Lacey's Warriors (Bondmates #6) - Ann Mayburn Page 0,38
gain.” Gwarnon gently lifted her off his lap and into Chel’s arms so he could pace. “But first we must figure out what happened. I have sent a message of warning to Nosa and Cormac. They are already on a knife’s edge because of Roxy’s deshanti abilities. They will keep your secrets as we keep theirs.”
“God,” she tipped her head forward so her cheek rested against Chel’s bare, muscled shoulder, his body warm against hers. “Is the bullshit ever gonna end? I thought once the Baladium was over, the hard part would be done, but I feel like the real fight is just starting. I’m just so fuckin’ tired.”
“Forgive us.” Chel rubbed his thumb over her cheek, the bond between them opening slightly so he could send his soothing magic through her body. “We hate that we cannot give you the stress free courtship you deserve.”
Her mind briefly accessed her crystal implant after only the briefest moment of hesitation. No matter how many times Chel reassured her, or how many times she used the crystal without incident, she was still slightly afraid that it would malfunction and cause her more pain. The information she requested flowed through her, and she was vaguely aware of the men talking as she got a brief rundown of some of the thousands of types of courtships the Kadothian males did with their brides.
The lesson cut off as a high priority message came through her crystal implant. Roxy’s voice startled Lacey as she said, “Hey, girl! You wanna be my maid of honor? I’m going through the bonding ceremony in an hour, and I would love it if you guys could be there.”
Glad for the happy distraction, Lacey eagerly nodded, even though Roxy wasn’t there to see it. She said aloud, “Yes!”
Hastily correcting herself as Gwarnon and Chel gave her bemused smiles, she mentally replied, “I would love to.”
“Great. I’ll send the pixies over to glam you up. See you soon!”
“The pixies?” Lacey wondered aloud as she shifted in Gwarnon’s arms. “What is she talking about?”
His gaze went distant, his dark blue eyes becoming almost black before he smiled. “You will see when they get here.”
Two hours later, Lacey found herself practically running down the long corridor of one of the many wings of the Baladium itself, a massive satellite the size of six New York cities put together. It was buzzing with activity and people, all of which came to a stop as she was hustled past by her massive entourage of Baladium guards. The high, domed ceilings of the hallway, which was more like the massive walkway in a high end mall and allowed aliens of various sizes to work on the satellite.
Well, they weren’t actually the alien in this situation. She was.
The weight of the ridiculous spiked crown the Baladium’s staff had dressed her in threatened to topple off her head as she briefly looked down at her cool gold gladiator sandals encrusted with shimmering shells. They went well with the long, flowing, off-white halter dress slit up both the front and the sides, giving her freedom of movement. The garment itself felt like it was made of fabric, but the border at the bottom somehow managed to disappear into a sparkling gold mist that continually danced and swirled around her calves. The NevShoo, as her sponsors, were the belle of the ball so to speak, but as the actual combatant, she was being honored as well.
It was utterly over the top, but Lacey had been instructed by the NevShoo that she had to dress the part of the Baladium victor while she was there. They promised she would not have to be there long, but with Roxy out of commission and celebrating her bonding with her men, Lacey had to make an appearance.
Feeling uncomfortably like an exhibit in a circus parade, she tried to only focus on the back of the guard leading the way. Humanoid in form with silvery green skin and a tail, he wore the deep navy uniform of the Baladium security staff and had been nothing but professional and polite with her. In fact, he’d been almost fan boying. All of the Baladium guards had. They were eager to greet her and congratulate her on her victory like she was the star quarterback who’d just won the biggest Super Bowl in the history of the world.
A flash of what looked like metallic wings attempted to catch her attention, but she kept her head facing forward. While she