Warrior's Pain (Cadi Warriors Book 4)

by Stephanie West

  Cyprian shook his head as he thought about how he worried when Riley was caught in the hotel room by Mave. If Vintor hadn’t been there, who knows what would’ve happened before he got out of the washroom.

  “She hid from me the details of what Exo passed on to her. She then hid her association with Aculus. I had no idea the weight of her secrets, or I would’ve trusted her with who I was. I knew she was hiding something, so I attempted to coerce her into telling me, but she refused.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t use your sire’s teachings on the female,” Kagan asked sternly.

  Cyprian sat quietly for a minute. He didn’t know if he could admit what he had done, or even explain how it happened.

  “Not quite,” the general continued. “I’d tried to question Riley, but every time it turned to shit. The bonding unleased the beast in a way I never saw coming, and it took the reins. That female twists me in knots.”

  “Let me stop you,” Kagan interrupted. “You weren’t around when I first met Giselle, so you don’t recall how crazy she made me. I know you are an honorable male. As long as Riley has no complaints, I won’t judge you.”

  “I crossed the line, but unbelievably Riley responded in kind.” Cyprian smiled at the memory of Riley kissing her way down his stomach, the last time they were together. “Although I was able to tell her about the mission, I haven’t explained the conjugo bite.”

  “I think I’ve got a better picture of what happened. I wish I could solve this for you,” Kagan commiserated with Cyprian. “You understand Riley will have the right to choose you, or not, once she awakens?”

  “I do,” Cyprian replied, though he rebelled at the thought. No matter the outcome he wouldn’t regret bonding with Riley, even though how it happened wasn’t ideal. “I did what had to be done.”

  “So, when do you plan to tell Riley you’re mated?” Kagan asked.

  “When she wakes up, if we can get a moment alone.”

  Riley

  Riley awoke in a comfy bed, instead of a hospital gurney. There was a pleasant lingering warmth in the spot next to her. Riley rolled and took a deep breath. The scent on the pillow was spicy and masculine. Riley smiled in recognition.

  “Cyprian,” she murmured.

  He’s alive. He’s really alive.

  Riley opened her eyes eager to see Cyprian. She looked around the room, but he wasn’t there. Riley could tell she wasn’t in one of the hotel suites, or the quarters of some spaceship. This room had sage green, stucco walls, with rustic exposed beams spanning the ceiling. Through the window Riley could see the rising sun, and even heard little birds happily twittering outside.

  “The sky is purple. I’m on Cadi,” Riley declared in awe.

  I made it. We both made it back, Riley nearly cried in relief and joy.

  Riley smiled as she recalled seeing June and Ion. She was eager to find Cyprian and her friends. Riley attempted to hop out of bed, but found her muscles didn’t behave the way she wanted them to. She plopped down on the edge, and stretched her sleepy limbs. Her neck was sore, but didn’t pain her the way it had when she roused last. Riley felt the large bandage that wrapped half way around her neck, as she took a moment to get her bearings. Something furry brushed her hand and Riley nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Speck! How did you get here?”

  Speck rolled onto her lap and started purring as she scratched his furry bulbous body. This little surprise made her day. Riley never expected to see the ruddy roly-poly again.

  “I’m happy to see you, but how about you take it easy while I find the others. Then I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

  Riley scooped Speck up from her lap and placed him on her pillow. He snuggled in, looking content.

  Riley put on a robe, then ambled for one of the two doors in the room. The door she picked led to the hall. Riley heard a recognizable murmur at the end of the corridor and followed it, eager to see the general.

  “I did what had to be done,” she heard Cyprian say to a large Cadi man as she neared the small lounge.

  “So, when do you plan to tell Riley you’re mated?” the man asked.

  Riley’s foot froze mid step.

  Mated?

  Devastation and anger struck her in equal parts. Riley felt stupid and betrayed. She hadn’t come right out and asked Cyprian if he was married. She just assumed he wasn’t.

  “When she wakes up, if we can get a moment alone,” Cyprian replied.

  “Don’t bother. I heard,” Riley bit out, while struggling to repress the tears burning in her eyes.

  Cyprian spun around.

  “Little Manx,” he said as he jumped up.

  “Don’t!” Riley threw her palm out to stop him. “Will your mate accept the excuse that you were just doing your duty when you acted the master, and fucked me repeatedly?” Riley hissed. “I get the first time. But all the others? I thought,” Riley stopped as she choked on the words.

  She shook her head, incapable of admitting the love she thought had built between them. Riley spun and took off down the hall.

  “Riley,” Cyprian yelled, as he came after her.

  Riley swiftly shut the door of her room and locked it.

  “Riley open up, so I can talk to you,” Cyprian demanded as he pound on the door.

  “I heard enough.”

  Cyprian de Praefectus

  “What is going on?” Giselle asked as she opened the door of the nearby bedroom.

  Sabin, her adopted son, stood by her side rubbing his eyes and looking put out.

  Cyprian stopped pounding on the bedroom door that Riley stubbornly refused to answer. He debated breaking it down, till Kagan’s mate appeared.

  “There’s been a misunderstanding between Riley and Cyprian,” Kagan replied.

  “What did you do?” Giselle asked.

  “He was probably being his usual charming self,” June chimed in sounding perturbed.

  Cyprian turned to see her standing in the threshold of another room, a smirk on her face.

  “This is a matter Cyprian and Riley must solve, my pet,” Kagan said, as he pulled Giselle to his side.

  “Well, we can still talk to Riley,” Giselle shook her head. “She’s been through hell.”

  “I’ll see if Sundara has a key.” June headed off.

  “Are you going to tell me what you did?” Giselle pressed Cyprian.

  Cyprian was so frustrated with the way Riley misunderstood what she heard. He had to talk to her. Cyprian desperately needed to make her understand she was his mate, not some random female, then apologize for bonding her without asking. But he refused to yell it through a locked door, or have someone else relay the information to his bonded.

  “It’s between us,” Cyprian insisted.

  When June returned with Sundara, Cyprian attempted to follow the females into Riley’s room.

  “I think you’ve done quite enough this morning. She just woke up for Pete’s sake. I don’t care what you have to talk about. If Riley wants to talk, she’ll come find you,” June informed Cyprian, as she barred him from the room.

  Cyprian repressed the growl vibrating in his chest.

  “Come on. Let the females calm Riley. We have much to discuss. Before long, the guests will start arriving for the festivities,” Kagan encouraged.

  Cyprian stared at the closed door. He still wanted to break it down. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. But the image of a pack of females screaming, then beating him senseless held him at bay.

  “You certainly have a way with human females,” Tytus commented, not knowing the truth of his relationship with Riley.

  “Clearly,” Cyprian snarled as he stalked down the hall. “I need some fresh air.”

  Riley

  Riley had gone from being ecstatic that Cyprian survived the blast on Distraho, to wanting to murder him. She wasn’t sure which hurt more, thinking he died, or learning everything was a farce.

  “This is what you get for assuming. You make an as
s out of you and me,” Riley mimicked the annoying phrase her brother often used.

  Riley cursed herself for assuming Cyprian was single. She wondered how much of what they shared was total b.s.

  Speck followed Riley into the bathroom, his fur trembling in agitation. He was responding to her intense emotions. Riley had to be careful not to step on him as he frantically wound around her ankles.

  “Well at least I’ve got you,” Riley sobbed.

  She pulled off her robe then looked in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, her nose runny.

  “Real attractive. I wouldn’t want you either,” Riley spoke to her reflection.

  Riley peeled off the bandage on her neck and stared at Cyprian’s bite mark. It was going to scar. Then she’d have a constant reminder of him. It was a depressing thought.

  Riley stepped into the shower not caring that it was cold, as she scrubbed her skin. Her lips tipped up in amusement when Speck joined her, frolicking in the downpour at her feet. She appreciated the momentary distraction.

  “You look as pathetic as I do.” Speck wilted to nothing under the spray. “Don’t wash down the drain.”

  When Riley shut off the water and pulled her sorry pruney ass out of the shower, she heard a knock.

  “Riley, are you okay?” June asked through the bathroom door.

  No.

  “Please say something, so I know you didn’t fall,” June entreated.

  “Give me a minute please,” Riley called out as she wrapped a towel around her chest and dried her hair.

  She cast a wane smile at Speck as he shook himself dry, his red hair frizzing out. Riley plucked him off the floor, and stroked him to calm her nerves.

  “Hey Riley,” June said through the door. “Cyprian’s an ass. He’s not really fond of humans, so whatever he did, just let it roll off your shoulders.”

  “That doesn’t really help,” Riley choked on a sob.

  “Please, tell me what happened.”

  Riley unlocked the door and opened it a crack.

  “Instead of just auctioning me off, there was a competition.” Riley’s voice wavered as she relayed the horrific event. “I was locked in a maze of tunnels, deep in the asteroid, and hunted. To win me, the contestants had to either fuck or kill me.”

  “Oh, my god,” June gasped.

  June reached in, and grabbed Riley’s arm to console her. Riley smiled at June in appreciation. She took a deep breath then continued.

  “A nasty worm reached me first. It wanted to stab me, and fill me full of some freaky larva, like a scene from the Alien movies.” Riley shivered as she recalled the eerily adoring way the Ubi called her Host. “I fended it off till Cyprian arrived and killed it. Then Cyprian claimed me.”

  Except he didn’t claim me.

  “Oh, wow, so you and the general,” June said in surprise.

  “Yeah, and not just the one time,” Riley hiccupped. “I heard him telling that man,” she paused and shook her head.

  “What? Tell me,” June asked with a catch in her voice.

  “Cyprian said he did what had to be done. It was all part of his stupid mission. I really thought he was into me, but I was wrong,” Riley sobbed.

  “Son of a bitch. I should have Kagan string him up by his tail,” a blonde woman growled.

  Riley looked through the crack in the door, to find she had an audience. It was practically a party in her bedroom. Besides June there was the blonde holding a pink baby, Ion, and a svelte Cadi woman.

  Riley studied the red skinned chick. She was skinny, tall and attractive. If Cyprian’s mate looked anything like this woman, no wonder he was eager to cut Riley loose. By comparison Riley was short, thick in the hips, and painted like damn piñata.

  “I don’t care if he was pretending to be some slave master, there are lines you don’t cross,” June growled. “Come on. Don’t hide in here.”

  Riley let June lead her to the bed, where she sat down. Ion joined Riley and they leaned against one another. A silent sad comradery passed between them.

  “You know, Cyprian has always been a stoic, overbearing, pain in the ass, but I’ve never known him to be cruel like this,” the blonde said.

  Riley agreed with the woman. Cyprian was bossy, but she also thought he was a good guy. He just wasn’t her guy.

  Instead of responding, Riley studied the sleeping baby bundled in the blonde’s arms. The child’s skin was pinker than normal, and her full crop of black hair had frosted tips. It was obvious the sweet little tyke was half human, half Cadi. Riley was amazed humans were compatible with the Cadi. She couldn’t help but wonder what her own children might have looked like. Riley shook her head to dispel the depressing notion, and wiped away the new tears that formed.

  “I don’t know if he’s that great. I still haven’t forgiven Cyprian for accusing Tytus of assaulting me, when I said he didn’t,” June grumbled.

  “Wait. What?” Riley blurted.

  Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who had been through an ordeal. Riley suddenly felt very selfish. She’d been so concerned with herself, she hadn’t given much thought to what happened to June in her absence.

  “I’m sorry for being a wreck. How have you been, and who is everyone?” she asked.

  “It’s okay. A lot has happened since we parted,” June replied.

  “I’m Giselle. I’m married to Kagan, the leader of Cadi. He’s the guy Cyprian was talking to. This is our baby, Graca. My adopted son Sabin is with his father,” Giselle said as she extended her hand. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Riley replied, as she shook Giselle’s outstretched hand. “I’ll survive.”

  “I’m Sundara. June and I are friends. This is my house,” Sundara said with a nod of her head. “I’m glad you made it home safe. June was so worried.”

  “Sundara is mating Metcor today, and I’m getting married to Tytus,” June said.

  “Seriously?” Riley gawked at her friend.

  I did miss a lot.

  In the span of a few weeks, June was getting married to some guy named Tytus, and had a host of new friends. The sense of being left behind, added to Riley’s bleak mood.

  “When I found myself stranded on Cadi, I hid in Tytus’ lab. He’s an engineer like me. Anyway, long story short, we’re getting married.”

  “Of course, you found another rocket scientist,” Riley snorted at the irony. “I should’ve known it wasn’t going to work with Cyprian. What a pair we would’ve made. A criminal and a soldier.”

  “Shut up.” June shoved Riley.

  “I’m happy for you. Shouldn’t you girls be getting ready, instead of dealing with me?”

  “We’re going to get ready together,” June replied.

  “I’m blocking all the males out of the upstairs, so we can take over,” Sundara said excitedly.

  “It’ll be a girl party, so you won’t have to deal with the general,” June added.

  “Hey, so this is where you guys are hiding.” A redhead peeked into the bedroom.

  “Providence, meet Riley and Sundara,” Giselle introduced everyone.

  Riley gave a little wave to Providence. It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one new to this group.

  “Providence is married to Madhava and Dagaa. Madhava is sort of like my brother-in-law. You’ll meet both of them later,” June said.

  “Before you ask, yes, I’m married to two men. And, no, it’s not common, but also not looked down upon on Cadi,” Providence said quickly after seeing the expression on Riley’s face.

  “I’m not judging. Do men here ever marry more than one female too?” Riley asked.

  “Yes. My great grandsire was mated to two females. From what I understand it was more common in times when many warriors died in battle,” Sundara explained.

  “It’s complicated, but in general Cadi relationships are like what we are familiar with,” Giselle added.

  “I see.”

  Polygamy was s
omething she hadn’t considered. Riley just assumed Cyprian was a cheating asshole. But if Cadi culture accepted it, then maybe Cyprian wasn’t such a bastard after all.

  I don’t even know why I’m asking. Cyprian made it clear he was just doing his job. Even if he wanted me, I refuse to be some man’s side chick, she frowned to herself. Riley knew she was too jealous to have an open relationship. She wasn’t accepting enough to watch her man with another woman.

  “Why are we holed up in here?” Providence asked.

  “Cyprian made an ass of himself,” Giselle grumbled.

  “What’s new?”

  “Can I tell her?” June asked Riley.

  “Sure.” Riley shrugged. She’d already aired her dirty laundry to two strangers. Might as well add another.

  “The general repeatedly did the deed with my friend, then had the audacity to say it was all in the line of duty,” June summarized.

  “Ouch,” Providence grimaced. “That explains why he looks more surly than usual. You should hear the pre-celebration covert ops the men are hatching.”

  “What covert ops?” Riley asked.

  “We’re still hunting for the Benedict Arnold who started all this nonsense. We’ve narrowed it to the regents who will be here today.” Giselle’s face twisted in concern. She was worried about her husband, the Cadi leader.

  “We think the traitor is trying to take over the council, and reopen trade with the Jurou Biljana.”

  “Cyprian told me about the traitor. I understand the person needs to be apprehended, but I don’t get why this has to happen on your special day?” Riley said to June and Sundara.

  “It was our idea,” June replied. “We needed a reason to get all the regents together, that the traitor won’t suspect.”

  “Plus, I want all the regents here to recognize Metcor as my mate,” Sundara added.

  “Metcor is Toufik. Their relationship is considered taboo,” Giselle interjected.

  “Okay,” Riley said as she tried to keep up. “I know the Toufik used to be slaves, and Cyprian was trying to rescue them from Distraho.”