by Sue Lyndon
It was easy to imagine old, rich Thomas being so enraged at losing an auction to a Banded man that he assembled a group of village men to help him seek revenge. She wondered if the old man had joined in the battle, or if he’d simply enlisted the village’s best hunters. He’d probably offered them a share of the plunder, leading them to believe Jaxon’s home likely contained countless coins and jewels, ripe for the picking. She released a frustrated breath and exchanged a glance with Katrine. The older woman offered her a calm smile and then turned to resume comforting one of the young Banded women.
The noise of the battle didn’t sound very close to the house, and Ava clenched her fists, once again trying to resist the urge to peek out the window. All the women had been ordered to remain in her bedroom, with the door bolted, and no one was permitted to venture near the window or leave the room until the victory horn was blown. Just in case a rogue arrow or spear happened to shatter the glass.
The clash of swords became less and less, and the growls of the Banded and the agonizing screams of humans became more intermittent. The battle was winding down, and Ava jumped to her feet and started to pace, unable to sit still as she awaited the victory horn. She’d never known such uncertainty, fear, and impatience in her life. What if Jaxon or Wolfe had been wounded? Or one of their fathers?
She glanced at Katrine again, but stopped pacing when she noticed the woman’s eyes were wide and fixed on the window. All the other women were staring at her, as if waiting for her to finally speak. Ava’s stomach flipped.
A vision. Katrine was having another vision.
“What is it?” Ava asked, rushing to her mother-in-law’s side.
“A human. Still alive. Approaching Jaxon from behind. Jaxon’s already sheathed his sword and doesn’t…”
Ava didn’t need to hear another word. She knew what she must do. She rushed out of her bedroom and downstairs. With the windows boarded up on the first floor, she stumbled in the darkness until she finally found her way to the front door. It was bolted shut, but only from the inside. She stood on her tiptoes and heaved the wooden bolt aside. Grasping the knob, she turned it and pulled hard, not caring about the danger she might be running into. She only cared about getting to Jaxon in time and warning him.
He’d saved her from a life of misery in the village. She owed him. Not only that, she cared for him and Wolfe. They’d just become a family and she wouldn’t allow anything to tear them apart.
She ran through the front garden and into the carnage of the battlefield. Human bodies littered the ground. She paused and scanned the landscape through the rising mist. Sunlight peeked through the trees, and she squinted and tried to focus her gaze after being inside in the darkness for so long.
She heard the deepness of Banded male voices to her right and headed in that direction, praying Jaxon was among them, or at the very least, Wolfe. As the mist cleared around them, she hurried up to the Banded males who were wiping the blood off their swords. Her heart sank to discover neither of her mates were among the group.
“Jaxon,” she said. “I must find Jaxon. He’s in danger.”
The men gazed at her quizzically, and the tallest of the group, whom she recognized as Trent, stepped forward. “We believe all the humans are dead. What danger do you speak of?”
“Katrine had a vision. There’s one human left alive, one human who she saw approaching Jaxon from behind.” Her heart raced and her senses were on high alert. She heard every little noise on the battlefield. Murmuring voices. Heaving breaths. No more growls or cries or clashing of swords though. The Banded thought all the danger was over, but they were wrong, and they needed to find Jaxon and fast.
“Spread out and find Jaxon. Keep an eye out for the human as well,” Trent ordered, and the other four men soon dispersed.
“Why aren’t you going to look for him, too?” Ava put her hands on her hips, agitation and desperation rolling through her in waves.
Trent lifted an eyebrow at her and grasped her upper arm. “Because I must take you back to the house, where all the women are supposed to remain until told otherwise. I know Jaxon and Wolfe will not be pleased to learn you’ve disobeyed such orders.”
Ava saw red and yanked her arm from Trent’s grasp. Before she realized what she was doing, she kicked his shin and turned, intent to run off into the mist in search of Jaxon herself. She needed to know his location. She needed to know he was safe.
She made it only three steps before Trent scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder. She shrieked and pounded at his back, but to no avail. He wasn’t going to let her go, and—damn him—he was indeed headed back to the house.
“Put me down, you clay-brained lout!” She kicked and twisted, but her struggles didn’t slow him down in the slightest.
“Ava?” Wolfe’s deep voice made her go still. “What’s going on?”
She froze and peeked around Trent’s back to see her mate of the night staring down at her in disbelief. “Wolfe! You must find Jaxon now! Your mother had a vision about a human approaching him from behind, after he sheathed his sword and believed the battle over,” she said quickly.
Wolfe bolted past them and across the field. The mist had almost dispersed completely, burned up by the rising sun. She tried to see if Jaxon was among those standing in the center of the field, but Trent commenced carrying her into the house. Once they were in the kitchen, he sat her on her feet and gave her a stern look.
“You will bolt the door behind you after I leave, and you will not open it again until the victory horn blows. Is that clear?”
“You are not my mate,” she said angrily, placing her hands on her hips. “You can’t tell me what to do. Now, I insist we both go look for Jaxon now.”
Trent glanced at the ceiling for a moment, then leveled another stern look on her. “The sooner you agree to stay here, the sooner I can leave and join in the search for Jaxon.”
Ava quieted and dropped her hands to her sides. “Fine. I-I’ll stay here. I promise. Please find him.”
Trent turned and strode to the door, pulling his sword from his belt as he exited the house. He paused long enough on the front porch to ensure she’d shut and bolted the door, before she heard his disappearing footsteps.
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 acr
oss 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.”
“Don’t lie to us, little slave. You are already in deep trouble. You don’t want to add to the punishment you have coming,” Wolfe said, giving her hair a slight yank.
“But why? I didn’t do anything wrong!” She tried to twist out from between them, but neither allowed her to escape, instead keeping her caged between them while the women who’d been upstairs rushed past them and out the door, in a hurry to greet their own mates.
“Little human, you left the house before the victory horn sounded. Do you have any idea the danger you might’ve put yourself in?”
“But I was trying to warn you, Jaxon. That’s not fair!”
“Ava, even after you informed several of the Banded of the danger against Jaxon, you still refused to return to the house. Trent had to pick you up and carry you back here over his shoulder,” Wolfe said.
Jaxon stiffened and pinned her with a displeased look. “Is that true, young lady?”
A deeper flush bloomed across her cheeks. “Well, I…”
“I also heard her calling Trent a name and putting up quite the fuss.”
“You will apologize to Trent, of course,” Jaxon said sternly.
“All right, I will tell him I’m truly sorry, but I still think it’s unfair for you to punish me. Would you have rather I left you to die on the battlefield?” she said, her blue eyes flashing.
“The human might have wounded me, Ava, but I would likely have prevailed. I will admit you gave me an advantage, warning me ahead of time as you did when your voice came to me, however, I don’t want to think of what would’ve happened if you’d have run into this human man yourself as you ran around searching for me.”
“You could’ve been killed,” Wolfe said, his voice hardening to steel.
Ava lowered her head, and when her bottom lip began quivering, she bit it and inhaled a deep breath. After a long moment of silence, she said, “I suppose I see your point, but when your mother had the vision, I didn’t even think about it. I just ran outside. I care about both of you very much. We’ve become a family.” Her voice broke over the last few words.
“Yes, Ava, we’ve become a family,” Jaxon said, “but we are Banded males and you are our sweet, treasured female. It’s our duty to see you protected at all times. Both of us would gladly die to keep you safe. We won’t stand for you risking your safety under any circumstances. You mean everything to us.”
Chapter Twelve
Ava stood in the center of her bedroom, naked and trembling as she awaited her punishment. At any moment, her mates would arrive and chastise her thoroughly for her disobedience. While she initially had been outraged that they’d punish her for trying to warn Jaxon, she supposed she now understood their perspective. Though she hoped it never came to it, they really would forfeit their lives to save hers.
Emotion tightened in her chest and she struggled to breathe. Tears burned in her eyes, and she blinked and swallowed hard, trying to remain calm and brave. Her bottom tingled as she stood in place, her hands trembling while she listened for their footsteps.
After the dead had been buried in the forest, all the Banded who’d come to help fight the humans finished preparing for their return home, packing up with a speed that impressed Ava. Wolfe and Jaxon had passed out gifts to all the men—mostly safestones and other precious gems—before thanking them and wishing them all a good journey.
As Trent and his twin had departed, Ava had uttered her apologies over fighting him and calling him a name. Her face had flamed impossibly hot while she delivered her regrets, but fortunately Trent had offered his forgiveness with a wry smile, though afterward he mumbled something about strong-willed human girls and mentioned that his own mate, Amelia, would probably get along well with her.
Ava twisted her fingers together and stared out the window. The curtains were partially drawn back, and the afternoon sun cast a beam of light across the floor. She shifted in place and glanced at her bed, wondering if her mates would claim her after they punished her.
Heat commenced pul
sing between her thighs at the prospect, and she flushed from head to toe and tried very hard to think pure thoughts, but it was no use. When her mates arrived to spank her, they would likely detect the scent of her arousal. Shame coursed through her, and when she shifted in place again, her thighs rubbed together and her desire unfurled further, to a deep, resonating need within her womanly core that only her mates’ touch could satisfy.
Tentatively, she reached between her thighs and stroked one finger through her gathering wetness. When she touched her sensitive, swollen nubbin, a gasp left her and her hips jerked forward against her hand.
Once more, she glanced at the door and listened for any sounds of her mates approaching. Perhaps they’d decided to take a quick nap before seeing to her discipline. They had gone several days without sleep, after all. Again, she stole another bit of pleasure, this time rubbing two digits through her slick folds and spreading her moisture over her pulsing clit.
She should stop.
She really shouldn’t be touching herself. It was against the rules, and she was already in enough trouble as it was.
If I catch you touching yourself without permission, I will force your legs apart and spank the tender folds of your cunny.
Jaxon’s threat came rushing back, and a delicious quiver shot through her, sending heated tingles spreading outward from her aching center. Her nipples tightened and her breath grew fainter. She kept touching herself, caressing her dewy petals, even as she promised herself she would stop in another moment or two. But the moments kept passing and still she didn’t move her hand from between her thighs.
Perhaps if she reached the precipice that Jaxon and Wolfe had brought her to the other night, the insistent throbbing in her core would cease and they wouldn’t discover her swollen and slick with arousal when they arrived to spank her. If she found her release quickly, she could just as quickly wash herself off and resume her position waiting in the center of the room for their arrival. They would never find out.