Bonds of the Mazza

by Blake Blessing

  The portal glowed a light green on this side but the set-up was the same, as it stretched from the floor to the top of the trees.

  The green burned brighter at the bottom center when it suddenly flared and Sage popped through. He got two or three steps in, then stopped. His eyes were closed and his breathing labored. After crossing straight over to him, I rested my palm on his stomach even as he tensed at the touch. As he calmed, the force of his heavy breathing moved my hand with it.

  “Sage, it’s okay. You made it safe and sound.”

  Another few moments passed, then he opened his eyes. So much pain and anguish stared back at me I froze.

  “I’m fine.” He shrugged off the contact and sauntered toward the cart as if nothing happened.

  A burning welled in my throat, but I pushed it down. I refused to let him get to me. We had much bigger issues to worry about than why the portal scared him.

  My Lusty Legion surrounded me and I was happy for the distraction.

  “Iss, Yunez and Rand are distracting Ruk. We wanted to say goodbye while we could.” Nato invaded my personal bubble, but didn’t touch me.

  “When will I see you all again? Are we talking a week or month, or several months?” My voice climbed in pitch.

  Fuck, I’d only found these guys and I’d gotten used to them being around. After years of being on my own, an irrational fear clawed at the back of my throat, because chances of us not running into trouble were slim. Nope, on the last thought, my fear was completely rational.

  “As soon as we can Issy girl. As soon as we can.” Egan’s gruff tone told me he hated Yunez’s plan as much as I did.

  I sighed miserably. “You can’t give me a proper goodbye can you? Not with Ruk here.”

  “We should have done this before we crossed over.” Jari scratched his chin. “You know what, fuck it. No one says that Issy can’t have at least one lover.” He swept me up in his arms and slammed his mouth down on mine, forcing his tongue inside. The zealous kiss reminded me of how we could have spent our night together. I wrapped my legs around his waist, clinging to him in every possible way. He’d have to collect on winning the race when we were together again.

  He flexed his fingers against my ass, grinding me against him.

  Eventually, Jari separated from me and slowly slid my body down his front, his erection digging into my stomach. Chills erupted along my skin and I shivered.

  The reality we gave everyone a show, suddenly dawned on me. Fuck it, I avoided making eye contact with everyone but Jari and pretended we hadn’t just dry humped in the field.

  “Fucker,” Nato muttered.

  Egan softly growled at Jari, but he couldn’t quite hold it. His face seemed to say he wished he thought of it first. The smugness coming off of Jari’s smile could have brightened the blackest night, and he didn’t even try to hide the glint of pride in his eyes.

  “Sweets, we’ll come back as soon as we can. I know I’ll be doing everything in my power to get the information we need so we can all come back together.” Jari gave my ass one more squeeze before giving me space.

  “Damn, if you were able to come into your powers we could have communicated via your Caen powers.” Egan looked off into the distance and his mouth set into a worrying frown.

  “I’ll be with Sage and Rand. I don’t think they’ll let any harm come to me, and whatever his agenda is, I don’t think Yunez would leave me with them if I would be in any real danger.”

  “I don’t like that you’re being separated from all three of your chosen bonds so soon. I’ve been trying to find a way to tell Yunez to fuck off, it’s just not easy to do with someone as powerful as he is.” Nato ground his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

  “He wouldn’t do this if he didn’t have a reason. You think it’s a coincidence that she’s being sent with only the prospective Janer mates? I think he’s setting her up to get to know them better without our interference. Once she picks a mate we can begin her training. Think about it.” Egan lowered his voice.

  Nato grunted and looked away in what I believed was silent agreement.

  “All right, kids. Let’s get this show on the road. Our ride’s here boys, and Ruk is ready to start rolling.” Yunez invaded our little huddle.

  “We know what you’re doing. We just hope you have enough foresight to know there’s no chance of anything going south here.” Nato snarled.

  None of the guys seemed to agree with Yunez’s plan. It was a strong testament to their faith in Yunez to follow him, even when it went against our instincts.

  “Nothing is ever set in stone.” Yunez smiled lazily, like he didn’t have a care in all the realms.

  But he should. He should have a lot of cares. A lot of fucks to give, because if this went sour, Rainer was going to rule, and everyone would be in shit creek trying to deal with his crazy ass.

  Nato’s entire body tensed like he was a bowstring getting ready to unleash arrows of hell on Yunez’s ass. He leaned deep into Yunez and whispered, “I love you like family, and you’ve been a mentor for me for as long as I can remember, but if anything happens to Isolde I will make it my life’s mission to destroy you.”

  Amusement twinkled in Yunez’s eyes and he clapped Nato on the back. “That’s good, you need that kind of determination for what’s to come.”

  “Hugs for everyone,” I blurted. “If you have to leave me to cover the most ground we can before I’m discovered as the Mazza, I want hugs.” I tried to diffuse the situation before Nato gave into his temper, but my lack of peopling made my attempt obvious.

  I reached for Egan first since he was the closest. He buried his face in my hair and his thoughts of wild runs under the moonlight filled my head with his scent. The memory of when he showed off his Caen abilities floated around me. I breathed him in to memorize his scent.

  Nato tore me away from Egan and trapped his arms around me. My overbearing, possessive mate. He made a lot of mistakes in the beginning—a lot—but I wouldn’t take any of it back considering what I knew now. I would have given them more hell to spice things up a little bit, but we had the rest of our lives. The possibilities brought a small smile to my face.

  When Nato released me, Yunez surprised me by bringing me into his embrace, sliding his hands to the small of my back, tucking me tight to his front. “You’ll make sure Rand and Sage don’t kill each other, won’t you?”

  Like I would egg them on. That was a ridiculous question.

  He might have been trying to speed up the Janer bond but it still placed me in the position of babysitter. I doubted Rand had forgotten how Sage tried to beat his ass a few days before, or how Sage acted like he had a giant spiked dildo stuck up his. And Sage, behaved as if he were nothing more than a little boy, terrified his pet favored someone else.

  “Oh, and if you run across anyone with three suns on their person, tell them Yunez says hello.” He tipped his head down and winked at me.

  “Okay… That’s very cryptic, care to elaborate?”

  “Nope.” He kissed my forehead and strolled away, whistling a merry tune.

  “Anyone know what that was about?” I asked the entire LL.

  Nato slouched like the world was just placed on his shoulders. “He’s always been weird like that. Normally we just go with it, but even I admit my patience is running thin right now.”

  Jari snagged my hand and led all of us back to the cart. Rand and Sage were both already in the back, pointedly not speaking to each other, and Ruk was sitting on the front bench holding the reins.

  “Here, I’ll give you a hand up.” Jari didn’t give me time to respond as he locked his hands on my waist and lifted me into the cart. It wasn’t glamorous at all with a wooden bench lining each side and straw covering the floor. There were several trunks stacked at the front but it was otherwise empty. I sat on the bench next to Rand, and he gave me a tired smile. This close, his eyes had the same luminescent quality as Ruk’s. Maybe it was something magical about being in this place.r />
  I swiveled around, studying the LL, but they looked mostly the same. Their eyes might be a little brighter, but not as prominent as Rand’s or Ruk’s. Yunez didn’t count because his eyes were always glowing. Maybe the level of light was based on power levels. Like the more powerful you were, the brighter the eyes shone.

  “And we’re off.” Ruk shouted as he snapped the reins.

  Jolted sideways, I threw my hand out to keep from falling over. Rand slung an arm out to steady me, but I kept looking backward, waving at Nato, Egan and Jari. So lame, but it was the only thing that I could think of to do.

  Little doubts hovered around me. What if I never saw them again? What if I needed them or they needed me, or worse, if there were side effects of being separated? Yunez was the only Fennin old enough who personally knew the last Mazza, and he sure hadn’t shared any useful information on what to expect.

  All three were solemn as they watched me ride away. Another similar cart parked several meters away caught my eye, and I could barely make out the few people surrounding the cart. We were really going with the plan, heading to different cities. I’d do everything in my power to make the separation a short one. It wasn’t long until they disappeared beyond the thick trees, leaving me in uncomfortable silence.

  The wheels were loud as they creaked and shifted over the path, almost drowning out the horses’ clopping. All I saw from Ruk was the back of his head, but I was happy to avoid interacting with him.

  Sage sprawled out across his part of the bench, watching the landscape behind us. It was beautiful, but I didn’t think he really saw it. I wanted to make this work with him, and I saw something in him that was special, but how much dickness was I willing to put up with?

  Beside me, Rand twisted in his seat to face me.

  “How are you holding up?” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Eh, I think I’m in shock. I’ve been drinking from the water hose ever since I jumped into that Uber.” I snickered.

  He chuckled. “I get it. Do you have any questions?” about where we’re going goes unsaid. He shot a warning look at Ruk to let me know we couldn’t speak freely right now. I didn’t want to slip up and be the reason our cover was blown, so I changed the subject to something less sensitive.

  “Did you grow up in Louniva too?”

  Rand perked up and lost some of the strain he’d been carrying around.

  “Yes. You’ve met Rainer so you know he thinks he’s a big deal. Truth is, he actually is a big deal in Fennina. He and Lavi have been heavy supporters of Aamori for over a century, and that was even when they were in the minority. That’s a story for another time, but all of the elite House of Janer members reside within her territory and at least keep a part-time residence in Louniva.”

  I nodded, because the guys had told me as such. “Did you like it, growing up there?”

  Rand shrugged. “It was never easy in Rainer’s house. I’m lucky I had a great mentor and teacher. The city itself is decent enough. There are many towns that are not as understanding of friendships outside of your own house. That’s why so many of the younger generation travel to Earth.”

  “What’s your favorite story from childhood?” I needed to keep the conversation light and not get into the politics until I knew we were safe from listening ears. Not to mention, I had to pick a Janer mate soon if I wanted to access my powers, so I should get to know each of them a little better.

  Rand adopted a faraway, almost wistful look as he smiled. “Ralina was my closest childhood playmate, even though she’s a few years younger than me. I was the typical older brother and tormented the hell out of her. I remember this one time, Lavi sent her to take a trunk to the guest house. The trunk wasn’t very big, maybe about two feet wide and three feet tall. It probably weighed about twenty to thirty pounds.” He mimed the size with his hands. “It had this handle on top and she was carrying it over her shoulder. In Louniva, we don’t have streets like we do on Earth and with a new moon, it’s almost pitch black outside. I was creeping up behind her to scare her, and when I yelled and yanked on her hair, she swung around so quick… and swung the trunk out in front of her, she clocked me on the cheek and cut my chin pretty deep. That’s the only time I can remember where I simultaneously cried like a baby and laughed so hard I almost wet myself. It was a weird feeling.” He dropped his head and laughed under his breath.

  I couldn’t help but smile, followed by a grimace. Here I was thinking he would share a memory about a goldfish or a time when he was top dog. Instead his recollection broke my heart. How was something so painful the moment that stuck out the most?

  “That is your favorite childhood memory? I don’t know whether that’s funny or really sad.”

  Rand belted out a belly-deep laugh, and I caught Sage sneering out of the corner of my eye. Whatevs, he was being a douche, so I didn’t let on that I noticed him.

  If you didn’t give people the attention they wanted, they would stop being dicks. Maybe. Well, sometimes, but it made me feel better to ignore him.

  “I think it’s my favorite because it was the first time Ralina ever stood up to me, although it was accidental. It gave her a boost in confidence that I’m glad to say I set off, even at my own expense.”

  I cocked my head to the side, and let out a dreamy sigh. Rand was such a complex man, he constantly surprised me.

  “What about you, Iss. What’s your favorite memory?”

  I thought about it for a minute trying to remember when I was the happiest. Definitely before my family died, but the memories were hazy from that time in my life, I had a hard time picking something out.

  “I don’t know that I have a favorite. I lost my parents and brother when I was in kindergarten so my memories before then aren’t as vivid as I’d like them to be. I think just the feeling of family and togetherness I had any time we were all together. Like when we were eating breakfast or going for a car ride. I think Christmas was the best. I remember the twinkling lights and the holiday music in the background. My mom used to set up crafts and I would paint ornaments at the table while we listened to Judy Garland sing Christmas songs. She had a thing for the old movies and music. Meet me in St. Louis was her favorite Christmas movie. You know that song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas? It was written for that movie… I don’t know if you’re familiar with the lyrics but it’s a happy song about how things’ll be looking up. Anyway, the original lyrics were ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas, this year may be your last.’ It’s no wonder they changed it before the movie came out.” I laughed.

  Rand gave me a playful grin. “I haven’t seen the movie, but I don’t think it would have kept with the happy Christmas theme if those had been the lyrics.”

  “What? You haven’t seen the movie? That’s blasphemous. I haven’t really celebrated Christmas in a long time, but this year, I want to do it big. We should do a movie marathon and watch movies and make ornaments and snacks. I’d really like that.”

  Rand’s grin softened and he took my hand. “I’m sure everyone in the LL would love that. I hope they won’t mind if I join too. I’ve never been a part of something so special. Maybe I could bring Ralina?”

  I snorted, because Ralina didn’t seem overly fond of me. “I think she believes I’m a bit dense in the head, but I would never turn her away.”

  Sage made a noise in the back of his throat. “You both know, while you’re sitting there going down memory lane, we are heading into the heart of Aamori’s territory with only two Janer members. We have similar powers so it doesn’t even diversify what we can go up against if we were to be attacked. Don’t you think this is a time where we should be strategizing and talking over strengths and weaknesses before we get there? I value my life and Isolde’s, I’m uncertain about you. Or maybe you don’t need to fear for your life because of who your father is.”

  Sage’s whole body tensed and a vein noticeably stood out, trailing down the column of his neck.

  His wo
rds boiled my blood and set the tips of my ears on fire. He might have directed his words at Rand, but I led that conversation so it was a direct insult of me. Especially when I intentionally kept it light, because while Yunez trusted Ruk to a certain point, it clearly wasn’t enough to let him in on the Mazza secret. Therefore, I was not about to trust him with our strategies.

  I completely dismissed Sage and turned back to Rand.

  “I would love for you and Ralina to spend Christmas with us, wherever we are.”

  Rand lost the carefree and content look he had going on, and I blamed it all on Sage. Rand cut his eyes at Sage before they came back to me.

  “I’d love that. I think Ralina would too.” He paused, sliding his hands down his thighs. “As much as it pains me, I think Sage has some valid points.”

  I made big eyes at him and jerked my head toward Ruk.

  He nodded but continued. “It’s going to be difficult for us to remain low-key. I’m very well known in the city. We should take a look in the trunks and see if there are any robes for us. It wouldn’t be unusual for us to wear them and that would help us.” He left it at that but kneeled to open the trunks.

  There were two stacked together and one next to them, all in different bright colors. One rose red, one matte black, and one a dark amethyst.

  “Those are for us?”

  “Yunez knew we didn’t have anything there with us that we could pack. He didn’t need the sight to know you only packed a toothbrush, so he arranged for us each to have our own trunks with supplies.” Sage’s voice still held a note of his surly attitude.

  I joined Rand by the front of the cart where he had separated the three trunks and he scooted the purple one closer to me. “I think that one is yours.”

  The wood was glossed and shiny, with three gold suns etched into the top. I popped the latch and lifted the top to see what Yunez would consider survival supplies.