Page 24 of Lacey's Warriors

“Some may see you as a threat.” Chel soothed himself by stroking his fingers through her curls. “They may wish to lock you away and study you.”

“Or use you for their own personal gain.” Gwarnon gently lifted her off his lap and into Chel’s arms so he could pace. “But first we must figure out what happened. I have sent a message of warning to Nosa and Cormac. They are already on a knife’s edge because of Roxy’sdeshantiabilities. They will keep your secrets as we keep theirs.”

“God,” she tipped her head forward so her cheek rested against Chel’s bare, muscled shoulder, his body warm against hers. “Is the bullshit ever gonna end? I thought once the Baladium was over, the hard part would be done, but I feel like the real fight is just starting. I’m just so fuckin’ tired.”

“Forgive us.” Chel rubbed his thumb over her cheek, the bond between them opening slightly so he could send his soothing magic through her body. “We hate that we cannot give you the stress free courtship you deserve.”

Her mind briefly accessed her crystal implant after only the briefest moment of hesitation. No matter how many times Chel reassured her, or how many times she used the crystal without incident, she was still slightly afraid that it would malfunction and cause her more pain. The information she requested flowed through her, and she was vaguely aware of the men talking as she got a brief rundown of some of the thousands of types of courtships the Kadothian males did with their brides.

The lesson cut off as a high priority message came through her crystal implant. Roxy’s voice startled Lacey as she said,“Hey, girl! You wanna be my maid of honor? I’m going through the bonding ceremony in an hour, and I would love it if you guys could be there.”

Glad for the happy distraction, Lacey eagerly nodded, even though Roxy wasn’t there to see it. She said aloud, “Yes!”

Hastily correcting herself as Gwarnon and Chel gave her bemused smiles, she mentally replied,“I would love to.”

“Great. I’ll send the pixies over to glam you up. See you soon!”

“The pixies?” Lacey wondered aloud as she shifted in Gwarnon’s arms. “What is she talking about?”

His gaze went distant, his dark blue eyes becoming almost black before he smiled. “You will see when they get here.”

Two hours later, Lacey found herself practically running down the long corridor of one of the many wings of the Baladium itself, a massive satellite the size of six New York cities put together. It was buzzing with activity and people, all of which came to a stop as she was hustled past by her massive entourage of Baladium guards. The high, domed ceilings of the hallway, which was more like the massive walkway in a high end mall and allowed aliens of various sizes to work on the satellite.

Well, they weren’t actually the alien in this situation. She was.

The weight of the ridiculous spiked crown the Baladium’s staff had dressed her in threatened to topple off her head as she briefly looked down at her cool gold gladiator sandals encrusted with shimmering shells. They went well with the long, flowing, off-white halter dress slit up both the front and the sides, giving her freedom of movement. The garment itself felt like it was made of fabric, but the border at the bottom somehow managed to disappear into a sparkling gold mist that continually danced and swirled around her calves. The NevShoo, as her sponsors, were the belle of the ball so to speak, but as the actual combatant, she was being honored as well.

It was utterly over the top, but Lacey had been instructed by the NevShoo that she had to dress the part of the Baladium victor while she was there. They promised she would not have to be there long, but with Roxy out of commission and celebrating her bonding with her men, Lacey had to make an appearance.

Feeling uncomfortably like an exhibit in a circus parade, she tried to only focus on the back of the guard leading the way. Humanoid in form with silvery green skin and a tail, he wore the deep navy uniform of the Baladium security staff and had been nothing but professional and polite with her. In fact, he’d been almost fan boying. All of the Baladium guards had. They were eager to greet her and congratulate her on her victory like she was the star quarterback who’d just won the biggest Super Bowl in the history of the world.

A flash of what looked like metallic wings attempted to catch her attention, but she kept her head facing forward. While she would love the chance to just sit on a bench off to the side and observe all the marvels around her, she needed to focus. From what she’d gathered, she’d be presented with her winnings during a ceremony that involved a lot of speeches. The Baladium was a weird combination of government and corporation, an entity with fingers—or would it be tentacles? —in many pies.

As they entered the opulent hallway, she paused for a moment, her breath stuck in her throat as she took in the sheer magnificence surrounding her.

Red, shimmering walls flickered with gold and silver sparkles moved in rhythmic, shifting patterns. Golden light streamed from overhead, burnishing everything around including the high ceiling where people with wings perched on carved crystal balconies. There was also a gigantic tank on the far wall filled with thick green liquid. Slender, furry, almost otter looking creatures stared back at her from the murky fluid.

A booming voice rolled through the air, accompanied by music her mind identified as the Baladium’s victory song. The crowd roared in response, and her guards flanked a long walkway through the crowd, pressing them back so she could walk past with Gwarnon and Chel on either side. Originally, she was going to attend the ceremony without them in order to hide the men’s involvement from the general public, but Gwarnon assured her she would want them there.

Now, she was glad he’d insisted they attend because she clung to them mentally and physically as the unfamiliar tones and pitches assaulted her ears, sounds made by creatures that were in no way, shape, or form human.

Her crystal implant started to supply her with information on the various creatures as she walked past them, but she forced it to stop. Her mind was already busy enough trying to figure out how to get out of the mess she was in. How in the world was she supposed to get her mom and daughter without making the men feel like she’d betrayed them? They’d been nothing but loyal to her, but if she involved them in her efforts to return to Earth, she knew they’d be in major trouble.

More than they were already in.

They tried to hide it from her, but she could tell they were worried about the arrival of the Kadothian representative. From what she’d been able to learn, their helping her in the Baladium broke like twenty major laws, and things could go very badly for them if they didn’t manage to convince the High Congress that they had no choice but to aid Lacey and Roxy while hiding the fact that they existed from the High Congress.

Somehow, she had to do what she could to protect them, but also reassure them that she would return.

Something permanent.

Something that would leave no doubt in their minds that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with them.

“After this dog and pony show is over,”she sent through their private mental link,“I want to get bonded as soon as possible.”

Gwarnon, dressed in his solid black Kadothian Warrior uniform and looking utterly fuckable, gave her a sharp look while Chel smiled at her with obvious happiness.

“Are you sure?”Chel’s smooth voice flowed through her mind like a cool forest stream.“If you wish for a more elaborate ceremony, I am sure the Baladium would help arrange it. I was told by Lady Casey that most Earth women dream of their wedding day. Do not mistake me, we would bond with you right here, right this moment, but we want you to have everything you have ever desired.”

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