Thorn's Bondmate (Zarronian Warriors Book 2)

THORN'S BONDMATE

The Zarronians

Book Two

By

Mardi Maxwell

© Copyright June 2015 Mardi Maxwell

All cover art © Copyright June 2015 by Mardi Maxwell

All rights reserved.

Artwork by Harris Channing

Table of Contents

History

Glossary of Zarronian Terms

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Books by Mardi Maxwell

Healed

Berserker’s Rage

History

For centuries the peace loving inhabitants of the Xenti Galaxy passed down the tales of the fierce and relentless Zarronian warriors. According to the elders the warriors were the guardians of the galaxy but they only appeared when the Xentians were threatened. After centuries of peace, the younger Xentians dismissed the tales as myths until the bloodthirsty Wrothians attacked Xenti and the Zarronians appeared.

The war lasted for ten annuals but ended when the Wrothian leader, Selik ad-San, discovered the Zarronians most closely guarded secret—the warriors were plagued with a mating fever and could only share it with a Zarronian female. If they didn't find a mate by age thirty the fever burned out of control, ending the warrior's life. Selik ad-San and his first in command Gorm ad-Jai attacked Zarronia with a virus designed to kill the females but leave the warriors alive to suffer and die of the fever.

Enraged and grief stricken by the deaths of their bondmates, daughters, and sisters, the Zarronians planned a final, ruthless battle. After ten cycles, and the loss of many Zarronian warriors, the Wrothians' were defeated. The Zarronians, ever honorable, allowed the retreat of two Wrothian worldships filled with females and children.

The warriors returned to Zarronia believing they would soon be extinct. Eventually their warrior instincts willed them to find a way to survive and they began searching the universe for compatible females. After eight annuals a genealogist found a diary in which his ancestor revealed he'd bonded with a Wrothian female. When he reported this to the High Council they swore him to secrecy and ordered three of their older starship commanders to find the Wrothians. The search took two annuals but eventually they were located on Zhang where they'd been forced to settle when their damaged worldships disintegrated.

The High Council informed the warriors that compatible females had been found and revealed their identity. For two moon phases the warriors refused to take an enemy female as a bondmate. Finally the High Council declared any warrior who refused to bond with a Wrothian female would be stripped of his warrior status and exiled to die alone in dishonor. Rather than lose their honor the warriors reluctantly relented even as they continued to search for other compatible races.

Eventually females were found on Earth.

Glossary of Zarronian Terms

Zarronian Time Terms:

Nano-unit: second

Micro-unit: minute (80 nano-units in a micro-unit)

Unit: hour (80 micro-units in a unit)

Cycle: day (30 units in a cycle)

Moon phase: month

Annual: year

Sun rising: dawn

Sun zenith: noon

Darkening: midnight

Birth cycle: birthday

Zarronian Terms:

Female: a woman

Kourtisan: a mistress

Male: a warrior usually, sometimes other males

Bond: the act of a warrior sharing his mating fever with a female

Bondmate: a female who has accepted a warrior's fever

Mate: a bondmates' warrior

Saber-cat: a large ferocious cat-like creature, bronze fur with bluish-green eyes

Stinkgoat: a stinky goat-like creature. It produces pungent milk and cheese

Versnake: a small colorful snake, aggressive and deadly

Wolfen: a huge wolf-like animal, black fur with purple eyes

Tor: Zarronian god

Chapter One

Washington, D.C. March 2055

SENTINEL REPORTER MISSING ... POLICE SUSPECT FOUL PLAY

“Sentinel reporter Daria Zane left work Friday evening and hasn't been seen since. Before leaving she told her editor, Malcolm Payne, she was meeting with an informant concerning the hundreds of missing women in the Washington, D.C. area. When Ms. Zane failed to arrive for work Monday morning Mr. Payne contacted the police and a unit was dispatched. The officers found Ms. Zane's apartment door kicked in and her home ransacked.

Ms. Zane is five feet ten inches tall, medium weight with long black hair and distinctive violet eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black leather jacket, and black running shoes. The police ask anyone with information concerning her whereabouts to contact them at the following number...”

Daria read the public notification board as she passed it then ducked into another group of people and moved along with them. She'd been on the run for four days but had finally lost her pursuers earlier by joining a group of office-bound workers. Now, though, the crowd thinned as people entered their work places, forcing her to search for a place to hide and finding the entry to an alley twenty feet ahead. She moved to the edge of the crowd and slipped into the shadows of the alley then sidled between two high stacks of boxes that lined one side.

Exhausted and filthier than she'd ever been in her life, she leaned against the building and closed her eyes. At her wits end, she didn't know who she could trust with the information she'd learned about the missing women. Shivering, she crouched and grabbed the broken laces on her shoe. The dried blood that coated them brought tears of exhaustion and anger to her eyes. She mumbled several curses directed toward the men pursuing her as she tied them into a bulky knot. She pulled her legs up, wrapped her arms around them and rested her head on her knees.

Four days ago she'd received a call from a woman saying she had information about a bunch of the missing women. Excited, she'd arranged to meet her on the lower level of a nearby parking garage then told her editor about the meeting. Upon arrival she'd found the woman hiding in the shadows. As she'd approached her, Daria had been surprised to see her friend Marie's step-sister, Emma. She'd pulled Daria into the shadows while she told her what she'd overheard her boss, James Martin, his brother Senator George Martin, and several other men discussing.

The Martins owned one of the largest and oldest pharmaceutical companies in the country, and Emma was James' executive assistant. The previous night she'd stayed late to finish a report, but after placing it on his desk she'd remembered he'd asked for several other documents. She'd pulled the files and as she'd put them on his desk she'd heard him and several other men talking in the conference room.

While trying to decide if she should offer to have some food brought in, she heard what they were discussing—a trade deal made with a race of aliens called the Witvians. Apparently, in exchange for young and attractive women they were receiving a constant and plentiful supply of a new drug they called Aphrogen. The drug had been stolen from the Zarronians who called it ZL3.

When Daria had asked who else was at the meeting the list of attendees had staggered her. Not only had the owner of the Sentinel been there but so had the Chief of Police, several powerful businessmen, a well-known General, and three high-ranking politicians. Most amazing of all was the Zarronian warrior who had been present. Emma had described him as tall with dark hair and light grey eyes. She'd also said he had been wearing platinum and gold armbands with red stones. A description that wasn’t much help as she'd already seen more than one warrior with that description and armbands with red stones. Before she'd been able to ask Emma to describe the exact color of the stones the sound of squealing tires and slamming car doors had reached them. She and Emma took off as bullets whizzed by their heads. Just as she'd thought they were going to make it, Emma had been struck. Daria had tried to pull her to safety but to no avail as she'd been fatally wounded. She'd had no choice but to leave her behind and run for her life.

Hidden by the boxes around her, she rested and decided she couldn't go to anyone on Earth. She also couldn't go to the Zarronians as any one of them could be involved. The only person she thought she could go to was the Zarronian Ambassador, Valan Eirikson. She was a good judge of character and her instincts told her she could trust him. She'd met him at a news conference at the White House six months ago. Most of the questions he'd been asked had been answered with an intimidating stare and a 'no comment.' But, as he'd walked out she'd caught him staring at her eyes and she'd hastily asked if he was married, first in English and then in his own language. He'd looked surprised while the more seasoned reporters around her had laughed at her question. For a moment he'd stared at her then he'd smiled and in his own language he'd told her about his wife, Lia. The other reporters had tried to get close enough to hear what he said but his warriors had kept them back.

Afterwards she'd rushed back to her office, written the story and turned it in. Two days later she'd been offered an exclusive interview with the Ambassador. Stunned, she'd accepted and presented herself at the Zarronian landing station at the designated time. When he'd introduced her to his wife, Madami Valan, Daria had nearly fainted with excitement. As far as she knew there wasn't anyone on Earth who had ever seen a Zarronian female much less spoken to one. Madami Valan had answered her questions while she'd given her a tour of the transfer station which in itself was surprising. When she'd insisted on giving her a tour of their starship Daria had nearly hyperventilated. Nobody had ever been allowed to board one of their starships and return to Earth.

Of course, she'd had to promise not to write anything about the starship but she'd been given permission to write up the interview with Madami Valan. The article she'd written and the accompanying picture of Madami Valan showing her how to operate one of the food processors at the landing station had made her famous. It had also drawn the attention of several government agencies who demanded access to her recordings of the interview. When she'd admitted there wasn't one and that she'd only taken written notes they'd demanded details. A big disadvantage now that she was on the run. If she could make it to the landing station though she might be able to sneak onto one of their ships and hide until they reached Zarronia. Then, and only then, would she announce her presence and ask to see Ambassador Eirikson.

Hours later the sound of a garbage truck dropping a heavy metal bin woke her. Daria rubbed her tired eyes then peeked out. At the end of the alley, the lunch crowd hurried by taking no note of her hiding place. Reluctantly, she joined them for a few blocks until she saw a sign for a thrift shop. Darting through the door, she moved into the deep shadows between two racks of used clothes but kept an eyes on the door. When it remained empty she breathed a sigh of relief and began looking for something to wear.