Copyright © Blake Blessing 2019
All rights reserved
First published in 2019
Blessing, Blake
Bonds of the Mazza: Mazza Series # 2
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. All characters in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover: Premade eBook Cover Shop
Editing: Heather Long
Proofreading: Jennifer Jones
Formatting: Rainbow Danger Designs
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Thank you
Also by Blake Blessing
About the Author
Nato’s delicate work held me captive. He tied the legs together before winding the soft string between the breasts and around the back. He wove such intricate patterns around the body, diamonds interlocked front and back. It was obvious he had some experience with trussing, and my mind ran wild with ideas, flushing at the possibilities.
“And that, my dear Isolde, is how you prepare a turkey.” He murmured, as he glanced at me with a mischievous glint in his dark chocolate eyes, the bright gold strip in his left iris mesmerizing.
“Nato, if you ever need to find another career, I think you could do well in the food porn industry.”
“Food porn?” Laughter filled his eyes as he slowly curled his lips into a wicked smile.
“Yeah. Seriously, you have a sexy as hell voice and the things you can do to food. Women would eat that shit up.” I twisted my hair in a bun to cool off my neck.
Nato took cooking very seriously, and my stomach was happier for it.
He chuckled, turning away to finish adding the seasonings. With his mouth pinched in concentration, he bent over to place the bird in the oven. I took advantage of watching his tight ass bend over as he shut the door with a snap.
When he finished washing and drying his hands, he stalked to me, and then wrapped both arms around my shoulders. The scent of sandalwood filled my nose.
“What’s the occasion anyway?” I tilted my head back to see him better.
“We have seven people here. Do we really need an occasion?” The corners of his lips twitched as he rocked us side to side. “And I still have all the sides to make. You offering your services?”
“Damn. We do have that many people here. It’s hard to remember when everyone isn’t in the house at the same time.”
Three days before, we took refuge in this safe house. Me, three of my bond mates, a potential bond mate, the son of a man behind the attacks on the human race, and a very old, yet insanely hot, man with the plan.
A little over a week earlier, I’d been lonely, going through the motions of life and trying to make something of the sad hand I’d been dealt. Then I jumped into an Uber that changed my life. An Uber that wasn’t really an Uber, but a car full of hot Fennin.
Fennin, or those humans referred to as Fae in the old fairy tales. Only Fennin were quite different from any story I’d ever heard. There were four houses, each covering a different branch of power. The Zien house were the mentalists, excelling at powers over the mind. Then there was the Caen house, they had a deep connection with animals, while the Levan house controlled the elements. Finally, the Janer house controlled metal in all its forms from weaponry to technology.
And the Fennin in the car became my Lusty Legion, which included one man from each house. From that point on, my life became an insane whirlwind of learning my heritage, getting kidnapped, being rescued, and then spirited away. If it hadn’t happened to me, I could never have dreamt it up on my most creative day.
Which brought us to the present. Nato cooked while I supervised and all the other inhabitants of the house had disappeared.
“Yunez has a guest coming tonight, so we can try to get our plans together. Apparently, it’s someone important because he asked me to pull out all the stops on dinner.” Nato let go of me and reached for the cupboard. “This means we might finally be able to leave in the morning.”
We were supposed to only have been here for a day. That hadn’t happened though. We’d been stuck in limbo, waiting for Yunez to give the green light. He was coincidentally the oldest Fennin alive, not to mention he was a member of House Zien. As a mentalist, he knew things.
“What was the hold up anyway?” I leaned back against the counter and crossed my arms.
The front door banged open, and the butterflies went crazy in my belly. Chances were it was one or more of my bond mates, and I loved any time I got to spend with them.
Footsteps stormed down the hallway, then Egan burst through the door with a triumphant smile, Jari close behind him. Egan got two steps into the kitchen before Jari yanked him backward by his shirt. Egan slammed into the wall, shaking the pictures as Jari rushed me. I froze, unsure what his game was.
With a flicker of a wicked grin, Jari dipped his shoulder into my stomach and lifted me into the air. Jari whooped as he spun in a dizzying circle.
“Jari! Put me down.” I laughed through my shout. If he didn’t stop, I was going to be sick. Hell, he deserved it.
“I won, sweets. You sleep with me tonight.” I lifted up, and Jari slid me down his body, keeping me pressed tight. His long blonde hair was slightly mussed and his eyes an unnaturally bright blue, giving him a right sexed up look. When I hit the floor, he winked at me.
“I didn’t realize there was a competition going on. Is that why I’ve been sleeping with Nato the last few nights?” Nato snickered and Egan scoffed.
“No, he’s corralled you to the bedroom before we had a chance. Today Jari and I decided one of us would get to you first.” Egan sauntered over to press against my back, and I sighed. Caught between two of my bond mates, feeling their possessive nature bleed through their touch was heaven.
“So… Who is this mysterious guest and how did you even talk to Yunez? He’s been missing since the night we came here.” I leaned my head back against Egan and ran my hands over the planes of Jari’s chest. I loved the lean build he had going on.
Nato exited the cupboard with an arm full of potatoes and other vegetables. I was impressed he could actually carry that much.
“There are these really neat things that Fennin use when we want to communicate. I doubt you’ve ever heard of it,” he pulled out his phone and laid it on the counter.
“You shithead. I thought there was some sort of magic involved or you used some kind of mentalist gift.” Heat hit the tips of my ears, and I laughed it off as Nato smirked at me.
“Anyway, Yunez was called away. He didn’t say for what, and I only spoke to him this morning for him to tell me we’d be entertaining company tonight and make sure we had something edible on the table.”
“In that case, I’m going to take a shower. I don’t want to greet this mysterious guest in yoga pants and Egan’s
T-shirt.” I stepped around Egan toward the hallway. As I passed Jari, he took hold of my hip and followed close behind me.
“Uh-uh-uh. Jari, get your ass back here. You two get to peel the potatoes and get the sides started.” Nato called.
Jari groaned and whispered in my ear. “I’ll follow as soon as I can. I’ll be the best meal-prep bitch I can be.” With a squeeze, he released me and met Egan at the sink to work on potatoes.
I smiled to myself, taking the steps two at a time. I’d claimed the very top room as mine, but it didn’t even matter because we had no personal belongings here, and I hadn’t slept there once. The top room had a sweet bathroom though.
Actually, now that I thought about it, what was I going to wear for this guest? We didn’t have any clothes here, and I refused to wear the Lusty Legion’s clothes. That didn’t scream badass Mazza at all.
I took a gamble and peeked in the closet anyway. Holy hell, there were actually clothes there. Two hangers with black articles of clothing hung from the rack, with a post-it note stuck to the front. This room was empty when we arrived. I’d checked, hoping that Yunez was just as prepared at this property, as he had been at the little mountain house. I’d become so used to him knowing exactly what we needed, and when we needed it, I’d been bummed to find it wasn’t the case here.
The first hanger held a long sleeve black shirt made out of a stretchy material, similar to what Jari picked out for me before the ridiculous kidnapping. The second hanger had a pair of thick but flexible black pants. I plucked the post-it note and scrawled across the front in elegant script was ‘So you feel sexy and badass tonight. -Yunez.’ Beneath that he had scribbled a wink face.
Brimming with excitement, I skipped to the bathroom to start getting ready. It was a rare day I treated myself with anything new, and while this probably didn’t mean anything to Yunez, it filled me with giddiness too invigorating to ignore.
I was surprised no one bothered me while I was trying to get ready. I assumed at least one of my boys would try to sneak in some time with me. Their absence seemed to be a sign of the seriousness to come. In the mirror, I scanned the form-fitting outfit and decided to braid my hair over the side of my shoulder. I had been going for the Tomb Raider look, but with my light blonde hair, I was closer to Elsa playing at being sexy.
I made a face at myself in the mirror and gave up. This was as good as it was going to get. Tucked between the dresser and the corner was a pair of military-style combat boots with soft black socks. I jumped, squealing as I snatched them up, then sat on the bed while I pulled them on.
Yunez might not be part of my harem, but it didn’t stop me from forming a tiny crush on the crazy man. I was sure he knew it, but he didn’t do anything to push me away and stop my feelings. If anything, he egged it on. Maybe not a completely fair assessment since I’d only been in his presence a handful of times, but when I had seen him, he definitely didn’t hide his flirting. His blatant displays didn’t make the guys happy either. I was positive the only reason no one had said anything to him was because of his importance in their life. It was hard to shun one of the only people who had ever cared about you.
The door opened, and Egan slipped through, before shutting it behind him and leaning against it. That man was sex on legs with his dark burnished red hair, so dark he could barely be considered a ginger. I loved the way he kept it short on the sides, but longer on top. Add that to his muscular build, and he was downright dangerous. Our time in the woods flitted through my mind before I forced myself to focus on the present.
“Issy girl, you ready? Nato got a call, and Yunez will be here in about ten minutes with his guest.” His grass green eyes smoldered as his gaze swept over my body from head to toe.
“Yunez?” I asked.
“Yep.”
“I found these hanging in the closet. He did good, right?” I smoothed a hand down my stomach.
Egan grunted and held out his hand for me to take. When I placed my hand in his, he tugged me into his chest and sealed his lips over mine for a brief, hard kiss. The wildness of his scent drove me crazy, but he stepped away before we went any further.
“Damn, I wish I made it to you first. My mistake for thinking Jari would play fair.” Egan’s bottom lip puckered out as he gave me his famous puppy dog eyes.
A smile tickled my lips. “More fool you.”
He grinned as we exited the bedroom to walk down the stairs. We moved at a leisurely pace and with every step, the hum of voices gradually grew louder. Huddling around the kitchen island, were my guys plus Rand. All gazes fell to me and began their perusal from my boots up.
Yunez definitely needed a fashion reward from the way the LL seemed to appreciate the outfit. Without even realizing, I stood a little taller and tipped my chin a little higher. A harem was good for a girl’s self-confidence. Every girl should have one.
The son of the man who wanted to take over the world, broke away from the counter, strolling toward the base of the stairs with measured steps. His black hair curled around his ears, and his gray eyes locked on me.
Rand was definitely the prettiest of the bunch with the soft lines of his face and full lips. He would have been a gorgeous woman.
Memories flashed through my mind, specifically the night he took me to Jari. It was a stressful time, but he was so sweet. He never tried to hide his desire for me, to the Lusty Legion’s dismay. They were afraid he would take Sage’s place as my Janer mate, only they didn’t realize I chose who filled that bond.
Rand stopped when his toes hit the edge of the bottom step. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and said, “You ready?”
That made no sense to me, so I stared at him until he got the message.
After a few seconds he continued. “To meet this mystery person and lay out our plans to head into Fennina? I, for one, am ready to get out of this house.” Rand shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his feet.
I walked around him and hoisted myself on the corner of the counter so I could see everyone. They all looked as antsy as me after being cooped up in the middle of nowhere for three days. They had all taken turns staying with me in the house, but Egan and Jari spent the majority of their time outside. Given their Houses, it made sense. Egan was connected to the wildlife and Jari thrived in nature. I didn’t blame them for getting their fill when they could. Sage, on the other hand, had moped around the entire time and he had formed a bad habit of glowering at me from where ever he was in the house.
Now was no different. Across the room, Sage held up the refrigerator with a scowl twisting his features. I was the lucky recipient of his attention. He wanted to be my Janer mate, but I questioned his motives. He basically told me he wanted the bond to stay with his brothers and save his people. But the bond was permanent and I wanted to have feelings and love. If it made me a sappy bitch, I didn’t care. Too many years alone left me wanting more for myself.
My Lusty Legion made it very clear they thought Sage should complete our group. Too bad I wasn’t convinced. Sage and I shared a fleeting moment, where I swore we had a connection, even making a promise to see where friendship took us. Then he had to ruin it by being a dick. I curled my lip at him, and changed my focus to Nato.
Ha! How the tables had turned from the moment Sage walked into the diner. It didn’t feel so nice to be dismissed, did it?
He needed to stop being salty about what happened at Rainer’s. We did what we had to in order to stay alive. Rand might have survived, but I didn’t doubt Rainer would have me killed if I couldn’t be useful to him. If he couldn’t use the weapon, he sure as hell wasn’t going to give the weapon to someone else.
“So, who is the special guest?” Jari hopped up onto the counter.
Nato didn’t answer right away, but instead transferred mac and cheese to a large serving dish and did the same for the mashed potatoes and green beans. A smile tugged on the corners of my mouth. Nato planned on pulling out the big guns if he went for some good old comfort foo
d.
“Are we trying to butter anyone up? Maybe put them in a food coma to make sure the night goes our way?” I tapped my lips with a finger.
“Ha ha,” Nato deadpanned. “Cooking is a stress reliever for me, and I get to take care of my family at the same time. That Yunez wants to bring someone over just adds to the satisfaction I’m feeling right now. And no, I have no idea. If he doesn’t want you to know something, chances are, you won’t have a clue until he blatantly gives it to you. Yunez is like one of those face illusionist drawings. You look at him and think you’re seeing a young man, but when you glance at it from another angle, you see an old man. When in reality he’s been a fuckin’ squirrel the whole time.” Nato shook his head.
“What an apt description of the many facets of my personality. I’m flattered.”
I jumped as Yunez appeared right next to me, one arm stretching behind my back. The other guys all reacted with varying states of surprise and alarm. Seriously, I was in the corner of the fucking counter. How did he do that?
“What the hell, Yunez? Do you have some type of teleporting power too? What gives?” I pushed my hand against my chest to slow my pounding heart.
He smirked at me and his gaze dipped to check out the clothes. “Just keeping them on their toes, my lovely. But no, I don’t have any teleporting abilities. What I do have in spades is an ability to influence the mind. Isn’t illusion just a trick on the brain? That is a mentalist’s power in a nutshell, only mine far exceeds the majority of the House of Zien.”
His amethyst eyes drew me in as he held my gaze. My hand rose toward Yunez’s hair, but before I could make any contact, Sage caught my hand and slammed it back to my lap.
Bonds of the Mazza Page 1