by Anna Hackett
The fighting behind them ceased. Drog’s men were shouting, and then she heard a few last clashes and the sound of Drog’s men retreating down the tunnel.
Kavon stayed still, staring at Drog’s body. He looked incredibly alone.
She would have gone to him, but she was still bleeding from his words, and unsure what the hell to believe anymore. She pressed a hand to her swollen face. She didn’t want to be her mother, accepting pretty words and having her heart cut out. Aurina probed her swelling cheek and eye. The medscope would fix it quickly…but for now, she wanted the pain. The insistent throb matched what she felt inside.
Then Kavon turned, his gaze hitting hers. She forced herself to hold it, then she looked away.
He was beside her in an instant, his arms going around her.
She pulled away.
“Aurina—”
“You have everything you’ve ever wanted. The sword, Drog gone…”
“Aurina.” He put a finger under her chin and forced her gaze up. His eyes were a shimmering gold.
She swallowed. She’d always made herself face everything in life head on. “Take her? Means to an end?”
He pulled her close again, this time subduing her struggles to pull back. “If he knew what you meant to me, he’d have fought harder, or killed you to spite me.” Kavon’s fingers tightened, then he brushed her swollen cheek. “When he touched you, he signed his death warrant.”
She angled her head back. “And the warlord’s daughter?”
He grimaced. “Aurina…”
Pain cut through her. She kept her voice calm. “You’ve been looking for a wife all this time.”
He released a breath. “It was something in place long before you crash-landed into my life.”
She forced a smile. “And it can be in place after I’ve left it.” The image of Kavon marrying some pretty, dark-haired thing made Aurina’s stomach churn.
“Aurina—” Frustration seeped into his tone.
“My mother fell for a man who didn’t find her worthy enough to marry. I grew up a child not worth claiming. I’ve always vowed to believe in myself, and never let anyone make me feel less. But you succeeded in doing it.” She stepped out of his arms. “Please, can we go? I want to go.”
He looked like he wanted to say more.
Instead, he let her go.
***
Kavon stared at the center of Aurina’s back as they rode the hargon beasts back through the Wilds.
The exit out of the mine had been almost anti-climactic. They’d stopped briefly so Aurina could use her medscope to heal everyone’s wounds. He rubbed his chest where the arrow had pierced him. There wasn’t even a hint of a scar. He was relieved to see the swelling in Aurina’s face was completely gone.
Thankfully Drog had not slaughtered their hargon beasts in his rush to intercept Kavon. The hargons had been agitated, Drog’s beasts milling with them, but were still where Kavon and his men had left them.
The ride so far had been quiet.
Very quiet. Aurina hadn’t said a word.
Kavon could feel her slipping away from him like water through his hands.
Resting near his leg, nestled safely in his saddlebags, he felt the weight of Durendal. Something he’d dreamed about for so long, and worked toward ever since his father had died. And now that he had it… It meant little when he thought about the broken look on Aurina’s face.
He stared at Aurina’s bent head, and something burst inside him. He kicked Tarm up beside Colm’s beast.
“My friend.” Kavon pulled Durendal out of the bag and handed the wrapped bundle to his best friend. “Will you keep this safe and see it back to the estate?”
Colm took the sword, his eyebrows rising. “Where are you going?”
Kavon cut a glance at Aurina. “I plan to claim my mate and ensure she has no questions about where she belongs and to whom.”
A grin broke over Colm’s face. “About time, Kavon. I suggest you don’t say the ‘who she belongs to’ bit aloud.”
Kavon felt a spurt of amusement. “Thanks for the advice.”
Then Colm’s face turned serious. “You think she wants to stay here? Without all her technology?”
The idea that she truly wanted to leave him left Kavon carved out inside. His jaw tightened. “I’ll make her want to stay. I plan to claim her in the oldest tradition of our warrior ancestors.”
Colm’s face froze. “What? You really think that’s a good idea?”
Kavon didn’t respond, just kicked Tarm to a gallop. The beast responded with a sharp burst of speed.
At the last second, Aurina heard the thunder of hooves, and spun in her saddle. Kavon grabbed her and dragged her off the hargon.
She cried out, but he pulled her safely onto his beast and threw her over the saddle in front of him. He pressed a hand to her bottom to hold her in place.
“What are you doing?” she yelled, trying to sit up.
He gave her butt a sharp swat. “Something I should have done a long time ago.” He urged Tarm on, turning sharply and riding away from his men and the direction of the estate. “My ancestors had a tradition of kidnapping the women they wanted to keep.”
“Barbarians!” Aurina struggled to get up a few more times, before cursing him and going still. Not long later, the land turned to gentle hills and in the distance he saw the Forest of Kern rising up.
But before they reached the trees, he spotted the hunting cabin.
He slowed, then commanded Tarm to stop. The hargon beast was more than happy to obey. The grass was lush and the beast was sniffing the air, already scenting the plentiful prey in the forest.
Kavon dismounted and then dragged Aurina off and into his arms.
She turned into a spitfire, slapping at him. “What the hell are you doing, you arrogant barbarian?”
“Calm yourself.” He tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the cabin.
“I’m going to kill you for this!”
The cabin was built of the same stone as his estate. It wasn’t large—the main cabin was a single big room with a small annex joined by an enclosed walkway.
“It is getting dark,” he said. “We need to get inside, as we are close enough to the Wilds that some of its denizens do come this way at night.”
He opened the sturdy wooden door and then he set her on her feet.
She came at him and landed a hard kick to his gut. He grunted and just in time, blocked the second kick coming at him. He grabbed her leg and twisted so she was off balance. Her face was furious…and he’d never seen her look more beautiful.
“I want to go back to the estate. I want my e-beacon.” Her gaze moved to the wall and stayed there.
He watched her for a second. He’d known his woman wouldn’t be the easiest conquest, and he’d hurt her by not telling her his marriage plans. Now he had some making up to do.
He was a master battle planner…he would need all his skills for this battle.
He wandered over to the large, wooden storage box in the corner. He opened it and pulled out some glow rocks. They weren’t in the shape of a wand, but just a small pile of stones. He set them in an amber glass bowl. It cast a muted, orange glow in the room. In one corner was a pile of furs and blankets with a sheet of gauzy fabric draped over them from the roof. He knew someone from his estate came frequently to ensure the hunting cabin was clean and well-stocked.
“What is this place?”
His lips twitched. He’d known Aurina’s natural curiosity would get the better of her. “It’s a hunting cabin. The forest beyond here is filled with animals for hunting. It is a rite of passage for a young warrior to come and stay here alone, and hunt for his first kill.” He started walking toward her and she stiffened.
“What are we doing here?” she said, her tone icy.
“I’m claiming you…properly.”
“You already claimed me when I first got here.”
“Not that kind of claiming.” He brushed his knuckles
against her cheek and saw her eyelids flutter. “I don’t want you to leave me.”
Her lips flattened. “Right, you want me around for some convenient sex? Like my father wanted from my mother?” Aurina pushed Kavon’s hand away.
It was time for the truth. The bare, unvarnished truth. “I don’t want a warlord’s daughter. I want you.”
She went very still, and he saw many different emotions skitter across her face. “Kavon…”
He cupped her cheeks. “I want your strength, your intelligence, your beauty. You are more a match for me than any woman I’ve met before. I want all of you.”
Her face softened, and she reached up and put her hands over his. “It’ll mess up your plans, your alliance with some other warlord. All your plans to rebuild the Mal Dor name.”
“Alliances come in many forms. And for now, the only one I’m concerned with is the one between you and me.” He tugged at the ties on her corset. “I want you. Ordinarily, as a warrior, I would announce my claim and that would be it.”
She raised a brow.
“But, as you are not of my planet and have other views, I’m asking you to be mine.”
“Kavon…”
“It is time for the truth, Aurina. Tell me how you feel.”
“Goddamn you, I was planning to stay mad at you a lot longer.”
“Tell me,” he murmured.
She released a long breath. “I love you, damn you.”
Elation flooded him. He scooped her up and spun her around. “You are mine, Aurina Phoenix.” He took her mouth with his. The taste of her filled him, driving the urgent need in him to claim her in more ways than one.
She pulled back, panting a little. “Kavon, we’re filthy. We’ve spent the day in an ancient mine.”
“I have a solution.” He strode through the corridor to the adjoining annex.
Aurina gasped. “It’s beautiful.”
It was a natural hot pool, and the main reason for the location of the hunting cabin. Some long-ago person had ringed it with rocks, and it was now a perfect natural bath.
He tugged again at her clothes. “Let’s get in.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Yes, Kavon, don’t stop.”
“Damn, Aurina.”
“More. More.”
He held her on the edge of the bath, her legs around his waist, and he was on his knees, powering deep inside her.
She slid her hands down to cup his ass, felt the hard flex of his muscles as he drove into her.
Her orgasm didn’t build, it just slammed into her, hard and fast. She screamed and a second later, he slammed into her one last time, his face pressed to her neck, and he growled into her skin as he came.
She dropped down into the water, trusting him to save her from drowning. Every muscle was limp, and pleasure was thrumming through her system.
Her big warrior stood and carried her back into the other room. He set her on the surprisingly soft furs, and a second later, knelt beside her, his big body right there, his skin gleaming from the water. He gently rubbed the towel over her. She stared up at him, her throat tight.
God, she loved him. And he clearly wanted her to stay. He hadn’t said the word love…but he was a warlord. She got the feeling talking about your feelings wasn’t very warrior-like. Besides, she could see it and feel it in his actions.
There was just a tiny niggling doubt inside her. Was staying here as his woman enough? He’d been looking for a wife, but he hadn’t mentioned that sort of commitment to her.
As he walked away to a small chest, she admired the flex of muscles in his taut backside and blew out a breath. She needed to chill. She was letting her past make her twitchy. She wasn’t her mother, and Kavon wasn’t her father. Here was a magnificent man who wanted her. Who liked everything about her. She liked his people, his land, his fascinating planet.
After rummaging around in the chest and then his saddlebags, he came back and sat beside her. He placed two long-stemmed glasses beside the bed and opened a bottle of what she guessed was wine. He poured the dark, purple-red liquid into the glasses.
“This is a special wine we only use for the most special occasions.”
She smiled. She liked that her warrior could be sweet. She took the glass he handed her.
He was watching her like a hawk. She took a sip and the deep flavor of the wine burst across her tongue. “It’s excellent.”
He smiled, and his eyes glittered with an intensity she didn’t understand.
Reaching over, he picked up something else and held it out to her. “Again, in our tradition, I would just put this on you and you would be mine…but I know you are not a fan of that way of doing things.”
Aurina blinked, staring at the two beautiful armbands resting on his palms. They were made from beaten gold and inlaid with… “Are those emeralds?”
He nodded. “I had an artisan set them into these bands for your arms. They make me think of your eyes.” Kavon kept her gaze with his. “Aurina Phoenix, will you be my bondmate?”
She stared at the beautiful jewelry he’d had made for her. The pieces were simply stunning. She reached out and ran her finger over the luminous green stone. He wasn’t asking her to be his wife, and she admitted that bothered her a little. “Bondmate?”
“Mine. In every way.”
Bondmate sounded like it was a step above bedmate, at least. “Have you had a bondmate before?”
“Never,” he said emphatically. He lifted the bands. “I would very much like to see these resting on your skin.”
She tilted her head. “Kavon, do these signal some sort of…ownership?”
He smiled and he looked younger. “It depends how you look at it.”
“Kavon—”
“They symbolize my commitment. Our commitment.”
Warmth flooded her chest. Okay, so it wasn’t a marriage proposal, but it was pretty damn close. Her warrior wanted her.
She took the first armband. He shifted and took it back. “Allow me?”
She nodded, her throat tightening.
He held her arm and with the other hand slid the beautiful band up her arm until it settled around her bicep. It was a perfect fit. Then, he picked up the next band and did the same with her other arm. She shifted, loving the glint of the green stones in the muted light. His face was so serious as he watched her, but his eyes were ablaze, and the burning-hot look in them made it hard to breathe.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
She held her arms out, admiring them. “Me or the bands?” She looked up and saw a fierce look of satisfaction on Kavon’s face. He grabbed her and pulled her down in the furs. His big body moved over hers, rough and aggressive, his hard cock pressing against her belly.
“Both,” he growled.
He touched the bands on her arm, then moved lower to drag his hand up her bare leg. She made a sound in her throat, arching into him. Then his hand delved between her thighs.
“Hmm, so wet for me, my not-so-sweet skyflyer.” One thick finger slid inside her.
She moaned, moving against him. “Yes.”
“I claim you, Aurina. You’re mine. Now and always.”
“I claim you right back, Kavon.” Then his mouth took hers, and she lost herself in her wild warrior.
***
“So, next up we’re going to discuss some geological characteristics of some ore-bearing rocks you haven’t been mining to date.”
The group in front of Aurina nodded, a few scribbling notes in their books. For today’s geology sessions, Aurina had brought them outside. They were an enthusiastic group, and she’d been enjoying teaching them. Many had come in from outlying villages, eager to learn.
She fingered her emerald band on her arm, partly hidden by her linen shirt. Something had made her keep her bands secret. They were special, something just for her and Kavon. It had been three days since their mission to the Riom Mines and their night in the hunting cabin.
They’d arrived back at the estate to ch
eering crowds, all in awe that their warlord had found the mythical Durendal. The only sad spot had been seeing Viken’s parents, distraught at the loss of their son. His mother’s weeping still haunted Aurina.
She twisted the band. Since they’d been back, Kavon had been so busy. He’d gone with a team to retrieve the other artifacts, and he’d been busy claiming Drog’s land and dealing with the slain warlord’s people. He’d banished some of them, and then he’d asked her opinion on what to do with the rest. She smiled. Everyone had been shocked he hadn’t just claimed Drog’s people; instead, he’d given the others the choice to be part of Clan Mal Dor or leave. A part of Aurina was pleased to see her warrior had learned a thing or two about asking.
He’d gotten rid of the troublemakers, and people who didn’t want to stay, and the rest would be happier, productive clansmen. Win-win for all.
He’d also contacted the king about Drog’s death and Durendal. Everyone was abuzz about the fact the king was coming to Clan Mal Dor sometime soon.
Meanwhile, she hadn’t mentioned the e-beacon and nor had Kavon.
“Aurina?”
She blinked and saw one of her students watching her expectantly. “Right. Okay, can you all write out the properties of the zanite ore?”
With nods and murmurs, they bent over their books again.
She smiled. She liked teaching. She’d never, ever thought it would be something she’d enjoy, or be good at. But this group was soaking up everything she said.
She sighed, her smile slipping. She was working with the miners every day. At night, she slept, held tightly in Kavon’s arms. She should be happy. She had a man who cared for her, who was a hundred percent concerned for her well-being and happiness.
But she wasn’t entirely happy. Inside, there was a small kernel of doubt and uncertainty eating at her. Every morning in the mirror, she saw the same bruised look in her eyes that had been in her mother’s eyes.
Sighing, Aurina rubbed her face. She was Kavon’s bondmate, and she wanted to be with him. But as far as she could tell, bondmate wasn’t wife…and she was too damn cowardly to ask anyone about it. Even Kavon.
