Paige's Warriors (Bondmates Book 3) (16 page)

Clearing his throat Tren tried to get back on subject and away from this dangerous softening in his emotions.

He couldn’t forget he was furious with Rell, that he hated the other man…didn’t he?

“Your message mentioned a threat on the Reaping ship?”

Anger passed through Rell’s silvery blue gaze before his expression cooled. “In addition to the slavers who are sure to be holding a grudge against you, there are those who will try and stop the bonding before it happens.”

Tren growled, his muscles hardening and his beast clawing at his self-control, but he forced himself to think rationally. “Who do you suspect?”

“Everyone.” Rell gave him a small, wry smile. “I find myself growing more paranoid in my old age, but you have as many enemies as you do friends, and they all know you will become more powerful as a bonded male with an Earth Matriarch. I believe they will seek to eliminate the threat before you return to Kadothia.”

Tren began to pace. “I am assuming you have already started security procedures?”

“I have.”

He paused and avoided looking at Rell, focusing on a spot over his shoulder instead. “Does anyone know about your…situation with Paige?”

“Do you mean do they know we are, no matter how much you deny it, blood brothers and that Paige is my future bondmate?”

He wanted to argue that they weren’t blood brothers anymore, but he couldn’t lie about the psychic bond still between them. “Either.”

“No. I think Lady Elsin knows, but she has been too busy fielding all the political assassinations of the Earth brides on Kadothia to bother me about it.”

“What are you speaking of?”

Brushing past Tren, Rell’s body burned his as they briefly touched, and Tren fought the surge of arousal that poured through him. The attraction between them had always been like this, instant and burning hot, even when they were going through the officers’ program at the Warrior Training Academy together. They’d been roommates and had fallen in love during the trials and tribulations of being molded into killing machines for the Kadothian Empire. During those long nights in their room, wrapped in each other’s arms, their young minds had filled with fantasies and daydreams of what it would be like when they finally found their bondmate. Despite the darkness they’d already seen in the world as seasoned Warriors, their dreams of someday having a family together had been filled with hope and love.

He turned to watch Rell move about the small, pale green kitchen area of the undecorated room.

Rell’s red shirt molded to his broad back as he opened a hidden cabinet while saying, “The anti-Earth sentiment in the Bel’Tan galaxy is gaining strength. It is painfully obvious that the negativity stems from ignorant fear and jealousy among the Kadothian ruling class, but that does not mean there are not fools that will believe it. Some Earth Matriarchs are having a hard time settling into their homes because their people have been mentally poisoned against them. It is difficult enough for these women to leave their world behind, but it is even worse when their own people are hostile to them for no reason. And there are the trials.”

“Trials?”

“Yes, one sensational case after another brought against Earth Matriarchs. So far the Kadothian accusers have failed to win any of these cases, but they make the news and have attracted attention. I had to deal with an attempt here, on the Reaping ship, a few days ago with an Earth Matriarch who is also an Ambassador. She was put on trial by the High Council over a minor infraction that should not have risen beyond the Regional Council. The charges were entirely false and trumped up, but if Lady Elsin and myself had not been there, who knows how the vote might have gone. As you can guess, the majority of the High Council fears these powerful and strange women and what it means for their political careers.”

Tren gave a frustrated sigh and leaned against the wall, unwilling to relax enough to sit, but knowing he needed this information. He would not let his pride get in the way of Paige’s safety and even though he hated politics, he needed to know his enemy. Cracking his neck, he tried to force his thoughts away from his relationship with Rell and back to the task at hand, something easier than done as he took another breath of the air saturated with Rell’s unique scent.

Rell held up a glass of
kander
juice that he’d taken from the cupboard, but Tren shook his head. When they were together, Rell made sure there was always
kander
, Tren’s favorite native fruit, on hand. Rell even had trees planted in his territory so there would always be a supply available for Tren.

The past tried to creep up on him, to remind him of the hundreds of years when things had been good between him and Rell, but the guilt and self-hatred over those men dying because of his selfish mistake still clung to him.

“What about my territory? Do I need to have a talk with my people?”

“I already have, in a roundabout way.” Rell sipped his own drink, and Tren watched his smooth throat work as he swallowed.

Rell truly was a handsome man, his body unmarked and pale velvet skin stretched tight over his muscles. While his skin didn’t have the subtle glimmer that Paige’s possessed, his gleamed with good health and vitality. A mental image of Paige and Rell curled up together, making love while he watched over them, protected them, flared through his mind in a burst of longing, but he refused to acknowledge his lust. Yes, that was all it was, lust—not love.

In an effort to distract himself from admiring the other man’s physique, he allowed his anger to rise to the surface. “What have you said to my people?”

“I have merely encouraged the right kind of rumors, the ones about how different territories have benefited from having an Earth Matriarch, and how powerful they are. Besides, your people love you and will be overjoyed you have found your bondmate. Even if you have avoided them of late.”

Silence fell between them, and Tren pushed off the wall, not liking the judgmental look that was coming over Rell’s face. Trying to calm his temper and subdue his inner beast, he gazed around the room, seeking out something to look at other than the other man’s chiseled features. When his gaze came across nothing but bare walls and minimal furniture, he realized there was no hint of Rell anywhere. Just a standard Reaping Room waiting for its temporary owner to put their stamp on the place and display objects for their intended bride.

It suddenly dawned on Tren that Rell had not decorated his rooms for Paige. “Why are your walls bare? Where are your decorations? Your people’s art, their furniture and crafts?”

Rell glanced over his shoulder and looked at the walls before turning back to his task in the kitchen. “Why would I bring all that with me?”

Tren wanted to smack him on the back of the head. “So your bride can see what your home is like.”

“My intent is to not see her while I am here.” Rell paused, then licked his lips. “It will be difficult, but I believe it is for the greater good.”

He knew what it was like to yearn to be around his bride and didn’t understand why Rell would choose to endure the terrible craving for her presence instead of introducing himself to her. “Why?”

“I want her safe on Kadothia more than anything else.” He met Tren’s gaze. “I want her to be comfortable in her home, relaxed, and I want to give her time to get to know me. And you know that being bonded with me, with both of us mated to the same Matriarch, there will be a political shit storm of epic proportions. No matter what you decide to do after you retire as Supreme Commander, if I were to bond her as well, Paige would in essence have a seat at the High Council. As my Matriarch she would be able to fill my spot in case of an emergency and vote on the future of Kadothia.”

Tren ran his hands through his short hair in frustration. “There are those who will hate an Earth woman having that kind of power.”

“And our enemies will probably be able to guess that we’ve been blood brothers, and they will not be happy about being fooled—even if most blood brothers hide their bond from the world.”

“Lord of Life’s balls.” Tren absently fingered one of the daggers attached to his armor. “I will have to tell her the truth about us so she is not caught unaware by gossip.”

“I know. All I ask is for a little time. Whatever happens between us, good or bad, I will always do my best to protect her, love her, and treat her in the manner she deserves. You know this.”

“I do.” With a sigh, Tren nodded. “I can give you time. It is my intent for Paige to start the growth regime today, if she will accept it.”

Rell raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Already?”

“She is very small, even for a human.”

“But that means you will have to put off the bonding for a day. Is that wise?”

“While I would like to wait until after the ceremony, she will not be allowed through the wormhole until she is a fully bonded Matriarch, and I fear her small body will not be able to mate with mine.”

Rell’s gaze went distant, and hot, as he muttered, “In my dreams she can only take half of me.”

Jealousy prickled at Tren, quickly followed by guilt. While he was not an overly religious man, he respected the Lord of Life, now more than ever. It was with the Lord’s blessing that he had found Paige. The odds of him ever meeting her without divine intervention were so astronomical he couldn’t even begin to calculate them. If the same divine intervention had led Rell to Paige as well, he could not and would not stand in the way. Unfortunately, his anger and guilt had not magically disappeared, and he hated the sick feeling of envy filling his stomach.

“I need to return to her. She is waiting for me in our bed.”

“Of course,” Rell replied in a hollow voice, his body stiff.

A petty part of him enjoyed the flash of jealousy coming from Rell’s side of the bond, and Tren had a sick need to hurt him more, but he stopped himself. A sign of the madness was selfishly lashing out and a lack of compassion, and the more Tren thought about it the more he wondered if his anger with Rell had been the insidious madness slowly taking him over, killing off the good and human parts of his soul and replacing it with mindless anger so slowly he didn’t even notice. The thought of losing himself terrified him, so instead of giving into the urge to emotionally maim Rell, he forced himself to offer kindness instead.

“I will be busy dealing with military issues throughout the day. While I am occupied, will you watch over my bride for me?”

Rell blinked, then stood taller, recognizing the honor Tren bestowed on him even as he visibly tried to process Tren’s words. “It would be my privilege.”

A brief mental image of Paige wandering around with a small army of bodyguards trying to remain invisible on a ship went through his mind. “Will you be able to be around her and remain undetected?”

Rell did the condescending sneer he’d spent centuries perfecting, the one that said you were a complete fool who was totally wasting his time. “Of course.”

Tren had almost forgotten how sensitive Rell could be about his skills as a spy, and he had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “I meant your psychic signature and scent. I know you’ll be disguised well enough that even I would not recognize you. But Paige is different. You do not know what it is like to be in her presence.”

“No,” Rell snapped, “I do not.”

Real anger sparked in Rell’s normally placid eyes and the skin of his face pulled tight. When his pupils grew enough to almost swallow the blue of his eyes, Tren’s instincts went on full alert. Alarm shot through Tren as he recognized the signs of the beast within Rell surfacing. Striding forward, he slammed the man back into the wall and stared into his eyes. Rell didn’t struggle. He could have easily thrown Tren off, but he did snarl back in a challenging way.

“How bad is it?” Tren said in a low voice.

“I am fine.”

Tightening his grip on the other man’s shoulders, he felt Rell’s muscles twitch. “You are close to losing yourself.”

“I can hold on.”

“For how long?”

“Just like you—for as long as it takes.”

Tren abruptly released Rell then watched his old friend battle against the greatest threat to a Kadothian male outside of the Hive. He’d been so focused on himself, on his wounded soul, that he’d ignored how his abandonment would hurt his blood brother. Yes, he’d wondered if their separation would give the madness a stronger foothold in Rell, but he’d always dismissed the notion. After all, Rell was the strong one, the man with a will of iron and a self-discipline second to none.

But, if he was being truthful with himself, he knew their separation would hurt Rell, and he’d enjoyed that, enjoyed knowing the other man was suffering, enjoyed knowing Tren wasn’t alone in his endless cycle of guilt, anger, and pain.

Staggered by this realization, Tren had to lock his knees to keep standing, the history of his life rewriting itself before his eyes.

Once Rell was in full control of himself again, and the darkness had receded from his gaze, he wiped a hand over his sweaty brow, his chest heaving.

“How frequent are the attacks?”

“Do not worry. I am not a threat to her.”

Tren once again had to resist the urge to smack Rell in the back of the head like their old teachers did when they were being particularly dense. “I know that.”