Goddess, she thought, as the new bond began to form inside her, like a sapling putting down roots. He feels so good, tastes so right. If only we could seal our bond after this as a bonded couple is supposed to. Of course, to seal the bond with Rast, she would have to let him change the color of her eyes and Nadiah knew they couldn’t do that. But, gods, how she wanted to. Wanted to feel that hot, hard ridge of his shaft thrust deep inside her pussy, filling her up, making her Rast’s forever…
“One minute. You have one minute remaining.” Magistrate Licklow’s pompous voice through the curtain shattered her sweet fantasy. Nadiah sighed and, with a final lick, released her beloved’s wrist. “Oh!” She looked at it in surprise—now that she was finished sucking, the slice was already beginning to seal itself. “It’s already closing.”
“I’ve always been a fast healer,” Rast said dismissively. He shifted her on his lap, allowing her to feel his throbbing cock pressed against her once more. “Uh, are you sure you got enough? I’ll be more than happy to cut myself again if you need me to.”
“I got enough,” Nadiah assured him. “But there is one more thing I’d like to do,” she added with sudden inspiration. “Give me the knife.”
“What for?”
“Hurry—we don’t have much time!”
Rast handed her the small silver knife hilt first. “All right. Sorry.”
“It’s all right.” Bracing against the pain, Nadiah stabbed herself in the pad of her right index finger and watched as a single crimson drop welled up.
“Wait a minute.” Rast turned her so he could see her face. “What are you doing?”
“I want you to drink of me too,” Nadiah told him breathlessly. “To remember me always in case…just in case,” she ended lamely.
“You think I could ever forget you, sweetheart?” Rast’s voice was low and demanding. “Because I’m telling you now, that’s not gonna happen. You’re burned into my heart forever.”
“Oh, Rast…” Nadiah had to blink back tears at his sweet words. “That’s wonderful but I still want you to. Please?”
“As you wish,” he murmured. Taking her hand in his, he brought her finger to his lips. Then, keeping their eyes locked the entire time, he slipped her wounded fingertip into his hot, wet mouth and sucked gently.
Nadiah’s breath caught in her throat at the erotic promise in his eyes and the soft suction of his lips. I want you, the look on his face said. You and only you.
Goddess, Rast, I want you to, she wanted to say. Want you and love you so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, showing you how much…
“Time,” Magistrate Licklow declared, once again interrupting her fantasies. “You must now exit the tent.”
Rast didn’t stop sucking at once. He took his time, swirling his tongue around her finger and lapping gently at the wounded tip before slowly letting it slide from his mouth. “Delicious,” he murmured, placing a soft kiss on her finger before giving her back her hand. “I bet all of you tastes good. Sure would like a chance to find out.”
Nadiah blushed when she realized what he was talking about. He wants to taste me, she thought, her cheeks getting hot with pleasure and embarrassment. Wants to taste more than my finger—wants to taste me there, between my legs. Gods, how she wished it could be so. That they were together alone after their bonding ceremony and Rast was about to change the color of her eyes.
But the sound of Magistrate Licklow clearing his throat impatiently popped her bubble. With a sigh, she realized there was no escaping the harsh reality of the situation. She was about to undergo the most agonizing process a Tranq Prime female could be subjected to, aside from childbirth. And some who had endured both said even childbirth was better. But since there was no way to the end of her road except through the fiery curtain of pain, Nadiah resolved to grit her teeth and go through it, no matter what the cost.
“We have to go,” she told Rast.
He sighed. “I guess we don’t have a choice.”
“Unfortunately not.” Reluctantly, Nadiah rose from his lap. “Do you feel the bond between us?”
He nodded. “It’s like…like someone tied a rope around both of us but the rope is somehow alive. Maybe more of a vine than a rope…” He shook his head. “I can’t describe it but it’s there, all right.”
“Good,” Nadiah felt a surge of relief. Up until this moment she hadn’t been completely sure if his human blood would allow them to form a bond or not. It was good to know that it was possible to forge a psychic tie between the two of them. Now if only she knew if it was strong enough to defeat Y’dex…
“I like it,” Rast said in a low voice. “It feels…right somehow. Like we’re, I don’t know, plugged into each other.”
“I like it too,” Nadiah admitted, blushing.
He frowned. “But aside from being newer, isn’t it the same as the bond you have with Y’dex? I remember Sylvan saying that if your blood bond came loose and you didn’t have a soul to anchor to you might…might die.” He cleared his throat. “Of course that can’t happen now, can it? Now that we’re bonded too?”
Nadiah bit her lip. For a moment the truth almost came out…but no, she didn’t want Rast bonded to her permanently out of a sense of duty. “The bond between myself and Y’dex is very old and very strong,” she said carefully. “It’s difficult to replace such a bond.”
In fact, it was impossible but she didn’t want to say that. The weak, new bond she had with Rast was only surface deep—like a plant which had rooted itself in loose, sandy soil. Her bond with the hated Y’dex was more like a mighty giant of the forest, a tree whose roots went miles underground. Trying to fill the gap those roots would leave when she pulled out his half of the bond with a newer, weaker connection would be like… It would be like trying to seal a gaping hole in my heart with one of Rast’s tiny human Band-Aids, she thought grimly.
The only solution was to anchor her half of the stronger bond to another soul, to put those same roots deep down in the soil of another being, but she could not do that without Rast’s permission. And she wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Difficult but not impossible, right?” Rast frowned. “Just tell me you’ll be all right, Nadiah.”
She shook her head. “I can’t—not absolutely. But please, Rast, don’t let that stop you—pull on it as hard as you can to bring me to you. And while you’re doing that, I’ll be trying to rip the roots of Y’dex’s half of our bond from my soul.”
He looked at her doubtfully. “Can you do that?”
“I hope so,” Nadiah said grimly. “I certainly intend to try.”
“Good.” Rast pulled her to him suddenly and gave her a long, hard, hot kiss, his mouth demanding and receiving entrance to hers as he claimed her for his own. At last he pulled back. “Don’t worry about anything, sweetheart,” he murmured, looking into her eyes. “We’re going to get through this together.”
“I know.” She smiled at him gratefully and then lifted her chin. “I know we’ll get through it because I’d rather die than be bonded to Y’dex. No matter what it costs me, I will be free of his bond. Even if it means my death.”
* * * * *
Seeing the set of her chin and the grim determination in her eyes reminded Rast again of why he loved her so much. On the outside she looked so fragile and feminine, so delicate and lovely. But inside she had a soul of steel—a cool determination to do whatever it took to get the job done. He admired that in a woman—admired the hell out of it. But he still didn’t like her fatalistic attitude toward breaking the blood bond.
“Hey, don’t talk like that,” he protested as they exited the tent together. “Everything’s going to be fine and nobody’s going to die. Except that idiot fiancée of yours if he dares to lay a finger on you again.” He gave Y’dex a glare as he said it, letting the other male know what was coming.
“I hope you’re right,” Nadiah murmured but there was still something in her dark blue eyes Rast didn’t like. Somethi
ng that looked like a mixture of determination and resignation. But that didn’t make sense, did it?
He wanted to ask her about it but they were already taking their places for the final part of the blood challenge. The line-up of rocks had been cleared away and Magistrate Licklow had Y’dex stand on one end of the challenge floor and Rast stand on the other. Nadiah, he positioned exactly between them.
Well, maybe not exactly between them. Actually, Rast saw, he put her a foot or two closer to Y’dex. But she shook her head firmly and said something to the magistrate under her breath. Frowning, he nodded reluctantly and called for one of the male attendants.
The male ran up, bringing something that looked like a tape measure only instead of tape, it laid down a long, thin, glowing blue trail marked at intervals with vertical red lines. He ran between Y’dex and Rast, obviously taking measurements and when he was finished, Nadiah went to stand in the exact center of the blue line, on the widest red marking. Turning to Rast, she gave him a wink and he grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Leave it to Nadiah to keep the magistrate from cheating any way she could.
“And now,” Magistrate Licklow intoned. “We are finally ready to begin.” He looked at Y’dex and Rast. “Challengers, please remember that you must stay in your places and you may pull on the contested female using only your blood bonds. Physical touching is not allowed unless she touches you first. The moment she does, you may claim her.” These last words he directed solely to Y’dex, obviously ignoring Rast. “Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Rast said loudly, letting the pompous bastard know he refused to be ignored. “Let’s get going.”
“Very well.” Licklow gave him a disgusted look and then stepped back. “Begin…now.”
Even before he uttered the last word, Rast saw the look of pain appear on Nadiah’s face. That bastard, he thought angrily, looking down the glowing blue line to where Y’dex was standing, his hand already curled into a fist as he twisted the bond. He started early. Still trying to cheat. Well, let’s see how he likes this.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the newly formed bond between Nadiah and himself and gave a gentle tug. It was like pulling on a slender, silk cord that was somehow wrapped around her—around her heart or soul, he supposed.
To his dismay, Nadiah responded to his tug with a hurt cry. It was clear she was already fighting the pain Y’dex was inflicting on her and now…Now, I’m adding to it, Rast thought, feeling sick. He let the silk cord slide through his mental fingers…and Nadiah suddenly stumbled several steps in Y’dex’s direction.
“No!” It was a cry of agony, straight from her heart. “No, Rast, please!” she gasped, her blue eyes filled with pleading. “Please don’t give up on me. Please bring me to you.”
“But it’s hurting you,” he objected, even as he mentally felt for the silk cord of their bond again. It seemed to throb in his hands, echoing her pain with every heartbeat.
“I don’t care.” Nadiah’s voice was a breathless whisper. If it hadn’t been so quiet in the vast, echoing room he never would have heard it. “I don’t care, just pull.”
Bracing himself, Rast took another tug on the cord connecting them.
Nadiah’s hands clenched into fists. As she took a single, staggering step toward him, she bit her lip hard. So hard, in fact, Rast saw a thin trickle of blood on her chin. She’s trying to hold back for my sake, he realized. Trying not to scream so I won’t feel bad about hurting her. God what a beautiful, brave, amazing woman!
“You’ll never win her that way, human,” Y’dex called from the other end of the glowing blue line. Rast looked up and saw he was smirking, obviously enjoying every ounce of pain inflicted on Nadiah. “Watch and learn,” he told Rast. “This is how it’s done.”
Clenching both his hands into fists, he twisted and pulled back toward his body with a cruel smile on his face.
Nadiah shrieked, her slender body contorted with pain. Rast thought with horror that she must look the same way someone who is struck by lightning does at the very moment of impact. It was clear she didn’t want to but this time she moved towards Y’dex. It was almost like some invisible hand had her by the hair and was dragging her. Dragging her closer and closer to her doom…
“What’s wrong with you?” Nadiah’s friend Lydiah was suddenly at his side. Hands on her hips, she glared at him furiously. “Why aren’t you fighting for her? Why aren’t you pulling?”
“I’m trying, damn it!” Rast growled. “It’s just…I knew Y’dex would hurt her when he pulled. But I didn’t think I’d be hurting her too.”
“Nadiah would rather suffer the agony of being burned in a thousand suns than give herself to Y’dex.” Lydiah spoke in a low, intense voice. “So pull. You didn’t come all this way and go through so much just to give her up to my tyrant of a brother, did you?”
“Hell, no.” Gritting his teeth, Rast dug in and pulled—really pulled on the slender cord between himself and Nadiah with all his might.
Nadiah gasped, her face going paper-pale. But she managed to stagger several steps closer to him and away from Y’dex. And despite her obvious pain, she somehow managed to smile at him.
Oh Nadiah, I’m so sorry. Forcing himself to do it, Rast pulled again and she came a few steps closer. Though he could see what it was costing her in pain, he knew he couldn’t stop. This was his only chance to claim her, to save her from what she had told him was a fate worse than death. He had to bring her to him no matter how much it hurt her physically or him mentally to give her such anguish.
“That’s right, you’re doing it. You’re bringing her to you!” Lydiah sounded excited. “You’re…oh…” Now she sounded surprised and a little worried. “Off-worlder, you’re crying.”
“Am I?” Rast swiped at his eyes briefly, making sure to keep his hold on the bond.
“Are you well?” Lydiah asked.
“I don’t like hurting her, goddamn it,” Rast snarled. “Not even for her own good.”
“But it’s almost over,” Lydia said coaxingly. “Just a few more feet and she’ll be able to reach out and touch you…”
But just as she spoke, Y’dex redoubled his efforts, yanking on the bond with both hands. Nadiah gave a sharp, breathless cry and Rast watched in dismay as she was dragged within three feet of her cruel fiancée.
“Just a little closer, my lovely,” he heard Y’dex crooning. “Just a little bit closer and you’ll be mine for the rest of your life.”
“No!” It was a shout of agony from the bottom of his soul. Suddenly Rast knew what he had to do. He had to pull Nadiah to him, yes. But he also had to give her a reason to come. Had to give her the strength to break the bond with her evil fiancée and come to him forever.
“Nadiah,” he called, yanking on the cord as hard as he could. “Nadiah, come back to me right now. Come back to me because I love you!”
Her eyes flew wide and she turned her attention from Y’dex to him. “Rast,” she whispered uncertainly. “Do you…do you really mean that?”
“Of course I fucking mean it!” he shouted, angry and desperate with love for her. “Now get back here so I can prove it!”
Nadiah closed her eyes tightly for a moment. Though Y’dex was twisting with all his might, doing the double-pump fist and arm gesture Rast had grown to hate, she was still, like a slender tree withstanding a storm. Then she lowered her head and took a single, staggering step in Rast’s direction. Then another and another. She looked like a person walking against the wind—a hurricane force wind, actually. Her whole body leaned forward, clearly past her center of gravity as she pulled away from the bond that had held her most of her life. The look on her face was one of anguish and yet she came, step by step, towards Rast.
“Stop!” Seeing what was happening, Y’dex left his place at the end of the glowing blue line and jumped toward her. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around and shook her. “You’re mine, you little bitch! Mine!”
“No!” Nadiah’s voice cracked like a w
hip as she faced her tormentor. “No, I’m not yours, Y’dex and I never will be. I will be…free…of you…now!”
On that last word, Rast felt something give inside her—a quiver like the first tremblings of a killer earthquake came shivering along the cord of their bond. He looked at Nadiah with fresh respect and wonder. I’ll rip his bond out by the roots—that’s what she said, he thought. And I think she just did it. No, I know she did.
Y’dex staggered, his face filled with pain as he clearly felt it as well. “You bitch, that hurt!”
Nadiah laughed grimly. “Good. Now you know how it feels.” She tugged at the arm he was still holding. “It’s over, Y’dex—let me go. Let me go to the male who loves me as you never did.”
“Never.” Y’dex’s pale face was a mask of animalistic hatred. “Never. I’ll never let you go.”
“Oh, yes you will, you son of a bitch!” Rast had been holding himself back up until now, trying not to break the rules and give the magistrate any reason to invalidate the challenge. But now he couldn’t stand it anymore. He strode down the glowing blue line, reaching out for Nadiah as he went.
But before he got to her, she pulled back her free hand and slapped Y’dex as hard as she could. Her handprint stood out red on his pale face and he staggered backwards, a look of disbelief in his eyes. “You…you struck me! I can’t believe you actually struck me.” His fingers stole up to his reddened cheek. “How dare you?”
“I warned you.” Nadiah was panting with exhaustion but her words were still firm. “I warned you to leave me alone. I’ll never be yours.” She turned toward Rast, took a stumbling step and fell.
Luckily, she fell right into his arms. Rast scooped her up and cradled her tenderly against his chest. He could still feel the bond between them but it seemed weaker somehow, the throbbing heartbeat that ran through it was fainter. He told himself it was nothing—only that she was no longer in pain. But one look at her face made him wonder if that was right.
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