Jaz's Warriors (Bondmates Book 2) (3 page)

As soon as Mavet and Xentix heard the word “
prizmit
” their rage was so strong it managed to push past her mental barriers that closed off her side of the bond. When she’d told them of the incident, she’d not gone into details, especially when she learned a
prizmit
was a disgusting creature on Kadothia that survived on the shit of others.

Evidently it was a huge insult, because everyone gasped as though Vungus had called her a cunt.

Her husbands were beyond furious that she’d been insulted like that, to the point where their minds were unreachable to her, taken over by savage instinct. Xentix snarled and tensed as if to leap, only to be stopped by an extremely handsome man who bore a striking resemblance to the guy who played Lucius Malfoy in the
Harry Potter
movies. Same amazing long white-blond hair, currently held back in a low ponytail, same dreamy blue eyes, and the same super-arrogant asshole expression on his handsome face as he stared at Vungus. The stranger wore a cloak pinned to the shoulders of his navy-blue armor, a white one bordered in a thick band of cobalt blue.

Shit, that meant he was one of the five elected leaders of the Negotiator class, and one of the three hundred members of the High Congress that ruled Kadothia, which made him a Lord.

No wonder power seemed to roll off him in invisible waves.

She said a quick prayer for God to have mercy on her husbands and not punish them for her sass.

“Did I just hear,” the Lord said with a slightly purring accent to his words, “that you insulted a Matriarch? That you used one of our foulest words in her presence? That you broke one of our basic laws of protocol?”

Mavet let out a loud warning growl that had her clasping his hand in her own. He shook with anger and she opened their bond enough to try to shove some calm at him. Sunshine, kittens, rainbows, Xentix’s spectacular golden-skinned ass, and all that shit. It must have worked, because he eased back slightly. Realizing she needed to do the same for Xentix, she opened her bond with him and tried to mentally shove happy thoughts at him. When he gave her a puzzled but calmer look, she ignored him and focused on the hottie with the long blond hair.

Vungus glared at Jaz with pure hatred then spat out, “You saw what she did; she attacked my bondmate without provocation. Daniella wasn’t doing anything wrong and Matriarch Brooks chose to lash out and hurt her. I should not be surprised, Daniella tells me Matriarch Brooks probably grew up in what is known on Earth as ‘the ghetto’, and we all know how violent and unbalanced those women are. Thank the Lord of Life Daniella came from good breeding and had parents who are not gutter trash.”

From across the room, Vungus’ Matriarch Daniella looked right at Jaz and mouthed the words “stupid nigger” with a sneer.

Oh no she didn’t.

Now it was her husbands’ turn to hold her back, to keep her from launching herself at Vungus and his twat of a wife. “You fucking bitch! How dare you—”

She was cut off by Xentix’s hand over her mouth while both men tried to force her to relax through their bond, sending her soothing emotions that didn’t do shit to calm her down as she struggled uselessly in her husbands’ firm grips.

The mysterious Lord met her gaze and seemed to be trying to tell her something that she didn’t understand. They’d gathered quite a crowd by now and she wouldn’t be surprised if more people were watching via the security cameras they had all over the ship. The fact that she was making a spectacle of herself by flipping out was not lost on her, and her face heated with an embarrassed blush. By the satisfied look on that blonde bitch Daniella’s face, Jaz’s angry reaction had been exactly what she wanted.

“Look at her,” Daniella said with wide, fake-scared eyes. “She’s unstable, a danger to us all just like my husband said.”

“And you,” the man with the cap whirled around to face Vungus’ wife, “your behavior is unbecoming of a Matriarch. Good men are
dying
as we speak to fight for the Kadothian people, and all you can think about is your own selfish needs to attend a party. Grow up.”

“I am filing a complaint,” Vungus said as his pale face turned a light shade of purple, the Kadothian equivalent of having an angry red face.

“That is your right.” The man who looked like Lucius Malfoy couldn’t have appeared more unimpressed if he’d tried. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to.”

With that, he gave Jaz a smile that held real warmth and a wink before sauntering off.

For a moment, the entire bay was almost silent, then filled again with conversation as Mavet and Xentix rounded on her and the busy Terminal continued to buzz with activity.

They crowded her back until she pressed against a dark silver wall, trapped by both their bodies and their gazes as she nervously smoothed her hair back. “So, what does filing a complaint mean?”

“It means, Matriarch,” Mavet growled out as his irritation mixed with fear sent prickles of unease down her back, “that if you are found to have acted in a dangerous manner, you could be banned from the Bel’Tan galaxy until you are deemed mentally healthy enough to rule over our people, who would be left vulnerable in the meantime without our protection.”

Tears burned her nose as she realized just how big she’d messed up. “Oh no.”

“Oh no indeed,” Xentix added, his titled eyes narrowing. “What were you thinking? Vungus has the authority on his own to isolate you in our chambers or in a med bay until you’ve gone through a full psychological evaluation, and that could take weeks. Not to mention the harm it would cause your reputation and the uncertainty it would bring the people of our village.”

At the thought of the peaceful agrarian community back on Kadothia that she was in charge of protecting, she closed her eyes as she realized just how much she’s risked. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know you are,” Mavet said in a soft tone as he brushed back her dark curls. “You were very, very lucky Lord Thantoh just happened to be here.”

“Lord Thantoh, is that the guy with the cape?”

“Yes,” a deep male voice said from her left, “that was Lord Rell Thantoh, Warrior of the Negotiator class. He’s also the Lead Congressman of the Cliffs of Goeth to the High Congress.”

Turning quickly, Jaz found herself staring at a tall, leanly muscled man in the black armor of a Warrior. He had a scar going across his well-sculpted chin and his eyes were an unusually soft blue, startling in his dark tan face. Unlike her husbands, who had hair hanging down practically to their waists, his blond hair with its deep brown streaks barely reached past his shoulders and was pulled back into a tight bun.

If she hadn’t been nervous before, coming face-to-face with the man who’d featured in her dreams lately did the trick.

“Tandar!” Mavet said in a loud, happy voice from behind her.

With her heart pounding in her throat, she watched her husband embrace the familiar stranger. Shit, she should have known she would True Dream about the man her husbands wanted her to bond with, to bring in as her third husband. The very idea should have sent the good girl inside of her screaming away in horror, but she just wasn’t as opposed to the arrangement as she had been a few days ago.

The sight of Mavet closing his eyes in pleasure as they embraced sent a little frisson of heat through her. When her husbands had first kissed, she’d been a little freaked out, but that quickly passed. Now she found the sight of two men flirting arousing. Especially when she could feel everything they were feeling, could actually orgasm without moving a muscle. That had happened a couple times while she’d slept. Mavet and Xentix would turn to each other for sex, wanting to let her get her rest, and she would wake up at the tail end of their lovemaking as a deliciously intense orgasm ripped her from her sleep.

The memories made her nipples tight and Xentix let out a low purring sound behind her. “You are attracted to him.”

Knowing he found nothing wrong with her desire for Tandar, welcomed it even as normal and healthy, gave her the strength to tell the truth. “I am.”

“Excellent, because the thought of him making you orgasm has my cock hard enough…what is that Earth expression? Hard enough to punch nails.”

She threw an elbow into his ribs and tried not to giggle at the rare smile he gave her. “Hard enough to pound nails, but I get your meaning. Keep your hammer in your pants, I’ve barely said two words to him.”

Mavet and Tandar continued to talk in low voices as the crowd flowed around them, their love for each other obvious. Well, at least it was obvious to Jaz from Mavet. He loved his blood brother in a deep and true way that she could feel when she eased their psychic link open a little more. Instantly, she was swamped with the powerful emotions of reuniting with a long-lost friend, someone she cared deeply about and was so happy to see again. Her heart soared at having everyone she loved safe and in one place. But it was more…she could actually feel a faint hint of Tandar’s soul through her bond with Mavet.

It made sense; Mavet was her bondmate, so she’d feel someone else he’d bonded to, but she still worried about everything working out between them all.

Having a relationship with one man was hard enough, let alone three dominant males.

The cool hardness of Xentix’s armor pressed against her back while he wrapped his arms around her. “Do not think so much, just feel. Thinking confuses things.”

“So says the man happy to just instinctively stumble through life.” She grinned up, way up, over her shoulder to her enormous husband as his earthy aroma of green plants filled her.

“My Matriarch,” Mavet’s voice broke through her admiration of Xentix, “I would like to introduce you to my blood brother, Tandar el’Alrianti of House Musoli, Commander of the 67
th
Royal Armada.”

From Mavet’s tales about Tandar, she knew she was standing before a real honest-to-God hero, a man who served directly beneath Commander Trenzent, one of the five leaders of Kadothia’s Warrior class. Tandar was the kind of guy men aspired to be, and she could see why. He held himself with a confidence that made her all tingly inside and his aura of control belied the fierceness of his looks.

Tandar was responsible for the lives of millions of men, but he’d left the front lines to come meet her in the hopes of bonding with her.

He already had an in to her heart through Mavet; she would never deny someone her husband loved the protection that her bond could offer. However, that didn’t mean she was a sure thing. Becoming bondmates lasted forever—and not like an Earth-marriage forever, where either party could choose to walk away. No, once she bonded a man, their souls were fused together, joined until the day they died.

Her voice came out breathy as she said, “Welcome to the Reaping ship, Commander. Please call me Jaz.”

Tandar took a step closer. He was shorter than both Xentix and Mavet, but he moved like a powerful cat, all lean muscle and strength. To her surprise, he went to one knee before her then bowed his head. Even on his knees, he was still an enormous man compared to her curvy Earth frame, and she took in a deep breath as his spicy scent filled her. Yum.

When he looked up, his gaze captured hers. “You honor me, Jaz.”

Chapter

Tandar breathed deep and soaked in the essence of the woman before him, struggling to find his footing in this unexpected situation. He’d left what might be his final command post with a heavy heart, fear gnawing at him after listening to all the rumors about the women of Earth. According to multiple, if vague sources, the women of Earth were vain, vicious, manipulative creatures who had sadistic streaks that drove them to torment people for their own evil pleasure.

Not unlike the Hive.

He’d almost not come, but his blood brother Mavet was the only person in the Universe Tandar loved and his blood brother had bonded an Earth woman.

And not just any female, but a heartbreakingly stunning one who stole his breath.

Gazing into her kind, gorgeous dark eyes, he studied her closely, enraptured by the smallest detail of her regal face. Jaz was a striking woman, small but heavily curved, with glowing dark skin. Her soft-looking, thick black curls fell to her shoulders and haloed her face, highlighting her strong cheekbones and lush mouth. She wore some kind of cosmetic on her eyelids that made them shimmer, as if they’d been painted in gold dust, and her lips were stained deep red, the same color as the sweet nectar of the
montri
flower over shaved ice, his favorite dessert.

He wondered if the intriguing petals of flesh between her legs tasted like that flower, sweet and tart.

Clearing her throat, she bent and gave him a kiss on the forehead, the acceptable protocol for the first public meeting between a bride and a potential bondmate through blood brothers.

He wished she’d given him the trilogy kiss, one on each eyelid, then the final kiss on his waiting lips, but that was a much more intimate exchange done in private.

The large mounds of her breasts, decorated with the black, swirling bondmarks from her husbands, brushed his face as she lingered a moment while holding him before stepping back.

“We are so glad you came to visit us. I hope your journey was an easy one.”

The shy way she peeked at him through her lashes made him smile. He was eager to talk to her, but he couldn’t until she gave him formal leave to address her. “May I have permission to speak familiar with you, Matriarch?”

Her gaze went wide while her husbands chuckled.

“Oh, crap, I mean, please call me Jaz. Sorry, I’m still learning formal protocol. There are so many darn rules and they vary by region, along with how traditional someone is, and…” She scrunched her eyes closed, her expressive face revealing her embarrassment. “Forgive me; Tandar, you may address me as family.”

He barely managed to hide his surprise. Having him address her as family would meant he had the right to speak his mind around her however he wished. There would be no rules of society forcing him to keep his distance or hide his opinion. It certainly wasn’t the icy distance he’d expected her to keep him at. No, she wasn’t the frigid bitch he thought he’d meet.

In fact, she was warm, deliciously so. Her psychic signature carried a heat that soothed his weary soul.

Standing, he rearranged his plans. Initially he was going to do whatever he could to avoid being alone with her—he’d heard Earth women would use their powers to seduce and trap Kadothian men. But looking at the woman blushing so prettily for him, he knew that wasn’t the case. Jaz was truly nervous around him, he didn’t need to sense Mavet’s worry in order to see that, but he wasn’t sure if she was attracted to him. Though he wanted to spend time with Mavet and talk about moving Jaz into the home they’d built together, even if she rejected him, he found himself craving time alone with her away from her bondmates.

It wasn’t that he was jealous of her husbands, but rather he needed to see how she acted around him without the distraction of her bonds with Mavet and Xentix.

Taking a risk that he’d push too far too fast, he took a hesitant step forward, not sure how to convince her he was sincere when she couldn’t read him without a bond. All his life, he’d simply had to reveal his emotions to a Matriarch for her to know he was telling the truth. Jaz didn’t have that innate ability to read others’ emotions like the Matriarchs from the Bel’Tan galaxy, and he struggled with how to express himself properly.

“I wish to be alone with you.”

Evidently, that was not the right thing to say, because Jaz’s eyes grew wide again and she squeaked out, “What?”

“I wish to be alone with you so we can feel together.”

She held up her hand and took a step back, her expressive face revealing her emotions. “Whoa, Buddy, you need to slow that shit down.”

He looked to Mavet in a panic, but the other man was already soothing Jaz. “My
alyah
, be calm. There is something lost in the translation.”

“No kidding.” She gave Tandar a suspicious look that he didn’t like. “Someone want to tell me what he’s trying to say?”

He wanted to go to her and touch her, let her know he meant no harm, but he remained frozen in place. “I can speak for myself, Matriarch. Would you please tell me what you fear so I can ease it?”

“Look, I know you guys are used to women falling on you the moment you smile at them, with all your blond godliness—”

“My what?”

“She means she finds you handsome,” Xentix said with a small smile.

He tried to keep from puffing up with pride like some smooth-skinned Recruit. “That is good, because I think she is very beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Jaz’s stiffness with him eased a bit. “What I’m trying to say is that although you may be used to moving fast with a woman sexually, Earth women are different. We need to get to know our partners, need to understand who they are before we have sex. Not always, some people are fine with having sex right away and I don’t judge, but for myself, I can’t just do it with you.”

“I understand. However, I was not suggesting we go have sex. Your bond with your husbands is very strong, as is my bond with Mavet. I was asking if perhaps we could spend some time alone getting to know each other without their influence, so we know our feelings are our own.”

Jaz hesitated, but Xentix quickly spoke up. “Perhaps you could take Tandar to the food courtyard and bazaar, show him some of the Earth products that are there.”

“They have a restaurant he would like, the Puffed
Klackle
. It serves food from the region he grew up in. After being on the battlefront for so long, it would be something he would enjoy,” Mavet added with a warm smile.

Jaz blinked at her husbands, then at Tandar, as he tried to keep from huffing with annoyance. While he appreciated their enthusiasm, he really needed some time alone with Jaz because
she
wanted it. He needed to breathe in her scent, untainted by the presence of others. Her rich, dark skin looked so smooth and he longed to stroke her from the tips of her toes to her furrowed brow.

Realizing she was frowning at him, he jerked his attention from her exposed cleavage to her narrowed gaze. “My eyes are up here.”

Wanting her to know how attractive he found her, he decided to compliment her. Women loved compliments. “Your breasts are magnificent. Truly, I did not think you would have so much. I wonder how they will feel filling my hands.”

“What?” she screeched, while alarm came through his bond with Mavet.

Before he could say anything, Xentix stepped forward and gently grasped Jaz’s chin in his hand and turned her so she was forced to look at him. “Cultural difference. In his region of Kadothia, it is considered rude not to note something attractive about someone you are courting.”

“Oh.” Abruptly she relaxed and studied Tandar closely before nodding once. “Okay, you didn’t mean it in a pervy way. I can feel you a tiny bit through our mutual bond with Mavet, and know you meant no offense.”

Astonished that she’d just let it go—it was within her rights as a Matriarch to demand an apology from him for a slight—he offered her his hand. “Please, Jaz, I would like to speak with you. Is there somewhere we could go?”

She licked her lips quickly, shooting Xentix and Mavet a scowl before turning to face him again. “Look, my always-horny husbands want me to take you back to our place and screw your brains out. As hot as you are, you’re right; we need to talk. I want to get to know you, Tandar. I want to have the opportunity to fall in love, to take our time and form a strong bond before we actually, you know, bond. What I don’t want to do is rush things between us.”

“I also do not wish to rush, because you deserve to be savored.” Smiling down at her, he took a step forward and offered his hand, knowing if she was meant to be with him she’d be unable to resist the urge to mate and bond. “By your husbands’ leave, I swear I will lay down my life to keep you safe.”

Mavet gave him a wink “Enjoy yourself. Remember what we discussed.”

His cock tried to stiffen as he remembered his friend’s advice on how to pleasure Jaz, on what her sweet spots were and what she enjoyed. He couldn’t help but focus his gaze back on her full breasts with their very sensitive nipples. She loved to have them suckled while she fucked and he couldn’t wait to wrap his lips around one dusky tip.

“I will.”

Jaz kissed both of her husbands goodbye before she slipped her hand into his. “You know, you’re the only person they’ve ever felt safe leaving me with.”

“They know I am an honorable Warrior and that I will let no harm come to you while you are in my care.”

Jaz led them easily through the crowd to one of the many lifts located on the perimeter walls of the Transport room. They took the comfortable lift up a couple decks and he didn’t break the relaxed silence between them for the short ride, instead slowly stroking his thumb over her small hand, loving how delicate she was compared to him. While she was well padded in every way a man could want, there was no doubt she needed someone to watch over her.

To protect her.

To love her.

His mind spun when they exited the lift and made their way down a long arched cream hallway. People smiled at Jaz everywhere they went, calling out affectionate greetings as they passed. She was obviously well known and liked. More than one Warrior had given him a warning look, which only made him snarl at them in return. Kadothian males were a territorial race, and while he knew the men weren’t expressing an interest in Jaz as a bondmate, she was a Matriarch known by them and they would naturally feel protective of her with an unfamiliar male.

What he
hadn’t
expected was the Matriarchs, both Earth and from the Bel’Tan galaxy, who also gave him warning looks as they walked into a huge corridor lined with shops and restaurants. He tried to remember what it was Jaz did on the ship, he knew she had some official position that Mavet had tried to explain to him, but he’d been in the middle of a battle at the time with only a few moments of peace to open the message from his blood brother. The letter described Mavet’s bride, but he’d skipped over the words, his gaze going straight to the picture of a very young Matriarch with a brilliant white smile that contrasted nicely with her rich brown skin and exotic features that instantly made him hard.

Right now he was having a difficult time fighting his arousal as they strolled down the corridor. She pointed out some of the shops and he enjoyed the soothing lilt of her voice as she talked about them. Every time he glanced down at Jaz out of the corner of his eye, he was treated to the mouthwatering sight of her full breasts bouncing with her every step, just like her dark curls. She fascinated him, and it was only his quick reflexes that saved him from walking into a doorway as she took an abrupt turn to the right. A soft giggle escaped her and he felt his cheeks flush for the first time in forever.

He’d been sure the ability to even feel embarrassment had been burned out of him long ago by a never-ending war.

Being around Jaz was turning out to be more complicated than he’d anticipated.

“Where—”

A loud squeal came from across the room, followed by a woman shouting, “Jaz!”

His potential bondmate smiled so bright it made his heart thumped hard and his breath catch. She was so beautiful, her happiness radiating off her as she walked quickly to where an older Earth Matriarch with streaks of silver in her bright red hair ran to meet her.

Trailing the Matriarch were two men, the teal-haired male was of the Healer class, and a burly dark-skinned Scout that Tandar was unfamiliar with accompanied him. They studied Tandar closely as they made their way to where the two women stood embracing. Tandar stayed a few paces back, giving the women a semblance of privacy even though he could hear their every whispered word.