LW Browning - Krystile Warriors 01 - Warlord's Honor (11 page)

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hen he offered his arm, Claire refused. She turned to walk back to their apartment.

She did not feel Koda's anger, but she saw it. What had she missed? Did he not understand she was sure to suffer the consequences for violating so many MX rules? Or did he even care? The thought of being with Veck disgusted her, but she was no longer capable of feeling anything when someone touched her. She had a chance to make this right or at least better.

Why was Koda angry with her? He had only done the claiming ceremony because he made a mistake that first night. She was doomed to pay the price to preserve his honor. Inside the apartment, she turned to continue her argument. She had to make him see reason. "It is no great sacrifice for me to be with him."

"You spoke out of turn. Females do not enter into a discussion between males," Koda said.

"Even when the discussion is about the female?" Claire asked.

Koda did not answer, but looked at her as if he had much to consider. "You belong to me. I made a decision. I spoke it. If you have anything to say, do it privately. Now go to bed."

"Ah, so your sensitive feelings were hurt? You spoke of me as if I were not even present in the room."

"You forget who I am," Koda said.

"I am not chattel." Claire raised her voice. 

They stood glaring at each other for long moments.

"I can make this right. It is a chance I must take," she started to walk around him to the door.

Koda bent forward and grabbed her. When he stood, she was over his shoulder. He strode into the bedroom and tossed her on the bed. She rose up on her knees.

"I am not a child to be put to bed." She moved to get off the bed.

Koda turned on his way to the door. "If your feet hit that floor, I will turn you over my knee and spank you until your lovely ass is a bright red."

Claire froze, her eyes open wide.

Koda turned and left the room. The door to the bedroom closed behind him.

Reaf, Var and Dren waited in the sitting room.

"We are a passionate race," Claire heard Reaf say. "Claimed females can be difficult. In the days of my youth, many warriors and a few warlords stole their mates. Newly claimed and mated females are notorious for their bad behavior. Being abducted and claimed by a warlord requires some adjustment. She is high-spirited, but she will be fine, in time."

"Adjust!" Claire whispered the words so they would not hear her. She had moved from the bed to listen at the door, a small act of defiance. She was relieved that Koda did not want to share her, but she felt nothing, less than nothing. She could not win against him. With a deep sigh, she moved to the bed and realized it was much too high for her to get on with ease. Still angry, she went to the chair and leaned her head back. Anger left her empty of even her own emotions. Her breathing finally slowed. Exhaustion pulled her into sleep.

She woke to hear voices in the sitting room. Koda stood in the doorway, Lodi behind him.

"We need you," Koda said.

Claire followed them to the sitting room.

A beaten and bloody female lay on the sofa. She was a mass of bruises. Her face was covered with cuts and she struggled to breathe. Lodi looked up at Koda, then at Claire.

"Can you help her?" Lodi asked.

"I do not want Claire to heal her. She has already been through too much," Koda said.

Claire ignored Koda and moved to the female to kneel down beside her. "I am sorry for your pain." To Lodi she said, "I cannot help her."

"But you healed me," Lodi said with a frown.

"In order for me to heal someone, I must feel what they feel. Since my empath abilities have been... " Claire shrugged. "I am no longer an empath. I cannot help her."

"What do you mean you are no longer an empath?"

"Your claiming ceremony rid me of my empath ability. My world went silent after..."

"Why did you not speak of this to me?" Koda asked.

"Did you not do it on purpose? Did you not know that your bite and the ceremony would take away my abilities?" Claire's voice broke. "You are protected from me, but I am useless to you now."

Koda and Lodi exchanged a look.

"I will get Dare and Dren," Lodi said on his way out the door.

Claire examined the battered female's face. She was Mardalane, Veck's female. The horror of what had happened to her made Claire ill.

"I did not know you lost your empath ability. If I caused that, I am sorry," Koda’s voice was gentle.

Claire went to the kitchen and returned with a wet cloth. She bathed the female's face, careful not to make eye contact with Koda.

Koda frowned in puzzlement. "I did not intend to stop your empath abilities."

Claire said nothing.

Dare and Dren entered the room behind Lodi. Dare looked at the bloody female on the couch and then at Koda. "What is the problem?"

"Claire has lost her empath ability," Lodi answered. "She needs it so that she can heal."

"When?" Dare said while he worked with the clear device in his hand.

"You have the prophecies on that?" Lodi asked.

"He has everything on that," Dren said.

With no way to know how serious the injuries were, Claire gently placed the cool cloth on Mardalane’s face.

Dren pulled Koda aside. When they were done, Dare handed the device to Dren.

"Touch the mate mark on her neck, while I read. She needs to drink this." Dren handed Koda the silver chalice and began to read in the old language.

Claire stiffened when Koda put his hand on the mate mark. Heat passed through his hand into her. Hot. Koda held the chalice to her lips. Claire drank the bitter contents and shuddered. Her empath world began to open. By the time Dren finished reading, she was aware of everyone in the room, especially the injured female.

She did not look at them, but removed her gloves and put her bare hands on Mardalane's arm.

"Wait," Koda said. "You do not have to do this."

Claire was careful and gentle when she touched the female. She tried to hold back a strangled scream. The bruises on Mardalane's face appeared on Claire's. Wherever the battered female bled, Claire bled also. Claire uttered a yelp of pain as her arm began to contort. Bones crunched and moved. The female's broken arm straightened. As she was healed, Claire's body took on her wounds and her pain until she healed as well. Tears trickled down Claire's cheeks. 

Koda leaned forward and narrowed his eyes when the physical signs of abuse showed on Claire. He still touched the mate mark and felt the injuries and the power of the healing through the touch on her neck. Finally it was over, with Claire and Mardalane both restored. 

Veck's female looked at Claire. "That was – your hands were cold. Thank you."

"Your gratitude is owed to Koda. I was only able to help you because he allowed it." Claire stood, unsteady and shaking, surprise on her face at Koda's anger.

He kept his hand on her. "I am glad your empath abilities are restored."

Claire moved away from Koda’s touch and felt the shock that always came when they broke skin to skin contact. She saw from Koda’s face that he felt it too.

Since it was Koda’s fault she had lost her empath abilities in the first place, Claire wondered why he apologized now. She felt the relief of all those in the room. They were all less tense since Mardalane was healed.

Mardalane sat up and looked around the room to smile at Lodi. 

Claire turned to the males with fire in her eyes. "She suffers injury repeatedly. I think you all very cruel if you allow this to continue. All I have heard is how cherished females are in your society, yet I see no evidence of it."

"It will not continue," Lodi interrupted. "She has appealed to me for Saman Protectorate and I have granted it."

Koda nodded his approval.

Claire went into the bedroom.

Claire looked at Lodi and Koda just before she slammed the door shut.

"Females." Lodi grinned.

Koda looked at the door before turning his attention to Mardalane. "You will stay here under my protection. Lodi, will have a room prepared for you."

Lodi winked at Mardalane and helped her up. He handed her off to a female servant in the hall and then stepped back inside.

"What of Veck?" Koda turned his attention to the warlords. 

"He ran," Lodi answered. "Went to the stable where he beat Mardalane, got his carriage, and left."

"He is a coward," Dare said, as he rocked a straight backed chair back on two legs against the wall.

"That is true," Lodi added. "We will have trouble from him."

"I would know what went wrong." Koda looked at Dren.

Dren leaned his head slightly. "The mate mark has more power than we thought. It will protect you from her, but it also gives you much power over her. When she drank your blood during the claiming, it must have set off a chemical reaction in her. I do not understand how it all works," Dren answered.

"It must have been like the loss of sight and hearing for one of us," Lodi said.

"I do not think the little MX will like that you have so much control over her abilities." Dare crossed his arms over his chest and stretched his long legs in front of him.

Koda felt as if he had been hit in the chest by something large and heavy. He never intended to inhibit the girl's abilities. "I did not know."

Dare shoved off the table. He and Dren left Koda to his own thoughts and his unhappy MX. Lodi followed them into the hall.

***

W
hen he entered the bedchamber, he found Claire in the overstuffed armchair on the other side of the bed. She looked out the window at the night sky. Koda felt his heart move. He could not imagine how difficult this situation had been for her. Everything here was strange and different, but she had shown courage. He had always borne the burden of Leader. Since his father died before he taught his son all that he needed to know, Koda had worked hard to learn. He took his responsibility to his people very seriously. He had used female pleasure slaves, but had been close to none of them. Now, he had feelings for this little female that were new to him. The problem was, he had no idea how to tell her how he felt. He sighed and knelt in front of her, his forearms on the arms of the chair. She did not look at him.

"Pita, it was not my intention to cause you harm."

Silent moments went by. Her hair moved as if stirred by a breeze.

"Are you restored now?" Koda waited. She looked vulnerable. He scented her fear. He wondered again what they had done to her at the MX Facility to make her so afraid. Her face was impassive. He studied her behavior, her breathing, the pupils of her eyes, as well as small telling movements that she made. The girl was terrified most of the time. He had done little to alleviate her fear. Still, she had to learn how to behave here.

"I will have an answer, girl." Koda’s voice was soft.

"I have my empath abilities again, yes," Claire said. "I am ready for you to take them." Her voice cracked on the last word.

"You think I will do that again? I did not take away your gift on purpose," Koda said.

Everything about her brought out his most primal protective instincts. She had been drugged and misused all of her life. They ruled her by instilling fear. He wanted to treat her better than what she had known.

"You were angry with me," she whispered.

"Yes, I was. I am. You offered yourself to Veck." Did she equate sex with him to sex with Veck? That hurt.

"I tried to help," she whispered as though she did not trust her voice.

"You are my mate. I am the Warlord Leader. Others have defied me. I punished them, severely. You defied me and yet I did not punish you. I am lenient because you are not accustomed to our ways. Be warned, my mated and claimed. I expect your obedience."

"You make my place very clear, Warlord Leader." He had to admire the defiance on her face.

"Explain."

"I have always been bound by a thousand rules. My abilities are a threat to everyone until they need them. Then I am allowed to use them, but only to do what I am directed to do. The rest of the time, I am kept locked away. You have chosen a very effective way to control me."

"Claire. I did not realize the mate bite and ceremony caused you to lose your empath abilities. Do you think me a monster?"

"The world is cruel, Warlord Leader. I know better than most that life is not fair. You are no more or less a monster than any other man I have known."

"I am not a man."

"No, you are not. You are the Warlord Leader," she whispered.

"Claire, what is it that really upsets you?" She must have heard some very bad things about barbarians, Koda decided.

"They will end me for this. You will use me, and when I go back with Calks, they will end me for all the rules I have broken. They will probably make Calks do it since he is my handler. You have paid for my service to you with danon. I will pay for my service to you with my life. Yes. I think you are a monster and..." Tears spilled over and trickled down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs.

"No harm will come to you. I vow it." So now he understood the real problem. She expected the MX Facility to execute her as soon as they took her back. Did she really think he would not protect her? He touched her arms. Seated in the chair with him on his knees in front of her, she was trapped. "Pita, I am honored that you trusted me enough to confide in me. I am hurt that you have carried such a burden alone. I promise you, I will not harm you, nor will I allow Calks or anyone else to harm you. You are my mate. My laws are the only ones you need ever be concerned with in the future."

Moments went by. Koda spoke again. "I do not like you to heal others. It must cause you pain. Are you alright now?"

"I am fine," Claire assured him. "I am sorry I defied you," she whispered. "I just keep messing up." The sobs came then. Gut wrenching sobs that tore at his heart. She was his. He had vowed to protect her. She needed the cleansing tears as much as he needed to hold her. He picked her up and took her to the bed. They lay beside each other while he stroked her hair and breathed in her vanilla and honeysuckle scent.

Soon he must tell her that she was going to stay here. He wanted her to want to stay here with him. He needed time, but time was running out.