Dark Warriors: A Dark Lands Anthology (Darklands) (35 page)

For a long moment, she simply enjoyed his weight. Then, “Keg, you’re crushing me.”

He grunted and rolled over, bringing her to rest on top. “Demanding wench.” He smiled as he said it.

“Me? One moment I’m talking and the next you’re taking me in some primitive wedding ceremony. I have a feeling your mother will be furious.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll marry you again tomorrow with all the trimmings and show you public honor. I want my family to know I’m going to do this properly.”

She tapped his naked chest. “This is proper?” She barely caught the hot gleam in his eye before he rolled her on her stomach and took her from behind.

“This is proper,” he said in a rough whisper. “You under me, and me inside you. Don’t you agree?”

“Ohh…” It was the last coherent thing she said in a very long time.

Roac was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching Dey’s room. He raised a brow when Keg stepped out early that morning. “You should have turned off the sensors before you spent the night with her. Lucky thing for you, I got to the logs first or our mother would have your head.”

Keg froze for a moment and then relaxed. “I thank you. I’m happy to say the formal wedding today should make up for it, if she ever suspects.”

“Hm.” Roac fell into step with him. “How was it?” There was a touch of wistfulness in the question. Roac would never know until he took a wife, and he’d yet to meet a woman who qualified.

Unable to hide his satisfaction, Keg just smiled. “Everything you’re hoping for, and then some.” He was amazed he was up this early. If it hadn’t been for his growling stomach, he never would have left his bed. Three times they’d made love last night, and the minute he got back to bed with a snack, he planned on a fourth.

Ruefully, he acknowledged that Dey had an advantage over him in that. Thanks to her symbiont, she never suffered from soreness. Unlike her, he was going to have to pace himself more carefully, but in the meantime, he wasn’t going to complain about a minor inconvenience.

“Keg, are you listening to me?”

Jerked out of his pleasant thoughts, Keg grunted impatiently. “Eh?”

“Try to pay attention to more than your libido for a minute. I told you that Dybell was seen outside the city. He eluded his pursuers, but it’s only a matter of time until he’s caught. At least this way you’ll know he’s out of the city for your wedding.”

“All the more reason to get it over with soon. Security at large functions is always difficult.” There was no sense in taking chances when Dey’s life was a stake.

Dagon, always an early riser, met them on the way to the dining room. He took one look at Keg’s ruffled hair and sleepy eyes, then leaned over and sniffed inches from Keg’s face. Frowning at his youngest son, he said sternly, “Either you’ve taken to wearing interesting cologne, or you’ve been with a woman.”

Keg’s cheeks heated. He tried to ignore his brother, who was choking on his laughter. It took a lot to look Dagon in the eye without fidgeting like a boy caught in serious mischief. “I made Dey my wife last night.”

Dagon cocked a brow. “Unorthodox. You couldn’t wait one more day?” Under the sternness, laughter lurked.

Keg cleared his throat. “No.”

“Hm. I suggest we not tell your mother. She’s gone through a lot of trouble to plan your wedding. A public celebration wouldn’t hurt.” He slung a companionable arm around his son and accompanied him into the dining room.

Roac, still snickering, brought up the rear.

Dagon looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Be careful, Roac. You never know when the woman for you will come to your attention. We’ll see then if you have any more restraint than your brother.”

Dey was only half awake when Keg entered her. Still slick from their last loving, she smiled. A woman could get used to his methods of rousing her. “Hm…mornings seem to suit you, love,” she said in a husky purr.

He mumbled something naughty and nipped her ear. “Call it compensation for a very long wait. I can’t get enough.”

Much later, Dey rolled back over, tempted to fall asleep again in spite of her hunger. Repeated nudging by Keg changed her mind. “Okay, I’m moving! Mercenary.”

“Grouch,” he said affectionately. He nibbled her shoulder. “I tried to sneak us up some breakfast, but my family is up and nosy. We’ll have to go down.”

She grunted, reluctantly got up and pulled on her clothes. “I hate mornings.”

Keg slung an arm around her and kissed her on the cheek. “It doesn’t show.”

Grumpy from lack of sleep, Dey glowered at the world in general, refusing to be cowed by the speculative looks from her husband’s family. As far as she was concerned, their wedding was accomplished, but if Keg wanted a big party to go with it, that was fine with her. Symbionts liked to party.

“Are you going to be my aunt?”

Dey blinked at Keg’s second-to-youngest sister, Gem. The little girl had entered the room and run straight to Dey, and now stared hopefully at her in the most disarming fashion. “If I were, I suppose it would be my job to spoil you.” She smiled and lifted the child to her lap. “So tell me, what will it take?” To her surprise, the little girl crooked her finger, signaling Dey to bend her head.

“I want a jewel bird,” she whispered in Dey’s ear.

Dey smiled at her, suspecting that she’d fallen into a well-baited trap. “A jewel bird? That sounds pretty.”

“They are!” Gem said eagerly.

“They can also be temperamental. We’re not certain she’s ready for one,” Vana, who’d herded the children in, said with a stern look at her daughter as she joined Dagon at the head of the table. It seemed to be a sore subject.

“I’ll take good care of it,” Gem said earnestly, looking at Dey.

“It’s a big responsibility,” Vana replied. She did not look thrilled.

“Hm.” Dey thought about it. Fingering Gem’s glossy dark hair, she said, “What pretty hair you have, Gem. Do you brush it all by yourself?”

“Sometimes.” She smiled shyly.

Dey grinned at her. “And what pretty teeth. I bet your mother never needs to tell you to clean them, they sparkle so much.”

Gem giggled. “Never.” She glanced at her mother. “Well, sometimes.”

Laughing, Dey rubbed noses with her. “And such a clean face you have there. It shines so much, I bet you wash it all the time, without anyone telling you.”

Sheepish now, Gem said, “Um.”

Dey sat back and looked at her. “I tell you what. Your mother doesn’t think you’re very responsible yet. What do you think you can do to change her mind?”

Face scrunched in thought, Gem didn’t seem to be having any inspirations.

Happy to help, Dey prompted, “I bet if you cleaned your teeth, brushed your hair and washed your face all by yourself, without anyone telling you for a whole month, that your mother might think you were pretty responsible. Maybe even responsible enough for her to think about letting you have a jewel bird.” She glanced at Vana, who was frowning at them, but in a fond way.

“I can do that!” Gem bounced on Dey’s lap, eager to get started.

“You can’t miss a single day,” Dey warned sternly. “If you can’t take good care of yourself, how will you ever be able to take care of a pet?”

“I can do it! I promise I can,” Gem said earnestly.

“Very well. We’ll see how you do. If you can do all that for a month, then I suppose you’ll have to start paying for the bird. I have a feeling that jewel birds are very expensive.”

Gem’s face fell. “But I don’t have any money.”

Dey shook her head. “Jewel birds don’t cost money. They cost flowers.”

“Flowers?”

“Yes. It costs a flower every day at dinnertime, right here on my plate: thirty flowers, really nice ones, with no bugs. Can you do that?”

Excited again, Gem bounced. “Oh, yes! I can get lots of flowers; lots and lots of flowers. Mama has a big garden, and we can go to the park and pick flowers, too. I love you, Aunt Dey!” She flung herself at Dey, locking her in a chokehold.

Unaccustomed to the gesture, Dey’s eyes rounded. Gingerly, she returned the favor, carefully patting the girl’s back. A little hoarsely, she added, “Um. Thank you. Just remember, if you forget, it starts all over from the beginning next month.”

Blaming the prickling of her eyes on a dust mote, Dey patted the girl again and then sent her back to her seat.

“Nicely done,” Keg whispered in her ear. “Gem’s been begging for a bird for months now. You just made a friend for life.”

Dey colored. It had been a little enough thing.

Gem bounced in her chair and chattered at her mother. “Can we go to the park today? I want to find Aunt Dey the biggest flower in the whole world. Aunt Dey’s never seen the park. Pleeeeese?”

Vana sent her a fond, long-suffering look. “If you be quiet during breakfast, I will think about it.”

Delighted, Gem bounced some more. “I’ll be the quietest person at the whole table. Watch!” She shut her lips tight and looked around to make certain everyone was watching.

Lips quirking, Vana said, “Thank you, Gem.” She looked at Dey. “I understand the wedding is to be tonight. If you’d like to go with Keg to pick out your robes, then I will see to the rest. Perhaps when you’re done you could pick up Gem and take her to the park?”

Dey shrugged. It wasn’t as if her schedule was overflowing, and she was too sleepy and sated to do more than pleasantly contemplate her day. Whatever bridal jitters she might have had had already been dealt with. “Sure. We can do that.”

It wasn’t until later, when she was yawning on the way to the garment maker’s, that she thought to ask about the wedding. Glancing out the windows of the armored, chrome hover-car, she asked, “So, what happens during your wedding ceremonies? I assume there’s food and music and such.”

Keg leaned back against the seat and grinned. Dressed in full amour, as were most of the men in public, he looked every inch the conquering male. “We walk down an aisle and get married in a booth.”

“Oh.” She smothered a yawn, wishing she could either wake up or take a nap. “Sounds simple enough.” She glanced out the window and missed the smile of anticipation Keg sent her way.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said with relish.

Intrigued by the husky note in his voice, she glanced at him, but chose not to comment.

They picked out two wedding robes of exactly the same size. Both covered Dey to the ankles. Made of a rich burgundy material, his sported a tasseled sash and beautiful gold embroidery. Although she liked his best, he convinced her to choose a robe with red, blue and gold brocade with a tasseled gold sash.

“Trust me, you’ll want the stronger colors,” he assured her, exchanging a grin with the male shopkeeper.

Refusing to be baited, she eyed the two of them, but didn’t ask. Whatever it was couldn’t be that bad.

Afterward, they picked up his little sister and took her to a lovely old park. Absolutely bursting with pink blossoms, stately trees ringed the place, providing shade and fragrance. Although there were mixed flower and vegetable beds in abundance, there was also plenty of open space for children to roam, and play sets took up one section.

“Now you stay here,” Gem instructed Dey. “Keg has to help me find the perfect flower, but don’t worry, we won’t be far. Don’t wander off.” It sounded like something Gem’s mother might have said to her, and often.

Chuckling, Dey obediently sat on a stone bench.

With a helpless grin, Keg was dragged off to hunt flowers. “I’ll keep an eye on her,” he assured Gem. With a wink for Dey, he took Gem’s hand more firmly in his and led the way.

Dey rested her arms on the back of the bench and looked around. Some women were walking in the park, escorted by several armored Beast guards. Other men, some with their helmets retracted, were talking to some of the women. To her surprise, Dey recognized some of them. One of them was Megin.

Megin caught sight of her and hurried over. She must have caught the fond looks being passed between Keg and Dey, because she slowed as she neared them. An expression of disdain contorted her features. She stopped and stared defiantly at Dey.

“He’s a killer, you know,” Megin said.

Dey followed her rabid gaze to Keg, who leaned casually against a tree, talking with a man who’d joined him, perhaps a friend. Since their rush down this morning, she hadn’t had any time to chat with him. It had been a good excuse to delay talking, but nothing kept her from thinking. There was so much to consider, and Megin’s acid comments didn’t help. No one had missed his appearance with her this morning, and from the hot, possessive looks he sent her, they could surmise what had passed between them in the night.

“He’s a warrior,” Dey said slowly, turning her attention back to the irate woman who presumed to judge her. Megin never changed. “Should he apologize for being a good one?”

“He killed our men!”

“And we killed Beast men,” Dey said, out of patience. Saints, but she wished the woman would do the world a favor and fall down a dark hole.

“In self-defense! If you give in, you’re a traitor,” Megin challenged. Her chin went up another notch, as if she thought it would add to her authority.