Free Bonded (Soul Ties, #1) by Peyton Brittany Clarke Page B

come back.
    She
wiped her brow with the back of her hand and considered her options.  She could
ignore their request and go to her quarters or she could speak with them.  It
had been a long time since their last meeting and after wards she swore to
herself she would never deal with them again.  Losing them was a hard lesson
about love that she had to learn. 
    Still
a part of her ached for them, to be with them once again.  Strolling back to
the chair where she had sat, she gathered her things from the table and headed
towards the door.
    “I'd
like to tell you not to go but I know you won't listen,” he said. 
    Gebeds. 
The words echoed in her mind.  “Do me a favor and put away my rifle,” she
replied.
    “Will
do.  And Zisa?”
    “Yes?”
    “Good
luck,” Garr replied. 
    “Thanks
I'll need it.”

Chapter Two
    Z isa
stared at her reflection in the lavare's mirror.  Her long deep chestnut
tresses were coiled in thick intricate braids firmly affixed to the crown of
her head.  Her deep blue eyes sat back in a full round face covered with fair
skin.  Hints of red burnished her cheeks, evidence of her life as a soldier on
a desert planet.  She licked her full lips hoping to soothe the chapped and
cracked skin.
    “Damn,”
she said washing her hand and splashing water on her face.  Looking back in the
mirror, she was only marginally pleased with what she saw.  She wished she had
lip balm. 
    Only
twenty-seven years of age, she felt like she'd lived twice that because of the
things she had experienced.  War, famine, and strife were nothing to courting a
gebed.  Monks, scholars and warriors, gebeds held the highest esteem in the
Collective, second only to members of the Political Guild. 
    But
life with Doyen Kellam Vachel and Senior Gebed Feran Jurah had been anything
but easy.  Best friends since childhood, they did everything together.  Except
date.  Sure, it wasn't uncommon for there to be triple courtships .But when
that happened everyone knew about each other and agreed to it ahead of time. 
    She
closed her eyes and recalled the horrific day on Botheeine in the gardens at
the Gnosis' Guild's chapel.  Two friends who loved each other like brothers
fought over her angry at the other's betrayal.  If the other gebeds had not
intervened, she did not think either would have made it out alive.  It was a
mistake, she swore, she would never make again. 
    Maybe
seeing them is not such a good idea.
    She
exited the washroom and walked down the hall.  Not eager to see them, she knew
their visit would  reopen old wounds that just recently healed.  Feeling her
hands quiver, she decided to go her quarters instead.
    “Turn
right,” she heard a voice say.
    As
clear as if someone had said it right next to her, she looked around.  There
was no one in the corridor but her. 
    “I
must be tired,” she said.  “I'll be fine in the morning.”
    Her
field of vision blurred.  A haze dropped over her mind dulling her thoughts.
    Turn
right, the voice said again. 
    Compelled
to obey she turned and walked towards the door leading outside.  Stepping out
into quadrangle, the warm night air hit her like heat coming from a cookery. 
    Enter
building C.
    Doing
as the voice commanded, Zisa turned toward The Spousal Visitation Center.  The
two-story structure was home to a few offices dealing with soldier affairs and
quarters for service personnel and their visiting spouses.  Everyone called it
Conjugal Heaven.  She knew why but had no cause to use it for herself. 
    She
was greeted by a rush of cool air as she entered the building.  A few personnel
walked by with their faces buried in files as she skirted passed them.
    Meeting
room 5B.
      The voice instructed hypnotically. 
Walking down to the end of the hall, she stopped in front of the door. 
    Zisa
enter.
    Waving
her open palm across the interface, the door opened.  She walked inside feeling
the fog in her head lift.  She blinked. 
    Two
men in long floor