Lacey's Warriors (Bondmates Book 6)
Lacey’s Warriors
A Bondmates Novel
By Ann Mayburn
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Lacey’s Warriors
Copyright 2020 by Ann Mayburn
Published by Honey Mountain Publishing
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
**DISCLAIMER: Please do not try any new sexual practice, BDSM or otherwise, without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Ann Mayburn will not be responsible for any loss, harm, injury or death resulting from use of the information contained in this book.**
Bondmates Series
Casey’s Warriors
Jaz’s Warriors
Paige’s Warriors
Roxy’s Warriors
Tara’s Warriors
Lacey’s Warriors
Dawn’s Warriors (Coming Soon)
Dear Beloved Reader,
Welcome back to the Bondmates world! Lacey’s book has a time overlap with Roxy and Tara’s books, so I highly, highly suggest you read those first.
As a refresher for those that read Tara and Roxy’s books a bit ago—Lacey was kidnapped from earth with Roxy and sold to the NevShoo.
Timeline-wise, this book begins when Gwarnon and Lacey meet for the first time on the NevShoo’s ship before the battle at the Baladium.
Tiny spoiler alert—more time is spent on Kadothia in this book than we’ve previously spent in the other books. ??
I hope you enjoy your journey to the Bel’Tan Galaxy!
Ann
Glossary of Terms
Alyah- The affectionate name that Kadothian males call their bondmate. It means ‘eternal beloved’.
Amba- A deadly Kadothian predator resembling a giant condor covered in soft red fur instead of feathers.
Blood Brothers- Kadothian males with the genetic and spiritual makeup to share a Matriarch and have formed a romantic relationship together while waiting to find their wife. Most often the blood brothers both marry the same woman, but on very rare occasions they don’t and the bond between the blood brothers is broken.
Challenge- The realms of Kadothia are split up among the Warriors, each seeking to build a home worthy of their future alyah. Some Warriors never find bondmate and as they begin to creep towards madness, they can be challenged by unbonded males for their territory. Everything from a verbal disagreement to a full out minor war could result.
Gili Fertility Ritual- A tradition native to the Southern Continent where once a cycle the Lord(s) and Lady of the land make love before a gathering of Servants of the Lord of Life to bless the land and people with good crops and fertility.
The Great Sorrow- Over ten thousand Kadothian years ago, during a massive civil war, a virus was engineered to boost the psychic killing abilities of the Kadothian women in an effort to win the war. Unfortunately, the virus changed the Kadothian women, destroying any senses of love, compassion or empathy, turning them into the perfect killing machines. No cure could be found and in an effort to save themselves and the Bel’Tan galaxy, all Kadothian men are altered at birth to only have male children.
The Hive- When the female Kadothians fled their home planet they bonded together to form their own society, the Hive. Unable to form emotional attachments with each other, the Hive works together for their own self-interest, knowing in a coldly logical manner they have a better chance of surviving together than apart. They rule a portion of the Bel’Tan galaxy with a ruthless army made up of mercenaries and Hive members that seek to enslave and destroy. Emotionally dead on the inside, the only way they can feel any pleasure is by inflicting suffering and pain on others and feeding on their torment. Kadothian males, with the help of their bonds, are the only beings in all of the Bel’Tan galaxy that can resist the Hive’s psychic powers and the only thing that stands between the galaxy and utter destruction.
Kackle- A Kadothian herd animal resembling a mix between a cow and a giraffe
Kadothia- A matriarchal planet in the Bel’Tan galaxy close to twice the size of Earth’s sun. It is surrounded by fourteen moons, some of which have been terraformed to make them habitable. Once such moon is being used as a replica of Earth for the new Matriarchs.
Kadothian Continents- (in order from largest to smallest) North, South, West, Isle of Tranquility, Cliffs of Goeth, Plains of Pechana, Ice Fields of Ashon, Osymaya’s Delta, the Yason Mesa, the Fields of Swaycor, and the Felusa archipelago.
Matriarch- A woman who has been soul bonded/married to a Kadothian male(s) and is the head of their family House. For example, Lady Elsin Adar is the head of the House Adar.
Military classes- The Kadothian military is split into four distinct classes; Warriors, Healers, Scouts, and Negotiators. There is rumored to be a fifth class, a spy class, but no proof. Each class is headed by four men, elected by their class, to represent each group at the High Congress.
Madre Tierra- The Kadothian moon that is being transformed into a replica of Earth complete with Earth plants, animals, and replicas of historic monuments like the Egyptian pyramids. Upon complete it will be open to newly bonded Matriarch to settle, along with people from the Bel’Tan galaxy seeking a new home. Experts from Earth and their families have been carefully selected by the High Congress to help oversee Madre Tierra’s development.
Pleasure Servant- A woman trained to provide sexual release to a Kadothian male while keeping the relationship strictly sexual with no romantic attachments. This is an honorable profession in the Bel’Tan galaxy and there is no stigma associated with being a prostitute.
Primzit- A parasitic worm that eats fecal matter from decaying corpses
Venan- A large, river dwelling creature with a thick hide like a rhino and tusks similar to a wart hog with a long, spiked tail used for swimming and combat. Notoriously ill tempered, a venan will attempt to kill anything that enters its territory.
Zendor- An animal native to North Continent on Kadothia that looks like a large dog sized fluffy ball of various colored fur with legs. Hidden within the fur are retractable bone spikes that the zendor will use to defend itself, similar to a puffer fish. Zendors live in packs of up to two hundred in the wild and even a small pack of Zendors can defend itself against the majority of Kadothia’s predator animals. The Zendors have been tamed and used as guard animals by the Kadothians for centuries.
Kadothian Political Structure
The High Congress- 300 members
The Elder Congress- 3,000 members
The Congress- 30,000 members
The Territorial Congress- 300,000 members
The Regional Congress- 3,000,000 members
The Lord and Lady of the Land- 84,233,897 members (the number constantly shifts as Challenges are won and lost)
Village/City Elders – 754,328,756 members (the exact number is constantly in flux due to shifts in the political structure due to the result
s of a Challenge)
Contents
Prologue
Chapter1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Prologue
Chel
A crisp, frosty air blew over the dormant orchard, the breeze stiff enough to send the flags bearing the green and blue flag of House Westfall snapping on the four towers high above Lady Casey Westfall’s manor in Northern Kadothia. The late morning sky roiled with clouds as the promise of one of the famed Northern Continent blizzards built far above. Ignoring the sting of the wind, Chel stared into the churning mists with unseeing eyes, his mind sorting continuously through streams of data coming into his crystal implant.
His blood brother, Gwarnon, was sending Chel a live feed his meeting with a Smuggler Prince who was also a Kadothian informant. They hoped their spy had information about any Earth women recently smuggled into the Bel’Tan galaxy bearing a resemblance to Roxy Westfall, Lady Casey’s sister.
Soft, rhythmic footsteps came from the flowering winter garden below, the manor guards on high alert. A young Earth woman who was just beginning to settle into her role as a Kadothian Matriarch, Lady Casey was beside herself with worry and grief. Because Chel was so physically close to the Lady, her strong emotions trickled through their shared bond. Her grief and fury mixed with his own.
Lady Roxy wasn’t only his Matriarch’s sister, she was the key to Chel and his blood brother Gwarnon finding their own bondmate. Months ago, Chel experienced a true dream— he met his future bride in his dreams. Chills still raced over his skin as he clearly remembered dancing with his golden-haired beauty at a Harvest Festival thrown by Lady Roxy. At the time, Chel had no idea who hosted the ball, but he recognized the mystery Matriarch’s husbands, Nosa and Cormac. They watched Chel and Gwarnon dance with fond smiles, the kind shared between good friends.
At first, Gwarnon expressed skepticism that Chel true dreamed.
After all, his vile mother, Lady Melissi, had convinced Gwarnon that his Matriarch died long ago. Years before, Gwarnon lost his first blood brother in an ‘accident’ just when his blood brother supposedly found their Matriarch. Gwarnon had barely survived their loss—his mind broken, his heart shattered, and his will to live gone. If it wasn’t for Gwarnon’s loyal friends, he probably would’ve ended his own life. Instead, he’d managed to somehow deal with the fact he would never find the love of his life, that he was doomed to die to the madness.
When Gwarnon met Chel, and once it became clear they were blood brothers, Gwarnon broke the news that their Matriarch was dead. While Chel had no proof, he felt deep in his soul that Gwarnon was wrong, that their Matriarch was still out there. They’d fought bitterly about it, and Chel had let it go after he realized Gwarnon’s mind would never be changed.
It wasn’t until Gwarnon had a true dream about their mysterious alyah—and woke with a fresh love bite on his neck and scratches down his back to prove it—that he’d finally allowed himself to believe. Allowed himself to hope.
Worry threatened to overwhelm Chel, but he used the old Healer trick of making himself intensely focus on his surroundings to clear his mind.
The icy rain began to change to snow, and large flakes edged in gold and pale purple began to drift down over the manor grounds. Lorn and Nast—Lady Casey’s husbands and the Lords of this manor—had done a good job preparing the Territory for her, but no land came alive until there was a Matriarch to bond with it. Since Lady Casey had taken over the Territory, it had begun to transform and prosper. Right now, the towns, hamlets, and farms in the Westfall Territory were celebrating an unusually good harvest of their popular wine. He could hear distant merrymaking, but his heart held no cheer.
Behind him, the blue gilded doors leading into the manor swung open, momentarily bathing him in warm and light as the sky above continued to darken.
A tall man with his long white hair smoothed back in a club braid stepped out onto the balcony. He wore the gleaming blue casual armor of a Negotiator, his long cream and blue-edged cape marking him Head of the Negotiators flapped about his figure as he shut the door. His grim face wasn’t unusual. Lord Rell was known for his somewhat off-putting nature—when he stared, it was like he could peer into your soul. The only time Chel had ever seen Lord Rell relaxed and smiling was when he was with his Earth bride, Lady Paige—who just happened to have grown up with Lady Casey on Earth.
So many connections, so many coincidences. Chel’s High Priest uncle would have said the hand of the Lord of Life was busy moving his pieces into place. Chel sent up a silent prayer, asking the Lord of Life to bless his search for his bride and keep her safe. Losing a Matriarch twice, even if the first time was a hoax, would destroy Gwarnon and Chel would not survive his blood brother’s loss.
Lord Rell stopped next to him at the railing. His breath fogged in the snow filled air as he said, “Senior Healer Chel, I would like to discuss a few security matters.”
Bowing his head, Chel kept his features even. “Of course, my Lord.”
Pressing a button on his wrist, Lord Rell activated a privacy shield. It not only kept anyone nearby from overhearing them, but it also blurred their images.
Once the bubble fully formed, Lord Rell exchanged a much warmer greeting with Chel, clasping his forearm. “It is good to see you again, my friend. How are you faring?”
Lord Rell was one of the few people who knew Chel and Gwarnon were blood brothers, but Chel trusted him not to say anything. Not because Chel was ashamed that Gwarnon was his mate, but because Gwarnon’s mother was hands down one of the most manipulative, sadistic, and brilliantly vile women the Lord of Life ever created. It still boggled Chel’s mind that someone as foul as Lady Melissi could have given birth to someone as honorable as Gwarnon.
“Chel?” Lord Rell asked with concern in his deep voice. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, sorry, my Lord. I fear I have much on my mind.”
In a rare show of empathy, Lord Rell gave Chel’s armored shoulder a brief squeeze. “Finding Roxy is a priority, but not only because she is Lady Casey’s sister and key to you finding your bride. I’m afraid the reasoning is much grimmer. Rumors claim the Hive is trying to acquire all the Earth women they can then bringing them back to their home planet. Afterward, they plan on…experimenting on them and have been using slavers to try to raid the Earth behind our backs. If the Hive gets hold of Roxy, we’ll never get her back. Because of Gwarnon’s extensive connections among the smuggler princes, I need him to search for any records of Roxy being sold.”
More snowflakes whirled around the privacy dome, and the view of the orchard became obstructed by snow. “He is working on that now, my Lord.”
Lord Rell gave an absent nod. “Tell him to be very discreet. I don’t want our enemies alerted that there is an Earth bride somewhere in the galaxy.”
“How—?”
Chel was cut off as an emergency message alert chimed through his mind from Gwarnon.
“Chel,” came his blood brother’s mental voice. “I have found Lady Roxy. I need you to get to the spaceport in Moldune as quickly as you can. I’m sending the coordinates now.”
“Lord Rell is with me. What should I tell him?” Chel’s heart thumped as he sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord of Life.
“Put me on holo.”
Holding up his wrist, Chel activated his armor and the holographic image of Gwarnon’s sharp and deadly features surrounded by his blue-black hair appeared.
“My Lord,” Gwarnon quickly said. “I have found the women, but I am afraid the news isn’t good.”
“The women?” Lord Rell asked.
“Yes, Lady Roxy and another Earth woman are being held by the NevShoo. They…
” The holo image of Gwarnon shook his head. “They are being entered to fight in the Baladium.”
“What the fucking fuck?!” Lord Rell roared, the Earth curse words mixing with a blend of other language’s foulest phrases.
Chel gripped the edge of the carved ivory stone baluster at the edge of the platform. His brain raced as he checked with the Baladium betting sites through his implant. There, plain as day, he found proof of Gwarnon’s words—two Earth women, with heavy betting and large sums of money being placed on their odds of their surviving the Baladium.
The Baladium had been around for centuries, a fight club of sorts where the winners were awarded with the Bel’Tan Galaxy’s greatest treasures and the Baladium’s protection. Kadothian Warriors were strictly prohibited from taking part in the contest, as the Baladium itself was on the edge of Hive Territory, in a region where Kadothia had no influence. It was one of the worst possible places Lady Roxy could end up, and Chel tried to fight off the sense of defeat tearing at him.
“The NevShoo need someone to come fix the crystal implants they are using for the Earth women. Evidently, whoever smuggled them in put in defective implants, or just implants that do not work properly with a non-transitioned Earth mind. I am going to assume the role of a Smuggler Prince and gain access to the women and replace their implants.”
“Then what?” Chel asked with a sarcastic snarl. “What in the name of the Lord’s balls are we supposed to do then? How do we get them out of the Baladium?”
“The NevShoo are in desperate need of a Baladium win,” Lord Rell murmured, his eyes darting about as he spoke. “They will not release the women to us, so that is not a road we can take.”
“And, even if they were willing?” Gwarnon’s grim image added. “The Baladium will not. The women are registered combatants, under the Baladium’s protection. Getting them out of there will be next to impossible. Perhaps, if I had an armada or two, we could fight our way out, but that is not realistic.”