by Kirra Pierce
She looked him steadily in the eye. “I told you before, I had made up my mind. You are my chosen.” She glanced down to gather her thoughts and then looked back, willing him to understand her confusion. “The intensity ‑‑ the sudden feeling of being part of you, of needing you ‑‑ it took me by surprise.”
He ran his hands up her body to frame her head and leaned in for a short kiss that spoke more of love and gratitude than raw passion. “I didn’t know it would happen just now rather than later, but I’m so glad you wanted me. Your acceptance of me, your willingness to bond must have brought it into place faster than I expected. I know you opened yourself to this because the healer in you needed to help…”
She covered his lips with her fingers. “No, once you asked me to stay as chosen no matter what the fox’s blood solution does, I realized that I only proposed the ‘temporary’ bond because I trusted you, because I love you and wanted you bound to me.”
His lips tenderly caressed the fingers she had placed there. “I love you as well and will never give you cause to regret this. When this emergency has passed, we will find a way to blend our lives.”
“Ah, yes. I remember you are a traveler for the brethren, and here am I, who always wanted to travel. See how we are fitting already?” Returning his grin with one of her own, she snuggled tiredly into his chest.
“Sleep, my precious one,” he whispered. “Your body will demand mine again soon, and many others will demand your time tomorrow. So rest.”
Miranda was asleep before he finished speaking.
Chapter Fifteen
Never get between a brethren and his chosen.
-- Common Sense
“Hello, the town!”
The two watchmen closest jerked to attention. He stood slowly from behind some bushes, careful not to make any sudden moves to startle the town guards. “Halt! Who goes there?”
“It’s Darius, leader of the brethren. Didn’t Duke Cynbarion tell you to expect me?”
“How do we know you are who you say?”
Did they really think a raver would politely stand and announce himself?
Darius shook his head in tired disgust. He knew they were frightened and not in a familiar situation, but really!
“I’m walking in. I’m alone, unarmed, and naked since the Duke and company took my clothes with them after I changed to pursue the raver.”
He stepped out from the bushes and walked into the village. Neither his long hair trailing behind him nor the smattering of chest hair did anything to cover the generous expanse of flesh displayed in the early morning light.
Women walking in the street stopped and gaped. A few remembered to cover their children’s eyes. Men moved much quicker to cover the eyes of their wives and daughters.
One man, whose wife was apparently not present, laughed at the sight before he ran into his house to grab a blanket.
Offering the wrap to Darius, he said. “I’m Jovan. If you are who you say, please understand, we’ve just had a terrible fright, and everyone is on edge. This is usually a much friendlier town.”
With impatient weariness, Darius thrust his right arm out. “Look here.” A wolf’s head tattoo and crown were on the inner forearm.
“Yes,” Jovan spoke loudly. “He bears the mark of brethren and leader.”
Darius was aware of arrows still pointed at him by nervous townsmen. “If you still doubt, fetch your duke, Cynbarion, or Tyler, or Cassandra. Any of them will vouch for me.”
Showing excellent timing, the three exited a close-by house just after he spoke.
“Darius, what an interesting choice of garment. Do you plan to lead the brethren in a new fashion direction now?” Cyn was all genial smiles.
Darius ground his teeth at the barb. Cyn, at least, had managed a few hours of sleep while Darius had had none. He opened his mouth to tell his grace what he thought of his ill-timed humor when Cassandra stepped in front of her men.
“Stop it, Cyn! Can’t you see he’s exhausted? Come inside, Darius, tell what’s happened and get some rest.”
Still scowling at Cyn, Darius did as Cassandra directed. He dropped into the largest chair in the comfortable peach-and tan-colored parlor. He yawned and stretched his legs out before him.
“Could you please bring him some breakfast ‑‑ he’ll want a large one ‑‑ and some tea? Also please have someone fetch some large men’s clothing for him,” Cassandra directed an older woman who kept glancing at Darius as if hoping the blanket would drop. He felt soothed by Cassandra’s care and even more pleased to see it irritated Cyn.
Tyler plopped on the small peach-colored sofa. “Well, what news?”
Darius grunted. “The raver is quick. I must give him that. I’d almost reached him at the river when he ran into a cave. Inside I found the entrance to a tunnel that seemed to go under the river. I could smell many ravers and heard him call to others to watch for me. Since I didn’t know what was ahead or how many, I left. I pried loose a boulder from above the entrance to seal it for now and ran back, only to find my clothing gone.”
Tyler smiled a little, but it was obvious his mind was on the problem. “So he got away. Now they’ll know that we know all about them, and that we have Melisande. That last might make this Ammon more cautious at least, but we really don’t know how much time we have. You closed that entrance, but there may be others. Although, I would guess, none closer to the village or he would have gone there instead.”
Cyn eased onto the sofa by Ty while Cassandra took the remaining free chair beside it. “What are you thinking?” he asked Ty.
“Well, Ammon will want to act quickly while he thinks he has a strong advantage. He’ll know we would go here. But, will he think us to leave immediately and retreat to the keep for reinforcements, or would he think that we’ll stay here expecting to be safe, for a while, anyway? He will not know we already have your troops and Darius’s brethren coming. From what Raphael said, his camp is a couple of hours across the border.
“My guess is that he will try to cross the river today with as strong a force as he can quickly muster, then send scouts to determine our location. If our own people arrive in time, we set watches for them while holding our main force in the woods south of here, where they’ll not be observed. After their scouts leave, we can pull in our forces and prepare an ambush. Of course, if we’re lucky enough to spot them at their river crossing point, we can take them there.”
“Very nice,” observed Darius. “Pantheros should be here with the brethren this morning, well ahead of any threat from Ammon.”
“And if I know Adeena” ‑‑ Darius’s head snapped up at Cyn’s mention of his aide ‑‑ “my own troops will not be far behind. But it could run into the afternoon, so I’ll send a couple of the villagers to meet them on the road and direct them away from the town.”
“We wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
The food arrived, carried in by far more women than necessary. “Careful!” Cyn glared at one young woman when she tripped, sloshing hot tea on his lap while staring at Darius.
Cassandra gave an inelegant snort in an obvious effort to choke back a laugh while Cyn brusquely thanked the women and ordered them out.
Raphael came through the door carrying the clothes that he had borrowed from Darius the previous night. “Here, I heard you were missing these, O Grand Leader.”
“Thank you for returning them.” Darius sniffed the garments. “I see you have kept them close to you while I was gone.”
Raphael beamed unrepentantly. “Miranda, my chosen” ‑‑ naked pride and warmth suffused his voice ‑‑ “is checking her patient and then will be ready to go to the healer’s cottage with you, Cassandra.”
Cassandra sped to him with a ready hug. “Then you have bonded! Congratulations, Raphael.”
“Thank you. The feeling is beyond what I ever hoped.” For a moment, Raphael looked down, his tanned cheeks reddened slightly.
Surprised at the news and to see Raphael lo
oking the least bit humble or embarrassed, Darius sat up straighter and demanded, “What’s going on! You have taken a chosen in the middle of all this? And why do you need to go to the healer’s cottage? No one appears injured?”
Quickly Cassandra filled Darius in on her plan to try fox’s blood to break the scent addiction of the chosen bond. Raphael, Cyn, and Ty all scowled their displeasure, but none disputed the need to help the women the ravers had taken.
After a quick argument, Raphael and Cyn won the right to accompany Cassandra and Miranda.
Cyn casually offered, “If you two want to go fetch Miranda, I’ll give the town guard and Rowe some direction for the day and then join you.” Raphael headed eagerly for the door. Cassandra’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she went without comment.
After they left, Darius pulled on his clothes. “And what of our prisoner? I wager she can tell us much of the ravers’ resources.”
“Yes, I think she probably knows very exactly her brother’s forces and assets down to the last man. She has shown great feeling for him, so the trick will be to get her to speak.” Ty spoke in measured, careful tones. “I wanted Raphael gone before we discussed it. You know of his softness toward women.”
Ty was known for some of the same weakness so Darius was surprised to hear him speak so coolly. He looked at Cyn who stared steadily back. They had something particular in mind.
“You have obviously discussed this. What do you suggest?”
Ty took a short breath before answering. “She can’t be trusted to tell the truth. She might even lie if we used force, but if we…” He drew his lips back in disgust.
“A woman thoroughly drugged by our beast’s scent will not have the presence of mind to lie,” Cyn cut in, his voice like ice. While Ty might have a little sympathy for the woman, Cyn clearly had none. “I want you two to use that to force the truth from her. If his numbers are greater than we suspect, what she knows could save our lives and those of everyone in this village.”
Grimly, Darius nodded his agreement. Many times he had been forced to kill ravers or inflict pain to control a new brethren struggling with his beast. None of it felt as distasteful as this.
“I will order everyone else out of the house.” Cyn left without another word. Darius looked at Ty.
“She’s upstairs.” He turned to go, then stopped. “You realize she has seen Cyn change? None but we can speak with her, and she can never be allowed to go free. I will do whatever it takes to protect Cyn and the dukedom.”
“I will not kill this woman, Ty.”
“I will not ask you to.”
Darius followed Ty to the stairs, watching the stiff posture of the brethren whose chosen and bond brother had both been threatened by this woman. If he wanted her life, could Darius really stop him?
Chapter Sixteen
The way through two evil choices is to always be led by love.
-- The Revered One
Melisande stared at the ceiling. Tied to the bed rails and still gagged, she had little choice. Cassandra had come in early with Ty and Cyn at her back. She allowed Melisande to relieve herself and have a small breakfast, but would answer no questions. As soon as Melisande finished eating, the gag was replaced, and Melisande was tied to the bed.
Seven levels of hell! She had some knockout potion-tipped pins and a stiletto hidden the support wiring of her garments. All she needed was a minute of unsupervised freedom, and she would have the means to escape. But to have tried anything under the watchful eyes of all three of them would only be suicide, and she meant to live and prosper still.
The hall floor creaked, and then the door opened. Ty, and the brethren leader, Darius, entered.
They both looked exceedingly grim. A shiver of fear ran through Melisande’s body. She was the king’s sister. Surely even Cynbarion would not order her killed?
They took up stations on either side of the narrow bed. After a brief, shared look, Darius reached down and untied her gag. He sat on the edge of the bed and offered her a drink of water, which she accepted gratefully. Although Cassandra had been careful that the strip of cloth they used to gag her was not too tight, her mouth had grown very dry.
When are they going to speak? They must have come for information about Ammon. I will tell them he has few ravers at his command just now and that they are waiting for a group to return before they have sufficient strength to attack. I’ll let them think they have a week or more of safety.
They do make me nervous, and my scent will show that, but I must make myself more afraid, so they believe me. The one not mated to Cassandra is more likely to show pity.
She looked at Darius, willed tears to fill her eyes and made her voice soft and frightened. “What…what do you want? Please don’t hurt me!” She thought his eyes narrowed in disbelief, but he didn’t speak. He gently pushed back some of her hair that had come loose from the braids wrapped around her head.
Melisande began to feel warm, slightly uncomfortable. She found herself tugging her ropes, trying to get closer to the brethren leader. He smelled…enticing.
Smell? Scent! A bolt of awareness shot through her body. “What are you doing! Why are you… Please stop! Don’t do this to me!”
Genuine terror filled Melisande. Were they going to treat her as those women her brother’s ravers had captured ‑‑ to hide her away and make her a sex slave for the brethren?
The air grew rich with the scent.
She fought to hold on. This couldn’t be happening to her. But it was. She focused on the brethren holding her head, Darius. They were affected by this, too. Maybe she could turn it on him. “Release me. Take me.” Her voice was husky with hunger. She wanted to promise more, but Darius’s tanned skin, visible above the loose laces of his shirt, was too distracting. She licked her lips, wanting a taste.
“I need something from you, Melisande.” His deep voice sent vibrations through her body, down to what her maid called her cunt.
Vaguely, she heard Ty walk out. Alone ‑‑ with Darius. She felt her resistance falling away. She twisted to her side to rub against him.
“Free me and I will give you everything.” If only I could touch him!
“I need you to talk to me. Tell me about your brother. Why should we let him live? Is he truly strong enough to control ravers?” Darius leaned down. “Really” ‑‑ his lips brushed her ear ‑‑ “he cannot have more than a few followers, can he?” Need throbbed through her body to the flesh between her tightly clenched legs.
* * * * *
Darius walked through the bedroom door, the still-writhing woman visible behind him. He ran his hands through his hair.
Ty sighed. “I had to leave. Even though I knew we would do nothing more than use the scent on her, it felt too much like betrayal of my chosen bond.”
“It was…difficult…on many levels. Despite what I know of her, she is very attractive, and I am not yet bonded. She is…more resistant to the scent than any woman I have ever met…I had to push myself to near the edge to break her.”
“But you got the information.”
“Yes, as you no doubt heard, he keeps about forty ravers with him and has another…”
Ty jerked stiff like a man struck, a stunned look on his face.
Darius stopped abruptly. “Ty, what is it?”
“The chosen bond. It is gone. I do not feel Cassandra’s presence anymore. She’s gone!” His eyes grew wild, his skin shone with a film of the change oil, then his shape shimmered, and the midform of man-beast was there instead.
“You!” roared the creature, looking past Darius toward Melisande. “This is your doing!”
He roared his fury. Muscles bunched to leap. Deadly clawed hands were poised to rip apart flesh, when he was knocked to the floor. Darius was on the half beast’s chest, his knees holding down the beast’s arms, and his fists were in its hair.
“No, Ty, no! Cassandra is fine! Think! It’s the fox’s blood. It worked, but she is fine. She’s alive and won’t leave yo
u. Remember her plan!”
The beast stopped struggling. Lips drawn back in a snarl relaxed. The gravelly voice rumbled out. “Gods, what I almost… Let me up, Darius. I must go to her. Now!”
Darius jumped up. He had no desire to get between the powerful brethren and his chosen. Ty dashed down the stairs. When Darius looked out the hall window, he saw Ty’s wolf form already racing down the street past startled villagers and a small group of horsemen.
It was Pantheros and a couple of his brethren forces. At a gesture from Pantheros, one of the riders peeled off to follow the racing wolf form. The other two stopped in front of the house.
A moment later, he heard steps approaching.
“Good morning, O Glorious Leader.” The tall, dark-haired brethren gave a brief laugh at Darius’s irritated frown. He really had to do something about Raphael’s influence.
While women often sighed over Darius, they only stared at Pantheros when they thought he would not notice. Pale skin coupled with ink-dark hair and a sensuous mouth made him striking to look upon, yet his face held an expression that hinted he would just as soon hurt as give pleasure. Most stayed out of his path. He wore the dark green shirt loosely laced at the neck, the even darker brown leather pants, and knee-high boots that, together, often served as the brethren’s uniform.
He stopped directly in front of Darius. His eyes clouded momentarily while looking curiously toward Melisande. Then he composed himself. “We saw the villagers Cynbarion sent out, and I’ve already positioned” ‑‑ he inhaled deeply ‑‑ “ah, already positioned the brethren to intercept any incoming ravers. Aison is in charge.”
He shifted uncomfortably looking over Darius’s shoulder to the softly moaning woman on the bed. “We are using the scent-covering mixture Cassandra developed…”
His whole body leaned toward the open door. “Gods, Darius, what is happening here?” He stared at Melisande. “Is that the prisoner? She smells…so good, so…needful.”
Abruptly he turned back to Darius. “What are you doing to her? We don’t treat women this way!”
