She leaned forward and kissed his neck lightly, traveling up the column of his throat until she was at the corner of his mouth. She breathed against his lips, waiting. She wanted him to move that last fraction of an inch to claim her. He didn’t disappoint her.
His large hands framed her face and pulled her toward him as his lips met hers, his kiss becoming more demanding and possessive with each passing moment. He coaxed her lips to part for him and his tongue swept inside her mouth, wanting every flavor she possessed to be a part of him. When he pulled back from her, they were both breathing heavily.
Taking her hand in his, he walked her up the small hill to the place where he had found her thinking so seriously. He carefully settled her on the blanket that she had brought with her. Once seated, he pulled her closer so that her legs rested sideways as she sat across his thighs.
“Sebastian, I’m too heavy to sit on you,” she protested.
“You are not.” He gripped her thighs and pulled her closer, determined to keep her exactly where he had settled her. “Sit still, woman. I need to reveal more to you.”
“There’s more?” Lexi laughed, her hand resting lightly on his thickly muscled forearm.
She was amused by his use of the word woman . It was obvious that he thought of her as his woman. There was no disrespect in his tone or in his feelings as he spoke that word. She reached up and touched his cheek lightly, caressing it as she leaned forward and kissed his lips lightly, licking at the fullness of his lower lip and reveling in the taste of him. He groaned at the contact. Lexi pulled her hand away and ended the kiss immediately.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, horrified that she had somehow caused him more pain.
Sebastian reached out and took her hand within his, placing it back on his face and covering it with his own. “No, my lady,” he told her, smiling. “There was no pain. Just a desire for you that needs to be quenched.”
Lexi smiled up at him, then leaned forward to kiss his chin lightly. “All right, tell me the rest,” she told him, turning slightly so she could rest against his chest. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and waited patiently for him to tell her whatever it was that he needed to tell her.
Sebastian groaned once more as he looked down at her. “I will not be able to speak with you if you make your shirt conform to your sweet body and reveal your beauty to me, Lexi.”
Lexi looked down at herself and gasped at the sight of her open shirt that exposed a good amount of her breasts. Releasing her arms quickly and settling her hands on her knees, she couldn’t help but blush as she realized how she had tempted him without meaning to.
“Sorry,” she whispered quickly.
Sebastian nodded and looked into her eyes, smiling as he saw her embarrassment. He reached out and brushed her cheek lightly with his knuckles.
“Your blush intrigues me,” he said softly.
Lexi smiled and reached up to pull his hand from her face and hold it gently between her two hands. “Tell me what you need to tell me,” she encouraged him.
“You need to know that I have an important role on Altavesta,” he told her calmly. “It would not be fair to you to ask you to commit yourself to me without knowing that my role will affect you, as well.”
“Are you worried that I won’t think your job is a worthy one?” Lexi asked, confused. “I already know that you’re in charge of your warriors.”
“No, Lexi. Torin is in charge of my warriors,” Sebastian clarified.
“I don’t understand. The men follow your orders without question. If you’re not in charge of them, why do they defer to you?”
Sebastian hesitated, sighing heavily. Never in his life had he been ashamed of his role. He was not ashamed now, but he was concerned that Lexi would panic at the thought of being part of the royal family. He feared losing her. He could not lose her. He would lose his will to go on if he did. To have the blessing of a life mate so close only to have it taken from him, would destroy him.
He took a breath and sighed softly. He had to tell her.
“Because I am their king.”
Chapter 8
“Because I am their king.”
Sebastian spoke the words calmly but firmly. He would not convey to Lexi that he was ashamed of what he was. He was proud of who he was and what he did for the people of his world. He looked at her with piercing eyes, willing her to accept him and the role they both would play in the protection of many worlds.
Lexi remained silent. She looked at Sebastian, waiting for him to smile and tell her he was only kidding, but he didn’t. She could feel his worry, but she could also feel his pride and sensed that he was telling her the truth. He was king of Altavesta.
“You are destined to be my queen.”
Lexi fell backward, pushing away Sebastian’s hands as he reached for her. She ended up sprawled awkwardly on the burgundy blanket below them. Scrambling quickly to right herself, she pushed to her knees and faced him.
“You’re the king,” she said calmly.
“Yes.”
“And you expect me to be the queen.”
“Bonding with me would make you my life mate and ascertain your place beside me as queen.”
Lexi looked into Sebastian’s golden eyes and saw the seriousness of the situation. He was being open and honest with her. He was telling her that their bonding would change her life in ways she could have never imagined possible.
“I wouldn’t be a good queen, Sebastian,” she said finally, lowering her eyes and looking down at her clenched hands as they rested on her thighs.
“Why do you believe this?”
Sebastian knew that he needed to be supportive and caring of his life mate, but he completely disagreed with her on this. He was worried for her. Why would she think that she would not be a worthy queen? He knew better. She would be exactly what his people needed to lead them and care for them. She would also be exactly what he needed in a life partner.
“I’m not exactly a girly girl,” she explained.
“I do not understand what that means, my lady. Please explain this to me.”
He reached out and touched her left hand, slowly opening it so he could hold it within his hands. He turned his body and knelt before her, bringing her hand to his chest and holding it tenderly against his body.
“I can’t be the woman who wears frilly dresses and nods to her subjects with a half-smile,” she began, remembering all the pictures and footage she had seen of the queens on Earth. “I can’t be kept within castle walls and allowed out only to wave at the crowd.”
“My lady, that is not what is needed to be the queen of the people of this world,” Sebastian told her gently. “You are a warrior. You will protect them and care for them.”
“You’ll allow me to fight?” Lexi asked him warily.
“Within reason.”
“What does that mean?”
“I will be protective of you, Lexi,” Sebastian told her firmly. “Do not ask me to change my nature. I must see to your safety. It is part of how I will care for you.”
“But, you won’t prevent me from fighting alongside of you?”
Sebastian sighed slowly as he fought to get his emotions under control. His thoughts were racing. All of them were about the woman before him and the importance of her in his life.
“I cannot prevent you from being who you are,” he told her finally.
“No. You can’t.”
Sebastian laughed softly at the strength in her voice as she made the statement. He would not want her to be any other way. She was perfect. She was his gentle warrior.
“I want you by my side in all things, my lady,” he told her honestly. “I would ask that you temper your need to be involved in protecting our people and fighting on their behalf when you are carrying our children.”
Lexi’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?” she whispered.
Sebastian pulled her toward him as he settled himself on the blanket and moved her with little effort unt
il she was seated sideways on his lap once again. He caressed her arm as he slid his hand down her body, slipped it beneath the blouse that she wore, and rested it carefully against her abdomen.
“I trust your skills, Lexi,” he began gently. “I believe you will be a formidable foe against our enemies.” He kissed her temple lightly and rested his cheek against the softness of her hair. “I also know that you will be a gentle and loving mother to our children. I look forward to the time that you are carrying them, but I worry for your safety and for our babe’s safety if you fight when our child is being nurtured within you.”
Lexi was overwhelmed by Sebastian’s words and feelings. She sensed the sincerity in his desire to have her stand beside him in everything that he did. She also sensed his true desire to have a family with her.
She had to think, but she couldn’t think when he was holding her. Easing herself out of his arms, she stood, slowly made her way down the small hill, and walked toward the shallow pool of water. She looked at the gently cascading curtain of the waterfall and sighed as she gave in to the feeling of peacefulness that was filling her. She was beginning to feel a small twinge of pain in her uterus and was shocked by how quickly the pain was already occurring. She had only been out of Sebastian’s arms for mere seconds.
She heard him walking toward her. She could feel the heat of his body as he stood behind her, but he made no attempt to touch her. She smiled softly as she realized that she truly wanted him to touch her. His tenderness had captivated her.
“I think I have a lot to think about, Sebastian,” she said quietly, crossing her arms across her waist and hugging it tightly to try to ease the spasms of pain that were knifing through her body.
“There is more to be said so you can understand and make an educated decision to be my life mate.”
He stood beside her, waiting. He would not touch her. He would not force her to accept him. She must come to that decision on her own.
“I don’t understand,” she told him, turning to face him. “I thought it was already destined.”
She saw the uncertainty that crossed his features. She didn’t like that at all. Sebastian was a powerful man. He should not be uncertain. Not with her. It bothered her that she was already having a negative impact on him. She couldn’t ruin his world by causing him to falter in his decisions. That would put the people of his world, and the people of the other worlds that he protected, at risk.
“It is true that our bonding has been destined by the heavens, but we have laws,” he explained. “You have the right to deny this mating under the protection of our laws.”
“But I’ll feel pain if I’m not with you,” she reminded him.
“As long as I do not fill you with my seed, you will have the freedom to deny this mating and leave me. It can only be done when a bonding has not been completed,” he told her very seriously. “The greater the distance that you travel away from me, the more the pain will ease. It will take some time, and it will be uncomfortable for both of us, but it will sever the bond that we have started. If we are not close in proximity for an extended period of time, we will not share this physical need to touch any longer.”
Lexi was silent, thinking through what he was telling her. She had a feeling that she didn’t have all the facts. It was time for this king to bare all to her. She truly felt that he was being protective of her, but he didn’t need to be. She was a capable woman who could handle herself. She had been doing it her entire life. She would continue to do it now.
“Sebastian,” she said softly as she stood directly in front of him. “I have a feeling that you’re not telling me something.”
He looked at her in surprise before a slow smile came to his lips. Her intelligence was admirable. Her intuition was impressive. She was outstanding.
“Don’t even think about lying to me,” she warned him as she saw him looking at her very seriously. She could tell that he was weighing his options. She didn’t want him to keep anything from her even if he was doing it because he was trying to protect her.
“I would never do such a thing, my lady,” he told her. “You are my life mate. I will honor you for the rest of my life.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“You say that, but you ask me to leave you.”
Sebastian reached out and touched her face gently, rubbing the pad of his thumb down her cheek to the column of her throat and gripping it firmly. Lexi’s breathing quickened at the possessive action.
“Never,” Sebastian whispered.
“It sure sounds like you are,” Lexi told him quietly, determined to remain calm. It was difficult when all she could feel at the moment was hurt.
“I only wish to give you every opportunity to make the right choice for yourself, my lady,” Sebastian told her gently. “I do not tell you to leave me. I tell you to understand that you have a choice, and your choice is a very important one. To both of us.”
“Are you concerned that something will happen to me if I made the decision to walk away?”
“I am concerned.”
“But, it’s more than that, isn’t it, Sebastian?”
Sebastian looked directly into Lexi’s violet eyes. He saw the intelligence there. He also felt the intense draw to her that he could not, nor would he ever, deny. Whether she decided to bond with him or not, she was his. She would be his one and only for the rest of his life.
“Be honest with me. Tell me what you’re holding back,” she told him quietly.
Sebastian sighed softly. He did not want to tell Lexi what he had no right to keep from her. He did not want her to feel guilt. He did not want her to feel obligated to stay with him if she wanted freedom.
“If you decide you do not want this bond, it is something that will be possible,” he began.
“But?”
“Finding you and sharing my soul with you has already created a place in my heart for you,” he continued calmly, his deep voice certain as he spoke. “I will never find another who will make me feel this way.”
He hesitated a moment, searching Lexi’s face and focusing on her caring nature. The beauty of her violet eyes was pale in comparison to the beauty of her soul. He did not know how he would ever survive if she chose to walk away from him. His heart would be forever hers. He would rule his world because he must, but his life would be empty without her.
“Tell me, Sebastian,” she told him gently, touching his shoulder lightly and slipping her hand down his arm to hold his hand.
“Now that I have found you, I will not want another. Ever.” He took a calming breath and squeezed her hand, taking comfort from her touch. “No woman will ever attract me. I will not have feelings of love or desire for another. I will not want to create a family with anyone else.”
“Sebastian,” Lexi whispered, horrified by the future he would be left with if she walked away from him.
“Do not take this guilt within your heart, my lady. I will take this future gladly, for I have been given precious moments with you that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
“How can you say that?” Lexi asked, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly.
“I say what is true, my lady,” he whispered.
He held her tightly, taking the tenderness that she offered him. If she chose to walk away, he wanted to experience as much of her gentleness as he could before she did.
“As for you, I do not know for certain that your future would be the same as mine. Since you are not of this world, I can only hope that you will be free from that end.”
He carefully pulled her hands from around his neck and took a step away from her. If she was going to leave him, he needed to begin the disconnect now. Touching her would only prolong their agony.
Lexi was silent as she watched Sebastian step away from her. She wasn’t sure if he was giving her an out, or if she was even willing to take it. She thought very seriously about walking away from the promising future that she could have wit
h this incredible man.
“What happens if we complete the bonding?” she asked him seriously, her voice quiet but firm.
“The pain will ease if we touch often or share our bodies. But only the final act of mating, you accepting me into your body, and my seed filling your womb, will allow this painful beginning to end,” he told her without hesitation. “Once that is done, the constant need to touch will diminish over time so that we may live our daily lives free from pain. We will no longer experience the pain, but this need to be together will never go away.”
Lexi was quiet for a moment. She could feel Sebastian watching her as she turned away from him and looked out at the serenity of the waterfall.
“How mad will you get at me if I defy you?” she asked him suddenly, her gaze locked on the calmness of the cascading water.
“In what way would you defy me?” he asked her, humor evident in his voice.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure it will happen,” she said, shrugging.
“I am sure it will, too, my little warrior,” he told her, unable to contain the soft laughter that escaped him.
“And you’re okay with that?” she asked, turning to face him, her right eyebrow lifted in question.
“I do not believe that you will defy me, Lexi. I believe that you will question me. That is something that you must always do.”
“You want me to question you?” Lexi was surprised by his words. “Why?”
“You and your family are new to this world,” he explained. “There will be things that you do not understand. I want you to be comfortable asking me for explanations. I also want you to discuss things with me so that we can better serve our people together. I am not infallible. I expect that you will help me to see all sides of a situation.”
He walked toward her and stopped just short of touching her. He looked down at her and hesitated. His powerful body was a wall of strength as he stood before her. He was aware that he was intimidating. He did not want to intimidate her.
“I need you to be strong. Question me. Challenge my thoughts. Fight for the rights of the people that we protect. Your tender heart and caring soul will aid me in being a more understanding king.” He hesitated slightly before continuing. “I will welcome your questions, Lexi, but not your disrespect,” he told her honestly. “Do you think you can refrain from being disrespectful to me in front of others?”
Alexa's Warrior Mate (Guardian Warrior Mates, Prophecy of Salvation Book 1) Page 13