Thorn's Bondmate (Zarronian Warriors Book 2) (29 page)

Eirik jumped into the conversation. "Nothing to worry about. Some of the other warriors have experienced it as well. Borg's checking into it. Aren't you Borg?"

"Yes. Probably has to do with a pregnant female's hormones whether she's carrying your child or not," Borg said.

"How odd," Lia mumbled. "Would you like me to have the serving female bring you some tea and bread in the mornings, Thorn?"

"No. I can take care of myself," he growled.

"It would be no trouble as the serving girl has been taking tea and bread to Daria in the mornings," Lia said.

"Which reminds me," Borg said. "We need to make arrangements for the birth of Daria's child. Will you be delivering her and doing the naming ceremony, Thorn?"

"No," Thorn said.

"Are you sure about that?" Valan asked.

"Yes," Thorn said.

Then, Borg you can deliver the baby and Daria can ask Soren to be one of the mentors," Valan said. "He can help her with the naming ceremony as well."

"Yes. Soren would like that," Eirik said.

Thorn glared at them and slammed his glass of juice to the table. "It's not going to work so you can stop."

Lia frowned. "What's not going to work?"

"Trying to make me jealous. It won't work."

"Don't be silly," Lia said with a little laugh. "Daria explained that what happened between the two of you was an accident and that you aren't to blame for the way you feel."

"Oh, really? Then why did she tell me you wanted us to stay together?"

Lia grimaced. "I'm afraid I made her promise to talk to you. She tried to convince me it wouldn't do any good but you know how stubborn I can be?"

"So, you've accepted it just like that?" He waved his hand in the air.

"We'd hoped you'd stay together but we understand, and accept, your need to live apart," Lia said.

"You said Daria is like a daughter to you." Thorn relaxes and hooked his arm over the back of his chair.

"We like her. Surely, you don't expect us to abandon her?" Valan asked. "Besides we're not the only ones who like her. Soren already thinks of her as a sister."

"That's right," Soren said as he ambled into the room. "I think of Daria as my sister and soon I'm going to have a little niece." He grinned proudly at them as he sat down.

Lia turned to Valan. "We'll have to set up a nursery so we can watch the baby while Daria works."

"Does that mean another trip to the marketplace?" Valan asked, then grinned. "I haven't done anything to deserve that torture, little cat."

Lia laughed then patted his hand. "You'll survive the experience."

"Excellent," Eirik said. "Daria will have to travel for her job so that would be a great help. By the way, I agree that Soren should help name the child and be one of the mentors."

Soren smiled as he served himself from the tray of food on the table. "I'm honored. I'll start considering names for the baby."

Thorn looked at the food on his plate and felt sick. As far as his family was concerned everything was settled. Frowning, he rubbed his aching stomach as he rose. "I have work to do on the Invincible."

"How are the repairs coming?" Eirik asked. "Will the Invincible be ready to go out again soon?"

"In about four cycles."

"Good. I might have to send you to recover the females the Witvians sold to the Almarians."

"I thought the Assembly was handling that." Thorn said.

"They are but we offered to assist them."

"Send someone else. The trip would take at least ten cycles. I'd have to take Daria with me and we'd be trapped on the starship together."

"You can ignore her on the Invincible just as easily as you ignore her here," Soren said.

"Stay out of this, brother and the answer is still no. That's final." Frowning Thorn walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Several micro-units later he entered the transfer station and nodded at the warrior on duty as he stepped onto one of the plates. "The Invincible."

"Yes, Commander."

A moment later, the transfer officer on his starship greeted him. Thorn nodded as he passed him and absently returned the greetings of his warriors as he walked to engineering.

The child was the problem. Daria belonged to him and he fought every moment to keep from claiming her completely. She pleased him. In the bedroom she pleased him as no other female ever had. Outside of the bedroom she was intelligent, funny, and sassy. Even his family liked her. He didn't love her but he wanted her and he didn't want to share her with her lover's child.

That was the root of the problem. Frowning, he thought about how easily Daria had accepted Dane and Dev. Maybe if the child looked like her, and not the man who'd fathered her, it would be easier for him to claim her. He put it to the back of his mind, entered engineering and greeted Garrikson, then listened to his report concerning the progress they were making on the repairs.

# # #

"Commander," the communications officer said, "Ambassador Eirikson and Ruler Dagson have boarded the starship and are waiting for you in your quarters."

"Very well. Tell them I'll join them in five micro-units." Thorn turned to his head of engineering. "Garrikson, make sure the workers reinforce the wall before they install the new shielding on the outside."

"Yes, Commander."

The repairs were coming along ahead of schedule. They'd been told they'd have to wait for the new shielding to arrive, but his supply officer had managed to commandeer a shipment intended for another starship. Chuckling, he wondered what the Commander of the Defiance would do when he discovered it was missing.

The door to his quarters slid open and he stepped through it. His Father sat behind his desk with his booted feet resting on the clean surface. His Grandfather stood by the food processor removing a glass of wine.

"I could use one of those, Grandfather." He moved toward him and took the glass Eirik held out to him.

"Sit down, son, I've got something to tell you."

Thorn pulled a chair out and dropped into it. "Let's hear it."

Valan glanced at his father then back to Thorn. "Have you heard the rumor about a level six warrior?"

"Yes."

Valan hesitated for a moment then said, "There's no easy way to tell you this—it's Soren."

Thorn jerked to his feet. "No, that can't be true. We're level fives. Check him again."

Valan moved to Thorn and put his hands on his shoulders, squeezing them.

"Father—." Thorn swallowed to clear his throat.

Valan slung his arm around him and for a moment they stood together. "We're doing everything we can to find him a mate but the chances of that are very low. He wants to die in battle."

"The damn fool will do everything he can to get himself killed," Thorn said.

Valan nodded. "That's what we fear. He wanted you to know but he didn’t want to be the one to tell you."

"Does Mother know?"

"No, and I don't know how I'm going to tell her," Valan said. "She'd make herself sick worrying when there's still hope."

"Hope?" Thorn asked. For a level six warrior there was no hope. Even the scientists said it would be impossible to find a female who could bond at that level. He rubbed his hands over his face only then realizing that his eyes were wet. His father's eyes were red and Thorn knew he was holding back his own grief.

Thorn felt as if someone had thrust a knife through his chest and for a moment he couldn't catch his breath. Finally, he managed to pull in a huge gulp of air. He was going to lose his brother. The person he'd spent his entire life depending on, living and fighting next to, and the only person who knew him as well as he knew himself. He fisted his hands, holding back the howl or rage and grief he felt. He couldn't lose control now. Not in front of his father and grandfather.

He stiffened his shoulders. "Will Soren be home this evening?"

Valan nodded. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him."

"I'll be there." Thorn escorted them to the transfer room then went to the gym where he ordered the other warriors out before he removed his vest and activated the fighting robot.

Units later, bloody and exhausted, he lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling and letting the tears he couldn't cry in front of his father and grandfather fall.

# # #

Daria was playing in the garden with Dane and Dev when Lia opened the back door and told them that Thorn had arrived. She watched them run toward it and disappear inside. She was happy to see the boys eager to see their father but wished he'd be that happy to see her. As soon as she realized what she'd just thought she questioned her own sanity. The less they saw each other the better. Besides she'd already decided to assure Thorn that she'd accepted that they would not be staying together and she was fine with that. She and, uh, Brianna? No. Melissa? She shook her head. None of the names sounded right. Shrugging, she patted her tummy. "Whoever you are I'm looking forward to meeting you."

"Daria?" Lia asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"The baby," Daria said. "I'm trying to decide on a name for her and I can't decide."

"You could let Thorn worry about that."

She laughed and shook her head. "He doesn't want to have anything to do with the baby and I've decided to start a new tradition. One in which the mother chooses the name then promptly moves into a house of her own." Before she ends up killing him, she thought to herself.

Lia grinned. "Let's go in to dinner. I'm sure you must be hungry."

Daria nodded. "I'm starving." She took Lia's arm and they strolled toward the house.

# # #

Thorn stood at the den window watching them. When he and Daria had arrived on Zarronia she'd been too slender, almost fragile. Now, she was beautifully rounded and the deep lavender gown flowed over her, outlining the differences he could see in her body. Including the soft roundness of her belly.

He couldn't remember the child birthing classes he'd taken when Naline had been carrying Dane and Dev. Was Daria attending the classes? If so, was anyone going with her? He could ask her but he already had a battle ahead of him just getting her on his starship. He knew she'd refuse to go and they'd argue about it. What she didn't know was that he was looking forward to every micro-unit of it. She was clever and obstinate. A good opponent although he'd have to be careful not to upset her.

He had the most important battle of his life ahead of him. The way he saw it, he had three choices. He could tell her he loved her and let her walk all over him, or he could tell her he loved her and take firm control of the situation, or he could keep quiet and let things go from bad to worse. The first and third option were quickly rejected.

Tonight, he'd tell her he loved her and that they were staying together.

A moment later his mother opened the door and said, "It's time for dinner."

"Good," Valan said as he rose, then took Lia's arm and escorted her to the dining room. Thorn followed behind them, groaning when he entered the room and saw his grandparents, Soren, and Borg sitting at the table.

Daria ignored him, until he ordered Dane to move out of the chair next to her. "I told him he could sit there, Commander."

Thorn picked Dane up and placed him in a chair on the other side of the table next to his Grandmother and took his place next to Daria. "You don't have to call me commander, Daria. Master will do."

Next to him, Soren chuckled.

"Why don't you hold your breath until I do?" Daria mumbled.

"Isn't this nice?" Nessa said happily. "All of the family together again."

"Yes, Grandmother," Thorn agreed. "It is nice."

Daria wondered what he was up to then asked Nessa where she'd gotten her gown. As she knew she would, Nessa related the purchase in fine detail, even giving Daria directions to the shop where she'd found it. She managed to ignore Thorn for most of the meal until he stretched his arm along the back of her chair and began tugging on one of her curls. She discreetly scooted her chair a few inches in Borg's direction as she engaged him in a conversation about his profession. When she felt her chair sliding back towards Thorn, she grabbed the edge of the table and looked at him.

Grinning, he sipped his wine and pulled her closer until her chair was almost touching his.

"Stop that," she hissed, glaring at him

"I'm just trying to take care of you," Thorn said.

Daria frowned. "I don't need babying, Commander."

"Babying?" he asked.

Daria smiled. "It means to take care of another person as if they were an infant usually because you care about them."

"This babying? Would it include cuddling, bathing and feeding? Could you talk back? If not then I might enjoy doing this."

Daria tightened the grip on her eating utensil to keep from stabbing him with it. He glanced at her hand and smiled drawing a little growl of temper from her. "I can take care of myself and my baby so you can keep your distance and go kill things." She made a shooing motion.

Dane and Dev giggled then copied her motion and said together, "Go on now. Git." They laughed again.

Lia and Valan smiled and Eirik chuckled.

"Daria, I have a file of Earth slang and gestures I'd like you to explain to me when you have the time," Valan said. "Some don't make any sense."

Daria laughed. "Those might be regional and known only to the local population or archaic. After dinner I'll look them over and do my best."

"No. After dinner, I want to speak to you in the den." Thorn pulled her chair a little closer.

"I don't want to speak to you."

Thorn lifted his brows. "Not ever? That should make things easier, baby."

"Don't call me that ridiculous name," Daria demanded. "I am not your baby."

"No, but you’re my bondmate. That gives me the right to call you anything I like, and I like calling you baby, Baby."

"Would you like to know what I call you in those rare moments when I think of you at all?" Daria inquired sweetly.