Soren's Bondmate by Mardi Maxwell Page A

Soren pointed to the top of the cliff. "Can they get up there and throw krystal down at us?"
    "No," Berit said.
    "Their white krystal won't penetrate our shelter," Skye said.
    Soren smiled and hugged her. "You and Raina should be halfway between the center and the ends. What do you think, Berit," Soren asked.
    "Good plan. Let's do it," Berit said.
    Skye smiled and called on the elements. A long natural looking bulge appeared on the cliff with an opening at one end.
    Berit waved toward the warriors and one-by-one they climbed up to the shelter and entered it. When five had gone up Jerret helped Raina carry the babies up and five more warriors followed them.
    "You're next," Berit said, pointing to Soren.
    Soren took Skye's hand and led her to the base of the cliff. He lifted her over his head, waited until she had her feet and hands on handholds then released her. She had climbed up several meters before he followed her. Once inside he held her in his arms until the others joined them. He looked down the line and saw Berit take his position midway between his men. He kissed Skye and sent her on her way. "Be good."
    She smiled back at him as she moved through the warriors and joined Berit.
    Berit nodded at him. "We don't attack until they're all in the clearing."
    The warriors nodded their understanding then waited with shards of white krystal in their hands.
    Soren linked his mind with Skye's and held out his hands and two shards of dark krystal appeared. The warriors next to him moved another few centimeters away from him. He grinned at them.
    "Don't worry. I learned how to use this the previous cycle." Their alarmed expressions made him chuckle before he looked at Skye. "How do you feel, little heart?"
    "Strong."
    Soren nodded. "You said only an enchantress can heal a wound made by dark krystal."
    "Yes."
    "I want you to be ready to provide me with a lot of it. When they bunch up I'll throw it into the center of each group. It will shatter and pieces of it will hit all of them and dig into their exposed skin. Right?"
    "Yes," Skye said.
    "I want you to keep your mind linked with mine at all times." He sent her a hard stare. "If we're both injured you heal yourself first, then me. Do you understand?"
    "Soren, don't make me give you a promise I can't keep."
    "If you die then we both die." He motioned toward the warriors around them. "Obey me."
    Skye shoved her way through the warriors between them and threw herself into his arms. "Hold me just for a micro-unit longer."
    He wrapped her in his arms and held her. His cloak fell around them hiding her while he placed a line of kisses over her cheek to her neck. "We'll survive this battle and every battle to come but I could never survive losing you, little heart." He whispered then kissed her, completing the bond between them. He held her for several micro-units longer then patted her bottom and set her on her feet. "Go."
    Skye smiled then backed away, keeping her eyes locked on his until she twisted around and hurried back to her position.
    The warriors around her chuckled then sent Soren small grins of camaraderie. He acknowledged them with a nod then turned to face the clearing.
    Seeing it was still clear he looked around him. It felt strange to stand in plain sight inside a krystal tunnel attached to the side of a cliff. He looked down and for a moment felt disoriented. It looked as if his booted feet hung in thin air with nothing beneath them. He shuffled them, felt the solidness of the krystal beneath him, and grinned. He was an explorer but also a military strategist. The battles he could plan using krystal flashed through his mind so rapidly he couldn't keep track of all of them.
    # # #
    A few micro-units later the first enemy warrior crept through the shadows at the base of a boulder, surveyed the area with some kind of device then signaled to someone behind him.
    A group of warriors joined him and waited. A moment later Soren saw why. Several more scouts appeared at the base