Warriors' Providence (Cadi Warriors Book 2)

by Stephanie West

  Providence repressed the frown that threatened as she thought about the sight she would never see again. It was like a bucket of cold water successfully distracting Providence from her illicit thoughts of the strange new men in her life. Providence wondered why fate had sent her across the galaxy. Surely there was a greater purpose to all things. There had to be. That hope was the only thing that kept her from spiraling into despair over the life she'd been torn from.

  Dagaa

  Dagaa loved how soft Providence's creamy skin felt beneath his fingers. He could let his hands wander her body forever and never get bored. Her thighs were round and full, but muscular and strong for a creature so dainty. She was far more lush than the females he had been acquainted with.

  Dagaa was no stranger to the fairer sex. He'd had more than a few trysts with females who were willing to shower a warrior of his status with a bit of affection. Such intimate relations weren't taboo among adults, however fathers and brothers usually hated to see warriors like him coming.

  Providence was very different from what Dagaa was used to, but that only made her all the more tempting. Cadi females possessed black hair and eyes, like the males, and tended to be a bit on the lanky side. Dagaa hadn't been able to keep his eyes off the way Providence's hips swayed hypnotically whenever she walked in front of him. Her soft curvy waist and luscious full breasts were alluring. The image of her nude on the ship still teased him. Her flashing green eyes and red hair looked so exotic paired with her pale skin.

  Dagaa loved the way Providence bit her full lip as he rubbed the stiffness from her legs. Her scent was compelling, making his canines ache in his mouth. If he moved his hands up her leg just a bit further, he could explore her intimate flesh. He wondered how different she would look if he splayed her wide. On the ship he'd briefly seen the red neatly trimmed tuft on her mound, but not the treasures that hid between her thighs.

  Human females, at least the one Dagaa had encountered, tended to be outspoken, aggressive and brave. Dagaa couldn't help but wonder if Providence was also as vocal and wild in the bedroom as he'd overheard from Giselle. Was that a human predilection? It certainly wasn't a trait Cadi females possessed. The fact Providence approached, let alone took out two Jurou Biljana amazed him.

  Dagaa looked at Madhava, who sat rubbing her back. Dagaa felt a twinge of jealousy as they shared this moment with Providence, but he quickly cast it aside. Madhava rarely showed interest in females, let alone acted on it. He and Madhava complemented each other in so many ways, with various skills, temperament, weaknesses and strengths. Something inside him said that both of them tending to Providence was right. It would probably take the two of them just to keep up with a bold female like her.

  Providence attempted to distract them from their pleasant task with questions. Dagaa could see she was becoming uncomfortable with their attention. If he wasn't mistaken, the catch in her breath and the flush of her skin said Providence was just as affected by their touch as he was. Her scent certainly indicated as much.

  Dagaa would never force a female, but he did insist she let them care for her. In that they would uphold their oath. The Jurou Biljana's torture had done a number on Providence. Thinking about what the small female had been subjected to made him want to growl.

  Dagaa listened intently as Providence described her planet. Her face was so expressive.

  "I can see by the way your eyes light up that it must have been a wonderful sight to behold." Dagaa smiled at the dreamy look on Providence's face. "My favorite place to visit is the Primal Forest deep in Vidya Cadi territory. I have not been for a while, but it is like a second home. I love the ancient trees. Some are so large you could easily fit two of our houses inside them."

  Thinking about the past while sitting like this on the settee with a female, touching and talking, brought back memories long forgotten.

  Dagaa recalled returning home from the first of many particularly arduous and long campaigns. He was tired of war and the nasty business that went along with it. He wanted nothing more than to go to Idida's brother's home to see his intended mate. When he arrived at her home, he found Idida in the garden, wrapped in the arms of a local armigerent. Even now Idida's whispered promises that she would wait for him were like a knife to the gut.

  "I've always wanted to visit the Primal Forest, but never could with the war and all. We should make a trip up there sometime." Madhava suggested.

  Dagaa pushed aside his morose recollection. It had been a long time since he'd thought about Idida. He'd left her firmly in the past, or so he thought. What happened between them really had been for the best. As a part of Kagan's Anzac army and second in command, Dagaa had been away at war far more than he was ever home. His duty was to his Daimio first and foremost. Besides in the years since there had been no shortage of females that were more than happy to welcome him with open arms, females that didn't offer up broken promises.

  "It would be interesting to see trees that huge." Providence agreed.

  Providence suddenly looked pensive and a bit sad.

  "I can see that something is bothering you. What is it?" Dagaa asked.

  Providence pulled her knees up to her chest and curled up between them. She looked so small.

  "Just thinking about home." She said with a trembling voice.

  Dagaa kept forgetting she had been ripped from her planet. Providence and Giselle were so strong of spirit it was almost easy to forget the unthinkable had occurred to them. Dagaa couldn't imagine being taken across the universe to a planet full of strangers.

  "I keep thinking how my dad is probably searching for me even now." Her voice broke.

  Dagaa's heart ached at the sound of sorrow in her voice.

  "I lost my father when I was a young warrior." Madhava said as he put an arm around Providence and pulled her to him.

  She snuggled into the harsh warrior, like it was the most natural thing. Dagaa wanted to offer her comfort too, so he took her small hand in his.

  "Tell us about your father." Dagaa encouraged.

  "He's in the Air Force like me. He taught me to fly. When I was young, he would find ways to take me on base while my sisters and mother were shopping. I hate shopping." She smiled wistfully. "He taught me perseverance in the face of impossible odds and encouraged me to push my boundaries so that I might learn the true extent of my capabilities."

  "Your father sounds like a good male. I think that you honor him with the things you have told us about how you saved your people when the Jurou Biljana attacked." Madhava squeezed Providence. "I wish that I had honored my father in the same way." The male admitted.

  "What happened?" Providence looked up at the scarred male sweetly as she spoke.

  Dagaa also wondered what happened. His friend was generally quiet, but even quieter about his family.

  "My father was an honorable warrior, perhaps too honorable and too trusting." Madhava added quietly. "He served Vigdis' father. One day I discovered him fatally injured on the training field. But instead of telling me who murdered him, my father forced me to make an oath."

  Both Providence and Dagaa waited silently as Madhava struggled with the ghost of his past.

  "I was to protect my mother and sister. But I..." Madhava shook his head unable to continue. He turned solemn eyes to Providence. "Providence your father, I'm sure, is very proud to have a daughter such as you, not the miles between you, nor death, can erase that."

  "Thank you Madhava. I needed to hear that." Providence leaned forward and placed a kiss on his scarred cheek.

  The look of shock on Madhava's face was completely worth the disappointment that Dagaa wasn't on the receiving end of Providence's gratitude.

  Dagaa sat stunned at his friend's partial admission and the encouraging words he spoke to Providence. The little female seemed to draw Madhava out with the way she accepted him. She didn't mind his appearance or fear him as the enemy he once was. He was just a male in her eyes. That made Providence all the more amazing.


  "I think I am lucky to have made two such friends." Dagaa smiled.

  5 Double the Trouble

  Providence

  Providence awoke with a yawn as Dagaa knocked on the bedroom door. They had stayed up way too late talking.

  "Come on sleepy, get your tail out of bed. I've made first meal." Dagaa said as he cracked the door.

  She was sleeping in Madhava's over-sized bed and he probably had to get ready for the day. Providence got up feeling really well after the guys' lengthy massage the night before.

  Providence swiftly dressed in another skirt and tank top combo. Cadi woman didn't seem to believe in bras so the girls were hanging out. It's not like her C cups were huge, but they still begged for a little support. Providence ran the comb Giselle gave her, through her tangled wavy red tresses then left the bedroom.

  As she came down the stairs, she halted mid-stride. Madhava's bare back was turned to her as he stood in the middle of the living room. His back was covered in scars and numerous intricate black tattoos, but that's not what captured her attention at the moment. Providence's eyes were riveted to the sight of Madhava's bare tight ass. His hips narrowed to his behind, the tempting muscles pronounced and flexing as his long tail swished lazily. Even that odd appendage didn't detract from the glorious sight. Madhava was dangerously sexy. Providence blinked as he tied a black leather kilt at his hip, hiding his toned ass from view.

  Providence turned to see Dagaa staring at her. His mouth was turned up into a wicked smile. He had caught her blatantly staring at his friend. The way Dagaa leaned casually against the counter with his chest exposed, and that sardonic expression, he was no less a tempting sight than Madhava was. Providence could not believe she was admiring not one but two alien men.

  "Everything smells great Dagaa." Providence played it off as if nothing had happened as she continued down the stairs.

  "It's going to be a long day." Dagaa said as they sat at the table to eat breakfast.

  "I'm sure Giselle is looking forward to your company." Madhava added.

  Providence was so glad the two men had spoken up for her, and that they lived on Kagan's large estate. It meant she was a short walk from seeing Giselle anytime she wanted.

  "I hope she has something we can do. I don't do well with being bored." Providence chimed in.

  Breakfast consisted of some type of sweet bread and a meat not too different from bacon. There was even a drink that reminded her of juice but had a bit of a zing to it like coffee.

  An hour later Providence and Giselle were again sitting among the Toufik females, cutting up some type of vegetable that they skewered and hung up to dry.

  "I hope you don't mind helping." Giselle said as they settled in.

  "It's fine."

  Providence wasn't big on domestic tasks, not that she couldn't do them. She'd just rather be going over an engine or logging flight time. But as long as her hands weren't idle she'd manage well enough.

  "I really haven't gotten my bearings on what I should be doing here on Cadi yet. I think Kagan would be content with me eating bonbons all day, but I feel like I should be doing first lady type of crap." Giselle said as she looked at the alien carrot in her hand. "We grew up in an era where certain rights were a given. I never truly appreciated the things Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton fought for." Giselle shook her head.

  Providence agreed. She always groused about double standards back home, but it had once upon a time been worse. There was an era when women couldn't vote, own property, or even make decisions about their own body, or claim their children. Providence didn't quite know how things compared here on Cadi, but she hoped it wasn't as bad as all that. If so Madhava and Dagaa were in for a rude awakening.

  "I'm sure we'll figure something out." Providence encouraged her new friend. She too needed to feel like she had purpose. She couldn't just take up space.

  "I hope you slept well. I tried to convince Kagan you could stay in the manor, but he insisted it would be difficult for the warriors to uphold their oath with you in a different house. He's such a stickler for the rules."

  Providence imagined Kagan was much like the military men she was used to at home. They were strict too. She respected that. It couldn't be easy running an entire planet. He had to uphold their laws, even those that were unfavorable, at least until they could be changed.

  "Oh I'm fine. The guys and I talked nearly half the night." Providence said with a smile. "It was actually nice."

  Providence had enjoyed getting to know Madhava and Dagaa better, even if their massage had been nerve racking. She was the one that turned it dirty with her sex deprived mind. They'd been perfect gentleman, their hands never straying where they shouldn't. That was probably for the best. It's not like she really knew them well, nor could she handle two giant alien men. What's more, just because Kagan found Giselle attractive, didn't mean Madhava and Dagaa were interested in human females that way. Although none of that seemed to keep her mind from straying into the gutter.

  "Good I was worried." Giselle patted her hand.

  Providence glanced at the circle filled with a dozen of the hairy Toufik busily doing tasks around them. She was reminded of how close she came to being a slave on this planet rather than a kept female. Just that thought had her rolling her eyes. Well the Cadi had one thing going for them, at least they were making strides forward.

  "So you said the Toufik come from a dying planet. What's it like?" Providence asked as she grabbed another root from the pile in the middle of their circle.

  "I only know the barest details. It's taken me a while to learn their language. I bet Petal can tell us more."

  The pregnant pale brown Toufik female glanced up when she heard her name. Providence recognized her from the tan patch of fur over her right eye, and the pattern dotting her arms.

  "Petal what is your planet like?" Giselle gestured.

  The hairy female grimaced as she made several gestures then pointed to a pale almost white female.

  "It storms all the time." Giselle related. "Bird," Giselle indicated the white Toufik, "is the eldest, she can tell us more."

  It was apparent the younger female, Petal, couldn't peel the carrot-like vegetables and talk with her hands at the same time. The older female seemed more than happy to tell them about her planet as she began gesturing.

  Bird's hands started moving with wild abandon. Providence could almost see the female's personality in how she flamboyantly gestured, where Petal's movements were more subdued.

  "When I was young, the storms were frequent and wild. They destroyed villages, and the cultivated lands." Giselle translated. "But as I grew older the mountains started to rumble and shake near our village. They rained fire. My clan barely survived the move to a new village. That is when the burning rain began. The burning rain killed plants and animals. The combined village had to move again." The white female's hands also pantomimed the explosions of what had to be a volcano. "We moved not far from the ocean, but the storms brought so much water. I was sure that we would die, but that was when the scaly people found my clan and brought us to this planet." The elder Toufik smiled happily.

  Providence could understand why servitude on an alien planet seemed preferable. The Toufik probably had to work twice as hard on their own planet just to barely survive.

  "That's Stone. He's the alpha male of this Toufik clan. He's the one that helped Kagan win the war."

  Providence looked at a brown male with dark brown almost black stripes down his back and sides. He pulled Petal to him and rubbed her extended furry belly lovingly. Stone made several gestures to Petal then began gathering tools and supplies.

  "They are going to go work on a building being rehabbed for a group of Toufik near the river at the edge of the city. The Toufik moving to the riverfront are apparently good at fishing if I recall what Kagan said."

  "I'd like to see that. You think we can help? I'm pretty handy." Providence inquired.

  She'd helped her dad rebuild their gara
ge. She was probably better suited to that task than cutting up vegetables.

  "I'm more crafty than handy, but I wouldn't mind seeing the old fishery. Supposedly the building is pretty neat." Giselle added. "Stone we're going with you." Giselle gestured to the Toufik male.

  Stone paused what he was doing and made a few gestures. Giselle gestured back to the male. Stone sighed then shrugged in reply. Providence followed with Giselle as several Toufik males left the manor and loaded up into a wagon that looked like a hovercraft.

  It was interesting to watch the passing city. It reminded her of a lot of Europe's old cities. Many of the homes and businesses were made of stone. The buildings were generally only a few stories tall, but the ones that rose higher tended to be made of wood and stucco on the upper levels. The structures were nestled close together flanking the broad streets, with wide sidewalks that displayed goods, cafe tables, or a small garden if it was a residence.

  The street was filled with the hovering vehicles passing to and fro. The hovering wagon Providence and Giselle rode in passed so quickly it was difficult to truly study the Cadi citizens that bustled on the sidewalks, going about their business. They all looked so similar, with their red skin and black hair. Only the color of their clothes, were distinct.

  They arrived at the edge of town near a broad river that flowed into a large lake. The two-story stone building didn't look in too rough a shape until you went inside. There were a few collapsed walls, and the place was almost gutted. Despite that the architecture was lovely. There were arched doors and windows, along with several large bay doors that opened onto the river shore.

  A handful of Toufik got started rebuilding one of the walls. Providence watched getting a feel for what was needed then pitched in by carrying granite blocks, the size of bricks, to the Toufik male who applied mortar then set them in place. It was a good work-out as well as productive. Giselle helped pick up trash and wood debris as one of the hairy beasts started a fire out on the shore to dispose of it.