CarnalPromise (35 page)

“I’m grateful.” Drakkar held out his hand. Rurik grasped it
and the two of them shook with a deep warmth and understanding.

After changing as fast as she could, Jinn ran out to the
family area. Rurik and Drakkar were outside on the deck but came in when they
spied her, seemingly happy with each other. What had they discussed?

Jinn frowned. Between the two of them, she knew she would
never be free to find Craddock.

Drakkar came to her and put his arm around her. His nearness
did more than charge her libido. It changed her. Knowing he loved her changed
her even more. Could she make this go well?

She prayed so.

All gathered around Rurik and he looked at each one. “I
don’t need to tell you that each of you cannot share this news with anyone. If
you do, it will put a key player at risk.” He cleared his throat. “There’s a
mole in the Renegade’s camp.”

Jinn gasped as others murmured around her. Drakkar held her
close and growled, “Where is that…er, Craddock?”

Rurik shook his head. “We can’t know—yet. The mole is trying
to ferret out the reminder of the leaders of the Purists.” Rurik looked between
Ástrid and Drakkar. “You should know they found your training commander.”

“Karl?” Ástrid glared as she planted her hands on her hips.
“Let me get hold of that traitor. I’ll make him pay.”

Rurik shook his head. “Too late for that. He’d been
executed, along with a female.” Rurik lowered his voice. “I believe the
biodroid may have enjoyed it.”

Jinn felt Drakkar shudder.

Rurik’s shoulders fell. Jinn could tell he was exhausted.
“That’s all I have right now.” He glanced at Drakkar and Jinn. “I’d rather deal
with happy news at this point. I understand the two of you are agreed to
formally bond on Nyphosia?”

Jinn sputtered then turned to smile at Drakkar. Her
betrothed grinned back. “I’m ready whenever you are,” he murmured and gently
touched her lips with his.

“It’s time,” she said then turned to her brother, nodding.

“Thank the ancestors.” Her brother rubbed his hands
together. “I might be an uncle yet.”

The group chuckled but stopped when the door alert signal
rang. Drakkar strode to the opening and after checking the visor, let Mace in.

“Needed to get here before any of you left,” the trainer
grumped as he strode in, stopping short and gaping when he saw the group before
him.

“Come on in, Mace,” Ástrid invited. “No time to be shy now.”

“Harrumph,” he spat out, “damned if I’m shy. Just not used
to”—he gestured toward the guests—“well, hell.” He looked at Drakkar. “I guess
they’re you’re family now.” He sauntered up to Jinn. “Woman, you’re a damned
mess but you got heart.” He dead-eyed Drakkar in the face. “The final vote’s
out. It was unanimous. If Jinn wants to be on a special team, she can.”

“What?” Her chin dropped. “Are you serious?” She glanced at
a frowning Drakkar. “You promised,” she declared.

“And I’m good to my word.” Then he mumbled. “Thank God it’s
only specialist work.”

His mother laughed then came to Jinn and hugged her.
“Congratulations.”

“’Course you’ll have to take a special oath to the corps,”
Mace said. “We decided that if there’s a conflict between the Svendian and
Vulgarian issues on any mission, you wouldn’t be allowed to participate. That’s
the terms.”

“Haha!” Jinn jumped up then ran to Mace and gave him a big
bear hug. “This is awesome!” The act made the normally gruff trainer sputter.

And Rurik had that mixed look on his face, the one that said
he wasn’t pleased but that he wasn’t surprised either.

“Yes, yes, yes!” She jumped around in the air like a child.

Then Rurik’s communicator beeped. He lifted his hand to his
ear then walked away.

She bounced over to Drakkar. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

He circled his arms around her waist and pulled her close to
him. “Yes, I mind, but I know you’ll do your best to be safe. Besides,” he
said, scrunching his face, “whoever you’re after, they’d have to see you first.
I’ve never met someone who could hide as well as you do, even with a wolf
tracking you.”

She giggled and kissed the side of his neck then snuggled
into him as Rurik walked back into the room.

“We have to go. Drakkar, can I use your comm screen to talk
to Captain Nasgorov? I need to send her on a mission.”

Drakkar nodded and opened the access to Rurik. “Do you need
us to leave?”

“No,” Rurik initiated the comm link, “you should hear this.
We work as a team now.”

“Greetings, Headmaster,” the woman said as she appeared on
the visor. Jinn recognized Tema’s normally stoic demeanor but as the captain
scanned the room, for a moment, she seemed flustered. Jinn wondered at that
until she saw Mace’s mouth gape open. Did they know one another?

“Nasgorov, I need to commandeer your vessel. We need to get
to Nyphosia at lightspeed.”

“Understood, Headmaster. Shall I beam you up with the same
coordinates I used for Alaric and your mother?”

“That will do. I’ll be there shortly. In the meantime, know
that Craddock is either on Nyphosia or in transit. We may need the
Punisher
’s
services.” Behind him, Trista gasped.

“Understood. Nasgorov out.”

“Rurik, Mercedes is there.” Trista voiced her worry.

“I know, which is why we’re leaving now.” Frowning, Rurik
faced Drakkar and Jinn. “Keep her safe,” he commanded, nodding at Jinn.

“I will. I’m good to my oath.” From Drakkar’s look, Jinn
recognized that her bondsmate did not take that as an order but as an agreement
between the two.

“I know,” Rurik said softly, then sliding his arm around
Trista, they exited the home into the transport area.

Jinn released a low growl as Rurik walked out but that only
made Drakkar hold her tighter. “Men…” she complained in a low voice.

“Do not worry.” Her mother hurried to Jinn and kissed her on
the cheek. “We’ll see you on Nyphosia.” She quickly brushed her fingers over
Jinn’s cheek and smiled. “I love you, darling girl. Stay safe and pray that
this war with the Purists will be over quickly.”

Alaric made a few parting remarks to the others and they
left to join Rurik and Trista on the
Punisher
.

Ástrid sighed and eyed the ceiling. “If I ever get my hands
on that son of a bitch, he’ll wish he died years ago.”

“Amen,” Mace chanted. “But I want to get him first.”

With a grimace, Ástrid cocked her hip and smirked. “We’ll
leave on the morn. Get some rest. You both need it. And I’ll have a healer with
us. I promised Alaric I would. In the meantime, perhaps you two can figure out
what you want for your ceremony. This will be quicker than what I thought.”

“Ma’am.” Mace bowed and motioned Ástrid toward the door. He
turned to Jinn before he followed, and pointed. “You behave yourself. No
running after that asshole.”

“Yes, sir.” Jinn smiled. She would still be a warrior—the
first inter-societal one for the Svendians and Vulgarians.

For that, she was exultant. Perhaps life would work out yet?

Drakkar cradled her against him. “I like seeing you happy.”
He kissed her.

“Hmmmm,” she purred. “And I just like seeing you. Preferably
naked.”

He chuckled. “That can be arranged, Beloved.” With that, he
lifted her in his arms and strode to the bedroom.

“No, wait.” She placed her hand against his chest. “Is it
too late to go to the spring?”

Drakkar grinned. “Not at all. We can use a protection bubble
to keep the heat in.”

She pressed her lips against his “Then that, Beloved, is the
deal.” She lined his lips with her tongue then sealed her mouth onto his,
savoring the taste of him, his warmth and his loving heart.

Between touches, he muttered, “And what deal is that?”

She giggled as she pulled a few inches away. “To always love
you, Drakkar.” Her eyes filled with tears but this time they were the happy
kind. “To always love you.”

He wiped the streaming moisture from her cheek with his
thumb and touched his forehead to hers. “That’s one deal I can’t lose. Ever. I
love you Jinn of Svendia. I always will.”

She laughed. “I will, too, Drakkar of Vulgaria.” She kissed
him.

“And I will be yours, Jinn of Vulgaria, once from Svendia,
forever.”

When they kissed this time, Jinn felt the bond encircle her
heart, felt the iciness of the old hurts fall away.

Drakkar walked to the exit and prepared the bubble shield,
and when they took the transport to the spring, Jinn knew she was finally home.

A Woman poised on the edge of discovery. That is who I am. If
we watch closely enough, we find who we are by what we do. I love to write. I
love the alternative worlds that the mind drops into when dreaming. It’s
liberating, it’s invigorating. It is an exploration. It’s a creation. I believe
in dreams. I believe in the power of dreams to motivate you. Dreaming is a
gift. Pursue it, pursue the thoughts, I say to myself. To whatever end. For who
knows where the journey will take me? I’ll never know what I can achieve until
I garner the courage and take the first step.

So in this, Elle is a woman of discovery, an explorer, an
adventurer. Now, I must admit, I developed the nom de plume so readers will
know they’re getting a different kind of book from my others written under Lise
Fuller. Yes, I still love the action and adventure, and will always have some
of that in my works, but as I kept writing as Elle, more things of wonder came
to me, and I hope, as you read my works, the same will come to you. As to the
name? I took it from the French—“Elle” for “she” and “Amour” for love. She
loves.

This is what I do, who I am. Join me on the journey.

Elle welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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Carnal Promise

ISBN 9781419948350

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Carnal Promise Copyright © 2015 Elle Amour

Edited by Nina Gooden

Cover design by Kelly A. Martin

Cover photography by NOWAK LUKASZ, pixelparticle, Kiselev Andrey
Valerevich, conrado

Electronic book publication February 2015

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