Page 17 of Lacey's Warriors

Gwarnon shook his head. “No, you cannot bond her until after the Baladium.”

Nosa snapped, his teeth bared in anger as he snarled, “You would daretryto forbid us from bonding? On what grounds?”

Gwarnon held up his hands as he backed away from the enraged male. “Easy, Warrior. I forbid you nothing. It is in Lady Roxy’s best interest to wait. If she fights in the Baladium as a Matriarch, she will be subjected to stiff fines and punishments by the Kadothian High Congress. They could even try to ban her from her Territory. You know there are Council members itching to have a reason to make a negative example of an Earth Matriarch. Most will understand the circumstances, but some are threatened by the Earth Matriarchs and the power they possess. However, if Roxy is still a bride when she fights, then she is breaking no laws. The ruling by the High Congress to forbids Kadothian Warriors and Matriarchs from participating in the games. It says nothing about brides.”

“Clever,” Chel said with a small smile before he gave Gwarnon a brief but heated kiss.

Pressing his lips firmly against his blood brother’s, Gwarnon was getting ready to deepen the kiss when a pleasurable but shocking sensation roared through him, something akin to plunging into a cold ocean on a hot day. Surprise, adrenaline, and the ability to breathe all became scrambled in his mind as his soul rejoiced.

“What is that?” Chel whispered as he drew back, his hands clenching Gwarnon’s shoulders for support.

Gwarnon cleared his throat. “If you will excuse us, Lacey is going into transition.”

Chel’s chiseled jaw fell open, and blinding happiness and profound relief filled Gwarnon, compounding his own joy until he thought he might burst with it. “You got our kiss?”

“I did. It was so quick, I was unsure if she absorbed enough of my blood. Unfortunately, just as we began to kiss, Lady Roxy’s attacks came through our bond. As I thought you were in mortal danger, I left.”

Roxy dipped her head with a wince. “Sorry again about that.”

Gripping Gwarnon’s shoulders tightly, Chel said, “Tell me what happened.”

“We were training and bickering as usual. Lacey managed to get me on my back. I used my new knowledge of the human female anatomy and made sure I worked her clit with my hips.”

“She responded well?” Chel asked in a worried voice.

“Yes,” Gwarnon said with a no doubt very satisfied smile. “She allowed me to caress her. I took Lord Rell’s advice, and I waited until the moment of her orgasm to kiss her.”

“Well done,” Chel said with a beaming smile. “Well done, indeed.”

Gwarnon smiled back, pride and relief singing through his blood as he shared his love with his brother through their bond. Warm, glowing, their joy mingled and blended together, creating a peace inside of him better than anything he’d ever felt. Then, suddenly, there was another presence with them. Soft, feminine, but also strong and deep as the mightyAlialulinRiver that surged through Northern Continent.

Astonishment came from Lacey’s spirit a moment before their souls brushed together, their essence mixing into the beginnings of a true bond. For two glorious heartbeats, he had the chance to fully embrace Lacey’s soul with his own, to finally allow someone other than Chel into his deepest of hearts. All too quickly, she slipped away, hidden behind her mental walls, but for the few fleeting moments they’d been together as the Lord of Life intended, he’d known a bliss he’d fight to the death to experience again.

Throwing back his head, he roared out his celebration, Chel’s voice rising with his own, their triumph ringing through his ears and soul. Nosa and Cormac added their voices as well, congratulating them on finding their Matriarch.

Blinking at them with wide, dark eyes, Roxy said, “What was that all about?”

“We were celebraiting with our fellow Warriors because they have found their Matriarch,” Cormac explained with a small smile.

An itch started at the base of Gwarnon’s spine, a prickling along his nerves like his skin had been stripped away. His upper jaw ached a little as his fangs began to drop down, all of his senses heightening as his body began its own transformation. While the bride went through a great physical change, her bondmates went through their own transition as their bodies readied themselves for the privilege of defending their wife. It made them unusually aggressive and unpredictable, which is why most Kadothian males chose to stay away from their brides until the transition was over. If they were with her in their animalistic state, they would not allow anyone to approach her, even if medical care was needed.

Some males suffered from these possessive instincts more than others, and worry came from his bond with Chel as Gwarnon swallowed back a growl. The other males in the room were too close to Chel, and Roxy’s presence irritated him. Hostility filled him, and he clung to the anchor of Chel’s mind, trying to keep from getting sucked into the dark place deep inside of him where the bestial animal that he could become resided. That animal didn’t care that Roxy wasn’t a threat, didn’t care that Nosa and Cormac were men he’d grown to both respect and admire.

Men that he could, in time, call friends.

No, that beast only saw his fellow Warriors as potential threats.

Chel abruptly stood then grabbed Gwarnon’s hand as he began to back away with a bow. “Forgive me for being rude, Lady Roxy, but we must leave. My instincts will not allow another female near me until Lacey is done transitioning.”

Roxy gave them a hesitant smile. “Of course. We’ll be off. I’m very happy for you—for all three of you. Congratulations on finding your Matriarch. Lacey is a good woman, and I know you’ll treat her right.”

“Yes, thank you,” Chel managed to get out before he hauled Gwarnon out into the hallway.

Two of their men, Samit and Brelin, stood at the end of the hallway, worried looks on their hard faces. Gwarnon had known them for a long time and trusted them with his life. They were his former weapons trainers, two seasoned Warriors who’d taken a green recruit under their wing at the Academy and taught him to survive. Between the two of them, they’d saved his life a thousand times over, but in the moment, he wanted to tear their throats out.

“Stay back,” Chel shouted, keeping both of his hands on Gwarnon’s shoulders. “Lacey has gone into transition. It is riding his protective instincts hard.”

Samit smiled, the white of his teeth brilliant against his blue black skin. “Congratulations!”

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