Norlanian Brides Volume One Read online

  She nodded and snuggled closer. “It’s worth being cold to know we can be together.”

  Kissing the top of her head, he let go and turned, and they continued their trek. She could feel them moving upward and the air was definitely getting thinner. She shifted her thoughts to the things they could do to warm up once they were on the other side of the mountain. In spite of the chill, she soon felt downright toasty.

  She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she was enjoying letting her mind run rampant with thoughts of her sexy soulmate.

  Her shoes slipped on some loose stone and Dex grabbed her before she slipped to her knees. “We’re at the top,” he said. She stood by his side and looked out into the darkness. Very faintly in the distance, a soft light could be seen.

  “Let’s stop for a little while,” he said. The mountain was flat in spots on the top, and in between what felt like large boulders, he sat and pulled her onto his lap.

  He opened a pouch at the side of her backpack and gave her what she’d come to think of as an energy bar. It was dense and chewy and although it was made of something like oatmeal and dried fruit, it had a nutty flavor like hazelnut that she enjoyed.

  “How long were we walking?” she asked as he took the empty wrapper from her and shoved it, along with his, back into the pouch.

  “About four hours. The sun will rise in another three. As the light grows, we’ll be able to see. If it were just me, I would venture down by myself, but I don’t want to risk you stepping on something wrong and getting hurt.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You can rest for a bit.” He began to stroke her hair gently after he helped her lay her pack on the trail next to them.

  She wanted to ask if he would rest, but she was too exhausted to even form the words.

  Dex roused her when the sun was rising, casting the mountain in soft ambers. He gave her some water from a pouch and then they picked their way slowly down the mountain. When they were about a fourth of the way down, a shadow passed over them and she paused, looking up.

  “Holy shit, that’s the biggest damn bird I’ve ever seen.”

  Dex looked up and tensed. “There’s a male on the back of the bird.”

  Panic rose inside her quickly. “Is it one of your people?”

  He growled. “I’m not sure. Take off your pack so you can run if you need to. The bird is circling lower.”

  She swallowed hard and did as he instructed. Free of the pack, she knew she could make a run for it, but she also knew she wouldn’t leave him. Another bird joined the first one, both carrying riders, and they swooped low, the birds crowing loudly. Both birds landed, the wind whipping her and Dex in the wake of their massive wings.

  Dex held a knife in one hand, his body tense as he assumed a defensive stance in front of her. Two men slid from the creatures. Both had brown hair and wore trousers made of animal skin and moccasins on their feet. Their upper bodies were bare save for straps across their chests holding swords to their backs.

  One of the males said, “Dex?”

  Dex straightened slightly. “Warrick? What are you doing here?”

  The other male, who displayed startlingly sharp teeth, said, “We’ll ask the questions. Female, do you wish us to set you free?”

  Bella frowned. “What? Free from what?”

  Dex growled angrily and brandished his knife. “You will not take her from me.”

  Warrick put his hands up. “Whoa, hold on. Villi, stand down. Something is going on here and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. This is exactly why Nelari sent me along to investigate.”

  Dex stopped growling but he didn’t put the knife down. “Bella is my soulmate. I will cut you into pieces if you touch her.”

  “No one is touching anyone. Put the knife away,” Warrick said.

  Bella peeked around Dex and said, “I don’t think you’d put yours away, so don’t ask Dex to, either.”

  “Your female is smart,” Warrick said. “Dex, what are you doing on the forbidden side of the mountain?”

  Bella moved as close to Dex as she could. “Bella is my soulmate, but she escaped from the Bordelayz. I knew we wouldn’t be accepted. I left with her and we’ve been traveling for a few days.”

  Warrick nodded. “You stayed in a wooing chamber. That’s how we knew someone was in the area; we patrol both sides of the mountain.”

  “I don’t understand,” Dex said.

  “It’s okay, it’s complicated,” Warrick said, smiling. “Were you followed?”

  Dex shook his head. “It’s complicated for us, too, but no, we weren’t.”

  “Good. You’re looking to start a new life, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then come with us. You and your soulmate can ride on my zareb with me. He’s strong enough to carry all three of us. I’m sure you don’t want to be separated.”

  Bella nudged Dex and cleared her throat. Dex said, “Oh, sorry. Bella, this is Warrick Riya. He was a captain in the military, but I guess things are different now? Warrick, this is my Bella.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Warrick said. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but we can talk more freely in the city.”

  The other male, who was named Villi, took her and Dex’s packs and secured them to the sides of his bird as she and Dex climbed on behind Warrick. The bird lifted from the ground with great flaps of its wings and Bella shut her eyes tightly, hoping they would make it safely to wherever the hell they were going.

  Chapter 8

  Dex climbed down from the zareb and held his arms out for Bella. She practically leapt off the creature and he smiled as he caught her easily and held her close. They were inside some kind of fenced-in area where other zarebs were milling around. Males were standing outside, many with swords in sheaths strapped to their backs. They were all wearing clothes made of animal hides. Beyond them in the wooded area, he could see tents.

  Warrick climbed from the bird and said, “Let me introduce you to the leader.”

  A gate was pulled open and Warrick led Dex and Bella out of the fenced area while Villi unloaded their packs. Bella had trembled during the entire flight and she still looked frightened. She clung to Dex as they walked.

  They stopped in front of a large male. Warrick said, “This is Nelari, the leader of our city. Nelari, this is Dex Hallorhan and his soulmate, Bella.”

  Nelari extended his hand and Dex shook it. “Let’s speak in my home.” He turned and they fell into step behind him.

  “This is your home now?” Dex asked.

  Warrick nodded. “Sloan and I moved here, along with my mother and aunt, Sloan’s brother and his mate, and their friends.”

  “I heard that you moved away.”

  “That was a ruse. We couldn’t just leave without a word, it might have drawn attention to us. My mother bought a home for us outside of Kyvern City and we packed up as if we were moving, then came here instead. Are either of you wearing mating jewelry? They have trackers in them.”

  “No,” Dex answered.

  They entered a large tent, where a female with long brown hair was setting food and drinks on a low table. She straightened with a smile as Nelari introduced her as his mate, Yelda.

  She came over and hugged Bella, who looked at Dex with wide eyes. “You look half-starved. Come, sit and eat, please.”

  Dex and Bella sat on a sofa covered with soft animal hide while chairs were drawn close for Warrick, Nelari, and Yelda. Dex urged Bella to eat and held a plate for her. He was too curious to eat anything at the moment, but he knew that Bella really had been half-starved during her time at the Bordelayz.

  “Tell us how you came to be soulmates,” Nelari said.

  Dex explained how he’d been tracking her after she escaped and somehow knew she was meant to be his, their ruse with the dead karihre in the event others tracked them, their time in the chamber, and their plan to find a place to live on the forbidden side of the mountain.

  Nelari slipped his arm around hi
s mate. “It might surprise you to know that we believe that you and Bella are true soulmates. I knew when I laid eyes on Yelda that she was meant for me. This tent city is our home, and we welcome you to join our community and stay. We have a guest tent for you to stay in until your own home can be made. If you stay, though, you can never return to the other side of the mountain unless you are on a search team.”

  While Bella ate the food laid out for them, Nelari explained that their people were known as the ligaru, and that they’d been setting females free from wooing chambers and bringing them to the city to live for generations. Warrick explained the city’s belief about the government controlling the color of males’ hair through fetal injections and the eventual sterility of the females from those same injections.

  “Did you take the serum?” Warrick asked.

  “On the ship, but that was four lunar cycles ago.”

  Warrick nodded. “Then Bella is your true soulmate. My hair turned brown after Sloan and I were together, and so did Paoli’s after he and Kate were intimate.”

  Bella wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin and said, “Your people on the other side of the mountain don’t know about the injections being related to the hair color and sterility, though, right?”

  “Not that we’re aware of. Sloan believes that some of the officials know, but if the truth were to come out, the people would riot, so it’s clearly a carefully guarded secret,” Warrick said ruefully.

  “It’s terrible what the government did to your people,” Bella said.

  “It truly is, but it’s not your concern any longer. We’re safe here on the forbidden side of the mountain,” Warrick pointed out.

  When Bella had eaten her fill, Warrick took her and Dex to see Sloan, now the tent city’s official doctor. The large tent served as not only her medical office but also as the home she shared with Warrick.

  Sloan hugged Bella and pulled her gently from Dex, whispering in her ear. Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. She looked at Dex as she said, “I’m definitely Dex’s soulmate, not only because I want to be, but because I feel it all the way to the center of my being.”

  “Good. Just checking,” Sloan said. She smiled at Dex. “I’d like to give your soulmate an exam and make sure that she gets all the nutrients she needs after being in the Bordelayz for such a long time. Warrick can give you a tour of the city. Welcome to your new home.”

  Dex kissed Bella gently and left with Warrick. They walked the perimeter of the city. There were seventy-one males, females, and children living there. Everyone shared responsibilities for maintaining the city. Warrick now served as the head of the warriors who protected the city. Males who were not warriors farmed the land or worked as craftsmen. Females took care of their young, worked on the farms, and cooked, sharing meals with the unmated males and females, and helping anyone who needed it.

  They stopped in front of the zarebs and Warrick leaned against the top rail. “I wanted to apologize, Dex.”

  “For what?”

  “Because I never stood up for you. We were brothers in the military and even though I knew that it was wrong for you to be demoted for the brawl with those males, I didn’t defend you.”

  “I shouldn’t have attacked them.”

  “Maybe not, but you were under duress, and instead of helping you when you were drowning, I stood by and watched it happen. The whole system is wrong. The government forced males who weren’t interested in having soulmates to take the soul-walk, and then if the matings didn’t work out, the females were punished. I’m sorry. I should have been there for you. I know we weren’t good friends, but I knew what happened to you was wrong and I did nothing to change it.”

  “Thanks, Warrick.” Dex stared at the zareb. Beyond them, the woods were lit by the sun, shafts of golden light spilling through the trees. It was beautiful in a way he’d never noticed on the other side of the mountain.

  “I could use your help training the warriors. They’re eager to learn, but I’m the only one training right now, and I don’t have your tracking skills, which the warriors could use for hunting. Paoli can make you and Bella matching jewelry,” he said, raising his left hand and showing him an intricately carved metal ring on one finger.

  “What would Bella do?”

  “Take care of your home, for starters. Then she can choose what she’d like to do for the community. There is plenty to be done and I’m certain that she’ll fit right in. So will you. Of course, she needs to rest plenty and get over the effects of her poor nutrition and treatment from the Bordelayz, but Sloan will be happy to help with that.”

  “Bella wanted us to go back to Kyvern City and destroy the Bordelayz and the soul-walk company.”

  “After we realized what the government did to our people through the injections, Sloan wanted to do the same thing.” He looked thoughtful. “If you can teach the males how to track, they’ll be able to move around Kyvern City without being detected, right?”

  He shrugged. “If they knew where to look for the security cameras and the patrol schedules, sure.”

  “We could at least prevent anymore soul-walks. We’ve been talking since we came here about destroying the soul-walk machine and the drug supply. It would take years for them to make another machine, if they even could replicate it. I’d like to see them stop leaving our planet to find females.”

  “Me, too. I’ll help in any way. For Bella.”

  Warrick extended his hand and Dex shook it. “Welcome home, Dex.”

  Chapter 9

  *Four Moon Cycles Later*

  Bella laughed as the young male’s face screwed up as he tried to think of an answer to her question. She was sitting under a large shade tree in the city’s outdoor classroom with seven young children, six males and one female.

  “Think hard, Lore, it was one of the first things I told you in our lesson today,” she urged.

  His eyes brightened. “Oh, I know! The guitII plant can be used to aid healing. You said it was like your al-low plant on your planet.”

  “Aloe,” she corrected. “Very good! Who can tell me what plant can help to ease a fever?”

  Theny, the female, raised her hand and answered, “Poih.”

  “Wonderful!” She saw Dex watching her with a broad smile and she said, “I think it’s time for midday meal. Your homework for tonight is to find one unique flower and bring it to class tomorrow. Bye!”

  The children all waved at her before racing off toward their homes. Putting the book in her satchel, she stood and met Dex. He kissed her as he drew her close, one hand resting on the slight swell of her baby bump.

  “How is my sweet Bella and our young?”

  “We’re both great. How was training?” Dex had been working with the warriors to teach them how to track. Dex could move like a shadow without making a sound. It was downright freaky.

  “Good. They’re ready for the mission and you’ll get your wish.”

  She rested her ear against his chest and listened to the steady sound of his heart. In a few days, a small group of warriors were traveling to Kyvern City to destroy the soul-walk company’s machine and the drugs they used on the males. Some of them were going to sneak into the medical center where Sloan had worked to destroy the pregnancy injections so future children would be protected. The pregnancy drugs could be remade – they were synthetic, according to Sloan – but the males were also going to upload a virus into the medical center’s main computer that would destroy the information on how to make the injections. Sloan said it would take years for the government to recover. In the meantime, hopefully babies would be born without blue hair and the people would begin to see that something was wrong. Bella took comfort in knowing that no other females would be abducted.

  “I wish they could also destroy the brothel.” She rubbed his back and yawned.

  “We discussed it, but if they destroyed the brothel, there would be no place for the people to go. And there are so many people in the Bordelayz that it wou
ld be nearly impossible to destroy the building without harming anyone. Someday, I hope we’ll be able to see the slaves free.”

  “Everyone deserves to be free and find happiness,” she said.

  He tipped her face and kissed her. “I love you, Bella mine.”

  “I love you, too.”

  They walked together to their tent, and she sat on the couch while Dex put together a meal for them to share. Although she enjoyed cooking for them, Dex liked to make lunch and pamper her. She’d been teaching the children three mornings a week for the last two months. Sloan had given her some books on natural remedies and she enjoyed learning along with the kids about the various plants and herbs in the woods.

  One day a week, she and Kate worked on storybooks for the kids. Bella had thought it would be awkward to work with the woman who had been chosen during Dex’s soul-walk. After a long heart-to-heart, Kate had explained that she had hated Dex at one time, but had quickly come to realize that without him going on the soul-walk, she wouldn’t have ever met her true soulmate, Paoli. Bella understood completely, because her hatred of Iliam had slowly disappeared. Without him, she would never have met Dex, and that was a world she didn’t want to think about.

  After much study, Bella had gotten pretty good at spell checking in both English and Norlanian, and had been helping Kate with the storybooks she loved to write. Bella had also learned from Paoli how to make paper and stitch the edges together to bind them into books.

  Once a week the entire city gathered for dinner and everyone pitched in. It reminded her of the potluck dinners she used to go to on Earth. She loved getting to know her new people.

  Sometimes at night when she couldn’t sleep, she’d stand outside of the tent in the darkness and look up at the stars. She had no idea what had happened to her parents, and she knew she’d never see them again. She hoped that somehow, if they were still alive, that they would know she was safe and happy, because she hoped they were safe and happy, too. Dex had become her family, and so had the people in the tent city.