Alcandian Soul (10 page)

“This is binding fever. It will only grow more intense.” His eyes flashed with that blue electricity again as he smoothed a thumb over the two little puncture marks on her lower lip from where she’d bitten herself. “But I’m looking forward to it.”

“As am I.” Dyne scooped her up. She ended up cradled against his hard chest as he moved across the tile floor. He held her without a hint of strain. Dyne lowered her into the bathing pool. As her feet took her weight he pressed her down into the water until her shoulders were submerged. Dyne sat on the edge of the pool as he grasped her hair in one hand, wrapping the strands around his fist. He stared into her confused gaze as she felt the grip tighten. Leaning over the water, he kissed her. It was a hard kiss that confessed exactly how much he wanted to take complete possession of her. She shivered as he pressed her mouth open for a bold thrust of his tongue. His grip on her hair held her at his mercy as his tongue stabbed into her mouth, stroking her own tongue.

Dyne lifted his lips and a current of electricity went through the water. She jumped and stood up. He released her hair as his eyes dropped to her mons. Every hair she had was floating away with the motion her movements had made in the pool. “And I do enjoy unwrapping you.”

Dyne stood up. His cock was pressing against his pants in prominent display but he took a long step back. “My control is spent. Tomorrow we will continue our introduction,
heloni
.”

Dyne shot her a look full of male determination. It was dark enough that she shivered as a small twist of fear went through her. Determination might not be a strong enough term for what she saw burning in his dark gaze, it looked a lot more like obsession. The warrior grunted approval at her before he turned and grabbed his uniform from where he’d discarded it. He grasped the maroon coat in one huge fist before striding towards the door. His body was stiff with tension as he pushed the blue fabric aside with a harsh motion, betraying just how much he wanted to stay.

A small click hit her ears. She turned her attention back to Cole. He had placed a bowl on the small table in the center of the chair arrangement. His face was taut with need as his gaze moved over her nude breasts. He curled his hands into fists as he drew his attention back to her face.

“We meant to feed you.” His eyes dropped to her breasts again. “But there is only so much temptation a man can tolerate. I will see you tomorrow, Cassandra.” Cole looked into her eyes and she stepped away from the promise shimmering in his blue eyes. A male in full rut stared back at her. He nodded stiffly before he mimicked his partner and grabbed his uniform jacket. But Cole hesitated at the doorway. He turned his head to stare at her.

“Welcome to Alcandar.”

Dyne waited in the stairwell. He was stiffly buttoning his uniform with his feet braced apart. Cole winced as he moved to join his partner. Every fiber in his body was poised on the edge. Cassandra’s taste clung to his lips as her scent lingered in his lungs. Dyne pushed right into his mind and Cole laughed ominously.

“I fear I’m the weaker partner right now, Dyne. The only scrap of control I used to leave that chamber was the sight of watching you walking out. Couldn’t let you show me up our first day officially partnering together.”

Dyne snorted. He began to move down the stairs as his hands flexed in and out of fists. “I am ashamed at how little discipline I have left.” He stopped and glared at Cole. “For the amount of time I have spent training for this moment, I have managed to learn very little.”

“Well, we’re here. She’s there.” Which was a direct conflict to what his cock wanted. Cole wanted to be deep inside her, teaching her to crave only his touch. Dyne growled at his thoughts.

“It is a good thing we have bonded.” The flash of aggression in the other warrior made Cole chuckle. He slapped a hand onto Dyne’s shoulder in traditional Alcandian greeting.

“Aye, my partner, it is a good thing. I’d hate to have to kick your ass.” Dyne narrowed his eyes at him. Cole flashed him a grin. “But Cassandra would be worth it.”

Dyne huffed before he returned the slap on the shoulder. “Best we leave. My mother will beat us both should we dishonor her future daughter. Paired with Paneil, we will be dead and buried before they are finished with us.”

Cole rolled his eyes as he considered the matriarchal power of Alcandian mothers. Dyne wasn’t jesting. The two mothers would reign supreme during the coming days. The entire Judgment population would aid the two in anything they demanded, even if that meant containing him and Dyne. Alcandians were ferociously protective of the female during binding fever. While warriors were trained to control their need to mate, the community would not take any chances. It was their duty to gentle Cassandra into submission. The problem was that Cole didn’t quite see Cassandra taking any form of soothing well. Currently, he’d bet his money on all-out assault the second they tried anything resembling courtship.

Of course, that opened up the door to becoming creative. That was something he admitted to enjoying. Maybe a little too much.

“I will control it.” Cole tossed his words at Dyne in a harsh whisper because they were near the bottom of the stairs.

“We will control it.” Dyne shot a satisfied look at Cole. “But we will bring her to pledging.”

Cole grunted his reply. Guilt tried to snag his attention but his need smashed through it. Cassandra was here and there was no way she was going back to Earth. She was his mate. He was just going to have to make sure she came to appreciate how incredibly precious that was.

In fact, he was looking forward to the challenge.

Chapter Seven

Jessica appeared at daybreak. Cassandra considered being cranky, but shrugged her shoulders because she wasn’t sleeping anyway. She was curled up in one of the oversized chairs. Actually she recognized that they were warrior size. The idea of Dyne or Cole attempting to sit in the little chairs that were provided with her base housing was actually really funny. Largely due to the fact that she’d bet their oversized carcasses would bust the soft pine and they’d end up sprawled on the floor. Now that was really funny.

“You look like you’re sneaking around.” That was another amusing thing. Jessica, in her current state of advanced pregnancy, trying to go unnoticed.

“Shhhh.” Jessica hurried across the tile as she held a finger up in front of her lips. “My mates are determined to keep me away from you.”

Cassandra fluttered her eyelashes in response. “Dangerous, am I?”

Jessica dropped into a chair and hissed. “No offense to your pride, but warriors have an inflated protection attitude.”

“All the more reason for you to show me the way to that wormhole.” Cassandra fluttered her eyelashes again as Jessica frowned at her. “See, I’ve been an Army gal for just too long. I’d end up killing your brother when he tried that crap out on me. Do yourself a favor and sneak me on over to that gate. That way, your baby will get to know its uncle.”

Jessica surprised her by laughing. Her eyes sparkled with her amusement as she rubbed her swollen belly. “Oh my, I remember being that pissed off.”

Cassandra frowned and Jessica laughed again only deep and low. Cole’s sister shook her head as she chuckled. “Yeah, I do. See it wasn’t so long ago that the Defense Department was helping Alcandians acquire their chosen mates. Cole was assigned to that team. That’s how I ran into Dylan.” Jessica’s eyes flashed with a flare of heat. “I recall a certain amount of homicidal urge towards Cole myself. But it won’t change a thing. Trust me on this, that fever is going to be worse today. Leave Alcandar and you will be miserable.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Cassandra hissed, because she sounded childishly grumpy even to herself. She still wasn’t any closer to figuring out what she wanted to return to Earth for but that didn’t mean she’d grown any attachment to the idea of staying either. Her empty belly rumbled, saving her from her thoughts. She reached for some of the food Cole and Dyne had left her last night. She’d been too overwhelmed to eat after being left alone. Acute separation anxiety had wrapped around her so tight, she was surprised it hadn’t left marks. It had taken every ounce of pride she owned to keep from running after them like a lost kitten.

So, she’d woken up starving. Cold food stacked in a bowl looked fantastic. Since she had no clue what any of it was, she was breaking off bites to sniff and try to determine if it was going to give her food poisoning.

“You don’t have to eat that.” Jessica leaned forward and looked at the weirdlooking canteen sitting on the table near the bowl. “Where did you get the
trieio
? Those are only stored in the men’s…”

Jessica’s eyes went wide. “I should have guessed Cole would combine human and Alcandian courting.” The woman stood up amazingly fast and grabbed Cassandra’s hand. “Come on, we need to escape to the women’s hall. That will keep the warriors at bay for a while.”

Jessica froze for a moment as she looked at Cassandra. “You know, Alcandian clothing is really very comfortable.”

The hint was unmistakable but Cassandra wasn’t taking it. “I’m active duty, Jessica. That means I’m wearing my uniform. Period.”

Jessica’s face filled with sympathy. The woman turned to hide the expression but Cassandra caught it anyway. Jessica caught her wrist and began leading her towards the curtain. She peeked around the edge before moving it and taking Cassandra down the stairs. It wouldn’t be too hard to escape her grasp but food was a priority at the moment. The cold offering from last night would do, but if there was a way to avoid food poisoning she was all for it.

The lower floor was filled with teams of maroon-uniformed warriors. Jessica moved towards a doorway and the thing shimmered before it dissipated in a golden mist.

“That’s a new way to open the door.”

Jessica offered her a smile as she took her through a back corridor. The color of the walls changed from sandstone brown to sky blue. Jessica continued on until the scent of food drifted around them. Her stomach grumbled loud enough for the other woman to hear. Jessica turned her head and smiled at her.

“This is the women’s hall. Alcandian culture is a segregated one. Largely due to that unpredictable binding fever. Younger girls are never permitted near warriors to avoid underage sparks.”

Cassandra was caught between the need to argue over her being in the midst of binding fever and the rumbling from her belly. Her stomach won. She followed Jessica towards a food service area. You reached right in through a force field of some kind and pulled the serving of food out. The moment a plate was lifted and removed, the area it had been in flashed bright yellow for a second.

“Sanitizing burst. Alcandar is far cleaner than Earth.”

“Well, that’s a plus.” Cassandra tried to use her nose to help her make choices. None of the food looked familiar. She settled for taking the smallest portions she could find in an effort to taste as many dishes as she could as well as minimize waste.

“I was just as mad as you are. I know that’s probably hard to hear, but it’s true.”

Cassandra followed Jessica to a vacant table. Women chatted quietly in small groups as a few toddlers ambled about. There wasn’t a male unless you counted the children and even those were very young. Apparently even boys didn’t hang out with the women. All the ones in sight had to be under age five.

“So warriors aren’t allowed in here? Ever?” Cassandra bit into a flaky-looking Danish. It had a slightly almond flavor and she swallowed it.

“With the exception of Judgment Officials.”

Cassandra snorted. “Oh, you mean like Dyne and Cole?”

Jessica shook her head. “Only in the line of duty. Even claiming you as their mate will not give them the right to invade this hall.”

“I am not anyone’s mate.”

Another tray appeared next to hers as Zeva sat down alongside her. “Intended mate. But do yourself a favor, Cassandra. Keep your attention on the fact that Cole and Dyne are intent on claiming you. With your lack of experience in Alcandian culture, they will corner you faster if you push the idea out of your head. Warriors, especially Judgment Officials, are relentless. They’ll use your ignorance against you.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Zeva raised a curious eyebrow as Jessica scowled across the table at her. “There’s a
trieio
sitting up in Cassandra’s chamber.”

Zeva laughed in a low tone that was rich with wicked humor. “My mother is going to adore finding that.” Zeva’s lips pushed into a smirk as she laughed some more. “I can’t wait.”

“What is your mother doing in my chamber? Not that I’m claiming ownership.”

“Of course not.” Zeva gave her a critical look. Cassandra flung it right back at her. Even if she had spent the night having sex, sex and more sex, there was no way she was going to be criticized by her captors for it. It was her body, she’d share it with whoever she chose.

A little ripple of sensation went through her breasts, making her nipples tingle as they began to tighten. What she had decided to do last night had been more intense than anything she’d managed to do since turning eighteen. No boyfriend back on Earth had ever made her whimper.

Zeva shrugged. “You’ve got a point, I’m being critical. My mother has decided to act as your mother.”

“Excuse me?”

Cassandra sat her half-eaten pastry aside to glare at Zeva.

“Everything is segregated here, Cassandra. Believe me, you want a pair of mothers between you and those warriors. I wasn’t joking about them being relentless. About the only things they will respect are my mother and Dyne’s mother. Since Cole has no family here and my brother Jett is bonded to Jessica, my mother has, for all intentions, adopted you.”

“That’s a really weak link.” Her voice was raspy. Cassandra bit into her lower lip as she tried to clear the emotion from her throat. It was stupid to get upset over something like being adopted. If she didn’t want to accept it, no one could make her call any woman her mother. But it touched her in funny little way. It had been too long since anyone even dared to talk to her. It was amazing what things you missed when you lost them. It had been a solid year since she’d engaged in girl talk. As pathetic as it might be, having Zeva and Jessica noticing she was alive was nice. Really nice.

“But it’s more than I had when I was abducted.” Jessica’s voice was firm with memory. She shot a hard look at Cassandra. “Dylan’s and Jett’s mothers just showed up to bathe me. That was a shock.”

“Bathe you?” This time she croaked and frowned as her throat began to tighten like she was being strangled.

Zeva chuckled as she looked at both human females. “I admit to finding your reaction to bathing funny. Bathing is rarely private here. Only the privileged have their own pools. Most of the women in this hall use the baths provided. Warriors never have their own pools until they bind and then only if they rate a private chamber.”

Her face was flaming hot and her chest tight. Her lungs were so constricted she would have sworn that a boulder was sitting on top of her sternum. Tears flowed out of her eyes, and it felt like her eyelids were swelling up. Zeva stopped talking as Cassandra gasped for breath, unable to force the weight off her chest enough to inflate her lungs. Horrible reality dawned on her and she shot to her feet only to discover that the allergic reaction was too far along for her to be able to help herself. Her body quivered and shook as anaphylactic shock took control of her nervous system. She fell over as someone began yelling. Concentrating on controlling her right arm, she tried to reach the pocket on her fatigues top. Her fingers brushed the fabric and found nothing there. No hard bulge from her emergency medication that might stop the allergic reaction. Not noticing the first tingles of reaction had been a major mistake.

It might just be fatal.

* * * * *

“Cassandra?”

Cole’s voice was a beacon. Cassandra tried to turn towards it. Her body was spinning around in a vortex of multicolored light. She felt weightless but heavy across her chest. Her arms and legs spun around that heavy point as she struggled to stop. Nausea gripped her, knotting her stomach and sending the tiny amount of food she’d eaten back up.

At least vomiting stopped the spinning. Her eyes opened as she emptied her stomach. Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she stared right into Dyne’s dark eyes. Concern was etched into his face. A worry so deep it touched her. The arm she was leaning across pulled her back against a strong chest. Cole’s hand shook as he stroked her face and applied a wet towel to her mouth.

“Lay her back, please.”

The command came from a male voice she didn’t recognize. Cole gently eased her back onto an elevated table of some sort. His eyes bore the same worry lines around them as he stroked her hair out of her face. The light above her was bright and she squinted as another pair of hands touched her wrist. A thin cylinder was pressed against her wrist for a moment. Hard pressure registered in her numb brain before the thing was removed. Her brain went fuzzy and her hand reached for Cole as she felt her grip on consciousness slipping. She needed his strength, but she needed Dyne too. Her other hand reached for the dark warrior as her vision faded. She struggled against it until she felt the hard touch of Dyne’s hand against her own. Cole muttered against her ear as Dyne’s Alcandian endearment filled her other ear. She drifted back into oblivion with
heloni
echoing softly inside her brain.

Cassandra sighed as she gripped both warriors. Her warriors.

* * * * *

“You are sure the medical official checked everything?” Dyne gritted his teeth as his mother demanded the same information from him, once again. Cambria refused to be denied, stepping right up next to him to make sure she heard his answer.

“Yes, Mother. I would never have left with even a single doubt. Once was more than enough for me. I believe I will enjoy it if our lives are bland and uneventful hence forward.”

Paneil offered him a sympathetic look. “I can well imagine. But the council that ordered her transport here should have considered something like this.”

Cole flinched. There was one major advantage to the Alcandians being in contact with Earth. Any woman brought through the wormhole arrived with a full background that included medical files. Hell, his own sister had been processed through that system but Cassandra hadn’t. The lack of consideration he and the rest of the Judgment Council paid to that had almost been fatal. One of the hazards of enhanced food through gene splicing was that sometimes humans with allergies didn’t fare well. Cassandra’s system had responded to her breakfast the same way it would if a fire ant bit her. A simple injection was enough to recode the immune system. He’d had that same injection the first time he’d stepped onto Alcandar. He’d failed to remember that fact in a timely fashion. Dyne flashed him a hard look.

“You still think as a lone warrior too much.”

Cole shrugged. “When it comes to Cassandra, I’m afraid it’s going to take a lot of practice to stop. I’m human. I should have remembered.”

“And I was greeting you when you arrived that first time. I should have recalled policy.”

Dyne clutched his jaw tighter as the two mothers fluttered around Cassandra. She was still sleeping, but the two females refused to leave. At least that was something Cole understood. He’d tolerate their fussing just as long as he could watch Cassandra’s lungs working. His heart was still weak from the shock of finding her gasping for breath on the floor of the women’s hall. It was a sight he was sure was branded into his memory. He was also certain that he’d never once been so scared in his entire life. A gun threatening his head didn’t pack nearly a tenth of the impact watching Cassandra battle to survive had.