Alcandian Soul Page 12

  They had to leave. Cole wanted to cuss or hit someone. Actually both. Anything that separated him from Cassandra was something he was in the mood to tear apart.

  “She agreed.” Dyne wasn’t really talking to him. The warrior was gently stroking Cassandra’s arm as she slept. His teeth were clenched tight as he tried to gather the strength to leave the bed.

  At least they shared that emotion. Cole suddenly grinned. A wave of enjoyment washed up in his head and it was perfection. They were all going to share, even Cassandra couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed their relationship. He wasn’t fool enough to believe her content, but he’d tackle that end of the relationship after they’d taken the vows that would allow him and Dyne to share the chamber with her.

  “At least this is the last dawn we must face separated.” Dyne looked over Cassandra and nodded approval as Cole spoke softly.

  “Indeed. You are correct, we should go. Paneil is no lax guardian. I am astonished that we have not been discovered. I swear my own mother could tell when I was misbehaving the moment I even thought of transgressing.”

  Cole rolled over and off the bed. Dyne mirrored the action, standing up on the other side. They both turned to pull a blanket over Cassandra before dressing. Dawn wouldn’t break for another few hours but it was too close to risk lying down again. The time separating him from his next connection with Cassandra felt like it was an eternity.

  He frowned as he moved towards the doorway. Love was supposed to be some mysterious thing that eluded most people. Somehow Cole had managed to run right smack into it. It didn’t make any sense, it just was. He wanted so much more than sex. For the first damn time in his life, snuggling was more important than fucking.

  “It is a gift.” Dyne’s voice was serious. His partner turned a hard look at him. “One I must thank you for. You found our mate.”

  It was high praise among Alcandians. Often warriors split up to hunt for any hint of a female who could brush their minds. The current political unrest on Earth was forcing warriors to remain together for safety. It was a policy bitterly protested by hunting warriors. Finding a mate was worthy of risk as far as they could see.

  Cole understood their frustration tonight. He’d challenge any risk to be next to Cassandra. The need was woven into the fibers of his soul. His Alcandian one.

  Chapter Nine

  ZGood morning, Daughter.”

  Cassandra jerked awake. She rolled right off the edge of the round bed and was standing at attention while she tried to engage her brain. The sight that met her eyes was slightly confusing for a moment. Instead of an irate drill sergeant she was facing two older Alcandian women. They instantly swept her nude body with their eyes. Her cheeks burned as she turned to grab a sheet but the bed had already made itself. The coverlet was smooth and there was a small pile of pillows perfectly placed in the center of it.

  “I am Paneil. Zeva is my born daughter.” Paneil was dark-haired like Zeva and rather short for an Alcandian, even a female. Zeva was six feet tall, but her mother was a good foot shorter. Paneil actually circled her, running her eyes over every inch of bare skin before she clicked her tongue.

  “This is Cambria. She is Dyne’s mother.”

  Cambria was Asian. There was no mistaking the fact that the woman must have been born on Earth. She stood next to the control panel and pressed the keys to reveal the bathing pool. Zeva’s warning about bathing not being private hit her as Paneil swished her hands in the direction of the newly revealed pool.

  “Come, Daughter, we have a great deal to do! The Yedith wasn’t very happy that he had to leave without hearing your vows yesterday. Although he understood and offered a blessing for your quick recovery.”

  The Yedith.

  Cassandra felt her cheeks burn as she became rather grateful for the fact that the bed was already made. There was still something about being caught having sex by a guy’s mother that no amount of sexual self-confidence could overcome.

  And she was facing two mothers…

  “You are so lovely.” Another woman simply walked into the room. She was holding a garment of some sort in her arms, carefully angling it as she came through the doorway. “I am Amin. Ravid is my brother-in-law and he is bound to Zeva.”

  “You gals like to make the most of any family relationship.” Cassandra folded her arms over her breasts while trying to cover her mons with a cupped palm. “Are we all here and accounted for?”

  Paneil raised a dark eyebrow at her. “We thought we’d keep the group small for today.”

  “Great.” Cassandra bit her lip as she watched Amin place the garment on the bed. It was a rich wine color with blue highlights woven through it. It wasn’t hard to guess that it was some kind of special garment for her appointment with the Yedith. A memory of her night filled her face with more color as she recalled in vivid detail just exactly how much she had wanted both men. It was pure craving.

  But Cole’s words stuck to her mind as she looked at the wine-colored garment again. She trailed a finger over one part, smiling at the pure silky softness that no female could quite ignore. Enlisted Army brat included.

  No shotgun wedding.

  That was a gift of trust. One that suddenly swelled with value as she looked at her company. Cole and Dyne had kept their tryst between them, exactly where it belonged. It was really kind of weird the way her heart clutched onto that hard fact, making her feel more cherished than she could ever imagine. Her cheeks flamed scarlet again as she considered just what the two warriors might do if she failed to appear.

  It just might be worth doing for the sheer enjoyment of messing with their arrogance. They had kidnapped her.

  “Come, Daughter.” Paneil was motioning her towards the pool and Cassandra gave a dry laugh as she dispensed with her plotting. She was going to see their Yedith. Cole and Dyne deserved the respect of her keeping her word. Besides, the matter really did belong between the three of them. Who she had sex with wasn’t anyone’s concern, and keeping it that way was something she was going to do.

  So, she took her first bath with help since turning three.

  * * * * *

  Breakfast was a circus. Cassandra was still starving, and Paneil kept bringing women over to be introduced. All of them were relations of some kind, and she admitted to losing track long before the Alcandian woman got tired of presenting. She was going to have to ask for a written manifest. That idea made her frown, because you never realized how complex your everyday life was until it was stripped away. The friends and relations you just took for granted. They were often embarrassing and annoying, but having lived without them, Cassandra held a new appreciation for every single nerve-treading one of them.

  She had begun understanding that back on Earth, when Rinehart stripped it away. Finding that privilege restored, only Alcandian-style, floored her with the amount of emotion. Staying felt really, really good this morning.

  Being alone wasn’t the perfection a lot of people made the mistake of believing it was. Cole and Dyne’s voices floated through her memory. Her nipples tingled before drawing into hard points. A little flare of need snaked though her as she lost interest in the women surrounding her. She was suddenly impatient to get back to wherever the warriors were.

  Zeva finally appeared with a suspicious smirk on her lips.

  “Mother, you need to let Cassandra eat. I bet she was up most of the night.”

  Paneil frowned and aimed her mother’s glare at Cassandra. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she tried to keep her guilt covered. Oh, it was guilt. There was no reason for her to be worried about what Paneil thought, but she couldn’t shake the nagging little twist of emotion that tried to make her squirm under Paneil’s stare.

  It must be a mother thing. Something daughters instinctively cringed at, even if it wasn’t your mother.

  The room suddenly went silent. The kind of hush that fell over a crowded room only when people were shocked. Zeva turned around instantly to face the cause of the upset. Two warrior
s stood in the doorway of the women’s hall. They didn’t actually step into the hall but surveyed the occupants with quick and efficient motions.

  “Your forgiveness, darmashas.” One warrior was silver-haired. His eyes moved around until they met hers. Cassandra stared right back at him as a sharp little pain went through her brain. She recognized the feeling immediately. This was another warrior she knew and simply hadn’t remembered yet. He offered her a nod of respect. “We needs speak, darmasha. We will await you in the main hall.” The warriors withdrew instantly. It was almost like they hadn’t been there.

  “That is Greer and Osher. Greer is a very powerful memory shifter.” Zeva offered up the information as the rest of the women in the eating hall suddenly cut her a wide path.

  “Perfect. That explains a few things.” But it wasn’t temper that flashed through her brain, it was fear. A deep, twisting concern that Greer was interested in doing a better job this time around. Cassandra bit her lower lip as she felt the emotion burning through her. She was absorbed with it because it stunned her. Literally knocked her speechless. An elephant could have stepped on her and she doubted she’d have noticed. All she felt was the painful anticipation of being separated, possibly forever, from Cole and Dyne.

  “It won’t work. I saw Cole in my dreams last time. The memory shifting didn’t hold back that memory.”

  “Oh, have you got it bad.” Zeva leaned forward and lowered her voice. “They got into your chamber last night, didn’t they? I should have guessed. Well, you’re stuck here, Cassandra. Embrace the reality because you’re right—you’ll see them in your dreams in spite of any further memory shifting.”

  “I’m not embracing anything. It’s my choice.” Cassandra bit her lip once more as a wave of enjoyment washed through her in response to Zeva’s prediction that she was staying on Alcandar. Her pride refused to bend completely. Her words sounded hollow even to her ears but she just wasn’t ready to fold.

  “Oh, Cassandra, there was a time I felt the same way. Believe me, you’re in too deep. I think I’ll let it slip to my mother though. Cole and Dyne could use a good thrashing. Warriors are too arrogant.”

  “Don’t you dare. It’s none of her business. But I agree that they are full of themselves.” A groan rose from her throat as Zeva smiled like a contented cat with canary feathers stuck to her lips.

  “I knew it. Cole has been pacing the Judgment Hall all morning. I had the feeling he got a full taste of you. Dyne is growling like a wounded Rithumitic beast.”

  “Be quiet, Zeva. Please, my pride is bruised enough.”

  Cassandra rolled her eyes as Zeva grinned with her secret knowledge. She shrugged before offering her a naughty look. “Beats a single Earth warrior, doesn’t it?”

  Cassandra slapped Zeva’s biceps but she only snickered in response. “You better go out there. Greer was being overly polite in giving you the option to meet him but believe me, he’ll come back in here and escort you out if you don’t show up soon. He has a lot of authority. I bet he’s got Cole and Dyne under guard for his meeting with you.”

  Cassandra offered Zeva nasty smile. “Really? Well, I am going to eat today. I haven’t had a full belly in three days, so Greer can just wait until I’m finished with a complete meal.” Sitting down, she pulled her tray forward and reached for a utensil that looked a lot like a fork. A little hint of nervousness invaded her thoughts as she surveyed the foreign fare but she pushed it aside. Dyne said she wouldn’t react to food again, so she was going to eat. Period.

  “I always did like you, Cassandra. You have spirit. I believe we might become friends.”

  Cassandra didn’t have to answer because her mouth was full. But she liked the idea a whole lot. Zeva considered her with her dark eyes for a long moment before she nodded at her. Cassandra found herself returning the nod as they left the words unspoken for the moment.

  But having a friend was really cool.

  Staying on Alcandar was much more intense.

  And important.

  That was a hard fact that kept her mind occupied while she ate.

  * * * * *

  That sky blue hallway had never seemed so long. Cassandra tightened her resolve and tried to recall every nasty drill sergeant order she’d ever heard but it was still a mighty long walk. The reason still shocked her. She didn’t want to go back to Earth. Astonishment hung over her thoughts but she just couldn’t shake the reality of that idea.

  Two days ago, she would have killed to get back into that wormhole.

  The range of her emotions was amazing. To want to be near a man so much…well, men. Maybe that was the core of the idea. She really was being swept off her feet, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of affection being applied to her.

  But it was more than that. She felt them so intimately. It was more than the scorching lust that had made her want to yell last night. This was a deep yearning to make sure she was near them.

  “Darmasha.” Greer stood up as she entered the main Judgment hall. He reminded her a lot of Master Jing Lee. There was power in his motions, tightly contained but completely controlled. She’d bet the warrior could kill silently.

  Cole and Dyne were suddenly right inside her thoughts. She lost her balance for a moment as they just burst inside her brain and she forgot where she was putting her feet. She stumbled and turned to glare behind her. Cole and Dyne were pacing along the wall, and Zeva’s mates, Ravid and Keenan, were clearly posted to make sure that they stayed there. The look in their eyes made her shiver. She’d always witnessed their control, but right now it looked like both warriors were losing their grip on selfdiscipline. There was a part of her that enjoyed that fact too. The pure rush of knowing that they wanted to drag her away for the sole purpose of hard mating.

  Her nipples drew into tight points as her lower lip went dry.

  “I see there is much evidence to lend credibility to what Cole and Dyne have told me.”

  Cassandra jerked her attention back to Greer and Osher. Her clit gave a little twist of hunger, lamenting her choice to look at something other than what her body craved. Greer was focused on her eyes and she felt the brush of his mind against her skull. He kept pushing as she tried to remember Master Jing Lee’s words.

  The fish swims through the pond…smooth.

  The warrior suddenly grinned at her. That cocky kind of arrogant expression she often got from Cole. He offered her a slight bow.

  “Very well done. Most humans crumple at my feet.” His expression sobered. “You did once too.”

  Her pride blossomed as she lifted an eyebrow. “Really? Just when will I remember that?”

  Greer extended a hand towards a bench near him. “I can sweep the remains of the block aside, if you wish.”

  Cassandra sat down and considered the expressionless mask both Greer and Osher were wearing. “No thanks. I think I’m managing just fine on my own.”

  Both warriors grinned at her. It was high praise, at least it sure felt like it. It was the sort of thing that an enlisted woman understood, respect from a fellow solider. That feeling you got when you passed a training goal in spite of your body’s attempt to crumple.

  “There is one matter to attend to before you may face the Yedith.” Osher spoke this time and his voice was smooth as whisky. “Since you were the victim of a crime, we must investigate it before you proceed. Forgive the intrusion, darmasha, but it is our way to ensure all females are willing to bind. It is a point of honor among warriors. You were brought here to protect our people and it is important that everyone is clear that you were not abducted as a forced mate. That would be dishonorable, since no one had mind-bridged with you.”

  So it was all right if the blue energy crackled back on Earth. Cassandra clamped her teeth closed against her sarcasm and aimed her energy at asking a question that would give her some information. “And how do you do your investigative work?” She already had a big clue in the way Greer was still floating around in her thoughts. The warrior wasn’t taking t
he hint to get out of her head or she just wasn’t yelling loud enough at him.

  Smooth pond, like hell. “I’m getting just a little tired of having my head invaded.”

  Cole hung on to his control with strength he didn’t know he had. Watching Cassandra face Greer was pure torment of a kind he hadn’t even known could happen. With all the sick people he’d encountered among the Special Forces, this was the worst.

  Watching the woman he loved face a man who could separate them. Cole cussed low and harsh as he recognized the words. Hell, love was something a man moved mountains for. It was that fantasy thing that men claimed they didn’t want but all secretly longed for. Well, it sat at a table with a man who could send her home if Dyne’s and his word didn’t hold up.

  Cole relaxed as he recognized that he and Dyne had done the job right. The real issue wasn’t whether or not Cassandra would go back to Earth but whether or not she loved them.

  “I would like to know that answer very much myself.” Dyne’s voice was low as he kept his eyes on Cassandra. Greer clasped her head in his hands as she dug her fingers into the bench she was sitting on and tried not to flinch. Memory viewing was painless but extremely intrusive for a human. The first few times you wanted to escape it.

  “Love is built on trust.” Cole turned to look at Dyne. It was suddenly clear exactly what they needed to do. The time before he might be able to put his plan into motion an eternity.

  But he would. Binding with Cassandra meant nothing without her love. That was what he truly craved. Hearing her tell him that she loved him. Dyne flashed against his thoughts and Cole grinned at his partner.

  “Us.”

  Greer stood and watched Cassandra walk away from him. He wasn’t often surprised. It was a pleasant end to her involvement with Alcandar though. The most agreeable one possible. She would bind with Cole and Dyne, thereby eliminating any further concern over her presence on Alcandar. While the circumstances might have been slightly unorthodox, the result was another bound unit.