Fanning Her Flames
Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced
It's your world...unlaced
An Excerpt From: FANNING HER FLAMES
Copyright © LACEY THORN, 2007
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Alexi held the squirming beauty close to his chest while Marcus stepped out in
front of her. Bannen would be upset that he had missed this. Alexi and Marcus had
come to congratulate the Savari warriors on the birth of their twins. The babes had
been delivered hale and hearty just six weeks earlier. Instead, the brothers had
stumbled upon this beauty. The woman had a rope of reddish-gold hair that hung
past her hips and her eyes were almost the exact same fiery green as Erika’s. In
fact except for the hair color the two women could have been twins. The face was
the same shape, the skin the same shade and texture. Marcus didn’t know what to
make of it. He did know that the girl was not yet claimed. He could clearly see her
unmarked flesh above the band of her skirt. More promising still was that she wore
the red top of the very caste of his mother. He did not recognize her, though, as
one of the women from their village. She was not from here which meant that she
had traveled to get to them. There were five small villages that lay at different
points within the interior of the island and many small camps hidden in the trees
along the shores. Marcus did not know which one she came from and at the
moment he didn’t really care. He had other things on his mind as he studied her
from head to toe, taking in every tiny detail including the small red mole that lay on
her neck, the only blemish he could see on her otherwise creamy skin.
He and Alexi glanced at one another and then quickly looked around, searching for
whoever must have traveled with her but they could see no one. It was unheard of
for a woman to travel unchaperoned, especially one who was as yet unclaimed as
her braid and unmarked flesh proclaimed.
“Who are you?” he asked her. “Where are your travel companions?”
“I traveled with no one. I am by myself,” Farrah mumbled, trying to speak around
the hand that still covered her mouth.
“If my brother removes his hand, do you promise not to yell?” Marcus could clearly
see the fear in her eyes. “We wouldn’t want to see anyone get hurt.” He nodded his
head back the way they had come, indicating the glen where he knew she had to
have seen the Savari warriors loving their woman Erika. This girl didn’t know that
he and his brothers were friends with the Savari warriors and that was more than
okay with him. She seemed to want to protect the bonded Savari mates for some
reason and that intrigued Marcus.
Farrah nodded her head in acceptance and Alexi slowly removed his hand. The
Donan brothers all stood at six foot seven and this girl must stand at least five foot
seven or eight, judging by where her head rested in the middle of Alexi’s chest.
Marcus looked into her eyes. “I will ask you again. Who are you?”
“I am Farrah.” When she refused to add more Marcus continued.
“Where do you come from?”
“I am of the fire caste.” Marcus already knew that by the color of her top but once
again she refused to add more. Marcus knew that she could not tell that he and his
brother Alexi were also of the fire caste. Warriors did not wear caste colors as their
women did. Marcus began bombarding her with questions faster than she could
focus and answer them.
“Who are your people? Where do you travel from? Why are you here? Who do you
seek? Why do you travel alone?”
Trying to catch her unguarded, Alexi quickly asked, “How old are you?”
“I will pass my twenty-first summer in a few days.”
Marcus passed his hand over the unmarked flesh of her lower abdomen. “You are
not claimed and yet you travel without protection.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what she had given away but Marcus gave her
no chance to speak. Moving quickly, he pulled the cylindrical weapon from his belt
and knelt before her. Alexi realized what his brother was preparing to do and
quickly grasped her hands in his and crossed them over her chest. Marcus held the
weapon against her lower right abdomen just above her skirt and used it to place
the head of the wolf on her, marking her as the bonded mate of the Donan brothers
from now on. They had played by the rules once before with Tamya, the sister of
the Savari warriors, and in the end had lost her. This time they would claim first and
worry about consequences later. Besides if the girl was truly traveling alone then
there would be no one to protest this action. Once she was marked and bedded
there would be nothing that could be done anyway.
“From this moment forward you will belong to us. You now bear the mark of the
Donan clan,” Marcus informed her. “From this moment on, Farrah, you are the
bonded mate of the Donan warriors and none will dare to interfere with our claim.”
Farrah looked from the mark on her abdomen to the fierce warrior in front of her
and wondered how everything had gone so wrong. She had done everything just
as her aunt had told her. The warrior before her was huge with bulging muscles.
Unlike other warriors his blond hair was cut short, just barely brushing his neck in
back and shaggy over his ears on the side. He had gorgeous blue eyes that were
filled with lust as he looked over her body. She could already feel the stiff erection
of the warrior holding her against him. It was like a club pulsing on her back.
Copyright © LACEY THORN, 2007
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Alexi held the squirming beauty close to his chest while Marcus stepped out in
front of her. Bannen would be upset that he had missed this. Alexi and Marcus had
come to congratulate the Savari warriors on the birth of their twins. The babes had
been delivered hale and hearty just six weeks earlier. Instead, the brothers had
stumbled upon this beauty. The woman had a rope of reddish-gold hair that hung
past her hips and her eyes were almost the exact same fiery green as Erika’s. In
fact except for the hair color the two women could have been twins. The face was
the same shape, the skin the same shade and texture. Marcus didn’t know what to
make of it. He did know that the girl was not yet claimed. He could clearly see her
unmarked flesh above the band of her skirt. More promising still was that she wore
the red top of the very caste of his mother. He did not recognize her, though, as
one of the women from their village. She was not from here which meant that she
had traveled to get to them. There were five small villages that lay at different
points within the interior of the island and many small camps hidden in the trees
along the shores. Marcus did not know which one she came from and at the
moment he didn’t really care. He had other things on his mind as he studied her
from head to toe, taking in every tiny detail including the small red mole that lay on
her neck, the only blemish he could see on her otherwise creamy skin.
He and Alexi glanced at one another and then quickly looked around, searching for
whoever must have traveled with her but they could see no one. It was unheard of
for a woman to travel unchaperoned, especially one who was as yet unclaimed as
her braid and unmarked flesh proclaimed.
“Who are you?” he asked her. “Where are your travel companions?”
“I traveled with no one. I am by myself,” Farrah mumbled, trying to speak around
the hand that still covered her mouth.
“If my brother removes his hand, do you promise not to yell?” Marcus could clearly
see the fear in her eyes. “We wouldn’t want to see anyone get hurt.” He nodded his
head back the way they had come, indicating the glen where he knew she had to
have seen the Savari warriors loving their woman Erika. This girl didn’t know that
he and his brothers were friends with the Savari warriors and that was more than
okay with him. She seemed to want to protect the bonded Savari mates for some
reason and that intrigued Marcus.
Farrah nodded her head in acceptance and Alexi slowly removed his hand. The
Donan brothers all stood at six foot seven and this girl must stand at least five foot
seven or eight, judging by where her head rested in the middle of Alexi’s chest.
Marcus looked into her eyes. “I will ask you again. Who are you?”
“I am Farrah.” When she refused to add more Marcus continued.
“Where do you come from?”
“I am of the fire caste.” Marcus already knew that by the color of her top but once
again she refused to add more. Marcus knew that she could not tell that he and his
brother Alexi were also of the fire caste. Warriors did not wear caste colors as their
women did. Marcus began bombarding her with questions faster than she could
focus and answer them.
“Who are your people? Where do you travel from? Why are you here? Who do you
seek? Why do you travel alone?”
Trying to catch her unguarded, Alexi quickly asked, “How old are you?”
“I will pass my twenty-first summer in a few days.”
Marcus passed his hand over the unmarked flesh of her lower abdomen. “You are
not claimed and yet you travel without protection.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what she had given away but Marcus gave her
no chance to speak. Moving quickly, he pulled the cylindrical weapon from his belt
and knelt before her. Alexi realized what his brother was preparing to do and
quickly grasped her hands in his and crossed them over her chest. Marcus held the
weapon against her lower right abdomen just above her skirt and used it to place
the head of the wolf on her, marking her as the bonded mate of the Donan brothers
from now on. They had played by the rules once before with Tamya, the sister of
the Savari warriors, and in the end had lost her. This time they would claim first and
worry about consequences later. Besides if the girl was truly traveling alone then
there would be no one to protest this action. Once she was marked and bedded
there would be nothing that could be done anyway.
“From this moment forward you will belong to us. You now bear the mark of the
Donan clan,” Marcus informed her. “From this moment on, Farrah, you are the
bonded mate of the Donan warriors and none will dare to interfere with our claim.”
Farrah looked from the mark on her abdomen to the fierce warrior in front of her
and wondered how everything had gone so wrong. She had done everything just
as her aunt had told her. The warrior before her was huge with bulging muscles.
Unlike other warriors his blond hair was cut short, just barely brushing his neck in
back and shaggy over his ears on the side. He had gorgeous blue eyes that were
filled with lust as he looked over her body. She could already feel the stiff erection
of the warrior holding her against him. It was like a club pulsing on her back.