Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1 (30 page)

Riley stumbled as she shifted in mid-stride.
She was getting better at it but she was still a little clumsy. She
turned and smiled brightly at Vox as he strode towards her. He
still took her breath away just watching him. She had a feeling it
would always be like that. She glanced down at the glimmering ring
on her finger. After she had explained what a ‘marriage’ was and
the symbol of a ring, Vox had disappeared for a short period only
to return with a bouquet of flowers - roots, dirt and all - and a
handful of rings. He had knelt down in front of her and asked her
to ‘marriage’ him. Her eyes softened when she remembered his
intense stare as he waited for her reply. They had made love right
there on the floor of the living room, rings, flowers, and dirt
scattered around them unseen. Later, she had picked out a simple
ring that had a swirling bands of color that changed as it caught
the light. It was set in platinum if she wasn’t mistaken and took
her breath away. It fit her perfectly and she couldn’t help but
gaze at it every chance she got.

Vox had not been finished with her though. He
said that Viper was on his way back with Tina and her Grandma
Pearl. She had been so excited about the prospect of seeing them
she missed the underlining sound of strain in his voice as he told
her.

“He said he is still picking salt out of his
ass,” Vox had said in amusement. “You were not joking when you said
your Grandma Pearl would fill his ass full of it. Viper discovered
salt pellets will penetrate our fur. He also said your sister is
excited about seeing you. They will be here for our marriage
ceremony.”

He did not tell Riley what Viper had really
said about Tina. He was not sure Riley would appreciate some of the
more colorful words, much less the threats, Viper had been shouting
when he had talked to him last. Opinionated, stubborn, vicious,
hard-headed were just a few of them and those were the nicer ones.
He also did not tell her how close she had come to losing her
little sister. The information Riley had about her former boss and
his father proved to be more dangerous than his mate realized. He
had sent copies of the information to Viper so it could be turned
over to the proper authorities on Earth. After listening to what
happened when that information was shared, he shuddered to think
about what would have happened to his mate if the trader had not
kidnapped her. He had no doubt she would have perished. Viper had
been in an uncontrollable rage as he related what had happened and
how he had to take matters into his own hands, otherwise Riley
would have lost both Tina and her Grandma Pearl.

“How much further? Are we almost there? Do
you think Bob and Fred will be excited to see us? Oh, I hope they
are doing well,” Riley said as she bounced up and down.

Vox’s gaze softened as he watched the excited
bloom of color flush his mate’s face. It was so much better than
the paleness from this morning when she had been sick and
threatening to castrate him again for getting her with cub. He had
held her pale, shaky form as she lost what little she had in her
stomach over and over until she could barely lift her head. His
gaze moved down to her belly. He could tell the slight changes in
it already. Her waist was expanding ever so slightly and her huge
breasts were even larger. His mouth watered at the thought of the
milk they would produce. Hell, his balls drew up just at the
thought and he was ready to pounce on her again.

I can pounce,
his cat purred softly.
I suckle from our mate.

Guall’s balls, this is difficult enough as
it is! You know she will not be happy if we take her where the
guards can see us again,
Vox muttered in despair.

He knew because he had done it once already
and it had taken him hours to get her to come out of the bathroom
where she had barricaded herself. She had sworn she would never
come out again as long as she lived. He had to cover his mouth to
smother his laughter when she went on to explain how her petrified
body would be enclosed in the magnificent bathroom for all to see
in the future and historians would explain that she had died of
mortification because her hairball soon-to-be-dead fiancée couldn’t
control his damn cock! He had totally agreed that he couldn’t and
didn’t even want to try.

“Well?” She demanded thumping him on the
chest to get his attention. “Do you?”

“Do I what?” Vox asked in confusion.

Riley rolled her eyes and groaned. “You were
thinking about sex again, weren’t you? You never hear what I say
when you are thinking about it which is like – always! I asked if
you thought the guys would be excited to see us,” she huffed out,
turning back toward the walled city.

Vox reached out, spinning her around, and
brushing her lips with his. “Yes, they will be excited to see you.
Both have sent missives asking how you were doing. Fred even
threatened to come steal you away if I didn’t take good care of
you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Riley asked in
shock that her two, dear friends had been checking up on her.

Vox flushed and looked away over her shoulder
at the gates leading into the city. “I was afraid you would tell
them you were unhappy and they would figure out a way to steal you
away from me,” he admitted.

He turned back to face her when he felt her
soft palm against his cheek. “I love you, Vox. I won’t let anyone
take me away from you.”

“I love you too, Riley. So very, very much it
scares me sometimes,” Vox whispered. “I have never felt so
vulnerable before or been afraid of anything but the idea of
something happening to you terrifies me.”

Riley’s eyes glittered with tears as she
wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to her so
she could kiss him. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips,
purring as they parted for her. Soon their tongues were dueling in
a furious battle of passion and desire. She sighed when Vox
reluctantly pulled back.

“If we do not stop, I will claim you right
here and now. I don’t think you will be happy with me if I do that
again with the guards watching us,” he grunted out tersely.

Riley chuckled as she pulled back with a deep
breath. “I’m glad you have your head screwed on straight because
mine is not working right, right now. Let’s go before I forget we
aren’t alone,” she said with a wink and a giggle at the responding
growl.

*.*.*

They entered the city through the huge gates.
Riley’s eyes took in the neat, clean streets filled with merchants,
residents, and traders of all shapes and forms. They walked along
the beautiful cobbled roads littered with strange beasts pulling
carts and wagons.

“Cybris is one of our oldest cities. It
retains many of the same customs as it has for thousands of years.
The residents voted to leave it as such and it attracts many
visitors from other star systems who wish to experience a true
Sarafin city. The city was formed around the central palace where
Titus, Banu and my other cousins live. The walls were built to
protect it from the creatures that live deep in the forests. They
do not come near the city now as there is a security field that
protects it but in the days of old, that was not the case,” Vox
explained as he guided Riley along the walkway, ignoring those that
bowed to him as they recognized him. “I have to meet with Titus and
Banu about some issues. Will you be alright if I leave you with
Fred and Bob? I will post a couple of guards as well.”

“Of course,” Riley assured him. “What could
happen here?” She asked, spreading her hands wide at the crowd
walking around. “This place is like paradise.”

Vox chuckled as they turned down a side
street and stopped at a gate. He pressed the button at the gate and
stepped through when it opened. A moment later, the front door to
the small cottage opened and a short figure with two heads shot
through the door in excitement.

“Riley!” Fred cried out in delight, rushing
forward as fast as his little feet could carry him.

“Fred! You look fantastic!” Riley said,
rushing forward and dropping down to her knees to hug her friend.
She gave him a kiss on both of his cheeks, laughing as both turned
a dark red. “You are just as cute as ever. How have you been?”

Both of Fred’s faces beamed. “I have a mate,
Riley. She is beautiful!” Fred’s right head responded quietly as
his left studied her carefully. “I want you to meet her,” his left
head added.

Riley’s eyes widened with shock before she
smiled and laid a palm on each of Fred’s cheeks. “I would be
honored to meet the lady who could capture your heart. You deserve
it and she better realize what a prize she has.”

“I do,” came the soft reply. “I am very
fortunate.”

Riley stood up and looked at the small figure
that approached her hesitantly. The tiny figure curtsied when she
stopped in front of Riley. Riley smiled down and held out her hand
in greeting.

“I’m Riley St. Claire, soon to be d’Rojah,”
Riley replied when she heard Vox growl out a warning when she said
her last name. “The growly bear is Vox.”

The tiny figure glanced in fright at Vox’s
huge figure. “I am Doral. It is an honor to finally meet you. Fred
has told me how you saved his life,” Doral replied.

The tiny female Tiliquan only had one head
but the rest of her figure was the same as Fred. She wore a simple
gown with a black apron tied around the waist. She had the same
green, yellow, and red coloring but her eyes were framed by long,
thick lashes that swept down shyly under Riley’s scrutiny.

“Do I not get a welcome?” A deep, melodious
voice asked from the doorway of the small house near the gates of
the city.

Riley’s eyes softened on the huge gelatinous
figure standing looking down at her. “Bob!” Riley cried out softly,
stepping into the huge arms as they opened up for her. “I’m so
sorry for what I said to you the last time I saw you,” she murmured
against his broad chest. “You were right, I do belong with
him.”

Bob’s huge body shook as he chuckled. “That
is good. I can rest knowing I made the right decision.”

Riley leaned back and grinned up at her
friend. “That doesn’t mean I don’t still have to put him in his
place every once in a while.”

Fred and Bob both broke out into laughter as
they heard Vox snort. “Riley, I have to go. I won’t be long,” Vox
said with a shake of his head. “Take care of her, my friends,” he
said, brushing a kiss across his mate’s plump lips.

“We will! We will!” Fred assured him, coming
up and taking Riley’s hand in one of his while he clung to Doral.
“You have to meet Bob’s mate. Come, come, we have
refreshments.”

Vox watched as his mate was pulled into the
small cottage. He nodded to the two guards with him. “Stay with
her. Protect her with your life,” he ordered.

“Yes, my lord,” both men replied taking up
position in front of the door to the cottage.

Vox strode through the palace corridors to
the conference room with a grim expression on his face. He had not
shared with Riley the true nature of their visit. He had personally
gone to interrogate his two former bedmates. He discovered that
their betrayal was larger than he expected. He had managed to get
the location of one of the rebel bases from Eldora before she died
from a poisoned drink left for her. Pursia had hung herself the
night before in her cell using the covers from her bed. Eldora had
begged for forgiveness before she died, swearing she had been
forced to betray him and his family. He discovered Bragnar, one of
the warriors assigned to the kitchens was holding her younger
sister hostage in return for her help. She told him with her last
breath that Bragnar was responsible for the attempted poisoning of
his mother several months before. If it had not been for his
mother’s lady’s maid giving his mother the wrong bowl of soup, it
would have been his mother who died instead of one of her personal
assistants.

“Have you any word as to who Bragnar is
working with?” Titus asked as soon as he closed the door to the
conference room.

“No,” Vox said grimly. “Pallu and Walkyr are
going to scout the rebel camp to see if what Eldora told me is
true. She swore on her dying breath she was forced to do what she
did.”

“Do you believe her?” Banu asked as he
activated the holovid in the center of the conference table. “The
region she told you is thickly covered in mists and old growth
forests. It is said even the trees there are alive. It is hard to
believe that anyone could build a camp there.”

“I believe her. Her family is from the forest
clan. They would know how to live there. Plus, she had no reason to
lie as she was dying. She knew there was nothing that could save
her,” Vox said looking at the image of the thick mists that swirled
into view.

The satellites could not penetrate the cloud
cover. Maybe he needed to talk with Ha’ven or one of his brothers.
Those damn Curizan loved a challenge when it came to technology. He
knew his friend would have something within a few days that could
probably tell them exactly how many leaves were on the trees.

“Have you linked him to anyone else? We know
whoever Bragnar is working with must also be working with Raffvin.
That damn Valdier has his fingers into everything,” Titus grunted
out. “Who did Bragnar associate with while he worked at the
palace?”

“The handful of males and females he talked
to have been cleared. None of them knew much about him. They all
said the same thing, he kept to himself for the most part,” Vox
replied.

What was the connection? He knew it had to be
related to the deaths of his aunt and her mate, the attempt on his
mother’s life, his kidnapping. Why would they do this? His thoughts
turned to his aunt. She had been a gentle soul. His mind fought to
piece together the clues. He looked at his cousins. They had taken
Titus and Banu as well. Why was it important to take his father’s
side of the family? Titus and Banu were from his father’s oldest
sister. Maybe the clue was with her.