Forever One

by L. F. Hampton

  “El’kota.” Tallas waited, her liquid gaze serious, intent on his face. She crossed her forearm to her chest in traditional greeting, dipping her head to her warlord. “I am ready.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do this, Lieutenant. You are young for this mission. The trip is long and dangerous.”

  “I volunteered. You doubt my abilities, sire?” She stood stiffly at attention until he replied.

  “No. I do not doubt you. You are a fine officer and a fierce warrior. He will be as safe with you as with any of my warriors. I only want you to be sure of what you are doing.” He lifted one brow. For once, Cayla read him clearly. He was truly concerned.

  Tallas didn’t hesitate. “I know what I’m doing.” Her chin rose. She was ready for his orders. Vadyn’s voice held gruffness even as he explained.

  “We haven’t yet discovered why the Xeetag were with the Slytreen. The dust storm erased all evidence. The Alliance’s Federal troops will escort you past the Great Barrier. After that, you’ll be on your own, Lieutenant.” He searched her face. And again Cayla felt his unease. “Do not trust your instruments. Follow your instincts. The Slytreen may have discovered a new way of cloaking their ships, or the Xeetag may be in this thing deeper than we know.” He took a breath before continuing. It was evident that there was so much more he wanted to say, but warriors didn’t show such emotion. Cayla thought perhaps her human worries were infecting him. He scowled at her briefly before adding another warning to his lieutenant. “Do not take unnecessary risks, Tallas. I will not endanger one of my finest officers for such a foolish mission. If you happen to gain any knowledge of the Slytreen, your first duty is to report back to us. Understood?”

  “Understood.” Her crisp response rang with military discipline. She practically glowed in her commander’s praise. Cayla felt Vadyn’s spike of unworthiness of such devotion after losing Logan and Elizabeth and hurried to interrupt.

  “Take care of Sean for me.” She gripped Tallas’s forearm. “He doesn’t know himself yet. He needs you.”

  “Do not worry, my friend. I will protect him. Always.” Tallas patted her hand rather stiffly. “Have no fear. We will be back one day—both of us.” Obviously, her oath to Elizabeth meant that she intended to stay with Sean.

  Cayla nodded to her. Her vision swam. Tallas had been the one female friend that she turned to for companionship. How could she feel jealousy over her years spent with Vadyn? Bah. She had never been so unsure of herself. Too many of her emotions still rioted out of her control. And she had never felt jealous of anyone before—before this linking with a Kasar warrior. Well, maybe she had been a little jealous of her mother’s relationship with Vadyn. She ground her teeth, drew a deep breath in through her nose, and let it out slowly. She would not cry. No. This farewell was touching her deeply, ripping at her heart. But, later that day, Sean ignored her, as if their sibling connection meant nothing to him. He boarded the Vyper with an indifferent goodbye. Watching him, she fought to maintain rigid control. Kasars were dignified, and she was trying to be more like them. She hugged Tallas’s shoulders in one rather stiff goodbye and watched the tall warrior stride away with regal, firm steps, pondering. Ah, yes, my friend, you’ll protect Sean, but who will protect you? In all their years together, Tallas had never admitted her love for Sean, but Cayla had known for a long time and had commiserated. She had felt the same hopelessness until she had bonded with Vadyn, fulfilling her childish dreams. Oh, what a child she had been.

  Now, her happiness warred with belated fears and doubts. Most of the time, there was no privacy to mull over her thoughts. Was it always this way with bonded pairs? But now, when Vadyn blanketed his thoughts from her, she felt adrift without his link. He had again closed his barriers against her and refused to meet her gaze—as he did in most emotional situations. Bah! She put him to the back of her mind and dealt with the more pressing issue of her brother. She didn’t know whom to feel sorrier for, Sean or Tallas. Damn it, she should have been more aware of his torment. Years of regret haunted her throughout the rest of the day, and she couldn’t get the sight of the ship carrying her brother away out of her mind.

  Inexplicably angry, she whirled on Vadyn that evening as if her failure were his fault. His thoughts were still hidden from her, and her temper flared as it had been doing more often of late. Even the back of her neck heated when she finally found him in his war room hard at work, his attention focused on something she knew nothing about. She fairly snarled at him, “Couldn’t you have, at least, let them take a bigger fighter than a Vyper?”

  The smallest of Kasar vessels, modified from scout ship to long distance fighters, Vypers were usually piloted by a single warrior. Their round shape held a compact u-shaped bridge with fingertip controls, a small mess area, and single sleeping quarters with sanitation facilities. A tiny docking bay and cargo hold completed the ring. Armament was limited to laser cannon. The best defense a Vyper held was in their super-fast hyper-drive engines. Well, she hoped its speed held enough to protect Tallas and Sean. Why had Vadyn been so stingy? She stalked around to where he sat at his worn commander’s desk in what he called his war room. He didn’t acknowledge her. His head remained bowed, and his attention seemed focused down on reports and stats. She slapped her palm down on the desk, daring what few would in the warlord’s presence—she raised her voice and stuck her face nose to nose with his. “I said that I doubt Tallas and Sean will be comfortable onboard a stingy Vyper. Did you hear me?”

  For a moment, he continued ignoring her, looking out the corners of his eyes much as a cat would bait a mouse, then he laid his papers gently aside. A thin smile curved his mouth—a faint warning that she ignored. She seethed at his high-handed ways. She was so tired of being kept outside. Vadyn was hiding something from her, she knew it. His smug attitude was so like a superior male’s that even his words echoed the snide emotion. “Yes, I could have given them a bigger vessel, say a Cobra, but, think for a moment. A Vyper is swifter and more deadly. It maneuvers well in tight spots. And”—he paused—“close quarters make for closer friends.” A sharp-toothed grin gave way on his stern mouth.

  “Or for greater enemies.” She snorted, feeling a frown crease her forehead, knowing that an answer eluded her and that not knowing made her angrier. “I hope you know what you’re doing—to both of them, Warlord.”

  “I have great faith in my lieutenant’s abilities. I also see great potential in your brother.” Perfectly arched golden brows lifted. “Four months is a very long time. By my calculations, I judge Tallas should reach First Season somewhere during mid-journey.” He stood and waited for her reaction. When it came, he grinned broadly.

  “Great Virdon’s Ghost!” For some reason, her exclamation about the ghost of Kasara’s greatest hero was the most blasphemous thing she could think of. “If Tallas reaches First Season out there all alone, who will attend her?” A female’s coming of age was always celebrated with honors on Kasar. Human females normally reached womanhood at twelve or thirteen, but a Kasar female’s maturation took nearly twice as many years. And Tallas was nearly past that age. She thought for a moment. She had barely noticed, but warriors had begun to closely dog Tallas’s steps of late. She thought they had been hanging around in foolish warrior admiration. After all, Tallas had been granted first lieutenant status with her prowess. But now the thought surfaced that surely, the estrus cycle was drawing near for the young warrior. She had been giving off a hot, cinnamon scent lately, but Cayla had thought that her friend was starting to wear a new less subtle perfume. Damn it. Perhaps Vadyn was right about the timing. But she remained unconvinced at his wisdom in locking Sean and Tallas away together. Tallas needed females with her—and eligible Kasar males. Wise women from the female’s family explained about males and courtship. Midwives revealed the workings and needs of a woman’s body. Out in space, Tallas would have no one. And, worst of all, there wouldn’t be any young warriors to choose
a sexual partner from . . . She blinked mentally and physically. “That’s what you’re hoping for, aren’t you? Stars!” She punched Vadyn in the chest and ignored his feigned wince. “You think she’ll choose Sean for mating—and he’ll have to accept because they’ll be all alone together.” Her voice dropped. “But what if Sean doesn’t accept her—or she him?”

  “Then, I hope your sibling has plenty of bandages and splints handy. A female Kasar in heat can be dangerous. A female warrior is even deadlier.”

  At her frown, Vadyn hastened to continue. “Do not worry so. You know as well as I that Tallas loves Sean. She would pick him even if there were hundreds of other eligible males around her.”

  Yeah, she agreed, Tallas would choose Sean. She loved him. But would Sean accept her in her time of need? Would he mate with not just a Kasar but a Kasar warrior? She doubted it. There would be no lifetime linking for him. Just how had Vadyn hidden his devious plan from her? He answered her thought with a smirk.

  “Because you are, as always, too wrapped up in worry.” He didn’t bother hiding the plain fact that he read her thoughts, the worm. A little of his own thinking leaked to her before his next words. “But I know a cure for that worry.” He jerked her forward, and for once she didn’t protest. Why bother? He’d get his way in the end anyhow. She didn’t stop her fall against him and felt the full throbbing length of his erection pressing against her butt. Looking up, she saw a vein his forehead beat in tune with her pulse. Yeah, there was no doubt about his thoughts. Only sex was on his mind. His hands roamed up and down her in a knowing caress. And he knew just when and where to touch. How could he not when he had been linked to a human for so many years? She tucked her face against his neck but couldn’t hold the sigh that escaped.

  He flinched and reared back. “I have never compared you to her! Cayla, how can you even think such a thing about your mother?” His breath blew hot in her face. With a deep scowl marring his forehead, he set her firmly away from him. After intently searching her face as well as her thoughts, his frown disappeared. His shoulders relaxed, and he gently brushed her tangled hair back from her brow. His growl dropped to a purr. “If I do compare, Cayla, you must know it’s a thoughtless fleeting memory. It is not done to hurt you. Our connection is truly ours—different in every way from your mother’s.” With a tired sigh, he pulled her back, curving over her. “Beloved, you dishonor her memory by giving in to such thoughts.” He bent his head, resting his broad forehead on hers. His velvet skin caressed her bare brow while she remained still lost amid her own memories. She couldn’t ever raise her face to look at him. He lifted her chin with a finger, his gaze flickering over her face.

  “Here, seek and know me. Search me for any deceit or regret. You will find none. None. You, and only you, are my mate, my heart, and my soul.” His sincerity washed over her, brushing away her fears. Still, there were times when her mother’s memories obtained from him threatened to overpower her with their intensity. Sometimes, she wondered if her feelings for the warlord were her own or her mother’s. Did Vadyn really think of her and not her mother? How strong was their bond? At certain times, their connection seemed almost like incest. She swallowed a moan. Dear gods, would she ever truly be free of her parents’ influences—their joined past to Vadyn? At this moment, the strength of his feelings, his demand for her, forced her to push all thoughts of her mother aside. For once, she kissed him first in an open-mouthed apology. Body, mind, and soul connected. Locked in fevered passion, she never knew how they reached their room and fell upon their rumpled bed. Their passion lasted long into the night, but she couldn’t sleep. Thoughts of their joining still troubled her with its complete obsession.

  Now, more often than before, they existed in a state of sexual heat. She knew the Kasar whispered in awe at such mating frenzy. And the household staff spread the news until even the farthest villages knew of it. Perhaps, after the Elders’ meeting, Vadyn had ulterior motives, but she didn’t care. The truth was that such numerous matings had only occurred between her human parents. This odd joining between her and Vadyn was watched by the people with wary anticipation to see the outcome. Kasar matings, limited to once a season, never produced such heated passion, and their dwindling births might be a direct result. That seasonal mating and the countless wars fought against alien invaders had cost Kasara. She shuddered in Vadyn’s sleepy grip at the thought of having a child. She didn’t want the responsibility—refused to acknowledge the yearning that was growing in her empty arms. Kasara wasn’t safe. Look at what happened to her parents while they were innocently having a picnic.

  In the past, hundreds of warriors had given their lives to ensure Kasara’s safety. Now, Vadyn’s rule and the Alliance’s allies helped maintain a precarious peace, but dangers still existed. These recent days had shown just how dangerous the world could be. She knew many held the hope that the warlord and his mate would soon produce new life and a new heir—an heir that blends Kasar brute strength and calming human knowledge—a hope that someday, Kasara would come back to full strength. Vadyn’s link to Elizabeth had brought new levels of diplomacy and military strategy. Logan and Elizabeth had become the first human legends among the Kasar.

  Now, perhaps, they would accept others, but the Elders had cast doubts with their speculations. Was she really wise and strong enough to be ly’teal of Kasara? She doubted herself, especially after the way she had failed in her acceptance of Vadyn’s nature. And he still withdrew many times from her rejections. She wasn’t ready to accept the thought of being in love with him. Why, she barely knew the real Vadyn, or perhaps, due to the link, she knew the real Vadyn only too well. And even if she bore a child, she would never be the ly’teal he needed if she couldn’t even accept his link to her. Damn it, she knew nothing about ruling—all she knew she took from the warlord’s thoughts. How stupid and inadequate she was. She hadn’t even noticed her brother’s distress that he had held for many years. Finally, she drifted off into dreams still thinking of disappointing Vadyn, wondering if she had time to learn, time to be worthy. Somehow that became the most important thing to her. Her shortcomings plagued her thoughts, turning them into nightmares.

  Chapter 10

  “I CAN’T SHAKE the feeling that something is wrong.” Cayla left off worrying her lower lip with her teeth when the pain sharpened her attention. Behind her, lying on his side, Vadyn stroked her naked back with lazy fingers. The pleasure he gave confused her, but she welcomed the shivers they left behind. Better those than the jitters she had felt all day. But she didn’t like where her body wanted his fingers to go, and she finally shrugged at the irritation. Vadyn drew back, his shield tighter around his hurt. She turned toward him with a sigh and growled, “It’s not you.” He frowned, still misunderstanding. Why didn’t he just intrude on her thoughts like he usually did? He didn’t get what was bugging her but bless him, he still tried to soothe her.

  “They will be back, Cayla. I wouldn’t have let Sean and Tallas leave if I thought we would never see them again.” He extended his claws and in his usual teasing manner, tickled her provocatively with the sharp edge of one talon. As always, her damned nipples responded, pebbling into drawing points that yearned for his mouth. It seemed that every time he persuaded her to mate with him, she lost a little more of her hostility—a little more of her identity. But she couldn’t fight the thrill of danger and passion that lay just below the surface. She bravely called it forth again, stroking him in return, all of him, his shaft and his balls with her hands. His golden gaze widened, and he grew between her palms, lengthened to jut against her. Most of the time, he just got her started then let her lead, set the pace. Her initiative today caught him by surprise. She liked that and laughed low in her throat.

  Her distracting thoughts fled at his deep appreciative growl, and the hot look in his eyes drew moisture from her lower regions. Her palms longed to caress his back, draw him even closer. Suddenly, she glimpsed that glorious f
lashback of him rising above her, golden hair loose, curtaining their faces with their lips bare fractions apart. In her vision, his chin rose, his eyes closed, and his head tilted. The thick cords in his neck strained with his release. She barely heard his calm words through her hazy memories. Damn this! How much of this memory was fed from her lust, how much from his? He sounded unaffected although his hard erection pulsed in her hands.

  “There is nothing we can do for Sean and Tallas at the moment. I have other matters to attend. Tomorrow, I leave for Dara V for a meeting with the Alliance. Maybe someone there knows why the Xeetag were among the Slytreen outlaw horde.” He yawned widely, exposing sharp, long teeth, evidently trying to intimidate her while pretending indifference to her sexual overtures. Well, his twitching cock spoke otherwise. She squeezed his shaft harder; such power rested in her hands. She relished his groan as he curved closer. Well, well, he wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended. She rubbed up then down his length, then again. He grew ever longer and harder, grunting again, but still talking about the Xeetag as if to distract her. “I’ve never trusted those reptiles. They breed treachery by their very nature.” He might pretend indifference, but his husky purr raised chills on her spine.

  “I’m coming with you to Dara V.” She lowered her gaze as well as her voice. Until that moment, she hadn’t decided on going with him. Suddenly that seemed very important. She pulled on him again and found that his foreskin covered the moisture that leaked. She swirled a finger in the milky fluid. He moaned louder this time and then snarled. His heavy-lidded look said she finally had his full attention.

  “No, you are not coming with me.” At her tightened pull, he sucked in an audible breath. A shudder passed over him, but he still made no move to escalate their passion. She swallowed frustration and hissed through clenched teeth.