Casey's Warriors (Bondmates) (29 page)

Thinking back to her last night as a cashier at the grocery store Casey couldn’t help but laugh. “I hear that.”

Casey caught movement out of the corner of her eye and to her surprise she saw Lady Elsin standing stiffly in the doorway.

“May I come in?”

Resentment at Lady Elsin for hurting Lorn still burned in Casey’s gut. “Depends. Are you here to try to stop the wedding?”

Jaz elbowed her and whispered, “Casey, don’t piss her off, she’s like a queen around here.”

Casey ignored her and watched Lady Elsin approach slowly, her gaze going over the elaborate bridal gown. “Did you know my son killed the
calnix
with only his knives for the feathers of your bridal cloak? It is a fearsome beast native to the northern continent of Kadothia that is usually hunted by at least dozen of our Warriors, but Lorn managed to slay it alone. When he came home that day with the spoils from the battle, I knew whoever his bride was, she would be getting an exceptional husband. I was very proud of him. Did he also tell you I was the one who made your cloak?”

Startled, Jaz and Casey exchanged a glance before she returned her attention to Lorn’s mother. “No, I didn’t know about the feathers, nor did he tell me you made the cloak.”

“I did. I wanted Lorn to have the very best gifts for his bride so she would know she was so very much wanted by my son. He’s dreamed about you for a long time.” Her gaze grew distant as she looked at the elaborate mass of feathers with open fondness. “This cloak is just part of the long series of trials Kadothian men must go through to prove themselves worthy of a bride. We are the most precious thing in the universe to them, though it goes both ways. They are my most valued gift as well. I love my husbands and my sons more than my own life.”

Casey had to blink back tears as she got what she was pretty sure was a rare glimpse of Lorn’s mother. Everyone seemed to live in fear of her, and with good reason. But seeing Lady Elsin like this, with her expression softened and her eyes filled with warmth, made Casey’s heart ease a bit. While the other woman was still a bitch, she loved Lorn with all her heart and that was a bond between them.

Lady Elsin went to touch the cloak, then stopped. “Forgive me. I forget I cannot feel your emotions nor you mine. It is very difficult to communicate with you. I cannot imagine what it is like to live in a world without feeling others emotions. It must be very lonely.”

Casey turned so the cloak more fully faced the other woman. “Touch away. I guess I never missed it because I never had it. But you need to know the love I feel for Lorn is as real as what I feel for my family. Maybe we don’t need to sense others emotion because we know it’s true. I know my family loves me. I know Lorn loves me. In my mind they are equal. Besides, I’m not alone anymore. Lorn…he’s….he’s…my everything.”

“I believe you.” Tilting her head in Casey’s direction, Lady Elsin then began to softly stroke the cloak. “I remember when Lorn went out on his quest to attain these feathers. I wanted to strangle him for picking one of our most vicious beasts to hunt, but he would not be dissuaded. He wanted his future bride to have only the best. Even then he knew you were waiting for him. After he attained enough points to qualify for the Reaping I prayed he would find his bride, but he never did. We hoped that maybe it was Nast that was meant to find their bride first, but it was the same with him. Billions of women would have given their soul to bond with them, yet none of them mattered.” She met Casey’s gaze head on. “They were waiting for you.”

Flustered, Casey smoothed the dress again. “I don’t…”

Lady Elsin’s voice snapped like a whip. “Do not dismiss the truth. I do not know about the religions of your world, but when a Kadothian man takes a bride it is because your souls are meant to be together. It has been ordained since the beginning of time by the Creator of us all and is our most sacred belief.”

Casey swallowed hard and turned back to the mirror, pretending to check her flawless makeup. “How can you be so sure?”

Moving up behind her, Lady Elsin tucked a stray curl of Casey’s hair back in place. “When I was in my son’s mind I could read your soul, Casey. You belong to Lorn and he belongs to you. I am sorry I doubted you and I pray the Lord of Life, and you, will forgive me for my arrogance and lack of faith.”

She didn’t know if it was the wedding, or the stress, or just that she needed Lady Elsin’s approval more than she knew, because she started to cry. Jaz shushed her and handed her a tissue while Lady Elsin looked faintly horrified. “Did I say something to hurt you?”

“What? No, no. It’s just…well it’s been a long couple of days for me.”

A slight smile curved the other woman’s lips and she reached into a pocket of her white robe. “I was wondering if I might give you a bonding gift?”

“Oh, you don’t have to give me anything, really.”

Lady Elsin pulled out a teardrop necklace made of shimmering brown stones strung on a gleaming golden chain. “My son is quite taken by your
bezel
eyes. The rich color is considered a mark of great beauty among the people of the Northern Kadothian continent, and much sought after by our men. I would like you to have this
bezel
necklace to honor your beauty. It has been in my family for generations, passed from mother to daughter as part of our dowry, but part of the sacrifice I made in bonding with my husbands is that I will never have a daughter. I would like for you to have it.”

She had to bite her lip to keep from tearing up again. “Thank you, it’s beautiful. Do you mind putting it on me?”

Once the necklace was in place she stroked her fingers over the stones and gasped softly as they threw off tiny amber and gold sparks. “Wow.”

Lady Elsin tilted her head and Casey watched her eyes do that weird dilation thing Lorn’s did when he was listening to something only he could hear. “My son is worried I am trying to talk you out of the bonding ceremony. I need to get out there before he decides to come look for you. Whenever you are ready, Lorn is waiting and he loves you very much.”

With that Lady Elsin left and Jaz moved up behind her, smoothing out her train. “And I thought my mothers-in-law were scary.”

Stroking the necklace Casey smiled. “Oh, she’s not that bad.”

Jaz snorted then grinned. “Really?”

“Really.” She swallowed hard then glanced at the door leading to where the bonding ceremony would take place. “So I just walk out there and go to Lorn’s side?”

A mysterious smiled danced over Jaz’s full lips and she nodded. “Something like that.”

“What are you not telling me?”

“You’ll see. I promise, it’s nothing bad.”

Jaz opened the door leading to a hallway Casey hadn’t been in before. “Just remember to breathe.”

Casey stepped out into the hall and turned to the right, the sound of people talking guiding her. She gasped when she caught her first sight of the massive room where the bonding ceremony would take place. An enormous curved chamber with rows of stadium style seats, all filled, stretched out before her. The back wall was totally transparent, showing a spectacular view of Jupiter. On either side of the doorway, forming an aisle, had to be at least a hundred men dressed in different colored armor snapping to attention as one. They then drew their plasma swords and formed an arch for her to walk through with an impressive clang of steel that reminded her of a military wedding on Earth.

At the very end of the row of Warriors, standing before the vast window, was Lorn dressed in gleaming black armor wearing a black cape with crimson lining the inside that matched her dress. His adoration and pride coursed through her, forcing her to try and keep from sprinting to him. The moment she walked beneath the first sword pink and white flowers began to fall from above. Whenever they touched a solid surface they threw off a tiny shower of golden sparkles, bathing her with light as she made her way to Lorn. The audience was so quiet that all she could hear was her own breathing and the sigh of the petals falling over the men standing on either side. They were all handsome, but none could compare to Lorn.

As she made her way through the raised swords something tickled at her senses, a distraction that demanded her attention from somewhere to her right. It called to her, made her want to search out the source of the disturbance, to find that elusive touch that was stroking at her mind. She paused to look, but then she focused on Lorn and nothing else mattered. The world fell away around her so that by the time she reached Lorn, he was the only thing in her universe. He held out his hand and when they touched, she swore sparks flew between them. His gaze landed on the necklace and a sense of relief came through their bond, mixing with his love. She tried to push her feelings to him, to let him know without words how much she adored him and that everything was okay.

An elderly woman in pale gold robes stepped up onto the small platform and smiled at them, peace rolling off of her in almost visible waves. Remembering the next step of the ceremony, Casey knelt with Lorn and placed her palms flat against his. She knew she was smaller than he was, but it wasn’t until she looked at his hands dwarfing hers that she realized she must look like a doll next to him. Yet as large as he was she never once feared he would harm her. Well, except for when she thought he might be holding up the grocery store, but even then she’d somehow known her life was forever changed the moment their eyes met.

The officiant began to sing a lilting chant the translation crystal behind her ear couldn’t decipher, but it didn’t matter. Looking into Lorn’s glowing blue eyes she smiled as energy began to flare between them and sparks of the purest white, like the burning embers of the sparklers she’d played with as a child on warm Fourth of July nights, dripped down from where their hands met. A tingling started between them and she drew in a deep breath, her gaze never leaving Lorn’s while a cool breeze seemed to move across her soul. Lorn had told her it was the purifying touch of the Lord of Life but she’d never actually expected to feel it.

A sense of the divine swept through her and she surrendered willingly to it. Love, in all of its forms, filled her until she thought her heart might burst, then it did indeed feel as if her soul exploded. Instead of being frightened or in pain she found her spirit mixing and blending with Lorn’s soul, bits and pieces of his memories filling her until she felt as if she’d lived parts of his life. He’d waited so long for her, had prayed with all of his might to find her, suffered through so much to keep his galaxy safe, and the Lord of Life had rewarded his efforts.

Moving as one they stood with their hands almost fused together by the sparks that now enveloped them with a white glow.

The elderly priestess said in a voice that rang through the hall with an echo of bells, “And the Lord of Life proclaimed there is no beginning or end to love, that it shall be eternal in the hearts of those worthy of His greatest gift.”

A tingling sensation raced up Casey’s arms and seemed to settle just above her heart. When she looked down she gasped at the sight of Lorn’s mark forming on the upper mound of her left breast. It looked almost as if someone was drawing on her chest as the lines spread out and twisted together, forming delicate scrolling knotwork that extended over her left breast towards her heart and ended with an almost floral pattern. She looked up at Lorn and smiled as she sank into his love, losing herself in him.

He swept her into his arms as cheers rang out around them, but none of that mattered. The only thing she wanted was to be alone with him as quickly as possible, to have him inside of her so their bodies could lock together to match their souls. He was her bondmate and she was the luckiest woman in the Universe.

Chapter Fourteen

Three days later, Casey and Lorn finally emerged from what she considered their honeymoon for the first time since she’d gone to medical and been inoculated and basically upgraded enough to survive life in the Bel’Tan galaxy. They were about to make their first public appearance together on the ship and she was more than a bit nervous. Way more.

Fiddling with the silken bell sleeves of her black gown, she checked her appearance again. “Are you sure I’m wearing this right?”

He smiled down at her then bent to kiss the side of her neck. “You look good enough to eat.”

His arousal tickled at her senses, but she’d gained enough control of their bond by now to partially close down her side enough so that only intense emotions would get through. She could still feel him, but she wasn’t swamped by his emotions. In private it was wonderful to immerse herself in him fully, but outside of the bedroom, she had a much harder time focusing on anything but Lorn if their bond was fully opened. It just felt so damn good to lose herself in him that it was addicting. But she needed all her wits about her right now, and then some. They were going to meet some of his friends today and she wanted to make a good first impression.

After all, Lorn was hoping she would partially bond them.

Even more nerve wracking, Nast would be there as well. To her surprise she hadn’t needed Lorn to tell her Nast was on the ship. She’d been able to smell the other man on Lorn and had found out Nast had attended their bonding ceremony. Even more startling was the fact that she felt him there. He’d been that elusive touch that had called to her even as she was in the middle of her own wedding. Now she was going to meet the man she’d never seen, but had dreamed about last night with such intensity she swore she woke up with his kiss still burning her lips. It had been one hot, dirty dream that had her waking Lorn up by riding his cock and seeking a relief to the fire the dream had started in her blood.

Anxiety raced through her and she took a deep breath. Lady Elsin’s bonding gift glittered around her neck, reminding her of the importance of building up her House. After all, she was now the Matriarch of House Westfall and she needed gather her ‘Knights’, as Lorn liked to call them, around her. He’d summoned two of his best friends, men he’d fought with but were too young or didn’t have enough points to seek brides of their own and they were waiting for them on another part of the ship. Last night he’d told her about each man so she felt like she knew them in a way, even if they were strangers. Some of the stories had made her laugh but others had made her weep because she was feeling what Lorn felt when he told those stories and not all of them were happy.