CarnalPromise (18 page)

“Yes,” Craddock spat, obviously upset that Cassius had dared
to interrupt him. “Out with it.”

“A new predator waits.”

“A new…” Craddock strode to him to stand before him. “Why
should that worry you?”

Cassius sneered as he straightened. “I cannot feel worry as
you do, Master.”

Craddock huffed with a miserable smile. “I know they
obliterated the higher emotions from you but I sometimes wonder.” He stroked
his chin.

“You need not,” Cassius gruffed. “But Rurik, himself, has
taken up the gauntlet.”

“Pisshaw. That boy is not new at this. He has tried to find
me before.”

“Yes.” Cassius swallowed, thinking that sharing more information
would be a mistake, yet the man would know soon enough and he would know that
Cassius held back. That would only cause the effect to be worse. “But Rurik
also has his seed after us. Apparently Hunter is an accomplished tracker—a
testament to his namesake.”

Craddock laughed in that grating tone, the one that revealed
the depth of his irrationality.

“I would not laugh too hard, Master. He found Jinn for
Drakkar.”

Craddock’s humor ran so deep that water pooled in the man’s
eyes. “You mean, because the Vulgarian could not scent her? Those infusions
must be something. Oh my.” He rubbed the moisture from his face. “So now the
boy is after me. I should be so lucky.” The man’s head had dipped with his
humor but now he stared straight into Cassius’s eyes, his face a reflection of
the hatred that Craddock harbored. “You know what to do.”

“Yes, Master.” Cassius schooled the chill that ran through
him so that none other would know the disgust he harbored. Cassius knew what
Craddock wanted—Hunter’s death. The offspring was Mercedes brother. Mercedes
would never forgive Cassius for killing the man, another sacrifice made on the
altar of Craddock and his malicious friends’ quest for a pure, fertile seed.
But in this, Craddock was not explicit. Somehow, Cassius would get around this
if he could.

Craddock paced again. “Cassius, my friend, go to Fenden.”

“And?” Cassius asked while the man paused.

Craddock folded his hands behind his back. Turning, he
smiled. “Tell him of our news. I need a Vulgarian loyal to the cause, someone
effective that we can trust. Tell him to put the highest security level on it.
And we need to contact the One True Counsel. Even though I’m in political
exclusion, as an émigré I still have the responsibility to let them know our
actions. Make sure, however,” he said, wagging a finger at Cassius, “that no
one else but the Council Leader knows. This information is too delicate. So far
Rurik’s discoveries of our actions have been surface issues. He does not have
any depth but if our actions here were revealed, the knowledge could undo the
headway we have made thus far.”

Craddock’s eyes narrowed and he studied Cassius for several
moments. “I’m entrusting you with this, my friend. Do not betray me. I will
destroy you, Cassius, should I find otherwise, you and the woman you yearn
for.”

Cassius swallowed, appalled with himself that he could not
hide the flinch of surprise that crossed his brow.

“Oh, yes.” Craddock slithered toward him, his voice a low,
dangerous whisper. “You think I don’t remember?” A sneer marred his face. “I
will have our friends find her and slay her painfully, should you cross me in
this.” His crass voice lowered and hissed the last two words. “Just remember.”

A chill like no other grabbed Cassius. He gave Craddock a
terse nod.

The former headmaster smiled. “Good. Then be off with you.”

Turning, Cassius hurried into the torrential weather again,
shivering as he stepped into the frozen rain.

But it wasn’t the climate that iced his bones. It wasn’t
even his own death. No, he had prayed too often for that, but Mercedes…

Cassius hardened himself to acts he now knew he would be
called upon to do, acts that normally he would try to find a way around. But
not this time. This time, Cassius knew, there would be no reprieve from the
evil man in the hovel. With his slip, Craddock was too aware of Cassius’s
sensations for Mercedes—feelings that a biodroid should not have. Craddock
would force his hand, make him do the heinous things that existed in the warped
man’s mind, and do them in a way that Craddock could clear his conscious of the
happenstance.

And Cassius would do them. For Mercedes. Yes. He would
torment, would kill anyone to protect her.

A flash of lightning hit a building nearby as Cassius ran
through the streets. He looked up, wondered if he died, if Mercedes could then
be safe from Craddock’s threat.

Cassius glanced up and surveyed the damage to the building,
thinking it was nothing compared to the damage he had wrought in the past, nor
what he would be asked to do in the near future.

His body shuddered again. Rain streaked his cheeks, along
with the strange salty wetness that came from his eyes.

It was night on Vulgaria, at least in Drakkar’s small piece
of the planet. They arrived at the docking station where an autotran awaited to
take them to his isolated home in the Selesian forest. They headed there in the
shroud of night, the stunning views of the wilderness veiled by shadows.
Drakkar regretted that. In many ways, Vulgaria was a natural paradise. He
would’ve liked to have seen Jinn’s first reaction to his land instead of the
weariness and fear she now harbored.

If she loved Earth, he was sure she’d love his home. The
greenery was outstanding. Conifers abounded and the warm winds were
invigorating. The place was to be enjoyed while the weather held but once the
winter storms began, everyone would take shelter. The average humanoid could
not endure it.

He glanced at Jinn in the seat across from him. Since her
coming to Vulgaria was a state secret, he’d given her a cloak to cover her
appearance. He didn’t want any roving eyes spotting her. Everything else had
been set so that they could bypass the sensors and registration scanners
without difficulty. Only a minute number would know of her arrival and until
the peace was secured, she would be hidden in his house or in disguise and
under an alias when she went through the trials.

No one was to know who she was unless needed and those that
had to know would be few and among the trusted. Drakkar would see to that. It was
now his responsibility to keep her safe, even though she didn’t agree.

She pressed her lush, delicate lips together. Her words had
been limited as they passed through the military port. Now they were
nonexistent. Drakkar shook his head. As a man of action, he hated not being
able to do something about Jinn’s troubles. Yet he knew not what to do. He
hated that too. Without knowledge, he knew not what direction to take to
resolve her issues.

“We should be there shortly.” He tried to start a
conversation, hoping to break the ice. Besides, how would he get to know her
otherwise?

Nodding, she turned her head and stared out the window.

Sighing, Drakkar looked out with her. The stars were out.
The night was fairly clear. The double moons of Vulgaria shone near each other,
one of them full, the other only half-exposed. The vibrant blue moonlight
highlighted the tops of the tallest trees, which only served to emphasize the
darkness within the woodland itself.

“You live in the forest.” Her voice cracked as she whispered.

“Yes.” He wanted so much for her to embrace his world. Her
statement encouraged him.

“I bet it’s beautiful.” She had more control over her voice
now.

“Yes,” he answered, his tone lighter. “It is. As I said,
it’s much like Earth.”

“I see.” Her voice trailed again as she looked out.

“Jinn.” He leaned forward and took her hand between his. “My
place is rather remote.” He rubbed his thumbs against the back. “We will have
some time alone before…” He didn’t want to think about her leaving him, even to
someplace where he knew she could not escape. “Before you go.”

She shot him a wistful smile. “You don’t like this at all,
do you?”

He growled lowly. “No.”

She giggled. “You can’t control it so you don’t like it.”

“No.” He straightened with the truth of her words, wanting
to deny it. Then he shook his head. “Yes.” He grimaced. “I don’t like it but
only because I want you to be with me so I can protect you and…”

She laughed but this time there was an edge to her voice. “I
don’t need your protection.”

His face contorted with the thought. With the risks she
took, an armada might not be able to protect her. “There are other reasons.”

She studied him a moment. “Like?”

He cleared his throat, wondering if now would be a good time
to bring up the subject. “Our bond…”

“Oh.” She smirked. “You mean to fuck.” She ahem’ed then
donned a mock look of propriety. “I mean to procreate. You want children.”

He arched a brow. “Yes. Don’t you?” With the need driving
him to reach her, he hadn’t thought to ask of her wishes in this, but having
children, well, it just seemed natural for a bonded couple.

Her face grew impassive. She looked out the window again. “I
was fine before I ran into you.”

He grimaced. “But you have me now.”

Her mouth twisted into a frown as she looked at him again. “I
supposed I’d like children someday.”

Drakkar huffed. “You knew you were fertile yet you didn’t
think about children?”

She shot him that sad twist of her lips. “I had other things
on my mind.”

He frowned. “Like finding your father’s killer.”

She blanched then looked away. “Yes.”

Drakkar straightened. Did she really want revenge so badly?
He hoped not because if she did, as stubborn as she had proven to be, nothing,
not even keeping her tied and jailed, would stop her.

Not until Craddock was found and punished.

A small chill went through Drakkar—and a point of
determination. Somehow he would make sure Jinn stayed in the program long
enough because he knew Rurik had to find Craddock—and fast.

The autotran slowed then with a small jolt docked into the
hanger at his home. The air whooshed through the docking cylinders as the
platform locked onto the transport. “We’re here.” He stood and held his hand
out for her.

She looked at his palm then glanced at his face. Her eyes
were bright.

“It’ll be all right. I swear it.” He wanted to hold her and
make the bad thoughts go away but he knew she was too independent and on guard
at the moment to let him comfort her.

She placed her small, soft palm in his and something about
her touch stirred him more deeply than anything had before. She was his now.
His mate.

And he would protect her or die trying.

She allowed him to help her stand, a move that pleasantly
surprised him. Gently he tugged her into his embrace. Running his hands along
her back, he placed a light kiss against her temple. “This is your home now,”
he whispered against the golden strands of her hair.

She sighed against the underside of his chin and placed her
warm lips against it. “Drakkar,” she kissed him again, “a part of me wants this
to work too.”

He looked into her face, into her glazed eyes, with hope.
She had never admitted that to him. Capturing her lips with his, he held her
tight against him. His cock jumped but he wouldn’t allow it to control what he
wanted at this moment. If she let him now, he would provide her solace. Welcome
her with all that he had and hope that this would be enough. At least for now.

After tasting her once again, he lifted her into his arms
and strode to the exit. Hastening from the autotran, he came to the barrier
between the landing area and his home then initiated the opening sequence with
his voice. Jinn circled her arms around his neck and held him tighter as he
hurried through the small contained corridor that connected the landing to the
home itself. When he reached the portal, the blast door opened automatically.

He glanced at her before he stepped though. She studied the
roomy interior which now began to light. Her look of surprise warmed him. “All
this is yours as well now, my lady.” He kissed her.

“You…you’re rich. I thought…”

He smirked against her lips. “You thought as a Vulgarian I’d
be poor but you were wrong. My family was one of the first to settle here.
We’ve been in the water trade for eons. Most on Vulgaria are reasonably well
off.”

“I didn’t know.” Her gentle breath caressed his mouth.

“I know.” He touched his lips to hers once more. “Does my
wealth make you happy?”

She frowned then studied his face a moment. “It wouldn’t
have mattered. I’ve accepted that we will be bonded.”

He didn’t know what to make of that. She accepted their
bonding but she didn’t like it. “I’ll show you around.” He wanted her to be
familiar with his—now their—home.

She huffed but the sound was lighter. “You could put me
down. I can walk on my own you know.”

His lips quirked as he held back his grin. “I like holding
you. It feels…” He gazed into her eyes and nodded. “It feels right.”

She wet her lips with the pink tip of her tongue. “I know
what you mean.”

The huskiness in her voice ignited another flame in him, as
well as her admission. It was a good sign, the fact that she voiced her
acknowledgment of their common tie, their need to be as one. Warmth flooded
him. He had a mate.

And finally she was in his home. He took her to the galley
first. “Are you hungry? We had very little on the ship.”

She shook her head. “No. The Nyphosians fed me after the
signing. I’m not used to eating that much.”

“You’ve been on your own a long time.” He tried to suppress
his disfavor with that but a low growl sounded deep in his throat anyway.
“You’ve not been eating right. I’m going to have to rectify that before you get
into training. You’ll need all the strength you have and then some.”

She laughed and caressed the lines that must have formed
around his mouth. “I might surprise you, you know.”

He forced a deeper grimace onto his face. “That’s what I’m
afraid of.”

She threw her head back and laughed, a hearty one this time.
“You are such a man.”

He quirked his brow, confused. “What did you expect?”

She rubbed her thumb across his arched eyebrow. “Exactly
that.” She bent to him and let her soft lips touch his with tenderness and
want.

He returned her ardor as he lowered her, allowing her
sensual frame to slide against his. He held her tight against him. “Jinn.” Blood
rushed to his cock. He whispered against her mouth. “I…” Her scent thickened.

“I want you too.” The heat from her sultry voice caressed
his mouth.

“God’s teeth,” he murmured and lifted her hips, squeezing
her ass as he locked her crotch against his. “Jinn, I know you may not believe
this but I’m very glad you’re here, for more than just the need. I want you. I
want us to be together.” He swallowed. “Perhaps when we come to know each other
things will be better for you. I sincerely want that. I want you to look at
this as your home. I want you to…” He paused for a small prayer before he spoke
again. “To like it here.”

She studied him, her blue eyes penetrating his. “I believe
you,” she whispered in that seductive breathy voice she had. “Right now,
though, make love to me. Show me some of the good things about me being here
with you.”

That, he could do. God, he wanted her so. Wanted not just
her body, but what she represented to him. A family, peace for his people.

But could that include love? He let a brief frown mar his
lips as he thought of Rurik’s advice. He didn’t know if he could love again. He
did know one thing though. He would try.

But he had his own demons to defeat in that.

Even on the infusions, Drakkar’s scent was so thick Jinn
could not refuse him. Good thing she insisted they stay on them. She would
never make it through the trials otherwise. Even though he promised not to
interfere with her training, she knew he would still be around in other
capacities—and if he wasn’t on the infusion it would distract her completely,
causing her to fail. She wished he wouldn’t be amongst the ones reviewing the
training but she had no say in that. It was part of his position. He had told
her that between their trysts on the ship. Since he was a lead graduate of the
Warrior’s Way himself, he, among others, got to choose recruits from the
program—which included watching some of the last stages of each level of the
trials.

Her stomach rolled. Knowing he would be watching made her
nervous but she couldn’t let his unwanted presence, no matter how distant,
disrupt her attention, at least, not when the training started. There was more
at stake than simply passing some combat exercise. Her personal mission and the
control she’d have over her life hung in the balance.

Ignoring that, Jinn drew a deep breath and savored him,
wanting him in that indefinable way that their bodies dictated. What was it
about their shared instinct that drove them? She didn’t know and if she’d ever
been taught, she didn’t remember. She had had too many other things on her mind
as she went through school—like bringing her father’s killer to justice. Long
ago she had determined to be a warrior, not a breeder. And she had become one,
a good one, skilled in many of the martial arts. Yet now things had changed.
Her secret had been exposed and by none other than the man who held her.

Jinn eyed Drakkar, let her fingers run over the iron sinew
of his biceps. He was her mate. She couldn’t deny the fact even though she
couldn’t remember all that the position entailed. Yet she knew she didn’t want
what he represented, didn’t wish for what he wanted to do. He wanted to control
her life. Would sacrifice himself for her if need be to protect her, but she
couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t want another death on her already darkened
soul.

She flinched within. The male dominance of their shared
people was something she thoroughly rejected but it was there nonetheless, a
genetic link to the past that could not be ignored.

But did she want to ignore it? Even though she’d determined
her destiny, there was something comforting about knowing that a man—her
man—would be there to save her if need be, to sacrifice himself if required to
protect the family that they would come to have.

She ran her hands across Drakkar’s chest, fingered the hard
muscle underneath. She wanted him now. Right where they were. In the galley.

She spread her fingers and slipped them downward, tucking
the tips into the edge of his pants.

Drakkar’s breaths labored. He kissed her temple, her cheek,
her lips and kissed her as if he devoured her. He pulled away a moment then
eyed her, seeming to ingrain the moment in his mind. Then he kissed her again,
placing pecks along her cheek until he reached her ear lobe and suckled it in
his mouth.