Page 32 of Claiming Their Slave
This time, the wait would be pure agony.
* * *
Jaxon walked up the hill and jumped over the trench. He glanced at the human bodies trapped at the bottom and pierced through with spears, and once he didn’t detect any movement, he put his sword away and scanned his surroundings. The vigor of battle had his heart still beating fast. Rage pumped through him, the urge to kill the enemy not yet abated.
He’d been like this for years without pause, filled with a fury that only victory could quench. Why was he not yet satisfied? He should be eager to call for the horn to be blown, but he hesitated calling out the order. Something wasn’t right. He felt it in his bones.
Please, Jaxon. Please, look behind you. Please. Look behind you.
Ava’s voice entered his mind, as if she was speaking directly in his ear. Pleading for him to notice a danger lurking behind him. Stunned, he realized it must be an extra manifestation of their mating bond, one that he’d been unaware of until now… and one that he didn’t realize was possible until now, given that Ava was a human.
On high alert, Jaxon listened carefully until he heard the crunch of dry leaves and a quick intake of breath. Inhaling deep, he detected the scent of a live human male and fresh blood. Whoever was trying to catch him by surprise was already wounded.
Jaxon took a few slow steps forward, pretending he was surveying the field, as he inched his hand closer and closer to his sword. Another crunch of leaves and he yanked out his sword and spun around in one quick motion.
His sword struck that of his enemy with a resounding clang. Stepping forward, he advanced on the human man, swinging and matching strike for strike, as he towered over the short fool of a man.
Just as Jaxon made the fatal cut, slicing his sword across the man’s throat, growls and heavy footsteps sounded behind him. He watched the man stumble back into the pit, landing on the bottom with a thud and joining his comrades in death.
Jaxon turned to see over a dozen Banded, including Wolfe and their fathers, standing at the ready with their swords drawn.
“Mother had a vision about you and that man,” Wolfe explained.
“Ava left the house in search of you, to warn you,” Trent said, “but don’t worry, she’s back in the safety of the house now.”
“Ava did warn me,” Jaxon said, his heart filling with warmth for his brave little mate, even if she had disobeyed by running outside. She cared about him enough to risk her life. He didn’t know whether to kiss her senseless, or spank her bottom bright red, when he finally got ahold of her.
“What do you mean, Ava warned you?” Trent asked. “I carried her back to the house myself and made sure the door was bolted before I left.”
“I heard her voice in my head, a warning to look behind me.”
“The mating bond,” Wolfe said, his eyes growing wide. Obviously, he shared in Jaxon’s surprise that Ava was able to detect and utilize the bond as she had.
“Precisely.”
Jaxon and Wolfe joined the other Banded in surveying the areas surrounding their house, as well as their parents’ house, before the victory horn was blown. It was a surreal feeling, to hear the horn sounding across the countryside, so near to their home, when the last times he’d heard it had been on faraway lands, during times of turmoil when he wasn’t sure he’d ever return home. During the bleakest days of his life when he’d thought Wolfe was dead.
Pushing the dark thoughts away, he cleaned the blood from his sword in a nearby stream and splashed water on his face. Many of the men were doing the same, wanting to wash the carnage of battle off themselves before facing the women. Thankfully, there had been no deaths or injuries beyond a scratch among the Banded. Finally, it was time to return to the house. Many of the Banded were already disassembling their tents by the time Jaxon and Wolfe reached the front garden as the battle horn was blown. He supposed all of the Banded who’d answered their call to arms would set off to return to their own homes today.
Wolfe pounded on the front door. An instant later, they heard it being unbolted and the door was soon flung open. Ava stood there, her eyes wide and she glanced from Jaxon to Wolfe, looking them up and down as if to ensure neither of them were wounded. Relief soon filled her gaze. She smiled and pulled them both in close. Jaxon held her, allowing her to rest her head against his chest, while Wolfe hugged her from behind and stroked her hair.
“I was so worried,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re both all right.”
Jaxon inhaled the floral scent of her hair and embraced her tighter. “You warned me in time, Ava. I heard your voice warning me to look behind me.”
She pulled back and peered up at him. “How is that possible? After I ran outside to warn you, I couldn’t find you, and Trent immediately brought me back to the house.”
“I heard you here,” Jaxon said, touching his temple. “Inside my head. Your voice, clear as day, warning me of the danger.”
“But… again, how is that possible?”
“The mating bond,” Wolfe explained, running his hands through her hair. “The mating bond allowed you to warn Jaxon. Sometimes the mating bond will manifest in unique ways, but usually it is the Banded males who attain an extra sense when it comes to their females. Sometimes they can read their female’s mind or sense her location. But in this case, it seems you have the ability to send us, or at least send Jaxon, your thoughts when you are distressed.”
“That’s amazing,” she said. “But neither of you can read my mind, right?”
Jaxon chuckled. “What’s wrong, little human? What sorts of thoughts do you wish to hide from us?”
She flushed and peered from him to Wolfe, then said, “Nothing at all. My thoughts are nothing but pure, I assure you.”
