Ronin's Bondmate: Zarronian Warriors 4

by Mardi Maxwell

  It had worked until an annual ago when her mother had realized what she’d done. The punishment she’d received for her betrayal had been brutal. It had also come close to breaking her.

  She’d believed she’d survived the worst her mother could dish out. Then six moon phases ago Arlyn had demanded she take Merykh of Crimerryn as a mate. He was a disgusting cold-blooded killer and she’d refused to claim him. In retaliation Arlyn had locked her away from Taryq and her cousins for twenty cycles.

  When she’d been released she’d been close to death, and only Taryq’s constant care had saved her. When he’d asked why she’d been so weak she’d said she’d gotten lost on her way home. He’d accepted her explanation but since then he’d begun distancing himself from her.

  She’d barely recovered from that experience when Arlyn began invading her mind. She badgered her constantly with hateful demands. Belle’s only advantage was that Arlyn couldn’t read her thoughts and demanded that she respond to her vocally. When she refused to do so the torture increased until she gave in.

  Now, sitting alone in the dark she knew she wouldn’t survive the coming punishment. Arlyn wouldn’t have any use for her now that she’d been cast out. In an odd way it was a relief to know the misery was finally ending.

  Razz whined and pawed her leg. She combed her fingers through his soft fur, comforting him. He’d been her constant companion since she’d found him in the forest, abandoned and starving. She’d carried him home, hidden him in her room, and nursed him back to health. Now, ten annuals later he stood taller than her waist and was almost two meters long. He was extremely loyal and protective of her. A fact that was proven when she shivered and he moved closer, sharing his warmth with her.

  The wind picked up and off in the distance lightening lit up the sky as a storm approached.

  “What do you think, Razz? Rain or snow?” she asked then screamed with fear when a backpack landed on the ground next to her.

  Chapter Two

  Ronin bent down next to her. “Freezing rain. We’re going to need a shelter.” He reached for Razz.

  “He bites,” Belle said, warning him off. She didn’t want to share her pet with him or anyone else.

  Ronin smiled as he ran his hand down the animals back then scratched its ears. “What is he?”

  Belle pressed her lips together then gave in and said, “A chameleon wolf. He’s very dangerous and he eats bothersome warriors—on my command.”

  Ronin settled next to her, crowding her and pressing his shoulder against hers. “I’ll have to be careful not to be bothersome.”

  She looked at Razz and frowned. “He should have warned me you were near.”

  “Animals like me.”

  Belle snorted. “They probably think you’re one of them.” His grin raised her ire. “If I told him to he’d rip your head off in less than a nano-unit.”

  Ronin chuckled then patted Razz’s shoulder. “He won’t attack me. He knows I’m the alpha.”

  She looked directly into Ronin’s eyes and said, “Razz, kill.”

  The wolf looked up, yawned, then lay back down.

  Ronin grinned. “Unlike you, baby, your pet knows better than to mess with me.” He studied her for a moment and frowned. “You’re shivering. Make a shelter for us then we’ll discuss how we’re going to do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Travel together. I’m in charge and you’re going to do what I tell you.”

  “You’re not in charge, so how about this? You go away and I’ll take care of myself.”

  “There are still raiders around here.” He ran his eyes over her body and smiled. “You’d make a tasty treat.”

  “I can build a shelter and they won’t be able to reach me.”

  Ronin shook his head. “Consider this. There you are cowering in your nice safe shelter when Taryq comes to see you. He walks into an ambush and is killed. How’s that work for you?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Belle said, as the first drops of freezing rain began to fall.

  “Shelter. Now.”

  “Say please.”

  “You should know that on Zarronia females who misbehave are spanked.”

  “You put one hand on me and I’ll encase you in krystal.”

  He forced her to meet his eyes. His had lightened to a silvery green. “Never make the mistake of thinking I’m one of your civilized Krystali warriors, Bellya. My people are barbarians and we live by our own code of honor.”

  She shivered, hesitated for a moment then nodded. A moment later she held out her hands, called on the elements and conjured a krystal shelter around them. From the inside the walls were clear and smooth, but from the outside it blended in with their surroundings.

  Razz stood, bumped the wall, looked at her and growled. She created an opening and he leapt out and lay down against the outer wall. A nano-unit later he blended in with the environment.

  “He hates being confined,” she said.

  “Who doesn’t?” Ronin opened his pack and began removing items. “I brought sleeping mats, food and water.”

  “I can conjure those things when we need them.”

  He shook his head. “The less you use your powers the stronger you’ll remain. From now on I’ll provide for you and you’ll conserve your energy.”

  She pointed to the outside where ice was beginning to coat everything in sight. “You can melt ice for water but where are you going to get food?”

  “Razz will help me hunt and you can cook what we catch.”

  “I don’t know how to cook.”

  “I’ll teach you.”

  Belle snorted. “I’m surprised you know how considering the technology your people have.”

  “I’ve hunted and fought on primitive planets all over the galaxy. I had to learn to cook if I wanted to eat.”

  “Well, good for you, but maybe I don’t want to learn how to cook.”

  Ronin sent her a quick glance, his eyes glinting with humor. “In that case I’ll just get more from the other enchantresses.”

  She sighed. “They’re not allowed to provide for me.”

  “I’ll provide for you, Bellya,” he said and saw her tiny flinch when he said her name. Sliding his fingers beneath her chin, he lifted her face and stared at her. “You hate your name as much as I do.”

  She shrugged and looked away. “It’s not so bad.”

  “You could change it,” he said.

  “My brother calls me Belle,” she said then wondered if he thought she was giving him permission to call her that as well?

  “I think I’ll call you Daphne.”

  She repeated the name, her luscious lips forming each syllable. “Daf—nee.” With a shrug she added, “Belle means beautiful in Krystali. What does Daphne mean in Zarronian?”

  “It’s not Zarronian. It’s the name of a beautiful, fragrant flower that grows on a planet called Earth.”

  “That’s lovely.” She smiled. “You have permission to call me by this name.”

  He cocked a brow and grinned. “It’s also extremely poisonous and causes convulsions followed by death.”

  Belle glared at him. “I’m beautiful, but I’m not poisonous. I rescind permission.”

  “Soren told me that you and Skye were best friends until your fifteenth birthcycle. Then, you turned your back on her. What kind of friend does that?”

  Belle shrugged again. “My mother needed me.”

  “Is that when your life as a spy began?”

  Belle slid the hood of her cloak away, letting it hang down her back. She pulled her hair over one shoulder, combed it with her fingers and braided it. “I’m not a spy.”

  “Look at me when you talk to me.”

  She looked up. “Why?”

  “So I can see your eyes and tell if you’re lying. You admitted you told your mother about Soren and Skye. What I want to know is how you told her about the plan to attack the raiders’ camp.”

  Belle rolled her eyes. “That’s ridicul
ous. How could I have contacted her? I was with the others the entire time. And, remember communication devices don’t work here on the peninsula of Edyn.”

  “You could have sent someone else with the information.” Ronin leaned toward her. “Is there another traitor in camp?”

  Belle secured the end of the braid then looked at him. “There were four other people at the planning meeting. Have you questioned them like this?”

  “Are you saying Taryq is the traitor?”

  She looked up. “No, of course not! My brother wouldn’t do that.”

  “So it must be Falyn, or her mate, Korbyn?”

  “No, Falyn wouldn’t betray anyone. She’s too kind,” Belle pulled her cloak around her and smoothed the wrinkles from it. “I don’t know her mate though.”

  “So maybe Korbyn is the spy? What about Skye’s brother, Berit? He was at the meeting too.”

  “Perhaps.”

  Ronin smiled. “My people have a device that reveals when a person is lying. “Once we clear the Crimerryns from the peninsula I’ll take you to the Venturer and we’ll see who’s lying.” He smiled and tapped out a rhythm on the top of his leather covered thighs. He stood, shook out his sleeping mat and lay down. “’Night, Daphne.”

  “I told you not to call me that.”

  Ronin rolled onto his side, rested his head on his arm and glared at her. “Let’s get something straight. I’m protecting you because my honor demands I do so. That means I’m in charge and you do as you’re told. Right now it’s time to sleep so get your mat and go to sleep.” He pulled the blanket around his shoulders and turned his back to her.

  “You’re not in charge,” she said, getting a deep chuckle in response.

  “Yes, I am, and don’t you forget it.”

  Belle closed her eyes. She’d just taken a deep breath when her mother struck.

  You stupid, worthless creature. Return to the village immediately and confess your crime.

  Belle’s mother’s voice was an evil hiss that resonated through her mind. Even in pain, Belle smiled, knowing she’d beaten her mother at her own game. “I’m already cast out. Confessing to your crime will get me exiled. Then what will you do?”

  My friends on the Kouncil will insist that you be allowed to make amends and stay.

  Belle laughed. “You don’t have any friends.”

  A scream of rage echoed through her mind. Wincing with pain, Belle grabbed her head and covered her ears, even though she knew it wouldn’t help. When the insane raging stopped she drew in a deep breath. “I’ve beaten you at your own game. Admit it, mother.”

  “What are you mumbling about,” Ronin asked, his voice gruff.

  Belle jumped, having forgotten his presence. “I’m just talking to myself.”

  “Well, stop it and go to sleep,” he said.

  As if sleeping is going to be allowed, she thought, then conjured a clear wall between them.

  Who is the male who speaks to you?

  “One of the foreign warriors who’s been assigned to protect me while I’m cast out,” Belle said.

  Claim him.

  “No.”

  Then, kill him, Belle. Kill him now.

  The demand came with a hard push that Belle managed to fight off. “I’m still strong enough to fight you.”

  Soon you’ll weaken. Then you’ll obey me or die.

  “I will welcome death,” Belle said then remained quiet as her mother raged.

  Chapter Three

  The feeling of someone watching her woke Belle from a restless sleep. She lay still for a moment then opened her eyes. Ronin sat across from her, watching her while he ate. She stared back at him.

  His black brows were drawn down over narrowed eyes that had darkened to a deeper shade of green. Usually, when he didn’t know she was nearby, his lips were curved in an amused grin. Right now the plump bottom lip and the sharply sculpted upper lip were pressed together in a deep frown. Even angry he was still gorgeous.

  He swallowed then said, “We need to get going. Your brother and his warriors have already moved out.”

  “How do you know they’ve left?”

  “I know everything.”

  She smiled, finding his arrogance amusing. “You don’t know who told Arlyn about the attack or how they did it.”

  He squinted at her. “I know who. Just not how, but I will before this journey is over.” He stood with his backpack hanging from his left hand. The position left his right arm free to draw his sword. “When I return be prepared to leave.”

  He walked toward the wall and for a nano-unit she thought about letting him run into it. The image drew a grin to her lips just before she waved her hand and created the door.

  He looked at her, one brow cocked, as if he knew what she’d contemplated. He stepped out and Razz jumped up, placing his large paws on Ronin’s shoulders and licking his face. Laughing, Ronin wrestled her pet to the ground before heading into the bushes with Razz behind him.

  Belle closed the opening, conjured a tub of steaming water, undressed and stepped into it. The heat soaked into her weary muscles. She slid down until it lapped at her chin. Finally, when it grew cold she stepped out, dried off, dressed and conjured her favorite breakfast.

  As soon as she took the first bite she gagged and her stomach cramped. She cleared her throat and forced herself to laugh, knowing it would enrage Arlyn. “You’re so predictable, mother. Couldn’t you come up with something more interesting than sleep deprivation and starvation?”

  Her only answer was the sound of Arlyn’s shrill laughter.

  Belle took a sip of water, hesitated for a few nano-units then swallowed. It stayed down and her belly didn’t cramp. She wasn’t surprised. It was typical of Arlyn to choose a long, painful death for her. Resigned to her fate she gathered her things, dismantled the shelter, and turned to face the beast. And, Razz.

  “Are you going to keep me waiting every morning?” Ronin asked.

  “It depends on how I feel when I wake up,” she said injecting as much sarcasm into her voice as possible.

  He nodded then without speaking he walked away.

  She trailed behind him, her mind filled with the sound of her mother’s rage and her belly aching. Every now and then Razz bumped against her leg. She rubbed his head and scratched his ears then gave him a dust raising thump. He bumped her again and she smiled. She’d tried many times to free him but he always returned to her. She worried that he’d be left alone when she died but maybe she’d found another home for him.

  She’d encourage Razz to spend time with the barbarian. Perhaps he’d take him along when he left Krystali. Chameleon wolves usually lived in packs and didn’t do well on their own. Poor Razz had lost his original pack, and now he thought she, and hopefully Ronin, were his family.

  She stopped, scratched his head and looked into his eyes. “You’re my good baby, Razz.” He bumped his head against her and she could’ve sworn he looked sad for her. Did he sense that she was suffering? “I’m okay.” She rubbed her face against his neck and heard Ronin’s footsteps stop next to her.

  “Stop dawdling. You’ve already put us far behind the others. We have to catch up before moon rising.”

  Frowning, she released Razz and looked up into Ronin’s eyes. “You don’t want to be here anymore than I want you here. Why don’t you take off? When I need to see my brother I’ll approach the camp.”

  Ronin snorted. “Just the fact you want to go anywhere near it makes me suspicious. Still spying for your mother?”

  “You’re the one who said Taryq would be in danger if he came to see me. I’m just trying to keep him safe.”

  “Caring about someone else isn’t part of your character.”

  Belle sucked in a deep breath and stepped back. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  He grabbed her chin, holding her captive. “Are you trying to convince me you’re a decent person?” He shook his head, his expression solemn. “Too late, Belle. I’ve already experienced f
irst hand how you treat people.”

  Coming from him the words hurt. For a moment she wanted to blurt out the truth. To vindicate herself. Instead she stayed in character and forced a sneer to her lips. “Why should I bother with those who are beneath me?” With a final glare, she jerked her chin from Ronin’s grasp, and walked away.

  He caught up to her and brushed by her. “If you fall behind, I’ll leave you.”

  “Good. I don’t want to be around you anyway.” She made a face at his back, then caught up to him. The peninsula was a scary place even for a powerful enchantress.

  He moved faster, taking larger steps. She fought to keep up with him. She ignored her misery by remembering the stories the warriors had told around the campfires. They said they could go twenty-one cycles without food. Of course, they were bigger than her. She’d probably last ten or twelve cycles before she collapsed. She glanced at her companion and knew he’d know something was wrong long before that point.

  She’d have to get away before she lost the ability to fight off her mother’s demands. If that happened Arlyn would take over her body and do unspeakable things. Poison a warrior or kill his mate, harm a villager, or anything else she dreamed up in her sick mind.

  # # #

  Ronin glanced back, saw that she was keeping up and turned away again. She was up to something. Using her brother’s safety as an excuse to go to the camp and spy on them really pissed him off. He’d been tempted to flip her over his knee and swat her bottom until she begged him to stop. Instead he walked faster and put more distance between them.

  Breathing in her delicious scent was playing havoc with his mating fever. He was burning up. Touching her would push him over the edge and he’d end up bonded to her. It was that knowledge that kept him from touching her.

  A spanking would be followed by a kiss. One wouldn’t be enough and they’d end up on his mat. Bonded. It was a fate worse than death as far as he was concerned.

  There was nothing worse than being bonded to a mean-spirited female. He was almost thirty-two annuals old. If he was bonded, he’d have another hundred and fifty annuals ahead of him. His mate would also inherit a long life span from him. It was part of the advantage of being bondmated to a Zarronian warrior.