War Bride (Battle Born Book 7) Read online

  He closed the distance between them and lightly grabbed her upper arms. “I crave you, Skyla. Your image never leaves my mind and my dreams are even worse. I need to be near you, to protect and comfort you, and yet I know the primary threat in your life right now is me. How am I supposed to protect you from myself?”

  Skyla tensed. This was it. All she had to do was stop struggling against their natural attraction and she’d be on her way. She’d use his genetically compatible body to give her the child she’d always wanted. She’d repay him by rescuing his son from the harbingers, and then she’d walk out of his life forever. Just like he intended to walk out of hers.

  “I know what you mean.” Slowly raising her gaze to his, she inhaled his evocative scent. “I’m so tired of battling myself. I don’t think I can fight it anymore. I ache as you ache.”

  It was all the encouragement he needed. He crushed her against his chest, dragging her to the balls of her feet as his mouth crashed down on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened for his questing tongue, more than ready to surrender to nature’s demand.

  Without separating their mouths, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He sat her down in the middle of the mattress, then attacked his clothes. His boots went flying and his garments joined them half a second later. She pulled off her slippers, but that was as far as she got before he joined her on the bed.

  “Let me.” It was more of a plea than an order for a change. “All my fantasies begin with me undressing you.”

  She didn’t argue, but didn’t help. She just sat there and let him take off her clothes. Resisting him had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. Still, if she suddenly had no qualms at all, it would seem suspicious.

  Once he’d removed her blouse, he pulled her to her knees, then unzipped her skirt and eased it down past her hips. She wasn’t wearing undergarments and the realization drew an appreciative moan from him. He knelt as well and lifted her far enough so he could sweep the skirt out from beneath her legs. Then their naked bodies pressed together from shoulders to knees and his hands moved greedily over the back of her body. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his chest, unable to meet his gaze.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” His voice was barely a whisper and his hands moved away from her ass. “I am serious, Skyla. I won’t claim you unless you’re willing.”

  “I want this, but I dread the outcome.” She eased away so she could look into his eyes. “I’ll be a pariah. Don’t you realize how horribly former war brides are treated on Bilarri?” And I will never allow you to separate me from my child.

  “Then stay with me.”

  Time stood still as she stared into his eyes. Was he serious, or was he telling her what she wanted to hear? His expression was so intense that she couldn’t tell if it was calculation or sincerity fueling his inner fire.

  “You’re my morautu,” he persisted. “Your place is by my side.”

  “Here on the ship? What sort of life would that be for our son?”

  His phitons flashed and frustration hardened his rugged features. “I’m a wealthy man, Skyla. I can easily provide for you, maintain the level of luxury to which you’re accustomed.”

  “Will your people be any more tolerant of a war bride than mine? Somehow I doubt it.”

  “You aren’t a war bride. You’re my morautu.”

  She just stared back at him in silence as she fought back tears. Why was he doing this? It was crueler than any of his other strategies. She blinked furiously, but a tear escaped one corner of her eye and slid down her cheek.

  He caught the drop on his curved index finger. “Why are you crying?”

  “Because I don’t believe you,” she whispered. “If I’m no longer a war bride, am I free to go?”

  Tension rolled across his features and he slowly lowered his arm. “You’ve finally found your mate. Do you still want to go?”

  Conflicting emotions collided inside her mind. Did she want to leave him and return to her empty life? Her plan had made perfect sense a few minutes ago. How had everything become so convoluted? “I… If we…”

  With an audible sigh, he crawled off the bed and pulled on his pants. “The question shouldn’t be that hard to answer. I’m offering you my heart, my soul, my future. All you have to do is accept it.” He grabbed his shirt and boots, then headed for the door.

  “Wait, I—”

  “You clearly need more time,” he cut her off. “I’ll see you have it.” Without so much as glancing over his shoulder, he rushed from the cabin.

  * * * * *

  Skyla rested her hands on the masterfully carved stone railing and watched the sun sink into the sea. The back terrace of Lux Manor looked out over the shimmering water, so Skyla found herself here often, enjoying the brisk sea air and panoramic view. It had been two weeks since Kryton brought her to his massive estate, and then silently flew away. If it weren’t for Tonn, she might have locked herself in her lavish bedroom and refused to come out. But Tonn’s patient humor and optimism kept her from succumbing to self-pity. And armed guards prevented her from leaving the premises.

  The guards also made the situation perfectly clear. Kryton might not want to call her a war bride any longer, but as long as she was his prisoner she was not his morautu.

  “Shall I go find you a jacket?” Tonn asked from a short distance away. He always gave her space unless she invited him to join her. She’d been particularly moody today, so he’d followed her around like a frustrated shadow. “The temperature drops quickly once the sun has gone down.”

  “It feels good. I’ll go inside if I get cold.”

  “All right.” She hadn’t given him permission to approach, but he moved closer anyway. “It’s more than obvious that you two quarreled. Will you please tell me what went wrong?”

  She turned toward him, leaning her hip against the stone railing. “What did Kryton tell you?”

  “Nothing. He told me to keep you out of trouble and that was all.”

  She’d wondered why Tonn had been allowed, more like forced, to accompany her. He might be compassionate and an extremely good listener, but he was clearly out of his element surrounded by luxury. She suspected this was punishment for being so nice to her. “Kryton made a very appealing offer, but I wasn’t convinced he was sincere.” She motioned to one of the many guards skulking about the property. “Apparently, I was right.”

  He glanced at the guard then shook his head. “What do the guards have to do with you and Kryton?”

  “He told me I was no longer his war bride, that he wanted to make me his morautu.”

  Tonn’s eyes rounded comically and his jaw dropped open. “What did you say to that?”

  She bristled at the panic in his tone. Already she could tell he blamed her for what followed. “I asked him if I was free to go. A chosen mate is not a prisoner, so I should have been free to do as I pleased.”

  “And it pleased you to leave him?” He shook his head as sadness clouded his expression. “You have no idea how hard it was for him to make that offer. Emotions of any sort are incredibly hard for Kryton to express. He’s endured so much pain that he turned his heart to stone merely to survive.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I won’t be hurt by him either.” She turned back to the twilight sea and watched the waves crash against the rocky shore. “He can’t expect me to offer my heart while I’m still his prisoner.”

  “As soon as you trusted him with your heart, he would have set you free.”

  “You don’t know that,” she snapped, but his words rang true and regret nearly choked her. “Why do I have to make the first move? That’s so unfair.”

  Tonn’s expression hardened and he shook his head again. “If you were truly his war bride, you would be carrying his child by now. War brides are slaves, forced to do the will of their Rodyte masters. Kryton has been courting you since the moment you awakened. Can you truly not see the difference?”
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br />   She thought of how drastically his behavior had changed since that first night in the tiny cabin. He’d made concession after concession, trying to ease her fear and earn her trust. Even after she invaded his privacy, twice, he’d offered her the sort of relationship she’d always dreamed about. And she’d thrown the offer back in his face.

  “He kidnaped me,” she cried. “And he’s a Rodyte. I thought he was just saying what I wanted to hear so I’d give him a child.”

  “I know you desire him, but is lust all you feel?”

  The time for denials had passed. She would never find her way out of this tangle if she didn’t start being honest with herself. “I care for him much more than I want to, but I still find it hard to trust him.”

  “That’s understandable. But think back over your time together. Has he ever lied to you?”

  “Are you serious?” She shook her head, unable to hide her disbelief. “If I’m not really a war bride, as you claim, then everything he said to me was a lie.”

  Conviction crept into Tonn’s tone as he responded to her accusation. “He was playing a part, acting as you expected a Rodyte to act. He needed you to hate him enough to do anything to escape him, even agree to help rescue his son.”

  But she didn’t hate him. She’d fallen in love with him instead.

  “Has he ever broken a promise to you?” Tonn persisted.

  “He was about to.” But the thought she’d overheard could have indicated his determination to claim her as mate rather than his willingness to deceive her. She shook her head, heart thudding rapidly against her ribs.

  “Is there anything you’ve asked of him that he’s refused to do?”

  “Other than freeing me?”

  Challenge arched Tonn’s dark brows. “You spent the last six years searching for a genetically compatible male. Why are you so eager to escape now that you’ve found one?”

  “He didn’t contact me like a civilized suitor. He kidnapped me!”

  “Why do you think that is?” he shot back. “Would you have taken his suit seriously if he contacted you through the mate finder?”

  She gasped. “How do you know about that?”

  Tonn laughed and looked out into the night. “Where do you think he got your DNA profile and a list of your abilities? Bride hunters have used those charlatans for decades to find compatible brides.”

  She thought about all the information she’d given the mate finder. Her interests and abilities. Her background and aspirations. She’d made it incredibly easy for Kryton to find what he needed. “This is unbelievable. We’re doing it to ourselves.”

  “No,” he stressed as he turned his head back toward her. “The warriors are to blame. You did nothing wrong.”

  “But what about Kryton? Was it his intention to woo me from the start, or did his attitude evolve over time?”

  It took him a moment to answer. “If you’d been a true war bride, he would have claimed you that first night.” He waited until she looked into his eyes before he added, “Your courtship might have been unconventional, but he has always been courting you.”

  “Oh, Tonn, I’m such a fool.” She covered her mouth with her hand as a sob broke loose inside her.

  Tonn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Would you like me to com him? He can be here in less than an hour.”

  “Please, but don’t tell him what I want. Just tell him I’m ready to talk.”

  Chapter Six

  Kryton powered down his shuttle with a frustrated hiss. Skyla crooked her finger and he came running like an obedient lap pet. He was such a fool. A lovesick fool, he corrected. He no longer tried to deny it. He was desperately in love with Skyla of Hautell, and there was nothing he could do about it. He intended to explain himself one last time and if she was still unwilling to trust him, he’d let her go.

  Sorrow squeezed his heart at the thought of losing her. How could he lose what he’d never had? If she felt nothing but lust for him, it was better this way. He knew all too well what it was like to have a morautu who despised him.

  He crossed from the landing pad to the mansion’s side entrance. It was late and he didn’t want anyone but Skyla to know he was here. If she refused him, again, the last thing he wanted was a bunch of pity-filled gazes following his every move. He scanned open the door then reactivated the perimeter alarms. He’d dismissed the guards shortly after he landed. Regardless of how things turned out with Skyla, extra security was no longer necessary.

  Taking the servants’ stairs to the third floor, he went directly to the master suite. He wanted this settled once and for all. Skyla had disrupted his well-ordered life long enough. He paused before the door and raised his hand to knock. To hells with that. This was his house and she was his morautu. He eased the door open and slipped inside the shadowy room.

  It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, then he strode across the sitting area and into the adjoining bedroom. His heart lurched within his chest when he found the bed empty.

  “Skyla?” Panic tore her name from his mouth.

  The curtains billowed in the wind and she stepped into the open doorway leading out onto the balcony. “I’m here.”

  He took a deep breath to calm himself then joined her. Moonlight bathed her lovely face in silver and made her eyes particularly luminous. Her slim body swam within the folds of his bathrobe, making him envy the plush material.

  She watched him silently, tension clear on her delicate features.

  Her reluctance fueled his determination. “Tonn said you wanted to talk, but I’d rather start if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind.” She seemed relieved by the offer.

  He rested his forearm on the railing and turned his body toward her. “When I began my search, I wasn’t looking for a bride. I was looking for a weapon to use against Harbinger Guild.”

  “I know.” Her tone was emotionless and she said nothing more.

  “But we were genetically compatible and it twisted everything. Suddenly I had two needs, both incredibly important, but they pulled me in opposite directions.” He took another breath, trying to slow his pulse, but her scent filled his nose along with the cool night air. His senses came to life and his heart pounded even faster. “I’m Rodyte. I knew you would hate me and want nothing but to escape me. Still, I needed your help to rescue my son. So I decided to use your hostility to motivate you rather than attempt to overcome it.”

  Her eyes narrowed and she buried her hands in the pockets of the robe. “But I found out about your son in the dream meld. In fact, you were furious about it.”

  “I was furious because I’d lost control of the situation. Tonn was supposed to tell you about Arton, little by little, over a period of time. You weren’t ready to learn what I really wanted.”

  “What you really wanted?” Her laugh was harsh and humorless. “You made that perfectly clear every time you entered the cabin.”

  He sighed and folded his hands into fists. This wasn’t going well at all. “I won’t apologize for wanting you. Combating the pull every step of the way wasn’t part of the plan. I captured you to rescue my son, not to warm my bed.”

  She turned toward the sea, letting the night wind play through her hair. Her profile was so pure, so perfect that it took his breath away. “I know what did happen.” Her voice was soft and thoughtful. “Tell me what was supposed to have happened.”

  With a sigh he realized he wasn’t quite sure. The intensity of their attraction had reshaped all his well laid plans. “I knew the only way you’d help me was if I agreed to set you free, but your abilities led you to the truth much sooner than you were supposed to know. You didn’t trust me at all and I’d behaved badly too many times for you to believe anything I said. The pull was stronger than I’d ever imagined and—”

  “You can’t blame this on the pull,” she flared, turning toward him again. Her red phitons glowed, a not so subtle reminder that she was Bilarrian. “You’d been throug
h it before. You knew how intense everything would be with a potential mate.”

  He shook his head. “It was never like this with Jiatta. Genetic compatibility only amplifies attraction. It doesn’t create it. I was attracted to you before I caught your scent and the pull kicked in. I feel like I’ve always loved you.”

  “Loved me?” She shook her head, eyes filled with pain. “I’m not sure you know the meaning of the word. You don’t torment someone you love. You don’t frighten and intimidate them.”

  He couldn’t defend his actions. She was right. He’d behaved horribly, used the situation to indulge his savage side. “I’m sorry. I was wrong to manipulate your feelings and exploit the need created by our genetic compatibility. I should have been stronger, more protective of my potential mate.”

  Apparently that hadn’t been the response she’d expected. Her expression softened and tension melted out of her stance. “You knew we were compatible before you kidnapped me. If rescuing Arton was your only goal, why didn’t you choose someone else?”

  “I never said Arton was my only goal. I said he was my original goal. He was the reason for my search. But my search led to an extraordinary female who was searching for a compatible male. The mate finder told me you’d been searching for six years. I couldn’t help wondering if I could give you what you wanted in return for your help.”

  Emotions rolled across her features so fast he couldn’t untangle them. One thing was certain. She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. “Why didn’t you just ask me?”

  He laughed and spread his arms in a helpless shrug. “I’m your enemy. You’ve been taught since birth to hate me. I couldn’t risk your refusal. Rescuing Arton is too important.”

  “So you continued with your original plan while trying to ‘court’ me?” She still sounded confused and he couldn’t blame her. The situation was confusing. He was attempting to accomplish two things that clashed and contradicted each other.

  “Basically.”

  She took a step toward him and then another. “Why were you so afraid that I’d reject you if you told me everything? We’d spent enough time together. You should have known I’d feel compassion for your son and want to see him reunited with his father.”