Honor Bound

by Michelle Howard

  “What is he speaking of, Su-Su?” The old man they’d carried down the hill spoke up as Kavan lowered him to his feet.

  “These warriors are here to help us. When Mikayla returns downstairs, she will explain all.”

  The women looked fearful but more men joined the growing circle. Some of them looked at Vaan and his warriors with horror and disgust. This would not go smoothly. He wondered if she expected another reaction.

  Mikayla sighed and pushed her hair back from her forehead. The mass tumbled around her shoulders. She used no tie or ribbons to hold its length as Kabanian women were known to do. Vaan would show her as a sign of his willingness to help her be a model female. She sucked her bottom lip in thought and then shrugged. “Follow me.”

  The one bold Raasa put himself in Vaan’s path when he turned to go after Mikayla. “Miki, what are you doing?”

  Vaan assumed the term Su-Su to be an honorific of some sort. Miki would then be the short form of her name. One he did not care for. “You will not address her thus.” He instructed the Raasa and placed his hand on his thin chest to push him back.

  Vaan admitted to not putting much strength behind the move, but the young man stumbled back several steps. His lean form provided no match for a Warlord.

  “Tesai!” Mikayla ran to help the man to his feet but Vaan’s grip on her arm stopped her. “You can’t do that,” she snapped at Vaan.

  “I am Overlord,” Vaan corrected for he could do what he wanted. He pulled her resisting figure toward the stone stair case he’d spotted earlier. Sleeping rooms typically ran on the upper level of most homes. He would head there. As for her apparent guard, any young man worth his weight could pick himself from the floor without aid of a woman. To his men he said, “No one comes up until we return. Kavan stand point. Argan begin plans for fortification.”

  The old man came forward. “Of course, Su-Su. I am Eran and have been with Miki as her noan since she was a youngling. We will all help.” He pointed a brief bow in Vaan’s direction.

  “I am Overlord and will be addressed as such.” Vaan was proud of the title he’d earned on the battle field and wouldn’t change it, no matter his soon to be station among the Raasa.

  “Of course, Overlord.” The old man adapted easily.

  Ignoring the glares aimed his way, Vaan dragged a protesting Mikayla up the stairs. Half way there, she finally gave in and stormed ahead. Vaan followed at a slower pace, allowing her to lead him once they reached the top. A narrow hall led to several doors on both sides.

  Vaan frowned. Not a wise design. The very nature of the hall would minimize a warrior’s ability to fight adequately. Mikayla stopped in front of the last door at the end of the hall. Vaan crossed the entrance as she flounced to the single bed and sat with a huff. He studied the door and noticed the lack of a lock.

  “Are all of the doors open to any who may enter?”

  She bit her bottom lip, the tips of her fangs flashing. He could tell she debated whether to answer. Vaan waited. Patience had always been his strong suit. “Yes,” she admitted. “A closed door means don’t enter and an open door is an invitation for any.”

  “I will have the men add a lock to ours.” He had no intention of sleeping with just a wooden barrier between him and those he trusted not.

  “Ours? You’re going to share the bed with me?”

  Vaan wondered if he should be offended by the question then brushed the thought aside. “It is your way, is it not?”

  She sputtered then stood and walked to the small window opening. Her hand roughly pushed at the thick covering, allowing the light from the day’s sun to beam through. “It is a fact that Kabanian males do not sleep with their females.” She spun to face him and leaned her hip against the ledge. The smirk on her face cast doubt on his race. “They do not trust anyone when their guard is down. Not even the females they profess to love. Isn’t that your way?”

  Her words were correct but Vaan countered. “We are not among my people and it is the Raasa way to share a bed each eventide with one another.” An ill thought out action to his way of thinking but he’d not shame her by forcing her to adapt to things all his way. He could compromise and this was a huge concession.

  Vaan planned to rest with his blade under his pillow until he could fully trust her not to kill him in his sleep. He did not think it was a serious concern, considering her wishes but he’d watch her carefully and decide how much honor she truly had. He was committed to their course of action and nothing would deter him from his vengeance against Thenl.

  “You were rude to Tesai.”

  Vaan accepted the subject change. Since she was a woman, he best get used to her inability to focus on topics. “The male wants you for his own.”

  Color flagged her cheeks and she pushed away from the window. His shoulders loosened and he realized he feared she’d fall through. Her frail form would not survive the damage. He’d have the opening sealed in the morning. It would eliminate a secondary access point for his enemies anyway.

  “Tesai does not want me. He is a valued friend and one of my guards.”

  “No more. I am assigning two of my men as your guards. Kabanians warriors will stand by my Kabanian bride.”

  Her small feet took flight and she walked from one end of the room to the other. Her fingers tapped along a stand alone dresser in her wake. On her pass the second time, she randomly picked up trinkets from the dresser before setting them back down.

  “Tell me about the gate. It is a smart defense for your home but not effective if it is not kept secure,” Vaan asked.

  She looked surprised and stopped in the middle of the room. “My father’s idea. He wanted our home protected. Men worked for weeks until the structure surrounded the entire compound. The only entrance is the main gate.”

  “Which has no lock either.” Vaan snorted at that bit of stupidity.

  Her eyes narrowed. “It’s clear we have a lot to discuss.”

  “Agreed. It is a fact that there will be plenty for you to learn to be a proper bride.”

  “Mate,” she hissed, eyes flashing. “We will be mates in a True Union that will be unto our death.”

  Death? He’d heard of the ancient practice of staying with one woman for life. Kabanians did not follow this custom. “And if we do not suit?” He was curious how she’d respond, though he fully planned to bond himself to her in the way of her people.

  She bared fangs at him and stopped her trek across the room. “If we don’t suit, prepare to be unhappy until you die.”

  Again the urge to smile battled fiercely with his need to hold his composure. What an unusual affliction he was developing around her. He decided it best to only respond with a grunt.

  She must have accepted this as a sufficient reply but pointed a finger at him. “Whatever may come of our relationship, if there are younglings, you will love and honor them as if they were full Kabanian by blood.”

  Younglings. Yes, he would get heirs on her. “Agreed.” He would not cast his younglings aside. A warrior honored his children and the woman who birthed them.

  “Are there other matters you wish to discuss? If so, air them now. Otherwise, you will wait until we are alone in these rooms for questions you may have. I will not tolerate disrespect in front of my men.” Such acts were punishable offenses.

  Her green eyes flashed but her voice stayed civil. “I am sure there is more but not right now.”

  “Good. Then we will speak of the True Union.” He used her term for joinings. “Is there someone here who can perform the ritual?”

  Her nod defined abrupt. Perhaps, she expected another male to react differently but it was best she understand how matters stood with a Warlord and his woman.

  “We will take care of this matter first. I will strategize with my men. You will inform me of all those with warrior training. Your guards included. Starting immediately, my Warlords will patrol the gate and no one enters without my express permission. Your people will address me as Overlord a
nd my men as Warlord unless given permission to include their names.”

  Vaan crossed his arms behind his back and continued to list his rules. “They will also not touch your person with such familiarity.”

  “No.” Her green eyes flashed.

  It was the first time she protested. “Why?”

  “They are my family not just servants. My parents died when I was a youngling. My noan raised me and this house helped him. I will not treat them as if those years don’t matter.”

  Vaan understood and considered her explanation sufficient. “Agreed. But not the males. They can not touch you but the old man Eran has my permission unless I withdraw it.”

  “That’s not fair.” Her eyes narrowed in defiance. She would need a lot of training.

  “Your body belongs to me and touching it is a pleasure for me alone. If I must be with you until death than I will have all of you and not share it with others.”

  She took a moment to absorb his decree, her mouth opening and closing. “Fine,” she snapped.

  He accepted her agreement if reluctantly given.

  Chapter 5

  Miki regretted her choices already. Her choice to find the legendary Warlords, her choice to take a Kabanian as mate and her choice to bring the Overlord into her Raasa household. She regretted all of it. Sitting at the end of the long wooden dining table, she listened as the male she’d chosen as her mate spoke expansively with his warriors.

  Occasionally, they spoke in standard, at other times in Kaban. She understood every few sentences and none of it included her. Her noan came over to whisper in her ear. Vaan paused in his speech to eye them suspiciously. His men noticed his distraction and all turned to the end of the table where she sat. The temptation to respond in a childish manner rode her hard.

  “Remember a sweetened nut gets more than a bitter fruit.”

  Eran’s words made her roll her eyes. The old saying didn’t apply to her situation. “He is a hard minded warrior, noan.”

  “And it is a woman’s way to soften it.”

  Miki smiled at his persistence and invited him to sit with her. Once Eran took the space on the bench next to her, Vaan returned to his orders and plans. His men followed suit, Miki no longer of interest to them if she was of no interest to their Overlord. Her lips curled downward. The Warlords made it very clear that they did not hold women in high regard. Or perhaps it was just her they hated as a Raasa and not the Kaban woman they expected him to join with.

  “Think carefully, my little Mikayla.” Eran patted her on the shoulder. “Guard your tongue with this one.”

  She turned to the only parent she’d ever known. “Do you think I made a mistake?”

  His fangs popped out with his broad smile and he switched to their language for privacy. “Are you giving up at the first sign of challenge?”

  Miki snorted and reached for her warm cider. She needed the potent drink to relax her nerves. “Ashaya made them seem…“ She tried to think of the right words. “Bigger than life. Warriors betrayed by those they trusted. Honorable men with no chance to prove their innocence.” The thought of spending her life with such a male enticed her.

  Eran leaned back as a servant came over to place a steaming plate of vegetables and a mug of cider in front of him. When the female chanced a glance at the Warlords seated just a few feet away, she scurried off in fear. “Has something happened to change your thoughts?”

  “Yes,” she snapped and then regretted her instant answer. “No.”

  Eran chuckled and scooped up his food with the wooden utensil. “How will you know the kind of men they are if you judge them as harshly as others have? Look at them.” He nodded his bald head to the right. Someone provided the Warlords with maps and some of the original drawings of the lay-out of Miki’s home. They studied them intensely and made markings on them. “They focus on a way to make your home defensible when their thoughts must be on the friends and family they’ve lost. They will never regain the years stolen from them. How many males do you know who would not still rage hours later after such a discovery?”

  Her noan was right as always. She wrinkled her nose at him. The bond among the Warlords was not hard to miss. They deferred to their Overlord but it was more. Mutual respect resided between them. Her gaze strayed to him. Vaan Galip would soon be hers until death severed the connection.

  The Overlord wore his long black hair back in a single tail. The other Warlords left their hair to fall about their shoulders. Miki admitted to a fascination with the wavy lengths. It was unusual to see a mature male with hair. It should have appeared feminine but it added to their savage image. She liked it and wanted to touch it again. Her brief touches in the cavern hinted at the softness amidst their hardness.

  “I have misjudged them.” Miki hated to feel this way. She considered herself fair in her dealings but her actions with the Warlords at this point reflected the ways of a blinded female.

  “Possibly.” Eran finished his meal and raised his eyes to hers. “Or possibly you wish to force them to act as Raasa when they are Kabanian no matter where they choose to reside.”

  “You speak truth and your words are full of wisdom. I shall treat him as my most honored mate and gently guide him in the way our True Union should be.”

  His eyes crinkled in merriment. “Let’s not ask for amazing feats in such a short frame of time.”

  Miki slapped his arm playfully. “You jest, noan.”

  “I believe the Overlord has met his match.”

  Indeed he has, Miki thought, once again allowing her eyes to rest on the man she’d chosen. His head bent as he described what he wanted and tapped the papers before him. Her servants had offered serviceable tunics to them but the frowned responses conveyed the Warlords thoughts on that article of clothing clearly.

  Not that Miki minded. The lack of a shirt gave her the opportunity to enjoy the masculinity on view. While her female servants made a wide berth around them, Miki noticed the lingering glances. Fine, firm male flesh on display, unlike the thin chest of a Raasa male, was hard to ignore. The communal bathing rooms provided a great chance to see males and females unclothed but this was better.

  In her teen years, Miki giggled with the other females her age when they witnessed a male’s body for the first time. The dangly parts between their legs had drawn much commentary. None of them understood how a man’s toqa would fit a woman’s toque. Thankfully, her noan answered her questions patiently and Miki shared her knowledge with her friends for their parents were not as open and concise.

  Now those same females held the experience and the advanced knowledge. Her two closest friends Sera and Vesa took sexual partners whenever the mood struck them, believing it would help them select the best mate to join. Miki reserved her innocence. She wanted more, craved more and until she’d read Ashaya’s journal about fierce proud warriors, Miki hadn’t known what that more was.

  “While you spin your thoughts, has anyone given them food?”

  Miki gasped at such a basic necessity. There were no dishes in the places on the end of the table where the warriors gathered. Surely they were hungry and this was a perfect chance to show the Overlord how amendable she could be. Miki signaled a passing kitchen server.

  Assa smiled and walked over. “What would you like, Su-Su?”

  “The Warlords, have they eaten?”

  Assa’s smile dropped. “No.” She darted a look over her shoulder then jerked her head back as if the men would sense her stare. “They are frightening.”

  Miki agreed but she must show her people by her actions that they couldn’t avoid the simple courtesies for a guest because they were afraid. “Please bring out several platters of everything. Mugs of cider, too.” Miki couldn’t imagine their thirst, yet they’d asked for nothing in the hours since their awakening.

  Assa turned to head to the kitchen when a thought crossed Miki’s mind. “And meat.”

  The servant’s mouth made a moue. “Meat, Su-Su?” Raasa preferred vegeta
bles and only occasionally sampled food made of animals.

  “Yes.” If trays of vegetables only were given to the Warlords, Miki could imagine their disdain. She’d inform the cook to prepare more meat with each meal going forward to satisfy the Warlords.

  Within moments, four servers came out from the kitchen their trays piled high. Miki’s stomach growled from the fragrant aromas but she stayed seated. Assa placed a stack of dishware near the Overlord’s elbow with wooden utensils for their use and bowed low. He never paused in his conversation but he lifted his gaze to Miki and their eyes connected. Would he thank her? Acknowledge the kindness in her act?

  The Overlord lowered his head back to his map with no response. Her heart dived and the place in her lower belly twinged. Why did she let herself hope for more? She dreamed of life spent with a loving mate. Those dreams were ashes now.

  Then Miki stiffened her shoulders. It was too soon. Eran was right. She needed to try harder to understand where they were coming from. The transition to find a common ground between all of them would be difficult but it was doable. Miki needed to lead by example.

  Tesai entered the main doors, his expression mirroring his dislike of the duty he’d been asked to perform. Miki couldn’t help comparing him to the Kabanian warriors. As one of her guards, Miki spent a lot of time in close contact with the Raasa male. They got along well enough and he didn’t force her to limit her time outside her home. If she wanted to go to a bazaar for goods, he’d accompany her, whereas the other guards would insist on a servant performing the errand.

  The females in her home considered Tesai a good mate for a True Union. He lived within his means, held a notable position as guardsmen and treated those he interacted with in a respectful manner. His body was acceptable and well maintained. The tan tunic and leggings fit his lean frame with no room to spare. His bald head gleamed in the light of day. Many admired its roundness and perfect symmetry. Miki supposed his facial features were attractive as well.