by Nia Mars
Table of Contents
OATH FORGER (4) Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
ABOUT ME:
WARLORD Chapter One
OATH FORGER (4)
Book 4 of 5
By Nia Mars
Acknowledgments: With my sincere gratitude to Jenifer Knox for the editing and advice. Also, many thanks to the Home Team, the friends and family who always have my back. This book couldn’t have been born without you.
Dedication: The Oath Forger series is dedicated to all the wonderful readers willing to give Ava a chance. Thank you!!!
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2018 Nia Mars. All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author.
niamars.com
ISBN-10: 1-940627-32-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-940627-32-8
Chapter One
“TRUST ME,” Dason whispers as he holds me literally on the palms of his hands while I float on my back in the pool at the foot of the waterfall.
He is incredibly handsome with his startling blue eyes and short, blondish-brown hair, in a wholesome, university football player kind of way—straight out of some old vids in the Dallas Colony archives. He’s always kind. He adores me. I love him as a friend, but I’m still not sure if I can see a possibility for more.
It’s just the two of us this morning in the lush garden in the middle of the Oath Forger’s palace. The rest of The Five have gone off to investigate matters: the deaths of four Zebet members, Olipha’s kidnapping, the hacking into my display system at the palace, and the murder of my Personal Assistant. God, Taly. Her loss is an iron spike in my heart.
Koah, Tiam, Uthan, and Roax will be back by noon, in time for my first public appearance. Now that I’ve survived the Confirmation Committee hearing, I just have to survive my introduction to the people of the Federation as their Oath Forger.
I have to give a speech!!!
“What are you thinking about?” Dason asks.
“I’m so not the speech-giving type. The idea of standing on a stage while a couple of thousand people are staring at me is... A few weeks ago, I would have run.”
“But now?”
“I am the Oath Forger. So I’m just going to put on my big-girl panties and fulfill the Oath Forger’s duties.”
Interest sparks in his eyes. “What do big-girl panties look like?”
“It’s a figure of speech.” I look straight up at the sky and try not to smile.
Dason’s steady hands hold me securely in place in the water. He is patient and attentive. Happy, simply because he gets to spend time with me. It’s incredibly easy to spend time with him. He’s friendly and playful and lovable.
“Relax.” He flashes a boyish grin that’s maybe a little too sexy for my peace of mind. “Why not just enjoy this time we have together until you have to get ready?”
We have about two more hours, I think. Getting ready shouldn’t take long, just putting on a gown and then the formal robes of the Oath Forger and walking outside. The event will be held on the front lawn of the palace, with full media coverage, numerous dignitaries in attendance, and pretty much any of the public who wants to see me.
First, the committee is going to confirm me as the Oath Forger, then I am expected to give my inaugural speech in front of thousands of people—and billions more who’ll be watching on their comm units across multiple solar systems.
“Breathe evenly,” Dason instructs as I float, “and move your hands and feet like I showed you.”
I do.
He removes one hand from under me. I immediately tense and start to sink. He easily holds me up with the other hand.
“When you relax, you’re floating already,” he tells me. “I’m not supporting your weight at all. I’m just touching my fingertips to your back. Don’t be nervous. You’ll be fine.”
Having Dason tell me what to do is strange. Normally, he is submissive to me. But he seems to be enjoying the teacher role, too, judging by the wide smile on his face.
Or maybe the smile is for the fact that I’m next to naked, wearing nothing but pale-yellow bra and panties, which are transparent in the water.
Dason is naked.
Apparently, it’s the thing to do when one swims in Smys’ garden.
Smys, the original spirit of the universe, is respected, if not worshipped, in most of the Federation. A place of honor is set aside for Smys in every home in the form of a little garden. Or, in the case of the palace, a rather large garden.
According to Uthan, my mystic krek, the origin myth about the first humanoids living naked in a garden pops up on most planets. A nude dip in a sacred pool is a way of paying one’s respects to the spirits. A nude dip also seems to be Dason’s favored method for giving me impromptu swimming lessons to distract me from my first public appearance.
“I can’t relax,” I tell him.
I might have committed to giving that speech, but it presses heavily on my mind. So does the worry that as soon as Dason removes his hands, I’ll sink and drown. Also, I’m hyperaware of the fact that Dason is right next to me, naked.
I’ve seen Uthan and Koah without their clothes, but that was completely different. I’m attracted to Uthan and Koah. I have made love to Koah, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making love with Uthan at some point.
Dason...
Dason is younger than I am.
Okay, not by much, but considering his submissive streak, if I decide to accept him as a partner and a mate, I’m pretty sure I will have to make the first move.
I have no idea how to do that. Three days ago, I was a virgin. I’ve only had sex once so far, and Koah took care of everything.
I feel bad about thinking of Koah while Dason is watching me as if I’m his whole world.
He’s grinning, then grinning wider. “You’re floating.”
Of course, the second I realize that he took away both of his hands, I sink.
He pulls me up before I could swallow any water, holds me against his wide chest, and laughs, a sound of pure delight that fills the clearing.
I scowl at him. “Not funny.”
“It’s a little funny. The mighty Oath Forger, the woman who nearly brought down the Onyx Tower, scared of water.”
“I’m not scared.” I push against his chest.
I might as well be pushing against the Onyx Tower. His chest is solid muscle. My fingers relax against his warm skin. I should pull back, but I hesitate.
“Want to try floating again?” he asks, while his bright gaze—that he has to keep pulling up from my chest—tells me he’d much rather try something else.
I step back. “Sure.”
I don’t want him to think that I’m afraid. And also, he’s so excited to be spending time with me one-on-one, to be doing something together. I want to keep that smile on his face. Even if I drown.
I’ve only accepted Koah, but over the last few days, I’ve developed a stronger link with all five men, where their happiness is important to me in ways I can’t explain. I need to have the little Happy-Dason box in my heart check-marked, a box I didn’t even know I had before.
I shift onto my back in the water, and his strong arms come under me to support me. After a few seco
nds, after giving me a chance to relax, Dason’s arms ease away, until only his fingertips are touching me.
“You’re so beautiful with your red hair floating all around you,” he tells me. “It’s like sunrise reflecting off the water.”
His gaze is full of adoration and raw need.
As I lose myself in that open, honest gaze, I realize that I’m floating, and this time, I don’t panic.
He smiles at me. I smile back at him. And for a few moments, the whole world disappears. In all of time and space, there is only Dason and me.
I wonder what would have happened if we’d met under different circumstances, if he lived at the Dallas Colony.
He’s young and strong, clearly a warrior. If he’d offered to partner up with me and Lily for scavenging, I would have taken him.
His fingers play in my hair that floats on the pool’s surface. His gaze slips, ends up on my breasts again. For a second, I imagine his fingers there instead of in my hair. My cheeks flush with heat as I flail and stand up.
“Can you teach me to swim?” It’d keep the front of my body in the water.
He’s instantly game. He demonstrates the proper movement of arms and legs, swimming in a playful circle around me, water rolling off impressive muscles.
Then he walks halfway to the edge of the pond, less than ten feet away from me. “Now you try. Swim to me.”
I push off with my feet, sweep back with my arms, give one good kick. I glide through the water, and then he has me. He beams at me as if I’d given him a priceless treasure.
“Now I’ll go a little farther.”
He does.
This time, I sink and come up sputtering. I try again and again, doing my best to find my balance in the water. I squeal too loudly and splash too much, and then I can’t see anything from all the water in my eyes. I reach for Dason blindly, and he has me, his arms going around me as he kneels on the bottom, submerged to his shoulders.
I’m grinning as I slip my arms around his neck.
“You were swimming.” He’s ridiculously proud of me for something so little.
We let each other go, and I try again. Time flies by, and as we play around, I forget about my anxieties.
I’m swimming, I realize as I once again end up with my arms wound around his neck, having swum across the entire pool this time and barely swallowing any water.
His clear gaze holds mine as he stands up with me. “Do it again.”
He’s providing me with exactly what I need. Distraction.
But am I giving him what he needs?
Right there, in that moment, I want to.
“Dason?”
“Yes, Oath Forger?”
“Close your eyes.”
He immediately obeys, no questions.
I pull closer and feel his hot erection bob against my stomach. I’m not ready to deal with that. But I can give him something.
I brush my mouth over his.
His quick intake of breath tells me he’s surprised; his even quicker smile tells me he’s pleased, the soft groan in his throat tells me he needs more.
I grab the back of his head to hold him still, my fingers tightening in his short hair. I know how I felt when Roax did that to me, and I think it’s the same way that Dason wants to feel.
His next groan is fervent, and this time it’s followed by another sound that’s incredibly masculine, yet a little lost at the same time.
His arms are loosely wrapped around me. He’s not going to pull me closer, not going to rub against me, not unless I tell him to. Actually, he would probably enjoy me ordering him.
I’m not quite there yet, but I can do a little more than what I’m doing, I can take charge a little more. I press our fronts together, trapping his heat and his hardness between us.
His lips part. I’m the one to swipe inside, to discover, to conquer. He presses his mouth harder to mine, with an intense need, as if he’s on a spacewalk and I’m his last tank of oxygen.
At first, he’s eager and desperate, then, when he realizes that I’m not going to immediately pull away, he relaxes into me, and the kiss slows, simmers, sends heat to my center. He lets me do whatever I want with his mouth, and I know he’d let me do whatever I wanted with the rest of his gorgeous, athletic body, too. It’s a heady feeling, one I’m not sure I’m ready for.
When I finally pull away, his eyes remain closed. I rise to the tips of my toes and press gentle kisses onto his eyelids. He opens them, and the pure gratitude in his gaze makes my heart stutter.
“Thank you, Oath Forger.” He dips his head to bury his handsome face into my neck. He stays there, holding onto me.
I’m the one who should thank him. He’s given me his support and loyalty, and I’ve done nothing to deserve it.
Maybe it’s time to change that.
“Dason?” I whisper into his ear, surprised by how much I suddenly want this, want him. When did that happen?
He raises his head, his startling blue eyes filled with a ridiculous amount of hope. “Yes, Oath Forger?”
“I’m going to kiss you again.”
Chapter Two
WHEN DASON AND I RETURN TO MY QUARTERS, after having made out in the garden like two hormone-ridden teenagers gone wild, Roax is there, standing by the wall of windows in the bedroom.
Every time I walk in here, the view still takes my breath away. The room is enormous, one full wall of glass looking out at the garden, a glass cupola above allowing an unimpeded view of the clear blue sky. The bed in the middle could take a dozen people. I have no idea how I, Ava Smith, a lowly scavenger from Earth, ended up living in a palace.
I have accepted that I am the Oath Forger, I really have, but half the time I still feel like I’m an impostor.
Roax’s dark gaze flashes hard as he takes in my hand on Dason’s arm.
While we’re relaxed from our swim, everything about Roax, including his masculine stance, is controlled. His short dark hair is precisely cut, his black dress uniform is the model of perfection. He is tall and wiry, the least brawny among the five, yet he exudes dominance. If he were a character from one of the old movies Lily and I used to watch on Earth, he’d be king of the vampires. His very presence demands unconditional surrender. His eyes are bottomless cold lakes as he focuses in on me.
Did he see Dason and me together in the garden? I so don’t need all this tension and stress on top of the stress of my imminent speech.
I drop my gaze. Oops. My simple white dress is wet because I’ve pulled it over my wet bra and panties. It’s pretty obvious that I’ve been swimming in my underwear with Dason.
“Why don’t you take a shower here, first?” I tell Dason, and although he hesitates, he does go, doesn’t ask me if I’m sure. As if my word is literally his command.
Because Roax’s gaze is way too intense, I keep mine on Dason’s retreating back as he obediently strides forward. Will I ever be truly comfortable with having this much power over Dason? He didn’t choose this relationship, didn’t choose me. I just showed up one day.
As the bathroom door closes behind Dason, I look back at Roax. He didn’t choose me either. And he’s big on control. Maybe he hates being one of my five.
That ever-present storm in his eyes rages, dark and ominous. When he looks at me like this, I always feel like I’m seconds away from being swept away into some dangerous unknown.
“We don’t have to...” I tell him. “You and I...” I swallow. “Tiam said most would work. I don’t need all five of you.” I swallow again.
I hope he understands that he doesn’t have to be one of my five. I wouldn’t force this choice on any of them. Whether or not I can accept them is one thing. Whether or not they want to be accepted by me is just as important.
“We don’t have to...” I repeat, needing him to understand.
He crosses the room too fast for me to prepare for his overpowering nearness. Suddenly he’s there in front of me, all unleashed power. Lightning flashes in his dark eyes. “Like
hell we don’t.”
His words are like bindings around my wrists. And then the imaginary bindings are replaced by his very real, hard and biting fingers. “I’ll just stand around and watch the others kissing you, touching you, fucking you? Is that how you picture it?”
I have no idea how I picture it. Right then, I don’t even know how to speak.
He crosses my wrists behind my back and cuffs them again with one of his hands. His other hand digs into my hair at my nape and pulls on the wet locks, tilting my face to him. His firm body is pressed against mine. I’m trapped.
I never want to be free.
My entire body responds to Roax.
I don’t know how he does this to me. When I’m with Roax, I’m a different person than when I’m with the others. I don’t want to feel this powerless, this mastered. I feel lost, and I don’t want to lose myself to him. At the same time, I’m not sure if I have a choice. Not when my body is screaming Yes! Yes! Yes!
As his sharp gaze roams my face, moisture rushes into my eyes. I have no idea why. Don’t blink. If the tears run down my cheeks, he’ll notice.
He notices anyway.
“Shh, my little bird.” He kisses one corner of my mouth first, then the other. “We’re going to go slow, you and I. By the time we get where we’re going, you’ll be ready.”
The dark promise in his tone makes my knees tremble.
“Did you think I wouldn’t want you? Wouldn’t do anything to make you mine?” He doesn’t wait for my answer. “I’m going to share you with the others, because I have no other choice. If I had my way, I’d keep you all to myself. I’d keep you chained to my bed. I’d keep you in a cage, little bird.”
I should hate every word he says. But it’s Roax. The darkness inside him draws me. There’s something in me that wants to be cut on all his sharp edges. I don’t understand my reaction to him, but I can’t deny the overpowering attraction.
He whispers against my mouth. “And you would be freer than you’ve ever been. I would never clip your wings.”