“Help yourself,” she invited as she plucked a golden pear from its branch.
He pulled one of the sun kissed fruits off the tree and took a bite. “Mm, fantastic…never tasted anything quite like it.” He remembered to keep his voice low. “Is this a hybrid fruit?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m tasting pomegranate with the pear.”
“We have many secrets here.”
They sat on the lush grass and ate their fill, which made up for missing breakfast. Then Flame led him to a small pool at the base of a tiny waterfall. She scooped a handful of the crystal clear water into her hands.
“Drink some,” she said, offering him sparkling water from her cupped hands.
He sipped the water. It tasted naturally sweet, like honey. The expression on his face made her smile and he could tell she was pleased with his reaction to her world so far. She dipped her hands in again and offered him more.
“You may drink all you want, but don’t touch the pool. Only women may touch the water’s source.”
“Not a male friendly environment, hm?” He smiled.
She returned his smile but did not reply.
He placed his hands under hers as they drank the honey water until their thirsts were quenched. The experience exhilarated him. He stared into her eyes with wonder. A new feeling came over him as he observed this amazing woman at home in her land. She positively glowed, and a new soft side emerged that he’d never seen.
“Okay, time to move on,” she softly told him after they had been refreshed.
They hiked for hours, going deeper and deeper into the mystical woods. The further in they went the more incredible sights he saw.
“Are those really sugar cubes?” Raef asked as they passed a large bush sprinkled with white squares.
“Yes.” She plucked a couple for them.
“Wow, that’s sweet.” He sucked on the small confection.
Flame laughed lightly. “Actually they are for the horses, but we are allowed to have them, too.”
“Horses?”
“You didn’t think we’d come rumbling in here on Harleys did you?”
Flame pointed to a distant meadow where a small herd of beautiful horses with long silky manes and tails stood grazing. The beauty around them awed him. Eventually they came to a thick line of massive trees, which blocked their path. Raef wondered how she’d lead their way through this seemingly impenetrable wall. There did not appear to be a way around or through the enormous trunks that had grown thickly together.
Then out of nowhere, a majestic white stallion appeared. The beautiful white horse lowered to its knees in front of Flame. She kissed its forehead and stroked the satiny coat.
“Hey, Odyssey, how are ya, boy?” she cooed softly to the animal. Yet another aspect revealed itself about the tough warrior women, her obvious connection to nature.
The stallion nuzzled her with its soft muzzle. “Here ya go.” She fed him a few sugar cubes, then pulled herself onto the horse’s back with one swing. “Hop on behind me.”
He swung himself up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and snuggled in close.
“This is nice,” he whispered in her ear.
He embraced the closeness between them. Being in her domain and watching her interact with a wild horse, seeing the new softness in her thrilled him. Without warning or guidance from Flame, the stallion paraded straight through the wall of trees. He glanced back and caught sight of the wall closing behind them.
Unreal!
Once on the other side, the sight before them was breathtaking. Dome shaped huts made of gold brick graced the most beautiful stretch of land he’d ever seen. Dozens of women and girls meandered about doing chores.
Odyssey bowed again so they could dismount with ease. Flame stroked the horse’s mane, fed him a few more sugar cubes, then sent him away. Raef watched in fascination as the stallion disappeared back into the trees. He simply stood frozen in place, awestruck by everything thus far.
“Angel, is this your sisterhood?”
“Yes, this is my real home, beautiful isn’t it?”
“To say the least,” he replied. “Incredulous is more the word. I am blown away.”
“Welcome to Celestial Village.” She offered him a genuine smile. “This way.” Flame led them to the main house, which looked more like a mansion. “Here is where we hold meetings and host celebrations. Nobody lives in the main building permanently, but there is always a lioness present.”
Sunlight sparkled through the multi-faceted crystal doors as they entered. Raef felt the purity of the surreal dwelling. A deeper understanding of Flame’s life opened itself to him. He followed quietly as she climbed a long spiral staircase to the upper room. Two gigantic golden haired lionesses lay in front of an arched shaped door.
Flame knelt on the floor and stroked their fur. “Bellamia, Bellamocha, tell her I am here.”
The impressive cats vanished into the room. Within minutes the large door swung open.
“Flame!” a cheery voice said in greeting. Flame hugged an eye-catching woman bearing long, rich auburn hair.
“Naami,” Flame returned as they affectionately embraced each other. “It’s so good to see you.”
Naami looked him over. “You must be Raef.” She extended her hand to him.
He kissed the back of her hand in a gentlemanly fashion. “Yes.”
“I have heard much about you. I am very happy to meet Flame’s loyal comrade at last.”
“Very nice to meet you as well.” He felt a bit awkward as she openly sized him up with warm brown eyes flecked with gold. The words
prey
and
escort
sprung to mind. He doubted it would take much encouragement to send her into his bed by the hunger in those sharp eyes. Visions of being passed around for breeding flashed before him.
“Naami is the reigning queen of our colony.”
Raef gave a polite nod.
Naami invited them into the chamber and sat down on a fur rug. Flame motioned for him to sit beside her as she took her place beside the queen lioness.
“Naami holds the highest rank obtainable by a mortal. The only position higher is Supreme Lioness, which can only be reached in immortality.”
“He is very handsome, Flame. Is your friend bound? He must be very special for you to bring him here. Do you seek a mate for him?”
Flame laughed. “Naami always gets straight to the point. She is not known for her subtleness.” She turned to the queen. “No, he is not bound but his heart is not open. And yes, Raef is very dear to me.”
“Oh.” Naami frowned. “Perhaps his visit here will help open some doors.”
Raef remained silent on the matter, stunned by her assertiveness on a first meeting.
With the initial pleasantries exchanged, Naami turned to Flame. “We have serious matters to discuss, don’t we?”
Flame nodded. “I destroyed an incubus known as the Satellite. I believe he is the one the Supreme Lioness warned me about.”
“Congratulations on your victory. Yet you seem troubled. Why is that?”
“He…the man I killed in battle, told me some disturbing things about two common mortal men I have known.”
“Why would you lend credit to a deceiver of the mind?”
“I had a nightmare following the battle…a very vivid nightmare that disturbs me.”
“We should seek guidance tonight when the moon rises. I will go with you to the Sacred Pond and request an audience with her highness.”
“Thank you. I want to put my mind at ease. I will wait until then to speak more on the nightmare. I’d feel better if this part of my battle is kept between us and the Supreme Lioness.”
“I understand. Let me walk with you to your hut. I am sure the two of you would enjoy rest from your long journey.”
The three of them left the house and walked through the community until arriving at one of the gold brick huts on the outskirt of the main grounds. Raef glanced around the small abode. The interior was as charming as the outside. A thick bedroll lay to one side and a partial bath had been erected in the corner with a curtain installed for privacy. A propane camping stove, mini-fridge and a table for two spanned the third wall.
“We don’t live in luxury,” Flame told him. “Doing so would make us soft.”
“I’m impressed. Your hut carries the same enchanting aura that I feel in you.”
Naami arched her brows at him. “You seek Flame as your mate?”
“Naami!” Flame scolded. “You know better.”
“My apologies, but you were mistaken, my friend, his heart is
very
open. Maybe not to others, but definitely to you.”
“We will meet you at the pond tonight.” Flame motioned toward the door. “Thank you for greeting us.”
Naami left the hut with an impish grin on her face.
“Sorry about that,” Flame muttered as a cute blush flooded her cheeks. “Naami is very blunt.”
“No worries, angel. She was right.”
Flame stared at him with big eyes but said no more on the matter. He smiled and gazed out over the village.
Morning dawned quietly in the charming community of Flame’s sisterhood. Raef stood near the doorway of her hut, watching women target shoot in a distant field.
“I thought
all
your sisters used Sai daggers.”
Flame moved to his side and slid her arms around his waist. “Nope. Just me at this time. We are free to choose our preferred weapon. Most of the women enjoy crossbows. Others use compound bows and many use swords. They are highly skilled.”
“No guns?”
“We don’t like them. They are noisy and make people uncomfortable. You need a license to carry and that would compromise our identity. These women do not want to be found. We do everything possible to remain discreet.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you choose the Sai?”
“Ah, finally, you ask questions,” she teased with a wink. “I chose them because they are versatile. When properly used, Sai daggers are extremely effective in defensive and offense situations. We are to employ defensive actions when possible and use offense only in life threatening situations such as what happened with Jacci…I had no choice.”
“I know. You saved her life from an unexpected attack. It was incredible.”
“My training began at the age of seven back when there were Sai masters among us. Should any of the warriors wish to use the daggers as their weapon, I am the one who will train them now.”
He turned around and pulled her close. “You are an amazing woman.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you. And you are very special to me. I have never brought another man to the village.”
“I am honored. This place is so peaceful. How far away are we from Shamrock? I saw a tiny sign on the way into town. Never heard of the place.”
“Not far at all, really. We chose this area just for that reason. It’s not a popular city and Texas is a huge state. It was easy to find a remote area in Shamrock to build our community. We own hundreds of acres.”
“You mean the sisterhood has been here all along?”
Flame looked at him with a demure smile. “Yeah, how about that? Right under Von Calder’s nose the whole time.”
Raef mused over the clever nature of these women. Their location provided a very discreet home base in a sparsely populated town.
“I am astounded by all of this. Thank you for trusting me enough to bring me into your world.”
“You will never find this place without one of us, even if you try.”
“I wouldn’t want to come here without you. Like I said, I’m a one woman man, and I’m not sure how well I’d fare in a village of lionesses.” He sat at the small table and peered out a small oval window. “I don’t see any male children around.”
“The male offspring are sent to another group after they are weaned. Once the boys are of age, they are given the choice to return for breeding or enter society as a civilian. Of course the matches are ordained to prevent inbreeding and maintain purity. Women who choose to breed are not permitted to become warriors for obvious reasons. Adult males who decide to live a normal life are never told of this place or of their birth mother.”
“Sounds harsh.”
Flame shrugged. “The male children are well cared for by selected women and the families are closely monitored while the child is in their care.” She sat down across from him. “Do you want children?”
“At my age? Hell no. Those years are long gone as far as I’m concerned. I was never blessed with kids but perhaps that’s for the best. My lifestyle is pretty crazy at times and I wouldn’t want to give it up.”
“I never had children either. Aiden was not suitable for breeding so I used birth control. He wanted to adopt but I didn’t want that either. Once I turned forty, I decided to have the tubal ligation to prevent an unwanted breeding.”
Raef studied her face, her expressions, trying to grasp her lifestyle. It was not like any of the cultures he’d ever known. “Did you love him?”
“Who?”
“Aiden.”
“Oh…” Her voice softened and a distant stare filled her eyes. “My marriage was a mistake and interfered with my progress as a warrior. Fortunately, my training was almost complete before I married. Honestly, I’m not sure if I am capable of loving a man with my whole heart. Half of me will always be loyal to the warrior.”
He refused to let her comment discourage him. “I think you can. Perhaps you just need the right man to show you how.”
Their eyes met. Something unexplainable flashed through hers. He shook it off. Then she smiled and reached for his hands.
“Perhaps.”
Everything about her and the covert world she lived in intrigued him. He’d closed his heart long ago when he stumbled upon his ex and Hatch getting it on. But now—now he definitely wanted to open his heart again. And the secretive woman who was tougher than most of the men in Ian’s circle, a woman who possessed a rare softness she seldom revealed, found her way into his heart with daggers of steel and wild love.
Chapter Eleven
“Your village is lovely,” Raef said softly as they sat together on the grass. “Seriously, I never believed a place like this could exist.”
“In addition to providing sanctuary for abused and homeless women, we recruit women with unique skills. They try to do everything organically if possible, using solar heat and natural resources. Our genetics lab is the pride of the colony, but you will never see it.”