Alcandian Rage Page 13

  She walked to the window seat and looked out. Light spilled from other houses and from walkways. The Judgment grounds were neat and well groomed. As a home, she would not want for anything but freedom.

  Ravid’s arms closed around her. His embrace stopped just short of pain as he squeezed her against his chest. His chin rested on top of her head as he inhaled her scent. “Fate makes many choices we do not like, Zeva.”

  From Ravid, it was almost an apology. Two tears dripped down her cheeks as her hands landed on his forearms. It just felt so right in his arms! The rest of her brain was screaming and struggling but her heart was so full she just wanted to close her eyes and float into the comfort of that embrace.

  A little sigh escaped her lips as Zeva let her head rest against his chest. The night air was cool and her nipples tightened with the chill. Ravid’s arms moved as he lifted her from her feet. She glared at him as he carried her towards Keenan and their bed. “I walk very well.”

  Keenan reached for her as Ravid settled her between them. Both warriors moved closer until she was pressed between them. Their legs tangled as she turned on her side. Her back lay against Ravid and her hands rested on Keenan. Ravid never answered her and maybe she didn’t need him to. There was still that part of her that enjoyed being captured. Apparently, Ravid enjoy that little struggle too. Placing her in his bed fed some male need that wouldn’t enjoy her walking across the floor quite as much. Who knew for certain?

  Zeva let her eyes slip shut as the scent of her warriors filled her lungs. At the moment she didn’t care if she ever figured it out, only that she felt it surround her, cover her and most importantly never leave her.

  Chapter Seven

  Ravid smiled in triumph. Zeva still slept in his bed and the sun was already up. It was still early but the slow rise and fall of her chest bore witness to the fact that they had worn her out.

  That fact satisfied him greatly. His cock went hard as he lingered over her nipples. Zeva’s little rose-tipped breasts made his mouth water as he passed a hand over the window screens to keep the room dark. Keenan depressed a few numbers into the temperature controls before he too ran his eyes over their sleeping mate.

  They both headed towards the door curtain on silent feet. Overwhelming Zeva’s body was only one part of the battle to winning her. The two men continued down the stairs as they embarked on the mission that would secure Zeva in their lives. She would not leave their protection if her studio weren’t there for her to go to.

  Their maroon coats caught the morning light as the people they passed fell out of their way. Firm resolve covered their faces and determination silently cleared a path for them.

  * * * * *

  The chime from her communications terminal woke her. Zeva sat up as she fought against the bedding. The sheets were all cool telling her she had slept alone for at least an hour.

  Scanning the room, she didn’t find a trace of Ravid or Keenan. Disappointment crossed her mind and she couldn’t stop the twist of unhappiness it created in her heart.

  It was a silly idea but she wanted to see them this morning. Just why, she wasn’t sure and as Zeva reached for her communications terminal, she decided she didn’t want to find out either. It was just possible that a little mystery was a good thing between binding mates. Ravid and Keenan could keep their male arrogant ideas quiet and she wouldn’t feel the need to battle with them…very often.

  Zeva smiled at her own thoughts. Maybe that was a little oversimplified but learning to live with each other might be worth her time to work out their differences. Warriors and females were different. She couldn’t expect Ravid or Keenan to understand her until she gave them the chance.

  A message from her mother brightened the terminal as it chimed for attention on a nearby table. A frown marked her face as Zeva considered her mother’s words. She had left a meeting place for her to come to in just an hour. Zeva knew the small lake that lay on the edge of the female grounds. She would only make the meeting if she hurried because it lay completely on the other side of the Judgment grounds and across her own family’s warrior grounds and then onto the female grounds that were attached to the Sinlar household.

  Paneil had never spoken of the place but it must have some significance to her binding day. There was no other reason for her mother not to greet her right here.

  Zeva hurried through her bath as she considered Ravid’s warning. She was wise enough to see the wisdom in staying on Judgment grounds. There were details to linger over but she could not resist their union any more than she could stop breathing.

  She laughed as she looked at her reflection. Love didn’t listen to common sense. She might try to impose logic onto her feelings but the emotions weren’t going to heed anything but what her heart craved.

  Zeva sobered as she looked around the room. Her memory replayed the night before and the determination that lived in both Ravid’s and Keenan’s eyes. She was not alone in the turbulence of deep need. Was that love? Well, whatever it was, they needed each other because separation tore at her soul.

  Casting her eyes at the terminal, she moved towards the curtain. She would have to tell her mother that they had to meet on Judgment grounds until Helmut and Craddock were dealt with. She might not like that fact but Zeva wasn’t foolish either.

  Sometimes pride had to bend to common sense even if love didn’t!

  * * * * *

  “Did you kill her?”

  A harsh grunt hit the morning as one warrior turned to his companion with a frustrated look on his face. “That would defeat our purpose.”

  “There is blood running down her face.”

  The first male looked at Zeva’s crumpled body and shrugged. “Better her blood than mine. The bitch knows how to fight.”

  “True.” Helmut knelt down and dragged their victim over his shoulder by her arm. He stood back up and glanced at her mother. Paneil’s eyes were filled with pain as she pulled her broken leg to her chest. She cradled the injured limb as tears flowed down her cheeks. Helmut smirked at her growing horror as he settled Zeva’s unconscious body over his shoulder. “Tell Ravid and Keenan their mate will not want for a cock in our care. We will use her body well and very often. Tell them I will teach her to call us master.”

  Paneil stuffed her hand into her mouth as a scream tried to erupt from her heart. The two males leered at her as the one named Craddock squeezed Zeva’s unprotected bottom. Hatred blazed from their eyes as they smirked at her helpless body before turning towards their transport.

  Once engaged, they lifted off the ground and sped away at top speed. Paneil searched the deserted area with desperate eyes before setting her teeth into her bottom lip and rolling onto her stomach.

  She would crawl until she found help! Pain spiked through her leg as she moved and she cursed with words her children didn’t know she knew.

  “I will watch your bodies burn.” Tears trailed down her checks as she dug her fingers into the soil. She had heard the whispers about dishonorable males but never thought to encounter any.

  Paneil whimpered as she pulled her body forward. “My daughter will stand by my side as we watch your bodies burn!”

  * * * * *

  “Bring them in here now!” Jett could have laughed if the matter wasn’t so grave. His mother, who always smiled, was roaring at the top of her lungs. Medical attendants scurried out of her room as he walked in.

  “Jett! Where are my sons-in-law?” Jett couldn’t speak. Rage engulfed his brain as he tried to see his gentle mother beneath the blood and grime that covered her. She violently shook her head as a medical master tried to relieve her pain with a drug.

  “No, I need my brain right now! Where are they, Jett?” Tears dropped down her cheeks as she moved and her body jerked with pain, but Paneil aimed her eyes at him and hit the side of her medical bed. “Where are my sons-in-law?”

  “On their way.” Jett didn’t think it wise to correct his mother. Ravid and Keenan weren’t bound to Zeva, at least
not yet. His mother didn’t seem to see a little detail like a public ceremony as any reason to not consider the two men her daughter’s mates. Truthfully, he had seen the proof himself.

  “Tell them to hurry up!”

  The door dissipated in a shower of sparks as Ravid came through it too fast. Keenan was a half step behind him and Jett ended up pushed against a wall as the room filled with Judgment officials. They skidded to a halt as they got a look at Paneil, and his mother hit her bed with all her strength.

  “Get moving! Haven’t you ever seen a dirty female before?” Action was instant. A witness was never asked what happened, a memory seeker would view the crime through a psychic link. Paneil offered no resistance as one of the officials sat next to her bed and gently took the sides of her face in his hands. Horror played across his mother’s face as she lived through each moment of being attacked once again.

  “Now find my daughter.” Paneil’s strength appeared to flow out of her with the memory. She reached for Ravid and Keenan as her face lost its color. “Bring her back, my sons.”

  * * * * *

  Pain woke Zeva. An odd mixture of pain coming from different parts of her body. Her head ached so bad she was sorry she even woke up. It felt like a knife was stuck down the back of her brain. Her arms hurt too and she opened her eyes just a tiny bit to look at her wrists. They were stretched out above her head and tied to a large hoop set into the wall. Her shoulders ached from her body weight that had simply hung while she was unconscious. Zeva straightened her legs to relieve the pressure only to discover that one ankle bitterly complained.

  And she was completely naked.

  “Her bones show.” A pair of brown eyes raked over her skin as the scruffy-looking male took a huge swallow from a goblet. “I like my females to have curves.”

  “As long as her cunt is wet, who cares?” A second male walked across the room and took a long look at her nude form. Zeva stared straight back at him. There was one thing her time on Earth had taught her—never let scum see you respond. His eyes simmered with hatred as he brought them up to hers. “Hello, Zeva, I am Craddock. But you will call me only master.”

  Her eyes went large with horror because she just couldn’t contain the telltale display. Craddock snickered and reached for her breast. Her stomach twisted with nausea as he squeezed it and pinched the nipple. His fingers felt dirty on her skin and her feet itched to kick him away from her body.

  “Go on, Zeva, fight me. I like that. I hope you struggle when I get ready to fuck you. Ravid and Keenan have enjoyed taking away my life and now, I’m going to repay the favor by taking something away from them.”

  The goblet went smashing into the wall as Helmut moved across the floor to stand in front of her. “Let’s fuck her before we cut her hair off. I want it to be full of my seed when we send it to them Judgment officials.”

  Craddock reached for her hands and cut the bindings. He clamped his hand around one of her wrists and dragged her away from the wall with a powerful jerk. This male might be Alcandian but he was not a warrior. He used his full strength on her, uncaring of the pain or injury it might inflict. “Fine with me, hair makes a good handle but I want to send Ravid and Keenan their mate’s hair.”

  Zeva stumbled across the room as her mind frantically tried to think. It was a dirty, rundown room and her ears didn’t hear anyone nearby. Taking on both males was not a very good idea. She was confident she could injure one but the second would not let her fight only one at a time.

  A table broke her fall as her body slammed into it. Pain smashed into her belly as her hands went to keep her head from hitting the hard surface. At the last second Zeva let her arms fold and her forehead hit that table. A loud crack came from the impact before she let her body go limp and roll to the floor. She grasped at her control as she forced her body to lie like a broken doll on the floor. She wanted to fight but there was more than one way to defeat an enemy.

  Craddock cussed and kicked her ribs. Zeva flopped over and fought the urge to hit him as he leaned over her. He slapped her face and she let the motion carry her head away from him, her hair flipped over her face giving her a shield to hide behind. He cussed again before standing up.

  “What? You don’t want her first?” Helmut sounded excited by the idea. Clearly he ended up second in line most of the time.

  “I told you, I like a good fight.” Craddock cussed again as he moved away from her body. “It’s no fun to fuck a body. We’ll wait until she wakes up.”

  “Guess she isn’t all that strong.” Helmut sounded disappointed as his voice got further away. “But she is just a female. I never understood why some of them try and learn defense arts. Waste of good time.”

  Minutes slowly ticked by and Zeva forced her body to remain still. A crash from the lower floor gave her a burst of hope and she opened her eyes just a slit. Afternoon light fought its way through the window curtains. She rolled over and onto her feet in a smooth motion that told her exactly how valuable her training was.

  At that moment it was all that stood between her and Helmut and Craddock. A smile lifted her lips. She would win. Her hair would not be used to torment her mates, even if she had to kill to prevent it.

  * * * * *

  Rage could control a man. Ravid let the emotion seep into every cell in his body as he searched the spot where Paneil’s memory led them. His anger was more self-directed than aimed at Helmut and Craddock. Zeva was his mate, protecting her was his duty.

  Especially from deviants.

  “You cannot shoulder this blame, Ravid.” Greer took Ravid’s harsh look and refused to back down. “Even I would not have considered a deviant using a female’s mother to trap her.”

  Greer was joined in that opinion by the Judgment officials who surrounded them. Ravid snarled softly and looked over the gravel lakeshore once again. There was nothing to find. Just the tracks from Helmut’s and Craddock’s boots mixed with the smaller ones of Zeva and Paneil. They had struck the women quickly and left just as fast.

  Her communications terminal combination wasn’t hard to get. Luring her mother to the spot as well was the hardest part. Craddock wanted Ravid to know who held Zeva. This was personal revenge and Ravid felt his rage burn even hotter as he faced the fact that it would not be over quickly.

  Craddock wouldn’t let him and Keenan off so lightly. The deviant held the one thing that could make him and Keenan bleed. No society was perfect, there were members who disagreed with the laws of their community. Craddock and Helmut saw themselves as true warriors—nothing would convince them otherwise.

  Keenan turned to face him as their thoughts mingled. Pure male determination flooded the link between them as Keenan curled back his lips and growled. Ravid snarled in return.

  It was time to kill.

  * * * * *

  Zeva moved through the upper floor on silent feet. The chambers were in disrepair, some of the window screens completely off letting the elements in. Sounds drifted up from the lower floor letting her know that for the moment, Craddock and Helmut thought she was broken. But the lights had worked in the chamber she was tied up in, so there was still a main computer operating in the structure.

  Looking out an open window, her eyes found nothing but unkempt grounds. There was no one to appeal to for help and the communications terminals in this chamber were blank and useless. Listening carefully, Zeva moved towards the next chamber. She was still naked but didn’t waste her freedom on finding clothing. Craddock and Helmut would rip any covering off her body if they caught her so the effort was a waste of time.

  What she needed was a functioning communications terminal! One little touch from her hand and it would instantly report her location to Ravid and Keenan. She was certain of that. Alcandar communications lines were all linked through Judgment control. If Judgment officials were looking for you, your handprint was tagged in the main computer lines. You could not even order a platter of food without it reporting back to Judgment control.

&nb
sp; A set of stairs lay in front of her now. Zeva contemplated the added risk of descending to the main floor. The scent of food drifted up, tempting her to seek a working terminal on the bottom floor. She battled with the decision. Males such as Craddock and Helmut would kill her without hesitation. That truth sickened her but she forced herself to think about it. Her assumption that Alcandar was safe had led her to this moment when life could end so quickly.

  Zeva tightened her resolve. Ravid’s and Keenan’s faces flashed through her memory, and the feeling of lying between them. She needed to feel that again! She had never been so acutely alive as she was when they were next to her. Getting back to them was worth the risk of going down those stairs.

  Zeva listened to the sounds of her captors as she crept down those steps. She knelt down to make her body smaller as she neared the bottom. More noise filled the main eating area as the two males activated an entertainment screen. Zeva moved across the doorway as they aimed their attention at a sporting event.

  Her reward awaited her a second later. A lit communications screen sat on the wall as she pressed her body against the wall. Grime coated the stone surface, making her skin itch. Zeva forced her hygiene concerns aside and pressed her hand against the terminal. A small beep registered acknowledgment before she slipped into the kitchen of the main floor.

  Foul smells came from the food service area and it was a disaster. Apparently Helmut and Craddock lived exactly like the animals they were. Rotten food decorated the preparation counters and insects milled around.

  “Craddock!” Helmut roared over the balcony and the entertainment unit went silent. “She’s gone!”

  Craddock cussed as the floor above her head shook under Helmut’s running steps. Zeva swung her eyes around the kitchen, searching for any place to hide. She bent her knees and flattened her body against one of the center preparation tables. The ceiling shook as both males ran through the chambers looking for her. The sounds bounced off the walls in a confusing jumble making it impossible to determine where they were.