by Becca Van
Slave Gold 2: Cardinal Warriors
Annie Strident is whipped away from Earth when she finds and tries on a gold slave bracelet. When she wakes up she thinks she's dreaming. Sharm, Baro, Mott, and Riek Tammock, rulers and warriors of the planet Cardinal, have been searching the galaxies for their bound. They never expected for her to appear out of nowhere in the control room on their battleship, Reason.
As they try to convince her to mate with them, their hated nemesis infiltrates their ship, and since the Sytax use their mind to battle they think all is lost. That is until their mate saves them. But there is a traitor in the midst who is hell bent on getting rid of them to take over the rule of Cardinal. They need to find their conspirator before he kills them and Annie. However, before they can put their plan into action to catch the quisling, the Sytax invade. Can they defeat their enemy or will they all die?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Science Fiction
Length: 51,272 words
SLAVE GOLD 2: CARDINAL WARRIORS
Becca Van
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
SLAVE GOLD 2: CARDINAL WARRIORS
Copyright © 2015 by Becca Van
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-870-8
First E-book Publication: February 2015
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
About the Author
SLAVE GOLD 2: CARDINAL WARRIORS
BECCA VAN
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
Whoever shall find the slave gold will know much turmoil until love unfolds.
The voices will sing their hymn and pull you from within.
The paths you take will be divided and the choices you make will be forever united.
No time, space, or age will withstand or endure, unless the love you feel is pure.
Love is a gift from the Gods and will last through the ages for those who will discover love untold.
Branwen, the Celtic goddess of love and beauty, the daughter of Lir, placed the spell on the pure-gold slave bracelet and hurled it toward the Earth as she stood atop the tallest mountain, using her powers to send it far from her just before she died of a broken heart after the loss of her best friend and brother, Bran. Knowing she would never find that which her heart sought, a mate of her own, Branwen vowed that whoever found the slave bracelet would be able to choose love over heartache.
Chapter One
What am I going to do now?
Annie Strident huddled on the park bench and let the tears flow freely from her eyes. She stared into the dull water of the pond and tried to figure out what she was going to do. She had lost her secretarial job weeks ago and was down to her last fifty bucks. Somehow, deep down she'd known this was coming. She'd felt the tension in the air each day she arrived at work, knew something was going on by all the meetings and closed doors, but had pushed her precognitive feelings aside, berating herself for reading between the lines when she couldn't even see the print on the page. She should have listened to that inner voice, the inner intuition, and started looking for another job. She'd always had the ability to feel when something was going to happen but because she'd ignored her feelings she was practically destitute. There was no way she could pay her rent on the one-bedroom efficiency she lived in, or pay for any of her bills. Her cupboards were bare, and she didn’t have enough money to survive another week.
She shivered as the cold winter air streamed through her clothes as if they weren’t covering her body. They were too thin after being washed so much and didn’t keep the frigid air from cutting into her skin. She felt like she may as well be naked, the little good the thin material did at keeping the cold at bay.
Her life was so empty and she was so lonely, her heart was a constant ache. She had shared that one-bedroom apartment with her mother until five years ago. She missed her mom so damn much, some days it was hard to get out of bed and face the day. Her mom had left her father when he’d turned his wrath onto Annie after beating her mother black and blue. It had taken weeks for her mother to heal, but she was such a strong, tenacious woman. The moment her father had left, her mom had packed a couple of bags and they’d left. Annie had never seen her father again. Thank God.
A dull ache remained over her heart, a relentless incessant pain as she thought of he
r mom. There was such emptiness in her heart, she wondered if she’d ever feel normal again. She would always miss her mother, but she had wonderful memories of her to keep her going.
But how much longer did she have to endure? When would she find someone to love and hold and keep the loneliness at bay?
She was feeling really down today. It was hard to stay optimistic when everything was crashing down around her. Annie took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks and eyes. It was usual for her to give in to her despondency, but today everything seemed to be piling up on top of her. Usually Annie soldiered on, ignoring the solitude and depression that could hit her out of the blue, but today was different. She was at the end of her tether and didn’t know which way to turn.
Sighing with resignation, she rose to her feet, intent on buying a couple of necessary items to see her through for a couple of days, but as she turned away from the pond, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. The sunlight glinted on something near the edge of the water, catching her attention. Annie walked the few steps to the shore and crouched down. There, shining in the sunlight, was a gleaming gold bracelet. It was intricately woven with a never-ending pattern, but in the center of the weave were two rose-gold-colored crosses. Reaching out, her fingertips brushed against the band of gold, and warmth tingled into her cold fingers, up her arm, and then over her whole body. She gasped and then picked the bracelet up only to sigh as peace and tranquility washed over her. Never had she felt so warm, so calm before.
How can this be?
Annie rose to her feet and swayed slightly when she felt light-headed. Taking a steadying breath, she looked around, hoping to see the owner of the lost bracelet. Surely if someone had lost something so precious they wouldn’t leave until they had found it again? But when she glanced about the small park, she saw that she was totally alone. She couldn’t resist trying the bracelet on and fastened it around her wrist. It was too big for her, but she stared at it admiringly. As she did, her vision wavered and she could hear a soft buzzing in her ears. She began to feel dizzy, and she had to close her eyes so she wouldn’t fall over, but that didn’t help. The dizziness got worse and worse until she had to sink to her knees or topple over. She ended up on the cold, damp ground on her hands and knees, drawing in deep breaths, but that didn’t make the dizziness go away. Annie took a chance and opened her eyes but then wished she hadn’t. The world seemed to be spinning around her at such a fast rate that nothing was in focus.
The buzzing in her ears got louder and louder until a voice so soft, feminine, and pure washed over her in a melodic harmony. Even though the words weren’t English, she understood every word chanted.
Whoever shall find the slave gold will know much turmoil until love unfolds.
The voices will sing their hymn and pull you from within.
The paths you take will be divided and the choices you make will be forever united.
No time, space, or age will withstand or endure, unless the love you feel is pure.
Love is a gift from the Gods and will last through the ages for those who will discover love untold.
Annie’s body felt as heavy as lead but also as light as a feather. No matter how hard she tried to move or open her eyes, the tasks were impossible. Her hair was flowing around her head, and a cool breeze washed over her now heated skin. Beads of perspiration broke out on her forehead and upper lip, and her stomach churned. Her arms and legs gave out, but instead of connecting with the hard, cold, damp ground, she felt nothing beneath her. And then she felt as if she were floating on a cloud, encased in the fluffy folds of soft cotton. Although her eyes were closed, darkness formed at the edge of her mind, and even though she fought it, she didn’t stand a chance.
Finally she gave in with a sigh and let the abyss claim her.
* * * *
“The female is waking,” a disembodied voice echoed in Annie’s mind. She stretched but kept her eyes closed. She was so warm and comfortable she didn’t want to get up. Besides, she really had no reason to rush from her bed since she no longer had a job. A swishing sound drew her attention, and a slight breeze caressed her face. Annie frowned, trying to remember if she’d left a window in her apartment open, but since it was autumn and quite cool she didn’t think she had.
She opened her eyes and blinked the fuzziness away and stared at the unfamiliar metallic-gray ceiling.
What the hell? Where am I?
She turned her head and gasped. As she scrambled across the bed, her fingers grabbed for the covers, but it was too late. She fell off the side of the mattress and landed on the cold metal floor with a hard thud.
Annie hadn’t meant to do that, but seeing the face of a strange man peering down at her had given her a fright. She looked down at her body as goose bumps rose upon her flesh and saw that she was only in her underwear. As she got to her hands and knees, using the bed to help her up, the glint of something around her upper arm caught her attention. There, around her slim bicep, was the gold bracelet she had found in the park. How it had moved from around her wrist to her upper arm she had no clue.
Annie peered over the edge of the mattress and saw the man was coming toward her. She ducked down behind the bed and moved closer to the wall. Shivers raced up and down her spine as her flesh met cool, gray, metallic walls, and she pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. Whether it was to ward off the chill or to hide her body, or both, she was uncertain. All she knew was that she was scared to be in the presence of a stranger, and as far as she was concerned, the defensive move spoke volumes, but it didn’t seem to faze him. He just kept right on coming. He stopped no more than a few feet from her and looked down at her from his great height.
He had the most unusual eyes she had ever seen. They were slanted like a feline’s, and the color was an unnatural shade of silver gray. His hair was as dark as midnight and flowed down to his shoulders. His skin was a deep bronze color, and he was built like a pro football player. He was so tall it was a wonder his head didn’t touch the ceiling, but since the ceiling seemed to be a lot higher than normal, his head didn’t even come close. His face was so handsome she immediately thought of Michelangelo’s David. His jaw was ruggedly square and strong, just like the rest of him.
“Who are you? Where am I?”
“My name is Sharm Tammock, but you may call me Shar. You are on my spacecraft, Reason.”
Annie had never heard such an accent before, and even though she could understand every word he said, the man’s mouth and lips didn’t look like they formed the words he was actually speaking.
Why can I understand him when he isn't speaking my language? Has he done something to me so I can comprehend his speech? Has he inserted something into my body? Has he probed me? Am I actually looking at an alien being?
“What have you done to me? Why can I understand you? Where are you from?”
“I had our medical implant a universal translator into your brain.”
“You what?” Annie shrieked and struggled to stand up. “What else have you done to me?”
“Please do not become hysterical.” Shar spoke calmly and quietly as if trying to tame a skittish horse or a young child. “We would never harm you.”
“What do you mean, we? What spaceship? Where am I? Where are my clothes? Take me back home right now!”
“Calm yourself, female. You are not in pain. We have not hurt you in any way. The translator was the only implant we have made. It would have been even more difficult for you if you were unable to understand us.”
“How did I get here?”
“That is something we are still trying to work out,” Shar answered and then glanced toward the door as it swished open. He turned back toward her, ignoring the huge man who entered the room. “You appeared on the floor of the control room. I carried you here and removed your clothing so medical could do a scan on you since we couldn’t wake you up.”
Annie was hearing everything he was saying but couldn’t take her eye
s off of the other giant of a man. His features were similar to Shar’s, but his hair was such a pure ebony color it looked almost a deep, dark blue under the light. His skin was a lighter bronze, and his eyes were a darker shade of silver.
“Who are you people?” Annie asked as she once more backed away until her skin made contact with the wall behind her.
“We are the rulers of Cardinal. This is my brother Baro. You will meet my other brothers soon.” Shar came closer and held his hand out toward her. “Come, you must be hungry and thirsty after your journey.”
Annie tentatively reached out and put her hand in his, and the moment their skin connected fire raced up her arm and deep down into her body. She gasped and went to draw back, but Shar’s grip tightened and he pulled her to her feet. He glanced over at Baro and pointed to the far wall. “Get her something to put on.”
His deep, accented voice washed over her, and she shivered. Shar drew her closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his body. He was so warm she felt like she was standing right next to a heater, and she couldn’t prevent herself from trembling as another shudder ripped through her body.
Annie watched Baro as he walked over to the wall, pushed a few buttons, and after a second opened what looked like a microwave oven. He reached in and removed a bundle of material before turning to face her, and then he stretched out his long muscular arm and large hand.
“Take the clothing. What is your name, female?” Baro asked as he passed her the bundle of cloth.
