Soren's Bondmate

by Mardi Maxwell

  "Okay, but why six?"

  Soren's brow wrinkled as he tried to remember the answer. Finally, he shook his head. "I don't know." He sent a yearning look toward the battlefield where the other warriors were checking the fallen enemy and fighting hand-to-hand when they found a live one.

  She patted his arm. "Okay, we'll talk about it later. Go have fun with your new friends."

  Soren grinned. "Keep watch from here." He hurried away.

  # # #

  A few moments later Skye saw him weaving his way between the other warriors. He passed a pile of bodies and she warned him when one of the Crimeryns jumped up and moved toward him. Soren turned and engaged the enemy.

  "Your mate is very strong," Bellya said.

  "Yes, he is," Skye answered then silently wished she'd go back to her place along the wall.

  "Where is he from?"

  "Why do you want to know?"

  Bellya's shrug reminded Skye of her previous indifference to the enchantress' death.

  "Shouldn't you be keeping watch over your own warriors?" Skye asked.

  "I can see them from here."

  Skye ignored her and watched as Soren finally dealt with the enemy and moved on. He found another one and smiled as he jerked him off his feet and threw him. The warrior hit the ground and skidded several meters before Soren caught up with him. She smiled while she remembered what he'd said about a good fight making him crave sex.

  "Skye, I've been thinking," Bellya said. "I thought maybe we could be friends again."

  Skye watched her closely and wondered what she was up to this time. She wanted to tell her to go away. Instead she said, "You're the one who started the enmity between us."

  "I know but I thought now that we have to spend more time together we could start over."

  "You don't have friends," Skye said before she told Soren to watch a warrior who lay in a small depression to his right. He checked the warrior then looked up at her and smiled before moving on.

  Bellya looked away for a moment then turned back. "It's sort of complicated."

  "Really?" Skye couldn’t resist sending her a quick incredulous look. "Being kind to other people is complicated for you?"

  Bellya tended to one of her warriors then shrugged. "I just thought we could try." She moved a few steps away. "Let me know if you change your mind."

  Skye drew on the strange expressions Soren had explained to her and settled on her favorite one and mumbled, "When pigs fly."

  "What?" Bellya asked.

  Skye smiled. "I said I'll do that." Dismissing her, she returned her full focus to Soren and the warriors who moved across the field. When they reached the far edge she waited to see what they'd do. Soren motioned to the warriors to gather around him. While they did he asked her through their mind link, "Do you sense any other conjurers or enchantresses in the area?"

  "Only our own. If there are others they're at least twenty kilometers away."

  "I want you to join me. We're going to spread out, move forward and clear the area of any lingering enemy. When it's time the enchantresses will create the barrier wall and new fortress then we'll eat and rest."

  Skye had to walk by Bellya to reach the steps that would take her to ground level.

  Bellya turned to her. "Be careful out there, Skye."

  "You're not going?"

  "No. The warriors threw dyce to see who would remain behind and protect this fortress. Teryq lost." She smiled. "We'll remain here until the next advancement."

  Skye tried not to smile with relief and barely managed it. "Well, uh, be safe until then." She hurried down the steps, out of the fortress and to Soren. He grabbed her as soon as she reached him and tucked her inside his cloak.

  "The wind is cold tonight, little heart." He and the warriors finished their plans then he said, "Keep your eyes peeled."

  Berit grinned, the three brothers laughed and Pelyn asked, "Isn't that something you'd want to do to the enemy?"

  Skye laughed. "It means to be vigilant and watch for the enemy."

  Pelyn slapped Soren on the back as he passed him. "I don’t know where you're from but your people say many strange things."

  Soren chuckled. "We don’t say them. Daria does."

  "Who's Daria?" Pelyn asked.

  "My brother's mate. She calls it old Earth slang."

  "Is that where you're from? Earth?" Skye asked.

  "No. Daria is from Earth. I'm from—" Soren's face screwed up in a painful grimace and he rubbed his temple. "Tor, for a moment I remembered the name. I even saw an image of it from space." He rubbed his temple again.

  Skye wrapped her arms around his waist while the others formed a protective circle around them.

  "Your memory will return when you least expect it," she said. "Just give it time."

  "What if I don't have time? What if someone is risking their life looking for me right now?"

  Skye tightened her arms. "If they are there's nothing you can do about it and the more you worry about it the longer it will take you to remember."

  He returned her hug then released her. "What makes you think that?"

  "Think about it. The only time you remember something is when you don't think about it." She smiled up at him.

  He nodded an agreement, placed her behind him and signaled his warriors to move out.

  They searched the area and found only two warriors hiding among the boulders and bushes. They dealt with them then moved on. Just as the sun reached its zenith they arrived at the village Soren and Berit had marked as the place to build the wall and new fortress. Skye conjured a temporary shelter for them and they ate and rested until Korbyn and Falyn caught up to them.

  The two enchantresses greeted each other as if they hadn't seen each other for annuals. Finally Soren and Korbyn told them to get on with it and they drew on the elements and conjured the wall.

  "Soren and I will travel west and connect the end of our wall to the end of Lalyn's wall," Skye said.

  Falyn nodded. "Korbyn and I will go east."

  "Berit's unit will meet with the villagers here while we're gone," Soren said. "If they agree to join us then we'll build a larger fortress and begin training them to defend themselves."

  # # #

  Later that cycle Skye sank down in the tub until the water lapped at her chin. She sighed with pleasure and smiled at Soren. He sat at the other end of the tub facing her. She ran her foot over his belly, stuck her big toe in his belly button and wiggled it.

  He grabbed her foot and ran his thumb down the center of the sole. "Watch yourself. You said you were tired."

  "Tired, not dead."

  He lifted her foot from the water, nibbled on the toe that had assaulted him and smiled when she giggled. "Ticklish?"

  "No." She jerked it away.

  He captured it, held on and sent her an 'I've got you now' grin.

  "Soren, don't you dare!"

  "Let's see now." He glanced at her. "Are you ticklish here?" he ran his fingers over the top of her foot. "No?" He looked at her then back at her foot. "How about here?" He tickled the bottom and she laughed and squirmed in an effort to get away. He pulled her back toward him and stroked his fingers up her legs. "What else is ticklish? How about here?" He squeezed her knee.

  Skye laughed and tried to say his name at the same time but it came out in sections between gasps of laughter.

  The water and tub disappeared and a soft mat took their place as she flipped over and tried to crawl away.

  He followed her. "Where do you think you're going?" He straddled her and rested part of his weight on her to hold her down. "How about these beautiful ribs?" He asked, his lips against her nape. "They ticklish?" He walked his fingertips over the sides of her ribs.

  She bit her lip then stuttered, "N-no, they're n-not. I swear. Really."

  "Tsk, tsk." He nibbled on her nape. "You know what I think? I think you are ticklish there and you don't want me to know it." He wiggled down until his lips rested in the small of her back.
"Let's see, shall we?" He kissed her soft skin as he walked his fingers over her sides and she squirmed, shook with laughter and flipped over.

  He smiled and looked up at her. "This is called a raspberry." He placed his lips on her tummy and blew. The soft skin rippled beneath his lips and she howled with laughter. He laughed, moved his lips a little higher and did it again, drawing more laughter from her. Little by little he moved up her body until he reached her neck.

  "This is the best place for a raspberry," he said right before he rested his lips on the soft skin below her ear and blew.

  Skye drew her knees up, held her belly and roared with laughter until she was breathless.

  Soren leaned over her and watched her. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes glowed with happiness. He smiled and brushed a soft kiss over her lips.

  "More," she said and puckered her lips.

  "Only one more then it's time for you to rest." He pressed his lips to hers, sucked her bottom lip for a nano-unit then released her. She tried to hold onto him but he sat up and shook his head. "Roll over."

  She grinned, rolled over and wiggled her bottom.

  He laughed, placed his hand, palm up, on the mat in front of her face and said, "Warm massage oil."

  She sighed with disappointment and produced it.

  He dribbled a line of fragrant oil down the center of her back and began spreading it over her back. Gradually he felt her muscles relax and her breath soften.

  "Soren."

  "Hmmm?"

  "Love you."

  He stretched out next to her, pulled her back against him and spooned her. The heat of his body warmed her. "Sleep now."

  "You're not going to make love to me?"

  "At sun's rising." His warm breath against her neck caused goose bumps to flow over her shoulders and arms. "Rest now, Skye."

  # # #

  At sun's rising the sound of her own moans drew her from sleep. For a moment she felt drowsy but the slow slide of Soren's cock into her woke her completely. She pressed back against him and a large hand slid down from her swollen breasts to her tummy and held her still while he thrust into her.

  "Soren?"

  "Hmmm?"

  "You're making love to me."

  "The new cycle has begun." He adjusted his position, braced himself on one arm and leaned over her. Their eyes met and he smiled. "Feel good?"

  She smiled and wiggled again. "Yes. This is a great way to wake."

  He kissed the side of her neck and she tipped her head back, giving him better access. He took advantage of her offering and continued kissing her while he thrust into her. The hand on her belly slid down and rubbed up one side of her clit and down the other. Her breath caught in her throat and she stilled, waiting for that finger to give her that one touch she needed. Finally it did.

  She shivered and moaned his name. "I love how you touch me."

  Soren kissed her cheek then looked through the krystal walls that surrounded them. The sky was beginning to lighten and people were rising and beginning the cycle.

  "Tor," he breathed as he increased the depth and rapidity of his thrusts. "Do you think they know what we're doing in here?"

  "Maybe." Skye's pussy tightened around his cock.

  He smiled. "Do you like knowing they're right outside our walls and with a wave of your hand they could see us sharing sex?" He pressed in deep and stilled, waiting for an answer.

  "Sometimes," she mumbled, her cheeks darkening to a rosy red.

  He twisted her upper torso toward him and kissed her while he stroked her clit and began a thrusting rhythm meant to send her into an explosive orgasm.

  The slick walls of her vagina rippled around his cock as she came. She sucked in a deep breath, shivered and covered his hand with hers. "Soren, oh—oh em gee!"

  He threw his head back and laughed as he held her against him, thrust several more times and came.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Three moon phases later Soren lowered himself to the sandy beach and pulled Skye down between his legs. Exhausted from the long battle she leaned against him and closed her eyes. Pelyn and his brothers took up defensive positions around them.

  The battle for the coastline villages had lasted seven cycles. They'd finally won but they'd lost several warriors in the process. Now while they rested the village males buried the dead.

  An older village female approached them and held out a bowl filled with some kind of stewed meat and vegetables. Soren accepted it as a younger female set a cup of water on the ground beside him. He thanked them with a nod of his head, too tired and filthy with blood and gore to speak.

  Skye rested against him, closed her eyes and slowly slipped into sleep. He tipped her to one side and ran his lips over her grimy forehead.

  "Wake up. I want you to eat first."

  "Later," she mumbled.

  "No, now." He took a sip of the water then tasted the stew and waited to see if it made him sick.

  A small smile curved her lips. "They won't poison us." She forced her eyes open. "Not now that we've saved them."

  "Better safe than sorry," he said, drawing another smile from her.

  "I wish to meet this Daria and learn her strange language."

  Soren leaned against the boulder behind them. "I'd like to meet her again, too."

  "Have you remembered anything more?"

  "Only bits and pieces." He stroked her bottom lip with a spoonful of stew. "Eat."

  She took the offering, chewed and swallowed it then sipped the water he held to her mouth. "Tell me what you've remembered."

  "More of the house we saw in my dream."

  "What about the males who look like you? The older one and the younger one?"

  Soren's lips barely curved upward in a small grin. "For some reason I saw an image of the younger one holding a baby covered in red flower petals. The older warrior was standing next to him."

  She took another bite. "What do you think it means?"

  He shrugged. "Who knows? It could be anything. A cultural thing where a baby is rolled in flowers then presented to the relatives. Or, maybe the flowers are medicinal."

  Skye looked around. The battlefield glistened with shattered pieces of krystal but here and there she saw a glimpse of ruby red and knew it was from the dark krystal he'd thrown. "There are no flowers here."

  Soren distracted her by running his hands over her. "How do you feel?"

  "Strong and healthy. You worry too much."

  "You don't worry enough."

  Berit dropped down beside them. "She never has. Even when we were children I'd have to hunt for her at moon rising. I'd usually find her playing in the forest with the other enchantresses."

  Soren looked at the village behind them. "You said we were near your home. Where are the trees?"

  "Gone," Skye said. "The Crimeryns destroyed them."

  Soren wrapped his arms around her. "When this war is over my father will plant a garden for you."

  "You’ve remembered something more about him?" She ran her hands down his arms where they rested on his bent knees and grasped his hands. "Do you think he planted the garden we see in your dreams? Maybe he's the gardener and that's why we never see the inside of the house."

  Soren went over the image of the large warrior and decided if he was a gardener he was a deadly one. He shrugged. "We'll only know the truth when I remember my past."

  "In the meantime we have another battle to plan," Berit said.

  "The peninsula," Soren said, referring to the Crimeryn infested land that stretched into the sea from the Edyn continent.

  "It will take all of us to defeat them and remember we won't only be fighting the Crimeryns. We'll have to fight the criminals the Krystali Kouncil have sent there as well."

  "You've never mentioned that before." Soren lifted her then resettled her on his lap.

  "The Kouncil used to only deal with issues involving healers, conjurers and enchantresses but since the war they've taken on the task of dealing with all law br
eakers," Berit said. "Only the worst criminals are sent there."

  "Do you have spies there?" Soren asked.

  Berit shook his head. "We've sent warriors in the past but they're never heard from again."

  "How does the Kouncil send the criminals there?"

  "There are rumors that the Kouncil has the power of teleportation," Skye said before she yawned and rested her head on his shoulder.

  "So they wave their hands and the criminal is gone?" Soren asked.

  "Nobody knows for sure but maybe."

  "Is there any way we could get them to send a few spies to the peninsula?" Soren asked.

  "Doubtful," Berit said. "They don't concern themselves with war issues. They only enforce the laws, pass judgement and decide on punishment."

  "Don't they realize if we fail and the Crimeryn's win they'll be in danger as well?" Soren asked.

  "They're the ultimate power and they live in a huge fortress that's a self-contained city," Skye said. "They could stay there forever and never care or even know what's happening out here."

  "If they don't govern then who does?"

  "The warriors govern themselves," Berit said.

  "You said the Crimeryns' headquarters is located at the village in the center of the peninsula. We need to get our warriors into place along the coastline then begin the attack at the same time and cut off their supply lines."

  "There's no way to do that," Berit said.

  "We have the transporter ships."

  "Not enough of them," Berit said.

  "Could we fly groups of warriors in several at a time and conceal them until all the warriors were in place?"

  "The Crimeryns' enchantresses would sense our presence."

  "What about boats?"

  "The larger ones were destroyed long ago. The villagers along the coast have small boats they use for fishing."

  "How many warriors would one hold?"

  "Two or three at the most."

  "Two or three what?" Bellya asked as she and Teryq joined them.

  "Warriors in boats," Berit said.

  Bellya laughed, startling and waking Skye who sat up, looked around and frowned. "What's going on?"

  "Your mate thinks we can invade the peninsula in the villager's fishing boats," Berit said.

  Teryq jumped into the conversation. "We'd need hundreds of them and even then most of them wouldn't make it. The waves around the peninsula are treacherous."