EXTRACT FOR
Bound By Steel
(Terri Pray)

Erista flattened herself against the cool stone forming the side of a building. Her heart raced, chest tight as she forced her breathing to keep steady. The guards, patrolling as they did each night, knew what to watch for, how to keep their home safe from attackers.

Their focus would be on the town defenses, where invaders would seek a weakness, a crack in the defenses, to attack. The best of the guards patrolled beyond the protective structures. They confined only those who were newly out of their final tests to guarding this side of the defenses, but it didn't mean she remained safe from detection. New, inexperienced, didn't mean useless. The guards had captured more than one youngster.

As an adult, if they captured her, then her punishment would be one to teach the rest of the settlement a lesson. For a moment she paused, relaxing into the voices, doubts screaming at her to go home, not to do this.

It is. It's for him. He'd do the same for me, if he wasn't held by her drugs, magic, or however the foul bitch had snared him.

The risk was worth it, but only if she was correct, had made the right decision. Had she heard the conversations correctly, or misunderstood the intent? Her brow furrowed. No, she had to be right, she'd waited long enough for the opportunity. If they caught her, if all her plans were for nothing, she'd never have a second chance.

Her breath hitched. She shut her eyes, allowing herself a moment to focus, calm her breathing and mind. He was hers. Belonged to her. She would be with him regardless of what happened. She'd come this far with nothing going wrong, which meant the old gods were with her.

There could be no doubt. He'd be coming tonight, meaning to see the bitch who'd seduced him. The one who'd trapped him into a marriage which would only destroy him. He didn't care what he told the rest of the men, he'd chosen the wrong woman. Didn't he understand what her love had done by marrying Alexia? Of all the women in the colony, Alexia couldn't give him what a warrior needed in a wife. No, she'd fight him at each turn. It was her nature. Growing up with Alexia as an age mate, attending the same classes, had taught her all she wished to know about the other female. Alexia was a fighter, and he needed a woman who would let him to be in charge, to take command without having to wrestle for what was rightfully his.

He could have picked me. He knew I wanted him. Still did. A desire like hers would never fade. He wanted me; I needed him. It shouldn't have been like this. Not with the way we're connected, how we react to each other.

How I still feel about him.

Alexia was too proud, too headstrong to be a suitable mate for a warrior. She wanted balance, to share in the responsibility of their lives, instead of surrendering control to the man who'd earned it. The one who put his life on the line to defend their home, as many had before them.

She knew how warriors spoke about such women. She'd grown up with the stories of old. Tales of men turning away from them, searching for the owners of their hearts. Those women with the courage to surrender.

No, her beloved didn't want a woman who would demand the right to be in charge. A female with the need to dominate wouldn't 'Risto the time he needed to relax, to sink into the pleasures presented by a welcoming woman beneath him. A wife who would see to his needs. Wasn't that the way it was supposed to be? She could be all he wanted. The female who accepted his needs, who tended to his desires, and found a means to keep him content. Not like the hateful creature he'd taken into his life. A heartless female who cared only for herself and pushed him to argue and struggle for command each time they met.

I am the one he needs. The one he wants under him. The only one who can find the strength to kneel and gift him with the children he craves. I won't be yet another battleground.

Footsteps drew her attention, and she lowered herself to the ground, determined not to be seen until she wanted to be. Could she do this? Show 'Risto she was the right one; she had the ability to defeat the temptress who'd ensnared him in her web. They all trained, men and women alike, but she hadn't kept her skills honed since the end of the training.

Neither has she. Alexia has no need to fight another woman. I will catch her off guard, I will win. I must or else he will be forever bound to her. Controlled by links stronger than steel, stronger than will.

Her hands trembled as listened to the surrounding sounds. Of the people seeing to errands, or hurrying home for the night. A buzz filled the air, no protective shield in place providing, a glistening dome over the city, as it shut out the stars. No, they kept to the old ways here. Stone defenses and armed warriors.

Animals and attackers both were more likely to strike at night, and though the colonists came from a warrior race, they weren't fools who placed themselves in danger without a reason. People traveled in twos and threes once the sun went down, better to be aware of potential attacks coming in from various angles.

Not all attacks come from outside, The most dangerous ones come within, when courage is forgotten and the warriors forget their duty to the colony.

Her heart raced as she forced herself to keep still. This wasn't what she'd planned when it came to showing him the truth but seducing him away from the camp hadn't been successful. She flushed at the memory; the way more than one man had undressed her with their eyes. Women weren't permitted to enter the camp, and she'd not entered it, but had approached the perimeter to find her 'Risto.

Her Aristo.

The man hadn't seen her, didn't know what she'd risked to see him, be with him, and offer him her service, her body, her heart and soul. Now she had another opening, the time needed for them to discover how they worked together.

One night. All I need is one night with him. If I can injure her or keep her captive tonight, I can take her place. He'd have to accept her attentions then, she'd have proved her skills, intelligence, then offering herself, she'd be all he could ever dream of.

Her sex clenched, rippling as she took a deep breath. Heat coated her nether lips as she struggled to keep her desires hidden. Nothing she did here changed the risks she knew waited for her.

Only one thing stood in her way.

The woman.

Alexia.