Casey's Warriors (Bondmates) (17 page)

He waved his hand again then led her over to the bed. “Please sit.”

She did, jumping slightly at the soft, warm feel of the bed. It was an odd sensation, but very comfortable as the mattress seemed to mold around her without her sinking into the surface. Lorn sat across from her, his eyes a shade of blue she’d only seen in pictures of the Caribbean Sea. The muscles of his chest, arms, and abdomen flexed as he adjusted himself, making her want to touch him. Looking away from the temptation of his exposed body was even harder than looking away from the window, but she managed.

To her surprise he smiled at her, some of the darkness fading from his expression. “I am pleased you find me attractive.”

Refusing to be distracted by her hormones, she gathered the robe around her and got comfortable. “Talk.”

He reached out and took her hand again, the sensation of comfort easing her tense muscles. “I come from a race of what your people would call empaths. While the word does not describe exactly what we are, it will work for this conversation. We can feel the emotions of others if they are not properly shielded and the strongest among us can talk to each other mind-to-mind as well as use that empathy as a weapon.”

“How can they do that? What do you mean?”

“If one of our Matriarchs, the name we use for our bonded females, is very angry and strong enough her anger can translate into sensation that can hurt those not strong enough to shield themselves from her. A very strong Matriarch can cause a weakly bonded or shielded individual’s body to shut down, their hearts to speed until they burst, and destroy their mind. And she can do all of this by merely looking at a person.”

A shiver worked through her and she swallowed hard. “I thought you said there were no women on your planet.”

“There are not. All brides, who become Matriarchs, come to us from other worlds. It is not only considered a great honor but a dream of many of the females in our galaxy to be a Kadothian Matriarch. They know if they bond a Kadothian male they will be taken care of and cherished for the rest of their lives.”

“But, what happened to your females? I mean at some point you had to be a fledgling race, someone most have given birth somehow.”

He looked down at their joined hands and rubbed his thumb over her skin, sending pleasant tingles through her blood. “Ten thousand, six hundred and seventy-two years ago, when your race was just beginning to establish its civilizations, my home world was embroiled in a six-thousand-year war among the different factions living on Kadothia. We were far more advanced than Earth, had already discovered space travel, and were slowly exploring the galaxy. Kadothia was on the brink of complete destruction when someone decided to use a virus to alter the neural pathways in our females’ minds to make them the perfect weapon. Women have always been stronger than men in mental warfare and though we do not know who did it—both sides blamed each other—the end result was the same. The virus changed the women’s DNA and spread across the planet, making them into the perfect weapon.”

“How so?”

“The virus altered their DNA, destroying any possible mental capacity for compassion and empathy, leaving them as pure killing machines. They no longer loved, they no longer even understood love or had the ability to even imagine it. Our women—and every female born after the Great Sorrow, as it came to be known—were tainted. They could not care about anything other than their own personal survival and advancement. They did not feel emotion as we understand it; their only gratification seemed to come from inflicting physical and emotional pain on others. No matter what we our scientists tried, every female was born evil. Because of this, a Kadothian’s DNA is altered at conception so that we cannot have any female children, only males.”

“Holy shit.” Casey tried to wrap her mind around the concept. “So they were sociopaths?”

His gaze grew distant for a moment and she swore his pupils dilated rapidly before refocusing on her. “It is as close to a direct translation as we can get, but still different. These women could think rationally enough that they banded together to work toward mutual goals.”

“I thought you said they felt no compassion or emotion. Why would they work together?”

“They do not. Every action is based on their survival, and they survived longer working together. Their decisions are not founded on any form of emotion, only cold logic. In fact, they worked together so well, they almost exterminated the Kadothian race before my ancestors put aside their personal hatreds to band together, but our men were severely handicapped. Without a Kadothian female to bond with we had no mate, and without a mate our minds will slowly degenerate to a state similar to the females, but more animalistic. We do not know if it was by chance, or how exactly it happened, but our scientists managed to modify our glandular system enough that if we exposed a compatible female to our blood, one that our souls could bond with, we could mate them. Hence, the start of what came to be known as our Matriarchs.”

He reclined on his side, a tempting visual treat of heavy muscles and powerful grace. Even resting he managed to look intimidating and delicious. His scent grew heavy in the small space between them and each lungful of air seemed to feed her runaway libido. Trying to get her mind off the need to lick him all over, she focused on his face. “So that’s why you seek brides?”

“Yes. A group of the altered Kadothian females managed to make it off planet and formed their own society on a planet at the edge of our galaxy known as The Hive.” His nostril’s flared and a hint of his anger filled her. “Unlike the Kadothian system of seeking a mate which assures the bride is willing, the Hive began to plunder planets in the Bel’Tan galaxy to take males for breeding. It is…it is a mercy to kill any males we manage to rescue. Through drugs they are forced to perform sexually while being tortured for the Hive female’s pleasure. The only blessing is their minds quickly break and that only a small percentage of the Hive females actually manage to conceive.”

Her stomach roiled at the thought of anyone being subjected to the endless pain and terror.

“That is terrible.” She lay down on her side, needing to be closer to Lorn. Never in her wildest imaginings did she think such pure evil could exist. “How come they haven’t attacked Earth?”

“Your planet is too far away. It would take four generations of travel to reach you without the wormhole. There is no need for the Hive to do that when they have everything they need in the Bel’Tan galaxy.”

“But what about now? I mean the wormhole is open and everything. Could they come here?”

He frowned. “In theory, yes, but the wormhole opened near Kadothia in heavily guarded space and they have no reason to take such a risk when they have outer planets that make easier targets.”

“Good.” She studied him, trying to imagine what his life had been like. “Are you one of the men that fight the Hive?”

“I am. While all Kadothian men are Warriors, I am a Warrior in truth. There are other subsets such as the Scouts, Healers, Assassins, and the Negotiators who also fall beneath the umbrella term of Warrior.  I am a fighter and am partially bonded to a Matriarch which gives me immunity from most of the mental attacks of a Hive female.”

“What do you mean most?”

For the first time she saw a hint of fear on his face and that scared her more than anything he’d said. “There have been occasions where the Hive has managed to get past partial bonds. When they do they can temporarily use the Warrior’s body to destroy his Legion from within. It has only happened a few times but the resulting carnage was…I was part of a Legion that had to retrieve the bodies from a battlefield where a Warrior had been compromised. As one of the highest-ranking officers it was my duty to bring the remains of my brothers in arms back to their families. It took me three months to visit them all, three months of funerals and mourning.”

Compassion filled her and she had to blink back tears. Moving on instinct, overwhelmed by the need to take his mind off what was obviously a nightmare-inducing encounter, she closed the distance between them and held him close. He buried his face against her chest, taking in deep inhalations as he held her tight.

“I knew the Warrior who was compromised, Ulint. His mother was friends with my mother. He was a good man, a good warrior, but the Matriarch he was partially bonded to had bonded too many men and her protection was stretched thin, but Ulint was a good man and the women found him very charming, so even though his Matriarch knew her protection might not be enough she couldn’t send him out with nothing.”

“Why didn’t he just stay home? And what is a partial bond?”

Lorn released her and rolled onto his back, his gaze on the ceiling and his expression tight with sorrow. “My people are the only thing that stands between the Hive and our galaxy, but we are stretched thin, especially our bonded males despite the other planet’s willingness to allow us to seek brides. The mated males have the strongest shielding against the Hive but they must stay behind to protect their bondmate. If the Matriarch dies, all of the bonds dissolve instantly. Matriarchs will take on secondary males that they will form a weaker bond with, not a full loving partnership but more like…” he struggled before his gaze cleared. “The best way I can put it so you could understand is that our Matriarchs are like your queens and while she may have several kings, she has a legion of knights. They are not as powerful as the kings, but still deadly in their own right.”

“If you have all those planets willing to donate brides, why do you need women from Earth?”

“There were safeguards put into place that only allows us to take so many females from each planet. We have exhausted the supply for another fifty cycles, the equivalent of over one hundred earth years. Our partially bonded men are dying quicker than we can replace them. In periods between Reapings all males nearing the time of madness have no hope of finding a bond mate to save them, to love them, and their minds degrade quicker from depression. I’ve had to accompany far too many of my friends to our prison planets over the last few years.” His gaze grew bleak and he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and staring at her with such hope, such affection, that her breath froze in her chest. “Then we found Earth and our prayers were answered. My prayers were answered. You have no idea how close I was to losing myself.”

A hot blush heated her cheeks at the open love and reverence in his voice. Then his words registered. “You mean you almost went crazy?”

“I would have been safe for a few more cycles, but it was getting harder to temper my anger, to find forgiveness in my heart. That is why I insisted on staying on the battlefront for so long. There I could let loose my killer instincts against an enemy who constantly seeks to destroy everything and everyone I hold dear.”

“And you think I’m your bond mate?”

“I know you are.”

“How?”

He gave her an amused smile. “Casey, I could feel you before I even knew of your existence. You were a song in my heart, a calling that echoed in my soul the moment I made it through the wormhole. Then when I found you everything in my life clicked into place. There is no doubt you are my bondmate. Did you not feel something similar?”

Thinking back on her strong reaction to him she nodded. “I did, but I thought it was just because you are ridiculously sexy.”

Pride shown in his eyes and his grin was pure male arrogance. “I am glad you are attracted to me, because I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever beheld.”

She snorted. “You must have different standards of beauty on your planet than Earth.”

“Thank the Lord of Life your Earth males are too stupid to see the bounty before them. They are spoiled by having so many females to choose from. Plus they are mentally crippled and cannot see your soul.”

“Umm, I can’t see your soul either.”

“Yes, you can. Close your eyes, Casey.”

She did as he asked then sighed when he began to slowly finger comb her hair. “Relax, let yourself feel me. Concentrate on my touch and your muscles easing, your heart slowing. Every inch of your body is softening, sinking into me. You have nothing to fear because I will never let anything happen to you. Breathe in my scent in slow, deep inhalations. Look within you to that place where love comes from.”

Slowly she descended into his touch and tried to still her thoughts. After a few moments that warmth she’d experienced earlier with Lorn tickled at the edges of her senses. It seemed like the more she tried to focus on it the harder it was grasp. “I feel...something…it’s faint…but nice. Warm, happy, pleased. I can’t describe it, but it is a wonderful feeling.”

“It will grow stronger as your trust in me grows. Earth females are special in that you have a natural impenetrable psychic shielding that keeps everyone out unless you care deeply for them. It makes you unique in all the universe.”

Opening her eyes she found he’d moved closer. “That warmth, that’s you?”

“Yes.”

The realization he already loved her slammed into her and she took a deep breath. Holy shit. “Lorn, I don’t…that is…I mean, I really like you but…”

“Do not worry, Casey. I have not proven myself to you yet, but I will.” He hesitated, his gaze searching her face. “Which brings us to a situation that I am afraid will make you reject me.”

Trying to steel herself for what he had to say next she took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, hit me.”

His surprise would have been comical if their conversation hadn’t been so grim. “I would never harm a woman, Casey, ever.”

“No, sorry, that’s an expression that means I’m ready for the bad news.”

His face softened slightly. “Understood. If you decide to bond with me we will go to Kadothia and you will never return to Earth.”

“Never?” She blinked at him, trying to process what he’d said. “Like never ever?”

Reaching out, he cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her lips, leaving a growing ache of desire with each stroke. “We could not risk the wormhole closing and leaving us stranded on Earth. My people, my galaxy, need every Warrior they can get, but more importantly they need every Matriarch, which if you chose to bond with me you will become.”