by Mary Wine
The warrior snarled as Keenan stepped into his path. One hand halted his motion as Keenan locked eyes with his brother. Keenan turned his eyes to hers and she shivered at the male she saw there. Keenan was no longer calm or patient. His glare promised her retribution.
Her stomach flipped over as she witnessed the fury burning in Keenan’s eyes. He let her see the emotion before nodding his head.
“Very well, Zeva, tonight you bind us with tradition.” Keenan lifted his hand from Ravid’s chest and pointed a single finger at her.
“Tomorrow night, I will enjoy returning the favor.”
Chapter Five
Zeva was distracted. She pulled a deep breath into her chest and felt her lungs expand completely. As she exhaled, her eyes opened and she pushed her foot off the mat.
Her body cut through the afternoon like a knife. Swift…precise…and unburdened. She landed perfectly balanced and pulled another deep breath into her lungs.
Her mind was at peace. Both Keenan’s and Ravid’s displeasure stared back from her last memory of them.
Actually, it was hard promise that they had shot at her. A smile attempted to lift her lips as she shook her head at her own emotions. Wherever the need to bait Ravid and Keenan had come from, she would do far better without it.
Still…it persisted.
Rolling her shoulders, Zeva left her mat and went towards a shower. Her body glistened with sweat and her muscles ached just the right amount. Her mind was always clear after a workout. When you pushed your body to its limits, the mind did not have time to intrude with its thoughts.
Ravid had the right to be cross with her—she had used her mother’s name like a shield.
She sighed as she pulled her uniform off. Her skin was still sensitive. Little memories floated across her mind of the way she felt between the two warriors. The way Keenan touched her neck, the heat of Ravid’s mouth on her nipple. The mirror showed her a body that was different from the woman who had left this studio just the day before.
Her neck was marked with little red marks from Keenan’s teeth. She couldn’t recall any pain from the bites. Her breasts were the most changed though. They felt different now. Fuller, and she was so much more aware of how sensitive they could be. In Ravid’s hands, her breasts could transform her into a wanton creature who existed only for pleasure. The image of her twisting between the two warriors was wickedly tempting even in the bright light of day. Her passage still ached, complaining about how empty she felt.
Zeva was no fool. She knew what she craved. Her hip had rested against Keenan’s swollen cock last night and her body delighted in reminding her of how hard he had been. A very different sort of ache would be keeping her company this morning if she had let her body lead her forward last night.
Her nipples tingled as they tightened further. Cupping her breasts with her own hands, Zeva rubbed her thumbs over her nipples as she watched her reflection. The sensation was pleasant but not shattering. She didn’t crave her smaller…feminine hands.
What she craved was Keenan and Ravid.
* * * * *
Ravid stopped pacing as a dramatic female sigh hit his ears. He turned on Amin but the female fluttered her dark eyelashes at him instead of scurrying away. She lifted a slim hand and wiggled all her fingers at him.
“That will do you no good with me. You forget, Ravid, I was bound to your brother. I believe I am immune to that particular growl.” She blew him a kiss. “Now if you smiled at me, I might become concerned.”
Ravid shook his head a second before Amin’s son attacked his leg. The four-year-old let out a battle cry before punching his thigh with every ounce of strength his little body held. Ravid peeled his nephew off his leg before he had a limp to explain to Zeva.
A pair of dark eyes exactly like his brother’s smiled at him as he lifted Kendrick onto his shoulders. It was moments like this that he truly had to face the fact that his brother was dead. When he looked into Kendrick’s eyes he saw his brother looking back.
Ravid grinned as the boy climbed onto his normal place. Amin watched with a mother’s eye as her son found a stable perch on his uncle’s shoulder. Ravid was grateful to her at that moment. He couldn’t remain angry with Kendrick around and he suspected Amin knew that.
“Did I drive Chandler as insane?”
There was another thing Ravid was often stunned by—Amin spoke freely of both her mates while he hesitated to speak their names around her. Love still crossed her eyes but she found comfort in talking about her deceased mates.
Fury still surged into his mind when his brother’s name was mentioned. Chandler had been struck down by a coward’s attack. His brother’s killer was still free while his widow clung to memory instead of her mates. “I will enforce judgment on them.”
“Stop it, Ravid. You will drive me to tears. It is time to move on.” Amin stood up and shook out her coat. Ravid frowned as he noticed the way the top hung off her shoulders. His sister-in-law was a sack of bones now. “I did not reproach you for longing for Zeva for an entire year, so do not begrudge me my memories. Love does not make sense. It just is.”
“I did not say I loved Zeva.”
Amin giggled as she reached for her son. “You will understand in time, Ravid. It’s what you don’t say that matters. Love grows in stages you know. Right now desire drives you but when those flames die down a bit you will see that the true gift of a mate is the love that binds you together after your bodies have been satisfied.”
Keenan aimed a confused look at Ravid over Amin’s head. She eased her son to his feet and then followed him as the boy pulled her away while pointing at a passing plate of sweets. The warrior’s hall was full of activity and females for a change. Tonight was their pledging ceremony and women hustled about arranging tables to their satisfaction. He and Keenan simply attempted to endure it. Their presence was demanded by the reigning dictators of the event.
Their mothers.
Keenan’s mother was in the kitchens and Ravid’s was at the head table. Both women looked engulfed in their work but they always noticed the second either he or Keenan tried to slip out of the hall.
Keenan sighed as he clasped his arms behind his back again. He lifted a blond eyebrow. “Do you love Zeva?”
“I need her.” So badly it burned. Ravid looked at the activity surrounding him and willed it to move faster. Tonight, the three of them had to publicly announce their freedom. It was a tradition reaching back millennia on Alcandar. Zeva was a maiden and he and Keenan would declare their intentions to bind with her in order to protect her virtue. Even if they did not bind, she would not be regarded as an immoral woman for having shared intimacies with them.
And Ravid certainly intended to share a whole lot more with her than they had last night! Tonight, they would take Zeva to their chamber and there would be no running for her.
She would not leave his chamber as a maiden.
Keenan nodded but said nothing. He wasn’t certain of his own feelings. Need poured over him like water every time he saw Zeva and it was soaking into him deeper every day. He wasn’t willing to think about life without her any longer. It was a hard thing to accept. He had carved his life out of harsh odds that should have seen him fail. Judgment officials had the lowest odds of finding mate. Their dedication to duty kept them away from questing for a female that they could touch minds with.
It astounded him that they had found Zeva. He still marveled at the burn of their binding fever. Love seemed a great deal more to ask for in the face of such a great gift. Maybe it was too much.
Envious stares moved over him and Ravid as the hall began to fill with their fellow Judgment officials. Many of them had dedicated their lives to the maroon uniforms they wore. The only females they ever held were pleasure-givers—the few Alcandian women who were widowed and free to indulge their sexual needs with warriors who had never brushed the mind of a mate. It was an imperfect solution but common among Judgment officials. These warriors spent their tim
e tracking law-breakers and that did not leave much time for their personal quests.
Love? Longing for it was one thing but expecting it was too much to hope for.
Keenan grinned. Insurmountable odds had never kept him from winning before. The image of Zeva’s eyes sparkling with love made his heart jerk. Aye, the odds did not matter, only that there was a chance of success.
* * * * *
“They are pledging tonight.” Helmut waited to see what Craddock had to say. The other warrior stopped his workout and stood up. He flexed his shoulders before letting out a roar. His fists hit his chest as Helmut smirked.
Craddock rubbed his cock through his pants as it began to twitch to life. It had been a long time since he had taken a female and his seed needed release. But he wanted a female worthy of his seed.
“Let them taste her.” Craddock aimed his hate-filled eyes at Helmut. “I want Ravid and Keenan to remember what her body felt like under theirs when I send her hair to them.”
Insane laughter filled the crumbling house as Craddock rubbed his hard erection. Females were spoils and he intended to be the victor in his battle with Ravid and Keenan.
* * * * *
Excitement made her nervous but Zeva enjoyed the feeling tonight. Her robe was thin but her skin still protested the confinement. She slipped into a pair of soft, beaded slippers and frowned. She would rather be barefoot.
A sigh greeted the women helping her dress. Zeva didn’t explain her mood—she was not certain she could make it understood.
She felt twisted with indecision, pulled towards tonight’s ceremony, and away at the same time. Ravid and Keenan would take her into their world where her life would become part of theirs. Yes, they would be making adjustments for her as well but hard facts didn’t always calm emotions.
Tonight her feelings ruled her, refusing to allow her brain to sift out fact from reaction.
Because they were Judgment officials, there were too many unknowns for her to wonder about. Telling herself they were just warriors wasn’t working. It went beyond their clothing. Warriors spent years becoming enforcers of law. It was not a rank bestowed lightly or quickly. A warrior was expected to give freely of his time, discarding any and all things that did not belong to Judgment issues.
Ravid and Keenan were dedicated warriors and maybe that’s what made her sigh. There was much in each male to appreciate.
“Daughter, it is time.” Paneil looked at her with indecision on her face. Her mother still was not certain what to make of her mood.
Zeva took a look at her reflection. Tonight, Keenan would be pleased. Her jacket was low cut and her breasts swelled over the neckline. Moving her head, she watched the dark strands of her hair move and grinned. That should satisfy Ravid. Only two little pins held her long hair out of her eyes. It all cascaded down her back to her hips.
“I’m ready, Mother.” Paneil smiled so widely her eyes crinkled almost closed. She proudly took her daughter’s hand and led her down the stairs and out of the women’s hall. The path was lined with girls too young to attend tonight’s ceremony. They sighed as Zeva passed, with visions of their own binding dancing through their imaginations.
The path changed color as they stepped onto Judgment grounds. Elpida waited for Paneil to finish bringing her forward as another woman stood beside her. The other woman would be Keenan’s mother.
Elpida and Milena stood with stern faces as they waited for Paneil to turn her around for their inspection. It was an old custom but one still practiced here on Judgment grounds. The two mothers could even demand Zeva be bared for inspection before they would allow her to be presented to their sons. A wicked smile tugged on her face as Zeva contemplated the fact that her mother could demand the exact same thing from Ravid and Keenan. Excessive modesty was certainly not an Alcandian trait but she rather hoped that her mother would leave the two warriors clothed. She was having enough trouble keeping her mind off Ravid’s chest as it was.
Both mothers smiled as Paneil completed her circle and each hugged her mother. Their next embrace was offered to her.
“Welcome daughter, I am Milena. Keenan is my son.” Milena was as fair-haired as Keenan.
“Blessings Zeva.” Zeva turned to embrace Elpida as Paneil watched with a glowing face. Both mothers nodded their approval before Paneil took her hand and led her forward again. This time Milena and Elpida walked behind them to signify that she met with their approval.
It would be so simple to become terrified in that moment. In front of her, the path was lined with more girls too young to attend tonight’s gathering. The difference was, these were the daughters of Judgment officials. They lived on even more secluded grounds than normal Alcandian females. Around each of their right wrists was an inch-wide silver band. Those bracelets marked them as Judgment children and also held location beacons to further protect them.
Zeva shivered as she forced her eyes to move to the sparkling eyes of those girls. Ravid and Keenan would clasp one of those bands on her arm during their binding ceremony if she showed up. Only Judgment officials could remove the bracelets.
Her heart gave an odd twist as they moved towards the warrior’s hall. They led her across another boundary and maroon coats lined the path. There were so many of them that Zeva hesitated. These were Ravid’s and Keenan’s peers. She did not want to shame them in front of their friends. The two warriors deserved more respect than that.
“Oh Zeva, they are handsome warriors.” Her mother patted her hand as they stopped at the doorway and looked into the main hall. Zeva felt her breath freeze as she glimpsed the sight awaiting her. Keenan and Ravid were the definition of prime. Handsome did not do them justice. Pride shot through her as she realized that the two warriors were waiting for her.
The next emotion that hit her made her shiver. Keenan and Ravid had not just waited for her, they had chased her. These warriors did not just want a mate, they wanted her and that idea warmed her as she felt their eyes on her. The feeling pushed right past her well-thought-out decisions and carved a hole in the wall she’d built with her logic.
Her and only her. Trust sprang up from that truth as she walked closer and closer to the two warriors. She might fear the lifestyle they would drop over her but she could never fear them. Trust wasn’t something you made the decision to give to someone, it was born in your thoughts without consideration.
Surprise flashed through Ravid’s eyes as she lifted her chin and stepped forward. Keenan’s lips were set into a half grin as her mother handed her hand into his. Zeva watched his eyes as his fingers closed around hers in a firm grasp. Paneil placed her left hand in Ravid’s grip and the hall exploded with applause.
Zeva wanted to bolt but two firm squeezes on her hands made her fight for the poise to stand in place. Her chest felt like a weight was sitting on it as the yedith stepped forward. The hall was silent as the older man looked at each of them before asking for their vows.
“Do you come to this binding free of vows to others?”
Keenan’s voice was firm as he answered. Ravid stared at her as he answered the same question. His dark eyes probed hers as he drifted into her thoughts. He did it easily now. A wave of nervousness hit her as she recognized just how completely their thoughts could merge now.
Ravid gave her hand a sharp squeeze and she turned her head towards the yedith. His silver eyebrow was raised and the hall silent behind her.
“Yes.”
The hall erupted into applause, saving her from speaking further. Keenan turned them to face the assembled group and Ravid stepped up close to her body. He kept her hand imprisoned in his grasp as he leaned down.
“You are plotting something, ruthima.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
He growled softly in her ear and a quick look from her lowered lashes showed Zeva a grin that chilled her. Ravid always played to win and it was a game of complete and total surrender. “Yes, you are. Yet you are still plotting, I feel it.”
Zeva
stabbed her thumbnail into his palm. A low chuckle was her response as the warriors began to seat themselves for the celebration dinner. Zeva tried to turn around and take her seat but Ravid held her hand and pulled it slightly around his hip to draw her close to his body.
Zeva looked into his dark eyes and grinned. “Holding grudges, Ravid? Last night had to end sometime.”
Her nipples tightened as the scent of his warm male skin hit her senses. Her eyelids fluttered as she failed to resist the urge to scan his wide chest. Beneath that coat there was pure— Zeva stomped her foot to stop her wondering thoughts. She winced as her little slippers failed to protect her from the stone floor.
But Ravid’s dark eyes sparkled with amusement as she managed to lift her eyes to look into his. His deep voice even sounded playful and Zeva stared at him in wonder. “Yes, and tonight needs to begin sometime.”
“I am starving.” Zeva tried to move towards her seat but Ravid held her in place. His lips twitched up into a grin as his thumb stroked the center of her palm. His eyes went deadly serious as she raised hers to them again. He lowered his head slightly and her back bent away from his towering height out of pure instinct.
“I claim the right of inspection.”
“You would.” Zeva whispered her words for Ravid alone. Her temper flared up bright enough to mask the heat being so close to his body produced. Zeva didn’t know where passion and anger separated and she did not care.
She yanked on her hand, forcing Ravid to release her or hurt her. His fingers opened and she sprang back from his body. Keenan reached for her arm but she jumped out of the way as the room went silent again. “Inspection” was being whispered across tables as conversations abruptly ended and every pair of eyes returned to them once again. She looked at Keenan to end Ravid’s game but her other intended mate crossed his arms across his chest before stating in his firm tone, “Agreed.”
