A Warlord's Heart

by Michelle Howard

  A Warlord’s Heart

  Warlord Series

  By Michelle Howard

  Published by Michelle Howard

  Copyright © 2013 by Michelle Howard

  Edited by: bellamediamanagement

  Cover Design: www.estrellacoverart.com

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this novel with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please buy an additional copy for each recipient.

  No part of this book may be distributed in any format, in whole or in part without the express written consent of the author.

  Thank you for respecting the author's hard work.

  This is a work of fiction and is not a reflection or representation of any person living or dead. Any similarity is of pure coincidence.

  Acknowledgements

  I am fortunate in the friends I’ve made along the way in this writing venture and because of them I’m a better author. Thanks to my beta readers, my editors, my fans and everyone who has picked up one of my books to try. I can’t express my gratitude enough for the love you’ve shared. Thank you a million times.

  Chapter 1

  “Vaan, you can’t change my mind,” Miki warned as her mate trailed kisses up the sensitive curve of her neck.

  “I but seek to warm you,” he murmured.

  Miki held back a smile at the blatant lie. His hands curved around her hips, tugging her close. The evidence of his arousal prodded her middle.

  “I’m very warm.” Vaan’s touch always warmed her.

  “Mmm. You are now.” The whisper teased her ear as he straightened and tucked her hair behind her lobe.

  Midnight eyes gazed down at her. “You are insistent on leaving, yes?”

  Miki stroked her hand over the length of his braid, enjoying the silky texture as always. “It’s important that I meet with the neighboring Su-Su. A lot of changes have occurred and we’ve relied on their trust because of what happened with Thenl. Now I wish to meet with them and listen to their concerns and desires.”

  His lips twisted as his hands slid from her waist and he stepped away. “Why you? I could speak with them.”

  Miki snorted. “You frighten them.”

  In fact, no Raasa would dare gainsay the Overlord. His defeat of Thenl acted as a double-edged sword. They feared him yet were grateful to him. It was why Miki knew she had to be the one to conduct the visits and confirm that the treaty with Kaban, Raasa and Desani had no negative repercussions on her people.

  “If they are frightened then they are weak,” he declared.

  Miki rolled her eyes and walked toward the last of the bags she’d packed before Vaan interrupted her by storming into their bedroom. “They’re not weak. They’re Raasa. As am I. Do you think I’m weak?”

  Vaan didn’t answer. Miki turned from their bed and glanced over her shoulder. He stood with his arms crossed, a dark frown aimed her way. She tried not to be distracted by how the pose emphasized the flexing muscles of his bare torso.

  Shaking her head to wipe the lustful thoughts, Miki probed. “Vaan?”

  He released a frustrated sound and shifted his weight. “You know my answer in this. If not for your courage, she’ma, my Warlords and I would be asleep in a dark cave my vengeance unfulfilled.”

  She eased the heavy luggage to the floor. “You do know calling your mate a weed is not sensitive or sweet.”

  “Good as I am neither,” he countered, coming over to take the bag from her loose grip. “What of our youngling?”

  He followed her out the door of their bedroom to the lower level of their home, muttering all the way down the stairs. Miki sighed. She knew her decision to travel without him would meet with resistance but it needed to be done. If she took Vaan along he’d intimidate everyone with his presence alone.

  Miki hurried down the steps. Excitement rolled through her at this opportunity.

  “Slow down or you will land on your head and I will not be pleased, Mikayla.”

  Miki ignored Vaan’s growl and met Balal and Kavan at the bottom. Each Warlord held one of her daughters. At the sight of the tough warriors, hands calloused by swords cupping the youngling by the head and the butt, her heart melted. It took a while but now all of Vaan’s Warlords were comfortable carrying the girls if needed.

  “Is Hapani ready?”

  It was Kavan who answered. “Yes, my lady.”

  Miki ran a hand through Erana’s black curls. The silky length reached her shoulders. They grew quickly. Erana bounced in Kavan’s arms, her diamond-shaped, green eyes glowing with happiness.

  “Mikayla,” Vaan snapped, reaching her side. The bag he carried thumped on the floor loudly. “If I allow you this trip you will take several of my men with you.”

  Perfect. She smiled and leaned over Balal to kiss a drowsy Arane, who blinked in her direction and yawned. Tiny fangs flashed before she closed her mouth and snuggled securely in the arms around her.

  “I agree, Vaan. You can send someone with me.”

  His arm lashed around her waist as he pulled her to his side. “Not one. Kavan, Merik, Eatan and Carog will accompany you.”

  That was four. Mikayla could imagine the reaction she’d receive with such a large Kaban escort.

  ***

  “Four is too many, Vaan.”

  If he could send ten he would. Vaan did not like the idea of Mikayla out of his sight. He’d accustomed himself to having her within reach. “You will take them or stay home.”

  Her face took on a mulish cast and Vaan knew he’d won. He hadn’t wanted her to go anyway.

  “Fine. They can come.”

  He stumbled and his arms tightened. “You accept?”

  Her green eyes spit fire. “Yes.”

  Fear crashed into him since he had thought she would refuse. He started to protest but the mullish look on her face warned him not to.

  “Our youngling will stay with you and Balal can help since Kavan must accompany me.”

  He stared intently, wondering how hard he could push her. If he forced the issue, his mate would anger and he would need make amends. For once it was not something he looked forward to as he had the feeling it would not involve bed play. He was learning the heights her stubbornness could take.

  “It shall be as you say, Mikayla.” He leaned forward to murmur in her ear. “If you are hurt in anyway… if my Warlords see you in danger.” Vaan broke off the threat and exhaled.

  Her soft hand caressed his jaw. “I’ll be fine. All fear a Galip warrior.”

  Balal snorted behind him at her use of Vaan’s battle cry.

  “You tease but I will start a war for you, Mikayla. Know this if you know nothing else.”

  His chest ached at the thought of something befalling this female he’d come to care for above all others.

  “You are a good mate and mala.” He used the Raasa word for mother.

  She kissed him on the cheek and switched to the Raasa tongue. “I love you, too.”

  Vaan recognized the words as he’d painstakingly learned to say them in her native language. “I love you.”

  When Mikayla eased from his hold, he reluctantly let his hands fall to his side. She kissed their youngling and nuzzled them until they smiled and giggled.

  Moments later, Vaan stood at the gate as his mate rode off with his men and he prayed the Blessed One kept her safe until she returned to him.

  Chapter 2

  Vaan stared in amazement. Mikayla hadn’t been gone but a day and already he longed for her presence. At the center of the din
ing hall, Arane poked her wooden sword toward Balal and her sister Erana jabbed the Warlord with her weapon as well.

  “Die! Die!” They chanted at the same time.

  Balal gripped his middle with both hands, his face forming weird contortions as he groaned. His Warlord staggered a step then another and collapsed to the floor. The girls giggled loudly, stabbing him in the back and side with their toy swords.

  Balal to his credit never flinched.

  Done with toying with their ‘dead enemy’, his youngling toddled toward the large wooden table where several of Vaan’s men dined. When they circled a servant, juggling a large tray who almost tripped, his hands clenched. Ever since the girls began to walk, his terror for them had increased by ten fold. He winced as they dragged their swords on the stone floor behind them. His next lesson with his youngling would be the proper care a warrior used on all blades taken into battle.

  Each Warlord ducked their heads with muffled curses as they neared. It was good Mikayla was away or she would have scolded them all. Arane and Erana slowed when they reached Ramar, who sat at the very end of one of the tables, enjoying the mid-day meal. His gaze cut to the girls before going back to his plate as he continued to eat.

  “Die! Die!” They repeated and stabbed him with their blunt weapons.

  Ramar rose to his feet with a roar and withdrew his dagger. Vaan tensed as he watched the scene unfold.

  Ramar disarmed Erana with a gentle version of a move Vaan recognized. Her lower lip quivered. In a lightning-quick slash, he parried Arane’s attack. She skipped the lip quiver and stomped her foot. “Die!”

  Vaan bit back a grin at their antics because they now had the attention of everyone in the dining hall, Raasa included. A few of his Warlords snickered but changed the humorous sound to a rough cough when they caught Vaan’s glare.

  Ramar continued to stand, balanced on the balls of his feet as if facing a true enemy though his eyes glinted with merriment.

  Unfortunately, Vaan’s youngling were not amused. Arane poked Ramar several times in the leg with her sword and demanded, “Die, Noan,”

  Vaan choked as Ramar turned bright red. His youngling had offered the highest insult to his Warlord by referring to him as a childcare giver. He would have to talk to Mikayla again because he was sure she was behind teaching them the Raasa word.

  “Pease,” Erana chimed in, tears welling in her green eyes.

  Balal chuckled from his death throes on the floor.

  Ramar tapped the blade of his knife on Arane’s sword, continuing to battle. Vaan approached on silent feet, drawing several stares including Ramar’s as he stood behind his girls. His youngling never turned, too focused on their opponent.

  Arane sniffed loudly and the tip of her weapon wobbled in her chubby grip. Vaan realized his stubborn daughter was close to tears. It was not something he could accept. He withdrew his own sword from the harness at his back and met Ramar’s stare over their heads.

  “Die,” Vaan mouthed and flashed his blade.

  Ramar ‘died’.

  When his Warlord fell to the floor without the entertaining display of Balal, his youngling giggled and jumped up and down. The sound of their laughter had no price. He sheathed his sword just as they turned and noticed him.

  “Falo!”

  His lower legs braced for impact as both launched their tiny frames and wrapped their arms around him. Vaan stooped to their height to better receive their loving embrace and the smell of zanni berries filled his nostrils. The scent combined with their youngling touch reminded him that he had love in his life. An emotion he easily would have discounted in his hardened past but no more.

  When he pulled back, he brushed at the midnight curls on their heads and said the first thing that came to mind. “You grow better with your weapons.”

  “Train,” Erana announced, her tiny fangs biting her bottom lip.

  “Sword,” Arane added, lifting the hilt of her wooden weapon.

  “Yes,” Vaan agreed, rising to his feet with a youngling in each arm.

  He winced as their swords, a gift from the Desani King, clattered to the floor when their arms curled around his neck. More weaponry care lessons were definitely in their future.

  ***

  Miki wondered if mentioning the condition of the hapfe stalls would improve the standards or anger the Su-Su of the compound. This was the second Raasa home she had visited. The first had been beyond welcoming toward her and eager to speak of the benefits since the treaty with the Desani.

  Not so for Harol. The Su-Su had been rude from the moment of their arrival.

  “I see the brute you joined has allowed you out. I questioned if you’d made him Su-Su in light of your birthing experience.”

  Miki pushed aside her half-eaten bowl of fruit and fisted her hands in her lap beneath the table. Harol had never been a favorite neighbor and while she openly assisted any who asked for help in the running of their home, it was difficult to remain polite to the aging Raasa. His ideas tended to be outdated and his manner lofty.

  “The Overlord is not a brute and my mate understands my reason for visiting my neighbors.”

  Harol made no effort to hide his irritation. He huffed and his forked tongue flicked in her direction. “Then you run your household as you see fit?”

  Kavan shifted his weight from his position to stand behind her chair. Merik, Eatan and Carog growled as they joined him. Their low rumble caught the Su-Su’s attention and his wrinkled, gold skin flushed.

  Miki ignored the Warlords Vaan insisted accompany her. “I’ve always run my home but I respect my mate’s opinion and his valuable experience as an accomplished warrior.”

  Harol switched to the Raasa tongue. “At least he secured a treaty between the Desani and Kaban. Raasa no longer has to be caught in the middle of the battles between two countries without any good sense.”

  Miki bit back her retort. It was those like Harol who’d forced Miki to rely on a worn journal and the promise of an unknown Warlord in her effort to stand against Thenl Asgup. The now dead warrior had terrorized many in his bid to rule Kaban and had planned to join with Miki against her will.

  Instead of calling Harol on his lack of manners, Miki demurred. “The treaty is a good thing.”

  He nodded and smiled at her seeming agreement. When he lifted his hand to signal a servant for more cider, Miki sighed. It was going to be a long night thus a long visit and all she could think of was how much better it would be if she was at home with Vaan and her youngling.

  Harol took a hefty sip of his drink then his gaze sharpened. Miki braced for fear of what he’d say next and she offered a prayer to the Blessed One that his words would not give the Warlords with her the excuse they needed to kill him.

  She knew her concern was valid when he switched back to Standard to ensure the men understood what he said. “None of the changes in Raasa would have happened if your noan, Eran, hadn’t shared his love’s journal with you.”

  Miki’s head snapped up. “What?”

  Harol smiled cruelly, fangs pressing into his bottom lip. “Didn’t know that? I guess he didn’t want his precious ward to know of his obsession for the Overlord’s mother, Ashaya Galip.”

  Miki froze, unable to believe his words. Sensing her tension, but not understanding the cause, the Warlords gathered closer behind her chair surrounding her in a wall of brawn. Kavan reached down to grab her elbow but Miki shrugged him off, never taking her eyes from the smug Su-Su.

  Uncaring of the impact of what he said, Harol continued as he leaned back in his chair, swirling his cider in the mug. “Eran saw Ashaya first in Luall but it was Teag Galip who caught and held her eye. Eran loved Ashaya but she wouldn’t so much as look at another after Vaan’s father died. When Dakar attacked Ashaya and tried to claim her for his bed, she reached out to her Raasa friend, knowing his feelings for her. And what did your noan do?”

  Harol chuckled and his diamond-shaped eyes narrowed. “Eran contacted Ashaya’s sister, C
ree, who fabricated a request for the Council to send Ashaya to live with her because Cree needed help after her birthing. Dakar was angry yet couldn’t refuse a direct order from the Council. But Dakar had to get back at Ashaya so he demanded she leave Vaan behind to finish his warrior training. Dakar hoped to draw her back using her love for her youngling.”

  Harol laughed without humor. “Instead she stayed away, joined with another warrior and her first son, Vaan Galip, grew to be the mightiest of Warlords like his father before him.”

  Miki couldn’t believe, couldn’t absorb this. Did Vaan know?

  Harol took a swallow of his drink and hissed. His fork tongue flicked out and he spoke again. “When Dakar betrayed Vaan and his Warlords, who did Ashaya reach out to again? The betach sent a letter to Eran who helped her hide her son and his men. Eran provided her the sakar used for their deep sleep.”

  Harol snorted. “Did you never wonder why they were hidden on Raasa land when the Raasa didn’t so much as have anything to do with Kaban?”

  She hadn’t thought. She’d trusted her noan and never questioned.

  “The journal,” he spit out, “was Ashaya’s but Eran already knew where the bodies were. He used you to awaken his old love’s son because he lusted for that female until her death and she never returned his feelings. The fool.”

  Miki abruptly stood. Kavan pushed her behind him and Merik crept in closer.

  “No,” she protested. “That’s a lie.”

  “Do not listen to his words of hate, Mikayla,” Kavan warned.

  Miki blinked back tears. She wanted to be alone. “I’m going to rest for the night. Can one of your people show me to my room, Su-Su Harol?”

  He rose to his feet with a lithe move and slammed his mug on the table. His bald head shifted in the light as he faced Miki, undaunted by her Kabanian guards. “Are you too soft to hear the rest?”