Lacey's Warriors (Bondmates #6) - Ann Mayburn Page 0,12
both. “Because of their vulnerability, the females are careful about who they let into their lives and may not feel comfortable having a man declare his love the first instant they meet. In fact, Lady Casey said any woman with a brain in her head would run the other way if a hot guy claimed to be her soulmate on their first date. Which, in essence, is exactly what we did. Instead of being patient and taking into account our bride being traumatized by her kidnapping, we both tried to push her into giving us our kiss within minutes of meeting her—something that would be considered an aggressive and unsavory act on her world.”
Gripping his still white hair in his fists, Gwarnon let out a tortured groan. “Forgive me, Chel. I ruined everything.”
The loose brown shirt Chel wore gaped open slightly as he leaned forward, forcing Gwarnon to maintain eye contact. “Yes, you could have handled that better, but nothing is ruined beyond repair. If I have to be honest, it was rather entertaining to watch the High Congress’s best spy fumble with a woman like that. You are normally so charming, so polished—when you wish to be. This fumbling adolescent phase of yours is entertaining to witness.”
He grunted, wanting to refute his brother’s words, but it was true. “I was…taken aback.”
“That is one way to put it.” Chel was silent for a moment, then he began to rub Gwarnon’s neck in a way that forced his tight muscles to unclench. “Do not give up so quickly, my mate. Our bride is here, on this ship, mere rooms away. Do you know how amazing that is? How lucky we are? How blessed?”
“I do feel blessed and it is amazing. Other than the not wanting anything to do with us part.”
This time a soft laugh did escape, and he sent another prayer of thanks to the Lord of Life for bringing Chel into his world. They’d met when they were both young Warriors, eager to make their mark in the world. For Gwarnon, the military offered him freedom from his vile mother. Waking up every morning, knowing that he didn’t have to endure another day witnessing her cruelty, had been an incredible relief. Two weeks into bootcamp, Gwarnon met Chel and knew at the first brush of the other man’s soul that they were meant to someday be husbands to the same Matriarch.
Leaning into Chel’s soothing touch, Gwarnon allowed himself to think about his late blood brother. How he wished Jerit was still alive to see this moment. He would have loved Chel, and together the three of them would have been the family they were meant to be with Lacey. Except Jerit was long dead. Although Gwarnon had no proof, he knew his mother was behind Jerit’s death. She was the one who told Gwarnon that Jerit had died right after he found their Matriarch. His mother was the one who convinced him that his Matriarch was dead when she’d known all along it was a lie. And, though she’d pretended empathy and compassion of the world’s best mother to her cherished only son, he knew she fed off his grief, reveled in his misery.
His stomach clenched as he stared up at Chel. “When my mother finds out about Lacey, she will either try to manipulate her or kill her.”
“You mother,” Chel snarled, an intense hatred darkening his face, “Is an abomination. We will discuss her later. Right now, we must focus on our alyah and helping her survive the upcoming battle.”
Gwarnon gave a harsh laugh. “Yes, let us focus on that instead. On how she hates me and will never bond with us. Let us weigh the odds for how difficult it will be for her to survive with only the basic crystal you devised for her.”
Leaning his head on Chel’s shoulder, he shared his feelings with Chel, and his brother turned to hold him tight. “I’m telling you, we still have a chance with Lacey. Instead of focusing on the past, let’s look toward the future and how to make this work. Put your brilliant mind to solving the puzzle of how to win an Earth female’s trust.”
Gwarnon began to absently play with a long strand of Chel’s dark hair. “She will be forced to spend time with us for training, so we can use that time to reassure her that we’re not a threat.”
Chel snorted. “If we train her properly, she will hate us as surely as