Page 42 of Lacey's Warriors

“And thank you,” Orushel said pointedly, “for your protection.”

“No thanks needed.” The Battle Maiden gave an odd trilling chirp then said, “One of my nest mates were among those kidnapped by the slavers and sold to the Baladium. I am grateful for her return.”

The screen went blank and Chel shook his head as he said, “Full speed to Kadothia. Now that we’re no longer hiding, we can travel much faster.”

As Orushel and the rest of the crew set about their tasks, Chel made his way back to the medical hold, praying they would make it in time.

True to their word, Lacey’s allies left the as soon as the ship reached Kadothian held space. As the massive purple, gold, blue, and green ball that was their home planet appeared on the screen, Chel let out a sigh that many of his crew echoed. They’d all fought so hard for their world, sacrificed so much. Many of the people living on Kadothia had done so in peace for generations, forgetting the price paid by the Warriors and Matriarchs that kept them so safe. A new sight caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, an unfamiliar small planet that had pale golden clouds, dark earth, blue oceans, and tiny swaths of green here and there.

Madre Tierra, a newly born world, made specifically for the Earth Matriarchs. He had to admit, he’d never considered living there before. But now, the idea of being among the first to settle there, to make their home from the ground up, appealed to him.

He could see himself living a full life there…if Gwarnon managed to hold off the madness.

After sending instructions to the landing site, Chel went back down to the medical hold with his blood brother. Though he wished to wake him, he knew the protocol. If even a hint of the madness was detected, the Warrior had to be kept in a secured facility until his sanity could be assessed. Chel knelt by Gwarnon’s side, taking his hand in his own and giving it a firm squeeze as he whispered, “Fight it. Fight it with everything you have. We are home, and ouralyahis waiting for us. Please, my mate, I beg of you, fight.”

Chapter 12

Lacey

Chills of anticipation raced over Lacey’s skin as her implant informed her that Gwarnon and Chel’s ship approached.

Leaping up from the grass where she’d been playing with Jillian and a couple of her daughter’s new friends, Lacey gave her mom a beaming smile, joy radiating from the inside out. All around them, their guards began to also smile at her, no doubt responding to her emotions spreading out from her on an invisible psychic wave. She unconsciously worked on strengthening her shields, something that was now becoming as automatic as blinking, and brushed the soft pink petals of the flowers Jillian had picked for her from her shimmering teal dress that matched the teal streaks in her hair. Jillian insisted that whatever her hair color was that day, Lacey had to have some matching streaks of it.

Not that she minded. Kadothian cosmetic technology was eons ahead of Earth’s, and Jillian could change her hair color every day—a hundred times a day—and her hair would still be healthy and shiny. Lacey was also happy to discover that she no longer had to figure out how to put on the layers of makeup that had become the norm on Earth. All she had to do was close her eyes and instruct the computer in her bathroom to apply any of a billion looks she had to choose from. Poof, a second later her face was as artfully decorated as any makeup guru on Earth.

She’d have to make sure she had one of those intelligent bathrooms in her new home on Madre Tierra.

Her mom’s Territory was amazing, with its forests of mammoth trees and hidden cities, but Lacey couldn’t wait to get to her land on Madre Tierra. From what she’d learned so far, she owned a chunk of land bigger than Australia on Earth, in a climate that was being engineered to resemble the North American continent. Though geographically vastly different, the climate would be roughly the same as living in Canada. It was a little colder than she was used to, with her warm southern blood, but she really enjoyed the idea of having four seasons and wondered what Kadothian snow would look like.

The tingling awareness in her soul of her bondmates being close had her throwing her side of the bond wide open, but the feelings that met her were not what she expected.

Yes, from Chel there was love and longing, but also a great amount of fear and anxiety.

From Gwarnon…there wasn’t anything.

Her feelings must have shown on her face because her mom and Phin rushed to her side with looks of concern.

“Honey,” her mom said, taking her hand, “are you all right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think Gwarnon is.” She had a soul deep shudder as her spirit searched for Gwarnon’s finding only darkness on his side of the link. “I can’t…I can’t sense him.”

Phin went still, his pupils dilating before he said, “We have a situation. Lacey, come with me. I am afraid something unexpected has happened.”

“What?” she nearly yelled, trying to restrain her growing panic as Jillian watched her with wide eyes. “What happened? What’s going on? Why can’t I feel him!”

Phin took one arm, her mom the other, and they hustled her out of the garden as her mom said, “Shield yourself, Lacey. You are projecting your fear.”

It took a great deal of effort, but she managed to close down her mental barriers. Though she hated to admit it, being cut off from Gwarnon’s dark mind was a relief. She had to close Chel partially off as well because his growing panic made her twitchy. Running through the halls of the manor, she reached one of the swift drops that acted like an automatic elevator. After they’d piled in the elaborate room, her stomach tickled as the elevator dropped down the length of the tree, plunging over one hundred stories in less than five seconds.

When the door binged and opened, revealing a large foyer made of the carved pale wood of the living tree, she veered right away to the left, following her heart.

Her bond between her men was a living, pulsing thing, and the darkness she felt from Gwarnon’s link had her close to hyperventilating with panic. Picking up her skirts, she raced down the hallway, screaming in her mind to both men that she was there.

Chel met her as soon as she got close, bursting out of a room and sprinting toward her. He swept her into his arms, covering her face with frantic kisses. Inside of her head, he chastised Lacey over and over for leaving them like she had, even if it had been to their eventual benefit. Hugging him back, she let her love for Chel fill their bond, and an odd-muted roar came from the room Chel had just been in.

Fear filled her once again, and she whispered, “Gwarnon?”

At Chel’s solemn nod she dropped her arms and ran into the room, her heart almost stopping at the sight of her big, healthy male looking so empty on the medical bed. A cinnamon brown sheet had been pulled to his waist, revealing his sculpted body and barely moving chest. Lacey quickly crossed the room to his side, ignoring the other Healers standing in the corner of the room.

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