The muted patter of
feet echoed against the deck. He gazed over his shoulder at her. Her arms still
crossed, Jinn bit her lower lip with the tip of her white teeth, glancing
between him and the space beyond. “When does the next training cycle start?”
The crack in her voice belied her hard exterior. She worried over the trials.
He knew. And so should she. The Warrior’s Way was a daunting task for anyone.
He remembered the dread he’d felt before he entered the training, yet there had
been a nervous excitement that fired him as well.
He grimaced, thinking of what she would have to go through,
wondering how far she could go. “Too soon to suit me.”
She eased closer, within reach of him. She looked at the
stars, the direction of their travel. Her tender lips pressed together. The
creases around her eyes told of the fear and determination in her.
He liked that about her, the toughness she had inside. Yet
there was a tender part that she made untouchable. He gazed over the planes of
her face, the soft billowing of her breasts yet the look in her eyes told another
story. She hurt inside yet he knew not what to do about it.