Unbound
Author: Evangeline Anderson
Date: 2017-03-18 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Romance; Aliens; Paranormal; Erotica; Science Fiction; Science Fiction Romance; Fantasy; Erotic Romance; Paranormal Romance; Fiction
Description: Slave to Love… Varin is a Vision Kindred and an elite bodyguard, bound to Princess Brynnalla of Galen Prime. Though he can never have her, Varin is sworn to protect her with his life… but there are some things even he can’t protect her from. When Brynn's parents sell her to a race of insectile beings called the Hive as a Breeding Queen, he must risk everything to get her back…even if it means losing his bond with her forever. *Contains exclusive content about my new series Cougarville as a BONUS* **Warning--although I have tried to deal with it sensitively, there is a scene--which is absolutel
Publisher: Evangeline Anderson Books

Brides of the Kindred

Books 1- 4

Books in this Compendium

Claimed

Hunted

Sought

Found

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for buying this compendium. Readers have been asking if I would put a number of the Kindred books all in one volume and though it would be too enormous to carry around as a print book, EBooks make all things possible. I hope you enjoy the first four books in the Brides of the Kindred Series. When I first started this series, I thought these four would be the only books in the Kindred library. My muse has since proved me wrong. I have just finished writing the eleventh book in the series and I am hard at work on number twelve as we speak with plans for number thirteen as well. I love the Kindred world and I hope you will as well. As long as my muse keeps coming up with new and interesting ideas, I will continue to write in it and I hope you will continue to read. I am listing the entire series in order below.

Claimed

Hunted

Sought

Found

Revealed

Pursued

Exiled

Shadowed

Chained

Divided

Devoured

Enhanced

Brides of the Kindred

Book 1: Claimed

by

Evangeline Anderson

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred

Book 1: Claimed

Copyright © 2011 by Evangeline Anderson

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com or Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Prologue

Dusk was falling on Idlewild Avenue. Rows of identical townhouses, lit softly from within, lined the street which was overshadowed by huge old oak trees. A light evening shower had just passed and now the atmosphere was heavy with moisture. Tendrils of steam rose from the asphalt and the sweet scent of honeysuckle filled the air.

In number eleven at the end of the row a slender female figure moved in front of a large picture window—one of the selling points of the otherwise unremarkable houses. She was walking back and forth, placing objects on a table, or perhaps taking them away—maybe cleaning up after dinner. She moved with ease and grace as she did the mundane chore, completely unaware that she was being watched.

Across the road from the lighted window and the slender figure, two pairs of eyes looked on avidly as she moved. One set of eyes was a pale, piercing blue that was almost white and the other set was a warm amber-gold that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the face of a tiger.

Neither pair of eyes was human.

“Mine.” The low rumbling growl came from the owner of the amber eyes. He was tall, six foot seven at least, with shoulders so broad he would have to turn sidewise to go through most doorways, but he moved silently, with a feral grace that belied his muscular physique. Dark stubble covered his cheeks and chin and matched the thick black hair on his head.

“Not yet, Baird,” the one beside him cautioned. He was as tall as his friend and just as muscular but he had short, spiky blond hair that complimented his pale blue eyes.

“Can’t wait much longer.” Long, strong fingers curled into a fist as though the amber-eyed male could grasp the slender figure in his hand and hold her through sheer force of will. “Been dreaming about her every night, Sylvan. I ache for her.”

“What does she look like?” There was genuine curiosity in the question. Though Baird had never seen her outside his dreams, Sylvan had no doubt he could describe his chosen female to the last detail.

“So fuckin’ beautiful it hurts to look at her. Yellow hair like yours but longer—more golden. And her eyes…” Baird shook his head. “Like jewels. A pale grey that’s almost silver.”

“You find these human women appealing then?”

“Only her—she’s the only one I can see.” The amber eyes stared hungrily across the road. “I need her soon. Need to be with her. In her.”

“You’re sure she’s the one?” Sylvan stared doubtfully at the woman silhouetted in the window. She was humming softly to herself but despite the distance and the pane of glass between them he could hear her perfectly and knew Baird could too. As attuned as his half brother was to this human female, he could probably hear her heartbeat even from across the street.

“I know she’s the one.” There wasn’t a shred of doubt in the deep, rumbling voice. “Didn’t I tell you we’ve been dream-sharing? And her scent…” He inhaled deeply and his dark gold eyes were suddenly half-lidded with desire. “It’s her all right and she’s ripe for bonding. I want her.”

“I know you do, but Baird…” The other male shifted from foot to foot uneasily. “You haven’t been back that long—only three days and it’s a miracle you escaped alive. Don’t you think it might be a good idea to wait a while? To take some time to recover?”

“Waited long enough,” was the rumbling reply. “Six months in that hell hole and the only thing keeping me alive and sane were the dreams I had of her. I won’t wait any longer—she’s mine, whether she knows it yet or not.”

“You’ll scare her,” his half-brother objected. “Human women are frightened enough of us as it is.”

“I won’t hurt her. Just need to take her—bond her.” Unconsciously, he took a step toward the lighted window but his half-brother put a restraining hand on his broad shoulder.

“Wait.” The other male’s voice was soothing. “Just wait until they serve the papers. One more night and she’s yours but you can’t have her now—not without violating the contract.”

A low, frustrated growl was his answer as the thick muscles of Baird’s upper arms bunched with tension.

“Come on.” The one called Sylvan tugged his half brother gently away from the lighted window. “If you stay here you’ll do something you regret. Remember, just one more night.”

The other male stood like a rock for a moment despite his brother’s tugging. Then, reluctantly, he allowed himself to be led away. He cast one last possessive glance over his shoulder at the figure in the window.

“Mine,” he repeated with unshakable certainty. “Mine whether you know it or not, Lilenta. And tomorrow I claim you.”

Chapter One

“Bad dreams again last night?”

Olivia Waterhouse jerked at the sound of her twin sister’s voice and then went back to staring at the kitchen table. “Uh, not so much,” she lied and tried to smile.

“C’mon, Liv, give. It’s me, your womb mate—remember?” Sophia sat down across from her and patted her hand gently. No one could ever decide if the Waterhouse twins were fraternal or identical. Liv had honey blonde hair with grey eyes and Sophia had a rich, chestnut mane with pale green eyes but their facial features were exactly the same. They had the same build too, both were five-seven and slender with hourglass curves. More than just twins, they were also best friends, which was why it made Liv uncomfortable to lie to her sister. But she couldn’t help it—the things she’d seen last night didn’t bear repeating.

“Really,” she said, not meeting her sister’s eyes. “I’m fine. I just had a restless night—that’s all.”

The truth was the dreams she’d been having for the past half year about the muscular stranger with glowing, amber-gold eyes had become progressively more disturbing. He was her nighttime visitor every time she closed her eyes. Liv had even named him—inside her head she called him “the dark man.”

For the longest time she’d dreamed of him someplace filled with shadows—someplace where despair was an almost palpable thing. Sometimes he was chained to the wall, his head bowed as if in exhaustion. Other times were worse. Liv had seen him hooked to some kind of machine, wires embedded in his dusky tan skin like malignant snakes feeding off him. On an inverted dome, as big as an IMAX screen above his head, images flashed—pictures of strange worlds she never could have imagined. One seemed to be all ice and snow, another a lush tropical jungle where the vegetation was mostly blue instead of green. And yet another seemed to be a world that was mostly a clear, golden ocean with tiny rocky islands dotted here and there.

When she dreamed of the pictures of other worlds flashing across the enormous screen, Liv always got the idea that they were somehow drawn from the memories of the dark man. And there was pain—so much pain, both physical and emotional. He was hurting and she was powerless to help him. She didn’t even know him but somehow his agony affected her deeply. She woke up with tears in her eyes most mornings, her heart clenched like a fist in her chest, his name—a name she could never quite recall—trembling on her lips.

Liv tried to tell herself her dreams were just that—only dreams. Lots of people had reoccurring dreams. Why her brain should choose to show her the same thing night after night was a mystery but it was also no big deal. And she only felt for the mysterious dark man because that was the kind of person she was. She’d just finished nursing school a few weeks ago and was taking some time off before she started her new job in the pediatric unit at Tampa General. She could be tough when she had to but by nature she was a nurturing person. Otherwise she wouldn’t care how this man, this dream stranger, was hurting. Wouldn’t care about the pain she saw in his unusual amber eyes.

Then, two or three nights ago, the dreams had changed. When she finally let herself sleep, she saw the man as usual but he was free. Unchained and out of the shadowy place where his only emotions had been despair and agony.

The change in her depressing dream should have elated Liv but she found herself frightened instead. Because in her new dreams the huge man with black hair and golden eyes was looking for someone—searching tirelessly. And somehow she knew that the person he was searching for was her.

Then last night, he’d found her. Liv still remembered sitting bolt upright in bed at four in the morning, her hand pressed between her breasts as if to still her pounding heart. The scene in the dream had showed the mysterious dark man staring right into her eyes and he’s spoken only one word.

“Mine.”

“What?” Sophia looked at her in concern and Liv realized she’d quoted her dream aloud.

“Nothing. What’s for breakfast?” It was a Saturday morning—the day officially decreed as off the diet and anything goes. Liv tried to curb herself the rest of the week—her curvy figure was already a lot more hippy than she liked—but on Saturday she let herself off the leash.

“How about pancakes? Kat’s coming over and bringing some blueberries from that organic farmer’s market on Dunn. Sound good?”

“Mmm.” Liv nodded, trying to look enthusiastic and failing miserably if the expression on her twin’s face was any indication.

“Come on, Liv, blueberry pancakes are your favorite.” Sophia frowned as she moved around the warm yellow and cream kitchen, getting out the eggs and flour and sugar and pulling down a frying pan from the hanging rack above the sink.

“Yummy. Can’t wait.” Liv gave her a weak smile and stifled a yawn. “Seriously, Sophie, I’m just tired. I stayed up a little too late reading.”

Sophia shot her a skeptical look. “Right. And that’s why you look like one of my first graders who’s just been sent to the principal’s office.” She taught at an affluent private school in South Tampa that catered to the wealthy and gifted children of the city and she absolutely loved her job. Since it was summer, however, she had three months off to pursue her other love—art.

Liv knew Sophia was itching to go paint and was probably only hanging around the kitchen making blueberry pancakes because she was worried about her twin. She opened her mouth to protest that she was fine again when a rat-a-tat-tat sounded at their front door.

“Coming!” Sophia beat her to the door and opened it to the beaming face of Katrina O’Connor, their mutual friend since high school. As Sophia ushered Kat inside, Liv shook herself mentally. It was time she stopped letting these silly dreams affect her so much. She was Olivia Waterhouse and she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Despite being compassionate Liv was no pushover. She had worked her way through nursing school and always stood up for herself, even to the crankiest doctors who could verbally eviscerate anyone with a sarcastic word or two. She went car shopping and to the mechanic by herself and never got screwed over. And most importantly, she never took no for an answer—when she really wanted something, she went for it. So why was she letting a stupid dream put a crimp in her personal style?

Time to get over it, girl, she lectured herself sternly. It’s just a dream and he’s not real. Let it go and enjoy your pancakes. It’s a beautiful Saturday—anything could happen. But rather than cheering her up, the thought sent a shiver down her spine. That’s right anything could happen…anything at all.

“What’s your deal, Liv? You look like you saw a ghost.” Kat’s cheery voice broke her morbid train of thought and Liv looked up and tried to smile.

“Hey, Kat-woman. Heard you were bringing some blueberries.”

“Did better than that.” Kat put a large recycled cloth shopping bag on the round kitchen table and started pulling things out of it, like a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat. “Eggs, butter, ham, chives…” She stopped to push a wisp of auburn hair behind her ear before continuing. “Some fresh shitake mushrooms, goat cheese—”

“Whoa—whoa!” Liv was startled into laughing. “What the hell kind of pancakes are we making here, anyway?”

“Not pancakes—quiche. I saw this new recipe last night on Food Network—”

Liv and Sophia both groaned aloud at this, cutting her off. Kat was a paralegal at Linden and James downtown but she had always had grand aspirations when it came to cooking. Unfortunately, she didn’t like to follow a recipe so most of her culinary creations landed in the trash—a fact that didn’t discourage her in the least when it came to trying something new. Especially if she was working in someone else’s kitchen and didn’t have to worry about cleaning up the mess afterwards.

“Tell me something, Kat,” Sophia demanded. “Exactly how much of that stuff in the bag does the recipe call for?”

“And how much is your own addition?” Liv finished her twin’s thought effortlessly.

“Come on, you guys.” Kat pouted unconvincingly. “This one is going to be good, I can tell. And just because it doesn’t actually call for sardines and black olives doesn’t mean they won’t be good in there.”

“Black olives?” Sophia made a face.

“And sardines? Yuck! Are you making a quiche or an everything pizza?” Liv crossed her arms over her chest.

Kat noticed the gesture and grinned. “Ooo, nice nighty, Liv. Did we have a nocturnal visitor last night?”

Liv opened her mouth but Sophia beat her to it. “No one besides her dream man—whoever he is.”

“I didn’t dream about him last night,” Liv lied defensively. “And I wore this because I happen to like it—it’s comfortable.” In contrast to Sophie’s Sesame Street pjs and Kat’s sensible t-shirt and shorts, she had on her lacy black baby doll nighty. It was the one her ex fiancé, Mitch had given her and it had a short black robe and panties that matched.

Liv wasn’t wearing the set because she missed the jerk—she’d really dodged a bullet when she gave him back his ring and told him to hit the road. It was more a case of not letting something so nice go to waste. Mitch may have been a cheating bastard but he had good taste in underwear—underwear for her, anyway. He’d worn tighty-whities himself. Liv had always struggled not to laugh when he strutted around the house in them, thinking he looked so hot.

“She claims she stayed up late reading a book—that’s why the dark circles and eye luggage.” Sophia sounded skeptical.

“Well you look like hell,” Kat said frankly. “It must have been some book. Was it a horror novel or what?”

“Something like that,” Liv muttered sulkily. She was in no mood to put up with her friend’s teasing.

“Well don’t get bent out of shape, doll.” Kat smiled at her as she continued pulling ingredients out of her shopping bag. Liv hoped the strawberries and mangos were for a fruit salad and not the sardine and black olive quiche. “I just thought with that sexy outfit maybe you’d finally decided to get back on the dating train. You and Mitch hit splitsville over six months ago now.”

“You’re the last one to talk about dating.” Sophia was whisking something in a bowl—no doubt she’d decided to make pancake batter after all as a back up to the disastrous quiche. “You’re even worse with men than me—and I suck at the social scene,” she added, tasting the batter and reaching for a bottle of vanilla extract.

“Exactly—because most men today don’t appreciate the pleasures of a plus sized woman.” Kat gestured at her own lush figure with a small pineapple she’d pulled out of the seemingly bottomless bag. “Which is why I have to live vicariously through you two skinny-minnies. A size eight looks good in that naughty little nighty—a size eighteen, not so much.”

It was true Kat was a size eighteen but she had it all in the right places, Liv thought. She had often wished that her breasts were as full as Kat’s but then, Kat was full to running over all over the place, including her mouth. She was thinking of going back to school to become a lawyer instead of just a paralegal because getting paid to argue was her idea of a perfect job. Usually her quick wit and naughty sense of humor cracked Liv up but this morning she so wasn’t in the mood.

“Change the subject. Preferably away from my hot jammies and the fact that I don’t have a man to wear them for,” she said, getting up from the table and going to the fridge for a glass of juice. Actually she’d tried dating again after she’d dumped Mitch but somehow it didn’t feel right. Mainly because none of the men she went out with were tall and dark with glowing amber eyes…Stop that! she scolded herself, pulling open the fridge door which was covered in colorful magnets and reaching for the carton of OJ. Stop thinking about him—he’s not even real!

She tried concentrating on her favorite fridge magnet instead, the one with two California rolls in bed side by side. The caption underneath read, Wake up, little sushi!

“Okay, sourpuss, try this subject on for size,” Kat snapped, folding the empty shopping bag and stowing it away in her barn-sized purse. “You remember Jillian Holms that took home-ec with us in high school?”

“The head cheerleader?” Sophia made a face. “How could we forget?”

“That’s her.” Kat nodded enthusiastically. “Well, you’re not going to believe this but she got drafted.”

There was complete silence in the room for about two seconds and then Liv and Sophia said simultaneously, “She what?”

“Got drafted. I know, can you even believe it?”

There was no need to ask what Kat meant when she said their old acquaintance from Hillsborough High had gotten drafted—every woman in the room knew about the draft and every one of them lived in fear of it.

Five years before the Earth had been suddenly attacked. The space station orbiting the moon, which had been completed in 2025, had been destroyed and the rest of the planet was threatened by a mysterious force known only as the Scourge. Attempts to contact and reason with the menacing threat had failed and even the deadliest weapons had little or no effect. It looked like the Earth was down for the count and everyone on the planet was going to wind up as alien take-out.

Liv remembered those horrible days—it had been forty-eight hours of mass panic. Suicides, bombings, looting and unprotected sex which she thankfully had not personally participated in. With no other immediate family, she and Sophie and Kat had locked the doors to the little apartment she’d been living in at the time and eaten themselves sick on Ben and Jerry’s while they watched a never-ending marathon of vintage chick flicks.

It might not have been the most productive way to spend their last days on Earth but eating your body weight in Chunky Monkey and watching Sixteen Candles and Pretty Woman beat chowing down on the business end of a gun or having sex with a total stranger any day of the week, in Liv’s opinion. And their wait-and-see approach had been justified—in the end everything turned out all right.

Because of the Kindred.

The Kindred were a race of alien warriors, humanoid in form but much more massive in scale than the average human male. They had swooped in suddenly and forced the Scourge to stop their attack and retreat to the far side of the moon. There were rumors that the war continued somewhere in space with scrimmages and battles between the two factions but if so, it was kept quiet. The alien warriors took up orbit around the planet, ensuring that the tenuous peace continued, for Earth at least. And they only wanted one thing in exchange—a genetic trade.

Because a mutation in their genes caused their race to be ninety-five percent male, the Kindred had become a space faring race, looking for other planets to inhabit and other humanoid species to trade with. Earth was only the fourth planet in their ten thousand year odyssey to offer a viable trade and they were eager to get started.

Of course the governments of Earth agreed to the trade—what else could they do? The only thing that stood between the planet and total annihilation was the warrior race keeping watch far above the ionosphere, so it was considered best to keep them happy. An all female draft was set up which every unmarried woman between the ages of nineteen and thirty-five was required to enter. It was considered a patriotic duty but also a long shot. There was only about a one in ten thousand chance of ever getting called to do your “duty” which was why it was so unusual to actually know a person who’d been drafted.

The Kindred pretty much kept to themselves, staying in their ships above the surface of the planet and only coming down occasionally in twos and threes to claim their brides. Nobody knew how they picked them and personally, Liv didn’t want to know. It was easier to pretend that the Kindred didn’t exist, easier to forget that you personally might win the bed-an-alien lottery at any minute. But something like this—actually knowing a girl who’d been drafted—made pretending and forgetting impossible.

“So what exactly happened?” Sophie had stopped whisking her batter, intent on Kat’s latest piece of news.

Liv realized she was still gripping the juice carton with the fridge door open. She shut the door and turned around. “Yeah, what happened?” She couldn’t help echoing her twin’s question.

Kat shrugged. “Two draft officers came to her house and took her down to the HKR building. Then she had to sign some kind of a contract—like a marriage license I think.” There was a Human/Kindred Relations building in every major city in the world built specifically for this purpose but Liv had never been inside the Tampa facility which was located downtown. Just driving by it gave her the willies so she tried not to even look at it when she did.

“What…which kind of Kindred did she get?” Sophia asked in a hushed voice. The Kindred were split into three distinct branches, all outcomes of their past genetic trades.

There were the Tranq Kindred—a group of males with piercing blue eyes and a double set of short, sharp vestigial fangs. There were rumors that the fangs grew and they bit when they had sex with the female of their choice and other rumors that they could heal any illness with a bite. Liv wasn’t sure how much of that was true and how much was just media hype but the buzz about their sexual habits had earned this group the nickname “Blood Kindred.”

Then there were the Twins, a branch of the Kindred in which the males always came in pairs and had to share a woman. No one knew exactly why and they declined to offer an explanation. Some said they were telepathic and needed sex to communicate but that hadn’t been proven—not that anyone had ever gotten a chance to study them. The Kindred as a whole kept strictly to themselves and refused to participate in any kind of scientific research or experiments. So no one really knew anything about the Twin Kindred other than they refused to make love to a woman individually.

And then there were the Ragers—also known as the Beast Kindred.

Working for so long in a hospital as she went through nursing school, the sight and idea of drawing blood wasn’t frightening to Liv so the Blood Kindred didn’t scare her. And being a twin herself, she wasn’t terribly afraid of the Twin Kindred either. But the Beast Kindred, well…they scared the ever-loving crap out of her.

As tall and dominant as the rest of the warrior race, the Beast Kindred were said to have the most unpredictable tempers. Rumor had it that they could go into berserker-like rages when protecting their women, killing anyone that stood in their way no matter how many opposed them. But it was the other rumors, the sexual rumors, which put a lump in Liv’s throat.

Besides being filled with animalistic lust, the Beast Kindred were said to have sexual stamina unequaled by anyone. Rumor had it that they could come again and again without going soft and their marathon love-making sessions put even practitioners of tantric sex to shame.

Just the idea of being held in place, helpless, while a huge alien male filled her for hours made Liv’s blood run cold. She hadn’t had many lovers but the men she’d been with in the past had convinced her that sex was like a box of chocolates—you never knew what you were going to get when you went to bed with a man. And sadly, you were more likely to pick the nasty pink marshmallow cream than the yummy nut cluster. So rather than lingering for an indefinite amount of time, it was better to get in, get out, and get on with your life. Cuddling was more fun in the long run anyway.

The year and a half she’d spent with Mitch had only reinforced her ideas. In retrospect, Liv couldn’t understand why she’d stayed with him so long. His idea of good sex was to get on top and grind her into the mattress while chanting, “Who’s your daddy? Who’s your daddy?” over and over again until she wanted to scream and not in a good way. No amount of tactful hints that references to her parentage during intimate encounters didn’t do a thing for her would make him stop. Finally Liv had given up and just plugged her tiny iPod micro-mini into her ear whenever it looked like he wanted some nooky. She’d even had a playlist called “sex with Mitch.”

That had been bad enough but at least Mitch had never had the stamina to get through the whole playlist. Liv imagined with horror what it would be like to have sex with a man who could go through the entire micro on shuffle setting without quitting once. Just the thought was enough to send her running—which was why the idea of getting chosen by a Beast Kindred freaked her out completely.

Don’t they say the Beast Kindred have golden eyes? whispered a small voice in her head. Shut up! Liv told it fiercely. He’s just a dream and that’s all there is to it.

“So what kind did she get?” she forced herself to ask, not looking at Kat while she got a glass from the cabinet.

“Twins, I think.” Kat shivered. “Can you even imagine? I mean, I know lots of people have had three-ways. You get drunk in college and before you know it you’re getting the shaft, both literally and figuratively. But two horny frat guys is one thing—the Kindred are supposed to be hung like Clydesdales.”

“Kat!” Sophie slapped at her with the hand not holding the bowl full of pancake batter. “You are so bad!”

“But I mean honestly, how would they fit? You’d be bowlegged for life if you ended up with a pair of Twin Kindred.” Kat raised her eyebrows comically and took a few wincing steps as though it hurt to walk. Sophie giggled and shook her head. Liv tried but all she could manage was a weak smile as she poured the orange juice and put the carton back in the fridge.

“Well, I hope she’s happy. When does she come back?”

“She’s not. She did her month and she’s staying.” Kat went back to assembling her quiche ingredients which appeared to include fresh thyme, basil, and cilantro as well as some cayenne pepper. “You know everyone that gets drafted has to sign an agreement to at least try things out for that long—a month long claiming period. After that you can come back and call it quits for good—if you and the Kindred stud who chose you haven’t made the beast with two backs. If you have…” She shrugged fatalistically. “Well then it’s too bad for you. You’re a Kindred bride for life and they don’t do divorce or separation. So it looks like Jillian’s stuck”

“How do you know so much about it?” Liv demanded.

“I helped one of our attorneys prepare a case for some clients of my firm. We had this young woman’s family try to sue when she got called up,” Kat said matter-of-factly.

“What were the grounds?” Sophie asked.

“That she was a virgin and wasn’t prepared to be with, uh, such a large guy.” Kat snickered. “But all I have to say is, sitting there, listening to what this huge masculine alien could and couldn’t do to you sexually and what you could and couldn’t to do to him with your parents listening in had to be at least as bad as actually doing it.”

“How embarrassing!” Sophie shuddered. “I’d rather die.”

“Did they win the case?” Liv asked, taking a sip of juice.

Kat shook her head. “Not on your life. The court threw it out almost before her lawyer finished talking. Everybody knows we have to keep the Kindred happy. The Scourge is still out there somewhere and if throwing the big guys a bone by boning them is the only way to keep them on our side, well then, so be it. So if you get drafted you better develop a taste for alien nookie pretty quick.”

“You know the thing that really freaks me out?” Sophie dropped the blueberries into the batter, stirring as she talked. “The fact that nobody ever decides to leave and go back to their old life after that initial thirty day period is up. You can’t tell me the Kindred always know exactly which woman is going to be their soul mate for life when they pick a bride.”

Kat shrugged and started cracking eggs into a large mixing bowl. “Maybe they brainwash you once you get up to their ship. Maybe it’s filled with all kinds of sex toys and pleasure rooms and it’s so good you just can’t say no.”

“Or maybe they trick you into having sex in the first place—like they slip you a roofie,” Sophie said darkly. “And when you wake up it’s like, ‘Oh, sorry—we did the deed and now you’re mine for life. Hope you don’t mind moving to a galaxy far, far away and having sixteen pound alien babies the rest of your natural.”

Liv gripped her glass full of OJ tightly. This certainly wasn’t the first time they’d speculated about the Kindred when they got together on a girls’ day but for some reason her nerves were so on edge she felt like she might scream if she had to listen to another word. Just then the doorbell chimed faintly and she breathed a sigh of relief—finally a distraction.

“I’ll get it!” She was already halfway to the door when Sophia objected.

“Liv, you’re hardly decent! That outfit almost shows your panties.”

“I’m fine,” Liv called back, pulling the short black lace robe that went with her baby doll nighty more tightly around her. “It’s probably just Mrs. Jensen from next door. She’s always wanting to borrow something—eggs, sugar, you name it.”

She threw open the door expecting to see the kind and wrinkled face of her next door neighbor and instead was treated to the sight of two perfectly huge males in black uniforms.

“I…I…Who are you?” Liv gasped, barely able to get the words out.

“H/K officers Trex and Locan at your service,” the one on the right rumbled and both of them made stiff, abbreviated bows. “We’re here for Miss Olivia Lauren Waterhouse.” He held up a digital picture and Liv recognized her own face staring back from the holo sheet. “This is you—correct?”

“I…yes, that’s me,” she said weakly, meaning both the picture and the name.

“And can you sign this document, verifying that it is so?” He held out a thick sheaf of papers with legal looking words on them along with a pen. Liv signed automatically where he indicated.

“All right, but I—” she began as the guard snatched back the papers and stuffed them into his uniform pocket.

“Excellent. Subject confirms identity,” said the one on the left, as though he was making some kind of official report. “Preparing to escort subject to the HKR building at once.” As one, both huge officers stepped forward and each took one of her elbows. The glass full of orange juice dropped from her fingers and shattered on the tile of the foyer like a bomb, spraying glass shards and sticky juice everywhere. One shard pieced her heel when she took a step back but Liv barely noticed the sharp little pain.

“Now wait just a minute,” she protested, aware that both Sophia and Kat had crowded into the doorway behind her. “What are you saying? Where are you taking me? And can’t I change first?”

“Negative. Flight risk is incurred if the subject is allowed to linger on the premises for any reason,” barked the one on the right.

“But I haven’t done anything. Let me go!” Liv struggled against them but it was like she was being held in pincers of iron on either side.

Kat and Sophie were suddenly there in front of the huge males, blocking their exit. It was like two Toy Poodles facing off Great Danes but neither woman budged even when the officer on the right glared at them in a menacing way.

“Where exactly do you think you’re taking Miss Waterhouse?” Kat demanded, her blue eyes flashing. “And on what grounds?”

“Please step aside, Ma’am,” said the officer on the left with mechanical courtesy. “We are simply fulfilling the orders on the papers we have just served to Miss Waterhouse. And we’re taking her to the Human/Kindred Relations building for her claiming ceremony.”

“Her what?” Sophia exclaimed, her green eyes wide with distress.

“Her claiming ceremony, where she will meet the Kindred warrior who has chosen her as a bride,” the other officer explained patiently. “Miss Olivia Waterhouse has been drafted.”

Chapter Two

“Just try not to scare her.”

“How would I scare her?” Baird cast an annoyed glance at his half brother. Sylvan had his arms crossed over his broad chest and there was a look of doubt on his face that got on Baird’s nerves. All morning the other male had been giving unsolicited advice and he was getting sick of it.

“To start with, the fact that you’re so much larger than the human males she’s used to is probably frightening,” Sylvan pointed out, nodding at the puny looking humans standing behind the counter at one end of the large drab room. They were waiting in the Human/Kindred Relations building for Baird’s bride to arrive with the draft officers and it was staffed mainly by humans. “Not to mention that hungry look in your eyes—you look like the big, bad wolf waiting to eat her up.”

Baird frowned. “The big bad what?”

“Wolf, the big bad wolf, threatening to eat her,” Sylvan clarified.

Baird growled low in his throat. “No threat about it—it’s a promise. Can’t wait to eat her.” Just the thought of spreading his bride’s sweet, creamy thighs and lapping between her legs had his shaft pulsing—so much that it was hard to concentrate on the other male’s words.

Sylvan rolled his blue eyes and hissed in disgust. “That isn’t what I meant at all.

Haven’t you ever heard the human legend about the young female who wore a red hood and was menaced in the forest by a large lupine predator?”

“No, should I?”

“It was in the human training course I sent over for you to study,” his half brother reminded him. The Kindred had a natural affinity for languages. Being genetic traders they found it extremely easy to pick up any native tongue including the slang—which allowed Baird to curse as fluently as any Earth born human—a fact that pleased him to no end. But the nuances of culture sometimes eluded them so the training courses were a necessity—one he guiltily acknowledged he had mostly skipped. But it was difficult if not impossible to concentrate on obscure Earth myths and legends when all he could think about was her. He saw her in his mind’s eye constantly—when he wasn’t blocking out images of his recent imprisonment that was.

Dark, so dark and cold. Chained to the wall when the wires weren’t piercing him. Fucking wires, raping his mind, stripping his memories, sucking away his strength. Showing him things—unspeakable things—until he didn’t know what was truth and what was a lie. Telling him he’d never get free, never see the ones he loved again, never see her…

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the ugly images. He would have died or gone insane if the alignment between his mind and hers hadn’t happened just as he’d been captured. The Scourge were a parasitic race that lived off the agony of others and their ability to get inside a prisoner’s mind took torture to a new level. To make matters worse, he’d roused the interest of their AllFather and had been singled out for special attention. Apparently his pain had a unique flavor…Baird felt a chill creep down his spine. Without the dreams of his bride to keep him sane he would have given up hope of living, let alone escaping from that hell hole.

He owed her everything—she was the other half of his soul. And he couldn’t wait to see her, couldn’t wait to hold her close and claim her.

How often had he imagined this day? How often had he pictured meeting his bride, taking her in his arms and looking into her eyes for the first time? Baird thought about how soft her body would feel against his hard warrior’s muscles. How good it would be to breathe in her feminine fragrance and know she belonged only to him. Her lips would taste so sweet and when she gave herself to him, he would fill her for hours, covering her slighter body with his larger one and taking her until his scent was all over her and any male within a fifty mile radius would know to stay the hell away from her.

Yes, that was what he needed most of all. To be inside her, breeding her, bonding her to him forever. She was his and he would never let her go…

He became aware that Sylvan was talking again. Couldn’t the male ever just shut up? “What?” he asked in irritation.

“I said you need to remember this is still a new trade. It won’t be like it is for males who call brides from Tranquil Prime or Rageron or Twin Moons. This is unknown territory for the human females—they don’t know what to expect.”

“You seem to know a hell of a lot about calling a bride for a male who swore he’d never take one of his own,” Baird snapped. When he saw the pain in Sylvan’s ice blue eyes he regretted his hasty words. He shook his head apologetically. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Sylvan shook his head and ran the tip of his tongue over the short, sharp fangs in his upper teeth. Baird knew it was a habit he had when distressed or unhappy and he further knew that those fangs would never grow unless Sylvan found a woman of his own. Not for the first time he wished things could be different for his half brother. Even before their father had died they had always been close—spending most of their time together since neither one was mated. Now Sylvan would be left alone.

“Sylvan—”

“Baird—” They began at the same time and Baird shook his head. “Shouldn’t have brought it up. Not my business.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Sylvan ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. “You know the vow I took.”

“Yeah and I know why. But what happened on Tranq Prime—”

“Is over and done with,” Sylvan snapped. “I don’t want to talk about that, Baird. Anymore than you want to talk about the time you spent with the Scourge.”

Baird clenched his hands into fists. It was true he hadn’t been able to tell anyone what they’d done to him. It was too horrible, too fresh. He pushed it away. Now wasn’t a good time to think of it. There was never going to be a good time to think of it.

“I’m just saying—now that I’m about to take a bride myself I want you to be as happy as I am,” he said, controlling the bad memories with an effort.

“I think I’ll wait a little while before I wish myself into your position.” Sylvan said dryly. “There’s your bride, Baird. And she doesn’t exactly look happy to be here.”

Baird’s head jerked up and he stared across the large room to the large double doors. How could he have missed her entrance? Now that he was attuned to her, Baird found that he couldn’t look anywhere else. Her sweet scent tickled his nose enticingly, the warm smell of her skin mixed with the floral odor of whatever she used to wash her hair and body. Her extremely luscious body, he saw with approval. The dreams hadn’t lied, she was curved in all the right places—it was easy to see with that little bit of nothing she had on.

“Gods.” His own voice sounded hoarse in his ears. The thin outfit that draped his bride was made of fragile, almost see-through black lace. Under it the ripe curves of her breasts and the tight points of her nipples were clearly visible. And the hem of the thing was barely low enough to cover the tender vee between her thighs.

Suddenly Baird became aware that he wasn’t the only male looking at his new bride—all eyes in the room seemed to be turned to her. It didn’t occur to him that she was the center of attention because she was being flanked by two large males and was struggling every step of the way. All he could see was that others were looking at the woman who was exclusively his.

A possessive growl rose in his throat as the claiming lust came over him. At the base of his cock, the mating fist came to life for the first time in his life, swelling with heat and need just for her.

Before he knew it, he was across the room, staring down the male draft officers.

“Get your fuckin’ hands off her.” His voice was a low menacing growl. The two officers released her at the same time and backed up nervously, eyeing Baird as though he might bite. A Beast Kindred in the grip of the claiming lust was no one to mess with. Baird didn’t spare them a second thought. Now that they were well away from the human woman—his woman—all his attention was focused on her.

Gods, she was so tiny, so perfect with her long tousled mane of golden hair and her big silvery-grey eyes. Baird longed to gather her into his arms and hold her. He reached out…Only to be restrained by Sylvan just before his fingers could close over her upper arm.

“Baird, control yourself!” the other male muttered in his ear. “Can’t you see you’re scaring her to death?”

“I’m not scaring her,” Baird protested.

But just then his bride’s eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted into a little heap of black lace and long, smooth limbs.

Chapter Three

My God! The dark man! Liv couldn’t believe he was real. Couldn’t believe he was here, obviously waiting just for her. She was being dragged, protesting all the way, into the HKR building in downtown Tampa, wearing her black lace nighty, with her heel throbbing and dripping blood from the shard of glass still embedded in it and all she could focus on was the huge man at the other end of the room. At least he cleans up nice, her mind chattered irrelevantly. But he isn’t a man—he’s a Kindred warrior. And admit it, Liv, didn’t you really know that all along? Even in the dreams?

In her dreams he’d always appeared dirty and disheveled, understandable considering that he seemed to be in some kind of prison undergoing torture on a regular basis. Now that she saw him in person he looked quite different.

He’d had a haircut for one thing. The shaggy black hair on his head had been tamed to a certain extent although it was still longer than the blond crew cut of the warrior beside him. And he was wearing a high-necked, deep crimson shirt that looked outstanding against his dusky tan skin. The shirt was made of some heavy, silky material that draped across the broad expanse of his chest, clinging with loving detail to each chiseled muscle group. It was tucked into a pair of black pants tight enough to prove that Kat had been right in her earlier assessment—the Kindred were hung like Clydesdales. Liv swallowed hard and tried not to think about that. High, shiny black boots that came to his knees completed the outfit, giving him a slightly military air.

Liv couldn’t help herself—she stared. She’d been dreaming of him for six months but nothing she’d seen in her dreams had even remotely prepared her for how incredibly freaking huge he was. Tampa was a favorite stop on the Pro Wrestling circuit and as a student she’d seen her fair share of big men with ridiculous stage names come through the ER. But this Kindred male, the dark man, made even the largest guys she’d seen look small in comparison. His shoulders were immensely broad, his arms bulged with muscle and each of his thighs was as thick as her waist. His hands with their long, strong, capable-looking fingers looked big enough to palm a basketball or span an octave with no problem.

Once she’d gone down his big body, her gaze naturally swept up again, stuttering along the way over that enormous bulge in his crotch. His mouth was a full, sensual red and he had unusual facial hair—long, closely clipped sideburns that marched down to the edge of his square jaw. A high forehead, arching black brows and the familiar amber eyes that were focused intently on her alone finished the visual tour. He was looking her over too, Liv realized, assessing her the same way she was assessing him. And from the blazing look in his eyes he liked what he was seeing.

She could almost feel him touching her with that heated gaze. Undressing her was more like it. Her nipples hardened into tight little points and her sex suddenly felt wet and tingly for some reason when he glanced at her there. It was almost like his gaze was a laser beam, burning her everywhere he looked, forcing her body to react to him.

Then everything happened at once.

The dark man strode across the room. He seemed to saunter with a slow, lazy stride but somehow he was in front of her in under a second anyway. He growled like an animal, his voice too low to understand and suddenly the officers on either side of her dropped her arms and backed away, as though they’d suddenly been confronted with a wild beast.

Liv felt like she had, too. The look in those hot amber eyes went beyond desire—there was a consuming need to devour in their liquid gold depths and she was plainly what was on the menu. She stared up at him, unable to speak, almost unable to breathe. He looked utterly ferocious—beyond terrifying. And then he reached for her.

Liv’s brain went into overload and everything went black.

When she woke up, she was lying on one of the powder blue couches that were pushed against the perimeter of the large main room of the HKR. The whole building had a slightly institutional feel to it—kind of like being at the DMV. Only here you were standing in line to get an alien husband instead of a driver’s license. But she hadn’t been standing in line, Liz thought groggily. She’d what…fainted? Had a syncopal episode. Need to lie down with my legs higher than my head, she thought, her nursing training automatically kicking in. Then she realized she was lying down, but her head was propped up on something. Something warm and hard and solid was under her cheek and a musky, masculine scent that smelled both alien and totally familiar was filling her nose.

“Easy, Lilenta.” The deep voice from her dreams filled her ears and Liv told herself she had to be dreaming again. But was she dreaming the warm, spicy scent of his skin? Was she dreaming the long fingers that stroked strands of hair away from her cheek so tenderly? Suddenly she knew where she was and what was going on. And none of it was a dream.

The dark man! Liv sat up and jumped to her feet, staggering a few steps before his hand shot out to catch her. She backed away just before his fingers closed on her wrist.

“How long have I been out?” She couldn’t believe she’d fainted in the first place—what a horribly weak and girly thing to do! But it had been so shocking, seeing what she thought was a dream turned into hard, cold reality. Well he’s certainly hard but I’d say hot describes him better than cold, jabbered a little voice in her brain. As in hotter than any guy you’ve ever been with. Liv hated that little voice but she had to agree with it—the Kindred warrior certainly put Mitch in the shade.

“You collapsed.” There was a look of concern in his amber eyes. “How do you feel?”

“How do you think I feel? I’m here against my will in nothing but my underwear,” Liv threw at him.

“So I see.” Hot amber eyes raked her body again, making Liv flush when she realized she’d practically just given him permission to stare.

“Who are you?” she demanded, pulling her thin lace robe tightly around her. “And what have you been doing in my head?”

“The dreams you mean?” he asked, as though it was the most natural thing in the world for her to dream of him.

“Yes, of course,” Liv snapped. “What the hell are those all about?”

“I dreamed of you, too,” he said simply, ignoring her question in the most infuriating manner. “It was the only thing that kept me sane.”

“I…I…” Liv had no idea how to answer this bizarre statement but the standoff was broken suddenly by two familiar voices behind her.

“Liv!”

“Olivia!”

Sophia and Kat rushed up behind her, surrounding her protectively and glaring at the big warrior sitting on the too-small powder blue sofa.

“They wouldn’t let us in at first,” Sophia explained breathlessly, wrapping her arms around Liv in a trembling hug. “We had to go back and get our ID to prove who we were. We were in such a hurry to follow you we forgot it.”

Liv realized that her twin was still wearing her Sesame Street pjs, the ones she’d gotten as a gift the last Christmas they were in high school. They were old and worn but Grover and the Count and Cookie Monster still looked pretty fresh, grinning up from the ragged t-shirt and loose pajama pants. She gave a shaky laugh and hugged Sophia back.

“It’s okay. I’m okay now that you’re here.”

“Friends of yours? Nice of them to make it to our claiming ceremony.” The deep voice behind her made Liv whirl around. He was directly behind her, looming over her and nodding at Sophie and Kat as though they were at a wedding or something. Well it is a wedding, isn’t it? Or the next best thing to it, chimed in the little voice. Liv was beginning to wish she had an ice pick so she could dig it out once and for all. Then she realized that was a crazy thought—and yet, she was in a crazy situation. How else was she supposed to react?

“I’m her attorney, you asshole,” Kat lied with abandon before Liv could say anything.

“And there’s not going to be any ceremony,” Sophia added, speaking up even though she was usually a total wallflower around strange men. She turned to Kat. “Is there, Kat?”

“I’m afraid there is.” The big Kindred warrior had a neutral expression on his face but there was a warning rumble in his deep voice. “She’s my bride. I’m claiming her today.”

“Excuse me? Claiming her? Like she was a lost piece of luggage at the airport or something?” Kat demanded.

“She’s not lost anymore,” the big warrior said with certainty. “Now that I’ve found her she’s mine.”

“Liv doesn’t belong to you or anybody else,” Sophia hissed, glaring up at him and keeping her arms protectively around Liv. “She’s my sister—you can’t step in and take her away, just like that!”

“Actually, I’m afraid he can.” The new voice caused all of three of them to swivel their heads. Another Kindred warrior with blond, spiky hair and ice blue eyes was speaking. “You made a legally binding agreement when you enrolled in the draft,” he told Liv. “Not to mention just now when the officers picked you up and you signed the contract of claiming.”

“I what?” Liv demanded. “What are you talking about? I didn’t sign anything. Did I?”

The blond Kindred held out his hand and one of the Kindred officers put a thick sheaf of papers in it. “Does this look familiar?” he asked, holding it out to her.

Liv felt her heart sink. “But I thought I was just signing to verify my uh, identity. See, they showed me this picture—”

“Let me see that.” Kat snatched the papers away and began scanning through them rapidly. Liv and Sophia watched her hopefully but Liv could feel the hope in her chest turning to despair as Kat’s pretty face grew more and more blank. At last she looked up.

“Well?” Liv felt like someone had deposited a fist sized ball of ice in the pit of her stomach.

“Liv, honey—” Kat began and Sophia began to sob.

“I can’t believe this,” she gasped, tears pouring down her face. “Can’t believe that they can just drag you out of your house without even giving you time to change clothes and force you to go with some strange man. This is horrible!”

Liv felt numb. “No, Sophie, this is reality.” But her twin’s words seemed to have had a definite effect on the Kindred warrior who was claiming she was his.

“Did you do what she said?” he growled, glaring at the draft officers that had brought her in. “You dragged her in here without letting her change or say goodbye to her family?”

The two officers looked as sheepish as six foot six males could. “Standard operating procedure,” one of them mumbled defiantly. “Allowing the subject out of your sight, even for an instant, more than doubles the flight risk.”

“She’s not a subject, you fuckin’ idiot,” growled the dark warrior, his amber eyes flashing. “She’s my bride. I don’t give a good goddamn what your SOP is, if I find you’ve hurt her in any way, you’ll both answer to me.”

“I’m so sorry,” the blond Kindred said awkwardly as the dark one raked the officers over the coals. “None of this was handled very well.” He put a hand tentatively on Sophia’s shoulder and she flinched away from him.

“Don’t touch me!” she flared, shooting him a deadly glare from narrowed green eyes.

The blond Kindred’s ice blue eyes widened, then narrowed as well. “Forgive me. I wasn’t aware you’d take a gesture of comfort as a threat.” The double set of fangs in his upper teeth seemed to sharpen alarmingly.

“Okay, everybody take it down a notch.” Kat raised her voice to be heard over the babble. She looked at Liv. “First the good news. It’s only for thirty days.”

“Only thirty days?” Sophia cried, still clinging to her. “That’s a long time to be abused and molested, Kat!”

“Nobody’s getting abused or molested,” the dark warrior growled.

“Oh really? So you have no interest in having sex with my sister?” Sophia demanded of him.

Liv felt her cheeks heat. “Sophie, please.”

The warrior’s eyes flashed. “Hell yes, I’m interested and I’m not gonna deny it. She’s mine—I need to claim her. Bond with her. Can’t do that without sex.”

Liv felt her face get even hotter. Oh my God, is he for real? The thought of being pressed up against that huge, masculine, muscular body was doing strange things to her, things she didn’t want to admit even to herself. And no one had ever said they wanted to bond with her before.

“Baird, you’re only making things worse,” the blond Kindred muttered, tugging at the other one’s muscular arm.

Baird—is that his name? Does he even know mine or am I just a “bride” to him? Vaguely she remembered him calling her something else, something that sounded like an endearment in another language, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was now.

“Could you excuse us for a moment?” Kat asked both the Kindred warriors in her best professional tone. “I need to look over this contract and confer with my client.”

“Certainly,” the blond warrior said graciously. The dark one, Baird, Liv thought to herself, looked ready to protest. But his friend said something to him in a sharp, guttural language and at last he relented and withdrew with a curt nod.

“Okay girls, let’s get it together.” Kat shepherded them both to the powder blue couch Liv had jumped off of earlier. Liv and Sophia sat on either side of her, staring anxiously at the thick sheaf of papers in her hand.

“Kat, do I have to go?” Liv asked but even as she did, she remembered their conversation from that morning. Strike that, she thought, looking at the clock hanging on the blank white wall above them, from forty minutes ago. Had it really only been forty minutes since she was sitting comfortably in her own kitchen enjoying a glass of orange juice and pretending to herself that the dark man was only a dream? And now here she was in the HKR building, in her underwear, with her heel throbbing dully from the embedded glass and her head full of confusion and dread. Worst of all, she was about to be hauled away in a space ship by a huge alien warrior who wanted to “bond” with her. It was unbelievable.

“You have to go,” Kat said, nodding firmly. “But as I said, there is some good news.” She ticked the points off on her fingers. “One, it’s only for thirty days and as long as you don’t bond with him you’re free to go after it’s over.”

“Wait a minute,” Sophia interrupted her. “He said he had to have sex to bond with her. So that means…”

“No bonding sex or you lose your get-out-of-jail-free card,” Kat finished for her.

“Bonding sex?” Liv and Sophia said at the same time.

Kat frowned. “It’s…as far as I can understand, it’s one step past traditional intercourse. I wish I could tell you more, Liv, but I think it varies with the different branches of Kindred and the girl my firm represented was being called by a Tranq. It’s, uh, pretty obvious yours is a Rager—a Beast Kindred.”

“The best thing to do is just to avoid sex altogether,” Sophia said in a trembling voice. “Tell him to keep it in his pants, Liv.”

Liv shivered. “I think I can manage that. I’ll go up to their ship with him but after that…” After that she planned to avoid him as much as possible. He was a huge alien male that had been invading her dreams for months and now he wanted to have some kind of kinky tantric bonding sex with her. She was damn well going to be sure she stayed on the opposite side of the Kindred ship from him at all times.

“You can’t avoid him,” Kat said as though reading her mind. She was scanning the contract again. “There are some hard and fast rules here, Liv.”

“Rules?” she asked warily. “What rules?”

“You have to eat every meal at his table and sleep every night in his bed,” Kat said, reading rapidly. “The good news is, you don’t have to bathe with him until the second week.”

“That’s the good news?” Sophia sounded aghast. “She has to take a bath with him by the second week?”

“They’re looking for a lasting union here, girls,” Kat said matter-of-factly. “This isn’t just a getting to know you scenario—it’s a period of deliberate seduction.” She looked at Liv. “He tries to get in your panties, you try to keep him out. The good thing is, he can’t force you against your will. In fact, for the entire first week, he can’t touch you at all unless you invite it. If he does, it’s a breach of contract and you’re allowed to end the claiming period right then and there.”

“He better keep his distance then,” Liv muttered. Just the thought of having those large, masculine hands all over her body was making her feel warm and nervous. She told herself it was just the shocking suddenness of the whole situation affecting her. Who wouldn’t get a little hot under the collar if they were dragged from their homes and forced to go play sex games in the stars?

“I don’t know, Liv—he’s pretty damn hot. And the way he’s looking at you…” Kat was obviously losing a little of her professionalism.

“It’s like he wants to eat you up,” Sophia finished for her and shuddered.

“Look, hot or not, I have no intention of giving it up,” Liv protested. “I mean, I don’t even know him and he’s talking like he owns me. Plus, did you see his pants? Either he’s smuggling a python in there or he’s got equipment that would put a porn star to shame. I have no interest in doing the horizontal mambo with a guy that’s big enough to split me in two.”

“I don’t know…” Kat was getting a dreamy, horny look in her eyes that made Liv want to slap her. “Maybe if he was really gentle and slow…”

“Hello? I’m the one he’s looking to impale,” Liv reminded her. “And does he look like the kind of guy who’ll be ‘gentle and slow?’” He didn’t—not a bit. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that he was staring at her, that intense hunger back in his amber eyes. He looked like he wanted to throw her down right here on the scruffy grey carpet of the HKR building and defile her six ways from Sunday. Just the thought of being caged in by that big, male body made her heart race and her mouth go dry. How the hell was she going to get through this?

“Plus, even if he was nice about it, gentle and slow doesn’t negate being hung like a literal horse,” Sophia put in. “You always told us Mitch wasn’t much in the size department and it’s been six months since you two split.”

“Don’t remind me!” Liv groaned. If she’d married her ex-fiancé, her name would have automatically been pulled from the draft and she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Plus, she could have divorced Mitch. A Kindred union didn’t end unless somebody died. Just the thought made her break out into a cold sweat. Tied forever to an alien male, forced to give up her life on Earth to be by his side doing…what? Nothing but getting screwed and probably having sixteen pound alien babies as Sophia had joked earlier. Well, it was no joke now.

Her years of nursing school, down the drain. Her close relationship with her friends and family, especially her twin, likewise. Her entire existence changed and all because some big alien jerk had decided she should belong to him. It really made Liv mad. More than mad. Furious.

“I can’t believe there’s not some way for you to get out of this,” Sophia said. Always in tune with her twin, she sounded as outraged as Liv felt.

“There’s not, though,” Kat reminded them. “You have to at least do the thirty days—that’s nonnegotiable.”

“Yeah? Well I don’t have to bond with him—whatever that means,” Liv said through gritted teeth.

“Better stick to your guns on that one, Livvy,” Kat said. “Unless you’re willing to permanently change your zip code for some interstellar sex.”

“Absolutely not.” Liv lifted her chin. “Don’t worry about me—he’s never gonna get it.” But then she glanced over her shoulder and caught a quick glimpse of those eyes again. God, did he have to stare at her quite so intensely? Nervously she crossed her legs and pulled her robe a little tighter over her breasts.

“Something tells me you’re going to need every ounce of determination you can muster,” Kat remarked. She had also been watching and had apparently caught the look the huge Kindred warrior was directing at Liv. “He doesn’t seem like a guy who takes no for an answer.”

“Look at the way he’s still watching you, Liv.” Sophie sounded awed. “I don’t think he’s taken his eyes off you the entire time we’ve been talking. He doesn’t even blink.”

“It’s just this stupid nighty I have on.” Liv felt a heated blush climbing up her cheeks. “If they would have let me change I would’ve put on something a little more decent but—” she broke off, thinking hard. “Hey, Kat, does it say in that contract if I’m allowed to have anything sent to me?”

“Um…yes. Kat rattled the contract. “It says here that we’re allowed to send you items—no weapons of course—but if they’re approved, they’ll reach you fairly quickly—within twelve hours according to this.”

“Good,” Liv nodded. “Okay, I need you to go straight home and empty out my top dresser drawer and send the contents up to me. Do it quick—I’ll need it tonight.”

“Need what? What’s in there?” Sophia wanted to know.

Liv just shook her head. She could see the two Kindred warriors watching them and she wasn’t sure how acute their hearing was. “Just send it—oh, and some clothes too. I need something normal to wear while I’m up there. And don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Actually she had never felt less fine in her life but it would only upset Kat and Sophia more to know that. Even now her twin sister was sniffling and glaring at the big blonde Kindred who had spoken to them earlier. He parted his lips and ran his tongue over the sharply pointed double pair of fangs in his mouth that grew where a human’s canine teeth would be.

Sophia shivered and looked away. “Okay, we’ll send you the stuff—whatever it is,” she mumbled.

“As soon as possible,” Liv emphasized.

“We’ll get on it right away.” Kat rose and handed her the contract. “So that’s it—basically he’s authorized to try and seduce you to stay with him and it’s your job to refuse. Got it?”

“Got it,” Liv said. “And…I have a week before…

“Before Mr. Python Pants can try any funny business,” Kat finished for her.

“All right then.” Liv lifted her chin as some of her old spark came back. He thinks he can just walk all over me and make me his wife without a fight? Oh, buddy, you picked the wrong Earth girl to mess with. And you’re gonna find out the hard way—tonight!

Chapter Four

His bride was quiet as they went in the back with the official who was to perform the claiming ceremony. She even refused to meet Baird’s eyes even when they stood across from each other in front of the carved wooden alter. The altar was a human convention since the Kindred didn’t need anything other than a female whose mind had aligned with theirs to claim as their bride. However, Sylvan had told him earlier that having the ceremony presided over by an official in front of an altar somehow made most human females feel more at ease with the entire affair.

It didn’t seem to be working that way with Olivia, though.

She stood stiffly across from him, her arms crossed over her chest in an obvious attempt to hide her luscious full breasts and vowed not to break the contract she’d signed, woodenly repeating the words the official fed her. The other two human females flanked her like an honor guard. The one that had claimed to be her legal representative listened carefully to the ceremony, as though filing it away for later thought, but the one with brown hair that had said Olivia was her sister spent most of her time glaring at Sylvan. Apparently he had offended her deeply when he tried to touch her arm, earlier.

The sister’s attitude worried Baird. Were human women really so intolerant of even the most causal, non-sexual touching? Was Olivia going to object to his touch as well? Worst of all, would she make him wait until the initial introductory period was over to caress her smooth, silky skin?

Baird felt like he’d been waiting for her forever. It took every ounce of self control he possessed not to simply gather her into his arms and take her mouth in a hungry kiss. He wanted to taste her, to know her, and the idea that she might deliberately delay their intimacy was like a knife in his heart.

But at least he could touch her during the ceremony. At the official’s prompting, he took her small hands in his, noticing how she trembled when he did. It was time to tell her what was in his heart. Baird had never been good with words—Beast Kindred seldom were. But he knew this was his only chance to let her know how much he wanted her.

“I searched the galaxy for you, Olivia” he began, ducking his head so that he could look into her beautiful silvery-grey eyes. “At times I didn’t think I’d find you. But I did—well, actually, we found each other when our minds aligned. The first time I dreamed about you, I knew I couldn’t rest until I had you.”

She looked up at him and he could hear her heart racing, could smell the scent of her unwilling desire and see the fear in her eyes. Gods, did she think he’d hurt her? When all he wanted to do was claim her and make her his? Suddenly more words rose inside him—words that meant bonding and not just claiming—but Baird felt them come to his lips naturally anyway.

“I pledge to you with my body and soul,” he said, looking intently into her eyes. “I will live every day for you and sleep every night by your side. If need be, I will die to protect you. You are my heart.”

He saw her eyes soften for an instant and her full, lush lips parted as though she would speak. But just then the human girl who was her legal advisor hissed in her ear,

“Permanent zip code change, Liv.” At the words, his bride’s chin came up and a look of defiance entered her beautiful face.

Baird finally understood. For some reason, she was determined to resist him. Well, they would see how long that lasted when his scent began working on her. How long she could hold out when he was at last allowed to touch her. At the base of his shaft, his mating fist throbbed with need.

He wanted her now but if he had to he could wait. He could wear down her resistance until she begged to have him inside her, filling her with his cock, his mating fist swelling to tie them together, bonding her to him for all time.

Liv was glad she had Kat standing behind her to remind her of what was going on. If her friend hadn’t been there, she might have melted when the big Kindred had said that line about how he would die to protect her. Mitch wouldn’t even go out of his way to pick up her dry cleaning when she asked so the idea that this huge warrior she didn’t even know would put his life on the line for her was unexpectedly seductive. Well, she didn’t know him except from the strange and troubling dreams she’d been having, Liv reminded herself. But she’d never actually expected to meet the man of her dreams…or get dragged into a strange alien ceremony with him for that matter.

She repeated the final vows the official fed her in a daze, trying not to look into Baird’s golden eyes. His desire for her was so naked on his face that she could feel herself blushing every time their gazes brushed. Kat was right, she was going to need all her willpower here. She thought again of the contents of her top dresser drawer and hoped they got to her in time.

“The claiming period has begun. You may kiss your bride.”

“What?” The official’s words took Liv by surprise. She looked up fearfully into the handsome alien face with its square jaw and inhuman amber eyes. Was he going to grab her now and latch onto her mouth like a lamprey eel? She vividly remembered the way Mitch had kissed when excited—sticking his tongue down her throat until he nearly triggered her gag reflex. Was this big Kindred—this Baird—going to do the same?

He pulled her close and lowered his face to hers, so close she could feel his hot breath on her skin. It was scented like some kind of alien spice—a mixture of cinnamon and cloves maybe—different but not unpleasant. His mouth drew close to hers and Liv felt herself stiffen in his arms, bracing herself for an oral assault. Instead, she felt the lightest brushing of lips imaginable across her own, as though a butterfly’s wings had fluttered tenderly against her mouth.

“Don’t be afraid, Lilenta,” he breathed in her ear in that deep, rumbling growl of a voice. “Not gonna hurt you. Not gonna take what you don’t want to give.”

Liv tried to keep the surprise off her face when he drew back but it was hard. The look in his eyes said he wanted to eat her alive but he’d just given her the softest, most gentle kiss she’d ever experienced. What was going on? And why was her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in every part of her body?

“You may retire to the ship for the remainder of your claiming period,” the official intoned, breaking into her train of thought.

“Oh, Liv!” Sophia threw her arms around Liv’s neck and hugged her close with a little sob. “Be strong,” her twin whispered. “You always were the strong one. Come back to us.”

“I will,” Liv promised. “You can bank on it, womb-mate.”

When Sophia finally forced herself to break free, Kat gave her a tight hug too.

“Remember, stick to your guns,” she reminded Liv in a whisper. “And if you don’t and we never see you again, you better at least send me an e-mail telling me all the dirty details.”

Liv half laughed, half cried. “No, chance. Look for me in thirty days, not any stupid e-mail, Kat.”

“I’ll be here with bells on to pick you up,” Kat promised. “We’ll go straight to Magaritaville and the drinks are on me all night.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Liv warned her. Then, knowing she couldn’t delay any longer, she turned with as much dignity as she could muster and looked up at Baird. “I’m ready,” she said.

She had never told a bigger lie in her entire life.

Chapter Five

He took her to a small back door that led to an outdoor space as big as a parking lot. It was enclosed by a high electric chain link fence with warnings in three different languages about the voltage and there was razor wire looped along the top of it. Inside it were parked a number of small, unassuming electric cars, similar to the one she drove herself.

Liv stared with wide eyes. Geeze, they sure take themselves seriously. All this security to protect a few Nissan Minisports?

“This is our ride.” Baird’s deep voice reminded her that she was supposed to be following him. She stepped out confidently enough toward the small, nondescript vehicle he was pointing to. The asphalt outside was hot and a lot harder than the bland grey carpet inside the HKR building, but she was a Florida girl and it wouldn’t be the first time she’d walked barefoot on hot concrete.

Unfortunately she forgot about the shard of glass still embedded in her heel. She’d mostly stopped bleeding during the ceremony and had more important things than a minor injury on her mind anyway but one step was all it took to remind her. The minute her hurt foot connected with the hard black surface Liv yelped.

“Ow! Son of a—” Before she could complete the expletive, Baird was there, staring at her with concern.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” he demanded even as he scanned the area with those inhumanly golden eyes, obviously searching for a threat.

“I’m fine. I just…” Liv gestured to her wounded foot with irritation. “I dropped my orange juice when those goons came to get me and I stepped on a shard of glass.”

His face fell. “You were hurt all this time and I didn’t notice?”

“I didn’t notice half the time myself,” Liv assured him. “I had, uh, other things on my mind.” Like finding out exactly what I was getting myself into with you. “I’ve stopped bleeding so I guess I forgot until I stepped on it out here.”

“You’re bleeding?” He looked even more alarmed. Getting down on one knee he gestured her forward. “Let me see.”

“No, honestly, it’s all right.” Liv felt both annoyed and shy. Why was he making such a big deal out of this? She’d seen people with foreign objects imbedded in their bodies every day of the week as a nursing student in the Tampa General ER. Didn’t they ever step on sharp things where he came from?

“Olivia, come here.” His voice was a low growl—not menacing so much as stern. To her intense irritation, Liv found herself obeying him.

“It’s just a piece of glass,” she protested even as she allowed him to settle her on his knee and lift her foot. “If you’ll just give me a first aid kit I can take care of it myself.”

“No you won’t.” He examined the heel of her foot with care as though assessing a grave and dangerous injury. “Wait until we get up to the ship and let Sylvan look at it. He’s a medic.”

“And I’m a nurse,” Liv protested, feeling even more irritated. “I can handle myself, thank you.”

“Even a small injury like this can get infected and it’s hard to work on yourself.” The growl had come back to his voice again and his eyes flashed from dark amber to pale gold in a second. “You need a medic and that’s what you’ll get, Lilenta.”

“My name is Olivia,” Liv stormed. “And I’d rather not go to a hospital, or whatever your version of a hospital is, and have everybody and their brother see me dressed like this!”

“I know your name. You have no idea how many times I said it over and over to get through the night.” Baird’s hard expression softened. “Lilenta just means little one or dear one in my language.”

Liv had no idea how to respond to his remark about saying her name to get through the night so she skipped over it. “I still don’t want anyone else seeing me until I get my clothes from home,” she protested.

His eyes raked over her again and she realized this was the closest she’d been to him yet. Even when they’d kissed, there was some space between their bodies. But now she was sitting on his knee with her hands resting lightly on his broad shoulders for balance. She wanted to draw back but he had her in an awkward position with one large, warm hand encircling her ankle and the other cupped firmly at her waist.

“Don’t worry about your outfit,” he murmured, nodding at the thin black nighty. “Sylvan is the warrior who witnessed our ceremony—he’s my half brother and he won’t touch you the wrong way.” His eyes blazed for a moment. “No one will.”

Liv blew out a breath. “You’re not going to give up on this, are you?”

“You’re my responsibility now. Mine to care for, to cherish, to protect.” He said the words simply as though it was the most normal thing in the world to have complete accountability for a woman he’d never met before that day. “If you’re hurting I can’t rest until I ease your pain. Understand, Olivia?”

“All right.” Liv felt like she was setting a dangerous precedent letting him have his way but there didn’t seem to be anything else she could do. “As long as I don’t have to see anyone else besides, uh, Sylvan until I have decent clothes on,” she added quickly when he smiled.

“Don’t worry. I don’t want other males looking at you in that little bit of nothing either,” he murmured. “Now let’s go.”

Before she could protest, Baird swung her up into his arms and rose in one smooth motion, as though she didn’t weigh a thing.

“Hey, I can walk you know!” She wanted to struggle in his arms but the ground was suddenly a long way down and she had no desire to fall on her ass on the tarmac.

“No you can’t. You’re injured.” He strode easily along, heading for the small car he’d said was their ride. Liv wondered how he was going to fit his huge frame into its tiny interior and also how he planned to drive it out. The enclosed parking lot didn’t have any entrance or exit that she could see. Then he let out a low, guttural growl that might have been a word in another language and suddenly the outside of the car began to shimmer.

Liv blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus on what was happening. The car was changing right in front of her, becoming larger and more roomy as well as streamlined. When it was finished, something that looked like a sleek silver rocket turned on its side was in front of them.

“Password protected,” Baird explained as a door popped open and he deposited her gently inside. “A necessity since the humans are always trying to get their hot little hands on our technology.”

“I’m a human,” she reminded him pointedly. “And would it kill you to share some of that technology with us?”

Baird looked surprised. “We’ve given you cures for most of your diseases. You don’t need the secret of interstellar flight.”

“Why not? Did it occur to you we might like to reach for the stars too?” Liv didn’t know what she was getting upset about. Maybe it was just a reason to fight and work off some of the tension she’d built up being so close to him.

“You can’t, not right now anyway,” Baird growled. “The Scourge is still up there, Olivia. You may have missed it down on your peaceful little planet but there’s a war goin’ on right over your head.”

“And you’re taking me up into it?” Liv felt a sudden surge of panic. No one knew exactly what it was the Scourge did to their victims but it was supposed to be pretty nasty.

Baird sighed heavily as he buckled himself in beside her. “Didn’t I pledge to you to protect you with my life? You really think I’d put you in danger like that?”

“Well what was I supposed to think?” she flared, reaching for her own straps and buckles—all of which were hopelessly too big, as though they’d been made to fit someone twice her size.

“Think whatever you want but understand that I would never risk your life. The Kindred ship is safe.” He frowned at her. “Now come here—you’re in Sylvan’s seat and he’ll be out in a minute.”

“What?” she looked at him in disbelief as he patted his lap. “I can’t possibly…”

“There are only two seats, one for you and me and one for Sylvan.” He frowned at her.

“I’ll scrunch down in the back.” Liv got up and began to hop her way to the back of the ship but Baird stopped her by taking her upper arm and pulling her into his lap.

“You’re my bride and you’ll sit with me.” Muscular arms enclosed her, safer than any seat belt, and he drew her close until she could feel the warm, hard planes of his chest through the thin lace of her baby doll nighty.

“Let me go!” She twisted in his arms but he only held her tighter, pulling her down hard so that she could feel the rigid lump of his shaft growing under her ass.

“Struggle as much as you want, you’re not goin’ anywhere,” he growled in her ear.

Liv was ready to spit she was so mad. “You…you big alien pervert,” she hissed. “You just want me sitting on your lap so you can rub your…so you can rub against me.”

“You mean like this?” He pressed up slowly, his pelvis working under hers until she could feel the ridge of his shaft rubbing against the crotch of her black lace panties blatantly. Suddenly she was wet. Wet and hot and ready and it scared her to death.

She bit back a moan as he pressed against her. “Yes, like that,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t tremble too much. God, how could he make her body react even when she didn’t want it to? Was it some kind of Kindred trick? “You’re…you’re hard as a rock and you just want to rub up against me.” Bastard!

“It’s your fault I’m hard,” he growled softly in her ear. “If you’d just sit still and stop twitching that soft little ass of yours all over my lap I wouldn’t be in this state.”

Liv felt a blush of mortification rise to her cheeks. “Well I didn’t do it on purpose! I just wanted to ride in the back of the ship.” Or anywhere but on your lap, you Kindred bastard! Then she thought of what Kat had said. “You’re not even supposed to be allowed to touch me yet—not until the first week is up. The contract says so.”

“You need to read the fine print, Lilenta. I’m not allowed to touch you in a sexual way and I’m not allowed to claim you. But you’re my bride and this is our holding week. According to the Kindred rules, I’m well within my rights to hold you and keep you safe.”

“Right,” Liv spat. “And right now I feel about as safe as a lamb being held by a wolf. You can’t tell me this isn’t sexual, you bastard.”

“It wouldn’t be if you’d stop struggling.” He sounded at the very end of his patience. “If you knew how long I’ve been waiting for you and how badly I want to claim you—”

“Well you can forget about that because it’s never going to happen,” Liv snarled. “And if you think for one minute that you can get away with molesting me—”

“All I can think about right now is how good you feel against me and how badly I want to be inside you.” His deep voice seemed to pierce her entire body. “If you’d just hold still and stop wigglin’ all over the damn place maybe we could both relax.”

His hot breath on the back of her neck as he spoke sent a shiver down her spine. And the things he was saying…Liv bit her lip, glad she was facing away from him so he couldn’t see her face which had to be fire engine red. But just because she wasn’t looking at him didn’t mean she couldn’t feel him. And smell him—a spicy male musk that seemed to be his natural scent was invading all her senses at once, making it hard to think.

“I’m never going to let you,” she whispered, holding herself stiff and still in his arms. “You might as well forget it and let me go right now.”

The arms around her tightened like iron bands and his voice was a low, possessive growl. “Never. You’re mine, Olivia. The sooner you realize that the better.”

Chapter Six

The ride up to the Kindred ship was tense and silent. Sylvan drove since Baird had his hands full with his reluctant bride. She refused to answer anything he said even when the g-forces pressed her against him like a giant, crushing hand. Once they cleared the Earth’s atmosphere, he spoke softly in her ear, pointing out the various stars the Kindred had been to and telling her how long it took to get to the other trade planets using the space-gap propulsion his people had perfected thousands of years before. But no matter what he said, Olivia remained silent.

Baird couldn’t understand why she was being so stubborn. Didn’t she feel the heat flare between them every time they touched? Didn’t she realize it was a by product of the bonding that would soon take place between them? Because he was determined to bond her to him. And no matter how much she protested and struggled, he knew Olivia wanted him as much as he wanted her—she just didn’t know it yet.

But how can she not know, damn it? They’d been dream-sharing for the past six Earth months. He’d watched her go about her day to day activities in his visions of her, had seen how she stood up to those in authority and felt her compassion for her patients as she tended them. Watching her life was all that had kept him going while he was imprisoned in the dark hell hole of the Scourge Fathership. Absorbing her emotions had started the beginnings of his bond to her. He knew she’d experienced the same thing so how could she deny it—and him—now? Baird didn’t know but it looked like he was in for the long haul with his bride.

He thought longingly of some of the other Earth brides he’d heard of. The human women weren’t cold like those of Tranquil Prime or dangerously fierce like those of Rageron. Often they submitted at once—some didn’t even wait a single night before giving themselves completely to the Kindred warriors that called them. But it seemed that Olivia wasn’t going to be that kind of woman. She would make him work for every inch of progress. Well, so be it. Baird had never been afraid of hard work and there was no way he was going to give her up. If she wanted a battle, she’d get one, he decided as he pulled the stubborn little human closer.

She made a sound of protest and wiggled in his lap at his proprietary gesture. Baird worked hard to stifle a groan. Gods, if only she knew what she was doing to him with every movement of her soft, round ass over his aching shaft! He could feel her heated wetness under the small scrap of fabric that covered her cleft, could smell her warm, feminine musk in the air every time she moved. Was she trying to drive him crazy? After so long in the Scourge ship, being tortured every day and dreaming about her every night, it would be a very short trip. All he could think about was how good it would feel to push her undergarments aside and slide into her heated depths, thrusting hard, filling her wet pussy with his cock and his newly awakened mating fist until he locked them together for a long, leisurely session of bonding-sex.

At last when the feel of her in his arms was getting unbearable, Sylvan landed the small silver craft in the loading bay of the Kindred Mothership. Baird released her as the metal door slid to one side and she jumped out of his lap immediately, as though she couldn’t wait to get away from him. If he hadn’t been able to feel her dampness and smell her obvious arousal, he might have been worried that she didn’t want him the way he wanted her. But what his senses told him was irrefutable—Olivia was as hot and ready for him as he was for her. She just didn’t want to admit it.

He was half afraid that she would try to run off at once. Since the ship was huge—almost a fourth the size of the Earth moon it orbited—it would be easy for her to get lost. He would be able to track her anywhere by her scent, of course—Beast Kindred excelled at that. But he would rather have her safely back in his quarters than have to chase her all over the damn ship.

At first it seemed like running off was exactly what Olivia planned to do. But a few short steps on the hard, cold metal floor seemed to change her mind. Baird watched as her lovely features went pinched and white and she grabbed the silver side of the ship for support.

“Olivia? Lilenta?” He tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he went to her but he couldn’t quite manage it. Every cell in his body was screaming that she was his to protect, to comfort and hold and shield from danger and pain. The look of obvious discomfort on her face made his stomach knot with tension.

Olivia tried to wave him away. “I’m all right. It’s just the glass in my foot—I think it’s shifted. It, uh, really kind of hurts. A lot.”

Baird didn’t need to hear any more. Paying no attention to her half formed protests he swung her up in his arms again and turned to Sylvan. “We need to get her to a med station. Now.”

“There’s one at the far entrance. This way.” The big male nodded his blond, spiky head in the direction of the docking bay doors, motioning for Baird to follow him.

“Wait a minute!” Olivia protested as they walked along swiftly, uniform boots echoing in the cavernous metal space that was filled with short-distance space-going craft similar to their own.

Baird frowned at her. “I can’t wait. Not when you’re in pain.”

She looked exasperated. “Look, I’m sorry if I overreacted. It’s just a little sliver of glass.”

“Nothing that hurts you is little to me,” Baird told her shortly. When would she understand that her pain was his? A Kindred male couldn’t rest if his mate was in any kind of discomfort. He had to do everything in his power to ease her and bring her relief—the same way he would do everything in his power in the bedroom to pleasure her.

“But you promised!” Olivia protested. “Promised that no one besides you and, uh, Sylvan would see me like this.” She gestured down at herself, her luscious curves barely covered by the gauzy black lace.

“Don’t worry, no one will,” Sylvan said, looking back to address her. “We’re taking you in through the outer passageways, not the more populated center of the ship. From there you and Baird can travel directly to his suite.”

“Suite, huh? Where are we anyway, the Kindred Hilton?” Olivia muttered seemingly to herself, but at least she stopped protesting and allowed Baird to carry her without struggling.

They passed through the round, irising airlock door that protected the rest of the ship from too much oxygen loss and turned out into one of the long, plain metal corridors that were mainly used for transporting goods around the outer edge of the ship. Baird wished that his new bride would relax against him as he carried her, but she remained as cold and stiff as a piece of metal or wood in his arms. What would it take to thaw her icy demeanor?

At last they came to an empty medic station and Sylvan nodded for Baird to sit her down on the plain metal table. But the moment he did, Olivia yelped as though she’d been stung. Baird was about to gather her back into his arms—he didn’t like not touching her anyway—when she waved him off.

“It’s okay. The damn table is just ice cold and I’m practically sitting on it bare ass. That’s all.”

“My apologies,” Sylvan said smoothly as he dug in one of the wall storage units for the materials he needed. “This will only take a moment, I promise.”

“Uh, okay.” She was watching him dubiously, as though unsure of what was about to happen. Baird thought of reassuring her that Sylvan was a first class medic but somehow he didn’t think words from him would make her feel better. There was one way he could help her though—she was still shivering from the cold. Without saying a word he unsnapped his shirt and shrugged it off, baring his upper body.

“Hey, whoa—what are you doing?” Olivia was looking at him with wide eyes as though he was about to pounce on her. Did she really think so little of him to believe that he would try to take advantage of her when she was injured and helpless? Baird felt his heart fist in his chest.

“Only this,” he said gruffly, draping the crimson shirt around her shivering bare shoulders.

“Oh…uh, thanks.” She was staring at him now, as though she’d never seen a male before. Baird looked down at himself to see if there was something wrong. He had spent a full hour in the bathing pool that morning preparing but was it possible he had spilled something on himself before getting dressed to claim her? The broad planes of his muscular chest looked all right to him—his dusky tan skin was marked by the whitish scars left by the AllFather’s torture but a Kindred warrior always wore such marks with pride. There was a small patch of black hair between the two flat copper disks of his nipples and a trail of it led down his corded abdomen into the black uniform pants he was wearing. Truly there was nothing to stare at—so why was she still staring?

“Is there a problem?” he asked at last. “You don’t like the way I look?”

“Uh, no, I…You look fine. Just fine.” Olivia looked down at her hands, her fair skin blushing a deep embarrassed red.

“What’s wrong then?”

“Nothing.” But her beautiful silvery eyes were still flickering up to his bare chest and back down to her hands as though she couldn’t quite look away.

Baird resisted the urge to tilt her chin up so she would have to meet his eyes directly. Why did she keep looking at him? He looked down at his chest again. Maybe she preferred smooth skin only? If so she was out of luck, only Tranq Kindred grew no body hair. “What’s wrong, Lilenta?” he asked her earnestly. “Is there somethin’ you want me to change?”

“No, it’s nothing you can change. You’re just so…” She made a helpless little motion with one hand. “You’re just so big. And…and muscular.”

Baird frowned. “Sorry about that—a warrior has to keep his body in top physical shape.”

“No, don’t apologize.” She shook her head. “I’ve just…never gone out with such a big guy before. It’s kind of, uh, overwhelming.”

Baird wisely resisted the urge to point out that they were doing much more than “going out” as she put it. Instead he remembered Sylvan’s words in the Human/Kindred Relations building. His half brother had warned him that his new bride might fear him because he was so much bigger than the puny human males she knew—apparently he had been right.

“Olivia,” he murmured, bending down to be closer to her. “I know I’m bigger than the males you’re used to but I want you to know that my size and strength will never be used against you. I live to protect you now—I would never hurt you.”

She looked up, her silver-grey eyes flashing defiance. “Even if I deny you? Even if I won’t…won’t give you what you want?”

Baird sighed. What had he done to earn this level of enmity from her? If it hadn’t been for the long months of dream-sharing he might almost have been tempted to think he had the wrong woman. But no, there was no mistaking her sweet scent. Olivia was the one, she just didn’t want to admit it.

“Yes,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. “Even if you won’t give me what I want. What I need. Because make no mistake about it, Lilenta, I need you, need to touch and taste and kiss your soft, sweet body the way I need my next breath. But if you want to make me wait, well…” He shrugged even though his heart was heavy. “That’s your choice.”

Her eyes went wide and they stared at each other for a long moment. Baird could feel the heat rising in her again, just as it had when he held her in his lap on the journey up to the ship but all her body language said she wouldn’t welcome his advances. What could he do to get through her barriers?

“All done.” It was Sylvan who broke the uncomfortable silence that had grown between them. For once Baird was grateful that his half-brother was a talkative male.

“All done?” Olivia looked down at her hurt foot in disbelief. “But…I didn’t feel anything.”

“I know. I numbed the area before removing the glass.” Sylvan smiled at her and held up a small, clear vacuum tube with a small shiny speck floating in its null-grav center. “Thanks for distracting her,” he said to Baird, as though the whole scenario had been pre-planned. “It made it a lot easier to heal her without hurting her.”

“Heal me?” Incredulously, Olivia looked at the bottom of her foot. “Hey, I’m not bleeding anymore. In fact…” She examined herself more closely. “I don’t even see any break in the skin at all.”

Sylvan nodded. “I told you—I healed you.”

“But…but how?” Olivia looked upset. “I wanted to see! You Kindred are so secretive and that was one thing I was looking forward to, actually seeing alien medical technology.”

“Sorry.” Sylvan shrugged. “If you’re really that interested you can observe in one of our wellness centers.”

She nodded eagerly. “I’d like that. When?”

“Not until after our claiming period is over,” Baird rumbled, scooping her off the table and holding her close to his chest. “For now we need to get to my suite.”

“But, my things…” She looked upset. “My sister Sophia is supposed to be bringing them to the HKR building. Will I still be able to get them?”

Baird frowned. Now that she was well and in his arms again all he wanted was to get her back to his suite. The sooner they were alone together, the better as far as he was concerned. She needed time for his scent to work on her, time to realize they belonged together. “We’ll have someone pick them up,” he promised.

Sylvan nodded. “I’ll go back for them myself, mate of my kin,” he said formally to Olivia. “You and Baird just get settled in his suite and don’t worry about anything.”

“Mate of my kin, huh?” She gave him a crooked smile. “I, uh, guess that’s your version of ‘sister-in-law’ huh?”

“It’s what we call the bride of our siblings,” Baird told her. “And since you’re my bride—”

“You say that the same way you’d say I was your property,” she interrupted him, frowning. “Like I’m some kind of chattel to be bought and sold.”

“Didn’t mean it like that,” he protested but she was already wriggling in his arms to get down.

“I can walk now,” she reminded him. “Do you mind?”

Baird did mind, very much. He’d been hoping to hold her for as long as he could, had been planning to take the longest route possible to his suite in order to be close to her for longer in fact. But seeing the angry look in her beautiful eyes, he decided the wisest thing was probably to set her down, which he did.

Chapter Seven

Liv tried not to wince as the hard cold metal floor met her bare feet again. She had the feeling Baird hadn’t wanted to put her down but that was just too damn bad. She’d already made up her mind that until she was contractually obligated to touch him, she wasn’t going anywhere near the big Kindred warrior. Being close to him felt dangerous somehow, as though she might lose control of herself if she wasn’t careful. Of course that was silly, there was no way she was going to lose it and jump his bones even if he did look freaking amazing with his shirt off.

Just thinking about that made her feel like blushing. God, she’d really made a fool out of herself when he took off the crimson shirt that was still draped over her shoulders. Had her tongue been hanging out? She wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been. She’d felt like an idiot but she hadn’t been able to stop staring.

Even now she caught herself sneaking glances at his bare chest as they walked down the long metal corridor. He was amazingly cut and obviously in incredible shape. In fact he looked so good it made her wonder why he was so anxious to be with her.

She had a pretty face, that was true. But her hips had gotten way too big in the last semester of nursing school due to too much junk food and not enough exercise as she crammed for exam after exam. And as for her thighs, well, Liv didn’t even want to think about how they must look in the little black nighty she was wearing. So why was a guy who looked like he could be a freaking Chippendale’s dancer so hot to get in her panties? Maybe I should just let him see me naked and get it over with. He might be willing to send me home on the next shuttle or space ship or whatever.

But from the looks Baird was still giving her, the only place he wanted to send her was straight to his bed. His hot amber gaze made her shiver despite the heavy, silky material of his shirt. And speaking of the shirt, his scent was all over it—the same spicy male musk she’d noticed when she was sitting on his lap on the journey up to the Kindred ship. Why did it make her feel dizzy to inhale that intoxicating fragrance? Why did it make her resolve not to let him touch her seem silly and pointless? No nookie unless you want a permanent zip code change, she reminded herself firmly. Just tell him to keep his hands to himself and his python in his pants.

To try and distract herself from the huge half naked warrior who was still eyeing her like a starving wolf might look at a lamb chop, Liv tried to concentrate on the ship’s interior. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to concentrate on—just a seemingly endless metal corridor with doors branching off on either side at regular intervals. To be honest the utilitarian aspect of the alien ship kind of disappointed her. It looked like every single science fiction movie she’d ever seen—not that there had been that many of them. Sophia was a closet Trekkie and Kat was a confirmed Lord of the Rings fantasy freak but Liv preferred to keep both feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much. So how had an eminently practical girl like herself wound up in this crazy position? She had the sudden urge to grab Baird by the arm and demand, “why me?”

“Why you, what?” He was looking at her, one black eyebrow raised high and Liv realized to her mortification that she had spoken her question aloud. On second thought though, she decided to go with it.

“Why me?” she said, stopping in the middle of the empty metal corridor and putting her hands on her hips. “Why did you pick me when there are a billion other Earth girls you could have had? I mean, look at you…” She gestured at his bare, muscular torso while trying not to stare.

Baird looked at her in obvious confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Liv frowned. “I’m talking about the fact that you have an, uh, amazing body. You’re in such good shape on Earth you’d be gay because there’s no way a straight guy could look like you. I mean…” Suddenly she realized she was babbling and also staring again. Pretty soon she’d be drooling like a dog about to get a really juicy bone. That thought made her eyes drop from his bare chest to the immense bulge in his black pants and she could feel a hot blush creeping up her cheeks. God, she had to get hold of herself here! “I guess I’m just saying that you could do better—you could probably have a supermodel if you wanted to. So maybe you should just, uh, let me go and look for somebody more your type.”

“You’re my type.” He stepped forward and took her hands in his. “From the moment our minds first aligned I knew you were the only woman in this world or any other for me, Olivia,” he rumbled softly. “I don’t want anyone but you. Watching you and sharing your life through my dreams was the only thing that kept me from going crazy those six months before we met.”

“Yes, but why me? Why did you pick me to, uh, align with when you could have had anyone?” Liv persisted. She was trying to keep her cool despite the way his big hands enveloping her much smaller ones was making her heart race.

Baird looked surprised. “I didn’t pick you—not consciously. We aligned because we’re right together. Because you’re the one I need and I’m the one you need, even if you don’t want to admit it. It’s the way it always happens with Kindred. We just know.”

Liv wondered if it was some kind of genetic mutation that allowed the Kindred to share dreams with the women of their choice—their subconscious choice, anyway, since Baird claimed he hadn’t purposefully singled her out in any way. Or maybe they had some kind of weird telepathy. But for whatever reason it seemed like he was stuck on her. So much for pointing out that he could have had a supermodel—he appeared to want a plain old nursing student instead. She sighed.

“All right but don’t blame me if you’re disappointed in the near future,” she said, trying to pull her hands out of his. “What you see is what you get and I warn you, I haven’t exactly been hitting the gym religiously the last few months.”

“Look at me, Olivia,” he demanded and to her irritation Liv found herself obeying him.

“What?”

“You’re the one I want. The one I need,” Baird said. The hot longing in his deep growling voice sent a shiver through her. “And you’re beautiful. Soft, curved in all the right places and you smell so good. So sweet and delicious.”

Liv frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t even have time for a shower before those two goons grabbed me.”

He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I want you so badly I can’t see straight. Hell, I’d take you up against the damn wall right now if you’d let me.” His eyes blazed down at her, making her heart drum against her ribs.

“I…” Liv shook her head, backing away from him. But he still held her hands in an unbreakable grip. “You…you can’t,” she finally managed to say. “You’re not allowed.”

Baird gave her a wolfish grin and dropped her hands. “Not yet anyway. Come on—my suite’s just around this next curve in the hall.”

Heart drumming in her ears, Liv followed him on legs that felt like they might give way at any minute. Dear God she was in deep trouble here. And what exactly had he meant by “not yet?”

Suddenly she wished that she’d read the fine print on the contract she’d signed and not just relied on Kat to interpret it for her. All she really knew was that they had to sleep in the same bed and eat at the same table every day and night and he wasn’t allowed to touch her in a sexual way during the first week. Don’t forget you have to start bathing with him during the second week, whispered the little voice in her head. Just the thought of that gave her the shivers again.

So what exactly happened in weeks three and four? What was he allowed to do? How was he allowed to touch her? She knew it was up to her whether she let him have bonding sex with her or not but she still didn’t know exactly what that entailed. Also, what about regular sex? Was he allowed to do that to her? And when? And where? And how?

Head spinning with questions, Liv made a mental note to get a copy of the contract she’d signed and go over it with a fine toothed comb. She needed to know what she’d gotten into if she was ever going to find a way to get out of it again.

“Here we are.” Baird’s deep voice startled her out of her internal daze and Liv looked up to see that he was gesturing to a plain silver door. As he motioned it slid inwards with a soft swoosh revealing a dark space of indeterminate size.

Liv looked up at him nervously. “This is it?”

He nodded. “The back entrance, anyway. Brought you this way so no other male could see you.” He eyed her hungrily again and Liv pulled his dark crimson shirt closer around her body, as though it could shield her from the desire in his eyes.

“Uh, looks nice,” she said, making no move to go in. The dark room or rooms he was indicating were suddenly looking pretty scary. She had the feeling that if she was in a horror movie right now the people in the audience would be screaming “Don’t go in there!” at the top of their lungs.

“Well?” Baird gestured again, obviously waiting for her to precede him but still Liv hung back.

“Uh…I think I forgot something on the ship,” she said, backing away. “Do you mind if I go get it?”

“You didn’t bring anything to forget.” There was a definite hint of impatience in the deep, growling voice. “Are you coming in or not?”

“I choose not.” Liv shook her head. “I just…I don’t think so. No thanks.”

Baird looked at her with obvious disbelief. “You have to come in—this is where I live. Where else would you stay?”

“Um—well, do you guys have guest rooms or anything like that? I mean, it’s a big ship so you must have someplace else, right?” Liv was feeling more and more nervous and it wasn’t just the fact that he was big and dangerous and scary looking. She had a feeling that if she went into his suite, that she might not come out again as the same person. That somehow being near him twenty-four/seven for the next month would change her, make her lose control.

“Olivia, you can’t stay in the guest quarters. You’re my bride and this is our claiming period.” The big warrior was practically growling with impatience. “What’s the problem?”

“How can you ask me that?” she flared at him, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “You stand there staring at me like I’m an antelope and you’re a really hungry lion and you’ve told me about twelve times how you can’t wait to get me in bed, or up against the wall, or anywhere at all for that matter. And now you want to know why I’m scared to go into a dark room and be alone with you? What do you think I am—crazy?”

He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his thick black hair. “I can’t believe this. Haven’t I told you I would never hurt you?”

Liv frowned up at him. “Yeah, well, I’m not sure about your definition of ‘hurt.’ I mean, forced sex isn’t always painful but just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean it isn’t rape.”

“Is that what you think of me? That I want to take you by force?” He swooped down on her suddenly, eyes blazing a molten gold. Liv backed up but before she knew it she was pinned against one cold metal wall with his thick, muscular arms on either side of her and his face inches from hers.

“Well what am I supposed to think?” she demanded, hoping her voice didn’t tremble too much.

“You can think whatever you want, Olivia, but you should know one thing.” He leaned even closer, his hot breath stirring her hair as he murmured in her ear. “When I take you—because I will take you—make no mistake about that,” he said, cutting off her protest. “When I do, I promise you’ll want it every bit as bad as I do. You’ll beg for it, Linlenta. Beg to have my shaft inside you, filling you up as I bond you to me forever.”

“You arrogant bastard.” Liv narrowed her eyes at him. “You must have a pretty high opinion of yourself if you think I’ll welcome you with open arms and beg for more.”

“It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact.” He drew back so that his lips were hovering over hers, close enough to kiss but not quite touching. Liv could almost taste the exotic cinnamon spice of his breath and his scent, the wild musk that she kept noticing when she was near him, seemed to invade all her senses at once, making her dizzy.

“You…I…What makes you think that?” She wished she could think of a wittier comeback but somehow her brain didn’t seem to be working right. All she could think about was how close he was, all she could feel was the heat radiating from his big body and bare chest against her own mostly bare skin.

“The reason I know how you’ll react is because I’m going to spend hours getting you ready, driving you crazy with my mouth and hands.” His eyes were blazing and half lidded with lust as he spoke.

“Get…getting me ready?” Liv faltered.

Slowly, he nodded. “I can’t wait to touch you. Can’t wait to taste you—to spread your sweet, creamy thighs and put my tongue in your hot little pussy until you beg for more. Beg to have me inside you, filling you all night.”

“I—” Liv began but he cut her off with a kiss. And not a butterfly-soft kiss like the one he’d given her at the HKR building, either. This time his mouth on hers was hard and demanding—as hard and demanding as the rigid shaft that was suddenly branding her belly. Liv fought him at first, panic making her heart race. And then, somehow she was kissing him back. His mouth was hot and forceful and his lips delicious—like sucking cinnamon candy. Baird reached down and she felt big, warm hands encircling her bare thighs. Then she was being lifted and carried into the dark room that had seemed so frightening just a few minutes ago.

Oh God, what am I doing? Where are we going? screamed the practical part of her brain. But her body overruled it as his tongue darted between her lips, licking with surprising delicacy at the roof of her mouth. Moaning, Liv licked back and before she knew it he was sucking her tongue in a way that made her faint with desire.

Baird was moving them through the darkened space confidently—obviously he knew where he was going. A good thing in Liv’s opinion since she had no clue in hell where she was going or what she was going to do once she got there. She found out soon enough, though, when he laid her down on a soft, giving surface and began to undress her, all without breaking the kiss.

My God, his bed. I’m on his bed! she realized but even knowing that Baird had taken her straight to the one area she had promised herself she’d avoid didn’t break the spell she was under.

Big, warm hands cupped her breasts and he rolled the tight points of her nipples between his fingers with just enough pressure to make her writhe underneath him with pleasurable pain. God, that felt incredible! So incredible it was hard to think. Liv felt drugged with pleasure. Before she knew it she was spreading her thighs wider for him, opening herself to feel the hard length of his shaft rubbing over the wet silk of her panties, right against the sensitive bundle of nerves at her center.

Baird broke the kiss long enough to whisper something low and urgent in her ear—something that sounded like her name. “So beautiful. So fuckin’ perfect,” he groaned into her hair as she rubbed herself wantonly against him. Then he reached between them and Liv heard the low ripping noise of fabric parting. A cool breeze caressed her heated sex and she understood that the big warrior had actually torn off her panties, baring her pussy completely. She knew that in the past she would have been angry at such a blatantly caveman-like move. But spread out under Baird’s large, muscular body with his mouth on hers and his hands exploring her willing flesh, the primal action seemed exactly right somehow.

She moaned against his mouth as she felt the length of his cock, still encased in the smooth black fabric of his pants, rub roughly over her wet sex. Without the thin silk panties to act as a barrier, his touch was almost unbearably intense, spreading the swollen lips of her pussy and sliding against her throbbing clit with each thrust. Olivia couldn’t help herself, soon she was lifting her hips to get better contact between them, wrapping her legs around his trim waist, practically begging for more. Baird obliged by grinding against her, pressing hard against her cunt with every downward thrust, almost as if they were already making love. It was clear he wanted to be inside her as badly as Liv wanted him there.

She felt so empty, so open and she needed to be filled. Needed him to fill her. She forgot that she hadn’t even known him a whole day yet, forgot that he was practically a complete stranger and that making love with him would mean that she’d never see her family and home planet again. Forgot anything except how badly she needed him inside her filling her up with his thick shaft. God, he smells so good, feels so good. Can’t believe I’m doing this…

“No!” Suddenly Baird was pulling away from her, leaving her cold and empty on the bed. His eyes were still a molten gold in the dim room but they were filled with some other emotion besides desire now.

“Wha…what?” Liv looked at him fuzzily, not understanding. “Why did we stop?”

He sighed roughly and ran both hands through his hair. “Because you’re not ready. Not really. And I don’t want to do it like this.”

“Like…like what?” Liv’s thought processes were still fuzzy but at least she was beginning to think again. God, what had she just been about to do?

Baird gestured with one hand. “Like this—in the heat of passion.” Reaching out he cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. “I want it to be long and slow, Lilenta,” he growled softly. “Want to take my sweet time tasting you, making you come over and over before I take you. And I want you to want it as much as I do.”

“But I…” It was on the tip of Liv’s tongue to protest that she did want it as much as he did but then the rational, practical part of her brain woke up and started screaming at her. What the hell were you thinking? Were you really just about to give it up to him without even considering the consequences? What about your training as a nurse? What about your plans for the future? And most of all, what about Sophia and Kat? Are you really prepared never to see your family and friends again just to get some from a man you don’t even like?

The thought of that, of never seeing her best friend and twin ever again, sobered her up immediately. Looking down at herself in the dim light she realized that the hard points of her nipples were clearly visible through the thin black silk of her nighty and its hem was pushed up to show her bare sex. Her pussy lips were still parted from his rough and luscious thrusts, her pink interior on display and glistening with moisture as though to show how very ready she was for him to fill her. The fact that she was sitting there, shamelessly open to him, was evidence of exactly how close she’d come to losing everything in the heat of passion.

Blushing furiously Liv sat up, clamped her thighs shut, and pulled the black lace hem of her nighty down as far as it would go. “My God, how did you…how did you do that?” She looked up at Baird who was still breathing hard, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly like a man who was holding onto his self control with both hands. “How did you make me forget everything and just…just want to go for it?” she demanded.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. “It’s not something I was doing on purpose, Lilenta. It’s just your body’s natural reaction to mine. And mine to yours. Like I told you, it’s always like this with the Kindred when we find our mate. We’re drawn together by the need to bond. To fuck. It’s what I need from you and what you need from me. Your body knows it even if your mind won’t admit it.”

“I don’t…don’t believe you,” Liv said. “And I don’t appreciate you using my…vulnerability to you, whatever it is, to prove your point.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You must feel awfully full of yourself right about now—showing me exactly how easy it would be for you to…to take me whether I wanted you to or not.”

Baird gave her an exasperated look. “That wasn’t what I was doing—didn’t mean to do anything at all. I’ve wanted you for so damn long. It just…happened.”

“Oh, right. The same way our minds just happened to align at just the right time,” Liv scoffed. “Tell me another one, champ. Has everything you told me since we met been a lie or just most of it?”

“Nothing I told you is a lie but you can believe what you want.” His face was like a thundercloud and for a moment Liv thought she might have gone too far. But he didn’t threaten her in any way. He just got off the bed in one fluid movement that made him seem more animal than man for a moment. Grabbing a new shirt from a narrow chest at the end of the bed, he stalked to the door of the bedroom. “I’m going to get some human food for later. Make yourself at home but don’t go out by yourself. Understand?”

Liv’s frustration at her own vulnerability rose to the boiling point. “I understand,” she flared back. “I’m supposed to stay here like a good little bride while you go out and act like the big, brave warrior bragging to all your friends that you bagged your human woman and she can’t wait to spread her legs and let you bond with her all night long. Is that it?”

For a moment he looked even angrier and then the expression in his bold features became quieter and a little sad. “I would never brag about what happens between us in the privacy of our rooms, Lilenta. That would be breaking the trust between us. No matter how much you hate me, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Her anger drained suddenly away and Liv felt taken aback. “I…I never said I hated you,” she protested at last in a small voice.

“You didn’t have to.” Turning he left the dimly lit room. Liv watched him go, sitting alone on the bed in the dark.

For some reason she felt like crying.

Chapter Eight

“Are you sure this is what she wanted us to send?” Kat looked uncertainly at the contents of the brown cardboard box Sophia was packing for her twin.

“She said send everything in the top dresser drawer. So—this is the top dresser drawer and this is what I’m sending.”

“Yeah, but…that’s not very sexy.” Kat frowned. “In fact, it’s pretty much the opposite of sexy. Maybe we should send her some lingerie too. Something hot and spicy.”

“She’s trying not to have sex with him, Kat. Not the other way around. If anything we ought to be sending her the bulkiest, ugliest clothes in her closet—or maybe a nun’s habit,” Sophie stuffed things into the cardboard box as she spoke, moving faster and faster, trying not to think.

Kat raised one auburn eyebrow at her. “A nun’s habit? You guys aren’t even Catholic.”

“I don’t know. Just anything that would make him leave her alone. That would make him give her back.” Sophie’s eyes blurred with tears and she had to sit down on her sister’s bed for a moment to collect herself. All around her the bedroom seemed to echo Liv’s personality. Her scrubs were hanging neatly in the closet and the pictures on the wall of her recent graduation from nursing school showed Liv in her cap and gown with Sophie and Kat on either side of her, both hugging her at the same time. Liv’s face looked so happy in those shots, Sophie couldn’t help thinking. So excited about her bright future and a career in nursing. And instead what had happened to her? She’d been hijacked. Kidnapped to become some macho alien’s pleasure slave bride. It was all just so unbelievable.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kat sat beside her on the bed and put an arm around Sophie’s shaking shoulders.

Sophie swiped at her eyes and sniffed. “I just can’t believe this. I can’t believe she’s gone. We ought to be eating blueberry pancakes right now and dishing about the latest Hollywood gossip or something stupid like that. Not packing up her clothes to send to her. And I don’t even know how many to pack. Some of them? All of them? I mean what if…what if she never…never comes back?”

She sobbed again and pressed a hand to her mouth. She was closer to Liv than to any other person in the entire world. The idea of never seeing her twin again, or of only seeing her once or twice a year, which was about how often Kindred brides got to visit their home planet after they were taken, was horrible—unthinkable. And yet she had to think about it because it was true—Liv was gone and might not be coming back.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Kat squeezed her arm. “Listen Sophie, don’t count Liv out yet. You of all people should know she’s no shrinking violet when it comes to men. Remember how she pitched Mitch the minute she found out he was cheating on her? She threw the ring at him, kicked him out and broke the lease on their condo all in the same day. And she never went back to him—not once.”

“Yeah.” Sophie sniffled. “I know. Liv can be pretty tough when she has to be. Not like me. I’m a marshmallow.”

“Exactly.” Kat nodded kindly. “Which is why it’s a good thing Liv got drafted instead of you. Our girl can stand up for herself. She’s not even going to let that big jerk get to first base, you’ll see.”

“But what if he doesn’t give her a choice? You saw the way he was looking at her—like he wanted to eat her up!” Sophie tried to picture the dark haired Beast Kindred that had claimed Liv but instead all her mind would conjure was the other one—the big blond man with the spiky hair and the fangs. “I mean he could be…doing things to her right now,” she added, trying to suppress a shiver.

“Look,” Kat said firmly. “If there’s one thing I know for certain about this situation it’s that the Kindred are not allowed to use force when it comes to convincing a human woman to have bonding sex with them. They were very clear about that during that trial I told you and Liv about.”

“What if he’s using something besides physical force?” Sophie asked, wiping her eyes again and snatching a Kleenex from the box of tissues beside the bed to blow her nose. “I mean, she’s been dreaming about him for months—she told me so. He’s been inside her head for so long—what if he’s brainwashed her or something?”

“Did she act like someone who’d been brainwashed?” Kat demanded. “You heard her—she’s determined to hold out the entire month and come back to us. Don’t worry, Sophie. Liv is tough. She won’t let us down.”

“I hope you’re right.” Sophie blew her nose and blotted her eyes on another tissue. “Well, I guess I’d better get this stuff to her since she seemed to want it right away. Should I send her anything else?”

“How about a note?” Kat suggested. “Write and let her know we miss her already and we’re counting on her to come home.”

“Good idea.” Sophie nodded. “Do you want to come with me back to the HKR building to drop this off?”

Kat shook her head and stood up. “I’d like to but I need to run down to the office and get a little more information. I want to be sure we leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting Liv back, you know?”

“Thanks Kat.” Sophie stood and gave her an impulsive hug. “You really are a great friend, you know?”

Kat hugged her back. “So are you and Olivia. The two best friends I have and I’m not about to lose one of you to some big alien jerk. Okay?”

Sophie gave her a watery smile. “Okay. Let me know if you find anything else out.”

“I will,” Kat promised. “And watch yourself down at the HKR building. You don’t want to be mistaken for a bride and whisked away.”

Unbidden the image of the blond Kindred warrior with the ice blue eyes rose in Sophie’s memory again and she shivered. “Absolutely not! Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

“Good. See you later then, doll.” Kat nodded and left her to finish packing.

Sighing, Sophia went to her twin’s closet and looked at the rows of colorful scrubs hanging there. What else should she pack? What would Liv be most comfortable in and what would be most likely to make the huge Kindred warrior who had claimed her keep his hands to himself?

Sylvan sighed when he saw her coming down the sidewalk to the HKR building. It was one of the women who had been with Olivia earlier at the claiming ceremony—her sibling, no doubt. The resemblance in their delicate facial features was unmistakable even though the woman coming toward him had long, silky brown hair and beautiful green eyes instead of Olivia’s blonde hair and grey eyes. Despite his vow never to take a bride himself, he couldn’t help wanting to make a good impression on her, if only because she was so close to the bride of his kin.

She had changed from the loose, shapeless clothes she’d had on earlier and was wearing a dark red top and the tight fitting dark blue pants the human women in this part of the world seemed to favor. The fabric of her outfit clung lovingly to her full hips and breasts, making the double set of fangs in Sylvan’s mouth ache and his shaft grow hard. It was a perfectly ridiculous response to a woman he had no interest in or any intention of mating and Sylvan knew it. Stop it, he scolded himself. She’s the sister of Baird’s bride and nothing more. Besides, you don’t even like human women.

It was true that he’d never had an interest in the tiny, fragile female creatures that made up half the sentient life on this planet. Mostly because they were completely unlike the glacial women of Tranq Prime with their pure white hair and eyes so pale they were almost colorless. Sylvan could still remember Feenah looking at him with those beautiful clear eyes like the finest crystal. Looking at him and saying, I’m sorry, Sylvan. It can never be…

Sylvan shook off the painful memory and turned his attention back to Olivia’s sister noting that she was nothing like the tall, pale beauties that had always drawn his eye. She was all lush curves and her rich chestnut brown hair was much darker than the hair of the Tranq Prime females. Not to mention the fact that she was so tiny the top of her head would barely come up to his chin. At the moment she was struggling to get through the glass door with an enormous brown cardboard box in her arms and the exertion had turned her cheeks a rosy pink that was most becoming with her large green eyes.

She appeared to be having trouble so Sylvan ran to help her. “Here, let me,” he said, trying to take the box from her small hands.

“Oh, thanks. I—” She looked up and her eyes hardened. “Oh, it’s you.” Wrenching the box away from him, she banged through the door herself and shoved past him to enter the building.

Wonderful—she was still mad at him. Sylvan had no idea what he had done to earn her enmity but for whatever reason it seemed like Olivia’s beautiful sister really hated him. “Yes, it’s me,” he said, following her as she marched up to the front desk. “My name is Sylvan, by the way, I’m Baird’s half brother. And Olivia mentioned your name but I seem to have forgotten it.”

“Isn’t that a shame.” She nodded at the human behind the counter as she placed the massive cardboard box on the desk. “This needs to get to my sister, Olivia Waterhouse, immediately. She was abducted, uh, claimed by a Kindred warrior earlier today.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The human attendant nodded. “You’ll need to give it to the Kindred representative who came to pick it up.”

“Kindred representative?” Olivia’s sister frowned as Sylvan cleared his throat behind her.

“That would be me.”

“You?” She whirled to face him. “What do you have to do with it?”

Sylvan frowned. “Olivia wanted her things. I volunteered to come get them for her so Baird wouldn’t have to. They need to spend time alone together right now—every minute he has with her is precious.”

“Oh right. So he can seduce her and convince her to bond with him.” She shot him an icy glare and picked up the box again. “Fine. I guess you can take the box to her. She ought to have plenty of time to go through it since I know for a fact she has no interest in spending the rest of her life on an alien ship with a complete stranger.”

Sylvan smiled, deliberately showing her his fangs. “I think I can promise you with absolute certainty that they won’t be strangers for long.”

Her large eyes filled with doubt for a moment and then she lifted her chin. “You’re lying. Liv wouldn’t give in that easily. She knows how much I need her here.”

Sylvan frowned at her absolute certainty. “Did you ever consider the idea that maybe Baird needs her too?”

“Oh, right,” she scoffed. “He really needs her to scratch his itch. Why can’t he just find a…a hooker somewhere to take the edge off instead of bothering Liv?” Her cheeks were pink again, whether from anger or embarrassment, Sylvan couldn’t tell.

“If you’re referring to sex, that isn’t all this is about,” he told her. “Olivia is his bride—his bond mate. She is literally the only woman in the universe for him. Besides, he needs her to make him whole again after what he’s been through.”

A look of unwilling interest came into her light green eyes. “Oh? And what exactly has he been through that justifies him trying to steal my sister away for the rest of her life?”

“Why don’t we sit?” Sylvan indicated one of the drab grey couches that lined the walls. “Your box looks heavy. Do you mind if I ask what’s in it?”

“No weapons if that’s what you’re thinking.” She sat on the edge of the couch he’d pointed out and put the box on the floor.

“I’m supposed to check for them but I’ll take your word for it,” Sylvan said gravely as he settled carefully on the flimsy human furniture beside her. “Not that your human weapons are much good against us.”

She eyed him warily. “Somehow I don’t find that very surprising. You’re all so big.”

Sylvan nodded. “Our home world and most of the other planets we’ve initiated genetic trade with have a much heavier gravity than you’re used to here. You have to have a powerful physique to survive there.”

“I guess I’d be toast then. I’m not exactly in super good shape.” She ran a hand through her thick, wavy hair in an unconsciously sensuous gesture and Sylvan felt his fangs sharpen again.

“Your shape looks fine to me,” he murmured, giving her a slight smile.

She blushed and looked down at her hands, apparently unwilling to acknowledge the compliment. For his part Sylvan couldn’t understand why he had given it. It was foolish to make sexual overtures, no matter how mild, to a female that he had no interest in or intention of claiming.

“Uh…” She cleared her throat. “So tell me what this horrible trauma is that forced your brother to steal away my sister.”

“I can only tell you what little I know. Baird still hasn’t divulged any…details.” Sylvan shifted in his seat, turning to face her. Now that they were sitting side by side he noticed her light, feminine fragrance which was extremely attractive. “But first, please tell me your name. I really would like to know it.”

“Sophia.” She looked up at him at last. “But my friends call me Sophie.”

Sylvan smiled, being careful not to show his fangs this time. “I hope to someday call you that but I think I’d better stick to Sophia for now.”

She sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I was nasty to you earlier. I know you’re not exactly to blame for what’s happened and you’re just doing what you do, making a genetic trade or whatever. It’s just that…my sister is my best friend and I can’t stand the thought of never seeing her again.”

“You’ll still see her,” Sylvan objected. “Kindred brides are allowed to return to their home planet on most of the major holidays.”

“Great, so I get to see her for Christmas and Thanksgiving? Two or three days out of the year? Thanks a lot!” Sophia leaned forward and looked at him. “Let me tell you something—Liv and I have never gone a whole day without speaking to each other in our lives. Even when we were babies my mom said we would cry and cry if you took one of us out of the room, away from the other one. And after our parents died, we got even closer. So please try to understand. I love her—she’s all I have left and I just can’t lose her like this.”

Sylvan nodded gravely. “I can see your point. There is a similar bond between Baird and myself. We have the same father and we’ve saved each other’s lives many times in battle. I would be sad to only see him a few days of the year.”

“So you get it.” She touched his knee lightly for emphasis and Sylvan felt his shaft harden in response. “How would you feel if I was threatening to take your brother and best friend away from you for basically the rest of his life?” she asked earnestly.

“I wouldn’t like it.” Sylvan shifted uncomfortably, hoping she couldn’t see the evidence of her effect on him in his tight black uniform pants. “I guess the only way around your dilemma is for you to be claimed by a warrior yourself. Then you could see your sister every day on our ship.”

“Oh…oh, no!” Her rosy cheeks paled and she sat back away from him as though he might bite. In fact, that was exactly what Sylvan was longing to do—he wanted to sink his double set of fangs into the tender white flesh of her throat and hear her moan his name as he injected his essence. Feel her slender limbs wrapped around his own when he—No! He pushed the foolish thought away at once. What was wrong with him today?

Normally he was cold and emotionless as a Tranq Kindred ought to be but suddenly he was having all kinds of troublesome feelings. It must be a byproduct of being around a couple in their claiming period, he decided. Baird had been emitting clouds of pheromones, his mating scent filling the air in order to attract Olivia to him and she had been reacting to his scent by releasing a more subtle fragrance of her own although Sylvan didn’t think she knew it. Yes, that must be it. His own body had become attuned to the chemical signals in the air around him for most of the day and now he was reacting to this attractive human female because of it.

Trying to control himself, Sylvan looked her in the eye. “You sound frightened. Let me assure you that if you were claimed by a Kindred male no harm would befall you. We treasure our brides above everything else in the universe—even our own lives.”

“Yes, I’ve heard how you treat the women you take.” Sophia’s voice was still fearful and from the look on her face, someone had been filling her head with slander and rumors.

“Is that right?” Sylvan leaned forward. “Tell me, Sophia, what exactly have you heard?”

She lifted her chin. “What I’ve mostly heard is about the way you…uh, mate.”

“The way we make love?” Sylvan hadn’t expected this. He knew that the humans sometimes found his people to be frightening because of the size difference and he’d been ready to refute any ridiculous rumors she might have heard of physical abuse but what problem could she possibly have with the way Kindred males loved their women?

“Uh, yeah.” She blushed again and nodded.

“What have you heard?” Sylvan really wanted to know. A Kindred male loved his woman to distraction and was unfailingly loyal, if incredibly possessive. He would protect his bride at all costs, no matter the danger to himself. And the desire to pleasure a woman and make her come was part of a Kindred male’s genetic makeup because a satisfied mate was a faithful mate. What fault could the humans possibly find with any of that?

“I’ve heard…heard that the Twin Kindred always share a woman.”

Sylvan nodded. “Yes, that’s true. It’s complicated to explain but they’re unable to reproduce with the seed of only one male. So a pair of them always claim a single female. Does that seem strange to you?”

“Uh…more kinky than strange.” She was looking down at her fingers which she was twisting together in her lap. “That’s not all though. They say that the, uh, Beast Kindred, like the one that took Liv—your brother, I mean—I’ve heard they, uh, practice some kind of weird tantric sex thing that lasts practically forever.”

Sylvan shrugged. “First time bonding sex with any Kindred male is a lengthy experience. In order to bind a woman to us we need to take her for hours, filling her over and over to mark her as our own. But it’s true that the Beast Kindred can take slightly longer due to their unique anatomy.”

“Unique anatomy?” she echoed. Her eyes flickered down to the crotch of his black uniform pants and her cheeks went pink with embarrassment as she looked hastily away.

“They recover very rapidly from any sexual encounter—so much so that they don’t need any recovery time between one encounter and the next.”

Her eyes widened. “So they’re capable of multiple orgasms?”

Sylvan nodded. “They also have what’s called a mating fist. It’s a swelling at the base of the shaft that only the Beast Kindred have. What happens is—”

She put up a hand to stop him. “That’s enough, really. You don’t…don’t have to go into detail.”

“All right.” He shrugged. “So what have you heard about my branch of the Kindred?”

“The Blood Kindred?” She nibbled her full bottom lip for a moment as though trying to decide how to phrase her answer. “I’ve heard you bite,” she said at last, very softly. “That you drink your mate’s blood while you…”

“While we fuck them?” Sylvan asked roughly.

Sophia winced at the crude word and he was sorry he’d said it. “Forgive me for putting it so bluntly but to be perfectly honest, that was what good bonding sex is. It’s fucking. When the urge to claim his mate comes over a Kindred male nothing can deter him. It’s a rough, messy, passionate experience that can’t be controlled.”

She looked up at him, her beautiful pale green eyes wide. “Yes but does it hurt?”

“All really intense pleasure has a tiny kernel of pain in it, don’t you think?” Sylvan asked. “But if you’re asking if we deliberately savage our brides, the answer is no. By the time a Kindred male finally sinks his shaft into his female she’s as ready as he can possibly make her to receive him.”

She licked her lips. “I, uh, actually I meant, does it hurt when you…when you bite someone?”

Sylvan sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know if it would hurt them. Some say it’s a sharp pain, quickly over and others say it enhances their pleasure—probably because they’re in the throes of bonding. But…” He shrugged. “I can’t tell you from first hand experience because I’ve never had bonding sex with anyone.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her hands and then glanced back up into his eyes. “Did you…do you want to?”

Sylvan closed his eyes for a moment and saw Feenah shaking her head, regret filling her beautiful crystal clear eyes. Inside his chest, his heart clenched like a fist. “I have vowed never to take a bride.”

Sophia bit her lip. “I’m sorry if I upset you by asking something too personal.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s all right, you’re not to blame. I had good reason to take my vow, that’s all.”

“Well, we kind of got off track, anyway.” She straightened up and folded her hands neatly in her lap. “You were going to tell me why your brother needed my sister so badly? Some traumatic event he’d been through?”

“Ah, yes.” Sylvan blew out a breath and drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch. What was the best way to put it? He decided to be blunt and not sugar coat the truth. “Up until four days ago my half-brother, Baird, was a prisoner of war, held captive on the Scourge Fathership that is still in deep orbit around your moon.”

“He what?” Sophia’s large eyes grew positively huge.

Sylvan nodded. “I’m afraid it’s true. He was captured during some defensive maneuvers and they held him for six of your Earth months.” An image of his half-brother with his shirt off flashed before his eyes—Baird’s muscular torso marked with dozens of cruel white scars. “He, ah, won’t talk about it much but I imagine they tortured him.”

“My God.” Sophia put a hand to her mouth. “Are you saying he just got out of some kind of prison camp where he was tortured and the first thing he did was to claim Olivia as his bride?”

Sylvan shrugged. “I also thought it might be too early but he said he needed her.”

“He needed her? What about Liv’s needs?” she demanded. “Like her need not to be with a ginormous alien who’s probably suffering from post traumatic stress disorder? I mean, what if he has some kind of black-out and thinks she’s the enemy and attacks her?”

Sylvan frowned. “That would never happen—there’s no way he could ever mistake her for anyone else. She’s his bride—her scent is burned in his brain.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “So you’re saying that because he knows what she smells like he won’t have a psychotic episode and go after her? Forgive me if I’m less than reassured.”

Sylvan sighed. Wonderful, now she was angry again—and after they had been getting along so well. He’d almost come to consider her a friend of sorts and now she was shouting at him. What was wrong with these Earth females?

“Look,” he tried to explain. “With all Kindred but especially Ragers—Beast Kindred as you call them—the sense of smell is highly developed. It’s one way we recognize our brides and warn other males away from our females.”

“I’ve heard enough.” She stood up from the couch, putting her hands on her hips and glaring down at him. “I want to see her. I want to see Liv.”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. She’s in the middle of her claiming period right now—she and Baird need to be alone.”

“Alone so he can attack her?”

“He’s not going to attack her. Please understand, Sophia, no Kindred would ever hurt his bride. It’s physically impossible.”

“I don’t believe you.” She bit her lip, her beautiful pale green eyes troubled. “Please, isn’t there any way you can take me to her or at least let me talk to her?”

The obvious pain in her eyes moved him. For a moment he wanted to gather her into his arms and soothe her but he was sure she wouldn’t welcome such a gesture. “I wish I could,” he said gently. “But I’m afraid it isn’t allowed. What I can promise you is that you’ll see her when the thirty day bonding period is over. As the bonded mate of a Kindred warrior she’s allowed a few days to get her affairs in order before she moves permanently to the ship.”

Her eyes flashed. “That’s if she bonds with your brother. And I know she won’t.”

Sylvan ran a hand through his short, spiky hair in frustration. “We appear to be back where we started.”

Sophia stood. “You started it, I’ll finish it. I’m leaving but don’t think this is over, Sylvan. I don’t see how you can legally keep me from seeing my sister to make sure she’s okay and you better believe I’m going to look into it.”

“Fine.” He spread his hands “Do that. Just know that it’s not my law. It’s the ruling of the Kindred High Council.”

“I don’t care whose law it is, I’m going to fight it.” Sophia pointed a finger at him. “And if there’s one scratch on my sister, if your brother so much as looks at her wrong, I promise I will make you and him and everyone else I can find in your family sorry.”

Turning, she marched toward the door of the HKR building, leaving the large cardboard box at his feet and a stunned look on his face. Watching her hips sway in the tight blue pants she wore, Sylvan felt his fangs sharpening and his shaft getting hard once more.

He felt like he’d been hit with a brick between the eyes. What was it about these Earth women? One minute they were soft and vulnerable and the next they were fiery avengers, demanding justice. They were very different from the women he favored—the icy cool females of Tranq Prime would never dream of having such an outburst. They would have turned their anger or sorrow inward, would have contained and controlled it. Letting their true feelings show, especially in public, would have been unthinkable.

And yet…the image of Sophia’s face, eyes bright with tears and cheeks flushed with emotion made him shake his head. In a strange way, it was attractive. There was no denying that despite her emotional reactions or perhaps even because of them, Olivia’s sister was achingly beautiful.

Not that her beauty mattered to Sylvan. He had sworn never to take a bride and it was a vow he intended to abide by. In the mean time, he was wasting precious moments lingering on Earth. The mate of his kin was no doubt waiting for her things and Sylvan had promised to bring them. Still, as he lifted the large cardboard box and headed for the rear entrance of the HKR building, he found it difficult to stop thinking of Sophia and her beautiful, flashing eyes.

Chapter Nine

“Ouch! Dammit, where’s the damn switch?” Liv stumbled over something in the dark, stubbing her toe for what had to be the fifth time.

After Baird had left, the lights in the suite had gotten gradually dimmer for some reason, not that Liv had cared at the time. She sat on the bed in the dark for awhile, crying and homesick, missing Sophie and Kat so much it made her stomach hurt. But Liv wasn’t the type to let herself wallow in self pity for long. Eventually she decided it was time to stop feeling sorry for herself and at least find out where she was going to be living for the next thirty days. Crawling off the bed, she felt her way to the walls and began groping around for a light switch. Unfortunately, she hadn’t found one yet and she’d been blundering around in the dark stubbing her toes and cursing for the last ten minutes.

“Stupid man,” she muttered to herself, feeling her way down the dim hallway slowly to avoid bruising any more toes. “He could have at least turned on the lights before he left. But no—he had to run off and leave me in the dark, stumbling around like an idiot.”

Her seeking fingertips encountered a gap in the smooth, cool wall and she felt her way into another room. As with the rest of the suite, there was a soft, diffuse lighting coming from somewhere but it wasn’t enough to see much more than shadows and vague shapes in the gloom, no matter how hard Liv strained her eyes.

“Where am I?” she asked aloud and noticed that her voice echoed in the new room in a familiar way. The floor was cool and hard under her feet, unlike the soft whisper of carpet in the hallway. Brushing her fingertips along the wall she thought she felt tile, just like in her bathroom at home. Was it possible this new room was a bathroom?

Feeling her way forward, Liv heard a quiet rushing sound and bent down to find its source. Feeling forward with the tips of her fingers she encountered something wet and warm. Water? She could see a glimmer of the faint light reflecting from a wide oval surface. Was it a bathtub? But why would Baird leave the tub filled if he was going out? And how did it manage to keep from overflowing onto the floor since there was no lip around the bathtub? Must be one of those infinity tubs or something.

Moving carefully so as not to slip into the water, Liv made her way around the room, feeling her way as she went. From what she could tell there appeared to be a perfectly normal toilet, which was a relief. Baird’s “Me Tarzan, you Jane” primal male act was so convincing she’d been half afraid all she’d find would be a hole in the floor with a pile of leaves beside it. Of course he’s not bad at expressing himself when he’s just talking, she reminded herself. It’s only when he starts getting…amorous that the inner caveman seems to come out.

Thinking that made her remember the way he’d ripped her black silk panties away with one savage twist and Liv felt a sudden flare of desire in the pit of her belly. God, he’d really been all over her—kissing, touching, grinding against her with that huge, thick shaft she could feel through his tight black pants…Stop it, Liv, she scolded herself. That kind of thing is exactly what you’re trying to avoid—remember? Yes, she remembered all too well. Having bonding sex, whatever that entailed, with the huge warrior would mean she was stuck here forever. So no matter how hot and bothered Baird made her (even though it killed her to admit it) she had to keep her cool. And that meant avoiding scenes like the one they’d had before he stormed out of the suite at all costs.

When she had made a complete circuit of the room, she found something she’d missed on the way in. Right by the door was a small alcove that seemed to contain nothing but a long flat counter on an elevated surface about waist high. Resting on top of the counter was some kind of mat or cushion—it was difficult to tell in the gloom. It reminded Liv of a massage table for some reason but shoved into the alcove the way it was, there was no room for a masseuse. “Weird,” she whispered to herself and reached out to press two fingers against the dark surface of the mat.

Immediately the mat came to life, grabbing at her fingers and kneading them firmly with what felt like fingers of its own. Liv screamed and jerked her hand away as every horror movie she’d ever seen flashed through her head. Her shriek echoed eerily in the tiled bathroom, spooking her even more until her heart was pounding so hard she felt like it might break through her ribs.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered unsteadily, putting a hand to her chest. Finally her breathing slowed and her heart stopped its awful hammering which was good—for a minute she’d felt like she was going into cardiac arrest. At least the weird black mat thing had let her go immediately and not tried to suck her down into its thick surface like something out of a Stephen King novel. She’d stumbled backward when the mat had first touched her but now Liv dared to take a step forward and look at it again.

Studying the narrow alcove where the mat rested, she saw a series of buttons on the wall above it. There was some kind of marking beneath each one but it was much too dark to even tell if it was printing or some kind of instructional symbols no matter how hard Liv squinted. She supposed she could climb up onto the mat to look more closely but there was no way she was risking full body contact with the thing. Damn it, she really wished she had some light! It was incredibly frustrating trying to feel her way around an alien’s apartment in the dark. The minute Baird came back from his little shopping trip she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Sighing, Liv pressed her fingers to the wall again and left the bathroom behind. Further down the hall was another dark opening—the doorway to another room no doubt. Maybe there would be a light switch there so she could see where she was going. Or failing that maybe she’d find a flashlight or a glow stick. Hell, at this point she would settle for a candle and some matches. Anything to make navigating Baird’s strange apartment easier. Or at least more visible.

The new room, when she reached it, appeared to be much larger that the bathroom she’d left behind and Liv wondered what its purpose was. Maybe a living area? The carpet from the hallway ended abruptly at the threshold and she felt a harder surface beneath her feet. It wasn’t as cold as the tile though—maybe some kind of wood? The light was even dimmer in here, making it almost completely black.

Squinting, Liv followed the wall until her fingertips encountered a different texture. Something cool and smooth like chilled glass made her fingers tingle as she touched it. Before she could draw her hand away (she’d had enough surprises when it came to putting her hands on strange surfaces, thank you very much) there was a soft whooshing sound and a gust of cold air blew out at her. At the same time, a cool white light popped on, finally shedding some much needed illumination on the room around her.

“A kitchen,” Liv muttered to herself, blinking as her eyes got used to the new light. It wasn’t very bright at all—maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of a ten or fifteen watt bulb—but she’d been stumbling around in the mostly dark suite for so long it seemed dazzling for a moment.

What made her think the area must be a kitchen was the dim outline of countertops and something that looked like a sink she could see to her far left. To her immediate left, and much closer, was another flat shiny surface that might have been some kind of a stove or cook top. There was a cluster of buttons on the wall above it but no place to put the food into, like an oven, that Liv could see. Maybe the Kindred didn’t do much baking.

That thought conjured an image of Baird in a frilly apron helping to make chocolate chip cookies. Yeah, right, Liv told herself. He’s probably just like Mitch when it comes to anything to do with cooking. Her ex-fiancé wouldn’t have known a spatula from a whisk and burned water when he attempted to cook anything. He also had what Liv had privately termed ‘hysterical kitchen blindness’ meaning that he would stand in the middle of the kitchen and say, “Hon, where did you put the ketchup?” while staring straight at the Heinz bottle. It was like he honestly couldn’t see anything in the kitchen, even if it was right in front of him. Even a huge pile of dirty dishes. Especially a huge pile of dirty dishes, Liv amended to herself.

She wondered if Baird was the same way. If he thought he’d brought her up here for a month’s worth of free maid service, he had another think coming. Just because she had to eat at his table and sleep in his bed didn’t mean she was going to wash his dirty socks and make him steak and potatoes every night or whatever it was that the Kindred ate.

Speaking of what they ate, she turned back to the source of the light and realized the chilly panel had slid back to reveal what appeared to be some kind of refrigerator. At least it was cold like a refrigerator, she noted, shivering in a blast of frigid air. She was still wearing the ridiculous black lace nighty she’d slept in the night before which seemed a million years ago now. She really hoped that her clothes and the things she’d asked Sophie and Kat to send her got to the Kindred ship soon—like before she had to sleep in Baird’s bed that night.

Pushing that scary thought out of her head, Liv turned her attention back to the sort-of fridge in front of her. It was cold and rectangular and that was where the resemblance to any kind of refrigerator she was used to ended.

Inside the Kindred fridge, instead of shelves there were hooks attached to the top and sides with all kinds of strange things hanging from them. What appeared to be pieces of meat dangled from some—but the meat was blue with a greenish tinge and it had a funny smell that made Liv wrinkle her nose.

Moving on she saw various round and oblong containers hanging from some of the other hooks. They didn’t seem to be plastic but then again they didn’t seem to be glass either—maybe something in between? Anyway, it was what was inside them that interested Liv. Some were opaque white with printing in a language she couldn’t read on their sides but some were clear with different colored liquids inside them.

Suddenly Liv realized she hadn’t had anything to drink since her ill fated glass of orange juice hours ago. Since then she’d yelled and kissed and cried, all of which were occupations guaranteed to work up a thirst. All of a sudden her throat felt parched and she wanted something to drink in the worst way. But what should she try? The blue liquid in the bulbous container on her right looked a little too much like dish detergent for comfort. The bright purple liquid in the long triangular tube hanging from a hook on the left side of the alien fridge looked weirdly chunky—not what Liv usually looked for in a refreshing beverage. Finally she settled on the white liquid in a rectangular container hanging from a hook in the rear of the fridge, mostly because it looked like milk.

Carefully she disengaged the container’s handle from the hook and screwed off the round red top. She sniffed carefully but it didn’t smell like much of anything—then again neither did skim milk so maybe that was all right. It sloshed reassuringly inside its clear container and there didn’t appear to be any chunks so Liv decided to give it a try. It wasn’t ladylike to drink straight from the carton but since she had no idea where Baird kept his glasses or even if he had glasses, she decided to go for it. Putting the round mouth of the container to her lips she took a tiny sip, ready to spit the alien liquid out if it tasted funny or wrong.

It didn’t taste a bit like milk but it wasn’t bad either, she decided after the first sip. There was a mild sweetness like honey with a faint aftertaste that reminded her of vanilla, lavender, and blueberries. Bizarrely, the mixture was really quite nice and Liv took another, longer drink from the rectangular container, quenching her thirst and enjoying the strange new flavor very much.

The second drink led to another and another until she realized that she’d finished about half of the white milk-looking liquid. After it hit her stomach the coolness of the alien beverage seemed to expand into a delicious heat that penetrated her bones and made her fingers and toes tingle. Soon she was no longer shivering in the cool air that was coming from the refrigerator. Despite being dressed in the thin, skimpy nighty she felt perfectly warm and contented.

Mmm, nice! Liv took another sip and then wondered why everything had begun to look blurry around the edges. A thought began to make its way into her numb brain. Could it be that the liquid she’d been swigging like milk right out of the carton was alcoholic in nature? It didn’t smell like any alcohol she’d ever encountered but it definitely wasn’t really milk. Also, plain old two percent never sent anyone on a bender and she was feeling decidedly warm and woozy. What would Baird say if he came home and she was drunk? Would he be angry? Try to take advantage of her?

Instead of frightening her, the thought made her feel warm and tingly other places besides her fingers and toes—like the tips of her breasts and the wet cleft of her sex. Now Liv knew she was in trouble. If thoughts of the big Kindred warrior getting her horizontal were making her hot rather than worried her judgment was definitely impaired. Glad that she had enough presence of mind left to stop before it was too late, she recapped the bottle and reached in to hang it back on the hook in the rear of the fridge.

She tried several times but somehow the handle of the rectangular container kept missing its intended target. Damn! Maybe if I just…Standing on her tiptoes, eyes narrowed and the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth with fierce concentration, Liv reached as far back as she could, intent on putting the container back in its rightful place.

And then something brushed against the back of her leg.

Liv stifled a shriek and turned, the rectangular container still clutched in one hand. What she saw made her want to scream again but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a breathless gasp.

Standing on its hind legs in front of her was what looked like a bright blue teddy bear. A living teddy bear. Liv could tell because it blinked its adorable big brown eyes at her and made an inquiring noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a squeak.

After a moment spent staring at the thing, Liv realized that it wasn’t actually a child’s toy brought to life but an actual animal that just happened to look like a teddy bear. It was about the size of a Pomeranian but it was standing on its stumpy hind legs, staring at her with those big round eyes as though it expected something.

“Hey, buddy, who are you?” Liv asked it softly. It was as cute as could be—round and cuddly but there was something weird going on with its blue fur which seemed almost to float around it instead of lying flat down on its skin.

The thing grunt/squeaked again and shuffled toward her on its fat little feet.

“Aren’t you cute?” Liv cooed, leaning down toward it. She was just reaching out a hand to scratch it behind its adorable fuzzy ears when the bright blue teddy bear opened its mouth and revealed three rows of razor sharp fangs.

“She’s impossible! Completely fuckin’ impossible,” Baird growled, slumping into the chair beside Sylvan. “She’s hot then she’s cold. She’s madder than hell at me for bringing her up here in the first place and she’s determined not to let me in, no matter what.”

“Still no luck even when you got back to the suite, hmm?” Sylvan didn’t sound all that surprised but at least he managed to look sympathetic. Nodding at the bartender behind the plasti-wood bar they were sitting at he ordered a drink for both himself and his half-brother. It was a small bar on the very outer edge of the huge Kindred ship but it was always fairly busy because of its proximity to the docking bay.

Baird threw back his drink in one swallow and grimaced. On the floor at their feet was the huge cardboard box Sylvan had brought up for Olivia as well as several bags filled with the kind of food humans favored. He knew he needed to get back to his bride and start fixing her late-day meal—it was traditional for a Kindred male to cook and care for his female, especially during the claiming period. But he kept remembering the wounded look in her eyes when he’d left her sitting on the bed and he just didn’t feel he could face her yet. A drink with his half-brother was exactly what he needed before he had to go back to the suite. Sometimes Sylvan had surprising insights into problems that Baird, with his more aggressive, direct personality, hadn’t thought of.

“Oh, I had some luck all right,” he said after signaling the bartender for another. “At first she didn’t want to go into the suite but then I kissed her—”

“She let you kiss her?” Sylvan interrupted, raising one dark blond eyebrow over the rim of his mug.

Baird shrugged. “I, uh, kind of forced the issue. I didn’t mean to but her scent was driving me crazy and that sheer little outfit she had on…” He shook his head. “Anyway, she kissed me back and then one thing led to another and we ended up on the bed.”

“Fast work,” Sylvan remarked, clearly surprised. “So what are you doing here if she gave in that easily? You ought to be bonding her right now.”

“No.” Baird shook his head. “I can’t. I mean, I couldn’t go on. I, uh, stopped it before we went too far.”

“What?” Sylvan gave him an incredulous look. “I thought you wanted Olivia more than life itself. You said you’ve been dream-sharing for six months. Why did you stop?”

“Because she wasn’t really ready, damn it.” Baird banged his fist on the bar in front of them, making the other Kindred males sitting along its length stare at him. “It was just my mating scent working on her, making her crazy. But she didn’t really want me—not the way I want her.”

“But she responded to you?” Sylvan took another sip of his drink.

“Her body did but it wasn’t really what she wanted.” Baird ran a hand through his thick black hair. “I don’t want to take her against her will, Sylvan. I need her to be all in. To be as crazy for me as I am for her. You know?”

His half-brother nodded after a moment. “I understand. You don’t want a bond with an unwilling female. If she’s not committed to you heart and soul, the bond between you would be incomplete. Not to mention unhappy.”

“Unhappy’s an understatement,” Baird growled. “She fuckin’ hates me. If anything I’m further from bonding her to me now than I was when I first claimed her.”

“Give it time,” Sylvan patted his arm. “I think I understand the problem—she doesn’t want to be parted from her sister, Sophia. Did you know they were twins?”

Baird looked at him apprehensively. “Are human twins like the Twin Kindred? Do they have to share a mate? Because I have to tell you, Sylvan, I don’t think I can handle more than one like Olivia. And she’s the only one I want, anyway.”

“No, no. Don’t worry about that.” Sylvan shook his head. “But the bond between them is extraordinarily strong. I spent some time talking to Sophia and she told me they had never been parted even for a single day.”

Baird frowned. “That is like the Twin Kindred. Do you suppose they feel actual physical pain while they’re separated?”

Sylvan looked thoughtful. “I don’t think it’s physical so much but certainly the pain is a very real thing. Sophia was very concerned about Olivia. She was, ah, worried that you might hurt her.”

“Hurt her? How?”

“Well…” Sylvan took another drink from his mug before answering. “I told her about your past—how you’d spent the last six months as a prisoner of the Scourge before you made your escape. I just wanted to make her understand that you needed Olivia as much as she did,” he added when Baird gave him a black look. “Anyway, she thought you might, I don’t know, have a bad dream and mistake Olivia for one of the enemy and hurt her.”

“What?” Baird couldn’t believe his ears. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Olivia doesn’t smell anything like those bastards!” Just the memory of Scourge ship’s sickening sour stench turned his stomach.

“I know.” Sylvan nodded. “I told her that but she didn’t seem to understand. I don’t think humans have a very keen sense of smell. Or else they don’t rely on it much.”

“Well, it’s keen enough to make them react to our mating scents,” Baird pointed out. “So I guess that’s all they need.” He sighed. “If you talk to the sister again, tell her I would never hurt Olivia. I love her, damn it. I just…can’t seem to make her realize that.”

“You will, just give it time. Remember, you just claimed her this morning.” Sylvan patted his arm again and stood.

“I know.” Baird finished his drink and rose as well. “It’s just that we’ve been dream-sharing already for six months—that’s almost three times as long as most Kindred have to connect with their brides. Even you Tranqs with your damn cold hearts claim your brides after a month or two at most.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow at him. “And your point is?”

“That it ought to be enough, damn it! We’ve been inside each other’s heads for months now. I know her inside and out—what she wants, what she needs, the way she likes to be touched. Why can’t she just admit we have a connection?”

“Maybe because she’s scared to,” Sylvan told him gently. “Scared to lose her sister and everything she loves. You have to give her a reason to give that up, Baird. Be patient with her.”

Baird sighed. “I’ll try but you know patience isn’t exactly one of my virtues.”

“I know but you waited for six months and went through hell to escape from the Scourge ship to be with her. You can wait a little longer.” Sylvan smiled. “Come on, you’d better get going. I’m sure your new bride is waiting for her things from home.” He nudged the cardboard box with his foot.

“You’re right.” Baird reached for the box and the bags of human food he’d bought at the Human Relations market in the Earth brides section. “I’d better go attend to her needs.”

“See that you do.” Sylvan smiled at him, showing a hint of fang. Baird nodded and turned toward the lifts that would take him back to his suite. He just hoped his new bride would be in a better mood when he got home than she had been when he left.

Chapter Ten

“Oh my God!” Liv straightened up abruptly, snatching back her hand. The not-milk container dropped from her suddenly nerveless fingers and its round red cap came off. As white liquid gurgled quietly out onto the floor, Liv backed away from the weird blue teddy bear creature, her heart pounding.

For a moment the creature went to all fours and sniffed at the white alien beverage, making Liv hope that it would forget all about her and get drunk on the stuff. She herself was suddenly perfectly sober—a blinding flash of fear was as good as a strong cup of coffee any day, she decided.

Unfortunately after a few sniffs and one tentative lick of its dark green tongue, the blue animal shuffled forward, obviously more interested in Liv than the happy hour happening on the kitchen floor.

“N-nice teddy,” Liv heard herself saying in a trembling voice as she backed away. “Don’t bite me, just stay away.”

But the bear thing seemed to be attracted to the sound of her voice rather than put off by it. With an interested sounding huffing noise it came closer and Liv backed further away.

She found herself backing down the dim hallway, blinking to see since her eyes had grown accustomed to the light in the kitchen. Still the alien teddy bear followed her making huffing sounds in a hoarse voice and snuffling the air as though trying to identify her scent. Walking on all fours as it now was, Liv estimated that it was probably just a little smaller than a Pomeranian but about a hundred times scarier because A—it was clearly an alien creature with unknowable intentions and B—it had teeth like a freaking shark.

“Nice teddy,” she whispered again, fumbling around for the door to the bathroom. Maybe she could lock herself inside somehow until Baird came back. She didn’t know how the weird bear creature had gotten into the suite in the first place—maybe it was some kind of parasite that needed to be exterminated like a really huge cockroach—but at least Baird was big enough to take it out of commission. If he would ever freaking get back. Where was the human food store located on this ship anyway? And what the hell was taking him so long?

Finally she felt the bathroom entrance and backed slowly into it. But as she went her foot caught on something on the floor and she lost her balance. Windmilling her arms desperately, she shrieked in surprise as she tried to keep from landing flat on her ass.

Unfortunately her big arm gestures and ear-splitting screams seemed to have a bad effect on the creature. Previously it had appeared to be simply curious about her but now it reared up on its hind legs again and let out a hoarse and awful roar that chilled Liv’s blood. Dear God I’m about to be eaten by a blue alien teddy bear, she thought wildly as it came toward her. What the hell are they going to put on my tombstone?

Here lies Liv,

Without a care

She died from the bite

Of a teddy bear.

Okay, so maybe she wasn’t completely sober yet but she was completely terrified. Where was Baird?

The creature roared again, breaking her strange paralysis and Liv stumbled backwards into the bathroom, trying to get away from the menacing little monster. Feeling a hollow space behind her she remembered the alcove with its weird massaging mat. Normally she would have avoided it but she quickly decided a massage from a weird inanimate object was better than having her toes chewed off by a blue rampaging teddy bear.

Hoisting herself up, Liv crawled onto the mat in its recessed alcove. At once she felt the massage begin. The mat had come to life and was kneading every part of her it could reach, mostly her hands and knees since she was crawling toward the end of the alcove and praying the scary blue bear wasn’t able to come after her. It wasn’t very tall even on its hind legs but could it climb? She looked over her shoulder apprehensively but to her relief she didn’t see anything following her into the dark recesses of the alcove.

The mat’s kneading massage was a creepy feeling but not as spooky as she’d feared. Still, when she turned over to sit down it felt beyond weird to have the thing grabbing her ass, especially since she still had no panties on. Remembering the buttons she’d seen on the wall during her earlier inspection Liv decided to see if they really did control the mat. It looked like she was going to be stuck here for a while—at least until Baird came back and rescued her from the alien bear—and she didn’t want to put up with a continuous butt massage the whole time she waited.

The buttons were within easy reach to her right but it was still too dark to see any of the instructions printed below them. Well, it would probably be in the same alien script she’d seen on the containers on the fridge, Liv reasoned, so it was pretty much a moot point. Deciding she would just have to take a chance, she reached up and pressed a button at random.

The effects on the mat were instantaneous but not exactly what Liv had hoped for. Instead of slowing down or stopping the massage, the button she’d pressed seemed to make it harder and faster.

“Ouch!” she yelled as a probing finger poked her in a very sensitive area. She had to stop the mat before it got any worse. At this rate her ass would be black and blue for a month. There was one button on the bottom row that seemed to be bigger than all the rest. Praying it was the stop button, Liv reached up and pressed it as hard as she could.

The mat went wild.

Grabbing fingers pulled her down until she was flat on her back. She struggled to get up but the mat wouldn’t allow it. Bucking underneath her like a wild horse it pinned her arms and legs to its dark surface with loops of its weird, malleable substance and began ripping off her clothes.

“Oh my God! Help!” Liv yelled as the massage mat tore the black lace nighty away from her breasts and began to fondle her with two dark pseudo pod-like appendages. It was like being groped by a huge and very lively amoeba. An amoeba that wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Stop it! Get off me!” she shrieked as the mat molested her with increasing enthusiasm.

The mat’s response was to twist her nipples—hard. To Liv it felt like it was trying to twist them off. What the hell was wrong with the damn thing? And what kind of people would make a massage mat that did date rape? But worse things were to come.

Liv moaned as the mat pushed up the lacy hem of her nighty and wrapped firm, cool loops of itself around her legs. Then it began to part her thighs.

“No!” Liv redoubled her efforts to get away, trying to raise her hand from the mat’s coils to press another one of the buttons. But every time she got her hand to almost the right height, the mat jerked again, pulling her back down. What the hell was she going to do? Was she really going to be violated by an oversexed home health appliance? Liv struggled again, trying to reach the buttons. Almost there…just one more inch…

But the mat dragged her down again and spread her thighs even wider. “Oh my God! No! No—stop right now!” she yelled, knowing it would do no good.

Suddenly there was a flare of brilliant light shining in her eyes and a deep male voice roared, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Help me!” Liv gasped as her eyes adjusted to the bright overhead lights. “It’s got me and I can’t get out!”

To her relief Baird didn’t waste any time asking questions. Instead he reached over and slapped one of the buttons on the wall above her head. Immediately the mat released her arms and legs and went limp beneath her.

With a gasping sob, Liv scrambled out of the recessed alcove and launched herself at his broad chest. Baird caught her without a word and held her close, stroking her trembling back with big warm hands. Liv didn’t want to cry but somehow she couldn’t quite hold back. The fear and stress of wandering alone in the dark apartment, being menaced by the weird bear creature with knife-like teeth, and molested by the mat was just too much. To her embarrassment hot tears filled her eyes despite all she could do to stop them.

“It’s all right, Lilenta,” Baird whispered soothingly in her ear. “All right now. Nothing’s gonna hurt you. I’ve got you.”

Liv clung to him and buried her face in his muscular shoulder. Forgetting she was supposed to be mad at him, she lost herself in the comforting feel of his arms around her and the hard planes of his chest pressed against her breasts. His warm, spicy scent filled her senses and all she could think was that she was safe now, finally safe. Some deep part of her knew that Baird would defend and protect her no matter what the danger, that he would put himself between her and any threat and keep her safe as long as she was with him. How do you know that? whispered a little voice in her brain. You just met him today. Except that wasn’t exactly true, was it? She’d met him six months ago in her dreams. The strange, frightening dreams where she’d seen him chained to a wall and longing for her. Longing to touch her, to hold her as he was now.

Part of her wanted to be suspicious about how good it felt to let him hold her, to wonder why she felt so inexplicably safe in his arms. But Liv didn’t want to think about those things at the moment. Didn’t want to question the warm, comforted feeling she got from being close to him. For the moment, she wanted to just let things be.

“Okay, Olivia,” he rumbled softly when her tears had tapered off to sniffles. “You wanna tell me why I came home to find you in the dark strapped in the Touch-U set on high and my best fireflower juice in a puddle all over the food-prep area floor?”

His voice was gently amused but Liv stiffened anyway. Suddenly she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him. And not only that, now that her nerves were more settled she was realizing that they were a little too close for comfort. Or maybe a lot too close was more like it. There was a gaping rip in the black silk fabric of her nighty where the massage mat had gotten frisky and her bare breasts were pressed against the material of the dark blue shirt he was wearing. Pushing away from his broad chest, she hastily pulled the ragged sides of black fabric together to cover herself and glared up at him.

“First of all you left me here in the dark and there are no freaking light switches anywhere in this damn apartment. Or suite, or whatever you call it.”

Baird frowned. “Switches? For lights?”

“Wall panels, damn it! You flip the switch and the light comes on.” Liv pointed to the perfectly smooth wall. “Where are they? How can you control the lights without them?”

“Like this. Lights off,” he said in an authoritative tone. At once the bathroom was plunged into darkness with only the faint, diffuse glow that Liv had been stumbling around in before he came back. “Lights on,” Baird said and the room was suddenly awash with warm, golden illumination. “I had them configured for your voice too, before I came to claim you,” he told Liv. “Try it.”

Scowling, Liv did as he asked. “Lights off,” she muttered and sure enough, the room was doused in darkness. “Lights on,” and the warm golden glow was back.

“See?” Baird shrugged. “That was all you had to do.”

“Well you could have told me.” Liv crossed her arms over her chest, still frowning. “Back home on Earth we still flip a switch to make the lights go off and on.”

“I’m sorry.” He spread his hands wide. “I should have thought to tell you. I guess I left in kind of a hurry and didn’t get around to it.” He cleared his throat. “But that still doesn’t explain why you had the Touch-U turned up on high like that.”

“Is that what you call that perverted thing?” Liv shivered as she gave the black massage mat a disgusted look. “It practically attacked me.”

He frowned. “It wouldn’t have if you hadn’t set it to the highest massage setting and then pressed the eroticize control. Even I would’ve been scared to get on it set to those levels.”

“Well how did I know what buttons to push? I was in the dark, remember?” Liv flared at him. And anyway, I wouldn’t have gotten on it at all if the weird teddy bear thing hadn’t been chasing me.”

Baird’s brow furrowed. “What did you say was chasing you?”

Liz sighed in frustration. Apparently the Kindred weren’t big into stuffed animals. “It was this little fuzzy blue thing that came at me when I was in the kitchen—what you called the food-prep area,” she clarified, seeing his confusion. “At first I thought it was cute and tried to pet it. But then it opened its mouth and it had these long, sharp—Omigod! There it is!” She pointed behind Baird where the bright blue teddy bear had suddenly appeared.

“Where?” He turned at once, putting himself between her and the perceived threat. Liv couldn’t help noticing he moved with incredible speed for such a large man. She waited breathlessly for the murderous teddy bear to attack but nothing happened. Then, to her dismay, Baird began to laugh. It was a deep, rumbling noise that came from the bottom of his chest and it might have been nice to hear if it wasn’t so obviously directed at her.

“What?” Liv glared at him. “Would you mind telling me what’s so damn funny?”

“I’m sorry, Olivia. It’s just…I can’t believe you were scared of Bebo.” Baird laughed again.

“Bebo? What the hell is a Bebo?” Liv demanded, still keeping her distance from the bright blue teddy bear which was eyeing her mistrustfully.

“Bebo’s his name. He’s a zicther—an animal native to my home world, Rageron.”

“Rageron?” Liv frowned, wondering why the name of his home planet evoked strange images in her head.

Baird nodded. “It’s a jungle planet with a helluva lot more scary animals than Bebo here.” He crouched down to scratch the little animal under its chin. Its large eyes closed and it made a sort of grunting purr as it submitted to his caress.

“A jungle planet,” Liv murmured. “Only instead of green, most of the vegetation is blue.”

“That’s right.” Baird looked up from where he was crouched on the floor, a startled expression on his chiseled features. “How did you know that?”

“I saw it in a dream.” Liv blushed and looked down. “One of the dreams we shared I think. I saw you…never mind.” She shook her head. “Anyway, that accounts for his bright blue fur. I still don’t understand why he tried to attack me though.”

“He tried to attack you?” Though he was clearly trying to keep the skepticism from his voice, Baird wasn’t succeeding too well.

“Well, he bared his teeth at me!” Liv said, irritated. Of course now that its master was home the little animal was acting like butter wouldn’t melt in its alien mouth. Its alien mouth filled with shark teeth, she reminded herself.

“That’s just a greeting stance. He probably did it because he was meeting you for the first time.” Baird rose and dusted blue feathery fur off his large hands. “I’m sorry if he scared you. He’s not dangerous though, just curious.”

“Curious enough to make me drop the milk carton and chase me down the hall?” Liv raised an eyebrow, still not buying the whole Bebo-is-such-a-good-boy routine.

“The what carton?” Baird shook his head. “Sorry, I thought I knew all of your language but sometimes the slang still throws me.”

“It’s not slang, it’s a drink,” Liv explained as Bebo shuffled off down the hall. Apparently she and Baird held no further interest for the little creature. “It comes from a cow and we drink it. That’s what I thought the white stuff in the kitchen, er, food-prep area was. Or that’s what it kind of looked like, anyway.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened to my fireflower juice. It’s a pretty potent alcoholic beverage you know.”

Liv sighed. “I sort of found that out the hard way. But I told you, it looked like milk which is about as far from alcohol as you can get on Earth.”

Baird looked confused. “But this milk…you said it comes from a cow? Isn’t that a large bovine animal with horns?”

Liv nodded. “Uh-huh. Farmers keep them—well, dairy farmers anyway. And they milk them, uh, squeeze the milk out of them, every day for humans to drink.”

Baird made a face. “So you’re sayin’ you drink liquid that’s been squeezed out of an animal?”

“When you say it like that it sounds terrible.” Liv frowned. “Don’t the Kindred have any domesticated animals?”

“None that I’d want to drink what came out when I squeezed it. Where do they squeeze the bovine to get this milk anyway? The horns?”

“Uh, no.” Liv sighed. “Actually I think it has this big bag between its, uh, its hind legs.”

“Between its legs? The squeezings come from between its legs?” Baird shook his head and then burst out laughing again. “Sorry, I’m sure the Kindred have some ways that seem strange to you but that…that’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Despite herself Liv felt the corners of her mouth twitching. His deep rumbling laugh was infectious and somehow everything she’d been through in the past hour seemed so silly now. Stumbling around in the dark, drinking hard liquor and thinking it was milk, being chased by what amounted to a toy poodle, at least from Baird’s point of view…Even the attack by the mat didn’t seem so bad now that she knew she’d just pressed the wrong buttons. And now, trying to explain where milk came from…Well, I supposed it does sound kind of disgusting, she admitted to herself. But still…

“Milk’s good for you,” she lectured, trying to keep from laughing.

“Good for you, huh?” He grinned. “Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“No, but it is.” Liv put her hands on her hips, forgetting about the ragged, gaping hole in her nighty. “It builds strong bones and shiny hair and…and…” She tried to think of something else.

“And smooth, soft skin?” The laughter was suddenly gone from Baird’s voice and there was a heat in his eyes that made Liv’s pulse start to race.

“Well…sure. I guess so.” She shrugged.

“Then you must have had a lot of it.” He took a step toward her and ran one fingertip down the column of her throat and over the upper curve of her breasts.

“Why would you say—oh!” Looking down Liv realized that she was on display, both breasts fully visible through the hole the Touch-U had torn in the black silk and lace of her nighty. Her nipples were hard from his gentle touch and her heart was pounding.

“I think it’s pretty clear why I’d say that,” Baird rumbled, giving her another heated look. “It’s because you have the softest, smoothest skin I’ve ever seen and I can’t wait to kiss every inch of it.”

“I…you…” Liv snatched the ragged remains of her nighty closed and took a step back. “I told you I’m not going to…to give in to you.”

“We’ll see.” Baird’s eyes were still hot and his voice was soft and deep. “Why don’t you relax in the other room while I make our late-day meal? I got ingredients for your favorite dish.”

“You…how do you know what my favorite thing to eat is?” Liv asked, taking another step back. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she had to get away from his hot gaze and his big, muscular body if she didn’t want to end up rolling around on the bed with him again.

The corner of Baird’s full mouth quirked up. “I know the same way you know that the jungles on my home world are blue. Because I’ve been watching you for the last six months while we dream-shared.”

“I don’t…I can’t think about this right now.” Liv shook her head. “I’ll see you at dinner. Uh, I mean late-day meal. Okay?”

“Suit yourself, Lilenta,” Baird’s eyes were still hot but there was something in them that worried Liv more than his obvious lust for her. When she looked into those amber depths she saw…patience. The big warrior was actually prepared to wait as long as it took to seduce her. Now that was scary. More scary than fanged blue teddy bears and molesting massage mats by far.

Baird shook his head as she ran off down the hallway. He had been going to suggest that she take a dip in the bathing pool but he supposed it was just as well to save that for after late-day meal and before they went to bed. That way maybe she’d be relaxed from soaking in the warm waters of the pool and would be willing to be close to him. He only wished he would be bathing with her but that wasn’t going to happen—not yet, anyway. After her earlier reaction to his kiss Olivia was now doubly wary. He was fairly sure that she was going to make him wait until she was legally obligated by the claiming contract they had signed to let him touch her.

It’s only a week away, he reminded himself but still the thought of not being able to caress her beautiful, lush body for so long made him restless and hungry. In the moment when she’d forgotten the hole in her gown he’d gotten to see her breasts for the first time. Round and full with tight pink nipples that looked made to be sucked, just the sight had him hard and wanting her. Wanting her so badly it hurt… Patience, he told himself sternly. His half-brother had gained some good insight into why Olivia was so reluctant to bond with him and he would be a fool to ignore Sylvan’s advice. Still, he burned for her. Ached for the touch and taste and scent of her skin. Longed to lose himself in her tight, hot, depths and hear her call his name as she came over and over…

Might as well stop dreaming about something you’re probably going to have to wait a long time for, Baird lectured himself. Of course he’d already waited six months for his bride—one more month ought to be nothing. But now that he had her in his suite where he could see her and smell her sweet, delicate feminine fragrance each time he inhaled, every second they weren’t together seemed like an eternity.

Get a grip. You’re never going to win her over by pushing too hard. You tried that this afternoon and where did it get you? Nowhere fast. It was true and he knew it but still, it was hard to rein himself in when every cell in his body was demanding that he take her, that he bond her to him forever so that there was no chance of losing her.

The night before when he’d stood outside her house and watched her through her window everything had seemed so simple—claim her, take her up to the ship, and spend the next month making love to her, bonding her to him. Things were turning out to be a lot more complicated than he’d anticipated but while he was disappointed, he was still determined. Olivia was his—she’d given herself to him in spirit if not in body the moment they began to dream share six months before. It was just going to take him a little longer to convince her of that than he’d first thought, that was all.

Yeah, and in the mean time it looks like I’m gonna have blue balls for awhile. It wasn’t a pleasant thought but Baird knew every ounce of patience and every minute spent waiting for her would be worth it the moment she finally gave herself to him. The moment he thrust deep into her tight sheath and felt his mating fist expand to fill her for the first time, tying them together as they bonded for life.

Sighing he went back to the front entrance of the suite, which looked out onto the busy inner world of the Kindred ship. He’d dropped the large cardboard box filled with Olivia’s possessions and the bags of human food he’d gotten at the market here when he heard her scream. Hoping there was nothing breakable in the box, he moved it to one side and gathered the bags to take to the food-prep area.

First he cleaned up the spilled fireflower juice and then began unpacking the human food. It came in flimsy but tough containers made of the material humans called plastic and also in round metal cylinders with colorful labels on the sides that supposedly showed what the contents looked like. There was also some kind of red sauce in a hard clear jar. None of it looked very appetizing to Baird but being Kindred he was used to trying new foods.

The essence of genetic trade was immersing yourself in a new culture, learning the ways of a new people. Since he’d been captured by the Scourge and imprisoned in their Fathership only a few days after being reassigned to the Kindred ship orbiting Earth’s moon, he had a lot of catching up to do. Previously he and Sylvan had been stationed on Tranq Prime but there was really nothing to do there—the genetic trade had been completed long ago and Baird didn’t care for the cold, aloof people that inhabited the planet.

For Sylvan it was a different matter because his mother had been a native of Tranq. She had died when he was very young and their father had moved on to the next Kindred trade world, Rageron, and claimed Baird’s mother, a native of that planet, as his second bride. When she had also died, the victim of a senseless and brutal tribal war on the jungle planet, their father had left and resettled his small family on the third trade world of Twin Moons. There he took his third and final bride, a widow with two sons of her own to raise of the Twin Kindred kind.

Baird’s childhood had been filled with longing for a mother he barely remembered. According to his father she’d been a fiery beauty with a temper who had never backed down from anyone. Baird liked to think he’d inherited his determination from her.

Because their stepmother was busy raising her own sons, he and Sylvan had turned to each other for support and friendship and had grown much closer than anyone would believe two such different warriors could. Close enough that after Sylvan’s tragedy on Tranq Prime, Baird had agreed to go with his half-brother to join the new trade.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Earth had been besieged by the Scourge and the Kindred were ripe for another genetic trade. But the Scourge were putting up a much more determined fight than anyone had expected. Some among the Kindred speculated that they were after something here on the small blue and green planet. Something more specific than their usual planetary rape and destruction.

There was talk of a prophesy that the Scourge with their strange, twisted religion, believed would come to pass. Baird had heard whispers of it in the long, dreary, painful months he spent aboard their Fathership but he’d been too distracted by his own agony and the dreams he’d shared with Olivia to pay much attention. Now he wished he’d listened more carefully when his captors spoke in their ugly, hissing tongue. The Kindred High Council were convening to discuss what was going on and he was scheduled to appear before them soon.

Normally a warrior going through his bonding period would have been exempt from anything but spending time with his new bride but, as he had told Olivia earlier, they were in the middle of a war. Of course he would much rather have spent every spare minute with the woman he loved and hoped to keep with him forever but Baird couldn’t ignore his duty—no Kindred could.

With an effort he shook off the grim thoughts of war and duty and went back to preparing the late-day meal. He didn’t mind cooking—it was considered a necessary skill for a Kindred male who wanted to bond with his bride—but somehow things just weren’t looking quite right.

Baird didn’t understand. He’d followed all the instructions the clerk in the Earth brides section of the market had given him. First he’d taken the large round bread disk called a crust and spread it with the red sauce from the glass container. Next he poured the rubbery white shredded stuff from the colorful plastic bag over the sauce. To finish, he added human meats and produce from the metal cylinders. But the finished product didn’t look very much like what he’d observed Olivia eating when he’d watched her in his dreams. In fact, it looked terrible—like something he wouldn’t even feed Bebo. Not that the picky little zicther would eat anything but the special food that came pre-prepared from him all the way from Rageron.

Come to think of it, even Bebo’s special food looked better than the strange human dish Baird had attempted to prepare. Well maybe it just needs to be cooked. The clerk did say to serve it hot, he reasoned with himself. Handling it carefully, he slid the broad disk filled with toppings onto the wave’s bottom surface. Then, grasping a recessed handle above his head he pulled a long, square sheet of shiny tempered metal that was no thicker than a piece of paper out of the wall—the wave’s top. He positioned it exactly over the round crust and its colorful toppings and then took a step back.

“Cook medium,” he said in the same authoritative voice he used with the lights. Immediately ten thousand pinkish-red microfine rays were emitted from the undersurface of the thin shiny sheet of metal. Baird watched in surprise as the white rubbery shreds suddenly melted and began to bubble and drip off the sides of the crust in an oily ooze.

Disgusting! Did humans really like this stuff? And yet he knew from watching her dreams that it was Olivia’s favorite food—or one of them, anyway.

She was also fond of an after-meal sweet that was frozen and had to be rolled into a ball using a special scooping utensil. Another favorite was tiny raw pieces of sea dwelling animals wrapped in a white sticky substance made up of many tiny grains, but that had looked too complicated to Baird. The clerk had assured him than anyone could make the dish he’d bought ingredients for—he’d sworn that it was practically mistake proof. But looking at the oozing, dripping crust and unappetizing toppings, Baird wasn’t so sure that the whole thing wasn’t a big mistake.

He’d wanted to be romantic and impress his new bride by making her favorite dishes during the first week of their claiming period but maybe it would have been a better idea to take her out to an eatery instead. He knew of several aboard the ship that catered to different Earth cuisines. Others specialized in foods from the other three trade planets and the Kindred home world respectively. Maybe he should have taken her to one of those…

“Well, I take it dinner is served.”

Baird had been deep in thought and her voice behind him startled him. He turned to see his new bride looking considerably more self-composed though regrettably less exposed. Olivia was wearing the dark crimson shirt he’d taken off earlier and this time she’d taken care to fasten it. It was a little low in the neck and the sleeves fell well past her wrists while the bottom hem reached almost to her knees. She was standing with her arms crossed over her full breasts, watching what he was doing with interest.

“Yes, I just finished it.” Trying to quiet his misgivings, Baird motioned to his creation. “I made it just for you. Your favorite—pizza.”

Chapter Eleven

“Pizza?” Liv looked doubtfully at the thing he was pointing at. It looked like he’d taken a premade crust and dumped everything under the sun on it before baking it. She could see dribbles of sauce and he’d used plenty of cheese which was all right. But on top of that he’d layered chunks of canned salmon, green beans, corn, lima beans, and…Dear God, is that fruit cocktail?

Liv swallowed a sudden lump in her throat as she looked at the nauseating mess. Then she looked back up at Baird’s hopeful face and knew she couldn’t say a word. As irritating and arrogant as the big Kindred warrior was, he’d obviously tried hard and she just couldn’t bring herself to hurt his feelings.

“Are you hungry?” He gave her a hopeful smile.

“Uh…starved.” She tried to smile back but it wasn’t easy.

“Good. We’ll eat.” He escorted her to a small table in the far corner of the food-prep area—what Liv supposed was the Kindred version of a breakfast nook. The table had a round bench running all the way around it and Baird seated her courteously before going back to cut up the thing he’d claimed was a pizza. She sat at the plain grey metal table and reflected that it was obvious this furniture was made for people much larger than humans. The table top came up to her chest and that, combined with the fact that her legs were dangling a good three inches above the floor, made her feel like a little kid at the grown-up’s table.

When Baird came back Liv saw with dismay that he hadn’t cut the oozing monstrosity into wedges like a normal pizza—not that anything about it was normal of course. Instead he’d sliced it in two, right down the middle and put each huge piece on a long red metal platter.

“Here you go.” He put one of the platters in front of Liv, forcing her to get up-close and personal with his dinner creation. It looked even worse on her plate than it had from a distance. Liv was glad she had a strong stomach. She’d seen some fairly disgusting things during nursing school, especially during her surgery rotation and in the burn unit, but none of them were quite as nasty as Baird’s “pizza.”

“Well, go ahead. I thought you were starving.”

She looked up to see him watching her, black eyebrows raised in anticipation. Oh my God, I’m actually going to have to eat it! Her stomach rolled at the thought.

“You, uh, gave me so much I don’t know where to begin,” she lied weakly.

“Only one piece.” He frowned. “Is it too much?”

“It’s just a little more than I’m used to. Uh, on Earth we cut a pizza into eight or ten wedges.” And we don’t top it with fruit cocktail!

“I can cut it into smaller pieces if you want,” he offered.

“No, no. That’s okay. I’ll make do.” There was no putting it off anymore. Taking a deep breath, Liv lifted the huge sloppy slice and forced herself to take a bite.

“You like it?” Baird stared at her suspiciously.

“Mmm, delicious,” Liv mumbled, fighting her gag reflex. Inside her mouth the flavors of canned salmon, lima beans, and fruit cocktail were fighting and she wondered how in the world she would swallow without throwing up. But the big warrior was still watching her carefully for her reaction and she didn’t want to insult him. With a monumental effort she choked down the mess and prayed it wouldn’t come back up.

“So it’s good?” he asked again.

“Unforgettable,” Liv assured him which for once was the absolute truth.

“Glad you like it.” Baird lifted his own piece of pizza and, keeping his eyes on her the entire time, took a huge bite. But when he started to chew, his face turned a peculiar shade of red. “Gods!” Getting up from the table in a hurry, he ran to the sink and spat out the mouthful. Then he turned back to Liv. “That was fuckin’ horrible. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Liv shrugged, not sure if she should laugh or feel sorry for him. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“I’d rather have my feelings hurt than eat that slop.” Baird frowned. “I don’t understand what you humans see in that dish anyway.”

“Well…” Liv tried to think of a way to put it tactfully. “We don’t always make it exactly like that.” She nodded at the half a pizza she’d put back down on the metal serving tray.

“But I did everything the clerk told me to,” Baird protested. “He said it was mistake proof. That anyone could do it.”

“Anyone can do it. You just put a little too much on it, that’s all.”

“Damn it to hell.” Baird sighed. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I wanted to make all your favorites—the things I saw you eating in my dreams. It was between this and that other stuff you like with the raw sea creatures rolled in the white grains. I thought this would be easier.”

“Sushi?” Liv bit her lip to keep from laughing. “You were going to try and make me sushi?” As badly as he’d screwed up the pizza, she couldn’t imagine what his version of sushi would look like. Visions of a whole dead fish coated in sticky rice and rolled in peas and carrots instead of roe rose to mind. Ugh.

Baird shrugged. “I wanted to. I wanted to make you something special every night. But I guess I’m not very good at cooking human food. Sorry.” He sounded so crestfallen and his broad shoulders slumped so sadly that Liv couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

She rose and went to put a hand lightly on his arm. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure if I tried to make Kindred cuisine I wouldn’t do any better.”

Baird shook his head. “I’ve failed. Part of the claiming period is knowing how to prepare the foods your bride craves.”

“Well right now what I’m craving is pizza,” Liv said firmly. “Do you still have any of the ingredients left?”

“Of course.” Baird nodded at the table. “I got enough to make five or six like that.”

“Five or six?” Liv stared at him, wide-eyed. “To eat all at once?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t know how hungry you might be.”

“Not hungry enough to eat five or six large pizzas,” Liv assured him. “But one might be nice if it’s made right. Come on, get out the stuff and I’ll show you.”

Working together, they had a new pizza that consisted only of crust, sauce and cheese assembled in no time. Liv tactfully steered Baird away from the fruit cocktail, which he thought might be good as a single topping, explaining that she liked her pizza plain. Very, very plain. She watched with interest as he demonstrated how to work his version of an oven and explained that it got hot enough to burn off a hand and had to be used with care. When it only took about three seconds to cook the new pizza Liv was amazed but she couldn’t help noticing that Baird was frowning and shaking his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as he removed the piping hot pie and started slicing it into wedges.

“Nothing. Just that it got all gooey and runny again,” he muttered, pointing at the oozing cheese. “I thought maybe it wouldn’t this time without the other crap on top.”

“That’s cheese,” Liv explained as they took the new pizza to the table. Baird had already scraped the old one down the sink which was equipped with a powerful suction attachment that put any garbage disposal she’d ever seen to shame. “It’s supposed to do that. It melts—that’s what makes it so good.”

“You sure about that or are you just trying not to hurt my feelings again?” Baird eyed her suspiciously.

“I’m positive.” Liv smiled at him and took a bite out of her pizza. As the cheese spread out in a long, thin string between her mouth and the slice she was holding she pointed at it. “See? Delicious.”

“We’ll see about that.” Dubiously he picked up a slice of his own and took a bite. Liv watched as the look on his face turned from doubt to excitement. He chewed, swallowed, and took another bite. Then another. Then he was on to his next slice.

“Hey, hang on. Don’t make yourself sick!” Liv cautioned.

He grinned at her. “You’re right. This is really good—especially the cheese stuff. Looks horrible but tastes fuckin’ amazing.”

Suddenly Liv thought of something that made her grin. “You like the cheese, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.” Nodding, he dived into another slice eagerly. “It’s great.”

“You want to know what it’s made of?” Liv asked, still grinning.

He swallowed and looked at her suspiciously. “I don’t know. Do I?”

“Sure.” Deliberately, Liv picked a stray piece of cheese off her plate and popped it in her mouth. “It’s made with milk. Lots and lots of milk.”

“Milk? Really?”

“Yup. You know—cow squeezings?”

For a moment Baird looked horrified. Then the corners of his mouth began to twitch and that deep rumbling laugh Liv was beginning to find so attractive came pouring out. He sounded so happy she couldn’t help laughing with him and soon they were both roaring while Baird pounded the table until the red metal serving trays jingled and clattered.

Finally they tapered off to giggles and snorts. Liv’s stomach actually hurt and she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard.

“Gods.” Baird wiped at his eyes and smiled at her. “I want to thank you, Olivia.”

She grinned. “What for? Feeding you cow squeezings?”

“No.” He was suddenly serious. “I was in a pretty bad place before I met you—before we met outside our dreams, I mean. It was dark and cold and the pain…” He shook his head. “I don’t even want to talk about the pain. Let’s just say it was bad. Really bad. So bad that sometimes I wondered if I was going to have anything left once I finally met you and claimed you. Anything to offer you but agony and hurt and horror. But you…” He reached across the table and took her hand gently in his. “You haven’t even been in my life an entire day and already you’ve given me back the laughter I thought I’d lost forever. I’m grateful to you for that. More grateful than I can say.”

Liv looked down at the big hand holding hers. “I don’t hate you, you know. I just…this isn’t what I want for the rest of my life.” She looked up at him. “I wish you could understand that and just pick someone else.”

“You still don’t get it, do you, Olivia?” He stroked her palm with the broad pad of his thumb, making Liv’s pulse jump erratically. “There’s no one else in the universe for me. No one but you. I know you don’t see that now, but you will.”

Liv frowned and tried to pull her hand away. “How can you be so sure I’ll come around? Aren’t you risking an awful lot on the assumption that you can seduce me?”

“I’m willing to risk anything and everything to have you,” Baird said seriously. “And I know you’ll come to me eventually. I can tell by the way you’re heart beats so much harder when I touch you. By the way your cheeks flush pink when I’m near you. By the delicious scent of your body getting ready for me.”

“My…my scent? I have a scent?” Liv whispered, trying not to think of the other things he’d said.

He inhaled deeply, his eyes never leaving hers. “Gods, yes—if only you knew. Your scent drives me crazy. I could pick you out of a crowd by your scent alone even if I was blindfolded.”

Liv thought about telling him that he smelled pretty amazing himself but decided it was probably a bad idea. “I…I should go get ready for bed,” she said, trying to draw her hand out of his again.

“Are you that eager to come to my bed, Lilenta?” His lids were half lowered over those incredible molten gold eyes and the heat in their depths made her knees feel rubbery.

“You…you know what I mean.” Liv tried to control the tremble in her voice but it was hard when he was looking at her like that.

Baird smiled. “I know. I know better than you do.”

“That’s what you think.” Liv knew her words carried little weight—she’d been reacting to him in every possible way since she’d met him. He must know he affected her—in fact, he’d just told her as much. Still she tried to sound cool and aloof. “Believe me, Baird, I’m not all that eager to hop into bed—not nearly as eager as you are, anyway.”

He shrugged, his liquid gold eyes still fixed on hers. “Yeah, I admit it—I’m damn eager to get you in my bed. Can’t wait to feel you under me. Can’t wait to make you come.” He gave her a slow, hot smile.

“You don’t want much, do you?” Liv tried to sound sarcastic but her words came out breathy instead.

Baird pinned her with a hot look. “I’ll tell you what I want. I want to know what kind of sounds you make when you lose control and feel you tremble against me when I push you over the edge. Want to touch you, taste you, spread your legs and go down on you until you cry and moan and beg and pull my hair. That’s what I’m eager for, Olivia.”

“I…You…” Liv didn’t know what to say. She could feel a hot blush climbing from the valley between her breasts all the way up to her forehead. Baird watched her with a knowing look on his face.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just how I feel.” He let go of her hand and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Why don’t you take the box your sister sent up and take a soak in the bathing pool before you get ready for bed?”

“Sophie sent my things?” Liv had been so caught up in her new world on the Kindred ship she’d almost forgotten. Hope they sent what was in the top dresser drawer! Now more than ever, she was beginning to think what she’d asked for was really going to come in handy.

He nodded. “The box is in the living area near the front entrance. “I hope you find the contents useful.”

Liv gave him a penetrating look as she rose from the table. “I’m sure I will.”

Baird thought about her as he cleared away the rest of the pizza and packed it into a cold bag to hang from a hook in his chillkeeper. Olivia hadn’t eaten much—just a few bites—but he thought he was probably to blame for that. He’d made her nervous, talking about taking her to bed. He knew she wasn’t an untried virgin from the dreams they’d shared but she acted like one when he attempted to discuss sex or bonding with her. Baird thought he knew why.

From what he’d seen in his dreams of her, the few former lovers she’d taken to her bed had no real concept of what it meant to please a woman. Her last lover especially, the one she’d almost made a lifetime commitment to, preferred to please himself and then go to sleep. He’d used her body as an implement of self pleasure without bothering to make sure that Olivia was satisfied, a fact that made Baird angry and disgusted. It was like using a fine musical instrument to play a simple, selfish tune when it was capable of producing a much richer, more complex sound if only you took the time to really master it.

At any rate, he wasn’t going to repeat her former lover’s mistakes—he fully intended to put Olivia’s pleasure first. He couldn’t wait to caress her breasts and tease her nipples until they were stiff little peaks and then run his hands down her soft, trembling belly to cup her ripe, wet pussy. Even with clothing between them he knew he could bring her pleasure—if only she would let him.

Of course what he really wanted to do was thrust deep into her tight sheathe and feel her quake around him when she came—and that was only to start with. Baird was hungry to make her come again and again until she was completely happy and exhausted. He wanted her content to lie in his arms and let him stroke and touch her and bring her pleasure. Wanted to hear his name on her lips as she shuddered to orgasm over and over.

He growled low in his throat as he pictured a warm, naked Olivia in his bed. Just the thought of her softly rounded body pressed against his as he touched her made his cock rise to rock-hard attention in his pants. Gods, but he wanted her! Wanted to touch her, to taste her and lap her sweet, wet cleft, to savor her honey right from the source…of course he would have to wait for that privilege even longer, as per their claiming contract. But Baird was willing to wait.

For right now, even the idea of having her in bed beside him was better than nothing. Just the thought of stroking her body through the thin fabric of her gown until she came and then holding her close as they both drifted off to sleep was very pleasant. He hoped Olivia would allow him to do it. He was only allowed to hold her right now but if she would just relax enough to let him touch her, even over her clothes, maybe she’d be more open to his other advances later.

“Later, Lilenta,” he growled to himself. “But not too much later. In another week we’ll bathe together and the week after that I can taste you. The week after that…” But he wouldn’t allow himself to think about the fourth week of the claiming period. It was too far off and he wanted it too much. Too much to control himself, if he thought about what he’d be allowed to do by then.

Chapter Twelve

Liv did a quick check to be sure the box had everything she’d asked for and then decided to take a bath before she sorted through the contents in detail. A cold shower is what I really need, she thought as she felt her way carefully down the three shallow steps of the sunken bathing pool. It was true, too. After her last conversation with Baird and seeing the heat in his amber eyes she definitely needed some cooling off.

But she wasn’t going to get it in the bathing pool. The warm water swirled about half way up her breasts, making her wish she had a bathtub like it at home. At first she tried to be careful as she got in, feeling sure that she’d be getting water all over the floor. But for some reason the water level never rose. Even when she sank down to her chin, and not a single drop overspilled the edge of the tub.

“Mmmm.” Liv reclined so that the back of her head was resting on the rounded outside edge of the deep pool and closed her eyes. She’d twisted her long blonde hair up on top of her head before getting in and she was glad she had. She had no idea if Baird had anything like a hairdryer and she’d forgotten to ask Kat and Sophie to send one up. Not that she’d have a place to plug it in if they did. The Kindred ship must run on some alternate power source or something because she hadn’t seen a single electrical outlet since she’d been there.

Sighing, she let herself float free in the wonderfully warm water. She couldn’t be completely sure but it seemed like there was a very slight scent to it—nothing floral or overpowering, just a hint of something tangy and fresh like some kind of alien citrus fruit. Liv breathed deeply, trying to identify it but couldn’t. It was something like pink grapefruit with another note mixed in. Maybe mint? Whatever it was, breathing it in seemed to clear her head completely, making her feel like all the poisons and pollutions she’d been breathing back on Earth were being leached out of her system by the healing water.

“Now if I just had some bubble bath this would be perfect,” she murmured to herself. Some bubble bath and someone to wash your back for you. Your back and…other things, whispered a naughty little voice in her brain. “Shut up,” Liv muttered to herself. “It’s not going to be like that.” Except she was afraid it was going to be exactly like that. After all, in a week she was obligated to start bathing with Baird and he would be legally able to touch her with no clothing between them.

Liv just couldn’t get the way he’d looked at her out of her head. “I just can’t wait to make you come,” he’d told her in that deep, rumbling voice. No one had ever talked to her like that before. Mitch had been much too busy trying to get his own rocks off to worry if Liv ever saw fireworks herself. But Baird seemed to have an entirely different focus in mind—her. He actually seemed to want to give her pleasure, not just get off himself. And the way he talked about spreading her legs and going down on her…Liv shivered and refused to let herself think about it. Refused to admit that beneath the warm water her pussy felt ripe and wet and hot with a need she’d never known before.

This isn’t me, she told herself. Sex is no big deal to me—I can take it or leave it. Only maybe she felt like that because she’d never been with anyone who made her care about it. Maybe with Baird things would be different. Much different.

Except she wouldn’t be having sex with Baird, she reminded herself sternly. Not bonding sex, anyway, whatever that entailed. She really needed to get a copy of the contract and find that out. She’d get right on it, she promised herself, as soon as she finished relaxing in the tub…

“Olivia, are you all right?” The deep voice startled her at first but then she realized it was just him—the dark man from her dreams. He’d been in pain before but he sounded happy now—happy because he’d found the one he was looking for. And Olivia was the one. He’s happy because he loves me whispered a thought in her head. For some reason it made Liv smile dreamily. It was true, he loved her. Out of all the women on Earth—all the women in the universe—his mind had aligned itself with hers and hers alone. He…

He was standing at the edge of the bathing pool staring down at her naked body through the clear water just as though he had every right!

Liv’s eyes snapped fully open as the half-dream she’d been having ended abruptly. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, trying to cover herself from his hungry gaze with her hands.

He looked amused. “Just checking up on you, Lilenta. You’ve been in here so long I wanted to make sure you hadn’t drowned.”

“I’m fine, thank you for your concern,” Liv said stiffly. “Now do you mind leaving so I can get out?”

“Feeling shy?” he rumbled, an amused look in his golden eyes.

“No,” she lied, keeping her hands firmly in place. “I just…don’t like being naked with someone I’ve known less than twenty-four hours. I’m funny like that. Now do you mind?”

“I don’t mind a bit.” His eyes were half lidded with desire and his voice was a soft, deep growl. “I’ve been watching you in my dreams for months but the reality is a hundred times better.”

For a moment Liv was thrown off balance by his mention of their dream-sharing. “I…you’re different from the dreams I had of you too,” she said softly.

“I was in a dark place then.” His liquid gold eyes were suddenly far away and filled with so much pain they were hard to look at. “Seeing you every night, memorizing your face, learning your body…it was the only relief I had.” He looked at her seriously. “You saved me, Olivia. As much as if you’d put out a hand and pulled me out of the pit yourself.”

Liv was at a loss for words, as she always was when he talked about the time before they met and the things he’d gone though. Part of her wanted to ask where he’d been and what horrible things had been done to him but she sensed he wasn’t really ready to discuss it yet. Or maybe ever. The remembered agony in his gorgeous, wild eyes was intense—almost too much to bear. But somehow, without even knowing it, she had helped him bear it. She remembered all the mornings she’d woken up after dreaming of him, feeling his despair and wishing with all her heart she could reach him, the dark man in her dreams, and find a way to save him. Was it possible that her sympathy for him had somehow traversed the strange link between them?

“You’re so damn beautiful,” Baird rumbled, still looking down at her. “Your beauty and strength of will kept me going when I wanted to lay down and die. I couldn’t give up because I knew if I did I’d never see you in person.”

“I’m here now,” Liv offered, not knowing what else to say. “But, Baird, I can’t promise to stay with you forever.”

“He shook his head. “Forever is a long time. Right now tonight is enough. Will you come out of the water?” He held out a plush crimson and gold towel as big as a sheet.

Liv bit her lip and tried to stop the stirring of desire his hungry look started in the pit of her belly. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed her. That what he felt was more than just lust, more than just the carnal desire to take her. But she couldn’t help that—she wasn’t ready for his need. She hadn’t asked to be his savior, his dream girl or the love of his life. And if she ever wanted to get back to Earth and the people she loved, she had to be firm. “This is an invasion of my privacy,” she told Baird sternly. “I’d appreciate it if you would leave so I can get dressed.”

The corner of his full mouth quirked upward. “This is our claiming period, Olivia. Legally, you don’t have any privacy. But since you’re still shy…” He shook the towel again. “Come on out, I promise not to look.”

“I’m not coming out until you leave.” She frowned up at him, keeping her hands firmly in place. “I can stay here all night—I don’t mind a bit. I like it in here.”

“Suit yourself.” Baird let the big, puffy towel drop in a heap by the side of the bathing pool. “I’ll see you in the bedroom, Lilenta.” With a final hot look he sauntered out, closing the door behind him.

“You’ll see me all right—but not very much of me,” Liv muttered, watching him go. What was it about him that made her feel so strange? She ought to be outraged right now but instead she felt absurdly…flattered. The way he looked at her, as though she was the most beautiful woman in the world might have something to do with it. And all those promises about the sinfully pleasurable things he intended to do to her the minute he was legally allowed to touch her naked body probably didn’t hurt either. If she hadn’t felt so strongly about leaving Earth and her family to come live on the Kindred ship, Liv might almost have been tempted to let him do whatever he wanted. Almost.

She climbed out of the tub and snatched the towel off the cool tile floor to wind around her dripping body. She was glad she’d brought the big cardboard box Sophia had sent into the bathroom with her. It would have made her nervous to dig through it in the bedroom under Baird’s hungry gaze.

The box had everything she’d asked for plus a short note from Sophie that put a lump in Liv’s throat.

Love you, Sis. Stay strong.

Sophie

Hot tears pricked at her eyelids and she felt ashamed of the things she’d been thinking earlier. Of the fact that she’d been tempted—more than tempted—to let Baird do all the deliciously carnal things he seemed to want to do to her body. She had to stay strong, just like Sophia had urged her to, had to resist his advances no matter how tempting they were if she ever wanted a normal life with her loved ones on Earth again.

Reaching into the box, she went straight for what she’d asked for—the contents of her top dresser drawer. It wasn’t a secret weapon or a can of mace. It was just her winter sleepwear—granny panties and a long pale blue flannel nightgown.

She didn’t have much call to wear them in Tampa but every once in a while there was a pretty hard cold snap—usually in January or February—that sent her running for the decidedly un-sexy outfit. Liv reflected that she was apt to be a little warm in them tonight but that was okay—better a little too warm than so hot she lost control of herself and gave in to Baird completely.

Of course when she’d asked Kat and Sophie to send her the frumpy night gear she’d had no idea she would find the big Kindred warrior so damn appealing. She’d been mainly thinking of modesty. But now that she knew she’d be lying so close to him, trying to resist the urge to give in, she was twice as glad for the thick flannel gown. And as for the granny panties, well, they were made of good sturdy white cotton and came clear up to her navel. Protection was an understatement—Liv might as well have full body armor on

There was a full length mirror in one corner of the bathroom that she’d missed on her earlier tour in the dark. Liv went over to it and looked at herself with satisfaction. Yup, she was lookin’ good. Or rather, bad. The blue flannel gown had long sleeves and it came up to her chin and down to her ankles, effectively hiding every detail of her body. Baird probably wouldn’t even want to touch her when she looked like this. Let alone do anything else.

Feeling secure, if a little stuffy, she let down her hair and left the bathroom.

“Ready for bed Lil—” Baird’s voice cut off abruptly as she entered the room. Taking in the long, thick, flannel gown his eyes widened and then narrowed. “What in the seven hells have you got on?” he demanded.

“My nightclothes.” Liv felt a little thrill of satisfaction at thwarting the big warrior so neatly. “Do you like them?”

“Not nearly as much as that little black outfit you had on the first time I saw you.” He sighed. “But if that’s what you want to wear, well, you look beautiful, Lilenta. Always beautiful to me no matter what you’re wearing. I just wish…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

Liv frowned. “You wish what?”

Baird shook his head. “I guess I just wish you weren’t so afraid of me.” There was sorrow in his eyes that looked sincere. “Wish you didn’t feel you had to hide your beautiful body from me.”

Liv put her hands on her hips. “I am not afraid of you.”

His eyes flashed liquid gold. “Of course you are. You’re afraid of what my body would feel like against yours. Afraid of how you might react if I touch you. That’s why you’re hiding behind that…that thing.” He gestured contemptuously at the flannel nightgown.

“I told you,” Liv flared. “I’m not afraid of you and I’m certainly not afraid of my reaction to you.”

“Oh yeah?” he raised one eyebrow mockingly. “That robe thing you have on says otherwise.”

“For your information, this is not the only sleepwear I have,” Liv told him. “But it doesn’t matter what I wear. I could wear the skimpiest, sheerest little negligee I own and it still wouldn’t bother me to sleep next to you.” It was a blatant lie but she wasn’t about to let the big warrior know how he affected her.

“Is that right?” he drawled, an annoying smirk playing around the corners of his full mouth. “You sure about that, Olivia?”

“More than sure.” She crossed her arms over her blue flannel clad chest.

Baird stopped smiling and sighed. “You’re right—it doesn’t matter what you wear. I’m not allowed to touch you and I refuse to risk another scene like the one we had when I first brought you to the suite.”

“You mean when you grabbed me and kissed me against my will?” Liv was really getting pissed now. “That’s a breach of contract, you know.”

He looked at her from under lowered eyelids. “As I recall, you were kissing back pretty eagerly, Lilenta. You can’t claim breach of contract when you were so obviously ready and willing.”

“Why you—I was not! I mean, I wasn’t…wasn’t myself for some reason.” Liv still had no idea why her self control seemed to fly out the window when she got in close proximity with the big Kindred warrior but she was too angry to try and analyze it now. “Anyway, it’s not like you have any better self control than me—you started it! Why do you think I’m dressed like this?”

“I don’t know—why don’t you tell me?” His eyes flashed gold. “You claim it’s not because you’re afraid of me. Could it be that you don’t trust yourself?”

That was closer to the truth than Liv wanted to admit which only made her angrier. “It’s because I don’t trust you, you big bastard!”

A corner of his full mouth went down and his eyes were suddenly cool. “I told you before I would never take you against your will. You could dress in the most revealing night clothes imaginable and I wouldn’t lay a hand on you if you didn’t want me to.”

“Is that right?” Liv lifted her chin and looked at him speculatively. His words had given her the beginnings of a plan but she’d need some help to carry it out.

“Yeah, that’s right. I have no interest in taking what you don’t want to give.”

“We’ll just see about that. How do I go about contacting my sister? I need her to send me some things and those goons dragged me out of the house without my cell phone.”

Baird frowned at the change of subject. “You wouldn’t have been allowed to keep your communication device anyway. You’re not supposed to contact anyone on Earth directly but you can send a letter.”

“A letter? Can’t I send a holo or even an e-mail?” Liv couldn’t believe she was restricted to such outdated technology here on the advanced alien ship.

He shrugged. “Sorry. Those are the rules.”

Liv sighed. “Fine. I’ll write her a letter.”

“I’ll make sure she gets it. But a word of advice—don’t put anything in there you wouldn’t want the Kindred Security Team to know.”

“You mean they read private mail?” Liv was outraged. “That’s a federal offense.”

“No, that’s security. Don’t worry—they don’t care about personal details. So as long as you’re not plotting anything you don’t have to worry.”

Oh, I’m plotting, all right. I’m plotting how to get out of here and away from you before… But Liv didn’t want to finish the thought. “I’ll write it in the morning. In the mean time, I need some sleep.”

“You need more than that, Lilenta, if you’d only admit it.”

“What are you talking about?” Liv demanded as she climbed into her side of the bed.

Baird turned over and propped himself up on one elbow to face her. His chest was bare and the muscles under his tan skin flexed in a mouthwatering way Liv tried not to see. “I’m talkin’ about what my body needs from yours and what yours needs from mine. This is our claiming period—we need to bond. And you’re going to feel more and more restless and needy and unsatisfied until we do.”

“What are you saying? That I’m going to develop some kind of actual physical need to have you, uh, touch me?”

“To have me breed you. Fuck you.” Baird’s eyes were half lidded and golden.

Liv felt a flash of heat go through her entire body. “I…I don’t believe you.” But her voice shook when she said it.

“Believe it, Olivia. It’s part of the claiming. I need to be inside you, filling you. And you need to be filled.” His deep voice was a soft, intense growl and Liv felt her stomach flutter with something like fear…or desire.

“Guess I’ll just have to live with an itch that can’t be scratched then,” she said tartly but her insides were a mass of butterflies. Could he really be telling the truth? Would she develop an actual physical need to have him touch her, take her? It was unthinkable and yet…Why do I find him so hard to resist? Why do I want to touch him and let him touch me? It is some kind of connection from all the times we dreamed of each other? Or something else?

“Suit yourself, Lilenta.” Baird lay down beside her. “Lights out.”

The room was plunged into darkness and Liv lay in the huge Kindred bed, scared to death. What am I going to do? Should I really send that letter to Sophie?

As the plan took further shape in her mind, she wondered if she had the guts to carry it out. She’d always been fairly modest, although no one who had seen her running around dressed in the skimpy black nighty Baird had first seen her in, would know it. But if it works I can go home and go back to my normal life.

Despite the fact that she found him completely exasperating, she hated to hurt Baird. Deep down he seemed like a decent guy—when he wasn’t being an arrogant male, that was. But the truth was, Liv didn’t know if she could take a whole month of the tension between them without giving in. Hell, she didn’t know if she could take another week. It was only her first night and despite the fact that she was pissed off and frightened, she was still having to fight the urge to roll over and trail her fingertips over his broad back. To reach around and stroke his warm, muscular chest. To…Stop it, there you go again!

Liv rolled over in bed, putting her back to the big warrior. It was no use—she was going to have to do it. She had to get out of here sooner rather than later—or risk not getting out at all. Tomorrow she’d write Sophie and Kat a note asking them to send her some new things.

She just hoped her plan didn’t backfire.

Baird lay in the darkness, his fists clenched, fighting himself. Every instinct he had was screaming that his woman was lying right beside him, just waiting to be claimed, to be taken and bonded. Every inch of his skin throbbed with need for her. But she doesn’t want me—or doesn’t want to admit that she does, anyway.

It was so damn frustrating! Baird had thought he’d been through the worst torture imaginable aboard the Scourge Fathership but the most devastating pain they could inflict was nothing to lying here beside Olivia, unable to touch her. I want her. And damn it, she wants me—I can smell it on her! She’s ripe and ready. If I parted her thighs right now I know I’d find her wet for me. Wet but not willing—it was a contradiction he could scarcely believe but it was true. Olivia’s body might want him, but her mind most certainly did not.

I’ll wear her down, he told himself, trying to get more comfortable and forget that she was lying beside him. Trying not to think of the tantalizing glimpse he’d seen when she’d been lying in the bathing pool before she covered herself. Gods, he’d been able to see her nipples and her soft little slit—everything. He tried to put it out of his mind. I’ll wear her down and if I don’t, my scent will. She’s already reacting to it, it’s just a matter of time.

He felt bad about that in a way—if what Sylvan said was true, humans didn’t understand about mating scents or the way the Kindred pheromones could affect them. But at this point Baird was ready to fight dirty—hell, he was ready to do almost anything to have the woman he so desperately craved. The woman who was lying right beside him but might as well be a galaxy away. He’d warned her as much as he was going to by telling her she was soon going to be wanting him as much as he wanted her. Let her make of it what she would and in the mean time, he would have to keep his hands to himself and let his mating scent do the work for him.

I’ll have you, Lilenta, he thought with renewed determination. Sooner or later you’ll give me what we both want so desperately. And then I’ll claim you for my own and we’ll be together forever.

Staring into the darkness, he imagined what that moment would be like. He would part her thighs gently, slowly so as not to frighten her. Then he would spread her pussy open, sliding his fingers into her slippery depths first, making sure she was wet enough to take him. She would moan his name and he would kiss her while he stroked her clit, making her hotter, pushing her higher. Finally, when he knew she was ready he would mount her and press the head of his cock to her tight, wet entrance.

He would enter her slowly, of course, giving her time to adjust. From what he’d heard human males didn’t have very big equipment as a rule so she’d need to get used to his size. Baird could imagine her shifting under him, trying to be open enough as he slowly filled her, inch by inch. He would be kissing her, whispering encouragement, telling her how much he loved her, how much he wanted and needed her the entire time. Her eyes might be wide and frightened at first but he would soothe her anxiety, he told himself. Soothe her and pleasure her until her lovely silvery grey eyes were hot with lust, filled with a need to match his own. And then when he was finally all the way inside her, touching bottom in her sweet, hot pussy, his mating fist would begin to swell. Once it did they would be locked together for hours, bonding, their bodies and souls entwined.

And then you’ll be mine, as you were always meant to be, Olivia. Mine forever. Comforting himself with the thought, Baird closed his eyes and tried to rest. But it was a long, long time before he could get to sleep with Olivia lying so close beside him and her sweet, feminine scent filling the air.

* * * * *

Liv was awakened by someone’s warm breath in her ear. “What—?” She opened her eyes to see that she was sitting on the side of the bed and Baird was sitting beside her. “Hey.” Liv frowned. “What’s going on? Why am I suddenly just sitting here like this?”

“We’re dream sharing.” Baird smiled at her.

“We are?” She looked around her uncertainly.

“Uh-huh.” He nodded solemnly.

“But how can you tell it’s a dream? The room looks the same.” Liv gestured to the large bedroom and the immense bed they were sharing. “And besides, it feels so real.”

“Didn’t it always feel real when we dream-shared before?” Baird asked reasonably. “But if you want proof, look at what you’re wearing.”

Liv did as he asked and let out a low gasp. Baird was still dressed in the black silk sleep pants he’d worn to bed. But she…“Oh my God—what is this? I don’t own anything like this.”

He grinned. “Helluva lot different from what you went to sleep in, isn’t it?”

It certainly was. Instead of the long flannel nightgown she’d worn to bed, Liv found she was now wearing a barely there white lace nighty that barely came down to the tops of her thighs and tiny white panties to match. The lace the nighty was made of was stretchy and mostly see-through, offering a tantalizing glimpse of her breasts. Why, you can practically see my nipples! Liv crossed her arms over her chest protectively and glared at Baird. “This is your fault.”

He shrugged his broad, bare shoulders. “I might’ve had something to do with it. Although it looks kinda like something you already own.”

Liv had to admit he was right—the outfit looked a lot like a set she’d bought back before she broke up with Mitch. She had a weakness for sexy underwear. But still… “Just because I own something like this doesn’t give you the right to dress me up in it for your viewing pleasure,” she snapped.

Baird grinned. “And it is a pleasure, Lilenta. Or it would be if you’d let me get a good look.”

“Never. And I want to wake up right now.” She said the last words loudly and then looked around the room expectantly, hoping they would have some effect. But after a moment she had to acknowledge that nothing had changed. Apparently there was more to getting out of their shared dream than clicking her heels and saying, “There’s no place like home.”

Baird was still watching her. “Sorry, but it isn’t that easy,” he rumbled. “We’re both stuck here until one or both of us wakes up naturally. And that could be a long, long time, Lilenta.”

“Great. Just great.” Liv crossed her arms tighter across her chest and tapped her toe on the floor.

“It is great,” Baird said seriously. “And I’ll tell you why—since we’re in a dream, nothing counts.”

Liv gave him a sidelong glance. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we can do whatever we want and when we wake up none of it will have really happened. That’s the beauty of dreams, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re crazy if you think I’ll do anything with you at all, dream or no dream,” Liv told him.

Baird shrugged. “Suit yourself. But can you honestly tell me you’re not the least bit interested in how it would be?” He leaned closer so that his muscular arm brushed hers and his thigh pressed against her bare leg. “There’s something between us, Olivia. Something you can’t deny.”

“I…I most certainly can.” But to her distress, her voice came out sounding breathy and uncertain. She cleared her throat. “I mean, you’re wrong.”

“If you’re so sure I’m wrong then you won’t mind letting me touch you.”

“T-touch me? What do you mean?”

“This is our holding week, Olivia.” Baird gave her a stern look. “That means I’m legally permitted to hold you and touch you.”

“But not under the clothes,” Liv reminded him anxiously. God, dream or no dream things were spinning out of control.

“Don’t worry, Lilenta. I won’t break the rules.” He raised a black eyebrow at her. “Worried you’ll lose control when I touch you?”

Liv frowned, her earlier resolve coming back. “Of course not. You know, you are so full of yourself. So sure I’ll do anything you want the minute you put your hands on me. Well I have news for you, Baird, I’m not that easy.”

“Well, well.” He grinned at her. “So you think you can lay there and take whatever I dish out without reacting?”

Liv gave him what she hoped was a supremely confident smile. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Care to make it interesting?” His eyes were half lidded with lust again and filled with amusement. “Want to bet on it, Olivia?”

Suddenly some of her confidence deserted her. “What…what do you want to bet?”

He shrugged. “Nothing sexual, don’t worry about that. We’ll bet tomorrow night’s late-day meal. If I touch you and your body doesn’t react I’ll teach you how to make my favorite dish. But if you do react you’ll teach me to make the dish with sea creatures rolled in those tiny white grains.”

Liv almost laughed. “You really want me to teach you to make sushi? I warn you, I’m not exactly an expert. Although it might be more appetizing than whatever you have in mind.”

“You’d better win the bet then,” he rumbled. “Are we on?”

Liv nodded firmly. “Yes, absolutely. Just…uh, just one more question. How exactly do we know who wins and who loses? I mean, your definition of reaction and my definition of reaction may differ. Like if you, uh, blow on my nipples and they get hard in response to the cool air, that’s not really valid in my opinion.”

Baird gave her that slow, hot smile again. “How about this then—if I make you come, I win. If you don’t come, you win. Simple enough for you?”

Liv’s mouth felt dry. “I…I guess so,” she whispered.

“Good.” He nodded. “So, you ready?”

“Sure.” Liv took a deep breath. “Do your worst.”

“Or my best,” he growled softly and, without warning, he pulled her into his lap.

Liv gasped and started to struggle before she remembered she wasn’t supposed to. Let him do his worst, she reminded herself, sitting stiff as a board on his knee. No matter what he does I’m not going to react. And besides, it’s just a dream.

Baird surprised her. She’d been expecting him to go straight for her breasts, or maybe to thrust one hand between her legs, because that was exactly what Mitch would have done. Her ex-fiance was a go-for-the-gusto kind of guy who had never bothered to find out if she had any erogenous zones besides the obvious ones. So she was braced for a mauling as she held herself straight and tall in Baird’s lap.

What she didn’t expect was for him to pull her close and nuzzle his face into her hair.

“Mmm, you smell so good, Lilenta,” he murmured, his hot, cinnamon flavored breath blowing against the side of her neck.

Liv couldn’t help shivering. “What…what are you doing?” she demanded, wishing her voice didn’t sound quite so breathless.

“Breathing you in.” He nuzzled her again, the slight stubble on his cheeks brushing against the sensitive skin of her throat and making her shiver for a second time.

Being this close to him, Liv could smell him too. Considering it was just a dream, her senses seemed extraordinarily sharp. The warm, masculine musk that seemed to be his natural scent filled her head, making her dizzy. She wondered hazily if all the Kindred’s sense of smell was more developed than a human’s or if it was just the Beast Kindred that were into olfactory pleasures. Whatever it was, Baird seemed content for the moment to just “breathe her in” as he had put it, without touching her with his hands at all.

Liv was still trying to still the pounding of her heart when she felt his mouth, soft and hot, at the side of her neck. God, he was kissing her! Kissing her like he had all night to drive her crazy. Her heart started thumping harder than ever, beating an erratic rhythm against her ribs and she wished she could get away just for a minute to take a breather. But if she did that she’d have to admit his touch was affecting her and he hadn’t even done anything overtly sexual yet! She had to toughen up or she was going to lose.

Clenching her jaw she made a determined effort to slow her breathing and calm her pulse. After all, it wasn’t that exciting. So what if she was sitting in a barely-there see-though nightgown on the lap of a gorgeous man whose only apparent goal in life was to make her come? What was the big deal?

She’d almost succeeded in convincing herself when Baird pulled back for a moment and looked in her eyes. “I can hear your heart beating like crazy, Lilenta,” he murmured. “Are you warmed up yet?”

“I don’t…don’t know what you mean.” Liv tried to keep her voice level and even but she still squeaked on the last word.

“Let me show you, then.” In one swift movement Baird lifted her as though she weighed no more than a doll and laid her on the bed beside him. Rolling up on his side, he propped his head up with one hand and watched her with hot eyes. “Are you ready for me to touch you, Lilenta?”

Liv felt a small surge of triumph. That’s it—foreplay’s over and he’s ready to go for the sweet spot. Just like Mitch. Just like every guy I’ve ever been with, she told herself. They’re all exactly the same whether they’re from across the street or a galaxy far, far away.

“Sure,” she said, having an easier time keeping her voice steady this time. “Do whatever you want.”

“That’s a dangerous invitation to make, Lilenta.” Baird smiled wolfishly. “But I’ll take it in the spirit it was offered in.”

Here it comes, Liv told herself and got ready to endure his clumsy fumblings while he pawed at her breasts and tried to get between her thighs.

But Baird surprised her again. Leaning over her, he gathered her close in his arms and pressed her body against the length of his own. Liv could feel the hard planes of his chest against her cheek and the arms encircling her felt like warm, flexible steel. His big body dwarfed hers, making her feel tiny against him although she’d never felt particularly small with any of the other guys she dated. Of course, Mitch had only been an inch or two taller than her. In contrast Baird was a head and shoulders taller but instead of making her feel threatened, his size made her feel protected and warm.

“So beautiful,” he whispered into her hair again as he stroked her back with his large, warm hands. He didn’t restrict himself to her back either. His hands wandered over her shoulders and arms and down the curves of her hips, exciting her nerve endings and making her tingle all over. But the strange thing was, he never touched any of her erogenous zones—at least none of the obvious ones. It didn’t seem to matter though—Liv was beginning to feel like her entire body was en erogenous zone as far as the big Kindred warrior was concerned. And as he touched her, he kissed her. Softly at first, dropping butterfly kisses all over her upturned face and then more directly, feeding hungrily on her mouth until Liv could barely hold back a moan.

God, how could he do this to her? How could he make her so hot without doing anything but stroking her arms and back and kissing her? Because Liv had to admit it—she was hot. Maybe not hot enough to come—that required some direct stimulation. But hot enough that she felt dizzy and her entire body was buzzing and tingling with need. Hot enough that she actually wanted him to touch her somewhere besides her back and arms and neck.

As though reading her mind, Baird pulled out of a particularly long and passionate kiss and met her eyes. “How do you feel now, Lilenta? All warmed up?”

“Warm enough,” Liv admitted guardedly. “But I’m nowhere near coming—so sorry to disappoint you.”

He grinned. “Oh, I’m not disappointed. Of course you’re not ready to come—we’re just getting started.”

“We are?” Liv looked at him in disbelief. They had already been lying together in bed while he touched and kissed her for about twice as long as it had used to take Mitch to make love to her and Baird was telling her they were just getting started? “What…what else are you going to do?” she asked in a breathless whisper.

“You’ll see,” he murmured, leaning over her again and cupping her face in one warm hand.

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of! Liv thought. Despite her apprehension she found herself relaxing beneath his touch as he stroked her cheek.

“You know, Olivia,” he murmured. “Some men might feel limited by the ways they could touch you with this little lace dress in the way. But to me it’s a challenge. And I always rise to a challenge.” The nudge of his hard shaft against her hip let Liv know he was speaking in a much more than metaphorical sense.

“I bet,” she whispered and for the first time, she wondered what it would feel like if she let him slide the thick, hard cock she could feel throbbing against her thigh inside her. Would it hurt? He was so much bigger than anyone she’d ever been with. But maybe if he took it slowly…Stop it, Liv, she scolded herself. You’re as bad as Kat! Get control of yourself. Trying to do just that, she forced herself to focus on what Baird was saying. But that scarcely helped considering that he’d started talking about what he wanted to do to her again.

“Can’t wait to taste these,” he murmured, tracing two long fingers down the valley between her breasts. “Can’t wait to suck those ripe pink nipples, Lilenta.” He cupped the undercurve of her right breast and thumbed the sensitive bud of her nipple, making her gasp. “Will you show them to me?”

“I…you can see them well enough, can’t you?” Liv demanded. “And besides, you’re not supposed to touch me without my clothes.”

Baird held up his left hand, the one he’d been touching her with. His right arm and hand were under her neck supporting her head. “I won’t, I promise. I just want you to pull the material of this soft little dress a little tighter. I wanna see how tight and hard they are—see if I’m affecting you or not.”

“Well…” Liv decided that it couldn’t hurt to comply with his request. After all, it wasn’t like he’d asked her to pull the white lace nightgown down and bare her breasts completely. Besides, it felt kind of nice to have him devouring her so hungrily with his eyes. It made her feel beautiful—flawless. It was a nice feeling. And besides, it’s only a dream. The thought reassured her and gave her more confidence.

“If you’d rather not,” Baird began but she shook her head.

“No. I guess it’s okay.” Taking a deep breath she grasped the white lace nightgown and pulled to either side of her ribcage, tugging it tight over her full breasts and hard nipples, letting him see what he wanted.

Baird took a deep breath. “Beautiful,” he breathed softly, cupping her breast again. “So damn hard and sensitive.” As if to illustrate he brushed his fingertips over her right peak. Liv gasped and squirmed, feeling a sudden flash of heat at his light touch. God, was he trying to drive her crazy?

“Want to kiss you here.” Baird’s deep voice in her ear was filled with need and before Liv could respond he’d ducked his head to press his mouth to her left nipple.

She moaned softly as his heated breath bathed the sensitive peak through the thin material of the gown but she never let go of the fabric in her hands. If anything she tightened her grip so that the gown’s top was stretched even tighter over her breasts. Only a dream, only a dream! But it certainly felt real.

“Beautiful.” Baird nipped her gently through the white lace and Liv gave a little gasp as a bolt of pure pleasure shot from her erect nipple down to her heated pussy. God, he was right. It was hot to have to work around the nightgown. There was something so forbidden in it, something exotic and naughty that had been missing from her sex life with Mitch, and every other guy she’d ever been with.

Baird took his time going back and forth between her nipples, nipping and nibbling and sucking. Even through the thin material of the white lace gown his hot mouth on her was driving Liv crazy. Just when she was wondering if it was possible to come just from having her nipples sucked, he began to move down her body.

“What…where are you going? she panted when he began to spread her thighs.

Baird looked up, his liquid gold eyes blazing with need. “Need to see if I’m affecting you.”

“But…but…” Remembering how he’d shredded the panties that went with her black nighty earlier, Liv bit her bottom lip.

“Don’t worry,” Baird growled softly. “The panties stay on, I promise. I’ll just touch you through them.”

“I…okay.” Liv agreed, knowing she really didn’t have a choice. He was allowed to touch her as long as he didn’t remove her clothes or try to get beneath them. So there was nothing she could do but spread her legs and let him touch her. And besides, it’s not like it’s really happening. We’re just dream sharing. In reality I’m still wearing my flannel nighty and granny panties.

But if it was only a dream why couldn’t she help being embarrassed as he raised the hem of her white lace gown revealing the small white thong beneath. Her cheeks went hot when she saw that the mound of her sex was clearly visible through the thin material and even her pussy slit was on display under the thin material.

“Gorgeous,” Baird breathed softly, his breath warm against her inner thighs. He looked up at her. “Tell me somethin’, Lilenta—are you wet from the way I’ve been touching you? Am I affecting you?”

“I…” Liv bit her bottom lip, feeling her cheeks get even hotter. The truth was that she’d never felt so wet and hot in her life. But there was no way she was going to say it out loud, even if this was just a dream.

“Never mind.” Baird shook his head. “Just let me see your clit.”

“What?” Liv was so startled by his request that she sat halfway up.

“Not without the panties,” he explained, pressing her back down gently. “Just wanna see if your little button is all hot and ready for me. All you have to do is reach into your panties and spread your pussy open so I can see.”

“I…do you think you could? Through the…through the fabric?” Liv asked at last, feeling her heart pound. Was she actually considering doing this? Only a dream. But even knowing that, it still felt dangerous.

Baird nodded, his eyes half lidded with lust. “Oh, yeah. I think it’s plenty thin enough to see through. Of course I’d rather see you all spread open with nothin’ between us but since I have to wait for that, I’ll take what I can get.” He nodded at her sex. “I’d open you myself but it would be hard to do without reaching inside your panties and touching your sweet little pussy and I know you don’t want that.”

“No.” Liv’s heart was hammering so hard she could barely hear herself speak. “No, that would be a bad idea.” Just the idea of his hand in her panties, of his long fingers opening her, entering her cunt, made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

“All right then. Maybe later.”

“Maybe,” Liv echoed him, knowing he was talking about later when they were awake. When he was allowed to touch her. Trembling, she slid her fingers into the snug confines of the small white lace thong and parted the lips of her pussy to reveal what he wanted to see.

The thong was unlined and the material was very thin so it was possible to see exactly how hot she was. Her clit was swollen and throbbing, nestled in the slippery folds of her pussy like a pink pearl.

“Perfect,” Baird murmured. Reaching out he ran a gentle fingertip over the little pink bump still covered by the silky, stretchy lace. “And you are wet, Lilenta. Wet and hot and ready. I can tell.”

“I…” Liv couldn’t deny it. She was hotter and wetter than she’d ever been in her life and felt like she was going to explode. But even though he’d pushed her to this point, his feather-light touch wasn’t quite enough to send her over the edge.

Baird seemed to know he was driving her crazy because there was a little smile twitching at the corners of his full mouth as he continued to stroke lightly over her sensitive clit with two fingers.

Liv gritted her teeth to keep from begging and tried to remind herself that the object here was not to come even though her entire body was demanding a release. And that was when he started to talk again.

“Want you to imagine something for me, Lilenta,” he murmured, stroking a little more firmly. “Imagine my mouth on you here with no panties in the way. Imagine how good it’s going to feel when I spread your pussy open and taste you. You think you’d like that? Think you’d like being open on the bed for me, feeling my tongue deep inside your cunt?”

“I…I don’t know,” Liv gasped, squirming under his fingers as he stroked the side of her clit with a slightly faster rhythm. Damn him, how did he know exactly the right way to touch her, even in a dream? The slippery material of her thong was rubbing against her open pussy just right, aided by her juices, and she could feel herself slipping closer and closer to the edge. Her orgasm was so close she could almost taste it and she wanted it so badly she didn’t even care she was about to lose their bet.

“I think you would,” Baird continued in that deep, growling voice. “I think you’d come all over my face. Just like you’re going to come for me now.” On the last word, he worked her hard with his fingertips, stroking along the supersensitive side of her bud with just enough force to send her completely over the edge.

“Oh…oh, God!” Gasping and moaning, Liv let herself go, feeling the wave of pleasure overtake her at his intimate touch.

“That’s right, Lilenta. Let it go and come for me. Come hard.” Baird rode out her orgasm, still working her with his fingers, his breath hot on her inner thighs. Then he slid up her body and gathered her into his arms, kissing her again, taking her lips as though he wanted to devour her from the mouth down.

Liv moaned and wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling the hard ridge of his cock rubbing exactly where his fingers had been a moment before and not caring a bit. It felt too good, too right to mind that he was spreading her pussy lips even wider through the thin material of the thong, too delicious to tell him to stop even when he ground against her, rubbing over her sensitive bud as though he was trying to make her come again.

“Feels so good,” he growled, kissing her neck. “So good against you, Lilenta. Just wish I was inside you instead.”

Just for a moment Liv wished the same thing. She wanted to feel him thrusting inside her, filling her completely with the thick cock she could feel spreading her pussy. You could let him, whispered a little voice in her head. It’s just a dream, after all. It’s not like it would really count…No! Liv gave herself a mental kick. Letting him take her, even in a dream, would be wrong. It would ruin everything. How could she resist him in real life if she’d already given in?

But it was very hard to listen to the voice of reason when he was grinding against her that way. Liv couldn’t help herself, she just wanted the delicious feelings he was giving her to go on and on and never stop. She became aware that she was making helpless little noises as she moved against him but she couldn’t seem to stop. Godohgodohgod, if he doesn’t stop I’m going to—

The thought shattered into pieces as another, even stronger orgasm coursed through her.

“Baird! Oh God, Baird!” she heard herself moaning.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” he growled, rubbing even harder. “Say my name. Let me hear you say it when you come.”

“Oh…”

* * * * *

“Baird!” she finished, sitting straight up in bed.

“What? What’s the matter?” Baird was up in a flash, looking around the darkened room for danger. “What’s wrong, Olivia?”

“I…I…” She looked at him in disbelief. “You mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?” He frowned.

“We were dream sharing. Just now.”

He shook his head. “No, we weren’t.”

“Yes, we were,” she insisted. “You said so—you told me so in the dream. I had on this lacy little white nightgown and you said it couldn’t hurt to let you hold me and touch me since none of it really counted.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I said that?”

“You know you did,” Liv said impatiently. “And then we made a bet. You said if you could make me come I’d have to teach you how to make sushi—you know, the sea creatures rolled in white grains? So I—” She stopped abruptly, frowning. “Wait a minute—I don’t know how to make sushi. Why would I offer to teach you as part of a bet?”

“Maybe because you really were dreaming.” His golden eyes were suddenly half-lidded with lust. “And it sounds like a pretty damn interesting dream at that. So tell me, Olivia, did I win the bet?”

She shook her head, refusing to answer. God, how embarrassing! She felt like her face was on fire it was so hot.

Baird was obviously thoroughly enjoying the situation. “I did, didn’t I?” he asked, giving her a lazy grin that made her stomach do flips. “That’s why you woke up shouting my name.”

“Whatever,” Liv mumbled, her cheeks flaming. “I mean, think whatever you want. I’m going back to sleep.” She lay back down on her side of the bed with her back to the big warrior. But it was a long time before she could get back to sleep.

Chapter Thirteen

“What is the meaning of this?”

Sylvan sighed and stood up from the lumpy, uncomfortable grey couch in the far corner of the HKR building. He’d been hoping that Sophia would be in a better mood the next time he saw her but from the way her cheeks were flushed and her big green eyes were flashing with anger, it looked like his hopes were about to be dashed.

“What is the meaning of what?” he asked, nodding at her courteously as she stormed up to him.

“This.” Sophia reached into a large pink shopping bag she was carrying and pulled out a strange looking contraption that seemed to be made of black lacy straps.

Sylvan looked at in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t even know what that is.”

“It’s a bra!” She shook it in his face in an accusing manner and Sylvan saw that there were two pocket-like cups attached to the straps that were joined in the middle. Still, it made no sense.

“A what?” He attempted to take it from her but she snatched it back.

“A bra—you know, to cover your, uh, chest?” Seeing that he was still clueless, Sophia put down the shopping back with an exasperated sound and held the black lace contraption up to her own chest. “Look—like this.”

Today she was wearing a dark green blouse that buttoned down the front and brought out the color of her eyes. It was open enough for Sylvan to see her creamy throat and just a hint of cleavage. When she held it up, the black lace cups of the thing she’d called a bra framed her full breasts and he had a sudden mental image of her wearing it…and nothing else. Gods! His fangs sharpened and he was suddenly almost painfully hard.

“I see,” he murmured, reaching out to trace the edge of the black lace where it framed the top of her breast. “It’s most…intriguing. I didn’t know human women wore such tantalizing undergarments.”

Sophia’s cheeks got even redder and she shoved the bra back into the large pink shopping bag. “They don’t. Or not unless they’re thinking of…thinking of doing something they shouldn’t. What I want to know is why Liv would ask me to send it to her. To send all these things.” She gestured at the bag as she sat down on the couch.

Sylvan settled on the couch beside her. “What did she say in her letter to you?”

She frowned. “Nothing much—just that I shouldn’t worry and she wanted me to send her the sexiest outfits I could find. I got the feeling she was afraid someone might read what she’d written.”

Sylvan shrugged. “It’s possible. The Kindred Security Team does routine checks of all correspondence.”

“They do? But I sent a note with the last box you brought her.” Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “Did you look though it?”

“No, I swear.” Sylvan held up his hands, palms outward in a gesture of peace. “I told you that I would trust you not to send weapons or anything else that might cause harm. But I can’t always promise to be available to ferry correspondence between you and your sister just to maintain the privacy of your letters. I do have a job, you know.”

“You do?” She looked suddenly abashed. “I mean, of course you do. I just thought…I guess I thought all you guys were just, I don’t know, soldiers. Warriors.”

“We are. But we have other jobs as well. Baird is a skilled flight instructor—he can fly anything no matter the make or model. It’s the only way he was able to get away from the Scourge in the first place.”

She looked up. “And what do you do?”

“I’m a medic. What your people would call a doctor, I suppose. I treat the sick and care for the wounded.”

“That’s very noble. You must care about your patients a great deal—like Olivia does—she’s a nurse.”

“She told me as much when Baird brought her up to the ship.” Sylvan nodded. “But actually, I am not emotionally attached to those I treat.”

Sophia had been looking a little more open, a bit more relaxed, but now she sat up straight and frowned at him. “You don’t care about the people you treat? That’s awful.”

Sylvan suppressed a sigh. “I feel very little, as do all Tranq Kindred. It’s one reason we make the best medics. Because we’re not likely to make a decision based on emotion instead of reason.”

“If you’re so cold and unfeeling why did you volunteer to come get these for Liv?” Sophia nodded at the pink bag filled with what Sylvan could only suppose must be more sexually enticing undergarments. “An HKR rep called and told me to bring them just at this time—was that so you could be here to get them?”

“Well, yes.” Sylvan shifted uncomfortably. To be honest, he wasn’t sure why he’d volunteered to go pick up the package Olivia had said she was expecting. Sophia showed every sign of disliking him and, of course, he had no interest in her. Yet…he couldn’t get her fragile human beauty out of his mind. “I was doing another errand that involved coming down to the surface anyway so it wasn’t out of my way to pick up a package for the mate of my kin,” he lied.

“‘Mate of my kin?’ Is that what you call Olivia?”

He nodded, relieved that she hadn’t seen through his obvious falsehood. “It’s analogous to your term ‘sister-in-law.’ It is what we call the brides our brothers have chosen.”

Sophia frowned. “You might as well just call her plain old Liv like I do because she’s never going to be your sister-in-law—not really.”

“You seem so certain and yet you yourself have pointed out that she has asked for some very, ah, revealing garments to be sent to her.”

She looked frustrated. “I know and she gave me no explanation for why she wanted them.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “The obvious assumption would be that she wants to provoke a sexual response from Baird.”

“Yes, but why? It’s only been two days—I know she hasn’t given in that quickly.” Sophia had a stubborn look on her face but her voice wavered just a little. “She wouldn’t just leave me like that—she’s going to fight him, I know she is.”

Sylvan sighed and leaned forward, looking her in the eye. “Sophia, I’m afraid you’re going to have to face the fact that your sister may not be as strong as you think. There’s no way she can resist Baird indefinitely.”

She crossed her arms over her full breasts, a look of stubborn refusal in her lovely eyes. “You Kindred think you’re so hot. He’s an okay looking guy but no man is irresistible.”

“He’s not but his mating scent is—at least to your sister.” Sylvan didn’t know why he was telling her this—it would only make her angrier, he was sure. But he wanted to soften the blow for her, help her accept the inevitable—that no matter how much she loved her sister, she was destined to lose Olivia to another who loved and needed her more.

“His mating scent? What are you talking about?” Sophia’s green eyes narrowed and she leaned forward.

“When the Kindred claim a mate, our body chemistry changes in order to attract them. We start releasing some very strong pheromones that are tailored specifically to their DNA. Those pheromones act as an irresistible enticement to our prospective mates.” Sylvan shrugged. “Very few women in any of the trade worlds we have visited have been able to overcome their influence and resist the temptation to bond with the warrior who has chosen them.”

“My God!” Sophia sat back, her eyes wide with horror. “It’s a drug! He’s drugging her and she doesn’t even know it.”

Here we go. “It’s common knowledge that we’re genetic traders—the fact that we have more than one means to attract a mate of an entirely different species should come as no surprise,” he pointed out.

“You…you cold blooded bastard.” Sophia shook her head. “Poor Liv—she has no idea what he’s doing to her.”

“It wouldn’t matter even if she did,” Sylvan explained patiently, ignoring her insults. “The mating scent is too strong to fight, even with advanced warning. Stronger species than yours have tried and they have all failed. With very few exceptions.” He closed his eyes briefly thinking of Feenah, of her pure white hair and pale crystal eyes. I’m sorry, Sylvan…

“It’s not right. You’re not fighting fair.” Sophia’s words pushed back the painful memory and Sylvan opened his eyes again to see the look of despair and anger on her lovely face. She looked almost on the brink of tears. Wonderful—she was even more upset and irrational than he had thought she would be. He supposed he ought to feel irritated. Instead, the illogical urge to hold and comfort her came over him so strongly that he had to sit back and cross his arms over his chest to keep from reaching for her.

“I believe you humans have a saying that covers this—‘All’s fair in love and war.’ Is that right?” he said softly.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean—”

Sylvan leaned forward again and took her soft, small hands between his own larger ones. “You must understand, Sophia—Baird isn’t trying to trick your sister into anything. He’s simply using every power at his disposal to keep her. Because he needs her—he loves her. She is the only woman in the entire universe for him and the bond that will form between them will be one of undying love and devotion.”

“Maybe for him.” She looked down as though mesmerized by the sight of her own small hands being engulfed in his much larger ones. “But not for Liv. He’s going to trick her into having bonding sex with him —whatever that is—and then she’ll spend the rest of her life hating him once she finds out how he did it.” She looked up at Sylvan. “You don’t know her like I do—she hates being lied to. Her last boyfriend cheated on her and then lied about it and she dumped him and never looked back. If she knew what Baird was doing to her…”

“It’s not as though it’s a conscious choice on his part,” Sylvan tried to explain. “It’s the way our bodies react chemically to our chosen mates. We can’t turn it off, even if we try. Sometimes it comes even when it’s not wanted. We have a saying for it—‘The blood knows what the mind does not wish to see.’” Lifting a hand, he cupped her cheek and brushed away the single tear that had escaped her wide green eyes with his thumb. “It cannot be helped.”

Sophia leaned closer and for a moment he was mesmerized by the lovely depths of her eyes. Then she seemed to realize she was getting too close to the enemy and sat up and away from him abruptly. “It doesn’t matter how you justify it—Liv will hate him for it.” She stood abruptly and gestured at the pink shopping bag. “Go ahead and bring those to her. But please tell her…” Her voice broke but she kept her chin high. “Tell her I miss her and I haven’t given up on her yet.”

Then she turned on her heel and left, leaving Sylvan to watch her curvy figure disappear out the double doors of the HKR building with a feeling of uncertainty and regret. What if she was right? He would have to warn Baird that something had to be said to his bride. If Sophia was correct, he could be jeopardizing his bonding with Olivia without even knowing it.

“They’re drugging her, Kat. That’s what it amounts to. She’s breathing poison gas every minute she’s with him and there’s no way she can keep holding out when she doesn’t even know what he’s doing to her.”

Sophia was sitting at the small round kitchen table with a wad of tissues in each hand, having finally given in to the tears. She hated how easily she cried—even in the best of times a sad commercial was enough to tip her over the edge. And lately, with Olivia gone and possibly never coming back she was just one big emotional mess.

“Are you sure about this?” Kat asked doubtfully. She was standing behind Sophie, rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

“Positive. The big blond warrior—Sylvan—told me so. He didn’t even have the decency to sugar coat it—he just came right out and said that Liv was going to give in eventually because Baird is making some kind of pheromone specifically tailored to drive her crazy for him.”

Kat frowned and sat down beside her at the table. “We have to warn her somehow.”

“He said it wouldn’t make any difference.” Sophie dabbed at her eyes. “He said even if she knew she wouldn’t be able to fight it—the mating scent—that’s what he called it.”

“Still—she deserves to know. We need to write her a letter.”

“And say what? We can’t be too obvious about it—apparently Kindred Security reads through all the correspondence between the brides and their loved ones.”

Kat shook her head. “Worse and worse. It’s too bad you two don’t have some kind of freaky twin language like they do in the movies so you could tell her in code.” She looked at Sophie hopefully. “You don’t, do you?”

“No, I wish. I suppose I could try to tell her in a round-about way although I have no idea how.” Sophia sighed. “If only I could talk to her directly and warn her. Five minutes is all I’d need—five seconds might do the trick.”

“We talked about that—you know direct communication of any kind is not allowed during the claiming period,” Kat reminded her. “I’m sure the Kindred know that the bride seeing tearful holo-vids of her loved ones while the warrior who chose her tries to seduce her would be detrimental to their cause.”

“Well, I’ll just have to do the best I can.” Sophia straightened up. “I’ll write her a letter. I’ll just have to word it obliquely and hope the Kindred Security Team doesn’t get my references.”

“I can’t believe this Sylvan guy came right out and told you all this.” Kat shook her head.

“He acted like it wasn’t a big deal. Said we ought to realize they had more than one way of attracting a mate.” Sophie blew her nose.

“Other than being huge, muscular, and easy on the eyes. Right,” Kat said dryly.

Sophia sighed. “Well at any rate, this certainly explains why no one ever comes back after the claiming period is over. They’re too busy being seduced through their noses and having hot alien sex to want to go back to boring old Earth.” She looked at Kat sadly. “Do you think they’ll let us see her more than twice a year?”

“Come on now, Sophie, it might not be that bad.”

“Might not be that bad? I told you what he’s doing to her and she’s already asked me to send her all her sexiest clothes and underwear.”

“But she also told you not to worry,” Kat pointed out. “She wanted to reassure you that she’s staying strong.”

“For now,” Sophie said morosely. “But how can she possibly hold out for a whole month?”

“Maybe she doesn’t plan on being there a whole month.”

“But I thought you said the claiming period was thirty days—nonnegotiable.”

“It is—unless there’s a breach of contract.” Kat frowned speculatively. “I wouldn’t count Liv out just yet, Sophie. Your sister is a pretty tough cookie and I bet she has a plan. In fact, I’ll bet you a pitcher of margaritas that we’ll be seeing her again before her claiming period is up.”

“I hope you’re right.” Sophie sighed. “I really do.” But she couldn’t stop seeing the sympathy in Sylvan’s blue eyes when he’d told her that she should face the inevitable—that Olivia wasn’t coming back.

Chapter Fourteen

I hope you know what you’re doing, a little voice muttered in the back of Liv’s head as she studied herself in the full length mirror in the bathroom. The bag of sexy clothes and lingerie had arrived from Sophie days ago but she’d been too nervous to put her plan into action. However, the first week was almost up and time was running out. Tomorrow night she’d be sharing the bathing pool with one very large and lusty alien—if she didn’t manage to get away by then. So it was now or never.

She’d taken an extra long soak to try and calm her nerves and now it was time to get on with it. None of the things Sophie had sent were as fancy as the black lace nighty she’d been wearing when Baird first claimed her, but there were some fairly sexy pieces. Liv had a weakness for hot undies and liked the feel of silk and satin against her skin so there was plenty to choose from.

Tonight she’d chosen a reasonably demure silver-grey satin bra and panties set with a short, matching robe that brought out the color of her eyes and made her skin look extra creamy. However, she’d neglected to tie the robe very tightly—the plan was to let it fall open at a key moment—thus tempting Baird into touching her in a sexual way and breaching the contract.

Just the thought of those big, masculine hands touching and stroking her was enough to make Liv tremble. She just hoped she didn’t forget herself when he started and go too far. Of course, it would help if she knew exactly what too far was. What exactly was bonding sex and would she even know if they had it? She remembered Kat saying it was one step beyond traditional intercourse but how the hell did you go a step beyond having sex? She’d asked Baird for a copy of their contract but the dense legal language was too convoluted to make heads or tails of. It frustrated Liv to no end that she was able to decipher the most obscure medical lingo in a patient’s chart but that legalese made no sense to her.

Should have been a lawyer instead of a nurse, she told herself, positioning her breasts in the satin cups so that the top curve of her areolas was visible on either side. She didn’t want to make it too obvious what she was doing but at the same time, she wanted it to be effective. There was no point in strutting around in revealing underwear if it didn’t accomplish what she wanted it to.

Of course if the silver grey bra and panties set didn’t do the trick, she had other, naughtier outfits in the bag Sophie had sent up. But Liv hoped it didn’t come to that. It would be easier and better all the way around if Baird would just make a pass at her and get it over with.

Judging from the looks he’d been giving her for most of the week, it shouldn’t be too hard to get him to do just that. They’d been spending most of their time in the suite although he had taken her out several times for lunch and supper. There were several surprisingly good Earth restaurants and one of them served a very passable spicy tuna roll and a pretty good cucumber roll as well, not far from their end of the ship.

Liv had been surprised when Baird had signed them up for a sushi making class together after having tasted it for the first time. They had spent a very enjoyable afternoon learning just the right way to make the sticky sushi rice and how to roll it without having the filling come out the ends. Considering how big his hands were, Baird had been surprisingly adept at the delicate process and had claimed to enjoy the results immensely.

“Delicious, Lilenta,” he’d rumbled, starting in on his seventh or eight spicy tuna roll. “Reminds me of a dish we make on Rageron from the larvae of the t’liki bug.”

“Yummy,” Liv, who was still on her first roll, had murmured. “Bug larvae. Remind me to put that right at the top of my must-try list.”

“You should try it to be fair. Didn’t I try solidified cow squeezings for you?” Baird had reminded her.

“Yes, but cheese isn’t bugs,” Liv had objected, fighting not to grin. Despite their differences she couldn’t help liking the big warrior. Which was one thing that made what she was about to do now even harder.

It has to be done, she reminded herself grimly, taking one last look in the mirror and smoothing her hair. You have to get out of here while you still can—one way or another. It was true, despite fighting it as hard as she could, she was growing entirely too fond of Baird. Ever since their first night when he had warned her that she would soon want him as much as he wanted her, he had adopted a much lighter tone. He’d stopped talking about bonding her to him forever and had apparently decided to concentrate on being charming instead. Liv never would have believed that such an intensely alpha male could be light and playful but she had been seeing an entirely different side of Baird lately.

Aside from the sushi class, he’d also taken her to an alien petting zoo where she was able to see and touch animals that were native to the three home worlds of the Kindred and they’d been twice to the Kindred version of a movie theater where the seats were wired to make the viewer feel whatever was happening on the screen. He’d also taken her to a musical performance where the musicians played giant drums bigger than themselves and tiny flutes smaller than her pinky finger. The music had been surprisingly beautiful—the melodies sweet and haunting and Liv had been moved.

But it was the evenings they spent alone together in the suite that made Liv really believe she was in danger of feeling too much. Baird cooked for her—sometimes strange but delicious alien dishes and once Earth food, when she’d taught him how to make cheeseburgers. They ate in the dim, romantic light of some candle-like glow sticks he’d placed on the table and there was always very good wine or the potent fireflower juice to go with the meal. Liv was very careful not to over-imbibe because she needed every ounce of willpower she had to remember why she was holding out. For dessert Baird always made sure there was some kind of chocolate because he’d learned from his dreams how much she loved it.

Liv had been thinking lately that she might really be in trouble if she didn’t get away from him soon. If all he’d had going for him was his muscular good looks she could have resisted easily enough. But he was thoughtful too and endlessly interested in her—asking her all kinds of questions about her past and friends and family as well as people he’d seen while they were “dream-sharing” as he called it. Liv found herself talking to him like an old friend, actually feeling comfortable with him instead of being constantly on her guard.

She knew that Baird was actively wooing her, doing everything he could to earn her affection, but even knowing that couldn’t stop her from liking him. She had never been so ardently pursued in her life and she was finding that she actually liked it. Baird had taken her more places and paid her more attention in the past week than Mitch had for their entire relationship. It was intoxicating to always be the center of the big warrior’s attention, to know that he was focused exclusively on her needs and wants.

But attention and attraction aside, there was another factor that was making Liv desperate to get away. Just as he had predicted, the physical attraction she felt for Baird seemed to be growing exponentially. She only had to be in the same room with him for a minute or two, breathing in his warm, spicy scent, and she was instantly ready to jump his bones. The need was growing every day and Liv didn’t know how much longer she could fight it. This is crazy, she would tell herself as she tried to ignore the electrical spark she felt anytime their hands brushed or she touched him by accident. But she couldn’t deny the flare of sheer lust she felt at each accidental contact and she could see the same heat she felt burning in Baird’s golden eyes.

Even wearing her flannel nighty and granny panties to bed every night didn’t seem to help. She hadn’t had any more erotic dreams about him—thank goodness. But at night Liv lay in the dark beside him getting more and more overheated until she felt like she was going to cook in the over-warm fabric. She longed to strip off the restraining garments and lay naked across the big Kindred bed, feeling the cool sheets on her bare skin. But she knew if she did she would never go home because the cool sheets weren’t the only thing she yearned to feel caressing her flesh. How many times had she imagined having Baird’s hands on her, cupping her bare breasts, sliding down the trembling mound of her belly to stroke her swollen sex…

Which is exactly what he’s going to be able to do tomorrow if I don’t get out of here, Liv told herself sternly, cutting off the naughty fantasy just before it really got good. Which is why I have got to get out of here tonight!

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the living area of the suite. They hadn’t spent much time in this room but Baird was there now, lounging on the Kindred version of a couch. It was shaped pretty much like a normal sofa, but it was freaking huge and draped in a pale blue fuzzy blanket which she supposed must be the Kindred’s idea of fancy upholstery.

Baird was sprawled across it, wearing only a pair of long black sleep pants and staring broodingly into the greenish-blue flames flickering in the small round fireplace. Liv had never seen flames that particular color and she would have been mesmerized if his muscular chest wasn’t also on display. She felt the familiar tightening in her lower belly and tingling between her thighs. Damn it, why did he always affect her like this? Why couldn’t she fight it? She had to force herself not to stare at him as she walked casually into the room.

“Hi,” she said, giving him what she hoped was a flirtatious smile. “Room for two?”

“Sure, Lilenta.” He sat up and scooted over, leaving her a place to sit. “What happened to your other, uh, gown? Not that I’m complaining.”

“It was too hot.” Instead of heading for the couch, Liv moved over to stand in front of the fire.

“Beautiful,” she murmured, leaning down to peer into the small round fireplace. “I’ve never seen flames that color.” She was well aware that the hem of her short robe was riding up, giving him a glimpse of her ass. She just hoped it was having an effect on him.

“Comes from the fireflower plant—the same one we make the drink from. It’s native to Rageron.” The slightly strangled sound of his voice let Liv know her impromptu show was having the desired effect and she felt a quick stab of triumph.

“They’re lovely.” Turning from the fireplace, she sauntered over to him, putting a special little sway in her hips and giving him a seductive half smile. As planned, the sash of her robe came loose. By the time she got to the fuzzy blue sofa, it was hanging open, giving him a tantalizing look at her grey satin bra and panties.

“You’re lovely, Lilenta,” Baird growled softly. The hunger was back in his amber eyes, making her feel hot and cold all over. “That’s a helluva outfit.”

“This old thing?” Liv was embarrassed at being on display but she tried to remain cool as she settled herself beside him on the couch and felt the pale blue blanket connect with the skin of her thighs. “It’s just something I happened to throw on. I—Oh my God!” She shot up off the couch and somehow landed in Baird’s lap, grabbing his bare shoulders.

“What? What is it?” He looked at her anxiously. “Bebo bothering you again?”

“It wasn’t Bebo.” Liv’s heart was pounding as she stared at the innocent looking fuzzy blue blanket she’d just been sitting on. “It…it moved. It touched me—I felt it.”

“Of course it moved,” Baird said mildly. “It’s alive.”

“It’s what?” Liv demanded. “What is it? Some kind of plant—a moss blanket you use for covering furniture or something?” She supposed that the blue fuzz did look a little like vegetation.

“Nope. It’s an animal native to Tranq Prime. The residents there use it to keep warm—they have incredibly harsh winters that last for years.”

“An animal? Are you serious? We’re sitting on a live animal?” Liv felt her skin crawl.

“Well, I am, anyway. You appear to be sittin’ on me.” Baird gave her a lazy smile that made her stomach flutter and Liv suddenly realized she was on his lap with her arms around his neck. How had that happened? She could feel the hard planes of his chest pressed against her breasts and he was close enough to kiss. Oh no, don’t even go there, she scolded herself.

“Uh…” Liv laughed nervously. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to jump you like that.” She tried to get off his lap but he pulled her back down.

“What’s the rush, Lilenta?”

“I…I just…” The words wouldn’t come. Liv had been carefully avoiding getting too close to him for most of the week but now that she was in contact with him again, almost full body contact, whispered the naughty little voice in her head, she was finding it hard to think about anything but how good it felt to have his arms around her and how incredible he smelled.

“You just what?” Baird seemed mildly amused. “You just thought you’d come out here dressed in next to nothing and tease me?”

“I never thought that!” Liv felt a hot blush climbing her cheeks as she tried again to push away from him. Baird let her sit back a little but he kept her firmly planted in his lap.

“Of course you didn’t.” He made a show of looking her up and down, his hot golden gaze taking in everything from the way she was nearly falling out of the grey satin bra cups to the skimpy satin panties that completed the set. “You know, Olivia, I can only think of two reasons you would wear something like this. One, you’ve finally decided to give in and let me bond you.”

Liv’s throat finally unlocked. “What’s option number two?” she asked, wishing her voice didn’t sound so squeaky.

Baird’s eyes hardened. “Two would be that you thought you could come out here, flash a little skin and then get me on breach of contract and improper touching when I went for you. You think you’re the first bride to have that idea? Hate to break it to you, Lilenta, but it’s been done before to other Kindred. I was wondering when you were going to try it.”

“I…I would never…” Liv was mortified that he had seen through her plan so easily.

Baird frowned. “Oh no? Then I guess you just like putting on a show for me, hmm?”

“Maybe I was just hot and wanted to wear something cool and comfortable for a change without having to worry about you making stupid remarks or staring at me,” Liv snapped.

“You’re forgetting that we dream shared for six months, Lilenta. I know how you dress when you want to be comfortable. You wear one of those big, oversized night shirts that goes down to your knees and your old pink wrap thing and those slippers with long ears and animal faces on them.”

“I don’t have my pink bathrobe and bunny slippers with me,” Liv protested.

“No, but you could have asked your sister to send them up. Instead, you asked for this.” Baird’s gaze ran hungrily over the open robe and the grey satin bra, displaying the rounded tops of her breasts. “This is not the kind of outfit you put on if you don’t want to be stared at, Lilenta.”

“It doesn’t matter what I wear, you always stare at me,” she accused.

“Because I can’t help myself,” he growled. “Because you’re so fuckin’ beautiful and you won’t let me touch you even though I can tell by your scent you want me to.”

“Don’t start with the scent thing again—why are smells so important to you?” Liv demanded, wishing she could get away from him, from the cage of his big, muscular arms. .

One corner of his mouth curved up. “They’re important to you too—or they should be. They have a lot to do with the way we choose our brides, and the way our brides react to us. My scent helps your body recognize me as your mate the same way your scent let me know you were the one for me. It confirmed everything I’d learned about you during our dream-sharing.”

“Thanks for the Kindred biology lesson,” she snapped, struggling to be free. “Now will you please let me go?”

“When I’m good and ready. He frowned. “And before you scream breach of contract, remember that I am allowed to hold you—I just haven’t been doing it because you were so obviously afraid of me.”

“Are we seriously back to that again?” Liv put a hand on her hip and glared at him. “For the last time, I am not afraid of you or the way you make me feel.”

“Prove it.” There was an undeniable challenge in his eyes. “What’s that human expression? Put your currency where your oral cavity is.”

Liv didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated. “It’s ‘put your money where your mouth is.’ And how am I supposed to prove it?” She had stopped struggling—it was useless. And besides, she had an idea that the way she was shifting all over his lap when she tried to get away was causing him a lot more pleasure than pain. The hot, hard lump she could feel nudging her bottom through his black sleep pants told her that much.

“Kiss me.”

“You already kissed me—back when you first brought me up to the suite. How is that going to prove anything?” Liv was exasperated. Exasperated and hot and confused and a lot more turned on than she wanted to admit.

“Right. I kissed you. But if you’re really not afraid of me or your reaction to me, then you should be able to kiss me with no problem. Right?” He gave her a predatory grin that made Liv distinctly nervous.

“That’s true,” she said even though she knew it wasn’t. “But I’m still not going to kiss you unless you can give me a better reason than that.”

“How about because I won’t let you go until you do? C’mon, Lilenta—just one kiss. And if you can honestly tell me it does nothing for you I’ll let you up and won’t bother you the rest of the night.”

“This is blackmail, you know.” She wanted to be outraged but the fact was that the longer she was in his lap, the less she wanted to leave it. Even now she was trying to keep herself stiff and unyielding but all she wanted to do was melt against him and let him touch her…take her. Hell, let him do anything he wanted. Oh, I am in so much trouble here!

“Call it what you want but if you want off my lap, you’ll take the challenge. Otherwise I’m completely within my rights to hold you like this all night.”

“All night?” Liv was horrified. She didn’t think she could last another ten minutes, let alone hours of being so close to the big Kindred warrior.

Baird raised an eyebrow as though he knew just what she was thinking—as though he knew how close to the edge she was. “Go ahead—I’ll just sit here. I swear I won’t touch you. I’ll just let you kiss me.”

“You’ll let me, huh? Aren’t you just too kind,” Liv grumbled but she already knew she was going to do it. At this point it seemed safer to give him a quick kiss than to stay in his arms any longer. She could feel herself getting hotter, her heart racing, her pulse pounding. She needed to get away from him fast and go take a cold shower—or sit on a big block of ice or do anything to cool off and forget how much she liked being near him.

“Well?” Baird caught her gaze with his and the challenge in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Fine,” she snapped. “But no funny business or I will claim breach of contract and I’ll be out of here so fast it’ll make your head spin.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He smiled at her. “Come on, Lilenta—kiss me.”

Just one quick kiss. Wishing she didn’t feel like her heart was about to pound right out of her chest, Liv braced her hands on his massive bare shoulders and leaned in. She thought about keeping her eyes open but at the last minute his golden gaze was too intense and she shut them quickly. Just a quick kiss, she told herself. But not too quick—she didn’t want him to think she was afraid. Even though she was absolutely terrified.

She brushed his lips with hers, a gentle feather-light touch that was reminiscent of the first kiss they’d shared, the one he’d given her during their claiming ceremony. She heard a low rumble of pleasure in response but Baird didn’t kiss her back right away though she could feel the tension in his big body. He was letting her take the lead—giving her control of the situation and it was surprisingly erotic.

Feeling braver and forgetting she’d intended to end this quickly, Liv kissed him again. This time she tilted her head to fit their mouths for more contact. His lips were full and surprisingly soft. When she parted her own lips and lapped at them gently, they tasted of cinnamon and that strange, delicious alien spice she couldn’t quite name.

Baird still didn’t kiss her back but he parted his lips invitingly and, to her surprise, Liv found herself taking him up on the invitation. His mouth was hot and wet and luscious and she found she was exploring him delicately with her tongue, tasting and testing, learning him, kissing him as though she never wanted to stop.

And then, at last, Baird kissed back. He pulled her close, positioning her so that she straddled his hips, and ran his big, warm hands up and down her back. Sucking her tongue gently, he pressed up against her until Liv felt like she was floating on a cloud of pure lust. She could feel the hard ridge of his cock through his black sleep pants and her thin satin panties, could feel him pressing against her, opening her and spreading her pussy lips to rub against her throbbing clit. And it wasn’t just that Baird was thrusting up to meet her—she was grinding herself against him, gripping his shoulders and working herself on him shamelessly as the pleasure built higher and higher inside her. Her nipples were so hard they hurt and she couldn’t remember ever feeling so wet and ready.

God, if we don’t stop soon I’m going to come…come so hard! The thought finally snapped her back to herself and Liv forced herself to wrench away from the addictive kiss.

“Stop!” she gasped, panting. “Stop, I…we have to stop.”

“Why, Lilenta?” Baird’s voice was soft and deep, his eyes glowing gold and half lidded with lust. “Because you’re afraid if we don’t stop now you won’t want to stop at all?”

“No, just because…because I did what you asked. So now you have to let me up.”

Baird frowned. “Actually, the deal was that I would let you up if you could honestly say that kissing me didn’t affect you.”

“It didn’t, okay? So let me up now.”

His eyes narrowed, showing a different kind of heat. “You’re lying.”

“How would you know?” Liv snapped, wondering if it was possible to die of sexual frustration.

“For one thing your heart is beating twice as quickly as normal.”

Liv put a hand to her chest. “You can hear my heart?”

He nodded. “Your pulse is racing. Your skin is flushed and sensitive.” He trained a fingertip over her collarbone and Liv bit back a moan at the light touch. “Not to mention your scent—you’re practically in heat, Lilenta.”

“There you go with the scent again. Do you really expect me to believe you can tell I’m…uh, hot and bothered just by the way I smell?”

“Believe it,” he said flatly. “If you were to go out of the suite right now you’d have about a hundred Kindred males comin’ on to you before you got to the end of the corridor.”

“I would?” Liv bit her lip, trying not to imagine being suddenly accosted by a hundred men, all of Baird’s impressive size and build. She would never survive such an ordeal. “But…but wouldn’t they know I was, uh, already taken? That you had already claimed me?”

He frowned. “Unfortunately not. At this point you don’t have nearly enough of my scent on you to scare off another male.”

“But how can that be? We’re together all the time. We even sleep in the same bed.” Liv blushed, remembering how hard it had been for her lately not to reach out to him as they were lying together in the huge bed at night.

“Together but not touching,” Baird growled. “I’d have to be rubbing against you a hell of a lot more than I am now—and with a hell of a lot fewer clothes on.”

“You…you would?” Liv felt her heart knocking against her ribs again as the mental image of the two of them, completely naked and pressed together in the big bed, entered her head and refused to leave.

Baird nodded. “You can’t see them but Kindred have scent glands all over their bodies—mostly in the face and groin area. One of the ways we claim a mate is to scent mark her—but that’s pretty hard to do when the woman I want to claim won’t let me touch her.”

“I told you I don’t want to be claimed.” Liv could hear the tremble in her voice but she forced herself to meet his eyes. “I left too much back on Earth to forget about just because you want me as your mate, Baird.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You want to fight it ‘til the end? That’s fine with me, Lilenta. We’ll call it a draw tonight. But you want to remember one thing—tomorrow is the beginning of the second week—our bathing week—so we’ll be sharing the bathing pool every night. And I’ll be allowed to touch you—touch you and make you come.”

“You can’t…you wouldn’t.” Liv felt like she was melting inside. She didn’t know whether to be horrified or intensely aroused by his words.

“The hell I wouldn’t. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms and hear you moan while you come for me.” He gave her a wolfish grin. “The only thing better than that would be going down on you until you come all over my face—but of course that’s for week three, our tasting week.”

Liv honestly felt faint. Tasting week? Was he serious? She’d been so determined to find out what bonding sex entailed that she’d forgotten to be worried about what came directly before it. Better settle down and worry about getting through the second week before you freak out about the third one, a practical little voice in her brain advised. But she was incapable of settling down—at least, not while she was so close to him.

“Just…just let me go,” she said, hating the breathless sound of her voice.

His eyes glowed like melted gold. “Not until you admit our kiss affected you.”

“I already told you, it didn’t,” she whispered through numb lips.

He raised an eyebrow. “So if I touched you right now, if I shredded those soft little panties you have on, you wouldn’t be even a little bit wet?”

Liv squirmed uncomfortably. “That…that’s none of your business.”

“Oh no?” Baird slid one large hand between her spread thighs and cupped her mound. “I’m afraid you’re wrong, Olivia. You’re my bride and it is my business.”

“You…you’re not supposed to be touching me,” she protested. Had her heart been beating fast before? It was going triple time now and all he’d done was cup her lightly. But just the heat of his hand was enough to make her feel swollen and hot and out of control.

“No touching under the clothes,” he reminded her. “But I’m not touching you under your clothes, Lilenta. And don’t worry—I won’t. I don’t have to in order to prove my point.”

“Your…your point?” It was getting harder and harder to think when she wanted him so badly. No, I don’t want him. I don’t! But she was lying to herself and she knew it.

“My point that the kiss we shared a minute ago made you hot and wet and ready for me.” He looked at her sternly, his eyes burning into her. “Admit it, Olivia. Admit it and I’ll let you go. If you don’t…” He let the sentence trail off ominously.

“If I don’t, what?” Liv lifted her chin, determined to stay strong even though she felt like she was melting from the waist down.

“If you don’t I’ll have no choice but to prove it. And if you make me prove it, I won’t stop until you come—panties or no panties in the way.” His deep voice was a low lustful growl that sent shivers through her entire body. But still Liv wasn’t willing to give in.

Forcing herself to meet his eyes she whispered, “Go ahead—I’m not afraid.”

“You should be.” Pulling her down, he kissed her long and hard before releasing her. “So you’re not hot, huh? Kissing me didn’t do a damn thing for you?”

Before Liv could answer one long, thick finger was pressing against the crotch of her grey satin panties. Sitting as she was, spread out on his lap with her thighs wide, her pussy was already open and vulnerable and Baird obviously knew it. With unerring accuracy he pressed between her spread pussy lips, finding the tender bud of her clit which was throbbing behind the thin panel of satin.

Liv opened her mouth to protest and let out a moan instead. God, how did he know just how to touch her? And why couldn’t she resist the pleasure he gave her?

Baird was staring at her hungrily, drinking in her reaction. “If you’re not hot, why can I feel your heat when I touch you?” he growled softly. “If you’re not hot, why are your panties soaked with your cunt honey? And most of all…” His finger continued working against her, sliding over her swollen clit as he spoke. “Why is your pussy open and ready for me?”

“I…it’s the way I’m sitting,” Liv protested, biting back another moan as the pleasure inside her mounted.

Baird shook his head. “No—that’s not enough to explain the state you’re in. Look at this…” He stopped touching her for a minute and pointed to the crotch of her panties which, Liv saw with shame, were now dark with her juices. “Look at how swollen your pussy lips are,” he said, tracing them lightly with his fingertip and making her shiver. “Look at the way they’re spread open, exposing your hot little clit.” His finger glided over the sensitive bundle of nerves, clearly outlined by the damp satin, making Liv cry out involuntarily.

“Baird,” she moaned. “Please…”

He ignored her plea. “Forget about your heart rate and scent for a minute—you don’t get in this state, with your pussy so wet and ready and open without needing to be fucked. And that’s exactly what you need right now, whether you want to admit it or not, Olivia.”

“I…no. No,” she denied but he nodded his head slowly.

“Oh, yes. You need my cock here.” His hand slid down and suddenly two thick fingers were pressing against the panel of her panties, right over her entrance. “You need me inside you.” Baird held her gaze with his own as the fingers pressed inward, pushing the thin satin inside her pussy, entering her and making her gasp and grip his shoulders for support. At the same time, the broad pad of his thumb began rubbing over her clit, pushing the pleasure inside her to the limit and beyond.

This time there was no stopping herself. An orgasm so sharp it left her breathless rushed through her. Liv’s back arched and she bucked against the invading fingers. But my panties are still in the way. So he’s not breaking the rules but oh God… For a moment coherent thought left her and all she could do was gasp and moan as the pleasure spiked inside her. Closing her eyes, she let it, unable to fight any longer as the orgasm ravaged her body.

At last she felt his hand withdraw and she opened her eyes to look at him. Their gazes locked and a mixture of emotions passed over his chiseled features. Lust, need, sorrow, anger, and something that looked almost like despair. “I’m sorry I had to do that.” His voice was rough. “But I wouldn’t have had to if you’d just admitted what you feel—what we both feel.”

“I…” Liv bit he bottom lip and shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Baird, but I can’t be yours.”

He sighed, obviously frustrated. “Gods, you’re enough to drive a male crazy.”

“I could say the same thing.” Taking a deep breath she tried to regain her composure. “So I guess nothing you did just now qualifies as a breach of contract.”

He shook his head. “Afraid not.”

“So…so you could have been….been, uh, touching me this way for the entire past week?”

Slowly, he nodded.

“But…then why didn’t you?” Liv blurted. “I mean, not that I want you to but you keep telling me how much you want to…to…”

A look of sorrow passed over his face. “I didn’t want you to fear me.” Opening his arms, he finally let her scramble off his lap. “Go, Lilenta, you’re free. For now.”

With a last, backwards glance, Liv fled into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

Her heart was still pounding and her breathing was erratic. Worst of all, she was incredibly confused. It had seemed so straightforward back on Earth when he first claimed her—go up to the ship and do her time while resisting him completely. But how was she supposed to do that after the way he’d just touched her? After that look in his eyes when he’d said he didn’t want her to be afraid of him? Everything had been so much simpler when he was just the big bad wolf who wanted to eat her up. Somehow, he seemed to be more than that now. Much more.

Not to mention when he touches me I lose control. And tomorrow there won’t be any clothes at all between us.

Oh God, what was she going to do?

Baird leaned back on the couch and sighed. Gods, he’d expected her to try something like this at the beginning of the week when she’d first had her sister send up the bag of revealing clothing. But not now. Not when they’d been getting so close and enjoying each other’s company so much. To know that she still wanted to get away from him so badly hurt—hurt like hell.

“Bebo,” he growled and the little zicther came waddling over and grunted inquiringly. “Fetch the Think-me,” Baird told his pet. “You know where I hid it, right?”

Bebo snorted in ascent and scuttled off. When he returned he was holding a thin circlet made of silver wire carefully between his sharp teeth.

“Good boy.” Baird scratched the little creature behind his round, fluffy ears and Bebo closed his eyes and made a pleased humming sound. “Sorry things have been so crazy around here lately, buddy,” Baird muttered. “Hopefully they’ll settle down soon.” If Olivia would just accept that we belong together and let down her guard. But of course, that was what he’d thought she was doing for the entire week when he was working so hard to win her over. Instead, she’d been plotting to try and trick her way off the ship. And away from me, Baird ruefully acknowledged.

With a sigh he settled the thin silver wire around his temples, closed his eyes and concentrated. “Hey Sylvan, you up?”

“I am now,” came the grumpy reply. His half brother’s mind voice sounded irritated and sleepy. “What do you want?”

“Forget it. Sorry I bothered you.” Baird started to break the connection but Sylvan’s voice stopped him.

“No, wait a minute. I’m sorry, you just woke me up and I was having the strangest dream.”

“Care to share?”

“Not particularly. So why are you bespeaking me in the middle of the night?”

“It’s Olivia—she…ah, hell. She tried to pull a fast one. Came out here in this incredible little slinky outfit and I’m pretty sure she was trying to get me on breach of contract.”

“So that’s what all those flimsy undergarments her sister sent her were for. I wondered.” Sylvan sounded thoughtful.

“It’s just…I thought I was getting through to her. We’ve been having a helluva good time this week and I thought she was as into it as I was. That she was really enjoying herself and letting down her guard.”

“Maybe she was. Maybe she was beginning to feel for you and it scared her. Isn’t tomorrow the start of your bathing week?”

“Yeah, it is. I’ll finally get to touch her.”

“She hasn’t even been letting you touch her? You’ve at least been holding her at night, haven’t you?” Sylvan sounded incredulous.

Baird shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “Ah, hell…she’s scared, you know? I can feel it comin’ off her in waves. I just didn’t want to make it worse.”

“You have to bathe her tomorrow night, though,” Sylvan pointed out. “If you don’t touch her during the bathing week it’s as much a breach of contract as if you do touch her sexually without permission during the holding week.”

“You think I don’t know that? Damn it, Sylvan—it’s killing me! I want her so much and I can tell she wants me too. Her scent tells me she’s ripe as hell but she’s just not ready yet.”

“She may never be ready. I told you how she feels about losing her sister. Which reminds me—did you tell her about the mating scent? I mean, really spell it out for her?”

Baird frowned. “I tried. She wasn’t very interested though—at that point she was just trying to get away from me.”

“So you did hold her.”

“For awhile. Just wanted to make her admit what she was feeling—not that she would. I tell you, brother, it’s hell to want a woman so badly and know she wants you too but she won’t let you in.”

“Yet another reason I’m glad I vowed never to call a bride,” Sylvan said dryly.

“Yeah, lucky you—I’m about to go crazy over here. The Scourge has nothing on Olivia when it comes to torture.”

“You don’t really mean that.”

Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “No, not really. It’s just incredibly frustrating. When I can smell how ready she is and see the way my touch affects her and she still won’t admit it…It’s making me crazy.”

“She’ll have to admit it tomorrow night,” Sylvan pointed out. “She won’t have a choice. But, Baird, you’d probably better take things slowly. If she’s still so dead set against letting you bond her, your first bathing could be a traumatic experience.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. You think I’d be rough with her? Think I’d do anything to hurt her? Hell, Sylvan, I’d give my life for her.”

“I know you would.” Sylvan’s voice was soothing. “But I know you, Baird—you’re all fire.”

“And you’re all ice,” Baird responded. “All you damn Tranqs are. Sorry I can’t be as cold blooded and level headed as you, brother, but I love her. And I don’t want to lose her.”

“You won’t. From what you’ve told me your mating scent is already working on her. No female can resist that.”

“That’s not quite true,” Baird pointed out and then wished he’d kept silent.

There was a long mental silence and then Sylvan said, “You’re right. There are a few that can resist.”

Baird winced. Damn it, why did he have to bring up his brother’s past pain when Sylvan was trying to help him? “Look, Sylvan, I didn’t mean—”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” Sylvan’s mental voice was brisk but Baird knew that some pain didn’t fade with the passage of time. He cursed himself again for hurting his brother.

“Sylvan—”

“It’s late, Baird. Did you need anything else?”

“No.”

“Good night then. And good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.”

Baird felt the connection break on his brother’s end. With a sigh, he slipped the think-me off and twirled the thin sliver wire circlet around one finger as he thought. Sylvan was right about one thing—Olivia was going to have a hard time tomorrow night. She didn’t want to accept what she felt for him, didn’t want to accept that her body needed his. But if he didn’t touch her, didn’t bathe her as the contract required, he could lose her. I can’t do that. I need her too much. And she needs me too if only she’d admit it, damn it!

Sighing, Baird took the Think-me back to its hiding place under Bebo’s second favorite cushion and ran both hands through his thick black hair in frustration. What was it going to take to make Olivia see that they needed each other? How could he make her admit she wanted him as much as he wanted her? He had no idea and with the first week already down, he was running out of time.

Chapter Fifteen

Liv looked over the letter again, frowning. It was from Sophie and it had just arrived for her, although her sister had dated it much earlier in the week. Liv wasn’t sure whether it had been held up by Kindred security or just delayed at the HKR building but she couldn’t imagine anyone would find anything subversive in it. To the casual reader, it wouldn’t have seemed like much—some gossip, a few inside jokes and Sophie urging her to stay strong. It was the PS at the bottom of the letter that gave Liv pause. In her looping, feminine script, Sophie had written, Be careful, Liv—a rose by any other name would NOT smell as sweet. Love stinks so hold your nose.

It just made no sense. What was her twin talking about? Clearly it was meant to be a warning but of what? Liv wasn’t getting it but it gave her an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. If only she could talk to Sophie face to face for a moment she was sure she could get an answer. But, as Baird had reminded her, direct communication with her loved ones back on Earth was expressly forbidden during the claiming period.

Of course, Sophie’s letter wasn’t the only thing that was making her nervous. It was almost time to take her first bath with Baird and Liv was almost frightened out of her wits. The big warrior had been silent all day—brooding. No doubt he was thinking about how she’d tried to fool him and was feeling angry and betrayed.

What is he going to do to me? The thought that had been lurking at the back of her brain all day and now it barged right up to the front and demanded to be examined. She didn’t really think that Baird would hurt her but there were other ways than pain to take revenge. Sexual ways…

Liv wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She was sitting on the edge of the big bed she shared with Baird every night contemplating the coming bath and she didn’t even know what to wear. She’d been lounging around in jeans and a t-shirt all day but that obviously wasn’t going to cut it tonight. Does it matter? You’re just going to be taking off whatever you put on, whispered the annoying little voice in her brain.

“Shut up,” Liv muttered. “It’s going to be all right—he’s just going to wash me, that’s all.” Right—wash her and touch her and run his big, warm hands all over her body…God! She could feel herself tingling all over at the vivid mental image and the almost Pavlovian response of her body made her mad. Damn it, why did the big Kindred bastard have to be so hard to resist? Why couldn’t she stop wanting him?

Want him or not you have to resist tonight, she reminded herself. If you ever want to see Sophie and Kat and have a life of your own back on Earth, you can’t give in, no matter how good it feels. Right. Not a problem—as long as she could control her raging hormones while he was doing his level best to get into her panties. But oh wait—she wasn’t even going to be wearing any panties. Great. Just great. Liv sighed.

“Are you all right, Lilenta?” Baird’s deep voice coming from the doorway startled her so much she jumped.

“God, don’t sneak up on me like that,” she scolded. And then she saw he had something in his hands. “What’s that?”

“A bathing robe.” He held it out to her. It was a deep crimson red and its outer surface was made of some thick silky material that reminded Liv of satin. On the inside it was lined with a soft looking fur. “Will you wear it?” he asked.

Liv had a sudden flash of hope. “Am I supposed to wear it in the pool?”

He frowned. “Afraid not. You’re going to be naked in the bathing pool. We both are.”

Liv had expected as much but she still couldn’t quite keep the dismay out of her voice. “Why bother with a special robe at all if I’m just going to have to take it off? If I’m just going to have to…have to get naked so you can grope me?” she demanded.

Baird looked frustrated. “Because this is about more than just getting you naked and groping you. It’s a ceremony—a very old and beautiful one.” His voice got softer. “And I’d like to honor it with you if you’ll let me, Lilenta.”

“I…don’t know what to say.” Liv nibbled her lower lip nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to disrespect your culture. It’s just…I know you’re mad at me—”

“I’m not angry with you.” Baird interrupted softly. “I’m sad because you can’t let yourself feel for me what I feel for you. I’m sorry you still want to get away so badly. And of course I’m frustrated because I want you so damn much and you’re determined not to let me have you. But angry? No. The only fault here is mine—I’ve been pushing you too much, trying too hard and for that, I’m sorry.”

Liv gave a shaky laugh. “Wow—a guy who actually talks about his feelings and takes the blame when we have a fight.” He’d be freaking perfect if he didn’t come with so much damn alien baggage.

“Everything is a fight with you.” But the soft tone in his deep voice didn’t match the angry words. “I wish it didn’t have to be like that, Lilenta. Wish you could give yourself to me and let me care for you.”

Liv felt her throat grow tight. “I told you before, Baird, I just can’t do that. There are people I love back on Earth—things I want to accomplish.”

He nodded. “So be it. One thing I’ll give you, Lilenta, you’re a worthy opponent.”

Liv almost laughed. “You sound like it’s some kind of contest.”

“It is.” Baird’s voice was perfectly serious. “You’re determined not to admit what’s between us and I’m determined you will.”

“So who’s winning?” Liv crossed her arms over her chest.

He arched one black eyebrow at her. “We’ll see after tonight. But for now, I’d like to put that aside for awhile.”

“What? How can I possibly put it aside when we’re about to take a bath together?”

“This is more than a bath—it’s a symbolic gesture.”

“A gesture of what?” Liv still didn’t know if she was buying all this but Baird seemed perfectly serious.

Sighing, he came and sat on the edge of the bed. Liv had jumped up when he first entered the room but when he patted the thick gel mattress with one hand, she reluctantly settled down beside him.

“Long before the Kindred ever reached the stars or found our first trade planet, the females of our kind were already very scarce,” he began in a low voice. “They were as precious and rare as beautiful gems and any male lucky enough to win one as his bride and mate knew he had been given a gift of incalculable worth.”

“Did the women get to pick, back then?” Liv was interested despite herself.

Baird shook his head. “It’s not a matter of males or females picking and choosing, Lilenta. When a male finds his bride and their minds align, the decision has already been taken out of both their hands. But on the Kindred home world, a female would sometimes align with more than one male.”

“That must have been, uh, really awkward.”

“It was more than that—Kindred males will fight to the death for the right to keep their brides. Our people were being decimated and some feared we would die out before we could solve our problems. That’s how the claiming period was born. When a male aligned with a female, he would claim the right to be with her and he had four weeks in order to prove he was the right mate for her and convince her to bond with him.”

Liv was surprised. “So this whole month-long ordeal isn’t just something you guys made up to get unwilling Earth girls up to the ship?”

Baird shook his head. “It is a tradition that has been passed down for generations. If, in the course of four weeks—the holding week, the bathing week, the tasting week, and the bonding week—the male could convince his chosen bride that she should bond with him, they were mated for life.”

“I have a question about that,” Liv said. “Why divide the weeks up like that? I mean, I get that the name of the week tells you what you can…can do to me, uh, to your bride and when. But why name the fourth week the bonding week? I mean, what if the woman you’ve chosen decides not to have bonding sex with you? What can you do then?”

Baird raised an eyebrow and gave her a long look. “The bonding week is the week when I can legally make love to you, Lilenta.”

“But…but I thought you couldn’t…couldn’t do that to me, that you couldn’t have bonding sex with me until I agreed to it,” Liv protested.

“I can’t. Just as I can’t do any of the other things proscribed by the four weeks until their proper time. Unless you give me permission to do them early.” His eyes gleamed. “But make no mistake about it, Olivia, on the fourth week, I am allowed to enter you and fill you with my shaft. And if you can feel the intimate connection between our bodies and minds night after night and still refuse to have bonding sex with me, well…then you’re free to go.”

Liv felt like her heart had stopped beating for a moment. “So we’re actually going to—you’re going to be in me?” God, what else can he do? What can bonding sex be if he’s already allowed to do that? But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“Those are the terms of the contract,” Baird said. “Although you can allow me to make love with you and bond you earlier if you wish. I understand that many Earth brides don’t wait the entire four weeks to make that decision.” His voice was soft and deep and his eyes wouldn’t leave hers.

“That’s not going to happen.” Liv wished her voice wasn’t shaking so much. She dropped her eyes. “What happened in the old days if a male couldn’t convince a female to bond with him?”

If he couldn’t…” Baird shrugged his broad shoulders. “She was allowed to leave him and allow her mind to align with another male. Of course, the weeks on the Kindred home planet were about the length of one of your Earth years, so a male had considerably longer to convince his bride they ought to stay together.”

“Wow.” Liv didn’t know what to say. Here she was worried about holding out for one month and Baird was telling her that the original Kindred brides had had to withstand the blatantly sexual claiming period for four years. “That’s…a long time,” she managed at last.

“Not nearly long enough to be with the woman you love.” Baird caught her gaze with his own until Liv bit her lip and looked away. “Of course, in time traditions grew up around each week,” he continued. “During the holding week a male keeps his bride safe in the circle of his arms and holds her close to prove he can protect her from any danger that might come.” He looked at her steadily. “I wanted to do that for you, Lilenta, but I didn’t want to scare you away or frighten you—any more than you already were, anyway.”

Liv started to deny her fear as she had from the start but something made her stop. It was true—she was afraid of Baird. Of what he represented, of everything and everyone she could lose if she let herself fall into his arms and never look back. Instead she said quietly, “Go on.”

“During the bathing week, a Kindred male cares for and pampers his bride by worshiping her body,” he continued in a low voice. “He washes her hair and bathes and massages and oils her to show her what their life will be like together if she consents to bond with him. The care he takes with her symbolizes how precious she is to him, how beautiful and perfect he finds her.”

Liv cleared her throat. “Sounds, ah…intense.”

“It can be.” Baird gave her a serious look. “Although I hear some females find it most relaxing to be bathed and pampered. Don’t you Earth women go to special places for it?”

“Uh, you mean like a spa? Sure, I guess.” Liv shrugged uncomfortably. “But usually the emphasis there is on relieving stress and the attendants are all very professional and impersonal.”

One corner of Baird’s full mouth twitched. “Afraid I can’t promise you that, Lilenta.”

“I didn’t think so,” Liv mumbled. She tried to imagine a spa staffed with Kindred warriors waiting to bathe and massage the women who came there and thought that it would probably be sold out for years in advance. And here she had her very own ticket for the Kindred spa treatment and she would have done anything to give it away if she could. “God,” she muttered. “This is going to be really interesting.”

“Look at me, Lilenta.” Baird lifted her chin gently, forcing her to look into his amber eyes. “Is my touch really so distasteful to you?” he asked softly.

Liv bit her lip. “You know it’s not,” she said at last, deciding not to bother with a lie. “You pretty much said you can tell how I feel when you…when you touch me.”

“I can smell your arousal, yes.” He nodded. “Then why do you have to fight me every step of the way?”

Liv felt frustrated. “You know why—I told you why. I can’t let myself relax with you because I’m afraid if I do I’ll go too far and let you…let you bond me. Whatever that means, exactly.” She still wasn’t sure but she was damned if she’d ask Baird for an explanation. It was embarrassing enough to hear him explain the holding and bathing weeks and tell her what he would be allowed to do to her at the end of the month, let alone hearing a detailed account of what bonding sex entailed.

He was still looking at her intently and his fingers were warm under her chin. “What if I promised not to bond you to me tonight—no matter what you say?”

Liv looked at him in surprise. “You’d do that? Promise me that? But I thought your whole goal was to get me tied to you as soon as possible.”

“There is that urge, yes,” Baird admitted. “It’s an instinct every Kindred male has because of our past. But I’m willing not to act on it tonight—hell, for the entire week—if it’ll make you feel better.”

“It really would,” Liv admitted. In fact she was so relieved she almost felt weak. But she still didn’t understand why Baird was making this offer. “I appreciate that you’re willing to, uh, put our contest, as it were, aside for a week,” she said cautiously. “But I guess I still don’t understand why you would.”

“I don’t want you to feel forced into anything. Not by me and not by the way your body reacts to mine.” Baird leaned down and brushed her lips gently with his own.

Liv’s heart stuttered in her chest. “God…” she whispered.

“I want you to care for me, Olivia. Care for me the way I care for you,” he breathed. “And I want you to be able to enjoy what I do for you without fear.” He pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes. “So what do you say? Will you try to relax and honor the bathing ceremony with me if I promise not to bond you to me no matter what?”

“For this entire week?” Liv asked, wanting to be sure.

He nodded. “It’ll kill me but yes—I swear on my honor as a warrior that I won’t have bonding sex with you no matter what you may do or say for the entire bathing week.” He flashed a wolfish grin. “Of course, after that, all bets are off. But if I can’t make you want to bond with me during the tasting week, I don’t deserve to have you.”

Liv felt a flash of heat run through her and looked away from his intense golden gaze quickly. “Fine. We’ll take it a week at a time,” she said, wishing her heart would slow down. But it was racing, as it always did when he touched her—kissed her. As if sensing her wish, Baird gave her one last soft kiss and then stood up.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed now. Just wear the robe and nothing else. Come to the bathing pool when you’re ready.” He dropped the robe in a soft crimson heap in her lap and gave her one last burning look. “I’ll be waiting for you, Lilenta.”

Baird waited by the bathing pool, wondering how long it would take Olivia to get up the nerve to come to him. He couldn’t wait to see her in the dark red bathing gown, couldn’t wait to see it fall to the floor and reveal her to him naked for the first time. Of course, he had seen her undressed often enough while they were dream-sharing. Watching her take her morning shower and evening bath had been some of his favorite parts of the dreams. But to actually see her in the flesh and know that he could touch her this time…just the thought made him almost painfully hard.

Hope she can relax enough to let herself enjoy this, he thought, as he paced beside the pool. He’d hated like hell that she was so scared of him, of the way he made her feel. It was one of the things that had motivated him to promise not to bond her for the entire week. In that, he was taking a big gamble and Baird knew it. Every instinct he had screamed at him to make her his as quickly as possible but he forced himself to remember Sylvan’s advice. He had to take things slowly—rushing would only scare Olivia away. After all, the ultimate decision to bond with him or not was hers and right now she was dead set against it. Baird had to be sure he gave her a damn good reason to change her mind. He hoped that by taking away her fear of bonding, at least for a week, he could get her to relax and enjoy the pleasure he couldn’t wait to give her. If he could just make her realize how right they were together, how much they needed each other—

“I’m ready.”

Olivia’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts and Baird stopped pacing and looked up to see her standing there in the long red bathing gown. She looked beautiful and frightened and defiant all at once and he felt his heart squeeze in his chest at the sight of her. Gods, he wanted so much to make this good for her! To pleasure her and make her come over and over until she was finally at peace in his arms. Slowly, he reminded himself again. Slowly.

“You look lovely, Lilenta,” he murmured, his voice slightly hoarse with need. It was true—the dark red of the gown made her hair look like honey and brought out the clear grey of her eyes.

“Thanks.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Uh—what’s next?”

“Now we get in the pool but first we have to get undressed.”

“All right.” She started to pull at the sash on the robe, clearly just wanting to get it over with, but Baird stepped forward and stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“I’m supposed to go first, Lilenta.”

“Oh. Okay, sorry.” She looked intensely uncomfortable and Baird wished he could put her at ease. Unfortunately seeing him naked probably wasn’t going to have that effect. Slowly, trying not to startle her, he pushed down the black sleep pants which were all he was wearing. Then he rose and stood in front of her in a relaxed posture, giving her time to look.

Olivia’s gaze flicked over his body, marking his shoulders and chest and the flat planes of his abdomen before dipping lower to look between his legs. Baird saw her eyes widen as she took in the thick club of his sex which was already more than half hard in anticipation of seeing her naked.

“My God,” she murmured, putting a hand to her mouth.

“Is there something wrong?” Baird looked down at himself. He knew from the material Sylvan had given him to study that Kindred males were pretty much the same as their human counterparts—although built on a considerably larger scale. The only difference in their anatomy was the mating fist at the base of his shaft and it wouldn’t fully inflate until he was buried deep in his bride’s sweet body, bonding her to him.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Olivia’s cheeks were as red as her robe. “It’s just…you’re so big. I mean, can you actually use that thing without being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon?”

Baird realized she was making a joke about his size—probably because it frightened her. “It’s all right, Lilenta,” he murmured, taking a step toward her. “I would never hurt you. I promise that when the time comes for me to enter you, I’ll make sure you’re wet and ready to take me.”

“You’re assuming we’ll make it that far.” Her words were defiant but her voice shook, betraying her uncertainty.

“Not tonight,’ Baird assured her. “Tonight is all about your pleasure, Lilenta.” Reaching for the long sash of the robe, he looked into her eyes. “Will you allow me to disrobe you?”

“I…” Olivia nibbled her bottom lip nervously—a distractingly erotic gesture as far as Baird was concerned. “Yes, I…I guess so.”

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I already regret it,” she whispered but made no move to stop him when he tugged on the sash. The loose knot she’d tied it in parted easily and the crimson bathing robe opened to reveal her naked flesh. Baird caught his breath at her beauty—high full breasts tipped with tight pink nipples led down to the softly rounded planes of her abdomen and the dimple of her navel. And nestled in the tender vee between her thighs was the mound of neatly trimmed blonde curls that hid her sex.

As her scent, warm and secret and deliciously feminine, rose to him, Baird let his gaze trace the shadow of her slit. He had a sudden urgent need to drop to his knees before her, to part her thighs and worship her with his mouth. He could almost taste her—wet and hot and perfect, could almost hear her moans as she opened for him, submitted to his tongue inside her pussy. Later, he reminded himself sternly. Save it for the tasting week. For now, he was privileged to see her fully nude and he wasn’t about to waste this opportunity by rushing her.

“You’re beautiful, Lilenta,” he said reverently, letting his gaze trace her form, drinking in her beauty. “So perfect you make me forget how to breathe.”

“I’m having a little trouble breathing myself.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “Uh…are we getting in the pool soon?”

“Right now,” Baird assured her. Bending down, he lifted her, eliciting a startled gasp as Olivia grasped his shoulders for support. “It’s all right,” he assured her. “I’ll never drop you.”

“You just took me by surprise, that’s all.” She was still blushing and trembling in his arms as he stepped down into the bathing pool. Baird reminded himself that though she was always making smart remarks, she hadn’t had much experience and was clearly nervous. He only hoped he could put her at ease with the ritual they were about to share.

When they were both settled in the pool he let her go and Olivia settled with her back to the curved wall. Her long blonde hair was floating around her and Baird couldn’t help noticing that she had made sure to submerge herself completely, keeping her full breasts below the water line.

Turning to the side of the pool, he picked one of the special jars he’d laid out in a row to choose from. “Will you allow me to wash your hair, Lilenta?” he asked, softly.

Olivia shrugged stiffly and then nodded. “Sure, I guess. Why not?” She waded toward him and then stopped about a foot away and turned around. “Uh, go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Making a cup with his hands, Baird carefully sluiced water over her head until her hair was completely wet. Then he scooped a dollop of sweet smelling cream from the jar he’d chosen and began to slowly but firmly work it into her scalp.

Olivia moaned quietly as he worked on her and the soft sound went straight to Baird’s shaft. Gods, but she was beautiful, all wet and sleek and lovely. His cock was standing at attention, the mating fist at its base swelling with need, but he forced himself to only touch her hair—at least for now.

She sighed in appreciation as he rinsed her hair and then worked a different type of treatment into it. This one was made from the berries of the zerrin bush that was native to Twin Moons and it would make her already soft hair as silky and strong as the plant’s long, floating fibers. Baird loved the feel of her fine blonde strands running through his fingers, loved the soft little involuntary sounds of pleasure she made when he massaged her scalp. He only hoped he could bring similar sounds of bliss to her lips when he touched her elsewhere. The need to pleasure his mate was a deeply instilled instinct in a Kindred male and he wanted her gratification desperately—much more than he wanted his own.

Carefully he rinsed her hair again and then stepped back. It took Olivia a moment to realize that he was done but when she did, she turned around to face him, her movements making tiny ripples in the warm water.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “That was…lovely.”

“It was my pleasure,” Baird said sincerely. “Are you ready to continue or do you need a minute?”

“No, I…we can go on.” She looked up at him shyly from under long lashes that were jeweled with tiny water droplets. “What…what’s next?”

Baird took a step toward her. “Now I need to wash your body, Lilenta.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Everywhere?”

He nodded. “Everywhere. Are you ready?”

Liv wondered if she would ever get used to the way her heart drummed against her ribs whenever Baird was near her. While he had been washing her hair she had almost managed to forget that there was more—much more—of the bathing ceremony to come. His big hands had been so soothing and gentle and yet so firm, easing the tension from her scalp and managing to wash her long hair without pulling it once. He put any stylist she’d ever visited to shame and when she closed her eyes and just concentrated on the delicious warmth of the water surrounding her and his hands in her hair, she could almost have gone to sleep.

Well, I’m wide awake now. Baird was studying her with that intent, smoldering look in his half-lidded golden eyes and she knew the only answer she could give him was ‘yes.’ Part of her wanted to put the rest of the bathing ceremony off but she didn’t want to be in here all night—better to get it over with. Or so she told herself.

“I’m ready.” She took a step toward her and braced herself. “Go ahead.”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “You don’t have to sound so grim about it, Olivia. I promise to be gentle.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered.

“Afraid you’ll like it?” He was already rubbing some new kind of lotion or soap between his palms as he moved toward her. Liv braced herself, waiting for him to go directly for her breasts, or maybe stab a hand between her legs as Mitch would have done. Her ex had believed in going for the gusto and most of the other guys she’d been with had had the same philosophy. She had no reason to expect that Baird would be any different.

Except he was.

“Here,” he murmured, turning her around so that her back was to him. Then he was massaging the faintly sweet-smelling lotion-soap into her shoulders, using firm, strong strokes that stripped away the tension gathered in her muscles and pulled an appreciative moan from her lips.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” he whispered in her ear as he continued to knead her shoulders and upper arms. “Just let it all go and relax.”

Liv found she couldn’t help doing just that. So far Baird was restricting himself to her arms, shoulders, and back and she could feel the tensions melting out of her with each warm, firm move of his big hands. And, though he still hadn’t touched her in a sexual way, she could feel her nipples getting hard at his gentle, intimate touch. “God, you really know how to seduce a girl,” she murmured as he stroked beneath the surface of the water, including her lower back in his ministrations.

She heard his low, rumbling laugh behind her. “Doin’ my best, Lilenta. Do you like the fragrance I picked out for you?”

“It’s very nice,” Liv admitted as his hands slid over the curves of her hips. “Not very strong though.”

“It’s not supposed to be. It’s to enhance your natural scent, not cover it up,” Baird explained. His hands stopped their movement and were still on her waist. “Are you ready for me to wash your front now?”

Liv took a deep breath. She knew what he was asking—the gentle massaging wash he’d been giving her was about to turn sexual and he wanted to know if she could handle it. It’s all right, she told herself nervously. He promised not to bond me to him no matter what I said or did. I’ll be okay. “Yes,” she whispered deciding there was no point in putting it off. “Yes, I…I’m ready.”

Baird got some more of the sweet-smelling lotion on his hands and then he was right up behind her, even closer than before. Liv felt something hot and hard brush against the back of her thigh and jumped in surprise.

“Sorry,” Baird murmured in her ear as he began to wash the top part of her chest. “Can’t help it. You affect me.”

You affect me too, she almost said but bit the words back at the last moment. Just because she was surrendering physically didn’t mean she had to surrender emotionally as well. In fact, she would do well to remember that no matter what he had promised, she was still doing this against her will. If it wasn’t for the stupid contract she’d signed…

But any thought of holding out on him, emotionally if not physically, was driven out of her head when he cupped her breasts. Liv had to bite back a moan as he caressed her flesh, kneading gently and then plucking at her already hard nipples. Baird growled approvingly in her ear when she arched her back, thrusting her chest out, giving him better access. And then his hands were traveling lower.

Liv moaned breathlessly as he massaged her inner thighs before cupping the tender vee of her sex. “You’re hot, Lilenta,” he murmured in her ear. “Even under the water I can feel it. Do you like my hands on you here?”

“You…you know I do,” Liv gasped, unable to lie. God, was he trying to drive her crazy?

“I’m going to open you now,” he told her in that soft, growling voice. “Going to wash you inside, Olivia. Inside your pussy. Are you ready for that?”

“I…I think so.”

“Good,” he said and then his long fingers were parting her pussy lips, opening her to let the heated water of the pool rush over her unprotected sex. Liv gasped and bucked back against him as he slid his fingers over her sensitive flesh, washing her, touching her, making her his.

God, too much…too good… She was panting now, so hot for him she could barely breathe and the warm water of the pool suddenly seemed almost suffocating. With each breath she drew in his scent—that hot masculine spice that made her dizzy with need. “Baird, please!” she moaned, wondering if he could feel how hot and wet she was, even under the water.

“Yes, Lilenta?” he murmured, his fingers never stopping their slow, gentle massage.

“Please, I…I…it’s too hot in here.”

“You’re ready to leave the pool and let me oil you?”

Oil me? What the hell? But Liv was too far gone to care what else he did. She only knew she was feeling overheated and faint—her heart beating so hard it felt like it was shaking her entire body. God, what was wrong with her? “Yes, yes—out of the pool,” she managed to gasp. Almost before the words left her lips Baird was lifting her with no effort at all and wading out of the bathing pool. Liv sighed in relief as the cooling air hit her skin. Her heart was still going about a mile a minute but at least now she felt like she could breathe. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Lilenta,” he rumbled. “I’m sorry if the bathing ceremony upset you.”

“It wasn’t upsetting so much as…” Liv searched for a word. “Intense. Really intense.”

“I’m afraid the rest of what we do may feel intense to you too.” He sounded unhappy about it. “If you’d let me hold you the first week your body would be more used to mine, more acclimated to the powerful feelings we generate between us when we touch. But as it is…” He broke off, shaking his head. “Just let me know if it gets to be too much for you.”

Liv frowned. Now that she was out of the pool she felt more like herself. His insinuation that she was too weak to stand whatever he could dish out stung. “I can take it,” she told him, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Baird—I won’t break.”

He nodded approvingly. “You’re strong—the strongest female I’ve ever met even though you look so fragile.”

“I am not fragile,” Liv complained as he stood her carefully on the tiled floor. She had no fear of slipping, having found long ago that the Kindred flooring actually sucked up water like a sponge. They could stand here dripping and naked, arguing all day, and not create so much as a puddle of water between them.

“Compared to most of the females on the other Kindred trade worlds you are.”

“Well, I can’t help it I’m not an Amazon. I’m actually a pretty normal height and size for a woman my age.”

“Is that right?” Baird murmured as he got the red bathing robe and wrapped it considerately around her. Liv started to protest—the thing was lined with fur of some kind and she didn’t want to ruin it. Then she realized that the fur must have the same water-absorbing capabilities as the floor tiles because within seconds she was dry.

“Wow, this thing works fast,” she exclaimed, looking down at herself as Baird toweled himself off. Even the back of her hair, which had been trapped between the robe and her neck, was dry.

He shrugged. “We try to make things that have function as well as beauty. Most of our household objects are genetic adaptations of plants and animals we’ve found on our journeys.”

Liv looked at him suspiciously. “It’s not alive like that weird blue blanket that lives on the couch, is it?”

Baird laughed as he wrapped the long red towel he’d been using around his waist and knotted it firmly in place. “No, Lilenta. It’s not alive. Now, come, the rest of the ceremony will be in the bedroom.”

“On…on the bed?” Being naked in the bathing pool with him was one thing. Being naked in bed—well, that was something Liv had been avoiding from the moment she came up to the Kindred ship.

His gaze raked over her hungrily. “Yes, on the bed. I need to anoint you with fragrant oils. And I need to make you come.”

The way he said it made Liv’s heart start racing again. It was like he’d said, “I need to breathe” or “I need to eat.” Clearly this was something he didn’t just want to do. He’s hungry for me, Liv realized in a flash. Touching me, giving me pleasure, feeds something inside him, some need so deep it’s ingrained in him. Is this how all Kindred males are or is it just Baird?

“Why?” she whispered as he picked her up again and headed for the bedroom. “Why do you want…need to do that to me?”

“Aside from the pleasure of touching your beautiful body you mean?” Baird gave her another hungry look. “It’s because every time I make you come it prepares your body for mine a little more. When you’re with me—especially when I’m touching you—every breath you take brings you closer to being mine. And when I make you come it starts a chemical reaction that makes you want more.”

“But…you said you wouldn’t…that we wouldn’t…”

“Don’t worry, we won’t,” Baird assured her. “Although you may wish I hadn’t made you that promise before we’re done tonight.”

I doubt that. But Liv didn’t say it out loud. Baird laid her gently on her side of the bed.

“Slip off your robe and lie on your stomach, Lilenta,” he murmured. “I’ll get the oils.”

Well if he was offering her another back massage, Liv was all for it. Not to mention the fact that she wasn’t exactly eager to lie naked face up on the bed for his inspection. Of course, they’d just spent the last half hour naked in the bath together but there at least half of her had been covered by the water. Now that she was out of the bathing pool and dry she felt extremely exposed.

As Baird went to rummage in the chest-like container at the foot of the bed, she took off the crimson robe and flipped hastily onto her stomach. She debated on keeping her arms straight down by her sides but it seemed silly. Baird had already seen her breasts—seen them, cupped them, rolled the nipples between his callused fingertips in a way that shot sparks of pleasure through her entire body…Liv stopped herself before her thoughts could get even more lascivious. The point was, she might as well make herself comfortable and put her arms above her head, even if the position did make her feel a little more vulnerable.

Soon enough he was back with an array of long, thin bottles in his large hands. They looked like blown glass and each bottle was a different unique mixture of colors. Their delicate shapes and intricate designs reminded Liv of the antique perfume bottles her grandmother had let her play with when she was a little girl.

“Wow, those are beautiful,” she said admiringly when Baird started to arrange them on the low, flat table beside the bed. “Are they from your home world?”

“This one is.” He showed her what looked to be the oldest bottle. It was a faded bluish green and there was a fine patina of cracks in the glazing that looked like a field of strange alien flowers when he held it at a different angle.

“May I see?” Liv sat up, making sure to cross her legs and drape one arm across her breasts before holding out her hand.

If Baird noticed her strategic cover-up, he didn’t say anything about it. Carefully, he placed the fragile bottle in her palm. “Each bottle holds a different type of oil for a different part of the bride’s body. This one has been in my family for generations.”

“Different oils for different body parts, hmm?” Liv examined the bottles with interest. The top of each one was a different design. Several looked like exotic alien blooms in red and green and vivid purple and a few were shapes she didn’t know. One seemed to be worked into the subtle shape of an animal face—a cross between a monkey and a fox. She hoped that didn’t mean the oil in it came from that particular animal, whatever it was. She really didn’t want to be rubbed down with ode de chimp or fox musk.

“The oils come from different plants on the Kindred home world as well as our three trade worlds,” Baird said, putting her fears to rest.

“And…you’re going to put all of them on me?” Liv looked at the array of bottles crowding the small table.

He shrugged. “More or less. I’ll decide as I go along.”

“Uh, but won’t that make me smell like an explosion in a perfume factory?”

“Not at all,” Baird assured her, taking the ancient blue bottle from her and urging her to lay down with a gentle nudge. “Most of them are odorless or made to enhance your own natural scent, like the fragrance I used on you in the bathing pool.”

“Oh. Okay.” She settled herself on her stomach again and turned her head to the side to look up at him. “But if the point isn’t the way they smell, then why have so many different oils? I mean, I’m sure that something that would work to relax my back would be just as good for my arms and legs. Right?”

Baird smiled. “To a certain extent, yes. But most of these oils aren’t for your arms and legs, Lilenta.”

“Then what are they…oh,” Liv ended in a small voice. Does he seriously have fifteen different types of alien lube he’s going to rub on me? Or…into me? The thought made her extremely nervous. But then Baird’s big, warm hands were on her back and, just as it had in the bathing pool, her tension seemed to melt away.

She would give the big warrior one thing—he could certainly give a hell of a massage. A girl could really get used to this, she thought drowsily as his hands, covered in some kind of warm, smooth oil, slicked over her shoulders and down to the small of her back. I wonder if Kindred males do this for their women after the claiming period is over or if this is a one time thing? Well, one way or another it didn’t matter because she wasn’t going to hang around and find out. Although if a nightly massage as good as this one was included in the deal, she might be at least a little bit tempted…No, think of Sophie and Kat and your nursing degree, she reminded herself. You didn’t just bust your butt for the last four years to lounge around on a spaceship getting massages and eating alien bon-bons.

Obviously unaware of her internal conflict, Baird spent a long time on her back and arms and legs. The oils he used all felt pretty much the same to Liv except for the special oil for her feet which felt cooling, whereas the oils he used on the rest of her were of the warming variety. By the time he was done, Liv’s muscles felt like melted butter. She couldn’t even get up the strength to feel embarrassed when he flipped her over, exposing her breasts and sex.

“But I’ll get oil all over the bedspread,” she protested feebly as Baird opened yet another bottle and poured an amber stream of the viscous liquid into his palm.

“It’ll wash out,” he assured her. “Close your eyes, Lilenta.”

“Why? What part are you going to massage next?” She looked up at him suspiciously.

“Still don’t trust me, huh? Close your eyes and you’ll find out.” Baird sounded amused.

“Fine.” Liv closed her eyes and braced herself. Despite his gentle touch in the bathing pool, she kept expecting him to go for it and grab her breasts like Mitch would have. Not that her ex would have spent forty solid minutes giving her an all over massage with fifteen different exotic oils. Come to think of it, no man Liv had ever dated would have done that. Not without expecting some hefty payback. She wondered suddenly if the massage thing went both ways. Was she supposed to return the favor when Baird was done? A sudden image flashed through her brain—a picture of her pouring a stream of slippery massage oil over Baird’s long, thick shaft and then rubbing it in…Stop it! she scolded herself. As if things weren’t bad enough without you fantasizing about that!

Baird was taking so long to put his hands on her that she was really beginning to get nervous. But just as she was thinking she couldn’t take it anymore, she felt him begin. Warm, callused fingertips were rubbing silky oil with a soft citrus scent into her…into her temples. She almost laughed. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see that one corner of his mouth was quirked up with amusement.

“Surprised, Lilenta?”

“Yes, I am.” She tried not to smile at him and failed. “You’re full of surprises, Baird.” She didn’t know why she’d said it, but it was certainly true.

“So are you. I see something different every time I look at you,” he said quietly, still rubbing lightly. “But it’s all part of the same beautiful woman.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Liv said lightly, though his intense gaze was making her a little uncomfortable. She closed her eyes again so she couldn’t see it. “You’ve only used four or five oils so far. This is going to take all night.”

“I have no problem touching you all night long.” The desire in his deep, growling voice made her shiver and her nipples peaked.

“I’m cold,” she complained, choosing not to respond to his innuendo.

“Then let me warm you up.” And suddenly his hands were exactly where she needed them to be—although she hadn’t known she needed them until he put them there. Warm and slick with oil, he palmed her breasts, caressing their undersides firmly and then stroking every part of them but her areolas and nipples. Those he left strictly alone, much to Liv’s mingled relief and disappointment. Damn it, she was dying over here!

“Baird,” she moaned in protest and then his fingers were back, this time lightly tracing a circle around her tight nipples, using a different kind of oil—one that seemed to ignite her skin on contact. “God!” she gasped as the heat spread and her back arched, thrusting her breasts up and out.

“Enjoying yourself, Lilenta?” His voice was low and hot but Liv could only moan in reply. “I told you different oils were for different body parts,” Baird murmured in her ear as the fiery, tingling pleasure continued to eat through her, burning from her sensitive peaks outward. It felt to Liv as though the heat was shooting sparks of pleasure from her breasts straight to the cleft between her thighs.

Then Baird’s hands were traveling lower, smoothing some other kind of oil over her trembling abdomen and belly. Even now when she was shaking with desire, he took his time, tracing a shining line around her navel while Liv bit her lip to keep from begging him to go lower. She tried to keep everything and everyone she’d left behind in the forefront of her mind to counteract the pleasure he was giving her but it was no use, her body was taking over and all she wanted was more.

As if reading her mind, Baird climbed onto the bed beside her. “This is a better position for the next part of the ritual,” he murmured in her ear. “Still cold, Lilenta?”

“No, but…”

“But what?”

Having him right beside her made Liv feel suddenly vulnerable again. “But I don’t think it’s fair that I have to be naked and you get to keep your towel on,” she said in a rush, nodding at the dark red towel he still wore around his waist.

“I was keeping it on more for your benefit than mine,” Baird said mildly. “But if you’d rather I took it off…” And before Liv could protest he pulled it off and tossed it to the foot of the bed along with her abandoned robe. “Better?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Not exactly.” Liv tried not to look but her eyes kept being drawn to his cock. Up until now she’d only seen him half erect but now…God, it’s a good thing he promised we wouldn’t do the deed tonight. A damn good thing, she thought, eyeing him with something like awe.

“Do you want me to put the towel back on?” Baird asked and she realized she was staring. Feeling her cheeks heat with a blush, she shook her head and looked quickly away.

“No, no. Let’s just…get on with it.”

He nodded gravely. “If that’s what you’d like to do.”

“It is.” Unless jumping off the bed and running away was an option, that was. But Liv knew she couldn’t legally do that. It wasn’t that what he was doing to her didn’t feel good—it did, way too good. And that scared her to death. She thought again that if Baird hadn’t promised not to bond with her that night she would have been really freaking out at this point. “Do…” She cleared her throat. “Do you have another kind of oil for my…for down there?” She nodded down to the area between her thighs. Her blonde curls were all that was visible at the moment because she had her legs crossed tightly.

“I do. Relax, Lilenta. I’m not going to bite you.”

“Not until the tasting week, anyway—huh?” She tried to laugh and failed.

“Not even then,” Baird assured her. “It’s only the Tranq Kindred who bite when they bond.”

And what do you do? What exactly does bonding sex entail with a Beast Kindred? With you, Baird? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask but then Baird was pouring a different kind of oil—this time directly between her thighs over her small mound of curls.

“Oh!” Liv gasped but it turned into a moan as the oil hit her skin. It wasn’t as intense as the kind he’d used on her nipples but somehow she knew its effects would be longer lasting. She could feel herself reacting, feel the heat blooming along her flesh everywhere the silky liquid touched her and her heart started pounding like a sledge hammer again. God, was this ever going to end?

“No more talk of biting. I would never hurt you, Lilenta,” Baird murmured in her ear. “Can you open yourself and let me touch you now?”

“I…I guess.” Liv’s breathing was already ragged as she unclenched her legs. Then his big, warm hand was back, smoothing the oil over her skin, caressing her inner thighs without quite touching her core.

“You’re so soft here,” he whispered. “So smooth and hot. Are you wet for me, Lilenta?”

“I d-don’t know,” Liv stammered as his fingers slid upward. He’d touched her like this when they were in the bathing pool together but somehow this felt more intense…more intimate. Maybe it was the way he was lying in bed beside her, leaning over her. Or maybe it was the way he was looking into her eyes as he touched her. But for whatever reason, she could barely breathe.

Baird’s searching fingers found her pussy and slowly, gently he began to massage the special oil into her sensitive flesh. At first he concentrated on the outside until Liv thought she would go crazy but just as she was about to scream from frustration, his fingers slid inward, sliding over her slippery folds and finding the tight little bud of her clit at her center.

“God!” Liv nearly jumped off the bed as he rubbed the slick oil into her, giving her a more intimate massage than she’d ever had before.

Baird watched her intently as he touched her but when she tried to close her eyes, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “No, Olivia. Look at me.”

“Wh-why?” Liv stuttered, looking up.

“I want to see you when you come. Want to see the pleasure in your eyes,” he murmured roughly. His voice was thick with need and she felt like she could drown in his golden gaze as he stroked her. Somehow he seemed to have found the exact way Liv liked to touch herself—one fingertip sliding along the side of her clit—and he was working her with a deliberate rhythm she could tell was designed to push her over the edge.

“God, Baird,” she moaned, unable to help herself. “That feels so…God, I can’t…”

“You like the feel of my hands on you? My fingers inside you?” He matched actions to words, sliding two long digits deep into her slippery pussy as the broad pad of his thumb continued to slip over her clit.

The new sensation was too much. Liv felt like she’d been on edge all night, the build up of sexual tension inside her was like a nuclear reactor set to blow. When she felt him enter her she cried out, her spine bowing and her fists clenching at the bedspread on either side of her.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” she heard Baird murmur. “That’s right, just let it go. Let yourself come for me.”

Liv cried out again as the pleasure washed over her like a tidal wave, breaking her into a million pieces and scattering her mind in a thousand different directions. She’d never had an orgasm this intense. Through it all Baird held her eyes with his and continued to thrust deeply into her, riding out her pleasure and adding more until she thought she would die of it.

“Please,” she gasped at last. “Please, I can’t…can’t take much more.”

“We can stop for a little while if you want.”

“For a little while? How…how long do you intend to keep this up?” Liv demanded, still trying to catch her breath.

“I’d love to pleasure you all night—or for as long as you’ll let me.” His eyes were still burning with hunger as he slowly withdrew his fingers.

Liv moaned softly, feeling suddenly empty and weak now that the intense feelings were ebbing. “I appreciate that you want to make me feel good. I mean, believe me, I’ve never been with a guy who seemed so…uh, focused on my pleasure. But I don’t think I can keep this up all night,” she told him. “Just now that was…it was damn near an out of the body experience. I don’t know if I can take it again so soon.”

Baird looked concerned. “I was afraid of that—it’s because your body isn’t used to mine. Come here.” He slid one muscular arm under her head.

“Why?” Liv asked uncertainly but she didn’t fight him when he pulled her close.

“So I can hold you, just for a little while. If we’d been sleeping like this for the entire first week you wouldn’t be so overwhelmed right now. Relax, Lilenta. Let’s just breathe each other in.”

Liv wanted to protest that it was silly and needless but something stopped her. That something was the fact that the feel of his hard muscular body against hers actually felt nice. Not just nice—wonderful, she amended to herself. Baird was so big she should have felt smothered but instead she felt warm, safe…protected. They were on their sides facing each other with her breasts pressed against the hard wall of his chest and her head resting on his bicep. Her face was just at the level of his throat and that same spicy masculine musk she supposed must be his natural smell was invading all her senses at once.

God, he smells good…feels good…Without knowing what she was doing, Liv nuzzled against him, pressing her nose closer to his throat and breathing him in, just as he had said. She felt rather than heard the low rumble of laughter coming up from his chest.

“You scent marking me, Lilenta?”

“I’m not…not sure what I’m doing,” she admitted. She only knew she wanted to be closer, to have his body pressed against hers, to fill her lungs with his delicious scent.

“Well whatever it is, don’t stop.” He pulled her closer and she felt his shaft, like a heated bar of lead against her hip but even that didn’t stop her. She wanted more, needed more and only Baird could give it to her. A soft, needy sound escaped her lips and she tugged at his shoulders, trying to get even greater contact between them.

Baird responded by rolling her under him and covering her completely with his body. A small part of Liv’s brain knew the feeling of him, hot and hard and heavy on top of her, ought to scare her to death. But that part was quickly overruled by the delicious feeling of being pinned beneath him.

“Baird,” she moaned softly as his hot cock branded her belly. “God…”

“Open for me, Lilenta.” His voice was hoarse with desire but there was no question that he was demanding, not asking.

“I…you…you promised. Promised not to,” Liv whispered but she was already spreading her thighs, inviting him in.

“I won’t,” he assured her. “But I need to mark you—rub against you and be sure you’re covered in my scent. Just open yourself for me, Lilenta. I swear I won’t go too far.”

They had already gone too far but Liv’s head was fuzzy with desire and she was finding it increasingly hard to think straight. God, how could he make her lose all her self control so quickly? Somewhere inside she had an idea that she was in a very dangerous position but before her brain could convey that to her body, she had already parted her legs and welcomed him within the cradle of her thighs.

Baird shifted and she felt his cock part the lips of her pussy. He wasn’t trying to enter her but the hot length of his shaft sliding against her sensitive clit was almost more than Liv could bear. She moaned out loud and bucked up against him, feeling the pleasure begin to build again.

“Good. That’s good, Lilenta. Now give me your throat.”

“Wh-what?” Liv looked up at him, her vision gone hazy with lust. “I don’t understand.”

“Raise your chin and bare your throat for me—now.” There was a demanding tone in his deep, growling voice she found it impossible to disobey. Tilting her head, she turned her face to the side and offered him her throat in a display of complete submission.

Baird growled in approval and placed a hot, sucking kiss on the tender skin of her offered throat. “Mine,” Liv heard him mutter as he pulled her even closer, lapping at the sensitive place where her shoulder met her neck and thrusting against her. “Mine, Lilenta. Mine forever and always.”

The possessive words and the heat in his voice should have sent Liv running but instead she felt a thrill go through her. The thrill of being cherished and cared for. The thrill of being owned. God, yes…I’m yours, Baird. Always and forever yours. The words wouldn’t leave her lips—she was too busy moaning as he lapped and sucked at her neck and pressed himself against her in a rocking rhythm that was rapidly pushing her over the edge yet again.

Wrapping her legs around his muscular hips, Liv dug her fingernails into his broad shoulders and rubbed herself against him wantonly. Fear was forgotten. Even the idea of holding out in order to be with the people she loved on Earth was completely eradicated in the mindless barrage of pleasure. Baird was close but not close enough. She needed him closer—needed him in her. Deep inside, filling her, fucking her, making the two of them one.

“Baird,” she pleaded, thrusting up against him. “Please, in me—please!”

“Can’t, Lilenta.” His breathing was ragged as he pressed against her. “Promised you I wouldn’t, remember?”

Somewhere deep inside Liv the rational part of her brain, which had been so conveniently deactivated by intense pleasure, realized he was right. He had promised not to make love to her, not to bond her to him tonight. And at the time, she’d been glad. Now that seemed like utter foolishness. Why would she want him to hold back? How could she not want to feel him inside her, taking her, making her his? She was his bride—his mate. She needed to belong to him completely.

“Please,” she begged shamelessly. “I don’t care what you said. Just do it—do it.”

“Can’t.” He was rubbing against her harder now, faster, as though trying to bring their mutual pleasure to a conclusion. “Let yourself come, Lilenta. Clear your head.”

“I don’t want to clear my head. I want you inside me, now!” Liv tilted her hips and attempted to reach him, wanting to guide the thick shaft that was working against her sensitive clit deep inside her pussy.

“No, you don’t.” Baird caught her hand and brought it up. Then he captured both her wrists and pinned them above her head. “Are you gonna be good or do I have to hold you down?” he growled, his eyes flaring golden as he looked at her.

Liv moaned with need. God, the pleasure he was giving her was amazing and it was growing by the minute but she still wanted more. She felt so empty, so open. But Baird’s grip on her wrists was unbreakable—the harder she struggled, the less she got anywhere. Crying and gasping, she worked herself against him. She might not be able to get what she wanted, but she would damn sure get what she needed and right now she needed to come more than she ever had in her entire life.

Baird seemed to sense her acceptance because he loosened his grip on her wrists and gathered her close against him, wrapping both arms around her and kissing the side of her face as he pushed hard for their conclusion.

“Gods, Lilenta. So soft…so wet,” he groaned as he pressed against her. “Wish I was inside you now. Need you so much.”

“I need you too.” Liv felt like she might cry or explode she was so ready for him. “Please, Baird, please.”

“Can’t, I told you.” He kissed her hard and then more softly before looking into her eyes. “Just let yourself come again and you’ll feel better. Look at me, Lilenta. Let me feel you coming under me.”

The intense eye contact and the low, commanding tone of his voice as much as the delicious friction between them finally sent her over the edge again. As a second, even stronger orgasm crashed down on her, Liv arched her back and cried out her pleasure shamelessly. At the same time she felt Baird getting even harder against her and then, with a low roar, he released in hot, hard spurts against her belly.

God, so intense. Never…can’t… And then none of her thoughts seemed to make sense anymore and everything went grey.

Chapter Sixteen

“Lilenta? Olivia? Are you all right?” The worried voice in her ear pulled Liv back from the foggy grey nothingness where she seemed to be floating.

What happened? Feels like I blew some kind of fuse. Slowly she forced her eyelids open even though they felt like someone had tied lead weights to them. “Baird? What…?” She lifted her head, which was even heavier than her eyelids, and looked down at herself groggily. “Why am I naked? Where am I?”

“Still in our suite on the bed.” There was a concerned frown on his face. “You passed out after you came the second time while I was scent marking you.”

“After you what?” She shook her head, trying to clear it.

“After I rubbed against you to mark you with my scent,” Baird explained. “It’s what I should have been doing the entire first week. If I had, you wouldn’t have had such an extreme reaction when we finally came together.”

“When we…” Liv felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes into the pit of her stomach. “Oh my God, did we have sex? Please tell me we didn’t have sex. Is that why I passed out? Is that part of it?”

A look of pain crossed his face and was gone so fast she thought she might have imagined it. “No, Lilenta,” he said roughly. “I swore I wouldn’t bond you to me this week and I keep my word. I think you were just overwhelmed because you weren’t used to having me touch you, pleasure you. It’s true that bonding and everything that leads up to it can be pretty intense but losing consciousness isn’t usually part of it.”

“What is part of it?” she demanded. “Aside from me losing my mind and turning into some kind of cat-in-heat, begging you to…to…” She shook her head, too embarrassed to go on.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of anything you did or said while we were touching.” Baird’s voice was soft. “It’s just the way your body reacts to mine. We need each other.”

“I don’t believe that.” She looked down at her belly where the evidence of his orgasm was still visible and her heart started galloping again. “You didn’t, uh, get any inside me, did you? Wouldn’t that mean we were bonded?”

Baird shook his head. “There’s a lot more to bonding sex than that.”

Liv sat up unsteadily and reached for the red robe to cover herself with. “Okay, I didn’t want to have to ask you this because it’s so damn embarrassing but after what happened just now, I think I need to know.”

“Ask me what?” Baird frowned.

Liv looked down, busying herself with arranging the robe and trying not to look at him. God, this was so embarrassing but she’d had no luck finding out what the grand finale of this whole song and dance was. She needed to know what was going on before things went too far and she was stuck here forever. “What…” She cleared her throat. “What exactly is bonding sex? I mean, my friend Kat said that according to the contract we signed it’s one step beyond, uh, traditional intercourse—but what does that mean?”

“What do you think it means?” Baird came to sit beside her at the head of the bed where she was leaning against the headboard. It was made of some dark green metal that matched the spread and looked like it should be uncomfortable but it seemed to mold itself to her body like a comforting hand. Which was good. As far as Liv was concerned she needed as much comfort as she could get. “Well?” Baird said, making her realize that she was stalling.

Liv felt a hot blush begin to creep into her cheeks. “I don’t know. All I’ve heard is that you—the Beast Kindred—can go on and on for hours.”

He nodded seriously. “It does take a long time for bonding sex to occur. And it’s longer for my kind because of the mating fist.”

“Excuse me, the what?”

“At the base of our shafts, just here.” Baird was pointing to himself.

Liv bit her lip. Okay, get a grip—it’s not like you haven’t seen it before. Taking a closer look isn’t going to kill you. Taking a deep breath, she leaned a little closer to see what he was talking about. But other than being larger than normal, okay—much larger than normal, Liv amended to herself, he looked pretty much like any other man she’d ever seen.

“I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “I don’t think I’m seeing it.”

“That’s because we’re not touching anymore. Being near you, knowing you’re my mate and the woman I need to bond with, makes me react. But it’s really hard to tell unless we’re in actual physical contact,” he explained.

“Uh, would it help if I…” Liv reached out a hand to touch him, not quite sure why she was doing it. After the wanton display she’d just put on it was obvious that getting too close to Baird was dangerous. And touching him—here of all places—ought to be right up at the top of her Things-to-Never-Ever-Do list. But somehow she couldn’t help herself.

Baird growled softly as she tentatively caressed his length. Despite his earlier orgasm, he was still over halfway hard and the moment Liv touched him he went to full mast immediately. God, he really is huge, she couldn’t help thinking as she stroked slowly down to the base where he had been pointing earlier. His shaft felt hot and hard in her hand but the skin was rose petal soft.

“Here?” she asked, not daring to look in his eyes as she continued to touch him. She could feel herself reacting to the erotic scene that was playing out between them. Her nipples were tight all over again and her sex felt slippery and hot. Baird was hot and hard and perfect in her hand. She’d never thought much of male equipment—it was definitely more functional than aesthetically pleasing. But there was something almost beautiful about him here—the way the clean, strong lines of his muscular body all converged at this point which was all about pleasure and need.

“Lower. Right at the base.” His voice was hoarse with desire and she could feel him trembling slightly under her touch. “Gods, your hand feels good on me, Lilenta.”

“I’m just…just trying to see what you’re talking about,” Liv murmured, wondering if she was trying to excuse her actions to him or herself. But she couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased. Touching him like this, being the one in control and feeling him react to her, was a heady sensation. The fact that she could make such a huge, muscular warrior tremble just from a few light, teasing strokes made her feel powerful in a way she never had before.

“Go a little further and you’ll see. Nothing could make me react more than your soft little hand on me. Nothing but being deep inside you, bonding you, that is.”

Trying not to picture what he was describing, Liv did as he directed, letting her fingers trail down to the very base of his thick shaft. The Kindred didn’t have much in the way of body hair she noted, so it was easy to see what he was talking about when she came to the area he’d indicated. And sure enough, just at the place where his shaft met his body, she felt something different—something not human.

“My God,” she whispered as the area began to swell, forming a kind of ring of flesh that more than doubled the circumference of his shaft. “What…what is that?”

“My mating fist.” Baird’s voice was low and strained and a quick look at his face showed that his eyes were pure molten gold.

“But what…what is it for?” Liv wanted to stop touching him now but she felt almost hypnotized. The ridge of flesh around his base was smooth and firm and seemed hotter than the rest of his body. She tried to wrap her fingers around it and failed—he was much too large now. Like he wasn’t big enough to start with! She was so fascinated that it took her a moment to register Baird’s answer.

“To tie us together when we have bonding sex,” he growled as she touched him. “It won’t fully inflate until the first time I enter you. But when I do—”

“Wait a minute.” Liv looked up from her exploration. “You mean it gets even bigger?”

“It will when I’m inside you, yes. It’s purpose is to fill you and keep us together for as long as it takes for me to bond you to me.”

Her first impulse was to laugh. Surely he had to be joking! “You’re kidding, right?” she said, searching his burning eyes for a clue. “I mean, I’m not a porn star or anything. If we ever had sex—which we are so not going to—but if we did, I’d have a seriously hard time even accommodating your, uh, regular equipment. There’s no way this…” She let her fingers flick over the solid ridge of flesh surrounding the base of his shaft. “Would ever fit in me. No way in hell.”

“Don’t worry about that, Lilenta. I know how tight you are. I was just touching you—remember?” The hunger was burning in his eyes again and Liv felt a flash of shame mixed with desire when she remembered how eager she had been to spread her legs and let him stroke into her. What’s wrong with me? I was really out of control!

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms over her chest. “And how can I not worry when you seem to seriously think you can fit something that size in me? It’s impossible.”

“It’s not impossible,” Baird explained patiently. “As I make love to you the chemicals released by my body will trigger changes in yours and allow you to open yourself to me fully—you’ll feel no pain, only pleasure as we bond.”

“No, I won’t feel pain or pleasure because we are not going to bond,” Liv said, trying to sound firm.

“You’re just frightened, that’s all.” Baird’s voice was a soft growl. “You’ll feel differently when we’re close—when you’re under me, open for me. Then you’ll ache to be filled with my shaft. Every part of it.”

For some reason his words, and the mental image they raised, were frighteningly seductive. There was no way she should want to let him do that to her—no matter what he said it was sure to be a painful experience. But part of her wanted it anyway.

Liv felt a surge of panic. My God, he’s probably right—when he’s got me right where he wants me I’ll probably just give in! What about the way I was acting just a few minutes ago—rubbing against him, begging him to do it? If he hadn’t kept his promise not to I’d be pinned under him right now with him trying to force himself inside me. And God knows how long it could take—hours and hours with no end in sight. Not to mention that I’d be stuck here forever afterwards. I’ve got to stay away from him—far away.

“Lilenta…” Baird reached for her but she shied away.

“No, don’t touch me! In fact, I don’t think we should touch anymore at all.”

Baird frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Liv shook her head, her pulse pounding as all her old fears of being pinned down and helpless under the big alien male came back in a rush. “There’s something about you. I can’t…can’t seem to control myself when you get too close. When you touch me. And don’t tell me it’s my body reacting to yours because we ‘need’ each other again either,” she snapped, when he opened his mouth as if to reply. “I don’t care what causes it, I don’t like being out of control. Don’t like it that I can’t seem to stop myself from…from acting like some kind of animal in heat.”

“I told you this would happen.” Baird shifted on the bed toward her but Liv pulled away again. He sighed and sat back. “Your body is in heat, Lilenta—to a certain extent anyway. And as long as we’re together you’ll get hotter and hotter. Having me inside you is the only thing that will ease you.”

“Well then I guess I’ll just have to manage on my own because there is no way I’m letting you try to get your whole entire uh…self inside me.” Liv’s heart was still racing. “In fact, I don’t think I want you touching me at all anymore. It’s too dangerous.”

Baird’s face was like a thundercloud. “You signed a contract, Olivia. This is our bathing week—you can’t deny me the right to wash you.”

“Exactly—wash me. And that’s it.” Liv lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m pretty sure if I went over that contract with a fine tooth comb there wouldn’t be anything about you being able to rub me with fifty types of oil and lay on top of me and practically hump me through the mattress.”

“I was scent marking you,” he protested. “Gotta do that in order to let other males know you’re mine.”

“I’m not yours,” she flared at him angrily. “And I never will be! So you can wash me—fine, I can’t stop you. But nothing outside the bathing pool. That means no more naked massages with exotic oils. And absolutely no more marking, or whatever you call it.”

“Fine.” Baird was so angry now his eyes were practically glowing. “But if I can’t mark you, then we’re not leaving the suite. Not with you smellin’ so hot and not having any of my scent on you.”

Liv threw up her hands. “Great. Put me under house arrest—I don’t care. Just stay away from me.”

“If that’s how you feel,” he said, his jaw clenched. “I told you once I wasn’t interested in taking what you didn’t want to give.”

“That’s exactly how I feel,” Liv assured him. “And I’m not giving another inch.”

“Fine.” He was still glaring at her but the pain was back in his eyes now—back to stay and Liv knew she was the cause of it. Suddenly she felt horrible.

“Try to understand, Baird,” she pleaded softly. “I never asked for this—for our minds to align or for you to claim me. I never wanted any of it. I just…I just want to go home.”

Baird closed his eyes briefly. “I wish I could let you. But I can’t, Olivia. I need you too damn much. I’m sorry.” He got off the bed and left just as he had the first time he’d brought her into the suite.

Liv sat in the middle of the huge bed and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying not to cry. God, if only she could control herself better around him! It made her feel horrible, like the worst kind of tease to go so far with him and then refuse him anything else. But damn it, she was fighting for her future here! She didn’t want to never see her family again, especially Sophie. She didn’t want to give up the career she’d worked so hard for. Not even for love? whispered a little voice in her head but Liv pushed it away. She didn’t love Baird, despite all the dream-sharing they’d done and the way he made her laugh. Despite the way she felt so safe in his arms—at least until things started getting sexual. All of that, as nice as it was, didn’t add up to love. Did it?

Liv didn’t know but she didn’t intend to stick around and find out.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Baird stood in the ship’s main temple before the statue of the Goddess, looking up at her beautiful, blank face. Because of their three genetic trades, the Kindred had many gods to choose from but the Mother of Life was their original deity—the one they had worshiped back on the Kindred home world before the first trade had ever taken place. Baird’s father, who had been a rare full blooded Kindred with no trades in his heritage, had prayed to her in times of need and taught his sons to do the same. And the gods know I’m certainly in need now, Baird thought ruefully. If only Olivia wasn’t so damn stubborn! If only I could make her see that we need each other.

His thoughts ran in circles as he stood on the green and purple grass. The lush vegetation served as the floor of the temple which was located in the sacred grove. It tickled his bare feet, since he’d removed his boots before stepping on the holy ground.

All around him trees of different variations on the same colors grew. Lavender and mint green leaves mingled with royal purple and emerald bark, filling the grove of the Mother of Life with the warm, resinous scent of growing things. Baird breathed it in, letting the blessed scent fill his lungs and calm him. No matter what deity they worshiped, this temple was a sacred place to all of his people. In fact, the artificial sun that hung overhead and bathed the core of the Kindred ship in golden-green radiance had been patterned off the sun of their home world and specially developed just so these trees would grow.

He sighed, reflecting that he had been hoping to show this part of the ship to Olivia soon. They had only been to restaurants and attractions around the perimeter and near their own suite during their holding week because he hadn’t scent marked her and had wanted to be close to home in case of trouble. He’d thought that after their bathing week she would have enough of his scent on her that it would be safe to take her out to the center of the ship where the three types of Kindred mixed more frequently. But now…he shook his head.

“Warrior, are you in need of counsel?” The soft, creaky voice behind him startled Baird and he turned to see an ancient priestess of the Mother of Life coming toward him. She was one of the extremely rare five percent of his species that were female and in addition to that, he could tell that she was a full blooded Kindred as his father had been. Set in a net of fine wrinkles, her large almond shaped eyes had deep emerald green irises and the whites around them were green also, albeit a paler shade of the color of life. Her hair was white streaked with jade and olive and she wore it loose around her shoulders. Baird knew without even smelling her that she was unmated. Because of their rarity and special abilities, true Kindred females were reverenced by his people and most of them chose to become priestesses of the Mother of Life rather than have a family.

Baird had come to the sacred grove hoping for peace and a way to sort out his feelings without bothering Sylvan again. He hadn’t thought about asking for spiritual guidance but now that he saw the priestess approaching, he felt the appropriate response rise to his lips.

“I have come seeking counsel of the Mother of Life, she who made and nurtures us all,” he said formally.

The priestess came closer, her bare feet whispering over the grass. “You have much sorrow within you. Do you care to speak of it, Warrior?”

Baird scarcely knew where to begin. “It’s my bride—our minds have been aligned these six Earth months and I can tell by her scent that she needs me as much as I need her. But I can’t make her see it. She…refuses me over and over again.”

The priestess frowned. “And this hurts your pride?”

“Hell, yes, it hurts my pride,” Baird burst out. Then he remembered who he was talking too. “Sorry, your holiness. It’s just…it hurts my heart too. I love her so much, need her so much and she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Are you kind to her? Do you honor and respect her? Worship her body with your own?” the priestess demanded.

“Uh…” Baird squirmed uncomfortably. “As much as she’ll let me. She’s, uh, decided that she doesn’t…doesn’t want me to touch her anymore. At least, no more than necessary.”

“She fears you.” It was a statement, not a question.

Baird nodded. “Yeah, I guess she does. Or fears what she’ll lose by giving in to me.”

“What does she fear to lose?” the priestess asked.

“Her family—especially her sister who she loves very much. And her career. She just finished schooling to become some kind of a medic and she wants to be able to use her training.”

The priestess nodded regally. “That is much to give up for the love of a male she’s never seen except in her dreams.”

“I know it is,” Baird said desperately. “But she’s the only one for me—my one true mate.”

“Then what are you prepared to give up for her?” The green-within-green eyes watched him sharply.

“Anything I have to. But it’s not like I can move down to Earth to be with her. The Council has forbidden cohabitation on the planet’s surface until the Scourge is taken care of.”

“Would you wait for her until the war is over?” She raised an olive green eyebrow inquiringly.

“If I had to. But that could take years! And she’s not bonded to me—how could I trust that another wouldn’t win her heart while I was stuck up here without her?” Baird demanded. “I need her—need to bond her to me but she’s determined not to.”

“You present a thorny dilemma.” The priestess stepped forward. “Kneel, Warrior, and let me look into you.”

Baird shifted uncomfortably. “Is that really necessary?”

“Did you come seeking counsel or not?”

“I suppose so.” He frowned. “But I warn you, priestess, you may not like what you see.”

“What I see is what the Mother of Life shows me.” She made a motion to him. “Kneel and let me look.”

Baird knelt before her, trying to keep his posture relaxed though inside he was dreading what was about to happen. Females of the Kindred race had uncharted psychic ability—yet another reason why most of them chose to serve the Mother of Life rather than take a mate. But allowing a priestess into one’s mind was a very uncomfortable experience. He’d endured it when he was first confirmed as a warrior and again when he and Sylvan had chosen to take part in the Earth trade and it wasn’t something he was eager to repeat. Still, he couldn’t ignore the priestess’s demand and maybe she could help him make some sense of his problems with Olivia. Unclenching his fists, he took a deep breath and tried to open himself.

“Very good.” She stepped closer and placed the fingertips of her right hand lightly against his temple. “Now look at me Warrior. Open yourself and let me see.”

Baird tried to do as she asked. As their eyes locked, he felt a soft fluttering inside his head like a thousand wings beating. Then the sensation changed and there were fingers sliding through the cracks in his mind, prying, invading his brain and sifting through his memories like someone might sift through sand at a beach.

He saw his childhood, growing up first on Rageron and then Twin Moons, the loss of his mother and his close bond with Sylvan. His confirmation as a warrior, witnessing his half brother’s pain and rejection on Tranq Prime and their subsequent decision to join the new trade on Earth. Then…the fateful mission when his scout ship had been captured by the Scourge.

Gods, no, don’t want to think about…

But it was too late. He was plunged into darkness, the sour stench of the Fathership filling his nostrils. “Such an interesting flavor this one has. His pain is so unique.” The voice of the AllFather filled his head, harsh and discordant and once again he felt the agony. Sensors all over me, wires coming out of my skin like some kinda damn machine. Leave me alone—let me go! And then the draining pull of the AllFather’s mind focused solely on his own. The overwhelming despair that threatened to drown him as all his memories were twisted, love turned to hatred, pleasure to pain. The huge lighted screen above his head showing him things that had happened in the past but wrong, distorted. He saw himself shouting at his father, killing his brother, and other things too horrible to think of. No, I never did those things. I love them, I wouldn’t…would never…

“Are you sure?” The insidious grating of the AllFather’s voice in his mind was implacable. Slowly but surely Baird could feel himself losing all sense of reality, losing his sanity. Everything was upside down. Every precious memory was warped into something hideous and strange and wrong. He told himself to resist, tried to keep his mental shields strong. But there was nothing the AllFather couldn’t distort. Nothing except…

Olivia… Her mind had found his in the dark pit where the Scourge had chained him. To Baird it had been like looking up into a pitch black sky and seeing the light of a single, brilliant star shining down. He began to dream-share with her, watched her go about her day. The normalcy of her life and her radiant beauty fed him and helped him control the intense pain he felt when the AllFather focused on him. Helped keep his shields strong so that he never let them all the way in, never broke completely. Watching Olivia, feeling her mind linked to his was all that kept him sane.

Baird knew she was seeing him too—he could feel her compassion through their mind link when she saw what was being done to him. And he knew then that he had to escape, had to get away from the Fathership or he would never meet her. Never hold her in his arms and claim her as his bride.

He saw himself waiting for the perfect opportunity. Watched as he ripped the wires that were sucking the life out of him from his skin and used them to strangle the guard who had gotten too close. The desperate game of hide and seek he had played with his captors until he was able to steal a ship and fly away, get back to the Kindred ship where Sylvan waited anxiously, wondering if he would ever be able to function again. Few escaped the clutches of the Scourge and if they did, their minds were usually full of holes and broken memories afterwards. Almost none of them was able to resume their place as a fully functioning member of society.

But Baird had been lucky—he’d had Olivia to pull him through. Because of her he had never given up hope. Because of her he had retained his sanity, his strength. And now that he was free, he needed her. Needed her in his arms, in his bed.

He watched as their claiming ceremony played out, saw the entire last week of his life in fast-forward as he pursued his new bride and she resisted and retreated. He relived the feel of her in his arms, the delicious sensation of having her under him, the heat her soft fingers had raised in him as she caressed his shaft and mating fist. And then their fight, his pain when she refused to let him touch her. Olivia, I love you…Need you so much…my life, my mate, my bride…

And suddenly he was back in the sacred grove kneeling before the priestess of the Mother of Life, knowing she had seen it all.

She drew in a deep breath and removed her fingers from his temple. “You have suffered much, Warrior. Why did you not come to the temple for healing after your escape from the Scourge?”

“Because I don’t like this,” Baird said honestly. “The feeling of somebody else inside my head—I had enough of that with those slimy bastards. Not that it’s as bad when you do it, your holiness, but still, a male should have privacy inside his own mind.”

The priestess frowned. “I understand your reluctance, Warrior, but you should know that delving into the mind of another is no more comfortable for me than it is for you. Some of my sisters call it a curse—the ability to see within a male and know his true thoughts and actions. It is why so many of us choose to dedicate ourselves to the Mother of Life instead of finding a mate. Your memories especially are terrible—some of the worst I have ever seen.”

“I’m sorry.” Baird didn’t know what else to say. He’d had no idea that the process was as uncomfortable to the priestess as it had been for him.

“Do not be.” She patted him on the shoulder. “We each act for the will of the Mother. It is she who decides the fate of us all.”

Baird looked at her eagerly. “And can you see my fate? What will happen with my bride—with Olivia?”

The priestess looked grave. “I wish I could tell you that the way before you is smooth, Warrior. But I fear you have some trials ahead of you.”

“Trials? What trials? What am I supposed to do?”

She closed her green-within-green eyes, a frown crossing her face. “I see a choice you will have to make. A terrible sacrifice. And danger—so much danger.” She opened her eyes and they were troubled. “I fear for you.”

Baird felt a shadow pass over his heart. “What do you fear? It’s not danger to Olivia, is it? I don’t care what happens to me as long as she’s safe.”

“There will be danger for both of you, I am afraid.”

“But what can I do? How can I protect her?”

The priestess shook her head. “I wish I could tell you more but this is all the Mother of Life has given me to see. My own advice to you is to follow your heart. It may be that you will have to lose your bride in order to gain her. And I fear you may lose yourself in the process.”

“What does that mean?” Baird asked in frustration. “How am I supposed to follow advice I can’t even understand?”

She shook her head. “You will have to discover the meaning for yourself. I only pray you will be able to do so before it is too late.” Then she turned and glided away, her bare feet making almost no sound on the sacred grass.

Baird was left kneeling, his head filled with more questions than ever. Damn it, this was what he hated about consulting a priestess. Why couldn’t they just spell things out instead of all this mysterious mumbo-jumbo crap? But the worst thing was, it wasn’t just crap and he knew it. The priestesses of the Mother of Life were never wrong. In the very near future he and Olivia were going to be in danger—what kind he didn’t know.

He just hoped he could keep her safe and get them both out of it alive without losing her forever in the process.

Chapter Seventeen

The rest of the week was incredibly tense. Liv and Baird didn’t speak about their fight but things didn’t exactly go back to normal—or what she’d come to think of as normal, anyway. True to his word, Baird refused to let them leave the suite and toward the end of the week Liv was beginning to go stir crazy. It wasn’t just that she minded being confined to a single set of rooms, although that was bad enough. But there was also the growing attraction between herself and the big warrior to contend with and the more time she spent with Baird, the worse it got.

He warned me it would get worse. I can handle this, she told herself. Forewarned is forearmed. But somehow her determination to hold out and resist got hazy whenever she was near him. And it left her completely every night when it was time for the bathing ceremony. Because Baird insisted on following the contract and washing her in the bathing pool every single night despite the fact that she’d made it clear she didn’t want him anywhere near her.

Of course, there was nothing Liv could do about fulfilling the contract she’d signed. But she wished that just once, she could keep her cool and icy demeanor in place while Baird washed and touched her. Unfortunately, that never seemed to happen, no matter how sternly she talked to herself about not giving in to desire. When he put his big, warm hands on her and washed her bare breasts and stroked between her thighs with his fingers she lost her self control every single time. More often than not, she wound up begging him to take her and Liv knew that only the fact that he had promised not to bond her to him during this week kept Baird from doing just that.

Unfortunately, the end of their second week together was over. The first night of their tasting week was tonight and Liv was pretty sure that the minute Baird was legally allowed to go farther with her he absolutely would.

The worst thing was, she had caught herself wondering, more than once, if it would really be so bad to just give in. She could feel the love in Baird’s hands when he touched her, could see the need in his amber eyes when he looked at her. It was hard to remain unmoved when it was obvious that he had genuine emotions for her. And when she had feelings for him too, though she would scarcely allow herself to admit it.

She might have decided to hell with it and just let matters take their course—she was fighting a losing battle, after all, and she knew it. But there was still something that bothered her. She didn’t like the way she lost control when he touched her, the way she couldn’t remain cool and unfeeling when he washed her in the bathing pool. Liv had never been with a man she couldn’t distance herself from if she wanted to.

Mitch had only ever made halfhearted attempts at foreplay and even the main event with him had been lackluster. Liv hadn’t had a problem putting sex on the backburner with her old fiancé—there was literally nothing to get excited about. But with Baird, she found herself helpless not to feel, unable to block out his need for her and hers for him. He was so gentle and so passionate at the same time. She reacted no matter how hard she tried not to, her body betraying her every time.

There has to be something more to it than just all that crap about the right chemistry and our bodies needing each other that Baird is always talking about, she told herself. There has to be some reason why I can’t say no to him. Why I want him every time he touches me. Why every time he makes me come it doesn’t really satisfy me—it only makes me want him more.

But whatever that something was, she had no idea and she was almost resigned to never finding out. Until Baird told her that he had to leave for a day and a night to attend a conference about the Scourge on the moon.

“I don’t like to leave you like this and I wouldn’t have to if we weren’t still at war.” He sounded apologetic as he got dressed in his uniform, the same tight black pants and deep crimson shirt he’d been wearing when he first claimed her. “I hate like hell to go, especially with things still so up in the air between us.”

Liv was watching him from the bed. “Nothing’s up in the air. You’re determined to keep me and I’m determined to go.”

His face darkened. “You’re not so damn determined when I have you in the bathing pool.”

Liv felt a heated blush creep into her cheeks but she refused to back down. “Be that as it may, what I say or do in the, uh, in the heat of passion doesn’t change how I feel.”

A look that was almost despair crossed over his chiseled features. “Damn it, Olivia, can’t you admit to yourself that you feel for me what I feel for you? Can’t you just try to imagine having a life here with me on the ship?”

“I could…if I didn’t already have a life waiting for me back on Earth.” She sighed. “Look, let’s not fight about this right now. You have to go, fine. I’ll manage okay on my own here.” To be honest she was looking forward to a reprieve from the constant lust she felt while being cooped up with him in close quarters.

He frowned. “I shouldn’t be leavin’ you alone during our claiming period. If I hadn’t had a direct order from my CO—”

“It’s okay, really. I’ll find something to keep me occupied. I’ll try the translator and read one of your books. And I can work the wave well enough to make my own lunch without burning a finger off now.”

“All right, fine.” He looked slightly mollified. “But whatever you do, stay in the suite. Don’t leave for any reason.”

“Yes, sir!” She gave him a mocking salute. “To hear is to obey, oh my lord and master.”

“Lilenta…” He sighed. “This is for your safety. I’m not trying to order you around for the hell of it.”

“No, you just want to make my decisions for me. Stay here, don’t go there. Live the rest of your life on the ship instead of ever seeing your loved ones on Earth again. Why should this be any different?” Liv knew an edge of bitterness had crept into her voice but she couldn’t seem to help it.

Baird scowled. “In time you’ll see that this is best. The only way I can protect you is to keep you close to me.”

“Funny how much being protected feels like being owned.”

“I thought you didn’t want to fight.”

“You started it.” Liv knew it sounded childish but she didn’t care.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Olivia…” Then he shook his head, as though sensing the futility of any argument. He pointed a finger at her instead. “I’m going but I’ll be back tonight in time for the start of our tasting week.”

“You…I’m surprised you want to…to do anything at all.” Liv worked hard to keep the tremble out of her voice but didn’t quite succeed.

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean with you trying to pick a fight at every opportunity and generally resisting me every step of the way? I have news for you, Lilenta, none of that affects the way I feel for you—the way I need you—one bit.” He walked over to the bed where she was sitting on the edge and pulled her to her feet. “I still want you more than any other woman I’ve ever seen. Still need to be inside you, bonding you to me, making you mine,” he growled softly, pulling her close.

“Baird, stop it!” She wanted to beat against his broad chest in protest but she somehow found herself melting against him instead.

“Don’t you want to give me a kiss goodbye?” There was a flicker of bitter amusement in his golden eyes. “No, I guess you don’t. Too bad.” Leaning down, he took her lips in a rough yet tender kiss that took Liv’s breath away. She opened her mouth to protest and he invaded her with his tongue, probing gently but firmly, as though it was his right to explore and claim her. As though he owned her already.

Liv moaned in mingled frustration and desire as she found she was kissing back. As always when she was close to him, in contact with him, her senses were flooded with his warm, spicy scent and her determination to resist him seemed to fly out the window. She could feel her nipples getting hard and her pussy getting hot and wet as Baird twined his fingers through her hair and held her close for the long, leisurely time it took him to explore her completely.

At last he broke away, leaving Liv gasping for air and trembling with need.

“What…why…that really…really wasn’t necessary,” she finally managed to gasp.

“Oh, yes it was. I want you to think of that kiss while I’m gone. Because tonight when I come back, that’s exactly how I’m going to taste you.” His eyes were burning now, molten gold, and Liv couldn’t stop a shiver of lust from running through her.

Down there. He’s talking about tasting me down there, between my thighs. She couldn’t bring herself to think of it more graphically than that without blushing. She’d been with a few other guys—none of them as long as Mitch—but a few. And none of them had been very interested in that particular act. With Mitch, especially, it was as though he thought of it as a distasteful chore he had to get out of the way before he could get to the good part of sex. His attitude had given Liv something of a hang-up about the whole thing and to tell the truth, she really preferred not to go there at all. Or let a man go there, as it were.

So going down was out. When Liv had stopped asking for it, Mitch had been more than happy to leave it out of their admittedly limited sexual repertoire. She’d been a little disappointed but a lot less uncomfortable in the bedroom—it seemed like a fair trade and she’d pretty much decided that no guy really wanted to go there, no matter what they said.

But the look in Baird’s eyes told her differently. The burning need she saw in their golden depths said he wanted to taste her—no, needed to taste her. The hunger in his face, the hard bulge against her thigh as he held her close…He wants to do this almost as much as he wants to make love to me, Liv realized watching the emotions play out on his sharp features. But why?

“Because,” Baird answered and she realized she’d spoken aloud. “I want to make you feel good, Lilenta. Want to taste your pleasure on my tongue as I push you over the edge. Want to feel you pulling my hair and scratching my shoulders as I take you higher and make you come harder than you ever have before.”

Liv tried to keep her cool. “And I suppose this is another Kindred ritual? Some kind of ceremony handed down for generations like the bathing thing?”

He flashed her a grin. “Not really. We just love to do it. Hell, I could go down on you for hours—and I will too, as soon as I get back.” He pulled her forward and gave her another searing kiss before looking her in the eyes. “When I get finished with you, Lilenta, every male within a fifty mile radius will know you’re mine.”

“So that’s what it’s about.” Liv felt a small surge of triumph despite the fact that her heart was still pounding with desire from being so close to him. “You just want to scent mark me—that’s all.”

He frowned. “No, that’s not all. It’s just part of it. Mostly I want to bring you pleasure while I taste your sweet juices. Want to see you spread open for me and hear you call my name while I put my tongue deep in your sweet little pussy.”

Liv bit her lip. There was no denying that his words painted a vivid mental image in her head. Her stomach felt like a flock of butterflies had just taken off inside it. But still…

“I…I think you should know it’s not something I like very much,” she said softly, looking down. “I mean it just doesn’t…do much of anything for me.”

“That’s because you’ve never had a male who knew what he was doing between your thighs before,” Baird said confidently.

Liv frowned. “You’re arrogant, aren’t you?”

“No—I just know what I’m doing.” He gave her a half-lidded glance that made her stomach do flip-flops again. “And I know what I’m talking about. We dream-shared for months, remember? I’ve seen your memories of how other males treated you.”

“You saw me with Mitch?” She felt a sudden flare of embarrassment. “That’s an invasion of my privacy.”

He shrugged. “Can’t help it—when two minds align you see what the dreams show you. You think I would’ve wanted to let you see me where I was? Chained in the belly of the Scourge Fathership with wires comin’ out of me? I wasn’t exactly at my best, Lilenta.” He spoke lightly enough but Liv could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned his own personal season in Hell.

“I felt sorry for you,” she said softly. “I wanted…wished I could help you in some way. Heal you.”

Baird cupped her cheek gently. “And you did. You were my lifeline when I was down in that pit.”

“I’m glad.” Liv frowned. “But I still don’t like the idea of you watching what Mitch and I did.”

“Or didn’t do.” He gave her a level glance. “I saw how he treated you, Lilenta. He didn’t worship you properly with his body or with his tongue. A male who really knows what he’s doing and who wants to pleasure you will spend hours between your thighs, making you come over and over as he drinks your sweet juices. That’s exactly what I want to do to you.”

Liv felt the familiar wire of sexual tension tightening in her belly and had to look away. “I…it just makes me feel…uncomfortable.”

Baird stroked her hair away from her face. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to relax you before I get on my knees before you, Lilenta. Your pleasure will be my first priority.”

Liv knew from experience he was telling the truth. After all, he made her come again and again night after night and never asked for a thing for himself. For all she knew he had the worst case of blue balls in history but he never said a word about it. All he seemed to care about was pleasing her, making her come and holding her as he did it—just as he was now. God, if he doesn’t let go of me soon I’ll be letting him to do it right here, right now and screw the conference he’s supposed to attend. She felt the familiar surge of frustration. Why couldn’t she just say no to him? Why did he affect her so much?

“I guess you won’t stop this time,” she heard herself saying. The words were meant to be bitter but they came out breathless instead. “If I…when I ask you to…to finish it.”

Baird nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I promised not to bond you during our bathing week but when I come back all bets are off. Sorry, Lilenta, but I need you too damn much. Need to be able to hold you and protect you. So yes, if you ask for it, I’m damn well going to give it to you.”

“Baird…” She didn’t know what to say. None of her arguments worked on him. “I…” She shook her head helplessly. “You’re going to be late.”

“Damn it.” He let her go to look at the chronometer on his wrist and Liv sank back down on the bed.

“I guess I’ll see you when I get back. Should I even bother to wear clothes?”

“Lilenta…” He dropped to his knees before her and took her hands. “Please, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Liv lifted her chin. “Yes, it does. I told you before, I’m not giving up without a fight. Now go. I’ll see you later.”

He sighed. “I’ll be thinking of you every moment I’m away. Be well and be safe, Lilenta.” He cupped her cheek and kissed her once more—this time a gentle brush of lips on lips—before rising.

Liv sighed as she watched him leave and heard the front door of the suite hiss shut behind him. God, what was she going to do? She was trapped and the worst thing was, no matter how much she tried not to, she couldn’t help feeling for Baird just as he said. Couldn’t help the shiver of lustful fear that ran through her when she imagined him down on his knees before her, his face buried between her thighs…

Stop it, she scolded herself. You finally have some time to yourself so use it. Try and find a way out of this before it’s too late.

Getting off the bed on legs that were still wobbly from his kisses, she went to do just that.

Two hours later she had to admit that there didn’t appear to be anything in Baird’s personal library about getting out of a claiming contract. Other than breach of contract—which apparently almost never happened—most brides called by Kindred warriors stayed with the male who had called them for the rest of their lives.

“And they all lived happily ever after,” Liv muttered in disgust, shutting the last book that seemed to have any relevance to her situation. Baird kept a lot of his files on minidisks but, like humans, the Kindred had a fondness for handheld books. Of course, when one opened a Kindred book it showed moving pictures of whatever the text was about so it wasn’t exactly the same as an antique paper book from Earth. But it was still nice to be able to hold it instead of reading it off a computer screen.

With a sigh, Liv took off the translator which looked like a pair of wire rimmed glasses with green lenses. They were lightweight and made especially for a human sized head which was nice. If they’d been made on the Kindred scale she never could have kept them from slipping off. When she opened a book, the text was changed by the interface of the translator to her brain and the words on the page appeared in English instead of the strange spiky symbols that the Kindred used as their universal language.

Liv was just deciding to take a long soak in the bathing pool since she couldn’t think of anything else to do when the holo link buzzed. Frowning, she folded the translator glasses and walked over to take the call. Was it Baird calling to tell her something he’d forgotten? Or maybe Sylvan, looking for his brother?

The link wasn’t that different from the holo enabled PC she and Sophie had at their apartment back on Earth but Liv knew from experience that it wouldn’t call anyone off the Kindred ship. She’d tried numerous times and with increasing frustration after Sophie’s cryptic letter until Baird had caught her at it. He’d explained that the link wasn’t made to reach further than the ship so her attempts to contact her sister were futile. Liv hadn’t bothered with it after that because she didn’t know anyone besides Baird and Sylvan on board.

Or do I? The name flashing in the call box at the bottom of the small, square unit that projected 3D images of the caller’s head looked vaguely familiar. Jillian Holms…Jillian Holms. Oh my God! It was the head cheerleader from her high school days—the very one Kat had been talking about on the fateful morning Liv had been drafted and claimed by Baird. Hastily she hit the accept button, hoping Jillian was still there.

She was. Before Liv’s eyes a winking blue dot appeared about a foot above the black cube of the holo link and slowly expanded to show Jillian’s perfect features and flawless skin. There was a reason she’d been voted homecoming queen three years in a row and as she twitched her bouncy honey blonde curls over one shoulder, Liv was reminded why.

“Liv? Livvy, is that you?” the floating head asked, gazing at her.

“Uh, yeah. Yes, it’s me.” Liv suddenly wished she’d taken time to do her hair instead of just putting it back in a pony tail.

“Oh goody!” Jillian squealed, grinning. “I saw your name on the new bride roster and I was so hoping it would be you. It’s so nice to see a familiar face.”

“Likewise.” Liv grinned at her, deciding she didn’t care about her hair. It was true that she and Jillian had never been on much more than a nodding basis in high school but that didn’t matter now. She was another human and she was here, on board the ship. Liv felt a surge of excitement.

“You look wonderful,” Jillian gushed. “Just amazing. I’m so glad to see you again.”

“You look pretty fantastic yourself,” Liv said truthfully.

“Oh, please.” Jillian tossed her hair again. “I guess being bonded to two of the sweetest guys in the universe just agrees with me.”

“Oh, that’s right—you got Twin Kindred, didn’t you?” Liv remembered Kat’s bowlegged impression of the aftereffects of sex with two huge warriors at once and had to smother a smile.

“Uh-huh. Thinks Hard and Sees Much—don’t they have great names? They’re literal translations of their abilities and personalities. It’s a Twin Moons thing. But I just call them Grumpy and Happy—like from the seven dwarves, you know? They’re both just amazingly wonderful and I love them to death.” Jillian grinned. “So how about you? Who are you bonded to?”

“Uh…” Liv didn’t exactly want to admit that she wasn’t truly bonded. “I’m, uh…my guy is a Rager. A Beast Kindred.”

“Ooo!” Jillian shivered. “Omigod, is he an animal in the sack? They say sex with a Beast Kindred is so intense it leaves you sore for like, days afterwards.”

“Really?” Liv raised an eyebrow at her, feeling slightly irritated. “Because that’s what I heard about the Twin Kindred.”

“Well, I mean, it can be a little difficult at first. Especially if you’re not used to, uh, taking two guys at once. And they’re both so big.” Jillian blushed and giggled. “Look, you know I love to dish but this isn’t the way to do it. We need to get together and have some girl talk. What do you say?”

“Sure, I’d love to,” Liv said, thinking that maybe she could get Baird to finally take her out of the suite if she had an excuse to go somewhere. He could hardly deny her a visit with an old high school friend, could he?

“Great,” Jillian said brightly. “I’ll send my coordinates to your suite. If you hurry up we can grab lunch together. Of course, I don’t cook—you remember that from that horrible home-ec class we had together.” She shivered. “But there’s this wonderful little place that does cuisine from the Twin Moons mountain region that’s just to die for and they deliver.”

“Oh, uh, I’m not sure I can today,” Liv said apologetically. “Baird is gone to a conference on the moon and he told me not to leave the suite. He seemed to think it wouldn’t be safe.”

“Pooh.” Jillian made a face. “Silly overprotective alpha males. There’s nothing that will hurt you on board the ship as long as you stay away from the unmated males’ area. Now, I’m looking at your coordinates and it looks like you’re directly across the ship from me. So the fastest thing would be to bring you right through the center. Ooo, have you seen the temple of the Mother of Life yet? Omigod, it’s just gorgeous. I’ll plot you a course that takes you past it so you can grab a peek as you go.”

“But…” Liv shook her head. “Look, Jillian, I hate to disappoint you but I don’t even know how to use the public transportation here. I mean, the ship is huge and Baird has only taken me to places around our area.”

“You don’t have to use the sub-tram,” Jillian said, sounding impatient. “I mean, you’ve got a Take-me, don’t you?”

“Sorry, a what?”

“A Take-me. It’s kind of like a little scooter-type animal thing you ride on? They’re used more in the center of the ship than the perimeter so you might not have seen one yet. I always think they look like that push-me pull-you animal from the Doctor Doolittle books, except for the green fur. Did you read those when you were a kid?”

“I—” Liv started but Jillian steamrolled over her.

“My mom was big into retro-reads and we had the whole set. Anyway, it rests when you’re not using it. Just look for a blue wall panel in the food prep area and push it. It lives off the stuff you put down the waste disposal unit in the sink.”

“Hang on.” Jillian’s chatter was making her dizzy. “Just give me a minute—I’ll go look.” She left the disembodied head hanging above the holo-link and went to the kitchen before Jillian could go off on another tangent. Really shouldn’t be doing this, she told herself as she searched for the wall panel. Well, I’ll just see what she’s talking about. If there is a form of transportation here, I need to know about it in case of emergency. She couldn’t actually imagine an emergency wherein she would have to climb on the back of a push-me pull-you with green fur to escape, but the justification sounded nice.

Sure enough, when she found a small blue square the size of her palm beside the sink and pushed it, a large wall panel, about five by five, slid out of place. Liv looked cautiously into the dim area revealed behind the panel and found herself staring into the big purple eyes of a creature about the size of a large pony—all three of them. The creature made an enquiring humming noise deep in its longish throat and shuffled out into the kitchen. Liv couldn’t help noticing that it had a neck like a llama—or make that two necks. Because right where the creature’s backside should have been, was another long, shaggy neck and head complete with three more large purple eyes. The second mouth appeared to be chewing something—probably whatever she’d shoved down the sink disposal following the breakfast she and Baird had shared.

“Oh, uh, hi.” Liv backed up uneasily but the strange, two headed creature followed her on its six, awkward looking legs. She couldn’t help thinking that the knees bent the wrong way but it seemed to move well enough. “You can…uh, you can go back to your little cave.” Liv made a shooing motion at it which the creature ignored. “I just wanted a look at you, that’s all,” she protested. Turning, she went back to the living area, hoping the Take-me would get the hint. Unfortunately, instead of going back to its home beside the sink, it ambled after her.

“Oh goody, you found it,” Jillian said as soon as the Take-me came into view of her projection. “Bring it here and I’ll give it the coordinates.”

“Jillian, I really don’t know. Baird said—”

“Poo—are you seriously going to let him tell you what to do? I tell you, Livvy, these Kindred guys are great but if you let them they’ll keep you locked away day and night. Mostly in bed.” She giggled. “I mean, they’re just so overprotective it’s ridiculous so you have got to take a stand and come see me. I’d come to you but our Take-me is having a check-up right now. I think maybe I shouldn’t have fed it banana peels but how was I supposed to know they could have allergies to Earth food?”

“Well…” Liv thought of how long she’d been cooped up in the small suite. The truth was she was dying to get out. Her first week with Baird, when they’d gone on so many dates, had been much less complicated and tense and a lot more fun. Besides, he’ll be gone to that conference until tomorrow and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. “It would be nice to see more of the ship,” she said cautiously, thinking aloud.

“Now you’re talking!” Jillian beamed at her. “Great, I am just dying for some female companionship. I mean, my guys are wonderful but when I start talking shoes their eyes just kind of glaze over, you know?”

Privately Liv thought she probably wouldn’t be much better in that area since she didn’t have much of a shoe fetish herself. But maybe I can find out some other things from Jillian. She’s been here longer than me. That thought more than anything else completely made up her mind. “All right,” she said, smiling at Jillian’s disembodied head. “How do I get to your place in time for lunch?”

Chapter Eighteen

The Take-me was surprisingly fast. Despite its wrong-way bending knees, the six shaggy legs could really move, making it a bit of a challenge to hold on to. Liv had ridden a horse before but sitting on the sloping back of the Take-me was different in the extreme. It had a natural dip in its long torso that seemed to conform to her body and make a kind of saddle, so she didn’t really worry about falling off, but its swaying gait still took some getting used to. She did wonder how Baird could ride it though. He was so much bigger than her that his feet would drag the ground—why keep what amounted to a compact car when you were built for an SUV?

But her questions were soon driven out of her head when the Take-me finished navigating the twisting metal corridors and they reached the center of the ship.

“A sun—they actually have a sun up there.” Liv squinted in amazement at the round bright green ball casting emerald light over the large garden-like area that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. There were eateries serving all kinds of food and hundreds of tiny, quaint looking shops edging the perimeter of the park-like center of the ship. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the huge Kindred warriors walking by and the green sunlight, it might have seemed like any tourist town she’d ever been to. As it was, Liv felt like Dorothy finally reaching the Emerald City. “Amazing,” she breathed as the Take-me trundled along the clearly marked pathway right through the middle of the center vegetation.

There were people in the park-like area too, hiking, picnicking on the green and purple grass, and generally enjoying themselves. It was mostly couples, Liv saw, although there were some families there as well. The children were all little boys—the Kindred gene that caused ninety-five percent of their offspring to be male was a dominant one that almost always bred true. Watching them play, Liv couldn’t help wondering what her son would look like, if she and Baird had one. Would he have his father’s golden eyes and dark hair? Would he be as big as the Kindred males from the other genetic trades or have more Earth-normal proportions? She’d always wanted a little boy, whenever she did get around to having kids and Baird would be a strong and patient father…

Stop it, Liv, she scolded herself. You’re supposed to be trying to get away from the guy, not planning to have his babies! Yet she couldn’t help sighing when she saw one of the Beast Kindred males who looked a little like Baird handling a tiny infant. He had the baby over one powerful shoulder and was patting and rubbing its back gently, obviously trying to coax out a burp. Beside him his bride, a lovely Asian girl with almond shaped eyes, was smiling maternally.

The girl was extremely petite, probably not even five feet tall, while her husband was almost Baird’s size. After Liv peeled her gaze away from their baby she couldn’t help eyeing them uncertainly. How had such a tiny woman accommodated a man as large as her Kindred husband? He was a Beast Kindred so he must have the same equipment Baird did. Maybe it wasn’t as big? Of course, Baird had said his body could make chemicals that would help a female adjust and open for him. For his mating fist…

Just thinking about Baird’s unique anatomy made her blush and look away from the happy family scene but not before she saw the Kindred father noticing her. He had a frown on his face and he was sniffing the air, as though he smelled something in the air. Liv wasn’t sure what to think of that but by then she was already past them and into a different part of what she was beginning to think of as the Kindred version of Central Park.

The temple of the Mother of Life was, as promised, beautiful, although like no other place of worship Liv had ever seen. The trees with their many different shades of green and purple leaves were gorgeous and she wished she could get down and wander among them for awhile. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to stop the Take-me and she didn’t want to try getting off while it was ambling along at its deceptively fast rate so she remained seated on her swaying mount. I wonder if I can get Baird to take me here when he gets back? she thought wistfully as the lovely temple faded into the distance. Wish we could get out and do more instead of staying cooped up in the suite. Just because we’re fighting shouldn’t mean we have to stay in all the time.

Coming out on the other side of the park area she expected to see more shops and eateries—and she did—to her right, anyway. To her left was a decidedly different area of the Kindred ship. The shops were darker and closer together and there were various signs in the spiky, angular Kindred language that were flashing on and off, as though to draw attention to whatever they were selling inside. Liv also didn’t see any more families or couples. There were only males going into the shops and none of them looked particularly happy. In fact, if she had to characterize the look on their faces she would have called it hungry, although maybe not for food. What’s going on over there? Whatever it is I don’t think I want to know.

She shivered. Despite the pale green sunlight, this area of the ship seemed darker somehow, more forbidding. Dangerous. As the Take-me ambled past it, she tried not to look at any of the warriors entering and leaving the mysterious shops but she couldn’t help noticing that they were certainly looking at her. Several of them stared at her and lifted their heads, breathing deeply as though scenting the air. Weird… Liv shivered again and then, thankfully, she was past the area and the Take-me was entering a familiar looking warren of blank metal corridors.

This was the area where most of the mated Twin Kindred lived and Liv was looking forward to seeing some up close since they were the only kind of Kindred she hadn’t met yet. She’d mostly seen Beast Kindred and the occasional Blood Kindred, like Sylvan, in the area where she and Baird were staying. She wondered if Jillian would dish more on having two husbands and how in the world such a three-way relationship worked. Liv could kind of see having a ménage a trois with two hot guys—she’d read it was the number one female fantasy in some woman’s magazine or other. But to actually marry two men and try to keep both of them happy all the time? It can’t be easy, she thought as the Take-me came to a stop in front of a flat silver panel door that looked the same as her own. Well, here goes.

Leaning forward, she reached past the Take-me’s forward looking head and rapped sharply on the metal door. It slid open at once and there was Jillian Holms, looking only a little different than she had in high school.

“Livvy!” she squealed, opening her arms for a big hug. “Get off the Take-me and come here.”

“Uh…” It had taken a certain amount of maneuvering to get up on the shaggy green animal in the first place and Liv didn’t want to fall on her face getting off it. Awkwardly, she began to clamber down but Jillian stopped her.

“Wait a minute—why are you doing it the hard way? Make it smaller before you try to get down.”

“Make it smaller?” Liv stared at her blankly. “How?”

“Like this.” Jillian addressed the two-headed creature sternly. “Take-me, half-as-big.”

Liv gasped in dismay as the furry green back under her bottom suddenly began to shrink. In a second she was left standing with her legs still spread wide and a Take-me no bigger than a large dog between them.

“I…I didn’t know it could do that.” Liv stepped carefully away from the placid creature who was looking up at her patiently with all six of its big purple eyes. “Can it get twice as big too?”

“It can be any size you want—well, up to a point. The Take-mes can compress and expand their mass almost infinitely but you wouldn’t want to make it too big to fit in the ship, of course. Now come on.” Jillian tugged on her arm. “We don’t have all day and I’m dying to catch up with you.”

Liv allowed herself to be led into the suite Jillian shared with her two husbands and the Take-me ambled in after them. Jillian put it in with her own Take-me which had apparently just come back from the Kindred version of the vet. It seemed to have a longer back than Liv’s. “It’s a three person model—bred especially for Twin Kindred families,” she explained when she saw Liv staring. “Speaking of which, you haven’t lived until you’ve done it on a Take-me. The way they rock when they walk…” She trailed off giggling. “But I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“Well, no, actually. I had no idea there was any such animal, er, form of transportation, until you told me,” Liv reminded her.

Jillian frowned. “Oh, that’s right. So strange that your guy hasn’t taken you on your Take-me to see the rest of the ship yet.”

Liv felt uncomfortable. “Well, we’ve kind of been staying in a lot. Our, uh, claiming period isn’t even over yet—in fact, this is just the beginning of our third week.” She was not going to say tasting week but she didn’t have to because Jillian said it for her.

“Oh, your tasting week. Well, if your guy is anything like mine are, you’re in for a big treat.” She giggled.

“Right. Can’t wait,” Liv mumbled.

“My goodness, I didn’t realize you were that new to the ship.” Jillian’s eyes widened and she tossed her perfect hair over her shoulder. “I can’t believe he even let you out of his sight.”

“Well, like I told you, he’s away at some conference on the Moon.” Liv shrugged. “And I figured, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Jillian grinned. “That’s the spirit! Well, anyway, make yourself at home. The food got here right before you did and I’m dishing it up right now.”

“Can I use your restroom?” Liv asked. Swaying on the back of the Take-me for the past hour with no hope of getting off had made her have to go.

“Sure. Down the hall and to the right. Look around if you want—all the suites are decorated pretty much the same with us brides in mind. They want us to feel at home, I guess although from what my guys say, our concept of furniture is kind of strange to them. Did you know on Twin Moons they eat lying down and sleep sitting up? So weird.”

“Yeah, that is weird.” Liv really had to go now. Making an excuse to get away from Jillian’s chattering, she ducked down the hall and went to find the bathroom.

As far as she could tell, Jillian was right about the decoration. Her suite appeared to be done in the same style as the one Liv was sharing with Baird. The one different was that the massive furniture seemed to be even bigger. Of course, she thought as she peeked her head into the doorway of the bedroom and saw a bed so immense it dwarfed the one she and Baird slept in. Everything is built for three.

The bathing pool was larger too—to the point where you could almost do laps in it. For a minute Liv wished for one that size and then she remembered that in order to get one, she would have had to put up with two huge Kindred warriors instead of one. No thanks, guess I’ll keep the one I have, she thought with a little shiver.

After she finished in the bathroom, she found her way out to the living area which was just off the main hallway where she’d entered. There was a couch that was half again as long as the one Baird had but at least it didn’t have a creepy living blanket on it. Liv still refused to sit on the fuzzy blue couch cover, although Baird had explained several times that it actually liked to be used.

In Liv’s opinion, household objects should not be able to fondle you or decide that they wanted you to use them. But the Kindred, being genetic traders, had developed a distressingly large amount of appliances that were alive and all too aware of their surroundings. Like that Touch-U thing…ugh! Just remembering the way the black massage mat had molested her still made Liv shiver. Well, at least there are a few useful and easy to use things. The Take-me was relatively simple and now that I know how to make it bigger or smaller even mounting and dismounting should be no problem.

Stepping around the couch she saw a display of wall mounted holo frames, each displaying Jillian with two huge Kindred males. To Liv’s surprise, one of them had dark blond hair and green eyes while the other had brown hair and brown eyes.

“Those are my guys,” Jillian said from behind her, making Liv jump. “Aren’t they handsome?”

“Yes, they are,” she said honestly. “But, uh, I thought they were supposed to be twins.”

“Yes, but not identical—fraternal. Otherwise, how would you ever tell them apart?” Jillian giggled. “Now this one is Happy.” She pointed at the blonde warrior who was slightly shorter than his brother. Not that a few inches mattered one way or another since both of them were over six four.

“And you call him that because…?”

“He’s the cheerful one—the light twin,” Jillian explained. “They’re like two halves of a whole, you know. So you always have a light twin and a dark twin—they compliment each other. Now that one,” She pointed to the Kindred male with the dark brown hair. “Is Grumpy, the dark twin. It took me a little while to warm up to him. But once I did…let’s just say he’s very…intense in the bedroom.” She gave a little mock shiver and grinned at Liv. “What do you think?”

“I think you make a lovely couple…er, threesome,” Liv corrected herself hastily. “You look, uh, very happy together.”

“Oh, we are.” Jillian was positively beaming. “In fact, we’re already trying for a baby. But of course, that’s not exactly easy with the Twin Kindred. What with the way we have to…I mean, they both have to, you know, at the same time. You know?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.” Liv really didn’t want to go into the details. “I’m really looking forward to trying Twin Moon’s cuisine,” she said, hoping to change the subject. To her relief, it worked.

“Omigod, the food—I left it out by itself. Come on.” Jillian grabbed her by the hand and dragged her back to the food prep area.

Once they were settled at the massive table with a circular bench running all the way around it, she proceeded to serve Liv something that looked like a heaping plate of pale orange spaghetti.

“Pasta?” Liv poked at the noodles experimentally with her fork and then gasped when several of them reared up off the plate and poked back.

Jillian laughed. “It’s not exactly pasta although I know it looks like that.”

“But…it’s alive.” Liv laid down her fork and stared at her plate in horror.

“Well, of course it’s alive, silly. You can’t kill Grieza worms until you’re just about to eat them or you’ll lose their delicious fresh flavor.”

“Uh, I think I’ll pass, thanks.” Liv was in the act of pushing the plate away—very carefully because she didn’t want any of the pasta-worms coming after her—when Jillian stopped her.

“Come on now, Livvy—I know it takes some getting used to but believe me, they’re delicious. And look, the sauce that comes with them kills them on contact. See?” She picked up a blue metal rectangular pitcher with a long curling spout and poured a thin stream of pale bluish-green oil over the twitching strands on her plate. The pasta-worms shivered and turned a bright green color. When Jillian stirred them with her fork, not a single one so much at twitched. “Perfect!” Jillian sounded delighted and proceeded to dig in.

“This is some kind of a joke, right?” Liv asked uncertainly as Jillian poked a large forkful of the recently deceased worms into her mouth.

“Uh-uh.” Jillian swallowed and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “C’mon, Livvy, live a little. Hasn’t your honey been cooking for you at all? My guys love to cook for me—sometimes they fight over the privilege.” She grinned. “Of course that’s only because I reward them so nicely afterwards.”

“Yes, Baird cooks,” Liv admitted. “And it’s not all Earth food. In fact, he’d made quite a lot of Kindred dishes for me. But I, uh, kind of asked him not to tell me everything he was cooking.”

“You did?” Jillian frowned. “But that means you’re missing out on half the experience. I mean, the whole point of being up here is to learn their culture so we can understand them. That and the amazingly hot sex, that is.” She giggled.

“Maybe they should spend some time trying to understand us.” Liv crossed her arms over her chest.

“Honey, they’ve been studying us for ages.”

“They have?”

Jillian nodded and took another big bite of her pasta, making an ecstatic mmm sound before continuing. “I mean, think about it, they’re genetic traders. They want to know what they’re getting into before they propose a trade. Why do you think the ship is so easy to get around in? I mean, they could have made it a lot more difficult just by conforming to their own standards of comfort but they designed it to make the Earth brides comfortable.”

“Really?” Jillian thought back to her first night in Baird’s suite. Everything had seemed strange and frightening at the time but she had to admit she’d been able to tell what each room was used for. The kitchen even had a refrigerator and a stove of sorts. Who knew how Baird’s people cooked and stored food back on their home planet? For all she knew they buried it in a cold hole in the ground and seared it on lava rocks or something. She’d never considered that Baird might be living in an environment that was alien to him as well, in order to make her feel more comfortable. But now that she thought about it…

“Really,” Jillian said, breaking into her train of thought. “And since they’re so into learning about us, I figure the least we can do is give their culture a shot. Some things are easy to adapt to—I mean, I never want to live anywhere without a bathing pool again, you know? Other things are a little harder.”

“Like the uh, what did you call them?” Liv gestured at her plate.

“The Grieza worms,” Jillian said, taking another forkful. “Go on, try them, Livvy. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Well…” Liv hesitated, feeling torn. On one hand, she was almost ashamed of herself. She’d been so determined to resist Baird that she’d been closing her eyes to his entire culture. Who would have thought that ditzy Jillian Holms would be more open minded than her? On the other hand, those were freaking worms on her plate. Lots of Earth cultures eat insects and other weird things, she reminded herself. Besides, I never expected to like sushi when I first tried it and now it’s one of my favorite foods. “All right,” she said at last. “Pass the poison sauce. I’m going to kill these suckers good and dead before I dig in.”

“That’s the spirit.” Jillian laughed and handed her the rectangular pitcher with the strange spiral spout. Liv took it and doused the pale orange pasta-worms on her plate liberally with the thin blue-green oil. When they were bright green and didn’t move when she poked them, she felt better. But only marginally. After all, she still had what amounted to a plateful of freshly killed raw worms. Grimly she wound some of the long thin strands around her fork and lifted the dripping mass to her mouth. Come on, she told herself. It can’t be worse than Baird’s first attempt at pizza! Closing her eyes tight, she shoved the worms in her mouth and began to chew.

At first she was so intent on not spitting out what she’d just put in her mouth that Liv couldn’t taste a thing. But after a moment the flavor exploded across her tongue and it was…Sweet. It’s actually sweet! The Grieza worms seemed to melt on her tongue, filling her mouth with a taste like the richest, most decadent chocolate she’d ever had. There were other flavors mixed in, a hint of something like mint and something else like citrus and raspberries and almonds but the main flavor was definitely chocolate.

“See, didn’t I tell you?” Jillian grinned at her delightedly. “It’s like Godiva died and went to heaven in your mouth, right?”

“It’s…pretty damn amazing,” Liv admitted, swallowing and reaching for another forkful. The taste was instantly addictive and she wanted more no matter where it came from. “Why didn’t you tell me they tasted like chocolate?” she demanded after she finished another forkful.

“It’s better if you find out for yourself.” Jillian dug into her own plateful of chocolate pasta-worms happily. “I didn’t believe it myself until my guys got me to try them. Now I can’t get enough of them. And you know the best part? They’re pure protein—no fat and really low calories. You can practically eat as much as you want and not gain an ounce.”

“Wow,” Liv mumbled around another mouthful. She knew she was being rude but she didn’t want to stop eating long enough to really talk. The weird looking Grieza worms were literally the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. Go figure.

They ate in silence for a moment until both plates were completely clean. Unlike eating real chocolate, the Grieza worms tasted decadent but weren’t too rich too eat a lot of at one sitting. Though she was alarmingly full when her plate was clean, Liv thought she cheerfully could have asked for seconds. However, she didn’t want to be rude so she just smiled at Jillian. “Thanks for getting me to try that. It was amazing.”

“I knew you’d like it.” Jillian smiled. “Seriously, I gave up a lot to leave Earth and be with my guys but between the hot sex every night and the Grieza worms it was totally worth it.”

“You really think so?” Liv looked at her closely. “I mean, didn’t you leave family behind? People you loved? And now you can never see them except once or twice a year.”

“It’s a little rough,” Jillian admitted, pouring Liv a glass of wine. “I’m really close to my mom and she cried and cried when I got drafted. Actually, both of us did. At first I was determined to resist but, well…” She shrugged. “The guys are just so sweet. I mean, they think the sun just rises and sets on me. It’s hard to resist that kind of devotion.”

“Baird seems really, uh, devoted to me, too,” Liv admitted. “He’s always really patient.” And I’ve really been trying his patience lately. But she was ashamed to say that out loud. Jillian seemed so happy and well adjusted here on the Kindred ship. It was hard to admit that she herself wasn’t. Only because you won’t let yourself be. But she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

“It’s funny you should say that because Beast Kindred have a reputation of being really impatient. Very fiery and impetuous—especially if they feel like they’re bride is threatened. Of course, that last pretty much goes for all Kindred. Don’t you think it’s kind of romantic to be with a guy who would fight to the death to keep you safe?” Jillian sighed happily. “I mean, my last boyfriend on Earth was nice—he bought me everything I wanted, had his own yacht—you name it. But he never really had time for me. If I complained or wanted to talk he just threw more money at me. It got really boring after awhile. Not to mention that his bedroom technique was, shall we say, lacking.” She giggled. “And I have to say I have no complaints about the guys in that department. What about Baird? Is he amazing in bed?”

“Uh…” Liv didn’t actually want to admit she hadn’t done the deed with him yet. “He’s really focused on my pleasure,” she said carefully. “He seems to be a lot more interested in making me happy than, uh, getting happy himself if you know what I mean.”

“I do—I know exactly what you mean. My guys are the same way,” Jillian said excitedly.

“Still?” Liv raised an eyebrow at her. “I guess I just thought, I don’t know, that maybe the whole ‘put your woman’s pleasure first’ routine was only for the, uh, courting stage of the relationship.”

“Oh no.” Jillian shook her head. “Believe me, the Kindred are devoted to their brides all their lives. Their whole culture reveres women—that’s why they worship a Goddess—the Mother of All Life. I don’t think you could find a single society in all of Earth that’s more into pleasing and protecting their females. It’s really amazing.”

“I guess so,” Liv said slowly. “Baird is very protective.”

“My guys too.” Jillian nodded. “And they want to spend hours and hours making me, well, you know…” She blushed and giggled. “But it’s not just that—afterwards we talk—for hours sometimes. That’s how I learned so much about their planet. They miss it, you know. The ship really isn’t home to any of them either but they came here to take part in the new trade and find brides. One of them, Thinks Hard, told me that even if he never saw his home world again he would consider it worth it because he and Sees Much had won me as their bride.” She put a hand to her chest. “Isn’t that romantic?”

Liv had to admit it was. “Baird seems to feel like we had a connection a long time before we met,” she said cautiously.

“Because of the dream-sharing, of course. I always say that’s better than a background check any day because let me tell you, dreams don’t lie. What you see is what you get.”

Liv thought of the dark man she’d seen in her dreams. The way her heart had ached for him, the way she’d wanted to heal him. Then she thought of the gentle way Baird touched her and the despair on his face when he’d asked why she couldn’t admit her feelings for him. Suddenly she felt like crying.

“Anyway, are you ready for dessert?” Jillian chirped, obviously unaware of her internal struggle.

Liv glanced at her empty plate, trying to push down the tears that threatened. “I thought we already had it.”

“Nope.” Jillian hopped up perkily. “Just wait right here.” A moment later she was back with a large clear bowl filled with greenish-blue globe-like fruits that were somewhere between a grape and a plum in size. “These are twin fruits—see?” She picked one up and Liv saw that it was stuck to another one. In fact, all the fruits were doubled and flecked with a light dew of condensation. They looked cold and juicy and absolutely delicious.

“They look great,” she said, reaching for one of the conjoined fruits and taking a big bite. Her mouth was immediately filled with a sour, bitter taste like lemon juice and aspirin. “Ugh!” It was all Liv could to do not to spit out the bite.

“Ooo—sorry!” Jillian said anxiously. “I should have warned you right away—you don’t eat the flesh of the twin fruit, you eat the pit.”

“The pit?” Liv managed to say after choking down the tart, bitter bite. “Really?”

“Like this.” Jillian picked up one of the fruits and peeled back the blue-green skin and juicy flesh expertly, exposing two rounded pits that looked a little like very large black pearls. She popped them both into her mouth and crunched contentedly before nodding at Liv. “Now you try.”

Doubtfully, Liv picked up her fruit and peeled away the ripe flesh just as Jillian had done. She decided to start with one of the pits instead of eating both but once she popped the first into her mouth she changed her mind and ate the other as well. “Mmm…” she said, swallowing. “Has a texture like pecans—”

“And a flavor like spiced peaches,” Jillian finished for her. “And once again, hardly any fat.”

“It reminds me of my grandma’s peach apple crumble.” Liv helped herself to another double fruit. “Really good.”

“I know.” Jillian sighed happily and reached into the bowl again. “Oh, look—a three part one!” she exclaimed, pulling out a fruit that had three globes joined together instead of two. “Oh, I have to save this one for my guys. It’s considered very good luck to find one—like finding a four leaf clover on Earth, you know?”

“Why is that?” Liv asked, taking another fruit for herself. In their own way, the twin fruit were almost as addictive as the Grieza worms.

“It means happiness between you and your spouses. Anything in threes is considered unusual and lucky in Twin Moons culture. That’s where the Take-me’s originally came from. They domesticated them because of their three eyes on each head, you know?”

“Mmm.” Liv sighed and sat back some. “No more. I was already full and now I’m just making a pig of myself.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Jillian giggled again and then glanced at the chronometer she wore on her wrist. cocked her head to one side. “Hang on—I promised my mom I’d call her around this time. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Uh, no—of course not.” Liv watched, mystified, as her hostess hopped up from the table and fetched a thin silver wire. Placing the wire around her forehead and pressing it against her temples, she closed her eyes and began to murmur in a low voice.

“Mom? Everything okay down there?” What she heard seemed to reassure her because she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I know Lucy’s wedding is in a few days and don’t worry—the guys and I will be there. The Council agreed that a mating ceremony was an important enough event to grant a special pass for. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Look, Mom, I kind of have company right now. Can I call you back in a few? Okay, yeah, I promise. Love you too. Bye.”

Opening her eyes, Jillian slipped the thin sliver wire off her head and laid it carefully on the table. “That was my mom—she’s going nuts trying to plan my little sister’s wedding and she’s constantly wanting to talk about the details. Makes me so glad the Kindred don’t do big ceremonies—although they will if you want them too. They’re really good about being accommodating on a girl’s special day, you know?”

Liv was less interested in what Jillian’s mother had had to say than she was in exactly how she’d said it. “What is that thing?” she asked, pointing to the circular silver filament. “I mean, how does it work? Are you the only one who can use it? Do only the Twin Kindred have them or what?”

“What, a Think-me?” Jillian picked it up delicately between thumb and forefinger. “No, of course not. All Kindred households have one. It’s like their version of a cell phone.”

Liv frowned. “But I thought there was no way to talk to anyone back on Earth. Baird told me the holo-link only worked on board ship.”

“Oh, it does. That’s because it’s for formal communication, between people who don’t know each other very well. It’s considered very rude to bespeak someone you don’t already have a relationship with.”

“But you just talked, uh, thought to your mom,” Liv objected. “Or, uh, bespoke her, I guess.”

“Well, she’s my mom. I mean, of course I know her well enough to bespeak her.”

“Yes, but I mean, she’s on Earth, right? So how can you contact her?”

“Well, technically you’re not really supposed to.” Jillian looked a bit guilty. “But I was so sad about never getting to see her that my guys made an exception for me. Honestly, I got the impression that lots of the Kindred are doing that—letting their brides use the Think-me, I mean. It’s kind of an open secret, you know?”

“Well, it was a closed secret to me.” Liv shook her head. “Baird never said a thing about it.”

“He can’t during the claiming period. A bride isn’t allowed to have any contact with her family during the entire thirty days,” Jillian explained. “Of course if you have someone you really want to talk to…”

“I do, I really do,” Liv said eagerly, thinking of Sophie’s cryptic letter. “My sister—you remember Sophie?”

“Of course—we were all in that horrible Mrs. Tanner’s home-ec class together, right? Go ahead.” Jillian handed her the wire circlet. “Just put it on and make sure it’s touching your temples. Then think really hard of the person you want to contact. Oh, and be sure you let them know right off the bat they’re not going crazy. I nearly gave my poor mom a stroke the first time I started talking right in her head. She thought she was hearing voices—and not in a good way.” She laughed.

“You mean it? You don’t mind?” Liv was already fitting the thin silver wire over her head and pressing it against her temples.

“Of course not—I know what it’s like to be homesick. Just don’t tell anyone or we could get in trouble.” Jillian looked suddenly worried. “Keep it short, okay?”

Seeing the worried look on the other woman’s face, Liv almost took the silver wire off her head. But the urge to contact her twin and make sure she was all right, not to mention finding out what the letter she’d sent meant was too strong. “I’ll be quick,” she promised. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated. “Sophie? Sophie can you hear me?”

Chapter Nineteen

“Sophie? Can you hear me?”

Sophia blinked and looked around her studio. It was really just a spare room in their townhouse she’d converted with drop cloths and an easel but the light was good and she’d done some of her best work here. Not that anything was coming out right now, not since Liv had left. Come to think of it, that voice had sounded just like—

“Sophie?” whispered the voice in her head again. This time Sophie was sure it wasn’t her imagination.

“Liv?” she asked tentatively. “Uh, where are you? Are you like, invisible or something?” She knew it sounded weird but who knew what was possible with alien technology?

The voice in her head laughed. “Hardly. I’m just contacting you from the Kindred ship using a Think-me. Like a Kindred cell phone.”

“Oh. Okay.” Then it really hit her. “Liv! It’s so good to hear from you! I miss you so much!”

“I miss you too, womb-mate.” Her sister sounded wistful. “How are things on planet Earth?”

“Horrible,” Sophie said frankly. “The summer is dragging and Kat and I are bored stiff without you. Not to mention my art’s coming out like crap.”

“What? You do fabulous art—your paintings are gorgeous. What’s the matter? Don’t you have any inspiration?”

“Too much inspiration is more like it. For some reason I keep painting the same thing over and over again.”

“What are you painting?”

“More like who.” Sophia blushed, looking at the half finished canvas in front of her. She really hoped her sister couldn’t see her as well as hear her.

“Who, then?”

“Well…” Suddenly Sophie had a horrible thought. “Liv, you’re not, uh, calling me to tell me you’re giving up, are you?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

The answer was immediate. “No, of course not. You know I’m not a quitter.”

“So you haven’t, uh, bonded with him?”

“No…” There was a longish pause and Sophie knew if her sister was right in front of her, she’d be able to see Liv nibbling her bottom lip—a habit she had when she was nervous or indecisive.

“Liv, what is it?”

“It’s just…Baird is not so bad when you get to know him. And I have to be honest, I’m finding him er…harder and harder to resist.”

Sophie slapped herself on the forehead, heedless of the yellow paint on her hand. “Oh my God, that reminds me—I have to warn you.”

“Warn me of what?”

“I’m so stupid, just chatting away and not even thinking when I’ve been dying to get in touch with you.”

“Does this have anything to do with the letter you sent me? ‘A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet.’ What was that all about, anyway?”

“It’s about Baird. Liv, you can’t trust him!”

“Why not?” Liv’s tone sounded worried.

“Well for starters, did you know he was in some kind of horrible Scourge prison camp only three days before he claimed you?”

“Well, yeah, I knew that. So?”

“So?” Sophie asked the empty air impatiently, wishing she could grab Liv and shake her. “So, he could have like post traumatic stress disorder. He might attack you at any time!”

“I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Liv said dryly. “For all the Beast Kindred’s scary reputation, he’s one of the most controlled people I’ve ever met. I mean, you wouldn’t believe…uh, never mind. Anyway, he’s very in control of himself. Was that all you wanted to warn me about?”

“Not nearly.” Sophie waved her brush in the air in agitation. “There’s something else too and it’s really important. What do you know about something called a mating scent?”

“Mating scent?” Sophie could almost see her sister shrug. “Uh, I may have heard the term. I know the Kindred place a lot of importance on smells.”

“That’s because they use them to seduce their brides. When a Kindred warrior claims a woman as his own, his body immediately begins making a pheromone that’s specifically tailored to her DNA,” Sophie said rapidly, quoting as well as she could remember from what Sylvan had told her.

“Well, Baird does smell really good. But…so?”

“So? So, it’s irresistible. I mean, it makes him irresistible to you. Remember how we were wondering why nobody ever turned the Kindred down and came back to Earth? This is why, Liv—they can’t help themselves. His mating scent is like a drug and you’re being subjected to it every minute you’re with him!”

Sophie was panting she was so upset but on the other end of whatever strange connection they had there was a lengthy silence. It went on for so long that she began to wonder if her twin had hung up on her. “Liv?” she asked at last, looking up in the air as though she could see her floating there. “Liv, are you still there?”

“I’m here.” Liv’s voice was flat. “Are you sure about this? I mean, how did you get this information?”

“Sylvan told me. You know, Baird’s brother?”

“Yes, I know.” There was another lengthy silence and then Liv muttered, “Son of a bitch.”

“Liv, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. You’re absolutely certain this is right?”

“Positive. He didn’t try to hide it or anything. He said that even if you knew, you wouldn’t be able to fight it—it’s that strong. Your body will react to his mating scent—”

“Whether I want it to or not,” Liv said, finishing her sentence in the familiar way they had.

“Exactly.” Sophie sighed. “Didn’t Baird tell you any of this?”

“He talked about smells being important and said I would find that I wanted him more and more but no. He never told me he was using biological warfare on me.” Now Liv sounded really upset and Sophie felt her heart twist.

“Look, Liv, I’m sorry, really I am. I feel horrible now—were you beginning to like him?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve been fighting what I felt so hard but I didn’t even know what I was fighting—just that I couldn’t, uh, help myself when I was close to him. And all this time he was lying to me. God…it’s Mitch all over again.”

“Oh honey, no.” Sophie wished that her sister was there in person so she could give her a hug. “It’s not like you caught him with another woman.”

“No—it’s worse. At least Mitch didn’t drug me to force me to stay with him.” Sophie could tell that Liv’s hurt was rapidly turning to anger. “Damn it, all this time I’ve been wondering why I was so out of control, why I couldn’t bring myself not to want him. The lousy, lying—” She broke off for a moment and when she came back she sounded a little calmer. “Sophie? I need to go. Someone else wants to use the phone …er, Think-me.”

“Do you really have to go? I’ve been missing you so much! Kat and I have been out of our minds with worry.”

“I’m sorry but I’m with Jillian Holms and one of her husbands is trying to get in touch with her. If he finds out she let me use this thing we could both get in trouble.”

“But will you be okay?” Sophie asked desperately. “I mean, what will you do?”

“Whatever I have to in order to get back to Earth.” Liv sounded grim. “Don’t worry, Sis, I’ll be back before you know it. Now that I know what I’m up against, there’s no way I’m going down.”

“But—”

“I love you, Sophie but I’ve really got to go. Give my love to Kat too and tell her I said the first pitcher of margaritas is still on her.”

“Okay. Love you,” Sophie said helplessly and suddenly the sense of having her sister in her head was gone.

She sank to the floor feeling suddenly bereft. After such a long absence, the conversation had been terribly brief but at least she’d been able to convey what she needed to. Now that Liv knew what was going on she could at least be on her guard. But she’d sounded so upset and betrayed when Sophie had told her…

Sophie shook her head and stared at the paintbrush she still clutched in one hand. “I hope I did the right thing by telling you, Liv,” she murmured even though she knew her sister could no longer hear. “I really hope I did.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jillian asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Fine, just fine,” Liv assured her tightly. She knew her hostess could tell she was upset but she wasn’t about to confide in Jillian over what had upset her. And to think I was feeling guilty for not giving his culture a chance. For not giving him a chance. While all the time he was just waiting for me to succumb to his freaking mating scent so he could keep me here forever.

Deep down she knew she was probably being overly harsh. After all, Baird had warned her in so many words that she would find him irresistible over time. Yeah, but I thought he was just being arrogant! Who knew he meant it literally?

“Ooo…I knew I shouldn’t have let you use the Think-me. What was I thinking? And now if anyone finds out we’ll be in serious trouble for compromising your claiming period.” Jillian was wringing her hands in agitation.

Liv took a deep breath, trying to control her own emotions. It was true that the afternoon had taken a bad turn but previously she’d really enjoyed her time with her old classmate. It seemed like a shame to let her bad mood ruin Jillian’s day. “Don’t worry about that,” she said, trying to sound calm though she was seething inside. “I’m not going to tell a soul. My lips are totally sealed.”

“But you’re mad at Baird now and it’s all my fault.” Jillian had apparently heard enough of Liv’s side of the conversation to piece that together at least.

“It’s not your fault. And just because I’m mad at him doesn’t mean I’ll tell him you let me make a long distance call,” Liv said, trying to reassure her. “I’m an adult, Jillian, I can handle this.”

“Well…if you’re really sure. And you swear not to tell on me…” Jillian’s tone was so pathetic that Liv felt moved to give her a quick hug.

“Of course not. Believe me, I didn’t like what I found out but I’m still glad I found it out. And I really enjoyed our time together.”

“You did?” Jillian looked at her hopefully.

“Are you kidding? You introduced me to my new favorite food. From now on I’m going on a strict all-worm diet—next time you see me I’ll probably be ten pounds lighter.”

Jillian giggled. “Wouldn’t the girls back on Earth be jealous if they knew? I only wish I could tell my old cheer squad. They would just die.”

If Liv remembered correctly, most of the girls Jillian was talking about had already been either anorexic, bulimic, or a combination of the two. Finding out they could go on an all protein diet that tasted like chocolate would probably have them foaming at the mouth. But she tactfully didn’t say so. “I bet they would.” She smiled at Jillian. “Look, I should really get back. Baird will be coming home from his conference soon.” And I’ll have a few choice things to tell him when he does.

“All right.” Jillian returned her hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Be careful going back and be sure you avoid the unmated males section. I had to plot you a course right by it on your way here because it was the quickest way.” She looked thoughtful. “Well, actually, it would have been quicker for you to go right through it but I didn’t want you to have to do that. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is don’t wander in there on the way back. You know, in case you decide to do any sight-seeing.”

Liv remembered the dark, forbidding warren of shops and the hungry looks on the males’ faces in that area and shivered. “I’ll pass on the sight-seeing for today. Especially since I don’t really know how to make the push-me pull-you, uh, Take-me, do much of anything.” She patted the shaggy green animal which was waiting patiently to take her back to her side of the ship.

“Oh, that’s easy. Now that you’ve ridden it once, you’ve established a connection with it. All you have to do is think where you want to go and it’ll take you there—no problem.”

“Really?” Liv looked at her mount, which was still the size of a large dog, doubtfully.

“Honestly—they’re mildly telepathic. It makes them easier to train.” Jillian gestured to the waiting Take-me. “Go on, straddle it and think what size you want it.”

“Uh, okay.” Liv did as she said, making sure she was positioned right over the middle of the sway-backed animal and thought at it, “Twice as big.” Immediately the Take-me doubled in size and she found herself sitting on it instead of straddling it. “Wow. That’s amazing.”

“Cool, huh?” Jillian patted the Take-me’s closest neck and smiled up at Liv. Then her expression grew serious. “Look, Livvy, I don’t know what you found out from your sister that made you so upset but please, try not to let it ruin the rest of your claiming period. There’s so much to see and do and experience here and you’ll never find a man who loves you like your Kindred warrior. I mean, sure they can be stupid sometimes but show me the man who isn’t, right?”

“I guess,” Liv said grudgingly. “I don’t know, Jillian. I’m just feeling kind of…betrayed right now. And I think it’s going to take me a little while to get over that.” If I ever do at all.

“Whatever it was Baird did, you can be sure he didn’t do it on purpose,” Jillian said earnestly.

Liv frowned. “You don’t even know him. How can you say that?”

“Because I know the Kindred—I know how they are. They love their women to distraction and would never hurt us on purpose.” Jillian sighed. “Just…give him a chance. Will you at least promise me that?”

“I’ll try.” It was the best Liv could do. “I really do need to get going,” she said. “But thanks for a great time, Jillian. I hope we can do it again.”

“I hope so too.” Jillian pressed her hand affectionately and gave a little wave. “See you next time then.”

“Okay.” Liv gave her a strained smile and then looked down the long metal corridor. Then she thought at the Take-me, “Home, as fast as possible.”

“I’m tellin’ you, Sylvan, I have a bad feeling about her. I’m worried.” Baird glared at the lighted control panel of the shuttle that was bringing them back from the meeting on the Earth’s moon. The entire conference had been one long painful session of “let’s remember” with his superior officers trying to get information on the AllFather by reviewing what had happened during his numerous torture sessions.

Baird had tried to tell them that the leader of the Scourge had been too busy sucking out his emotions and twisting his memories to let anything slip about his battle strategy but they didn’t want to hear that. They had heard from somewhere that the AllFather was looking for something or someone—a girl from Earth who could fulfill the strange prophesy about the fate of their dark race.

Baird had tried to tell them he didn’t know anything about the prophesy but his superiors didn’t want to listen—in their opinion, any warrior who had been a prisoner as long as he had without breaking mentally under the strain should also have had some way of extracting information from the enemy. Baird was exhausted from telling them he didn’t—it had been all he could do just to keep his sanity. Without Olivia, it would have been impossible.

And now, just to make a bad day worse, she wasn’t answering the holo unit when he tried to call her at the suite.

“Try her again,” Sylvan said reasonably. “Maybe she’s just not answering because she’s still upset with you. You did say that you had a disagreement before you left, correct?”

Baird sighed. “Yeah, we did. She’s still determined to hold out. But I think by now she’s getting the idea that she can’t—that she won’t be able to. And since tonight is the start of our tasting week I was hoping to bond her to me permanently.”

Sylvan frowned. “What about not wanting to bond her unwillingly? From what you’re saying, her body is willing but her mind isn’t. I thought you didn’t want an incomplete bond.”

“I don’t.” Baird ran a hand through his hair as he punched in the coordinates of his home holo unit again. “But after what the priestess told me, I’d rather have an incomplete bond and have her safe by my side than no bond at all and know she was in danger somewhere.”

Sylvan looked skeptical. “I don’t know, Baird. I know Father raised us to revere the Mother and believe me, I do. But I’m not sure I’d make such an important decision based on what that priestess told you. Didn’t you say she was vague about the details of her vision?”

“How many details do you need?” Baird growled as the holo unit beeped over and over with no answer. “She said Olivia would be in danger. How can I protect her if she’s not with me? And what better way to keep her near than to bond her to me? Besides, her body needs it. Her scent has been so hot lately you can smell it from two corridors over. I don’t even dare to take her out of the damn suite since she won’t let me scent mark her.”

“That must be hard,” Sylvan said neutrally as he guided their shuttle into the docking bay.

“You have no fuckin’ idea. With her smelling so sweet and not wanting me to touch her…it’s worse than if she was walking around naked all day. All I can think of is how much I need her under me.” Baird sighed and punched the button, cutting off the unanswered call. “You don’t think she tried to run away, do you?”

“Where would she go? And didn’t you say she agreed to stay in the suite while you were gone?”

“Yeah but she might have changed her mind. I got the feeling she thought I was just trying to order her around.” Baird sighed again. “Damn it, maybe I should have told her what the priestess said. But I didn’t want to scare her. And I—” He broke off as a strange presence filled his brain. “What the hell?”

“What’s wrong?” Sylvan asked.

“I’m getting…someone I don’t know is trying to bespeak me.”

His brother raised one ice blond eyebrow. “Damn rude of them, whoever it is.”

“Yeah but what if it’s about Olivia?” Baird felt a surge of fear. “I’d better take it.”

Closing his eyes, he tried to open himself to the unfamiliar connection and after a moment he could hear a voice in his head.

“Baird, my brother in arms, I am calling on an urgent matter. Will you hear me?” The mind voice had the soft double resonance of a Twin Kindred. Baird frowned, wondering if it was someone he and Sylvan had known from the time they spent on Twin Moons after their father had found his third and final bride.

“I’ll hear you,” he thought gruffly. “But you’d better have a damn good reason for bespeaking me instead of leaving a message on my holo unit.”

“What I must say is too important to wait—it concerns your bride.”

Baird felt like someone had punched him in the gut. “Olivia? What’s happened to her? Is she all right?”

“I don’t know. She was visiting our bride, Jillian, and left our suite before my twin and I got home. However, we couldn’t help noticing her scent. It’s very…” The Twin warrior hesitated, obviously trying to think of a delicate way to put it.

“Yeah, I know what she smells like.” Baird frowned. “And I know there’s none of my scent on her to warn anyone else off.”

“Exactly.” The male sounded relieved that he didn’t have to go into details about such a private matter. “Well, from what Jillian told us she rode your Take-me to our suite with no problem and she was supposed to go back the same way she’d come. Unfortunately when my twin tried to track her, he found that her scent trail diverged from the older path.”

“Diverged? How? Where did she go?” Baird was so upset by now that he was talking out loud even though it wasn’t necessary.

There was a pause that went on for so long he thought they’d lost the connection. Then the unknown Twin Kindred said hesitantly, “I’m sorry, brother. We believe she went into the unmated males area.”

Chapter Twenty

Liv swayed along on the back of the Take-me, lost in thought. The scenery which she’d admired so eagerly on her trip up to see Jillian was now just a blur.

It wasn’t that Baird had lied to her, exactly, she decided. But he hadn’t told her the absolute truth either. Of course, what would she have done if he had? Would it have made it easier to deal with her body’s betrayal? Would knowing that she was being chemically manipulated have made her more able to refuse him, to not ask him to…to take her completely? She still didn’t want to think the words bonding sex or what it entailed, even to herself. Baird’s mating fist was a pretty scary part of his anatomy, but not nearly as scary as what would happen if she let him use it on her.

I’ll be stuck here forever. Never knowing if I really loved and wanted him or if I was just addicted to his damn smell. If that’s all there is to the Kindred should skip the whole claiming period. It would be faster if they brought the Earth women they wanted up here and turned them loose in the unmated males’ area. Then we could all sniff around to see who smelled the best and get matched up that way.

The thought made her sad and she looked down at her hands, curled in the shaggy green mane of the Take-me. She’d been feeling more for Baird lately than she wanted to let on, even to herself. He was patient and caring and funny—when they were able to ignore the sexual tension between them and just talk, that was. And there was no doubt he was hands down the most skillful and giving lover she’d ever had even though they hadn’t actually made love yet. No—not ‘yet’, Liv scolded herself. It’s not going to happen. It can’t happen. Not after what I just found out.

“Hello, Earth female. What are you doing here?”

“Huh?” Liv was so deep in thought that it took her a moment to realize that she was no longer in a part of the ship that she recognized. The Take-me had left the plain metal corridors behind awhile ago and entered the bright, open center of the ship. But when she looked up, it wasn’t the park-like expanse of trees and grass that she saw or even the touristy area filled with neat little shops and eateries. What she saw was the dark alleys and narrow, crowded shops she’d passed on the way to Jillian’s suite.

The unmated males’ area—Oh my God! What am I doing here? And speaking of unmated males, there was one standing right in front of her. He was eyeing her the way a starving man might look at a steak. Only you don’t want to do the nasty with your steak. My God, what am I going to do?

“I…uh…” Liv didn’t know what to say. The warrior standing in front of her was obviously a Beast Kindred like Baird. But unlike Baird there was no patience to temper the hunger burning in his golden eyes. The Take-me had stopped obligingly and was standing there stupidly as though waiting for further instructions. “Why did you bring me here? Bad Take-me!” Liv thought at it fiercely but it only shifted from one set of legs to the other and made a braying sigh from both of its mouths. She remembered the fleeting thought she’d had of Earth women being transported to the unmated males’ area and sniffing out prospective husbands. Could it be that the stupid Take-me had heard her and decided she wanted to go here? “You stupid thing, I wasn’t thinking literally”, she told it but her anger seemed to have no more effect on the shaggy green animal than her scolding had.

“Are you here looking for a mate?” a second, warrior, who looked like he might be a Twin Kindred asked.

“Why else would she be here?” replied a third who appeared to be the second one’s twin. At least, their facial features were very alike although they had different colored hair and eyes.

Liv’s head was spinning. How could this be happening? She’d only let her attention wander for a few minutes and now, here she was, in the most forbidden area of the ship surrounded by unmated warriors. All three males were wearing the tight black uniform pants and jewel-toned shirts of the Kindred military but it wasn’t their clothing that worried her. It was the lust in their eyes.

“Back off,” snarled the first one—the Beast Kindred. “I saw her first.”

“You’re staking a claim?” the first Twin Kindred said, his voice a low, menacing growl.

“Well, are you?” The second Twin Kindred came to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother. One of them had light brown hair and blue eyes while the other had black hair and green eyes but the look on their faces was identical—lust.

“What if I am?” the Beast Kindred growled, his yellow eyes glowing with hostility.

Things were rapidly getting out of hand. Hoping to stop a fight, Liv raised her hands and spoke in what she hoped was an authoritative tone. “Look, there’s been a mistake. I didn’t come here looking for a mate. In fact, I’ve already got one waiting for me back on the other side of the ship.”

“Is that right?” The Beast Kindred stepped closer—a lot closer than Liv liked. Starting at the side of her neck and moving down to her crotch he took a deep sniff.

“Hey!” She shied away from the intimate contact but the Beast Kindred was smiling.

“I don’t smell another male on you, pretty one,” he growled, his eyes glowing a hot yellow. “All I smell is a female in heat. A female that needs to be bred and bonded to the right male.”

“I don’t care what you think you smell, I am not available. I have a mate—a really big angry one so you’d better leave me alone.” Liv nudged the Take-me with her knees, wishing the damn thing would take a hint. “Go home—now!” she thought at it desperately but it seemed unwilling to move as long as the Beast Kindred was blocking its path. Maybe he smelled like Baird and that confused it but for whatever reason, it looked like she was going nowhere fast.

“You wouldn’t be here smelling the way you do if you weren’t searching for a mate,” one of the Twin Kindred—the one with black hair—said, frowning. “It is known that no unbonded female would enter this area unless she wished to provoke a Tis’Dane.”

“A what?” Liv stared at him confused.

“A fight between rival males for the right to a fertile female,” growled the brown haired twin. He looked at the Beast Kindred. “A fight my brother and I will surely win so I suggest you leave now, friend.”

“I’m not your friend and I will not leave until both of you are bloody and broken on the ground,” the Beast warrior snarled.

Liv thought about protesting that she wasn’t interested in any of them again but it didn’t seem to have any effect. And since the Take-me refused to go anywhere, her only option was to get down and try to run away on foot. Wonder how far I’ll get? she thought dismally, eyeing the fight that was building before her eyes. The smell of male aggression hung heavy in the air, like some kind of musk. It made her feel dizzy, but not in the good way Baird’s mating scent did. As she watched the Beast warrior began stalking toward the Twins who were standing shoulder to shoulder. She had to get out of here fast while they were still focused on each other.

She thought of shrinking the Take-me down to size in order to dismount but decided that might draw too much attention. At the moment her prospective suitors were staring at each other and not at her, which was how she wanted to keep it. Trying to move quickly and quietly, she threw her leg over the Take-me’s back. Gripping its shaggy green coat, she slid awkwardly down its left side. The animal made the plaintive braying sigh again but thankfully none of the warriors who were fighting over her gave it so much as a glance.

Her heart in her mouth, Liv began backing slowly away from the scene of impending violence. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the park-like area at the center of the ship glistening like an emerald in the pale green sunshine. If I can just get over there I’ll be safe, she told herself. If I can just—

“Well hello, little female. Where do you think you’re going?”

Liv gasped as two strong hands spun her around. Suddenly she was looking up into a pair of ice-blue eyes. It was a Tranq Kindred like Sylvan but he seemed to have none of the quiet self-possession Baird’s brother always showed. His eyes were filled with hungry lust and when he grinned, she saw with horror that his double set of fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be, were long and needle sharp.

“Get away from me!” Liv kicked at him but he only laughed.

“I don’t think so, little female. I think I’m going to bond you here and now while those other fools fight each other.”

“No, please! I’ve already got a man—a mate. Whatever you want to call it, I’m taken!” Liv protested.

Just as the Beast Kindred had done, the Tranq warrior leaned down to sniff the side of her neck. “I don’t think so. I think you’re going to be mine.” Taking her by the upper arm, he started to drag her down one of the narrow alleys between the buildings.

Liv kicked and screamed but it didn’t do any good—he was six foot five and had over a hundred pounds on her—all of it muscle. She was trapped—captured. And there was no way out. No way she could—

“Take your hands off my female.” The deep voice behind her was familiar and Liv almost sobbed in relief when she turned her head and saw Baird standing there with a murderous look on his face. Behind him, Sylvan stood silently, obviously offering backup.

“What?” The huge Tranq warrior turned to face him, frowning. “By what right do you claim her?” he asked, still keeping a firm grip on Liv’s arm.

“She is my bride.” Baird’s deep voice was quiet but savage and the light of possession was shining in his eyes.

A truculent look settled on her captor’s blunt features. “Then why do I not smell you on her? All I smell is her heat.”

“I haven’t scent marked her recently.” Baird’s face was stony, as though he was admitting something humiliating. “But our minds aligned over six Earth months ago and I claimed her and brought her up to the ship myself. She is mine.”

“What my brother says is true.” Sylvan stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Baird. “I myself witnessed it. The Earth female is his.”

“Maybe she would rather belong to another,” the Tranq Kindred sneered. “Maybe that’s why she came here and initiated a Tis’Dane—in order to find a male who was more worthy of her.”

“Oh no, I didn’t,” Liv said, finding her voice at last. “I’ve never even heard of a Tis…Tis…whatever it is. This is all just a big mistake—my Take-me wandered into this section when I wasn’t paying attention, that’s all. But now I just want to go home.” She looked at the warrior holding her arm pleadingly and he scowled.

“How do I know you speak the truth? Your words may be lies—it is your scent that I believe.”

“The Tranq speaks for all of us.” It was the Beast Kindred—the one who had first spoken to her and the Twin Kindred brothers were right behind him. Great. Just great. Liv eyed them grimly. Apparently they’d decided to put aside their quarrels for the moment in order to keep her here in the unmated males’ area. She wondered with sudden unease if the Tis’Dane ritual was a fight to the death or just a strongest man wins type of thing. Either way, she didn’t appreciate the caveman ways of these unknown males. Were all Kindred like this until they found the right woman or were these guys just prize jerks?

Sylvan leaned forward and whispered something in Baird’s ear. Baird frowned. “No, I won’t ask her to do that.”

“It’s either that or fight them all,” Liv heard Sylvan mutter.

“Then I’ll fight.” Baird glared menacingly at the large warrior who still had her firmly by the arm and then widened his gaze to include the other three unmated males. “Prepare to defend your claims with your lives. I offer formal challenge for this female who by rights—”

“Wait a minute!” Liv yelled. She looked at Sylvan. “What do I have to do?”

Sylvan shifted uncomfortably and Baird growled deep in his throat. “It’s of no concern to you, Lilenta. I will be glad to fight and die, if necessary, to keep you.”

“But it shouldn’t be necessary. Not if there’s something I can do to…to prove I’m yours.” She felt stupid saying it after all the times she’d told Baird she wasn’t his and never would be, but really, what choice did she have? She couldn’t let him fight and possibly die if there was some way out of this mess that didn’t involve violence.

“You must submit to him,” Sylvan said, looking her in the eye.

Liv felt her heart give a thump. “Submit to him? Submit how?”

“They need to smell me on you.” Baird gave her a significant look. “Come to me now and offer your throat if you’re serious, Olivia. I need to scent mark you.”

“What? Like…like you did last time, you mean?” Liv’s mouth was dry and her heart was pounding. All she could think of was having him on her, his big body covering hers as he stroked between her thighs. God, part of her craved that, wanted to feel him against her again, touching her, holding her, making her come. It’s just his scent working on me, she told herself. But from where she was standing she couldn’t smell that warm, spicy aroma she’d come to associate with him. Still…

“Not quite,” Baird said, breaking into her frantic thoughts. “But I will need to remove some of your clothes.”

Liv looked up at the warrior holding her arm and then back at Baird. Was she going to wind up stark naked in front of all these unmated males? God, she hoped not! But what choice did she have? Better to be naked with Baird, even if it was horribly embarrassing, than to be claimed by some unknown warrior. “All…all right,” she said at last.

“Come to me then.” Baird motioned for her to join him and then shot the male holding her arm a warning look. “You know you must allow her to choose. If she proves she is mine—”

“If she allows you to mark her, yes. Then you take her. If not…” The Tranq Warrior trailed off, a hungry gleam in his blue eyes. The other males behind him murmured among themselves but none of them protested as he slowly released Liv’s arm. “You can stay with me if you wish, little female,” he told her. “I will prove myself a better mate and protector than this one.”

“Not a chance.” Liv couldn’t get away fast enough. The feel of being surrounded by so many big, alien males and their strange scents in her nose made her feel sick and disoriented. The minute she reached Baird’s side she put her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest. Home. The thought came to her unbidden as his familiar, spicy fragrance filled her senses. She could be angry about his duplicity later—right now she just wanted the safety of his massive arms around her and the feel of his hard body surrounding and protecting her.

“Lilenta,” he murmured and held her close for a moment. Then he pulled away and looked her in the eyes. “I must mark you now.”

“All right.” Liv tried to brace herself but there was no way she could have withstood the flood of emotions that washed over her as, with a quick, ruthless gesture, Baird ripped open her blouse.

It was just a simple cotton button down—that and jeans had seemed like the most practical clothing for riding around on the Take-me. But as the little plastic buttons went flying, exposing her lacy white bra, Liv felt her breath catch in her throat. She wanted to ask whether such a dramatic gesture was really necessary but before she could open her mouth, Baird was pulling down the lace cups of her bra and exposing her breasts.

“Baird!” she gasped and tried to cover herself but he shook his head. God, this was insane! Did he really expect her to just stand here and let him do this—let him expose her to all these complete strangers? Out of the corner of her eye Liv could see the hungry looks that were being thrown her way and her bare skin tingled with embarrassment.

“Look at me.” The low, growling voice drew her attention away from the watching eyes and back to Baird. He was staring down at her, his golden eyes fierce.

“Y-yes?”

“Drop your arms.” He nodded down to where she was still trying to shield herself from the other warriors.

“B-but—”

“Do you want me to fight them and let the winner have you if I lose?” He nodded at the other males.

“Of course not!” She glared at him.

“Then drop your arms, Olivia. I need you exposed and open for me.” The command in his voice was undeniable and she found herself completely unable to disobey.

Slowly she let her arms fall to her side and then, closing her eyes, she leaned her head back, exposing her vulnerable throat to him. She heard a low growl and then Baird was on her, his mouth hot and wet and urgent at the side of her neck. He cupped her breasts in his large hands, his palms warm and rough against their tender tips.

At his touch, lust surged through her like an electric current. Liv moaned and pressed herself against him, all thought of who was watching completely forgotten. All she knew was that she wanted him, needed him and it had been far too long since they’d been so close.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” she heard him growl. “Give it up for me. Just give it all up.”

And that was exactly what she wanted to do. She no longer cared that they were in public or that she was bare from the waist up. All she wanted—all she needed was him—was Baird. Her heart was pounding as she pressed herself against him, arching her back, offering her breasts and throat to him.

Baird took her up on her offer, sucking one of her nipples hard while he twisted the other one gently, sending pleasure and pain through her entire body. Liv cried out as he released her first nipple and began on the second one, sucking it into his hot, wet mouth. She expected to feel him pinching the other but instead his hand slipped down her abdomen and into her jeans and panties.

“God, Baird!” she protested, vaguely aware that they were still in public but there was no stopping him. Before she could say another word two long, thick fingers slipped deep into her pussy, fucking up into her and making her arch her back and moan.

“That’s good, Olivia,” he said in her ear. “Ride my fingers and let me fuck you. Gods your pussy is so hot and wet. Can’t wait to feel you coming.”

“I’m not…I can’t…” she protested weakly but even as she spoke she felt the first inside her building. How could he do this to her so easily? How could she possibly lose control of herself in public with strange men and Baird’s own brother watching her?

But nothing she could tell herself seemed to help. Nothing could stop the pleasure from overwhelming her. Baird’s rough palm was rubbing against her clit mercilessly as he thrust into her and she could feel herself getting wetter and wetter, hotter and hotter…

“Come for me,” Baird commanded in a low voice. “Come now, Lilenta, and prove you’re mine.”

Liv couldn’t help herself. His voice in her ear and his fingers deep in her pussy were too much. With a gasp she felt herself coming, her pussy squeezing hard around his fingers as the orgasm shook her to her core. “Baird,” she moaned. “Baird, please. I can’t take anymore.”

“Oh, you’re gonna take more. A helluva lot more. But not here.” Slowly he withdrew his fingers and showed them to her. To Liv’s mortification they were glistening with her juice, proving exactly how much she wanted him. His eyes never leaving hers, he thrust the fingers into his mouth and sucked them, cleaning away her honey with his tongue. It was an animalistic gesture and the light in his golden eyes was completely inhuman. It scared Liv to death and yet she could still feel her pussy quivering from his assault—almost as though she wanted more.

Baird faced the other males with a snarl. “Satisfied?”

“Enough.” The large Tranq warrior frowned. He and the other unmated males were staring at her and Baird with almost identical looks of lust and envy on their faces.

“I said, enough. You have proved her to be yours.” The Tranq warrior waved a hand dismissively and glared at Baird. “But you should not let your female wander through the ship—especially this part of the ship—without your scent on her. To smell a female in heat and think her unspoken for is a torment to those of us without brides.”

Baird nodded, looking a little more calm. “I ask your pardon.” Giving Liv a significant look, he added, “It will not happen again.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Liv demanded, attempting to pull up the cups of her bra.

“It means when I get you back to the suite I’m going to mark you much more thoroughly. This isn’t going to happen again.” The look he gave her was so dark that Liv closed her mouth instead of protesting. Seeing that animalistic expression on his face again, it occurred to her that Baird was as hungry for her as any of the unmated males who had watched their little display.

The need burning in his golden eyes made her shiver. He’d already exposed her and fingerfucked her to orgasm in public—how much worse were things going to get when they got back to the suite? Oh God, what am I in for?

“I—”she began but Baird only shook his head.

“Come, Olivia. It’s time we got back to our suite.” He made a motion at the Take-me, which was standing a little distance away and watching them with both heads. It came to him at once. Baird straddled it and pulled Liv against his chest. “Twice as big,” he growled and suddenly the beast was much more massive in form and they were both sitting on its back.

The ride back was silent. Olivia kept her arms crossed over her chest to keep her ripped shirt from flying open and tried to quiet the storm of emotions that was brewing in her chest. Though he never said a word, she could feel Baird at her back—a hard, hot presence reminding her of what was coming. She could almost feel his need for her, pressing against her like a big warm hand, touching her everywhere whether she wanted to be touched or not. Even worse, she could feel her need for him. He’s going to do it, she thought as the hard bulge of his cock rubbed rhythmically against her ass in time to the Take-me’s swaying gait. He’s going to take me back to the suite, get us both naked and bond me to him.

The thought should have been horrifying—it was exactly what she’d been fighting for so long. But all Liv could feel was a sense of relief. I can’t fight it anymore. Can’t fight him. He wants me and I can’t stop him from having me.

She knew she ought to be angry. Wasn’t she only feeling this way because of his scent? She wouldn’t want him if it wasn’t for that, would she? She opened her mouth to ask him about it but just then they entered the maze of metal corridors on their end of the ship and he put his arms around her waist.

“Almost home, Lilenta.” His breath was hot at the back of her neck and Liv found herself shivering again. Whatever she’d wanted to say to him flew right out of her head and suddenly all she could think about was what was going to happen when they got to their suite.

They were there before she knew it. Baird was silent until they got inside and he’d sent the Take-me back to its den in the kitchen. Then he turned to her, his eyes blazing and said one word. “Strip.”

“What?” Liv started to back away from him but he followed her, unrelenting.

“You heard me.” His voice was a deep, commanding growl. “Don’t test me right now, Olivia. You don’t know what it did to me—seeing you with those other males, seeing that Tranq’s hands on you—” He broke off with a deep sound of frustration and came toward her again.

“I didn’t want him to,” Liv said, still backing away. Her voice was coming out much more breathy than she wanted it to. “He just—”

“He just assumed you were available because I hadn’t marked you. But you’re mine Lilenta. Can’t stand another male’s scent anywhere near you. Have to mark you. Now.” The last word was a muted roar.

Liv took another step back and something hit the backs of her thighs. Turning her head she saw it was the bed—Baird had backed her into the bedroom. “Please,” she whispered. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Whatever I have to, to make you mine.” His voice was hoarse with need. “Now are you going to strip, Lilenta? Or am I going to strip you? Already made a good start on your blouse.” He gestured at the ragged cotton shirt which hung open on either side of her breasts.

“I…I don’t…” Liv didn’t know what to say. To be honest, there didn’t seem to be anything to say. The light in Baird’s eyes was dangerous and while she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, she was sure there would be a great many things he could do to make her regret her reluctance that didn’t involve pain. “Fine,” she whispered at last, pulling off her shirt and bra in jerky motions. “Fine, I’ll…I’ll strip.” Her jeans and tennis shoes were next and then she was down to her panties. “There,” she said, trying to meet his eyes and failing. “That’s as far as I go. You’ll…you’ll have to mark me like this.”

Baird stood before her bare chested. He’d been taking off his deep red uniform shirt as she removed her torn blouse and Liv could see the muscles in his chest flexing with tension. She had an idea he was barely holding himself in check and her open defiance seemed to be more than he could stand. With a low, lustful growl, he was suddenly on her.

“When I say strip, Lilenta I mean strip. That means your panties come off too.” He pulled her close to him, pressing her bare breasts to the hard wall of his chest and burying his face in her neck as he had earlier.

“Why…why should I have to take them off?” Liv demanded, fighting the urge to submit. God, his hands seemed to be everywhere, stroking her sides and running up and down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her toward him so that the hard bulge of his cock was rubbing against her pussy. How long could she hold out? Not long, she was sure, which was why it was important to make her point now. “You…you’re just going to kiss and bite my neck again,” she whispered breathlessly. “You don’t need me completely naked for that.”

“I’m going to kiss a lot more than just your neck.” Baird pulled away for a moment to look at her with half-lidded golden eyes. “Or have you forgotten this is the start of our tasting week?”

“But…but I thought you just wanted to mark me,” she protested. “With…you said you…the Kindred have scent glands in their face.” He had also said they had scent glands lower—much lower—but Liv wasn’t about to go there. She hoped.

“We do.” He kissed her and rubbed his rough cheek against hers almost like a cat. “But that’s not where other males smell when they’re tryin’ to see if you belong to someone.”

Liv had a brief mental image of the Beast warrior who had first approached her sniffing from her neck all the way down to her crotch and suddenly understood. “Oh, I…so you want to rub your face against me there?” She nodded down to where he was still pressed unrelentingly between her legs.

“Not just my face but it’ll do for a start. And I don’t want anything in the way when I mark you.” Without waiting for her reply, Baird slid one hand down her body and into her panties. Liv gasped sharply as she felt him cup her pussy. “Gods, you’re wet, Lilenta,” he growled softly. “Can’t wait to taste all that sweet honey.”

Liv felt her breath catch in her throat as the old uncertainty came rushing back. “Wait!” She tried to wiggle away from him and failed.

“Not waiting for anything.” Baird slid her panties down her thighs, still cupping her sex with his other hand.

“You promised you would, though,” Liv reminded him desperately. “You said…you said you wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t taste me, until I was comfortable with it. You said you’d put my pleasure first.”

The look in his glowing amber eyes was one of pure frustration. “I did, didn’t I?” He sighed and his expression became more thoughtful. “All right, Lilenta. We’ll take it slow. I’ll start by just marking you and I won’t taste you until I’m sure you’re ready.”

“How…how will you know?” Liv asked, wishing her breathing wasn’t so ragged.

Baird lowered her gently to the bed and arranged her so that her calves were hanging over the side. Then he kissed her mouth, a long, slow kiss that had Liv aching for more. “Believe me, Lilenta, I’ll know,” he murmured.

Liv wanted to protest further but she was rapidly losing all power of speech, mainly because Baird was licking and sucking her neck again, his hot tongue tracing a ticklish trail down over her collarbones and sternum. He stopped long enough to rub his rough cheeks over her sensitive nipples, making her jump and gasp, and then trailed lower to nibble and kiss her trembling abdomen.

Finally he was there—his mouth hovering over her pussy. His hot breathe stirred her soft golden curls and Liv shivered though he hadn’t even touched her yet. Maybe he’ll just be content to rub against me, she thought frantically. Maybe he won’t actually have to…She lost her train of thought abruptly as Baird leaned down and gave her a long, slow lick at the exact spot where her right thigh met her body. Liv moaned as he did the same thing on the other side and then pressed his cheek against the top of her mound and rubbed like a cat. Marking me. He’s marking me with his scent, like he said he would. God, how could he make her so hot without touching her more directly? She could feel his breath against her again, blowing hot over her slippery folds, and it felt like her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest.

God…need him. Want him, so much. Please just…just…

“Just what?” Baird looked up at her, his eyes burning and Liv realized she’d spoken aloud. But there was no going back now.

“Just do it,” she whispered, ashamed of her need but unable to help herself. “I mean, if you really want to.”

“Oh, I want to, Lilenta. Want to taste you like I want my next breath,” he promised. “But first I want to look at you—to drink you in with my eyes. Will you allow me that pleasure?”

“I…” Liv bit her lip. The idea of being tasted was scary enough. But to allow Baird to spread her pussy lips and take his time looking at her, well…it made her feel incredibly nervous—like she was being put on display.

“Please,” he murmured, staring up at her. “I already know you’re beautiful from our bathing week. But I want a chance to open you and explore you completely before I taste your sweet juices. Before I worship you with my tongue.”

His hot words coupled with the look of reverent desire in his eyes were Liv’s undoing. No one had ever spoken to her like this, had ever wanted so badly to see and taste and explore her body as Baird so clearly needed to. “All right,” she whispered. “But just…be gentle.”

“Of course, Lilenta,” he promised. “Always. Even when it comes time to bond you to me and I have to fill your pussy with my cock and mating fist, I swear I won’t hurt you. I’ll open you slowly and make sure you’re ready for me every step of the way.”

Before Liv could protest that she didn’t want to be bonded Baird had returned his undivided attention to the area between her thighs. Placing his thumbs lightly on her outer pussy lips, he opened her slowly but thoroughly, spreading her wide to reveal her pink inner folds.

“Goddess, look at that.” His deep voice was hoarse with lust.

“Look at what?” Liv, who was propped up on her elbows, looked down anxiously.

Baird’s eyes flicked up to hers, his gaze burning with lust. “Look at how hot and wet you are, Olivia. Look how your pussy is glistening with juice.”

“Oh God…” A rush of hot blood colored her cheeks. “I didn’t…I don’t usually get that…that way. I don’t understand why—”

“Relax, Lilenta. It’s not a bad thing.” Baird gave her a hungry smile. “In fact, it’s a very, very good thing. It just proves your body is responding to mine.”

“What…what do you mean? You’re saying I’m extra…uh…”

“Extra wet because your body is getting ready to open for me. A male Kindred’s shaft is usually too large for his chosen female to accommodate without a little extra help and in the case of the Beast Kindred, the problem gets worse because of our mating fist.”

Liv’s breath caught in her throat. “But I thought you said your body would make special chemicals…”

“That help your body open to take me in, right,” he finished for her. “And it will—this is part of it. By scent-marking you just now I started the process and your body is already responding to my pheromones. That’s why you’re extra wet—your body knows you’re about to accept my cock and mating fist deep inside your soft little pussy. It knows you need to be wet and ready to let me slide inside you.”

“I…I thought you were just going to taste me.”

“I am…for now. But I think we both know what that’s going to lead to.” Baird gave her a last, burning look and drew her legs over his shoulders.

Liv bit her bottom lip in frustration. There was a reason she couldn’t help wanting him to do this—this and much more—but it had flown right out of her head. Just now all she could think of was the man between her thighs and how close his mouth was to her wet, defenseless cleft.

“Gods, such a beautiful pussy,” Baird murmured. “I’m really going to enjoy filling you with my tongue and my cock, Lilenta. After I drink all your sweet cunt honey, that is.”

His words seemed to start a fire in the pit of her belly but as hot as she was, she was nervous too. Spread open and exposed as she was, Liv expected him to go for it. The insatiable hunger in his eyes let her know how much he needed this, needed her. So the last thing she expected was a slow, gentle kiss—but that was exactly what Baird did.

Softly, gently, he pressed his hot mouth to her pussy and kissed her sex the same way he kissed her mouth. Liv bit her lip as she watched him nuzzle her. She was trembling with need under him and she could feel the tension thrumming through his big body like electricity but it was obvious he didn’t want to rush this. Against her will she felt herself melting, slowly relaxing into the long, luscious kiss. Baird still hadn’t even used his tongue—preferring to concentrate instead on her outer pussy lips—but she knew it was coming soon. Soon, but not soon enough. The longer the kiss went on the hotter she got. God, when is he going to—?

The soft brush of his tongue over her aching clit answered her internal question. Shivering tingles of pleasure ran down her spine as he did it again and then again, going deeper each time. Liv moaned and arched her back, helpless to withstand the pleasure. God, so good…so good… Baird seemed to know exactly what he was doing. His tongue moved in loops and swirls—alien patterns she’d never felt before that seemed designed to drive her over the edge of reason.

“Delicious,” he murmured, looking up at her for a moment. “Gods, you taste so damn good, Olivia. Hot and wet and sweet and salty…incredible. And look at how open you are—how easily your body accepts me.”

As Liv watched, her breath coming in hitching gasps, he slowly entered her with two long, thick fingers.

“See that?” Baird’s voice was a rough growl of need as he fingered her. “See how your pussy opens for me? You need me, Olivia—as badly as I need you. Your body is hungry for mine—hungry to be filled with my cock and my cum. Hungry to be bonded to me.”

“Oh,” she moaned, her back arching involuntarily as he fucked into her, his finger touching the bottom of her channel. “Baird, oh God.”

“Does it feel good, Lilenta? Good to open your pussy and let me fuck you?” He was watching her face as he spoke, his fingers still working inside her. “It must feel good. Look at the way your pussy is gushing with honey.” Pressing his face back between her thighs, he gave her a long, slow lick with the flat of his tongue as though savoring her unique flavor.

“Baird…oh God, Baird.” Could that needy, gasping voice really be hers? Liv could hardly believe it but it seemed to be true. The pleasure kept building inside her as he tasted her, cresting higher and higher until she felt like she was going to explode. Close, she was so close… And Baird seemed to know it.

“That’s right, Lilenta.” He looked up again, his fingers keeping time inside her. “Just let it all go and come for me. Let me taste your honey on my tongue when you come.” Gripping one of her legs, he adjusted her, tilting her pelvis so that she was even more open and vulnerable to him. Then he put his head back down between her thighs and started again. Sucking her sensitive clit between his lips he tortured it sweetly with his tongue until Liv cried out and bucked up toward his mouth shamelessly, looking for more.

Baird redoubled his efforts, his tongue lashing her mercilessly while his fingers drove into her, pumping hard and deep, showing her exactly how he was going to take her when it was his cock filling her instead.

The thought of that—the forbidden mental image of his huge shaft stretching her open and bottoming out inside her was too much. Liv didn’t quite know how it happened but suddenly she was crying and moaning as the pleasure inside her peaked and rushed over her in a warm wave.

Both her hands were buried in his thick, black hair and she was trembling all over, spreading her thighs even wider, riding his face, grinding against him in a way that was more animal than human as the most intense orgasm of her life overtook her. It rolled her under, like a dangerous undertow at the beach, pulling at her until she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but feel. It was incredible and it wasn’t nearly enough. More, God, I need more of him. Inside me. So much more…

Again Baird seemed to read her mind. He came up from between her thighs, his lips wet from her juices and red from the long, intimate kiss. His eyes were blazing with hunger.

“Ask me, Lilenta. Ask me for it. Tell me you need me to bond you to me. Let me take you now—don’t make me wait another week.” His voice was half commanding, half pleading as he held her gaze and wouldn’t let her look away.

Liv’s mouth opened to do exactly as he said. Hadn’t she already begged him to do this on multiple occasions? Begged him to fuck her? Bond her? The only thing that had stopped him was his promise not to during their bathing week. But this was their tasting week and the pleasure inside her was like a drug—she needed more and more and more…

The thought stopped her. There was some reason why they shouldn’t, why she shouldn’t let him do this… Something about a drug. Suddenly she heard her sister’s voice in her head. His mating scent is like a drug and you’re being subjected to it every minute you’re with him.

“No!” Liv sat straight up in bed and clamped her thighs closed. “No, I…I can’t.”

“Why not?” The edge in Baird’s voice was dangerous and his eyes flashed. Liv didn’t think he’d hurt or force her but it was obvious he was right on the edge. Still, she was determined to stick to her guns.

“Because.” She ran a hand through her hair, trying to get her breath back. “Because I don’t want you to. I mean, I think I do but I don’t, not really.”

“Lilenta, you’re not making any sense.” Baird was still on his knees before her and now he took both her hands in his. “If it’s because you’re afraid, don’t be. I swear I’ll be gentle. I’ll make you come over and over until you’re more than ready to take me deep inside your sweet little pussy.”

Liv shivered at the spike of lust his words shot through her. God, that was exactly what she wanted. To be open for him, under him. To take him deep and long and feel him— No! No, remember what Sophie told you.

Regretfully but firmly she pulled her hands out of his and scooted further up the bed, away from him. “It’s your scent. Your mating scent.” She crossed her arms over her bare breasts protectively.

He frowned. “What about it?”

“It makes me think I want you…want, all this.” She made a sweeping gesture with one hand. “When I really don’t.”

“What?” Baird frowned. “What makes you think that? And where did you hear so much about it?”

“Are you denying it?” Liv wasn’t about to admit her source—she’d promised not to get Jillian in trouble.

“Gods.” Baird ran both hands through his wild black hair. “Sylvan warned me about something like this. I tried to tell you what the mating scent does, how it works.”

“No you didn’t, not really. Oh, you made a few allusions here and there but you never came right out and told me you were manipulating me chemically. That your body was making a drug tailor-made to keep me with you.” Liv knew she sounded accusatory but she didn’t care. The feeling of betrayal was coming back, the anger she felt at being deceived filled her until there was no room left for anything else.

“It’s not like that.” Baird stood up and began pacing in front of the bed. “Not like that at all. The mating smell does help attract a mate, but it doesn’t work unless a warrior and his female are well and truly matched—as we are, Lilenta.”

“I don’t…don’t know if I believe that.” Liv drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. “How can I want so much with my heart to stay here with you when I know in my head that I want to go back to Earth where I have a family and friends and career waiting for me? How can I imagine staying here, making love with you, having…having your sons when it would mean almost never seeing the people I care for most again. How do you explain that?”

“Love.” Baird sank down beside her on the bed and tried to take her hands again. Liv wouldn’t let him.

“What?” She tried to give him a skeptical look even though her heart was pounding again with his proximity.

“Love,” he repeated simply. “You love me as I love you. That’s what makes you want to stay with me, Lilenta. That’s why my mating scent works on you so strongly. And why your scent drives me crazy too,” he added with a sigh. “It’s because we love each other and we’re meant to be together. Can’t you please just accept that?”

“I…” Liv bit her lip, looking down at her knees which were still drawn up to her chin. God, she wished she could believe him. But maybe that was just because he was so close and he smelled so damn good. Just being near him gave her a contact high. How could she trust herself when she was in such a state? “I can’t,” she said at last, looking up at him. “I’m sorry, Baird, but I just can’t.”

“Gods! Lilenta, please—”

“Stop!”

The voice from the bedroom doorway made them both look up with a jerk. Sylvan stood there panting, his face drawn in lines of unhappiness.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Baird moved at once to shield her nakedness. Placing himself in front of Liv, he glared at his brother. “How dare you invade the privacy of my bed chamber? If we weren’t kin I’d tear you limb from limb.”

“Forgive me.” Sylvan made a brief motion of apology. “I know my actions are inexcusable but it can’t be helped. Baird, please tell me you haven’t bonded her to you yet.”

“If I had, we’d still be locked together,” Baird pointed out in a growl and Liv shivered at the mental image.

“True, I hadn’t thought of that.” Sylvan looked relieved. “Thank all the Gods. Baird, you can’t bond her. Not now.”

“What? Why? Who are you to tell me what I can do with my own bride?” Baird started to rise.

“She’s in breach of contract.” Sylvan’s ice blue eyes were filled with pain and regret. “I’m sorry, Brother, but it’s true.”

“She…what?” Baird sank back down again. He looked at Liv and then back at his brother uncertainly. “Is this about what happened in the unmated males area? The Tis’Dane?”

Sylvan shook his head wearily. “Nothing like that. After I was sure you and Olivia were all right, I went back to talk to the Twin warrior who had called you in the first place.”

“Yes, and…?” Baird made a hurry-up gesture with one hand.

“And I spoke to Olivia’s friend, Jillian. She admitted that she’d allowed Olivia to contact her sister, Sophia via the Think-me.” Sylvan ran a hand over his short, spiky blond hair. “Baird, she violated the first rule of the contract—‘No unbonded bride without a complete link to the warrior who has claimed her will have direct contact with her planet of origin.’”

Liv felt like her stomach had dropped somewhere around her feet. How could Jillian be so stupid as to tell on herself—and Liv—like that? What was wrong with her? Should have known. She never could keep a secret, even in high school. “I…I’m sorry,” she said, looking at both Baird and Sylvan. “I mean, I knew it was wrong but I didn’t know it was such a big deal. I miss Sophie so much.” She felt tears begin to rise to her eyes and blinked them away. “This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing her in my entire life. I just…just wanted to hear her voice.”

“Oh, Lilenta…” Baird turned and started to gather her into his arms but a discrete cough from Sylvan stopped him and he drew back.

Liv huddled in on herself, wishing he hadn’t stopped. She could have used some of his warmth right about now. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“The claiming contract between yourself and Baird is null and void,” Sylvan said.

“So…what does that mean?” Liv lifted her chin, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

“It means you get what you wanted, Olivia.” Baird’s voice was quiet and sad. “You’re free of me now. You can go home and have your old life back.”

“With…without you?” Liv knew it sounded ridiculous but suddenly the idea of being separated from the big warrior she’d come to care for so much made her feel sick and uncertain. “I mean…it’s really that big of a deal?”

“It is.” Sylvan nodded. “The rule was instituted especially for situations like this, where the bride’s home planet is at war. If she is allowed free contact with her family and loved ones before she’s completely bonded to the warrior that calls her, delicate information may go astray and endanger everyone on board the ship.”

“But Jillian never said anything like that! She said they were turning a blind eye to it. That all the warriors were letting their brides use the Think-me.”

“They may be but only after being completely bonded.” Sylvan looked grim. “Only having a fully formed link with a Kindred mind can shield your thought messages enough to keep the Scourge from reading them.”

“What’s done is done,” Baird said heavily. “I will inform the Council of my new status and Olivia can go back on the first available shuttle.”

“What, just like that?” Liv could hardly believe her ears. “You go on and on about how much you love me and how we’re meant to be together and now you’re giving me up because I made a long distance phone call?” She knew she wasn’t being rational—after all, this was what she’d wanted from the moment Baird had first claimed her. But she couldn’t help feeling disappointed that after all his words of love and devotion breaking one little rule was all it took to end things between them.

“Please, Lilenta.” Baird shook his head. “Please know that I would never give you up willingly.”

“He has no choice,” Sylvan cut in. “The claiming contract is binding and specific. Failure to follow the proper protocol, especially in the case of a breach of that contract, could result in death for one or both of you.”

“What?” Liv felt cold all over. “Nobody said anything about being killed if you broke the rules. That’s crazy!”

“No, that’s war, Olivia.” Baird turned his head to look at her, his eyes flat and dead. “The Scourge are still out there and they’re able to intercept any unbonded Think-me transmissions.”

“They can read your thoughts?” Liv was appalled.

Sylvan nodded. “If there is an incomplete link they can. Most likely what they’re looking for is a way to harvest the emotions from such exchanges. They…feed on negative energy.”

“They feed on pain,” Baird said bluntly. “Too bad we’re not all on board their Fathership right now. They could be having a fuckin’ feast.” He sighed and ran both hands through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” Liv bit her lower lip. “Look, this is all just crazy. It’s not like Sophie and I were exchanging state secrets. She was just…just warning me about your mating scent.”

“Well you won’t have to worry about it any more.” Baird stood abruptly. “You won’t have to worry about anything outside of Earth anymore.”

“Baird, I—” she began but he shook his head.

“Please, Olivia—just get dressed and packed. Sylvan and I will be waiting outside.” And then he left.

Chapter Twenty-one

Baird felt as though someone wearing metal anti-grav boots had kicked him in the gut. Gone, she’s really gone. Gods, can’t believe I actually lost her and over something so stupid… He had taken the precaution of hiding his own Think-me but it had never occurred to him that Olivia would go use someone else’s. Hell, he hadn’t even known she had any friends on board the ship. Maybe you would have known if you’d asked. If you’d let her talk about her home and her friends more. But no, you were so eager to keep her focused on her future with you that you refused to hear about her past and now it’s too late. He knew it was true but all the self recrimination in the universe wouldn’t help now. Wouldn’t bring her back.

He and Sylvan were standing on the observation deck of the docking bay after seeing Olivia onto a shuttle bound for Earth. Baird had wanted to go with her for one last goodbye but Sylvan had convinced him it would be a bad idea. It would, too. If he’d gone down with her, Baird wasn’t sure he could have brought himself to leave her, even though she’d been fighting for her freedom from him from the moment he first called her.

At least she got what she wanted. She never wanted to be bonded to me, never wanted me as her mate. All she cared about was getting her old life back, seeing her sister every day. But if she wanted that so much, why was she crying when she said good-bye? Baird didn’t have an answer for that. He could still feel her soft, curvy body against him, could still hear her soft sobbing in his ears. When the time had come to go, she had thrown herself into his arms, trembling and saying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” over and over again. Baird hadn’t had any words to give back to her—he was past words now. He’d only been able to hold her tight and press his face to her neck to breathe her sweet scent one more time. One last time. And then she was gone.

Gods, Lilenta… He was still numb and he knew it. It was like the feeling you got when you’d just been wounded in battle. Looking down, seeing the blood pour out and feeling nothing. But sooner or later the pain would come and when it did…When it does it’s going to fucking kill me, he thought in a detached kind of way. It’s going to make the worst torture the AllFather inflicted look like kindness and mercy.

“Baird…Brother, I am so sorry.” Sylvan was looking at him with concern in his eyes. Concern and understanding.

Was this how he felt after what happened on Tranq Prime? Baird stared at his brother blankly without answering.

“If you wish to talk about it…about how you feel…” Sylvan began hesitantly.

“How I feel?” Baird laughed harshly. “I’ll tell you how I fuckin’ feel. I feel like my hand just got cut off and I’m looking down at the bloody stump waiting for the pain to start. She was part of me, Sylvan—the best part. And she’s gone.”

“I know.” There was real agony in his brother’s voice now. “Forgive me, Baird. I blame myself.”

“Don’t.” Baird shook his head wearily. “It would have come out sooner or later, I’m sure. And if it had happened after we’d already bonded, well…”

“There’s nothing worse than a broken bond,” Sylvan murmured.

“I wouldn’t know.” Baird ran a hand over his face, hearing the sandpaper scratch of his rough cheeks against his fingertips. “But if it’s worse than this, I don’t wanna know about it.”

“Baird—”

“Forget it.” He shook his head and turned from the railing that overlooked the docking bay. “Look we should go. I can’t just stand here looking…looking at where she was. Thinking about…” He trailed off, shaking his head. Drunk. I need to get drunk. Maybe that would make this more bearable. To never see her again, to never hear her sweet voice, smell her warm scent…it was simply unbearable.

The loss felt like death and in a way it was—the death of everything that meant anything to him. Gods, how was he going to go on? He would have to file for a new place to live and maybe Sylvan would let him bunk with him until the orders went through. He couldn’t go back to the suite—it was filled with echoes of her. Memories of touching her, tasting her. Even now, he could still taste her salty-sweet honey on his lips, could still hear her cries and moans of passion as she pulled at his hair and bucked up to meet his tongue…Stop thinking about it. You’ll never see her again. Never touch or taste or smell or love her again.

“Excuse me, Commander Baird?” A new voice interrupted his thoughts and Baird looked up dully to see a young, unknown Tranq warrior standing in front of him.

“Yes? What do you want?”

The warrior looked uncomfortable. “The shuttle that just left—the one with your…with the Earth female on it?”

“What about it?” Sylvan snapped. “We’re leaving now. Make it fast.”

“Well…” The warrior swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s my duty to inform you that the shuttle didn’t reach Earth.”

“What?” Baird rounded on him, his pain spiking into fear. “What are you talking about? If it didn’t make it to Earth where did it go?”

“It was intercepted just now. By the Scourge.”

Liv was so upset she barely noticed the jolting stop the shuttle made. It was different from the one Baird and Sylvan had flown her up on. There was an actual passenger compartment separated from the cockpit by an opaque black panel she couldn’t see through so she had no idea what was happening. Not that she cared—she was too miserable.

She tried telling herself it was stupid—that this was what she’d wanted all along. Sure it sucked that things had ended on such a bad note but then, leaving Baird was never going to be easy. And besides, she hadn’t wanted to stay with him, not really. It was only his scent manipulating her, making her think she wanted to stay. So then why do I wish I could turn this damn shuttle around and go back to him right now when I can’t even smell him? whispered the little voice in her brain. Why does it feel like I left part of me back there on the Kindred ship? Why does it hurt so much when I think of never seeing him again?

Liv tried to shut the voice up but it wouldn’t be silent. She just kept seeing the hopeless look in Baird’s eyes as he’d held her tight one last time. He hadn’t even said anything but then, he didn’t need to. She could see what was going on—he was dying inside from losing her. That was the real reason the Kindred didn’t do divorce, she finally understood. Because they couldn’t survive without their mates. She supposed it was a good thing she and Baird hadn’t actually bonded before she’d had to leave or he wouldn’t stand a chance. Maybe someday in the future he’d be able to find someone else, some other girl…

“I don’t want him with some other girl.” Liv put her head in her hands, trying and failing to hold back the tears. “I want him with me. Oh God, what’s wrong with me? Why does this hurt so much?”

“Look at this. We’ve only just captured her and she’s already crying.”

The strange voice from the cockpit of the small shuttle surprised her. Liv’s head jerked up and she found she was staring into a pair of wholly alien eyes. They weren’t the gold of a Beast Kindred or the pale ice blue of a Tranq Kindred or any of the varying shades of brown, green, or blue she’d seen in the few Twin Kindred she’d met. They were a deep glossy black that reminded her of a black hole—a place where even light couldn’t escape. As she watched a red vertical slit appeared in the center of each large iris and elongated alarmingly like a cat’s. Only no cat she’d ever seen had crimson and black eyes.

“Who…who are you?” she asked, finding her voice at last.

The eyes were set in a cold, calculating masculine face with skin the strange color of a dark grey pearl. The speaker had hair as black as his eyes which was pulled back from the stark bones of his face in a way that seemed to emphasize the cruel set of his mouth. More than that, Liv couldn’t see except that he wore some kind of cape over his shoulders. “Who are you?” she asked again since he hadn’t answered her the first time.

“I am your destiny. Are you mine?” He smiled coldly and nodded at someone out of her line of vision. “Get her out of there and bring her before the throne. She must be examined before any tests can be run.”

Throne? Examined? Tests? Liv was beginning to have an idea of what had happened and it was bad—really bad. This wasn’t Earth and her captor was like no kind of Kindred she’d ever seen although he appeared to be as big and muscular as any of the warriors she’d met. The Scourge. Somehow I’ve been taken by the Scourge. His next words confirmed her worst fears.

“Are you deaf? I said hurry. The AllFather is waiting.” He nodded impatiently and suddenly the passenger door of the shuttle was wrenched open and long-fingered alien hands were clamped around her upper arms.

“Hey, let me go!” Liv tried to kick but then someone grabbed her legs as well and she was being hauled bodily out of the shuttle. She struggled for a moment until she saw a body slumped on the ground beside the shuttle—it was the Tranq pilot who had been driving the shuttle in the first place. A puddle of blood under his head made it clear he wouldn’t be flying any more missions. The sight made Liv cold all over and she abruptly stopped fighting. It was no use anyway—the silent guards who held her—both of whom had the same grey skin as her captor—were too strong. And clearly they had no qualms about killing their captives.

The man with black and red eyes nodded approvingly. “Very good. I advise you to remain calm and not fight the situation. Your fear will only stimulate the AllFather and he is much less likely to be lenient when he is stimulated.” Standing up, out of the shuttle, he was even taller than she’d first thought. The black cape he wore covered his broad shoulders and fell to his calves, making him look positively enormous and even more menacing, if that was possible.

“What are you talking about? What does the…the AllFather want with me?” Liv forced herself to lift her chin and stare him in his strange red and black eyes, ignoring the silent guards who were still holding her.

“To see if you are the one.” He jerked his head at her guards and turned.

“The one what?” Liv protested as the two silent, grey-skinned guards dragged her along.

“The one who is prophesied.”

Though she was still scared to death, Liv was also getting frustrated. “Prophesied to do what?”

He turned his head and looked back at her. “That remains to be seen. Perhaps much, perhaps little. But either way you can be certain it will be less painful if you just submit.”

Liv opened her mouth to ask more questions and then closed it again. God, what was she going to do? They must have mistaken her for someone else. But how could she convince Mr. Tall Dark and Scary of that? And what would the AllFather do to her?

She remembered well the scenes from her dream-sharing with Baird. The cavernous shadowy room with the huge screen projecting his thoughts and memories. The glowing wires coming out of his skin…No, don’t think of that. Liv tried to concentrate on the scenery around her instead but it wasn’t much help.

The interior of the Scourge ship was dark and silent. The guards dragged her through claustrophobically narrow metal corridors which connected vast rooms filled with huge, complicated machinery. Liv saw more grey-skinned beings working on the equipment but none of them spoke a word, even to each other. They shambled about their tasks with their heads bowed like people working in their sleep. It was eerie—like watching a factory full of zombies. And what was the machinery for? Did it run the ship? Or was there some other purpose for the enormous, silent mechanisms she was seeing?

She was afraid to know the answer and anyway, she was only half interested in the question. Looming much larger in her mind was her eventual fate. What was the leader of the Scourge going to do to her when he found out he had the wrong girl? And who was the right girl, for that matter?

The trip seemed to take forever but it was still over much too soon. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of a pair of double doors that looked to be four stories high. The doors were dark grey metal with strange designs etched in glowing neon green. Liv wondered if the designs were some kind of decoration or alien script. She didn’t get a chance to stare at them long, however. The tall man with the black and red eyes made a curt motion with one hand and they swung open silently revealing a large round room.

A blast of something came out of the vast shadowy space—nothing tangible that she could see or smell but something nonetheless. To Liv it felt like her entire body had been stroked with a giant hand, one that was cold and clammy to the touch. A feeling of horror like nothing she had ever felt before filled her. A sense that whatever was behind those glowing green doors was evil and meant her harm.

Liv sagged in the guards’ grip, her knees giving way as a nameless dread filled her. Her mind was suddenly full of tragedy, darkness, death. She couldn’t go in there and face the source of those emotions which she understood instinctively weren’t really hers. Couldn’t come face to face with any being that was capable of causing so much fear and distress without even touching her—she just couldn’t.

“Do not worry about the fear you feel—it is simply the AllFather’s aura,” her captor said casually, motioning for the guards to drag her inside the room. “He is one of the Old Ones and does not need a link to harvest emotions.”

Liv didn’t care what he needed to harvest—all she knew was that her mind kept filling up with that horrible, nameless dread, making it almost impossible to think. It was like someone was pouring black, cloudy water into her skull, coloring everything with its murky presence. “Please,” she whispered through trembling lips. “Please, no. I’m not who you think. There must be some…some mistake.”

“We shall see.” Her captor nodded at the guards. “Bring her before the throne and leave her there. The AllFather’s aura will keep her from trying anything rash.”

Her upper arms ached from where the guards gripped her as they dragged her across the threshold of the room and up a long, broad series of steps made of black stone. The fear made her legs too weak to work and she stumbled forward stupidly until at last, at the top of the steps, they let her go.

Liv collapsed in a little heap, a soft sob leaving her throat. Not since she was a little girl and had night terrors had she felt so helplessly frightened. But back then when she’d woken screaming in the blackness there had always been someone to hold and comfort her—her mother or father or Sophie. Now there was no one. She was lost, alone in the dark. No one loved her. No one would ever love her again… No, that’s not right. Baird loves me. I know he does.

The thought felt right in her head and it pierced through the haze of darkness that clouded her mind. It gave Liv the courage to lift her eyes and see what was sitting on the massive metal throne before her.

The throne was decorated in the same glowing green alien script that the doors had been and on it sat a being that seemed to be cloaked in robes made of shadows—the AllFather. When he—or it—moved, they roiled around it like smoke. In the deep recesses of its shadowy hood its eyes glowed a pure, pulsing red. More than that Liv couldn’t see—not that she wanted to.

“Who…what…?” Her voice was little more than a croak but it didn’t matter because her half questions weren’t answered anyway.

“Ssso thisss is the girl.” The deep, hissing voice seemed to make the dread she felt worse.

“This is she,” the tall man with the black and red eyes answered. Had Liv thought he looked alien and strange? He looked like a GQ cover model compared with the thing sitting on the throne. “We intercepted her shuttle on its way to Earth.”

“Excellent. Does ssshe have the mark?”

“I do not know. I brought her directly to you as you requested, Father.” The tall man stood impassively beside her, arms crossed behind his back. Either the enveloping feeling of horror didn’t affect him or he was so used to it, it didn’t bother him anymore.

“What are you waiting for, Xairn? Check her.” The AllFather raised one skeletal hand, his shadowy, smoke-like sleeve moving in dreamy slow-motion with the gesture.

“On your feet.” The tall man with the black and red eyes scooped her up and forced her to stand. He wasn’t unnecessarily rough but his hands on her were cold and impersonal, as though he was handling an inanimate object.

“Please, you have the wrong person. I don’t know who you want but I’m sure it isn’t me.” Liv clutched at his muscular arm to keep herself from falling over. His skin was cold but at least he didn’t exude that feeling of terror she felt from the AllFather.

“That remainsss to be ssseen.” The AllFather gestured again. “Check for the mark.”

“As you wish.” With no warning the tall man grabbed the V neck of the dark blue t-shirt Liv was wearing and ripped it open. Then he twisted her bra in one horribly strong hand, popping and shredding the elastic as easily as if it was paper to reveal her bare breasts.

It was so much like what Baird had done to her earlier in the unmated males’ area that Liv was momentarily stunned. Guess it’s my day to get stripped in public, she thought stupidly, staring down at her breasts, her nipples tight with fear. Then the reality of what had happened hit her and she tried to cover herself with her arms.

“There is no need for that.” The man the AllFather had called Xairn pulled her arms away easily though Liv was fighting with all her might to keep herself covered. “We wish only to see if you bear the mark between your breasts.”

“The mark of what?” Liv managed to ask through numb lips but he didn’t answer. Instead, he knelt in front of her and cupped her breasts in his cold hands, pushing them apart and studying the smooth skin of her chest and sternum carefully. Liv shivered under his touch but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it. At least he didn’t seem to be getting any pleasure out of the contact—his touch was as clinical and impersonal as a doctor’s. Finally he shook his head and let her go.

“I see nothing.”

There was a hiss of frustration from the being on the throne. “I thought ssshe was the one. The thought message you intercepted…”

“Showed much promise. However there is no mark and the prophesy says—”

“I know what it sssays.” The AllFather made an impatient gesture, his red eyes glaring.

“Except for the mark she fits very well.”

“Which is why we must be sssure. Ssstep back and let me taste her.”

“What?” Liv stumbled backward and would have gone head first down the broad, steep steps if Xairn hadn’t caught her.

“Be still, Earth female. The AllFather will not touch you. He means to taste your emotions, nothing more.”

Liv trembled in his grip. For one horrible instant she’d thought he meant to taste her the way Baird had. The thought of that…that thing on the throne with its boney scabrous hands and glowing red eyes between her legs was too much, too horrible. She would rather die than let it touch her so intimately.

Barely managing to stand upright, Liv clutched her torn shirt closed to cover herself. Despite Xairn’s promise that the AllFather wouldn’t touch her, it took everything that was in her not to collapse when he stood, shaking his smoke-like robes loose from the metal throne, and came toward her. If it touches me I’ll go crazy. I know I will—I won’t be able to help it.

But the AllFather didn’t touch her. He—it—as Liv’s mind kept insisting, came within a few feet of her and raised a hand to the level of her face. Then those glowing red eyes closed and the tasting began.

“I’m telling you, you can’t do this, Baird. It’s crazy—a suicide mission.” Sylvan glared at his brother.

“You think I don’t know that?” He nodded at Sylvan. “You gonna strap in or what?”

Sylvan frowned as he slipped into the shuttle and fastened the harness. “I can’t believe you got permission from the Council to do this.”

“Council member Shirafe owed me a life debt—I saved his son during the battle of Brenii—remember?” Baird shrugged. “He told me if I wanted to spend my debt this way I was welcome to do it.”

“But you’re not even bonded,” Sylvan protested as he engaged the shuttle’s engines.

“You think that matters to me?” Baird frowned at him fiercely. “I love her, Sylvan, bonded or not. Wouldn’t you have done the same for Feenah if you’d had to?”

“Of course,” Sylvan said instantly. “Even though she didn’t want what I had to offer I still would have given everything I had to make her safe.”

“Then you know how I feel.” Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair as the shuttle lifted off. “Don’t you get it, Sylvan? This is what the priestess was talking about. I thought after all that trouble in the unmated males section that the danger was over. Thought the sacrifice I had to make was letting them see me mark my female.”

Sylvan nodded thoughtfully. A public marking like the one Baird had done was considered a humiliation but his brother had taken it in stride despite his bride’s defiant attitude. Not his bride anymore, he reminded himself. They’re not even bonded and still he’s willing to give up everything to save her. “I see,” he said neutrally, piloting the shuttle out of the docking bay.

“But that wasn’t it,” Baird continued as they left the Kindred ship behind. “This is. I can see it now and I’m fine with it. I want it.”

“How can you say that?” Sylvan burst out. “You’re going to your death.”

Baird shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under the crimson uniform shirt. “I was dead anyway—the minute I saw her leave I felt it. At least this way it won’t take as long.”

“Baird, listen to me,” Sylvan said evenly. “I know how you feel—no one could know it better. But there is life after a failed bonding.”

“Yeah, but what kind of life?” Baird gave him a long, searching look. “I’ve seen you, Brother. Ached for your pain and admired your strength. But I just don’t want to go through that. If I can’t be with Olivia…” He shook his head.

Sylvan knew what he was saying. If I can’t be with Olivia, I don’t want to be at all. Baird would rather die than live in a universe where his love was denied him. It saddened Sylvan but didn’t surprise him. A Kindred male’s attachment to his female often bordered on the extreme and many warriors didn’t survive the loss of their chosen mate. Their father had been a rare exception but Sylvan was sure he had only carried on in order to care for his sons. Otherwise after the death of Sylvan’s own mother he surely would have taken his own life, as many Kindred did after a mate died. That was the real reason the Council had given their approval to Baird’s request—a warrior who lost a mate was already considered dead so in essence, they were incurring no new losses.

“I just wish…” Sylvan cleared his throat. “I wish I could help you as you helped me. I never would have made it after…after…” It was still difficult to say her name. “After Feenah if it wasn’t for you.”

Baird leaned over the console and gripped his arm. “I’m glad I could be there for you, Brother. I’m sorry it has to end like this.”

Sylvan gave him a tiny smile. “It’s just three days. You might make it back.”

“We both know the odds of that.” Baird smiled back grimly.

They were rapidly approaching the Scourge Fathership. As the vast grey metal cylinder grew in the viewscreen a cold hand gripped Sylvan’s heart. He could only imagine how his brother must feel, returning to a place where he had been tortured and tormented. It must be hell and yet Baird wore a serene look on his face—a look that said nothing else mattered but Olivia. Wish I could feel that way for a female again, Sylvan thought. But he knew he never would. That part of his heart was broken beyond fixing and even if it wasn’t he had sworn a sacred oath to the Mother—an oath he never intended to break. “We’re here,” he said unnecessarily. “Their control room has accepted our truce signal.”

“Let’s go then.” Baird leaned forward as the entrance to the Scourge docking bay yawned open beneath them. “She’s been in there too long already. If he’s already gotten into her mind…”

We may be too late, Sylvan finished the thought in his head. But he didn’t say it aloud. Couldn’t bear to imagine his brother’s pain if the female he loved had been hurt beyond repair. They would just have to pray to the Mother that they were in time…

Liv shivered in revulsion as she felt the cold brush of an alien mind against her own. It was like spiders scuttling over her face—a loathsome, ticklish sensation that made her stomach lurch in disgust. Then the sensation went deeper and she felt him inside her brain. Cold hands with worm-like fingers were searching through her memories like an impatient secretary flipping through old fashioned paper files in a desk drawer. Every once in awhile they would linger on a certain memory—something embarrassing or horrifying or desperately unhappy—and examine it more closely. Liv gritted her teeth as she felt the corpse-cold fingers pick these bad memories up and fondle them like precious gems.

The time Sophie and I saw Miss Meow crushed under the neighbor’s truck…The last time we ever saw grandma alive with all those tubes and wires going in and out of her at the hospital…Opening the door to a policeman saying how sorry he was but we had to come down to the morgue and identify Mom and Dad after the drunk driver hit them…

It was all there, right down to the time in fourth grade when she’d had a crush on Patrick Phelps who told everyone he didn’t like her. The AllFather found each hurtful memory and tasted it thoroughly, tasted her pain and disappointment and humiliation as though it was a fine wine he was savoring.

Liv didn’t know how long it went on, only that after awhile she felt like she was going crazy. She tried to remember how Baird had said he was able to stand it—he’d been a prisoner here in this ship for six months. How had he kept his sanity with this hideous being rifling through his head?

He thought of me. He said I kept him sane—the link we had and the dream-sharing. Maybe if I think of him… Closing her eyes, Liv thought of him with all her might. She imagined him standing there in front of her—so tall and strong, his wild black hair and golden eyes filled with love and need. The way his body felt against hers when he held her close, the warm, spicy scent that filled her senses when she was with him. Suddenly her eyes flew open. God, he was right—I love him. How could I not see that before? How could I wait until now when I’m in a hopeless situation to realize that he’s what I want out of life? What’s wrong with me?

“What indeed?” whispered an icy voice in her brain. “Ssso you were bonded to the one who escaped me. Sssuch a pity…his pain was ssso unique and I never quite got all of it.”

Liv felt him in her head again, prying at her memories of Baird. But somehow, this time she resisted. “No, those aren’t for you!” She imagined erecting a wall around her time with Baird, a wall so high and thick he couldn’t scale it or break it no matter how he tried.

Soft laughter, like the rustling of bat wings filled her skull. “Ssso you resist? Very well, I ssshall break you later at my leisure. Depend upon it, little female.”

And then, as suddenly as he had invaded her mind, the AllFather was gone. Liv sagged in relief, nearly falling again. Resisting his prying attempts to see into her time with Baird had taken everything she had. She felt like she’d just run a marathon or swam a hundred laps in the pool.

The AllFather went back to its throne. “Her taste is prosaic but ssshe ssshould provide a few hours of entertainment at least. Hook her up to the viewer and I will review her memories. Her thought images may provide valuable insight.”

Liv had a sudden memory of the way Baird had looked in the dreams she’d had of him. Chained to a wall with a huge screen above his head and wires coming out of his skin. “No!” She turned to run but Xairn caught her.

“None of that. You belong to the AllFather now. He will do with you as he wishes and you have no say in the matter.”

“I have a say. The Earth female belongs to me so take your fuckin’ hands off her.”

At first Liv thought the deep, familiar voice must be an illusion. A cruel trick either of the AllFather or her own mind. She wanted so much to see Baird, to be with him. But surely he wouldn’t be able to follow her here—would he? Slowly, almost afraid to look for fear he wouldn’t be real, she turned her head and stared down the broad black steps. For a moment she couldn’t see in the dim room and then…

It’s true—he’s really here. But how—?

“Lilenta.” Baird came bounding up the steps and looked at the ragged remains of her shirt. “Did they hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. He said they were looking for some kind of mark.” She nodded at the AllFather’s son who was still holding her and looking at Baird impassively.

Baird glared into the red and black eyes. “Thought I told you to take your fuckin’ hands off her.”

Xairn withdrew his cold hands but didn’t move an inch. “You are very bold for one who has so lately tasted the AllFather’s mercy.”

“Mercy, huh?” Baird spat at his feet. “That’s what I think of your mercy. I’m here to take Olivia home.” He took off his red uniform shirt and slipped it around her shoulders.

“And how do you propose to do that? You are one and we are many.” Red pupils narrowing to slits, Xairn put a hand to his side, fingering some kind of weapon Liv hadn’t noticed before. She tensed but then the AllFather was there, gliding silently toward them.

“Leave him. I sssensed him coming from afar. He has an interesting proposal.”

“His royal ugliness is right.” Baird glared at the AllFather. “I have a bargain for you—me for her.”

“What? Baird, no!” Liv put a hand on his arm but he shook her off and continued talking.

“You have a custom—krik-ka`re. The willing sacrifice of one mind-life for another. I wish to invoke it now.”

Xairn raised one black eyebrow. “It has been some years since we received such a request. You have been studying our culture.”

“If that’s what you call the twisted paths of pain your kind follow then, yes. I have.”

The AllFather stepped closer to Baird, its red eyes glowing. “The traditional time of krik-ka`re is just three days. Why ssshould I give up a tender morsel like this little Earth female for only three days of your pain?”

Baird lifted his chin. “You said yourself last time I was your guest that my pain had a unique flavor. But you never got all of it—you never broke through my shields completely.”

“And? Ssso?”

“So this time you won’t have to.” Baird swallowed but his face remained impassive. “I’ll give myself willingly. That means no shields, no attempt to block you out. You can have whatever you want with no resistance from me.”

“No!” Liv tugged at his arm but he only shook his head briefly and looked back at the AllFather.

“What do you say?” he demanded.

Xairn was the one who answered him. “You realize, of course, what you are offering. It is not just your life we are speaking of here but your sanity. No one has ever withstood the AllFather’s complete and undivided attention for such a length of time and emerged with their mind intact.”

“I know that.” Baird gave a curt nod at Liv. “She’s worth it—to me anyway. To you she’s nothing but another energy cell, one you’ll use up and throw out in a matter of hours.”

“He presents a compelling case.” The AllFather sounded thoughtful. “I do find myself most hungry after the unsatisfying taste of the female’s mind.”

“But her memories,” Xairn objected. “You said they should be sifted in order to find the one we seek.”

The AllFather made a dismissive gesture that left a cloud of dark smoke-like particles boiling in the air. “There are other ways of finding the one. I am inclined to let her go if the warrior agrees to abide by the laws of krik-ka`re.”

“I agree,” Baird said at once. “Just let me see her to the shuttle where my brother waits and swear you’ll disable your magnetic field long enough for them to get away. Then you can do anything you want to me.”

The AllFather nodded, its red eyes glowing. “It is ssso agreed. My ssson and his guard will accompany you to be certain you uphold your end of our bargain. At the end of three days time your brother may return for you…if there is anything left worth returning for.”

Liv felt like hear heart was about to burst out of her chest. “Wait a minute—nobody asked me if it was okay for Baird to trade places with me!”

“Nobody had to, Lilenta. This is my choice, not yours. Come on, Sylvan’s waiting.”

He led her down the steep steps and Liv let him, moving in a fog of uncertainty. They walked back through the Scourge Fathership, Baird striding confidently along as though he knew the way by heart. Well, he was a prisoner here for months and months, Liv reminded herself. And he did escape so maybe he knows the layout. She kept telling herself that Baird had to have some other plan. Surely once they reached the shuttle he would shoot anyone in their way and they would make a getaway and live happily ever after. Despite the guards that now flanked them on all sides and the strange looking weapon the AllFather’s son had trained on them, he wouldn’t really just give himself up, would he?

But when they reached the vast docking bay where she’d first realized what had happened, Baird gave her a long, tight hug and then stepped back. “Good bye, Lilenta.”

“No!” She clutched at his arm. “You have to come with me—you can’t stay here.”

“One of us has to.” He cupped her cheek gently. “Even if it was possible to get away with half the Scourge forces on our tail, a warrior honors his commitments. I swore to abide by the rules of krik-ka`re.”

“You shouldn’t have come.” Liv could feel the tears welling in her eyes though she tried to blink them back. “You shouldn’t have traded yourself for me. Not after what I did.”

“You didn’t know that using the Think-me would break our contract. And even if you did, I still would have come.”

“But why?”

“Because I love you, Lilenta. There is no life for me without you.” He leaned down to kiss her one more time and Liv felt the familiar flare of heat at the brush of his mouth against hers. “Don’t forget me.”

“Never.” She spoke the promise through numb lips and then Sylvan was there at her elbow, leading her away to a waiting shuttle.

“Take care of her, Brother. I charge you with her well being. See her safely back to Earth.” Baird gave his brother a significant look.

“I’ll see to Olivia—you take care of yourself. I’ll be back for you in three days. Just three days,” Sylvan told him. “Stay strong, Brother.”

Baird lifted his chin defiantly. “I will.”

“This is all very touching but the magnetic field has been disabled already for your female’s departure. It will not remain inactive forever.” Xairn nodded at the shuttle.

Baird nodded briefly. “I’m ready. Do your worst.”

“Baird, no!” Liv felt like someone was ripping her heart out of her chest. She tried to run back to him but Sylvan’s grip on her arm was unbreakable.

“Come, Olivia,” he murmured, tugging her toward the shuttle. “We have very little time. Don’t let Baird’s sacrifice be in vain.”

“But…but I don’t want him to sacrifice himself for me.” She was beginning to cry now, unable to help herself. “Please, I don’t want this.”

“But he wants it,” Sylvan said gently. “He needs it. Needs to assure himself of your safety. You must be brave for him—stay strong as he is doing for you.”

Olivia looked over her shoulder at Baird again as Sylvan folded her gently into shuttle’s the cockpit. He was standing straight and tall, his shoulders thrown back, his eyes blazing. There was no reluctance or fear in his posture, no regret in his stance. Only strength and determination. And love. He’s doing this because he loves me. Even though I resisted him. Even though I never… “Oh God, I never told him I loved him! Sylvan, please—please, I have to go back.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late.” Sylvan nodded at the guards who were leading Baird away. “We need to get out of here, Olivia. The Scourge have a twisted kind of honor but I wouldn’t want to trust it too far. If I fail to get you safely back to Earth, Baird’s sacrifice will have been for nothing.”

“Fine.” Liv blotted her eyes on the sleeve of Baird’s shirt, inhaling his warm, spicy scent and trying not to cry again. “But I’m not going back to Earth.”

Sylvan raised his eyebrows. “Oh? And where do you think you’re going?”

“Back with you—to the ship.”

“But you can’t—”

“I can and I will.” Baird was gone now, his broad back and shoulders disappearing into the gloom of the Scourge ship. Liv tore her eyes from where he had been and looked back at Sylvan. “I heard what they said—this krick-krack thing—”

“Krik-ka`re.”

“Right, whatever. Anyway, it only lasts three days and afterwards Baird is coming home. I want to be there to meet him when he does.”

“Olivia…” Sylvan’s tone was quiet and gentle. “What comes back to us will look like Baird but it won’t really be him. It will be a shell—empty…broken.”

“If he’s broken then I’ll fix him.” Liv crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

“You can’t.” Sylvan’s normally impassive blue eyes were sad as he piloted the ship up and out to the air lock. “No one can.”

“Well I’ve got to try, at least!” Liv burst out. “Look, Sylvan—I’ve been a complete idiot up until now and it took having that…that thing rifling through my head to make me see clearly. I used my family and my career as an excuse—as a shield—because I was afraid.” She looked down at her hands—only her fingertips were visible past the long sleeves of the crimson uniform shirt. “I…I love Baird and I think I have for a long time. I just wouldn’t let myself see it until…” She shook her head, unable to say what they were both doubtless thinking. Until it was too late.

But it can’t be too late. I won’t let it be, Liv told herself fiercely. She clenched her hands into fists. He held out for six months before. He can do three days with no problem. Except this time he would have no shields. Liv couldn’t imagine letting the monstrous AllFather into your brain with no resistance. Just the thought made her skin crawl. And he did that for me. He’s doing it right now because he loves me. Even though he has no idea I love him back.

That made her want to cry again but she resisted the urge. She would stay as strong as Baird, would hold out and wait for him and in the end they would be together again. She believed that with all her heart.

I have to believe it. If I don’t, I’ll go crazy. She stared into the bleak vastness of space as Sylvan engaged the drive that would take them back to the Kindred ship. Somehow she would get through these three days without Baird and when he came back she would glue the pieces back together. No matter what she had to do, she was going to fix him.

“Ssso, your female is sssafely on her way.” The eyes of the AllFather glowed like coals, filled with an evil hunger that Baird had seen before.

“Yes.” He lifted his chin, refusing to look away. Less than a month before he’d sworn to himself that he would die before letting himself fall prisoner to the Scourge again. But things were different now. Worth it. No matter how bad the pain gets it’s worth it to know she’s safe. Gods, Olivia, love you so much…

“Your bravery isss most inspiring,” the AllFather hissed and Baird had an idea that there was a cruel smile hidden somewhere in the recesses of that black shadowy cloak—if the AllFather had a face and a mouth to smile with, that was. “I ssshall enjoy ssstripping it away, along with everything else.”

Baird gave him a steady stare. “Do your worst.”

“Oh, I will, Warrior. I will. Before I am done you will beg for death—but no sssuch release ssshall be granted you.”

Fear clawed at him but he refused to give in to it. “Like I said, do your worst.”

“And as I sssaid, I ssshall. And when I am finished, you will do your worst also—against your own kind.”

“What…” Baird cleared his throat. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I like you, Warrior.” The AllFather made a dry hissing sound that might have been laughter. “I think I’ll keep you. Your abilities as a pilot will be very useful to me.”

Baird narrowed his eyes. “Forget it. I’ll never fly for you.”

“Oh, but you will. And very sssoon too. How do you like the idea of flying the vessel that attacks your brethren? Of firing the ssshots that wound and kill your comrades in arms?”

“Never. You can’t make me!” But Baird had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Not without proper conditioning, of course.” The dry, hissing laughter again. “We must begin at once. After all, it takes time to ssstrip a mind completely. Essspecially one as ssstrong as yoursss.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Liv was afraid that the three days until Baird’s return would drag horribly, filled with worry and guilt until the need to see him again drove her crazy. The suite seemed so empty without him. The bed and bathing pool were both too big and even Bebo seemed downright mournful. Liv was glad that Baird had shown her where the little animal’s special food was kept because she didn’t want him to start thinking her toes looked like a good snack. But the second time he came snuffling around the living area where she was sitting on the couch—not on the live blanket which was folded and pushed out of the way—Liv started to have an idea of what was wrong.

“Here Bebo. Here boy,” she said softly, holding out her hand. It was the morning after Sylvan had brought her back from the Scourge ship and she’d barely slept a wink. All she could do was lie in the darkness and stare at the shadowy ceiling, thinking of Baird and what he was going through. She tried reaching out to him with her mind, hoping against hope that he could feel her love for him but she felt nothing in return and they shared no dreams in the few moments she managed to sleep. It seemed that whatever connection they’d once shared it was broken.

She missed having his arms around her, missed hearing his deep, rumbling laugh and feeling his warmth beside her at night. She knew now she would give anything to have him back. To have a second chance to love him and tell him she wanted to be with him forever. I’ll get a second chance, she told herself firmly. But the pitying look that Sylvan had given her when she had declared her intention to wait for Baird told her everything she needed to know.

“Bebo,” she called again, trying to push away the negative thoughts. “Here, boy.”

Slowly, reluctantly, the little zithcher made his way over to where she was sitting. After their first disastrous meeting they had called an uneasy truce but this was the first time Liv had ever actually tried to make friends with him. I didn’t like him and not just because he scared me. It was because he was alien, strange, frightening. Like the idea of giving up everything I knew to stay here with Baird. Carefully she reached out a hand and scratched the little teddy bear creature between his ears, just as she’d seen Baird do. Bebo’s bright blue fur was feathery and soft and after a moment he closed his large eyes and began to make contented humming sounds in the back of his throat.

“You’re not such a scary guy after all, are you?” Liv murmured, still scratching. “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to get to know you before…when Baird was here.”

At the mention of his master’s name, the little animal opened his eyes and made a mournful questioning sound.

“I know.” Liv felt tears rise to her eyes again. “I miss him too. But he’ll be back. And then…then…well, I don’t know how I’ll help him but I will. I swear I will.” To her surprise, Bebo climbed up in the couch and then, with an inquiring look as if to make sure he was welcome, into her lap. Liv stroked him, letting her tears drop on his soft fur. Like everything else about the Kindred way of life, she’d refused to see the good in Baird’s pet until it was too late. Too late…too late…

A sudden rapping at the door to the suite startled her out of her mournful reverie. Carefully, she put Bebo back down on the floor and went to the door, dusting his feathery blue fur off her fingers. She really hoped it wasn’t Jillian—gossiping and girl talk were about the last thing she needed right now.

Her heart started pounding when she saw Sylvan standing there. “What?” she blurted. “Is it Baird? But it hasn’t been three days yet. I don’t—”

“That is not the reason I am here.” Sylvan looked mildly troubled which was as close to really upset as a cool and collected Tranq Kindred could get. He frowned at Liv. “You are some kind of medic on Earth, correct?”

“I’m a nurse, yes. Why?”

“There was a raid on the station we have on the far side of your moon and the influx of wounded is staggering. We need every pair of trained hands we can get.”

“I want to help but I don’t know anything about your medical technology,” Liv reminded him. “Or what kind of meds the Kindred can use. Or—”

“You can help with the triage at least and I’ll do my best to answer any questions as we go. Come on.” Sylvan grabbed her hand.

“Wait!” Liv looked at him fearfully. “How is this going to affect Baird? Will…will the Scourge still give him back?”

Sylvan looked grim. “I’m sorry Olivia but I don’t know. There’s nothing we can do for him now, though. We have wounded to care for and the longer we wait the more will die. Will you help me?”

Liv felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes into her belly but she nodded anyway. “I’ll do my best even though I don’t know your techniques.”

“You can consider this on the job training.” Sylvan pulled her out the door.

So began the most frantic two days of Liv’s life. It was like nursing school all over again but in fast forward and there was no room for mistakes. Previously she’d only seen the leisure side of the Kindred ship. Now she saw the business side and their main business was war. The large med station where Sylvan had her working was constantly busy, the flow of patients in and out as steady as clockwork.

Liv was run off her feet as she assisted in various operations and learned the alien medical technology. Luckily, the Kindred anatomy was basically humanoid so it wasn’t like she was starting from scratch. And she was doing what she loved best—helping to save lives. If it hadn’t been for the constant worry at the back of her head for Baird, she would have been completely content. But no matter how busy she got or how frantic the pace, she couldn’t forget—didn’t want to forget—what he was going through and that she might not ever see him again. Still, she was grateful for the distraction. Even with Bebo to keep her company she knew she would have gone crazy cooped up in the suite with nothing to do but agonize over the situation.

It was at the end of the second day, or maybe the wee hours of the third, Liv had lost count, that a new patient was pushed in front of her. Or maybe floated was a better word since the Kindred used anti-grav technology in their stretchers.

“Gotta live one but he’s non-responsive,” the transport tech, who happened to be a Tranq, barked.

“Injuries?” Liv asked briskly, looking down at the new view-chart bracelet she was priming. Once she put it on him it would document all his treatment and meds automatically. It was one piece of technology she wished she could take back to Earth because it completely eliminated any confusion as to what had been done to the patient and when.

The tech shrugged. “None that we can see, actually, but as I said, he’s completely out of it. Word is he piloted a bunch of wounded here in a stolen Scourge ship and then blacked out.”

“He did, did h—” Liv lost her power of speech abruptly when she finally glanced up and got a look at her new patient’s face. Suddenly everything seemed to swim before her eyes and she felt weak. She stumbled and almost fell, only catching herself at the last minute by grabbing the edge of the floating stretcher. It can’t be him. What is he doing here?

“Hey, are you all right?” The transport tech came around the stretcher to take her arm. “I see you in here every time I come. How long have you been on your feet? You must be exhausted.”

She waved him off. “No, it’s not that. I just…” Is it really him? What if I’m so tired I’m hallucinating because I want to see him so much? The male on the stretcher certainly looked like Baird but when she leaned down close to him, she couldn’t smell the warm, spicy scent she’d come to associate with him. And though his eyes were open they weren’t the brilliant gold she remembered—more of a tarnished brass. Was it really Baird or another Beast Kindred who just looked like him? Liv hadn’t realized how much she depended on his scent to recognize him and as exhausted as she was, she didn’t feel like she could trust her eyes alone. She needed a second opinion. “Tech, I need Commander Sylvan here to look at this patient now.” she said, looking up from her examination.

The tech caught the urgency in her tone and went looking for Sylvan at once. He soon returned, dragging him by the arm.

“What’s this about? I was in the middle of a very delicate—Baird!” Sylvan leaned over his half brother’s supine form, his eyes wide with surprise. “How did he get here?”

Liv repeated the transport tech’s story about Baird piloting a stolen ship and then collapsing. “Do you think he’s just in shock?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t know.” Sylvan leaned down to shine a thin beam of light into Baird’s eyes. “The pupils are responsive but he doesn’t seem to be seeing me.” He looked up at the tech. “You’re sure about what you heard? He actually piloted a ship?”

The tech nodded. “Sure. Some of the other guys said they couldn’t have escaped without him—none of them knew how to fly but him.” He nodded at the silent Baird.

“That’s good, right?” Liv asked anxiously. “I mean, that’s great! He shouldn’t have been able to do that after what the…after what he went through. So he must be still all right—still in there, somewhere.”

“Maybe.” Sylvan looked skeptical. “I’ve never known anyone to withstand a Scourge krik-ka`re. But if anyone is strong enough, it would be Baird. Still…” He broke off shaking his head.

“Still what? What?” Liv demanded.

“He might have been acting on autopilot so to speak. I mean, flying a ship is so ingrained in him that he might not need the parts of his personality that make him the male we know in order to do it.” Sylvan sighed. “I’m sorry, Olivia—I just don’t know.”

“Well I do.” Liv leaned over the stretcher, staring earnestly into the tarnished brass eyes. It seemed as though Baird’s gaze focused on her but she couldn’t be sure. “Baird,” she said softly, stroking his cheek. “Baird, it’s me—your Lilenta. Come back to me—I miss you.” Was there a flicker of recognition in the depths of his eyes? Liv wasn’t sure but it was enough to make her hope.

“Olivia—” Sylvan began but she didn’t want to hear it.

“Sit up.” She tugged at Baird’s arm. To her absolute joy, he did. He moved slowly in strange, jerky motions that reminded her of an old Frankenstein movie, but he did move. Soon he was sitting on the edge of the stretcher with his feet planted on the ground. He was still bare from the waist up, wearing only his black uniform pants and boots, just as he had been the last time she’d seen him, Liv noted. There were also fresh scars on his chest where he must have been pierced by the wires leading to the AllFather’s horrible view screen. “Oh, Baird,” she half whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “What did they do to you?”

Baird made no answer nor did he focus on her face when she spoke. He simply sat there, staring vacantly into space and not moving an inch.

“I was afraid of this.” Sylvan looked grim.

Liv rounded on him. “Afraid of what? Look, he’s doing fine. He responded—he did what I told him to do!”

“Following orders would be part of the brain function the AllFather would leave alone. Olivia, listen to me.” Sylvan put a hand on her shoulder. “I know that Baird is responding to direct orders, but that doesn’t mean he’s the male we remember. I’m afraid that what he endured may have damaged his mind beyond repair. Either that or the part of him we knew as Baird is now hidden, buried so far under so many layers of pain and fear we may never see it again.”

“That can’t be right,” Liv argued. “I won’t accept that. I refuse to accept it.”

“You’ll have to,” Sylvan said gently. “Believe me, Olivia, I’ve seen patients that have been subjected to the krik-ka`re years ago, during the Syrinx wars and this is not unusual. They often retain some of their more vital and deeply ingrained skills and the ability to follow direct commands without ever coming back to themselves. The AllFather does that so that he has a mindless slave who can still be of some use to him. In this case, he left Baird his piloting ability.”

“But he used it to steal a ship and take other warriors to safety,” Liv pointed out stubbornly. “There must be some of Baird left in there. I just need time to find it and let him out.”

Sylvan ran a hand over his short spiky hair. “I don’t know if that’s possible. Maybe if you two had already established a bond…but you didn’t. And without that, I don’t think you have much of a chance. I’m sorry, Olivia—I love him too. I just don’t want you to expect too much.”

“Well I have to try.” She took Baird by the arm and tugged at him. “Stand up,” she commanded and then looked at Sylvan. “You can make do without me for awhile, right?”

He nodded slowly. “We just had a shuttle full of new med techs come in. I’ve been meaning to tell you to take a break.”

“I’m taking it now.” Liv laced her fingers with Baird’s, wishing he would squeeze her hand in return and not just stand there. “We’ll be in our suite,” she told Sylvan firmly.

“All right. Good luck. And Olivia—do all you can. Baird is…very dear to my heart as well.”

Liv could see how much it cost the normally stoic Tranq to say such a thing and she nodded briefly. “Thanks, Sylvan. I will. Come on.” She tugged at Baird’s hand gently. “We have work to do.”

Hours later back in the suite she still had no idea what to do. She’d tried everything from slapping him lightly in the face to calling his name to reminding him in exhaustive detail of the day he’d first come to claim her at the HKR building in Tampa. None of her words or gestures seemed to penetrate the catatonic state he was in—even putting Bebo in his lap didn’t help. Although the little animal nudged him with its head and made soft, inquiring sounds, Baird didn’t even look down. As Liv placed the little creature back down on the floor and watched it waddle away, she was beginning to give up hope.

“Oh, Baird…” She sank down on the couch beside him and put her head in her hands. He was seated on one side of it, sitting up as straight as a ramrod and staring at nothing. His hands were at his sides and his broad chest was barely moving, as though he was hardly even breathing. He’s not really here with me. It’s just his body—a shell, like Sylvan said.

Liv was physically and emotionally exhausted. She’d been working nonstop for what felt like days, trying not to dwell on what Baird must be going through. When he’d come back to her it seemed like some kind of miracle and her hopes had been sky-high. Now she felt them plummeting to the ground. It was too cruel. To get him back again only to find she’d lost him for good.

“Oh, Baird…” Overwhelmed Liv lay down and put her head in his lap. “If only you could hear me,” she whispered, pillowing her cheek on his muscular thigh. “If only I could tell you how I feel—how wrong I’ve been and how much I want you. But you can’t…you can’t.”

Giving in to her misery, Liv let the tears come, rubbing her cheek against his leg as the sobs shook her. I’ve been such a fool. I waited until it was too late to realize I love you. Too late…too late… Then, to her surprise, something hot and hard nudged her.

“What—?” Sitting up, she wiped her eyes and looked down. A lump was growing in the crotch of the black uniform pants Baird still wore. Was that an automatic reaction to her accidental stimulation? Or could it be that somewhere down inside the real Baird, the one who had wanted her so badly, was still there?

Experimentally, Liv reached out and stroked the ridge of flesh. It got even harder and longer and Baird’s hands, which had been lying open at his sides, suddenly clenched into fists. At the same time, he took in a deep breath—almost a gasp—and then let out a soft sound like a groan of pain or pleasure.

Liv’s heart jumped in her chest and she swiped hastily at her eyes, rubbing away the tears. That had to be more than just an involuntary reaction! Maybe if I… She stroked him again, this time leaning close to look in his eyes as she did. “Do you like that, Baird?” she murmured throatily as she caressed his rigid shaft. “You like it when I touch you? I wish you’d come back to me—tell me what you like, what you want me to do and what you want to do to me.”

She thought she saw a flicker of heat in his eyes but still he didn’t speak. His hands remained clenched at his sides and his breathing was still heavy, though, so she decided she must be on the right track. Have to step things up a notch. Standing up, she put herself directly in Baird’s line of sight.

“Can you see me?” Reaching up she pulled the clip out of her hair and let it swirl around her shoulders. “Can you see how much I want you?” Was there another flicker in his eyes? And were they just a little more golden than brass? Have to go further—have to do more. Liv was well aware that to an outsider what she was about to do might seem bizarre, but there was no one there but herself and Baird. And since everything else had failed, she was determined to keep on trying the one thing that seemed to work. Feeling a strange mixture of hope and erotic need, she began a slow, sensual strip tease.

Of course the jeans and med smock she was wearing weren’t exactly super sexy but she took them off as slowly as she could, humming softly in the back of her throat for accompaniment as she worked her hips and pushed the tight jeans down her legs. Were his eyes tracking her movements? Was he watching her? Liv couldn’t be sure but she thought he was. She was down to her bra and panties now, a matching pair in navy blue lace that made her skin look creamy and soft. The bra hooked in the front, offering easy access. Now if only Baird would lift his hands and unhook it himself.

“Come on, Baird, is this what you want?” Please, please come back to me! Liv shimmied enticingly in front of him but though his eyes seemed to follow her movements, his hands remained curled into fists at his sides. Frustrated, she straddled his hips, getting closer. She was just going to have to help him out a little. Unhooking her bra, she peeled it open, revealing her bare breasts to him. “Watch me,” she murmured, twisting her nipples enticingly, stroking the ripe tips of her breasts as she looked into his eyes. Sparks of pain and pleasure shot though her body as she began to really get into it. “Watch me touch myself for you. See how much I want you?”

His eyes actually seemed to be tracking now and she could feel the ridge of his cock getting even harder. More, just need a little bit more to get through to him. Somehow she knew it was true.

Getting up on her knees she spread her legs wide and gently directed his head so that he was looking downward. “See this, Baird?” Slowly she tugged down the front of her lacy panties until her pussy slit came into view. “Look how wet I am for you,” Liv murmured. She had never done this, never exposed herself willingly to a lover like this before and she couldn’t help feeling like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. But this was for Baird—the only way to bring him back. Swallowing her shyness, she reached between her thighs with her other hand and spread her cunt lips open, baring her slippery inner folds for him, giving him the view he had so enjoyed before. “You told me once before that my body would get ready for yours,” she told him. “Well, I’m ready, Baird. I want you. Want you so much.”

Almost…His big body was trembling under her and a low groan came from his lips but still he seemed paralyzed. My scent is working on him, Liv realized. The same way his always worked on me. He just needs a little more…a little taste of me to break the spell. A little taste—that was it! Baird literally needed to taste her. Liv was suddenly sure of it.

Feeling a strange mixture of embarrassment and desire she pressed two fingers between her thighs, dipping into the liquid depths of her pussy to gather her moisture. Then, carefully, she smeared her honey across Baird’s mouth, coating his lips with her essence. “Come back to me Baird,” she whispered as she pressing her fingertips into his hot mouth. “Taste how much I want you and come back to me now.”

The effect was immediate. With a low roar Baird reached up and gripped her hips. His tongue came out, lapping at her fingers and cleaning her honey from his lips with obvious enjoyment. Even better, his mating scent suddenly filled the air around them, invading her senses like a dark spice. Once Liv had feared it but now it filled her with joy. It told her that Baird was in there somewhere, that he still wanted her, wanted to bond her to him…Suddenly Sylvan’s words came back to her. “Maybe if you two had already established a bond…”

That’s what we need to do—what I need to do to bring him back. We have to bond. The idea felt so natural and perfect she knew it was right at once. But was Baird recovered enough to make it possible?

Baird answered that question for her by leaning forward and nuzzling her breasts. Liv gasped and looked down to see that his eyes were almost completely golden again and filled with the old hunger she knew so well. Baird wanted her—needed her as much as he ever had. And she had a strong sense that doing this with him was the one thing that would bring him all the way back from the punishing effects of the AllFather’s mental torture.

“Baird,” she whispered, pressing forward to rub against him—God his scratchy cheeks felt good against her tender flesh! “Baird I want to do this with you—want to make love with you. But you have to help me.”

“Lilenta…” His deep voice startled her but when Liv looked down again, she saw him looking back at her.

“Yes, Baird? Did you…did you just talk?” she whispered. She was afraid to hope—maybe the voice she’d heard had been in her head because she wanted it so badly. But then…

“Need…you.” His voice sounded rusty and hoarse from disuse but the longing in his tone could not be denied.

“I need you too.” Liv felt like crying again—with happiness this time—but she held herself back sternly. They weren’t out of the water yet and she sensed that she needed to keep it up in order to bring Baird all the way back. “Try to touch me,” she urged him, lifting his big, warm hands to her breasts. “Let me feel your hands on me.”

He groaned again as he cupped her soft mounds. Under her ass Liv could feel his shaft getting hotter and harder. Good, that was exactly what she needed—what they needed. Spreading her legs, she lowered herself down and ground against him, rubbing like a cat in heat as he continued to stroke her breasts. She could feel the ridge of his cock pressing against her, parting her pussy lips through the thin silk of her panties and teasing her throbbing clit. God, how she wanted him! And she was so close to having him.

Apparently Baird felt the same way. Liv moaned softly as one of his large hands made its way from her breast down to the tender V between her legs. He stroked roughly over the panties for a moment and then she felt his fingers curve inward, gripping the gauzy material tightly. With a quick, jerky motion Baird yanked, ripping the panties away and leaving her bare just as he had the first time he’d brought her up to his suite, what felt like a million years ago.

Liv’s breath caught in her throat at the sheer eroticism of his act and the molten heat in his eyes. “That’s right,” she whispered as she felt his hand cup her bare sex. “Touch me. Make me naked for you.”

Baird’s fingers were seeking inward now, exploring her wet depths, rubbing slowly over the slippery inner folds of her pussy. Liv moaned breathlessly as he found the pink pearl of her clit and began to work it gently with his thumb. God, he still knew just how to please her!

“So hot,” she heard Baird rumble as his fingers worked deeper. “So wet.”

“Can’t…can’t help it,” she assured him, grinding shamelessly on his exploring fingers. “I always get wet for you. God, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you!”

“Missed you too…Lilenta.” His speech was much less jerky now and his eyes, when they found hers, were almost back to the brilliant gold she remembered. It occurred to Liv that she could probably stop now and he would be all right. But I don’t want to stop now. I want it all! All of him inside of me.

The realization had her fumbling for his pants and before she knew it, the hard, thick, length of his cock was bare between them. Liv touched it tentatively at first, eliciting a groan from Baird, and then more boldly, wrapping her fingers around his throbbing circumference and stroking up and down slowly. She even caressed the hard ridge of his mating fist, down around the base, with searching fingertips. This would have to be in her too. She would have to take all of it—all of him—if she wanted to bring him back and keep him forever. That’s exactly what I want. I don’t care how hard it is or how long it takes.

“Baird…” She leaned forward and kissed him, full of pleasure at the way he took over the kiss and invaded her mouth with his tongue. She could taste herself on his lips, salty and hot. Sharing her flavor with him, tasting her honey on his mouth turned her on in a way she wouldn’t have believed possible. God, she wanted him, no needed him inside her! At last they pulled apart and she leaned her forehead against his, breathing in his warm, spicy scent. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad too.” He kissed her again and nipped her neck gently. “How did you know what to do to bring me out of it?”

“Just a lucky hunch, I guess.” Liv grinned at him naughtily and pressed forward, rubbing her breasts against his bare chest until he groaned.

“Gods, Lilenta, you’re driving me crazy.”

“Not half as crazy as you’re driving me.” Raising up a bit, she repositioned. Gripping his heated shaft in one hand, she rubbed the broad, mushroom shaped head over her slippery entrance. Here we go. This is it. Biting her lip, she lowered herself down, moaning softly as she felt the first thick inch of his cock slip into her pussy. Fighting the urge to clench around his thickness, she pressed down, trying to be open, wanting to take more, to take him all the way inside… but she was stopped by Baird’s hands on her hips.

“Wait a minute.” His eyes were blazing and he was breathing hard but his grip was like iron. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” he demanded, his eyes flicking down to where his cock was piercing her pussy and then back up to meet hers.

“Making love with you.” Liv gritted her teeth and tried to lower herself again but he wouldn’t let her budge so much as an inch.

“Why?” He frowned at her. “Because you missed me? Because you feel bad about the way we ended?”

“Baird—” She wiggled enticingly, eliciting a groan from him but still he wouldn’t let her move. “Please…” She was practically begging now. She wanted more of him inside her—needed more.

“Because I have to tell you, Olivia, I’m not looking for a quick fuck.” He caught her gaze with his own and wouldn’t let her look away. “I don’t want to do this half way—I want all of you.” His voice was a low growl, filled with desire. “That means my cock all the way inside your hot little pussy. My mating fist locking us together while I fuck you and come in you over and over until you’re mine forever. Are you ready for that?”

His hot, explicit words and the blazing need in his gold eyes sent a shiver of lust through her entire body. “I’m ready,” she assured him breathlessly. “And…and that’s what I want too. I want you all the way inside me.”

“But why?” he persisted pulling out of her and putting some distance between them with an obvious effort. “Why the change of heart? I don’t want you doing this out of a misguided sense of guilt or pity.”

“I’m not.” She leaned forward again and gave him a long, leisurely kiss on the mouth. “And I’m not doing it because I can’t help myself either. It’s because I want you and I want to be with you…forever.”

“Gods, Lilenta, I love you.” He crushed her to him in a hug that nearly took Liv’s breath away. “Which is why I can’t do this with you. Not tonight.”

“What?” Liv pulled back and gave him a look of disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Afraid not.” He shook his head firmly.

“But…but I thought I’d lost you.” Liv blinked back tears. “And then when I finally get you back and all I want to do is be with you forever you say no. Why?”

Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not because I don’t want you. Gods, Lilenta, I have never wanted anything more than I want to fill you with my cock and bond you to me right here and now.”

“Then why don’t you?” Liv demanded. “Please, Baird—I’m ready now.”

“I’m not sure you are. Look, Olivia…” He pulled her close and looked into her eyes. “I just don’t want you to rush into anything. I don’t want us to do something now, tonight in the heat of the moment that you’ll regret later. Remember—once I bond you to me, it can never be undone. We’ll be one forever.”

“I understand. That’s what I want.”

Baird kissed her and nuzzled her neck. “And if you still want it tomorrow after you sleep on it, believe me, I’ll be more than willing to give it to you. But not now—not tonight. For tonight just let me hold you in my arms and breathe in your sweet scent.”

Liv appreciated what he was trying to do in delaying their bonding but she still felt irritated. “I can’t believe this. You’re taking us back to the first week—to the holding week.”

“Yeah, if you wanna think of it that way,” he growled. “Which means no touching under your clothes. And since you’re sitting naked in my lap about to drive me crazy I think it’s time we got up and you put something on.”

Before Liv could protest further he’d somehow fastened his pants over his still erect cock and was getting off the couch. She was left sitting there, exposed and more than a little upset.

Baird must have seen the hurt in her eyes because he knelt beside the couch and took her hands in his. “Try to understand, Lilenta,” he murmured. “I just want you to be absolutely sure. I don’t want us to have an incomplete bonding.” He kissed her palms gently and looked into her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you once. I don’t ever want to feel that way again. If we bond, I want it to be the most complete, strongest bond possible. One neither one of us will ever regret for a minute.”

“Baird—”

“I’m sorry.” Rising smoothly, he walked out of the living area leaving Liv on the couch alone.

Well this certainly isn’t how I pictured the night ending! Splashing sounds from the bathroom let her know he was probably taking a dip in the bathing pool. She started to get up and go join him when she realized he probably wouldn’t allow it. Damn! Liv had never felt so sexually frustrated in her entire life and she knew in her heart she was ready—truly ready to become one with Baird. But how could she convince him of that? How could she make him see that she wanted him to do more than hold her? It drove her crazy to have to start from the beginning all over again, made her frustrated beyond belief that they were back to the strict guidelines of the holding week.

Suddenly an idea began to form in her head. The holding week, hmm? We’ll just see about that. Humming to herself, she hopped off the couch and went into the bedroom.

If she hurried, she could be ready when he came out of the bathing pool.

Baird had hoped that a long, relaxing soak in the bathing pool would help him relax and forget his need for his bride but so far it wasn’t happening. He kept seeing Olivia spread out and open for him, begging him to take her. In the past he would have jumped at the chance but his time with the Scourge had made him hesitant. In his mind’s eye, the scenes the AllFather had shown him played over and over in an endless loop. Olivia angry and accusing, demanding to know why he had taken her away from her family. The look in her eyes when she told him she didn’t really want to be with him—that she wanted to leave, to go back to Earth and never see him again…

Lies, everything that bastard told me, everything he showed me—all lies, Baird told himself uneasily. Because that was what the AllFather did—he took your memories and hopes and dreams and warped them. Twisted them just enough to plant a seed of doubt. But even knowing that, Baird couldn’t get over the uncertainty he felt.

Closing his eyes, he tried to push the false memory away but the real one which took its place was even worse. The hurt look in Olivia’s eyes when he’d turned her down, refused to bond with her. The distress in her voice when she’d begged him to take her. I hurt her. I should go to her—make it right. But he couldn’t. Even though he wanted her with every fiber of his being, he couldn’t let himself take her until he was certain she was ready. Not after she’d spent so long fighting and resisting him. And not after the AllFather’s seed of doubt had been planted deep in his head.

I’ll just hold her tonight, Baird told himself. He knew the scent of a willing female—the one female in the universe who was right for him and who was ripe and ready for bonding—would be a torment almost past endurance. But he had no choice. He had to give her a little more time to think—time to be sure—before he took that irrevocable step.

Sighing, he got out of the bathing pool and dried himself thoroughly. Putting on his black sleep pants, he headed for bed. It was going to be a difficult night but somehow he had to get through it. And if Olivia really still felt the same way tomorrow and wanted him to bond her—

His train of thought was cut off abruptly by what he saw when he opened the bedroom door.

Olivia looked up eagerly when the door opened and had the pleasure of seeing the stunned look on Baird’s face when he took in her outfit.

“Lilenta?” He looked at her uncertainly, desire and doubt warring in his amber eyes. “What in the seven hells do you think you’re wearing?”

“This?” Liv gestured down at her outfit. It consisted of a crimson see-through bra which clearly showed the hard points of her nipples through its open weave lace and a tiny black pleated skirt so short it barely deserved the name. It started low on her hips and ended at the tops of her thighs. When she shifted and the flirty pleats of the skirt flared up, a pair of red lace panties which matched her bra were revealed. It was absolutely the naughtiest thing Liv owned and she had never had the nerve to wear it before. But desperate times called for desperate measures and from the look on Baird’s face, he was rapidly becoming as desperate as she was.

“Yes, that.” Baird was positively glaring at her now. “What the hell is it?”

“Nightclothes.” Olivia smiled at him. “You told me to put something on, so I did. Why, don’t you like it?”

Baird ran a hand though his hair. “You know damn well I do. But can’t you wear something different? Where’s that long, ugly gown you were always wearing during our first week?”

“My granny gown? I’m afraid I lost it.” Liv raised an eyebrow. “Now are you coming to bed or not?”

With an unreadable look, he came around and sat on his side of the huge bed. Leaning back against the headboard, he continued to stare at her.

Liv blushed at his intense scrutiny but she was damned if she would back down now. Giving him a seductive little smile, she dropped to her hands and knees and crawled over to where he was sitting. But when she started to straddle his lap, Baird put a hand out to stop her.

“Wait a minute—what do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing against the rules.” Liv looked at him innocently. “I just want to be close to you—isn’t that okay?”

Baird groaned as she settled herself firmly in his lap. “Damn it, this is hard enough as it is.”

“Something is certainly hard.” Grinning naughtily, Liv lowered herself until the lace crotch of her panties was rubbing against the rigid length of his cock. Baird groaned again but made no move to stop her as she pressed against him, letting him feel how hot and ready she was.

“Lilenta,” he whispered hoarsely. “Please…”

“Touch me.” Lifting his hands, Liv placed them on her breasts. “You can, you know,” she said when he seemed about to protest. “If we’re back to holding week rules you can touch me as long as you do it over my clothes. Like this—see?” Arching her back, she pressed her breasts into his hands, making sure he could feel her tight nipples rubbing against his palms.

“Gods…” Baird’s eyes were blazing now and he didn’t move his hands. But he didn’t make any move to touch her further, either. Liv would have been frustrated beyond belief by his lack of action if she hadn’t felt his cock throbbing against her pussy. He wants it—wants me. He just can’t admit it for some reason. Well she would damn well make him admit it then.

“You could even do more. Without breaking the rules, I mean,” she murmured. “For instance, if you wanted to kiss me…” Lifting his hand off her right breast, she raised herself up and pressed her tight peak against his lips. “You could suck me here—suck my nipples,” she told him. “And it wouldn’t really count because I still have my bra on so there’s still some clothing between us.” Never mind that the bra in question was whisper thin and the lace was so open it was practically fishnet. Technically, they were still following the rules.

Baird seemed to agree with her logic, or maybe he just couldn’t resist any more. Whatever the reason, he took her nipple in his mouth eagerly, sucking the tight pink peak through the red lace until Liv moaned and buried her fingers in his hair. God, it felt good—the heat of his mouth, his wet tongue lashing her through the thin material. And when he switched to the other nipple, he continued pinching and tugging at the first, sending showers of electrical sparks from her sensitive breasts straight down to her pussy.

God, so good…so good! But he still made no move to go lower. Liv decided if she didn’t want to be driven crazy with lust she’d better take the lead again. Reaching down, she tugged at the waistband of his silky black sleep pants. Their sleek material felt wonderful against her bare thighs but not nearly as good as Baird’s skin would feel.

But Baird wasn’t so far gone that she could do anything she wanted. He released the nipple he’d been sucking and frowned at her. “Stop right there.” He put a hand on her wrist. “No touching without some clothes between us, remember?”

“But there will be clothing between us,” Liv argued, tugging again until she’d exposed the broad head and thick shaft of his cock. “See?” Lifting her skirt with one hand, she displayed the lacy red crotch of her tiny panties. “Even if I rub against you like this, we won’t be breaking the rules.” Lowering herself down onto his lap, she demonstrated by sliding up and down the length of his shaft until they both moaned.

“Well…” Baird’s eyes flared with lust as he watched the erotic display. “I guess as long as we’re not breaking the rules…”

“We’re not,” Liv assured him breathlessly. “In fact, the only way that would happen is if my panties accidentally slipped to one side.”

“Slipped to one side—how do you mean?” He gave her a burning, hungry look and Liv smiled.

“I’m not sure if I can explain—maybe you’d like me to show you? Just so we can be sure what to look out for so we don’t break the rules,” she added.

Baird nodded slowly, “Maybe you should.”

“Well, it would be like this…” Carefully, Liv pulled the lacy red panties to one side, exposing her pussy completely. She heard Baird’s sharp intake of breath when he saw how wet and swollen she was, her pussy juices leaking freely from her open cunt. “See,” she continued. “If my panties were to slip to one side like this and then I accidentally sat in your lap…Well…I’d probably better show you that too.”

“You probably should,” he agreed in a low growl. “Show me, Lilenta. Show me exactly what you mean.”

“Like this,” she murmured, lowering herself down. She bit back a moan as she felt the hard length of his cock part her pussy lips and settle against her tender clit.

Baird made a noise of pure lust low in his throat. “Gods, Lilenta. So hot and wet against me.”

“You…you see what I mean?” Liv asked breathlessly. “Because then if I shifted in your lap like this…” Slowly, she slid up his length, gasping as the broad head of his cock bumped over her clit and settled at the entrance to her pussy. “If I did that,” she continued, looking into his eyes. “Then there would be nothing between us to stop you from slipping inside me. Like this.” Reaching down between them, she grasped his shaft and pressed the thick head of her cock into her pussy.

By this time she was so wet and hot there was almost no resistance. Baird’s cock parted her folds easily and the first few inches slipped into her cunt smoothly, stretching her inner walls with a pleasurable pain that made her bite her lip. Both of them groaned at the same time and Liv was certain that now he would finally agree to take her but…

“Olivia, wait.” The need in his voice was painful to hear but his grip on her hips was unbreakable as he slowly drew her off him. He looked at her, his eyes filled with desperation. “I can’t…can’t let you do this. What if in the morning you’re sorry and you hate me for it?”

“I could never hate you,” she said fiercely. “What in the world would make you think that?” She searched his eyes with her own and suddenly the answer came to her. Not what—who. It was the AllFather. That evil bastard. She remembered well how horrible it had been, having the leader of the Scourge digging around in her mind. And Baird had been through the same thing only much, much worse. Was it any wonder he doubted her feelings for him—her need to have him inside her?

“Lilenta,” he whispered. “I want you so much. Need you so much. But I can’t risk losing you.”

“You won’t lose me. Oh, Baird, how can I make you understand how I feel?” She kissed him gently and rubbed her cheek against his. “How much I want you, how much I need you.”

“More than you need to be back on Earth with your friends and family?” he asked, searching her eyes with his.

“I’ll miss Sophie and Kat,” she admitted softly. “But I know they’ll understand when I tell them how I feel about you…how much I love you.” Tears rose to her eyes and she blinked them back. “You don’t know how upset I was that I didn’t get to tell you that before. I watched you walking away and all I could think was that I hadn’t told you how I felt. I love you, Baird. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He took her mouth in a hungry kiss. “More than you can ever know.”

“Then make love to me—bond me to you. Please, Baird, I want you to and I know I’m doing the right thing.”

He locked gazes with her. “You’re sure about this? Absolutely certain?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. You’re what I want—what I’ve always wanted. I just didn’t know it at first.” She looked him in the eyes. “It took almost losing you to make me see.”

“Once we’re bonded we can never lose each other,” he promised, his voice thick with need. “We’ll have a link that can never be broken except by death.”

“That’s what I want,” Liv assured him. “I want that with you, forever.”

“Prove it.” Baird sat back, his grip on her hips relaxing at last.

“What?” Liv frowned, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Show me how much you want it, Lilenta. How much you want me.”

Liv understood. She had spent so much time and energy resisting him that he wanted to be sure that the bonding was really what she wanted. It was up to her to take the lead. Well, isn’t that what I was trying to do in the first place?

Once again Liv gripped his thick shaft in one hand and lowered herself down. This time Baird let her. She rubbed the broad head of his cock over her slippery folds, savoring the delicious sensation of his heated flesh sliding against her clit. God, feels so good…so right…They both groaned at the intimate contact and it was all Liv could do to take things slowly. She suddenly had the urge to have him in her now. To feel his thick cock filling her, stretching her to the limit and bottoming out inside her. To know he was hers and she was his forever.

“Want you, Lilenta,” Baird growled softly. “So damn much it hurts.”

Liv wanted to answer but she was too busy sliding up and down against his thick shaft. God, he felt amazing against her. Hot and hard and rose petal soft at the same time. She could feel her desire peaking and suddenly the need to have him inside her now couldn’t be denied any longer.

“Slowly, Olivia,” Baird cautioned as she fit the head of his cock against her entrance and began to lower herself onto him. “Careful now. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Liv said, trying to sound confident. To be honest, he was extremely thick—much more than she was used to—and his shaft seemed to get wider toward the base. The first few inches had slipped in easily but now the stretching pleasure/pain of his entry filled her with equal parts lust and fear. God, it felt incredibly good but how was she going to deal with Baird’s mating fist when she was already so full of him? Liv tried not to think about it. Somehow they would make it work. They had to.

Baird must have seen the uncertainty on her face because he kissed reassuringly as his thick shaft slid inch by inch into her wet sex. “Look at me, Lilenta,” he commanded softly. “Focus on me. Remember I told you that my body would make chemicals to help you open for me?”

“Y-yes,” Liv stuttered, gripping his broad shoulders for support. God, he was so deep in her already, so thick and long and hard but she still hadn’t felt him touch bottom. It was strange because his cock was so lengthy she would have bet she couldn’t take all of him. Yet he continued to enter her inch by inch with no end in sight.

“It’s already happening,” Baird told her. “Your body is already responding to mine. Otherwise there’s no way you could take my entire length inside you, let alone the width.” He nodded down to where they were almost fully joined.

Liv couldn’t resist taking a look and she bit back a gasp at what she saw. His thick shaft was already buried deep inside her, stretching her open, piercing her pussy to the limit. She thought she’d never seen anything more erotic than her body opening to take him in and Baird apparently agreed.

“Gods, you’re gorgeous, Lilenta. So fucking beautiful spreading yourself for me. Letting me fill your hot little pussy with my cock.”

Liv felt her cheeks heating with a blush. “Baird…” she protested weakly.

“It’s true.” He kissed her hungrily. “And you’re opening for me so naturally you don’t even have to think about it.”

“I…I am?” Liv could scarcely believe it but she couldn’t refute what she’d seen.

“You are, Lilenta,” he growled softly. “So here’s what I want you to do—just relax and keep your eyes on me and let me fill you. Don’t worry about anything, just let yourself be open to me and I promise you won’t regret it.”

“All right,” Liv breathed. Doing as he said, she let herself fall into the drowning golden depths of his eyes and tried to be as open as possible. In me so deep. So full. So right…And then Baird groaned and she felt him touch bottom within her at last.

In me, God, he’s finally all the way in me. All except…She had the sudden urge to look down and see how in the world this was going to work but Baird shook his head.

“Stay with me, Lilenta. Just concentrate on letting me fill you.” With a low growl, he leaned forward and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss as he pressed even harder and deeper inside her. Liv felt herself stretching but in a good way, her sex opening as it never had before. Then there was a warm sliding sensation and a throbbing around her entrance that was intensely pleasurable—almost like a mini-orgasm. Then something smooth and hard pressed against her clit, shooting electrical tingles of pleasure through her entire body.

“God, what—?”

“My mating fist.” Baird kissed her again. “It fills you and stimulates you at the same time. Do you feel it?”

“Yes.” Liv rocked experimentally against him, feeling the hot, hard flesh rubbing her sensitive pearl once more. God, it felt incredible!

“I’m inside you now—all the way inside,” he murmured. “We’re joined, Olivia. We are one.”

The words almost brought tears to her eyes and a feeling of rightness—of wholeness she’d never felt before—swept over her. In that moment Liv felt herself to be completely opened and owned. She knew that his mating fist was filling her, could feel it swelling to lock them together as he had told her it would, but there was no pain. Only the pleasure of being so open for her lover, her mate. Only the delicious knowledge that Baird was all the way inside her and that he would be there for a long, long time as he bonded her to him forever.

“I love you,” she whispered. “Love you so much.”

“Love you too,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Prove it.” She threw his own words back at him playfully and then rocked against him in a move designed to tease and entice. It worked.

“Oh, I’ll prove it, Lilenta,” Baird growled. “Don’t worry about that.” He surged upward and Liv gasped as the deep thrust shot a spike of pure pleasure down her spine.

“Baird!” she gasped as he did it again. “God, that’s amazing. More!”

“I’ll give you more.” With another low growl, he thrust up again and then again. Liv gripped his shoulders and tried to match his rhythm. As she did, she felt the bliss cresting inside her, spiking high and hard and deep as he filled her again and again, over and over, taking her, loving her, bonding her to him forever.

“Baird,” she moaned, rolling her hips in time with his thrusts. “I…I’m almost there. So close…Just need…”

“I know what you need.” Reaching between them he found her throbbing clit with the broad pad of his thumb and began to stroke in time with his thrusts inside her. “Look at me,” he whispered roughly when Liv’s eyes closed with the overwhelming pleasure. “Look at me while I touch you, Olivia. Look at me while I fuck you. While I bond you.”

Liv’s eyes fluttered open and she met his intense golden gaze. “Baird,” she whispered, unable to say more.

“Now,” he growled. “Come for me, Lilenta. Come for me so I can fill you up, so I can flood your pussy with my cum and make you mine for always.”

It was too much. With a low cry, Liv felt herself tilting over the edge, losing herself completely in the pleasure of being bonded to the man she loved.

She didn’t know how long it lasted or how many times she came. There were periods of hot, wild fucking where Baird pounded up into her as though he was determined to mark her as his own. But there were also long stretches where he barely moved at all. Instead, he filled her with a slow, rocking movement while he looked in her eyes and told her how much he loved her. He came in her over and over, just as he had promised he would and each time she felt it as she never had with a human man, felt his hot seed filling her and making the connection between them even deeper. And each time he did, it released something in Liv’s body, making her come too. She moaned as she felt herself contract around him, pulling him deeper with every spasm of pleasure. “That’s right, Lilenta,” Baird murmured, watching her eyes as she surrendered to the bliss. “That’s right, come for me. Let yourself go and come.”

Liv did as he said, giving in to him completely, letting him take her where she needed to go—where they both needed to go so badly. She only wished it could go on forever.

But though it lasted longer than any sexual experience in her life, the bonding was finally over. Baird withdrew from her slowly and carefully and Liv curled herself against his side, resting her cheek against his broad bare chest. She sighed with contentment as she felt his strong arms settle around her and hold her tight.

“That was amazing.”

“It was perfect.” Baird stroked her hair away from her face. “Exactly what I’ve been dreaming of from the first minute I saw you.”

“You mean from the first dream-sharing?” Liv looked up at him. “When you were…when the Scourge had you?” She wasn’t sure if mentioning the enemy would bother him but Baird still looked perfectly calm.

“Yeah. And it’s okay, Lilenta. We can talk about it.”

“What happened?” she asked cautiously. “I mean, how did you stand it?”

Baird’s eyes were shadowed. “It wasn’t easy. The krik-ka`re was every bit as bad as I thought it would be.”

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Liv looked at him earnestly. “Didn’t have to trade yourself for me.”

“I wanted to.” He stroked her cheek. “I was glad to, Lilenta.”

“But what you went though…what you endured for me—”

“None of it matters now,” he cut her off firmly. “It was rough, sure. But even though I let all my shields down I still had you, somewhere in the back of my head. Your scent, your taste, the color of your eyes. Even though he tried to twist it, the AllFather couldn’t take that away from me. It kept me sane no matter how bad things got.”

“But how did you get away?”

He sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position. “The details are kind of hazy. I remember the AllFather telling me the Scourge had something special—a little surprise he called it—for my brothers on the moon. He took me with him, I think because he wanted to taste my pain when I saw how he was decimating my fellow warriors when there was nothing I could do about it.”

“But you did do something about it,” Liv pointed out.

Baird grinned. “Yeah, I did. I waited until he and that son of his—the one with the red and black eyes—both left the shuttle to confer with their commanders. I couldn’t do much at that point but the AllFather had left me the ability to pilot.”

“Sylvan said he does that sometimes. Leaves prisoners with useful abilities so that he can…can use them and feed on their pain at the same time.” Liv shivered.

“Well in this case I’m glad he did. I knew I had to act fast because when he came back he was going to make me pull the trigger on my own kind—make me blast the other Kindred warriors who were fighting on the moon. I couldn’t let him do that—couldn’t let him force me to kill my brothers.” A look of hatred and determination passed over his face as he relived the scene.

“Of course you couldn’t,” Liv murmured with a shudder. Baird might be able to recover from torture but the shame of murdering his brothers in arms would have killed him for certain—even if he hadn’t wanted to do it.

“I took the ship around to the worst of the fighting and landed her. It was hard to make my body work—it didn’t want to without the AllFather’s say so. But somehow I managed it. I couldn’t talk but I went to the hatch and waved. Some of the other warriors saw me and got the idea. A bunch of them piled in and we got away.”

“You saved a lot of lives,” Liv told him softly.

Baird kissed her. “That wasn’t really what I was thinking about, though. I was concentrating on the idea of seeing you again. I…didn’t want to die without looking in your eyes one more time.”

“Oh, Baird.” Liv threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in the side of his throat. “I was so afraid. You just sat there and stared and I couldn’t make you respond to me. And Sylvan had told me not to hope too much…Sylvan!” She sat up. “Oh my God, he has no idea. And he was so worried about you. Baird, you should tell him.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself? Bebo…” Baird snapped his fingers and the little blue teddy bear creature came waddling up. It made little grunting noises of delight when Baird scratched it between the ears. “Yeah, I’m glad to see you again too,” Baird murmured, smiling. “Good boy. Now fetch the Think-me.”

Bebo scurried away and came back with the thin metal wire circlet held loosely in his mouth. Baird took it, patted his head, and handed it to Liv. Or tried to hand it, anyway.

“Uh-uh, forget it. That’s what got us into so much trouble in the first place.” Liv backed away, her hands held up to ward him off.

“It’s all right, Lilenta.” Baird placed the thin metal wire on her head, around her temples. “We’re bonded now. Your mind is linked to mine—there’s no way the Scourge can intercept anything.”

“You’re sure?” She touched the cool wire tentatively, adjusting it. “I don’t want you getting in trouble with the Kindred Council.”

Baird frowned. “Well, we will have to go before them and explain what happened and why we’re bonded after having a breach of contract in the first place.”

Liv froze. “We do?”

“Don’t worry about it, Olivia. I’ll take care of it.” Baird smiled at her. “Now why don’t you bespeak Sylvan and let him know I’m back in the land of the living.”

She looked at him uncertainly. “You’re sure you don’t want to do it yourself?”

“Just do it.” There was a twinkle in his eyes she didn’t quite understand but Liv decided to go with it anyway. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the blond warrior who she supposed was now her brother-in-law. “Sylvan? Sylvan, can you hear me?”

“Olivia?” His mental voice was as cool as his physical one but this time it was tinged with surprise. “Why are you bespeaking me?”

“Because I wanted to tell you that Baird—”

“That Baird is back,” A new and familiar voice cut in. Liv opened her eyes in surprise and stared at her new mate. Baird grinned and tapped his temple. But she had bespoken Sylvan, not him. So how—? “It’s an effect of the bond we share now,” Liv heard him say inside her head. “Limited telepathy.”

“Baird? Baird is that really you?” Sylvan’s mental voice cut in. His tone was much less cool now—in fact he sounded like he was going to burst with excitement.

“It’s me, Brother,” Baird assured him. “Olivia brought me back. And, as you can tell, we’re bonded now.”

“That’s wonderful.” The relief in Sylvan’s tone was unmistakable. “How did she bring you back?”

“How do you think?” Baird sounded amused. “I just wanted to let you know and ask you to set up a time for us to meet with the Council. There are a few things we need to get cleared up.”

“There are indeed.” Sylvan sounded thoughtful. “I take it you’re asking me to set it up because you’re still…ah, indisposed?”

“Let’s just say we’re gonna be unavailable for awhile.” Baird gave Liv a look that made her shiver.

“Again?” she thought before she could stop herself. “But we just spent hours—”

“And we’re going to spend a lot more than that. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to show you how much I love you, Lilenta.”

“All right, I think I’d better let you two go.” Sylvan’s mental voice was dry and slightly amused. “It sounds like you have better things to do than talk.”

“You got that right, Brother.”

“Good bye, Sylvan,” Liv barely had time to say before Baird took the silver wire off her head and pulled her in for a heated kiss.

“Come on, Lilenta. Let’s take this someplace more comfortable,” he murmured, scooping her up in his arms.

“Maybe the bathing pool?” Liv suggested. “I’m, uh, kind of sticky. In fact, I think we both are.”

“You have to get dirty before you can get clean. And we’re going to get a whole lot dirtier before we’re done.” Baird kissed her again as he carried her into the bathing room. “Gods, I love you. So damn glad you’re finally mine.”

Liv felt a warm rush of desire as she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back. “I love you too,” she murmured. “Let me show you how much.”

“You can show me all night,” he promised her. “And I’ll show you right back.”

It sounded like a great way to pass the time to Liv. As she sighed and snuggled in his warm, strong embrace she was glad she’d finally found her way to him. It had been a long and winding road but at last she was where she belonged—in Baird’s arms—and she never wanted to leave.

Chapter Twenty-three

“So the Council absolved you of all wrong doing?” Sylvan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“They were very understanding.” Baird smiled at his brother and clapped him on the back. They were at their favorite bar, the same one they’d met at over a month ago to discuss how badly things were going with his new bride. Everything was completely different now but he felt he’d been neglecting Sylvan for the past few days and he wanted to catch up.

“Understanding is an understatement.” Sylvan raised a finger to order a drink. “It probably helped that you saved so many during your escape but I still can’t believe they forgave you for bonding her even after a breach of contract.”

“They did, though.” Baird ordered a drink as well. “There aren’t even any sanctions against me and Olivia is cleared of all wrongdoing too, since she used the Think-me without knowing what she was doing.” He frowned. “That really was my fault in the first place for hiding it from her. But I was afraid if she knew she could get out of the contract so easily she would. She was so determined to get away at first.”

“Almost as determined as she is now to never leave your side,” Sylvan said, smiling a little. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Spending time on the Think-me with her sister. Now that we’re bonded they can talk as much as they want.” Baird laughed. “They’re planning our bonding ceremony down to the last detail. Sometimes I think the damn thing is glued to her head.”

“It’s a good thing the Council loosened their restrictions. And I understand they’re going to let Olivia’s sister come up to see her more often than usual?” Sylvan’s tone was carefully casual and he looked down at his drink as he spoke.

Baird nodded. “Twice every Earth month. It helped that two of the newest Council members are Twin Kindred. When I explained that Olivia and Sophia are twins they decided it was cruel and unusual punishment to keep them apart so much. In fact, there was even talk of letting Sophia move up here permanently.”

“Oh?” Sylvan’s eyebrows shot up. “Is she going to?”

Baird shrugged and signaled for another drink. “Don’t know. She has a career on Earth she doesn’t want to give up. Speaking of which, I want to thank you, Brother. Olivia is really happy working in the med station. She says our technology is fascinating.”

“She’s very accomplished and she actually feels deeply for the patients she treats.” Sylvan looked thoughtful. “It’s given me a new outlook on the whole situation.”

Baird laughed. “You gonna change your cold-blooded ways? I thought Tranqs never learned to feel until they found a bride and blooded her.”

“I’m not looking for a bride as you know,” Sylvan said stiffly. “I’m simply saying that I—”

“I know what you’re saying,” Baird interrupted him. He leaned in, taking a closer look at his brother. “Look, I hate to say this but you don’t look so good. Are things still crazy at the med station?”

“No, that’s cleared up since we routed the Scourge and sent them back to their ships.” Sylvan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb. “I just…haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Bad dreams?” Baird asked sympathetically. He’d had a few himself after his second escape from the Scourge. Luckily Olivia was always there to soothe him and remind him they were safe in each other’s arms. He felt sorry for his half-brother, with no bride to warm his bed. If only Sylvan would retract that damn vow he’d made but Tranq Kindred took such things very seriously. It would have to be a matter of life and death before Sylvan would break his word, especially since he’d made the vow not just to himself but to the Mother of All Life.

But Sylvan was shaking his head. “Not bad dreams, no. They’re just…strange. I don’t know what to think of them.”

“Maybe you should go to the temple and ask a priestess to interpret them.” Baird took a sip of his drink.

Sylvan’s normally pale cheeks went red. “No, I…I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ll be fine anyway. They’re just dreams.” He shook himself and motioned for another drink. “So speaking of your bonding ceremony, where will it be held? Here or on Earth?”

Baird frowned. “Olivia had her heart set on being married—uh, bonded—at the same religious landmark her parents used. But after the way her shuttle was taken by the Scourge the last time she tried to go to Earth, she’s agreed to have it here.”

“You think she’s still in danger from the Scourge? But they let her go—it sounded to me like whoever they were looking for, Olivia wasn’t it.”

“It sounded like that, sure. But I don’t know. They were looking for something—someone with some kind of a mark, from what Olivia told me. To fulfill that damn prophesy of theirs, whatever the hell it is. And you know the Scourge—they won’t stop looking until they find whatever or whoever it is they want.”

“Either that or decimate the entire planet,” Sylvan said grimly.

“Yeah.” Baird ran a hand through his wild black hair. “By the way, there is one way human custom mirrors our own. Their ceremony calls for someone to stand up with both the bride and her mate when they say their vows—just like ours does. Sophia is going to stand by Olivia’s side and I was hoping I could count on you to stand with me?”

“Of course. You don’t even have to ask.” Sylvan nodded. “I’ll be honored to stand with you. But…” He frowned uneasily. “Will you… do you think you’ll be including the Luck Kiss in the ceremony?”

Baird shook his head. “Don’t think so—that’s more of a Twin Moons thing, don’t you think? But why do you ask—would it bother you to have to kiss Sophia?”

“Of course not,” Sylvan said a little too quickly. He looked down at his drink. “Sophia is a very…complicated female. But I’m sure we can bury our differences now that you and Olivia are so happy together.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m sure I am. So tell me, is the entire ceremony going to be Earth-centric or will there be some Kindred customs as well?”

“Olivia’s all for incorporating as much of both cultures as she can.” Baird sighed. “By the time she and Sophia are done we’ll be lucky if it doesn’t take all damn day just to make our heart-promises to each other.”

“Both cultures, hmm? That ought to be interesting.”

“Uh-huh. She wants to serve fresh live Grieza worms at the after-party. Gonna cost me a fortune.”

“Grieza worms? I never would have thought Olivia would be interested in those.”

“Apparently they taste like some kind of Earth delicacy that the females there crave. Some kind of brown gooey sweet stuff that melts in your mouth.”

Sylvan frowned again. “Uh, forgive me but that doesn’t sound very good.”

Baird shrugged. “Yeah, but you never can tell. Have you tried cheese yet? It comes from the most disgusting source but it tastes fuckin’ amazing.”

“I’ll put it on my list of things to try then,” Sylvan said dryly. “And I’ll be sure not to ask where it comes from when I do.”

“Yeah, and—” Baird broke off, grinning as he felt a little mental nudge at the back of his mind. “Hey, I think my bride wants me to come home. She and Sophia must be done picking out the flowering plant life for the ceremony.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow. “Plant life? You’re going to have plants in your bonding ceremony?”

Baird nodded. “Plants are important and so is the cake—a huge sweet confection that we’re supposed to cut together. Then we feed each other pieces to symbolize…oh, hell, I don’t know what it’s supposed to symbolize. At this point it’s just whatever she wants. I really don’t care as long as she’s happy.”

“Well, suit yourself.” Sylvan motioned at him. “You’d better not keep her waiting.”

“I won’t.” Baird grinned and finished his drink. “See you later, Brother. Oh, and the ceremony is in one Earth month so be sure you get your formal uniform cleaned.”

“So soon?” Sylvan seemed surprised.

“Why wait? She’s already mine by our standards but Olivia wants to make it official by Earth traditions too. Who am I to deny her anything she wants?” Especially since what she wanted right now was for him to take her in the bathing pool. He could hear her thoughts humming just under the surface of his mind, making him eager to get back to her.

“I’ll be there.” Sylvan smiled but Baird couldn’t help noticing the dark circles under his half brother’s ice blue eyes. He thought of asking about the strange dreams that were interrupting Sylvan’s sleep again and then thought better of it. His brother’s guarded Tranq nature wouldn’t let him reveal much and as a medic he could certainly treat himself. He’ll be all right, Baird told himself a touch uneasily. He just needs…But he wasn’t sure what Sylvan needed. Just then he heard Olivia’s mental voice in his brain again.

“Hurry up, lover—what’s taking you so long?”

“On my way, Lilenta.” With a final grin at Sylvan he strode from the bar and back toward the suite he now shared permanently with his bride. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little more than one standard Earth month since he’d first come to claim her. Back then he hadn’t been certain he would ever win her over. And now she was his—his forever and Baird never intended to let her go.

Epilogue

“I don’t understand why you let her go.” Xairn blinked his red on black eyes as he stared up at the AllFather who also happened to be his true father although the fact garnered him no special privileges or attention.

“I know you do not understand which is why you will be an inferior ruler sssome day if you do not learn to pay attention.” The AllFather sighed and tapped his skeletal fingertips against the arm of his throne.

Xairn frowned. “You said her memories might yield useful information.”

“And so they did.” There was a hint of a smile on the skull-like face. “Did you really think I would let her go without ssscanning her most thoroughly?”

“And what did you find?” Xairn crossed his arms over his chest.

“You remember the prophesy of course?”

Xairn repressed a sigh. His father often answered a question with a question but he tolerated no signs of impatience. “One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts,” he quoted. The words had been spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race.

“Exactly—the double fruit of a sssingle womb.” The AllFather rose from his throne and began to pace, his smoky robes leaving wisps of darkness in the air as he moved. “And what do you sssuppose I sssaw when I looked into her mind? Her twin livesss.”

“She lives?” Xairn raised an eyebrow. “We thought her dead. Then her twin might be—”

“The one we ssseek—the one ssspoken of in Mee’ah’s prophesy. Yes.”

“But if the twin is still on Earth we have no hope of getting to her. The Kindred have the entire planet blanketed in a protection grid.”

“We will not need to go and get her. Ssshe will come to us.” The AllFather’s thin lips twitched up into a skeletal smile. “Why do you think I allowed the warrior to go free? They’ll be having a bonding ceremony sssoon—the Kindred and their females ssset great ssstore in sssuch useless ritualsss.”

Understanding lighted Xairn’s red on black eyes. “And she will come up to the ship to attend the ceremony?”

“Even if ssshe doesn’t, the Kindred will have to relax their grid for ssso large a party to get through. Either way, we’ll have her and the prophesy will be fulfilled.”

Xairn nodded. “I bow to your wisdom, Father. But tell me, what is her name—the one who we seek. The one to fulfill the prophesy?”

The AllFather settled himself on the throne again, his shadow robes billowing around him. “I sssaw it in her twin sssister’s mind. The one who we ssseek is named Waterhouse. Sssophia Waterhouse.”

END

Read on to find out about Brides of the Kindred Book 2—Hunted

Sophia Waterhouse has always been afraid of needles and vampires so there’s no way she wants anything to do with a modern day Count Dracula—even if he does come wrapped in the package of a huge Kindred warrior with blond hair and ice blue eyes. She’s only on the Kindred Mothership to participate in her sister Liv’s wedding and that’s all.

Sylvan is a Tranq Kindred who has made a sacred vow never to call a bride. After a devastating rejection on his home planet, his heart is a block of ice no one can melt—or so he thinks until he meets Sophia.

When their ship is forced down in the middle of a rugged mountain range Sophia and Sylvan are stranded. Running for their lives they have only each other to depend on. Will they give in to the intense attraction between them or will the evil hunting Sophia take its toll? You’ll have to read Brides of the Kindred Book 2—Hunted to find out.

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.

Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.

Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.

Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.

Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.

Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means sex during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.

Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.

Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.

Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:

The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.

The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.

The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.

The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)

The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.

Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.

The Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.

The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.

Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.

Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.

Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.

Sacred Grove—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these holy trees to grow and flourish.

Scourge—a genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.

Scourge Prophesy—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are a dying race, forced to create new members in test tubes and artificial wombs because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the same genetic characteristics as the Kindred they are able to create only male children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.

Take-me—an animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me has green fur and two heads, one on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything except banana peels which they are allergic to.

Think-Me—a thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication between people who already have an intimate connection.

Touch-U—a flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.

Twin Kindred—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.

Wave—a Kindred cooking appliance which emits thousands of finely collimated beams of heat to cook food in under a minute.

Zichther—an animal native to the jungles of Rageron, the zichther resembles a small bright blue teddy bear in appearance until it opens its mouth and reveals three rows of incredibly sharp, shark-like teeth.

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com Come visit for some free reads and to find out what’s coming soon.

You can also connect with her on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=745272455

Or Twitter http://twitter.com/EvangelineA

Brides of the Kindred

Book 2: Hunted

Evangeline Anderson

Dedicated to Barb for being a fabulous editor and wonderful friend.

And to all the readers who wrote me asking for the next book.

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred

Book 1: Claimed

Copyright © 2011 by Evangeline Anderson

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com or Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Author’s Note #1—Though I have tried to handle the subject sensitively, parts of this book may be disturbing to anyone who has experienced sexual abuse in the past.

Author’s Note #2—Even if you have already read the excerpt of Hunted, please don’t skip chapter one. A few subtle changes were added to Sophie’s part which will help you understand her character better. Also, you don’t want to miss Sylvan’s part. ; )

Author’s Note #3—You’ve probably already figured this out but this is the second book in the Brides of the Kindred series. I recommend that you read Claimed, the first book in the series, before attempting to dive into Hunted.

Hugs and Happy Reading to you all!

Evangeline Anderson

Prologue

“It isss time. The Kindred ceremony isss today and the protection grid around the entire planet will be relaxed.” The AllFather waved one skeletal hand, causing his shadowy sleeve to billow in the stagnant air of the Scourge Fathership. He was seated on a throne of metal inscribed with strange alien script in glowing green letters. It was a foul and ancient language, forgotten by all but a few who were high in the Order.

“Not enough for our ships to get through. They’ve changed it—modified it to allow only their own ships to pass.” Xairn ran a hand over his sleek, black hair in agitation. Being the true son of the AllFather, he was able to read the words written on the throne. They spoke of pain. Pain, submission and the dominance of the strong over the weak. His life was based on such principles—he had learned them at his father’s knee. When the AllFather’s cruel black boot wasn’t digging into his neck, that was.

There was a hiss of displeasure from the hooded figure. “Then you must do your work in space instead.”

“As you wish. What would you have me do?” Xairn asked, staring at the massive viewscreen which had been erected behind the metal throne.

On it was projected a misty blue planet with a single tiny moon. Earth. Such a small world—such an insignificant little speck in the arm of a far-flung galaxy on the edge of the universe. But it might hold the secret to the resurrection of their race. If the prophesy holds true. He kept that thought to himself. His father did not tolerate doubt.

“What would I have you do? Capture the girl, of course. Ssshe is essential to our caussse.” The AllFather’s eyes glowed red within his cloak.

“Yes, but how will I know which shuttle she’s on? It’s a large ceremony—there will be many coming and going between the Kindred ship.”

“Asss to that, I will tell you which to ssseek. I have tasted her twin’s mind and her own mental flavor is sssimilar. Just be ready to act when I tell you.”

“To hear is to obey,” Xairn said neutrally. It was best not to get his father upset when he was in a mood for conquest. The result was never pleasant and often bloody. “Shall I prepare a squadron to surround the shuttle?”

“Prepare it but do not let it be ssseen until you have the shuttle sssecurely in our net. They must have no idea what isss happening until they are caught.”

“Of course.” Xairn bowed before lifting his red-on-black eyes, much like his father’s, to the viewscreen again. “There will be no warning. Sophia Waterhouse will be ours.”

Chapter One

“You can’t be serious. It’s the bride and groom who are supposed to kiss—not the best man and maid of honor.” Sophia Waterhouse looked at her sister in horror but Olivia just smiled happily. Clearly she was too firmly cocooned in nearly-wedded bliss to worry about the severe emotional trauma she was about to inflict on her twin.

“Don’t be silly, Sophie,” she said, adjusting her veil for the fourteenth time and peering anxiously at her reflection in the full-length holo-viewer. It had been specially set up in the dressing tent for the bride and her attendants and it was getting a lot of use. “It’s not a big deal—Sylvan doesn’t bite.”

“Oh yes he does! He’s a Blood Kindred, or did you forget?” Sophie put a hand on her hip causing the long, form-fitting bridesmaid’s gown to make a soft swishing sound. She had to admit the deep emerald color looked great with her green eyes and the cut was very becoming to her hourglass figure. But no dress, no matter how gorgeous, was enough to distract her from the matter at hand. “I mean, he’s got fangs,” she pointed out, still glaring at her sister. “Honest to God fangs.”

“Yes, but they won’t get sharp enough to pierce flesh until he finds a woman he wants to mate.” Jillian Holms, an old high school friend who had also been “drafted” or called as a bride to the Kindred Mother ship, smiled smugly and adjusted her neckline. Her bridesmaid’s gown was a deep violet which went well with her tan skin. Green and purple were holy colors to the Kindred—the colors of the sacred grove where Olivia and Baird, the Kindred warrior who had called her, were about to say their vows.

Sophie shot the other woman a resentful look. Jillian had been no more than a passing acquaintance back when they all attended Hillsborough High. Now she was practically Olivia’s best friend—or at least that was how it felt to Sophie, who was used to being her sister’s closest confident. “How do you know so much about the Tranq Kindred?” she asked, trying to keep the irritation she felt out of her voice. “I thought you were called by two of the Twin Kindred?”

“I was—and you’ll never meet a sweeter pair of guys than my two hubbies.” Jillian giggled. “Everyone thinks they’re these ferocious warriors when actually they’re just big teddy bears. Well, except in bed. They can be plenty ferocious there.”

“How nice for you,” Sophie said dryly. “But I still don’t see how you can know about Blood Kindred when your husbands are Twins.”

“Oh, that.” Jillian made a shooing gesture. “You get to know things up here. I mean, the mating habits of the different Kindred are practically all we brides ever talk about—isn’t that right, Livvy?” She nudged Olivia and let out another high-pitched giggle.

Sophie frowned. There she goes again. Jillian’s “look at me, I’m such a perfect little Kindred wife” routine was getting pretty damned old. It was enough to make Sophie wish she’d never heard of the Kindred. Although if she hadn’t, she and the rest of the people on Earth would probably be dead or enslaved.

The Kindred were a race of alien warriors, humanoid in form but much more massive in scale than the average human male. They had come to the rescue at the eleventh hour, when Earth was attacked by a menacing force from space called the Scourge. The Kindred Mother ship still orbited the planet, keeping the attackers at bay, but there was a hitch. In exchange for their continued protection, the Kindred had demanded a genetic trade.

From previous trades the Kindred were divided into three separate races: the Beast Kindred who had animalistic lusts, the Twin Kindred who always shared a bride and could not be separated, and the Blood or Tranq Kindred who bit and drew blood when they had sex. Like freaking vampires. Sophie shuddered at the thought. She’d had a serious illness when she was a little girl that meant she was constantly at the doctor. As a result, she had always hated shots and needles and anything to do with blood—which was why Olivia was a nurse while she was an Elementary art teacher.

Because their race was ninety-five percent male the Kindred needed willing females to mate with. Accordingly, an Earth-wide draft was established. All women between the ages of nineteen and thirty-five were required to participate. Though it was rare to be called as a Kindred bride, it did happen on a regular basis.

It had happened to Olivia and Jillian both. While Olivia had fought it at first, she was blissfully happy now. Of course it was her wedding day—or bonding day as the Kindred called it. So Sophie supposed she could excuse her sister’s blissed-out state. Although she wished Olivia would have consulted with her before adding the Luck Kiss to her bonding ceremony.

“Liv,” she said, trying to get back on point. “It’s not that I want to ruin your ceremony—I mean, it’s your special day and you should have anything you want. But Sylvan doesn’t even like me. He’s not going to want to kiss me anymore than I want to kiss him.”

“What are you talking about?” Olivia was fussing with her train now. “Why wouldn’t he like you? He barely knows you.”

“He knows me well enough to hate me, I bet,” Sophie said gloomily. “I was pretty rude to him during your claiming period. I was so angry at Baird for trying to take you away from me and, well, I kind of took it out on Sylvan. A lot.” She cringed with embarrassment when she remembered the way she’d yelled at him and accused him of trying to steal her twin sister away on several occasions. Oh yeah, he definitely hated her. Not that Sophie blamed him.

Olivia waved her fears away with a flip of her train. “I’m sure that’s all forgotten now. And besides, the Luck Kiss is just a quick peck on the lips—it’s really not a big deal.”

“Actually, it’s a lot more than just a peck,” Jillian spoke up. “And doing it right is a big deal. If you don’t give it everything you’ve got, it’s bad luck for the bride and groom. So you better really lay one on him Sophia, because it’s up to the girl to kiss the guy in this case, not the other way around.”

“Are you serious?” Sophie put a hand to her head, actually feeling a little faint. “You mean I’m really supposed to give some guy I’m not even on speaking terms with a passionate kiss in the middle of the bonding ceremony?”

“It’s at the end of the ceremony, actually. Right after the bride and groom kiss.” Jillian smiled. “Some couples make it a contest. You know—to see who can put on the best show?” She giggled again in a way that Sophie was beginning to find really annoying. How do her two husbands stand it? They must want to strangle her half the time.

“How do you know so much about it?” she demanded. “Was it part of your ceremony too? I mean, is it some kind of sacred Kindred tradition or something? Because this is the first I’ve heard of it.” Which really wasn’t fair. Her twin could have at least warned her she was expected to lock lips with the best man in front of God and everybody instead of just springing it on her at the last minute.

“Of course I had it in my ceremony—it’s a Twin Moons rite.” Jillian primped in front of the holo-viewer, fussing with her long blonde curls. “More and more of the other Kindred are picking it up because it’s so romantic. In fact, I’m the one who convinced Livvy to put it in.”

“Oh you did, did you?” Sophie was normally mild-mannered in the extreme but just now she could cheerfully have strangled the overly-perky Jillian.

“Yes, Jillian has been a big help in incorporating Kindred culture into the traditional ceremony. I just want everything to be a mixture—the perfect blend of Earth and Kindred traditions.” Olivia smiled dreamily. “That way when I tell our sons about it, they can understand that they truly are the children of both worlds.”

“Listen to her—not even married yet and she’s already thinking of babies.” Jillian gave Olivia a sisterly squeeze that made Sophie wince. It wasn’t that she was jealous of the other woman it was just…Oh hell, just admit it. You are jealous, muttered a little voice in her head. After all, before Olivia had been called as a bride she and Sophie had been inseparable. And now, even though Sophie and her twin spoke on the Think-me—the Kindred version of a telepathic cell phone—constantly, she still didn’t get to see her every day the way Jillian did.

I miss her, she thought sadly. She’s moving on with her life, leaving me behind. I wouldn’t mind so much if she wasn’t so far away. But the only way we could go back to being in each other’s lives on a daily basis is if I got drafted too. Just the thought of it—of being called as a bride to one of the huge, muscular Kindred—made her shiver. She was really glad that her twin was so happy but that didn’t mean she wanted the same kind of life for herself.

The Kindred were so big for one thing and their levels of sexual aggression were off the charts—at least to hear Olivia and Jillian tell it. Olivia hadn’t had much experience before being called by Baird but she’d managed all right. Unfortunately, compared with her twin, Sophie was practically a virgin. She’d only been with two guys. Her first had been forgettable enough—just a guy she’d fallen for at summer camp. But the other… Sophie pushed the memory quickly away.

The point was, sex was bad enough without adding biting to the mix. Not that all the Kindred warriors bit their brides—only the Blood Kindred did that. And of course that’s the kind I’m supposed to kiss! Sophie thought, staring at her reflection in the holo-viewer. Next to her radiantly happy sister she looked positively gloomy.

Olivia seemed to think the same thing because she finally snapped out of her bridal bliss long enough to notice her sister’s distress. “Sophie,” she said, turning away from Jillian and giving her twin a searching look. “What is it? Is this Luck Kiss thing making you that unhappy? I mean, is there some other reason besides a few hard words that you don’t want to kiss Sylvan?”

As a matter of fact, there was—an extremely big and embarrassing reason as far as Sophie was concerned. But there was no way she was going to come right out and divulge such humiliating information—not in front of the smug Jillian, who had a knowing little smile pasted on her perfectly made-up face.

How could Sophie explain that Sylvan had been on her mind a lot recently? A lot more than a prospective brother-in-law should be, anyway. Not that she wanted to think of him—somehow he just…intruded. And lately his spiky dark blond hair and ice-blue eyes had been cropping up everywhere—including Sophie’s art. She hadn’t painted a single picture in the past month that didn’t include him. Even if she tried purposefully to leave him out, he always snuck in somehow. She’d be painting a landscape and realize that he was there, under a tree. Or a bowl of fruit and suddenly he was taking a bite out of one of the apples. It was bizarre, and not in a good way as far as Sophie was concerned.

“I…” she tried, but couldn’t think how to put it. He’s ruining my art and I can’t stop thinking about him just sounded…weird. Like she had some kind of mental problem—Kindred inspired OCD or something equally bizarre. “It’s nothing,” she said at last. “Nothing, really.”

“Yes, it is. Come on, fess up womb-mate.” Olivia took her hands. “Please?”

Sophie couldn’t help wishing Kat was there instead of Jillian. She was a close friend and a much better choice for a second bridesmaid in Sophie’s opinion. The three of them had been close since grade school. But Kat had decided to use her organizational skills to pull the ceremony and reception together so Olivia didn’t have to worry about anything on her special day. She was probably in the sacred grove somewhere, bustling around making sure everything was perfect and directing the guests to their seats. Sophie wished she had such a fearless, take-charge personality but she couldn’t help it—she was terminally shy.

“It’s nothing,” she lied bravely. “Just that…that I don’t think he likes me. That’s all. And you know how I get stage fright. Remember that time in third grade when the teacher picked me to play Princess Primrose in the school play?”

“And you went completely white and fainted the minute the curtain went up.” Olivia put a hand to her head. “You know, I had forgotten about that. I’m so sorry, Sophie—what was I thinking? I don’t want you to be miserable. We’ll just cut the kiss.”

“You can’t do that,” said Jillian, butting in where she was least wanted—at least in Sophie’s opinion. “It’s been added to the printed program. If they don’t do it you’ll have bad luck for your entire marriage. And besides, people will talk and talk and—”

“I don’t care if they talk—I care about Sophie.” Olivia frowned. “And I don’t believe in bad luck. That’s just silly.”

Jillian rolled her eyes and gave Sophie a pitying glance. “All right then, if you really feel like you can’t handle it…”

“Enough.” Sophie raised her hand. “I’ll do it.”

“No, you won’t,” Olivia said decisively.

“Oh, yes I will.” Sophie shot Jillian a glare. There was no way she was backing down now. “It’s just one kiss. I can manage that,” she said, hoping it was true.

“Are you sure?” Olivia looked at her uncertainly.

“Sure, I’m sure. We’re not in third grade anymore you know, Liv.”

“No, we’re not, are we?” Olivia sighed. “I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday you were fainting in that stupid play. And now we’re all grown up and I’m about to get married. I just wish…” Her voice wavered. “I wish Mom and Dad were here to see it.”

“Oh, honey, I know.” Sophia put an arm around her sister’s waist and gave her a hug. Their parents had died in a car wreck—victims of a drunk driver—when the girls were in their last year of high school. “But I know they’d be proud,” she said, giving her twin another squeeze. “Look at you—you’re so beautiful in Mom’s wedding dress.” She nodded at the viewer again where they were both reflected.

The twins looked so much alike in the face it was hard to tell them apart. Only the fact that Sophia had brown hair and green eyes while her twin had blonde hair and gray eyes let people know who was who. Today the white lace dress had transformed Olivia’s appearance—making her look radiantly happy and so gorgeous Sophie wanted to cry. Blinking back tears, she kissed her sister’s cheek. “Baird is going to go crazy when he sees you. I hope he knows how lucky he is to be getting my sister as his bride.”

“He knows.” Olivia gave her a watery smile and then sniffed. “Oh God, I can’t cry—I’ll ruin my make-up!”

“Then cheer up,” Sophie commanded. “You’re not allowed to cry—that’s my job, remember?”

The soft strains of Pachelbel’s canon began drifting through the air, signaling the start of the ceremony and pulling her out of her sisterly reverie. She’d been so caught up in the moment with Olivia she’d almost forgotten what she had agreed to do. Now it all came rushing back. The Luck Kiss…crap—why did I say yes?

“Hey, enough with the heart to heart sister stuff,” Jillian hissed. “It’s starting.”

“Oh my God, it is.” Olivia fluttered nervously. “Is my veil straight? Does everything look all right?”

Her sister’s nerves helped steady Sophie. “You look wonderful and everything is going to be fine,” she said firmly. “It’s your day of all days. And it’s going to be perfect—I just know it.” All except the part where I have to lay a hot one on my future brother-in-law. But she refused to let herself think about that. If she did, she was liable to freak out like she had way back in third grade. And she was determined not to ruin her beloved sister’s wedding—not even if she had to kiss a hundred huge Kindred warriors. Except she only had to kiss one—the one who just happened to invade her every waking thought.

God, what was she going to do?

* * * * *

“What’s this?” Sylvan stared down with dismay at the thick, creamy sheet of vellum the bonding-ceremony program was printed on.

“What’s what?” Baird was busy buttoning his crimson formal uniform shirt up to his chin, but he spared a glance at his half-brother as he worked.

“This.” Sylvan pointed to a part of the program. “You told me you weren’t going to have the Luck Kiss in your ceremony. You practically guaranteed it.”

“Really? Olivia put it in?” Finished with his buttons, Baird took the program and glanced over it rapidly before handing it back. “Guess she must have decided she liked it after all.”

“Decided she liked it? You didn’t even tell me she was considering it.” Sylvan kept his voice low and controlled with an effort that usually wasn’t necessary. Almost nothing phased him—Tranq Kindred were known for having ice water in their veins and he was no exception to his kind. But his natural calm had left him the minute he found out he’d be kissing Sophia. “I can’t do this,” he said, gesturing with the program. “She hates me.”

“Oh come on, no she doesn’t.” Baird blew out a breath and tugged at his collar. “This damn thing’s so tight I can hardly breathe. Sure will be glad when this is all over and I can get Olivia back to our suite and take it off”

“You haven’t even had the bonding ceremony yet,” Sylvan said dryly. “I’m afraid you’ve got a while to go before you can strip down.”

Baird’s golden eyes lit up with a mixture of love and lust. “Believe me, I won’t be the only one stripping. Olivia hasn’t let me have any for the last Earth week—said it’s some kind of tradition so we’ll be ready for the wedding night. I tell you, Brother, at this point I’m so ready I’m about to explode if you know what I mean.” He arched an eyebrow and did an impromptu bump and grind which made Sylvan hope that no one was sneaking a peek into the male’s tent.

“Baird, please—is that all you think about?”

“Sex? Making love to my beautiful mate? Hell, yes.” Baird was clearly unashamed of his one track mind. “And that’s all you’d be thinkin’ about too if you’d have the good sense to call a bride.”

“How many times do I have to say it?” Sylvan said through gritted teeth. “I have vowed never—”

“Never to call a bride,” Baird finished for him. “I know, I know. I just wish you would change your mind, Brother. Wish you could experience the joy I feel when I hold Olivia in my arms.”

“I wish it too,” Sylvan admitted in a low voice. “But even if I hadn’t made a sacred vow to the Mother of All Life, I could never call a bride. That part of me is…broken. Damaged beyond repair.”

“Don’t you think I was broken too?” Baird demanded, frowning at him. “After what I went through on the Scourge Fathership? Hell, I was shattered into a thousand pieces but Olivia fixed me. I’m telling you, Sylvan, the right female can heal your wounds if you’d just give her a chance.”

“No such female exists.” Sylvan stared down at the program clutched tightly in his hand. “Not for me.”

Baird sighed. “I’m sorry, Brother. I get so caught up in my love for my bride and I can’t help wishing the same love for you.”

“Enough about that—I want to get back to this.” Sylvan rattled the piece of vellum in his half-brother’s face. “You should have informed me about the Luck Kiss. It’s going to be excruciatingly embarrassing for both Sophia and myself.”

Baird frowned at him. “You really don’t want to kiss her, do you? What’s wrong—don’t you find her attractive? She looks just like Olivia in the face, even if they do have totally different personalities.”

“No, no—it’s not that,” Sylvan protested. “She’s beautiful—gorgeous.” In fact, just the thought of Sophia’s curvy figure and lovely face made his shaft harden uncomfortably in his dress slacks and the double set of fangs in his upper teeth sharpen alarmingly. And then there was the matter of those troubling dreams he’d been having lately…but it was better not to think about that. “I just don’t want to kiss a female who doesn’t want me to kiss her,” he ended stiffly.

“Loosen up, Sylvan—it’s just one kiss. And it isn’t like you two are going to be spending a lot of time together afterwards.” Baird slapped him on the back. “Come on—I hear the music starting and my bride is waiting for me. Are you going to stand with me or not?”

“Of course I will.” Sylvan frowned, stung that his half-brother would think he might go back on his promise. “I’ll always stand by you, Brother—in danger, darkness or despair.” It was a warrior’s pledge and Baird smiled when he heard it.

“I appreciate that. But why do I get the feeling you’d be more comfortable going back to the Scourge Fathership with me than standing beside me at my bonding ceremony?”

“Probably because I would,” Sylvan admitted with a sigh. “But today is about joy. Yours and Olivia’s. Come—let’s go celebrate it.”

“It’s the celebration afterwards I’m more interested in,” Baird rumbled. He had that hungry look in his amber eyes—the gleam he’d had the very first time he’d seen Olivia, when he’d called her to be his bride. Sylvan couldn’t help wishing a little wistfully that he himself might feel such deep emotions for a female, but his one chance had passed and he knew it would never come again.

With another deep sigh, he followed his half-brother out of the tent and across the wide green and purple lawn to the sacred grove where the bonding ceremony was beginning.

It was going to be a long, long afternoon.

Chapter Two

The ceremony was actually quite beautiful. The pale green artificial sun shone through the leaves of the blessed trees, making magical patterns on the ground and the green and purple grass was springy under Sophie’s bare feet. Shoes were forbidden in the sacred grove, so the entire wedding party was barefoot. The guests—mostly other Kindred and their families, since the sisters didn’t have many relatives—were seated on rows of purple metal benches arranged in a semi-circle around the happy couple and their attendants.

Olivia’s bouquet of rare lavender roses was beautiful and her white lace dress looked simple yet elegant next to Baird’s dress uniform of black pants and a dark crimson shirt. The statue of the Mother of Life which stood at the head of the sacred grove seemed to preside over everything with an aura of peace and love. Even the stern Kindred priestess who was conducting the ceremony had a look of approval in her green-on-green eyes.

It was picture-perfect and Sophie knew she would have enjoyed it immensely if the damn Luck Kiss hadn’t been hanging over her head. The entire time while the priestess intoned the words of bonding, first in English and then in the guttural Kindred universal language, Sophie kept stealing glances in Sylvan’s direction.

Though she’d had several visits to the Kindred ship in the past month, she hadn’t seen her future brother-in-law since the last time she’d yelled at him and stormed out of the Human/Kindred relations building back on Earth. Just the memory of it made her cheeks hot with shame. I really laid into him. He probably can’t wait for this to be over.

Despite her fear, or maybe because of it, Sophie couldn’t seem to stop looking at him. He looked as handsome as ever and even bigger than she remembered, if that was possible.

Did he grow or something? No, probably not. He’s just freaking huge is all. She wished the Kindred weren’t so physically imposing. Sylvan’s shoulders were fully twice as broad as her own and the muscles bulging under his uniform shirt made it clear he was strong enough to break her in half with one hand. Not that she thought he would hurt her but it certainly would have been easier to kiss him if he was more normal sized instead of being so ginormous.

He was wearing black tight fitting pants identical to Baird’s, but instead of deep crimson, the material of his uniform shirt was a pale azure blue that complemented his eyes. His hair was a darker shade of blond than Olivia’s and it was still cut short and spiky. Looking at him, Sophie couldn’t help thinking that despite the severe cut, his hair looked like it would be soft to touch. In fact, she could almost feel the feathery brush of those blond spikes whispering against her fingers…

She snapped out of the strange fantasy in time to realize two things. One, the ceremony was almost over—in fact, Baird had Olivia bent over one arm and was kissing her for all he was worth. And two, she’d been staring at Sylvan and he was staring right back with an unreadable look in his pale eyes.

Sophie dropped her gaze quickly, feeling her cheeks get even hotter. She wished she knew what he was thinking but it was impossible to guess when he kept his features under such tight control. Probably thinking how much he hates me and how unpleasant it’s going to be to kiss me. God, this is awful.

“And now,” the priestess intoned, breaking her train of thought. “For the future good fortune of the happy couple the unmated male and female who stand with them will perform the Luck Kiss.”

Oh my God, the kiss. It’s time for the kiss! Sophie had thought she would be ready for it when the time came, but somehow the moment had snuck up on her without warning. Sylvan took a step forward but she remained rooted to the spot, staring at him in terror.

He stared back at her and then held out a hand. There was a breathless silence from the assembled crowd, but when Sophie made no move go to him, a soft murmuring began. Staring out at the sea of faces Sophie saw, or thought she saw, looks of disapproval everywhere. Even Kat, her closest friend besides Olivia, was looking at her with uncertainty in her big blue eyes.

Oh my God, Sophie thought, panicking. It’s just like Jillian said—if I don’t do this everyone is going to talk about it and say I gave Liv and Baird bad luck. And just listen to them—it’s already starting. I have to do this. I have to kiss him NOW.

But somehow she just couldn’t.

* * * * *

Just look at her—she’s frightened to death. I’m going to kill Baird for making me do this to her! Sylvan stared in dismay at the female he was supposed to kiss, though he tried to keep the negative emotion off his face. He held out a hand to her but she didn’t come—just kept staring at him like a terrified animal caught in the glare of a shuttle craft’s high beams. It was clear that kissing him was the last thing in the universe she wanted to do.

People were beginning to talk. I’ll have to go to her. Maybe she doesn’t know it’s the female who comes to the male for the kiss? Or maybe she was just frozen with terror. Sylvan’s heart ached at the thought. He was about to step toward her again when her paralysis apparently broke and she ran over to him. But when she reached him she just stood there, her small cool hand clutching his and a look of panic in her large green eyes.

I held her hands once before, Sylvan couldn’t help remembering. In the Human/Kindred relations building back on Earth. I was trying to prepare her to lose her sister to Baird and she was so angry with me—she hated me. No doubt she hates me still. But Gods, I wish she didn’t have so much fear in her eyes. If only I could make her understand that I would never harm her…

“Sophia?” he asked softly, trying to make his voice non-threatening. “Are you all right?”

“I…I…” She shook her head, looking so lost and terrified that Sylvan was almost overcome with a desire to gather her into his arms and comfort her. It was an irrational reaction. He was the one she was terrified of, so how could he possibly give her comfort? Yet he couldn’t help it—the need to protect and soothe the little human female was almost overwhelming.

Just as the whispering from the crowd was beginning again he saw a change on her face. It went suddenly from terrified to determined. Then, rising on her tiptoes she whispered something that pierced his heart.

“I’m sorry. “I know you don’t want this—don’t want me—but we have to do it.”

“I—” Sylvan began, meaning to protest the idea that he didn’t want her. But before he could speak he felt her small, warm mouth covering his and he was suddenly lost.

She was inexperienced—he could tell that much from the way she trembled in his arms. For some reason that only fanned the flame of lust and need that flared suddenly to life inside him.

Sylvan pulled her closer, slanting his mouth over hers for greater contact. He forgot that the woman he held didn’t want him, forgot that they were engaged in a ceremonial kiss that was purely for show. All his brain registered was the delicious feel of her soft, luscious curves against his own hard warrior’s body. The press of her ripe breasts against his chest, the sweet taste of her tongue as he parted her lips and entered her. Her warm secret female scent filled his senses and his cock hardened, pressing against her belly shamelessly, but Sylvan didn’t care. He was consumed with a new sensation—a pleasurable pain he had never felt before.

It was a hot, prickling feeling centered around the double set of vestigial fangs which grew in his mouth where a human’s canine teeth would be. They were joined together, rather like a cat’s back teeth, and the second set was slightly shorter than the longer, more prominent fangs in front. Sylvan had felt them sharpen before but this was different—suddenly and without warning they lengthened into finely honed daggers that filled his mouth as surely and completely as desire filled his body.

Careful, he thought or tried to think through the haze of lust that clouded his reason. Sophia’s so small, so delicate. If I’m not careful I’ll crush her or—

“Ow! You bit me!” Sophia pushed against his chest with one hand and cupped her wounded mouth with the other. For a moment he couldn’t make himself let her go but then the expression on her face finally registered. The fear was back in her large green eyes and this time it was mixed with pain. “That really hurt,” she whispered.

“I’m so sorry.” Sylvan’s voice sounded strange even in his own ears as he tried to get used to talking with his new fangs. Damn it, why wouldn’t they shrink again? And why had they grown in the first place? Anyone would think he wanted to bond her to him. But that wasn’t true—couldn’t be true.

He was aware of the whispering going on around them again but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the wounded look in Sophia’s eyes. The look that said she was in pain and he was the cause of it. It was almost more than he could bear.

“Please,” he said, reaching for her. “I’m truly sorry. It was an accident.”

She pulled away before he could touch her. “It’s all right.” But her voice and actions said it wasn’t. Said that it would never be all right. And why did that tear at his heart so?

“Hey, what’s happening over here? That was some kiss.” Apparently the ceremony was over because Kat, one of Olivia’s best friends from Earth, was suddenly beside them. Her full curves were draped in a sapphire blue gown and her deep red hair was piled becomingly atop her head. She was followed by two warriors that Sylvan knew well, though he hadn’t seen them in several cycles.

“Deep, Lock,” he greeted the Twin Kindred, relieved to find that his fangs had finally returned to their normal size. “It’s good to see you, brothers.”

“We had to witness our brother’s bonding.” Stabs Deep, the dark twin of the two, nodded formally. He had black hair and eyes and a brooding look on his strong features.

“We had to see what kind of female would agree to take Baird as a mate.” The gleam of good humor in the warm brown eyes of Locks Tight, the light twin of the pair, let Sylvan know he was joking. Though he resembled his twin closely in the face, he had dark blond hair and stood about an inch shorter than Deep. Both of them towered over Kat and Sophie however—like all Kindred males they were muscular and well over six and a half feet in height.

“Baird’s bride is a worthy female,” Sylvan said, trying to sound normal, though he was still disturbed over what had happened during the Luck Kiss. “Her name is Olivia. Would you care to meet her before she and Baird cut the bonding confection—er wedding cake?”

“Lead the way, Brother.” Deep made an expansive gesture with one hand. “But before we go…” He turned to Kat. “Forgive me but what did you say your name was my lady?”

“Katrina. But I usually go by Kat.” She smiled in an open, friendly manner. “And you two are…?”

“Stabs Deep and Locks Tight,” Sylvan supplied the introduction politely. “They are second brothers to Baird and myself. Our father married their mother.”

Lock frowned. “So you said your name was Cat? Like the Earth animal you humans keep as a pet?”

“Not quite. It’s spelled K-A-T, not…oh never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Kat shrugged.

“About cats…” Deep leaned closer and gave Kat a speculative look. “Isn’t that the lovely little animal that makes soft sounds of pleasure when you stroke it?”

For some reason Kat’s cheeks grew pink and she seemed embarrassed, though it was a simple enough question in Sylvan’s estimation. Maybe it was the intent way both Deep and Lock were looking at her that made her blush.

“I…I suppose. Yes, they d-do,” she stammered. “It’s called purring.”

“I see.” Deep smiled at her. “I’ve often wanted to stroke a cat just to hear those sounds. I’m certain the vids we have of it on Twin Moons don’t do it justice.”

“I—” Kat began but before she could say more Lock grabbed hold of his twin’s arm and began towing him away.

“Forgive him, my lady,” he said, winking at Kat. “Extreme beauty makes him extremely stupid. Come on,” he said when Deep started to protest. “You’re making her uncomfortable.”

“I’m not—”

“Just come on.” Lock looked at Sylvan. “I believe you were about to introduce us to the bride?”

“Oh, of course. This way.” Sylvan cast one last look over at Sophia, but she had already turned away and was talking quietly with Kat.

He wished desperately that he could apologize one more time, that he could explain to her what had happened. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t explain it to himself. Why had he reacted so strangely to a simple Luck Kiss? And why could he still taste the single, salty drop of blood he’d drawn from her lower lip on his tongue?

With an unhappy sigh, he decided to let the matter rest and turned toward the place where Baird and Olivia were receiving the well wishes of their guests and kin. He still had no idea why the kiss had gone so strangely, but of one thing he was certain—if Sophia hadn’t hated him before, she certainly did now.

Chapter Three

“What was that all about with the Twin Kindred?” Sophia asked as they made their way to the refreshment pavilion which had been set up on the far side of the sacred grove. They’d spent the last hour watching the cake cutting ceremony and then Liv had thrown her bouquet. Kat had been reaching for it but it was Lock, Sylvan’s light haired step brother—or second brother, whichever—who had caught it. He had handed it to Kat with a courtly bow which made Deep, his twin scowl. Kat had blushingly accepted the lovely bunch of lavender roses and then she and Sophie had beat a hasty retreat.

“I could ask you the same thing. What was going on during that Luck Kiss? At first you looked like you were going to die of fright and then you got really into it—right before you jerked away, anyway. What happened?” Kat asked, squeezing her arm.

“I…I don’t exactly know. I was scared to death at first,” Sophia admitted. “I didn’t even know I was supposed to kiss him until we got into the bride’s tent and started helping Liv get ready.”

“I can’t believe she did that to you.” Kat frowned. “She knows what a shrinking violet you are. Well, sorry hon but you are,” she added when Sophie made a face at her. “I mean it’s not like I’m burning up the sheets either, but if you look up ‘shy’ in a dictionary you’d find your picture there.”

“I’m not that bad,” Sophie protested. “Okay, well maybe I am. But it wasn’t all Liv’s fault—Jillian talked her into adding it. Apparently the Luck Kiss is some kind of Twin Moons Kindred thing. She had it in her ceremony and she thought it was so romantic she wanted Liv to have it too.”

“It looked more awkward than romantic, I’m afraid.”

“Did it really?” Sophie felt sick. “Oh please tell me I didn’t ruin the ceremony! I wanted so much to do things right for Liv—it would kill me to think I hurt her special day.”

“No, no—it was fine.” Kat rubbed her arm soothingly. “Here, have some punch.” They had reached the pavilion at last and she handed Sophie a tall fluted glass filled with some kind of dark blue liquid.

“What’s this?” Sophie eyed it uncertainly. It looked like dishwashing soap but the fumes coming off it were definitely alcoholic.

Kat shrugged. “Dunno. Some delicacy from Rageron. Liv wanted me to get something called ‘fireflower juice’ but the supplier I talked to said they were all out. This is the next best thing apparently—and with twice the alcohol content. Bottoms up!” With a grin she downed half the contents of her glass. “Wow, that really packs a punch,” she gasped, her eyes watering.

Sophie sniffed the thick blue liquid, which smelled strangely of almonds and some kind of spice, and took a careful sip. The flavor exploded across her tongue and burned her wounded lip like fire. “Ow!” She nearly dropped her glass. “That stings! Like drinking freaking Tabasco sauce.”

“I’m sorry—I should have warned you it was hot.” Kat gave her a worried look. “Hey, are you all right?”

“I’m okay—it just burned my lip where Sylvan bit me.” Sophie licked the lip in question, sucking it to get the last traces of the alien alcohol off.

“Wait a minute, he what? He bit you? Is that why you jerked away so fast at the end of the kiss?”

Sophie shrugged uneasily. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to—he said it was an accident.”

“Accident or not, he should have apologized.” Kat was still angry on her behalf.

“He did. Seriously, Kat, it’s all right. But I was afraid something like that was going to happen. I mean, what with his fangs and all. Even though Jillian said they wouldn’t get sharp enough to hurt anyone unless…”

“Unless what?” Kat frowned.

“Never mind.” Sophie twirled her glass by the stem, watching the thick blue liquid slosh gently from side to side. “It’s nothing. It just proves that Jillian isn’t the expert on all things Kindred she thinks she is.”

“She always was a know-it-all,” Kat agreed, much to Sophie’s relief. “I was really surprised when Liv asked her to be a bridesmaid. She’s so—oh look, they’re starting a dance. I better go over and make sure the DJ has the right mix of music.” Patting Sophie’s arm a final time she put down her glass and rushed over to the far side of the pavilion to where a tall Beast Kindred was standing behind a wall of sound-conducting glass manipulating some kind of audio equipment.

Glad to be alone, Sophie went and took a seat in the shade of one of the green and purple trees. One of the nice things about having the wedding “outside” in the wide park-like area which was the center of the Kindred ship, was that there were no biting ants or stinging bees to worry about. She could wiggle her bare toes in the grass without fear of something creepy-crawly coming after her.

Gingerly, she touched the hurt place on her bottom lip where Sylvan’s fang had cut her. It wasn’t really a bite—not really. He just cut me by accident when his fangs got so sharp and long. I could feel them growing while we kissed. But why had they grown in the first place? And why had she felt so strange when he was kissing her? Did the growth of his fangs have anything to do with the other “growth” she’d felt lower down? He was hard and pressing against me. Sophie felt hot all over at the thought. And his body felt so big and warm…

The press of his large, male body had been both scary and exciting. Sophie had to admit she’d almost been enjoying herself until the bite. Sylvan really was very handsome except for those fangs. They’d been so long and sharp—like double bladed daggers in his mouth. They transformed him from a large, very attractive man to something completely different. Something alien and frightening…

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself though it was warm in the artificial sunlight. She had an intense phobia of needles and she’d always hated horror movies—especially anything to do with vampires. And what were Blood Kindred if not modern day vampires who just happened to come from a different galaxy?

“You look troubled, daughter of another star.”

“Huh?” Sophie looked up, shading her eyes against the pale green sunlight to see who was talking.

The priestess who had presided over the ceremony was standing there, staring down at her with a thoughtful look in her green-on-green eyes. The irises were a dark olive, Sophie couldn’t help noticing, while the whites of the priestess’s eyes were a pale shade that was almost lime. It should have been a strange combination but somehow it looked right in the Kindred woman’s face.

“Do you need counsel?” the priestess asked, still staring at Sophie patiently.

“Uh, counsel about what? Ma’am?” Sophie added at the last minute, uncertain how to address the priestess. God, she’ so tall! Kindred women were very rare as she understood it, but if this one was any indication of the rest, they were certainly able to stand up to their men.

“About whatever is troubling you.” The priestess settled across from her on the grass and took Sophie’s hands without asking. “I saw the Luck Kiss you performed with the Tranq male—it bothered you greatly, did it not?”

“Oh no, not a bit,” Sophie said quickly. She was intensely uncomfortable and wished she could pull her hands away from the other woman but she was afraid of being rude. Also, the Kindred priestess had a pretty strong grip and Sophie wasn’t sure she could pull away even if she tried. “I’m fine, honestly,” she said, hoping to get rid of the woman. “And I really need to go see my sister so—”

“You lie.” The green-on-green eyes narrowed and the priestess frowned. “That is forbidden in the sacred grove but I will forgive it this once since you are not of our people.”

“Please,” Sophie begged, tugging at the unbreakable grip on her hands. God but the woman was strong. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“But trouble will find you whether you wish for it or not. Indeed, it is stalking you as we speak.” The priestess leaned forward staring into her eyes. “In order to help you I must look into you.”

Sophie had no idea what that might entail but it didn’t sound at all enjoyable. “Look,” she babbled, still trying to pull away. “I appreciate your concern but I’m really not ready to perform any kind of uh, religious ritual or whatever it is you’re talking about. I mean, I’m Methodist and we don’t really believe in—”

“I will look into you now.”

“I—” Before Sophie could protest further the strange green eyes seemed to grow until they filled her entire field of vision. And then she felt a sensation like cool, delicate fingers prying into her mind and suddenly all she could see was the past.

Memories of her childhood swept over her: the closeness she shared with Olivia, the love she’d felt for her wonderful parents. Days, months and years blurred together until Sophie felt dizzy. She was just beginning to hope that the priestess was almost done when the blur suddenly stopped and one particular memory was brought to the forefront of her mind.

Oh no, not that! Cringing mentally, Sophie tried to push the memory away. It was awful—so awful she tried not to think about it. She had buried it deep but somehow the Kindred priestess dug it up and brought it into the light.

“No!” Sophie gasped. “Please, please not that. Not—”

“What’s going on here?”

The loud masculine voice seemed to break the connection between the priestess and herself. Sophie’s eyes, which had been shut tight while she fought the awful memory, flew open and she looked up.

Sylvan was standing over her with an angry look on his face. No, not angry—enraged, Sophia realized. His ice blue eyes were blazing and his fangs were out again, razor sharp and ready. The expression on his chiseled features made him look like an avenging angel towering over her.

“Oh,” she gasped, unable to stop looking at his fangs. “I don’t know. I—”

“What are you subjecting her to?” Sylvan demanded of the priestess who still looked completely calm.

“I am simply looking into her. There is a shadow around her heart—it is my duty to see into it.”

“Not if your seeing causes her pain.” Sylvan’s voice was a low, menacing growl. “Release her.”

The calm expression on the Kindred woman’s face turned to anger and her grip on Sophie’s hands tightened until she squeaked in pain. “You overstep yourself, Warrior.”

“That may be, but I will not see you hurt her.” Leaning down Sylvan put himself on the priestess’s level and looked into her eyes. “Release her now.”

The grip on Sophie’s hands loosened and she pulled them away gratefully. The priestess still glared at Sylvan, her green-on-green eyes narrowed. “You have a shadow on your heart as well. A secret pain that taints your very existence—I see it in your eyes.”

“My pain is not your concern.” Gripping Sophie’s hand, he pulled her to her feet and pushed her behind him protectively. “Now what do you have to say?”

“Only this—have a care, Warrior.” The priestess rose smoothly to her feet and frowned up at him. “Danger dogs your steps—the shadow on your heart draws it to you. Even the shielding of your Kindred mind is no protection if you allow the darkness to overcome you. Ignore my warning at your own peril.” Then she turned and walked away, her head held regally high and her bare feet whispering over the green and purple grass.

When she was gone Sylvan relaxed his protective stance and turned to Sophie. To her intense relief, she saw that his fangs had gone back to their normal length. “Are you all right?” he asked anxiously. “You sounded upset.”

“I…she…she was making me remember—” She realized what she was saying and stopped abruptly.

“Remember what?” Sylvan was still staring at her but she shook her head.

“Nothing. I’m fine, really. Uh, thank you for rescuing me,” she added, hoping to change the subject.

One corner of his thin but sensual mouth quirked up. It was the closest Sophie had ever seen him come to smiling. “Well, you looked like you needed rescuing.”

“Unfortunately.” She was shaking her hands which had gone numb in the priestess’s punishing grip. “Wow, she was really strong.”

“All of my people are but most of us are taught to temper our strength with compassion. Here.” He took her hands in his and began rubbing her fingers.

“Th-thank you.” Sophie’s heart felt like it was trying to knock its way through her ribs and her fingers started tingling for a whole different reason. He doesn’t even like me. He’s just being nice, she reminded herself sternly. “What…what was she talking about?” she asked, looking up to meet his eyes.

Sylvan sighed. “The Mother alone knows. Kindred females have uncharted psychic abilities but they tend to speak in riddles.”

“But…she said you had pain…a shadow on your heart,” Sophie said.

A look of anguish flitted across his face and was gone so fast she thought she must have imagined it. “The priestess said you had a shadowed heart as well.” His deep voice was harsh. “Do you really want to speculate about what she meant?”

Sophie felt cold all over. “No.” She yanked her hands out of his and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, I don’t.”

Sylvan ran a hand through his hair in a very human gesture of frustration. “Forgive me, Sophia. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just coming over to apologize for hurting you during the, er, ceremony.”

“It’s all right.” She looked down at the ground, feeling awkward all over again when she remembered the strange sensations that had flooded her body during the Luck Kiss.

“No, it’s not. I drew your blood and for that I must beg your forgiveness.” He sounded formal again, just as he had when he was talking to the priestess. “The gift of blood must be freely given—never taken or forced.”

“The…the gift of blood?” She looked up at him uncertainly. “Is that some kind of Kindred ceremony?”

He looked uncomfortable. “It is part of the mating ritual of the Blood Kindred. And since you have made it abundantly clear you have no wish to be called as a bride, I shouldn’t have taken your blood.”

“So if you did call a bride that would be part of it—of your relationship, I mean? You’d always be…biting her?” She couldn’t help looking at his fangs again and feeling glad they were still small.

“Only when we made love,” Sylvan assured her as though that made it all right.

Sophie felt her stomach do a slow forward flip but she tried not to show her dismay. “That’s…uh interesting.”

“And off the point.” Sylvan frowned, as though irritated with himself. “What I’m trying to say is, please accept my apologies and my best wishes for your health and happiness. I truly did not mean to bite you.”

“It’s…I know it was an accident but…” She wanted to ask him more. Wanted to know why his fangs had grown when he kissed her. It wasn’t just his fangs that grew, whispered a little voice in her head and a wave of embarrassment swept over her.

“Yes?” Sylvan looked at her earnestly but she shook her head.

“It’s okay,” she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. “Seriously, I’m fine. Let’s just…leave it at that.”

“I appreciate your willingness to put the incident behind us but I need to examine the wound.”

“Why?” Sophie asked. “I know you’re a doctor…er medic but—”

“I need to know how serious the injury I inflicted was.” He looked so stern that she tilted her chin up to allow the examination.

“It’s not bad at all. See?” she pointed at her bottom lip which, to tell the truth, was still pretty sore.

Sylvan cupped her cheek in one hand and leaned forward, studying her hurt lip. For some reason Sophie’s face got hot at the gentle touch and she had to close her eyes. What is he looking for? What’s taking so long? She wished he would hurry up and finish the examination. His hand was so warm and the feel of his skin on hers made her nervous. “Is…is everything all right?” she asked at last.

“It appears to be.” He sounded cautiously relieved. “I nicked you pretty badly but I don’t think you got any of my essence.”

“Your what?” She opened her eyes to see him looking at her intently. Blushing, she looked quickly away.

“My essence. It’s…never mind. You should recover normally.” His voice dropped. “I would offer to heal it for you but I don’t think you’d care for my method of healing.”

“What do you mean?” She looked up at him again but suddenly Olivia was standing beside her with a radiant smile on her face.

“Hey you guys, looks like you survived the Luck Kiss after all.” She arched an eyebrow, clearly taking in the way Sylvan was touching Sophie. “Going for round two?”

“No!” Sophie exclaimed, jumping away from the large warm hand cupping her cheek. “I mean…Sylvan was just, uh, examining me.”

“So I saw,” Olivia said dryly. Then she grinned. “Well, I’m a married woman now. Do I look any different?”

“You look more beautiful than ever,” Sylvan said, but he was looking at Sophie when he said it.

“Thank you, Sylvan. That’s sweet of you.” Olivia smiled at him and glanced at Sophie inquiringly. What’s going on? the look said.

Sophie shrugged her shoulders. I don’t know. She felt hot and uncomfortable, as though her twin had caught her and Sylvan doing something forbidden or wrong. Wanting to change the subject she gave her sister a hug. “Are you happy? Did you think…everything went all right?” She wanted to ask if Olivia thought she’d screwed up the Luck Kiss but she couldn’t exactly come right out and say it with Sylvan still standing there looking at her.

Liv, as always, knew what she meant. “It was beautiful,” she said reassuringly, giving Sophie a squeeze. “And I’ve never been happier.”

“I’ll be happy when this damn after-party is over with.” Baird came sauntering up behind her and placed a proprietary hand on his bride’s shoulder. The bright green sunlight made the gold buttons on his uniform shirt sparkle. “How long did you say we have to stay, Lilenta?”

Olivia turned and gave him a reproving look. “You know, on Earth the reception sometimes goes on for hours. People dance and drink and celebrate all night.”

“Let ‘em.” Baird drew her close and looked down into her eyes. “They can celebrate until the damn sun falls outta the sky for all I care. As long as I get to take you back to our suite while they do it.”

“Baird.” Olivia threw an apologetic look over her shoulder. “I’m sorry you guys—he’s incorrigible.”

“Don’t apologize,” Sylvan said smoothly. “This is your bonding day. You should, ah, celebrate in whatever way you choose.”

“I would but I hate leaving everyone alone.” Olivia bit her lip. “Especially you, Sophie. It’s been so long since we had any good sister time.”

“That’s okay.” Sophie tried to smile even though she missed her sister more than she could bear. She wanted to catch up with Liv but it was clear her twin needed time alone with her new husband more than she needed a gab fest. “We’ll get other chances,” she told Olivia. “But right now I need to get home—I have to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, has school started again already?” Olivia put a hand to her head where her blonde hair was swept into an elegant up-do. “I can’t believe it.”

“First day tomorrow,” Sophie said. “And you know what a mess that always is.”

“I must have lost all track of time up here planning the wedding.”

“That’s what being in love will do to you,” Baird rumbled. Nodding at Sophie he said, “I’ll find a pilot for you, kin of my mate. I’d take you back to Earth myself but…” He grinned and nuzzled Olivia’s neck, his amber eyes glowing.

“Baird!” she protested, laughing. “You are so bad. Leave me alone for a minute and go find someone to take Sophie home.”

“I’ll take her,” Sylvan said unexpectedly.

Sophie’s stomach did a flip. “Oh no, really,” she protested. “I couldn’t ask you to leave the party.”

“I don’t mind.” He gave her a penetrating look. “I’d be pleased to take you back to Earth.”

There was no way she could say “no” without offending him. “Uh, thank you,” she mumbled, trying not to think about being cooped up with the huge blond warrior in one of the tiny Kindred transport shuttles. “That would be nice…if you really don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Sylvan assured her.

Baird raised an eyebrow and looked at his half-brother speculatively. “Very well then, Brother. I charge you with the safety of the kin of my mate.”

Sylvan nodded gravely. “I accept your charge. I will see her safely home.”

Olivia smiled. “Sounds like it’s all settled then.”

“I guess so.” Sophie smiled weakly. The whole “I charge you with her safety” thing seemed weirdly formal but maybe it was just a Kindred expression.

“Give me one more hug before you go.” Liv disentangled herself from Baird and held out her arms. “Are you sure you’re all right?” she whispered in Sophie’s ear. “You look really upset.”

“Do I?” Sophie made an effort to smooth out her features. “I’m fine really—don’t worry about me. Just go…have fun with your new hubby.”

“If you’re sure.” Olivia drew back and looked at her eyes one more time.

“I’m sure.” Sophie gave her twin what she hoped was a bright, sunny smile. “Just thinking about work tomorrow. The first day of school is always such a disaster. You know.”

“Only from what you’ve told me.” Liv made a face. “I’d rather work in the ER or the med station any day than deal with a bunch of five year olds finger painting.”

Sophie shivered. “Better finger paint than blood. I don’t know how you stand it.”

Liv grinned. “Funny, that’s exactly what I was going to say to you.” She laughed and gave Sophie one more squeeze before letting her go. “Have a safe flight back and I’ll bespeak you on the Think-me later.” She glanced up at Baird who was staring down at her possessively. “Uh, much later.”

“No problem, womb-mate.” Sophia smiled and turned back to Sylvan who was watching her with an unreadable look on his face. “Are we ready?” she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

“Certainly.” Sylvan made an ‘after you’ gesture with one hand.

Sophie started for the edge of the sacred grove but he stopped her with a light touch on the shoulder. “Don’t you think we should get our footwear before we go?”

“Oh, uh, right. Shoes, of course.” Feeling flustered, Sophie followed him to the area around the side of the grove where everyone participating in the ceremony had left their shoes. She slipped on the kitten heels she’d gotten to match her dress before learning that no shoes were allowed, and waited while Sylvan put on the tall black boots all the Kindred warriors seemed to favor. “You know, I thought of something I forgot to tell Liv,” she said as he was putting on his second boot. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not.” He gestured for her to go on ahead.

Sophie ran back to the sacred grove but her sister’s name died on her lips. Baird’s broad back was already receding in the distance as he carried Olivia away. “Uh, looks like Baird took matters into his own hands,” she said, laughing nervously as Sylvan came up behind her.

“Apparently.”

“Okay, so…” Sophie wasn’t sure what to say. “Uh, I guess we should go get some Take-mes, huh?”

She’d ridden on one of the two headed animals—which looked rather like the push-me/pull-you from Dr. Dolittle—for the first time on the way to the wedding and wasn’t exactly looking forward to repeating the experience. It was a bumpy ride made worse by the fact that the front head of her Take-me kept flirting with the back-facing head of Jillian’s.

Sophie had no idea how to tell which Take-me was male and which was female or how in the world they mated since they didn’t appear to have any reproductive equipment. But the attraction between the two animals had made getting to the sacred grove a slow and uncomfortable process. They kept stopping to twist their necks together and staring lovingly into each other’s purple eyes until Sophie had wanted to scream. In the end the problem had gotten so bad they were almost late to the wedding.

Well hopefully Sylvan and I can find some that aren’t in heat or whatever it was that made them such a pain, she told herself. But I swear to God if they make me late getting home…All she wanted to do after the stressful day was relax with a glass of wine and take a long hot bubble bath. And no stupid alien horse in the mood for love was going to get in her way—at least she hoped not.

They went to the area where the Take-mes were kept—a long row of small box-like structures that looked more like dog kennels than stables. The animals, which were native to Twin Moons, were able to expand and contract their mass at will, which meant they could be kept in small areas. But to Sophie’s dismay, there was only one shaggy green animal standing outside the row of Take-me stalls, munching grass with both heads.

“Where did they all go?” She looked around, hoping to see more. Maybe they had made themselves small and were hiding in one of the kennels? But when she bent down to peer into the small dark box-like structures they were all empty.

“Probably in use by the other guests. It doesn’t matter—one Take-me can carry us both.” Sylvan was standing right behind her and his deep voice in her ear made Sophie jump.

“Oh!” She put a hand on her heart. “You scared me. I…they can take that much weight?”

“Easily.” He frowned. “If you don’t mind riding with me, of course.”

“Oh, uh…” Sophie had a sudden mental image of riding on the shaggy green animal with Sylvan behind her. The way the Take-me’s backward bending legs moved meant that it swayed a great deal. There would be no way she could keep from touching him—in fact she would be practically surrounded by his muscular bulk as they jostled together on the animal’s broad back. I’ll be pressed up against him, what if he puts his arms around me? For some reason the thought made her hot and cold all over.

“Well?” Sylvan asked and Sophie realized she’d been taking way too long to answer.

“No, no—of course I don’t mind,” she said hastily. “I’m sorry I was just…just thinking. But of course it’s not like I mind touching you or being close to you or having you close to me or—” Realizing she was babbling, she stopped abruptly.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her for a long moment. “Of course, if you’re really in a hurry we could just take a transport tube straight to the docking bay.”

“We can?” Sophie felt a rush of relief. “There’s some other mode of transportation around here? Why don’t you use it all the time?”

“Well, it’s actually used more for transporting small equipment around the ship than people.” Sylvan was heading away from the Take-me stables as he spoke and Sophie hurried to keep up with him. “And it’s not very comfortable. But it only takes about five minutes whereas riding a Take-me will take us close to an hour to get to the edge of the ship and the docking bay.”

“Oh, well let’s ride the transport-tube. Absolutely.” Sophie smiled brightly. This was perfect—not only would she get home and into a warm bubble bath sooner but she wouldn’t have to be pressed up against Sylvan in a way that was sure to be horribly embarrassing for them both.

“Here we are.” Sylvan came to a stop in front of a large tree.

“We are?” Sophie looked around in confusion. “Where’s the transport thingy?”

He gave her his one-sided smile and pressed part of the tree’s bark. “Right here.”

To Sophie’s surprise the entire trunk of the tree faded and became as transparent as glass. Sylvan pushed something else and there was a whooshing sound. Suddenly a cylindrical compartment rushed up and lodged itself in the trunk of the tree. It reminded Sophie of the old fashioned telephone booth she’d seen in a museum once, only it was smaller…much smaller.

Sylvan pushed a third thing—she couldn’t tell what since the entire trunk was transparent and nearly invisible—and a side panel slid open, allowing them access to the tiny tube compartment.

Maneuvering carefully, Sylvan ducked his head and somehow managed to fit his tall frame inside the small space. His broad shoulders were pressed against the walls and when he stood Sophie could see there was less than an inch of clearance between his spiky blond hair and the ceiling of the compartment.

“I’m afraid it’s a bit of a tight fit.” He shrugged apologetically—or tried to—there was no room even for such a small movement in the confining space. “Well?” He gestured as well as he was able. “Getting in?”

“Uh…” Sophie stood staring for a moment. Sylvan was so big there was barely any space left inside. She was going to be pressed up against the length of his hard body, in a much more intimate way than if she’d agreed to share the Take-me.

“Are you all right?” Sylvan frowned.

“Fine.” She hesitated. How do I get myself into these things? “I’m just…uh, wondering what’s the best way to get in.”

“Just come in.” Sylvan gestured a touch impatiently. “Unless you’d rather ride the Take-me after all?”

“No, I guess not.” It’s only for five minutes, she lectured herself. You can stand anything for five minutes, no matter how embarrassing it is. Maybe if I squeeze up against the wall…

Hesitantly, she stepped into the tiny cramped space. With a sinking heart, she found that there really was no way to stand without touching the big warrior. In fact, though they both maneuvered politely and exchanged embarrassed apologies, she wound up plastered against his chest with her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to look up at him. But they were so close the top of her head bumped his chin. “Ouch!”

“Are you all right?” She could feel the rumble of his deep voice in her entire body—it seemed to vibrate through her in a way that was strangely pleasant and incredibly awkward at the same time.

“I…I’m fine.” Sophie was doing her best to stay calm but she had never liked confined spaces. A fact she remembered only after the door slid shut, trapping them both in the slender cylinder. “I’m just…a little claustrophobic is all.”

“We’ll be there soon,” Sylvan said comfortingly. “Hold on—this can be a little bumpy.” He pressed something on the wall and the transport tube started with a jerk. Then it rushed straight up at an enormous speed, making Sophie feel like her stomach had been left behind in the sacred grove. She squeaked in surprise.

“Are you all right?” he asked again.

“I’m fi—” The car jerked sideways with a suddenness that made her gasp. The transport tube was like one of those scary rides that traveling carnivals brought with them—the kind that Olivia loved and Sophie hated. They always had names like “the double wheels of doom” or “the falling star” and they jerked you all around and used centrifugal force to plaster you against the wall. Only in this case she was plastered against Sylvan and hanging on for dear life.

Previously she’d been trying to keep at least some room between them—pushing her pelvis out as far as she was able to avoid making intimate contact. But now mortification had gone out the window in favor of self-preservation. Sylvan was the only thing to hold on to as the tube jerked and lunged through the bowels of the Kindred Mother ship and Sophie wasn’t about to let go.

Please just let me get through this, she prayed, her eyes squeezed shut. Please, please, please and I swear I’ll always ride a Take-me from now on. Or maybe I’ll just walk. Yes, walking is good…walking is great. I’ll never go anywhere again except on my own two feet. I—

“Sophia? Sophia?”

Gradually she became aware that Sylvan was calling her name and he sounded worried. Arms like warm steel cables were wrapped around her shoulders and a large, warm hand was stroking her hair.

“Uh, Sylvan?” She dared to look up and this time their heads didn’t collide.

“It’s all right,” he murmured, looking relieved that she’d answered him. “The tube has stopped. We’re there.”

“We are?” She wanted to let go of him but her hands were fisted in the heavy, satin-like material of his pale blue uniform shirt and she couldn’t make her fingers unclench. “I…I’m sorry,” she muttered, pressing her cheek to his chest again. “Just give me a minute. That was kind of rough.”

Sylvan, for his part, seemed contented to hold her for as long as she needed to be held. “It’s all right,” he rumbled, still stroking her hair. “I should have warned you better. I didn’t know tube travel would upset you so much.”

“I…I’m not upset,” she protested but her voice sounded high and squeaky even in her own ears. “I was just surprised,” she added, trying to sound more normal.

“We’re at the docking bay now.” His deep voice was gentle and soothing, like his hand in her hair. Sophie felt herself relaxing in stages but still she didn’t let go.

“Oh yes, the docking bay.” Slowly she became aware that the tiny compartment was filled with a sharp, spicy scent. It was like nothing she had ever smelled before—wild and somehow completely masculine. Mmm, nice. Her nose twitched—it seemed to be coming from Sylvan. But when did he have time to put on cologne? “Are you wearing aftershave?” she asked dreamily.

“Aftershave?” He sounded confused.

“You know—cologne. Perfume. A scent you put on your skin to make you smell good. Don’t the Kindred have anything like that?”

“No, we have a very enhanced sense of smell. We don’t like anything that covers up our natural scent.”

“Then what smells so good?” She was rubbing her cheek against the warm, hard wall of his chest in a way that would have seemed terminally wrong and uncomfortable just a few minutes ago. Yet now it seemed perfectly natural and right. Why was that? And why didn’t she want to let him go? She could feel the hard ridge of his cock branding her belly, just as it had during the Luck Kiss but even that didn’t alarm her. Instead, she felt herself responding.

Her nipples were suddenly tight and achy and the small pair of bikini underwear she had on under her green bridesmaid’s dress felt too tight. Their lace crotch seemed to rub against her in a way that was both irritating and pleasurable. She took another deep breath. “Mmm…smells like…I don’t know what, but incredible,” she murmured, still rubbing against him like a cat.

Sylvan stiffened against her. “Sophia, you’re not acting like yourself. This scent…you say it smells extremely good?”

“Yes, can’t you smell it? I—” She looked up as she spoke and saw that he was looking down at her again. There was a troubled look in his pale blue eyes, but it wasn’t his eyes that bothered her—it was his mouth.

His fangs were out.

Long and sharp and prominent, they gleamed in the dim light of the tube like daggers ready to pierce flesh. My flesh! she realized in a flash.

“Oh!” She jumped away from him and would have fallen backwards out of the transport tube if he hadn’t caught her by the arm. “Let me go!” She pulled away from his hand and took another step back. Her kitten heels made clattering echoes in the vast open space of the docking bay.

“What? What’s wrong?” Sylvan frowned at her as he unfolded himself from the small space and stepped out of the tube.

“Y-your fangs.” Sophie pointed with a trembling finger.

With a muffled curse he clapped a hand over his mouth. A look of painful concentration crossed his face and then he took his palm away from his lips and she saw that his fangs were back to their normal length. “Forgive me.” He spoke as though it hurt to get the words out. “I didn’t…didn’t realize…”

“It’s okay.” She shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do or say. It was clear she’d offended him by pointing out his fangs. Was it something like telling a human guy his fly was unzipped? Well what was I supposed to say? And anyway, it just slipped out—he looks so damn scary when they grow like that!

Sylvan didn’t seem to know what to say either. Finally he turned on his heel. “Come on. We need to get to the shuttle.”

Chapter Four

“You’re so bad!” Liv slapped playfully at her new husband as he carried her into their suite and deposited her on the bed. “Making me leave the reception early—we barely got to cut the cake. Couldn’t you have waited a few more minutes?”

“No.” Baird’s eyes glowed gold with lust. “Not after waiting a whole damn week. You really know how to torture a male. But that’s all right.” He gave her a hot grin. “Because I’m about to return the favor.”

“What…what are you going to do?” Liv heard the breathless quality in her own voice but she couldn’t seem to help it—didn’t want to help it. All she wanted was the male in front of her.

Baird leaned over the bed and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “I’m going to bond you all over again,” he rumbled. “Gonna fill your sweet little cunt with my cock and fuck you all night long. So I hope you weren’t planning on going back to the party any time soon.”

Liv’s breath caught in her throat. “I don’t want to go back,” she whispered.

“Good.” He straightened up and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “That dress is special to you, right?”

“Of course.” Liv ran a hand over the white lace. “It was my mother’s.”

His eyes softened. “And you look beautiful in it, Lilenta. But you need to get out of it now.”

It was an order, not a request and the low growling voice he used when he said it made Liv’s heart start beating a mile a minute. It reminded her of the way he’d spoken after she had gone to visit Jillian the first time—disobeying his orders and winding up in the unmated males’ territory. Baird had been forced to show his ownership of her in front of a whole group of warriors and afterwards he’d taken her back to his suite and commanded her to strip so that he could taste her. It was both an embarrassing memory and a hot one. And it made Liv all the more eager to do what he wanted now.

But there was no reason he had to know that.

Lifting her chin she looked him in the eye. “So you think now that we’re officially bonded you can tell me exactly what to do?”

The look in his eyes was so hot it was molten. “What I’m telling you, Lilenta, is to take that damn dress off before I rip it off.” Leaning down, he grasped her shoulders and pulled her up for a heated kiss that left her panting and breathless.

“Baird…” she protested, struggling weakly. She had never seen him quite so hungry before, even during the first time they’d made love.

“I don’t think you understand exactly how much I need you, Olivia,” he growled softly, looking her in the eyes. “Up ‘til now I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to scare you off at the last minute.”

“What? Don’t be silly,” she protested. “You could never scare me off.”

“Not now, I can’t.” He flashed her a hungry grin. “Because now you’re mine forever. And I need you, Lilenta. Need to be inside you for a long, long time tonight.” He kissed her again, running his big hands over her body, cupping her breasts and then moving down to press hard against her sex. “But before I do that, I want to taste you. So get naked now or I’m going to make you naked.”

Liv’s heart was going crazy and her mouth was almost too dry to answer. She couldn’t believe that Baird had been holding back on her. But the desperate need she saw in those glowing amber eyes proved he was telling the truth. What agony she must have put him through, denying him for the past week so that the night after their bonding would be special. Well, I’ll make it up to him tonight, she promised herself. But all in good time.

“Let me go in the bathroom and take my dress off,” she told Baird with a little smile. “And in the mean time, maybe you should start getting naked yourself.”

“Just hurry.” He gave her another smoldering look. “I need to lick your pussy and feel you come all over my face.”

His words made her weak in the knees but she tried not to show it as she sauntered past him to the bathroom. She had something hidden there that she hoped would make the night even more memorable.

With a little maneuvering she was out of her wedding dress and into something a lot more comfortable—and much less confining. Though he’d told her to get naked, she decided to disobey orders and wear the naughty little ensemble she’d been saving for their wedding night.

It was something Kat had helped her pick out via Think-me conversation just the week before. As Liv shimmied into it, she reflected that her friend really did have good taste—too bad she didn’t have a Kindred warrior of her own. But then, maybe that would change by the time she got done with the reception. Liv hadn’t been so completely caught up in her own bliss that she’d missed the little details around her—such as the tension between Sophie and Sylvan or the hungry way the two Twin Kindred that Baird had said were his “second brothers” had been eyeing Kat.

But the only detail she was interested in right now was getting her new hubby all hot and bothered. Eyeing herself in the viewer she was sure her outfit would do the trick.

It consisted of a white lace quarter-cup bustier with panties and garters to match and sheer white thigh-high hose. Black spike heeled pumps so high she would never have dared to wear them out in public completed the look, making her legs look fabulously long and lean.

Liv felt deliciously exposed as she adjusted the tiny cups of the bustier which didn’t even cover her nipples. They just pushed her breasts up and out, making them look like some exotic fruit on a tray. As a final touch, she took down her elaborate up-do and shook out her hair, letting it swing free around her bare shoulders. Then, feeling exquisitely naughty, she opened the bathroom door and made her way back to Baird.

He was sitting on the bed waiting for her but when she came in, he stood at once. Liv’s eyes were drawn to him just as they had been the very first time he’d taken off his shirt to drape it around her. The muscular planes of his chest and abdomen led down to a truly impressive cock which had scared the daylights out of her the first time she’d seen it. Now she couldn’t wait to feel it inside her.

“Well?” She gave him a cool little smile as she sauntered into the room. “Like what you see?” The cool air teased her exposed nipples as she moved, her breasts jiggling gently as she swayed her hips provocatively.

“Gods, Lilenta.” His deep voice was hoarse with lust as his gaze traveled over her body. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him—even though she was wearing the ridiculously high heels, he was still several inches taller.

He frowned. “But I thought I told you to get naked.”

“You did. But I thought this would be more fun. And look…” Spreading her legs, she parted the open seam that ran down the middle of the panties to reveal her bare sex. “So you don’t have to rip them off,” she explained, smiling. Baird had ruined a number of her favorite panties with his caveman ways and though she always enjoyed it at the time, it was leaving Liv woefully short of sexy underwear.

He gave her a stern look. “Just because I don’t have to rip them off to get to you doesn’t mean they’re not coming down.”

Liv put a hand on her hip. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how you disobeyed a direct order.” He raised an eyebrow. “Tell me something, Olivia, have you ever heard of the Law of Conduct?”

She frowned. “No, of course not. What are you talking about?”

“It’s a Kindred law which says every warrior is responsible for the good behavior of his bride.”

“Good behavior? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Basically it gives me the right to punish you for disobeying orders or doing anything that might endanger yourself or others,” he rumbled. “Remember how you wound up at the unmated males territory back during our claiming period after I specifically told you not to leave the suite? I would have been well within my rights under the Law of Conduct to punish you then.”

“As a matter of fact, I was just thinking of that a minute ago.” Liv raised her chin. “But I’m not endangering anyone by wearing this.” She motioned to the white lace outfit.

Baird grinned. “But you did disobey my orders. And I’m afraid you’ll have to pay for that, Lilenta. Pay dearly.”

“What…what do you mean? What are you going to do?” The look on his face was making her distinctly nervous. She’d come out in the naughty little outfit meaning to seduce him, just as she had the first time they had really made love. But now it looked like Baird intended to turn the tables on her.

“I’m going to spank you,” he said matter-of-factly. Walking back to the bed, he seated himself and patted his lap. “Come here.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Liv frowned. “Look, Baird, I know I swore to ‘honor and obey’ you but that was just for the ceremony. I’m not actually going to let you put me over your knee and give me a spanking.”

“Oh, no?” Quick as a flash he was pulling her onto his lap. As always, it was surprising to Liv how fast he could move for such a large man. Probably his warrior’s reflexes helped him—but it was going to take more than fast reflexes to get him out of this if he didn’t stop now.

“Hey, let me go!” She struggled against him but Baird held her down easily with one hand. With the other, he parted the seam in her lace panties and began a slow stroking caress of her bare buttocks. “Baird!” she protested but his large, warm hand was taking some of the wind out of her sales. “Baird, seriously, don’t.”

“Don’t punish you or don’t tease you while I do it?” he asked in a low voice. He sounded half amused, half serious but he still didn’t let her off his lap. Then, with no warning, he gave her bare ass a sharp smack.

Liv yelped and wiggled in protest, trying not to notice how she could feel the broad head of his cock rubbing against the top of her mound with the motion. “I don’t…I’m not into this,” she protested. “And I’m not some little girl who needs a spanking to be made to behave.”

“You look pretty little to me,” he returned, giving her another swat. “And maybe I like spanking you.” Obviously he wasn’t hitting her nearly as hard as he could—though the blows stung, they were hardly painful. Still, it was the principle of the thing that Liv objected to.

“You can’t do this,” she protested. “I…I don’t like it.”

“Oh, no?” Baird shifted on the bed, repositioning her on his lap and spreading her thighs so that the head of his cock was now rubbing right between her pussy lips. Liv gasped as she felt him part her slippery folds and slide against her clit. The open-crotch panties were beginning to seem like a mistake but it was too late to do anything about it now.

“No, I…I don’t,” she gasped but then Baird gave her ass another slap and she jumped and squeaked. The movement rubbed his cock over her pussy again, making the squeak turn into a moan.

“Are you sure you don’t like this, Olivia?” he growled softly, spanking her again and then again, rubbing against her each time until she was moaning steadily. “Sure you want me to stop spanking you?”

“It…it’s un…undignified,” she finally managed to gasp out. God, between the sharp little pain in her ass and the delicious tingling in her clit, she could barely think, let alone talk!

“But delicious,” he murmured. “I can feel how hot and wet your little pussy is getting for me. And it’s not just because I’m rubbing against you, either.”

“Why…why else would it be?” Liv demanded, trying to keep some of her dignity.

“I think it’s because, whether you admit it or not, you like this,” he told her. “Not the pain maybe, but being held down and dominated. Punished.”

“I…I do not.” Liv tried to sound indignant. “I’m a modern woman. I don’t need anyone to pun…puni…” But she couldn’t get the word out because every time she tried, Baird gave her another firm but loving slap on the behind. She felt like her cheeks must be on fire by now but strangely enough, her pussy was also wetter than it had ever been. She was just wondering how long this was going to go on when Baird suddenly repositioned her on her hands and knees on the bed.

Instinctively Liv tried to get up but he held her down, trapping her arms gently behind her back with one hand.

The awkward position pressed her cheek to the mattress and put her ass high in the air, with her legs spread wide to show the white lace panties. Their crotch was still open, putting her pussy on display in a way she found both embarrassing and incredibly erotic. She could feel her cunt lips parting, opening to show her slippery pink folds and her clit which throbbed deliciously in the center.

“Very nice,” Baird rumbled, tracing the outer edge of the white lace with one gentle finger. “You know, I really do like these. It’s going to be a real pleasure to fuck you in them.”

“Baird!” Liv wiggled appealingly, trying and failing to break his grip. He had her exactly where he wanted her and it was clear he wasn’t letting go. But even worse than holding her down was the way he was teasing her. That one, slow finger traveling around and around her center, without ever actually touching her where she needed him the most, was maddening. She could feel her clit throbbing for release and her pussy felt so empty. God, she needed him in her!

“What’s wrong, Lilenta? Discovering that you like being punished more than you thought?” Baird leaned over her from behind and she suddenly felt his cock nudging the inside of her thigh. “Admit it,” he breathed in her ear. “You like it—hell, you fucking love it. Being held down. Being forced to submit.”

“No,” Liv protested wiggling again, “No, I…I never…”

“Don’t lie to me.” His voice was a growl. “I can tell—I’ve never smelled you so hot before. Besides, how do you explain this?” His finger stopped tracing her panties and slipped deep into her pussy instead, drawing a strangled cry from Liv’s throat. “That’s right, Lilenta,” he told her, thrusting in deep, using two fingers this time. “Ride my fingers the way you’re going to ride my cock. Let yourself go while I fingerfuck you.”

If anyone had ever told Liv she would enjoy being held down and taken, she would have called them a liar. She was a strong, independent woman who liked taking charge during sex. But this…this was an entirely new experience. And though part of her was still outraged at Baird’s actions, another, deeper part couldn’t deny that she had never been so turned on in her life. She couldn’t help herself—she had to wiggle and moan, pumping her hips in time with his thrusts as he pushed her toward the peak.

But before she could get anywhere near orgasm, Baird disappointed her by removing his fingers.

“What?” she tried to look around at him but he was still holding her firmly down.

“Uh-uh-uh, Olivia, I’m not done with you yet,” he murmured, giving her ass another sharp spank. “Not nearly done. I want to fuck you in this position. Want to watch while my cock fills you up and my mating fist swells in your tight little cunt. I’m going to fill you over and over again tonight, do you know that?” he continued, leaning over to murmur in her ear. “Gonna fuck you deep and hard and come in you again and again until your pussy is overflowing with my seed.”

“Please!” Liv gasped but she didn’t know if she was begging him to stop or to hurry up and start. Being so out of control was affecting her strangely, making her crazy. Her pussy throbbed at his dirty words and she could feel her juices leaking down her thighs in a mute sign of submission.

“But before I do all that,” Baird continued, stroking her pussy again lightly with his fingertips. “Before I fill you up and fuck you, I’m going to taste your sweet little cunt again and lap up all this delicious honey you’re making.”

Liv shivered under his light touch. “You…you’re going to taste me like…like this?” He’d never gone down on her from behind before, though once or twice he’d had Liv sit on his face and ride his tongue. That had seemed exotic enough to her but this…letting him lick her from behind just seemed dirty. Forget about letting him though, whispered a little voice in her head. He’s going to do it whether you want him to or not. The thought made her darkly excited and she couldn’t help quivering as Baird knelt behind her and spread her thighs even wider.

“Just like this,” he growled. “And you’re going to hold still and let me lick your pussy like a good girl or I’m going to spank you again. Do you understand me, Olivia?”

The dominance in his deep voice did something to her—touched some buried part of her psyche that might never have seen the light of day otherwise. Though it embarrassed her greatly, Liv could feel her pussy getting even wetter, her folds swollen and hot as she waited for his tongue.

“I said, do you understand me?” Baird barked and she jumped, realizing that he wanted a verbal answer.

“Y-yes,” she almost whispered, pressing her cheek hard into the mattress.

“Yes, Sir,” he corrected her sternly. “Say it, Olivia. In fact, I want you to do more than that. Say, ‘I promise to hold still and let you lick my pussy until I come, Sir.’”

“I…” Liv felt her cheeks heating. “I can’t say that,” she objected.

“Oh, yes you can.” He gave her another stinging slap on the rear. “Say it, Olivia or so help me I’ll go down on you all night and you won’t get to feel my cock in your tight little cunt until I get done making you come over and over.”

As much as she loved it when Baird serviced her with his tongue, Liv loved having him in her even more. She knew it had to do with his mating scent and the need it created in her to have his thick cock filling her, marking her as his—but she didn’t care. She only knew what she craved. Slowly, haltingly she whispered the words he’d demanded she say. “I…I promise to hold still and let you…let you lick my pussy until I…I come. Sir,” she added quickly before he could say anything.

“That’s good. Very good,” he rumbled approvingly. “Now get ready, Lilenta. I’m going to taste you.”

With the broad pads of his thumbs he parted her pussy lips, exposing her clit completely and making her want to squirm. But she had promised to hold still, to let him taste her, so she tried not to move too much, even when she felt his warm, wet tongue invading and opening her.

Baird licked from the top of her slit to the tender entrance—long, slow licks that somehow managed to avoid her clit each time. Liv knew he was building her up, teasing her on purpose but it was almost more than she could take.

“God, Baird, please…you’re making me insane,” she gasped as his tongue continued to slip to one side or the other of her sensitive button without actually making contact.

“That’s because you need this as much as I do,” he growled. “More, even. This punishment has been a long time in coming but I think we both know you deserve it.”

“So this is what you meant when you said you’d been…ah! Holding back,” she gasped as he licked her again.

“No, this is what I meant.” Suddenly she felt his thick thumb slip deep into her pussy and swirl around, as though he was gathering her moisture. Before Liv could ask what he was doing, she felt him withdraw it and slide gently upwards until he was just pressing against her rosebud.

“Baird?” There was real panic in her voice now as she tried to look back and see him. “Baird, what are you doing? You know I don’t—”

“Don’t worry, Lilenta,” His deep voice was soothing even as he pressed against the tight ring of muscle that guarded her nether entrance. “I know you’re a virgin here. I’ll be careful.”

“It’s not an issue of being careful,” Liv protested as she felt the tip of his thumb slip inside her. “It’s just that I don’t, uh, do this. I mean—”

“Now you do,” he interrupted her in that commanding tone that made her weak in the knees despite her fear.

“But…but I…” Liv couldn’t finish.

“It’s okay,” Baird continued in a softer voice. “It’s all right, Olivia. Just open up and let me in. Just wanna fingerfuck your sweet little ass while I taste your pussy. I swear I won’t go any further.”

“So…just your thumb?” She was still clenched tightly closed, resisting the intimate invasion.

“I promise,” he murmured, pressing a little deeper. “Let me in, Lilenta. Trust me and I swear you won’t be sorry.”

That deep, soft voice was more than she could fight against. Baird could have forced the issue easily but she knew he would never do that. Suddenly she understood that he wanted her submission even more than he wanted to touch her in this new way. By opening to him here, she was giving him a part of herself that she’d never given anyone. By allowing him to pierce her virgin entrance, she was admitting that she wanted him everywhere inside her. And I do. Want him everywhere—even if it’s a kind of scary at first.

Though it was another thing Liv would have sworn she would never do, she knew she was going to give in. With a shuddering sigh she relaxed her muscles as well as she could and submitted.

Baird must have felt the release of tension because he stroked her back soothingly with his other hand. “Good girl,” he murmured softly in her ear. “Such a good girl to let me fingerfuck your sweet ass, Olivia.”

As he spoke she felt his thumb breach her completely, sliding deep into her rosebud and filling her in a way she’d never been filled before. It felt strange and a little scary but not as dirty as she had feared. After all, she’d just gotten through vowing that she would give herself to him completely in front of a crowd full of witnesses. She just hadn’t known she’d be called upon to fulfill her wedding vows quite so soon.

“That’s good,” Baird murmured again. Liv felt his hot breath on the back of her thighs and knew he was about to taste her again. She just hoped he stopped teasing her by avoiding her clit. She was wound so tight with sexual tension she felt like she was about to explode.

Baird seemed to hesitate for a long time and then suddenly dove in again. Even knowing what was coming couldn’t stop the moan from breaking past her lips as his tongue pressed deeply into her pussy, tasting her juices right from the source. God, being filled this way in both her pussy and ass was so strange and yet she had never been so hot. She felt opened completely and the way he finally sucked her swollen clit into his mouth as he thrust deeply into her rosebud only heightened the sensation. In fact, the pleasure was so intense she felt herself reaching the peak almost immediately.

Baird must have felt her quiver because he pulled back for just a moment. “That’s right, Lilenta, come,” he urged her in a voice rough with lust. “Come on my tongue while I fuck your sweet ass.”

His breath was hot against her open pussy and the moment his tongue lashed over her clit again, Liv felt herself letting go and obeying his order. “Baird.” she gasped as the orgasm rolled over her. She could feel herself clenching around him, squeezing him as though her body was begging for more. Because I do need more, she thought half deliriously as Baird rode out her orgasm, eagerly lapping the fresh honey that flowed from her pussy. I need him inside me. Not just his tongue or his fingers—I need his cock, filling me up, coming in me…

Baird obviously had the same need. As soon as the last aftershocks of her pleasure ended, he pulled out of her and positioned himself against the entrance of her pussy. “Gonna fuck you now, Lilenta,” he rasped, rubbing the broad head of his shaft over her slippery folds. “Need to fill you up with my cock and mating fist. Need to mark you, bond you to me all over again.”

“Please! God, please, yes.” Liv heard herself begging shamelessly but she couldn’t seem to stop it. Couldn’t seem to do anything but spread her thighs wider in submission for the thick rod that was already invading her pussy.

She’d had him in her before—many times already. But still she felt the slight, stretching pain that came with accommodating such a large male. It was a good feeling—the feeling of being owned and opened and she welcomed it completely as he slid smoothly into her, inch by thick inch. But even when the head of his cock touched bottom inside her, she knew he wasn’t completely in. She still had his mating fist—the thick ridge of muscle that surrounded the base of his cock nearly doubling its diameter—to take inside her pussy.

The mating fist was a physical characteristic only Beast Kindred had. Its purpose was to swell inside the female the warrior was fucking and tie them together for hours until enough cum had been pumped into her pussy to ensure a complete bonding. Liv had been deathly afraid of it at first and she was still a little nervous as she felt the thick ridge pressing against her entrance. But Baird’s body instinctively made chemicals that worked on hers, allowing her to open enough to take him in, though it was a very, very tight fit.

Baird knew she was still a little shy of his fist and he stopped his forward motion to stroke her back soothingly. “You all right?” he murmured. “Can you handle it, Lilenta?”

“Yes…” Liv whispered, spreading her thighs wider, trying to be open enough to take him. “I’m okay. I’ve had you in me before.”

“I’m especially thick tonight, though.” He sounded apologetic. “Been needing you so bad this past week. I’m afraid you might have a hard time taking me in.”

Remind me never to deprive him again, no matter how good or romantic the reason, Liv thought a bit wildly. But she was never one to back down from a challenge and besides, she needed him in her every bit as much as he needed to be there.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, pressing back against him, deliberately spreading her pussy for his cock. “Put it in me, Baird. I…I want you to.”

“And I want to, Lilenta. Just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” she insisted. “Go ahead Baird, fuck me.”

Her words seemed to inflame him beyond reason. With a low growl, he gripped her hips and pressed deep and hard inside her.

Liv moaned in mingled pleasure and pain as the thick mating fist, swollen with his pent up need, finally breached her pussy and entered her, filling her completely. God, it hurt so good she could hardly breathe. There was nothing better than this, than submitting to the man she loved, opening herself for him and taking him—all of him—into her body.

Baird groaned at the pleasure of entering her but once in, he held perfectly still for a moment, caressing her hips. “Gods, Lilenta,” he murmured. “Wish you could see this. My cock buried so deep inside you and your little pussy stretched so tight around my fist. Think I’m gonna come just looking at it.”

“Come then,” Liv moaned, pressing back against him. The Kindred were multi-orgasmic so Baird’s orgasm wouldn’t end their fun. In fact, it would help. With such a tight fit, every extra bit of lubrication was needed.

“Gonna fill you up,” Baird promised her, pressing hard against the end of her channel, and it was no idle threat. Though she’d never felt anything at this moment with a human lover, Liv could feel the hot jets as his seed coated the inside of her unprotected pussy as well as the warm liquid leaking out around the edges of where they were joined so tightly.

“Baird!” she moaned as several pearly drops of his cum slid down to coat her clit. She didn’t know if it was the same with other Kindred but with Beast Kindred, their seed seemed to act as an aphrodisiac. Her pussy was immediately more swollen and sensitive, insuring that the lightest touch would make her come again and again.

“You like that, Lilenta?” His voice was rough with lust and need. “Like the feel of my cock filling you? My cum leaking out of your hot little pussy?”

“You know I do,” she whispered, pressing back against him again. “More, Baird. Come in me again and then fuck me. Fuck me hard.”

“I’ll give it to you as hard as you need, Lilenta,” he promised, gripping her hips again. “Gonna fill you with my cum over and over tonight. Make you mine forever.”

“I’m already yours,” Liv protested breathlessly, but even as she spoke she felt a new rush of heat inside her and more of the warming liquid slipped out to flow over her folds.

With a low roar, Baird began to pump inside her, still coming as he did so. Liv moaned and gripped the duvet, trying to keep from falling over with the force of his fucking. She was so close…so close to coming again. If he would only…

Baird, she sent through the mental link which had been forged the first time they bonded. Touch me! Need you to touch me…make me come.

How about this? He varied his angle slightly and she felt something else coming into play. It was the part of him she’d learned was called the flange—a sort of extension that rose from the very base of his mating fist. The only part of it, in fact, that didn’t fit inside her. It didn’t seem to matter what position they were in, the flange was always there, ready and waiting. It cupped her clit like a firm but gentle finger and rubbed the swollen, supersensitive button just the right way as Baird rocked inside her.

It was exactly what she needed. With a moaning cry, Liv felt herself falling over the edge again, her orgasm washing through her like a warm wave as she lost herself completely in the moment.

“You like that, Lilenta?” he growled softly, gripping her hips harder. “Like it when I fuck you and make you come?”

“You…you know I do,” she gasped, barely able to breathe.

“That’s good,” he rumbled. “Because it’s going to be a long…long night. And we’re just getting started.” His voice softened and he stroked her back soothingly. “I love you, Olivia. Love you so much.”

“Show me how much.” Despite her orgasm she still wanted more. She could never get enough of him—never. Pressing back against him, she worked herself on his still-hard shaft. “Show me, Baird,” she whispered in a low, breathless voice.

“With pleasure, Lilenta.”

And he proceeded to do exactly that.

Chapter Five

Sylvan didn’t know what in the seven hells was happening to him. First his fangs had come out—not once, but twice. And the second time he hadn’t even noticed. Thankfully he’d been able to force them to retract, though the feeling was akin to having his erect cock bound in a too-tight pair of pants. But now his mating scent was apparently emanating from every pore. He could barely smell it himself—it was too much a part of him. But why else would Sophia have rubbed herself against him like that?

Her soft, curvy body. The fullness of her breasts against my chest. Her warm secret scent… She even seemed to like the press of my shaft against her—at least she didn’t move away. He shook his head. No, there was no way the shy, obviously inexperienced Sophia would have made such a wanton display if his mating scent wasn’t out in full force.

But it shouldn’t be! I have sworn never to call a bride. Sworn it in the sacred grove before the statue of the Mother herself. Why is this happening to me? He didn’t know.

His boots clicked and echoed as he strode along the endless lines of docked vehicles, looking for the shuttle that he and Baird shared. Finally, he found it at the end of a short row of similar craft. It was long and sleek and silver—with a very small enclosed space inside. He threw a glance back at Sophia who was nearly running to keep up with his long strides. What if his mating scent filled the cabin of the shuttle as it had the compartment of the transport tube? Was there any way to suppress it?

Sylvan wished he knew but he had never heard of a warrior with his problem before. Usually when a Blood Kindred’s fangs came out and his mating scent began exuding, he was mentally and emotionally ready to claim his bride. But I’m not ready. I’ll never be ready. And even if I was, even if I would dream of breaking my vow, Sophia would never have me.

He remembered the look of horror on her face when she had pointed to his fangs. Well, he supposed he couldn’t blame her. He had cut her lip quite badly with them. But still, did she have to look at him as though he was some kind of monster? He had seen that expression on a female face before—that rejection. And even though he didn’t want her—not with his mind anyway, his foolish body was a different story—seeing that look hurt.

“Sylvan?” A soft hand rested lightly on his elbow and he realized he’d been standing there with his arms crossed, brooding down at the sleek silver shuttle. “Sylvan?” she said again in her soft, musical voice.

Reluctantly, he turned his head to look down at her. “Yes?”

“I…I’m sorry.” She was as pale as paper but there was a determined look in her eyes. In fact, she looked the same way she had just before she’d forced herself to kiss him.

“Sorry for what?” Sylvan made an effort to soften his voice. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Sophia.”

“Yes, I do,” she said stubbornly. “I shouldn’t have…shouldn’t have jumped away like that. I don’t know why, uh, what happened but I know you were just trying to, er, comfort me.”

The look on her beautiful face was both fearful and pleading. For some reason it made Sylvan feel as though she’d reached into his chest and was holding his heart in her soft little hand. “Sophia…” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to push back the tension headache that was pulsing in his temples. “I don’t know why it happened either. I don’t know why my fangs have suddenly come out twice in the past—”

“Three times,” she said faintly.

“What?” He opened his eyes and stared at her.

“You…they came out in the sacred grove, too. When you were, um, rescuing me from that priestess.”

Sylvan nearly groaned. This is not good. The fact that his fangs were coming out in response to his lust for her was one thing. But to know that they were also coming out when his protective instincts were aroused was something else again. I’m acting like we’re already mated and I have to protect her! What in the seven hells is wrong with me?

“I’m sorry,” he said at last, not knowing what else to say. “I beg your forgiveness if I frightened you.”

“It’s all right.” But the look on her face said it wasn’t. “Uh…maybe we should just get back to Earth. If…if you still don’t mind taking me?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to make some excuse and find her another pilot. Preferably one who was already happily mated and wouldn’t exude the heady pheromone-laden mist he was currently putting out like a steam bath. But he had offered to see her home and accepted Baird’s charge for her safety. A Kindred did not make idle promises—if he gave her over to someone else’s care now, he would be guilty of the worst kind of unfaithfulness. Besides, just the thought of her in close proximity to another male, even one who was mated and would have no interest in her, made Sylvan feel enraged. Mine, he thought before he could stop himself. Damn it, she’s mine!

His fangs ached and so did his cock.

Oh, I’m in trouble here, he thought as he concentrated on keeping his fangs from growing—Gods, it was painful to hold them back. So much trouble. But it couldn’t be helped—he would just have to take her back to Earth as quickly as possible and then try never to see her again.

“Sylvan?” she said hesitantly and he realized she was still waiting for an answer.

“Don’t worry,” he said heavily. “I’ll take you. But if you think you smell something good again, just ignore it. All right?”

“What?” She frowned at him, clearly puzzled.

“Nothing.” Sylvan shook his head, feeling slightly relieved. He had explained to her about a male Kindred’s mating scent before—back when they had spoken during Baird and Olivia’s claiming period. Either she had forgotten the conversation or she still hadn’t connected it to what had happened—or almost happened—between them in the transport tube. Of that, Sylvan was immeasurably glad. It was bad enough that his fangs were coming out with no warning—he didn’t want to have to explain why his mating scent had been activated as well. Especially since he had no explanation to give. “Let’s just get you home,” he said, planting his hand against the side of the craft. “And then I think both of us should try to forget any of this ever happened.”

For a moment she looked hurt but then she nodded. “All right, fine with me.”

Sylvan sighed inwardly. The tone of her voice and the grim set of her shapely lips told him he had offended her somehow. But he didn’t have the time or inclination to find out why or how. He had to get her back as quickly as possible and get away from her sweet scent and soft, curvy body.

The smart metal the craft was made of molded to his palm and then a door appeared on the side of the shuttle. Sylvan swung open the hatch and gestured for Sophia to climb inside. When she was safely belted in, he got in himself and started the hydrogen-scoop engine. He waited until the last moment to pull the door shut, but when the oxygen grid klaxon sounded he had no choice. Sighing, he pulled it closed and the smart metal molded closed around them as the shuttle lifted into the air. Goddess help us, here we go.

He just hoped the trip back to her home would be a short and uneventful one.

* * * * *

Sophie was getting more and more frustrated. First he holds me and pets my hair and acts like he actually cares—I mean, it was almost like we were having a little moment there. Not that I wanted to have a moment with him, but still it was sort of…nice. And then I look up and see his freaking fangs have gone crazy. Okay, so that was awkward, but give me a break—I was scared. Anybody would have been. He’s six and a half feet tall and built like a pro wrestler, the fangs are pretty much the icing on the cake. But still, he was acting so sweet before and now he says we should forget anything ever happened. What’s his problem, anyway?

It wasn’t like she wanted anything to happen with the huge warrior—she and Sylvan had been at odds since the moment Olivia had been dragged against her will from their apartment to her claiming ceremony with Baird. Of course, Baird hadn’t been available during their claiming period, so Sophie had taken her anger and frustration out on Sylvan. Every time they talked, it ended badly.

But despite their differences, the way he’d stroked her hair and held her after she was so shaken from the tube ride had been so…gentle. No one looking at his muscular frame and ice blue eyes would have guessed Sylvan had that kind of tenderness in him. And he smelled so good.

Sophie stopped herself right there. Where are you going with this? Please tell me you’re not actually having feelings for him because how stupid would that be? After all, he’s made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t like you.

It wasn’t that she cared for him in any kind of romantic way, she told herself. In fact, at the moment she was pretty damn pissed off at the big warrior. But there was no denying he was attractive—or would have been if it wasn’t for the scary dental daggers he was packing. Being with Sylvan was like stroking a cat and suddenly finding it had turned into a tiger in your lap. A saber tooth tiger.

Her mind churned on and she fumed silently as the doors of the docking bay irised open and the shuttle rose out into the blackness of space. To their right she saw the gray, pocked face of the moon which the Kindred mother ship was orbiting. Far above them was what looked like a blue ball swirled with white.

The Earth. Who would have ever guessed that I would see it from this perspective? She’d made the trip to visit Olivia before but she’d been too nervous to really relax and enjoy the scenery. This time she wasn’t a bit concerned about the flight—it was the pilot who was making her feel tense. She kept her eyes on the Earth, slowly growing closer in their viewscreen, mainly so she wouldn’t have to look at Sylvan.

Apparently he felt that he had to make small talk to entertain her because she heard him clear his throat. “You have a lovely home world,” he said stiffly.

“Uh, thank you.” Sophie glanced at him quickly out of the corner of her eye but he was staring straight ahead, paying attention to the complicated looking control panel. “It looks so small from here,” she said. “So…insignificant.”

“Everyone thinks that when they first see their home world from space.” He sounded a little more calm—maybe piloting relaxed him. “The universe is so vast and you realize for the first time that your entire planet is a single grain of sand on the ocean floor.”

“Did you think that?” Sophie looked at him more directly. “The first time you saw your home world—Tranq Prime—from a space ship?”

He laughed grimly. “More or less. But I thought of it more as a single ice crystal in a glacier. We don’t have beaches on Tranq Prime. Not the kind you’re used to, anyway.”

“So you have snow all the time? What is that like?”

He threw her a glance. “Cold. Extremely cold.”

“No, really, I want to know.” Sophie’s curiosity overcame her irritation at least for the moment. “I mean, I’ve lived in Florida all my life so I’ve only ever seen snow once. My senior class took a ski trip to Colorado but I twisted my ankle in the first five minutes and spent the rest of the trip drinking nasty instant cocoa while the rest of the class had fun. So I pretty much missed everything. The snowball fights, the snowman building contest, the ice skating…” She trailed off. Sylvan was giving her his full attention now and the look on his chiseled features was incredulous. “What?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I think you have a different idea of cold than I do. We don’t go out to ‘play’ in the snow on my planet any more than you would swim in shark-infested waters on Earth for fun. The conditions are incredibly harsh and unforgiving.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.” Sophie looked down at her hands.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about us.” His deep voice was harsh. Was he angry with her? Did he seriously have that much nerve?

Her frustration returned in a rush.

“Apparently there’s a lot you don’t know about yourself.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, what’s the deal with your fangs?” Sophie knew she shouldn’t be asking—clearly a sensitive subject with him. But somehow the words came flying out. “Jillian told me it was safe to kiss you because they wouldn’t come out until you met a woman you wanted to…to…”

“To mate. To bond. To fuck,” he finished for her, his voice harsh.

“Yes.” Sophie could feel her cheeks getting hot but she lifted her chin and went on anyway. “So why would they come out around me? I mean, you don’t even like me.”

“Is that what you think? That I don’t like you?” He frowned.

“What else am I supposed to think?” she flared. “First you were acting so nice and then you got angry—”

“I’m not angry at you.”

“Well you could have fooled me, the way you’re acting. What about the way you said you wanted to take me home and forget about…just forget?” she ended rather lamely.

“That’s because forgetting is my only option.” He stared straight ahead as he talked. “I took a vow never to call a bride, Sophia. A vow I must never break.”

“Nobody’s asking you to break it,” she protested.

“Even if I wanted to it would do me no good.” He looked at her for a long moment and then looked away.

Sophie threw up her hands. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“And it’s better we keep it that way.” He glared straight ahead, apparently focusing on his piloting. “You clearly want nothing to do with me and I…I should feel the same way about you. So…”

“So what?” she demanded but he didn’t answer. Glancing at him she saw he was staring at the instrument panel with a worried frown on his face. “Sylvan?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”

“No.” His voice was calm but his fingers on the steering yoke had tightened until they were white.

“What…what’s wrong?” Sophie glanced out the broad, window-like viewscreen and saw that the Earth, which had been growing larger and larger as they approached it, was suddenly veering away to one side. No, she realized. It’s not the Earth that’s veering away—it’s us! “Sylvan?” she asked in a low, trembling voice. “Why…why are you taking us away from Earth?”

“I’m not.” His voice was still distant and calm but his thick arms were rigid now, held straight out as he gripped the yoke. Clearly he was fighting with the controls.

“But then what…who…?”

“The Scourge.” He jerked his head in the direction they were being pulled. “They must have cast some kind of energy net and now we’re caught in it.”

“Oh my God,” Sophia whispered, feeling faint. She’d never seen a member of the Scourge herself but she had heard plenty about them. Olivia had been taken by the alien race and had her mind scanned by their evil AllFather. Even after she’d been released and was reunited with Baird, she’d still had horrible nightmares about it. “God,” she moaned softly again.

“You may well pray to whatever deity you choose.” Sylvan’s voice was grim. “They have us locked in.”

“So we’re trapped?” Sophie bit her lip and looked out the viewscreen where Earth was rapidly receding.

“Not…quite.” Sylvan cast her a quick look. “There’s a chance I can get us out but it’s going to be hard on the ship.”

“Who cares about the ship? Just do it,” Sophie urged him.

“I don’t think you understand me.” He spoke through gritted teeth as he wrestled with the controls. “What I meant to say is the maneuver I’m considering may tear the ship apart. We’ll get out of the Scourge net but the ship may disintegrate around us before we reach Earth.”

For a moment, Sophie didn’t know what to say. Then Liv’s voice echoed in her mind. I thought I was going to die. The minute the AllFather got into my head with his cold slimy claws and started digging around, making me relive my worst memories, I thought I was just going to die.

It would be like the priestess in the sacred grove all over again, Sophie realized. Only a thousand times worse. And Liv said that sometimes they project your memories up on a huge viewscreen so everyone can watch—that’s what they did to Baird, anyway. What if they caught us and they hooked me up to that machine? What if everybody saw… But she couldn’t make herself finish.

“Sophia?” Sylvan’s deep voice was strained now, cracks showing in his calm. “I have been charged with your safety—this has to be your choice.”

Sophie felt cold all over. “We’re dead anyway if they take us. Isn’t that right?”

He gave a short, jerky nod. “Surrender might buy us a little time but eventually, yes.”

He means eventually after they torture us. After they let everyone see what’s in my head All my worst memories including what happened that night when… “I’d rather die trying to escape,” she said decisively. “Do what you have to do but don’t let them take us alive.”

He threw her a look of approval. “You have a warrior’s spirit.”

No, I’d just rather die than have you or anyone else see inside my head. Than have to relive that horrible night. But she didn’t say it out loud. She just tightened the straps holding her in place and nodded at the viewscreen. “Go on—punch it!”

“All right then. We’re going through the center of the web where the energy is strongest.” The muscles under his blue uniform shirt bunched and his jaw clenched in grim determination. “Hold on, Sophia. Here…we…go.”

* * * * *

They were both going to die.

Sylvan wished he’d had time to tell Sophia how he really felt—that he didn’t hate her even if she hated him. He wished he had time to explore what was happening between them even if it led nowhere. Most of all he wished he had met her before he’d made his vow. But there was no time for regret now.

Gritting his teeth, he jerked the steering yoke to one side and punched the accelerator at the same time. For a moment there was a sudden lack of resistance and then a shattering jolt that threw them both forward. Sylvan kept the accelerator down, grateful for the safety harnesses that held them both in place.

The shuttle shivered violently and there was a shrieking scream as metal sheered away from its top and sides. Still he kept the accelerator to the floor, pushing through the resistance a micrometer at a time. Layer by layer, the ship was being pealed like the Earth vegetable called an onion. The smart metal was incredibly strong and resistant to heat but their chances of getting through Earth’s atmosphere alive instead of being burned to a cinder lessened with every layer that left the ship’s outer surface.

It was a suicide maneuver and one Sylvan knew the enemy wouldn’t expect. He hoped it would throw them off guard long enough for the shuttle to get free and be on its way. Going back to the Kindred mother ship was impossible. Once they got through the net it would block their way. But they might just make it to Earth—if the shuttle wasn’t stripped completely by the time it bored through the center of the enemy’s trap.

Though Sylvan had known her to be emotional in the past, Sophia sat silent and dry-eyed beside him. He cast her a quick glance and saw that her fingers were white, clenching the armrests of her flight seat and her lips were tight. But though her lovely green eyes were filled with terror, she didn’t make a sound.

The sight of her sitting there, so courageous in the face of almost certain death squeezed his heart. Gods, how he longed to gather her close and simply hold her as he had after their journey in the transport tube. Those few seconds before she had been frightened by his fangs had been the best of his life. The way she had melted against him, trusting him completely to keep her safe, to comfort her. The press of her body against his…he wanted that again. Wanted it in the worst possible way. And now he would never have it.

You wouldn’t have it anyway, even if you survive this crazy maneuver—which is looking less and less likely, a little voice in his brain pointed out. She wants nothing to do with you. But then why had she seemed so upset about the idea of him disliking her? And why—

With a jolt the net parted and they were through. The shuttle jumped forward like a horse that had been spurred and Sylvan twisted the yoke, aiming for Earth once more. But as the round blue ball began to grow in the viewscreen he saw something to his left. It was like an oil spot in space, an ill defined mass so incredibly black it actually seemed to suck up all the light around it.

His heart sank as he recognized it for what it was—a Scourge fighter. They used a kind of black hole technology that made their ships impossible to actually see, although his ship’s sensors could spot them well enough. To the naked eye they showed up more as an absence of light than any real, definable shape that the eye could trace. How many of them? And why do they want us in the first place? Aloud he said, “Hold on, Sophia—we have company.”

“What? Who?” Her eyes were wide as she peered at the viewscreen.

“Scourge ships. You can’t really see them.” Sylvan began evasive action, forcing the wounded shuttle through all kinds of maneuvers, trying to make them a more difficult target. “But they’re there. I’m just telling you to be prepared in case—”

Before he could finish the ship jerked and something metal scraped the outside of the hull. There was no sound in space, of course, but the impact reverberated through the pressurized flight compartment making a hollow clang they could hear clearly inside the ship.

“What was that?” Sophia’s voice was high and breathless.

Sylvan cursed. “They’re using grappling hooks to try and pull is in. Hold on.” He twisted the yoke again, flying as wildly as possible while still keeping Earth in his sights. Suddenly, though he hadn’t touched it, his communicator crackled to life.

“Warrior,” said a cold male voice from the central speaker. “Know this, we do not seek your life. We only want the girl—Sophia Waterhouse. Surrender her and you will be allowed to go back to your ship unmolested. You have my word as a commander of the Scourge that it is so.” The words were spoken in English rather than the Kindred universal language—proof that the Scourge had been studying their prey.

Sylvan bared his teeth, his fangs punching out in sheer rage. This time he didn’t try to hold them back. “Never,” he snarled, squeezing the yoke as though it was the Scourge commander’s neck. “Sophia is mine. I’ll never give her up—to you or anyone.”

Sophia gave him a wide-eyed look but he didn’t care. He was too busy avoiding the grappling hooks that were clanging off the weakened hull at regular intervals.

“Don’t be foolish.” The cold voice sounded angry now. “You can find another female. The planet below is full of them.”

“I have given my word to keep her safe.” Sylvan dived and swerved as Earth grew bigger in the viewscreen. “But what would you know about that, you motherless bastard? You Scourge filth have no females and spawn in tanks like bacteria. What would you know about protecting and caring for a female?”

“It is because of you, because of the Kindred that we have no females! For that insult alone her torment will be all the more.” The words were filled with fury and Sylvan could almost see the Scourge commander’s dark face twisting with hatred. “We will strip her naked before we take her to the AllFather. Strip her and take her in front of you where you stand, helpless to do anything but watch as she begs for release.”

“The hell you will!” Rage was like a red cloud in front of his eyes. Normally in battle he was as cold as ice but not now. Not when they were threatening Sophia. Threatening his female. “You listen to me,” he told the Scourge commander as he flew toward Earth. “You’ll never have her. And if I ever meet you face to face I’ll make you pay for those words. I’ll fucking rip your throat out with my teeth.”

Angry laughter filled the small cabin. “With your teeth, eh? You must be a Blood Kindred to speak so, warrior. I’ll be sure to pull your fangs out by the roots and bring them to the AllFather as a trophy after I finish with your female. I—”

Sylvan took one hand from the yoke and punched the speaker. There was a crunching sound and his fist made a surprisingly large hole in the metal console. His hand hurt and he started bleeding at once but he felt immediately better. He and Sophia might die—they probably would—but he would be damned if he’d go down with that sick bastard’s voice in his ears.

He became aware that Sophia was staring at him, her face as white as new fallen snow, but there was no time to explain. There was another clang against the side of the hull and the ship jerked alarmingly. Sylvan felt sick. One of the hooks caught! There was only one thing to do—keep going.

Praying to the Mother of Life for help, he forced the crippled ship into a roll, hoping to lose the hook. Earth was looming before them now, filling the entire screen. They were close…so close…

With a grinding screech, the little ship jerked free of the grappling hook and catapulted forward. They were in the upper atmosphere now and barreling down fast toward the ground, leaving the Scourge ships far behind. The smart metal hull was holding so far, but they weren’t in the clear yet. When Sylvan tried to slow their descent the ship was sluggish and unresponsive.

“Uh, Sylvan?” Sophie’s voice was a whisper of pure terror as the ground rushed up to meet them. “We’re, uh, going awfully fast. Any chance of slowing down?”

“Not much, sorry.” He flashed her a grim half-smile. “Part of the landing and guidance system is out. Either it was burned up by the net or that last grappling hook ripped it off. Either way it looks like a crash landing.”

“Oh,” she gasped. “Can…can we survive that?”

“If we’re lucky and I can find a big enough mountain.” He had managed to level off and was heading for a ridge right now. If they could just hit hard enough the ship’s maximum impact safety cushioning would be activated. If not…well…

Clearly Sophia didn’t know about the cushioning. “A mountain? You’re trying to hit a mountain?”

“Not trying to—about to,” Sylvan told her. “Hang on.”

He saw her eyes grow wider as the craggy wall of sheer rock filled the viewscreen. She opened her mouth to scream and…

Impact.

I’m sorry, Sophia. Sorry I didn’t have time to tell you I—They were both jolted forward…into a seething wall of blue gel that gushed from every crack, crevice, and cranny in the console. As the hull of the shuttle crumpled the cushioning gel filled the cabin, cocooning them both as it absorbed the force of their impact.

Despite the gel, Sylvan managed to hit his head on something hard—maybe the ceiling of the ship which had folded in on itself—and everything went black.

* * * * *

When he came to it was dark and silent. The ship’s systems were gone, clearly damaged beyond repair and the gooey gel was just beginning to melt and foam away. Sylvan struggled out of his restraints, thanking the Mother that the hull had, for the most part, kept its integrity. There were scattered pieces of metal and glass everywhere. But though the top of the ship had been pealed up and out so that the night sky was clearly visible, the walls and floor were still together.

The hole in the ceiling was actually quite fortuitous—now he wouldn’t have to try to force a way out of the damaged shuttle. It would save some time since he and Sophia would have to get to safety on foot. Sylvan wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling they had a long way to go. He didn’t even know the name of the mountain range he’d crashed into—only that it was far north of their original intended target of Tampa, Florida.

Wherever they were, they had to go and quickly. He didn’t know how long he’d been out but he was sure of one thing—the Scourge were going to be after them. They might not be able to get their ships through the protective grid the Kindred had placed around the Earth, but they had other, smaller probes which probably could get through. And if they sent down some of their hellish sniffers… Sylvan shook his head. He had to pack some supplies and get Sophia as far from the crash site as possible before they were found.

“Sophia?” he said, freeing himself from the last of the gel and turning toward her. “Soph—” Her name died on his lips—she was gone.

For a moment Sylvan stared blankly at the empty straps. There was a smear of blood where she’d been sitting but no other sign of her. He couldn’t even smell her—the air was still filled with the acrid reek of scorched metal and the sharp scent of the cushioning safety gel.

Had she been thrown clear of the wreckage somehow? Or had the gel not been enough to cushion her impact? He realized with dread that the safety features of the shuttle were geared for a Kindred warrior who would naturally be piloting it—not for a fragile human female like Sophia. Was she lying crushed and mangled somewhere? Or had the Scourge already gotten through while he was blacked out, leaving her helpless and unprotected? Fear filled him like black water. Goddess, please no. No!

“Sophia!” Her name broke from him a full throated roar. “Sophia! So—”

He nearly tripped on her prone form. She was lying on her face near the back of the cabin, crumpled into a small heap. Gasping in relief, Sylvan knelt beside her. “Sophia,” he murmured, running one hand up her back and neck to check the alignment of her spine. Nothing seemed damaged or out of place, but she didn’t respond to his voice or touch. Troubled, he shook her shoulder gently. “Sophia? It’s time to wake up. We have to get out of here quickly.” Still no response.

Dreading the worst, Sylvan reached beneath her to turn her over. His seeking fingers found something warm and wet. Hesitantly, he brought his hand up to his face. The liquid on his fingers looked black in the starlight and he didn’t have to smell it to know it was blood.

Sophia’s blood.

Chapter Six

Kat was supervising the clean up after the reception—when the Kindred partied, they really partied—when a deep male voice behind her startled her.

“Excuse me, my lady?”

“Huh?” It took her a minute to realize that whoever was speaking was addressing her. Turning, she found herself face to face with the two Twin Kindred warriors Sylvan had introduced as his ‘second brothers.’ “Oh uh, hi,” she said, smiling. “Deep and Lock, right?”

“Yes, my lady.” Lock made a courtly bow while Deep simply nodded his head. There was a scowl on his face that seemed to center in his jet black eyes and Kat wondered if he ever smiled. It was easy to see that he must be the “dark twin” and not just from his coloring. She’d had to listen to enough of Jillian’s prattling to know a lot more about Twin Kindred than she ever wanted to. Besides the fact that they always came in pairs, she knew that they also had very different temperaments—hence the “light” and “dark” classification.

The brothers were dressed in the tight fitting black flight pants all the Kindred warriors favored and they were wearing dark green uniform shirts that buttoned up to the chin with shiny gold buttons. The color looked outstanding on both of them but Kat couldn’t help thinking that any color would. Both green uniform shirts were obviously hiding six pack abs and arms of steel and they had muscles to match everyplace else too. Yum.

“Nice to see you both again. Did you come over to help clear tables?” Kat motioned to the refreshment pavilion, where over half the tables were still stacked with empty plates and half filled glasses.

“Regrettably no, my lady.” Lock, obviously the “light twin” of the pair had a handsome, open face. With his wheat colored hair and big brown eyes he was what Kat’s grandmother had always called ‘an October blond’—but now he looked troubled. “We have…bad news,” he said, hesitating as though he didn’t know how to say it.

“Very bad news.” Deep crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Our Flight Control has lost contact with Sylvan and the human female he was taking back to her home on Earth.”

“With Sophie, you mean?” Kat felt her heart freeze. She’d seen the two of them leaving together earlier—much earlier now that she thought about it—but she’d been too busy keeping the reception on track to think about it.

“The twin of Baird’s bride, yes.” Lock nodded. “There was a disturbance in space—a kind of energy field we’d never seen before—shortly after their shuttle left the docking bay. Flight Control couldn’t tell what it was and it masked all other signals. By the time it cleared, Sylvan’s ship was nowhere to be seen.”

Kat felt sick. “But couldn’t they have already landed in Tampa?”

Deep shook his head. “Tampa HKR reported no shuttles have docked in the past twenty-four Earth hours.”

“So that’s it? They’re gone? Poof! Just like that?” Kat demanded.

“Not exactly.” Deep frowned. “We actually believe they may have landed somewhere else on Earth. A forced landing, perhaps. If the energy field was generated by the Scourge, as we believe, they may have had to change their flight plans considerably.”

“My God! Sophie is somewhere down there, who knows where, lost and alone—”

“Not alone.” Deep’s black eyes flashed. “Sylvan is with her. Our second brother would not abandon a female placed in his care—not even if his life depended on it.”

“Look,” said Kat, beginning to feel exasperated. “Nobody’s disputing that Sylvan is a great guy. But he’s just one guy. What if the Scourge send a something or someone after them—or a whole bunch of someones? Even Sylvan, as big as he is, can’t hold off a dozen attackers.”

“Then he will die trying,” Lock said quietly. “I don’t think you quite understand the depths of a Kindred warrior’s devotion, my lady. Sylvan has been charged with Sophia’s safety. If need be he will gladly lay down his life to protect her.”

Kat frowned. “Even though they’re not dating or engaged or anything like that? I mean…I’m sorry, but I don’t even think she likes him very much. And to hear her tell it, he’s not her number one fan either.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Lock said. “When the safety of a female is at stake the warrior shielding her will go to any extreme to be certain she is protected.”

Kat tried to smile. “It’s nice to know chivalry isn’t dead, at least among the Kindred.”

Deep raised one black eyebrow at her. “Chivalry?”

“Never mind.” Kat shook her head. “Look, the main thing is, what’s being done to find them? I mean, why doesn’t somebody put on a Think-me and bespeak them?”

“We’ve tried that already,” Lock said. “Either something is blocking their thought signals or…”

“Or what?” Kat put a hand to her throat.

“Or they’re dead,” Deep said harshly.

Kat sucked in a breath, feeling like someone had punched her in the stomach. “Oh God, no,” she whispered.

“Deep!” Lock rounded on his brother angrily. “Did you have to put it so bluntly?”

Deep shrugged his broad shoulders. “Just stating the facts, Brother. It’s time we all faced them—Sylvan has been out of contact for hours now.”

Kat glared at the black haired warrior. “I don’t care how long it’s been since anyone saw them or spoke to them, we can’t just give up!”

“We’re not going to,” Lock said quickly. “We still have hope no matter what my brother says. You must forgive him, my lady—he always looks at the worst possibility first.”

Kat looked at Deep speculatively. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, huh?”

“Indeed.” He made an overly elaborate bow.

Kat frowned. What is it with these guys and the bowing, anyway? “All right, fine,” she told Deep. “But just because you’re a pessimist doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole.”

Deep frowned. “Excuse me? A what? I’m not completely familiar with Earth vernacular yet.”

Lock grinned. “I think you’ve just been insulted, brother. And by one of the elite, no less. You should feel honored.”

“By one of the who?” Kat waved her hand when he started to answer. “No, never mind—whatever. Just tell me what we can do to find them.”

“There is actually another way to locate them,” Lock said. “Deep and I are seeker/finders.”

“Excuse me, you’re what?” Kat asked.

“Seeker/finders,” he repeated. “We have the gift of far-looking.”

“Okay, sorry boys, but it still does not compute. In English, please—what does that mean?”

“It means we can use the power of our combined minds to locate people who are lost,” Deep drawled. “Is that clear enough for you?”

Kat gave the brothers a skeptical look. “Sounds kind of ‘psychic network’ if you ask me. But okay, I’ll bite if we don’t have anything else. So why don’t you two just go to it?”

“We would but we need someone who knows either Sylvan or Sophia intimately in order to get a lock on them,” Lock said. “To act as a focus.”

“But don’t you know Sylvan well enough to contact him?” Kat looked at both of them. “I mean, you’re step—er—second brothers, aren’t you?”

“We are, but since we’re providing the means of location, we need someone else to help focus in on their energy,” Lock explained. “We were hoping you might know of someone close to Sylvan or Sophia who is familiar with the way they think. Of course, Baird would be the best candidate, but he left the after party with Olivia some time ago and we didn’t want to bother them.”

“Not bother them? Of course you have to bother them!” Kat put her hands on her hips. “Liv needs to know what’s going on. You can’t imagine how close she and Sophie are—they’re twins.”

Deep and Lock looked at each other and something seemed to pass between them. “Actually, yes we can.” Deep gave her a sardonic smile. “We’re twins too, remember my lady?”

“Right.” They looked so different and seemed to have such different temperaments that she’d almost forgotten. “Well then, you two should understand. No matter what she’s doing, Liv will want to know that something’s happened to her sister.”

Lock looked pained. “My lady…I don’t think you understand. You see, Baird and his bride have retired to their suite.”

Kat gave them a blank look. “Yes, and? That was ages ago. I know they were probably, uh, celebrating but they have to be done by now.”

The two men exchanged looks again. “Not necessarily,” Deep began. “You see with the Beast Kindred—”

Kat made a come on already gesture with her hand. “Yeah, yeah, I know—you Kindred guys are all stellar lovers and it takes awhile to do the deed. Whoop-de-do, lucky Liv. But she and Baird have been gone for hours—they’re bound to be done having sex by now.”

Deep shook his head. “Not if it’s bonding sex.”

Kat frowned. “I thought that was a one time thing—the way you guys, uh, tied your chosen brides to you.”

“But the bond must be renewed from time to time,” Deep said. “And since this is the night of their bonding ceremony, I’m sure they’re renewing their bond as we speak.”

Kat crossed her arms. “Well this is ridiculous—how long can it possibly take?”

Lock frowned. “How much do you know about Beast Kindred anatomy?”

“Well, I…” Kat shook her head. Though Liv had dished to both her and Sophie that Baird was an amazing lover, she had been strangely shy about specifics. Of course Kat knew the general details of the different types of Kindred and their various physical endowments—most Earth girls did. But as for the exact details of how everything worked…

“They have a swelling at the base of their shaft called the mating fist,” Deep said, interrupting her train of thought. “When a Beast Kindred’s cock is lodged completely within his bride’s body it expands to lock them together so they can fuck for literally hours. And they cannot be separated until he’s finished.” He leaned forward. “Are you beginning to understand why we can’t interrupt them?”

To her intense irritation Kat felt her cheeks getting warm with a blush. “I see you’ve got at least some ‘Earth vernacular’ under your belt,” she said tartly.

“Some,” he admitted, his black eyes dancing. Apparently he was enjoying their verbal sparring. Jerk, Kat thought. He’s hot all right, but what a bastard!

She turned back to Lock who seemed to be the reasonable twin. “Okay, well if Baird and Liv are out then I guess that leaves me. What do you want me to do?”

Deep’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you mean we should use you?” he asked incredulously before his brother could answer. “As a focus? Are you serious?”

“Why not?” Kat demanded turning back to him. “I admit I don’t know Sylvan all that well but Sophie is practically a sister to me. We’ve been friends since grade school—doesn’t that make me qualified to help, uh, ‘zero in’ on her?”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with how qualified you are.” Deep frowned. “It has to do with you being an unmated female offering to open yourself to two unmated males.”

“What makes you think I’m ‘unmated?’” Kat snapped. Her single state was a sore spot with her, especially since the dry spell she was currently going through was in its sixth month. Men in Tampa just didn’t appreciate women with curves. “For your information I have a boyfriend back home,” she told Deep. “A big, mean, scary one who gets pissed off when his girlfriend is insulted.”

“Is that so?” Before she could answer, Deep was suddenly on his knees before her. Starting at her right ankle, he ran his nose up her inner thigh until he got to her crotch where he inhaled deeply.

It was such a shockingly animalistic thing to do that Kat was frozen in place for a minute. But when the big Kindred pressed his face between her legs and she felt his hot breath against her sex through her silky sapphire gown, the paralysis broke. “Hey!” She jumped back, feeling as though he had burned her somehow. “You son of a bitch, how dare you?”

Still on his knees, Deep looked up at her, black eyes burning. “I’m just verifying your information.”

“By smelling me?” Kat had heard from Liv and Sophie both that the sense of smell was very important to the Kindred. But hearing it and seeing evidence of it in action were two different things.

“Deep,” Lock murmured warningly. “Brother…”

“She lies.” Deep looked at his twin and something—some understanding or silent communication—passed between them. “There is no other male. There hasn’t been for months.” Slowly he rose to his feet and took a step toward Kat. Towering over her, he looked down into her eyes. “No male in your bed to hold you, to stroke your luscious, curvy body and make you purr. Now why would you lie about something like that, little Kat?”

Kat had taken enough of his crap. Reaching up, she slapped him as hard as she could. “I don’t know what your problem is,” she told Deep, breathing hard. “But my personal life is none of your goddamn business.”

Deep rubbed his jaw and gave her a sardonic smile. “Forgive me. I was just making a point.”

“What point is that?”

Lock looked uncomfortable. “My lady,” he said hesitantly. “I don’t think you really understand what you’re offering. My brother is trying to show you—though I don’t approve of his methods.” He shot Deep an angry look and his twin looked back blankly.

“Show me what?” Kat demanded. She wondered if all Twin Kindred were this irritating. If so, Jillian and her husbands really deserved each other.

“What you’re letting yourself in for,” Deep rumbled.

“Whatever it is, if it will get us closer to finding Sophie and Sylvan, I’m up for it. Now, are you going to let me help or not?”

Deep rubbed his jaw again and gave her an appraising glance. “I for one have no objection to letting you help,” he rumbled. “But you might, once you find out what it requires.”

“Okay, so tell me what it requires. But do it fast—Sophie might be in trouble right now.” Kat turned to Lock who was watching her with an uncertain expression on his face. “Well?”

“You’ll have to let us into your mind,” he said in a low voice. “And since you aren’t bonded to a male who can shield you, it’s apt to be a very intimate experience.”

Kat felt cold. “Uh, intimate how?”

“Imagine all your deepest fantasies and most secret desires laid bare.” Deep took a step toward her, his eyes boring into her. “Are you prepared to deal with that?”

Was she? Suddenly Kat’s heart was beating double time. How could she let these two men who she’d just met into her head? And yet, how could she not? I’m the only one who can do this and the longer we wait, the more trouble Sophie and Sylvan might be in. Also, she knew Sophie or Liv would do the same thing for her in a heartbeat. And besides, she told herself uneasily, it’s not like I’ll be having sex with these two. It’s just some kind of weird mind-melding Star Trek kind of thing. That’s all—right? She certainly hoped so.

“Well?” Deep raised an eyebrow at her and she could tell he thought he’d scared her off.

Lifting her chin she gave him a level stare. “I’m in. How do we start?”

Chapter Seven

Sophie came to consciousness with something warm and wet pressed against the underside of her left breast. As her eyelids fluttered she felt it slide upward, tracing along the outer ring of her areola and drawing a low moan from her lips. What’s going on? She didn’t know and at the moment, she didn’t care. She only cared about the deliciously pleasurable sensation that was centered in her breast.

The warm wet something—a tongue. Feels like a tongue—continued its journey over her nipple, making her gasp as the hard little nub tightened. She moaned again and the tongue repeated its action, seeming to take its time, laving her nipple gently, sending sparks of pleasure through her entire body and building a slow, hot fire between her legs.

Who…why…? For some reason the pleasurable sensations made her bottom lip throb. Sophie licked it tentatively and found it was incredibly sensitive to touch, as it never had been before. Why am I so sensitive there? Slowly the answer began to form in her brain. Got hurt…someone bit me. Who? A picture appeared in her mind’s eye. The image of a tall, broad shouldered man with spiky blond hair and ice blue eyes like a husky’s. Sylvan…he bit my lip during the Luck Kiss. And then we were in the tube together and he smelled so good…

Come to think of it, that delicious sharp, spicy scent was filling her senses now. It smelled so delicious Sophie wanted to wrap it around her like a blanket. It made her feel safe and warm but at the same time it made her nipples ache and her pussy wet. How could one smell do so many things? Mating scent…The words drifted through her brain but Sophie pushed them away. The very idea was ridiculous—why would Sylvan give off his mating scent for her when he didn’t even like her? He—

The warm wet tongue bathing her nipple broke her train of thought completely, shattering everything into shards of pleasure. God, no one had ever touched her like this before. No one had ever been this tender, this gentle. After what had happened to her in the past, Sophie had never dreamed she’d want any man to touch her again. But this man…Wait a minute, who is this man? The man who’s licking me? Her eyes were shut tight but for some reason she knew whoever was laving her breast and nipples so gently was male. Could it be…Sylvan? But why would he…?

“Sophia?” murmured a low voice in her ear.

Her eyes flew open and she looked up to see a dark shape bending over her. He seemed huge in the surrounding blackness, a mountain of muscle and she was cradled in his lap. Cradled in his lap half naked! Her hands went immediately to her bare breasts, trying to cover herself from the man.

“Don’t.” He caught her hands and held them gently but firmly, keeping her exposed. “You’re not quite healed yet,” he said in a deep, familiar voice. As he spoke, starlight glinted off a double set of white, curving teeth that looked razor sharp in his upper jaw. Fangs! His fangs! It was Sylvan’s lap she was on, his tongue she had felt licking her so gently. His voice echoed in her brain, the words he’d spoken to the Scourge commander, I’ll fucking rip your throat out with my teeth!

All the pleasure she’d been feeling suddenly turned to horror and she tried to scramble off his lap.

“Sophia, don’t—” He held her but she fought like a wild cat, scratching and kicking until he let her go.

Sophie rolled off his lap and onto hard, stony ground. Sharp pebbles shredded her palms and cut her knees through the ragged remains of her bridesmaid’s dress, but she didn’t care. She only knew she had to get away from him—away from those horror-movie fangs that looked so utterly lethal.

“Be careful!” His voice was sharp. “You’ll go over the edge!”

“The edge?” Sophie risked a glance behind her and saw that she was crouching on a rocky ledge which ended abruptly, diving down into a black chasm just inches away. For a moment her fear of heights warred with her fear of his fangs. Then her weight shifted and her foot slipped. Pebbles clattered down into the blackness and she felt herself falling…

“Come here.” A strong hand grabbed her wrist and she was yanked from the crumbling cliff and back into Sylvan’s lap. “Hold still!” he commanded in a low, rough voice, very different from his earlier gentle tone. “You’re disoriented. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Well I know what you’re doing!” Sophie struggled against him, beating at his broad chest uselessly.

“What are you talking about? I’m trying to save you.”

“By stripping me naked and licking me while I was unconscious?” She gave him an incredulous look. “Yeah, right. Now let me go!”

“Not until you listen.” Sylvan held her tightly, refusing to let go. At last, when she stopped struggling, he spoke again in a slightly softer tone. “You were wounded in the crash. I had to do something to stop the bleeding.”

“And you picked licking?” She tugged at her tattered dress and glared up at him, completely furious now. “I mean, you’re a doctor for God’s sake. What ever happened to a tourniquet or a compress? Or anything else that doesn’t involve your mouth on my…my bare…” She trailed off, feeling her cheeks get hot.

“My saliva has healing agents in it,” he said, sounding completely reasonable. “Also coagulants to stop blood flow.”

Sophie wasn’t buying it. “It wasn’t just licking,” she said accusingly. “Your fangs were out and you were going to bite me—admit it!”

It was hard to read his face in the darkness but she thought he looked pained. “Yes,” he admitted heavily. “I was prepared to bite you if I had to.”

“If you had to? Why the hell would you have to bite me?”

“I thought your wounds might be too deep or deadly to heal any other way,” he said in a low voice. “I know you fear and dislike my fangs and for that I am sorry. But they secrete a chemical we of the Blood Kindred call essence—that’s the closest I can come to a translation in your language, anyway.”

The word rang a bell. “Wait a minute, essence? Didn’t you say it was a good thing I didn’t get any of that in my system earlier, when you examined my lip?”

“Biting isn’t something we do lightly.” He hesitated. “The act of biting, the gift of blood and essence…these things are usually reserved exclusively for a Blood Kindred’s mate. But in this case I thought it might be necessary, because the compounds in essence can heal almost any hurt or disease.”

“So you were going to bite me to heal me?” Sophie frowned, still not buying it. “Why should I believe you? How do I know you don’t just like the taste of my blood like some kind of perverted vampire?”

“Vampire?” He frowned. “Are you referring to the fictional characters your people write stories about? The ones who rip out their victim’s throats in order to drink their blood?”

Sophie crossed her arms over her breasts. “Uh, when you say it like that it sounds really bad. But, yeah, I guess so.”

“I am not a ‘vampire,’” he said dryly. “And the purpose of a Blood Kindred’s bite is not to wound or drink anyone dry.”

“So what is the purpose then? Besides healing?” She still wasn’t sure she believed that.

“A Blood Kindred bites to heal if his mate is injured or to arouse her sexually if she is well,” he said matter-of-factly.

Sophia coughed and shifted in his arms. “Uh…really. And you think that turns a woman on? Being bitten?”

His eyes flashed in the darkness. “Clearly you find the idea disgusting.”

“Not so much disgusting as frightening.” She couldn’t help the shiver that went through her at the thought. “I…uh…biting and blood and anything like that…I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea of it being that…that painful.”

Sylvan frowned. “Who said anything about it being painful?”

“How could it not be?” Sophie objected. “I mean you’ve got the poor girl pinned down and you’re biting her while you…while you…” She shook her head, feeling her face get hot. “Never mind. Can you please just let me up?” Being so close to him while they talked about this kind of thing was making her nervous.

“It isn’t like that,” Sylvan said quietly, making no move to release her.

“How do you know? You’ve never, uh, bonded with anyone.”

“And I never will.” Sylvan’s deep voice was soft. “But no Kindred would ever hurt his bride or do anything she found objectionable.”

“Well I find this—all this…” She made a motion with her hand to encompass the entire situation they found themselves in. “Completely objectionable. I mean I wake up topless and find you, uh, licking me and then you tell me it’s all for my own good. And if you bite me, that will be for my own good too. So I’m just supposed to say ‘Oh thanks, Sylvan. Keep up the good work.’ Is that it?”

“Think about it, Sophia.” His voice was a soft growl. “Was I touching you between your legs or stroking your soft little sex? Was I sucking your nipples to arouse you and make you want me? No, I was only licking one breast—your wounded breast—to heal you.”

“I…I…” She couldn’t think what to say.

Sylvan’s eyes were suddenly hard. “Don’t you think if I had intended to rape and despoil you, I could have done it by now? If I was the kind of male to do something like that you would have woken up to find my cock buried to the hilt in your pussy. Not my tongue on your breast,” he said roughly.

His words started echoes inside her. Echoes of memories best left forgotten. Sophie sucked in a breath. “I think you’d better let me go right now,” she whispered in a trembling voice.

He must have heard the fear in her tone because Sylvan loosened his grip on her with obvious reluctance and let her slide from his arms.

Sophie scooted back, careful to keep away from the edge of the cliff, and tried to pull the tattered remains of her dress back in place. A gust of wind whipped her hair across her face and for the first time she realized how cold it was outside the shelter of his arms. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shivered.

“Here.” Unbuttoning his pale blue uniform shirt, he shrugged it off and held it out to her. His broad chest gleamed pale in the starlight.

Sophie frowned stubbornly. “I don’t want it.”

“Well, you’ll take it anyway.” Leaning forward he draped the heavy, satin-like material around her shoulders. It was still warm from his skin and she could smell his scent on it—that sharp, spicy fragrance that seemed to go straight to her head.

“You’ll be cold,” Sophie objected, clutching the shirt around her despite her words.

He laughed grimly. “At this temperature? I don’t think so. This would be a warm summer day where I come from.”

A warm summer day? Seriously? It had to be in the low sixties, if not the mid fifties. To a Florida girl like Sophie, it was freezing. What kind of place was Tranq Prime, anyway? She hoped she never got a chance to find out.

“Come on.” Sylvan rose abruptly.

Spooked by his sudden move, Sophie cringed back and away from him. “Come where? Where are we going?”

“The Scourge are still hunting you. We have to get away—as far from the crash site as we can.” His voice dropped suddenly. “I won’t hurt you, Sophia. Please don’t look at me like that.”

“Like…like what?” she whispered, still crouching on the ground.

“Like I’m some evil monster come to devour and defile you.” There was pain in his deep voice, an agony that seemed to pierce her heart for some reason. Although why she should feel sorry for him she didn’t know.

“I’m sorry,” she said defensively. “It’s just…you’re so big. And your fangs…”

He sighed heavily. “Neither of which I can do anything about. Come. We have a long way to go before we can safely rest.” Turning, he led the way, not waiting to see if she would follow.

* * * * *

Sylvan heard her stumbling along behind him as they made their way down the side of the mountain and every instinct he possessed shouted that he needed to go back and help her. Needed to hold her in his arms and carry her to safety. But he forced himself to go on. She doesn’t want me, doesn’t want my help or my touch.

It was true and he knew it. The rejection he could handle. But the fear in her eyes…

Sylvan clenched his jaw. Goddess, that she could ever think I would hurt her. The very idea was like a fist in his gut. He would rather be hurt himself, would rather be wounded a thousand times over than allow her to get a single scratch.

Should have left her alone. Shouldn’t have healed her. That was what scared her the most, waking up and seeing me bending over her with my fangs out.

But he had been so worried. And besides, it was impossible for him to see her hurt and not want to heal her. He had told her once, the second time they met, that as a doctor he had no emotional attachment to his patients. But it was different with her—so very different. And those few moments before she’d woken up completely, before she’d started fearing him, had been beyond compare.

He closed his eyes briefly, his cock and fangs throbbing as he remembered the way she’d moaned and arched her back, responding to his touch. It was almost as though she was offering herself, opening herself in the way a female would when she was willing to be bonded. Truly his intent hadn’t been sexual, but he couldn’t help becoming aroused by her reaction. The way her nipple had tightened under his tongue as he healed her and the warm secret scent of her sex getting wet and ready for him was enough to make him ache with desire.

And then she saw me and realized who it was that was touching her, giving her pleasure, he thought sadly. After that all she wanted was to get away from me. From my fangs. She wouldn’t even let me finish healing her.

Even now he could smell her blood on the wind. She must have scraped her hands and knees when she was scrambling to get away from him. He wanted in the worst way to examine them—to take away her pain. But he knew he would only add to it and increase her fear and panic if he tried. Sophia, I’m so sorry…Your pain is my pain. Your wounds, mine to heal. I give you the blood of my body, the heart from my chest. The—

Sylvan stopped himself. Why had the words from the Blood Kindred bonding ceremony come to his mind? Words he was destined never to speak?

Stupid, he told himself angrily, kicking a large rock out of the way. Stupid to let yourself have any kind of feelings for her. Even if your vow wasn’t in the way she’d never want you. Never stop fearing you long enough to let you in. Just forget about her—be cold as a Tranq should be.

But he couldn’t. Sophia’s soft little hands had warmed his cold heart, even if she hadn’t meant to. And it seemed there was no freezing it again.

* * * * *

Sophia tried to keep up but it was hard to see in the darkness and her feet hurt. Her shoes were long gone—not that the low kitten heels would have been much good for hiking in the mountains but still, anything would have been better than nothing. The only thing that saved her was the fact that she had been walking barefoot outside on the hot Florida concrete since she was a little girl. Without that experience to toughen the soles of her feet, they would have been cut to ribbons within a matter of minutes.

But it wasn’t just her feet that worried her—she was wondering where in the world they were. Because it sure as hell wasn’t Florida. Where are we and how are we ever going to get home? Does Sylvan know where he’s going, or are we just trying to get away from the shuttle?

They were scrambling down the side of a mountain, that much was clear she thought, eyeing Sylvan’s muscular bare back as she went. The same mountain he had crashed them into, she was pretty sure. She still wasn’t sure why the big warrior had had to aim for a mountain in the first place, but at least they’d survived it.

Now that she had a moment to think about it, she remembered the crash in horrible detail. The way the craggy rock face had gotten bigger and bigger in the viewscreen and the moment of impact when she felt something hard and sharp pierce her flesh, slicing across her breast like a line of fire. Then she’d been drowning in some kind of blue gel. It had dissipated but she could still feel the sticky remains of it on her skin…

Once she started thinking about the crash she couldn’t stop—the details kept playing over and over again in her head like a horror movie. Just stop it, stop thinking about it. You survived, didn’t you? So what are you getting so upset about?

But no matter how sternly she talked to herself, she kept seeing the side of the mountain rushing toward her again and again. Kept feeling the horrible impact and the sensation of suffocating in thick blue gel over and over. The endless loop got stuck in her head and made her feel shaky.

Too much had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Too much trauma and drama and pain and fear crammed into too little time. The stress of it was like a ticking time-bomb in her chest, ready to explode. But somehow she had to contain it. The last thing she wanted was to have a meltdown in front of Sylvan. Strong, I have to be stro—

A loose rock shifted treacherously under her bare foot and she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. With a low cry, she fell to one side, hitting the side of her head.

Sylvan was beside her at once. “Don’t try to get up,” he ordered when she scrambled to rise. “Lie still for a minute and let me see how badly you’re hurt.”

“I’m not hurt,” Sophie objected, though her ankle was throbbing and something warm and wet was trickling down the side of her cheek.

He frowned. “Don’t lie—to me or to yourself, Sophia. That was a bad fall.” Lifting her chin, he stared intently into her face. “Look up and open your eyes wide, I need to see your pupils and there isn’t much light.”

Sophia stared up into the night sky, trying not to tremble under his touch. She could feel the tears welling up inside her until she felt like a cup that was about to overflow. The sharp stinging in her head and the dull throb in her ankle were the last straw. The physical pain in her body combined with her emotional turmoil, pushing her over the edge. Though she didn’t want to in the worst way, Sophie began to cry.

“Sophia?” Sylvan’s voice was a harsh whisper in the darkness. “Please don’t cry. I know you don’t want me touching you, but I have to make sure you’re all right.”

The pain in his voice made things worse somehow. “I…I’m sorry,” she gasped, trying to slow her tears and failing. “I just…I can’t…it’s too much.”

“It won’t take much longer.” He was feeling her ankle now. Sophia hissed and jerked away from his gently probing fingers. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I don’t think it’s broken but you have a bad sprain. It’s already swelling—you’re not going to be able to walk on it.”

Fresh tears came to her eyes and she armed them away angrily. Why did she have to be so weak? “That’s it then. You’ll have to go on without me.” She tried to sound brave, but her voice betrayed her by trembling.

“Go on without you?” Sylvan looked at her incredulously. “What kind of male do you think I am?”

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, knowing it wasn’t true. “You can go for help and come back for me.”

“Do you really think I’d leave you here alone, helpless in the dark with the Scourge hunting you?” His voice had dropped to a low growl. “Never.”

“Sylvan!” she protested but he was already gathering her up into his arms. “Sylvan, put me down. Be reasonable,” she pleaded. “I know you’re a big strong guy but I’m not exactly tiny. You can’t carry me all the way down the side of the mountain.”

“Watch me.” He was already walking, holding her cradled in his arms as though she was a baby. He looked down at her briefly. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I know you dislike being close to me, but it can’t be helped. You’ll have to endure my touch until we find someplace safe to rest.”

“It’s not that,” she protested weakly. “Not that I don’t like, uh, touching you. I just…don’t want you biting me. That’s all.”

She had been hoping to make him feel better but if anything, the pain on his chiseled features intensified.

“Rest,” he said after a moment. “We may have a long way to go. You need to conserve your strength.”

What about your strength? she wanted to say, but the closed look on his face said the subject wasn’t up for further discussion. There was literally nothing else she could do but relax and let him carry her.

At least the hated tears had dried up. But the crying spell had left her feeling horribly depleted and achingly tired. Though she tried to stay awake, she felt her head drooping against the broad plane of his chest. The first few times she jerked up, but the third time it happened Sylvan spoke again.

“It’s all right, Sophia,” he murmured, looking down at her. “Let yourself relax. Sleep if you can—I don’t mind.”

“I shouldn’t,” she said drowsily. But she couldn’t help it—her head drifted down again. How could something as hard and muscular as his chest make such a comfortable pillow? “Shouldn’t…not when you’re doing all the work. Carrying me.”

“It is my very great privilege and pleasure to carry you, Talana.” His deep voice rumbled through her, making her safe and reassured. And his scent—the same scent she’d noticed earlier when he had held her on the ship, now seemed incredibly soothing.

Sophia yawned. “What’s…talana?” she asked, her eyelids drooping.

“A nickname in my native tongue. An endearment.”

“And what…” She yawned again. “What does it mean?”

Before he could answer, sleep claimed her and everything faded to black.

Chapter Eight

“What in the seven hells do you think you’re doing?” Lock shoved his brother up against the wall of the guest suite they were staying in and glared into Deep’s bottomless black eyes. “Why are you acting this way? Are you trying to scare her off?”

Deep laughed harshly and brushed off his brother’s hands. “As if we had a shot with her. Did you see those curves? She’s fucking gorgeous—an elite.”

“We’re not bad looking,” Lock objected. “I’ve heard Earth females find our kind attractive.”

“The other Kindred races, maybe. But not the Twin Kindred. We scare them, Lock. The idea of one woman with two males at once frightens them out of their skulls.”

“They can’t all be scared—there are plenty of Twin Kindred with brides aboard the Mother ship.”

“Not nearly as many as Beast Kindred and Blood Kindred. Why don’t you just face it, brother? Calling an Earth female as a bride is a bad idea.”

“You didn’t used to think so.” Lock narrowed his eyes at his twin. “Come on, Deep—what is this really about?”

“I told you.” Deep leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. “It’s a bad idea, that’s all.”

“And it wouldn’t have anything at all to do with what happened with Miranda?”

A spasm of pain passed over Deep’s dark features and was gone almost at once. “That was over two cycles ago. Why are you even bringing it up?”

“Because, Brother, I can feel your hurt—the pain still festers inside you.” Lock’s voice dropped and he went to the other man. “I know how you feel,” he murmured, squeezing Deep’s broad shoulder gently. “I felt the same agony when we lost her. But you can’t let that keep us from ever trying again.”

Deep shook off his hand. “Why are you so eager, anyway? We just met this girl—this Kat. What makes her so special that you’re already thinking of claiming her?”

Lock ran a hand through his dark blond hair. “Because she is, as you said, gorgeous. But it isn’t just that—she’s special, Deep. Couldn’t you feel it when you spoke to her?”

“I didn’t feel a damn thing and there’s no way you could have either,” Deep growled. “Our minds aren’t even aligned with hers—we haven’t shared a single dream.”

“But we could.” Lock glared at his twin in frustration. Deep had always been a pessimist, but ever since Miranda he’d closed himself off almost entirely. It was like he thought if he didn’t allow himself to feel anything he could never be hurt again. “Kat has potential,” he told his twin. “If you don’t scare her off, that is.”

Deep narrowed his eyes. “Define potential.”

“She’s beautiful, single, and she can stand up to you. The way she slapped you when you scented her…” Lock shook his head, laughing softly. “If that’s not potential, I don’t know what is.”

“She does have spirit, I’ll give you that.” Deep smiled grudgingly and Lock felt something loosen in his heart. He seldom saw a genuine smile on his twin’s face anymore. “But Brother,” Deep continued, “If you don’t want to scare her off, you shouldn’t have agreed to let her act as our focus. If there’s anything more frightening than having two males inside her body, it would have to be having two males inside her mind. She’ll have to have a will of iron to withstand our joining.”

Lock nodded, feeling troubled. “You’re right. But you saw her, Deep—she wouldn’t be denied.” He went and dropped down onto the extra long couch which was standard for all Twin Kindred suites. “And she’s right—she may make the difference between finding Sylvan in time or losing him and the Earth female he was with forever.”

“True.” Deep seated himself beside his twin and put an arm over the other man’s shoulders in a rare gesture of affection. “Take heart, Brother. If she survives the joining and still comes back for more, I’ll admit she has potential.”

“Very comforting.” Lock sighed and looked at his brother morosely. “I just wish F’lir was here to help us. We’ve never joined with a female mind before—hell, no male finder/seeker team has as far as I know. And the fact that she’s unmated just makes it that much more complicated.”

F’lir, their old focus, had also been their mentor but he had gone to be with the Mother of Life over a cycle ago. The brothers had been searching for another focus—someone to channel their considerable power and talent and point it in the right direction—ever since. But it was a rare skill and so far they hadn’t found anyone who had anything near their old mentor’s ability.

“F’lir’s gone,” Deep said shortly. “If he was alive we wouldn’t need Kat in the first place. But until we find another focus, using her memories and feelings for her friend is the best we’re going to do.”

“Just promise me you’ll stop acting like a bastard,” Lock pleaded. “Having her hate us won’t help the process any.”

Deep gave him a sardonic smile. “Don’t worry—I’ll be on my best behavior.” He looked at the chronometer on his wrist. “Shouldn’t she be here by now? Maybe she has less potential than you thought.”

Just as he spoke, a sharp rapping came at the suite’s wide silver door.

“That’s her!” Lock jumped up and headed for the door. “Remember your promise,” he said, pointing at Deep.

Deep raised a hand. “Warrior’s honor. Go ahead, let our lovely little Kat in.”

Taking a deep breath and praying to the Mother of Life that his brother would behave, Lock turned toward the door and pressed the release.

* * * * *

Kat was slightly relieved to see it was Lock standing at the door instead of Deep. Then again, she reminded herself, she would have to deal with the dark twin eventually. She’d agreed to do this…whatever it was, with both of them.

“Hi.” She smiled brightly as she stepped into their suite. It was large and roomy, with a fireplace in one corner and deep blue carpeting on the floor. Paintings featuring a wide golden ocean dotted with craggy islands were hung on the light blue walls. Not bad for a guest room. She hadn’t been issued one herself because she’d expected to leave right after the reception. Now it looked like she would be on board the Kindred Mother ship for quite some time which made her wish she’d brought a change of clothes. The silk sapphire dress she’d worn to Liv’s wedding looked outstanding with her creamy skin and auburn hair, but she’d been wearing it for hours now and she was dying to get into something more comfortable.

“Welcome.” Lock smiled at her and the expression reached all the way down to the bottom of his eyes. Looking at him, Kat realized there was heat in those chocolate brown depths. He might not be as forward as his brother, but it was clear he liked what he saw when he looked at her.

Fighting the urge to blush, Kat looked at the couch where Deep was sprawled like a lazy panther. “Hello,” she said in a much colder tone—more because she thought it was polite than because she really wanted to talk to the big bastard.

To her surprise, Deep rose and made her a formal bow. “You are very welcome to our place of residence, my lady,” he murmured.

Kat blinked in surprise. Was it her imagination or had he actually sounded sincere? “Thank you,” she said. “I’m, uh, pleased to be here.” Clearing her throat, she looked back at Lock. “Well? I’m ready so let’s get started.”

“My lady—” Lock began but Kat held up a hand.

“Okay, I just have to say this. Before we go any farther, could both of you please stop calling me ‘my lady?’ It’s getting really old. We’re not at the freaking Renaissance Fair, you know. I mean, what’s next? Are you going to offer to buy me a tankard of mead and joust for my honor?”

Both the brothers looked thoroughly confused.

“Buy you what?” Deep said.

“What’s a joust?” Lock asked.

Kat blew out a breath in frustration. “Never mind. The point is, I want you to stop calling me ‘my lady.’ All right?”

Lock frowned. “But it’s the only proper term of address for an elite female.”

Kat had a feeling she was getting in deeper and deeper, but she couldn’t help asking. “What’s an elite female?”

Lock’s dark brown eyes were suddenly as hot as his brother’s had been earlier when he’d scented her. “One with a shape like yours, my lady.” His big hands described a generous hourglass in the air. “Most of the females on Twin Moons are lean and tough—our lifestyle and diet make them that way.”

“But there are a few,” Deep went on, taking up where his brother had left off. “A lucky few whom the Mother has marked with curving hips and ripe breasts, full to overflowing.” His black eyes flickered hungrily over her body as he spoke and Kat had to fight the urge to cover herself. She suddenly felt naked under the blue silk gown.

“They are blessed by the Mother—goddesses who walk among us. We call them the elite,” Lock continued, still eyeing her. “And naturally we thought you were an Earth elite. Were we wrong?”

Kat stared at them, unbelieving. “Uh, I guess so. But on Earth we call it ‘plus sized.’”

“Plus sized?” Deep raised an eyebrow at her.

“You know—more to love? Pleasingly plump? Big beautiful woman?”

His eyes gleamed. “Most intriguing. I like all those descriptions.”

“I do, too.” Lock gave her a ravenous look.

Kat felt the sudden urge to pinch herself. Are they seriously saying they come from a planet of skinny-minnies but they think plus sized girls are hotter? Did somebody slip me some crazy pills? She shook her head, trying to clear away the mental images the brothers’ words brought to mind. “Look,” she said sternly. “It’s great you’re so into women with curves, but we are getting way, way, way off point here. One, I’d prefer if you just called me Kat. And two, we need to do this…whatever it is we’re going to do and try to locate Sophie and Sylvan. They’ve been missing for hours now.”

“Very true my…Kat,” Lock said, coming over to her. “But the fact is, one doesn’t just jump headfirst into a joining with no preparation.”

She looked up at him, refusing to let herself be intimidated. “A joining? Is that the name of what we’re doing?”

He nodded. “Indeed.”

Kat took a deep breath. “Okay, what’s the prep? Do we have to do some kind of special exercises or what?”

“You’re not far off.” Deep came to stand directly behind her, which made Kat nervous since Lock was standing directly in front. Even though they weren’t touching her, she could feel the heat of their large, male bodies radiating against her skin through the thin dress. Suddenly she felt surrounded.

“Okay, hold on a minute.” Kat took a step to the side and faced both of them. “Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, but I did not come here for some kind of a booty call.”

Lock frowned. “I’m sorry, a what?”

“More Earth vernacular,” Deep rumbled. “I believe our little Kat is saying she’s not prepared to surrender herself to us sexually.”

“That’s right.” Kat crossed her arms over her breasts protectively. “I’m not about to have sex with either one of you, so you can just get that out of your heads right now.”

Lock looked confused. “But we didn’t ask you here to have sex.”

“And you couldn’t make love to either one of us individually,” Deep said, arching an eyebrow. “You’d have to take both of us at once. We come as a pair.”

Kat felt her cheeks heating at his double entendre. “Good to know—now I have twice as much reason not to get physical. Because I am not interested in being the filling in your sex sandwich—I’m only here to do the uh, joining. So you can stop it with the whole surrounding me thing.”

Lock shook his head. “Surrounding you? Do you mean the way we were standing?”

“Exactly.” Kat nodded. “I don’t like that. It makes me…nervous.”

“But that’s the traditional grouping for a joining,” Lock protested. “The finder in the front, the seeker in the back, and the focus in the middle. Sometimes the finder and seeker switch places, but the focus must always be between them.”

“We’re usually lying down when we do a joining,” Deep added. “But we thought you’d be more comfortable standing up.”

“Oh, uh…” Kat cleared her throat. “Well yes, standing is better than…it’s definitely better. But…we don’t have to touch each other, do we?”

“Skin to skin contact generally makes the joining better and more effective,” Lock said gently. “But we don’t have to remove any clothing if you’d rather not. We can just hold hands.”

Coming to stand in front of Kat again, he held out a hand. Hesitantly, Kat took it. It was warm and large and enveloped hers completely.

“See?” Lock smiled. “That’s not so bad, is it?”

She smiled back. “No, not bad at all.”

“Good, then it’s my turn.” Deep moved up behind her again and Kat could feel him looming over her in a way that felt almost predatory.

Taking a deep breath, she reached behind her with her free hand. “Here.”

“I prefer it like this.” Deep wound an arm around the front of her body and took her hand. Entwining their fingers, he rested his chin on the top of her head. “So much nicer this way.”

Kat wanted to answer but she was frozen to the spot. From the moment Deep had taken her hand in his own, a strange sensation had started inside her.

It felt like a warm tingling that started in her hands and ran up both arms like a low level electric current. The sensation, while strange, wasn’t too bad until it reached her torso. There it became a warm glow in the pit of her stomach—like the best buzz she’d ever hand. Then, however, it moved to the tips of her breasts and the vee between her legs. Suddenly her nipples were painfully hard and her pussy felt swollen and wet. And the current didn’t stop there—it stroked her like a knowing hand, tugging at her nipples and caressing her clit until she felt like she was going to explode.

Finally her paralysis broke and she pushed away from the brothers. “What the hell?” she demanded, glaring at them. “What the hell did you just do to me?”

“What do you mean?” Deep asked at the same time Lock said,

“We didn’t do anything but touch you.”

Kat’s entire body was still tingling like she’d touched a live wire, but at least the more intense sensations in her nipples and between her legs were gone. She put her hands on her hips. “You’re going to stand there and tell me you didn’t do that?”

“Do what?” they asked together.

Kat put a hand to her forehead. Give me strength! These two are going to drive me crazy! “That…that weird tingling. You mean you didn’t feel it?”

“Feel what?” Deep stepped toward her and frowned, his nose wrinkling. “Why do you suddenly smell so hot?”

“What?” Kat crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

“Hot—in heat. In need.” Deep’s black eyes were positively glowing. “Come smell her, Brother,” he told Lock, who was still standing a little distance away. “It’s as though she went from being disinterested to panting to be bred and bonded in the space of an instant.”

Lock took a step forward and leaned in to sniff Kat’s neck. When he straightened up, his eyes were half-lidded with lust. “My lady, er Kat, Deep is right. You smell delicious and very, very…ready.”

“R-ready for what?” she asked in a voice that trembled more than she liked.

Deep’s eyes flashed. “Why, ready to be fucked, little Kat.”

Kat took a step away from both of them. “Look, I’m not… I don’t know what you’re talking about—I only know what I felt.”

Deep gave her a lazy smile. “And what exactly did you feel?”

“I told you—just a tingling sensation.” Kat felt her cheeks getting hot and cursed her fair complexion that showed a blush so easily. “Look, are you seriously going to stand there and tell me this has never happened to you two before with some other, uh, focus?”

“Our only other focus was our mentor, F’lir, who was male,” Deep told her.

“Really? Was he gay?” Kat couldn’t imagine a straight guy wanting to get such intense sexual sensations from two other males.

“Gay? Meaning did he enjoy the company of other males?” Lock shook his head. “No. He was old enough to be our grandfather—he taught us to harness our talents in the first place.”

“But, I mean, he never felt anything strange? Like I just did? Maybe you could call him up, uh bespeak him, and ask him,” Kat suggested.

“Not unless you can place a Think-me call to the Mother herself. F’lir is dead,” Deep said soberly. “And we have been without a focus since he died over a cycle ago.”

“Maybe that’s it then.” Kat was still looking for an explanation. “Maybe your power kind of…built up over that amount of time and it sort of…came out when you two, uh, touched me.”

Lock looked thoughtful. “I don’t think so. I think it’s more likely to have to do with the fact that you’re female.”

“So you’ve never had a female between you before?” Kat asked.

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly.” Deep gave her a lazy smile. “But Lock and I have certainly never had a female as lovely as you between us, little Kat.”

Kat frowned, wishing she could stop blushing. “You know what I mean.”

“Yes, we know what you mean.” Lock gave his brother a warning look. “And the answer is no—we’ve never tried to mesh our minds with a female’s before.”

“So…is this even doable?” She looked at them. “I mean, is my mind too different from yours to make it work?”

Deep raised his eyebrows. “There’s only one way to find out. And you jerked away from us before we could even get a good connection.”

“But…” Kat bit her lip. “Am I…will it feel like that every time?”

“We don’t know.” Lock looked concerned. “Was our connection causing you pain?”

“Not…exactly. It was…it was…” Kat was sure her face had to be crimson by now. “It was pretty much the exact opposite of pain, actually.”

Deep smirked. “Which explains why you smell like a female in heat.”

“Deep.” Lock frowned at his brother. “Remember your promise.”

Deep held up his hands. “Forgive me, brother. I know I swore to be on my best behavior but I had no idea our joining would be such an…interesting experience.”

“I had no idea either.” Lock turned to Kat. “Please believe me, my lady. Neither Deep nor myself had any intention of harming or upsetting you. We just want to find Sylvan.”

“And I want to find Sophie.” Kat hugged herself nervously. Oh Sophie, you are going to owe me when we find you. Owe me BIG. “Which means we need to try again, I guess,” she said.

“Only if you’re comfortable,” Lock said seriously. “There are no long term effects to being a focus that Deep and I have ever run across, but I hate the idea of you being uncomfortable the entire time we’re joined.”

“Thanks, but it looks like I’ll just have to put up with it.” Kat took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay boys, round two.”

Chapter Nine

A jolt and a loud cracking sound woke Sophie up. “Wha…?” She looked around uncertainly. It was still dark, the stars winking faintly in the sky above. Sylvan was holding her and he had a look of grim concentration on his face. Sophie blinked, trying to remember what was going on. Where are we? Why is Sylvan carrying me?

“Hold on. We’re almost in.” There was another jolt and more cracking. Suddenly she realized they were standing in front of a cabin and Sylvan was kicking the door in.

“Hey, wait a minute!” she protested as he pushed open the now-crooked door and shouldered his way inside. “You can’t do this—it’s not our property.”

He gave her a stern look. “We need a place to rest. A place I can defend if necessary.”

“But…but what if whoever owns this place comes back?” she protested. “They’re not going to be very happy to see us.”

“We’ll deal with that problem when we come to it.” Sylvan was scanning the dark room as he spoke, his pale eyes flickering from left to right, obviously looking for threats. “I’m more concerned about the Scourge right now than any disgruntled home owner.”

Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. “You really think they’re following us?”

“I know they are.” Walking across the room, he laid her down gently on a bed. The comforter on it smelled a little musty but it was soft and deliciously comfortable. Still Sophie couldn’t relax.

“How do you know?” she asked, sitting up and wincing at the renewed pain in her ankle.

“I saw the lights of their probes landing while you were sleeping.” Sylvan sat on the side of the bed beside her legs and sighed wearily. “To humans they probably looked like what you call ‘shooting stars,’ but their pattern was much too regular to be a meteorite shower.”

“I thought the Kindred had set up a protection grid all around the Earth,” she protested.

“We have. So at least their ships can’t land and we won’t have to deal with any Scourge soldiers. But the probes are small enough to get through and they can carry other things. Things that…” He broke off, shaking his head. “Never mind.”

“No, no—what things? Things that what?” Sophie sat up, wincing again, and moved to sit beside him so she could see his face. “Come on, Sylvan,” she said softly. “It’s me they’re after, for whatever reason. I have a right to know.”

He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. “All right. What I’m mainly worried about are the urlich.”

“The what?”

“It translates into your language as ‘sniffers.’ They’re a little bit like your Earth dogs, but they’ve been hybridized and genetically mutated by the Scourge until most of them are more machine than animal.”

“Sniffers. So…they’re like some kind of cyborg bloodhound or something?”

Sylvan nodded. “That’s actually a really accurate description. And if they find your scent…” He shook his head.

“Go on,” she urged anxiously.

Sylvan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s just say they’re incredibly fast and strong and very, very hard to kill, since most of them aren’t really alive after the Scourge get done with them.”

Sophie felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes into her stomach. “And they’re searching for me.”

He gave her a sidelong look. “Yes. In all probability the AllFather has programmed your scent exclusively into their brains. So they’re going to be very focused on finding you.”

“But…why? What do they—the Scourge—want with me, anyway?”

Sylvan shook his head. “I don’t know. If I had to guess I’d say it has something to do with their prophesy. No one really knows what it’s about, but Baird and I have speculated that they’re searching for an Earth female because of it. They thought Olivia was the one they wanted, but she wasn’t. Maybe because you’re so closely related to her—”

“They think I’m the one. But the one what?” Sophie shook her head, feeling sick. “I guess it doesn’t matter why they want me. The main thing is to not…not let them get me.”

Sylvan’s eyes flashed like cold fire. “As long as I am alive they shall not have you. I will stand by you and defend you unto death, Sophia. I give you my word as a warrior and a Blood Kindred.”

“Oh Sylvan…” She didn’t know what to say. The way he spoke, she could tell he’d just sworn a formal oath to her. One that would bind him as surely as his vow to never claim a bride. “You don’t…don’t have to do that for me,” she said softly.

His eyes blazed again. “But I want to. Even if you don’t want me to.”

“I just…don’t want you to get hurt on my account,” she protested but he only looked at her gravely.

“It would be my honor to die defending you.”

Sophia felt her breath catch in her throat and for a long, long moment she couldn’t look away from his ice blue eyes. She could smell his scent again—even stronger this time, surrounding her, making her dizzy. Warm, spicy, sharp, with that indefinably masculine note that made her want to lean toward him, to touch him, to let him touch her…

Wait a minute—what are you doing? Get hold of yourself, Sophie!

She jerked back and sat stiffly upright on the side of the bed. Had she really almost kissed him? What was wrong with her? “So, uh, what can we do?” she asked, trying to cover her awkwardness. “Do you really think we’ll be safe here?”

He looked around the darkened cabin again as if assessing it. “Probably not, but it’s better than being in the open. Our best hope is that the sniffers just pass us by and miss this place completely.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with the motion. “I don’t know. It should help that I carried you the past several miles, so you didn’t leave any scent on the ground.”

Sophia wondered exactly how many miles he’d carried her while she slept like a baby in his arms. It must have been a far distance. No wonder he looks so beat. Poor guy!

“What…what do we do if they do find us?” she asked, looking down at her hands which were still scraped and raw from her fall.

His face was grim. “We have to do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen. I might be able to handle one or two, but a whole pack…” He shook his head. “All I could do is die defending you.”

“Well then what—?”

“We may have to mask your scent.” He looked at her soberly. “Did Olivia tell you anything about scent marking?”

“Scent marking?” Sophie wracked her brain, trying to remember. It seemed vaguely familiar though she couldn’t remember exactly what it involved. Still, how bad could it be? “Oh, uh, sure. Scent marking.” She nodded.

“Good. Because in the last extremity, if I hear the sniffers around this cabin, I may have to scent mark you—to mask your scent with my own.”

“Can you do that? I mean, is your scent that much stronger than mine, especially when they’re focused on me?”

Sylvan looked down at his hands. “Normally it isn’t but right now…ever since the trip we took in the transport tube…”

Sophie thought of the warm, spicy scent that seemed to go to her head, the way it made her react to him… “It’s your mating scent, isn’t it?” she asked in a low voice, not daring to look at him.

“Yes.” He sounded ashamed.

“But why…” She risked a sidelong glance at him. “Why is it coming out now? I, uh, thought it only happened during the claiming period. But you’re not, um, claiming me or anything. I mean, we’re not… you know.”

“I know.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand what’s going on either. We haven’t even been dream sharing. Well, that is, I mean…” He cleared his throat. “I’ve had a few dreams of you. But nothing out of the ordinary.” He glanced at her. “Have you…had any strange dreams?”

“No.” Sophie shook her head and a look of mingled disappointment and relief passed over his stern features. “I have been, uh, having problems with my art, though,” she admitted in a low voice.

“Problems with your art?” He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I paint,” Sophie explained. “You know—with a paintbrush and easel?” She made a painting motion in the air and his eyes widened.

“That was what I dreamed. That you were painting a picture of…of me.”

Sophie nearly choked. “But I have been! You’re all I’ve been able to paint lately. Even when I try not to, you always sneak in there. It’s so annoying.” Then she realized what she’d said. “Uh, I mean—”

“It doesn’t matter.” Sylvan cut her off, shaking his head. “So we have been dream sharing, in a way.”

Sophie felt herself go cold all over. “Does…does that mean you’re going to try to…to claim me? The way Baird claimed Liv?” Oh my God, if he does, if he claims me, then he’ll want to bite me! That’s the way his people do it. She had horror-movie visions of being held down under his muscular bulk, held down and pierced multiple times and in multiple ways. God, his teeth in my throat at the same time he’s inside me, filling me, holding me down and biting and thrusting. He’s so big, so strong—I’d never be able to get away.

The horror she felt must have showed on her face, because Sylvan’s voice was rough when he spoke. “Don’t worry, Sophia. Even if I wanted to claim you, I couldn’t.”

“Oh right.” She felt a small measure of relief. “Your vow.”

“My vow,” he agreed.

“Sylvan,” she said softly. “It’s…it’s not you. It’s just…I don’t want to be claimed by anyone. And the whole biting thing…” She shuddered. “I’m sorry, I can’t handle that. I mean, I get faint every time I have to get a shot.”

“As I said, you don’t have to worry.” His face was an unreadable mask now and his tone was perfectly bland.

I’ve really offended him, Sophie thought unhappily. And after he was so good to me. Getting me out of the crash and carrying me for miles and miles. He must think I’m such a horrible, ungrateful person. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Sylvan shook his head. “You have no reason to be. I just…don’t understand why this is happening. Why my body is reacting this way. I took my vow before the Mother of Life in the sacred grove and I know she would never wish me to break it. My body as well as my mind and spirit should be bound by my oath.”

“Maybe…maybe there’s a reason you can’t see,” Sophie offered. “I mean, I don’t know much about your religion but on Earth we have a saying—‘God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.’ Could it be…something like that?”

A look of dawning comprehension lit Sylvan’s face. “You know, you could be right. Perhaps the Mother knew we would be in this situation. That I would have to protect you by masking your scent with my own. Only my mating scent would be strong enough to do that, so…” He nodded decisively. “Yes, that must be it. That must be why my body is reacting to yours so strongly.”

“Of course,” Sophie agreed. “And probably when this is all over and we get out of here, everything will, uh, go back to normal.”

“I’m sure it will.” He looked relieved.

“So…” Sophie looked at him uncertainly. “Nothing we’re…I mean, you’re feeling is real?”

“I suppose not.” But the look he gave her seemed real. Very real.

“Uh…okay.” Sophie nibbled her bottom lip and squeaked with pain. She’d forgotten about the small wound on her lip from the Luck Kiss. God, it seemed a hundred years ago now, but it had only been earlier that day. Unless it was past midnight now. She had no idea since she’d left her cell phone at home, wanting no distractions during Liv’s wedding.

Sylvan was staring at her lower lip with an unreadable expression on his face. “I wish you’d let me heal that for you. Your palms too.” He nodded down at the scrapes she’d gotten when she fell. “And your knees and temple.”

Sophie put a hand to the side of her head self consciously and realized that her hair on that side was stiff with blood. Must have really hit that rock hard!

“Will you let me?” Sylvan’s deep voice was filled with longing. “Will you allow me to heal you, Talana?”

There’s that word again—what does it mean? And how in the world is he going to—oh! The memory of how he’d healed the gash across her breast sprang to her mind and she suddenly felt hot and cold all over. He means can he lick me. That’s how he wants to heal me. Oh my God…

“I…uh…I wonder if there’s any power in this cabin,” she said, looking down at her hands to avoid his burning gaze. “I mean, if they have a working hot water heater. Because I would kill for a shower.”

Sylvan rose. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“No, no, it’s all right.” Sophie tried to get off the bed and nearly fell over when she felt the stabbing pain in her ankle. “Ouch!”

“Are you all right?” Sylvan looked at her anxiously.

“Fine, it’s just my ankle.” It was true that her twisted ankle was still throbbing, but she could stand to put some weight on it now. And she was going to have to if she didn’t want him carrying her everywhere. Her eyes had adjusted to the dim light coming through the windows and she could see a small room to one side. “That must be the bathroom. Think I’ll go check out the hot water situation.”

He reached for her. “I’ll carry you.”

“No, no! It’s better already—see?” Sophie put her foot flat down on the floor and tried to smile despite the pain.

Sylvan frowned. “If you’re certain you’re all right. I must have misjudged the severity of your injury.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Sophie said, trying to make her voice cheerful and light. “I mean, aside from being chased by evil cyborg dogs from hell who want to drag me back to the Scourge overlord, I couldn’t be better.”

Sylvan’s eyes were suddenly dark. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“Sorry.” She shrugged. “I was just trying to lighten the mood. I’ll just…” She motioned at the bathroom and he nodded. Because he was still watching her, Sophie forced herself to walk without limping, even though her ankle was still so tender and it felt like someone was sticking a knife into it with every step. Finally she got to the bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door.

* * * * *

Sylvan sat in the darkness for a long moment, listening to Sophia rustle around in the bathroom. So now I know why my body has been reacting to hers, despite my vow. It is the will of the Mother. She knew I would need to protect Sophia. Knew that we would be put in this situation together. He wasn’t zealously religious but he did believe, as most Kindred did, that the Goddess they worshipped had a hand in even the smallest details of her children’s lives. So it wasn’t hard to believe that she had placed them together like this for a reason. And hadn’t the priestess on the Mother ship warned him that they would be in danger? Should have listened to her, I guess. But I was so angry at the way she was treating Sophia, I didn’t care about anything else.

It was a relief to have a reason for his body’s irrational behavior. And yet…if none of the feelings he had for Sophia were real, then why did he long to hold her? It wasn’t just lust he felt for her, although the Mother knew, he had plenty of that. But he yearned to protect and comfort her too. To heal her wounds and shield her from danger with his body. I’ve always been cold and emotionless as a Tranq should be. I’ve never felt this way for anyone before. Will all of this—the feelings I have for her—just disappear when we’re safe again on the Mother ship?

The thought of that, of losing what he felt for Sophia, was like a dagger in his heart. And yet…wouldn’t it be better that way? She doesn’t want me, he reminded himself yet again. The look on her face when she’d thought he might claim her had spoken volumes. The very idea of being his bride was frightening and repugnant to her.

But then, why does her body react to me? Just a few minutes before, when I gave her my word to defend her or die trying, I would swear she almost kissed me. Why do I see longing in her eyes? Why did she react so willingly when I healed her breast?

His fangs and cock ached at the memory, but Sylvan tried to push the need that rose in him like a tidal wave away. It’s just my mating scent working on her. Nothing more than that.

It was time he got up and explored the cabin. He needed to know if there were any hidden weaknesses he would have to defend. And he needed to build a fire in the small fireplace he saw across from the bed. The urlich might not fear much, but they hated fire.

Sylvan wished he had his blazer—a weapon that shot a finely collimated beam of energy, strong enough to cut any enemy in half. But he hadn’t had it on him at the wedding—no weapons were permitted in the sacred grove. And it hadn’t crossed his mind that he would need it when he was simply taking Sophia home through what he thought was friendly space. I’ll never be caught without it again, he told himself grimly. If we get out of this, that is.

But if they did get out of the situation, Sophia would no longer be his to protect and defend. To mark as his own…Sylvan felt his whole body grow tight at the thought of that, of holding her naked body close while he rubbed against her, branding her with his scent. I want her so badly. Goddess help me, I almost hope the urlich do find our trail.

It was wrong and he knew it, but he couldn’t help himself. He just kept picturing it in his mind’s eye—the way Sophia’s pale cheeks would flush with passion, the feel of her soft breasts pressing against his chest. And most of all, the wet, warm slide of her pussy against his shaft as he rubbed against her with deliciously long, slow strokes. I want to make her come. Want to hear her gasp and moan, want to feel her lose control under me. And as he pleasured her, he would be changing her scent, overwriting it with his own until it became something new, a fragrance that would announce to the universe that she was his. His forever…

Or at least until they got safely back to the Mother ship.

The thought brought him back to reality with a thud. It was time to stop daydreaming and see to more practical matters than his runaway emotions. Sighing deeply, he went to check the cabin.

Chapter Ten

“You have failed.”

It wasn’t a question. Xairn bowed his head submissively, though darkness churned inside his chest. Fear, hatred, loathing and worst of all the desire to just once not be a disappointment, to not have his father hate him, filled him to overflowing. But the AllFather was cold to everyone, he reminded himself. It wasn’t as though he deserved to be an exception.

“The Kindred warrior piloting the shuttle wouldn’t give the girl up,” he said, looking down. “I tried everything but he executed a suicide maneuver. They crashed on the planet’s surface—we don’t even know if the girl still lives.”

“Ssshe livesss.” The AllFather’s eyes glowed like hot coals. “I feel her in my mind. You mussst retrieve her.”

“But the protection grid—”

“Hasss flawsss in it. Gaps large enough for our probesss to get through.”

Xairn nodded. “I will dispatch some at once.”

“I have done ssso already, while you were returning from your failed mission.” The AllFather’s voice turned harsh. “Do you not know that the fate of our entire race hangs upon thisss? We mussst obtain the girl! Or you—my incompetent ssson—will be the last of our order.”

“The vat-grown warriors—”

“Lack both initiative and intelligence. We need fresh female DNA that isss compatible with our own—not ancient eggs that have been replicated ssso many timesss that any virtue they once had hasss been leached away. We need a female who can breed with usss—with me.” The flame red eyes flashed. “Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Xairn said in a low voice.

“Good. Then be ready to assist when the urlich capture the girl. Isss the molecular transport beam ready?”

“Almost.” Xairn cleared his throat. “We have been working on it night and day. I’m trying—”

“No trying and no more excusesss. Sssee to it that the beam is ready. We’ll need a way to take her once the urlich have her surrounded.”

“Yes, of course.” Xairn bowed and turned away.

“Xairn?” His name spoken in that cold tone froze him in his tracks. Reluctantly he turned back to face the AllFather.

“Yes, Father?”

“I want you to know, there will be a punishment for this day’sss failure.” Red eyes gleamed in the folds of his hood and the AllFather tapped one skeletal finger against the arm of his metal throne for emphasis. “It isss not forgotten—only delayed.”

Xairn knew the kind of punishment his father spoke of—what lay in store for him. The numbing sting of a mind invasion, the horror of having his memories, dreams, and hopes manipulated and twisted, until the mental anguish was so great he felt like he must explode. Physical torture would be kinder by far, but that was not the AllFather’s way.

There was nothing he could say to get out of it. Nothing he could do but try to forget it until it was upon him. Otherwise dread would eat into his mind, making it impossible to concentrate on the task he had been assigned. “I understand, Father,” he said in a low voice. “As always, I await your pleasure.”

And that was the problem—the AllFather drew much pleasure from the pain of others and no one was exempt from feeding his monstrous appetite.

Not even his son.

Chapter Eleven

Sophie flipped the light switch on the wall but there was no change in the darkness. Great, no electricity. Which meant she was probably going to be taking a cold shower. But no matter how freezing the water was, she had to wash off. She felt horribly dirty and grimy—especially the places where she could feel dried blood flaking off her skin. Ugh—she must look like a complete mess.

But how am I going to see what I’m doing in the dark? There was a single small window in one wall of the bathroom that showed the ghostly outlines of a sink, toilet, and shower stall, but it certainly didn’t shed enough light to take a shower by.

A faint gleam told her there was a mirrored medicine chest above the sink. Hoping to find a flashlight, Sophie opened it carefully and began feeling the shelves inside. She had never been the type to snoop into other people’s things and she said a silent apology to the absent owner of the cabin as she went.

She didn’t find a flashlight but there was a small pack of matches in one dark corner. Now if only there was a candle to go with them. If this cabin belonged to a woman or if whoever owns it has a wife, there ought to be some around somewhere…

Striking a match, she found what she was looking for. On the back of the toilet was a tall pillar candle that smelled faintly of vanilla. With a happy little cry, Sophia lit it, sending a silent thank you to the woman who had left it there.

Her eyes had grown so accustomed to the dark that the single candle seemed positively brilliant. A pink flowered shower curtain that matched a fuzzy pink bathmat and toilet seat cover were revealed in the flickering light. There was even a fluffy pink towel hanging from a tiny rack beside the shower. Definitely a woman’s touch, she thought approvingly. Thank you, whoever you are. I’ll try not to mess up your stuff too much!

Without much hope she turned to the small shower stall and fiddled with the knobs. To her intense delight, after a moment the water actually began to steam. Hot water! Oh, thank God. They must have a gas or oil water heater or something else that doesn’t depend on electricity.

Sophie couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted a shower so badly. Peeling off Sylvan’s uniform shirt and the ragged remains of her bridesmaid’s dress, she stepped gratefully under the steamy flow.

She would have liked to wash her hair but she didn’t see any shampoo so she twisted the long strands into a loose knot at the back of her neck instead. There was a rather dried cake of soap in the dish mounted on one wall and she rubbed it between her palms, working up a lather. Mmm, jasmine and honey.

The smell of the soap was surprisingly strong and it gave her an idea. Maybe she could mask her smell without any of the embarrassing sounding “scent marking” Sylvan had been talking about. If she used enough of the strong smelling soap, there was no way the horrible Scourge sniffers could find her—right? Sophie lathered liberally and repeated twice, making sure to get every part of herself squeaky clean—even the side of her head where she’d hit the rock. Then, reluctantly, she turned off the water and wrapped herself in the towel.

No sense putting it off anymore…She was going to have to face Sylvan again. At least the long cut along her chest and breast appeared to be completely healed, so she didn’t have to go through that again.

Just the memory of that, of his hot tongue lapping gently over her nipple, made her knees feel weak. I won’t think about it, she told herself sternly. After all, it’s not like there’s anything between us. He has to protect me—he swore he would. That’s the only reason his mating scent is coming out and once we’re back in the Kindred mother ship everything will go back to normal. In the mean time, he’s just doing whatever he can to make sure I’m safe.

Pushing her confusion about the big warrior to the back of her mind, Sophie turned her attention to more practical matters. She thought about putting the ragged blood-stained dress back on, but she just couldn’t face it. She pulled on her lace panties and put the uniform shirt back on instead. Her bra had been torn in half along with the dress and was a complete loss—she didn’t even try to wear it. The heavy, silky material or Sylvan’s shirt rubbed her nipples, making them throb sensitively. Again she thought of his mouth on her there and again she pushed the thought away. Stop remembering it. You’re only making it worse.

Opening the bathroom door, she peered hesitantly into the cabin. Sylvan had apparently been busy while she was taking a shower. There was a crackling fire in the fireplace across from the bed and a heavy chair had been propped against the broken door.

Sylvan was sitting in front of the fire on a heavy black fur rug, staring into the flames with an unreadable look in his eyes. He looked up when Sophie came out. “You look refreshed.”

“They actually have hot water. Well, if I didn’t use it all.” She nodded at the bathroom. “You want a shower?”

He shook his head. “The running water might mask sounds I need to hear.”

“Oh, well…okay then.” Trying not to limp on her still-sore ankle, she made her way over and sat down gingerly beside him. The fur of the rug ticked her bare thighs uncomfortably and her skinned knees and the raw palms of her hands stung. God, even after a shower she was still a mess. “Sorry I’m still wearing your shirt,” she said, since he was staring at her. “I, uh…my dress was ruined.”

“It’s yours to keep for as long as you want it.” But still his eyes didn’t leave her face.

“Is everything okay?” Sophie put a hand to her throat self-consciously. “I mean, you keep, uh looking at me. Do I look strange or something?”

He shook his head. “No, you look perfect. Just…perfect.”

“Oh.” Sophie had no idea what to say. “I, uh, I wonder if there’s anything to eat,” she said, wanting to change the subject. “I mean, there’s probably nothing in the fridge, but there might be something worth having in the cabinets.” She nodded at the small kitchenette which was separated from the bedroom/living area of the cabin by a low bar.

“There are a few cylinders of different foodstuffs. I saw them when I was looking for something to use as a weapon.” Sylvan shrugged. “There are no knives, unfortunately. And nothing edible that looked worth bothering with—except this.” He lifted a mug that had been sitting to one side of him and handed it to her. “I heated the water on the fire to make it. I hope you like it.”

“What is it?” Sophie sniffed suspiciously at the contents of the blue glass mug. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Sylvan—just that Kindred had been know to mix up human foods on occasion. She would never forget Liv telling her about Baird’s first attempt to make pizza. Ugh. But the scent that met her nose was surprisingly pleasing. Mint and some kind of cream? She took an experimental sip. “Hey, pretty good.”

“There were some bags full of herbs that smelled pleasant. I let them soak in the hot water.” He smiled at her. “We make a similar drink on Tranq Prime.”

“It’s called tea.” Sophie smiled at him and took another sip. “Well, that’s what we call it, anyway. And it’s really good—thank you for making it.”

He nodded gravely. “I wish I had more to offer. I did bring some protein paste.” He produced a strange oblong tube and cracked it open. Holding out half to Sophia he said, “Go ahead. It might not be to your taste but it will keep you on your feet for days.”

“Uh, okay.” Taking the half tube she sniffed experimentally. A rich, meaty smell rose to her nostrils. It was strong but not exactly unpleasant.

“Well?” Sylvan was watching her.

“Smells like…beef jerky.” Sophie took another sniff. “Actually, it smells pretty good. What kind of animal is it from?”

Sylvan stared into the fire as he spoke. “Mostly it’s ground up fleeta beadle larva.”

“What?” Sophie nearly gagged. Thank God I didn’t try any!

“Fleeta beadles. We call them blood bugs on Tranq Prime because even though they’re a delicacy, eating them was the cause of Blood Fever.”

Sophie made a face. “Blood fever? What’s that?”

“A disease that only affects unmated females. It nearly decimated the Tranq Prime natives before the Kindred came to make a trade with them and brought a cure.” He looked into the fire as he spoke. “Now, of course, we know the cause of Blood Fever was a parasite that lives in the beadle’s digestive tract—it reacts with a compound found in the Tranq Prime water supply. But since all females are now inoculated against it, we can eat them again.”

“Ugh!” Sophie handed back the half finished tube. “Maybe you can eat them. I’m not going to.”

“What’s wrong?” He gave her a surprised look. “I thought you said it smelled good.”

“I, uh, changed my mind.” Shuddering, Sophie took another sip of mint tea. “So anyway, I don’t think we have to worry about the cyborg bloodhounds now,” she said, wanting to steer the conversation away from beadle larva paste.

“Oh?” Sylvan raised an eyebrow at her. “And why is that?”

“Can’t you tell?” She leaned a little closer to him. “Smell me.”

His eyes seemed to glow in the firelight. “Are you inviting me to scent you?”

“Uh…I guess so.” Sophie shrugged. “I just…” But the words died in her mouth.

Sylvan was on his hands and knees before her and his nose was pressed to her inner ankle. As she watched, her heart pounding, he traced a path up, following her leg to the back of her knee and then straight to her inner thigh. For a moment Sophie thought he was going to press his face right between her legs. But to her intense relief, after a long pause, he continued up her body, ending at her neck.

“You smell delicious.” His deep voice in her ear and his warm breath against the sensitive side of her neck sent a shiver through her. For some reason her nipples were tight under the silky shirt and she felt uncomfortably sensitive between her legs.

“Um…thanks.” She wished her voice wouldn’t come out sounding so squeaky. “I, uh, didn’t mean for you to do…do that. What I meant to say was that I used some really strong soap when I took a shower. So there’s no way the uh, sniffers can find me now.”

“I’m afraid you’re wrong.” Sylvan sat back, looking at her.

“What do you mean? You can’t seriously tell me you could smell any of my personal, uh, scent past all that soap I used. I mean, I lathered up three times.”

Sylvan gave her an intent look. “The scent they’re following can’t be eradicated with soap, no matter how much you use. They search for the overlying fragrance—your skin, your hair—but the underlying note is what draws them to you. And it is what will keep them coming if they find us.”

“But what…where…?” Sophie shook her head.

“It’s the scent of your sex.” One large hand drifted between her legs and he brushed her inner thigh lightly with his fingertips, as though illustrating his point. Sophie gasped at the gentle touch. “Your female essence,” he murmured. “The sweet, warm scent that is completely and utterly you, Sophia.”

“They…they can smell me there?”

“I can. And if I can, the urlich certainly can.”

“Oh my God!” Sophie was appalled. She clamped her thighs together and drew her knees up to her chin. “I…I don’t know what to say. Personal hygiene is very, very important to me. I—”

“Stop.” Sylvan put a large warm hand on her thigh. “Did you think I meant they were following an unpleasant scent?”

“Well how else could it be strong enough to follow in the first place? I mean, my God…” Sophie shook her head, unable to go on.

“Sophia, no.” Sylvan ducked his head so that he could look into her eyes. “Your scent is distinctive as any female’s scent is. But yours is also the most beautiful, delicious, heady aroma I have ever smelled.”

“What?” She looked at him, wide-eyed and uncertain. “Are you actually saying you like the scent of my…of my…”

“Of your sex. Your pussy.” His ice-blue eyes were hot now, half-lidded with lust. “It’s warm and rich and completely feminine. It fills me with desire.” His voice dropped to a soft growl. “And makes me wonder how you would taste.”

“You…you want to taste me there?”

Slowly, he nodded. “If we really were in our claiming period, I would need to taste you often and thoroughly.”

“Is that…a Kindred thing?” Her heart was pounding now and she was very aware of his mating scent. God, they were getting into dangerous territory here but she couldn’t seem to stop.

“We like to keep our mates satisfied and mark them as our own.” His voice was a soft growl.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. “So…it’s all about possession. Keeping your woman with you and proving she’s yours?”

“It’s not just that.” Sylvan’s eyes traveled down her body and she could almost feel the heat from his gaze wherever he looked. “It’s about spreading your female open and mapping her most secret places. Tasting her honey and thrusting your tongue deep in her tight, wet pussy until she moans and cries your name…pulling your hair and scratching your shoulders as she loses control completely from the pleasure you’re giving her.”

“I…I…” Sophie was speechless. The words he used painted an incredibly vivid picture in her mind. She could almost see herself lying on the bed with Sylvan between her legs, opening her, tasting her… No! Stop it. She shook her head, trying to get the embarrassing and enticing image out of her brain.

Sylvan must have sensed her unease because he shook his head. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that your scent is so delicious and I can’t…can’t help responding to it.”

“I can’t help responding to yours either,” Sophie admitted in a low voice. “We…we should probably be careful that we don’t…you know, do something we might regret.”

“And would you regret it?” he murmured. “Would you regret giving yourself to me, Talana?”

“I…” Sophie’s mouth felt too dry to answer. “I’d be afraid to,” she said at last. “You…you’d want to bite me if I…if we did that. Wouldn’t you?”

Sylvan sighed. “Biting is part of bonding sex for the Blood Kindred, yes.”

“But not just bonding sex,” Sophie said. “If we…if you really did claim me—I mean, I know you don’t really want to any more than I want you to—but if you did… you’d want to bite me every time.”

“Love making is not complete without the gift of blood,” he said heavily. “Not for us.”

Sophie shivered. “I’m sorry, but sex is bad enough without adding biting and blood to it. I’m not a masochist, Sylvan—I don’t like pain. I don’t, uh, get off on being hurt.”

“I would never hurt you,” he said in a low voice that did strange things to her insides.

Sophie looked into the fire, trying not to meet his eyes. “I don’t see how you could avoid it. If you were, uh, biting me, I mean. Anyway, if I ever do get married or bonded or whatever you want to call it, it couldn’t be with someone like you. I mean, you’re a really nice guy but…”

He raised an eyebrow. “But?”

Sophie felt awkward but somehow it had to be said. She needed to let him know how she felt before things went any further. “Well it’s not just because of the biting thing, really it’s not,” she said. “It’s because you’re so big. So aggressive. I mean, the things you said to that Scourge guy in the shuttle…”

Sylvan frowned. “He was threatening you. I had to make it clear you were off limits.”

“And I appreciate that,” Sophie said earnestly. “But I don’t know who you scared more, me or him.” She thought of the way he’d looked, with his fangs out and that blood-thirsty look in his eyes—terrifying. Even though they’d been about to crash, she hadn’t been able to stop staring at him.

Sylvan nodded thoughtfully. “And if you ever do get bonded, what kind of male would you look for?”

“Probably not a Kindred. I don’t want any kind of alpha male,” Sophie said decisively.

He frowned. “Alpha male?”

“Big, strong, angry, aggressive. You know like…like the captain of the football team.” Sophie looked down at her hands. “If I ever end up with someone he’ll have to be quiet and gentle.”

“I can be those things.” Taking one of her hands, he raised it to his mouth and kissed her wounded palm gently. Sophie felt her breath catch in her throat as he bathed the raw skin with his tongue, his eyes never leaving hers while he did it. “There,” he murmured, finally releasing her hand.

“Th-there what?” Sophie couldn’t stop looking at him. For some reason she felt as though her heart was beating in every part of her body at once and her palm was tingling like crazy.

“Your hand.” He nodded at it. “It’s healed.”

“What?” She finally broke his gaze and looked down at her palm. “Wow! It really is.”

He smiled. “I told you. May I have your permission to heal the rest of you as well?”

“I…I guess so.” Sophie held her breath as he lapped gently at her other palm. But when he turned his attention to her skinned knees, she tried to stop him. “No, really,” she said, trying to inch away when he knelt before her. “I…they don’t hurt that bad. Honestly.”

“Sophia,” he said sternly. “It is not only my pleasure and privilege to heal your wounds, it’s my duty too. I was charged with your safety and well being—I must fulfill that charge.”

“You really take it that seriously?”

He nodded. “A Kindred never goes back on his word.” His voice turned slightly wistful. “Do you really fear me so much you won’t even allow me to heal a few small wounds?”

“No, I guess not. It’s just…embarrassing.”

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Kneeling down he ran his warm, wet tongue slowly across her injured knee. Looking up at her he whispered, “You’re beautiful, Sophia. I want to heal you.”

“Th-thank you,” she murmured, her heart pounding.

“You’re more than welcome.” He licked her other knee, taking his time, obviously savoring the moment.

When he finally drew back, Sophie was almost panting. The feel of his hot mouth on her legs was stimulating and embarrassing at the same time. She kept thinking of how he’d said he wanted to taste her. Imagining his hot mouth further up—a lot further up—was all she could think of.

Then suddenly he was leaning in as if for a kiss. Sophie couldn’t help herself. Her heart was banging against her ribs from the feel of his tongue on her skin and his mating scent was invading her senses. She leaned in to meet him, closing her eyes…And felt his mouth on her temple instead of against her lips.

“What? What are you doing?” she asked uncertainly.

“You’re wounded here too. You hit your head on a rock—remember?” His voice was low and intimate in her ear and the feel of his tongue against her temple made her shiver helplessly.

“Of…of course.” Sophie felt foolish. To think she’d believed he wanted to kiss her after she just finished telling him he wasn’t her type. He was obviously just being nice—a lot nicer than most guys would be after an unequivocal rejection.

Finally Sylvan sat back and looked at her. “Was that gentle enough for you?”

“It…was very nice.” Which was the understatement of the year. She could still feel her newly healed skin tingling everywhere he’d licked. Could still feel the heat of his tongue caressing her so gently… “I…I mean you were very gentle. Very sweet.” Sophie could feel herself blushing. “Thank you. I…I thought for a minute there that you were going to, uh, heal my lip. Where you bit me earlier.”

Sylvan looked at her seriously. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than tasting your lips, Talana. But I didn’t want to offend you.”

You should stop now. This is a really bad idea, whispered a little voice in her head. Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to go too far? Well guess what, it’s nice now but a man like this is hard to stop once you get him started. And you know exactly how badly this situation can end. Yes, she knew only too well. But somehow she couldn’t help herself.

“I…I’m not offended,” she breathed.

“Then I’ll gladly heal you.” Sylvan leaned toward her…and froze.

“Is something wrong?” Sophie looked at him expectantly. “I, uh, told you I wasn’t offended.”

“It isn’t that.” Sylvan turned from side to side, his head cocked in a listening angle. “Urlich,” he murmured at last in a voice so low Sophie felt it more than heard it. “Can’t you smell the foul stench?”

Sophie inhaled deeply but all she could smell was his mating scent. Then she heard it. A deep snuffling sound was coming from just outside the splintered door. Sylvan had blocked it with a chair but for someone or something really determined to get in, that would present only a momentary distraction, she was sure.

Sylvan put his mouth to her ear. “Not a sound,” he breathed. “If they break through run to the bathroom and go out the window.”

Sophie shook her head frantically. “I don’t want to leave you,” she protested in a whisper.

“Do it.” Sylvan’s eyes blazed. “I’ll kill as many as I can before they take me down. You get as far from here as possible. If you hear them catching up, climb a tree. They’re only good on the ground.”

“But…but Sylvan…”

Shaking his head, he moved from her side and crouched facing the door. To Sophie he looked like a tiger poised to spring.

He’s getting ready to fight…to die if necessary to protect me, she realized. What did I ever do to deserve that kind of sacrifice?

And how in the world was she going to manage without him?

Chapter Twelve

This time the tingling pleasure in her breasts and pussy started at once and Kat had to clamp her lips shut to stop a moan. She squeezed the large male hands holding hers convulsively as the hot sensations rushed through her.

It’s all right, she heard Lock whisper. Only instead of hearing him with her ears, she heard him…

Inside my mind, she thought and heard Deep reply,

Yes, we enter the mind of the focus, both of us at once.

The same way you’d— Kat tried to cut the thought off but an image passed before her mind’s eye too quickly too stop.

It was a picture she’d seen on one of those porn-for-women websites that were popping up all over lately. In it, two dark haired men were holding a blonde woman between them. One of the men was standing behind the woman, kissing her neck and his large hand was cupped between her legs. The other man was kneeling in front of her, sucking one of her nipples into his mouth and spreading her thighs wide to give his friend easier access. The girl had her head thrown back and her eyes closed in ecstasy as she allowed both men to do what they wanted.

Well, well—not quite so resistant to being the “filling” in our sandwich after all, are you little Kat? Deep’s mental voice sounded like a hungry growl.

Damn it—that’s just something I saw once. I didn’t…didn’t mean to send it to you, Kat protested. It’s not like I actually like it or anything.

It’s all right, Kat. Lock’s mental tone was reassuring. We know you didn’t mean to. It’s hard to keep your thoughts to yourself when your mind is unshielded.

It’s just…it’s not something I wanted you to see. Kat was mortified.

I can’t speak for Lock, but it doesn’t bother me at all, Deep murmured. Only I picture it a little more like this… He sent the image back to her but this time he and Lock were the men in the picture and Kat recognized herself as the female between them. Her long red hair was down around her shoulders and her mouth was open in a silent moan. Looking further, she saw that Deep’s fingers weren’t just cupping her pussy, they were actually sliding into her, filling her, fucking her, opening her… Opening you for our cocks, she heard him growl. Spreading your soft little pussy so that Lock and I can fill you as one.

Kat shivered involuntarily. Oh my God, I couldn’t! I could never…

Deep, that’s enough! Lock’s mental voice was almost a shout and the image was abruptly gone. We’re trying to teach her to focus—not confirm her idea that we’re sexually depraved.

I…I never said I thought that, Kat protested, her mental voice sounding breathless somehow. Between the tingling stimulation she was feeling the entire time they touched and the erotic imagery flying back and forth between the three of them, she was getting overheated fast.

You didn’t have to say it. We can feel it, Lock murmured and she thought he sounded sad.

But we feel your curiosity too, Deep added. You wonder what it’s like to be the center. To be pleasured and filled by two males at once…

No, I never…Kat protested. I don’t…don’t want that.

Not even a little? Deep sounded amused.

No, not even a little, Kat sent, trying to make her mental voice firm and unyielding. Now are we going to look for Sylvan and Sophie or not?

I second that. We need to concentrate on the task at hand, Lock sent. Kat, imagine that we are going to cast a net—a vast, all-encompassing net over your entire world. Deep is the seeker, he will get us to where we need to go and provide the power to generate the net. I am the finder so I will weave it, strand by strand and cast it over the target area.

And what am I going to do? Kat asked, relieved to finally get off the subject of sex—especially scary-as-hell three-way sex.

You’re the focus. When our net finds its intended targets, you’ll help pinpoint their exact location. You’ll focus in on their general area and generate an image we can all see. Deep’s mental voice was all business now, which made it easier to concentrate.

Okay, I’ll try, I guess, Kat told them.

As we build and cast the net, concentrate on Sophia, Lock sent. Remember your fondest memories of her. Try to get a clear picture of her in your mind.

Her eyes shut tight, Kat did as he said. Sophie…Sophie…Always so shy, so sensitive…I remember that time in fourth grade when that bully made you cry. Liv and I wanted to beat him up or go to the teacher…But you stood up to him on your own instead. We were so surprised but he never bothered you again. And your art—so beautiful, so delicate. You’re so talented but you spend your time teaching children instead of pursing your own career because you love them so much. Sensitive too—remember that time Liv made you watch The Exorcist with her? You couldn’t sleep for a month! You always hated horror movies or anything scary…Selfless and giving, you’re always there when I need someone to talk to or just to hang out…

The memories went on and on, filling her mind with love and affection, making her almost cry with emotion. Sophie please, don’t be dead or gone beyond my reach. Let me find you—you and Liv were always the sisters I never had. Please…

We’re ready, Lock sent softly, interrupting the flow only a little. The net is cast, Kat. It’s up to you to feel the location of Sophia and try to focus in on her.

All right, she sent back. But how do I start?

Feel the net—feel our power and let it flow through you, Deep instructed her.

Taking a deep breath, Kat tried to do as they instructed. And then she saw something amazing…

It was the Earth—a round blue and white ball floating in space, just as she had seen it from the Kindred shuttle window. And it was covered with a glowing net made of golden light, so beautiful and bright it almost hurt to look at it. But despite its brilliance, or maybe because of it, she couldn’t look away.

It…it’s beautiful, she whispered to both brothers. Breathtaking.

Thank you. Lock sounded as though he was smiling. We were taught by the best.

Your mentor would have been proud, Kat told them.

Or surprised. Deep sounded amused. If he knew we were using an unmated female as a focus. Speaking of which, Kat, now it’s up to you. You need to narrow our search—feel the net and see if you can find your friend.

Concentrate on moving in closer, Lock added. If they’re anywhere in the net you’ll feel them as a kind of tugging in the corner of your mind. Once you feel that, try to focus on where it’s coming from.

And don’t worry if you can’t get very close to their actual location, Deep added. It’s a very difficult skill to learn. Even if you can just verify that they’re alive and somewhere on the planet it will be a good start.

Got it. Taking a deep breath, Kat concentrated on the net. Its shining surface covered the entire globe but she could still see the shapes of landmasses and oceans through its golden threads.

She looked at Florida first but she felt nothing at all from the long, peninsular state. However there was something further north… The tugging, follow the tugging… Suddenly it was as though she was a bird flying high and fast above the world. Cities and lakes and rivers sped by under her invisible wings, going faster and faster…

Kat? Lock sounded almost panicked. Kat slow down, you’re going too fast…

Let her, Deep commanded. Let her, Lock. She’s onto something. Let her follow it.

Kat ignored them both. The sensation of flying was immediately addictive and she could feel herself getting nearer and nearer to her target. Mountains! she thought as she flew over craggy peaks. There was a winding road cutting through them and a large green directional sign she could almost see on one side of it. Blu…idge…kway, she caught. And then, just below her, a steaming heap of wreckage.

Oh no. Oh God. She stopped suddenly, hovering over what was obviously the remains of the shuttle.

So they did crash. Deep’s mental voice was flat.

That doesn’t mean they’re dead, Lock sent. Do you feel them there in the wreckage, Kat?

No. She felt a huge measure of relief. No, I don’t. They’re further on, somewhere else.

And then she was flying again, going even faster, zeroing in on her target, feeling the tugging in her mind she knew was Sophie.

Sophie! Sophie, where are you?

Don’t worry if you can’t see her exact location, Lock began. It’s very rare for a focus to be able to pinpoint—

There—she’s in that cabin on the side of the mountain, Kat interrupted him excitedly. I can feel her!

Can you show her to us? Deep asked.

Deep, you know she won’t be able to. No focus—

Here. There was something strange outside the cabin—something with red eyes filled with hunger—but it wasn’t what she was looking for so Kat ignored it. Instead, she dove in through a wide crack in the wooden door, which looked like someone had kicked it in. Maybe Sylvan had forced his way inside?

They’re both here. Both alive, she reported, feeling an immense surge of relief. And yet…Something’s wrong. Look at Sophie’s face—she’s scared to death. As she hovered over the room like a noiseless, unseen bird, she saw her friend, who was wearing nothing but Sylvan’s blue uniform shirt. Sophie was edging toward the bathroom with terror in her large green eyes. Turning her attention to the big Kindred warrior, Kat thought she could see why.

Sylvan was crouched in the middle of the room, glaring at the doorway as though he was waiting for some threat to come bursting through it at any moment. And the look on his face…

Holy crap! Kat shook herself mentally. Look at him! What the hell is going on? I haven’t seen anything that scary since the last time Liv and I had a horror-movie marathon.

They must be in danger and he’s preparing to defend her, Deep sent.

Looking like that? Kat asked. Because Sylvan was no longer recognizable as the utterly logical, slightly cold male she’d met on several other occasions. Now his eyes were blazing and his fangs were fully extended—and who the hell knew those things could get so long in the first place? They weren’t the pretty, petite little points that movie vampires had—these were freaking weapons and it was abundantly obvious that Sylvan could wound or even kill with them. No wonder Sophie looked scared. She hated that kind of thing.

The urge to protect is incredibly strong in us, Lock sent. When danger threatens a female we have claimed as our own, it induces a state of altered consciousness.

Have you ever heard the term “berserker rage?” asked Deep.

My God! Kat couldn’t stop staring at Sylvan. Shirtless as he was with his broad shoulders hunched and ready to attack, he looked like a mountain of muscle—a mountain of very lethal muscle. What is he going to do? she couldn’t help asking.

Whatever he has to in order to keep Sophia safe. Deep’s mental voice was grim. It’s like we told you, Kat—he’ll die protecting her if necessary. But he’s not going down without a fight.

No, I guess not, Kat murmured. Uh, do all of you—all Kindred—get that way when someone you’re protecting is threatened?

Actually, it’s rare to see such an extreme response unless it’s our mate who is in danger, Lock said. But yes, the protective rage is part of the Kindred biological makeup. It can turn any warrior into a killing machine—inciting us to violence like nothing else.

Kat couldn’t stop the feeling of unease that settled over her at his words. So all of you have this…this other person inside you? Like the incredible Hulk or something?

The incredible who? Deep asked.

This guy—he got shot up with too much gamma radiation so he turns huge and green and angry whenever someone pisses him off and…Kat shook her head. Never mind. It’s a pop culture thing. You wouldn’t understand.

Actually, I’d say that pretty much sums us up. Lock sounded thoughtful.

Aside from the turning green part, anyway, Deep said dryly. Threaten our chosen female and prepare to die. It’s a lesson many have learned the hard way.

I bet. Kat shivered.

You should be glad to see Sylvan’s response, Lock said gently. Obviously he cares for your friend—cares deeply—if the rage has come over him. He will protect her or die trying.

And a Kindred warrior is not easy to kill, Deep added. Especially one in the grip of the rage.

Kat wanted to say more, to see more. Who or what was threatening Sophie? And why was Sylvan being so protective of her when Sophie had been sure he didn’t even like her? And how—

Suddenly, she was being pulled back like a rubber band that has been stretched to the limit and then let go.

No, wait! No, no, no! Please!

But the world was rushing outward and away from her, the shining net fading as the blue and white Earth receded into the distance…

And then she was back, stuck in her own body which suddenly felt horribly tired and weak. “God!” she gasped and her legs gave way under her. She would have fallen for sure, but four strong hands held her up and a deep voice was whispering in her ear.

“It’s all right, Kat. You’re all right. You just overdid it, that’s all. You’ll recover in a moment.”

The world spun around her and Kat closed her eyes to shut it out. When she opened them she found herself lying on the extra long couch with her head in Lock’s lap and her feet propped up on Deep’s knees. Both men were staring at her anxiously, which made her feel incredibly nervous for some reason.

“What…what happened?” She tried to sit up but the brothers held her down gently but firmly.

“Relax awhile longer,” Lock urged her. “You’ve just had a very intense experience.”

“Intense?” Deep laughed. “I’ll say. I’ve never seen or heard of a focus being able to get so close so fast. And to stay there for so long, too! That was amazing.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Kat put a hand to her head which was beginning to throb. “I didn’t even get their exact location. Although I think the sign I saw might have said Blue Ridge Parkway. But I’m pretty sure the parkway runs through several different states. So what good is that?”

“It’s damn good, believe me,” Deep assured her.

“And you don’t have to worry about finding their exact location. Deep and I will use what you gave us to extrapolate it when we join with each other later,” Lock explained. “Truly, Kat, what you did was amazing. I’ve never seen its like, even with our old mentor and he had been a focus for over sixty years when he trained Deep and myself.”

“Yeah, I feel really amazing.” Kat rubbed her throbbing forehead. It was funny, she could almost feel their admiration like sunshine on her back, but it didn’t do a thing for her head. “Is it normal for joining to give you such a headache?”

Both brothers looked concerned. “No, not at all,” Lock said. “Maybe your head hurts because it’s all new to you?”

“Or maybe you just went too fast.” Deep chuckled. “Never saw a focus rush right to the spot like that. Usually it takes forever to get to where the target is. But you just went right to it.”

“That ‘target’ is my friend,” Kat reminded him tartly. “And it looked like she was in a pretty tight spot.”

“They must have crashed somewhere in the mountains and made their way to the cabin,” Lock said thoughtfully. “At least they’re someplace they can defend. Don’t worry, Kat—Sylvan will protect her.”

“Lock is right.” Deep patted her legs in what he probably thought was a soothing way. But his hand happened to land on her bare skin and Lock was already touching her bare shoulder.

“Ah!” Kat jumped as the strange connection she felt when she had skin to skin contact with both of them at once suddenly sizzled to life. Great, now I not only have the mother of all headaches, I’m horny too. How is that even possible? God, I so don’t need this right now.

“What’s wrong?” Deep asked at the same time Lock said,

“Are you all right, my lady?”

“Fine, just fine.” Kat scrambled up and off the couch and this time they let her. “I just…I need to get out of here.”

“And go where?” Lock asked reasonably. “It’s very late now. Do you have anyplace to sleep?”

“No, but I can find a place.” Kat was already headed for the door.

“Wait.” Deep was suddenly in front of her and she wondered how such a large male could move so fast. “Don’t go.” His voice was harsh but his black eyes were almost pleading. “Not…not after what we shared. Stay with my brother and me tonight.”

Kat’s heart was suddenly in her throat. The need in his dark face was intense—overwhelming and so palpable she could almost feel it. Her heart started pounding triple time and she didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Can’t stay,” she whispered, trying desperately to think of an excuse. “I…somebody has to tell Olivia what’s going on. I mean, if she and Baird ever finish… uh, ever finish,” she ended lamely.

“Kat…” Lock came up to her, standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother. “I can sense your unease, it rolls within you like a wave about to break. But—”

Kat rounded on him. “Wait a minute—what do you mean you can sense my unease?”

“I can feel it. Here.” Lock tapped his broad chest. “The same way I sense my brother’s emotions.”

“As can I,” Deep rumbled.

“But…but we’re not joined anymore,” she protested. “We’re not even touching.”

Lock shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We had an intense joining.”

“Very intense,” Deep rumbled and the hunger was back in his black eyes again. A hunger so vast and deep Kat felt like he might gobble her up in one mouthful. It felt like…Oh my God, I’m feeling it! Feeling him—just the way Lock said he could feel me.

Come to think of it, she could feel Lock as well. There was an emptiness in him, a yearning so sharp it almost brought tears to her eyes. It was like there was a piece missing out of his soul. A piece that was exactly her shape and size…

She stared at both of them. “What the hell is going on here? Is this a permanent condition?”

“Is what a permanent condition?” Deep asked.

“Having the two of you inside my head. All of us knowing exactly what the others are feeling, are thinking at any given moment, even after the connection is broken.”

“No, of course not,” Lock said.

“Oh, good.” She put a hand to her throbbing head. “Because for a minute there I was kind of freaking ou—”

“Thought sharing wouldn’t occur unless we were fully bonded to you,” Deep said, obviously continuing where his twin had left off.

“So you could hear my thoughts, even when we’re not touching or joined?”

“Only if we were bonded. Right now all we can do is sense your emotions—as you can sense ours.” Lock made it sound like it was perfectly normal to be feeling someone else’s emotions—two someone elses, Kat reminded herself.

“Oh my God—okay, this is too much.” She shook her head. “I mean, I like sci-fi and everything but this is all just a little too Vulcan mind-meldy for me.”

“What?” they both said together.

Kat took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is, I was good with us sharing thoughts while we were joined—well, maybe not good, but okay. It was actually pretty damned uncomfortable letting you two into my head but whatever, it was for a good cause—we had to find Sylvan and Sophie. But you didn’t tell me it was never going to end! That I would still feel you in me after it was over and done with.”

“You don’t understand, do you, little Kat?” Deep took a step toward her, looking at her intently. “When you pair with Twin Kindred, the joining never ends. Not really.”

“Stop it! Can’t you see you’re scaring her?” Lock turned on his brother looking really angry.

Scratch that—feeling really angry. Because I can feel the anger and frustration like lava bubbling up inside him, Kat thought dismally. And Deep is even worse. He’s so hungry. There’s a vast, black chasm in his soul. Oh God, I can’t handle this right now!

“Please don’t leave.” The look in Lock’s eyes when he turned back to her was pleading. “I feel your fear but we would never hurt you, Kat. And we don’t like the idea of you wandering around the ship with nowhere to go.”

“I’ll go back to the sacred grove,” Kat said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ll be fine there.”

“No.” Deep was positively glowering now, his black brows pulled low over burning eyes. “You’ll have to go through the unmated males’ territory to get to the sacred grove. You can’t go there.”

“What my brother means is that it wouldn’t be safe for you to go near unmated males in the state you’re in,” Lock said apologetically.

“What state?” Kat demanded. “What are you talking about?”

“Your scent.” Deep leaned forward and inhaled deeply before looking into her eyes. “You smell too hot. You need to stay away from unmated males.”

“But…but you two are unmated males,” she objected, her voice trembling. And the way you’re feeling about me makes me think I should stay the hell away from you. But she didn’t say it out loud. The burning lust she felt coming in waves from both brothers was too frightening, too intense.

“We know you,” Lock said in a soothing voice that belied the vortex of need inside him. “And you know us—you know deep down we won’t hurt you. Don’t you, Kat?”

“I…I don’t know,” she faltered. “I know you want me. I can feel it coming off both of you like…like heat.”

“We can’t help what we feel,” Deep said roughly. “How can we help wanting you between us, beautiful little Kat? How can we help wanting to fill you again?”

Somehow Kat knew he wasn’t talking about filling her with his mind this time. No, this time he and Lock wanted more. Much more. And that scared the ever loving crap out of her.

“Just stay the night,” Lock urged quietly when she didn’t speak. “Don’t listen to Deep, we won’t bother you—you can have the bed all to yourself if you like.”

The thought of getting anywhere near their bed, even if she was the only one in it, gave Kat a bad case of the butterflies. “No, you guys take the bed,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll take the door, I’m leaving.”

“No!” Deep moved to block her way again but Lock held him back.

“Go then, my lady,” he said and she could feel his sorrow like an ache in her heart. “We won’t try to stop you. Only please, stay away from the unmated males’ territory.”

“Look, I don’t care where I go right now as long as I can get away from the two of you and…and your feelings!” Kat knew she was being cruel but she couldn’t help herself—she was drowning in emotions that weren’t hers. It felt like a giant hand was gripping her, squeezing her for all it was worth and she couldn’t breathe…couldn’t breathe…

Deep gave her a sharp, predatory grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, I think you’d care if you wound up there, little Kat. You’d care a hell of a lot. Because the warriors that live there would listen to what your scent was saying, not the words coming out of your pretty little mouth.”

“Kat—” Lock started, but Kat had heard—and felt—enough to last her a lifetime. Dodging around both large male bodies, she slapped the door switch and squeezed out even before the silver panel had finished opening.

There was a blast of sorrow/anger/pain/need/hunger so intense it nearly knocked her over, and then she was running blindly down the corridor, trying to get away. Trying to get anywhere else but where they were.

Never. The word pounded in her brain as she ran, gasping for air. Never going to go through that again. Never, never, never!

Chapter Thirteen

The snuffling stopped and then there was a low growling sound outside the door that made the short hairs at the back of Sophie’s neck stand up. It was answered with a deeper, and even more menacing rumble. After a moment she realized it was coming from Sylvan.

She edged toward the bathroom but she didn’t go in yet. Indeed, she couldn’t go in—she was too transfixed by the sight of Sylvan, who seemed to be changing before her eyes.

She shivered when she looked at his face. His fangs were out again, deadly and sharp and the pupils of his eyes had grown until the iris was only a thin blue ring around a well of black. But not just black, she saw—his pupils were red. Blood red. And the look on his face was one of pure menace. Completely inhuman.

But then he’s not human, she reminded herself. He’s a warrior from another galaxy. But even telling herself that didn’t help—he still looked chillingly animalistic in his anger. She wondered if the urlich could see as well as they could smell. If so and they were looking through the crack in the door, they would have to be crazy to confront such a threat.

For a moment the growling rose to a crescendo that made her want to cover her ears. Then, miraculously, the sounds from outside the door began to die. To Sophie’s vast relief, in a matter of minutes they faded away to nothing, until even the snuffling was gone. Still, she waited anxiously, watching Sylvan who was still on high alert.

He turned to her at last. “They’re gone.” His voice was a snarl and he still looked more animal than man.

“Okay.” Sophie shrank away from him when he came toward her. God, he looked scary with those blood red eyes and was it her imagination or had his fangs gotten even longer? “So…” She cleared her throat. “So we can relax?”

“No.” He was still glaring at her, his face filled with some emotion she couldn’t read. Maybe raw aggression? “There were only one or two out there,” he continued, still advancing on her. “They weren’t sure of the scent so they went to gather the rest of the pack to reach a consensus. If they decide that the scent they’re looking for is here, we’re done for.”

“Oh.” Sophie put a hand to her throat. “What…how long do we have? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to mark you. Right now.” Reaching out, he gripped her upper arm before she could dodge away. “On the bed. I need you out of your clothes—all of them.”

Sophie’s mouth was so dry she couldn’t even scream—not that it would do her any good even if she could’ve. “Sylvan…Sylvan, please,” she whispered.

“I said now.” His voice was a muted roar and his face was still the mask of a beast. Gone was the kind, patient male who had carried her for miles, gone was the gentle soul who had healed her wounds so tenderly. In his place was a monster—at least that was how he looked to Sophie.

“I d-don’t understand,” she stammered, unbuttoning the blue uniform shirt reluctantly. “Why…why do I have to be naked?”

His eyes blazed. “You told me you knew about scent marking.”

“I thought I did,” she protested. “But—” The rest of her words were lost as he stripped the loose shirt from her shoulders and led her forcefully to the bed.

“Lay down.” It was a command, not a request.

Sophie was too frightened to disobey but inside the panic was taking hold. What is he going to do to me? This is like a nightmare. A horror story. I can’t get away, there’s no place to run. What am I going to do?

She climbed on the bed and lay there, shivering, with her arms crossed over her breasts. Wondering what he was going to do next.

She didn’t have long to wonder.

With quick, efficient movements, Sylvan stripped off his tight black uniform pants and tall black boots, baring himself with no shame. Clearly he was completely intent on the task at hand—whatever that was. His mating scent was still strong in the air and Sophie could feel her body responding to it—her nipples were hard and her pussy was wet—but her mind was a seething mass of fear and dismay as she watched him strip.

But as frightening as he was, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

Sylvan naked was even more imposing than Sylvan clothed. His broad shoulders and chest led down to a set of six pack abs and trim hips that put any other man she’d ever seen to shame. But it was his muscular thighs that held Sophie’s attention—or rather what was between them.

Sophie remembered that Kat had once joked that all Kindred were hung like Clydesdales. And to her dawning horror, it was obvious that Sylvan was no exception. Long and hard and fully erect, the club of his sex looked as thick as her wrist and its broad, mushroom shaped head rose to the level of his navel. Sophie hadn’t seen much male equipment but to her it looked angry and red—a battering ram ready to breach her defenses whether she wanted it to or not.

He’s so big. How is he ever going to fit that thing inside me? Because by now she was sure that was exactly what he planned to do. He was going to take her right here and now and there was nothing she could do to stop him—no way to get away. Outside the urlich were hunting her and inside her worst nightmare was about to happen. The cabin, which had been a welcome refuge, was now her cage.

She was trapped.

Her mind ran in circles. Not again. Please, God, I can’t stand it again. Oh please…

“Take the panties off too.” His voice was rough.

“But…” Sophie covered herself protectively. “But Sylvan…”

“I need to completely eradicate your scent—can’t do that with a barrier between us.” He nodded at her lace panties again. “Take them off.”

“I…all right,” she whispered. She’d been in this situation before and she knew from bitter experience that fighting would do her no good. I can’t stop him. All I can do is try to survive it. Sophie sat up, trying to cover her breasts with one arm. Feeling horribly naked and vulnerable she pushed the panties down her hips with one hand. When she had them down to her ankles, Sylvan pulled them off and tossed them carelessly in the corner.

Then he climbed on the bed with her.

“Open yourself,” he ordered in a low growl. “I can’t mark you unless you’re completely open to me.”

Her chest felt unbearably tight, her entire body shaking with fear, but there was nothing else she could do. Maybe it will be over with quickly. Maybe it won’t hurt that much. Maybe if I just try not to think about it… But she could think of nothing else.

In a last gesture of despair, Sophie lay back and parted her legs for him, spreading her thighs as he had commanded. The past and the present were blending together now. Her mind was filling with the memory she’d worked so hard to suppress. The dark room. His hand on my mouth. His body so heavy on mine. The pain between my legs—so sharp it makes me scream. But no one can hear me. No one cares. There’s no way out, nothing I can do to stop it from happening. I’m trapped…trapped…

The big warrior was about to reenact her worst nightmare and she couldn’t stand to watch. Throwing an arm over her eyes, she turned her head to one side. And as Sylvan lowered himself on top of her, she let out a low, hitching sob.

* * * * *

The soft sound of distress broke through the red haze of anger, aggression, and the territorial need to mark and claim that had taken over Sylvan’s brain. It was the rage—the rage came over me! He could scarcely believe it but it must be true. All his life he’d heard other Kindred talk about the all-enveloping protective anger that filled and overpowered them when a bride was threatened but he’d never expected to experience it himself. He was cold, logical, above such things.

Well, apparently not where Sophia is concerned.

From the minute he’d heard the urlich at the door all he’d been able to think about was keeping her safe in any way necessary. And since it was her scent they were following, he had to eliminate it—to change it completely by masking it with his own. Instinctively he knew that when faced with the odor of his unleashed aggression, no sniffer would dare to come within a hundred yards of the small cabin they were staying in.

Unfortunately, he’d been so set on his purpose that he’d completely forgotten to consider the human girl he was protecting. Looking down at her now with clear eyes, he suddenly saw how she trembled under him. She had opened herself as he ordered, true, but her entire body spoke of reluctance and fear and her scent was muted with despair.

Look at her. Her shoulders are tense, she’s covering her breasts with one arm and her other arm is over her eyes, as though she can’t bear to look at me. To see what I’m doing.

“Sophia?” he whispered roughly, rolling to one side. “Sophia, are you all right?”

“Don’t…” Her voice was a broken whisper. “Please don’t. Don’t do it to me again. I can’t stand it again.”

“Do what to you?” He tried to make his voice soft and non-threatening. “Sophia please…” Gently he pried her arm from her face to find her beautiful green eyes were filled with tears. She looked up at him and Sylvan knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the horror and fear in her face was all due to him. Goddess, Mother of All Life, what have I done? He tried to cup her cheek but she shied away from his touch.

“Please…” She shook her head. “If you’re going to do it, can’t you just…just get it over with?”

“I was only going to mark you. To use my scent glands to cover your scent with my own,” he protested, but it was clear that Sophia was beyond reason. She just kept trembling and crying, the tears running down her flushed cheeks and her shoulders shaking with barely suppressed sobs.

Sylvan felt like his heart was breaking. No, not just breaking—it felt like someone had ripped the beating muscle from his chest and thrust it into a fiery forge. This female—the female he would rather die than hurt—was shaking herself apart and he was the cause of her distress. She thought I was going to hurt her—to take her by force. Goddess, no wonder she’s so upset.

“Sophia,” he murmured. “I’m sorry. So damned sorry.” Wanting to remove the threat, he got off the bed and put his pants and boots back on. But when he sat back down beside her and put a hand on her arm, she flinched away from him again, her face drawn with fear.

Again Sylvan felt his heart twist in the flames. It was agony—burning in the seven hells couldn’t be worse than this—than seeing that look on her face and knowing he had put it there. “Look,” he whispered brokenly, taking his uniform shirt and draping it over her to cover her nakedness. “I…I’m dressed. I’m not going to hurt you. I won’t even mark you if you don’t want me to. I swear it.”

At last his words seemed to get through to her and she looked up, her eyes red from crying. “B-but I th-thought…you said if they smelled me they’d attack.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“But…” She blinked up at him. “You’ll be killed.”

“I don’t care.” Sylvan held her eyes with his. “I’d rather die than cause you such pain.”

“I’m sorry…” She wiped at her tears and sat up, clutching the shirt to her. “I just thought…”

“I know what you thought. But I would never take you by force. Never.” He let the vehemence he felt creep into his voice and at last she seemed to be convinced.

“Thank you,” she whispered, wiping her eyes again. “You just looked so scary. It was just like when Burke—”

“Who?”

She shook her head and turned her attention to getting the shirt back on without exposing herself. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

It appeared to matter a great deal to Sylvan but now wasn’t the time to address it. “Come here,” he said, holding out his arms to her. “Please?”

Sophia looked at him doubtfully. “Why?”

“I was about to heal you before the urlich showed up,” he said quietly, trying to gage the effect his words had on her. “Would you let me take up where we left off?”

Sophia still didn’t look completely willing but at least she was no longer afraid to come to him. When she got close enough, Sylvan gathered her into his arms and held her in his lap. She stiffened against him at first but then, when he didn’t do anything but hold her, she began to relax.

Sylvan held her as tightly as he dared, breathing in her scent and feeling his heart burn. Goddess, how he wanted her! He’d never felt this way for any female before. The urgent need to protect, to shelter, to comfort and love and care for her swelled inside him until he could barely breathe. But he didn’t want to scare her again, not even if all the urlich in the Scourge Fathership were after them.

At last, after a long silence, she spoke. “I…I thought you were going to heal my lip.”

Sylvan stroked her hair which had come loose from the knot at the back of her neck and now cascaded down her shoulders in soft chestnut waves. “I thought your heart needed healing first.”

She shifted against him, getting more comfortable. “This is nice,” she admitted softly. “I…I’m sorry I freaked out on you.”

“The fault is entirely mine,” Sylvan murmured. “The urlich aroused my protective rage. And then I got so completely focused on marking you I forgot to consider your feelings. Can you forgive me?”

“I…I think so.” She looked up at him. “I guess you can’t help the way you get when there’s an enemy around. But please just…don’t come at me that way again.”

“I won’t. I swear it.” He meant it from the bottom of his heart and Sophia seemed to sense his sincerity.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her gaze still locked with his. “I…I appreciate that.”

“I don’t want you to fear me.” Sylvan heard the break in his own voice but he couldn’t help it. “I would die to protect you, Sophia. To think you would believe I could hurt you in any way—especially that way…” But he couldn’t go on.

“Sylvan…” She was looking at him with something like wonder on her face. “You…you’re crying,” she whispered. She sounded like she could hardly believe it.

Sylvan didn’t believe it himself. “No, I’m not.” He had never given in to such emotion, never allowed himself such weakness before. Even after his father’s passing and Feenah’s betrayal, not so much as a single tear had come to his eyes.

But Sophia was nodding. “Yes, you are. Or at least, you’re sort of leaking a little.” Reaching up, she brushed lightly at his cheek. “See?” She held out her hand. To his surprise her fingertips were wet.

“I’m sorry,” he said stiffly.

“Why?” Sophia sounded genuinely curious.

He shook his head. “To show such weakness before one I am supposed to protect…it is unacceptable. Unforgivable.”

“No, it’s not.” Suddenly she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. “It’s not, Sylvan,” she whispered in his ear, pressing her soft cheek against his. “Not at all, I promise you.”

His heart swelled until he thought it might burst and he hugged her back carefully. He no longer cared if the urlich and the AllFather with all his hellish legions came upon him and killed him. At that moment, with Sophia willingly in his arms and her sweet feminine fragrance invading his senses, he knew he could die a happy and contented male. But she’ll die too. Or be captured without you to protect her.

Sophia must have had the same thought because after a long moment she pulled back and looked at him seriously.

“How long do we have until they come back and find us?” she asked softly.

Sylvan shrugged. “It could be an hour or several hours. It depends on how widely scattered their pack was in the first place and how far away the lead urlich is. They won’t form a consensus without her.”

“Her?” She frowned. “I thought everything to do with the Scourge was male. I mean, they have the AllFather and you were saying they don’t have any females…”

He nodded. “This is the one exception. Female urlich are craftier and more intelligent. So while the others in the pack might be male, the lead is always a female.”

Sophie sat up straighter in his lap and looked him in the eye. “Well, whatever they are, you need to mark me before they get back to us.”

“No.” He frowned. “No, Sophia. Absolutely not.” He’d been looking forward to the feel of her soft, naked body under his but clearly it was not to be.

However, now that she no longer felt threatened, there was a stubborn look in her lovely green eyes. “I don’t accept that. I won’t let my…my phobia be the cause of your death.”

A phobia, is it? They would have to address that later—if there was a later. And he wanted to know who “Burke” was too. But right now he’d barely gained her trust—he wasn’t about to throw it away for any reason. “I won’t do it,” he told her.

“But—”

“Think what you’re asking, Sophia,” he said gently. “If I mark you the traditional way I’ll have to be on top of you, completely naked and you’ll have to be naked as well, under me, open for me. I’ll have to be touching you, rubbing myself against you. Do you really think you can handle that with your…” He paused, trying to think how to put it. “With your phobia?” he finished, using her word.

Sophia paled and he could see she was considering what he’d said. “No,” she said at last in a low voice. “No I…I’m pretty sure having you, uh, on top of me would probably set me off again.” She looked up at him. “But…didn’t you say earlier there was another way to, uh, to mark a female? I mean…when you were talking about…about wanting to…to taste me…” Her voice had fallen so low that he could barely hear it and her cheeks were a bright pink. “I mean, if you…if that wouldn’t bother you too much.” She looked down at her small hands as though she couldn’t stand to meet his eyes.

Sylvan found her embarrassment both charming and incredibly arousing.

“I could mark you with my mouth,” he said, a surge of lust rushing through him at the thought. To kneel before her and spread her open, to taste her sweet juices and lap her soft little pussy until she moans and cries…Goddess how he wanted that! But he wanted to be careful with her as well. “We Kindred have scent glands around our lips and mouths as well as between our legs,” he told her. “But I don’t want to hurt or embarrass you.”

Sophie looked up at him again, the light of determination in her eyes. “I trust you not to hurt me and, well, being embarrassed is better than being dead,” she said in a voice that wavered only a little. “And I mean, you could just kind of…uh, rub against me some? Maybe? I mean you wouldn’t have to actually…you know.”

“I could,” he agreed gravely. “Though I would have to be very, very thorough. The scent glands around my mouth aren’t as strong as those on my shaft.”

“That’s all right.” She looked down at her hands again. “As long as you’re not on top of me, I think…think I can handle it. That is… if…if you really don’t mind.”

“Sophia, look at me.” Lifting her chin gently, he made her look into his eyes. “Nothing on this world or any other would give me more pleasure than spreading you open and tasting your sweet juices,” he murmured. “You need never have a question about that.”

“Oh,” she whispered and her cheeks were nearly crimson now. “I…thank you, I guess.”

“But I realize,” Sylvan continued, trying to gauge her reaction. “That we’re doing this for necessity, not pleasure. So if you’d rather, I can try to keep it…” He frowned. “I don’t know the word in your language.”

“Businesslike?” she offered. “Professional?”

Sylvan nodded. “Yes, I guess those work. What I’m saying is, I don’t want to make you any more uncomfortable than you already are. So I’ll just do what is necessary—no more, no less.”

“Okay.” She was looking a little more comfortable with the idea now, which eased his heart. No matter how much he longed to savor her juices and bring her to orgasm again and again, her comfort was more important than his need. “Just one more thing,” she said in a small voice.

“Anything,” Sylvan told her. “You have only to ask, Talana.”

“I…well…I don’t want to offend you but…” She hesitated for a long moment but he waited patiently until she went on. “Could you do it…uh mark me…without letting your…your fangs come out?” she asked at last. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t trust you but that’s kind of a very delicate area and…and…”

“No, it’s all right. I understand.” He nodded, trying to look unconcerned but inside his heart burned again. She still fears me. Still fears what I am. “I can do that—hold them back if I concentrate,” he said. Though it was going to hurt like a son of a bitch.

“Oh thank you. Thank you for understanding.” She looked so relieved that Sylvan couldn’t help feeling another twinge. Of course, under normal circumstances, Blood Kindred never made love without his fangs completely extended. Then again, if these were normal circumstances he would be planning to bite her thigh at the moment she came and Sylvan knew she would never agree to that. It’s for necessity, not pleasure, he reminded himself sternly. She doesn’t actually want you to taste her—just mark her, that’s all.

“It’s all right,” he said roughly, stroking her hair. “In fact, I’ll make you a promise here and now, Sophia. I will never bite you for any reason—unless you ask me to.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really. I swear it as a Blood Kindred and a warrior. And we do not break our oaths.”

“I know that well enough, by now.” She smiled and reached out tentatively to brush his cheek. “Thank you, Sylvan. You really know how to put me at ease.”

“I’m glad you feel safe with me again,” he said sincerely. “But we really should get started. We don’t know when the urlich will come back.”

“All right.” Slowly she slid from his lap and settled herself on the bed again with her thighs slightly apart. “I guess I’m ready.”

“I’ll try to take things slowly and let you know what I’m doing each step of the way,” Sylvan assured her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, shifting her hips a little, as though trying to get comfortable. “I’ve, uh, just so you know I’ve never done this—or had it done to me, I guess—before. So I’m not quite sure how—”

“Like this.” Lust surged inside him again as he positioned her gently, pulling her down to the end of the bed until her calves and feet hung over the side.

“Oh.” She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him anxiously as he knelt on the floor between her legs. “Why…why like that?”

“It’s the best way to open you completely,” Sylvan explained, placing his hands on her inner thighs. “I told you I’ll have to be very thorough. I need to be able to spread you open and stay between your legs for a long, long time. Long enough to mark you completely.”

“Oh,” she whispered again and there was a soft, breathless tone to her voice that told him she was embarrassed and excited at once. He liked hearing that tone—liked it a lot.

“You can watch if you want,” he offered, caressing her thighs. Gods but she had such soft, smooth skin… “If you’ve never been tasted before you might want to see what I’m doing.”

Her face was bright pink now but she was watching him with a fascination that belied her embarrassment. “You…you wouldn’t mind?”

“I’d love it,” Sylvan assured her in a low voice. “I’d love to be able to look up and see your face while I’m marking you. In fact…here.” Standing for a moment he took several of the pillows from the head of the bed and propped them behind her back. “There,” he said, resuming his position between her legs. “Might as well get comfortable. We’re going to be here for awhile.”

“Okay,” she breathed. “Thank you.”

“No.” Sylvan bowed his head briefly. “Thank you for allowing me to mark you, Sophia. You honor me with your trust and the gift of your body.”

“Sylvan…” she murmured, lingering over his name in a way that sent another surge of lust through him. Gods, how he wanted to hear her call for him in the throes of passion! But I’m only here to mark, not taste, he reminded himself sternly.

“I’m going to begin now, Talana,” he told her. Slowly, trying to gauge her reaction, he unbuttoned the last few buttons of the blue uniform shirt and spread it open, baring her completely for him. Sophie shifted a little but said nothing, so he placed both hands on her thighs and began to part them gently but firmly.

At first she trembled under his touch and resisted him but Sylvan looked up and caught her gaze. “Look at me, Sophia,” he commanded softly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to mark you and bring you pleasure. Can you open yourself for me and let me do that?”

She looked at his face for a long moment and what she saw must have reassured her. Slowly she nodded. “…yes.”

“Good.” He applied gentle pressure again and this time her knees parted completely, revealing the soft little mound of her sex.

For a moment Sylvan just looked at her. She was so beautiful, so perfectly formed it took his breath away. His fangs, which had automatically retracted when he’d sensed her fear and anguish, were already aching to come out. Again he had the sensation of his cock being trapped in too-tight pants but he set his teeth and grimly ignored it. This was about pleasing Sophia. Showing her he wasn’t a beast—that he could be gentle and non-threatening and tender. That was all that mattered.

Sophia must have misinterpreted his silence because she cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably.

“Uh, I’m sorry I’m not waxed or anything. That, uh, area doesn’t really see a lot of action so—”

“You’re perfect.” Sylvan looked up at her, letting her see the admiration and lust in his eyes. “And I like your curls.” He brushed his fingertips over them lightly, making her shiver in response. “They make you more sensitive, I think.”

Sophie looked relieved. “Okay, if you’re sure you don’t mind…”

“I don’t,” Sylvan assured her, looking between her thighs again. Gods but her fragrance was delicious. And the outer lips of her sex were so pink and soft and innocent looking—like the petals of an exotic flower that had yet to bloom.

Sylvan knew she was no virgin—the things she’d said led him to believe as much. And as for her “phobia”—there had to be a cause for it. Possibly a past lover had hurt or frightened her. Or worse, he thought darkly. But whatever the case, she couldn’t have had many lovers—or any that knew what they were doing. How could any man have access to such beauty and ignore it? How could he not wish to be between her legs for hours every day, exploring her lush pussy with his tongue?

She shifted again. “Is…is everything okay?”

“Fine.” Sylvan realized he was spending too much time admiring her. “Forgive me,” he told her. “But you’re so beautiful I don’t want to rush things.”

“Yes, but the urlich…”

“You’re right.” Bending, he pressed his face to her inner thigh, breathing in her heady aroma before looking up at her. “It’s time we began.”

Chapter Fourteen

Sophie couldn’t believe she was letting him do this. After her scare earlier when she’d been sure he was going to do the unthinkable, she wouldn’t have thought she could ever trust him again. Let alone trust him enough to spread her legs for him and let him put his mouth on her. But the look on his face when he’d realized how badly he had scared her had changed her mind.

And his tears, she thought watching him as he bent over her. There had only been a few and he had been completely silent as they fell—nothing like her own inconsolable sobbing. But they had touched her deeply. Somehow she knew those ice blue eyes didn’t cry often or easily—if at all. Yet he had wept for the pain he’d caused her and she had heard the anguish in his voice when he asked her forgiveness. It touched her heart somehow, made her want to give him another chance.

A long sigh fell out of her as he pressed his face to her inner thigh, rubbing his slightly scratchy cheek against her skin, almost like a cat. I just can’t figure him out—he’s such a contradiction. One minute he’s this fearsome warrior, scary enough to give anyone nightmares for a month and the next he’s utterly gentle and sweet. And patient and kind and…watch it, Sophie, she told herself sternly. Don’t forget that under those kissable-looking lips are a pair of fangs that would make Dracula jealous. And—

But just then all coherent thought was driven from her mind because Sylvan was tasting her.

Not her pussy—not yet. But he was running his tongue slowly up her inner thigh in a way that made her heart pound madly against her ribs.

“What…” she whispered uncertainly. “Why…?”

Sylvan looked up. “The moisture will help my scent adhere to your skin. Do you object to me licking you?”

“No, I…no,” Sophie whispered.

“Good.” His eyes burned with need. “Because I’m going to have to do a lot of licking to mark you properly.”

“I just…wasn’t expecting it. I guess I just thought you’d, you know, dive right in?”

He frowned slightly. “Where would be the pleasure in that? I want to savor you, Sophia. To burn the memory of you opening for me into my mind forever.”

“Oh,” she gasped as he licked her other thigh, his warm wet tongue stopping just short of her outer pussy lips. God, but he was sexy when he talked like that! She almost felt like she could come just from hearing his deep, warm voice. But of course I’m not going to be coming, she told herself sternly. He’s just marking me—just masking my scent. That’s all.

Trying to keep that thought in mind, she watched as he continued to bathe her thighs with his tongue, tracing the tender crease where each leg joined her body but never quite touching her center, until she felt like she was going to scream with anticipation.

Sylvan must have sensed her impatience because he looked up at her, eyes blazing and murmured, “Are you ready for me to mark your pussy now, Sophia?”

“Y-yes. I guess so,” she stammered. God, she still couldn’t believe he was doing this—even more unbelievable was that she wanted him to. Wanted to feel his warm lips and hot breath against her pussy in a way she’d never wanted anything before.

Sylvan was watching her—feeding off the need she was certain he could see on her face. Still, he took things slowly. “I’ll just mark the outside at first,” he promised softly. “I won’t spread you open and mark the inside of your pussy until I’m sure you’re ready.”

“Th-thank you.” God, why couldn’t she speak without stuttering? But her heart was beating so hard it was difficult to talk at all—let alone coherently.

Sylvan gave her a little half smile, then pressed his cheek directly to her mound and inhaled deeply. “Gods, your fragrance is so enticing.” His deep voice had dropped to a lustful growl that seemed to do strange things to Sophia’s insides. “It’s almost a shame to mask it. I could breathe you in all day.”

“You could?” It seemed hard to believe he liked it so much, but the hungry look in his eyes let her know he was telling the truth. In fact, the aroma of her pussy seemed to act on him like catnip would on a cat.

“Mm-hmm, I could.” Turning his face, he rubbed his other cheek against the soft, light brown curls that decorated her mound and then used his lips the same way.

It was all incredibly stimulating but she was beginning to wonder if he would ever get around to marking her actual pussy. The need in her was growing stronger. And even though she tried to tell herself he was only doing this out of necessity and she shouldn’t get too excited, she couldn’t help clutching the bedspread every time he touched her.

Sylvan seemed to sense her impatience because he looked up at her and murmured, “Your outer lips first.”

“O-okay.” Sophie nodded.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I’ll need to lick you again. A lot.”

“That…that’s okay.” She nodded again, trying to appear unconcerned even though her heart was thundering in her ears.

“Slowly,” Sylvan said and she wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or himself. But the next minute the question was driven out of her head by his first long, slow lick.

He started on the right side of her pussy, only caressing her outer lips with his tongue, obviously taking his time. First he flattened his tongue and lapped upward, and then he sucked her briefly into his mouth before repeating the slow, upward lick. It was like he was eating a dripping ice cream cone, trying to lap it all up before it melted completely—which was exactly what Sophie felt was happening to her. She was melting into a puddle under his slow, patient tongue, losing herself in the pleasure and anticipation he was creating.

By the time he got around to the left side of her pussy, her breathing was fast and short. She could feel his hot breath on her clit, which was swollen and peeping out from between her outer lips. But Sylvan was careful to avoid touching it, concentrating exclusively on the outside of her pussy, just as he had promised. Which is fine, she told herself sternly, trying to control her breathing. After all, it’s not like I want him to lick me there—inside. It’s probably going to be incredibly embarrassing, anyway. So why would I want it?

But she did want it—she couldn’t help herself. Watching Sylvan between her legs, making love to her with his mouth so reverently had done something to her—made her want things she’d never even dreamed of before. And the desire had a momentum of its own—once started, it kept growing until it seemed impossible to turn off.

Sylvan seemed to be enjoying himself as much as she was, making low noises of desire in his throat as he lapped and sucked. Every now and then he looked up and met her eyes as he took another slow, seductive lick. Sophie almost couldn’t look at him—at the lust in those pale blue eyes that was wholly directed at her. And yet she couldn’t look away, either. Both of them were caught up in the act they were playing out together, she realized. They might be doing it out of necessity but there was no use denying the pleasure it gave her to receive his soft, intimate kisses or the pleasure he took in giving them.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked up at her again with half-lidded eyes. “It’s time, Talana,” he murmured, his deep voice hoarse. “I need to mark the inside of your pussy. Are you ready to let me spread you open?”

“I…I guess so.” Sophie wished her voice wouldn’t tremble so much. But it was beyond her control—the anticipation he had built in her like a slow fire felt like it was about to explode and burn her to ashes.

He arched an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” Sophie nodded, feeling her cheeks grow hot. “I mean, yes, please. I…I don’t know what I’d do if you stopped now.” She didn’t know where she got the boldness to say such a thing—it just somehow came out.

Her timid display of eagerness seemed to please Sylvan because he made a soft, growling sound of approval. “I don’t either. Of course, I need to mark you thoroughly—but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to taste your sweet inner pussy, Sophia.”

Then slowly, deliberately, he placed his thumbs on her outer lips and spread her wide.

Sophie moaned softly when she felt the cool air caress her heated inner folds. Once again she had the sensation of melting like an ice cream cone and…Oh no! She looked down to where Sylvan was holding her open so gently and felt her stomach clench. She really was dripping like an ice cream cone. The inside of her pussy was so wet she was literally leaking.

“Oh my God!” She struggled to get up, to shut her legs, but Sylvan held her in place gently but firmly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking at her anxiously. “Did I open you too soon?”

“No, I…” Sophie shook her head, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize I was getting so…so…”

“So wet?” The lust in his deep voice surprised her. She stopped trying to close her legs and looked at him uncertainly.

“Yes. I mean, I’ve never…I told you no one has ever done this to me so I didn’t know I’d…I’d make such a mess. I mean, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He looked up at her with that maddening little half-smile of his. “You’re a numala. That’s all.”

“A…a what?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think there’s a word for it in your language. But it my native tongue it translates as ‘liquid pussy.’ A female who gets so wet it’s like dipping your face in a tropical ocean when you taste her.”

“And that’s a bad thing, right?” Sophie asked anxiously. “I mean to be a nu…a nu-whatever you call it.”

“A numala and actually it’s considered a very good thing,” he murmured. “Such females are highly prized. Any male that has one as a mate is envied.”

“But…but why?” Sophie asked in a whisper. “I mean, it’s so…so embarrassing.”

“It’s beautiful,” he corrected her gently. “Just look at yourself, Sophia.”

“I am looking.”

“Look harder—see yourself as I see you. Your soft little pussy is so full and swollen…your folds are such a deep, gorgeous pink.” He looked up at her slowly. “And you’re so wet. So generous with your cunt honey, my beautiful numala,” he murmured.

“I…I…” Sophie wasn’t sure what to say. She only knew she couldn’t look away from him, that his eyes were holding hers captive as surely as his thumbs were holding her pussy open, spread wide for his pleasure.

“May I taste you?” he asked, his voice deep with need. “Not just to mark you, Talana. I want to bring you pleasure. To taste your nectar from the source.”

Sophie felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. “You…you really want to?” she whispered, almost inaudibly.

“You have no idea how much I want to,” he said softly. “Let me prove to you how beautiful you are. And how delicious.” Ducking his head, he placed the tip of his tongue at the bottom of her slit. Then, his eyes never leaving hers, he flattened his tongue and lapped upward long and slow, capturing as much of her honey as he could.

Sophie’s hips bucked upward as his heated tongue finally made contact with her clit and she moaned involuntarily at the hot sight. God, he wasn’t kidding—he really does like it. She could scarcely believe it but the way Sylvan immediately went back for more let her know it was true.

She didn’t know how long it went on for but it seemed like ages and ages. Even now that he had gotten to the “main event,” Sylvan seemed content to take his time, tasting her slowly, teasing her exquisitely until the muscles of her thighs and belly were twitching with tension and her breath was coming in short, excited pants.

“Sylvan,” she moaned at last. “Sylvan please, you…you’re making me insane. I don’t think I can stand much more.”

“You’ll have to.” He looked up at her, his eyes filled with need. “I still have to spread my scent inside you, at the source.”

“The…the source?”

He nodded. “I need to put my tongue inside your pussy, Sophia. Your scent is strongest there, I have to mask it with my own.”

“I…all right.” She didn’t know how much more she could bear—it seemed he’d had her teetering right on the edge for hours and she was so close…so close…

“It’s all right, Talana.” Sylvan’s voice was low and comforting. Leaning forward he placed a tender, open-mouthed kiss on her throbbing clit. “Just let me spread my scent inside you and I swear I’ll end this torture.”

Sophie moaned at the gentle touch on her sensitive button. “Please just hurry. I’m going crazy. I need…I need…” But she couldn’t say what she needed.

Sylvan said it for her. “You need to come, Sophia,” he murmured, looking her in the eyes. “And I swear I’m going give you that soon—going to make you come, hard and long. But for right now I need you to be patient.”

Before Sophie could say anything he slid both hands under her buttocks and lifted her up, like a thirsty man might lift a bowl of cool water. “Put your legs over my shoulders,” he commanded, looking up at her again. “That will help to open you up. I need to get as deep in your pussy as I can.”

Clenching her hands in the covers, Sophie did as she was told. She felt tilted at an awkward angle and yet, the expression on Sylvan’s face was almost worth it. He looked so intent, so full of desire for her…And then he pressed his mouth to her entrance and plunged his tongue deep in her pussy.

Though she’d know what he was going to do, it was still an unexpected sensation. The heat of his tongue filling her, and thrusting even deeper while his lips pressed against her clit, make her gasp and writhe under him. Her toes curled and her hands, which had been buried in the covers, somehow crept up to his head. His spiky dark blond hair whispered against her palms. She didn’t quite dare to run her fingers through it, though she needed to grab onto something as he continued to tonguefuck her long and deep and hard.

“It’s all right.” Sylvan looked up, his mouth shiny with her juices and his eyes blazing with need. “It’s all right, Talana. Hold on to me if you need to.”

“You don’t mind?” Her fingers slid through the dark blond strands, as soft as silk. “Really?”

“Really.” His voice was almost a growl. “I want you to. Want to feel your soft little hands on me while I eat your cunt.”

“God!” Her fingers tightened in his hair and her back arched. “Please, Sylvan, more…”

“I’ll give you more but I’m afraid I’ll have to use my fingers.”

“If…if you need to, but why?”

“You’re deep.” His eyes flashed with lust. “Can’t reach the end of your channel with just my tongue.” Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he sucked two of his fingers into his mouth, making them wet. He pressed them lightly against her entrance and then stopped. “Sophia,” he asked, his voice rough. “May I have permission to enter you?”

“But…you already have,” she whispered breathlessly. “I mean…with your tongue.”

“It’s not the same.” He shook his head. “Blood Kindred ask our females permission before we enter them with fingers or cock. I would never penetrate you without your consent.”

His words brought up a memory—or tried to anyway. But Sophia pushed it down. Don’t want to think about that now. Just want to let go.

“Yes,” she said softly but clearly, looking into his eyes. “Yes, Sylvan. Please…please enter me. I want you to.”

A low groan of pure lust broke from his lips. “Gods, Talana, you don’t know what it does to me to hear you say that.”

He slipped two long, thick fingers into his mouth and sucked them. Then, his eyes never leaving hers, he slid his thick digits deep into her pussy, pressing until he found the end of her channel. Sophie moaned as he thrust into her over and over, his fingers slick with her juices. But just as she thought she was going to explode, he did something else.

Rotating his hand so it was palm up, he pulled back his fingers until they were only halfway buried inside her. Then he pressed upwards with his fingertips, making a sort of “come on” gestures.

“Oh!” Sophie gasped and jerked in his one-handed grasp. “Oh my God—what was that?”

“You like it?” He raised an eyebrow at her, smiling.

“Y-yes. It’s so…” But she didn’t know what it was—only that it felt amazing.

“The females of my kind have a special bundle of nerves here—I think your people call it a G spot?” He pressed up again, making her moan. “When stroked just the right way, I’m told the pleasure can be intense.”

“It…It’s pretty intense all right. Ah!” she gasped when he did it again…and again…and again. It was a deeper pleasure than when he’d licked her clit but somehow akin to it. Sophia felt like she was on fire from the waist down and if someone didn’t put her out soon she was going to die. “Sylvan!” she begged, tugging his hair. “Please, if you don’t let me…let me come soon…I just…I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“I want you to come.” His pale blue eyes blazed like burning ice. “Want you to come all over my face, Talana and let me taste your juices on my tongue.”

Pressing his mouth to her pussy once more, he sucked her clit between his lips and began to flick the tiny nubbin relentlessly. At the same time he made the motion with his fingers again, deeper and harder this time.

Sophie had never felt anything like it before—the convergence of delicious sensations overwhelmed her and suddenly it was too much. Simply too, too, too much.

Her orgasm hit like a bolt of lightning and her back arched so violently it was all Sylvan could do to stay with her. Not that he could have gotten away at that point—she had both legs hooked over his broad shoulders and her fingers clenched tight in his hair, urging him on.

“Sylvan! Oh God, Sylvan please…please.” Dimly she heard herself and wondered if this could really be happening. Was that really her—timid little Sophie—sobbing his name, begging for more, writhing against him and riding his tongue shamelessly? She felt like she’d fallen into an alternate universe somehow. But it really was her—she was doing all those things and more, acting completely wild and uninhibited.

Sylvan, for his part, seemed as completely caught up in her orgasm as she was. With a low, hungry growl, he hooked his muscular arms around her thighs, spreading her even wider, holding her open as he lapped and sucked. He pressed his tongue deep into her pussy and teased her clit until she felt like she might die of the intense pleasure. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to break out of her chest and she couldn’t catch her breath. But she didn’t care—she was flying, finally breaking free and losing herself in a way she’d never dreamed was possible.

She never wanted it to end.

* * * * *

Sylvan’s cock felt like a bar of hot lead in his flight pants and his fangs ached incessantly, begging to be let out. But none of that mattered—not now. Not when she was clenching her small hands in his hair and calling his name—his name—as she came over and over. Goddess above but she tasted amazing—sweet and salty and utterly perfect. And the amount of cunt honey she made was so sexy. It coated his lips and mouth and entire lower jaw. His cheeks were wet with it and still he could taste fresh wetness every time he pressed his tongue deep in her overflowing well.

So deep, so hot and wet…she would be able to take me. To take all of me inside her. My cock would fit perfectly. He knew it was just a fantasy but the image of Sophia straddling him and lowering herself onto his erect shaft wouldn’t leave his mind. Beast Kindred made hormones that allowed their mates to accommodate their unusually large and thick shafts, but Blood Kindred did not. Sylvan had even heard of some Earth brides having difficulty accepting their Kindred husband’s cocks deep in their pussies. But he could tell from tasting and touching her that Sophie would have no such problem. It would be a tight fit—deliciously tight—but he would be able to sink to the hilt inside her.

It’s never going to happen so just forget about it. Enjoy what you have been granted for now, a reproving little voice in his head whispered. Yes, that was good advice. Especially since Sophia seemed to be winding down a little bit.

Her wild bucking and moaning had slowed and her grip in his hair had loosened a little. Sylvan flattened his tongue and lapped gently upward, testing her sensitivity. As he brushed over her clit she trembled and pulled away just a little. Obviously she’d had enough for now. But Gods, how he hated to stop. When would he ever have such an opportunity again? Never, whispered that same little voice. Once you get back to the ship this will all be a distant memory, never to be repeated.

“Sylvan,” she whispered. The warmth in her tone helped him push the depressing thoughts aside and drew his eyes up to hers.

“Sophia? Are you all right?”

“Mmm, more than all right.” She was smiling—a sunny expression of pure contentment he’d never seen on her face before. It turned her from beautiful to utterly radiant.

Sylvan felt his heart lurch in his chest. How could he ever give her up? And yet he would have to. Even if it wasn’t for his vow, Sophia didn’t want him—not really. After all, what would happen right now if he allowed his fangs to come out, as they were aching to do? She would be frightened of me all over again and I’d lose every bit of her trust I’ve worked so hard to gain. He knew it was true but he couldn’t be upset with her about it. Not when she looked like such a goddess. A well satisfied goddess, which gave Sylvan his own warm feeling of satisfaction.

“You look happy,” he remarked, nuzzling one of her inner thighs gently with his chin.

“Do I?” She grinned. “I guess I feel happy. Silly, huh?”

“Not at all.” Sylvan lapped some stray honey from her other thigh with the flat of his tongue. “Your body was very hungry for pleasure. When was the last time you came?”

“Before tonight? I…I don’t know. Why would you ask me that?” Her cheeks were getting pink—a sure sign she was embarrassed.

Sylvan nuzzled her again reassuringly. “Don’t be upset—I’m not asking about your past lovers. Just when the last time you pleasured yourself was.”

“That’s, uh, kind of an intimate question, don’t you think?”

“We’re in an intimate situation,” Sylvan pointed out. “I just thought if you allowed yourself a release of tension more often—”

“I don’t…don’t do that much, okay?” Her cheeks were really red now and she moved to disentangle herself from him. “I just…it’s embarrassing. And it’s usually something I’d rather not think about.”

“You should give it some thought then.” Sylvan watched regretfully as she sat up and pulled the blue uniform shirt around herself. “Don’t be mad at me, Sophia. Please.” He came to sit beside her on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. “I wasn’t trying to offend you. I was just wondering if I would ever get to see that beautiful smile on your face again—the one you get after coming so hard and long.”

Her cheeks were still pink but she gave him a tiny ghost of a smile. “I’m not offended. Just…embarrassed.” She leaned against him, her waterfall of dark brown hair soft against his bare chest. “In case you haven’t uh, figured it out, I talk about sex even less than I have it. And that’s saying something.”

“I want to talk about everything with you,” Sylvan told her, kissing her hair. “I want to know everything there is to know. Your past, your dreams, your secrets…”

She stiffened against him. “Uh, there’s really nothing very interesting to tell. Just normal Earth girl stuff, that’s all.”

Sylvan frowned. She was hiding something—he was sure of it—something he needed to know. Because if what he suspected was true, he needed to avenge her. She may only be under my protection for a little while but I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she’s well taken care of, he thought grimly. Any that have hurt her will answer to me.

“Sophie,” he began in a coaxing tone. “Please believe me, I just want—”

A sudden low growling from outside the door cut him off. Every muscle in his body was suddenly flooded with tension and aggression as the rage swept over him again.

The urlich were back.

Chapter Fifteen

Kat crouched in the bare hallway beside the back door to Olivia and Baird’s suite and waited. On one hand she didn’t want to interrupt her friend’s hot ‘n freaky wedding night sex. On the other, she was scared to death that Lock and Deep would come after her and drag her back to their suite to have their own scary version of Kindred sex. Even now she could still feel their emotions—their need rolled inside her like waves crashing on a beach, filling her so full at times that it was hard to breathe.

Get out of my head! she sent at them fiercely, not sure if they could hear her or not. She was relieved, at least, that she couldn’t hear them. She knew from talking to Liv that after bonding with a Kindred, a mental connection was created that allowed the Earth bride and her new husband to hear each other’s thoughts without using a Think-me. But I’m not freaking bonded to them. And I don’t want to be either! And anyway, the thoughts weren’t so much the issue as the feelings. Somehow the ability to hear each other’s thoughts wasn’t nearly as upsetting as feeling someone else’s emotions. Maybe because hearing someone else’s thoughts didn’t make her feel like she was going to overflow or explode at any minute.

I so don’t need this right now, she thought, putting her head on her knees. Sophie’s in danger and I can’t even talk to Liv because she’s acting out the Kindred version of the Kama-sutra. I’m stuck on this damn ship without even a room to stay in and I’ve got two strangers filling my head with their feelings.

Only they weren’t strangers—not really. Even though she’d known them a relatively short period of time, Deep and Lock had kind of leap-frogged over the regular getting-to-know-you routine when they had entered her mind and seen her naughtiest fantasies.

“I don’t care,” she whispered sullenly. “Don’t care what they saw or heard or how much they know. I’ve known them for less than twenty-four hours and I don’t need to be stuck with their emotions in my head for the rest of my life.”

Her head was still throbbing miserably and she wished longingly for some Excedrin or anything else that might stop the dull, aching pain. Did they stock such things aboard the Kindred Mother ship? They had plenty of Earth women here—surely one of the stores that catered to them would have something she could use. She started to get up and then remembered that most of those stores were past the unmated males’ area that Deep and Lock had been so anxious for her to avoid. Would she seriously have trouble if she went there? Olivia had had some kind of similar problem during her claiming period, she recalled. Although she had been kind of vague on the details, it hadn’t been good—that much Kat remembered.

They thought I would have problems because of my smell—because I smelled hot. Just thinking about it made her blush. The memory of being linked to the tall, muscular twins invaded her brain and she couldn’t stop seeing the erotic images they’d passed between the three of them. That memory led to another. The burning intensity in Deep’s coal black eyes when he’d asked her to stay and the vast depth of need and loneliness in Lock’s warm brown eyes the last time he’d looked at her…

Stop it! Stop it right now. You do not feel sorry for them and you are never going to see them again, she told herself sternly. After all, who knew what they might talk her into the next time?

Kat shivered and rubbed her forehead hard with the heel of her hand. There it was again—the feeling of being horny and having a miserable, hangover-like headache at the same time. It shouldn’t be possible. Then again, a lot of the things she’d done tonight shouldn’t be possible. She thought of the amazing flying sensation she’d had when acting as Deep and Lock’s focus. The feeling of being a swift, invisible bird able to go anywhere, do anything…it had been truly wonderful, she had to admit. It was probably the only thing she didn’t regret. That and the fact that they’d been able to find Sylvan and Sophie and verify that they were alive. But for how much longer?

I hope he really is taking care of her. Oh, Sophie, be safe! Come back to us soon. Kat felt a few tears of worry and weary exhaustion slip down her cheeks. She wasn’t normally the type to bawl but to say she’d had a stressful day would be an understatement. At least she could take some comfort in the fact that Sophie had been in one piece in her vision. And Lock and Deep seemed to have every confidence that Sylvan could keep her that way. Remembering his fright-night appearance, Kat tended to agree. But she still wasn’t looking forward to telling Liv that her twin sister was lost and in danger.

Wondering how she was going to break the bad news, Kat closed her eyes and leaned back against the smooth silver metal wall. God, she was tired. It really was too bad she hadn’t been able to take the couch in their guest suite as Lock had urged her to do. But who knew where she might have ended up if she’d started on the couch? Even with her horrible headache the weird connection between them had been insanely intense.

And even if they did keep their hands to themselves (which she doubted, remembering Deep’s hungry glare,) they felt too loudly to make sleep even a remote possibility. Whereas now, with a little distance between them, she was able to relax some. In fact, she was almost tired enough to drop off right where she was.

But I won’t, she thought, shifting a little to try and get more comfortable against the slightly curved, cool metal wall. Not going to do that. I need to stay awake. That way I can talk to Liv the minute she pokes her head out the door in the morning—providing she does, that is. I wonder how long the Beast Kindred can possibly keep going? And what the hell do they do about chafing? And when can I reasonably knock on the door without being afraid I’ll interrupt their tantric alien nookie?

Kat didn’t have the answers to any of her questions and she didn’t know what she was going to say when and if her friend ever came out of her suite. She just hoped Sophie was all right and that Lock and Deep really could pinpoint her location without any further help.

Because even for her best friends, Kat didn’t think she could go through another joining with the frightening and tempting Twin Kindred again.

Chapter Sixteen

Sophie watched as Sylvan transformed again. He went from being the sweet, kind, incredibly sexy male who had pleasured her thoroughly and patiently until she came harder than she ever had in her life, to a menacing killer in the blink of an eye. Fangs out, eyes red, and he seems to get twice as big all of a sudden, she thought uneasily. But his terrifying rage wasn’t directed at her, she reminded herself. He was just protecting her from the threat outside the door.

But he marked me, she thought as the growling increased in volume. Marked me really, really well. Isn’t that supposed to keep them away? She looked at Sylvan uncertainly, wishing she could ask him. But she was afraid to break his concentration and, to be honest, afraid of him period right now. Just because she knew his intimidating display wasn’t meant for her didn’t mean she wanted to risk getting too close to him at the moment.

So she waited, huddled in the middle of the bed, afraid to move—afraid to even breathe—until at last the growling began to die down. There was a snuffling noise outside and then some hoarse barking that sounded almost like a conversation—if the urlich could actually talk to each other. Suddenly, a high, wounded yip could be heard and then all the sounds retreated, as if whatever was making them was moving away from the cabin.

Sylvan continued to stand tense and silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, the tension left his muscles and the glare melted off his face. He turned to Sophie and took a deep breath. With a visible effort, he relaxed. Much to her relief, his fangs retracted and he seemed to shrink back down to his normal size—which was still pretty huge, but a lot less scary.

“Is…is it all right?” Sophie whispered, finally daring to speak when she saw that his pupils were no longer red.

He nodded stiffly. “It worked. The two that were here before were trying to convince their leader that they had found you. But she didn’t pick up your scent, so she punished them for leading the entire pack astray.”

“That must have been the hurt-sounding yelp we heard,” Sophie said. “So now what?”

Sylvan sighed wearily. “Now they’re hunting someplace else. If we’re lucky they’ll go back to the wreckage of our shuttle and start from the beginning. That will put them miles out of the way and we won’t have to worry about them for awhile.”

Sophie shivered. “I hope you’re right.”

“I do too.” He sank down on the side of the bed, his broad shoulders slumping. “At least we should have tonight to rest. And if we can make it through the night we’ll be fine—the urlich are creatures of darkness. Sunlight incapacitates them.”

Sylvan looked like he could use as much rest as he could get. It occurred to Sophie that he must be exhausted. He’d done an amazing job of piloting, crash landed their ship without killing them, carried her halfway down a mountain, and dealt with her emotional and sexual angst as well as gearing himself up to fight off a pack of cyborg bloodhounds, all in the space of a few hours. No wonder he looked tired!

Feeling a little braver now that he was no longer in scary-psycho mode, she crawled to where he was sitting and positioned herself behind him. “You look really tense,” she said, placing her hands tentatively on his bare shoulders. “Would, uh, would you like a massage?” She wanted to kick herself the minute the words were out. God, that sounded so cheesy, like dialogue out of a bad porno or something.

But Sylvan nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Sophia. If you are don’t mind I won’t refuse.”

“I’ll do my best but I’m not an expert masseuse or anything,” she told him, beginning to work on the knots in his back.

“That’s all right.” His voice was low and warm. “I just like the feel of your hands on me.”

His words sent a rush of heat through her veins and her nipples were suddenly tight under the blue shirt. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I…it’s nice you feel that way.”

They were silent for a moment as she worked on him, trying to ease the knots of tension out of his big body. She couldn’t help noticing how smooth and warm his skin was under her fingers and how good he smelled. Even though I know all about his mating scent I still can’t help being affected by it. The sharp, spicy aroma made her want to crawl into his lap and kiss him senseless.

But I can’t, she reminded herself sternly. Even though we have a kind of…of connection, it’s all just temporary. As soon as we get back to the Mother ship this will all be over. The thought made her sad even though she knew a relationship with the big warrior would never be possible. Not with her past and his solemn vow to never take a bride. Still…

“I’m sorry if I scared you when the urlich came back.” His deep voice broke her train of thought.

“You didn’t scare me,” she protested, lying only a little. “It was…I mean you looked really fierce but I knew your, uh, aggression wasn’t directed at me.”

“It wasn’t the first time either,” he said quietly. “Though I can understand how you would think it was. Especially when I started to mark you.”

“Yes, well…” Sophie really didn’t want to think about that. About the memories it had brought up to have such a large male start to climb on top of her and…well, she just didn’t want to think about it. It was much nicer to remember the second time, the way it felt to have him licking and kissing her so gently.

“Sophia, I want to talk to you about something but I don’t want you to be upset.” Sylvan was speaking carefully, as though choosing his words.

Uh-oh, I’m not going to like this. He’s probably going to remind me of his vow and tell me not to expect any kind of commitment once we get back to the ship. “What?” she asked as neutrally as she could.

“Earlier when we were talking you said something that made me wonder.”

“Wonder? Wonder about what?”

“You said ‘don’t do it to me again.’” Turning his head, he gave her a look that seemed to pierce right through her. “What did you mean by that?”

“I said that?” Sophie tried to laugh even though her heart was suddenly in her throat. “I don’t remember. I was upset—who knows what I said?”

He frowned skeptically. “All right. You also talked about having a ‘phobia’—an aversion to having me…” He cleared his throat. “On top of you. Even after you knew I wasn’t trying to take you against your will.”

Sophie felt cold. “Well I mean look at you. I’m not exactly petite but you’re so huge and muscular. I mean, I would feel like I was…was smothering. Don’t you remember I told you I’m claustrophobic?”

Sylvan shook his head. “No, I don’t think that’s it.”

“Well then what is it? What are you trying to say?” Sophie’s heart was pounding but she tried to sound normal—a little irritated, even.

It was apparent that Sylvan wasn’t buying her act. He was silent for a long moment then he spoke in a low voice. “Who was he?”

“What was who? What are you talking about?”

“The male who hurt you. Who was he and what did he do to you? Was he this ‘Burke’ you mentioned?”

Sophie felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody ever hurt me. I’m fine—perfectly fine,” she protested almost frantically.

Sylvan kept looking at her in that same, patient way that made her feel like screaming. “You’re lying,” he said at last.

“What?” She pulled her hands away from his shoulders and clenched them at her sides. “How dare you say that?”

“I notice you’re not denying it.” He didn’t sound angry, just tired.

Sophie was almost shaking, she was so upset. “How can you even ask me something like that? It’s so personal. I mean, I hardly even know you.”

She wished she could call the words back as soon as they left her lips. How could she claim to hardly know him after all they’d been through together that night? But if she apologized and took back her hasty, hurtful words she might have to admit…No, I won’t. I can’t.

Sylvan was still looking at her quietly and a little sadly. Finally he sighed and nodded. “If I have offended, then I ask your forgiveness.”

“It’s okay,” Sophie muttered, looking down at her hands. Things had been going so well. Why did he have to try and pry into her past? To dig up the old hurt she’d tried so hard to bury?

Sylvan stood up and stretched, the muscles in his broad back and arms flexing in a way that would have made her mouth water if she hadn’t been so upset. “I’m going to take a quick shower now. My senses tell me the urlich are long gone and I want to wash the remains of the cushioning gel from our landing off.”

Probably wants to wash off my scent too, and everything to do with me, Sophie thought miserably. Aloud she only said, “Okay. If you’re sure it’s safe, I’m going to bed.”

He nodded. “I won’t disturb you when I come out.”

She wasn’t sure how he would manage that since they would doubtless be sharing the bed but she only nodded back. As Sylvan went into the bathroom and shut the door, she climbed under the slightly musty-smelling sheets and tried to get comfortable in the strange bed.

Even though the mattress wasn’t lumpy or hard, she couldn’t seem to find a good position. She kept imagining Sylvan in the shower, lathering up with hot water running down his hard, naked body. If there hadn’t been so much standing between them, she might even have had the nerve to go join him. Not that he would want her there now.

Not after what I said. God, why did he have to bring it up? Why couldn’t he just let things be? We were doing so well and he seems like such a nice guy—when he’s not going all freaky-scary, that is. Now everything is weird between us and it’s going to stay weird because I am so not going there. I mean, why should I even talk about it? It was years and years ago…

Her mind ran on in an endless loop of regret and self-recrimination until she heard the water shut off. A few minutes later Sylvan came out. Water droplets sparkled on his shoulders in the weak light of the dying fire. He was wearing his black pants and carrying his boots in one hand while toweling his hair with the other.

Sophie closed her eyes at once and pretended to be asleep. She had decided that it would be better not to talk to him for the rest of the night. Maybe when they woke up in the morning he would be ready to start fresh without any embarrassing or hurtful talk about the past.

She watched through half-slitted eyes as he walked toward the bed. Every muscle in her body tensed as she waited for him to climb in beside her. Would he get under the covers with her? Or sleep on top of them to give her more space? Did she want him to give her more space? Would he—

Her thoughts were cut off abruptly as he bypassed the bed and lay down on the rug in front of the fire.

What the hell? Why did he do that? Is he that mad at me?

“Sylvan?” she said before she thought about it.

“Yes?” He didn’t sound at all surprised to hear her awake and alert.

“You…I…” She wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Are you laying down there because you’re mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad.” He sighed and shifted. She could hear the whispering sound of the rug under his large body.

“Well, then why…?”

“It’s a better position to watch the door from. And…”

“And?” she prompted.

“And if I get into bed with you, I’ll want to hold you. Touch you.” His voice was deep and soft. “But I don’t think you want to be touched right now.”

“Oh.” Sophie nibbled her lower lip and then had to muffle a squeak of pain. It made her realize Sylvan still hadn’t gotten around to healing her lip where he’d bitten her, which seemed like a lifetime ago. And he never will now, she realized sadly. I’ve ruined everything…everything.

“Goodnight,” he said softly and she heard him shift again, as if trying to get more comfortable.

“Goodnight,” she echoed. Turning on her side, she buried her face in a pillow and tried to get to sleep. But as exhausting as the night had been, she still couldn’t relax. The misunderstanding between herself and Sylvan was pressing on her like a lead weight, making any kind of rest impossible. She turned over and then flipped her pillow to the cool side, hoping it would feel better against her hot cheek. She tried counting backwards from a hundred and then from a thousand but she couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t relax and she was just getting more and more tense and restless and—

“Sophia? Are you all right?” His voice in the darkness sounded concerned. “You’re tossing and turning all over the place.”

“No, I’m not all right.” She sat up in bed and glared down at him. The fire had died to red coals by now and he was barely visible—a large dark shape on the floor at the foot of the bed. “It happened a long time ago,” she said, running a hand though her hair which was getting tangled from all her restless maneuvering. “And it’s not really something I like to talk about…or even think about, really.”

“No?”

“No.” She sighed again, supremely irritated. “Fine, you want me to tell you? I’ll tell you. It was at my senior prom. Or after it, anyway.”

“Prom?” he asked.

“A dance.” Sophie made a vague gesture with one hand. “A…a coming of age ritual. Everyone gets dressed up and goes to a big party and dances and drinks way too much and has fun.”

“If that’s your idea of fun,” he said neutrally.

“Well it is if you’re a senior in high school and you’re about to graduate,” Sophie told him. “Anyway, it was only a few months after…after my parents were killed.” She choked a little on the words. Even though it had been over six years since that fateful night the highway patrolman had knocked on the front door, she still missed her mom and dad fiercely.

“I’m very sorry.” Sylvan’s voice was soft with concern.

“No, it’s…that’s not the point of the story.” She took a deep breath. “What I was going to say was that Liv and I were going to stay home. I mean, who wants to go to prom after something like that? But Kat convinced us that it was a once in a lifetime deal and our parents would want us to have some fun. So we were all three going to go together—just us girls, you know?”

He made a slight noise of understanding.

“So we were going to go together—none of us had dates anyway—but then Burke Simpson asked me to go with him. He was the captain of the football team—really, really popular. Our team went to state, so he wasn’t just a big fish in a little pond—he already had a scholarship to FSU and everything. Honestly, I was really surprised that he asked me.”

“Why should that surprise you?” Sylvan sounded like he was frowning.

“Because. He was the big man on campus—the alpha male. And I was just this shy little nobody. I wasn’t a cheerleader or in the student council or anything like that. I thought he was probably being nice to me because of what happened to my parents.”

“Did you go with him?”

Sophie nodded and then realized he probably couldn’t see her in the dark. “Yes. Uh, he picked me up in a limo—a big long car with a driver. Then he took me out to a really nice restaurant—I remember being afraid to order anything but a salad because everything was so expensive. And besides, I was too nervous to eat around him.

“We got to the dance and everything was beautiful and romantic. The only thing was, Burke kept trying to grope me. He acted like he was playing around but I had to kind of keep fending him off. I…I should have known better than to stay with him, but I hadn’t really been out with a lot of guys so I didn’t know quite how to handle him. I…” She shook her head.

“Sophia?” Sylvan sounded worried again and she realized she’d stopped talking for a long moment.

“Sorry.” Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to go on. “Anyway, when the dance was winding up, Burke wanted us to get a room and stay for the night. The prom was held in this big hotel and a lot of the other seniors were staying.”

“Did you stay with him?”

“I…I didn’t want to.” Sophie pulled her knees up to her chin. “I wanted to go home with Kat and Liv. They were going to go watch old movies and make popcorn. But Burke convinced me to walk with him up to the room. He said he just…just wanted a good night kiss. And he’d been so nice to me, paying for everything, I didn’t see how I could say no to that. I mean, just one little kiss, right?”

“And was it just ‘one kiss?’” Sylvan’s voice was neutral.

“N-no.” Sophie wrapped her arms around her knees and squeezed tight, trying to get the words out. “I mean it started that way but then he…he pushed me down on the bed. I…I asked him to stop but he wouldn’t. He kept saying did I know how much the night had cost him and what kind of girl would I be if I didn’t, uh, put out after all that.”

“Did he take you?” Sylvan’s voice was icy.

“I fought him.” Her voice trembled and everything inside her felt tight as she relived that horrible night. “I kicked and screamed but it didn’t…didn’t do any good. He got on top of me anyway. Then he ripped my dress and tore off my panties.”

She took a deep breath. God, how she hated remembering this! But as much as she wanted to push it back down, the memory had fully surfaced now—like a bloated corpse rising from a shallow grave. She couldn’t do anything but go on and try to get through it.

“He was so heavy on top of me,” she whispered brokenly. “So big. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and he was prying my legs apart and it hurt when he put it in me. Hurt so much…” There were tears running down her cheeks now and her breath was hitching in her chest. “See? This is why I didn’t want to talk about it. I always get so stupid and emotional.” She was glad it was too dark for Sylvan to see her right now. She must look a mess.

“Sophia—”

“That’s why I told you to go for it when we had the choice between surrender and death in the shuttle,” she interrupted. “I…Liv had told me how they—the Scourge—dig around in your brain and show your worst memories. I didn’t want you to know about this. About what happened.”

“Sophia—” he began again.

“No, just let me finish.” If she was going to tell it, she might as well tell it all. “After…after he was done he finally rolled off me. He didn’t want to let me go at first even though…even though he was done with me. But one of his football buddies banged on the door. She shook her head. “Anyway, Burke was startled and I was able to get away. He nearly broke my wrist, though—it was black and blue for a month.”

Sylvan made a low growling sound in his throat but said nothing.

“I was afraid he would do it again so I ran…I got a taxi and went home. I knew Kat and Liv were at Kat’s house so I had the place to myself. I took the hottest shower I could stand and scrubbed and scrubbed. I just wanted him off me—out of me.”

Sophie took a shallow, shuddering breath. “Kat and Liv wanted to report the…the attack, but I was afraid to. Burke’s family was really important—his dad owns a Jaguar dealership in South Tampa and has a seat on the City Council. Liv and I only had each other after our parents died and Kat just lived with her grandma so there was no one to back us up. Besides I just…just wanted to forget it.” She sniffed. “Not like Burke would let me, though.”

“He came after you again?” Sylvan demanded, sounding really angry.

Sophie twisted her fingers in her lap. “In a way. He…the…the next time I saw him in school, he acted like nothing had ever happened. Like I was invisible. So I thought it was all over with. Then he cornered me in the gym behind the bleachers.” She closed her eyes briefly, remembering that horrible scene. The way Burke had crowded her up against the back supporting post of one of the bleachers, pressing himself against her, overpowering her with his big, hateful body, his breath hot on her face. She could still hear his voice in her ear…

“Listen you little bitch, you better keep your mouth shut about prom night, you hear me?”

“Leave me alone. I…I haven’t told anyone.”

“Except your sister. And that fat, nosey cunt you two are always hanging around with. What’s her name? Oh yeah, Kat.”

“Just leave me alone. Please…”

“You don’t say a word and maybe I will. But if you start any trouble I’ll come over some night. Yeah, I know you and your sister are all alone now that poor little mommy and daddy got killed by the big bad drunk driver. You say anything—and I mean anything—and I’ll be coming to pay you a little visit. Only this time I’ll bring friends. You understand?”

“I swear I won’t cause you any problems. Just let me go. Let me go!”

A little sob escaped her and her shoulders shook. God, she’d been so terrified. So sure she would wake up some night with one hand over her mouth and the other one up her nightgown. And if she had to go through that again she would die—she knew it.

“What did he do to you?” Sylvan’s voice sounded slightly strangled and she realized she’d been silent, reliving it and not saying anything.

“He threatened me, mostly.” She hugged herself tightly. “He said if I ever told anyone he and a bunch of his buddies would come to our house and…and do it again.” She shivered. “I was so scared after that. So sure he was going to come and there would be nothing I could do about it—no way to get away the next time. I…I didn’t feel better until after we graduated and he went away to college.”

“I’ll kill him.” Sylvan’s voice, cold and deadly in the darkness, snapped her back to reality. “I’ll find him and tear his heart out.”

“No, you can’t!” she protested, swiping at her eyes. “I mean, it was years and years ago. It’s over now. I just want to forget it.”

“He exploited your innocence and vulnerability—the weakness of a female alone with no male to protect her. He took you against your will and brutalized you. He deserves death.”

“I don’t need a male to protect me,” Sophie objected. “It was my own stupid fault for going to prom with him in the first place. For thinking that he would want me for anything but that.” She took a deep, shuttering breath. “God, why is this so hard to talk about? I mean, it’s been years.”

“The passage of time doesn’t always lessen pain,” he said darkly. “Sometimes it magnifies it.”

“Well, anyway…” Sophie swiped at her eyes again and tried to sound normal. “I never made that mistake again. In fact, I hardly ever dated again. It just…just seemed safer that way.”

“Does he still live in Tampa?” Sylvan asked. “This male who hurt you?”

“Yes, he works at his father’s car dealership selling—” Then she realized why he was asking. “Stop it, Sylvan—I didn’t tell you this so you could…could go after him or something. I told you because…because… Oh hell, I don’t know why I told you. But you can’t do anything about it.”

“If I was your bonded mate it would be my duty to call him out and kill him in combat. To—”

“Well you’re not,” she cut him off. “So promise me you won’t go after him. I just want to forget it—to try and put it behind me again.”

He took a deep breath and then let out a long, low sigh that sounded almost like a growl. “All right,” he said at last. “I swear not to kill him.”

“Thank you.” Sophie blotted her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt. God, was she ever going to stop crying? “I mean, I appreciate the offer but that’s…that’s really not what I need right now.”

“Forgive me.” He breathed deeply and she could almost feel him trying to let go of his rage and relax. “What do you need, Sophia?”

She was almost afraid to ask but… “You said earlier that you…you wanted to hold me. Do you still, uh feel that way?”

His answer was quick and certain. “Yes, of course I still want to hold you. But are you sure? I mean, in light of what you told me…”

Sophie knew what he meant. “Yeah, you’re a big guy—a lot bigger than Burke even and he was pretty huge. But I’m not afraid of you, Sylvan. At least…not when you’re not in your scary fighting mode.”

“I’m glad.” His voice came from much closer and she looked up to see him standing in the darkness beside the bed. “I never want you to fear me.”

“I couldn’t help it, earlier” she whispered. “It’s just…the way I feel when a guy gets too close too fast. The way I’ve felt ever since…ever since it happened.”

“I wish I could take away your pain.” He sat carefully on the bed, as though trying not to startle her. “I wish I could make it better in some way.”

“You can,” she surprised herself by saying. “Just…hold me. Can you do that?”

He didn’t answer with words. In a moment he was on the bed beside her, gathering her into his arms and holding her close.

Sophie pressed her head to his chest and breathed in his scent which was incredibly comforting. God, it hurt to talk about what had happened so long ago. To relive it. It had been so scary and it had tainted the rest of her life. Ever since Burke she’d been afraid to date—afraid to live. All men seemed suspect—didn’t they all have that beast inside them somewhere? Even Sylvan, as warm and sweet and comforting as he was, had an animal living under his skin, waiting to come out at any time. Don’t think about that now. Just try to relax. She took a deep breath. Need to take things easy for awhile. Stop dwelling on the past and try to live in the present.

“Talana,” he murmured, stroking her hair tenderly.

Enjoying his gentle caress, she nuzzled closer. “I…I’ve never told anyone besides Liv and Kat what happened that night. And I never even told them about how Burke threatened me afterwards—I didn’t want them to worry.”

He growled softly. “Thank you for trusting me. I will keep your confidence until the day I die.”

Again with the formal vows. But it was kind of nice, in a way.

They were quiet for a long, long time and Sophie was almost certain he’d drifted off to sleep when Sylvan spoke again.

“No wonder I frightened you. I can see now why you say you don’t want an ‘alpha male.’”

“I’m glad you understand,” Sophie said gratefully. “And I hope I didn’t uh, offend you when I told you that.”

“No.” He sighed. “It’s all right. There’s more standing in the way between us than just your aversion to large aggressive males.”

“I know.” Sophie felt unaccountably sad. How had they gotten so close so fast? And was she actually letting herself feel for the big warrior? How stupid is that? whispered a little voice in her head. You know you can never have him. Even if he wanted you enough to break his vow you could never give him what he needs. It was true but she still felt like she might cry again. And she really didn’t want to do that—she’d cried more than enough already tonight.

“It really wasn’t your fault, you know.” His voice was a quiet rumble in the dark.

“I know,” she whispered. “Well, I mean, I shouldn’t have gone with him—that was stupid. I just didn’t think he would really…try anything like that.”

“Some males have no honor.” Sylvan’s voice was fiercely protective as he stroked her hair. “I swear to you as long as you’re under my care, nothing like that will ever happen to you again.”

“Thank you.” Sophie looked up at him in the darkness. “Thank you for everything, Sylvan. For not…not making me feel stupid when I told you.”

“You’re not stupid.” He cupped her cheek, his hand warm and comforting against her skin. “Naïve, maybe. Inexperienced. But not stupid.”

“I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said a little huffily. “Although, well, I haven’t been with anyone since…since Burke. I just…never felt like I could trust anyone enough again.”

“That’s understandable. But to me you’re perfect the way you are. Except for this.” The pad of his thumb found her hurt lip and brushed it gently.

“You can see that?”

“Kindred night vision is very sharp.”

Sophie was surprised and a little nonplussed. “All this time I was telling you, I kept thinking how glad I was that you couldn’t see me because of what a mess I am.”

“Didn’t I just tell you you’re perfect?” His voice was almost stern. “I would offer to heal your lip right now if…”

“If what?” she asked, feeling her heart begin to pound.

“You’re upset,” Sylvan said in a low voice. “I’ve reminded you of your attacker once already tonight. I don’t want to make you more upset or to take advantage of your vulnerability.”

“I told you I’m not afraid of you,” she protested. “In fact I think…I think I’d really like it if you did heal my lip.”

“You’re certain?” He was already cupping her cheek in one warm hand and turning her toward him.

“Yes.” Sophie tilted her mouth up to his. “Yes, please.”

His lips on hers were barely a warm whisper of breath at first. But when Sophie pressed up to him, Sylvan obliged her by taking her mouth more fully. He sucked her bottom lip gently and laved it tenderly with his tongue, then went back to kissing her more fully.

Sophie moaned softly as she felt the familiar healing tingle. God, a girl could get addicted to this really quickly. His chest was warm and hard and though the feel of his big body against hers was a little scary, he was being careful not to overpower her. His large hand cupping her cheek was so gentle—he touched her as though she was made of fine china and might break at any moment.

She felt something hard and hot against her thigh and knew it was his shaft but she didn’t even mind. It was just the way it had been after they’d taken the transport tube together—his scent was invading her senses, making her want him, making her forget to mind that they were getting too close too fast.

Slowly Sylvan’s large hand slid down to cup her breast. He thumbed her nipple lightly through the silky material of the shirt, making Sophie moan hungrily into his mouth. God, his hands on her felt so good, so right…she could almost forget to be afraid. Could almost wish he would never stop. She could feel her pussy getting wet and swollen again and she couldn’t forget the way he’d kissed and licked her there, the feel of his tongue and fingers deep inside her until she came so hard…

But suddenly, the healing kiss was over and Sylvan was pulling back.

“Sylvan?” she asked uncertainly.

“Forgive me.” He let go of her and moved away to sit up. Leaning against the wooden headboard, he put his head in his hands.

“Forgive you for what?” Sophie moved to sit beside him. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong? Why…why did you stop?”

“You’re healed aren’t you?” His deep voice was harsh, strained. “Why should I continue?”

Sophie wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. “I don’t know,” she said in a small voice. “I…I guess I thought maybe you might continue because you, uh, wanted to.”

“That’s the problem.” He sighed raggedly. “I do want to. I want…want much more than I have a right to,” he finished in a low voice.

“Oh.” Sophie nibbled her newly healed lip uncertainly. “I…what exactly do you, uh, want?”

“You’re wet again, aren’t you?” he said, not answering her question. “Hot and wet between your thighs.”

“I…” Sophie squeezed her legs together. “I can’t help it. And I thought…I thought you said you liked that. You said I was a nu…”

“A numala,” he finished for her. “I do like it—how wet and hot you get. How your body responds when I kiss you, touch you. But it makes me want…”

“To…to make love?” Sophie could hear the quiver in her own voice but she couldn’t control it. The one time she’d had sex—before Burke had ruined everything for her—had been fumbling and uncomfortable. She’d been with a guy she’d met at summer camp, whose shaft was about the size of two of her fingers together. If he’d been any bigger Sophie was sure it would have been much worse.

As for Sylvan…well, she’d seen the size of his equipment. There was absolutely no way he would be able to fit himself inside her. And besides, if he tried he would probably want to be on top of her, biting her. As good as his mating scent smelled, she still wasn’t ready to go there.

“Not just to make love.” Sylvan’s voice cut into her worried thoughts. “I’m afraid I couldn’t stop at that. Not now.”

“What…what do you mean?” she whispered, her nerves jumping another notch.

“I’ve had your blood twice now. Three times, if you count just now when I healed your lip, though you weren’t really bleeding anymore. And I’ve tasted you.” His voice sounded deep and growly in the darkness. It gave Sophie the uncomfortable feeling of sitting beside a wild beast that had been domesticated but still wasn’t quite tame.

“What does that have to do with it?” she asked, trying to stay calm.

“It has to do with what my body wants from yours.” He sounded like he was trying to be calm and clinical about it but the growling tone was still in his voice. “Every time I taste your blood or your honey, the connection between us grows stronger. And I want to make it stronger still.”

“So when you said you don’t just want to make love…?”

“I want to bond you to me, Sophia.” He turned to face her and she was frightened to see that his eyes were glowing a pale blue in the darkness. “I want to be buried to the hilt in your tight, wet pussy, thrusting long and hard and deep, filling you up, coming inside you over and over to make you mine.”

Her breath caught in her throat at his graphic words. “You…you do?”

“Not only that,” Sylvan said in a low voice. “I want to take your blood again and inject my essence into you while I fill you with my seed. That seals the bonding—makes it so no other male could ever take you from me.”

“You want to bite me.” Sophie felt cold and shaky at the very thought. His big male body covering her, those needle sharp fangs piercing her flesh… it was too awful. “Please, Sylvan, you…you’re scaring me. You promised you wouldn’t.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Not unless you asked me to. And I know that will never be.” A low, frustrated sound came from him, something between a sigh and a snarl. “Don’t worry, Sophia, I am still bound by my vow. And I have no desire to take what you don’t want to give so you’re perfectly safe. It’s just…better if we keep a little distance between us. We’re getting too close to a line neither one of us wants to cross.”

“You’re right, I guess.” Sophie was glad he was enough of a gentleman to stop himself but she couldn’t help feeling sorry. “I know this will all be over when we get out of here and you won’t…won’t feel anything for me any more,” she said hesitantly. “But I want you to know something, Sylvan. I…I’ve never felt anything like what I feel when you touch me. When you, uh, marked me…” Her cheeks were getting hot and it was hard to get the words out.

Sylvan was looking at her intently, his eyes still glowing faintly. “Yes?” he murmured.

“I…I just want you to know that no man has ever…made me feel like that. That kind of…of pleasure.” Sophie looked down at her hands, unable to meet that burning blue gaze. “I’ll never forget it.”

“Sophia…” He lifted her chin and looked at her seriously. “I’ll never forget it either. The sight of you, lying open for me, the feel of your hands in my hair, the soft, helpless sounds you make when you come—the way you called my name…Gods!” He closed his eyes briefly and made a soft growl at the back of his throat. “All those things are burned into my memory—into my heart. Forever.”

Sophie bit her lip. “That’s…that’s good to know.”

“And if we don’t stop talking about it I’m going to want to do it all over again,” he said roughly. “That and more.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Sylvan rubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead as though trying to erase some inner tension. “Which is why I think it’s better if I go back to the floor now. Forgive me, but being so close to you is incredibly tempting.”

Sophie wanted to tell him she found him tempting too but she knew she’d better not. The hungry look in those glowing blue eyes told her she’d pushed things almost past the point of safety already and it was time to stop pushing now.

“Good night then, I guess,” she whispered, scooting away from him.

“Good night.” He got off the bed and went back to the rug in front of the fire. “Try to get some rest. We need to try and get to a populated area tomorrow if we can. I don’t know why no one has contacted us yet via Think-me—probably all still busy with the bonding party. But I’m sure by tomorrow they’ll realize we’re missing.”

Sophie almost asked where he thought the nearest town was but he had already turned over with his back to the bed. It seemed like a pretty strong hint that he just wanted to sleep, so she decided she’d probably better do the same thing.

But as she closed her eyes, his words wouldn’t leave her head. “I want to bond you to me, Sophia…I want to take your blood again and inject my essence into you while I fill you with my seed.”

The words formed images in her mind’s eye—images that were both disturbing… and somehow compelling. They kept her awake for a long time and then followed her down into sleep.

* * * * *

Sylvan lay on his side, his fists in knots and his jaw clenched, wanting her so badly it hurt. Everything had been all right until that last kiss when he’d felt Sophia responding to him, opening to him. Then his desire for her had gone into overdrive.

A greedy, hungry lust had exploded inside him, threatening to overcome his better judgment and turn him into a rutting beast. Leaving her on the bed by herself had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but somehow he’d forced himself to pull back before things went too far.

He knew what the problem was—it wasn’t just that they had formed a connection through blood—although that was certainly part of it. It was the fact that he had tasted her and now his body expected him to take the next step.

In the course of the usual Kindred claiming period, a warrior had four weeks with his bride during which he was allowed to touch her in different ways. By marking her with his mouth, Sylvan had skipped the holding and bathing weeks and gone straight to the tasting period, the time when he would have been legally allowed to spread her legs and lap her sweet pussy until she came for him every night. And the next step after tasting…was bonding.

Now every instinct in his stubborn Kindred blood was screaming that she was his, that he had to take the final step and be certain no one else could ever take her away from him.

I can’t. I took a vow and besides, she doesn’t want that—doesn’t want to be bonded to me. Though, to be honest, she didn’t seem quite as resistant to the idea as she had been earlier.

Certainly the sex part of the bonding process seemed to scare her a little less, though he could understand why she would be frightened in the first place. That bastard who had raped her…Sylvan fought down the growl that rose in his throat. What was his name? Oh yes, Burke. Burke Simpson.

Sylvan closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the hurt, broken tone in her soft voice when she’d told him what had happened. She said she just wanted to forget it but Sylvan could tell the experience had scarred her deeply. No wonder she was afraid of males, especially big, aggressive ones. No wonder she’d been so terrified of him the first time he’d tried to mark her. The uncertainty in her lovely eyes, the terror in her voice when he got too close, too quickly could be at least partly laid at her long-ago attacker’s feet.

Just remembering made Sylvan long to hold her again, to comfort and protect her. But he couldn’t trust himself to be that near her—not at the moment. Instead he fantasized about vengeance.

Sophia seemed to think that the assault had happened too long ago for anything to be done about it—as if there was a statue of limitations for such reprehensible actions.

Sylvan disagreed.

He didn’t care that the attack and threats had taken place long before he met Sophia, didn’t care that she hadn’t even seen the male who attacked her in years. He only knew he had to avenge her pain—to repay the bastard who had hurt her. And he fully intended to do that, even if he had promised not to kill him.

But I’ll make him wish he was dead. That much I can do.

The pitch of his anger grew until he was almost trembling with fury. Stop it. This isn’t right—isn’t like me .What’s wrong with me anyway? He took a deep breath and then another, trying to calm down. You have a shadow on your heart…a pain that taints your very existence, whispered a voice in his head. It will draw the darkness to you… Sylvan pushed it away. He couldn’t blame his past for the way he was feeling now. But why was he reacting this way? He’d always been cold, emotionless, logical. Now he was behaving like a beast in rut, eager to demolish anyone who even looked at his beloved the wrong way.

Beloved…Talana… He shouldn’t have started calling her that in the first place. The endearment was reserved for a Blood Kinded’s bonded mate, not a female he was destined never to have. Even if Sophia could get over her fear enough to let him make love to her, he knew she would never agree to the final step—that of having his fangs buried in her neck at the moment of orgasm. And without blooding her, he could never bond her.

You could never bond her anyway. Stop wishing for what can never be. Once you get back to the ship and she’s no longer in danger you’ll forget these overpowering emotions, lose this insatiable hunger. You’ll be yourself again.

But would he really? Deep in his heart, a seed of doubt had been planted. He burned for Sophia—craved her in a way he had never known was possible. Could such a fire really be smothered so easily? But if not, why would the Mother of Life allow such a desire to grow in his heart in the first place?

Then again, he had desired a female before, had been certain she was supposed to be his, and that relationship had never come to fruition. Feenah’s betrayal was the secret pain the priestess in the sacred grove had spoken of—the anguish he carried with him always. She had wounded him deeply—too deeply to ever recover, or so he’d believed.

I never felt this for Feenah, though. Never felt like I might die if I couldn’t have her, that I would kill to protect her. What’s wrong with me?

He didn’t know. He only hoped that once they were back aboard the Mother ship he could find some cure for his madness. Some cure that didn’t involve the impossible—claiming Sophia as his bride.

Chapter Seventeen

“The urlich have lost the scent.” Xairn stood before his father’s throne, waiting for the AllFather’s rage. He disliked being the bearer of bad news but he wasn’t willing to delegate the task to another. Not when he knew what the consequences would be. Besides, he had a punishment coming—might as well get it over with. In his experience, the longer his father waited to dole out his brand of sadistic discipline, the worse the torture was in the end.

But the AllFather surprised him. “I know.” Those glowing red eyes blinked once, calmly, in a way that made Xairn decidedly nervous.

“I…I thought you’d be displeased. The energy net is damaged beyond repair. So if we don’t take her on the planet’s surface with the transfer beam…”

“We’ll take her.” There was a certainty in the AllFather’s voice that tightened Xairn’s stomach. “And when we do, ssshe will pay for the fine chase ssshe’s led usss on.”

“But how—?”

“The male with her isss masking her ssscent with hisss own. He’sss claimed her, the fool—or wantsss to, anyway. But he hasss doubtsss. As well he ssshould.”

Xairn didn’t ask how his father knew such things. The AllFather’s mind was like a dark magnet, drawn to the pain of others and drawing anything or anyone with darkness in them to him. When he focused his vast and malevolent mental powers on any one individual or creature, it wasn’t long before he knew their innermost heart and darkest secrets. All he needed was a window of opportunity. The smallest blight of anger or sorrow, the tiniest shadow on a person’s heart provided a crack he could slip through to sense their conflicting emotions.

“What are we to do?” he asked, perplexed. “Surely you can’t keep up the thought block around the planet forever? Soon they’ll have contact with the Mother ship again and when the other Kindred learn of their distress, a shuttle will be sent for them at once.”

“True.” The red eyes blinked again. “I can only keep the block in place a few more hoursss at most. Sssoon the girl will be sssafe aboard their Mother ship—beyond our reach.”

Xairn frowned. “Have you given up on her then? Is she not the one the prophesy spoke of?”

“I believe that ssshe isss.”

“But then—”

“If we try to take her now, even if the urlich could find her ssscent, the male with her would ruin our plansss. He isss too aggressive now that his rage has risen—even for a pack of our best to take down. Besidesss…” The AllFather shook his head, his shadowy robes billowing with the gesture. “I have changed my mind. I don’t want to take her jussst yet.”

“But once she’s safe aboard their Mother ship—”

“Ssshe will not remain there. The Kindred High Council will not allow it. They will sssend her away.”

“To a place not as heavily guarded because they’re not under siege.” Xairn began to see his father’s plan. “But if they fold space, how will we follow? They’ll sense us—even our unseen fighters aren’t completely undetectable. ”

“Then let them sssee usss. We will be hiding in plain sssight.”

Xairn shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind. I have made arrangementsss for all contingenciesss—that isss all you need to know.”

“I still don’t understand why we don’t try to take them now,” Xairn argued. “I can have the urlich focus on his scent instead—it must be the one that confused them in the beginning when two of the pack were certain they had her. The lead bitch has a marker in her tooth. One bite and—”

The AllFather shook his head. “Leave them. I want the girl to bond herself to the warrior who guardsss her—or at least givesss him her fragile human heart—before she is taken. That way her pain will be much greater when ssshe is ripped from him. And my pleasure in taking her will be multiplied a hundred fold.”

The greedy anticipation in those glowing red eyes was obvious. Xairn kept his face carefully blank. Though the AllFather preferred to feed on the psychic pain of his victims, he was not above devouring physical and sexual pain as well. He, like all Scourge, was a natural sadist—it was in his very DNA to cause harm, to demand submission.

Xairn had never taken a female against her will, though he knew he had those tendencies locked within himself—a brutal legacy from his father. But he had seen too many of the AllFather’s victims, broken and empty, to wish to perpetrate such an act. He had no desires of the carnal nature and only prayed that nothing ever awakened his own dark appetites. That no female ever excited him to such acts of perversity and lust. It would be kinder if the girl was taken sooner, before she forms a bond, he thought. Kinder, yes—but against his father’s wishes.

“We will wait for the girl,” the AllFather intoned, breaking his train of thought.

“Then I will remove the urlich. Their pods should still be functional. If they are not, I can use the transfer beam.”

“No. Let them ssstay until the girl goesss. They must familiarize themselves with the warrior’s ssscent as well—I want it burned into their brainsss. We may have need of them later.”

“Very well. I will wait.”

“Yesss, we will wait. But not all pleasuresss must be delayed. Come forward, my ssson. I believe you were expecting a punishment?”

His heart sank but Xairn squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. “I was.”

The AllFather clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Alwaysss so brave to begin with. Let us sssee how long it takesss to break you. Come.”

Nothing to do but bear it. Try to get through it. It was a familiar litany, one that had been with him from his bitter, barren childhood.

Xairn knelt before the metal throne, trying to shield his mind. There was only one thing he cared about, one thing that kept him from despair and madness in his hellish existence aboard the Fathership. It was a small spark of warmth, barely enough to heat the cold corridors of his heart, yet he was desperate to keep it from the AllFather’s greedy, seeking grasp. So far he had managed to keep his secret, but how long could he continue? Each time the AllFather probed him, he got closer to that small, hidden corner Xairn fought so desperately to protect. How long until it was uncovered, the contents rifled and destroyed?

“Now then…” The AllFather positioned himself, his scabrous fingertips pressing lightly against Xairn’s skull. His touch was corpse-cold and wholly repulsive. No wonder the Earth girls he’d tried to mate with had gone mad long before he killed them. The touch of his father’s hands made even Xairn shiver and he had been enduring it since birth.

The worst thing was, the AllFather had no need of physical contact in order to scan his subjects—he only touched Xairn because he knew it made the whole experience even worse and harder to bear. Someday I’ll touch him in a way he finds hard to bear—Xairn cut off that line of thought abruptly. It would never do to let his father hear him think such treasonous things even though the AllFather surely knew Xairn hated him. Knew and didn’t give a damn.

The feeling of icy fingers rifling through his memories was both familiar and repugnant. As usual the AllFather lingered over past pains and sorrows, polishing them lovingly until they gleamed like precious jewels with edges sharp enough to draw blood.

Being torn from my nurse and told I would never see her again. She was kind to me—the only one who ever was. A Kindred bride the AllFather captured. Yet when I was old enough to be on my own he took her from me and drove her mad. Seeing her later locked in a cage like an animal, her eyes unseeing even when I called her name over and over, begging her to look at me…

Living like a beast beneath the metal throne—given only scraps to eat for days at a time, no safe place to call my own. Kicked with hard boots, stepped on and trampled if I got in the way, spat on, beaten. I learned the true meaning of hatred then and have known it ever since…

The pet lizard I found on the home world when we visited—it was black with purple edged scales. I never had a pet before and father let me keep it for weeks, lavishing it with affection before he crushed it beneath his boot while I wept and begged him not to. The sound of his laughter as he watched my tears and feasted on my pain…

The excruciating flow of memories went on and on, each one blindingly intense and horribly real—almost as though it had just happened. The AllFather liked to keep the pain he inflicted sharp and intact, to allow instant access to the mental suffering he fed from so greedily. Xairn often thought that his father had conceived him not because he wanted an heir, but because he wanted a constant source of nourishment—a deep well of agony that would never run dry.

He tried to endure, but in the end Xairn lost his composure. It was the question of his true mother that broke him—as it almost always did. “Who was ssshe?” whispered the AllFather in his mind. “And what did I do to her when I was done using her body, done ravaging her mind? Ssshe loved you, you know—cared for you as only a mother can care for her child. Ssshe wept and raved when I took you from her. Begged to be allowed to hold you just once more…”

The mental image of a woman with tears in her eyes—eyes unlike the glowing red on black of Xairn and his father—filled his mind. Though her skin had been the pale, pearlescent gray of all Scourge, his mother’s eyes had been green—a deep, beautiful green. In his vision they swam with tears as she begged to be allowed to keep her child—to keep Xairn…

It wasn’t until there were tears in Xairn’s own eyes that the AllFather finally stopped and withdrew his icy presence from Xairn’s mind.

“Ssstill weak. You always break for that vision.” The AllFather’s voice was contemptuous.

“What did you do to her? Does she still live?” Xairn had never dared to ask the question before, but this time it seemed drawn from his lips.

The red eyes buried far back in the shadowy cloak glared. “That I ssshall leave to your vivid imagination. Now go.” The AllFather waved one skeletal hand dismissively. “I am sssated for now.”

“Yes, Father.” Xairn nodded stoically and rose to stand tall and proud before his father’s throne. The emotional pain he felt must not be echoed by physical weakness. And despite the torture he had managed to keep his secret. The hidden part of his heart was still just that—hidden. A victory, he thought ruefully, blinking tears from his eyes. A small one but I can call it my own.

Turning, he walked down the long, broad steps that led to the metal throne and made his way from the AllFather’s presence with what dignity he could. Gods above, how he hated the soulless bastard and longed for his death!

He knew it was a foolish wish. His father spoke of Xairn succeeding him but he didn’t believe it would ever really happen. The AllFather would be there forever—the malignant dark sun he was doomed to orbit for his entire existence.

For how could one who was not truly alive, die?

But I will see to the girl, he thought grimly. He has no right to inflict such agony again. After all the many he captured and tortured, looking for just the right DNA sequence to fulfill the prophesy. She shall be taken before she is bonded to the warrior—
that much I can do.

Whether he wished to defy his father out of spite or mercy for the suffering of a fellow being, he did not know. He only knew he was tired of folding beneath the AllFather’s will. Tired enough to defy the ageless, living corpse who sat upon the metal throne and fed greedily on the pain of others.

Even though it might cost him his life.

Chapter Eighteen

Liv was sore. Deliciously sore. She was tender in places she hadn’t even known existed and sensitive all over, as though her entire body had become one big erogenous zone. God, who knew that Baird had a kinky side? Her new husband had been an animal the night before—in a good way, of course.

She looked at him fondly. Baird was breathing deeply, his big body completely relaxed on the other side of their large bed. It was no wonder he was worn out after everything he’d put them both through the night before!

Liv had to admit, the whole “you’ve been a bad girl and now you have to be punished” scenario had never done much for her in the past. The one time her old fiancé, Mitch, had tried it she’d burst out laughing, which completely ruined the mood. Poor Mitch, he just hadn’t had the physical presence or the emotional intensity to pull off anything even remotely resembling domination play.

But Baird…he had it. God, did he have it. Liv shivered as she remembered the hot, dangerous gleam in his golden eyes. The hungry, possessive way he’d taken her. Just thinking about it made her feel weak in the knees. She’d heard all the old jokes about how sex got boring and stale after marriage but somehow she didn’t think that was going to be a problem. Not as long as Baird kept surprising her with his kinky side. Yum.

Leaning over, she gave him a quick kiss on his rough cheek. Kindred didn’t seem to get as hairy as human men—thank God, since Liv had seen some guys at the beach who looked like walking fur coats—ugh. But the big warriors did still need to shave their faces occasionally. Not that they used a razor to do it—they had a domesticated animal that actually nibbled their beards away in a matter of seconds. It looked a little too much like the face-hugger from the Alien movies for Liv’s taste, but it never seemed to hurt Baird and he claimed it was completely painless. She hadn’t quite gotten up the nerve to use it on her legs yet but maybe someday in the near future…

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she’d barely eaten anything the day before. And who knew how many calories she’d burned during their marathon sex session? What she needed was a big, splurgy breakfast—the kind she and Sophie and Kat used to make every Saturday morning. Liv smiled. Think I’ll surprise Baird with some blueberry pancakes. It had taken her awhile to learn how to make them on the wave—the Kindred version of a stove—without burning them to a crisp, but Liv thought she had the hang of it now.

Careful not to wake Baird, she slid out of bed and put on a red silk robe which was all that was left of a really nice lingerie set she’d gotten at her wedding shower. Sadly, Baird had ripped the matching red lace teddy right off her, ruining it completely—although Liv had to admit she hadn’t minded a bit at the time.

Walking a little gingerly, she made her way to the back door of the suite. Before she started the pancakes, she wanted to make sure the morning klava had been delivered. It was a Kindred drink that tasted, to Liv anyway, like spicy herbal tea with a hint of lavender thrown in. It was immensely popular, so much so that the Kindred had built a special greenhouse aboard their ship to grow the flowers it was made from. Every morning the new buds were picked and simmered to perfection and the resulting brew was delivered door to door to those that signed up to receive it.

But though it tasted like herbal tea, Liv had learned to take the Kindred breakfast drink in small quantities. In caffeine content it was more like the concentrated Cuban coffee served in Tampa where she’d grown up than the Sleepy Time she and Sophie liked to sip before bed. Drinking more than a very small amount of klava left her wired the entire day.

Pressing the door switch, she leaned out to look for the steaming metal cylinder of klava. She saw it at once, but there was something else against outside the suite that caught her eye—or rather someone.

Kat was slumped against the wall, still wearing the dress she’d worn to the wedding. The silky, sapphire blue material was creased and rumpled and a lot worse for the wear.

Liv couldn’t help noticing that Kat was looking a lot worse for the wear herself. Her cheek was pressed against the curving silver wall and her long auburn hair was in tangles around her shoulders. Her delicate features were pinched, even in sleep, as though she was having a bad or disturbing dream.

“Kat?” Liv stared at her in concern. What was her friend still doing here? Why wasn’t she back on Earth where she belonged?

“Liv?” Kat’s eyes fluttered open and she blinked uncertainly. “Oh thank God! Are you finally finished with your tantric alien sex?”

“Uh, for now.” Liv bent to pick up the cylinder of klava and then offered her friend a hand up. “Come on, come inside. Why didn’t you knock earlier?”

“They told me I couldn’t. They said a Beast Kindred can’t be interrupted under any circumstances when he’s doing the bonding nasty with his bride.” Kat took her hand.

“Who in the world is they?” Liv asked, giving her a pull.

Kat winced as she got to her feet. “Deep and Lock—Baird and Sylvan’s step brothers. Er—second brothers, I mean.”

Liv remembered seeing the way the Twin Kindred had been eyeing her friend at the wedding and smiled. “Uh-huh. And what exactly were you doing discussing bonding sex with those two?”

“They were the ones talking to me about it, and you can wipe that smirk off your face right now,” Kat snapped in a very un-Kat like display of temper.

“Sorry.” Liv ushered her into the food prep area and sat the steaming metal cylinder of klava on the counter. “Didn’t mean to make you angry.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.” Kat made a face and rubbed her forehead. “It’s just this damn headache I have—it won’t go away. And those two feel so loudly I can hardly hear myself think.”

“They what? Kat, what are you talking about?” Liv was beginning to be really worried about her. “Come on, hon, I think you’d better sit down.”

“No,” Kat gripped her hand, a troubled look on her face. “You’re the one who should sit down, Liv. I’m so sorry. I keep babbling on because I don’t know how to say what I need to say.”

A cold finger of fear traced its way down Liv’s spine. “What do you need to say?”

“Okay, now first let me tell you that they’re all right—at least they were the last time I saw them,” Kat said rapidly. “But Sophie and Sylvan’s shuttle crashed and they’re lost somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

“What?” It felt like a shriek leaving her throat but what came out was more like a strangled whisper.

“You heard me,” Kat said grimly. “They’re lost. But they’re not hurt and they have each other. And the last I saw, Sylvan was doing his damndest to protect Sophie.”

“The last you saw? How did you see them? Did you contact Sophie by Think-me?”

Kat frowned. “You know I’m not allowed to use one of those. My mind isn’t linked to a Kindred’s.” She made a face. “Well, not in the traditional way, anyway. I mean, not…look, never mind how I did it. The point is I was able to see them even though we couldn’t communicate.”

“You…you said he was trying to protect her. Protect her from what?” Liv whispered through numb lips.

Kat looked unhappy. “I don’t know exactly. But whatever it was, Lock and Deep seemed to think that Sylvan could handle it. And the way he looked…” She shivered. “Believe me, anything with half a brain would have left him the hell alone. His eyes were red and his fangs were out—”

“The rage was on him, then.”

They both turned to see Baird standing in the doorway with a frown on his face. He was wearing the smiley face boxers Liv had bought him as a joke, but somehow even the sight of her gigantic husband in bright yellow silk smilies didn’t lighten her mood.

“Baird,” she said. “Sophie and Sylvan are—”

“I know. I heard.” Baird looked at Kat. “Did Deep or Lock try to bespeak Sylvan?”

Kat nodded. “Of course. That was the first thing they tried. But the Scourge—”

“Have put up some kind of a mental block around Earth.”

This voice came from a different doorway—the one leading to the back entrance. Liv turned her head to see two large males crowded together, one with black hair and black eyes and the other with dark blond hair and brown eyes.

“Forgive the intrusion,” Lock said courteously, making an abbreviated bow. “The door was open and we heard voices so we assumed it was safe to come in.”

“Is that right?” Kat’s grip suddenly tightened on Liv’s hand until she yelped in pain.

“Ow, Kat! What the—?”

“You shouldn’t be here.” Kat was glaring at Baird’s second brothers like she wanted to burn a hole right through them with her eyes.

“We have as much right to be here as you.” Deep growled, his black eyes flashing as he glared back at Kat.

Liv looked between them uncertainly. Boy, if looks could kill… What in the world had happened between the three of them to cause this level of hostility? The entire food prep area was suddenly charged with tension, as though someone had set a bomb that was timed to blow at any minute.

“Sylvan is our second brother,” Deep continued. “We have as much interest in his safety as you do in Sophia’s.”

“Not enough to let me talk to Liv last night instead of waiting all this time,” Kat shot back. She looked at Liv. “I wanted to tell you earlier but Lock and Deep said I shouldn’t interrupt you.”

“Yes, you should have!” Liv sank down on the round bench that circled the table in the dining nook. “You absolutely should have, Kat—I don’t care how awkward it would have been.”

“Olivia is right,” Baird rumbled. “Though believe me, it would have been plenty damn awkward,” he added, looking uncomfortable. Remembering the kinky exploits of the night before, Liv felt herself blush in agreement.

“We would have if we thought Sylvan couldn’t protect her,” Lock said with dignity. “But from what Kat and Deep and I saw—”

“How exactly did you see them?” Baird growled, frowning.

It was Lock’s turn to look uncomfortable. “We, er, used Kat as a focus to find Sophia and Sylvan. But only because you weren’t available yourself, Brother.”

“They used you as a what?” Liv looked at her friend in concern. Kat was still glaring at the twins and her fair cheeks were stained a deep, rosy red. “Kat,” she murmured, what exactly did you get up to last night?”

“Not as much as you did, I’m sure.” Kat spoke to Liv while keeping her eyes trained on Deep and Lock. “But a hell of a lot more than I planned on, I can tell you that.”

Liv turned on Deep and Lock. “You bastards—what did you do to my friend?”

“Only what was necessary to find your sister,” Deep shot back.

“Using an unmated female as your focus?” Baird shook his head. “I don’t know much about the way seeking/finding works, but I thought it was forbidden to use an unshielded mind in such a way.”

“It was her choice.” Deep scowled.

“And it’s not forbidden—just not exactly encouraged,” Lock added. “The lady Kat did offer herself. We tried to warn her that the experience might be somewhat…intimate.”

“Somewhat intimate?” Kat demanded. “It was a hell of a lot more than ‘somewhat intimate.’ Compared to being mentally groped by the two of you, a trip to the gynecologist is like a handshake.”

“You volunteered for it,” Deep exploded. “We tried to warn you.”

“Well you didn’t warn me about the fact that this…this link between us doesn’t seem to be fading.” Kat sounded both scared and furious. “Or that I’d have your damn emotions running around inside me for who knows how long. Or that I’d have a splitting headache I can’t get rid of.”

Baird crossed his arms over his bare chest and narrowed his eyes at the two Twin Kindred. “You put me in an awkward position, brothers. It is my duty to protect the females under my care. As my bride’s friend, Kat falls squarely into that category.”

“Kat should be ours to protect,” Deep snarled, taking a step forward. “Lock and I have shared a joining with her and you already have a bride.”

Baird took a step forward too, glowering. “If I’m hearing correctly, she wants nothing more to do with you. And it seems you took unfair advantage of her last night.”

The tension in the room was suddenly so thick it was stifling. Liv could almost smell the testosterone filling the air, a thick, hot odor like the musk of male animals in rut. She opened her mouth to say something but Kat beat her to it.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” She held out her hands, stepping between Baird and Deep, who was being held back by Lock. “Look, I’m not happy about what happened last night—not happy at all.” She glared at Deep. “I will admit, though, that it was necessary up to a point. We had to make sure Sophie and Sylvan were all right. And that’s what we need to concentrate on now—finding them and bringing them home.”

“The lady Kat is correct,” Lock said earnestly. “After she found them, Deep and I were able to pinpoint their exact location.”

“Give me the coordinates,” Baird said at once. “I’ll go get them right now.”

“The structure they’re in is in a heavily wooded area,” Deep growled. “You couldn’t wedge a shuttle in there if you tried.”

“However, there is a clearing about half a mile away by a small human shop. You could land there,” Lock offered. “Only…”

“Only what?” Liv demanded impatiently.

“Well…” Lock looked uncomfortable. “Perhaps you should try bespeaking them again first. And not just…walk in on them.”

“When we last saw Sylvan he was deep in rage,” Deep added, as though that explained anything.

“He really was?” Baird frowned. “I thought he might be from Kat’s description but I didn’t know he cared for Sophia that way.”

“Apparently he does,” Deep said dryly. “Which is why you should call first.”

“How can we call them? I thought you said there was a mental block,” Liv said.

“There is,” Lock said. “But the last time I tried Sylvan on the Think-me, it felt weaker. As if I could almost get through. Maybe if someone with a stronger connection—”

Liv was already up. “Bebo,” she called. “Bebo, quick, fetch the Think-me.”

“Wait.” Baird put a hand on her arm just as the little zichther, which looked remarkably like a blue teddy bear, came waddling into the room with a thin wire circlet clutched in its jaws.

“Wait? Why should we wait?” Liv was already reaching for the Think-me but Baird got it first.

“Think what Lock is trying to tell us, Olivia,” he said softly. “Sylvan was deep in rage. That’s a state Kindred males don’t go into unless their bride is threatened. I had a helluva time not being blinded by it myself when I went to the Scourge’s Fathership to get you. If the AllFather had refused my offer of krik-ka-re, I probably would have lost it and ripped the whole damn place apart.”

“I still don’t understand.” Liv shook her head. “Sophie and Sylvan aren’t together but he still went into this…this rage state? What does that even mean?”

“It means that Sylvan probably demolished the threat—whatever it was—and he’s bonding Sophia to him this very minute,” Deep drawled. “And it’s not wise to interrupt bonding sex between a Blood-Kindred and his chosen mate—not even telepathically. Although it’s a hell of a lot better to bespeak them than to just barge in.”

“Are you crazy?” Kat glared at them. “You never said anything like that to me. Sophie doesn’t even like Sylvan.”

“Sometimes liking doesn’t have anything to do with it.” Deep gave her a half-lidded look so hot Liv was surprised it didn’t burn her friend’s silky blue dress right off her lush, voluptuous body. “Sometimes the desire between a Kindred and his bride is so intense that it can’t be denied—by either party.”

“Deep is right,” Baird said thoughtfully. “Sometimes the blood knows what the mind does not wish to see.” He sounded like he was quoting some kind of a proverb.

Liv thought of the hungry way Sylvan had kissed her twin during the Luck Kiss and how nervous Sophie had seemed afterwards. Could they possibly… No. No way. It’s just not possible. “I’m not listening to any more of this.” She held out her hand, frowning up at Baird. “Give it to me.”

“Lilenta,” he murmured. “How would you have felt if someone had interrupted us the first time?”

“I would have been madder than hell,” Liv said calmly. “But I’m telling you, Baird, nothing is going on. Think-me’s only work when you’re calling from the Mother ship and Sophie left her cell phone at home, so neither one of them has any way to communicate. They’re probably down there, twiddling their thumbs right now, waiting for us to make contact. That’s if they’re okay. Please…” Her throat got tight but she forced the words out. “I have to know they’re all right.”

Baird looked troubled but he handed her the thin silver wire at once. “Very well. But I’m certain they’re well, Lilenta. Sylvan and I have a very deep bond. I would know if he was wounded or had gone to be with the Mother.”

“You think that,” Liv said, settling the Think-me so that the cool silver wire pressed against her temples. “I was really close to my parents, too. I would have sworn that I would just know somehow if anything happened to them. But when we got that knock on the door I had no idea. I…” She shook her head, unable to finish.

“Liv…” Kat squeezed her arm comfortingly. She had been the first to rush over to the house on that terrible day, so Liv knew her friend understood exactly how horrible the memory still was. And how fearful Liv was of losing someone else she loved suddenly.

“It’s okay.” She shook her head. “Let me…just let me concentrate.” Closing her eyes she thought hard, pushing her mental voice out into space. “Sophie…Sophie, can you hear me?” But there was nothing—nothing except the strange sensation of her words flying out into space…and then bouncing back. Almost as though they were being repelled by some outside force. Liv opened her eyes.

“Anything?” Kat looked at her hopefully.

Liv shook her head. “Nothing. Just this weird…barrier somewhere out there. It’s like trying to shout through a rubber wall or something. I know that doesn’t make sense…”

“It makes perfect sense,” Lock said firmly. “That is exactly what Deep and I encountered when we tried to make contact with Sylvan. But the first few times we tried the wall was more solid—like rock.”

“That’s why we think it’s getting weaker,” Deep added. “Whatever or whoever is generating it—probably the Scourge—can’t keep it up forever.”

“If we can’t bespeak them then we have to go to them,” Liv said. “Now, Baird! And don’t start that crap again about Sophie and Sylvan being together. I know Sophie and Sylvan is not her type.”

“It might not be so easy,” Lock said. “Since last we talked to lady Kat, the High Council has put a moratorium on travel between the Mother ship and the planet—at least until they ascertain that the threat is gone.”

“Threat, what threat? I thought they crashed,” Liv protested.

“We think they may have been forced down,” Deep said. “The Council has decided to fly some patrols in the space between Earth and the ship. So far they haven’t found anything but just to be sure…”

“It should only be another few hours,” Lock said, obviously intending to be comforting.

“A few hours?” Liv kept her voice low and controlled with an effort. “In a few hours it might be too late! I thought you said they were in danger.”

“That was hours ago,” Deep said. “And if Baird says they’re still alive—well…” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling nonchalantly under his dark green shirt.

“How would Baird know?” Kat demanded. “I mean, no offense,” she said, turning to him. “But Liv is right. You can’t just know that the people you love are okay.”

“Actually, I can,” he said mildly. “Sylvan and I share a blood connection. We’re only half brothers, so we can’t hear each other’s thoughts without a Think-me, or feel each other’s emotions like Deep and Lock here.” He nodded at his second-brothers. “But I do know that if Sylvan was wounded or dying, I would feel it here.” He thumped his chest with one large fist. “The same way I felt our father’s passing.”

“So…” Liv looked up at him. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better? You’d really know if something was wrong?”

“With Sylvan, yes.” He nodded firmly. “And Lilenta, if he cared enough about Sophia to go into rage for her, then he would have died killing whatever was threatening her before he allowed her to come to harm. Actually, he would have died defending her even if he didn’t care—I charged him with her safety, remember? If Sylvan is alive and well, I would stake my honor as a warrior that your sister is as well.”

Liv looked at him for a long moment and Baird met her eyes with his own golden gaze. After a long moment she felt the knot that had formed in the pit of her stomach loosen just a little. “Oh Baird, are you really sure?”

“As sure as I can be.” He drew her to him and held her tight, tucking her head under his chin. His arms around her shoulders felt like warm, flexible steel and Liv let herself melt against him, drawing comfort from his big, solid form.

Breathing in his spicy, comforting scent, she tried not to cry. “I hope you’re right. I really do.”

“So do I, Lilenta,” he rumbled. “So do I.”

Chapter Nineteen

It was still dark when Sophie opened her eyes, with just a hint of gray dawn peeping in the cabin’s smallish windows. She woke with the strange feeling that someone she loved wanted to talk to her very, very badly and was upset because they couldn’t reach her. It made her feel unsettled and anxious, like dropping a call in the middle of an important conversation. Only what were we talking about? What was she saying? But that didn’t make any sense. She hadn’t been talking to anyone—had she?

Sophie rubbed her eyes and stretched. What a weird dream. And where am I? As though her brain had been waiting for that question, the events of the night before came rushing back to her. The crash…all the misunderstandings with Sylvan…the urlich…the way he marked me…This last memory woke her completely and she sat up, shivering in the cool early morning air.

Is he still asleep? Sophie looked down past the foot of the bed. Sure enough, Sylvan was curled on his side, on the rug in front of the ashes of last night’s fire. Even in sleep his strong features looked troubled, as though he was wrestling with a problem that had no solution. Sophie felt a stab of pity. Poor guy! She wished she could lean down and stroke the worry lines off his high forehead, but that might wake him up. And after last night, he definitely needed all the sleep he could get.

I wonder if he’s dreaming of me, she thought, tracing the lines of his big body with her eyes. Dreaming of what happened between us. Or of what he said he wanted to happen. That thought sent a different kind of shiver down her spine which had nothing to do with the chilly air.

She still didn’t want him on top of her and biting her the way he’d described. But the memory of his mouth on her pussy, the long, slow, loving way he had tasted her, and the hunger in his voice when he talked about what he wanted to do to her was still fresh in her mind. Though she’d been avoiding alpha males for years now, she was beginning to think she understood what other women saw in them. If they were anything like Sylvan, that was.

Well, Liv is perfectly happy with Baird, she reminded herself. And he’s about as alpha as they come. Then again, he didn’t insist on biting Olivia every time they had sex. Sophie sighed. It really was too bad about the whole biting thing. She thought that with time and a lot of patience, she might overcome her fear of sex—though she was never going to want a big, male body on top of her while it happened. And she might even get used to Sylvan’s protective mode, as scary as it was. But the idea of being stabbed in the throat with what amounted to four huge needles every time her lover was feeling amorous…Huh-uh, no way. Just the thought made her vaguely ill.

And why are you even thinking about this, anyway? As soon as you get back to the Mother ship it’s all going to be over. So there’s no use getting attached in any way.

Sophie shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. So cold. What I need is a nice, hot shower. But would that wash Sylvan’s scent off? She bit her lip and looked longingly toward the closed bathroom door. She never felt quite right in the morning without a shower—even if she’d taken one the night before. Even more than her first cup of coffee, it woke her up and got her going.

A weak ray of sunshine slipped over the tree tops and through the window above the bed. It played over the worn patchwork comforter, catching Sophie’s eye. Funny how she hadn’t noticed the comforter much the night before—maybe because it had been so dim with only the small fire to illuminate the cabin. Looking at the bed covering now, she could see that someone had put a lot of time and effort into it. In the pale sunlight the faded red and blue patches were—wait a minute. Sunlight! Sylvan’s voice from the night before echoed in her head. “…the urlich are creatures of darkness. Sunlight incapacitates them.”

So we should be fine today, Sophie thought with relief. And I can have my shower after all.

Feeling much better, she slipped quietly out of bed and tiptoed across the floor to the bathroom. Her hurt ankle twinged a little but at least it didn’t feel like someone was stabbing her with knives anymore. In fact, with the exception of being ravenously hungry, Sophie thought she felt remarkably well considering the harrowing events of the night before.

How much of that had to do with a good night’s sleep…and how much of it had to do with Sylvan? Sophie didn’t know and she wasn’t about to wake him up and ask him. Sneaking into the bathroom she closed the door as noiselessly as possible.

The hot water felt wonderful sluicing down her back and shoulders—it woke her up and made her tingle all over. In fact, as she soaped herself, she felt especially tingly between her legs. Her thoughts turned again to the way Sylvan had spread her open, to the slow, patient way he’d explored her with his tongue. She had to admit, it had been the most erotic experience of her entire life. The pleasure of his touch had almost made up for all the fear and uncertainty she’d gone through.

Sylvan had seemed to really enjoy it too. At least from the way he talked about how good she tasted and smelled and how much he wanted her. Being desired so badly wasn’t something Sophie had experienced much in the past. Sure, the first guy she’d ever had sex with had told her he wanted her, but he was fumbling to get under her Camp Wakikee t-shirt at the time for a quick grope before lights out.

This was totally different. The way Sylvan looked at her, the hungry growl in his voice when he talked about what he wanted to do to her…it made her feel like a goddess. And no one had ever made her feel that way before.

Almost of its own volition, Sophie’s hand found its way between her thighs. She’d told Sylvan that she usually didn’t do this—didn’t touch herself—which was true. But it was also true that she didn’t usually have such vivid fantasy material. Only it wasn’t a fantasy. He really did that. Really spread me open and tasted me until I came so hard…

It wasn’t long before she was coming again. Sliding her fingers along the side of her clit, she moaned his name softly as the hot water rushed over her naked body. “Sylvan…oh God, Sylvan…”

* * * * *

Sylvan was having the most incredibly erotic dream. Sophia was naked in the shower and warm, soapy water was dripping from her tight pink nipples. God, he loved her ripe breasts, the curve of her hips, the round fullness of her ass. Just the sight of her had him hard and aching in an instant and his fangs wanted to come out too. Sylvan held them in grimly until she stopped washing herself and started… Gods, is she really doing what I think she’s doing?

Sure enough. As if the sight of her gorgeous bare body wasn’t enough, Sophia’s slim hand slid down the rounded curve of her abdomen and settled between her thighs. A long, slow sigh fell out of her as she parted her pussy lips and began to stroke her clit with one finger.

Sylvan could barely hold back a growl. He had the sudden urge to drop to his knees right there and let the water run over both of them while he lapped her cunt. He wanted to press her back against the wall of the tiny shower stall and lick her from top to bottom, to press his tongue deep inside her honey well and taste her juices until she came for him again and again. And then he would stand behind her and part her legs to fit his cock inside her.

Sylvan could almost see it in his mind’s eye…Sophia’s slender form bent over with her legs spread for him. She would be bracing herself against the tiled wall, trembling slightly. But he would take things slowly…so slowly. He could almost feel the wet heat of her pussy against the head of his cock as he rubbed it against her, making her hot, making her ready…His shaft would be coated in her honey and she would feel so tight and silky and perfect around him as he pressed up into her, filling her inch by inch.

She would be moaning his name as he took her, making those soft, helpless little sounds she made when she was hot and in need as he pressed up and up, searching for the end of her channel with the head of his cock. Sylvan would reach around in front of her and cup her breasts, tugging lightly at her nipples to heighten her pleasure and then he would let his hand slide down to slip between her thighs and stroke her soft, wet pussy just like she was stroking herself now.

He would fuck her slowly, sweetly, whispering in her ear how good she felt around him, how much he loved her, how he never wanted to let her go. And then, when her pleasure built until she couldn’t stand it anymore and he felt her coming around him, he would do it. He would blood her.

Piercing the tender skin of her throat with his fangs, he would fill her bloodstream with his essence as he filled her pussy with his cum, while she moaned and cried and gave herself to him completely and without reservation. And in doing so, he would make her his. His forever.

Sylvan could almost hear her calling his name as it happened.

“Sylvan…oh God, Sylvan…”

His eyes flew open. That’s no dream. She’s really calling me! What’s wrong? Jumping up he rushed to the bathroom and threw open the door. The small room was so filled with steam he couldn’t see a thing.

“Sophia? Are you all right?” Without waiting for a reply he plunged into the steam filled room, heading for the shower. One yank and the door to the small stall was hanging off its hinges, revealing a very wet, naked, and surprised Sophia.

“What…what are you doing here?” She tried unsuccessfully to cover her breasts and sex with her small hands.

“What am I doing here? You called for me.” Sylvan frowned. “You sounded…upset.”

“You heard that?” Her eyes were wide with disbelief. “Over the water and everything?”

He spread his hands. “I’m here, aren’t I? Are you all right?” He tried to keep his gaze impersonal as he scanned her for possible injuries but it simply wasn’t possible. Though he had spread her open and tasted her pussy the night before, he had never seen her completely naked except in his dreams. Her high full breasts and shapely hips, bare and slick with water, were almost too much for him. He wanted to climb in the shower with her, just as he had in his dream. Wanted to touch her and taste her everywhere and make her come over and over, her pussy honey flowing freely until he could smell her sweet, secret scent…

Her scent! Gods, Sylvan realized with a jolt, I can smell her scent again! It filled the small bathroom as completely as the cloud of steam, bathing him in its delicious fragrance, making his mouth water…and no doubt seeping out of every crack in the cabin on the warm air escaping from the bathroom. Calling the urlich to them.

“Sylvan,” she said, breaking into his grim thoughts. “Please, as you can see I’m fine. So if you could just shut the door and let me finish—”

“No.” Reaching into the shower he turned off the water and took her by the arm. “Get out and dry off. Now.”

“What? Why?” She looked at him, her eyes suddenly wide. “What are you going to do to me?”

I have no idea. What could he do to repair the damage? They didn’t have time
for a long, leisurely marking again, even if he thought he could resist going further than she wanted to go. And besides, as he’d told her earlier, the scent glands around his mouth weren’t nearly as strong as those around his groin. But there was no way he could mark her that way. Not without bringing back the memory of her attack.

“I don’t know,” he said shortly.

“Sylvan, please…” Her face was suddenly filled with fear. “You…you’re scaring me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry.” He felt his heart twist. “That’s the last thing I want, truly, Sophia. But your scent is everywhere in here and it’s being carried outside by the warm, moist air.”

She turned suddenly pale and grabbed for a towel. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wash your scent off me but I thought it would be okay because you said the urlich were incapacitated by sunlight.”

“Bright, direct sunlight,” he said, pulling her out of the bathroom. “I know you probably didn’t notice last night but this cabin is completely surrounded by dense vegetation. We may have to go miles to reach open ground. Not that that’s an issue right now—there’s no way we can leave here with your scent so strong in the air. And if the urlich catch it…” He shook his head.

“I…I don’t know what to say.” Sophia was knotting the too-short towel around her chest as she spoke. “I’m sorry I misunderstood you but I thought it would be safe to take a shower. I…I guess I should have asked first but you looked so tired, I wanted to let you sleep.”

Sylvan sighed and ran a hand though his hair. “You taking a shower isn’t the problem. That would wash off some of my scent but not completely eradicate it.”

“Well then I don’t understand how—”

“It could only be caused by you coming,” Sylvan said, more roughly than he’d intended. “An orgasm floods your body with hormones causing it to put out pheromones. Not to mention the fact that your pussy gets wet, washing away any scent but your own. And you know how wet you get…numala.”

Sophia lifted her chin, embarrassment and anger warring in her gaze. “You never told me that. Never told me I couldn’t…couldn’t…You know.”

Sylvan blew out a breath. “I was trying to last night when I asked how often you touched yourself. You acted like you never did. If you’d been a little more forthright I could have warned you not to.”

“I can’t believe this.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, glaring at him. “How was I supposed to answer? I mean that’s private.”

“Well, it’s about to be very public once the wind carries your scent back to the urlich.” Sylvan could hear the snarl in his voice but he couldn’t quite help it. Her delicious scent was affecting him too—calling to him as surely as it would the urlich that would come running to it. And he couldn’t get the image of her wet and naked out of his mind! It was enough to drive a male crazy.

I’m not acting like myself. Need to calm down, take control… But this time he couldn’t. Turning abruptly, he stalked away from Sophia, trying to put some distance between them. He took a deep calming breath…and felt her small hand on his bare shoulder.

“Sylvan?” When he turned to look at her, all the defiance in her face had melted away, leaving only fear and regret. “Sylvan, I really am so sorry,” she said softly. “I never imagined I would put us in danger again just by, uh, indulging in a fantasy.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said hoarsely, trying to keep his eyes on her face. “I should have told you instead of—what’s that human expression? Beating up the bush?”

She smiled. “It’s beating around the bush. But, Sylvan…” She let her hand slide down his arm and he swore he could feel the soft touch on his cock. “Can’t we…can’t we just solve this the way we did last night? I mean couldn’t you just, uh, mark me again?” Her cheeks were pink and her voice was breathy as she asked the question. For a moment her scent got even stronger.

She wants it. Wants me to taste her, to bury my face between her thighs and lick her pussy until she comes and comes… Sylvan wanted it as well. Too damn much. So much he felt like he was going to explode. “I—” he started to say.

“Oh!” Sophia jumped back from him, a hand to her mouth. “Your fangs…”

“I’m sorry, Sophia. I can’t always hold them back—even for you.” Sylvan tested the point of one jagged, double fang with his tongue, drawing blood. The sharp pain was nothing to the ache in his cock…in his entire body. Gods, he wanted her so damned badly. “I can’t mark you with my mouth this time,” he told her. “I want you too much and I’m right on the edge.”

“You…you think you’d cut me by accident?” She gestured timidly at his fangs.

“No, I know I wouldn’t do that. I could go down on you for hours, even with my fangs fully extended, and not leave a scratch on you. ” He gave her a level look. “But I don’t know if I could stop myself from biting you when I felt you coming.”

“Oh,” she whispered again, her eyes wide. “You…you don’t?”

“It’s the way of the Blood Kindred. To inject our essence at the moment our female reaches her peak. An instinct so ancient it’s nearly impossible to overcome. I was able to repress it last night, before I tasted you for the first time. Now…” Sylvan shook his head. “The flavor of your honey, the taste of your hot, wet pussy under my tongue…you lit a fire in me, Talana. And nothing but sinking my cock and fangs to the hilt in your sweet, soft body will put it out.”

Sophia was backing away from him now. “You wouldn’t,” she said in a shaking voice. “You promised…”

“A promise I have every intention of keeping,” Sylvan said roughly. “Don’t worry, you have nothing to fear from me. But I can’t mark you again—not with my mouth.”

She went pale and sat down on the bed. “But Sylvan I don’t…don’t think I can handle the other way either. Not…especially not when you’re like…like this. So close to the edge, like you said. Your eyes…your fangs… I’m sorry but you scare the hell out of me right now.”

Sylvan ran a hand over his face, as though he could change what she saw there by touch. The rage was on him again but it wasn’t just because he might have to fight the urlich. It was a claiming, possessive blood rage. An extremity of emotion brought on by his intense longing for her.

His blood was boiling in his veins and a red veil had drifted over his vision. The urge to make her his permanently, to mark her and bond her until he never had to worry about losing her was so strong he had to turn away again. “I’m sorry, Sophia,” he growled, hating the animalistic tone of his voice and not being able to change it. “I don’t know what to do, how else to mark you. And I don’t want you to fear me. Although maybe…maybe you should.”

There was a long silence and he half-thought she must have retreated back into the bathroom. It wouldn’t have surprised him at all. In fact, it would have been a very sensible move. But then she tapped him on the shoulder again.

“No,” she said, when he turned slowly around. “I…I refuse to be frightened of you. I know you won’t hurt me, Sylvan. Because that’s not the kind of man—of male— you are. I know I can trust you.”

“But I can’t trust myself.” He risked taking her small, soft hands in his. “Please, Talana, I’m touched by your faith in me but tasting you…it flipped some kind of switch inside me. Caused a fundamental change. I can’t mark you the way I did last night and you don’t want me to mark you the traditional way. So we’re out of options—there’s nothing else I can do but wait for the urlich and try to fight them off.”

“No, that’s not true.” Sophie’s face was still pale but her chin was raised and she had that glint in her eyes—that look of determination she got when she was about to do something that frightened her. “You…you just need to rub against me to mark me, right?” she asked, gesturing to the clear outline of his cock in his black flight pants. Gods, he was so hard even the soft fabric that restrained him hurt!

Sylvan nodded. “There’s a little more to it than that but yes, that’s the essence of it.”

“Well…” Sophie bit her lip. “Why does it have to be you rubbing against me? Why can’t it be the other way around?”

He frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying why do you have to be the one on top? What if you lay on the bed and I got…got on top of you?” Her cheeks were crimson with embarrassment but she was clearly determined to get the words out. “I could press myself against you. Against your, uh, scent glands. Couldn’t we…wouldn’t it work that way?”

Sylvan closed his eyes for a moment as a vivid mental image filled his mind. Sophia on top of him, naked and rubbing her hot, wet pussy over his aching cock. He nearly groaned. Gods, could he stand it? Could he possibly just lie there and let her touch him so intimately without wanting to flip her over and penetrate her hard and deep, filling her with his shaft and fangs and claiming her completely?

“I don’t know, Sophia,” he said, opening his eyes to look at her. “Don’t know if I could let you do that and not…respond.” He had a sudden idea. “But maybe if you used my belt.”

“What?” She took a step back. “Look, Sylvan, I’m not that kinky. I don’t care what you want to do to me, I’m not going to beat you with your own belt for it.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I mean if you tied me up—fastened my wrists to the headboard.”

She looked at the black leather belt he wore around his waist and then at the wooden headboard. “Are you sure?”

Sylvan took a deep breath. It was going to be pure torture—feeling her against him without being able to enter her. But there was nothing else they could do. He nodded. “Do it. And quickly—we don’t have much time.”

* * * * *

I cannot believe I’m doing this. Sophie checked the fit of the black leather belt around his wrists for the third time, making sure it was securely fastened around the center strut of the wooden headboard. If anyone would have asked her she would have sworn without a doubt that there wasn’t a single kinky bone in her body. And now she was trying a guy down so she could rub against him naked without him biting her. It was crazy and a little bit frightening but Sophie knew she would be lying if she didn’t admit she found it a little bit exciting too. And it was certainly less scary than the idea of having Sylvan’s big body on top of hers, making her feel helpless and smothered.

Less scary but a hell of a lot more embarrassing. She resolutely didn’t look below his waist. He’d undressed before lying on the bed so she could bind him, and the few glimpses she’d gotten of his big cock made her blush. He was already hard for her—that much she could tell. And his massive size hadn’t been a figment of her overheated imagination the night before either. His shaft really did match the rest of his large, muscular body. Huge.

She finished checking the belt for the last time and then sat back, acknowledging that it was time to get on with things. Sylvan was looking up at her with a waiting expression on his face and every muscle in his big body was tense, as though he was ready to pounce.

She wished he didn’t look quite so frightening. The pupils of his eyes were blood red and his fangs were still fully extended. It made her feel like she was about to perform a perverted sex act with some kind of animal or demon—something that would certainly bite if it got loose.

Don’t think of him like that, she told herself sternly. Remember how he was last night when he cried for you, when he tasted you. That Sylvan, the sweet, kind, sensitive male…he was the one she wished for. But she had an idea that for the time being, at least, he was gone and wasn’t coming back.

“Sophia.” His deep voice was a low, lustful growl. “It’s time.”

She bit her lip. “I know. It’s just… you’re a big guy,” she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. “I mean, really big. Aren’t you strong enough to break either the belt or the bed or both?”

Sylvan shrugged. “Of course. The belt is more of a reminder than anything else. Being held down makes me stop and think before I act. Before I… do something I might regret,” he finished in a low tone.

Sophie tried not to shiver. “All right, then. And I guess we want you to be able to get out if the uh, urlich come, don’t we?”

“If I hear them I’ll shred the belt and snap this strut like a twig.” His biceps flexed, giving truth to his words. “But the sooner we get you marked, the less likely that is to be necessary.”

“Yes, I know…” Biting her lip again, Sophia scooted a little closer until she was kneeling right beside him on the bed. “I guess I just…don’t know quite how to start.”

“Start by straddling me,” he directed in that deep, growling voice. “Come on, Sophia—I won’t bite,” he added more softly. “You tied me down so I
couldn’t, remember?”

She realized that despite his own inner tension, he was trying to make a joke, to make this a little easier for her. “All right,” she said, trying to smile. “I’ll do it.”

She was still just wearing the pink towel knotted above her breasts and nothing else, so she maneuvered carefully, trying not to flash him. Finally she had herself settled with her knees planted on either side of his hips and there she stopped…unable to go any further.

“Sophia…” Sylvan’s voice was strained, as though he was trying to be patient and finding it awfully damned hard. “This isn’t going to work unless we have direct contact—a lot of it. You’ll have to lower yourself down onto me.”

Sophie cleared her throat. “But I don’t…don’t have to put you, you know, inside me, do I? I mean aside from the fact that I’m not using any kind of protection I just don’t think you’d, uh, fit.”

His eyes blazed. “As to that, you couldn’t conceive unless we were bonded. So it’s perfectly safe for you to have my seed inside you. But to answer your question, no, you don’t have to put my shaft into your pussy. It should be enough for you to rub against me—as long as you’re thorough.”

“The way you were last night,” she said, and blushed again.

“Yes.” He caught her gaze with his and held it. “The way I was last night when I spread you open and tasted you. Come down, Talana.” His voice was low and commanding, impossible to disobey. “Come down and let me feel that sweet, hot pussy against my cock. But first let me see how wet you are.”

“I…I…” Sophie tugged at the hem of the towel, feeling both embarrassed and excited. “You want me to…to show you?”

Slowly, he nodded. “Yes, show me. I want to see how wet you’re getting, my numala. Do you want to feel me against you as much as I want to feel your soft pussy against my shaft?”

“I…I don’t know.” Sophie looked down uncertainly. She still held the bottom edge of the towel in her fingers. Slowly, trying not to think about it, she pulled it aside, putting herself on display for him.

Sylvan watched as the towel parted and then let out a low groan. “Look how wet you are already, Sophia. Your thighs are already coated with your pussy honey.”

“I can’t help it,” she whispered, feeling a wave of shame.

“Don’t want you to help it.” His voice was hoarse with desire. “Come down, I want to feel all that sweet wetness against me. Against my cock.”

Feeling both awkward and incredibly turned on, Sophia lowered herself until the lips of her pussy were just brushing the straining shaft of his cock. Leaning forward, she braced herself on his rock hard abdomen and began a slow, up and down sliding motion.

Sylvan growled with approval. “Very good, Talana, but you’re not going far enough. You need to come all the way down. I need the maximum possible contact with you.”

“You…you mean…?” Sophie looked at him.

He nodded. “I mean you need to spread yourself open around me. Let my cock part your pussy lips and really press against you. Pretend…” He cleared his throat. “Pretend you’re trying to make yourself come.”

“But what if…what if I do come? Won’t that make my scent even stronger?” she protested.

“Not as long as you’re rubbing against me while you do,” he assured her. “My mating scent will mask your sweet fragrance, make it into something completely different. Now come on, Sophia. Open for me and come down.”

There was nothing else she could do. Reaching between her legs, Sophia parted herself for him, opening her pussy which was embarrassingly slick, and lowered herself completely onto the straining shaft of his cock.

They both groaned at the intimate contact. She could feel him rubbing against the entire length of her pussy now, pressing directly against her clit which was already swollen and oversensitive from her earlier orgasm in the shower. The sensation was so intense that Sophie had to just sit there for a moment, her legs trembling with tension, before she could go on.

She still held the towel to one side and she stared, mesmerized, at the erotic sight between her legs. She could see herself pressing against him, spread out around him, with just the broad head of his cock thrusting out between them, pressed against his hard belly. It seemed almost to throb with need and for a brief instant, Sophie allowed herself to imagine what it would feel like to reach down and fit it against her entrance, to feel him pressing not against her but into her, filling her completely with the long, hard shaft she could feel between her pussy lips. Would it really be so bad, so frightening? Maybe not if she could be in charge the way she was now…

Sylvan broke her train of thought by shifting under her. He thrust up with his hips so that the hard ridge of his cock rubbed against her. Sophie gasped and threw back her head as a bolt of pleasure shot through her. “Oh!” she moaned. “Oh, Sylvan…”

The use of his name seemed to do something to the big warrior. He thrust up again and then again. “That’s right, Talana,” he growled as he moved against her. “Rub yourself against me. Ride my cock.”

There was nothing else Sophie could do. She tried to hang on to him, bracing herself against his tense abdomen, but soon she found it was better and easier if she leaned back instead. Placing her hands on his muscular thighs, she arched her back and opened herself in a way she never would have believed was possible, as Sylvan moved against her again and again.

Sophie heard herself moaning his name as he pressed against her clit, sliding and grinding against her in a way that sent electric bolts of pleasure through her entire body. The rhythmic motions dislodged her towel and before she could grab it, the damp piece of terrycloth slithered away, falling off her body and over the side of the bed.

“Oh God!” Sophie froze, suddenly incredibly aware of her own nakedness. She couldn’t remember ever being in such a compromising position and while she didn’t hate her body, she didn’t exactly love it either. Not enough to show it off so blatantly, anyway. But when she started to dismount and reach for the towel, a low sound from Sylvan stopped her.

“No. Please.” His eyes—thin rings of ice blue surrounding crimson pupils—were locked on her naked body and there was a look of pure hunger on his face. “Please,” he said again, looking up to meet her gaze. “Once we reach the ship I’ll never get to see you or touch you again. Please, Talana, let me drink in your beauty. Let me look at you.”

The way he was looking at her made her blush all over but at the same time, she suddenly felt incredibly desirable and powerful. Here she was, straddling a massive warrior, strong enough to break the bed in half or kill her with his bare hands. Yet with all his power, he was helpless before her…under her. And the way he was looking at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the whole world. To him, I am, she realized as she watched him look at her. He doesn’t want anyone else. Just me.

Years of shyness and body sensitivity suddenly seemed to fall away from her. Suddenly Sophie felt completely and utterly gorgeous. A goddess. Though she would never in a million years have thought herself capable of such blatant sexuality, she gave him what he wanted.

She stopped trying to cover herself, stopped trying to hide her body. Instead she thrust out her breasts proudly and spread her legs, letting him see her completely in all her naked glory. And instead of waiting for Sylvan to thrust against her again, she began to move against him.

“Gods,” he whispered hoarsely as she braced herself on his thighs and pressed forward in a long, slow slide. “You’re so beautiful, Sophia. So beautiful when you open yourself for me, when you rub your hot little pussy against my cock.”

“You like it?” Sophia heard herself asking. “Like how it feels when I press against you like this?” God, what’s wrong with me? I’m talking like a porn star! But she couldn’t seem to stop. “I like it too,” she told him when he muttered a hoarse assent. “I…I like the way you feel against me. Even though I still don’t think you could, uh, you know, fit inside me.”

“You would open to receive me,” Sylvan assured her as he watched, apparently mesmerized by the sight of her hot, open sex gliding against his cock. “You would be wet enough to take me all the way inside. And I would fill you slowly, I swear, Talana. I would make sure you had pleasure and no pain.”

Sophie wasn’t at all sure that would be possible. To her way of thinking it didn’t matter how wet she got, he was just too damn huge. Well, thank goodness I don’t have to worry about that now. It’s enough just to rub against him, I guess. But for how long?

She wanted to ask but she was halfway afraid he would tell her it was all right to stop. And she really didn’t want to. Her nipples were hard and her muscles were tight with pleasurable tension. In the pit of her belly she felt like someone was winding a wire tighter and tighter. A wire that might snap any moment. All she needed to make that happen was to rub against him just a little bit more, just a little bit harder…

Sylvan must have sensed how close to the edge she was. Ever since her towel had fallen off he’d been holding himself perfectly still and letting her work herself against him. Now he joined her rhythm, pressing up when she pressed down, increasing the delicious friction between them until it was ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times more intense.

“Ah!” Sophie gasped as she felt the wire in her belly wind tighter and tighter. “God, Sylvan…so close…I’m so close…”

“Come, then.” His voice was a low growl of desire and every muscle in his big body was bunched with tension as he thrust up against her. “Let me feel you coming against me, Sophia. Let me watch the look on your face when you come on my cock.”

His hot words and the way he was looking at her were too much. With a ragged gasp, Sophie felt the tension reach its breaking point inside her—finally, the wire snapped. Crying his name, she pressed down against him hard, letting herself go completely.

The orgasm seemed to shake her to her very foundation. She felt like she was trembling all over, as though she’d been hit with some kind of sexual earthquake. Oh God, so good…so good.

The entire time she came, Sylvan watched her with that hungry look in his eyes. It was as though he was trying to soak up the experience, to record it in his brain and save it for later, so that he would always remember her just as she was at that moment.

“Beautiful,” he murmured hoarsely when the waves of pleasure finally receded, leaving her feeling limp and sated. “Gods you’re so incredibly beautiful when you come, Talana.”

“What…what does that mean?” Sophia asked softly, still trying to catch her breath. “I know you started to tell me the other night but I think I fell asleep before you could finish. What is ‘talana?’”

Sylvan looked away, the lust on his strong features abruptly replaced by sadness. “It’s just an endearment. Like ‘sweetheart,’ I suppose. Or I think I have heard some human males calling their females ‘baby.’ Although why human women want to be compared to an infant I don’t understand.”

“Oh.” Sophie had an idea he wasn’t telling her the whole truth but now didn’t seem to be the time to ask for a more detailed explanation. Besides, now that her passion had passed, she was beginning to feel embarrassed again. And very, very exposed.

But there was still the little matter of Sylvan’s satisfaction. Though she had come, he had not. He was still hard and throbbing under her and it didn’t seem right or…polite somehow to leave him in such a state when she had gotten such an Earth shattering orgasm out of the marking. Before she could say anything, however, Sylvan was already tugging at the black leather belt that bound his wrists.

“You’ve been marked well enough now. It’s time we stopped.”

“But…but…” Sophia frowned. “You didn’t, uh, you know…”

“I don’t need to,” he said shortly. “I don’t have to come in order to successfully mark you. Having you against me is enough.”

“But it doesn’t seem fair,” Sophie said stubbornly. She could feel her cheeks getting hot again but she was determined not to leave him hanging as she had the night before. “I mean, you, uh, you’ve given me pleasure twice but you got nothing for yourself.”

His eyes blazed and he looked at her intently. “Do you truly care about my satisfaction?”

“Of course I do,” Sophie protested. “I mean, I know I didn’t, uh, do anything about it last night and I feel really bad about that. So, I mean, is there…is there anything you want me to do to, uh, help you along? Maybe I could…could touch you…?” She was already reaching between them to grasp his thick shaft but Sylvan shook his head.

“No, not that way. As much as I would love to feel your soft little hand wrapped around my cock, there is something I want more.”

“What?” Sophie whispered, her mouth suddenly dry. “I, uh, have to warn you though that I have even less experience giving oral sex than I do receiving it. I’ll try, though.”

Sylvan smiled. “I don’t want you to take me in your mouth. Just the opposite, in fact.”

“You want to…want to…taste me again?” she asked hesitantly.

Sylvan nodded. “More than anything.”

“I don’t know,” she said, eyeing his fully extended fangs. “I, uh, thought you said you couldn’t help biting me if you did that.”

“Only if you come while I’m tasting you. And since you just finished a moment ago that should be no problem.”

“Oh…Okay.” Sophie nodded but made no move to go to the head of the bed. Somehow she just couldn’t stop looking at his double set of razor sharp fangs. Could she ask him to pull them in again? To retract them or whatever it was he did to make them go away? But he’d said earlier that he couldn’t always do that, not even for her. Did she dare let him get so close to her, to such a tender, intimate area, with them out?

“Please, Sophia,” he said in a low voice, breaking into her train of thought. “I swear not to hurt you. I just want to taste you once more before…”

“Before we get back to the ship and all this is over,” she finished for him. “I understand.”

“Just let me clean the honey off your thighs,” he murmured. “You don’t have to let me put my tongue inside you if you’re afraid.”

Sophie lifted her chin. “I’m not afraid of you, Sylvan. And…I trust you, really I do. I just…don’t quite know how to…how to get into the right position.”

“Straddle my face.” His eyes were half-lidded and his voice was deep with need. “Put your knees on either side of my head and lower yourself down. Just like you did to press yourself against my shaft.”

“You’re sure this is what you want?” Sophie couldn’t help feeling self-conscious as she moved to get into the position he’d described.

“Gods, yes.” The eagerness in his face couldn’t be faked. “To taste your sweet juices again. To give you pleasure and feel you quiver against me…it’s all I want. All I could ever want.”

Sophie felt something in her heart clench at his words. What would it be like to have him in her life on more than a temporary basis? To know that she was loved so much, cared for so deeply? She knew it would all be over the minute they reached the Mother ship but she couldn’t say no to his request—or to the longing and heat in his eyes.

Slowly, hesitantly, she positioned her knees on either side of his head and lowered herself down. Despite her words and his promises, she’d been halfway expecting to feel the sharp prick of his fangs in her inner thigh the moment they made contact. But all she could feel was the velvety-hot caress of his tongue against her flesh. Just as he had promised, Sylvan was cleaning her juices away from her thighs, using long, slow strokes that made her tingle and set a fire between her legs.

All too soon her thighs were clean and she heard him call her name. She sat back a little so that she could look down at him and saw the longing in his eyes again. “Sophia,” he murmured. “Will you trust me to taste you? To spread your pussy with my tongue and taste your honey from the source one last time?”

“Oh Sylvan…” His fangs were still out and his eyes were still red but somehow she didn’t fear him anymore. It might have been the fact that he was still bound to the headboard, so she still felt in control of the situation. Or it might have been the melting honesty in his burning eyes. But for whatever reason, she wanted to give him what he needed. Wanted to give him herself any way she could.

“Please,” he murmured and Sophie could deny him no longer.

“Yes,” she whispered. Gripping the top of the headboard tightly, she lowered herself again until she was pressing against his mouth.

And then she felt his tongue.

He parted her pussy lips with a long, slow, sensuous lick that started at her entrance and traveled all the way up to her clit. Sophie was still sensitive from her recent orgasm but Sylvan seemed to know that. He didn’t poke or prod her with the tip of his tongue or try to suck the small swollen bud into his mouth. Instead he flattened his tongue and pressed it against her, giving Sophie the option of how much she wanted to move—if she wanted to move at all.

To Sophie’s delight, it felt incredibly good. His warm, wet tongue seemed to be pressing against her everywhere at once and she couldn’t feel the sharp points of his fangs at all. All she felt, in fact, was pleasure and his hot breath against her open pussy.

Hesitantly, still not sure if she ought to be doing this, Sophie began to move. It was a small motion at first, just a slight thrust of her pelvis. But the velvet friction of his tongue against her naked, sensitive pussy made her do it again…and then again and again.

Before she knew it she was actively riding him, rubbing against his tongue the way she’d rubbed against his cock earlier. Giving him what he’d begged for so sweetly as her pleasure built again.

Her eager submission to his request seemed to be too much for Sylvan. For a long moment he held perfectly still, seemingly content to let her press against him and take her pleasure. Then Sophie heard a low ripping noise. What the…? Her eyes had been closed tight in concentration. Now she opened them just in time to see the thick black belt shredding away from his wrists. He tore through the tough leather as easily as Sophia would have shredded tissue paper. The moment he was free he gripped her hips and pulled her even closer.

Sophia gasped in a mixture of pleasure and panic. God, he was so strong! And now he was free of the restraints, doing exactly what he’d said he shouldn’t be allowed to do. Tasting her, marking her with his mouth. Though she’d never been multiorgasmic before, she could already feel her pleasure building again. What was she going to do if he made her come?

For that was obviously his intent. From his slow, sensual beginning, Sylvan had progressed to a fierce sexual assault on the tender area between her thighs. It was as though he knew she was warmed up and ready for him. Ready to feel his tongue lashing her clit and pressing deep inside her pussy as he thrust it relentlessly into her over and over again.

“Sylvan!” she gasped as he tonguefucked her. “Sylvan, please! You’re going to make me…you’re pushing me too far. I can’t…I won’t be able to hold back.”

His only response was to grip her hips even harder as he lapped her. God the things he was doing to her felt incredible. Sophie knew she would have lost it already if she wasn’t so afraid of the consequences. Because now she could feel his fangs. They didn’t hurt her or pierce her flesh but they were definitely there—four sharp points bracketing her tender pussy, reminding her of what Sylvan ached to do to her the moment she came. Which was going to be any minute if he kept this up…

Clutching desperately at the headboard, she tried to hold the orgasm back. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her. She’d never been able to come easily—not even when she touched herself, which wasn’t all that often. But ever since she’d been with Sylvan, her body seemed to be in overdrive. Was it a response to his mating scent? Or was he just that good at going down?

Whatever the reason, she felt the pleasure peaking inside her again. She couldn’t stop it—another orgasm rolled over her, drenching her in intense, almost overwhelming sensation and making her tremble helplessly against his mouth. Oh God, what was Sylvan going to do to her now?

* * * * *

The urge to bite, to mark, to inject his essence and claim her for his own was almost insurmountable. Sylvan struggled with himself, willing the cool, logical side of his personality to take over and take control of the situation. But though it had ruled him his entire life, that side was weak now. In its place was a ravenous beast, a hungry warrior that wanted nothing more than to blood and claim his bride.

The feeling of her trembling against him as she came, as well as the sweet gush of honey from her pussy, lit a fire inside him. He felt his cock swell and his fangs get even longer with the need to release, to fill her with his cum and essence at the same time.

Mine, she’s mine, the beast inside him raged. Have to have her. Have to make her mine now!

Gripping her hips, he pulled her legs even further apart, baring her tender inner thighs for his hungry fangs. He could feel them throbbing as they filled with the pale blue liquid that was unique to his kind. The essence that could heal almost any illness with a single bite—and bind the female of his choice to him. Sylvan opened his mouth to bite…

And heard her soft voice begging him not to.

“Please, don’t bite me, Sylvan.” Her tone was filled with fear and agitation. “Please.”

The fear and pleading in her voice cut through the blood lust that had fallen over him like a smothering curtain. Though his need to bite her remained just as strong, his reason returned and enabled him to hold back…at least for the moment.

Sylvan paused.

Have to stop. Have to let her go now, he told himself firmly. But the voice of reason was weak, ineffectual. In contrast the roar of the beast within was almost deafening. Need her. Want her. Have to mark her—make her mine! Now!

He couldn’t help himself anymore. The need to have her, to bind her to him was simply too great. The bonding wouldn’t be complete because his cock wasn’t buried to the hilt inside her pussy. But filling her with his essence would still mark her as his and keep other males away from her. And he had to have her. Oh Goddess, Mother of All Life, forgive me…

His fangs throbbed and stung with a pleasurable kind of pain. The ache of fullness which could only be relieved by biting and releasing their load of essence into tender, female flesh. Sylvan stretched his jaws wide—

“Sylvan? Sylvan can you hear me?” The familiar mind voice invaded his head, cutting through the claiming lust and the urge to blood his bride like a knife.

“Baird?” he sent back, hardly able to believe it. “Is that you?”

“It’s me, Brother. I hope I’m not interrupting anything but you’re in danger.”

Sylvan looked at Sophia. He saw the fear in her eyes, felt the way she was trembling as she waited for him to bite. He was in danger in more ways than his brother knew. In danger of harming the female he would rather die than hurt. In danger of breaking his vow, both to Sophia and to the Mother of Life.

“Oh yes, you’re interrupting,” he sent grimly. “But don’t worry about it.” He had never been more glad to be interrupted in his life.

* * * * *

Sophie was beyond relieved when he stopped in mid-chomp. She could see his fangs pressing against her vulnerable inner thigh, could feel their razor sharp tips digging into her tender flesh. But he hadn’t broken the skin…yet.

The sight and feel of him about to bite her had her nearly hyperventilating. The pleasure of the intense orgasm he’d given her was rapidly draining away to be replaced by an all consuming fear as panic raced through her. It brought her past back in a sickening rush—reminded her too much of what she’d gone through when she was still a little girl.

The shots…the transfusions…needles everywhere…She could almost smell the rubbing alcohol—that harsh, stinging gonna-get-a-shot odor that made her stomach churn with dread. All she could think of was how much it was going to hurt—that sharp, hard stick of a needle sinking into flesh—multiplied by the four jagged points in his mouth.

“Please,” she breathed again, afraid to move, afraid to do anything but beg. “Please, Sylvan, don’t.”

With a low, frustrated growl, he pulled back. But the need in his eyes still burned just as brightly, his lust for her white-hot and unquenchable. “Need to mark you. Need to make you mine.” His voice was the growl of a beast denied its prey. “But I won’t. Not now.”

“Sylvan…”

“Get up.” He was already urging her off the bed and reaching for his clothes. “Baird called me from the Mother ship. He’s coming for us but he says the urlich aren’t far from the cabin. We’re going to have to make a run for it.”

“What? Did he bespeak you? How does he know?”

“Yes, he bespoke me. And Deep and Lock told him—they’re finder/seekers.” He was pulling on his black flight pants and tall black boots as he spoke. “Here.” He threw her the blue uniform shirt which had been lying at the end of the bed.

“Finder whats?” She was pulling on the shirt as she spoke, infected by his sense of urgency.

“Never mind. Let’s just hope you’re marked well enough that my scent throws them off.”

“Am I? I mean, can’t you tell?”

Grabbing her arm he pulled her close. Leaning over her, he inhaled deeply, his eyes closed for a moment as if in deep concentration. When he opened them, there was a troubled look on his face. “I think you are but it’s hard for me to tell. I’m so sensitive to your scent now I smell it even when I shouldn’t be able to.”

“What? What does that mean?” She looked at him worriedly.

“It means your scent is imprinted on my brain—like everything else about you.” He cupped her cheek and stared down into her face. “The color of your eyes, the exact tone of your voice when you’re nervous, or frightened, or in need. The shade of pink your cheeks turn when you’re embarrassed. I’m full of you, Sophia. Full to overflowing…but it does me no good.”

“I…” She wanted to look away from the frightening intensity of his gaze but somehow she couldn’t. “I don’t know what that means,” she whispered at last.

“It means I’m damned.” His tone was desolate. “Completely and utterly damned.” Abruptly he let her go. “Baird says there’s a clearing a half a mile North of here. If we can get there, out into the open sunlight, we’ll be safe. And the sooner we go the better.”

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to push down the fear and panic that wanted to rise and overwhelm her. “All right, I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Let’s go.”

He frowned at her. “How’s your ankle? Can you run on it or do I need to carry you?

“There’s no way you can carry me half a mile up the mountain at a dead run,” she objected.

Sylvan looked at her sternly. “I can if I have to. So tell me now and don’t lie to me or yourself—can you run on that ankle or not?”

Sophie bounced up and down a few times experimentally. There was a slight twinge but nothing she couldn’t deal with. “I’ll be fine,” she said, hoping it was true. “Honestly, Sylvan, I will. Now let’s go.”

He gave her another long look and then nodded, as though deciding to take her word for it. Taking her hand he led her to the door. “Quietly,” he murmured, putting his ear to the splintered wood. “Let me listen.”

Sophie held her breath and tried to be as quiet as a mouse, praying he wouldn’t hear a thing. When he pulled away from the door his face was a little more hopeful.

“I hear them but they’re still far away. If we hurry we can make it up to where Baird is going to land before they get to us.”

“Let’s go then,” Sophie urged. “Hurry up!”

Sylvan moved the chair that had been blocking the door. “When I open the door we need to run as fast as we can,” he told her. “And whatever you do, whatever you hear, don’t look behind you. The urlich take direct eye contact as a challenge—looking at them will only speed them on. Got it?”

“Yes,” Sophie whispered through numb lips. Now that they were actually about to step out of the safety of the cabin, the panic she’d been trying to hold back was eating her alive.

“Good.” Sylvan nodded at her and gripped her hand tighter. Yanking the door open he pulled her out of the cabin and away from the last vestige of safety. “Now, run!”

Sophie ran.

It was uphill going, but thankfully not as steep as she’d feared and Sophie risked a quick glance at their surroundings. The trees around the cabin were big and old, casting their shadows over the thickly wooded area as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t quite leaf season yet, but some of the leaves had started to turn from green to brilliant yellow and vermillion. It would have been a beautiful scene if Sophie hadn’t been frightened out of her mind and running blind. Luckily, Sylvan seemed to know exactly where he was going and he pulled her after him ruthlessly, his grip on her hand unbreakable.

How far have we gone? How long does it take to run a half mile anyway? She knew how long it would take her at the gym setting an easy jogging pace on the treadmill but that was a far cry from running for her life. Now she wished she’d visited the gym much more regularly. But it was too late for that—all she could do now was pray she was able to keep going and get out of the forest alive.

Sophie’s bare feet flew over the last year’s fallen leaves and sharp, stabbing twigs as she struggled to keep up. She was going to be in some serious pain after this run was over—her hurt ankle was already throbbing—but none of that mattered at the moment.

Because now she could hear the urlich coming up behind them.

At first it was just a scuffling sound, like many paws rushing through the undergrowth, and a few short, inquisitive barks. Then there was a loud, long, baying—the call of a wolf or a wild dog when it finds the scent of prey. The blood chilling howl was answered by many more voices taking up the call, until she felt like a fox or a rabbit with a pack of hounds after her.

Sophie had been falling behind but the frightening cries gave her a second wind. Gasping for air, her breath tearing in her throat, she gripped Sylvan’s hand tighter and put on a new burst of speed.

“There—ahead.” He didn’t sound a bit out of breath and it occurred to Sophie that he would have been able to go much faster without her. She looked where he was pointing and saw a brilliant spot of sunlight in a clearing up ahead. It was nothing more than a dusty, unpaved parking lot in the back of a ramshackle building, but to her it looked like an oasis in the desert.

Safe, we’ll be safe there! she thought deliriously. If we can only get to it… There was still a long way to go under the cover of the trees before they reached the sunlit refuge. But at least they could see it, could see they were headed in the right direction.

The urlich behind them seemed to see the clearing too because there was a chorus of angry growling and barking behind them. Oh my God, they’re gaining! Sophie started to turn her head to see how close the animals were and then remembered what Sylvan had said. Resolutely, she kept her face forward and kept running, trying to ignore the fear that rushed through her like fire.

She’d never liked big dogs—especially fierce ones. Growing up, their next door neighbors had raised Dobermans and one of them had gotten out into the neighborhood once while she and Liv were riding their bikes. It had chased them eight blocks and Sophie had pedaled until she thought her heart would burst, sure it was going to catch them and kill them both.

But the Doberman that got loose wasn’t genetically and mechanically modified, whispered a little voice in her head. The urlich are. And if they catch you they won’t just bite. They’re looking for you for a reason. Because the Scourge want you…

Okay, none of this was what she needed to be thinking about right now. At the moment what she needed was to concentrate on was—

A fresh round of baying and snarling cut her thoughts off as cleanly as a sharp knife.

Because these sounds were coming from in front of them.

They were surrounded.

Chapter Twenty

“I’ve got the clearing in my sights.” Baird spoke into the com-link he wore clipped to his ear as he piloted the medium sized shuttle he’d gotten to replace the one Sylvan had crashed. The Master of Ships hadn’t been too happy about that—the tech that went into even the smallest and simplest Kindred craft was considerable and expensive. But Baird was a war hero with friends on the High Council—which was the only reason he was being allowed to fly down to Earth now when the whole planet was on lock down. The Council still weren’t sure exactly what was going on with the Scourge, but it seemed certain they’d developed some troubling new forms of technology which needed to be identified and either duplicated or destroyed.

“Hurry,” Deep’s voice said in his ear. “There’s a pack of urlich closing in on them right now.”

“I’ll come out swinging,” Baird promised. “I’ve got my blazer and I brought Sylvan’s too. I’m sure he’ll be glad to get it.”

Be careful! The new voice came not from the com-link but from inside his head. It was Olivia and she sounded worried.

I will be, Baird promised her. I’ll bring them both back safely. I promise, Lilenta.

Love you… The voice faded to a whisper in his mind as he got out of range. Even the mind-link forged when a Kindred bonded to his bride had some limits. Baird would have felt lonely without her soft voice but he didn’t have time. Sophia and Sylvan were in trouble. He just hoped he was in time to save them and keep his promise to his bride.

* * * * *

“Up the tree. Now!” Sylvan was already giving her a boost as he spoke.

Sophie gripped the rough bark tightly and scrambled with her bare feet against the side of the trunk. She winced as her hurt ankle chose that exact moment to twist the wrong way again, leaving it practically useless. Damn it—not now! Not when I have to climb! She did her best to get higher but the next available branch was far above her head and well out of reach. She tried to jump for it, landed wrong on the hurt ankle again and gasped in pain. In response, the slender branch supporting her weight shivered and gave an ominous creaking sound. It was then that she realized she was still alone in the tree.

“Sylvan?” she said anxiously, looking down at him. He was standing braced beneath the tree, half crouched with his arms spread, obviously ready for combat. Sophie was aghast. “Sylvan, what are you doing?” she demanded. “They’re coming—get up here!”

“That branch won’t hold my weight.” He didn’t look up as he spoke, still scanning for the impending threat.

“Then find another tree,” Sophie urged him. “Quick, while there’s still time.”

“No. I won’t leave you.”

“Sylvan, don’t be s—”

The words died in her mouth as the first of the urlich came into sight.

Sophie didn’t know what she’d been expecting—robot dogs with metal teeth maybe or something that was half alive and half machine—like that old movie, The Terminator. Instead she saw animals that were, well, just animals. In fact, they looked an awful lot like the Doberman which had chased her and Liv all those years ago. Except that they’re freaking huge!

They were as big as small horses and their cruel, pointed snouts were filled with razor sharp teeth, every one as long as Sylvan’s fangs. Aside from their size the only other unusual thing about them was their eyes.

They’re red, Sophie thought with a spasm of fear. Glowing red like coals.

“Get higher in the tree if you can,” Sylvan told her grimly, keeping his eyes glued to the largest urlich which seemed to be the leader. “They can’t climb but they can reach a good distance when they stand on their back paws.”

Sophie could see he was right. Standing on their hind paws, any one of the modified dogs would be well able to pluck her right out of the tree she was currently hiding in. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Because I can’t reach the next branch. And how the hell does Sylvan expect to fight them with no weapons?

Her answer came in the form of a low growl down at the base of the tree. As she had in the cabin, Sophia realized that the sound was coming from Sylvan, not the dogs. He was still crouched in a fighting stance and his fangs looked longer and sharper than she’d ever seen them. Just because he didn’t have a weapon in his hands didn’t mean he was unarmed. She had never seen him look more fierce, more threatening. But there are so many of them. And just one of him! A spasm of fear shot through her and then one of the animals leaped right at him.

Sophie bit her lip as Sylvan ran to meet the attack. She was certain the huge animal would rip out his throat and she wanted in the worst way to look away but she was mesmerized, her eyes glued to the action.

Sure enough the pointed snout full of teeth aimed right for the big warrior’s neck but at the last minute, Sylvan put his hands up. Not to protect his throat, though. Sophie watched in horror as he actually stuck both hands in the animal’s mouth. Oh my God, he’s going to lose all his fingers!

But before the urlich could clamp down, Sylvan had hold of its jaws and was prying them apart. Sophie could only imagine the sheer strength it took to hold such a huge, ferocious animal’s mouth open. But why is he doing it? What’s the point? True, it kept the urlich from biting but it seemed like there should be a better way to do that. What did Sylvan hope to accomplish?

A low whine was coming from the animal’s throat as Sylvan stretched its jaws wider and wider. And then he wrenched the entire head to one side and Sophie had the answer to her question. With a sharp cracking sound, the animal’s neck snapped and it fell in a limp heap at Sylvan’s feet.

Ugh! She flinched at the grizzly sound but there wasn’t time to freak out. Another urlich had launched itself at Sylvan. This one managed to avoid his hands and plow into him with enough force to take them both to the ground.

Sophie bit back a scream as she watched them roll over and over on the ground, the lethal jaws snapping inches from Sylvan’s face. The look on his chiseled features was grim and unyielding as he held the urlich off.

How can he fight up close like that? How long can he possibly hold it off? Suddenly the urlich went for Sylvan’s throat. But instead of his neck, the wickedly curving teeth found his bare shoulder. The beast ripped into him but Sylvan hardly seemed to notice. He shifted his grip and, in a gruesome example of role reversal, his fangs found the urlich’s throat instead. Then, with a quick, vicious jerking motion, he ripped it out.

Sophie’s breath caught in her throat as a spray of blackish-red blood fountained up from the dying urlich. A few droplets spattered her bare feet, hot and thick and slimy. And then Sylvan was up again and ready to face the next attacker.

She stared at him in awe. His jaw and chest were smeared with the urlich’s slick, black blood and he was bleeding heavily from the wound on his shoulder. But his face showed no signs of pain—only a fierce, animalistic determination to kill all the attackers or die trying.

It’s because he’s defending me, Sophie realized as she watched the four remaining urlich, including the large one that appeared to be the leader, circle her tree where Sylvan was still standing guard. He’s willing to die for me—to die protecting me, just like he said. What’s so special about me? What did I do to inspire such loyalty? Such…love? And will all that emotion really just disappear when we get back to the ship? If we get back to the ship? She didn’t have long to wonder because suddenly everything happened at once.

Up until now the urlich had been coming one by one as though trying to test Sylvan’s strength. Now the lead urlich barked out several sharp, short commands and the four remaining animals launched themselves at the base of the tree at once.

Sophie gasped as their heavy bodies hit the trunk, shaking the entire tree and nearly dislodging her completely. Only by wrapping her arms around the tree and holding on desperately was she able to keep her place. She couldn’t see what was happening to Sylvan—he seemed to be buried under a mound of snarling, snapping bodies. In the mean time, the urlich leader was up on her hind paws, snapping at Sophie’s unprotected ankles.

This is it, she thought desperately as she tried to avoid those razor sharp jaws. In a minute this thing is going to grab me by the leg and drag me out of the tree. I don’t know why the Scourge want me but it looks like they don’t care if I get to their ship in one piece or not. They’ll take me away and I’ll never get to see anyone I love again. Liv or Kat or Sylvan…

She didn’t have time to wonder why she’d added the big warrior’s name to her list of loved ones. It didn’t matter anyhow. He was probably dead—as dead as she herself was going to be once the Scourge were through with her.

Hot, fetid breath bathed her bare legs and she tried to dance away again, out of the reach of the snapping jaws. Her bad ankle gave a warning twinge and Sophie gasped in pain. Hanging on to the rough bark of the tree, she tried to kick out at her attacker, to fend it off, but the movement caused another excruciating bolt in her twisted ankle. Before she could try again, teeth as sharp as razors were closing around her leg. Sophie felt an agonizing pain as they bit and pierced deep, gripping the meat of her knee and lower leg. The large female urlich growled low in her throat and began to pull, trying to dislodge her prey from the tree.

Me, I’m the prey, Sophie thought. Oh my God, no…no! Slowly but surely her fingers were being pried from their grip on the rough bark. Hot rivulets of blood were pouring down her leg. The pain was incredible, enormous as the giant, sharp teeth dug deeper into her tender flesh. GodohGod…hurts! Hurts so much!

Then suddenly there was a sizzling sound and some of the pressure eased. The pain was still terrible but at least she was no longer being pulled out of the tree. Sophie opened her eyes which had been clenched shut and couldn’t hold back a scream. The lead urlich’s teeth were still buried in her leg, its long, ugly head attached to her, but the rest of its body was gone—sheared clean away as though cut off by a knife or a sword. Or a blow torch, she thought wildly. My God, look at it—it’s smoking!

It was true—the stump of the animal’s neck was steaming as though it had just been cauterized by the world’s biggest surgical instrument. The sickening stench of burned hair and cooked flesh coming from it made her want to gag but she had no time to be sick. With trembling fingers she reached out and pried at the razor sharp teeth. She was afraid that the jaws, clenched tight in death, would never let go. But at last she managed to lever them open and the smoking head dropped away, leaving nothing but gaping puncture wounds to remind her of its owner.

She heard another sizzling sound and then another. Looking at the ground below her, she saw that the two urlich on top of Sylvan had been reduced to a pile of smoking chunks. She had no idea what was happening until she saw Baird charge in with a gun-like weapon in his fist. Sophie had never been so glad to see her new brother-in-law in her life.

“Baird?” she gasped and he nodded at her briefly.

“Where’s Sylvan? Did he get out or is he still under these two?” He nodded at the mess under her tree.

“I didn’t see if he got out or not. Oh God, Baird. I don’t know if he’s…still alive.” She choked on the last words, feeling sick and faint. Sylvan, she thought, as fear took her by the throat. Oh Sylvan, please don’t be dead. Please, please don’t. Even if this is the end for us and you won’t care any more once we’re back at the ship, please don’t be gone for good.

She was about to dissolve into tears when the gruesome pile of urlich parts shivered and heaved. Sylvan sat up, pushing them out of the way. He looked like a survivor from a zombie movie, more dead than alive, but he was still moving and that was enough for Sophie.

He’s all right. Oh, thank God, he’s all right. Suddenly she was literally faint with relief. Or maybe it was blood loss. The deep wounds in her calf were pumping out streams of crimson which was trickling down her bare leg to patter on the ground below. Just watching it was making her feel…so…dizzy.

She tried to hold on to the tree but the world was spinning in a giddy arc, threatening to throw her down at any minute. “Sylvan,” she muttered, not even sure if she was talking aloud or if the words were all in her head. “Sylvan, I—”

Then she felt herself falling. Gonna hurt when I land. The ground is so hard…But someone caught her before she reached it. Strong arms held her tight and someone whispered in her ear, “Safe now. You’re safe, Talana.”

Sophie opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Blackness ate the world and she remembered no more.

Chapter Twenty-one

“You’re a mess.” Baird looked over his half brother critically. Sylvan was in bad shape with wounds all over the place. Yet he refused to give up his precious burden—Sophia, still cradled in his arms. He’d insisted on tending her wounds immediately, even though there was still an urlich running around loose somewhere.

Baird waited patiently, keeping guard beside the pile of steaming corpses while Sylvan worked. Luckily, the Scourge bred animal was nowhere in sight. Good, let it go back to its master. Tell that bastard the AllFather, Kindred warriors aren’t that easy to kill.

Still, he wished Sylvan would agree to take Sophia back to the shuttle for first aid instead of performing it right here in the forest. It made a hell of a lot more tactical sense to get out into the sunlight and away from danger. But there was no arguing with his brother. Sylvan was intent on cleaning and sealing her wounds at once, which he did with long, careful strokes of his tongue.

At last he appeared satisfied. Looking up from Sophia, who was still unconcious, he nodded at Baird. “Let’s go.”

“Can you manage? Do you need me to get your med kit for you? I brought it with me just in case.”

“I’m fine.” Sylvan struggled to his feet, holding Sophia against his chest. He staggered for a moment before regaining his footing.

“Sylvan, Gods!” Baird put out a hand. “At least let me carry her. It’s still a long way to the ship.”

Sylvan, who had never even raised his voice to Baird before, pulled back his lips in a savage snarl. “Get back. She’s mine.”

Surprise and dismay made Baird take a step back. He stared at his brother. Sylvan’s pupils were a bloody crimson and his fangs were long and sharp—as lethal as daggers. The look on his face was pure threat—all emotion and no reason whatsoever.

“All right, fine.” Baird held out his hands, palms up in a gesture of peace. “Carry her yourself. But don’t blame me if you fall out from exhaustion or blood loss on the way. She wasn’t the only one who was wounded, Sylvan.”

“She’s the only one who matters.” Sylvan’s voice was guttural and deep—almost bestial.

Baird shook his head. His half brother had been gone for less than twenty-four Earth hours but in that short amount of time he appeared to have changed into a completely different person. What had happened to the slightly distant, coolly logical male Baird had always known? And who was this haggard, emotionally-ravaged creature with the wild, hungry look in his burning eyes? Even the rage couldn’t explain such changes. “Look,” he told Sylvan. “I understand, you just bonded her and you’re probably still feeling a little—”

“She’s not bonded to me.”

“What?” Baird frowned. “But I can smell your scent all over her.”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s not my bride.” Sylvan looked up, his eyes blazing. “Did you really think I would break my vow so easily?”

“Of course not. I know your word is good,” Baird said fiercely. “But even the Mother of All Life must understand when a male’s true bride comes into his life. After all, it’s she who puts a warrior and his mate together so—”

“It was the Mother of All Life who gave me these feelings for Sophia.” The harsh, growling voice became as soft as a caress when he spoke her name. “But only so I could protect her. I had to mask her scent with my own—there was no other way with the urlich tracking us. Once we get back to the Mother ship, though, everything will go back to normal. I’ll go back to normal.”

They were making their way toward the ship as they spoke, moving slowly, at Sylvan’s wounded pace. At his brother’s words, Baird actually stopped and turned to look the other warrior full in the face.

“You really believe that? You think your feelings for her—the need to claim her and bond her to you—will just disappear the minute we hit the ship?”

“They have to.” There was something like desperation in Sylvan’s eyes now. “Because I can’t have her. Can’t claim her, no matter how much I want to.”

Baird frowned. “Stop this foolishness, Sylvan. Go to the priestess in the sacred grove. Ask to be released of your vow.”

Sylvan shook his head. “I can’t.”

“You must!” Baird stabbed a finger at him. “Don’t let pride break you. There is no shame in bowing to your body’s demands—just look at you, you’re so deep in need for her you’re not even the same person. You look like hell, Brother. You can’t go on like this.”

“I have to.” Slowly, Sylvan began to march forward again. Baird could see his arms trembling with fatigue but he moved with a single-minded determination, a stubbornness that trumped his wounds and weariness. “I have to,” he said again. “Have to go on, no matter what. Go on without her.”

“Why?” Baird demanded. “You’ve found the woman you love—now claim her before the need inside you eats you alive.”

Sylvan looked at him and there was such a depth of pain in his eyes that Baird ached to see it. “I can’t claim her because she doesn’t want me. She’s rejected my bite over and over again.”

“Gods.” Baird didn’t know what to say. The hope, the need, the desire…and then the rejection. The pain worse than death. It’s Feenah all over again. But Sylvan had never been like this the one time he’d tried and failed to call a bride before. He’d never looked this bad, this ragged. It was clear the need to claim Sophia was riding him like a cruel master, spurring him to take her, to bond her. And it was just as clear that Sylvan was determined to fight it. Baird knew his brother—a more honorable male did not exist. So it was no wonder Sylvan refused to bond her against her will.

Baird looked at the other male with fresh compassion. How well he remembered the pain he’d felt when Olivia had refused to let him mark her and bond her! Her objection had been in leaving everyone she loved back on Earth. Sophia could have no such reason since her beloved twin sister was already on the Kindred ship. Yet it was clear that she had rejected Sylvan in no uncertain terms. Why? He wanted to ask more, to try to get to the root of the problem, but it was clear Sylvan was in no mood to discuss his pain. The fact that he had revealed it at all instead of keeping it hidden—which was his usual way—said a great deal about how much he was hurting.

“So you see,” Sylvan continued, breaking his train of thought. “I have to believe things will go back to normal once we reach the ship. It’s either that…or madness.” He gave Baird a hollow-eyed glance that said he wasn’t far from that eventuality. Indeed, he looked like a male standing right on the edge and looking down into the abyss.

“Then I pray you’re right, Brother,” Baird said softly. He dared to reach out and squeeze the other male’s uninjured shoulder, trying to convey his sympathy in the simple touch.

Sylvan nodded, a determined look on his face. “When we reach the ship this will all be over. Until then Sophia is still mine to protect and cherish.”

“I understand,” Baird said, nodding. “Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon and your burden will be lifted.” I hope.

Sylvan shook his head. “I don’t want to go straight back to the ship. There’s something I have to do—an errand I have to run—in Sophia’s home town. Can we stop by Tampa before we go back?”

“Well, I am here on a special dispensation from the High Council,” Baird said. “They didn’t order me to come right back and I know there are a few things Olivia would like to have from her old home. So I don’t see why not.”

“Good.” Sylvan nodded with a finality that was somehow troubling. “And don’t worry, I won’t take long.”

“You’d better not,” Baird said, trying to joke. “Or Olivia will skin us both alive. She said she wants us home in time for late-day meal or we’ll get nothing but Grieza worms for a month.”

Sylvan nodded but didn’t smile. Clearly he was deep in thought. Was he contemplating his errand, whatever it was? Or wondering why the woman he wanted so desperately didn’t want him?

Baird felt a shiver of unease pass over him but there was nothing more he could do or say. Sylvan was past any help but that of the Mother of All Life…or Sophia. The human female he carried so tenderly in his arms held the key to healing his heart…or destroying it forever. Baird only hoped she would be gentle.

* * * * *

Sophia was having the oddest dream.

It was about Sylvan. But not the cool, logical Sylvan she’d known before their stay together at the cabin. No, this Sylvan was different—as different as the blazing dessert sun is from an icy glacier. He no longer looked cool and collected. In fact, he looked terrible—weary and wounded and his eyes were wild. But there seemed to be something he had to do and he was determined to do it.

Sophie watched as he took a quick shower in her town house (What was he doing there?) and dried himself with her favorite sunflower beach towel. His strong body was covered with cruel markings—wounds from the fight with the urlich, she was sure. They appeared to be healing already but there were going to be scars—a lot of them.

Watching the big warrior, the weary way he moved and the terrible wounds that he’d gotten for her sake, Sophia ached for him. His pain was almost palpable, even in her dream. She wished she could give him a massage, ease some of the tension that was knotted in those broad shoulders. Then she would have him lie down on the couch (if he would fit) and make him chicken noodle soup and let him watch bad daytime TV until he couldn’t take any more. That was the way her mom had always treated any sickness from the common cold to affairs of the heart and it was what Sophie wanted to do for Sylvan now.

Wish I could take care of you, she thought longingly. Wipe that grim look off your face and see you flash that little one-sided smile of yours. Maybe even hear you laugh. Had she ever heard him laugh? Sophie didn’t think so. I bet with that deep baritone voice of his it sounds great. Wish I could hear it, just once.

Unable to help herself, she reached out to him…and realized afresh that she was locked in a dream—there was nothing she could do but watch.

Sylvan finished drying himself and then he put back on his black pants and boots. He slipped on a red shirt he must have borrowed from Baird—it was the color of the Beast Kindred, not the pale blue of the Tranq Kindred—and went out.

She watched, a silent, invisible passenger, as he took the small silver car she knew must be a transformed Kindred shuttle, down to South Tampa. This was the end of town where the very rich lived. Old money had built a row of fabulous mansions on Bayshore Boulevard—the long, palm tree lined road that stretched for miles along Tampa Bay.

Sylvan obviously wasn’t looking for a walk on the beach and he showed no interest in the affluence around him. He kept his eyes straight ahead and took several turns until he pulled into a pristine lot filled with new cars.

Sophie didn’t know a whole lot about motor vehicles—to her it was enough if a car got from A to B and had good cold AC—a must in the hot and humid Tampa summers. But even to her untrained eyes, the cars on this lot looked high end. Not to mention very, very expensive.

Sylvan unfolded himself from the silver car—the Kindred shuttles really got small and unobtrusive in their Earth-bound state—and walked straight up to the glass and metal dealership that dominated the lot.

The girl at the front desk, who had been playing in a bored sort of way with her cell phone, perked up immediately at the sight of Sylvan. She jumped up and ran around to talk to him, batting her eyelashes at him and jutting her hip to one side as though trying to show off how tight her short black skirt was. She was thin—a lot thinner than Sophie—and had lush blonde hair that was done in a fashionable retro-wave. Sophie felt a flash of jealousy zip through her like lightning as the girl stroked Sylvan’s arm flirtatiously.

But why should I be jealous? He’s not really mine, after all. And even if he was, for a short time in the cabin, he won’t be as soon as we get back to the ship. Still, she couldn’t help wanting to slap the blonde girl who was fawning so disgustingly over the big warrior.

Sylvan, however, seemed to notice the flirty receptionist about as much as a tiger on the prowl notices a fly. He was scanning the expansive showroom floor, obviously looking for something…Or someone. Sophie had an uneasy feeling but she tried to push it away. Maybe he’d decided to stay on Earth for awhile and he wanted a new car? But that didn’t make any sense. The Kindred were all stationed aboard the Mother ship with no exceptions. They only came down to the planet’s surface to claim their brides. So why was he here?

Suddenly she had a moment of panic. Could it be that Sylvan had found his true bride? Was it some girl working here at this swanky car dealership? Was he going to claim her and take her back to the ship?

It’s probably some girl who isn’t afraid of him—who isn’t afraid to let him bite her, whispered a spiteful little voice in Sophie’s brain. You can bet your boots that blondie there at reception would open a vein in ten seconds flat if he gave her so much as the time of day. Any girl would—just look at him.

She watched with new eyes as Sylvan continued his search. No doubt about it—he was leading man material all the way. Despite the tired lines around his pale blue eyes, his features were handsome and strong. Straight nose, square jaw, cheekbones like granite. Not to mention the way he literally overshadowed every other man in the room with his large, muscular frame—even the tall, dark haired salesman who was coming over to shake his hand.

Sophie frowned. There was something about that salesman. He looked familiar. For a human man he was pretty tall—six foot three or four at least—and he had broad shoulders. Despite his size, though, or maybe because of it, he was running to fat. The beginning of a very impressive beer belly was stretching the fabric of his Egyptian linen shirt and his dark curly hair was thinning on top. In another five years he’d probably be completely bald but his hair looked like it used to be really thick. Like something a girl would dream of running her hands through while he kissed her.

I used to daydream like that, whispered a voice in her head—the voice of memory. Used to sit in homeroom right behind him and imagine what it would be like to reach out and touch those dark curls just once. And then on that night, that awful night, I had both hands buried in them. But I was yanking and pulling, begging him to get off me, to leave me alone…Oh God!

The salesman was Burke Simpson. He had to be. Despite the beer gut and thinning hair, Sophie realized she would know him anywhere. Because he was the man she wanted to avoid most in the entire world.

And now she was seeing him again. Seeing him up close and in person—or so it seemed in her dream—and she couldn’t get away from his hateful grin or those smirking, muddy brown eyes. Eyes she remembered staring down into hers while he ripped her dress and told her to “Just lay still, baby, and it’ll all be over in a minute.”

Sophie recoiled in horror, feeling like she was reliving the traumatic night all over again. She didn’t want to be this close to Burke Simpson—never wanted to be anywhere remotely near him again.

Have to get away! The part of her that recognized she was dreaming fought to wake up—to escape from her attacker. But she couldn’t go—she was a captive audience and it seemed that the strange scene playing out before her wasn’t done yet.

Sylvan took Burke’s hand and nodded politely as the other man spoke. Suddenly it was as though someone had turned up the volume and Sophie could hear everything he was saying.

“…just got these new models in last week,” he said, nodding at a sleek red sports car with a shiny silver jaguar hood ornament. “Now don’t let this sexy little number fool you—I can see what a big guy you are but she’s got a lotta leg room. Not to mention a trunk you could hide a body in.”

“I see.” Sylvan’s deep voice was neutral but the pupils of his eyes had begun to go red—as red as the gleaming car Burke was trying to sell him. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” he said before Burke could go further into his pitch. “But can we go someplace private?”

“Oh, so you want to make a deal?” Burke grinned eagerly.

“Something like that.” Sylvan’s voice was quiet and cool but there was a dangerous glint in those red eyes. A look that made Sophie’s stomach knot with anxiety. Oh God, she really didn’t want to be seeing this.

Burke led Sylvan to the back of the large showroom and into a small private room with a large glass window that faced the showroom. There was a nice wooden desk with several cushy chairs on either side of it. Clearly this was where he took clients to close negotiations.

“All right now.” He closed the door and turned to Sylvan, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s talk. Depending on your credit history I think I can get you—”

“Weren’t you the captain of the Hillsborough High Mustangs?” Sylvan asked, raising an eyebrow.

How does he know that? Sophie wondered, feeling ill. I never told him our school mascot. Oh my God, make it stop. Please just make it stop and let me wake up.

But it didn’t stop and she still couldn’t shake the dream.

Burke puffed his chest out with pride. “Well, yeah, I was. I don’t remember you, though—did you play for another school? Lemme guess—offensive tackle,
right? Man, you’ve sure got the size for it.”

“Actually, I’m not human.” Sylvan bared his teeth in a ferocious smile and Sophie could see that his fangs were fully extended. Long and sharp and deadly, they proved his point more eloquently than any words could have.

For the first time Burke really seemed to see him. And what he saw obviously made him uneasy. “Oh, uh—a Kindred, right? I guess that would explain your eyes and those…” He gestured vaguely at Sylvan’s fangs. “Well that’s cool, man. We’re all really grateful to you guys. I mean, you saved our asses, right?” He tried to laugh but the sound died in his throat as Sylvan continued to stare at him.

“Do you know a girl named Sophia Waterhouse?” he asked.

Burke appeared to be pretending to think. “Uh…Waterhouse?” He shook his head. “Nope. No, sorry—doesn’t ring a bell.”

“That’s strange.” Sylvan frowned. “I was under the impression that you were in the same class together.”

“Uh, well, I mean, HH is a big school.” Burke was sweating freely now, the crisp collar of his linen shirt turning limp despite the excellent air conditioning. “I can’t remember everybody in my home room class—let alone my graduating class. You know?”

“Think hard,” Sylvan said. “She’s about this tall…” He held out a hand about the level of his chest. “She has long dark brown hair that has red highlights in the sunlight and large dark green eyes. She is surpassingly lovely.”

“Well, when you describe her like that…” Burke frowned. “Shy little thing? Has a twin sister that’s kind of mouthy and they hung around with a chunky chick with red hair?”

Sylvan smiled grimly. “Yes, that’s her.”

Burke grinned back. “Wait a minute, I get it! You’re thinking about calling her up in the draft as your, uh, bride, right? And you want to dig up a little dirt on her first—find out what she’s like before you take the plunge. Well, lemme tell you, she’s a lot wilder in the sack than she looks.” He winked at Sylvan and elbowed him, grinning. “Know what I mean?”

“No.” Sylvan’s voice was dangerously soft. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Sophie, still watching the scene from the unbreakable prison of her dream, winced. Burke was either too stupid or too conceited to see the danger he was in.

“Well, she acts like she’s scared of her own shadow, ya know? But pay her a little attention and watch out! She’s a hell cat. I mean, I took her to prom and she left some marks on me after the dance—hell, I’ve still got the scars to prove it.” He laughed and pounded Sylvan on the back. “Night to remember, right?”

“From what I was told, the only marks she left on you were defensive wounds. When she fought to get you off her.”

“Well, I mean, you know…” Burke shrugged, beginning to look uncomfortable again. “Lots of girls like to put up a fight, right? Just makes it that much more exciting.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you saying you’ve done this more than once? You make a habit of luring innocent, unprotected females out with you for the sole purpose of raping them?”

“Whoa—hey. Hey now, man…” Burke held up his hands and glanced through the window at the showroom where the customers and other salespeople were wandering around. “That’s a pretty ugly word to be throwing around.”

“It’s a very ugly act.” Sylvan’s voice had deepened to a growl. “Do you deny that you did it to Sophia?”

“It was nothing like that,” Burke protested. “I mean, just a little slap and tickle, right? And she loved every minute of it.” He tried to laugh but the sound died in his throat as Sylvan continued to stare at him.

“You raped and brutalized the woman I love.” Sylvan’s hands curled into fists. “Then you threatened to come to her house and do it again if she dared to report your actions.” He took a step closer to Burke who had begun to sidle away.

“I didn’t mean any of it.” Burke’s voice had gone high and thin. “I mean, I had a scholarship all lined up that I had to protect. I couldn’t let some mousy little bitch ruin my entire future—she wasn’t even that good a fuck, you know?”

“No, I don’t know,” Sylvan said, his voice low and threatening. “Because unlike you, I am not a rapist—I don’t take women against their will. And from now on, you won’t either.”

He pulled something out of the pocket of his black flight pants—a strange looking metal device that fit neatly into the palm of his large hand.

“What the fuck is that?” Burke looked at the small device uneasily. “Some kind of gun or bomb or something?”

“No,” Sylvan said simply. He bent his attention to the device which he appeared to be calibrating in some way.

“Okay, I get what you’re doing here—you want to warn me off your girl. No problem, man.” Burke held up his hands again and began to back away. “Listen, I haven’t even seen her since high school. In fact, I haven’t even thought of her in years.”

“She has thought often of you, though,” Sylvan said quietly. “Often enough to keep her from having another relationship since the night you raped her. Often enough to keep her from trusting another male—even one who would rather die than hurt her.”

“What do you want me to do, offer to pay for her therapy?” Burke demanded. “Look, let’s just let bygones be bygones. Just put that…” He gestured at the device. “Whatever it is away and we’ll forget all about it. To show you my heart’s in the right place, I’ll give you a really sweet deal on that little beauty.” He nodded through the window at the red sports car.

“I’m not interested in your shiny little toys.” Sylvan took another step forward until he was looming over Burke and the other man had to look up to see him. “I’m interested in vengeance.”

“In what?” Burke clearly couldn’t believe the situation he was in. “Man, you’re crazy. All that crap with Sophie was years ago!”

“And you’ll have years to think about the consequences of your actions. The rest of your life in fact.” Sylvan held out his hand, pointing the silver device at Burke’s crotch. There was a low humming sound and a beam of brilliant light shot out and burned a hole in the expensive dress slacks, right between Burke’s legs.

“Holy shit!” Burke looked down at the smoking hole. His genitals were clearly visible, dangling like defenseless hairy fruit outside his ruined pants. The sight made Sophie feel like she was going to throw up. “You son of a bitch!” He looked up at Sylvan angrily while trying to cover himself with one hand. “You know how much these pants cost me? That’s not funny.”

“It’s not meant to be,” Sylvan told him. “You asked me if this device was a bomb or a gun—it’s neither. It’s medical equipment. We use it for burning off unwanted growths.”

“Unwanted growths?” Burke looked at him with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I think you know.” Though his eyes were glowing red, Sylvan’s voice was distant…detached. “You’d better move your hand if you want to keep it,” he advised.

“What?” Burke frowned, obviously still not getting it.

“All right, I’ll move it for you.” Reaching out, Sylvan took him by the wrist almost gently. But it was clear when Burke tried to pull away that his grip was like iron.

“Hey!” Burke tried again to yank his hand away unsuccessfully. “I—”

Before he could say anything else, another short brilliant burst of light came from the device in Sylvan’s hand. There was a puff of black smoke from Burke’s crotch and when it cleared there was…

Nothing. Oh my God, it’s gone. It’s all gone. Sophie couldn’t believe her eyes. Burke’s penis and testicles, which had been dangling outside his scorched slacks, were missing. Between his legs there was nothing but a shiny reddish scar, like a burn, long healed.

Burke groped with his free hand between his legs, as though he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Where is it? Goddamnit—what did you do to my dick? What did you do to me?”

“Made certain you’ll never be able to hurt another female again,” Sylvan said grimly. He was still holding Burke’s arm tightly in one hand and he pocketed the small silver device with the other. “A painless procedure, unfortunately, but necessary.”

“What?” Burke looked at him, his eyes huge with fear and disbelief. “What did you say?”

Sylvan ignored the questions. “Now, Sophia tells me you marked her when she was struggling to get away from you.” He pushed up the cuff of Burke’s white linen shirt, revealing a tan wrist covered in black, wiry hair. “Just about here.”

Oh God. Sophie wished she could close her eyes. Inside her the fear she’d felt that night—the desperation to get away before he could do it again—was welling up all over again. “Let me go,” she heard herself pleading. “Please, Burke, just let me go now.”

“Marked her? What are you talking about?” Burke’s voice jerked her back to the present. He still looked shaky with shock. “Is this some kind of sick joke? You didn’t really, uh, burn off my dick, did you? I mean I didn’t feel a thing but where the hell is it?”

“Gone,” Sylvan told him. “Permanently. You didn’t feel anything because it is, as I said, a painless procedure. But I think we can fix that—you deserve some pain for what you did to Sophia.”

Burke looked at him with wild eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about? You’re kidding, right? This is just some kind of prank.”

“No joke,” Sylvan assured him. “Don’t worry.” He was still holding Burke by the wrist and he squeezed it, his large knuckles turning white with pressure. “I’m not going to kill you. I swore not to.”

“Then let me go, man!” Burke spat. “I have to go in the bathroom. Have to figure out what the hell you did to me. God, nobody told me you Kindred were such freaks!”

“We’re simply very protective of our females. And we never, never take what isn’t offered freely. No matter how desperately we may want to,” Sylvan told him, squeezing harder.

Burke glared at the big warrior. “Look man, you better let me go or you’re going to be sorry.”

Sylvan shook his head and didn’t loosen his grip a bit. “I don’t think so. As I was saying, you bruised her—sprained her wrist when you raped her.” Despite his fearsome appearance, Sylvan’s voice was curiously gentle. “Isn’t that true?”

“I don’t know.” Burke was still looking down at the scar where his genitals had been. Clearly the fact that he had just been permanently neutered still hadn’t sunk in. “I guess so, maybe.”

“Then consider this retribution.”

Sophie knew what was coming next and she wanted to look away in the worst way. But in the timeless way of dreams, her eyes were glued to the action and she found she couldn’t move. Please, God, I don’t want to see! Don’t want to know. Don’t want to remember…

But she did see as Sylvan gripped the other man’s beefy forearm and snapped it like a twig.

She heard it too. There was a muffled crack, followed by a sickening, meaty tearing sound. With a spray of blood, two sharp red points came bursting through the black wiry hair and tan skin of Burke’s arm. Sharp red points with bleeding, jagged ends.

Bones, Sophie thought, feeling like she was going to be sick. Oh my God, those are his bones…

Burke howled like a wounded animal, his dick, or lack thereof, forgotten for the moment. The people milling around in the showroom looked up uncertainly, clearly not understanding what was happening in the small private consulting room.

“My arm! Oh my fucking God, you broke my arm,” Burke babbled.

“Hold still you little bitch,” Sophie heard him say inside her head. “Hold still if you don’t want me to break your fucking arm.”

“No, Burke, please let me go! Please don’t!”

She felt like her head was going to explode. The past and the present were merging, blending in a giddy, nauseating whirl of images and emotions that made her feel like she was going crazy. No, she thought. No, no, no, no, no…And then she was watching the scene at the car dealership again.

Sylvan dropped the limply dangling hand and took the other man by the chin. He stared into Burke’s eyes, wide with pain and fear. “Think about this the next time you’re tempted to hurt a female. Any female,” he growled. “And I don’t care how many years ago your encounter with Sophia was—if you ever come near her again, I’ll kill you. Slowly.”

Then he turned and walked casually away, leaving the dealership as quietly as he’d entered it.

Chapter Twenty-two

As the silver and glass door closed behind Sylvan, Sophie finally shook free of the dream. Bolting upright, she nearly fell out of her bed and stumbled into the adjoining bathroom.

She barely got the toilet seat up in time before she started retching. Nothing came up—she hadn’t had anything since the mint tea Sylvan had given her the night before. But still she couldn’t stop gagging.

God it was too much—too much. Seeing the face of her attacker after all these years brought back the attack itself—ripped open the old wound and made her pain fresh and new. She heard Sylvan’s deep voice in her head. “Raped…raped and brutalized.”

I don’t want to think about it! I just want to forget, she thought frantically but she couldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop reliving that horrible night. Couldn’t stop seeing what Sylvan had done to avenge her.

Over and over she saw the slick, red scar where Burke’s shaft had been. Over and over she heard the sickening snap and saw the bloody, jagged bones tear through his skin.

“No…no! Stop it. Make it stop,” she moaned, pressing her hands over her ears. No matter what she did, Burke’s screams still echoed in her mind, mixing with her own muffled cries the night of the rape.

“Hold still, you little bitch. You know you want it. You know you love it.”

Sophie balled her hands into fists and pressed them against her eyes, trying to push away the memories. Her mind felt brittle—like it might snap at any minute. Snap the way Burke’s bones had snapped…

“Sophia? Are you all right?”

She looked up to see a huge dark figure looming over her.

“No!” She scrambled to get away. “No, please—leave me alone!”

“It’s all right.” The man reached for her and she shrank from his touch. “All right,” he repeated. “You just had a bad dream.”

A dream. Just a dream. Her fragile mind latched on to the idea like a drowning man grasping a life preserver. That’s right, it was just a dream. Sylvan didn’t really go down there and do all that. And everything that happened with Burke is all in the past. I should let it go—bury it again.

But it was still so sharp…so fresh. After years of pushing it down and trying to forget it, the night of her attack was once more vivid in her mind’s eye. Sophie didn’t know why her bad dream had brought it back in such detail. Seeing Burke’s face again must have triggered it. Whatever had caused it, she just wanted it to stop. Wanted to not think about it ever again…

“Baird? Sophia? What’s going on?”

Sylvan’s deep voice echoed in the small tiled bathroom and Sophie looked up hopefully. Sylvan’s here. He’ll make everything all right.

“Are you all right?” Sylvan shouldered Baird aside and knelt beside Sophie. “Why are you crouched on the floor like that?”

“I heard her crying and moaning,” Baird said. “I came in here to find out what was wrong but she didn’t seem to recognize me.”

“Sophia?” Sylvan reached for her, his blue eyes concerned. “Come here.”

Sophie wanted to go to him. More than anything else she wanted the feeling of those strong arms wrapped around her and the warm press of his body against hers.

But as she reached for him she saw it…three crimson spots like freckles across one of his high cheekbones. Only they weren’t freckles. They were…

“Blood!” She pushed away from him abruptly. “It wasn’t a dream. You really did it! You really broke his arm.”

Sylvan frowned. “I had to—he hurt you. But how did you know?”

“Dream sharing,” Baird said from behind them. “Sophia was sleeping when you left to do your ‘errand.’ She must have seen the whole thing.” His voice dropped. “Brother, what did you do?”

“Only what any male would do for the woman he loves,” Sylvan protested. He reached for Sophie again. “Please, Sophia…”

“No.” She shrank away from him. “Please, just…just don’t touch me.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. “I want to see Liv and Kat. Can’t we go now?”

“We can leave as soon as you’re ready,” Baird said soothingly. He put a hand on Sylvan’s shoulder. “Come, Brother. Let’s give Sophia a little space.”

“But…” There was anguish in Sylvan’s eyes. A yearning so deep it would have filled Sophie with pity if she’d been able to see it. But at the moment she was blind to anything but the past.

I just want to go home, she thought as hot tears filled her eyes. Just want to go back to the time before any of this ever happened. Before Burke hurt me. Back to when Mom and Dad were still alive and Liv and Kat and I were still in school. Back when everything felt safe.

Curling into a ball, she pressed her cheek to the cold tile floor and wept.

* * * * *

Sylvan felt like his heart was being torn to shreds by an animal with very sharp teeth. The look on Sophia’s face when she’d seen the blood on his cheek, the fear in her eyes when he reached for her…

“It’s worse,” he said aloud, rubbing a hand over his face. “Worse than it was before. I tried to avenge her and instead I traumatized her.”

“Sylvan…” Baird put a hand on his shoulder but Sylvan shrugged it off angrily and began to pace. There wasn’t much room for it in the small hallway that led from the bathroom to the bedrooms but he did his best.

“I wanted to kill him for what he did to her. But I didn’t, Baird—I didn’t. That has to count for something.”

“Of course it does,” Baird said soothingly. “Sophia’s just upset right now. Seeing what you did must have brought back her past. I, ah…” He cleared his throat. “Assume she was attacked in some way?”

“Yes,” Sylvan said briefly, still pacing. “Gods, I should have left him alone. But I couldn’t…I couldn’t. Not after what he did to her.” He looked up at his brother. “Can you understand that?”

“I would feel the same way if Olivia was attacked,” Baird said quietly. “I would seek out her attacker and make him pay. Any warrior would.”

“I didn’t know she was watching. Didn’t know it would affect her this way.” Sylvan ran both hands through his hair. “And now I’ve ruined everything. Everything. Sophia will hate me forever.”

“Let me show you something.” Baird caught him by the arm and stopped his frantic pacing.

“What?” Reluctantly, Sylvan allowed himself to be dragged down the hallway to the far bedroom. “What is it?”

“This.” Baird threw open the door to the room and pulled Sylvan in.

“What?” Sylvan asked again.

“Look,” Baird said quietly. “Just look.”

Taking a deep breath, Sylvan forced himself to do as his half brother asked. The room had one long window with no shades on it. Sunshine poured through it in a brilliant flood. There was no furniture anywhere—just an artist’s easel in the center of the room. Finished and half-finished canvases were stacked against the walls.

“Paintings,” Sylvan said, frowning. “Yes, Sophia’s an artist. She told me so.”

“Look,” Baird said again. “All these paintings are of you, Brother.”

Sylvan looked around in wonder. It was true—from every painting and canvas, he saw a piece of himself. Ice blue eyes, blond hair, stern mouth…Does she really see me this way? “She told me she had painted me,” he said aloud, still looking. “And I saw it in a dream, too. I just didn’t know she’d done so many.”

“There’s enough to fill a museum in here.” Baird sounded amused. “The Sylvan Vii museum of fine art. We could sell tickets.”

“Very funny,” Sylvan said sourly. “I don’t see your point.”

“The point is that the female who painted these pictures, cares for you,” Baird said earnestly. “Cares very much, I believe. And I can see you care for her as well. Just give her time to collect herself and tell her so, Sylvan. Apologize for frightening her and declare your love. Then when you get back to the ship, go to the sacred grove and ask to be released of your vow.”

“I’m going to the sacred grove, all right,” Sylvan said grimly. “But it won’t be to renounce my vow.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to ask for a cleansing.”

Baird uttered a surprised curse. “A cleansing? You’ll willingly let a priestess dig around inside your skull just to be rid of some unwanted emotions? You know how much that’s going to hurt?”

“I know how painful it is,” Sylvan said stoically. “I had it done once before after we left Tranq Prime, remember? But I can’t help it, Baird. These feelings I have for Sophia—I can’t have them anymore. They’re eating me alive.”

“Well, at least you admit you have a problem,” Baird said. “But I would urge you to reconsider, Brother. A cleansing is so—”

“Excuse me.” Sophia’s soft voice cut him off and both brothers turned to face her.

“Sophia?” Sylvan asked tentatively. She was standing in the doorway looking fragile and pale. Clearly she’d washed her face but her eyes were still red…still haunted. Gods, how he wished he could wipe that look of sorrow and pain from her lovely face. But he didn’t even dare to go to her.

“I’m ready,” Sophia said quietly, looking at him. “Ready to fly back to the Mother ship. Please, can we get going?”

“Of course.” Baird nodded. “We’ll go at once.”

“Thank you. I’ll wait in the living room.”

Sylvan opened his mouth to speak her name again but she was already gone, slipping out the door as silently as a wraith.

Chapter Twenty-three

Sophie was miserable on the ride back to the Kindred Mother ship. A cleansing—he’s going to have some kind of emotional cleansing and all because of me. Because he doesn’t want to feel for me anymore.

After she’d finally managed to break the grip of the dream and calm down a little, she’d decided she wanted to talk to Sylvan. To apologize for freaking out and explain why she’d gotten so upset. “I never let myself really remember it. Never let myself face what he did to me that night,” she’d imagined herself saying. “I know you were just trying to do what you thought was right. It just brought everything back so strongly…” Of course Sylvan would understand. He would hold her, tell her everything would be all right. And maybe they could find a way…a way to be together after all.

But after she heard Baird and Sylvan talking, that dream had been shattered. A cleansing, she thought again and wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver. She’d never really believed that there could be anything lasting between herself and the big warrior. Not with her traumatic past and his vow in the way. But she’d never dreamed he would go so far as to purge her from his system completely the minute they got back to the Mother ship.

He hates me now. She watched the viewscreen, seeing the distant stars rush past as the vast, sleek form of the Mother ship grew closer. He’d rather endure horrible pain than feel anything at all for me.

But who could blame him? After all, it wasn’t as though she was some kind of prize. Emotionally damaged, that’s what I am. What happened with Burke, what he did to me, ruined everything. Everything.

She wished she could talk to Sylvan, to try and explain. But he was staring woodenly ahead, barely speaking even when Baird asked him a question or made a remark. His eyes were still red and his fangs were still elongated but he wasn’t displaying the ferocious aggression he had earlier at all. The very fact that he was so withdrawn worried Sophie. But what could she do about it? Nothing but hope that getting back to the ship would make him feel better.

If he can just forget me, loose his feelings for me like he said he would… But it was hard to think that, so hard. Even though she knew it would be for the best if Sylvan could rid himself of his need for her, the idea of him moving on with his life and never thinking of her again was almost unbearable. But what else could she hope for?

It’s for the best, she tried to tell herself. Even if I didn’t have the past haunting me, I’m still afraid of his fangs. I could never give him what he wants…what he needs. He should try to forget me.

“Sylvan,” she began as the shuttle began its descent. But either he didn’t hear her or didn’t want to hear her. The moment the shuttle landed in the docking bay, he was up and out like a shot.

“Well, here we ar—” Baird started to say but Sylvan was gone before he could finish. Baird frowned. “Guess he’s in a hurry.”

“I guess so.” Sophie looked down at her hands, not wanting to meet her brother-in-law’s golden eyes. She was afraid of what she would find there.

“Are you all right?” Baird’s voice was gentle.

Sophie looked up in surprise. “I think so. I’m just sorry I upset Sylvan so much.”

“He’ll come around,” Baird said confidently. “He just needs a little time. I think you both do.”

“Maybe.” Sophie didn’t want to tell him what a hopeless case it was. “I hope so,” she added listlessly.

“Sophie? Sophie!” Her sister’s voice made her look up with a start. She was overwhelmingly glad to see Liv and Kat standing there in the large docking bay. They were flanked by Baird and Sylvan’s second brothers, Lock and Deep.

“Oh!” she gasped, practically throwing herself out of the shuttle and into her sister and friend’s arms. “Thank God you’re here!”

“We could say the same thing about you.” Liv pulled back from her tight embrace to examine her with a critical nurse’s eye. “You look terrible. Multiple contusions and puncture wounds. Not to mention your ankle—what in the world did you do to it?”

“Twisted it trying to get away from mutant cyborg bloodhounds,” Sophie said, half laughing, half crying. “What else?”

“Judging from the look on Sylvan’s face, I’d say there’s a whole hell of a lot of ‘what else,’” Deep rumbled.

“Which is none of your goddamn business,” Kat snapped, glaring at the big Twin Kindred. “So why don’t you get lost and leave her alone?”

“Leave her alone, or leave you alone, little Kat?” Deep gave her a mocking smile.

“You’re impossible!” Kat put a hand to her head. “And stop feeling at me like that. I don’t want to know how horny you are every minute of the day.”

Sophie looked at her friend in surprise. It wasn’t like Kat to get so ruffled. And what in the world was she talking about when she said Deep was ‘feeling’ at her?” She looked at Olivia for an explanation but her twin just shrugged. Apparently events had been almost as strange aboard the Mother ship as they had been for herself and Sylvan back on Earth.

“Forgive him, my lady Kat.” The blond haired twin, Lock, swept Kat a courtly bow. “As you know, Deep tends to speak without thinking.”

Sophie looked at Olivia again and mouthed, “My lady?” but again Liv just shrugged. It was clear she was as much in the dark as Sophie.

“Come on.” Kat took them both by the arm and turned away. “We’re going.”

Olivia looked over her shoulder. “Sorry, hon—looks like you might have to do supper without me.”

“That’s okay.” Baird nodded and gave her a lascivious smile. “We’ll make up for it later.”

Olivia blushed and shook a finger at him. “You—” But by then Kat had dragged them almost out of earshot and into the long metal corridor which served as the back entrance to many of the Kindred suites.

“Ouch, not so fast,” Sophie complained as her hurt ankle twinged. “Walking wounded here, Kat. Be careful.”

“Sorry.” Kat threw a glance over her shoulder, apparently checking to be sure they weren’t being followed. When she saw nothing, she slacked her rapid pace a bit. “I’ve just had it up to my eyeballs with those guys. Them and their stupid feelings.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” Sophie demanded. “How can you possibly feel their feelings?”

“My question exactly,” Olivia chimed in. “And now that Sophie is home safe you have no more excuses, Kat. I know you did something with those two but I want the dirty details. Spill.”

“Okay.” Kat sighed and ran a hand through her rather messy auburn hair. That in and of itself was completely unlike her—she was always meticulous about her personal grooming, Sophie thought uneasily. “But let’s get inside and get settled first. I need some of that klava tea to calm my nerves.”

“What?” Olivia looked at her in real alarm. “You’ve been drinking klava to calm down?”

Kat frowned. “Why not? It tastes exactly like Sleepy Time tea.”

Olivia frowned. “Well it’s not. In fact, it has more caffeine than Cuban coffee. And I don’t mean café con leche. I’m talking about those little espresso shots they serve in the teeny, tiny cups. The kind that’s so bitter you can barely stand to drink it.”

“Really?” Kat raised her eyebrows. They were standing in front of one of the ubiquitous silver doors now and she stroked the door switch and waited for it to open. “I was given a guest suite since I seem to be stuck here—at least until the Earth is no longer under lock down,” she explained when Sophie looked at her in surprise. “Now come on, let’s go in and I’ll get you a drink and explain.”

“Not klava,” Olivia said sternly.

Kat sighed. “No, not klava. Damn, and here I was thinking I’d found the perfect energy boost with no side effects. Not that I need side effects with all the crap going on inside my head lately.”

“Which you’re going to tell us about right now,” Olivia instructed firmly, bustling around the food prep area and locating cups. “Unless Sophie wants to go first?” She looked at Sophie with a raised eyebrow.

“Who me?” Sophie felt like her stomach had just dropped down around her ankles. “Uh, there’s really nothing to tell,” she said weakly, but the other two weren’t buying it.

“Sophie,” Liv said kindly. “You’re my sister and my best friend but there is no denying you are a terrible liar.”

“Liv’s right. You can’t lie for shit,” Kat said candidly.

“So we’ll give you until Kat spills the beans about tall, dark, and scary and tall, light, and polite to get your act together,” Liv said. “And then it’s show time whether you want to talk or not. Got it?”

Sophie nodded miserably. “Okay.” It wasn’t so much that she minded talking, telling them what had happened between herself and Sylvan—although some of the details were super embarrassing. No, what bothered her was wondering what they would say in return. Would they think she was a coward for freaking out after dream sharing with Sylvan? For not trying harder to explain how she felt? But would good would that do? He didn’t want to have feelings for her. In fact, he had probably gone straight to the sacred grove in the center of the ship to have the cleansing done.

She only hoped that for his sake it worked, even though the very thought of it made her feel sad and depressed. But I want him to be well again. Not to hurt inside. I want that more than I don’t want to hurt myself.

“You can start with the whole ‘my lady’ thing,” Liv said, breaking her train of thought. “What’s the deal with that?”

Kat’s face got almost as red as her hair. “It’s what they call plus-sized girls, all right? They, uh, have a thing for them. For us, I guess.”

“Holy crap—Lock and Deep are curvy connoisseurs?” Liv raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Kat said gloomily. “As in, they’d rather peruse the Lane Bryant catalogue than the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.”

“But that’s great!” Sophie exclaimed, forgetting her own problems for a moment. “You’re always saying that guys in Tampa don’t appreciate curves.”

“Yeah, well, neither do they want to get inside your head and never ever leave,” Kat snapped. “Talk about the first date from hell that won’t end.”

“Okay, all right.” Olivia made a cutting motion with one hand. “Start from the beginning and tell us everything.”

“All right.” Kat sighed. “But I warn you, it’s going to sound pretty strange.”

Not as strange as what I have to tell, I bet, Sophie thought but didn’t say. “Just talk,” she urged aloud. “And don’t leave anything out.”

“Well first of all,” Kat said turning to her. “It’s all your fault. If you and Sylvan hadn’t gone missing…

“…and now I can’t stop feeling their emotions,” she ended, about an hour later. “I mean, they’ve dimmed a little, but I still have this headache I just can’t get rid of. It’s not as bad as it was at first but it’s still there, you know? I know I’ve been snappish and out of sorts but this really has me running scared. I mean, what if it never stops?”

“You should see Sylvan,” Sophie heard herself saying at the same time Liv said,

“Sylvan’s the one you need to talk to.”

Kat looked at them in surprise. “He’s that good?”

“I’ve been working in the med lab awhile now and I believe he’s the best doctor, er, medic on this ship,” Liv said firmly. “If anyone can help you, he can.”

“And he, uh, healed me. Several times,” Sophie added, though remembering how he’d done it made her cheeks get hot—a fact which was not missed by Kat and Olivia.

“Uh-huh.” Kat nodded. “Well, if things don’t go back to normal or they get worse, I’ll take your advice. In the mean time, I want to hear more about how he healed you.”

“Yeah, would this be sexual healing by any chance?” Liv grinned at her and Sophie felt her cheeks get even hotter.

“Stop it, you guys. It wasn’t like that,” she protested, scratching her right knee. There was a little bump there, just beside the kneecap which seemed to be some kind of permanent scar. Other than that, no one would ever have known she’d been attacked so viciously by the urlich. Sylvan must have done a very thorough job while she was unconscious. All her wounds looked like they were days old.

“Okay, so what was it like?” Kat said. “Come on, Sophie—I spilled my guts. Now it’s your turn. Tell us every little detail and don’t leave anything out.”

Sophie took a deep breath. “Well the first thing you need to know is that the Scourge are hunting me. I don’t know why but they really want me badly—enough that Sylvan had to crash our shuttle into a mountain to get away from them.”

The mood was immediately serious. Sophie didn’t know if she was glad about that or not but she did her best to tell them everything that had happened—well, almost everything. She didn’t say exactly how Sylvan had marked her—only that he had, twice. She could tell by the looks they exchanged that Liv and Kat knew there was more to the story but she refused to embarrass herself any further.

She told them about the way she and Sylvan had talked, too. And that she’d told him about the attack on prom night—something she hadn’t discussed with anyone else besides the two of them.

Kat’s eyes went wide when she heard. “Seriously? You told him that?”

Sophie bit her lip. “He sort of…pried it out of me. And then he wanted to go after Burke. I made him promise to stay away—well, not to kill him, but Sylvan went after him anyway.”

“Really?” Olivia stared at her. “You mean he tracked down Burke after all these years and beat him up? That doesn’t sound like Sylvan to me.”

“It’s not like him. At least, not as far as I can tell.” Sophie sighed unhappily. “I saw everything he did—he didn’t just beat Burke up—he broke his arm. A bad break. I could see the…the bones coming out of his skin all jagged and bloody…” The memory made her sick to her stomach and she shook her head, unable to continue.

“A compound fracture, huh?” Olivia nodded thoughtfully. “That is bad.”

“But that’s not all,” Sophie went on. “He also, uh, castrated him.”

“He what?” Liv and Kat said together.

“He did.” Sophie nodded. “With this little silver thingy. It was really small—it fit in the palm of his hand. But it burned Burke’s, uh, equipment right off. There was nothing left but a…but a scar.” She swallowed hard, willing her stomach to be steady. Considering the fact that she hadn’t eaten in well over twenty-four hours, she felt remarkably un-hungry.

“I think I know what you’re talking about,” Liv said. “It’s mostly used for dermatological cases—when somebody needs a wart burned off or something. I never thought of burning off anything, uh, bigger.”

“Well I guess Burke’s out of business.” There was no mistaking the satisfaction in Kat’s tone. “Permanently from the sound of it.”

Liv laughed. “Good for Sylvan! I wish I could have seen it.”

“I wish I hadn’t,” Sophie said in a low voice.

Liv and Kat both leaned toward her, concern on their faces. “Sophie, are you all right?” Liv asked. “Did seeing it upset you?”

“I would think you’d be glad,” Kat said. “After what Burke did—”

“But that’s the thing,” Sophie interrupted. “When I saw him again, it all came rushing back. That whole awful night. It was even worse than when I told Sylvan about it. I almost…almost felt like I was reliving it.”

“Oh, honey, no.” Liv put a comforting arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

“So am I.” Sophie sniffed, trying to keep back tears. “But I freaked completely out. I fell out of bed and barely made it to the bathroom and started puking and crying and—”

“Wait a minute” Kat frowned. “You were in bed? Where did all this happen?”

“Sylvan went to Burke’s work—you know at the car dealership in South Tampa?” Sophie said. “I was watching in a dream. When I woke up—that’s when I freaked out.”

“You were dream sharing with him?” Liv’s eyes went wide. “Sophie, that’s big. That’s huge.”

“Yeah, you should have told us that first,” Kat pointed out.

Sophie put a hand over her eyes. “Don’t you see? It doesn’t matter—none of it matters. Because Sylvan doesn’t want to have feelings for me. He told me that once he got back on the Mother ship they would all fade away. And just to be sure they do, I heard him tell Baird he was going to have some kind of ceremony done—a cleansing is what he called it. To get rid of unwanted feelings.” She looked up at the other two girls. “Feelings for me.”

“He’s probably just upset,” Liv said. “Although God knows, I wouldn’t have thought anything could upset Sylvan. He’s pretty controlled.”

“He wasn’t with me,” Sophie said softly. “You should have seen the way he got when he fought off the urlich—the cyborg dogs the Scourge had tracking us,” she explained, seeing their looks of confusion. “His eyes got red and his fangs…” She broke off, shivering.

“It’s called rage,” Liv said.

“He was enraged all right, especially when the urlich were after us,” Sophie said. “But when he broke Burke’s arm he seemed so casual—so cold blooded.”

“But he was probably still in rage,” Kat said. “It’s a state Kindred warriors go into when their female is threatened. Baird explained it to us.”

Sophie listened, wide-eyed, while the other two told her what they’d heard.

“So you see,” Olivia finished, “Sylvan does care about you. He was displaying perfectly normal behavior when he did all those things. I bet if you just talked to him—”

“What could I say?” Sophie objected. “Even if he hadn’t taken a vow to never call a bride, and even if I didn’t have my stupid past dragging me down, I’m still afraid of his fangs. It wouldn’t be fair to ask him to care for me when I can’t give him what he wants. What he needs.”

“Oh right, the biting.” Kat snapped her fingers. “Well of course that’s a problem—for you especially. You’ve hated being stuck with anything sharp since you were a kid—and for good reason.” She turned to Liv. “Hey, remember that time in college when Sophie’s biology professor was offering extra credit to anyone who donated blood? And she was so afraid the class was going to pull down her GPA she actually went and tried to do it?”

Olivia smiled. “The next thing I know my cell is ringing and they’re asking if I can come get my sister who’s fainted dead away.”

“It took both of us to drag her out of the bloodmobile, remember?” Kat smiled at Sophie fondly. “The rest of the people waiting to donate were scared silly. And the tech told us he’d barely stuck the needle in before your eyes rolled up and you went down like a sack of potatoes.”

“I tried though,” Sophie said defensively. “And you have to admit it’s better to faint when you’re trying to give blood than when you’re in the middle of…well, you know.”

Olivia laughed. “Yes, it would kind of put a damper on your sex life if you passed out in the middle of your big O because your hubby tapped a vein.”

“That would suck—literally and figuratively.” Kat grinned.

“So…you don’t think I’m a coward for not wanting to…you know, be claimed by Sylvan?” Sophie asked in a small voice.

“Honey, we would never call you that,” Kat said. She and Liv both reached for Sophie’s hands and squeezed.

“You have to do what feels right for you,” her sister said firmly. “And remember, I was pretty scared of Baird’s, uh, equipment at first, too. I had to get to the place inside myself where I was more scared of losing him than I was scared of letting him bond me to him.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Sophie felt like crying for some reason but she tried to blink back the tears. “But what if…what if I never get there? Not that it matters. I mean, he’s doing that cleansing thing to get rid of his feelings for me. Soon he won’t care anymore. Oh God…”

Olivia pulled her in for a hug and Kat patted her back. Sophie couldn’t help it, she started to cry. “It’s okay,” her sister whispered. “I know it hurts and it’s scary. But things are going to get better Sophie, I’m sure they will.”

“Absolutely,” Kat affirmed. “And if he wants to get rid of his feelings for you, then you just return the favor.”

“That’s just the thing.” Sophie pulled back from their comforting embrace, sniffing. “I…I don’t know if I can. Every time I close my eyes I see him. I mean, he’s even been popping up in all my art lately. I didn’t want to tell you guys because I thought you’d think I was crazy but I seriously can’t paint anything but Sylvan lately.”

“Wow.” Kat shook her head. “Sounds like you’ve been hit hard.”

“I have,” Sophie admitted. “I really have. And I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Don’t do anything for right now,” Olivia said practically. “Let’s just enjoy all being together again. It seems like ages since we could get together and just pour our hearts out like this.”

“It has been a long time. And I’ve really missed it,” Kat admitted. “Who else could I tell about having other people’s feelings in my head? Who else wouldn’t just think I was crazy?”

“Oh, we know you’re crazy. We’ve known that for ages.” Sophie grinned at her friend through her tears.

“You!” Kat lunged at her playfully and she leaned away, laughing.

“Okay you guys, break it up.” But Liv was grinning too. “Come on, it’s getting late and I have to get home to Baird at some point.”

“Not before we get the really juicy details, though,” Kat objected. “You know—the ones you skipped over before?” she asked, eyeing Sophie.

“But—” Sophie objected.

“No buts,” the said together. “Spill!”

Sophie looked at them hopelessly. “You know I hate it when you two gang up on me.”

“Yes, we’re horrible,” Kat said remorselessly. “Now tell me more about this marking thing. Liv obviously knows all the details but I’m a little lost…”

* * * * *

“Please, I beg you, help me.” The plea was wrenched from him as he knelt before the statue of the Mother, his hands uplifted in supplication. It was the same place he had been in when he first made his vow to never call a bride. Back then he had been proud and strong, head held high as he dedicated his chastity to the Mother’s service. Now he was a broken male, the need inside him raging like a fire out of control, his blood all but boiling in his veins.

And being back aboard the ship hadn’t made it one bit better.

Baird was right, I can’t just turn it off like a switch. Can’t be rid of my feelings for Sophia so easily. But if the Mother didn’t give me a need for her in order to protect her while the urlich were stalking her, then why did she do it? Why must I endure this agony with no end in sight?

“Yes, Warrior. You seek counsel?”

Sylvan groaned inwardly when he saw who it was that spoke. The same priestess who had performed Baird and Olivia’s joining ceremony. And she also happens to be the same one I ‘rescued’ Sophia from. Still, there was nothing to do but humble himself before her and pray she would have mercy on him.

“Yes,” he said, looking down at the green and purple grass. “I seek counsel of the Mother of Life, she who protects and nurtures us all.”

“It is good you have come, for I can tell you are much troubled. Tell me your pain.”

“Though I took a vow before the Mother to never call a bride, my blood burns within me for one I can never have,” Sylvan admitted, filled with shame.

“Why may you not have her?” the priestess asked. “Does she belong to another?”

“No.” Sylvan shook his head. “But…she does not want me. She is afraid of me and I fear I have done little to allay her distress and much to make it grow.”

“Then your agony is your own fault,” the priestess said sternly. Then her voice became slightly less chilly. “But come, let me see what I can do to lessen it.”

“I would ask…ask for a cleansing,” Sylvan said hoarsely, forcing the words out. He had undergone such a ceremony once, when he had been mad with grief over losing Feenah. It had been the most painful experience of his life and he had vowed to never undergo another one. Yet here he was, asking for it…asking for the equivalent of psychic surgery without anesthesia. But what other option did he have?

“I will look into you first,” the priestess said, stepping forward to look into his eyes. “To see if such a thing is necessary or even possible.”

“I—” Sylvan began but she was already in his mind, rifling casually through the contents of the past twenty-four Earth hours without so much as a by-your –leave.

Sylvan gritted his teeth and forced himself to relive it with her. The Luck Kiss, the crash in the mountains, the grueling march to the cabin and all that had transpired between himself and Sophia there. Then the fight with the urlich and the way he had punished her attacker which had caused Sophia so much pain and terror.

“I see,” the priestess said at last, releasing Sylvan to his great relief. “I see your agony but it was of your own doing, Warrior. All of your own doing.”

“I—” Sylvan began but she shushed him with a wave of her hand.

“You made your vow to never take a bride, not out of genuine desire to serve the Goddess, but out of pride,” the priestess said. “And out of pride you chose not to see the warning signs that you were being drawn to this girl—this Sophia. And when you did choose to acknowledge them, you blamed them on the Mother of All Life, saying that she had only given you these feelings in order that you might protect the Earth girl.”

“But I thought she had,” Sylvan protested. “Why else would she have me break my vow?”

“A vow made in pride and fear—yes, fear. For fear is the loathsome sister of pride, who stands just inside the door to your soul, whispering foul untruths. Telling you that if you never give your heart again then it can never again be broken.” She frowned at Sylvan. “This was the shadow I saw on your heart, the fear and pride which taints your entire existence.”

“It was terrible when I was rejected the first time,” Sylvan admitted brokenly. “So terrible I never wanted to go through it again. But this…this is a thousand times worse.”

“Because you have found your one true mate—your bride.” The priestess shook her head. “And yet you let her slip through your fingers—telling her that your need for her will be gone as soon as you reached the ship. Letting her believe you can live without her when you know you cannot.”

“A fact which I now acknowledge freely,” he said. “But please, your holiness, she does not want me.”

“She does not know she wants you because you haven’t given her a reason to know it,” the priestess said sternly. “You allowed your need to overcome you, the protective rage to rule your actions instead of common sense. In so doing, you have frightened her away.”

“Permanently, I fear,” Sylvan said harshly. “In light of my loss, will you not now perform a cleansing?”

“I will not. For I think that you may yet regain your bride’s trust and bond her to you.”

“How?” Sylvan couldn’t help feeling exasperated. “She fears me. And as long as my blood burns with need for her, I can do nothing but make her fear me more.”

“I will do this much at least, then. Come, I will cool your blood.” The priestess beckoned him again and Sylvan bowed his head to receive her.

This time the feeling was a soothing one. A sensation of fresh, cool water being poured over the fevered fissures of his brain. The need which had come to the forefront of his mind, usurping his regular personality with it terrible imperatives, didn’t exactly vanish, but Sylvan found he was able to pack it away. To fold it like an unused garment and stow it in a chest in the corner of his mind. He still wanted Sophia, still needed and loved her, but he was able to pull his fangs in and the red veil which had fallen over his gaze so many hours ago was finally lifted, allowing him to see the world through fresh, rational eyes.

“Thank you,” he murmured with true gratitude when the priestess at last withdrew her hands. “I cannot tell you how much better that is.”

“It will not last forever.” She eyed him sternly. “It is but a respite. You must tell this Earth female how you feel for her. Let her know how much you care and that you can love her without hurting her. For I perceive that she had been hurt before—that was the shadow I saw around her heart.”

Sylvan nodded. “She has.” He frowned at the priestess. “And my vow?”

“Was never a true vow in the first place. But I release you of it now. Go and seek your bride.”

“I thank you, your holiness,” Sylvan said, rising to his feet. “But I fear you are sending me on a hopeless mission.”

“While both of you still breathe, there is hope. When one is dead, the other may die also,” the priestess said. She gave him an abbreviated bow. “Now I must go refresh myself. Your load of sorrow and need are a heavy burden indeed.”

“Forgive me” Sylvan said but she was already gone, her bare feet whispering over the green and purple grass of the sacred grove.

Chapter Twenty-four

“Sylvan, can I talk to you? Alone?”

He looked up and for a moment Liv thought she saw a brief flash of hope in his ice blue eyes. But when he saw it was only her and not Sophia, he simply nodded and stepped away from the chart he was coding at the med station.

“I am at your service, mate-of-my-kin,” he said gravely. “What can I do for you?”

Liv studied him for a moment, taking him in. According to Sophie he’d become a whole different person during the time they’d spent together on Earth. A very frightening person, apparently. But there were no signs of that now. His fangs were as short as his other teeth and his eyes were their normal icy blue. There was a sadness in them, though, that Liv had never seen before. A kind of calm despair that made her sorry for him.

Well, he made his choice, she reminded herself. Both Baird and Sophie had told her that Sylvan had chosen to do a cleansing ceremony to rid himself of his unwanted feelings for Sophie. It was probably just as well—Liv couldn’t imagine a more mismatched pair. But ever since they’d come back from their short stay on Earth, almost a week ago, both of them seemed quiet and sad. Liv wished she knew what to do to cheer them up but there didn’t seem to be any way. And since they were avoiding each other like the plague, there was nothing they could do to help each other, either.

“I need to know something,” she said to Sylvan in a low voice as he came around the station he’d been working at to stand by her. “Do you have a pregnancy test I can use? I’ve searched in every shop selling Earth products on the ship and I can’t find a single one.”

Sylvan frowned. “That’s because an Earth standard test wouldn’t show if you were pregnant by a Kindred warrior.”

“Shhh!” Liv looked around the busy med station. “Can we go some place private to talk about this?”

“Of course.” He led the way into a back room where medical supplies were stocked. As Liv closed the door behind them he began rummaging through the cabinets. “I think I have the necessary equipment…here,” he said, turning around at last. “I’m afraid I’ll have to draw some blood, though—quite a lot of it, in fact.”

“That’s fine,” Liv said though she couldn’t help recoiling a little at the large gauge needle he was pointing at her. “Geeze, you guys really need to get some smaller needles up here if you’re going to treat the Earth brides as well as your own warriors,” she complained as he swabbed her arm with antiseptic. “We don’t all have veins the size of fire hoses, you know.”

“I’ll order some at once if you can recommend a good supplier,” he said. “A little pinch here, I’m afraid.”

Liv winced as he slid the needle in. To his credit he did it quickly and smoothly so that even though the large needle stung, it didn’t hurt as much as it could have. “A little pinch, huh?” she said dryly. “You’re a good stick, though. I’ll give you that.”

“Thank you. I’m a natural with sharp objects.” He gave her one of his rare grins, showing his double set of fangs which were small and innocuous looking at the moment.

“Ha-ha.” Liv grinned back at him, glad to see a small vestige of humor returning. “You know,” she remarked as he drew vial after vial of blood. “It’s a good thing I’m the one you’re sticking and not—”

“Not who?” He looked at her sharply.

“Uh…” Liv frowned, God, she’d really put her foot in it now. “Not Sophie,” she answered reluctantly. “She, uh, has a phobia of needles. Ever since she was a kid.”

“Does she?” Sylvan was trying to appear unconcerned as he finished the draw but she could tell that he was dying to hear the details.

“Yes, really. She had ITP when she was little—only about five or six.”

“ITP?” he asked, sealing the small needle wound with some flesh glue and placing the freshly drawn vials in a coffee mug-sized silver machine. He tapped in a sequence on its tiny keyboard and then said, “What’s that?”

“It’s a blood clotting disease. Your spleen attacks your platelets and starts chewing them up. And of course without platelets, your blood can’t clot. Theoretically, in an extreme case, you could skin your knee and bleed to death.”

“Fascinating.” Sylvan crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, giving her his whole attention. “Go on.”

“Well now they have a cure for it. But back when she was first diagnosed the only thing you could do was blood transfusions or a spleenectomy. Of course my parents didn’t want Sophie to go through such a risky surgery so they opted for the blood transfusions. And you know what a big needle you have to use for those.”

“Of course.” Sylvan frowned and rubbed his jaw. “So she had to endure these transfusions…?”

“It was a weekly thing and she absolutely hated it.” Liv shook her head. “Sometimes my mom would let me come with her to hold her hand. That was when I decided I wanted to be a nurse—I wanted to help heal sick people, people like Sophie.” She sighed. “Poor Sophie—it was terribly traumatic for her. She used to beg my mom not to make her go and they would both wind up crying and crying. It was awful.”

“She, ah, told me she didn’t like sharp objects like…like my fangs.” Sylvan looked down at his boots. “But she never told me why.”

“Honestly, I don’t think she lets herself think about it much,” Liv said candidly. “See, one thing about Sophie is that she’s really good at burying bad memories.”

“So I noticed,” he said dryly. “I had to almost pry the story of her attack on your, ah, prom night from her.”

“She told me what you did to Burke Simpson,” Liv said softly. “And I want to thank you for it—that’s exactly what I would have liked to do to him. Only I would have broken both his legs and his jaw too.”

He sighed unhappily. “Unfortunately Sophia didn’t see it that way. I think seeing him again and watching what I did to him traumatized her.” He shook his head. “I can’t forgive myself for that.”

“You didn’t know, Sylvan. You were just doing what you thought was right,” Liv protested. “And, like I said, Sophie doesn’t like to dwell on the past. I’m still not sure if she’s processed all her grief from our parents’ death—it’s like she’s afraid to let herself feel because it might hurt too much.”

Sylvan laughed brokenly and shook his head. “Gods, to hear you say that…”

“What?” Liv frowned.

“It’s just…ironic. I was told by a priestess in the sacred grove recently that I had the exact same problem.”

Liv shook her head. “You two are a pair, all right.”

“No, we’re not.” Sylvan was suddenly serious. “And I’m afraid we never will be. How can we be? Aside from her past trauma, Sophia fears needles. And I have what amounts to four, incredibly sharp needles in my mouth that I long to pierce her with.”

Liv frowned. “Do you really have to do the biting thing? I know Sophie likes you—likes you a lot. But after what she went through with the ITP, the biting is sort of a deal breaker for her.”

Sylvan ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. For a moment he looked more miserable than Liv could ever remember seeing him, then his features smoothed out and he shook his head. “I’m afraid the ‘biting thing’ as you put it, is part of bonding sex for a Blood Kindred. In fact, it’s part of any kind of sex with us.”

Liv shook her head. “That’s really too bad, Sylvan. In that case, I don’t know what to tell you. But…does it really matter to you? Baird told me you vowed never to take a bride. And anyway, I thought you did a cleansing ceremony to get rid of your feelings for Sophie.”

He looked down. “The priestess released me of my vow and refused to perform the cleansing. She says Sophie doesn’t care for me because I haven’t given her a reason to care. But I don’t know how to do that.”

“Back off a little to start with,” Liv suggested. “I mean, you’re giving her space right now and that’s good but when you do get together again, don’t go all he-man protective on her. Sophie’s not big into alpha males.”

“Yes, she told me as much. She, ah, said I wasn’t her ‘type,’” Sylvan admitted.

“Honestly, you’re not,” Liv said candidly. “But then, I don’t really know what is Sophie’s type. She hasn’t dated anyone seriously in so long it’s hard to say. Just…be gentle with her Sylvan. She’s been hurt before, as you know. And trust is a big issue with her. If you lose her trust, you’re going to have a very hard time rebuilding it.”

He sighed. “Thank you for the advice, mate-of-my-kin. Tell me, does she still have this ITP disease you spoke of? She didn’t seem to have any problems clotting when we were on Earth together. I know—I healed her several times.”

“Yes, she, uh, told me.” Liv cleared her throat. “No, they developed a cure for it a few years after she was diagnosed—Sophie was one of the first ones treated with it, in fact. My parents always kept her very sheltered, though—it’s one reason she became such a great artist. She wasn’t allowed to run and play outside with the rest of us. She had to stay inside with her paints and crayons.”

“I have seen several of her paintings—both in real life and in my dreams,” Sylvan said softly. “She is very talented, though perhaps too generous to her subjects.”

“She paints things as she sees them. Her art is the one place where she’s truly honest with herself, I think,” Liv said. “If she painted you as strong and handsome and brave then that’s really how she sees you.”

“Or saw me, anyway,” he murmured, looking down.

“I think she still sees you that way,” Liv said thoughtfully. “But…I think she’s afraid. Both of what you want to do to her and what you represent. You’re a whole lot of male, Sylvan—any Kindred warrior is. I think Sophie has to realize she can handle someone like you and well, she’s just not there yet. Just give her a little time, okay?”

He nodded. “All right.”

“And speaking of time, when will I get the results?” She nodded at the small silver machine he’d placed the vials of blood in.

Sylvan turned and studied it. The configuration of lights on the outside seemed to be slightly different but there was no other discernable change that Liv could see. “Right about…now,” he said, pressing a final button on the keyboard. The machine emitted a small beeping noise and from out of the slot where he’d put in the vials, a small blue flower appeared.

“What’s that?” Liv asked as he gave her the flower. She couldn’t tell if it was real or not but it had silky, periwinkle blue petals and a mild, sweet fragrance that reminded her of baby lotion.

“Your answer,” Sylvan said. “If the results were negative, you would have received a white flower. If you were carrying a female baby, the flower would have been pink—that’s a very rare result indeed.”

“But blue means…” Liv looked up at him, her heart pounding. “A little boy? I’m carrying a boy?”

“You are,” Sylvan said gravely. “May I be the first to congratulate you, mate-of-my-kin, and wish you a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery.”

“Oh my God!” Liv was so excited she couldn’t speak. Instead she rushed forward and pulled him down into a hug. Sylvan was stiff at first, clearly surprised by her exuberance. But then he loosened up a little and hugged her back carefully. “Wait ‘til I tell Baird,” she exclaimed. “He’s going to be so surprised!”

“He’ll be extremely pleased and so proud there’ll be no living with him.” Sylvan smiled when she finally let him go. “Are you going to tell him at once?”

“Yes, him first and then the girls. Oh, Sophie’s going to be so excited to be an aunt!”

“I’m excited to be a…what is your term for it?”

“An uncle. You’ll be the baby’s uncle.” Liv grinned at him. “Oh, I have so much to do! And no time to do it.”

“You have plenty of time,” Sylvan assured her. “According to the results and the size of the flower you received, you’re still in your first quadmester.”

“My first what?” Liv frowned. “You mean trimester, right?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Carrying a Kindred baby to term takes twelve of your Earth months, not just nine. So you see, Olivia, you have plenty of time to get everything done.”

“Wow.” Liv was a little nonplussed. “Uh…a whole year, huh? You guys should really put that in the brochure.”

“We don’t hide anything,” Sylvan protested. “You just have to ask about some things if you want to know.”

Liv laughed. “All right—I’m so excited right now I don’t even care. Although by my eleventh or twelfth month I may want to shoot myself. Or Baird, for that matter.”

Sylvan gave her one of his rare, one-sided smiles. “Go tell him now before you start wanting to shoot.”

“I will.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “And I’ll tell the other girls what they can expect if they end up getting claimed. You know, we used to joke about having sixteen pound alien babies but none of us thought it would take a whole year to have one.”

He looked suddenly sad again. “Tell Sophia she doesn’t have to worry. I would never claim her unless I knew she wanted me to. So she doesn’t have to fear carrying my son.”

“Oh Sylvan…” The sorrow in his eyes made Liv forget her own joy for a moment. Sophie was wrong, she thought. He cares, he really does. And he loves her so much it hurts him. Just like Baird loved me before I finally let him in. Impulsively, she stepped forward and gave him another hug. “Don’t give up,” she whispered in his ear. “I know things seem hopeless but they did for Baird and me too, remember? And we came out all right in the end.”

Sylvan smiled at her. “More than all right. Forget about my worries, Olivia—go tell my brother that he’s soon to be a father.”

“All right.” She patted his arm. “But just know that I’m rooting for you.”

“Thank you.” He nodded. “Go—and don’t say a word. Just hand Baird the flower. He’ll know what it means.”

Still feeling troubled for him, Liv left the med station. She couldn’t wait to tell Baird they were going to be starting a family but as happy as she was, she wished her sister could have the same joy. If only she and Sylvan could find a way around their differences…but Liv couldn’t imagine how they could. Sylvan’s need to bite every time they had sex was a serious issue for the needle-phobic Sophie. Although if Liv could get used to Baird’s mating fist, it seemed like her twin could find a way to cope with being a pin cushion. Couldn’t she?

For Sophie and Sylvan’s mutual happiness, Liv hoped she could.

* * * * *

“A year? Really? A whole year?” Kat’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “That is seriously messed up, Liv.” She scooted forward on the couch to pour herself another tiny cup of klava. Olivia had mysteriously told them she had some very important news and suggested a breakfast get together at her suite. Baird had been called away early to some sort of conference so they had the place to themselves. But so far they were doing a lot more talking than eating.

“I don’t think it’s so bad.” Sophie hugged her again—it seemed she hadn’t been able to stop ever since her sister had told them the news. “It gives you more time to get everything ready. The nursery and baby-proofing the suite…”

“It’s easy for you to say it’s not so bad. What if you were the one that was going to be preggers for a solid year?” Kat objected.

“I hear it’s longer if you’re mated to Twin Kindred.” Olivia nudged her playfully. “Takes more time for the babies to develop because you always have twins.”

“Ugh, don’t even joke about that!” Kat glared at her. “You know it’s not funny.”

“Deep and Lock might think so,” Sophie said with a little smile.

“Speaking of which, are you still reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum’s feelings loud and clear?” Olivia asked.

“No, thank God.” Kat put a hand to her head and sighed in relief. “It finally stopped. I know this sounds strange but I never thought I’d be so glad to be alone in my own head.”

“Honey, nothing sounds strange when you’re mated to a Kindred,” Olivia said, sweeping a strand of blonde hair behind one ear. “But what about the headache?”

Kat frowned. “Still just the tiniest bit—like a dull throbbing at the back of my head. But it’s not nearly as bad as it was.”

“That worries me.” Sophie frowned at her. “Couldn’t that be the sign of something bad?” She looked at her twin for confirmation. “Like a subdural hema-whatsit or something?”

Olivia smiled. “Subdural hematoma, you mean? Not to worry, Sophie, that’s an injury you usually get from bumping your head really hard—not from having a kinky alien ménage with hot Kindred twins.”

Kat crossed her arms over her chest. “Again, not funny. As if I would ever go there—they’d freaking split me in two.”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” Liv looked like she was trying not to smile again. “You know, Jillian never has any complaints about her Twin Kindred hubbies. Practically all she can talk about is how wonderful three-way sex is.”

“Yeah, but let’s be honest—Jillian isn’t the brightest crayon in the box,” Kat said. “I mean, there’s a reason she was captain of the cheer squad instead of captain of the chess team, you know?”

Sophie tried not to laugh. “Kat, you’re so bad.”

“All right, that was kind of bitchy of me,” Kat admitted, one corner of her mouth twitching. “It’s just that this whole thing has me so freaked out. I mean—”

“Lilenta?”

They all looked up to see Baird standing in the doorway to the food prep area. Right behind him was Sylvan, who Sophie tried unsuccessfully not to look at. He was looking especially handsome in his pale blue uniform shirt, but he and Baird both had grave looks on their faces.

“Baird, there you are.” Olivia jumped up from the circular bench and ran to give him a kiss. Then she drew back and looked at him worriedly. “Is everything all right?”

Baird sighed heavily and ran a hand through his thick black hair. “You’re probably not going to think so. The High Council has finished their analysis of what happened when Sylvan and Sophie crashed and what it means in terms of security.”

“We’ve just come from giving testimony,” Sylvan said. “I’m afraid they weren’t pleased when I told them all the details of what happened.”

“What does that mean for us?” Olivia asked anxiously.

Baird put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “It means they want to send Sophia away.”

“What?” all three girls exclaimed at once.

“Send her where exactly?” Kat demanded.

“Someplace the Scourge can’t find her,” Baird said.

“Someplace safe,” Sylvan added.

“I’m sorry kin-of-my-mate,” Baird said, turning to Sophie who was sitting there numbly at the table, trying to process the information being thrown at her. “The Council has determined that as long as you’re here in Earth orbit, the security of the entire Mother ship is compromised. They don’t know why the Scourge are after you but until they do, they want you someplace else.”

“Where?” Sophie asked, trying to keep her voice even. “I mean, I guess I can go back to Earth. If there’s a place the urlich can’t reach me…”

“They don’t want you on Earth either,” Baird said. “You’re to go to Tranq Prime. Don’t worry—it’s only about fifty light years away.”

“Only fifty light years?” Olivia struggled to get out of Baird’s hug in order to glare up at him. “Are you seriously telling me the Kindred High Council has decided that we’re in so much danger Sophie has to be sent to a galaxy far, far away?”

“It’s okay, Liv.” Sophie held up a hand before her twin could really get going. “Look, I don’t mind—really I don’t.” In fact she was scared to death but she kept her chin up and tried to hide it.

“Well I do,” Olivia protested. “This is ridiculous!”

“Liv…” Sophie went to put an arm around her sister. “I don’t want to stay and put you and the baby in danger. If they think I should go, I…I’ll go.” She looked at Baird. “Do they speak English there the way you guys all do?”

“No. But we’ll give you a universal translator implant before you go,” he assured her. “And besides, you won’t be going alone. Tranq Prime is Sylvan’s home world—he’ll be taking you.” He nodded at Sylvan who nodded back gravely.

“I hope you don’t mind, Sophia,” he said, addressing her for the first time. “I made it very clear to the Council that you were in no way bound to me, but they still thought it was best because I had been your protector before.”

“Oh.” Sophie was flooded with a mixture of relief and dismay. Not going alone! sang a little voice in her head. On the other hand, now she had to deal with being in close proximity to Sylvan again. And last time that had ended badly—very badly.

“Sylvan has been charged with Sophia’s safety,” Baird said to Olivia. “He has accepted the charge and sworn to do everything in his power to protect her.”

“Well, as long as Sylvan’s going to be with her…” Olivia sounded slightly mollified.

“I will shield her with my life,” Sylvan promised seriously.

Olivia smiled at him. “I know you will. I just…don’t like the idea of my womb-mate being so far away.” She hugged Sophie, who hugged her back tightly. Kat joined in the hug as well and for a moment Sophie felt completely surrounded by their love and support.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up and met Sylvan’s eyes. “All right. When are we leaving?”

“Immediately. The space-folder is already primed and ready and I have your translator implant here.” To Sophie’s horror, he held up a large hypodermic needle. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Olivia told me how you feel about shots, but it’s the only way. The implant is actually a strain of bacteria that colonizes the language centers of your brain and enables you to understand new languages extremely quickly.”

“God.” Just looking at the needle made Sophie’s flesh crawl.

“Wait.” Olivia held up a hand. “You know I trust you Sylvan but are there any counter-indications with this stuff? Has it been tested on humans before?”

“The only side effect is a slightly improved short term memory and yes, many of the Kindred brides have already taken the implant injection. We don’t give it to pregnant females, however,” Sylvan added. “Just as a precaution.”

Liv looked at her. “Sorry, Sophie. It looks like you take the shot or you won’t be able to communicate.”

Sophie tried to laugh. “Yeah, well, how much do you really need to know what other people are saying?”

“Trust me,” Sylvan said darkly. “On Tranq Prime, you need to know.”

“Sylvan’s right,” Baird said, chiming in unexpectedly. “It’s not exactly the most straight-forward place in the world. You really have to stay on your toes there.”

Sophie took another deep breath and blew it out, trying to steady her nerves. Then she looked up at Sylvan. “Okay, you can stick me, but don’t be surprised if I puke or faint or both.”

“Come sit down,” Liv said practically. “Kat and I will hold your hands and support you.”

“I’m sorry,” Sophie apologized as they settled on the circular bench, one on either side of her. “I hate being such a baby.”

“You’re fine,” Sylvan assured her. “And I promise to be as quick as I can.”

“I have really bad veins,” Sophie warned him faintly. “They’re tiny and they roll.”

“He’s a really good stick,” Olivia assured her. “He stuck me for the pregnancy test and I barely felt a thing.”

“Yeah but you’re not a wuss like me.” Sophie extended her arm, feeling like a sacrificial lamb. Sylvan swabbed the inner bend of her elbow and the sharp, astringent smell of antiseptic assaulted her nostrils, making her feel sick. The gonna-get-a-shot smell, She thought faintly. It made her heart race and her breathing shallow. “God,” she whispered, squeezing Liv’s hand tight. “I don’t know…don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can do it,” her sister murmured, squeezing her shoulder. “Hang in there, Sophie, you’re going to be all right.”

“I’m sorry,” Sylvan murmured, kneeling in front of her. And then she felt the needle slide home and liquid fire was traveling up her arm.

Sophie gasped as tears sprang to her eyes. “It burns! Is it supposed to burn like that?”

“Only for a moment,” Sylvan assured her. His voice sounded strange and Sophie looked up at him. What she saw took her mind off the burning in her vein.

Unshed tears glimmered in his ice blue eyes and the pain on his face was unmistakable.

“Sylvan?” she whispered. Freeing her hand from Kat’s supportive grip, she reached out to touch his cheek.

“I’m sorry. I hate being the cause of your pain.” His deep voice was rough with emotion and he looked away, blinking rapidly.

“It’s all right,” she said softly as he withdrew the needle and sealed her wound with flesh glue. “You couldn’t help it.”

“But I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said fiercely and looked at her again. “I never want to do that, Sophia.”

“I know,” she whispered.

For a long moment they just looked into each other’s eyes and then Kat cleared her throat. “Um, I can tell you two are having a private moment but do you mind telling me what in the world you just said?”

“Huh?” Sophie turned to look at her friend.

“Kat’s right.” Olivia looked puzzled. “For a minute there you were both talking a whole different language. Actually, it sounded a little like French.”

Sylvan looked embarrassed. “I must have slipped into my native tongue. And Sophia answered me the same way.”

“Wow.” Sophie was amazed. “It works that fast?”

He nodded. “You only need to hear a few words of any given language and the translation bacteria do the rest. So.” He stood and cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go?”

“I guess I don’t have a choice.” Sophie stood too, still feeling a little wobbly. “Can I have a few minutes to pack?”

Baird looked at his chronometer. “Ten minutes and not much more. The Council may be slow to make a decision but once they make one, they want it acted on quickly.”

“That’s not nearly enough time,” Sophie protested. “My stuff’s spread all over Kat’s suite.” She had elected to stay with her friend rather than her sister, to avoid the embarrassment of hearing Liv and Baird having “sexy-time fun” as Kat jokingly put it.

“Just pack your personal items—toiletries and underclothes—things like that,” Sylvan directed. “Don’t worry about clothing.”

“Don’t worry about clothing? You expect me to walk around in my bra and underwear all day?” she demanded without thinking. “Uh, I mean…” She could feel her face getting hot.

“I know what you mean.” Sylvan’s voice was deceptively soft and she suddenly knew he was remembering how she looked naked. “But no, I don’t expect that at all. None of your clothing is suited to the climate on Tranq Prime. We’ll have to get you new clothes when we get there.”

“Hear that? The first thing you get to do is go shopping.” Kat grabbed her arm. “Sounds like fun! Come on, let’s go pack up your shampoo and other stuff quick.” She and Liv hustled Sophie away to throw her things together.

Almost before she could blink, Sophie was in Kat’s suite stuffing bras, panties, nightclothes and hair care products into a bag as fast as Liv and Kat could hand them to her.

“Sophie,” Olivia said as they worked. “There’s something I meant to tell you this morning except I got sidetracked with my little guy here.” She rubbed her still-flat belly protectively.

“What is it? Is it bad news?” Sophie asked, alarmed.

“Well, it depends on how you take it,” Liv said carefully. “Uh…how do I put this?”

“You’ve only got two minutes,” Kat informed her, stuffing another handful of underwear into the travel bag. “So however you put it, talk quick.”

Olivia frowned. “Fine. Sylvan didn’t have that cleansing ceremony you thought he had. So he still has feelings for you, Sophie.”

Kat rolled her eyes. “Like anyone with half a brain couldn’t tell that just by watching him. He’s so head over heels for her it’s a wonder he’s not flat on his back.”

“You guys!” Sophie could feel herself blushing again. “Come on.”

“Sorry, but I had to tell you.” Liv pressed her hairbrush and some hair bands into Sophie’s hands. “I promised I’d put in a good word for you. He really loves you, you know?”

“He does?” Sophie felt elated for a moment, then her heart sank. “But what about his vow to never take a bride?”

Her sister shrugged. “He said the priestess released him from it.”

“Oh.” Sophie bit her lip. “That’s nice about the cleansing and the vow and everything but it’s still not the main point. I mean what about…”

“I know, the biting,” Liv said.

“It’s not just that he wants to bite me,” she objected. “He wants to inject me with his essence.”

“His what?” Kat and Liv frowned as Sophie explained rapidly.

“…and I just can’t imagine feeling what I just felt in my arm times four every time we have sex,” she finished.

“Can’t say that I blame you.” Kat shook her head. “Damn, why can’t anything ever be normal with these crazy Kindred? They all want to inject you or invade you or—”

“Or love you,” Olivia finished firmly. “Maybe it’s not that bad, Sophie.”

“Yeah, but the only way to find out is to try it,” Kat objected. “And since it’s part of their bonding sex, she couldn’t exactly back out if it turns out to be as painful as hell. The Kindred don’t do divorce, remember?”

“She doesn’t have to try it—she could ask,” Olivia pointed out. “She’s going to a whole planet full of women who are mated to Blood Kindred males.” She looked at Sophie. “Find one you can trust and talk to her.”

“I’ll try,” Sophie said doubtfully. “But honestly, you two are the only ones I’ve ever talked to much about, well, you know.”

“Not to mention that if it’s the norm there, they might have a skewed viewpoint,” Kat said. “I mean, if the women there all get bitten every time they get busy they might think it’s normal to feel pain while your having sex. Like a S&M kind of thing. And Sophie’s not exactly the kinky type.”

“Hardly.” Sophie shivered and looked down into the bulging travel bag. “Is that everything? I hope so because I don’t think anything else is going to fit.”

“That’s it, I think.” Olivia frowned. “Oh God, Sophie, I really wish you didn’t have to go. Promise to call me as soon as you get there.”

“From fifty light years away? I’ll try but I don’t know if we’ll still be in Think-me range,” Sophie said doubtfully.

“We won’t be but you can communicate using the ship’s viewscreen.”

“Oh!” Sophie looked up to see Sylvan standing in the doorway. “Oh, uh, thanks,” she said weakly. My God, how long has he been standing there? How much did he hear? She couldn’t tell from the stoic look on his face and she didn’t dare to ask.

“We have to go now.” Sylvan took the bag from her hands and zipped it up quickly and efficiently despite the way the contents were bulging out the top. “Come, the space-folder takes vast amounts of energy and it’s already been running for a long time.”

“All right. I’m ready.” Sophie turned to give Kat and Liv one last hug. “I’ll let you know when I get there safely,” she said bravely. “Love you.”

And then Sylvan was leading her out of the suite and down the long metal corridor at a brisk pace with Kat and Olivia calling ‘I love yous’ from the doorway of Kat’s suite.

Sophie risked one last glance behind her and blew them a kiss, wondering when she would ever see them again.

Chapter Twenty-five

“It isss time. They are preparing to fold ssspace.”

“I know. Our instruments detected the spike in their energy output as soon as it happened.” Xairn nodded, his eyes never leaving the hooded figure on the metal throne. Behind the AllFather stood his new personal guard. Four vat-grown warriors, each eight feet tall and incredibly muscular, they formed a silent wall at the Allfather’s back.

“Meet Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.” The AllFather nodded at the wall of muscle at his back. “I thought it prudent to expand my protection. I had them grown and trained to my personal specificationsss.”

And I had nothing to do with them. Didn’t even have knowledge of them until just now. Xairn frowned. It was a bad sign. “They look very…competent,” he said aloud.

“More than competent—deadly.” The red eyes flashed. “But I did not sssummon you here sssimply to admire my new guardsss.”

“I know,” Xairn said quietly.

He had been expecting this summons for days—ever since the urlichs’ attempt to take the Earth girl had failed. They had been acting on Xairn’s orders—orders he had given against the AllFather’s will. And yet, though the details of the failed attack were well known to his father, this was the first time Xairn had been summoned to the throne room since it had happened. He was almost tempted to hope his father had forgiven or forgotten his small rebellion. Almost. But he knew the AllFather too well for that. Most likely he was simply waiting, letting the dread of another punishment build to make the harvesting of Xairn’s pain all the sweeter.

“I have not forgotten that you defied me in the matter of the girl’sss capture.” The low hiss made him think that the AllFather must have been reading his thoughts and Xairn looked up quickly. “Sssome good did come of it, however,” the hissing voice continued. “The marker the lead bitch placed when it bit her may prove to be most useful—especially now that I have lost my lock on the warrior’s mind.”

Xairn was surprised though he tried not to show it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d received any kind of praise from his father. “His mind eludes you now?” he asked carefully.

The AllFather made a noise of disgust. “He must have visited one of their accursed priestessesss. Hisss hate and rage have been repressed, making him difficult to read.”

“Well, at least with the marker in place we can track the girl anywhere—as long as we’re in the correct proximity. Of course, if they go too many light years away…”

“They could go a thousssand light yearsss from the Fathership and I would ssstill have them right in the palm of my hand.” The AllFather’s boney, scabrous fingers clenched suddenly, like a trap snapping shut. “Do you not wish to know how?”

“I am certain you will tell me when you are ready.”

“I am ready. And you will sssee. But first, I think we have time for a quick punishment.”

“What?” Xairn took a step backwards, thrown off his guard. “But, Father, I thought you said the marker was useful. You said—”

“I sssaid it was useful, yesss. But placing the marker was not your only objective when you inssstructed the urlich to attack, wasss it?” Glowing red eyes regarded Xairn steadily from the confines of his hood. “You intended to defy me. And useful or not, I will not let sssuch defiance go unpunished. Come. Kneel.”

“I…do not wish to.” The words seemed pulled from his throat but Xairn couldn’t help himself—he had lived a lifetime under his father’s sadistic tyranny and he was tired of always bending beneath the lash of the AllFather’s cruel will.

“Come. Kneel.” This time the words had power he had not felt before though he had seen it at work in others. Xairn felt as though iron cables had suddenly been fastened around his arms and legs—cables that worked his limbs as though he was a life-sized marionette.

“I…do…not…wish…to,” he grated out again. Yet despite his words, he felt his limbs moving against his will. But I haven’t had time to prepare, to shield my mind. What if he finds out— He cut off that line of thought abruptly. Nothing, he must think of nothing if he wished to keep his secret.

“A ssshort punishment,” the AllFather murmured as Xairn was forced to kneel before him. “But no lesss painful for all that…”

Hating his father almost more than he could endure, Xairn looked up to take the pain that was his birthright.

There was nothing else he could do.

* * * * *

Afterwards he felt drained. The AllFather’s directions had been specific. “Go to the docking bay and tell the Master of Ships that I wish the new ship readied. You ssshall pilot it yourself. You and none other. And at the proper time—the time that I sssay, you will collect the girl and bring her to me.”

“Yes, Father,” he had murmured through numb lips. His hatred was just as strong but his spirit was weak. So weak that he had to risk disobeying his father once again though he knew it might draw a further punishment.

The corridor that led to his private apartments seemed longer than it ever had. The AllFather never came down to this end of the ship, preferring to spend most of his time in the throne room. The metal throne etched with glowing green runes was the seat of his power and, in part, the source of the dread he exuded the way any other male would exude a bodily scent.

His father’s absence from this part of the ship—where most of the flesh vats and the urlich kennels were located—was Xairn’s main objective in claiming the prized space for his own. It had not been easy, though. He had killed three of his father’s most trusted advisors and the general of the Scourge army in order to gain the rooms he now occupied. Xairn did not regret their deaths. It was only by violence and bloodshed that he had earned his way out of the throne room and into a space of his own.

A space where he could keep his secret.

Upon reaching the triple-thick plasti-steel plate that served as his door, Xairn keyed in a sequence that only he knew. It was a combination of runes, glyphs, numbers and letters that changed daily and he trusted it to no one other than himself. After letting himself in, he closed the door and locked it securely. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“Sanja? Here, girl,” he called softly. Though the walls of his lair were sound-proofed, he was still careful. One could never be too careful on the Fathership.

A soft, uncertain whining could be heard coming from the inner chamber where he slept. Xairn could hear the question in it and he approved. He had taught her to trust no one—not even him—without the code words.

“Green eyes,” he murmured and a short, joyful bark answered him right before Sanja came rushing around the corner and barreled into him.

“Easy girl. Easy!” Xairn felt his face break into a smile—such an unfamiliar expression and yet one that seemed natural whenever his pet was with him.

Sanja panted happily and her stump of a tail wagged frantically in greeting. Xairn regretted that—all urlich pups were born with soft, floppy ears and long, bushy tails and Sanja’s had been beautiful. He had not been able to save her before the medical mutilation that turned her lovely ears into sharp, menacing points and truncated her tail. But at least he had rescued her ahead of the chip implantation which enhanced the sense of smell and aggression in an adult urlich and turned their eyes the same evil, glowing red as his own and the AllFather’s.

He had been forced to kill the Master of the Kennels in order to get her away without a trace but that was another death he did not regret. Anything was worth keeping his secret—anything.

Sanja jumped up, putting her paws on his shoulders and licked his face. When she tasted the salt left by his tears she whined softly, her big brown eyes filled with concern. Xairn knew that she understood he had recently been in distress and was worried about him—even an unmodified urlich had the intelligence and sensibilities of a bright, ten year old child.

“It’s okay, girl. I’m all right.” He rubbed her behind the ears and she panted happily again, reassured that her master was well.

“I have to go away for awhile,” Xairn told her regretfully. “I don’t know for how long, but the automatic feeder will take care of you. I’ll miss you, though—you know I will.”

Sanja whined uneasily, distressed as always to hear that he would be leaving her. Xairn hated to upset her but she needed to know of his impending absence. He couldn’t tell how long he would be gone or when he might see her again and he didn’t want her to worry. As she surely would, if he simply failed to show up in his quarters at night. With a sigh, he buried his face in her soft ruff and breathed in the warm, living scent of her.

His pet was the only spark of warmth in his entire cold existence. Before he had rescued her, he had felt himself going slowly mad from the intolerable cruelty that surrounded him—becoming more and more like the AllFather. But now, as long as he had her to come back to, even his father’s worst punishments were bearable. Sanja kept him sane and in return, he kept her safe. And she will remain safe, he vowed to himself.

As long as the AllFather never found out about her.

He can’t. He’ll never pry it out of me, Xairn told himself fiercely. He had taken every measure possible to protect his precious Sanja from his father. Even one that he prayed he never had to use. But he would use it if he had to—if there was no other way to keep her from the boney clutches of the AllFather.

Because, as Xairn knew all too well, there was no fate worse than that.

Chapter Twenty-six

“So, I’m not a science geek or anything but I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t be able to go fifty light years away without it having some kind of effect on us or the people we left behind. I mean, won’t everyone age while we’re gone?”

Sophie watched nervously as the small, specially modified ship Sylvan was piloting approached the reddish cloud that had gathered a small distance from the Kindred Mother ship. It was the fold in space, generated by the special machine the Kindred had developed to help in their quest to find viable genetic trades. But to her it just looked like a big wound had opened in the blackness between the stars.

“If we were traveling at a normal rate of speed that would be true.” Sylvan sounded completely unconcerned, which made her feel a little better. “But we’re not. In fact, we’re only moving a few hundred yards in actual space.” His deep voice took on a scholarly tone. “Imagine space as a piece of paper and our ship is an ant that has to crawl across it. If it crawls across the entire length of the paper, it takes a great deal of time. But if someone folds the paper, the ant can get from one end of the paper to the other almost instantly. Does that make sense?” He turned to look at her and Sophie smiled.

“Yes, perfect sense. You’d make a good teacher, you know? I mean, if you weren’t already a doctor…er, medic.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He returned her smile with one of his own—the one-sided smile she’d learned to love even though it appeared so rarely.

“I love your smile,” she said impulsively. “I mean, I hardly ever get to see it but it lights up your whole face.”

“Thank you.” His voice was soft and deep and his eyes caught hers. In the lights from the instrument panel they appeared to be glowing a soft, pale blue which Sophie rather liked. It was so much less menacing than the blood red that took over his pupils when he went into the rage state. He had appeared to be kind of stuck in that state down on Earth but now that she thought of it, ever since they’d gotten back to the ship, she hadn’t seen him that way. Not that she’d seen much of him but still…

“You seem…calmer lately,” she ventured, hoping he wouldn’t be offended. “I mean, since we came back to the Mother ship. On Earth you were, well…”

“I was out of control,” he admitted candidly. “My blood was burning and I had no way to quench the flames.”

“Oh.” Sophie looked down at her hands. “That was my fault, I guess.”

“Of course not.” He sounded almost fierce and she looked up again, wide-eyed. “Don’t ever take the blame for any of my actions on yourself,” he said sternly.

“But I thought you were…that because I wouldn’t let you…you know…”

“You weren’t ready.” Sylvan looked back at the controls. The red wound in space was growing closer. “You may never be, I see that now.”

“I…I don’t understand,” Sophie faltered.

He glanced at her again. “I saw the look on your face after I came back from dealing with your attacker.”

“About that,” Sophie began haltingly. “I’m really sorry I freaked out on you. Seeing him again just…brought everything back.”

“I thought it was probably something like that,” Sylvan said grimly. “I’m sorry I was the cause of your fear and pain.”

“No, really. I—”

“But that isn’t the only reason I spoke as I did. When I had to inject you with the translation bacteria, your fear and dread were almost overwhelming.” He shook his head. “Do you think I want to see those emotions in your eyes when I take you? When I make love to you, Sophia?”

“I…no,” she whispered, twisting her fingers together nervously. “No, I guess not.”

“I told you I didn’t want to cause you pain.” Sylvan looked back at the fold in space which was almost upon them now. “And I meant it. I’ll leave you alone from now on—I swear it.”

Oh no—another unbreakable oath! Sophie knew he didn’t break his word. Please don’t say that! The words hovered on the tip of her tongue but a single thought kept her from saying them. If she asked him not to leave her alone, not to vow to keep his distance, it was the same as encouraging him, giving him hope. And wasn’t it wrong to do that when she was still afraid to let him bite her?

If only he didn’t have to bite! she thought miserably. Why couldn’t he be any other kind of Kindred? I don’t know what Kat’s complaining about. Even having Twins to deal with wouldn’t be as scary.

“I’m sorry,” she said aloud, feeling horrible. “Really so sorry, Sylvan.”

“Let’s not speak about it,” he said shortly. “We’re about to enter the fold. It’s best to clear your mind and try to relax.”

“Will going through the fold change us in any way?” Sophie asked anxiously.

“It shouldn’t. But it’s better to remain calm—we will be passing through other dimensions, you know.”

Actually, she hadn’t known. But before she could ask any other questions, the little ship slipped into the red gash in space and everything she had ever known in her whole life disappeared.

* * * * *

Sylvan watched her from the corner of his eye as the dimensional slip took them and they crossed the fold. It didn’t hurt to go through folded space but it was an odd sensation, one he’d only experienced a few times before himself. Though the actual slip only took moments, time seemed to stretch out indefinitely, giving a person a chance to contemplate their entire life and which way it was headed.

Last time he’d crossed the fold, he had been leaving Tranq Prime and Feenah had been on his mind. A lost love. A hopeless desire destined never to come to fruition. And now, ironically, he was crossing the other way, going back to his native world, and he found himself in the exact same situation—only worse.

I never loved her as I love Sophia, he thought, watching her pale and lovely face as she stared out the viewscreen in awe. What I felt for Feenah was a pale shadow of the emotion that threatens to overwhelm me now. But he wasn’t going to let it. Wasn’t going to fall into that trap again. He had to keep the rage in check—keep the need under control so it didn’t get the best of him again. And as long as Sophia was in no physical danger, he was fairly certain he could manage that. I won’t scare her again, he told himself sternly. I won’t be the cause of her fear or her pain. I will protect her and love her—even if I have to do so from afar. Even if I am destined never to have her.

Oh, Talana…

At last the slip was over and they were on the other side of the fold. The ship flew out of the red gash in space and into the familiar territory of his own solar system. Sylvan watched as the craggy white peaks and snow-covered tundras of Tranq Prime grew larger in the viewscreen. It had been years since he had been home and he felt a strange tugging on his heart at the sight. If only his mother was still alive everything would be—

Sylvan frowned.

“Is everything all right?” Sophie asked from beside him. “Why are you frowning?”

“It’s nothing. Just…” He checked the instrument panel. “Something came through the fold with us.”

“It did? What is it?” She shifted anxiously in her seat, looking worried.

Sylvan didn’t blame her a bit. After all, look at what had happened to them the last time they’d taken what they thought would be a quick and easy trip from the Mother ship. Still…he frowned at the readout he was getting from the off-ship scanner. Then he relaxed.

“No, it’s nothing. Just a small asteroid.”

“So that’s okay?” She still looked worried.

“It’s fine,” Sylvan assured her. “It happens sometimes. When you fold space it creates a kind of vacuum—not as strong as a black hole but strong enough to suck other, smaller objects in along with our ship.”

“Good.” Sophie relaxed and scratched her knee. “Ow. Itchy,” she muttered to herself.

“Problem?” Sylvan couldn’t help looking at her bare legs. She was wearing a light blue dress which was wholly inappropriate for Tranq Prime and the knee she was scratching was the one he’d healed with his tongue after the urlich attack. How well he remembered the taste of her blood, the warmth of her skin…the memory made his fangs ache but he held them back sternly.

“No, nothing. Just an itchy knee.” She smiled up at him brightly. “So…can we call everyone back home—er—at the Mother ship and tell them we made it through okay?”

“Certainly.” Sylvan activated the com on the viewscreen and got Baird in a matter of moments.

“All well, brother?” Baird growled and Sylvan nodded.

“We’re through with no problems. We brought a small asteroid with us but nothing else of consequence.”

“That’s good.” Baird nodded. “I’ll tell Olivia.” He looked at Sophie. “She sends her love and Kat does too. She wanted to stay up and speak to you but I convinced her she needed her rest.” He touched the pale blue flower which he was wearing in the buttonhole of his front pocket. “Carrying a son can be very tiring for a female, even in the first quadmester.”

Sophia looked surprised. “Stay up and speak to me? But it’s only a little past noon.”

Sylvan shook his head. “It’s more like midnight at the Mother ship. We lost a few hours in the fold.”

“Oh, well…” Sophia appeared disappointed not to see her sister but she shrugged. “Well, Liv never was much of a night owl. Tell her I love her. And Kat too.”

“I will.” Baird nodded again. “And now we should go. Transmitting across this many light years takes enormous energy.”

“Goodbye then. We’ll speak to you again if we have anything new to tell you,” Sylvan said. “And please contact us if anything changes.”

“Will do. Goodbye, Brother.” Baird winked out and the viewscreen showed the growing grayish-white curve of Tranq Prime again.

Sophia cleared her throat and looked at him. “So we’ll be landing soon. Tell me what to expect. Where are we staying?”

“With my kin.” Sylvan hoped they wouldn’t mind—he hadn’t had much time to give them warning he was coming. “The mother of my sister,” he clarified for Sophia’s benefit. “She and her mate and their daughter live in Lanash, the main grotto on Tranq Prime.”

“Uh, grotto?” She frowned. “You live in a cave?”

“We dwell underground on Tranq Prime—the weather conditions are much too harsh to live on the surface,” Sylvan explained. “In fact, I never saw the sun above until I was nine and my father took me on a hunting trip.”

“Really? What did you hunt?”

“A vranna.”

“A what? Sorry, I thought I knew your language now.”

“You know the grammar and syntax and the basic sentence structure but there will still be a few words that are unfamiliar to you,” Sylvan told her. “A vranna is…” He tried to think how to explain. “Imagine something that’s a little like one of your grizzly bears but as tall as a giraffe covered in green-blue fur. They’re quite fierce.”

“I bet.” Her lovely green eyes were wide. “Did you kill it?”

Sylvan shrugged. “It was my manhood hunt so I was allowed the first thrust. With my shale—it’s like a long spear, twice the height of the male who carries it. And a blade on the end as long as my arm.”

“So in order to become a man you had to kill an abominable snowman?”

“A what?”

“Never mind.” She shook her head. “It’s just…that’s amazing.”

“It’s the way of my people. We can be very direct in some ways. And not so direct in others,” he finished, frowning.

“Are you trying to tell me to watch my back?” she asked frowning. “I mean, even Baird seemed to think you really need to keep your eyes and ears open down there.” She nodded at the frozen white globe which was growing larger in the viewscreen. “Do I have to worry about being eaten by one of those abominable vranna things?”

Sylvan frowned. “You have nothing to fear as long as I am with you. And we won’t be on the surface anyway so you would never be in danger from any of the larger predators.”

Her eyes widened. “Are there worse things than giraffe-sized grizzly bears wandering around?”

“Certainly. And since it’s spring time now, a lot of them will be coming out of hibernation. A very long hibernation, since winters on Tranq Prime can last for dozens of your Earth years.”

“Spring time, huh?” She sounded doubtful. “I know what that means to me—flowers blooming, birds singing…”

“We have those things.” Sylvan nodded. “Maybe not in the way you think of them but we have them. Remind me to take you to see the snowdrop trees in bloom. They only blossom for a short time in spring. In fact, we may be just in time for the Snowdrop Festival. There’s a feast and a dance—it’s quite a big deal.”

“A festival? That sounds like fun.” She smiled. “You know, I was kind of apprehensive at first but now I really want to see your home planet.”

“Really? Are you interested in other cultures?”

“Just yours, mainly,” she said and then blushed.

Sylvan wished she didn’t looks so bewitchingly pretty when her cheeks turned that soft shade of pink. It made him want to drag her into his lap and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe. Until she bared her neck for him and begged for his bite… Never going to happen, he told himself roughly. Get over it. Move on.

“Well, you’re not ready to see my planet yet,” he said, more abruptly than he’d intended.

“I’m not?”

“No. If you set foot on the surface in what you’re wearing you’ll freeze to death in moments. Go to the back of the shuttle and look in the upright locker.”

Sophia did as he asked and came back wearing an oversized green-blue fur that dragged the ground. “I’m swimming in this thing.” She motioned at herself, the furry arm of the coat flopping.

“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s actually mine,” Sylvan apologized. “I had no time to get any in your size on such short notice. But I’m certain my mother’s sister can find you something once we get below the surface.”

“But what about you?” she objected. “You’ve only got your blue uniform shirt. I don’t want to take your coat—you’ll freeze.”

“Not nearly as quickly as you will.” Sylvan set the shuttle’s landing sequence on autopilot and turned back to her. “Blood Kindred have twice the number of red blood cells that humans do. They carry more oxygen and keep us warmer. Besides, we only have a few hundred yards to go from the landing area to the grotto entrance.”

“Uh…what about shoes?” She looked down at her woefully inadequate footwear. Two little straps went between her first and second toes and attached to a flat pad at the bottom, leaving her entire delicate foot exposed. Sylvan thought they were called “flop-flips” or something equally ridiculous. He couldn’t help noticing, though, that her toenails were painted an innocent shell-pink which was somehow devastatingly feminine.

“Those won’t do at all,” he told her sternly. “And I don’t have any boots that will fit you. I’ll just have to carry you.”

“Oh no, I don’t want you to have to do that. If it’s just a few yards like you said, I’m sure I can manage.”

Sylvan felt his heart knot like a fist. “A few hundred yards,” he corrected her gruffly. “Is there some reason you don’t want me to carry you? Remember I swore to leave you alone so you don’t have to worry that—”

“No, no!” she said hastily, cutting him off. “No, I just didn’t want to…to burden you.”

“You could never be a burden to me, Talana.” The endearment slipped from him before he could help it. Clearing his throat, he tried to cover his mistake. “Besides, if you don’t want to lose your pretty toes to frostbite, you’ll have to be carried whether you like it or not.”

Sophia went pale. “It’s that cold?”

He nodded. “It’s that cold.”

She bit her lush lower lip, another gesture that made him want her so much he ached. “Then I would like it very much if you would carry me, Sylvan,” she said in a low voice. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Truth be told, despite the biting cold he knew they would encounter, he was looking forward to the short trip between the landing area and the grotto.

It would probably be the last chance he ever got to hold her in his arms.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Sophie didn’t know what to expect. She felt more than a little nervous about meeting Sylvan’s family. With all the talk of stabbing wild animals with spears and living underground in caves, she wondered if they might not be a primitive people. Of course, they had space flight and Sylvan didn’t strike her as a Clan of the Cave Bear kind of guy—the exact opposite, in fact. But maybe they had gotten all their technology in their trade with the Kindred.

Whatever she faced underground in the “grotto” however, she had to deal with getting there first. After they landed, Sylvan wrapped the long bluish-green fur around her tightly, making sure her hands and feet were well covered. Then he lifted her gently and nudged the door release with his elbow.

“Get ready,” he murmured in her ear. Slowly the shuttle opened to reveal a flat, frozen plain that appeared to be covered in short grayish-blue vegetation.

Sophie opened her mouth to reply—and nearly choked as a rush of freezing cold air gusted down her throat. “God!” She gasped and tried to draw another breath, only to feel like someone was stabbing her lungs with knives.

“Take short, shallow breaths,” Sylvan advised in a low voice. He had kicked the shuttle door shut behind him and was already striding over the frozen ground with swift, economical movements.

There was no wind at all but even the brush of the air against her face as he carried her hurt. It was a stinging, freezing cold that Sophie had never experienced before and she wasn’t equipped to deal with it. Despite being well wrapped up, her hands and feet were already numb and her eyes stung and watered. The tip of her nose felt like it might break off and every breath she took was like a spike in her lungs. She began to feel dizzy and the gray-blue plain wavered in her vision.

“Sophia? Are you all right?” Sylvan sounded concerned.

“Hurts,” she whispered. “Hurts to…to breathe.”

“Press your face to my neck,” he ordered. “Draw warmth from me.”

“But—”

“Do it!” It was a command, not a request.

Miserably, Sophie did as he said. She was certain her nose would feel like ice against his skin but she pressed her face against the side of his neck anyway. To her surprise, he was warm. Not just a little warmer than her but positively toasty. And he didn’t flinch when he felt her chilly touch.

Feeling a little less panicky, Sophie snuggled closer, nuzzling against his throat and breathing in his scent. It was sharp and spicy and utterly masculine—his mating scent again, she realized. Had he started exuding it because she was close to him or just because he felt protective of her? Either way, it smelled delicious and she breathed it in happily, glad to be able to draw a breath without the stabbing pain.

Sylvan went on tirelessly, though she couldn’t see how he could function in the extreme cold, let alone move well enough to carry her. She wondered drowsily how long it would be until they got underground—had they been walking for long? It seemed like an eternity, though it must feel even longer for Sylvan who was carrying her so patiently. Her hands and feet still felt numb but it didn’t seem to matter anymore. Nothing mattered because she felt so tired…so incredibly sleepy…

“Sophia? Sophia, wake up!” Sylvan’s voice was sharp in her ear and she stirred sluggishly.

“Huh?” She lifted her head and then winced as the cold air clawed at her like a wild animal. Quickly she pressed her face into his neck again. “Leave me alone.”

“I can’t. You must not go to sleep out here. You might not wake up.”

“Wha…what are you talking about?” She peered groggily up at him with one eye, trying to keep the rest of her face close to his neck. He was still striding along but he was looking down at her and his pale blue eyes were worried.

“The cold’s affecting you more than I thought it would.” He frowned. “Just stay awake—we’re almost there.”

“Almost where?” Were they going somewhere? When she pushed herself to remember it seemed like they were, but she didn’t know where or why. Why bother to go anywhere when she could stay close to Sylvan, breathing in his delicious mating scent? At first she’d been horribly cold but now everything was perfectly, beautifully warm…

“Almost to the grotto entrance.” Sylvan’s voice seemed to come from far away this time. “Stay awake, Sophia—please!” There was desperation in his voice and he was almost running now, jogging over the frozen ground with her in his arms, as though he was trying to win some kind of race.

“Slow down,” Sophie protested peevishly. His faster pace was joggling her uncomfortably, making it almost impossible to sleep the way she so desperately wanted to. “Can’t…get any rest…this…way.”

“You don’t need to rest. You need to wake up. Here.” He sounded relieved. “Here we are at last.”

He ducked his head and then they were passing into some kind of entrance. Sophie caught a vague glimpse of a stone archway and then a door slammed shut behind them and they were headed downward into warmth and darkness…

She must have gone to sleep after all because when she woke up she was lying on a hard surface (some kind of bench?) and someone was rubbing her hands and feet frantically.

Her eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head, which felt like it weighed about a thousand pounds. Looking down she could see Sylvan kneeling beside her. He was rubbing one of her hands which felt strangely numb. As her vision cleared, Sophie saw with horror that the hand he was working on was no longer tan—in fact, it was almost blue. Looking farther, she saw that her other hand and her feet were the same alarming color.

“Sylvan?” She couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice. “Sylvan, am I…will I be okay?”

His face was drawn and pale with concern as he continued to rub her hands and feet. “You would be if I could bite you—but I know you don’t want that,” he added before she could open her mouth to protest. “Even essence might not do the trick, though. What you need is more red blood cells circulating through your system.”

Sophie felt her breath catch in her throat as a memory came rushing over her.

“You need more blood, honey—better blood.” The tall, blonde nurse leaned over her with the hateful needle in one hand, sharp and silver and bright. “That’s all we want to do, just give you better blood. It’s just a little pinch and it’ll be over in a minute…”

But that was what they always said. And it was never just one little pinch. Her veins were tiny and hard to find. Sometimes she was stuck six or seven times before they could get one big enough for the transfusion. The needles left huge black and purple bruises on her pale arms and they hurt so much…

“No,” she blurted. “No, Sylvan, I don’t want a transfusion. I can’t—”

“I’m not talking about a transfusion. There’s no time for that, anyway.”

Sophie saw a flash of fang as he bit sharply into the blue bracelet of veins that ran along the underside of his inner wrist.

“What…why did you do that?” she barely had time to ask before he was holding his bleeding wrist to her mouth.

“Drink.”

“Drink your blood?” She wanted to recoil but she was too weak.

Sylvan cursed softly. “This isn’t the right way to do this but it can’t be helped. I offer you the gift of my blood freely, Sophia. You must drink.”

“But why? How will it help?”

“I’ve had your blood several times. That means my body is attuned to yours which causes it to produce chemicals tailored to heal and stimulate you.”

Sophie looked at him, wide-eyed. “So…you’re like my own personal pharmacy? Is that normal?”

He looked pained. “It would be if we were bonded. What matters now is that the taste of my blood should stimulate your body to start producing more red cells very quickly. And it will also warm you up rapidly.” He pressed his wrist to her lips and looked at her sternly. “You have frostbite in all your extremities. Drink now if you don’t want to lose your hands and feet.”

“Oh my G—” she started to say. But as soon as she opened her mouth, it was full of his blood.

Sophie wanted to gag but she forced herself not to. Have to do this. Have to. Have to, she chanted to herself and actually, after a moment she found that it wasn’t so bad. She’d been expecting the salty, coppery, slightly nauseating taste she got when she accidentally bit her tongue or cheek, but Sylvan’s blood was different.

It’s not bad, she realized with surprise. Not bad at all. I mean I wouldn’t pour it over ice cream like Hershey’s syrup but it doesn’t taste like blood—human blood, anyway. It’s kind of sweet and creamy and strong…To be honest, it tasted like something that might get her drunk if she drank too much of it. But Sylvan didn’t seem to be concerned about that. He watched her anxiously as she sucked at his wrist, as though trying to gauge her reaction to his blood.

Sophie wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen but suddenly she felt an intense warmth and tingling in her hands and feet. When she glanced down, she saw that her skin had returned to its normal color and she was able to move her fingers and toes. She pulled back from his wrist. “I think it’s working. Look!” She wiggled her fingers for him and smiled.

“Take a little more,” Sylvan urged. “To make sure.”

Sophie looked at his wrist which was already healing. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to make you weak.”

“Sharing the gift of blood with you can do nothing but strengthen me.” His voice was deep and soft and the way he was looking at her…

He’s so intense, Sophie couldn’t help thinking. As though we were doing something somehow forbidden. Forbidden but deeply desirable…

“Take from me, Talana.” Sylvan stroked her cheek, holding her gaze with his own. “I want you to.”

Sophie lapped at his wrist again, taking more of his sweet, strong blood in her mouth, and felt another warm tingle race through her. The heat was spreading up her arms and legs into her core and it seemed to be pooling between her legs, somehow. Her pussy suddenly felt swollen and sensitive, just as it had when he marked her, tasted her…

“It’s good,” she whispered, taking another small lick. “I didn’t think it would be but…I like it. Is that strange?”

“It’s because you are as attuned to me as I am to you,” he murmured. “Tell me, does it give you pleasure to drink of me?”

“Drink of me…I like that.” Sophie took another lingering lick, feeling the rush of tingling warmth that flowed directly to the tender spot between her thighs. “Yes,” she admitted softly. “It does give me pleasure. It’s almost like I can feel it—the effects of your blood, I mean—uh, everywhere.” A wave of embarrassment washed over her and she wondered if he knew what was really happening to her every time she took another taste.

From the way Sylvan’s eyes were half-lidded with lust, he knew exactly how his blood was affecting her. “Are you wet, my numala?” he murmured, catching her gaze and holding it with his own. “Do you feel the pleasure of my blood between your thighs?”

Biting her lip, Sophie nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I…I do. Do…” She cleared her throat. “Do you feel the same way when you taste my blood?”

He nodded. “Your blood, your honey…as I said, my body is attuned to yours now.” His voice was a soft growl. “Everything about you makes me want you. Even the way you take my blood.”

Sophia’s eyes flickered down to the thick outline of his cock, pressing against the fabric of his black flight pants. “I…I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling flustered. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I know you didn’t.” He shook his head. “The fault is mine.”

“Sylvan…”

“It’s all right,” he assured her. “Just drink of me one more time to be certain you’re well and we’ll say no more about it.”

“Are you sure you want me to?”

“When will I ever get the chance to give you the gift of blood again? To feel your soft lips pressed to my flesh as you take what only I can give you?” His voice was hoarse with need and longing. “Yes, Sophia, I’m sure. Drink of me. Drink and be healed. Drink and be pleasured.”

His soft words seemed to do something inside her, to touch and caress her exactly where the tingling warmth of his blood had already started a fire. Feeling like she was drowning in lust, Sophie met his eyes and flattened her tongue against his wrist to take another long, slow, lick of his blood…

“I see you’ve arrived in one piece, son of my sister,” said a high, feminine voice behind her. “It’s so good to see you again after all these…oh dear!”

Sophie was so startled she jerked away. At the same time, Sylvan pulled his wrist back and turned to look at whoever was speaking.

“Mother’s sister,” he said steadily to the tall, thin woman with pale blonde hair and light blue eyes, who was standing there in the stone hallway behind them. “I am pleased you came to meet us.”

“We wouldn’t have come if we knew you’d be doing…this. Really, Sylvan, it’s hardly appropriate—especially in a public place like the access tunnel!” She had her arms crossed over her narrow bosom and her thin lips were drawn in a tight line of disapproval. Behind her was a man who was almost as tall as Sylvan but of a much thinner and slighter build. His dishwater blond hair was thinning, showing a pinkish scalp and he had a long, boney face that was also drawn in deep lines of condemnation. To Sophie he looked like a large, hairless cat.

“I am sorry, Mother’s sister,” Sylvan said, nodding his head. “It was regrettably necessary. Sophia had frostbite in all her extremities and I had to, uh, stimulate her system.”

At the word “stimulate” their faces grew red. They were both dressed, Sophie saw, in thin pastel furs that seemed to be cut into clothes. The woman’s pale pink fur was made up into a long, sleek dress that fell elegantly from her neck to her ankles but the man’s pale green fur was tied at the side into a kind of loincloth that barely reached the middle of his thighs. His narrow, scrawny chest and long, skinny white legs were bare and he was wearing a pair of huge furry purple boots that made Sophie want to laugh. But she held back the giggle that rose in her throat—clearly these were Sylvan’s aunt and uncle and just as clearly they weren’t happy.

Sylvan’s uncle cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Sharing the gift of blood is a private, Kindred matter, best kept behind closed doors,” he said, addressing Sylvan. “While you stay with us, you and your bride will please remember that.”

“She’s not my bride.”

“What?” If Sylvan’s aunt’s eyebrows got any higher they were going to disappear into her hairline. “She’s not even bonded to you and you were giving her the gift of blood? Have you no shame?”

Sylvan sighed and stood up to face them. “As I said, it was necessary.”

“Well it had better not be necessary again,” blustered his uncle. “After all, we have an impressionable young daughter to consider. Nadiah doesn’t need to see such things.”

Sylvan nodded. “I understand. It won’t happen again.”

“Well good.” He nodded curtly. “Since we understand each other, your mother’s sister and I offer you and your, er, female friend, the hospitality of our home.”

“Thank you. Sophia and I accept.” Sylvan looked down at her. “We should go. Can you walk?”

“I…I think so.” She was still sitting on the hard, stone bench. When she tried to stand, her legs folded under her. Had exposure to the extreme cold made her weak or was it some side effect of taking his blood? “I’m sorry,” she said as Sylvan swung her up into his arms again.

“Don’t worry. I don’t mind carrying you.” He smiled.

“Thank you.” Sophie smiled back gratefully…until she saw the disapproving way his aunt and uncle were looking at her. “Uh, unless it’s against some kind of law or custom,” she added hastily. “I don’t want to offend anyone.”

“It’s not a problem,” Sylvan assured her and looked at his aunt for confirmation. “Is it, mother’s sister?”

She shook her head curtly, though she still looked to Sophie like she’d been sucking an unripe persimmon. “No. Not as long as that’s all you do.”

“You have my word that no more intimacies will be performed in public or in private,” Sylvan said, looking her in the eye. “I have foresworn myself of Sophia for reasons I choose not to discuss.”

“Well then, that’s a different matter.” His uncle gave Sophia a tight smile which wasn’t much better than his disapproving frown. “I’ll let that be known at the feast when we introduce you and your guest.”

“Very well.” Sylvan looked almost as unhappy as Sophie felt. It was a shame that he had to tell everyone they weren’t together in such a public way. She had been feeling so close to him after he saved her yet again. The taste of his blood lingered on her tongue and the tingling feeling between her thighs hadn’t quite dissipated either. And he smelled so good…

Stop it, she told herself sternly. It’s better not to wish for things you can’t have. Because you can’t just have one part of him. It was true but it still made her frustrated and sad. Sighing deeply, she laid her head on his broad shoulder and watched as his aunt and uncle preceded them down the long, stone corridor that seemed to go on forever.

* * * * *

Sylvan was filled irritation as he followed his kin down the access tunnel that led to the main grotto. His mother’s sister Zeelah and her mate Grennly were still as prudish as ever. Maybe even more so than last time he’d seen them. He wondered if they were out and out Purists yet or if they were still teetering on the edge of that controversy. It was one he would rather not get into himself, if he could help it. He was Kindred, born and bred and he couldn’t help it if his mother’s people disapproved of that.

“Sylvan?” Sophia’s voice was so low in his ear than Sylvan almost didn’t hear her.

“Yes?” He glanced down to see Sophia looking up at him with an uncertain look on her face.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she whispered. “But, uh, your aunt and uncle seem really…upset. Maybe we shouldn’t stay with them.”

Sylvan frowned. “There is no place else for us to stay unless you wish to sleep in the public reflection area.”

“The what?”

“It’s an open area in the middle of the grotto, something like what your people call a park. But it’s strictly for meditation and other serious pursuits. I don’t think my people would like us sleeping there but if you dislike my kin so much—”

“It’s not that I dislike them,” she protested. “I just don’t want to impose. Couldn’t we stay at a motel or something?”

“You mean a temporary lodging for guests who need a place to sleep? The kind you have on Earth?”

She nodded. “Yeah, one of those. It doesn’t have to be the Hilton or anything. We could even stay at the Tranq Prime Motel Six—I don’t care.”

“We have no such lodgings,” Sylvan told her. “Tranq Prime is a closed world. Unless you have kin here to stay with, you don’t stay.”

“Oh.” Her face fell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“Everything will be all right,” Sylvan assured her, hoping it was true. “You’ll have a room of your own for some privacy and you’ll like my mother’s sister’s daughter, Nadiah. She’s very…outspoken. Or she was the last time I saw her.”

“So we won’t be staying together?” She looked a little frightened.

“We’re not bonded,” Sylvan pointed out. “My mother’s sister would never let us share a room—it wouldn’t be proper. But don’t worry,” he added, trying to dispel the worried look in her lovely green eyes. “I’ll always be nearby. I won’t let anything happen to you, Sophia.”

“I know.” She gave him a little smile that seemed to tug at his heart. “I’m sorry, Sylvan. I don’t mean to be a baby. It’s just that I’ve never been away from Earth before and you’re the only person I know on this entire planet. In this entire solar system, for that matter.”

And that’s the way I want to keep it. Want to take you away with me and keep you safe and protected somewhere private where it’s just the two of us. He knew it was a dream that could never come true but he couldn’t help himself. Giving her the gift of blood had stirred him almost unbearably. The feel of her soft lips and warm tongue against his skin, the look in her eyes and the way her scent had changed, letting him know that she was getting wet, getting ready…

“Oh my!” Sophie’s awed exclamation drew him out of his reverie and he realized that they had passed through the access tunnel and were entering the main grotto.

“Do you like it?” he asked as she looked around the huge underground space that encompassed the grotto.

* * * * *

“Do I like it?” Sophie breathed. “It…it’s beautiful. I can’t stop looking at it.”

When Sylvan had spoken of his people living underground, she had immediately thought of a vacation her family had once taken to some natural caverns in the mountains of Tennessee. The caves had been dark and spooky with cool, damp, stagnant air that smelled strangely of nothing. Everything she touched had left a smear of reddish clay on her fingers and the gritty crunch of pebbles under her feet had echoed eerily in the wide, empty spaces that had never seen light.

The whole experience had been horribly claustrophobic because she kept thinking of all the tons and tons of rock above her head and how there was only one way out of the cave. To make things worse, the guide went on and on about people who had started exploring and then couldn’t find their way out again. Sophie couldn’t help thinking about what an awful way it would be to die—alone in the dark after your candle or flashlight had gone out, knowing that no one could hear your echoing screams…

So that—or something like it—was what she’d been expecting when they entered the grotto. What she saw couldn’t have been more different.

The space was vast, for one thing—at least as big as two football fields put together. And it was open and airy, so that she could only dimly see the natural rock ceiling glinting far above. The plain brown walls of the tunnel had given way to vast sheets of pinkish rock that were streaked with what must be mineral deposits in every imaginable color. A purplish-blue vegetation that reminded Sophie of moss covered the floor which sloped down to a center area where a grove of pale trees with silvery leaves grew around a still blue lake.

Thick pillars of deep, maroon stone stood here and there, stretching up to the ceiling like giant petrified redwoods. They had been carved with golden letters in some language Sophie didn’t know…or did she? As she stared, they began to make sense. Must be the translation bacteria at work, she thought, delighted to suddenly be able to read a whole other language without effort. Too bad she hadn’t had something like this back when she took high school Spanish!

“Peace,” she read aloud softly. “Prosperity. And—”

“Purity,” Sylvan finished for her in a low voice.

“Purity?” Sophie frowned. “Is, uh, everyone here super religious or something?”

“No, they aren’t speaking of sexual or spiritual purity—the runes refer to purity of the blood. As I said, Tranq Prime is a closed world. They don’t interbreed with off-worlders and they’re very proud of their untainted bloodlines.”

“They don’t? But what about the trade they made with you guys? With the

Kindred?”

“Done strictly out of necessity because of the epidemic of Blood Fever. The native Primes had to trade with the Kindred or die out as a race. Now that a vaccine has been developed and the disease has been all but eradicated, there are many who say the trade should end and the Kindred shouldn’t be allowed to call brides from Tranq Prime any longer. Kindred warriors used to be considered very desirable mates…but no longer. ”

There was a deep bitterness in his tone that Sophie had never heard before. It made her wonder if he had somehow been personally affected by the elitist attitude of the natives. But how could that be? He had vowed never to call a bride, hadn’t he?

“That’s awful,” she exclaimed, a little louder than she’d meant to. Sylvan’s aunt looked back and Sophie nodded and smiled until she turned around again. “I mean, you saved them, didn’t you?” she went on in a lower voice. “And how long have the Kindred been here?”

“Thousands of years.” He shrugged. “But the Primes are a stubborn people with a long memory. The Kindred have never really been welcome—they’ve only tolerated us because they needed us. Now they don’t anymore.”

“Of all the rude, ungrateful—” Sophie stopped abruptly when Sylvan’s aunt turned to look at her again.

“Do you find our grotto to your liking, Sophia?” She pronounced Sophie’s name with a lilting accent that made it sound exotic.

“It’s beautiful,” Sophie said truthfully. “But where do you live?” She supposed that the open area in the center with the lake and silver trees must be the public reflection area that Sylvan had spoken of, but she had yet to see any kind of houses or shops or other signs of life other than the few tall, blond people walking purposefully through the grotto.

“Our dwelling is an offshoot of the central corridor.” Sylvan’s aunt sounded proud, as though this information was important. “Come, we’ll be there soon and you can refresh yourself and put on some decent clothing.” The vranna fur had fallen open and she eyed the sundress Sophie had on under it with apparent disapproval.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sophie hastily snatched the robe closed, although to be honest, she was beginning to feel overheated and stuffy in it. How in the world did they keep it so warm down here when it was so incredibly cold on the surface? Looking at the reflection area again she noticed steam rising from the lake. Could that be the answer?

Before she could ask, they were turning down a wide stone tunnel made of the same pinkish-rainbow streaked rock as the grotto. Along the tall, curving walls there were evenly spaced doors that seemed to be made of the same deep maroon stone as the pillars that supported the roof of the main grotto. After walking about halfway down the wide stone hallway, Sylvan’s uncle and aunt stopped in front of a door with raised golden designs on it.

Sylvan’s uncle produced an elaborate gold metal hook as long as his hand and began to fit it into the depression in the center of the doorway. But before he could finish, the door swung open revealing a tall, slender girl with bright blue eyes. Her hair was the same pale blonde that Sophie had seen on almost everyone else, but it was frosted with blue and purple tips. It was cut pixie short except for one long braid running from the very center of her scalp which had been dyed a glossy black. She was wearing a thin fur dress similar to Sylvan’s aunt’s, but hers was a vivid purple.

“Omigoddess! Sylvan!” the girl squealed when she saw him standing behind his aunt and uncle. Rushing past them she reached up to plant an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek. Then she looked at Sophie who was still cradled in his arms. “And you must be the off-worlder he brought with him. Your hair is just gorgeous! So exotic! I wish I could go all the way dark but Mamam won’t let me.”

“Because a true daughter of Tranq Prime has hair and skin the color of star moss,” Sylvan’s aunt said reprovingly. “It’s bad enough what you’ve done with your hair already, Nadiah.”

“Oh Mamam, you’re so old fashioned!” Nadiah put a hand on her hip and sighed loudly. Then she turned to Sylvan and Sophie again. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

“There’s been a change of plans, Nadiah.” Sylvan’s uncle frowned. “Sylvan and his guest will be in separate rooms. “Sylvan may have the guest room in the far East corner of the domicile and Sophia may have the room right beside yours. They’re…ahem…not bonded.” He turned bright red at the announcement and so did Nadiah but with excitement, not embarrassment.

“Omigoddess, Sylvan, you brought a female you’re not even bonded with to stay in our domicile? I can’t believe Mamam and Patro allowed it!”

“Never mind,” Sylvan’s aunt said firmly when he opened his mouth to answer. “Sylvan needed a place to stay and no matter what his other connections, we are his family.” She looked at Sophie. “Can you walk now, my dear?”

“I think so.” Sophie looked up at Sylvan. “You can put me down now. I think I’m okay.”

“All right.” But he held her a moment longer, as though he was reluctant to let her go. Then with a sigh, he placed her carefully on her feet.

Sophie tottered for a moment and then regained her balance. The dizziness she’d felt earlier seemed to have passed completely and she felt completely herself again. Better than herself, in fact—she felt reinvigorated. Must be Sylvan’s blood. She opened her mouth to ask about it…and shut it again when she remembered how his aunt and uncle had disapproved of his “gift of blood.”

Nadiah had been watching her as she stood and now she touched Sophie’s arm. “You’re all right then? I thought maybe Sylvan had to carry you because your off-worlder legs didn’t work right.”

Sophie was surprised into laughing. “No, I was just dizzy. I had a bad reaction to the cold on the, uh, surface.”

The bright blue eyes widened. “You did? But it’s spring time—it’s barely cold at all any more.”

“Well, it felt incredibly cold to me,” Sophie told her.

“Sophia comes from a place which is so hot you can go down and bathe in the sea any time of year,” Sylvan explained. “And they have vents in their domiciles that blow chilly air to keep them cool day and night.”

“You blow cold air into your dwelling?” Nadiah didn’t look like she believed it.

Sophie nodded. “It gets so hot in summer you can’t live without the AC—uh, air conditioner.”

“Which is why they wear lighter clothing than we’re used to.” Sylvan gave his aunt a meaningful look. “Out of necessity.”

“Well what’s necessary here is to be decent. Especially if you’re going to accompany us to the Snowdrop Festival tonight,” his aunt said briskly. She nodded at her daughter. “Nadiah, take Sophia to her room. See that she’s matched with the right tharp and do something with her hair. We only have a few hours to prepare.”

Nadiah clapped her hands. “Oh goody—a zan-daro! My favorite!”

Sophie looked at Sylvan for help. “Zan-daro?”

He frowned. “I’m trying to think how to translate but I don’t know the words in your language. It means a complete redo of your personal style.”

“Oh, a make-over.” Sophie smiled—it seemed that teenaged girls weren’t that different wherever you went. “Of course,” she told Nadiah. “That sounds like fun.”

“Great! Come on!” Grabbing her by the hand, Nadiah pulled her into the domicile. Sophie barely had a chance to throw a quick backward glance at Sylvan, who was watching them with a bemused look on his face, before she was dragged around a corner and into the alien house.

Chapter Twenty-eight

“Watch out for the heat-stream,” Nadiah instructed, nodding at a narrow channel of steaming, pale purple water that flowed down the length of the room. It was only about six inches across but Sophie could see how getting her foot stuck in it might result in another twisted ankle. She was careful to keep to one side of it as Nadiah pulled her through the living area of the house and down a long stone hallway. Kind of romantic—like living in a castle, she thought as their footsteps echoed behind them.

“This is your room.” Nadiah threw open a door carelessly—or as carelessly as she could, considering it appeared to be made of solid stone. But as heavy as it was, she didn’t appear to have any problem moving it. Either the Primes were incredibly strong or she was really into fitness. Given the fact that they all seemed to be taller and built on a larger scale than humans, maybe the door just didn’t seem that heavy to her.

Sophie started to go into the room but Nadiah pulled her further down the hall. “This is my room,” she said as they came to another stone door. “Luckily it’s on the other end of the domicile from Mamam’s. Still, it’s better to be safe,” she added, nodding at a flat metal plate attached to the door. Pressing her palm to it for a moment, she muttered something too low for Sophie to make out. When she took her hand away it briefly glowed bright pink and then the door swung silently open.

“Wow, that’s some combination lock you have there,” Sophie murmured.

Nadiah grinned. “Sorry about the security. But Mamam would have a fit if she saw half the things I have in here.” She looked at Sophie anxiously. “I can trust you not to tell, can’t I? I mean, you’re with Sylvan so you must not be a Purist.”

“A what?”

“Someone who’s against the trade. You know—with the Kindred?”

“My sister was just called as a Kindred bride,” Sophie assured her. “So I have no problem with it.”

Nadiah looked relieved. “Oh good. Well come in then, and we’ll get you ready for the feast.”

Sophie came into the somewhat cluttered room and looked around with interest. In the middle was a low, perfectly square sleeping platform that had long round pillows on all sides. It was strewn with furs of all different colors. More fur clothing and various trinkets that looked like they might be jewelry were spilling out of drawers built into the rock walls and there was a full length 3-D viewer in one corner with a blinking red time display at the top. Most interesting, to Sophie anyway, were the holographic posters taped to the walls. They were of various large, muscular men, all stripped to the waist and smiling seductively. When she moved a certain way, some of them seemed to wink.

“Kindred posters,” she said in surprise. “Twin Kindred…Beast Kindred…and you have three Blood Kindred.”

Nadiah blushed. “Well you can’t blame me for having a preference! Besides, the Blood Kindred are so sexy.” Before Sophie could answer she moved a pile of clothes off the bed and motioned for her to sit down. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Uh…do you mind if I take off my coat?” Sophie asked hesitantly. She didn’t want to corrupt an innocent young mind—although she was beginning to wonder how innocent Nadiah was—but she was getting really overheated and was slightly desperate to get rid of the heavy vranna skin coat.

“Go ahead and take it off—we’re all girls here.” Nadiah smiled warmly.

“Thanks.” Sophie slipped off the thick fur with a sigh of relief, revealing the thin sundress she’d put on what seemed like a million years ago.

Nadiah was instantly interested by the thin cotton material. “Ooo, what kind of tharp is that? Does it keep you cool instead of warm?”

Sophie had no idea what a tharp was but she tried to answer anyway. “It’s called a sundress and yes, I guess you could say it keeps you cool. It’s better than wearing something hot and heavy, anyway. Not that I don’t like Sylvan’s coat but—”

“Oh, is that Sylvan’s?” Nadiah’s eyes sparkled. “Is it from the vranna he killed for his manhood hunt?”

“Uh, as a matter of fact, it is.”

“And he let you wear it.” Nadiah stroked the thick, green-blue fur softly. “His manhood cloak. That’s so romantic.”

“It was the only thing he had,” Sophie said, thinking that her new young friend was getting the wrong idea. “I mean, I would have frozen to death otherwise. In fact, I almost did, even with the coat on. Sylvan had to warm me up with his—uh, he had to warm me up,” she ended lamely.

“He did? How?” Nadiah sat down beside her, blue eyes wide.

“Oh, uh, he…he rubbed my hands and feet.” Sophie hoped she wasn’t saying anything that might give Nadiah the wrong idea—or the right idea for that matter, since Sylvan’s uncle and aunt seemed to be so scandalized by the fact that he’d given her some of his blood.

“Oh.” Nadiah looked disappointed. “Well, that’s nice. Look, we’d better get you ready! The feast is in just a couple of hours and you have to look perfect.”

“Well, I don’t know if we’re going to achieve perfect,” Sophie said carefully, eyeing the blue and purple frosted hair of her make-over artist. “I think we should shoot for presentable.”

“Uh-uh.” Nadiah shook her head firmly. “Presentable isn’t nearly good enough. Not if you want to outshine Feenah.”

“Who?” Sophie frowned.

Nadiah frowned back. “You mean Sylvan didn’t tell you? Feenah’s his ex.”

“His what?” Sophie couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice. “But I thought he took a vow to never call a bride!”

“He did. And Feenah’s the reason why.” Nadiah glanced up at the time display on her 3-D viewer and shook her head. “Hey, we really have to get you ready. We’ve only got a little while before the feast and you haven’t even chosen a tharp yet.”

Sophia made an impatient gesture. “You choose one for me. I want to hear about what happened.”

But Nadiah was not to be deterred from her make-over, even by juicy gossip. “I’ll tell you in a minute but right now we need to get going.” She bounced up off the bed. “You’re in luck. I just bought some new tharps the other day and I haven’t imprinted all of them yet. Let me go grab them from Mamam’ s room.” She slipped out her door and was gone for what seemed like forever.

Sophie felt like she was going to die of impatience and curiosity. Finally Nadiah came back carrying a stack of what looked like folded fur blankets in all different colors.

“What do you think?” Nadiah sat them down beside her and made a sweeping gesture.

“There’re all really pretty. But look, about Feenah…” Sophie swallowed. “Were she and Sylvan actually, uh, married? I mean, bonded?”

Nadiah frowned. “Of course not. Feenah was just his intended.”

“Oh.” Sophie felt a rush of relief. But really, what had she expected? The Kindred didn’t do divorce, she remembered. So of course he couldn’t have been married to the girl. To this…Feenah. But when Nadiah had said she was his ex…

“They were betrothed in childhood,” Nadiah went on, breaking her train of thought. “It’s not done much now—not with the Kindred anyway—but it was pretty popular up until a few years ago. Before the vaccine was invented.”

“Oh?” Sophie didn’t know what else to say. Not only was Feenah—whoever she was—Sylvan’s ex, she was also his childhood sweetheart! How could she compete with that? You’re not supposed to be competing, she reminded herself sternly. He’s foresworn himself of you, remember? But the thought didn’t make her feel one bit better. In fact, she felt worse.

“Uh-huh.” Nadiah nodded absently. She was going through the pile of fur blankets and holding each one up under Sophie’s chin as though trying to decide which color worked the best. “They were dream sharing and everything—at least I think they were. He’d been gone off planet for years but once you have a connection to a Kindred, you never really lose it.”

Sophie frowned. “Where did he go?”

“His mother—my Mamam’s sister—died when he was nine. So his father took him to Rageron and married again and had Baird. And after she died, the three of them—Sylvan, Baird, and their father—moved to Twin Moons. And I think that was where he was living when he and Feenah started dream sharing.”

“Oh.” Sophie was mildly surprised. She had known that Baird and Sylvan were brothers but she hadn’t known that Sylvan was the older brother. “They—Baird and Sylvan I mean—look about the same age to me,” she said.

“Well technically they almost are. Males from Rageron reach maturity really fast—something to do with their biology.” Nadiah shrugged. “Anyway, the point is, Sylvan and Feenah were intended for each other but when he came to claim her, she wouldn’t go with him for the claiming period.”

“She wouldn’t?” Sophie thought of the way Liv had been literally dragged from their townhouse the day Baird had claimed her. “How did she get away with that?”

Nadiah shrugged. “Her parents are Purists—the leaders of the faction, actually. They backed up her decision. Of course, Sylvan never really pressed the issue.” She sighed. “He got really quiet after that—sad, you know? Not that he was ever very talkative, but he kind of shut up completely. Then he and Baird decided to go all the way to Earth—which I guess is where you’re from—right?”

“Uh, yup. Earth. That’s me,” Sophie said distractedly. “Uh, do you know why Feenah refused to be claimed?”

“I have no idea. I mean, how could she resist him, right?” Nadiah’s eyes went wide again. “I mean, he’s my cousin and everything but I’ll be the first to admit he’s seriously hot.”

“He’s very handsome,” Sophie agreed with a smile. “Which makes me wonder why she rejected him.”

“Oh, you know…” Nadiah shrugged. “It’s that whole Purist thing—they think Kindred males are beasts because of their fangs and how they insist on biting.”

Sophie felt a surge of shame. The same reason I rejected him! Poor Sylvan! “So…the other males on your planet don’t have fangs?” she asked.

“Oh no.” Nadiah shook her head, her long black braid flying. “The Kindred sort of evolved them as a means of curing Blood Fever. The fangs are the fastest way to inject the antidote their bodies create into a girl suffering from Blood Fever. Well, other than you know.”

Sophie didn’t know. “No, what?”

“Sex. Doing the deed. Riding the vranna.” Nadiah nudged her with one boney elbow. “That’s why having sex with a Kindred is referred to as ‘getting the love injection.’ You know?”

“No, I didn’t know that,” Sophie said blankly. She remembered Olivia saying that she was going to a planet filled with women mated to Blood Kindred and that she should find one and talk to her. But apparently that was wrong—mating with a Kindred was out of favor here on Tranq Prime. Well, at least I found a source of information, she thought looking at Nadiah. But how reliable was her source?

Nadiah shrugged. “Anyway, it was Feenah’s loss. The Prime male her parents wanted her to bond with ran off with some girl from another grotto. And she’s so beautiful and perfect you’d think she could have her pick of everyone else, but no one is all that eager to bond with an oath-breaker, you know? Besides…” She leaned closer to Sophie conspiratorially. “Everybody thinks she’s still got a thing for Sylvan. Like maybe she’s sorry she let her parents stop her from being claimed?”

“Really?” Sophie was caught off guard by the stab of jealousy that pierced her heart. “Do you think Sylvan might, uh, feel the same way about her?”

Nadiah shrugged again. “Who knows? He brought you here, didn’t he? Then again, he did forswear himself of you, so it’s not like you’re really together.”

Sophie frowned. “How did you know that?”

“I heard Mamam and Patro talking about it when I went to get the tharps.” Nadiah grinned at her. “So is it true that they caught you and Sylvan sharing the gift of blood?”

Sophie felt her cheeks get hot. “Well…” She shifted uncomfortably. “He…he had to. I was dying of cold and it was the only way Sylvan could warm me up in time to save me.”

“Oh my goddess, that is just so romantic.” Nadiah flung herself back on the bed, swooning dramatically. “It’s exactly like the holo-novels—you know, the ones you’re forbidden to read but everybody passes around school anyway? Where the heroine’s family disapproves but she gets Blood Fever and she can’t help herself, she has to let the Kindred warrior take her.” She sat up and sighed. “I wish I could get Blood Fever. Unfortunately I got the vaccine ages ago.”

“I didn’t have Blood Fever—just frostbite,” Sophie said, frowning. “And I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. He only bit his wrist and let me drink some of the blood.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s only part of the Blood Kindred mating ritual.” Nadiah gestured wildly. “That’s the big deal.”

“Oh?” Sophie said doubtfully.

“Yes. It’s the first part of bonding sex. Only usually it’s the female who offers the gift of blood. She says, ‘I offer myself to you freely, warrior, blood, body, and soul.’ Then he bites her and then they, you know.” Nadiah grinned. “Of course, you can mix it up some if you want to get kinky.” She shook her head. “I never would have thought Sylvan was like that though—he seems like such a straight forward guy. I guess people can surprise you.”

Sophie thought of their time in the cabin. How Sylvan had tasted her, how he’d had her bind him to the bed so that he could mark her the second time. That had been pretty kinky…

“Hey, you’re blushing!” Nadiah elbowed her again. “What are you thinking of? Some other naughty things you and Sylvan did?”

“No, of course not,” Sophie lied quickly. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. “I just…I’m embarrassed because now I realize that we broke one of your customs. A very important one.” She sighed. “No wonder your Mom and Dad…er, Mamma and Patro don’t like me. What an awful first impression.”

“Don’t worry.” Nadiah gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “They wouldn’t have liked you no matter what their first impression of you was.”

“What?” Sophie frowned. “Why not?”

“Because you’re an off-worlder and they’re Purists,” Nadiah said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course they’re not going to like you. But Sylvan’s kin, so they have to let him stay. And they have to let you stay too since you’ve drunk of the cup of hospitality.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Omigoddess—the cup! I forgot to give you a drink from the cup!”

“The what?” Sophie asked, but she was talking to an empty room. Nadiah had run out again.

Sighing, Sophie looked down at the folded fur blankets scattered on the bed. How in the world was she supposed to wear one of them to the feast? Well, maybe she could knot it over one shoulder like a toga—as long as it didn’t show too much skin that way. She didn’t want to shock her hosts any more than she already had. No wonder Sylvan’s aunt and uncle had been so upset—basically it was as if they’d walked in on her and Sylvan making love. Sophie blushed miserably at the thought. Well I’ll just have to make a better second impression, that’s all. Maybe I can do really well at the feast tonight. If I just—

“Here you go.” Nadiah was back again, this time holding an elaborately carved stone cup. It was shaped like a trophy cup—at least to Sophie’s eyes—with high set, wide handles on both sides. The stone it was made of was smooth and black, like marble with flecks of gold and silver running through it. It was filled to the brim with pale purple liquid.

“What is it?” she asked, taking the cup from Nadiah and nearly dropping it. “Wow—this must weigh ten pounds.”

Nadiah frowned. “I don’t understand that unit of measurement. This is our family’s hospitality cup and it’s filled with the traditional drink.”

“Which is?” Sophie wasn’t about to drink until she found out what was in the cup.

Nadiah shrugged. “Just water—meltwater from the first snow of the winter. Drink it and you can’t be kicked out—no matter what Mamam and Patro catch you and Sylvan doing.” She grinned.

“Just water, huh?” Sophie sniffed it uncertainly and then took a small sip. It tasted plain enough but the water fizzed in her mouth and tickled her nose like champagne bubbles.” “Goodness!” She swallowed with difficultly and handed the cup back. “Okay, there, I did it.”

“Good.” Nadiah nodded in apparent satisfaction. “Now you can’t be thrown out of the domicile for any infraction or transgression—no matter how big or small. Sophia, let me be the first to welcome you to my family’s dwelling.”

“Uh, thank you.” Sophie nodded. It seemed kind of strange but she supposed that the whole “you can’t be thrown out for any reason” clause was a big deal in a community with no hotels or motels. If your family kicked you out, where else could you go? Especially since the surface of the planet was a frozen wasteland.

“All right—and now we have to find you the right tharp. We barely have time to get one imprinted on you as it is.” Nadiah set the heavy stone cup on the floor with a thump. “Do you see any you like?”

“Uh…that one.” Sophie pointed to the moss green fur blanket that was farthest from her. “I like that one.”

Nadiah frowned and picked up the blanket. She held it up under Sophie’s chin and then shook her head. “Nope, I’m afraid not.”

“What? Why not?” Sophie asked. “You asked which one I liked—well, I like this one.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t like you,” Nadiah said earnestly. “Believe me, Sophia—it’s not the right one for you at all.”

Sophie looked at the rest of the fur blankets and frowned. They were all different shades from brilliant scarlet to deep purple to bright blue, but none of them would look as good with her eyes and complexion as the moss green. And suddenly she did want to look perfect for the feast—especially if Feenah was going to be there. “I like this one,” she said gently but firmly, taking the moss green tharp from Nadiah’s hands. “And I’m sure it does like me—green has always been my color. Because of my eyes, you know.”

“You do have gorgeous eyes.” Nadiah sighed. “So exotic… All right, maybe you can make it work after all. But don’t blame me if it causes mischief. A mismatched tharp can be your worst nightmare.”

Sophie didn’t know why she was so worried. Holding the moss green fur up to herself in the viewer, she could see that it was the perfect shade for her.

She was going to be beautiful at the feast tonight. Beautiful and poised and elegant. She was going to make a wonderful impression on everyone there—even Sylvan’s aunt and uncle, and she was going to do her best to outshine Feenah. Why should you care about looking better than her? It’s not like you’re in some kind of competition for Sylvan.

Except it felt like she was. And try as she might, Sophie couldn’t ignore the stab of jealousy she felt when she imagined Sylvan’s ex meeting up with him again after all these years.

Chapter Twenty-nine

It had been a long time since Sylvan had worn a tharp and the traditional dress of his home planet felt strange to him. To be honest, he would have preferred to remain in his Kindred uniform. But he knew that would stir up trouble with the Purists and he didn’t want to deal with controversy at the moment. So he reluctantly decided to dress in the traditional manner—at least for the feast.

He had been a little worried about breaking in a new tharp on such short notice, but luckily his mother’s sister had some that were new and not yet imprinted. He had chosen a shaggy brown one that looked mature for its age and let it know that he would tolerate no nonsense. The tharp had acquiesced to his will at once and draped obediently and securely around his waist as he directed.

Sylvan only hoped that Sophia, who had been shut up in Nadiah’s room for well over an hour now, was having similar luck. It would have been better if he’d had time to explain to her about the Tranq Prime clothing and customs, but he was sure Nadiah was covering all that as she dressed Sophia for the feast.

“Well,” he said aloud, looking at his new tharp in the viewer. “This one appears to be well behaved.”

His mother’s sister’s mate, Grennly, nodded in approval. “A good choice. As I recall, you always were good at subduing tharps to your will. Too bad you don’t have as much luck with females, eh?” He laughed and slapped Sylvan on his bare back.

“Yes, it’s a pity,” Sylvan said politely. And as I recall, you always were an idiot. But he didn’t say it aloud—one could not say such things to kin, no matter how true they were.

“So why did you really forswear yourself of the exotic little Earthling?” Grennly wanted to know. He had been taking sips from a small stone flask ever since he’d managed to slip away from his mate, and his proper Purist attitude seemed to be melting away along with his sobriety. “I mean, she’s not a Prime female but she’s pretty enough in an off-worlder kind of way. A bit short for my tastes but that dark hair is very fetching. I would’ve thought you’d snatch her up.”

Sylvan gritted his teeth and fought the irritation that rose inside him at the male’s ignorant words. “Sophia is a good deal more than fetching. And I am here to protect her—nothing more. She is being hunted by the Scourge.”

“Is that right?” Grennly took another swig from his flask. “Feenah will be at the feast tonight, you know,” he said, changing the subject with his usual lack of tact.

“I expected as much,” Sylvan said evenly. “She and Tyber will be sitting at the founding families table, no doubt.”

“You don’t know?” Grennly raised his thin blond eyebrows in surprise.

“Know what?”

“Why that Feenah is still unmated! She and Tyber went their separate ways barely a cycle after you left Tranq Prime for good.” He snorted. “Or rather, Tyber went his own way. He ran off with a female from the Twii grotto right before he and Feenah were to be mated.”

Sylvan frowned. “Such faithlessness in a male is shameful.”

Grennly looked surprised. “I would have thought you’d be glad to hear that Feenah got a taste of her own medicine.”

“I cared for her at one time—cared deeply,” Sylvan said. “How could I be happy about anything that hurt her?”

“Well…” Grennly shrugged his narrow shoulders and settled on the sleeping platform. “Just thought you might like to know. And she’s still unmated. Might be she’ll be more amenable to your, ah, attentions now than she was last time you were here.”

Sylvan adjusted his tharp and frowned. “I thought you and Zeelah were Purists now. Why would you encourage me to pursue a pure-blooded Prime female—especially one who has already rejected me once before?”

Grennly cleared his throat. “Well, all that Purist sentiment is mainly for Zeelah’s benefit. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I wouldn’t want Nadiah bonding with a Kindred.” He took another drink. “No offence.”

“None taken,” Sylvan said dryly, reaching for the pair of extra-large brown fur boots that his mother’s sister had somehow managed to procure for him.

“Good.” Grennly nodded. “As to why I would encourage the match, well, Feenah’s people have always been a little too proud of their blood lines.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow at the other male. “So you want me to bond with Feenah in order to ‘pollute’ their blood with my inferior Kindred stock and put them in their place?”

“Exactly.” Grennly was either completely immune to sarcasm or not sober enough to notice Sylvan’s tone. “They think they’re so important because their domicile is closer to the main grotto than ours.”

“They are dreadfully self-important.” Zeelah’s strident voice preceded her as she entered the guest room they had given Sylvan.

Grennly, who had been lounging on the sleeping platform, quickly hid the stone flask under a pillow and sat up straight. “Just so, my dear. Just so.”

“Sylvan, my dear, just look at you.” Zeelah came forward, smiling. “So handsome! A bit brawny for my taste, perhaps but you can’t help that—it’s the Kindred blood in you.”

Sylvan looked at her. “I’m proud to be what I am—a Kindred warrior.”

“Of course. Of course.” Zeelah made a gesture with one hand, as though shooing his words—and his less than pure blood lines—away. “But you’re first and foremost a male of Tranq Prime and tonight we’re going to remind everyone of that.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow at her. “And just how do you intend to do that?”

“Not to worry—I have everything in hand.” Zeelah gave him a reassuring smile that he didn’t trust a bit, but before he could say anything Nadiah stuck her head in the doorway.

“What’s everybody doing in here? We’re going to be late for the feast!”

“Coming my dear.” Zeelah smiled at her daughter. “Is Sophia all ready for her first Snowdrop Festival?”

“As ready as I could make her.” Nadiah sounded a little doubtful. “We had some trouble with her tharp but it’s behaving itself now—I think.”

“Nadiah Vil-delano Quii—that was all you had to do, just find her a suitable tharp,” Zeelah scolded. “Couldn’t you even manage that?”

“I did manage it,” said Nadiah defensively. “She looks fine and we’re ready to go. But we can’t leave until the males do—unless you want to break with tradition and all go together. My friend Lenrah’s family are all going together at the same time. She told me so.”

Zeelah sniffed. “Really, Nadiah, where do you find these friends? Is their domicile even anywhere near the main corridor?”

Nadiah bristled. “Lenrah’s people are perfectly nice and respectable, Mamam. And who cares where their domicile is located?”

“You had better care, young lady, if you want to make a good bonding match,” Zeelah said tartly. “You’re judged by the company you keep, you know. And furthermore—”

“Sylvan and I are ready.” Grennly got to his feet looking surprisingly steady for a male who’d been drinking as much as he had. “We’ll go on ahead, shall we?”

“Yes, yes, go.” Zeelah made a shooing gesture. “But don’t be seated until I get there. You won’t have to wait long—we’ll be right behind you.”

“All right then. Come on, Sylvan.” Grennly nodded for him to follow but Sylvan stayed where he was.

“I would prefer to escort Sophia to the feast myself.”

“What?” Zeelah fluttered around him in agitation. “But you can’t do that, Sylvan! The males in the family must always arrive first and you’re not even a bonded pair—think what people will say.”

“I don’t care what they say, Sophia is uncomfortable enough as it is and I am the only person she knows on Tranq Prime. I won’t abandon her just to please convention.”

“But Sylvan—”

“It’s all right.” Sophia appeared in the doorway, smiling hesitantly. She looked lovely in a moss green tharp that draped beautifully over her curves and brought out her eyes. “Excuse me, I don’t know if I’m supposed to be in here but I heard voices so…”

“Of course it’s okay.” Nadiah smiled at her. “What happened to you, anyway? I thought you were just going to relieve yourself. What took so long?”

“Oh, I…” Sophia’s cheeks went nearly scarlet. “I had a little difficulty. I mean, your, ah, facilities are different from what I’m used to. And then I got lost. Your, uh, domicile is very beautiful and very large,” she said, turning to Zeelah.

“Well, of course.” Zeelah puffed up with pride. “The Quiis are one of the first families. We couldn’t possibly live in a smaller or less prominent dwelling.”

Nadiah rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Because everyone knows your worth as a person is determined by your blood lines and social rank.”

Zeelah turned on her daughter. “That’s enough out of you, young lady. You may turn up your nose at our social standing now but when it comes time for you to choose a mate I’m sure you’ll think differently.”

“Now, now.” Grennly stepped between his mate and daughter. “Let’s not argue on a festival day. Sylvan and I need to get going or we’ll all be late.”

Sylvan crossed his arms over his chest. “You can go ahead. I’ll be escorting Sophia.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Sophia said quickly, before his mother’s sister could protest. “I’ll be fine going with the girls.”

“Are you certain?” Sylvan walked over and took her by the shoulders. Looking down into her eyes he murmured, “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine, really.” She smiled up at him. “Nadiah and I are already friends and besides, I don’t want to make things hard on you in your own hometown. Er…home planet.”

Sylvan scanned her face, wanting to be certain she was really all right. “If you’re truly certain…”

“Positive,” she assured him brightly.

“And your tharp is well suited to you?”

She looked down at herself. “It’s, uh, fine. Nadiah had a hard time getting it fastened at first but now it fits like a glove.”

“So I see.” He couldn’t help noticing that the tharp in question was clinging to her in a way that was almost indecent. From what Nadiah had said, it had been troublesome to begin with. Well, it appears to like her well enough now, he thought, eying the way it was draped lovingly over her full breasts and hips. “Just keep it in its place,” he told Sophia.

“Of course I’ll keep it in place.” She frowned. “I mean, it’s not like I would take it off in the middle of the feast.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant—” Sylvan started to say, but then Grennly was taking him by the arm. “Your lovely young lady is fine, Sylvan and we really need to go.”

“Go on, you two.” Zeelah shooed them out the doorway. “We females will do a last bit of freshening up and we’ll meet you at the feasting grotto.”

Frowning, Sylvan cast a last look over his shoulder at Sophia. But she was arm-in-arm with Nadiah and the two females were already talking about something else. He told himself he was being overprotective. After all, it wasn’t like the Scourge could reach down and pluck her away from him here under the surface of Tranq Prime. She was as safe as she could possibly be—she didn’t need him keeping her caged in every minute, especially when it seemed that she and Nadiah were already fast friends.

Still, it was with a certain amount of reluctance that he allowed Grennly to lead him out of the domicile and toward the feasting grotto. Sophia was so beautiful in the clinging, moss green tharp and if another male looked at her or wanted to talk to her, he would have to sit by and watch it happen. Because despite what his heart told him, he technically had no claim on her.

No claim at all.

* * * * *

Sophie watched Sylvan walk away and tried to subdue the small spark of panic that tried to set fire to her nerves. I’ll be fine, she told herself nervously as Nadiah squeezed her arm. Just fine. And I’m sure we’ll sit together at the feast so it’s no big deal that we aren’t walking there together now.

She wished she’d had five minutes alone with him before he left, though. She wanted to talk to him—really talk, not just mouth pleasantries, which was all she felt able to do in front of his relatives. And she wouldn’t have minded a little time to admire him, either. Though the Tranq Prime style of dress looked absolutely ridiculous on his uncle, Sylvan pulled it off with style and class.

With his bare chest, the brown tharp draped around his waist like a furry kilt and the brown fur boots to match, he had the whole barbarian vibe going on in a very hot way. He looked like a primitive warrior ready to go into battle and Sophie couldn’t help thinking that no woman in her right mind could resist him. Especially not an ex-girlfriend that still had the hots for him.

Sophie only hoped she looked as good in her own tharp. It really was an amazing piece of clothing. The way it draped around her and joined at just the right places—it was almost as though it had a mind of its own. But of course that was ridiculous. She was just glad that Nadiah had finally gotten it fastened after working with it for almost half an hour. It had taken her much less time to put Sophie’s hair up into an elaborate loopy up-do, held in place with thin combs made out of some kind of translucent, glittery mineral.

When Sophie had looked in the viewer she’d had to admit the effect was very nice. The moss green tharp draped across her breasts like a strapless gown, leaving her shoulders bare. But it also managed to form long, flowing sleeves that covered her arms from the elbows down and made her feel like a princess. The bodice—if you could call it that—was a little tight and clingy, but it fell gracefully to her feet, which were covered in furry white dress boots that Nadiah had loaned her. She had found Sophie’s flip-flops fascinating and also a little naughty—apparently females on Tranq Prime didn’t show their feet to anyone but their mates.

The only thing Sophie didn’t like about her new outfit was the fact that she’d had to take off her bra and underwear to put it on. She’d begged to be allowed to keep her panties on at least but Nadiah had vetoed the idea firmly. Apparently wearing any other clothing besides footwear was some kind of insult to the tharp. Sophie supposed it was like trying to modify a gown made by an important designer back on Earth. Maybe Nadiah was afraid that they would meet the person who had made her particular tharp and he or she would be upset.

She had never been a slave to fashion before but in the end, she reluctantly agreed to leave off her underwear in deference to the Tranq Prime customs. It made her wish for her simple cotton sundress, though. Despite the fact that it was completely sleeveless and much shorter than the tharp, she had felt a lot less naked and vulnerable wearing it.

“So tell me what really happened in the necessary room,” Nadiah said in a low voice as they walked slowly down the long stone corridor behind her mother. “Was there some kind of problem?”

“A little,” Sophie confessed, feeling her cheeks get hot. “There was some kind of, uh, animal in there—I guess it must be your family’s pet? Anyway, when I finished, uh, relieving myself it suddenly got very, er, very friendly.”

She shivered just remembering it…

The facilities were strange—the toilet was on a stone pedestal and she had to climb a set of elaborately carved steps to reach it. It made her hope she didn’t have to go in the middle of the night—she could just imagine falling off because she was half asleep. When she was finished, Sophie looked for the tissue but she didn’t see it anywhere. Great, she thought to herself. So what am I supposed to do now—drip dry?

It was then that the thing she’d assumed was a furry purple bath mat at the base of the pedestal, climbed up and insinuated itself onto her lap.

Sophie was frightened at first and almost screamed. But then she remembered Liv’s story about Baird’s blue teddy bear, Bebo. The first time she saw him, Liv had been sure the little animal was some kind of predator intent on eating her up, when in fact he was just a harmless pet. Sophie was determined not to repeat her sister’s mistake. I’m not going to get all freaked out when it’s obviously just some kind of pet, she told herself firmly. I can handle this—it’s no big deal.

The mat was a little creepy but she liked animals—especially little furry ones—and it sort of reminded her of long-haired purple cat. A very flat cat, to be sure, but it made a soft humming sound that was sort of like purring when she stroked it and seemed loveable on the whole.

“Good girl…or boy,” Sophie murmured, petting its flat, furry back. “Aren’t you a good little…whatever you are? Good—”

And that was when the mat started trying to work its way between her legs. “Hey!” she yelped. “Bad mat…cat…thing. Whatever you are. Stop it—no!” She pushed it firmly away but it was very insistent. Now it reminded her of one of those dogs that wasn’t happy unless it had its snout buried firmly in someone’s crotch. Only most people didn’t usually leave their overly-friendly dogs in the bathroom to ambush unsuspecting guests at such a vulnerable moment.

As she fought with the alien animal, her tharp somehow got twisted around her legs and Sophie nearly fell right off the elaborate pedestal where the toilet was perched. She pushed the purple mat away long enough to hop awkwardly down and ran out of the bathroom—or necessary room as Nadiah called it—barely getting the door shut in time.

“Oh my God,” she muttered, breathless from her narrow escape. She leaned against the door, her heart beating crazily as she tried to rearrange her tharp. But she could still hear it—the purple mat thing was scratching frantically on the other side of the door, trying to get to her…

“Oh, you mean the cleaner?” Nadiah said, breaking into her too-vivid recollection of the bathroom break from hell.

Sophie frowned. “The what? Is that what you call that little purple mat thing?”

Nadiah nodded matter-of-factly. “Yes, that’s it. What was the problem?”

Sophie could feel her cheeks getting even hotter. “Well it came up and wanted to sit on my lap. It scared me at first but then I realized it must be a family pet so I petted it some but then it…” She dropped her voice, not wanting Sylvan’s aunt to hear. “It tried to get between my legs.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what they do—cleaners, I mean.” Nadiah didn’t sound surprised at all. “They clean.”

“They do?” Sophie demanded. “And you don’t try to stop them?”

Nadiah shrugged. “Why would you? Besides, how else would you get clean if you don’t let the cleaner take care of you?”

“With…with something that’s not alive, that’s how,” Sophie sputtered. “You mean you just let it…let it get between your legs and…and…”

“And clean you.” Nadiah nodded. “Sure. Why—how do you manage on your planet?”

“Well on my part of Earth we use tissue.” When Nadiah frowned, Sophie tried to think of a way to explain. “Thin sheets of disposable material.”

“Like fur?”

“No. It’s actually made from wood pulp—from trees,” Sophie said.

Nadiah frowned. “You mean on Earth you clean your bottom with trees? Doesn’t that hurt?”

“It’s not like that,” Sophie assured her. “It’s—”.

“I mean, if your trees are like ours—don’t you ever get splinters?” Nadiah interrupted. “Or do Earth people have really tough skin down there?”

“No, of course not. You don’t understand—”

“Well girls, here we are.” Zeelah turned to face them and Sophie realized that they had passed through the main grotto and were standing in front of a narrow opening in the pink rock wall. There was a muted glow coming from within that made Sophie think of candle-light and for the first time she wondered how the vast underground caverns were illuminated. Were the rock walls themselves photo-luminescent? Or was there some kind of plant or animal that gave off light way up on the ceiling, out of sight? She opened her mouth to ask but before she could, Sylvan’s aunt had her by the arm and was leading her into the narrow stone archway.

“Come my dear, we need to get you seated.”

“Oh, uh, okay. Thanks,” Sophie said uncertainly.

“See you later,” Nadiah chirped, letting go of her other arm. “We can talk after the feast.”

“Oh.” Sophie felt suddenly bereft. She’d assumed that Nadiah would be staying with her through the entire feast. “Uh, all right,” she said, trying to sound unconcerned. Of course Nadiah had friends of her own she wanted to sit with and besides, Sophie told herself, she would still be with Sylvan—right?

But when they entered the smaller grotto Zeelah steered her purposefully to a large oval table with only one free seat.

“Wait,” Sophie objected, looking around the cavern for Sylvan. There were many, many high, oval tables scattered around and most of them were already filled with people but she didn’t see him anywhere.

“What’s the matter, my dear?” Zeelah’s voice was kind but the grip she had on Sophie’s arm felt like a pair of iron pincers.

“I just thought I’d be sitting with Sylvan. Oh look—there he is!” He was standing against the wall talking to his uncle and few other males. Sophie tried to go to him but there was no escaping Zeelah.

“Oh, you can’t sit with Sylvan, my dear,” she purred sweetly in Sophie’s ear. “Considering your rank and status that would never do.”

“What rank?” Sophie asked, frowning. “Honestly, I’m not an important person where I come from. I just teach elementary art.”

“Of course you’re important,” Zeelah said firmly. “Why, you’re a visitor from another planet! An emissary from Earth. I’m going to place you between Lady Whitethorn and Magistrate Licklow.”

“I’m sorry? Magistrate who?” Sophie was sure she must have misunderstood the last name Zeelah had mentioned—were her translation bacteria acting up?

“Lady Whitethorn and Magistrate Licklow. He’s only the most important male in the grotto.” Zeelah lowered her voice. “Now remember, as our guest you’re representing our family so I expect you to make a good impression, my dear.”

“But I don’t know your customs,” Sophie said desperately. “What if I make a mistake? Please, I really think I’d be better off with Sylvan.”

“Nonsense.” By this time Zeelah had dragged her all the way to the table and was motioning to a high, padded chair which reminded Sophie of a bar stool. “Now climb up like a good girl and do your best,” she hissed under her breath.

Sophie opened her mouth to protest one more time but the look on Sylvan’s aunt’s face was so scary that she closed it abruptly. Zeelah was smiling but her eyes were hard and there were two little white dents on either side of her aristocratic nose. Clearly she was as sweet as could be—as long as she got her way. But if you crossed her… I better not cross her, Sophie thought. Reluctantly she mounted the chair and settled herself on its bright yellow cushion. As she did Zeelah introduced her.

“Lady Whitethorn, Magistrate Licklow, I’d like to present our guest Sophia,” she said importantly.

“Uh, how do you do?” Sophie said weakly, greeting the man and woman on either side of her. Lady Whitethorn was a stick-thin older woman with a regal bearing and hair as white as the tharp she was wearing. Her eyes were a very pale shade of crystal blue that almost looked clear.

Magistrate Licklow was her exact opposite. Though most of the people Sophie had seen on Tranq Prime were tall and thin, he was extremely corpulent with a round belly and red cheeks that made her think of Santa Claus. All he needed was a long white beard and a red suit. Not that I’d want to sit on his lap and tell him what I want for Christmas, Sophie thought. Not with a name like “Licklow.” She stifled a nervous giggle and then realized that Sylvan’s aunt was still talking.

“Sophia is an ambassador from Earth, fifty light years away,” she was saying. “She’s a leading artist on her world and she’s here on a mission of peace and goodwill to our planet. I hope you’ll enjoy her company.”

Sophie opened her mouth to protest—Zeelah had made her sound about a thousand times more important than she was—but the look on the other woman’s face was more than enough to shut her up.

“Have fun my dear,” she murmured, patting Sophie on the arm and then she left.

“Well, well, it’s been a long time since we’ve had such an important visitor.” Magistrate Licklow beamed at her, looking positively jolly. “And you’ve come such a long way too.”

“Anyone can come vast distances if they fold space,” Lady Whitethorn sniffed, clearly unimpressed. “Tell me, my dear, isn’t that a Kindred technology?”

“Yes it is.” Sophie shifted in her seat uncomfortably. While she had been up and walking around the tharp she was wearing had felt fine. But now that she was sitting it was itching in the most distracting way. “Uh, I’m here with Sylvan,” she said, looking around for him and trying not to fidget.

“Sylvan Vii?” Lady Whitethorn raised an eyebrow at her inquiringly.

To her mortification, Sophie realized she didn’t know Sylvan’s last name. In fact, she hadn’t even known that he had a last name—it seemed that all the Kindred she knew just went by their first names. “Uh, I suppose so,” she said uncertainly. “He’s related to, uh, Lady Zeelah who introduced us?”

“Oh, I know him well enough.” Lady Whitethorn sniffed again. “He was once betrothed to my daughter. Of course her father and I put a stop to that nonsense.”

“He was?” Sophie looked at her uncertainly. “So your daughter must be Feenah then.”

“She is indeed. She was supposed to be sitting beside me but now I see her over there for some reason.” Lady Whitethorn sounded most displeased.

Sophie followed her gaze and couldn’t help feeling upset as well. Sitting at a table diagonally across from them was the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen. She was tall and slender with hair such a pale blond it was almost white. Her eyes, when she looked up, were the same crystal blue as her mother’s and she was wearing a lovely indigo tharp that set them off perfectly. Worst of all, she was sitting right beside Sylvan.

“Well if I’m in your daughter’s seat, maybe I should just trade places with her,” Sophie said, having a sudden inspiration.

“What?” Magistrate Licklow sounded shocked. “Get up and leave for another table once you’ve been seated? Impossible.”

“And very insulting as well.” Lady Whitethorn gave her a stern look. “Although I’m sure an important ambassador like yourself must have much better things to do than share a meal with Magistrate Licklow and myself.”

“No, no! Of course not.” Sophie was horrified. She’d been seated less than five minutes and already she’d made a horrible social blunder. “I would never think anything like that,” she protested. “Please forgive me—I didn’t know it was rude to change seats at a feast here on Tranq Prime. It’s perfectly fine on my planet so I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Indeed.” Lady Whitethorn looked down her thin, boney nose. “So on Earth it’s considered normal to go hopping from seat to seat completely disregarding your dinner companions’ finer feelings? It sounds like a rather primitive world, I’m afraid.”

“No it’s not,” Sophie protested. “We’re really quite civilized.”

“I’m sure you are,” Magistrate Licklow said heartily. “Why, I’m certain your grottos on Earth are almost as lovely as our own here on Tranq Prime.”

“Well, no,” Sophie admitted, thinking again of her family vacation to the natural caverns. “Most of our, uh, grottos are dark and dirty. But that’s only because nobody lives there,” she added hastily.

“Oh?” Magistrate Licklow raised his bushy eyebrows. “Then where do you live?”

“On the surface of our world.”

Lady Whitethorn looked aghast. “Crawling on the surface like bugs! How awful!”

“No it’s not—honestly.” Sophie was miserably aware that she was giving her dining companions a very dismal view of Earth but she couldn’t seem to help it—everything she said just came out wrong somehow.

“But how do you keep warm?” Magistrate Licklow wanted to know. “You must cultivate some very heavy tharps indeed.”

“We don’t need them,” Sophie said. “Earth isn’t nearly as cold as Tranq Prime. Well, parts of it are, but most of it isn’t. And some parts are so hot you could practically go naked. Not that you would,” she added quickly but the damage was already done.

“So you wander around on top of your world, half naked, with no proper tharps to wear and no grottoes to live in.” Lady Whitethorn shook her head. “Dear me, I don’t believe I will be visiting any time soon.”

“Come now, Lady Whitethorn, we must forgive the lovely Sophia a few oddities—she is, after all, an alien.” The Magistrate smiled at Sophie and raised a glass of clear blue liquid. “Although it’s easy to forget. You speak our language so well we could almost believe you’re one of us.”

“Thank you.” Sophie smiled at him gratefully and took a sip from her own glass. The blue liquid burned a trail down her throat and exploded in her stomach, making her eyes water. She set it down hastily and tried not to cough. “But I really know hardly anything about your customs,” she admitted. “I’m only fluent in your language because I was given an injection of translation bacteria.”

“Yet another Kindred invention, no doubt,” Lady Whitethorn said witheringly.

Sophie began to get irritated. “And what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with the Kindred?”

“Nothing at all…provided you don’t mind your family tree bearing some rather odd fruit.” Lady Whitethorn tittered unkindly.

Sophie’s tharp was itching her abominably and the discomfort made her irritable. Or else maybe the pale blue drink had gone to her head—either way she couldn’t just sit there without saying something.

“My sister is mated to a Kindred warrior,” she said, lifting her chin “She just found out she’s pregnant and we couldn’t be happier. In fact—” But just at that moment the long, trailing sleeve of her tharp seemed to jerk on its own and somehow snagged Lady Whitethorn’s glass. Before Sophia could stop it, it dumped the pale blue liquid directly into the older woman’s lap.

“Oh!” Lady Whitethorn jumped off her chair with surprising agility. “My favorite tharp! You’ve drenched it in woo! Oh my poor darling.” She caressed the tharp tenderly. “I’ve had it since it was a neophyte.”

Sophie’s anger evaporated immediately to be replaced by mortification. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, looking around for a napkin. “I didn’t mean to spill, uh, woo all over your dress…er tharp.”

Lady Whitethorn narrowed her eyes. “That’s quite all right, my dear. Of course one can’t expect good table manners from someone of your underprivileged background. Especially since you came here with a Kindred.”

“That Kindred saved my life,” Sophie said, her voice trembling. “His name is Sylvan and he’s brave and kind and considerate and—”

“I’m sure all that is perfectly true, dear.” Lady Whitethorn finished blotting at her tharp, which now had a light blue stain, and reseated herself in her tall chair. “So it’s a great pity that he’s foresworn himself of you, isn’t it?”

Sophie didn’t know what to say. Hot words came to her lips and she swallowed them down with difficulty. After all, Lady Whitethorn had her there—Sylvan had foresworn himself when it came to her—a fact that was making her more and more unhappy every time she thought of it. Even worse, when she looked up she saw that he and Feenah were talking. In fact, he appeared to be laughing heartily at something the lovely blonde girl had just said.

Just my luck, Sophie thought glumly. His ex is the Tranq Prime version of a supermodel and she’s apparently got a sense of humor too. Of course she also had a barracuda for a mother. Sophie was sure that one conversation with Lady Whitethorn would be enough to drive anyone away, no matter how beautiful and perfect Feenah was. She hoped so, anyway.

“Now, now,” Magistrate Licklow ventured, breaking into Sophie’s dismal thoughts. “I’m sure there’s no need for such distress over a simple accident. Let us move on with the feast—surely the fleeta pudding will be here soon.” As he spoke, a server appeared behind them and began placing thin stone plates filled with brownish-red mush in front of each guest.

Sophie looked down at the steaming pile on her plate with a sinking heart. Back on Earth one of her neighbors had a Great Dane and wasn’t very good about cleaning up the little “presents” it left behind. The food in front of her bore an uncanny resemblance to what she saw on the sidewalk every morning when she went out of her townhouse to jog.

“Mmm, delicious.” Magistrate Licklow had picked up a long, thin utensil shaped rather like a chopstick with a tiny spoon on the end and was digging into his own pile enthusiastically. “Try it, my dear,” he said, nodding at Sophie. “It’s a delicacy here on Tranq Prime—you might even call it our national dish.”

“Really?” Sophie picked up her own chopstick-spoon and began poking carefully at the steaming brownish mass. “Uh what did you call it? Some kind of pudding?”

“It’s fleeta pudding.” Lady Whitethorn took a dainty bite. Now that she’d had the last word, she appeared to be willing to speak to Sophie again. “Eat some,” she added. “Unless, of course, your civilized palate is too refined to appreciate such local fare.”

“I never said that,” Sophie said defensively. “In fact…” She swallowed hard. “It, uh… it looks like something I’ve seen very often on my own home planet.”

“Oh, you have a delicacy similar to ours?” Magistrate Licklow smiled. “See Lady Whitethorn? Earth must not be such a savage place after all.” He smiled at Sophie. “Go on, my dear. Have some and let us know how it compares to your own local dish.”

Both of her dining companions were watching her closely and Sophie felt trapped. Oh my God, I’m actually going to have to eat some! Taking a tiny spoonful, she brought it to her lips. She had been hoping it would smell better than it looked but unfortunately, it really didn’t. A thick, rotten aroma rose up to greet her, making her feel like she was going to gag.

“Go on,” the Magistrate urged again.

Just get it over with! Taking a deep breath (which she immediately regretted) Sophie popped the spoonful of fleeta pudding in her mouth and swallowed as fast as she could.

“Well?” Lady Whitethorn arched an eyebrow at her imperiously.

“D-delicious,” Sophie managed to say. Reaching for her glass, she took a huge gulp of the burning blue woo and prayed not to puke. Fire erupted in her stomach and her eyes watered so much she could hardly see, but at least the nauseating pudding stayed down.

“And was it very like what you have on your own home planet?” Magistrate Licklow asked, smiling.

“Exactly like it,” Sophie assured him, wiping her eyes. Then, remembering the protein paste Sylvan had offered her back at the cabin she asked, “Uh, it’s not made of ground up bug larva, is it?”

“Most certainly not.” Lady Whitethorn took another dainty bite and a sip from her glass, which the server had refilled.

“Oh good.” Sophie felt relieved. She was sure that if she knew what she’d eaten was bug larva she would have been sick all over the table.

“Fleeta pudding is made from the mature insects themselves,” Magistrate Licklow added helpfully. “See? If you look closely you can see some of the legs—they add texture.” He poked at his own pudding, exposing a long, hairy chitinous leg. Plucking it out of the brown mass, he popped it into his mouth and crunched it up with obvious enjoyment. “Wonderful!”

Sophie’s stomach did a slow forward roll. Bugs. I just ate a spoonful of bug guts and there are legs in there too. The horrible, hairy many-jointed leg reminded her of the insects that lived in her native Tampa. Everyone called them palmetto bugs, but really they were just huge roaches that could fly. No matter how clean the house was, they still got in—especially during the rainy season. It was always horrifying to open a closet or push back the shower curtain and suddenly be confronted by one. But what kind of sick person would try making a pudding out of them? Oh my God, I’m going to puke. I can’t help it…

The only thing that saved her was her tharp. Ever since she had been seated at the table it had been making her itch. While she had tasted the bug pudding it had stopped for some reason. But now it started again, so fiercely that it actually took her mind off her stomach.

Sophie shifted in her chair. What is wrong with this thing? The worst part was that the itching was centered in some very private and delicate places. Ignorant of the Tranq Prime culture as she was, she was fairly sure it would be rude to scratch those areas in public. Putting her hands in her lap, she balled them into fists. Her tharp sleeves jerked and twitched as she clenched her teeth and told herself, I must not scratch. I must not puke. I must not—

“Well, well, my dear, I’m sure I find your, ah, offer most tempting. I mean, you’re quite a lovely female for an alien but I am a mated male,” said a low voice in her ear.

Sophie’s eyes flew open and she saw that Magistrate Licklow was frowning at her.

“I’m sorry, what?” She looked at him uncertainly as she felt the sleeves of her tharp twitch again.

“I’m just saying that while I appreciate your offer of, ah, intimate relations, I must politely decline.” He cleared his throat. “So please stop touching me.”

“But I’m not!” Sophie was appalled. “What would make you think I was doing…doing something like that?”

“Because you are.” He was beginning to look red in the face—clearly something was happening beneath the table but Sophie had no idea what. Her hands were still fisted in her lap with the long sleeves of her tharp hanging down almost to the ground. They still seemed to be twitching a little but it was hard to tell when she was itching so abominably. Her knees were together and her feet were up on the bottom rung of her chair, so it wasn’t like she was playing footsie with the Magistrate. What was he talking about?

“I’m not,” she said earnestly. “I promise you. I would never—”

“Oh, shocking!” Unfortunately Lady Whitethorn had picked up on what was going on—or what the Magistrate thought was going on, anyway—and she was glaring at Sophie.

“No, really,” Sophie protested. “I don’t know what’s happening but I promise I have nothing to do with it. I’m not touching anybody, see?” She held her hands up high as proof…and the top of her tharp fell down to her naval exposing her bare breasts to the entire table.

There was a collective gasp and the other people seated at the table—none of which she’d been introduced to—apparently couldn’t decide if they ought to stare or look away. All eyes were fixed on her and for one awful moment Sophie was frozen to the spot.

Then her paralysis broke and she snatched hastily for the moss green tharp. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” she gasped.

Both Lady Whitethorn and the Magistrate Licklow were still glaring at her. “I suppose it’s a quaint Earth custom to show your dining companions your endowments,” Lady Whitethorn remarked acidly.

“No, honestly it’s not.” Sophie was still having trouble getting the tharp to stay in place. It kept wanting to slip down and expose her again. “That wasn’t on purpose.” But her words fell on deaf ears.

“Young lady, it may be considered proper to expose yourself and make sexual advances on your dinner companions on your planet but here on Tranq Prime, it is not.” Still giving her a dirty look, the Magistrate moved his chair very pointedly to the right, putting some space between them.

“But—” Sophie began helplessly.

“What’s going on? Is there a problem?” Zeelah suddenly appeared with a worried look on her face.

“No problem at all, Zeelah,” Lady Whitethorn said coldly. “Your important guest has just been entertaining us by fondling a public official and exposing herself to the entire dinner table. And that was after she doused my favorite tharp in woo.”

“No I didn’t,” Sophie exclaimed. “I mean, my tharp fell down and I did spill woo on Lady Whitethorn but I didn’t fondle anyone.”

“You most certainly did!” Magistrate Licklow frowned. “It was terrible, Zeelah—she wouldn’t leave me alone even after I told her I was mated.”

“Really,” Lady Whitethorn sniffed. “I can’t believe you brought this person here to insult us like this. It’s inexcusable.”

“I’m sure Sophia didn’t intend to insult anyone.” Zeelah looked at Sophie warningly. “Did you, my dear?”

Up until now, Sophie’s tharp had been itching so badly she thought she was going to scream if it didn’t stop. But now, suddenly, it began to tickle her instead and Sophie was very ticklish.

“I…I…” It felt like a thousand tiny fingers were poking her in the ribs in just the right way. A snort of laughter escaped her and then another.

Lady Whitethorn gave her an incredulous look. “Are you actually laughing? You find this situation amusing?”

“N-no, no of course n-not. I…I…” But Sophie couldn’t go on. She dissolved into helpless giggles as the tickling became even stronger.

Zeelah took her by the arm and pulled her off the high chair. “My goddess, what is wrong with you? Are you drunk? How much woo did you have?”

“I…I only had half…half a glass of…of woo,” Sophie gasped through her giggles. It felt like the tiny little fingers were squeezing her just above her knees—another terribly ticklish spot. “Please…can’t…can’t…” But she was doubled over laughing and couldn’t go on. It was dreadful, like some kind of nightmare, but she couldn’t stop, even though she knew she was adding insult to injury and offending her dinner companions and Sylvan’s aunt even more than she already had.

“Sophia? Are you all right?” The deep familiar voice in her ear made her look up.

Still laughing, she shook her head. “Sylvan…help…”

“I will if I can.” He sounded bewildered. “What happened to her?” he asked his aunt.

A barrage of answers greeted his question and Sophie got to hear all over again how she had groped Magistrate Licklow and flashed the entire table. She wanted to protest that none of it was her fault but she couldn’t stop laughing. By now her stomach hurt and her eyes were streaming but still the tickling went on. What was causing it? Was it a reaction to the steaming dog poop-looking food or the pale blue woo? Or was she just going crazy?

“All right, all right, thank you, everyone,” she heard Sylvan saying. “I’ll take care of Sophia and you can all go back to the feast.”

Sophie looked up to thank him, if she could stop laughing long enough, that was…and the tickling stopped abruptly. “Oh, thank God…” She sagged in relief and Sylvan caught her gently.

“Are you all right?” he asked again, looking at her anxiously.

“I am now.” Her words fell in complete silence and she realized that every eye in the entire grotto was trained on them. Oh my God, she thought dismally. She had caused such a scene that every single person at the feast had stopped to watch.

“Is your little friend quite all right, Sylvan?” It was Feenah, looking even more lovely close up. Standing, she was almost as tall as Sylvan. Her figure was so slender and perfect Sophie could almost feel her own hips growing wider by comparison.

“I think so.” Sylvan was still looking at Sophie with a perplexed expression on his face. “She seems to be now, anyway.”

“Is it normal for people from her planet to have fits?” Feenah asked in a soft, musical voice. “Or is it just her own little peculiarity?”

Sophie straightened up and glared at her. “I do not have fits.”

“Oh dear!” Feenah opened her crystal blue eyes wide in apparent concern. “Now I’ve upset her. Oh, the poor little thing!’

“Listen,” Sophie began, looking up at her. “Just because I’m not a freaking Amazon is no reason—”

“Stay away from her, my dear,” Lady Whitethorn was fluttering around her daughter anxiously. “I know she seems perfectly harmless, but I do believe she’s insane. She poured woo all over my lovely tharp and molested poor Magistrate Licklow.”

“For the last time,” Sophie said through gritted teeth. “I did not grope, fondle or molest anyone!”

The conversation around them, which had gradually begun to pick up, died abruptly again. Again Sophie felt like she was caught in the middle of a nightmare—the kind where you’re naked in front of everyone and can’t get away.

“Please,” she begged, looking up at Sylvan. “Please, can’t we just go? I have to get out of here.”

“Of course.” He swung her up into his arms, but before he could go anywhere, his aunt was at his elbow.

“You can’t take her back to our domicile,” she hissed. “I won’t have her in my home—not after this…this outburst. I won’t have it. She’s not welcome!”

“Oh yes she is!” Nadiah shouldered her way through the small crowd that had gathered between the tables. “She drank from the cup of hospitality, Mamam. You can’t kick her out.”

“What?” Zeelah rounded on her daughter in furry. “You let her drink from the cup?”

Nadiah raised her chin. “I did. And if you try to get rid of her now I’ll tell everyone how you’re an oathbreaker.”

“Why you…”

“Now, now my dear.” Grennly was suddenly there too, taking his wife by the arm. “I’m sure everything will be fine,” he said loudly. Then he murmured, “You’re only making things worse. Let Sylvan get rid of the blasted female and let’s go back to the feast.”

Zeelah looked like she’d been sucking a lemon but she finally nodded. “Of course.” Then she turned to Sylvan. “Take her back but keep her out of my sight. I’ll never live down this day. Never.” Grabbing Nadiah by the arm, she marched her away. As they left, Sophie heard her saying, “As for you, young lady, all your privileges are revoked for the foreseeable future.”

“Mamam!” Nadiah protested as they moved through the maze of tables.

“Well I suppose you’d better see your little friend home,” Feenah smiled winsomely up at Sylvan. Thankfully, her mother, Lady Whitethorn, had seated herself again and was talking in hushed whispers to Magistrate Licklow. “But I hope you’ll come back for the dance. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you and I was so hoping to be able to catch up a little more.”

Sylvan frowned. “I must see to Sophia first. She may be unwell.”

Feenah made a sympathetic face. “I’m sure the poor little darling just needs to rest. Didn’t you say she almost expired coming from your ship to the grotto?”

Sophie felt like she was going to explode with irritation. “My planet doesn’t get as cold as yours,” she told Feenah, pointedly.

“It’s true,” Sylvan said. “Sophie is not used to such extreme temperatures.”

“Of course she’s not—she’s so delicate.” Feenah made a kissy face at her that made Sophie’s hand itch to slap her perfect cheek. “And adorable too.” She looked up at Sylvan. “Why don’t you get your little pet bedded down for the night and come back for some fun?”

Sophie was fuming now. “I’m not a pet. I—” Just then the itching started again and she stiffened in Sylvan’s arms. “Sylvan, get me out of here now.”

Sylvan looked concerned. “I’m sorry, Feenah but I must go.”

“All right, but come back as soon as you can.” Feenah gave him a seductive smile. “I promise I’ll save a dance for you…Tanar.”

Sophie wanted to say something—what the hell did Tanar mean anyway—but the itching had turned to tickling again and she was trying not to laugh. Oh God, please—is this ever going to be over? Grimly she held in her giggles until Sylvan had carried her out of the grotto. Then, only a few feet away from the lighted archway she lost it completely.

* * * * *

“Sophia? Sophia, are you all right?” Sylvan was at a complete loss as to what to do. Sophia appeared to be having some kind of hysterics and in all his medical training, he’d never heard of a disease that manifested with uncontrolled laughter. Was it some kind of Earth pathology? “Sophia, please!” He shook her slightly and she writhed in his grasp.

“Put…down,” she gasped between gales of hysterical laughter. “Put me…d-down.”

“No.” Sylvan held her firmly. “I won’t let you go until I know what’s wrong.” Luckily the feasting grotto wasn’t far from his mother’s sister’s domicile. He was at least able to carry Sophia into the main corridor before she started writhing so wildly he couldn’t keep hold of her anymore. There, despite everything he could do, she shimmied out of his arms. Sylvan was forced to go to his knees to keep from dropping her. Then, to his dismay, she started ripping at her tharp.

“Sophia, stop! We’re still in public,” he protested. “At least wait until we get inside the domicile.”

“Can’t wait. Have to…have to get it off!”

She seemed so upset that Sylvan actually helped her, tugging at the moss green tharp, until it parted of its own accord and released her.

The minute Sophie got free of it she stopped laughing and sank to her knees, breathing hard. “Oh my God…wait a minute. Just wait a minute,” she gasped when Sylvan started toward her. “Just let me…catch my breath.”

She was distractingly naked but he was too worried about her to become aroused. At least the hysterics seemed to have stopped—but for how long? “Sophia?” he asked tentatively.

She looked up. “Okay. I can go inside now.” She struggled to get to her feet but Sylvan was already there, scooping her up again. Sophie laid her head on his chest like a tired child, still breathing hard.

Sylvan felt his heart squeeze in his chest. Gods, but she was so beautiful, so fragile! What if there was something seriously wrong? Thankful that Grennly had given him a key, he pulled it out and opened the door while holding her mostly one-handed. Then, still cradling her to his chest, he took her back to her room.

“Sundress.” Sophie lifted her head and looked around. “I want my sundress.”

Sylvan found the discarded garment and helped her put it on. Once she was covered and sitting up on the sleeping platform she seemed to feel better.

“Thanks,” she murmured. “And I’m sorry about all…that. Everything that happened.”

“What did happen?” Sylvan asked, sitting beside her. “Are you feeling all right now?”

“Much better.” She took a deep breath. “I think it was the dress. The tharp, I mean. But how can that be?”

Sylvan frowned. “What was it doing?”

“Tickling me. Making me itch unbearably. And the sleeves kept twitching too.” She shivered. “Do you think I’m allergic to the fabric, er fur it’s made of?”

“It’s not made of anything,” Sylvan said. “It’s a sentient being—well, semi-sentient, anyway. But I’ve never heard of anyone being allergic to one before.”

“What?” She looked shocked. “You mean I’ve been wearing something that’s alive all this time? Like…like some kind of animal?”

“Of course. An animal with somewhat limited intelligence, but very useful nonetheless.” He looked at the moss green tharp which still dangled limply from his hand. “This one seems brighter than most but still—”

“You let me wear an animal? A live animal and you didn’t tell me?”

“I don’t understand why you’re upset.” Sylvan shook his head. “Don’t your people wear furs too? I know they do—I’ve seen females wearing fur coats and the like.”

“But they’re dead.”

“So you’d rather wear a dead animal than a live one?” Sylvan was still trying to understand.

“A dead animal can’t hurt you or tickle you until you laugh uncontrollably like a maniac.” Sophie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, her eyes blazing. “Or spill a glass of…of woo on the person beside you. Or fondle the other person beside you. Or decide to come down in the middle of a very public function and flash your ta-tas to everybody in the entire room!”

Sylvan frowned grimly. “I wondered what in the world Lady Whitethorn and Magistrate Licklow were talking about. I knew you wouldn’t…” He cleared his throat. “Make advances to someone who didn’t care to receive them.”

“Of course I wouldn’t!” Sophie exclaimed, her cheeks turning bright red. “I don’t understand, Sylvan—why didn’t you tell me about the tharp? That was awful.” Her voice broke on the last word.

Sylvan felt terrible. “I’m so sorry, Sophia,” he said. “I thought Nadiah would explain to you while she was getting you dressed. She was supposed to be certain that you were matched to a tharp that was compatible to you.” He held up the tharp and frowned at it. “Which this one clearly is not.”

Sophie sniffed. “She did say something about it not being the right one for me but I thought she didn’t like the color. I had no idea it would do such appalling things.”

“A mischievous tharp can be a lot of trouble but I’ve never heard of one behaving as badly as this one.” Sylvan frowned at the now quiescent animal again. “It must really dislike you.”

“Well the feeling is mutual, I assure you! Get rid of it!” Sophie drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I just can’t believe this. I’ve never been so embarrassed in all my life.”

Sylvan sighed. “I’ll dispose of it immediately. Do you want me to kill it?”

Sophie bit her lip. “I…I don’t know. No, just…get rid of it.”

“Very well.” He nodded and turned to go. “It will die anyway once it’s away from you.”

“What? Hey, come back.”

Sylvan turned back to her. “Yes?”

“Why? Why will it die?”

“Even though you two are a bad match, it’s imprinted on you,” Sylvan explained. “Tharps live by choosing a single host and drawing warmth from their skin. In conditions of extreme cold they multiply it and give it back, keeping their host warm—it’s the reason we cultivate them here on Tranq Prime. This one…” He shook the moss green tharp. “Won’t be able to take warmth and nourishment from anyone else.”

Her eyes widened. “So you’re saying that without me that…that thing will slowly starve to death?”

Sylvan nodded. “Yes.”

“Oh my God.” She put her head in her hands. “This is just too much—too much.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean for you to feel overwhelmed.”

She looked up, her eyes blazing. “Well then you should have told me about the tharp instead of assuming that someone else would. You should have told me I was picking out a lifetime companion and not just a dress to wear to a fancy banquet. Now I feel like somebody who picked a puppy up at the pound and decided to return it because it chewed up all my furniture and peed on my leg.”

Sylvan frowned. “What?”

“Just give it back. Give it here.” She gestured at the tharp.

“But I thought you hated it?”

“I do.” Sophia’s eyes filled with tears. “I hate this whole damn place. I hate the fact that you have live toilet paper and that you eat dog crap and bug guts for dinner and drink woo that looks like blue Kool-aid and tastes like somebody lit a blowtorch in your mouth. I hate the fact that it’s so damned cold outside I can’t get away. So I’m trapped here with your aunt and uncle, who can’t stand me, because the live clothing they gave me to wear made a fool of me in front of their entire community. And now I’m stuck with a pet I don’t want for…how long do they live?”

Sylvan cleared his throat. “The average tharp can live as long as its owner.”

“For life.” Sophia threw up her hands. “I’m stuck with a horrible, badly behaved pet I don’t want for the rest of my life! I hate it, Sylvan. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. And I just…just want to go home.” The last word ended on a sob and she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with the force of her tears.

“Talana…” Sylvan put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

“Just go away and leave me alone,” she whispered brokenly. “Go back to Feenah—that’s where you want to be.”

“That isn’t true,” Sylvan said in a low voice.

“Of course it is.” She looked up, her eyes red from crying. “I saw the way you two were looking at each other. Not that I can say anything, I know. But still…still…”

“Still what?” Sylvan’s heart gave a strange little thump. Could it be that she was jealous? That she cared for him after all? Enough that he didn’t want him to see Feenah?

But Sophia only shook her head. “Never mind. Just…go. Leave the tharp and go.”

Sylvan wanted badly to stay and comfort her. To cuddle her in his arms and whisper that everything would be all right. But from the look on her tearstained face his comfort wasn’t wanted right now. In fact, he was fairly sure that Sophia wouldn’t want anything to do with him or any of the rest of Tranq Prime for some time to come.

“Very well, Talana. Maybe we can speak later.” Sighing, he dropped the tharp at the foot of her sleeping platform and left the room.

What else could he do?

Chapter Thirty

Sophie didn’t know how long she cried but finally her sobs tapered off to sniffles, and she lay quietly on the bed on her side. She was so worn out and emotionally exhausted that she didn’t even scream when the moss green tharp began moving toward her. It’s probably coming to suffocate me, she thought dully as she watched it inch across the sleeping platform. Not that I care at the moment. At least then I’d be off this horrible planet.

But the tharp didn’t try to wind itself around her neck or cover her face. Instead it slowly draped itself around her shoulders like a shawl. It wasn’t until she began to feel warm that Sophie realized she’d been shivering.

“All right,” she said aloud, stroking an edge of the furry creature. “I know you’re just being nice because I’m your only source of food but okay, you can stay.”

The tharp seemed to snuggle closer in response to her words and Sophie found that she was actually comforted. Now that she thought about it, having a living blanket that could cuddle with you and keep you warm, even in the coldest weather, was kind of nice. She just wished she’d known about it before she’d agreed to wear it as clothing.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about you?” she said as the tharp nuzzled her cheek. “If I had known what to expect I wouldn’t have been so freaked out.” She vaguely remembered Liv complaining about a live blanket that Baird had gotten from somewhere, but she had never made the connection between that and the tharps of Tranq Prime. Now, of course, she realized the live blanket and the tharp must be one and the same.

“You were very naughty tonight,” she told the tharp sternly. “You caused me a lot of trouble. I’ll keep you around but I’m never wearing you again—I just
want to make that clear.”

The tharp nuzzled her again and Sophie could’ve sworn that she heard a very faint sound that was somewhere between a hum and a rustle. It reminded her of the rusty sounding purr her cat, Miss Meow used to make when someone stroked her. “Maybe I should name you,” she said, stroking it again. “You remind me of my old cat, Miss Meow. How about if I call you Miss Meow Two? I know it’s not very original but you could go by MM2 for short. That sounds kind of science fiction-y and God knows that’s what everybody on Earth is going to think you are—if I ever get back there, I mean.” She sighed.

“Hey, who are you talking to?”

Sophie looked up to see Nadiah standing in the doorway. “Oh, hi.”

“I hope you don’t mind.” Nadiah bit her lip and shifted from foot to foot uncertainly. “I’ll go if you want me to. I wouldn’t blame you if you were really mad at me but Sylvan asked me to check on you.”

“Really?” Sophie sat up and swiped under her eyes. “Uh, where is he?”

“Back at the feast. Well, it’s almost over now. Pretty soon everyone will be going to the Snowdrop Dance.”

Sophie groaned and put a hand over her eyes. “Great. Just great. And I’m sure he’ll dance the night away with his ex—who probably won’t be his ex by the time the dance is over.”

Nadiah shrugged and came to sit on the sleeping platform beside her. “Well, it is kind of obvious that Feenah has decided she wants him back. I even heard her call him Tanar before I left.”

Sophie frowned. “I heard her call him that too. What does that mean? Is it just an endearment like ‘honey’ or ‘darling?’”

Nadiah snorted. “Hardly. It means ‘heart’s desire’. It’s what you call your male when you’re either mated or about to be mated.”

Sophie groaned again. “Ugh! She was being so superior and treating me like I was his pet or something! And then to call him that right in front of me…” She shook her head and then had another thought. “Nadiah, what does Talana mean?”

Nadiah’s eyes went wide. “Goddess, you heard him calling her that?”

“No. That’s what he calls me. He told me it was just a nickname like ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart.’ Is it?”

Nadiah gave a long, low whistle. “No, not at all. Tell me, how many times has he called you that?”

“A lot,” Sophie admitted. “He started before we ever came here. Why, what does it mean?”

“Blood of my blood. It’s what Blood Kindred call their bonded brides. If he’s calling you that, Sophia, I don’t think you have to worry about Feenah.”

“Yes, I do,” Sophie protested. “Because she’s determined to have him back. And he’s foresworn himself of me. And…and…it’s all my fault.” She felt tears in her eyes again and blinked them away. “God, I feel so stupid. Even if he still wanted me I couldn’t have him.”

“Why not?” Nadiah stroked the moss green tharp absently, like one might stroke a cat.

Sophie sighed. “A lot of reasons. All of them seemed valid and important to begin with but now…now I’m beginning to wonder.”

“What reasons?” Nadiah asked.

Sophie sighed. “Well, at first I was afraid because I didn’t really know him and he’s such a big guy, uh, male. I…I was attacked by someone almost his size a long time ago and it never really left me.”

“Oh no.” Nadiah put a hand on her shoulder. “That’s terrible.”

“It was.” Sophie nodded. “I had a really hard time with it. But then I got to know Sylvan and I realized that he would never do that, never hurt me the way that other guy did.”

“Of course not!” Nadiah declared. “Sylvan is an honorable male. He would never attack a helpless female.”

“I know,” Sophie said. “And then he went after the guy who attacked me.”

“Well of course he did.” Nadiah put a hand on her hip. “That’s what Kindred do. They avenge any wrongs visited upon their females. Let me tell you, if any male around here had attacked a female or even spoken harshly to her and then she got bonded to a Kindred…” She shook her head. “He’d better move to a new grotto quick. Preferably one on the other side of the planet. Or he’s vranna meat—know what I mean?”

Sophie nodded. “I understand that now. But seeing the guy that attacked me brought everything back. It forced me to face what had happened in a way I never had before. And that made me upset—really upset. Because I didn’t want to face it. I just wanted to bury my head in the sand and forget it.”

“Are you still upset about it?” Nadiah asked quietly.

Sophie shook her head. “No. I realize now I should have dealt with it when it happened. Instead I tried not to think about it—it hurt less that way.”

“So if you’re not afraid of him and you’re not upset with him, then why aren’t you with him?” Nadiah asked. “Why aren’t you out dancing with Sylvan right now and showing Feenah that he’s taken?”

Sophie bit her lip. “Because I am still afraid of him. Well, part of him.”

Nadiah leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Is it his shaft? Is that what you’re afraid of? I mean, I’ve heard that the Kindred are really well endowed, so I can understand you being scared.”

Sophie felt her cheeks getting hot. “No, it’s not that. Although it is, uh, pretty impressive. It’s his fangs.”

“His fangs?” Nadiah sat back frowning. “Why are you scared of those?”

“Because he wants to bite me, of course. And I have a phobia of anything sharp that goes into a vein.” Sophie thought of her childhood blood transfusions and shivered. “I just…just don’t think I could let him. That horrible piercing pain…”

“But it doesn’t hurt!” Nadiah grabbed her hands. “It doesn’t, honestly—or only for a minute anyway and then it’s pure pleasure.”

Sophie frowned. “How would you know? Have you been bitten by a Blood Kindred?” She was pretty sure Zeelah would not approve of that.

“I wish.” Nadiah rolled her eyes. “But no, of course not. I know because it’s in all the novels. The heroine offers the hero—the Blood Kindred I mean—the gift of her blood. She bares her neck to him and he bites her. She feels just the tiniest little pinch of pain but then he immediately begins to inject her with his essence. After that it’s all pleasure.”

Sophie shook her head. “That sounds really nice but you can’t believe everything you read in books. Especially when it comes to, uh, sex.”

“In this case you can. I know someone who’s been bitten,” Nadiah said triumphantly. “Or I know her sister, anyway. And she said that her sister said the minute you feel the essence it’s absolutely incredible. In fact…” She dropped her voice and leaned in again. “She said the Blood Kindred’s essence is like an orgasm in liquid form. It’s that good.”

“Really?” Sophie didn’t know what to believe. It would be nice if she could count on the bite hurting only for an instant before turning into pure pleasure. But could she trust a second hand account from a teenaged girl, who had obviously read one too many romance novels?

“Really,” Nadiah said firmly. “So were there any other reasons you thought you couldn’t be with Sylvan?”

Sophie shook her head. “No, that was it. But look, Nadiah, even if Sylvan still wanted me and didn’t care about Feenah, I don’t think he’d be willing to…to bond me to him. He doesn’t want to hurt me or cause me fear or pain and he thinks biting me would cause me both.”

“And would they?”

“I…I’m not sure anymore,” Sophie admitted. “But I just got finished telling him I hated him for not telling me about the tharp. And I pretty much told him I hated his entire planet too. Sorry…” She gave Nadiah a sidelong glance. “I didn’t mean it. I was just overwhelmed.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nadiah said cheerfully. “I hate it here too. In fact, the minute I’m of age, I’m leaving. I’m going to get called by a Kindred warrior and fold space out of here so fast my parents won’t know what hit them.”

“You shouldn’t get married, er, bonded, just to get away,” Sophie said. “Can’t you, I don’t know…go away to college or something? Like a school that’s far from your home town…er, grotto?”

“Maybe.” Nadiah didn’t look too concerned. “Anyway, back to your problem. You think Sylvan wouldn’t bite you even if you asked him to?”

“I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t,” Sophie admitted. “He swore an oath to leave me alone.”

Nadiah made a shooing gesture. “Oh, all that foreswearing stuff is so stupid. He only said that because he thinks it will cause you pain. If you can convince him you’re not afraid of a little pain and you want him to bite you—”

“I do want him to,” Sophie said, lifting her chin. “I don’t care about the pain any more—I want him.”

“Well you’d better let him know in a hurry if you don’t want him biting Feenah instead.” Nadiah made a face. “Ugh, I can’t stand her. I’ll just die if I have to have her as a relative.”

Sophie smiled. “We can’t have that. Tell me how to make him bite me and help me get dressed for the dance. But I want to wear something that’s not alive this time. Okay?”

Nadiah clapped her hands. “Oh good! So you’re going after him?”

Sophie nodded. “If he still wants me after all the awful things I said to him.”

“If he’s calling you Talana then he still wants you.” Nadiah was already playing with her hair, trying new styles in the 3-D viewer. “Trust me on that, Sophia.”

Sophie hoped that she was right. Talking about Sylvan and her problems with him had made things clear in a way they hadn’t been before. And what was clearer than anything else, was that she wanted him—really wanted him—fangs and all. I’m not going to hand him to Feenah on a silver platter just because I’m afraid of a few little bites, she told herself firmly. I just hope it’s not too late…

The dance was being held in the main grotto down among the silvery-white trees Sophie had seen the first time she’d passed through it. She wondered if they were the Snowdrop trees Sylvan had talked about and decided they must be. Their leaves were thin and spidery and delicate—almost like palm sized snowflakes—on the ends of the pale, glimmering branches. The snowflake leaves were pure white with just a tracery of pale blue along their edges, making them look ethereal and lovely and setting the scene for a magical dance.

But the scenery wasn’t on Sophie’s mind as she stepped under the farthest tree and studied the dancers. She scanned the crowd of couples dancing and winced when she saw Magistrate Licklow dancing with a tall, thin woman who was probably his wife. She wished desperately that she hadn’t made a fool of herself quite so recently in front of all these people. But that’s in the past now, she told herself, lifting her chin. And anyway, once we leave here I’ll never have to see them again. So who cares what they think?

Still, she had always been shy and it took an enormous effort not to just turn tail and run away before everyone at the dance noticed the “crazy” off-worlder and started talking. She might have lost her nerve completely if it hadn’t been for Nadiah standing behind her.

“Go on,” she hissed, poking Sophie in the back. “You look fabulous. Get out there.”

Sophie hoped she was right. She was wearing one of Nadiah’s few non-living outfits and it was a little too tight for her taste. Still, she had to admit that it looked nice and draped well. It was a long red leather dress which came down to her ankles. Nadiah had told her was made from tanned, dyed vranna hide. The dress had a deep V neck which was trimmed in short, black fur and high, off the shoulder sleeves. A deep split up one thigh was also trimmed in fur and showed a lot of leg—or would have if she hadn’t been wearing a pair of high black boots with a wedge-type heel.

The leather dress and boots made Sophie feel like she was dressed for a Wild West fashion show, but at least she didn’t have to worry about her outfit tickling or itching her…or deserting her at an inopportune moment. So it was with a fair amount of confidence that she stepped out from under her tree and walked toward Sylvan.

He was dancing with Feenah but it was impossible to tell if he was happy about it or not. His face was completely impassive as he performed the elaborate steps to the slow, steady beat of the stately music. It was kind of like a waltz with a very slow techno beat in the background—bizarre but somehow catchy.

What if he wants her now instead of me? What if he hates me for saying all those awful things about his planet? Sophie squeezed her hands into fists nervously. She could feel her heart beating in every part of her body at once and, even more strangely, it felt as though the blood in her veins was running hot. Which was completely ridiculous, of course—her blood was the same temperature as the rest of her body. What she was feeling was no doubt a bad case of the nerves and that was all. But it was never going to get better if she didn’t do something about it.

Sophie took a deep breath. Here goes.

Walking up to Feenah—who had eyes only for Sylvan—she reached up and tapped the taller woman on the shoulder.

“What?” Feenah looked around in obvious irritation and her eyes widened when they finally settled on Sophie. “Oh look, Sylvan, your little pet is here.”

“Sophia?” They stopped dancing and Sylvan gave her a worried look.

“Hi.” Sophie smiled at him. “I’m, uh, feeling better.”

He smiled back. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Feenah’s eyes flashed but her voice was as sweet as ever. “Whatever can the poor little thing want? I thought you’d put her to bed for the night?”

Sophie raised an eyebrow. “What I want is for you to stop talking about me like I’m some lower life form. I’m not Sylvan’s pet, I’m…well, anyway, I care for him. Deeply.”

“How sweet. Of course you do.” Feenah gave her a patronizing smile. “And you can tell him all about it once the dance is over. But right now we’re a little busy, so if you’d excuse us—” She put her hands on Sylvan’s shoulders again but Sophie was determined—she wasn’t about to be pushed aside.

“I don’t think so.” She stepped closer so that she was almost between Feenah and Sylvan. “I’m cutting in.”

Feenah gave her a look of wide-eyed surprise. “You can’t mean you want to dance with my Sylvan? I’m afraid you’ll embarrass yourself, sweetie—and haven’t you had enough of that already tonight?” She gave Sophie a sweetly sympathetic look that was obviously fake.

“He is not your Sylvan,” Sophie said with as much dignity as she could muster. “And yes, I want to dance with him.”

Feenah clearly wasn’t going anywhere. “Why don’t you watch and see what you can learn for the next dance? After all, you don’t even know the steps.”

“Then I’ll teach her.” Stepping away from Feenah’s grip on his shoulders, Sylvan offered Sophie his hand. “Would you care to dance?”

“Yes.” She smiled at him gratefully. “Yes, I really would.”

Feenah’s smile was slipping but she still tried to keep her voice light. “It’s all well and good for you to want to teach her about our customs, Sylvan, but you know it’s against tradition to change partners in the middle of a dance.”

Sylvan shrugged. “I guess I’ll be breaking tradition then.” He nodded at Feenah. “It’s been nice seeing you again after all this time, Feenah but I have to see to Sophia. She is my first and most important priority.”

“Is that so?” Feenah’s smile was entirely gone now, replaced by a spiteful look that reminded Sophie very much of Lady Whitethorn, her mother. “Well then, I hope you enjoy your dance,” she said, glaring at Sophie but speaking to Sylvan. “That is, unless your little pet has another fit and starts going crazy again.”

Sylvan frowned at her, his ice blue eyes narrowing. “Be careful of what you say, Feenah. Sophia is the female I love. If you were a male I would have to challenge you for talking about her in that manner.”

Sophie’s heart gave a thump and it was all she could do not to stick out her tongue at the other woman. It was a childish impulse, of course, but then, Feenah had been treating her like a child or a pet from the minute she’d met her. Would it really be so bad to at least say Nyah, nyah, nyah, he’s mine, not yours? Probably so, she decided reluctantly. But she couldn’t resist giving the fuming Feenah a little smirk as Sylvan took her in his arms and led her into the dance.

Me, he picked me! her heart sang as he held her close. It was true that she had no idea of the steps but Sylvan was a surprisingly graceful dancer for such a large male and he seemed to have a way of putting her exactly where she needed to be at any given time. Sophie relaxed in his arms, letting him lead, and everything was perfect.

“That was wonderful,” she said as he held her close. The music was slow enough that she could talk to him comfortably as they danced. “Thank you for being so sweet, even after all the terrible things I said.”

Sylvan smiled down at her. “You were upset and I was the cause of it. What did you say that I didn’t deserve?”

“Still, I shouldn’t have decided that I hated your whole planet on the basis of a few bad experiences. After all, I’m sure Earth seemed weird to you the first time you visited it as well.”

“It was…different,” Sylvan admitted. “I came mostly to try and keep Baird in line. He was about to claim Olivia and he was very much on the edge. I didn’t understand that kind of emotion then.”

“And now you do?” Sophie asked softly.

He nodded. “Now I do. I didn’t think I could be affected the way other males are by the urge to claim a bride. But you proved me wrong.”

Sophie bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”

Sylvan smiled again. “I’m not. I’m indebted to you for showing me how much I could feel. When I think that I almost mated Feenah…” He shook his head.

“She’s very beautiful,” Sophie said generously.

“As well as vapid, shallow, and spiteful.” Sylvan shook his head. “I would have been frozen all my life. She didn’t have the necessary emotion to thaw my heart. Only you do, Sophia.”

“Sylvan,” she murmured, looking up at him. “I—” Suddenly the world spun in a dizzy arc around her head and she felt herself falling.

* * * * *

“Are you all right?” Sylvan scooped her up and carried her quickly away from the dancing couples.

Sophia had her eyes tightly shut and she clung to him as if she was drowning. Seriously concerned, Sylvan took her to the edge of the snowdrop grove and settled under one of the trees with her on his lap. “Sophia?” he murmured, stroking her cheek.

She opened her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I’m okay,” she said, trying to sit up. “It was just the dancing—it made me dizzy.”

“We weren’t spinning or doing any sudden moves,” Sylvan pointed out, still looking at her anxiously. “Were you feeling faint earlier? Is there anything else wrong?”

“Poor Sylvan.” She laughed. “Between the tharp and everything else I’ve nearly given you a heart attack several times tonight. But I feel fine, honestly.” She frowned. “Well, except for…”

“Except for what?” he demanded.

“It’s nothing.” She waved dismissively and started to get to her feet. “Come on, let’s dance some more. I was really enjoying myself for the first time since you brought me here.”

“Sophia, please…” Sylvan reached for her hand and tugged her back down. “No matter how small your symptoms, I want to know about them. Tell me, please.”

“It’s nothing,” she said, sinking back down on the bluish-green moss. “Probably just my nerves but well, I feel like…my blood feels hot. Like it’s warmer than the rest of my body.” She laughed nervously. “Isn’t that silly?”

Sylvan felt his heart drop. It couldn’t be! And yet…“How long have you been feeling like this?” he said urgently. “Try and remember, Sophia, it may be vitally important.”

“Only since just before I came up to you and Feenah. I thought it was because I was nervous about, you know, confronting her and cutting in.”

Sylvan shook his head. “I don’t think so. Have you had any chills?”

“No. I—wait. I was shivering after you left me back in the, uh, domicile. But then MM2 draped itself over my shoulders and I warmed right up.”

He raised an eyebrow. “MM2?”

“My tharp.” Sophie shrugged, looking embarrassed. “I know it sounds strange but I figured if I have to keep it, I might as well give it a name. And you know, I think it’s sorry for what it did. I don’t think it’s bad so much as just mischievous.”

Sylvan almost smiled. Leave it to Sophia to make a pet out of what was supposed to be a strictly functional domesticated animal. “All right, leaving the subject of how odd it is to name a tharp, let’s get back to your symptoms. So you had chills and then you started to feel like your blood was running hot in your veins?”

“That’s it exactly—that’s the feeling,” Sophie exclaimed. “Why, is it some kind of a Tranq Prime thing?”

Sylvan shook his head grimly. I hope not. Oh gods, how I hope not! Aloud he asked, “What did you eat at the feast?”

“Only a bite of that nasty beetle pudding.” She shivered. “I’m sorry, Sylvan, but that is one part of your culture I am never going to like. It’s just terrible.”

“It’s an acquired taste,” he said absently. “So you had some of the fleeta pudding. But there was no water in the glasses, only woo. So I don’t see how it’s possible…”

“I had some water though,” Sophia said.

“You did?” He looked at her sharply. “When?”

“When I was getting ready, before the feast. Nadia gave it to me in that huge, heavy hospitality cup.”

Sylvan groaned. “Gods! That’s right—I did hear her tell my mother’s sister that she’d let you drink from the cup.” He shook his head. “But still, it can’t be. You’re not a native of Tranq Prime. I don’t see how…”

“How what?” Sophia looked bewildered.

“Sophia, just tell me one more thing.” He lowered his voice and looked at her intently. “Are you feeling any sensitivity or irritation right now in your nipples or between your legs?”

“Oh, I…” Her cheeks went pink and she nodded. “Now that you mention it, I have been feeling, uh more sensitive, just since we’ve been sitting under this tree talking. But I thought it was just because this dress is so tight.”

“I’m afraid not,” Sylvan said grimly. “Sophia…” He took both her hands in his. “Do you remember me telling you about Blood Fever?”

“The disease that only affects unmated females and…oh!” She looked up at him in obvious dismay. “You don’t think I have that do you?”

Sylvan nodded. “I’m afraid so. The only way to be absolutely certain is to observe the coloration of your nipples and the inside of your sex. If you really do have Blood Fever, they’ll both turn deep red very shortly.”

“Really?” She put a hand to her breasts protectively. “Is there a cure? I know you said something about a vaccine…”

“The vaccine prevents you from getting the fever in the first place—it can’t cure it once you’ve contracted it.” Sylvan shook his head. “In the past, the only way to be cured was to let one of the Blood Kindred who’d had some of your blood bite you.”

She paled visibly and Sylvan knew why—she still feared him—feared his bite. Of course, knowing the trauma she’d endured in her childhood, he didn’t blame her. And now that he knew she cared for him—really cared—he felt he could go the rest of his life without biting her. They would have to have a purely platonic love, since Sylvan couldn’t make love to her and bond her to him without biting her, but that was all right with him. If a passionate celibacy was all he could have with Sophia, well, that was still better than having sex with any other female as far as he was concerned.

“It’s all right,” he assured her, putting a hand to her pale cheek. “I’m sure I can use the vaccine as a basis and formulate a cure for you out of my essence. I’ve had your blood on several occasions, so my body will carry the antidote for you.”

“No, Sylvan.” Sophia looked him in the eye as she spoke. “No, I…I want you to bite me. Bite me and heal me that way.”

Sylvan shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking, Sophia. It’s not just about biting.”

“What else is it about?” she asked.

He frowned. “The antidote isn’t only carried in my essence—it’s in all my other bodily fluids as well. And in order to be certain you’re cured, I’ll need to fill you with as much, er, fluid as possible.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks went scarlet.

“So now you see,” Sylvan said gently. “Don’t worry—I have a small but fully functional lab on board the shuttle. I’ll start work on the antidote at once. But first I want to get you back to my mother’s sister’s dwelling.” He stood up and pulled her gently to her feet. “Just tell me one thing, are you having any other symptoms?”

“Nothing except…ow!” Bending down, she lifted her skirt slightly and scratched her knee. “Nothing except a really itchy knee.”

Sylvan frowned. “You were saying something about that when we folded space, weren’t you?”

She nodded. “So I guess that can’t be part of the, uh, Blood Fever. It’s just the scar from where the urlich bit me.”

“But I healed you,” Sylvan protested.

“I know—and you did a great job.” Sophia rubbed her knee again. “But there’s still this little lump of scar tissue. Just here, see?” She lifted her skirt again and showed him.

Sylvan leaned over and looked more closely. “There does seem to be some kind of a lump there. But I don’t understand—there shouldn’t have been any scaring at all.”

“It’s okay. It’s just itchy.” She dropped her skirt and gave him a small, uncertain smile. “Shouldn’t we be getting back to the domicile? I—”

Suddenly there was a blinding flash like lightning and a loud pop! Sylvan’s nose was filled with the scent of ozone and he was temporarily blinded by the explosion of light. What in the seven hells…?

“Sophia?” he said, blinking as he reached for her. “I don’t know what just happened but…Sophia?” For his hands touched only empty air.

“Sophia? Sophia!” Looking around frantically, Sylvan saw an empty red leather dress and black boots lying on the ground exactly where she had been standing.

But Sophia was gone.

Chapter Thirty-one

“What do you mean she’s gone?”

Kat watched unhappily as Olivia leaned toward the viewscreen, her face twisted in fear. She and Baird had been summoned to an emergency call and Liv had asked Kat to come along. She had told Kat she was worried about Sophie—it was in the wee hours of the morning and she’d been having a bad dream right before the call came in. So now here they were, all dressed in their nightclothes and robes. But even Liv’s nightmare couldn’t compare with the news that greeted them when they opened the call and saw Sylvan standing there looking almost wild with grief.

Sophie was gone.

“She can’t be gone just like that,” Liv said for what had to be the tenth time. “People don’t just disappear into thin air!”

“They do if someone is using a molecular transfer beam,” Baird said grimly. “Clothes left behind—nothing taken but her—it has to be. The beam won’t transport anything but living tissue.”

“What?” Liv rounded on him. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a new technology—the Kindred have been working on it, mainly because we were pretty sure the Scourge were trying to develop it too.” Baird shook his head. “Looks like the Scourge beat us to it.”

“Well if you guys have a beam too, then can’t you just beam her back?” Olivia demanded. “Beam her home?”

“I’m afraid not, Lilenta.” Baird put an arm around her shoulders. “Ours isn’t operational yet and besides, we don’t know where she is. The universe is a vast place—I don’t think you realize how vast. And Sophia could literally be anywhere in it.”

“Not if the Scourge have her,” Kat said, frowning. “Chances are she’s back on their Fathership.”

“I don’t think so.” Baird shook his head. “If she was back in our area, we would have seen the fold in space. There’s been no energy disturbance at all from the Scourge—in fact, they’ve been remarkably silent for the past couple of days.”

“I tried calling her on a Think-me, but there was no answer—she must be someplace that’s shielded against thoughts. But that doesn’t matter—I’m going to find her.” Sylvan ran a hand through his hair. Kat thought that even on the viewscreen he looked terrible—like a man on the brittle, crumbling edge of insanity. “I have to.”

“How?” Baird said reasonably. “She could be anywhere.”

“If they didn’t fold space back to your sector, they should still be in mine.” Sylvan shook his head. “Only…there aren’t any unidentified ships in the Tranq Prime orbit. But gods, I have to find her.”

“I know how you feel,” Baird said grimly. “But you have to get hold of yourself, Brother. You won’t do her any good flying off half-cocked.”

“You don’t understand.” Sylvan’s voice was low and troubled. “I have to find her—and in the next forty-eight hours.”

Olivia frowned. “Why the next forty-eight hours?”

“Because…” Sylvan pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “Because just before she was taken I found out that she’d contracted Blood Fever. I have to find her in forty-eight hours so I can cure her. After that…it will be too late.”

“Oh my God.” Liv put a hand to her eyes and started to sob. Apparently she knew something about the mysterious disease Sophie had been diagnosed with—maybe because of her work in the med station. Baird looked grim also.

Kat wished she could ask for details but there was really no time. Her eyes snapped back up to the viewscreen where Sylvan was talking again.

“I’m going to start with a narrow orbit and work my way out,” he was saying. “That way I can’t miss anything. And then—”

“Stop.” Kat spoke up for the first time.

Everyone looked at her. “Stop what?” Liv demanded.

“Sylvan, don’t go anywhere,” Kat told him. “Stay where you are—there’s no point in you flying around in circles. Just give me some time to see if I can locate Sophie.”

“You?” He frowned. “How are you going to locate her?”

Kat put a hand on her hip. “The same way I located you guys before when you were lost in the mountains.” Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it in every part of her body but she made herself go on. “I…I’ll get help from Lock and Deep.”

“But…but I thought you never wanted anything to do with them ever again,” Liv said though her tears.

“I don’t,” Kat said grimly. “But there’s no other way.” She looked back up at the viewscreen. “Just give me a little time, Sylvan. A couple of hours, that’s all I ask.”

“You may be asking too much,” Sylvan said grimly. “One or two hours could mean the difference between life and death.”

“But what if you go off and she’s in the opposite direction you’re flying?” Olivia demanded, swiping at her eyes. “Please, Sylvan, I believe in Kat. Just give her two hours to try.”

Sylvan looked at Baird. “Brother? What do you think?”

Baird nodded slowly. “I don’t honestly know if even Lock and Deep can find her over such a great distance. But my heart tells me we should try. Give Kat the time, Sylvan.”

Sylvan nodded reluctantly and looked at Kat. “Please,” he said hoarsely. “Please find her.”

Liv reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Yes, Kat—please.”

Kat swallowed hard and tried not to let the fear she was feeling show. “I’ll do my best.”

* * * * *

“Well, well. Look who it is.” Deep’s voice was sardonic but his eyes blazed as he looked Kat up and down. He was standing in the doorway of the suite he shared with Lock wearing a pair of black sleep pants—and nothing else.

“Who is it?” Lock’s voice, floating out from inside the suite, sounded sleepy.

“Come see for yourself, Brother.” Deep folded his arms over his broad chest and leaned against the doorway, smirking. “It seems our little Kat has something to say…and apparently she’s in a hurry to say it. Too much of a hurry to even get dressed properly.” His eyes roved over Kat’s blue satin nighty and matching robe.

Kat resisted the urge to cover herself. “Give me a break,” she snapped. “It’s the middle of the night and I didn’t have time to change.” The set was a recent acquisition, bought from one of the clothing shops that catered to Earth brides. Kat had searched and searched for something more comfortable and less sexy—something like her sock monkey pjs back home—but apparently none of the new brides was into comfort over fashion. Which made sense—they were all essentially on their honeymoons. But still…

“What are you talking about?” Lock came to the door, rubbing his eyes. His dark blond hair was tousled and he was wearing sleep pants that matched his twin’s, but his were a deep maroon that showed off his golden tan skin. In fact, both brothers looked absolutely gorgeous. Which isn’t making this any easier, Kat thought grimly.

“Kat!” Lock seemed surprised, as though he hadn’t really believed his brother. “Welcome. Why are you just standing out there?”

Kat lifted her chin. “I haven’t been invited in.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Lock frowned at his brother. “How can you leave her standing there in the corridor half dressed, for any male to see? Invite her in.”

“Come in, Lady Kat.” Deep made a sweeping bow. “That is, if you can suddenly stand the sight of us.”

Kat took a deep breath. Well, she had known she was going to have to eat some humble pie—she just hadn’t known that Deep would start dishing it out quite so quickly.

“I’m here because I need your help,” she said. Stepping into their suite and passing between their two large, male bodies was incredibly hard but she forced herself to do it anyway. And she only jumped a little when the door swooshed shut behind her.

“Our help, hmmm? And why would we want to help you?” Deep arched one black eyebrow at her, his arms still crossed over his chest.

“Let her talk, Deep,” Lock snapped. He gestured at the couch. “Would you like to have a seat? It’s a little early for klava but I think I have some left from yesterday’s delivery.”

“Klava would be great.” Kat smiled at him gratefully as she sank down on the extra long couch. “But I really don’t have much time.”

“It’ll just take a minute.” Lock nodded at his brother. “Deep, come help me.”

Giving her a last, speculative look, Deep nodded at Kat and sauntered into the kitchen.

* * * * *

Deep leaned back against the food prep counter frowning. “I assume you can manage the klava by yourself, Brother. So the reason you need me in the kitchen must be for a heart-to-heart chat.”

“Exactly.” Lock put down the klava tray he’d picked up and came to stand directly in front of his irritating twin. “Listen to me,” he said, trying to keep his voice low and reasonable. “Kat is obviously here because she’s in some kind of trouble and we need to help her.”

“Why should we?” Deep frowned. “Why should we care if she’s in trouble?”

Lock pointed a finger at him. “You care. You can lie to yourself, Brother, but you can’t lie to me. I can feel the need inside you—you want her as much as I do.”

“And if I do? What good would it do me?” Deep growled. “What good would it do either one of us? She’s made up her mind, Lock—she doesn’t want us.”

“Well maybe we can change her mind—did that ever occur to you?” Lock ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Maybe if you could get over your grief for Miranda for one second, you could see the possibilities.”

“There are no possibilities. Not with Kat. Not with any Earth female.” Deep pounded one fist on the food prep counter. “Can’t you see that by now?”

Lock took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do any good to get into a shouting match. Deep had been hurt—deeply hurt —by Kat’s rejection of them after their joining. And unfortunately that rejection had reinforced his negative ideas about claiming a bride from Earth. Not that he needed any extra negative reinforcement after what happened to Miranda… Lock pushed the painful memory out of his mind. He needed to concentrate on Kat now—they both did, if only Deep would see it. Lock could still see her in his mind’s eye, sitting on their couch waiting. She looked so lovely and vulnerable in her deep blue silky nightgown, her auburn hair spilling down around her shoulders…

“The fact that she’s here at all tonight means she must be desperate,” he said quietly. “She needs our help, so we’ll help her. Not because we want to claim her or have any hope of calling her as a bride. But because it’s the right thing to do.”

Deep smirked. “When have I ever cared about doing the right thing?”

“You care more than you let anyone see,” Lock said softly. “Come on, Brother—will you help me to help her or not?”

Deep frowned, his black eyes narrowed. “Once. Just this once I’ll help. But after that it’s over. And I don’t want to hear anything else about calling her as a bride. Understand?”

Lock nodded. “All right. I’ll try to keep my ideas to myself—though you know I can’t help how I feel.”

“I know. I’ve been trying to tune you out about her for days.” Deep nodded. “Come on, bring the klava and let’s get this over with—whatever it is.” He turned to go but Lock stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “What is it now?” Deep demanded.

“Thank you.” Lock squeezed his shoulder. “Just…thank you.”

Deep shook his head. “She really means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

Almost as much as she means to you, Brother. But Lock didn’t say it out loud. Instead he just nodded. “Yes.”

Deep narrowed his eyes. “Then you’re a fool.” Turning, he pushed back through the door to the living area where Kat was sitting.

Picking up the klava tray with a sigh, Lock followed him.

* * * * *

“So what do you need?” Deep dropped beside her on the couch, slouching like a lazy predator. His pose was casual but his black eyes burned into her with frightening intensity.

“Sophie’s been snatched—we think by the Scourge,” Kat said, diving right in, as Lock sat on her other side and began making up cups of klava. “Baird and Sylvan think they must have used some kind of transport beam.”

Lock raised his eyebrows as he passed her a steaming cup. “A molecular transport beam?”

“Exactly.” Kat took a sip from her cup, grateful for the instant sense of warmth and well being the klava imparted. “Anyway, the Scourge haven’t folded space, so we think she’s still in Sylvan’s sector of space around Tranq Prime. But no one knows where.” She took another sip, trying to gather her courage. “So I need you two to help me find her—the same way we did before.”

“What?” Deep gave her an incredulous look. “Do you have any idea of the distance from here to Tranq Prime?”

“I know it’s far—”

“Far? It’s fifty damned light years! That’s more than far—it’s fucking impossible,” Deep snapped.

“All right, fine,” Kat snapped back, glaring at him. “Forgive me for not realizing your limitations. I was just trying to save Sylvan some time—if he doesn’t find her in forty-eight hours, Sophie will die.”

“What? Why?” Lock asked, looking concerned. “Have the Scourge sent some kind of message? Some ultimatum?”

“No, there’s been no contact with the Scourge. But Sylvan said that Sophie has contracted Blood Fever and…and…” Kat lifted her chin, trying not to cry. She wasn’t normally weepy, but somehow everything was sinking in now—especially since Deep had told her that finding Sophie was impossible. “Anyway,” she went on briskly after a brief internal struggle. “I don’t know much about the disease but apparently it’s fatal if he can’t find her and cure her.” She took a last sip of klava and set her cup carefully down on the low table in front of the couch. “I’m sorry I woke you up and thank you for your time. I’ll be going now—I have to let Sylvan know that we can’t help him after all.”

“Wait.” Lock put a hand on her arm when she started to get up. “It’s not impossible.”

“Yes it is,” Deep said. “No seeker/finder pair has ever been able to cast a net that far. Not with any accuracy.”

“None of them has ever had a focus like Kat, either,” Lock said quietly. “You’ve seen it yourself, Deep—her ability is extraordinary. I think we could do it.”

“Well, I don’t,” Deep growled.

“Why not?” Kat demanded impatiently.

“I’ll tell you why not.” Deep sat up and stared at her, his black eyes narrowed. “It’s impossible because it would involve a very deep and intimate joining. And you, my little Kat, made it abundantly clear the last time you were here that you weren’t prepared to go any deeper with us than you already had.”

Kat felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice cubes into her stomach. This was exactly what she had been afraid of—the intimacy of the joining. And now Deep was telling her that it would be even more frightening and invasive than she’d feared. She looked at Lock for confirmation and he nodded reluctantly.

“I’m afraid that Deep is right, my lady…er, Kat,” he said. “To cover such a vast distance would require an exceptionally tight connection between the three of us. I still believe it could be done…but—”

“No buts,” Kat heard herself say. She lifted her chin. “We don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice. Sophie is out there lost and dying somewhere—I have to do this. So come on.” Standing, she turned to face both of them. “What do we have to do? Get naked? Have sex? What?” She tried to sound brave but her voice trembled.

“You really mean that, don’t you?” Deep gave her a look of grudging respect. “You’ll do whatever it takes to save your friend—even if it means taking both of us on at once.”

Kat swallowed hard but forced herself to meet his eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “I will.”

“That’s very noble of you,” Lock said quietly. “And very courageous.” Standing, he took Kat’s hand in his. “It’s true we’ll have to have more direct skin-to-skin contact to make this work, Kat,” he said softly. “But it shouldn’t be necessary for us to enter your body—only your mind.”

Kat nearly sagged with relief. The thought of being pierced by both of their long, thick cocks at the same time scared the crap out of her. She’d made jokes about it in the past, but now that she found herself in this desperate situation it wasn’t funny—not at all. “All right,” she almost whispered. “Then how…how do we begin?”

“To start with, we can’t be standing this time,” Deep said, frowning. “Casting a net so far is going to take a lot of energy. I’ll go make up the sleeping platform.” Rising, he sauntered off to the bedroom, leaving Kat to clutch Lock’s hand.

“This is going to be bad, isn’t it?” she asked, looking up at him. “For Deep, I mean. He hates me now—really hates me.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Lock squeezed her hand reassuringly. “He just doesn’t know how to express his emotions. It’s hard for him to let himself feel. It’s always been hard since…”

“Since what?” Kat urged but he only shook his head. “Never mind. Come, the sleeping platform must be ready by now.”

Feeling a weird sense of unreality, Kat allowed herself to be led into the bedroom. Wasn’t this the situation she had run in a panic from before? Yet now she was entering into it willingly. Like a lamb to the slaughter, she thought grimly.

But there was nothing else she could do.

Chapter Thirty-two

Sophie woke up with a blinding headache. The first thing she noticed was that she was completely naked. The second thing was that she was lying on a hard metal floor which was very, very cold. Stiffly, she sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. Where am I and why am I naked? The last thing I remember Sylvan was going to take me back to the domicile and try to get an antidote…An antidote! That’s right—I have Blood Fever.

It still seemed like a strange idea. Remembering Sylvan’s words about the symptoms, she parted her arms and peeked down at her nipples. Sure enough, they had turned a dark red—almost scarlet. Sophie was sure the inside of her pussy was probably the same color but she wasn’t about to check that here—wherever here was. Shivering, she drew her knees up to her chest and looked around.

Dull gray metal walls and a metal ceiling met her eyes. Whoever had built this building or cell or whatever it was, wasn’t much of a decorator. But at the moment Sophie didn’t care about the lack of decoration—she was more concerned with her lack of clothes. I’d give anything for something to wear—even my stupid tharp would be better than nothing.

Sophie stood, rubbing her arms to try and get warm, and saw an open doorway on the far side of the plain metal room. Well, at least she wasn’t a prisoner. Or if she was, whoever had imprisoned her didn’t mind if she left the room. She was dreadfully afraid that she knew who had her but she didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to let the name enter her brain.

One thing at a time, she told herself sternly. First, find some clothes and get warm. The open doorway led to a long, dark hall that reminded her of the haunted house you always saw in traveling carnivals. It was the kind of place where people dressed as ghouls and vampires always jumped out at you, screaming—the kind of place Kat and Liv loved and Sophie hated.

Don’t think about that. It’s just a hallway and it’s bound to lead somewhere. Go on—go through it. You’re not going to find any clothes just sitting here and if you don’t hurry up you’ll freeze.

It was true that she was getting colder the longer she hesitated. Sophie wasn’t sure if it was getting chillier in the room or if she was experiencing more effects of the Blood Fever. Certainly her nipples and pussy were feeling incredibly sensitive—just having her arms pressing against her breasts and crossing her legs was almost unbearably irritating. Not that she was about to stop covering herself.

Slowly, carefully, she crept down the spooky black hallway. The only good thing about having no clothes on was that she was completely silent in her bare feet. She was half expecting some horrible alien monster to leap out at her every minute, so it was a relief when she finally saw a pale light shining at the end of the corridor.

Cautiously, Sophie approached the light and peeked out into the large room it revealed. Standing at a bank of complicated looking instruments was a large, muscular man. His profile was to her, but he was looking away so Sophie studied him carefully. He had a strong nose and chin and thick black hair pulled tightly back from his forehead. In fact, if it hadn’t been for his pale, pearlescent gray skin she would have thought he was Native American in origin. He was wearing some kind of uniform and a long cape which was also pure black. Above his head was a viewscreen—the biggest Sophie had ever seen. It filled almost the entire front wall in front of the instrument panel and it was showing a clear view of a grayish-white globe revolving in the blackness of space.

Tranq Prime, she thought, recognizing it from her earlier trip with Sylvan. We’re in a ship orbiting Tranq Prime. But this isn’t anything like the shuttles the Kindred use. In fact, it seemed much larger—almost spherical, if the curving, rounded shape of the ceiling and walls were any indication. What kind of ship was she in? And who was the person who was obviously piloting it? Sophie had no desire to find out.

Maybe I can sneak past him, she thought hopefully. His entire attention seemed to be centered on the controls and she knew she could be quiet enough. This appeared to be a big ship—maybe there was some kind of life raft shuttle or something she could get into. Something that would take her down to the planet’s surface. Of course once she got there she would be stuck, but maybe there was some kind of radio—maybe even a Think-me that she could use to bespeak Sylvan…

Her hopeful thoughts were interrupted by a burst of static from the viewscreen. Suddenly the view of Tranq Prime was gone and a face filled the screen. A face so terrifying that Sophie had to bite back a gasp.

Burning red eyes filled pit-like sockets, blazing forth from the confines of a deep hood that seemed to be made of shadows. No other facial features were visible, but somehow Sophie knew there was no nose or lips beneath those burning eyes—only the stark outline of a skull. A sense of doom came over her—a dread so deep that all the strength ran out of her legs. Holding on to the wall, she sank to the cold metal floor, her eyes still locked on the viewscreen. It’s the AllFather—it has to be. She vividly remembered Liv’s description of the leader of the Scourge, but the reality was even worse than she’d imagined.

“Father,” said the man who was piloting the ship. “It is good of you to return my call.”

“Ssso, you’re at it again.” The AllFather’s low, hissing voice sounded angry. “I have not given the word—you sssnatched her too early. Ssshe is not yet bonded to the Kindred.”

“The marker indicated that something was wrong with her. I had to take her quickly.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“I don’t know. She’s still unconscious. I can tell you one thing though—she is not the one we seek.”

“What?” The AllFather’s red on black eyes blazed even more furiously. Sophie could almost feel the force of his rage pouring through the viewscreen like a flood of poisoned water.

“I told you—she is not the one.” The man at the controls sounded remarkably calm—or maybe numb was a better word. “There is no mark between her breasts.”

“I don’t believe it,” snapped the AllFather. “Bring her here that I may ssscan her.”

“Certainly, Father,” the man said blandly. Could the AllFather really be his actual father? Sophie shivered at the thought. “I’ll go get her now,” he added.

“There isss no need to fetch her. Ssshe isss already here—ssstanding right behind you.”

He knows! Sophie gasped and turned to run, but it was too late. The tall man was on her at once, taking her firmly by the arm and dragging her out of the shadows.

“Come,” he said sternly as she cringed back, trying to get away. “There is nothing to fear—you are not the one we seek.”

Nothing to fear? How can he say that? Sophie’s eyes returned involuntarily to the gruesome visage on the viewscreen. The AllFather looked like something out of her worst nightmares—of course she feared him!

“He is terrifying, is he not?” The man laughed humorlessly. “But don’t worry—he’s fifty light years away. He can’t touch your body—only your mind.”

That’s bad enough! Sophie couldn’t forget the way Liv had described having her mind scanned. She had hoped and prayed never to have to go through something like that. And now it looked like she couldn’t avoid it.

“Are you certain the marker wasn’t defective? Ssshe looksss fine to me,” the AllFather hissed.

The tall man shrugged. “Perhaps she has symptoms we cannot see. After all, it’s not as if we are experts in human anatomy—their skin and hair comes in such a strange variety of colors and this one is no exception.”

“Be that as it may, you ssshould not have taken her early,” the AllFather snapped. “Ssstill, ssshe isss here now. We must make the most of it. Come forward, my dear,” he said, beckoning Sophie with one skeletal hand. “Let me examine you.”

Sophie didn’t have any choice. Try as she might to resist, the AllFather’s son dragged her forward until she was standing naked and shivering in front of the huge viewscreen. All she could do was turn her head away and shut her eyes.

“Look at me,” the AllFather commanded.

To her horror, Sophie found she was compelled to do as he said. She didn’t want to look at that awful face but her head turned toward it anyway. Still, at least she was able to keep her eyes squeezed shut. I don’t want to see…I don’t want to see…

“I can make you open your eyesss, my dear—it would be the sssimplest thing in the world,” the AllFather told her. “But I can think of other, more entertaining methodsss to make you look at me. Sssuch asss thisss—open your eyesss now or Xairn will cut off your eyelidsss ssso you are unable to close them ever again. Would you like that?”

Sophie opened her eyes at once and was almost overwhelmed by the sight that greeted her. The AllFather had moved closer, until his face completely filled the huge viewscreen. Each of those burning red eyes appeared to be as big as her head and they were trained on her—pinning her to the spot.

“Very good.” The AllFather nodded in approval. “Now drop your armsss. I wish to sssee your breastsss.”

“Please,” Sophie whispered. “Please, no…” But as before, she couldn’t help doing it. Slowly but inexorably, her hands left her breasts and dropped to her sides, leaving her bare and vulnerable. Sophie wanted to close her eyes again so she couldn’t see those evil, glowing orbs flickering over her naked body but she didn’t dare. Instead she stared straight ahead and simply trembled.

“You see,” Xairn remarked. “There is no marking between her breasts—I have examined her thoroughly.”

The AllFather hissed with displeasure, his eyes glowing angrily. “There must be sssome mistake. The DNA testsss were conclusive. A female from this line must be the answer to the prophesy.”

“She and her twin are the only ones left in her family,” Xairn said. “If neither of them is the one, I fear we are at a loss.”

“There must be another,” the AllFather insisted. “Look at me, Sssophia.” The red eyes bored into hers and Sophie was literally frozen with fright.

“W-what?” she stuttered through numb lips.

“Is there another female in your line? A sssister? Or perhaps the female offspring of one of your father and mother’sss sssiblings?”

“D-do you mean do I have any c-cousins?” Sophia could barely get the words out.

The AllFather nodded. “If that is what you call sssuch relationsss.”

“No.” Sophie shook her head. “There’s n-no one, I swear. My father was an only child and my mother had an older sister but she d-died.”

“We seem to have hit a dead end,” Xairn said, but the AllFather obviously didn’t want to hear that.

“I will ssscan her. I cannot taste her properly at this distance, but ssshe must at least be ssscanned.”

Once more Sophie was forced to look directly into those burning red eyes. Suddenly, though he wasn’t touching her directly, she felt corpse-cold fingers digging into her brain. It was the same terribly invasive feeling she’d had when the priestess in the sacred grove had “looked into” her, only a thousand times worse.

“Please!” she gasped, but the AllFather wasn’t nearly finished. He sorted through all her memories, finding the worst ones and lingering over them. He spent the most time on the rape, making her relive the horror and pain, obviously enjoying the negative emotions.

Sophie felt like she was drowning in terror and pain. Reliving it all over again. Just like when I saw him in my dream… Then, suddenly, she decided she wouldn’t panic. Wouldn’t let the dreadful memory break her again. It happened but it’s over, she told herself grimly. I let Burke steal enough of my life. I won’t let him take any more.

Lifting her chin, she narrowed her eyes at the AllFather. Let him do his worst. Sophie was tired of being a victim.

“Well, well…sssuch a brave little thing,” she heard him hiss in her head. “Determined not to let me upset you, eh my dear? But what about thisss…?”

Then he turned his attention to her memories of Sylvan.

“A great pity,” she heard him say. “Ssso very close to bonding. You would have let him bite you, would you not—despite your fearsss? Yesss, I think you would. You love him, this Blood Kindred, and he is desperately in love with you. The pain of losing you must be almost more than he can bear. He will be sssearching for you now—sssearching fruitlessly. For he will never find you…”

Despite her determination, a sense of hopelessness flooded her. Never. I’ll never see Sylvan again. Why did I waste so much time? Why didn’t I admit that I loved him—needed him? Oh Sylvan, I’m so sorry…

“Yesss, wallow in your sssorrow. Taste the disappointment anew. Let the pain wash over you, overwhelm you. You will never sssee your Kindred lover again…”

The AllFather’s insidious voice fed her pain, magnified it, made it into a loop. Sophie felt tears running down her cheeks, hot and wet and hopeless, but she was helpless to stop them. Helpless to do anything but give in to the misery…

No, fight it! I have to fight it! Clenching her fists, she tried to remember all the good times she’d shared with Sylvan. The tender way he’d touched her, the fierce way he’d fought for her. He loves me, she told herself. And I love him. Even if I never see him again, I have that much.

It would have to be enough.

Just when she thought she was finally going to break, the AllFather released her, the chilly fingers leaving her mind as abruptly as they had entered. Everything went grey and she sagged in Xairn’s grip. She would have fallen if he hadn’t held her upright.

For a time she seemed to float in and out of consciousness, as though her brain was trying to recover from what the AllFather had done to it. She wasn’t aware of anything except a feeling of profound loss. Oh Sylvan. Love you…miss you so much… But finally the grey fog receded and Sophie realized that the AllFather and his son were discussing her fate.

“She is not the one.” Xairn seemed to be arguing. “We should release her—send her back. If we keep her the Kindred will become even more vigilant.”

The AllFather made a dismissive gesture. “They will be more vigilant no matter what. Sssending her back is a gesture of defeat.”

“If we kill her, the warrior who loves her will stop at nothing to avenge her,” Xairn warned. “Though they are not bonded, he will still go to his death for her.”

“Then let him die. He will never gain accesss to our ssship and even if he did, my new guardsss would kill him long before he reached me.” The AllFather’s eyes gleamed. “I find myself much taken with this little one—ssshe has ssso much more pain to taste than her sssister did. Ssso many hurtful memoriesss to fondle.” He nodded. “Yesss, you must bring her back to me. It hasss been many yearsss sssince I have tasted sssuch exquisite agony. And only think how much more unbearable it will be for her when I take her.”

“What do you mean?” Xairn said sharply. “She is not the one. There’s no point in you trying to breed her, Father—she can’t conceive by you.”

“But she fearsss it ssso—it isss the nightmare which keepsss her up at night, the dark vision ssshe cannot escape.” The AllFather’s eyes seemed to fill the viewscreen again and they burned with malevolent glee. “Ssshe hasss already sssuffered one sssuch attack—it isss why ssshe resisted her warrior ssso long—that and her foolish fear of his fangsss. But from me there will be no essscape.”

Sophie felt like she was going to be sick. God, no! Please don’t let him—don’t let him do that to me! Please!

And then the AllFather began to laugh—a high, insane screeching sound that filled her head and drove out everything else. “Sssoon,” she heard him say, speaking directly into her mind again. “Sssoon I will have you, Sssophia. Sssoon you will know the true meaning of pain…”

Chapter Thirty-three

Deep was already lying on the bed, on his side when Kat and Lock entered the bedroom. Maybe it was because he was still bare-chested but to Kat, the dark twin looked even bigger and more imposing reclining.

“Lie down on your side with your back to me,” he said brusquely, patting the mattress in front of him. “Take off your robe first.”

Kat shivered as she removed the blue satin robe. The nighty that went with it had thin spaghetti straps and the front of it was mostly see-through lace. She could feel her nipples tighten with fear and anxiety as she laid the robe aside on the end of the enormous bed.

The bed itself—or sleeping platform as the Kindred called it—was bigger than anything she’d ever seen. It was about half again as wide as a King-sized mattress from Earth and Deep had covered it with a dark green duvet. It has to be this big, she thought, trying not to look at him as she climbed onto it. To hold two guys their size…and a woman between them. Oh God, I can’t believe I’m doing this!

“Wait.” Deep help up a hand just as she was about to lie down where he’d indicated.

“What?” Kat paused awkwardly on her knees, one arm held over the see-through front of her nightgown.

“Drop your arm.” Deep’s black eyes were half-lidded with lust. “I want to see you.”

“That’s enough, Deep.” Lock sounded angry. “Kat’s here for our help—not your personal enjoyment.”

Deep’s eyes flashed. “But I should get some personal enjoyment from this—and so should you, Brother. We’re about to engage in the most risky, strenuous joining of our lives, with a focus we’ve only used once before. I think that merits a little pleasure on our part—even if it is only visual.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Lock said angrily. “You—”

“It’s all right,” Kat interrupted and was amazed at how calm she sounded. “Deep’s right—I’m asking you to do something you wouldn’t normally do, in order to save my friend.” She looked at Deep directly. “I know you hate me and that’s all right—I don’t care how you feel about me as long as we find Sophie. But if this is what it takes to make you hate me a little less…” Slowly, she dropped her arm and sat back, allowing him a perfect view of her full breasts pressing against the see-through blue lace.

Deep’s eyes widened as he drank her in. “Brother,” he said hoarsely to Lock, who was still standing behind Kat. “You should really see this for yourself. I’ve never seen an elite so generously endowed before.”

“No.” Lock sounded grim. “I won’t exploit the lady Kat that way. I refuse—”

“Lock…” Kat looked over her shoulder at him and beckoned. “It’s all right,” she said again. “If…if you want to look too, I mean.”

“I shouldn’t…” He seemed frozen by indecision but Kat could see the hunger on his face—the same need that burned in Deep’s black eyes.

“Come on,” she said quietly, still surprised at her own bravery. “Join us on the bed.”

Reluctantly, Lock came around the side of the bed and sat across from Deep. At first he didn’t look at her but finally he raised his eyes. “Beautiful,” he whispered reverently, and Kat swore she could almost feel his gaze caressing her like the softest touch imaginable. “So full, so ripe…”

Kat sat there quietly, allowing the brothers to look at her. Once again she was filled with a sense of unreality. No one had ever stared at her with such longing before—or such naked lust as she saw in Deep’s eyes.

Her too-large breasts and full hips had always been a source of shame to her. How often had she been the butt of a well placed fat joke? How many years of her life had she spent dieting and exercising, trying vainly to get thinner? A size eighteen was the lowest she’d ever gotten to, despite all her hard work. Her body didn’t seem to care that she was eating lettuce instead of chocolate and going to the gym every day—it was determined to stay curvy. As her grandmother often told her, “Honey, some people just aren’t meant to be skinny.”

Do they really like what they see? Despite the admiration in the coal black and chocolate brown eyes, it was still hard to believe. Kat knew lots of guys who liked big breasts, but only if they were attached to a stick-thin, skinny-minnie woman. As though it was normal to see a pair of triple-Ds on a petite size two. And Kat was anything but petite. Thinking of that made the old body insecurities rise in her again and she longed to cover up.

Clearing her throat, she looked at Deep. “Are you satisfied? Seen enough to make you happy?”

“It’s never enough, not with you little Kat.” His voice was a deep, lustful growl. “And nothing would satisfy me but filling you with my cock while Lock did the same.”

“Deep…” There was a warning note in Lock’s voice. “Don’t scare her. Can’t you see this is hard enough for Kat as it is? She’s very gracious to allow us to view her beautiful body so openly.”

“I’m not scared.” Kat raised her chin and gave Deep a level look. “You can fantasize all you want to, as long as you realize that you will never have me that way. Understand?”

Some emotion flashed in his black eyes and was gone before she could recognize it. “Of course, my Lady,” he murmured in a soft, angry tone. “I understand completely.” His eyes met Kat’s and he held her gaze for a long, breathless moment of silence. Though she wanted badly to look away, somehow she couldn’t.

“Enough stalling,” Lock said at last, breaking the strange stalemate. “Come lie between us, Kat. We need to find Sophia if we can.”

“You’re right.” Taking a deep breath, Kat moved up to the head of the bed and lay on her side facing Lock. “Now what?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Now this.” Suddenly Deep was right behind her—the entire expanse of his broad, bare chest pressed against her thinly covered back.

Kat jumped in surprise, but then Lock was there too, facing her with an arm over her hips. “It’s all right, Kat,” he murmured, reaching up to stroke her cheek. “Just breathe. We won’t hurt you.”

The familiar, frightening tingle of pleasure raced through her as they both touched her at once and Kat wasn’t sure if she believed him. On one hand, she would have bet any amount of money that Lock would behave like a perfect gentleman. On the other, having Deep right behind her was like lying unprotected in the jungle and knowing that a hungry panther was at her back. Still, panicking wasn’t going to help anything.

Have to stay calm, she told herself sternly, even as the pleasure of their touch teased her unmercifully. I can’t help find Sophie if I’m freaking out. Relax, just breathe like Lock said. Breathe…

Slowly she got control of herself. The claustrophobic feeling of being sandwiched between two large, male bodies faded somewhat, to be replaced by a sense of enveloping warmth. The pleasure was still there but now it was like an undercurrent—something she could control if she concentrated hard enough. That alone made Kat feel immeasurably better. It’s all right, she thought. I don’t have to lose control if I don’t want to—no matter how good it feels.

“Better now?” Lock asked softly, his brown eyes anxious.

“Yes, thank you,” she whispered. “It’s just…a little scary.”

“You wouldn’t be the first Earth female to be frightened of being between us.” Deep’s voice rumbled through her and she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck.

“Yes, but I’ll be the first to slap you if you try anything,” Kat responded tartly.

“You mean like this?” A large, warm hand suddenly cupped one of her breasts, making her gasp and tremble with a combination of anger and pleasure.

She twisted her neck around to look at him. “You—I just told you—”

“What?” Deep murmured, his black eyes blazing into hers. “What did you tell me, little Kat?”

“That I wouldn’t put up with anything. So stop it right now!”

The hand cupping her breast stayed firmly in place. “I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with more than this if you want to find your friend,” Deep drawled in her ear.

“He’s right.”

“What?” Kat looked back to find Lock giving her an apologetic look.

“We’ll need skin-to-skin contact—a lot of it, in order to cast the net so far,” he said. “Deep in particular will need to touch you in order to build up enough power to generate the net. So it’s better that you get used to his hands on your body now, Kat.”

“I…I don’t buy that,” she said, her voice trembling. “Is this what you did with your old focus—the one who trained you?”

“Of course not—F’lir was male,” Deep said.

“His mind meshed much more effortlessly with ours than yours does,” Lock explained. “It was enough for us to all simply lay in close proximity to each other with a bare minimum of contact. But your mind, Kat…”

“Is different. Very different,” Deep finished softly. “So we have to work extra hard to achieve a good connection. Like this.” The hand holding her breast squeezed gently, making Kat bite back a gasp.

“We’ll go slowly,” Lock promised her, his deep brown eyes searching hers as he stroked her cheek. “But you must accept the fact that we need to touch you very intimately, my lady.”

Kat closed her eyes briefly. I can do this. I can do this. I have to do this. “All right,” she said at last, looking at Lock again. “But try…try not to go too far.”

“And how far would that be?” Deep murmured, plucking her nipple gently through the thin lace, sending tingles of pleasure through her body. “How far would you go to save your friend, little Kat? Would you let me touch your bare skin? Stroke these beautiful breasts with nothing between us?”

Kat bit her lip and tried to breathe. “If…if you have to,” she whispered hoarsely.

“And what if I have to go farther?” Deep growled, his breath hot in her ear. “Would you part your legs for me and let me cup your pussy? Would you let me spread you open? Let me stroke your inner folds and slide my fingers deep inside your cunt?”

His hot words brought back the erotic image the three of them had shared during their first joining and Kat felt herself trembling with a mixture fear and desire. “Is that…” She cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice from trembling. “Will that really be necessary?”

“Hopefully not,” Lock assured her. “Deep is just laying out some possible scenarios.”

“But…but…I understand about the skin-to-skin contact,” Kat said. “But why does it have to be so…so intimate?”

“So sexual, you mean?” Deep tugged at her nipple again. “Because, little Kat,” he rumbled as he cupped her other breast with his left hand. “Sex generates emotion and emotion generates power.” He pinched both nipples lightly to emphasize the last word and Kat couldn’t help but gasp.

“Are you all right?” Lock looked at her anxiously. “Did he hurt you? I won’t allow that.”

“N-no,” Kat admitted in a choked voice. “He…he didn’t.”

“Of course not.” Deep pulled her closer until she could feel the long, hard ridge of his cock pressing against her ass. “I would never hurt our sweet little Kat. I only wish to bring her pleasure—even if she doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I never said—”

“Oh, yes you did,” Deep interrupted her. “Of course I’m sure when you said it, you never thought you’d be in this position, did you? But that’s all right,” he continued softly in her ear. “I’m not the type to hold a grudge for more than forty or fifty of your Earth years.”

Oh God! Kat squeezed her eyes closed. I’m in trouble. So much trouble here.

“Kat,” Lock murmured. He called her name again and finally she opened her eyes. “It’s all right,” he told her. “Deep isn’t as unforgiving as he’d like you to believe. If you can relax and open to him, he’ll be less angry and it will make the connection between the three of us deeper.”

How can I relax with someone who so obviously hates me? she couldn’t help thinking.

But he doesn’t hate you, Lock murmured into her mind and she realized the mental connection was open—between herself and the light twin, at least. Quite the opposite, my lady. He cares more deeply than you might suppose. More deeply than he will even admit to himself.

Kat didn’t know if he was right or not but she did her best. She took a deep breath and stopped fighting the hands that were cupping her breasts. Up until now she’d been tense, trying to hold herself away from the intimate invasion of Deep’s touch as much as possible. Now she let the tension melt from her body and allowed herself to press forward, letting her breasts fill his palms completely and with no resistance.

Kat? The new voice inside her head was hoarse and uncertain—very definitely Deep’s.

“Do what you have to do,” she whispered. “Just this once I give you permission. I give you…myself.” But only for Sophie’s sake, she thought but didn’t add.

“That’s good.” Lock kissed her forehead gently. “Very good, Kat. Just relax for a moment and let Deep see if he has enough power.”

Kat rested between them. Deep was still gently twisting her nipples and she tried to ignore the sparks of pleasure his touch shot through her body and straight to the vee between her legs. God, she felt like she was on fire and every instinct she had was screaming that this was wrong, was dangerous. That she had to jump up and run away again. But we have to find Sophie. And this is the only way. Grimly, she ignored her instincts and concentrated on opening herself instead.

Your self sacrifice is most touching, little Kat, she heard Deep growl in her head. But I’m afraid your resolve is about to be tested. Strong hands twisted in the lace of her nighty and gave a sharp jerk.

Kat gasped as the fragile spaghetti straps popped and the blue satin material slithered down to her waist, leaving her breasts completely bare. For a moment panic took her but then she heard Lock’s soothing voice in her mind.

It’s all right, he reassured her as Deep cupped her now naked breasts. Deep just needs more power. Let him touch you, Kat. Don’t fight him.

So beautiful. So full and ripe and luscious, Deep murmured in her head. And your scent…gods, it’s enough to drive a male crazy.

They smelled pretty incredible themselves, Kat couldn’t help thinking. Deep was exuding a dark spice that seemed to get inside her head and make her drunk. Lock’s aroma was lighter but just as enticing. It was warm and comforting, making her wish she could wrap herself up in it and just breathe it in. Isn’t there something I should remember here? Something about when a Kindred warrior smells really good…?

The thought was driven clean out of her head by Deep’s next words.

Brother, he sent, now speaking to Lock. Taste her for me. Suck her plump nipples and let me know if her flavor is equal to her delicious aroma.

May I? Lock held her gaze for a moment, his true brown eyes filled with longing and need.

Kat felt like she was drowning between them. God, she really shouldn’t be doing this. And yet…somehow she couldn’t seem to stop. Slowly she nodded.

Thank you, my lady. Lock pressed a chaste kiss to her lips and then moved lower and cupped one of her breasts, which Deep reluctantly relinquished. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he lapped gently at the sensitive pink bud, making Kat gasp with sudden pleasure.

Well? Deep wanted to know. How does she taste?

Give me a moment—I haven’t finished yet. I need to taste her more deeply. Slowly, deliberately, Lock sucked her nipple deep into his hot, wet mouth, taking as much of her breast between his lips as he could.

Kat moaned aloud as he sucked, drawing on her nipple gently at first and then harder. Though neither one of the brothers had tried to touch her between her legs, her pussy throbbed with desire and she could feel Deep’s cock throbbing in response against her ass.

Well? Deep said again.

Lock released her nipple with obvious reluctance and answered aloud. “Delicious,” he assured his brother, his voice hoarse with need. He looked at Kat. “May I taste the other one as well?”

“If…if you want to.” Kat wished her voice didn’t tremble so much but she couldn’t help it. The feeling of being bracketed by two hard, male bodies and the sweet sensation of both Deep and Lock teasing and tasting her tight buds was almost too much to bear.

Watch him do it, Deep whispered in her mind, as Lock leaned down to take her other nipple in his mouth. Watch him taste you, little Kat.

Kat couldn’t have looked away if she wanted to. The sight of Lock lapping and sucking her bare breast was intensely erotic. Once again she felt sparks of pleasure shooting from her sensitive tip to her swollen pussy.

Does it feel good? Deep murmured inside her head. Do you like letting Lock suck your sweet nipples?

Yes, she whispered back, using her mind voice again, giving in to the connection.

And does it make you wet, little Kat? Is your soft little pussy all hot and slippery with your juices?

Kat squirmed uncomfortably. Of course she was wet—how could she help it? But she didn’t want to admit it, not to Deep. And for some reason it was much harder to lie through their mental connection than when she was speaking out loud. “I…I don’t know,” she said at last.

You don’t know, hmm? Deep sounded both aroused and amused. Maybe I should find out. Tell me, Kat, what would I find if you spread your legs for me now? If I parted your pussy with my tongue, would you have honey for me to taste? Or would I have to keep tasting you, licking and sucking your sweet little cunt to make it flow? As he spoke, he sent her a mental picture of his broad shoulders splitting her thighs wide, as she opened for him. His dark head was pressed between her legs and he was working her hard with his tongue as Lock continued to suck her nipples…

“Don’t,” Kat whispered out loud. “You…you’re not playing fair.”

Who said it was a game? Deep whispered inside her head. I’m deadly serious, little Kat. I want to know if you’re wet. Want to know if the way Lock and I touch you affects you.

I’m wet, all right? I…I can’t help it, she sent in frustration. Are you happy now?

Not nearly as happy as I’d be if I could taste your wetness. He sent her the erotic image again and Kat thought she was going to explode. But just then Lock released her nipple and looked up.

“Thank you for allowing me to taste you, my lady,” he murmured.

“It…it’s all right,” Kat whispered breathlessly. “Do…do we have enough power now to find Sophie? Or do you need…need to do more?”

“What do you mean by ‘more?’” Deep growled softly in her ear. “Are you asking if I need to do this?” His large hand parted her thighs and Kat gasped as his long, seeking fingers slid into her panties. Mmm, you are wet. So hot and wet and swollen I can feel your pussy lips opening for me…inviting me in. One long finger slid up and down her slit, not quite entering her but threatening to at any moment.

“Deep…” she gasped helplessly as his fingertip barely brushed her swollen clit. “Are you sure? Do…do you have to?”

His hand lingered on her, cupping her pussy intimately in his warm palm. “Do I have to? No,” he murmured in her ear. “But will you let me, little Kat? Will you let me spread you open and explore your pussy, as you allowed Lock to suck your nipples?”

There was a depth of longing in his deep voice that was hard to deny. Again Kat had the sensation of drowning, of getting into something she didn’t understand, far over her head. This is dangerous, screamed a little voice in her head. Don’t go too far. Stop while you still can!

“I…I can’t,” she said at last. “I’m sorry Deep but if you don’t really need to…”

“Very well.” His voice was cold as he withdrew his hand. “I understand—you’re only here to find your friend.”

“Deep—” she began.

Well then, let’s find her. His mental tone was brisk. I think we have enough power now. But you’d better prepare yourself, Kat. You must open yourself to both of us. Let Lock and I fill you completely before we can cast the net.

Are you serious? Kat could scarcely believe him. Like I’m not open enough already?

You’re not, Kat, Lock murmured. There are places in your mind…doors you have closed against us. We could break those doors down if we wanted to—your mind is unshielded, after all. But if we do that, we’ll damage the fragile connection between us. You have to open up on your own.

And this is really necessary? Mentally, she cringed at the idea of what they might see.

If you want to find your friend, it is. Deep sounded stern. Then his tone became a little gentler. Don’t worry, little Kat…it’s not as though we’re going to linger over your most intimate secrets. We just need to fill you completely in order for this to work. No door must be shut against us.

All right then. I…I’ll try. It was an effort, and the warm tingle of sexual current running through her body didn’t help. But Kat forced herself to stop holding back mentally as she had forced herself to stop holding back physically earlier.

At once a new rush of memories raced by her. Horrible, embarrassing, mortifying memories she never wanted anyone to see—they came out in a flood. Learning to skate and falling down in front of everyone when I was a kid…

That time in class when the teacher called on me to give a book report and I hadn’t even read the book…

Being stood up on junior prom night when everyone else had a date. Spending the night alone eating ice cream and crying…

And then, worst of all—the one thing she really wanted to forget and didn’t want anyone else to see…

My first time. It was with Tommy Barnes in the back of his dad’s van. He spent weeks pretending he really cared, telling me he loved me, taking me out and then I finally let him do it. It hurt so much I could barely breathe but at least it was over fast. It was worse the next day when he told everyone in the senior class what we’d done. Walking the halls with everyone looking at me, knowing that I had let him do that to me. The laughter and jeers… Feeling horrible…ashamed, stained. If it hadn’t been for Sophie and Liv sticking by me I don’t know how I could have stood it…

Suddenly Lock’s mental voice interrupted the flow. This male hurt you and then bragged about it to his friends?

Where does he live? Deep demanded, his mental tone filled with rage. Tell us, Kat and I swear he won’t draw breath for very long.

Kat didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They had seen her worst memory and instead of reviling her, they wanted to avenge her. I really appreciate the offer you guys but that was a long time ago. Besides, Tommy wound up living in a doublewide and working at a greasy spoon type diner on the wrong end of town. So you could say he got what was coming to him already.

I don’t agree with you. Such callous treatment of a female ought to be punished. Deep’s tone was ominous. You gave yourself to him—gave him the pleasure of your body and the purity of your heart and he returned your trust with betrayal. Such a male should not be allowed to live.

I’m with you, Brother, but Kat is right about one thing—we need to concentrate on finding Sophia, Lock sent. Never fear, our grudge against the male who hurt our Kat will keep.

Kat sensed some mental grumbling from the dark twin as though he wasn’t nearly satisfied to leave Tommy Barnes alone. But before she could answer she saw something amazing.

Oh, she gasped as the connection between them deepened immeasurably. She saw the blue and white globe of Earth, just as she had before. Then, suddenly, they began to rush forward. Past the grayish, pocked face of the moon, past the arid red deserts of Mars—she watched them zip by with wonder. The immensity of Jupiter made her mind whirl and the rings of Saturn were barely a blur. Onward they sped, making Kat feel lighter than air as heavenly bodies whizzed past her. Then she heard Deep’s voice in her mind.

Did you enjoy the tour of your solar system, Kat?

Yes. It was…amazing.

I’m glad you liked it. Because now that we’ve reached the edge of it, we must go faster or we’ll never get to Tranq Prime.

As he spoke, the space around them began to blur. Distant stars that were mere diamond specs set in dark velvet suddenly grew terrifyingly immense and then receded to nothing again as they sped by them. Or in one case, through them. Kat barely had time to cry out as they entered a burning ball of flame so bright it would have blinded her if she’d been looking at it with her physical eyes. But almost before the cry left her lips, they were through it and whooshing forward again at a dizzying speed.

Lock laughed softly in her mind. Bet you never thought you’d see the inside of a star first-hand, did you my lady?

No. Kat still couldn’t believe it. This is unbelievable!

It’s fairly amazing, Lock admitted. I never knew Deep could take us so far.

I’ve always wanted to test the limits of our power. Deep sounded as though he was smiling for once and Kat could see why. Shooting through the universe this way was the most exhilarating sensation she’d ever had—it was like every roller coaster she’d ever been on, to the thousandth power. How could anyone help being elated at the giddy, exciting feeling of flying through space at the speed of light?

I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself but we’re actually moving faster than the speed of light now, Deep informed her. We have to if we want to get to Tranq Prime in time to find Sophia.

But…but I thought that was impossible, Kat protested. How can we be moving faster than the speed of light?

Because we’re not physically here, Lock explained. Our bodies are still lying on the bed. But our minds are free to wander. Anything is possible on the astral plane.

Especially if you have enough power, Deep growled. Hang on, we’re about to go even faster.

As soon as he spoke, everything began to blur. Kat half wished she could close her eyes but that seemed to be impossible in this state. The sensation of speed was so great she could barely stand it. She was sure if her physical body had been subjected to such stress she would have been vaporized in an instant. Then just as she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, they came to an abrupt halt in front of a graying white globe.

Tranq Prime, Deep explained. It’s mostly ice locked and the people live underground. Lock, is the net ready?

I have it woven. I just need to cast.

I hope you made it big enough. We need to cover the entire planet and all the outlying space around it as well. Remember, she could be anywhere in this sector.

I understand. Get ready.

Kat sensed a tension from Lock, as though he was about to lift an immensely heavy weight or do some other physically strenuous activity. She hoped that he had gotten enough power from their earlier exchange to do what he needed to do.

I’m all right, Lock assured her, obviously feeling her worry. It was Deep that needed most of the power to get us here and hold us in position. Just be ready when the net is cast—concentrate on Sophia.

All right. Concentrating hard, Kat pictured her friend—Sophia’s large green eyes fringed thickly with dark lashes, her lovely long chestnut hair, the sweet, shy way she spoke, her willingness to help, her compassion, her tender heart that ached for anyone in pain, even if it was someone who had hurt her… Sophie, she thought urgently, as the brilliant, shimmering net flowed outward, covering Tranq Prime and all the space around it. Sophie, I know you’re here somewhere—at least I think you are. I found you once—please let me be able to find you again! Please!

But though she searched and searched for the tugging of a familiar mind, she felt nothing.

Anything? Lock sent after a few moments.

Kat wanted to cry. No, nothing. I—wait!

What is it? Deep asked but Kat shushed him.

Let me concentrate. Something was moving in the corner of her mind. A tugging so faint she could barely feel it. As she focused on it, it began to grow stronger.

Kat rushed outward along the shining strands of the net, following the tiny familiar tug. It was leading away from Tranq Prime, taking her into deep orbit around the frozen planet—so deep that it was barely a speck in the sky by the time she found…

Wait a minute. Kat frowned. That’s not a ship. It’s just a rock.

An asteroid, Deep sent.

But…how can Sophie be inside a rock? Kat doubtfully eyed the vaguely spherical shape floating in space.

If that’s where the tugging is leading you, let it, Lock told her. Go deep, Kat. Let the feeling pull you in.

All right but I still don’t see how she could be in there. Again feeling like an unseen bird, Kat dived straight at the rocky grey surface of the asteroid which seemed to be about the size of a large house.

To her surprise instead of speeding through a solid mass of rock and gravel, Kat suddenly found herself inside a hollow metal shell. What the…?

It’s a ship! Lock sent excitedly. One built to look like an asteroid! Quickly, Kat, can you see Sophia?

Very quickly, Deep growled in her mind. I can’t hold us here, this far from our bodies much longer. Hurry Kat!

I’m hurrying! Speed was no issue. In her disembodied state she could flit around more quickly than a hummingbird fluttered its wings. Sophie was very near now, she could feel it—could feel the terror and distress emanating from her friend.

She rushed through a dark, narrow hallway and out into a larger room with a wide bank of controls and an enormous viewscreen. Projected on its vast surface was a being in a shadowy hood with burning red eyes.

Oh my God! Kat flinched at the sense of pure evil that flowed from the enormous image.

The AllFather, Deep sent grimly. So it is the Scourge who have her.

Was there ever any doubt? Lock returned. We knew they were hunting her, though we still don’t know why they want her.

And we don’t have time to find out, either. Deep’s mental voice was strained. Where’s Sophia?

Here! And oh my God… Kat couldn’t go on. Sophie was standing naked with her hands fisted at her sides, looking up at the viewscreen. The terror on her face was heartbreaking but she wasn’t crying aloud. Instead, silent tears ran down her cheeks as her eyes remained fixed on the hideous face of the AllFather. Behind her stood a tall man, as massive and muscular as any Kindred, but with pale grey skin. He had proud, stern features and red eyes with black hair, which she assumed was normal for the Scourge. It was hard to know since she’d never seen one in person before.

Sophie, she sent, trying to make contact with her friend. Sophie, hang on! We can see you and we’ll tell Sylvan where you are. Help is coming, just hold on!

She can’t hear you, Deep said, his mental voice still strained. We’re on a different plane than she is right now. But we have to get back soon.

I know, Kat whispered through their link. But poor Sophie. She—

Just at that moment the viewscreen went blank and the horrible face of the AllFather disappeared. Kat felt an immense sense of relief—as though a burden had been lifted from her mind. Oh, he’s gone! Thank—

And then the man behind her drew a knife.

Oh God! No—no! Kat rushed forward, forgetting that she couldn’t be heard or seen, and tried to knock the long, black-edged blade from his hand. No, don’t you touch her you son of a bitch! Don’t you dare—

Suddenly she felt the rubber band sensation she’d felt before—the feeling of being pulled backwards at tremendous speed whether she wanted to go or not.

No! No, please! she begged, but there was no stopping. Helplessly she watched as her friend disappeared. Suddenly they were through the metal hull of the asteroid ship and then it was nothing more than a spec in space. Tranq Prime disappeared and its far distant sun became nothing but a winking dot. Stars, planets, and vast swatches of black, open space rushed by them twice as fast, fifty times as fast, a hundred times as fast as they had on the journey there.

The rest was a blur so intense she couldn’t distinguish anything but black and white, dark and bright. In less time than she would have thought possible, she found herself back in her body which felt terribly tired and weak. A throbbing, pounding headache bloomed behind her eyes like a poisonous black rose. Not that she cared how she felt at the moment.

“He’s going to kill her,” she gasped, sitting up despite her dizziness and pain. “I know it! I know it.”

“Not if Sylvan can get to her in time,” Lock said grimly. “Did you mark the location, Deep? We don’t have time to triangulate right now.”

“I’ve got it.” Deep was already climbing out of bed. He half staggered and then regained his balance, which made Kat wonder if the joining had drained him too. “On my way to the view-room now.” He looked at Kat. “You said Sylvan’s waiting for the call?”

She nodded weakly. Now that she was sitting up, colored lights were flashing before her eyes and she was feeling decidedly nauseous. The headache was growing in intensity, becoming so sharp it was blinding.

Deep gave her a worried look. “Take care of her, Brother. I must go now.”

“Go!” Lock sat up as well and pulled Kat into his arms. “I’ll care for our Kat.”

Deep frowned. “She’s not ours, Lock—not really. You’d do well to remember that.” And then he was gone, running to warn Sylvan and give him the location of the strange ship where Sophie was being held.

Oh please, Kat thought as the world spun around her and started to go dark. Please let him be in time. I don’t see how he can be, but please…

* * * * *

Deep pounded down the long metal corridor in his bare feet, grimly intent on his mission. He felt weak from the incredibly intense joining, but he ignored the physical limitations his body wanted to impose on him contemptuously. There was no time for frailty or hesitation—his second brother’s life was in danger.

Because it wasn’t just Sophia that would die if Sylvan didn’t get to her in time.

Deep had seen the look in the male’s eyes when he stood ready to protect her—to defend her with his life if need be. Sylvan might have survived Feenah’s rejection but he wouldn’t survive Sophia’s death, of that Deep was certain.

Amazing that he could let himself feel so intensely for a female again after what Feenah put him through. Amazing and stupid—such emotional weakness only leads to pain. But he hoped he was wrong in Sylvan’s case. Hoped his second brother was in time to save the woman he so desperately loved.

He was running so fast he nearly passed the view-room. It was basically a lounge with a large viewscreen mounted on the wall for long distance and multi-light year communications. Skidding to a halt, he rushed inside to see a red eyed Olivia huddled against Baird, who was doing his best to comfort her. She looked up the moment he came in, a mixture of hope and fear flitting across her face.

“Deep? Did you find her?”

“We did,” he said shortly. “Call Sylvan—now.”

Baird was already punching a series of numbers into the viewscreen’s controls and in less than a minute Sylvan’s face appeared on the screen. Deep bit back a startled curse when he saw his second brother—Sylvan had never looked worse.

Gone was the cool, collected warrior who never showed the least emotion no matter how hopeless the situation. Desperate eyes stared into his and it was like looking into the abyss. But there was no time for commiseration.

“Where is she?” Sylvan asked hoarsely. “Is she alive?”

“She was a moment ago,” Deep said grimly. “But she’s in danger—grave danger, my brother.”

The change in Sylvan was immediate. The pupils of his ice blue eyes expanded and went blood red. At the same time his fangs punched out, long, sharp and utterly lethal. “Where?” he growled, his voice dropping an octave from its usual baritone to a menacing bass. “Tell me where.”

Deep rattled off a string of coordinates and then repeated them more slowly to make sure Sylvan got them right. “She’s in a ship that’s built to resemble an asteroid,” he added. “I don’t know where the entrance is.”

Sylvan cursed. “The asteroid that followed us through the fold! I wondered how the Scourge could’ve gotten all the way to Tranq Prime without us knowing!” He glared at Deep. “Don’t worry about the entrance—I’ll cut my way in.”

“Go quickly, Brother,” Deep said. “And be cautious—I only saw one Scourge holding her but he’s armed.”

“Armed or not, soon he’ll be dead.” Sylvan’s eyes blazed with rage and then his image was gone—popping out of view as quickly as it had appeared.

Deep shook his head and stared at the blank screen. The goddess give you speed, Brother! I hope you reach her in time.

Chapter Thirty-four

“Please,” Sophie gasped, backing away. “Please don’t!”

“I’m doing you a favor.” Xairn’s voice was distant, his red-on-black eyes calm and emotionless as he approached her with the long, curving knife. “Do you know what your fate would be if I took you back to my father as he commanded?”

“But…but I’ve got Blood Fever,” she said desperately, groping for any excuse to live just a little while longer. “So I’m going to die anyway even if you just…just leave me alone.”

He laughed humorlessly. “So that is what the marker detected. Well, then I am saving you from two unpleasant deaths.” With a quick lunge he caught her arm and drew her close. “Come, Sophia, I’m not going to violate you,” he said quietly. “Those urges are still buried in me—never to awaken, I hope.”

“So you’re just going to kill me instead? No thanks!” Fighting with all her might, Sophia struggled to get away. Kicking and squirming, she twisted in his grip. She fought so hard she almost broke free…until Xairn swept her feet out from under her. With a cry, she landed flat on her back with a bone-jarring thump on the hard metal floor.

The fall knocked the breath out of her and for a moment all she could do was gasp, trying to get air into her lungs. She was going to roll away from him, to try and buy more time, but a moment was all it took. Before she could move, Xairn was on her, pinning her down.

“Please…” Sophie could barely speak and now tears were forming in her eyes, making it hard to see. “Please, no. I…I need to live. I need to tell him…”

“Tell him what? That you love him?” Xairn’s eyes were flat as he raised the knife again. “I’m sure he knows.”

“But I never got a chance to tell him.” Suddenly that seemed like the worst thing—worse even than the fact that she was about to die. Oh Sylvan, I spent so much time fearing you for one reason or another that I never let myself love you. Oh please, God—if you’ll give me one more chance I swear I won’t waste it! I’ll tell him how I feel. I’ll let him bite me and bond me—anything so that we can be together. Together one more time…

But the gleaming black edge of the alien knife grew in her vision and no one seemed to be listening to her prayers.

Then, for some reason, Xairn withdrew the knife. “Let me look at you,” he demanded, leaning over her.

“What? Why?” A thought suddenly occurred to her—was he the Scourge commander who had demanded that Sylvan surrender her when they’d been caught in the energy net? His voice sounded the same. Sophie closed her eyes as the memory of his words echoed in her ears… We will strip her naked before we take her to the AllFather. Strip her and take her in front of you where you stand, helpless to do anything but watch as she begs for release…

Xairn seemed to sense her fear because he spoke very softly. “I told you I wouldn’t violate you, didn’t I? Now open your eyes, I need to see them.”

“Why?” He didn’t seem to have the same kind of power in his voice that the AllFather did, but Sophia found herself looking up at him anyway. His eyes were terrible—pure black where they ought to be white, with oval red pupils. For some reason, he appeared to be studying her eyes as well.

“Green,” he murmured at last, his face twisting. “Why do they have to be that exact shade of green?”

“What?” Sophie blinked back the tears that kept threatening to blind her. “What are you talking about?”

“Hold still.” He lifted the knife again but this time it was directed below her waist.

“What are you doing? Let me up! Let me go!” Sophie thrashed wildly but his grip was unbreakable. Suddenly there was a sharp, stinging pain along the side of her knee—the feeling of cold metal slicing through flesh. My God, he’s like a serial killer! He’s going to cut me up into little pieces! Panic rose up and overwhelmed her and for a moment everything went gray.

When she came to—only a few seconds later, she was sure—he was leaning over her again with something in his hand.

“Do you see this?” he demanded, showing her a small chunk of bloody metal.

Sophie nodded doubtfully. At least it’s not the knife—but what is it?

“It’s a marker,” he said, answering her unspoken question. “It’s how we were able to track you even after my father lost his lock on your warrior’s mind.” With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, he threw it away and Sophie heard it clatter and clang off the metal wall.

“Why…why did you do that?” she whispered through numb lips. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I.” He shook his head. “But as you’re not the one we’re looking for, I see no need for you to die in agony and torment just because my father demands it.” He frowned. “The murderous bastard has enough pain to feast on—he doesn’t need to glut himself on yours too.”

She felt numb all over. “So instead you’re going to kill me quickly.”

“I’m not going to kill you at all.” His face twisted again and for a moment his red-on-black eyes looked almost human. “I can’t. You look too much like her.”

There was real pain in his tone and for a moment Sophie almost felt sorry for him. Who was the woman he was talking about and what had happened to her? And what must it be like for him to have the horrible AllFather as his father? How had he stayed sane, being raised in the presence of such evil and terror? Then her instincts of self preservation kicked in.

“Please,” she whispered, barely daring to hope. “Does that mean you’ll let me go? Will…will you take me back to Tranq Prime? Will you—”

A grinding, shrieking noise, like metal being ripped apart, cut through her words.

Xairn gave her a humorless smile. “I would, but it appears I won’t have to. Your warrior has arrived. Though the gods alone know how he found you.”

The shrieking noise ended with a resounding clang—the sound of metal bouncing off metal. And then…

“Sophia!” The deep, furious roar sounded like something that might come from a male lion on the African veldt. It was Sylvan’s voice—she was sure of that—but so thick with fury it was barely recognizable.

Xairn scooped up the now bloody knife again. “You’d better stand clear—he’s coming. I hope he doesn’t have a blazer with him—if he slices through the ship’s walls we’ll all be space dust.”

He started to stand but before he could, Sylvan was already in the room. Blood red pupils took in the tableau before him and suddenly Sophie understood how it must look. She was naked on the floor with a strange male crouching over her, holding a bloody knife. Of course Sylvan thought she was being attacked.

“Sylvan, no—” she started to say, but he was already on Xairn, the two of them rolling over and over on the metal floor, fists and boots clanging and pounding as they struggled.

Sophie gasped and leaped to one side. She wanted to stop the brawl before Sylvan killed the other male, but she didn’t know how. There was no way to get between them without risking serious injury and besides, she was completely naked and unprotected. She tried shouting Sylvan’s name several times but he didn’t seem to hear her. The protective rage must be blinding him right now—and keeping him from hearing anything but his enemy’s cries.

The fight didn’t last long. Xairn was every bit as big and muscular as Sylvan but he had no female to protect, no rage to fuel his struggle. After a short, brutal scuffle, Sylvan had the other male down on the ground with both hands locked around his throat.

“Go ahead.” Xairn’s red eyes bulged from their sockets as he gave a strangled laugh. “Choke the life from my body. You’ll be doing me a favor.”

“Oh, I’m not going to choke you—that’s too painless.” There was a murderous glint in Sylvan’s crimson eyes. “I’m going to rip your fucking throat out—just like I promised.”

His mouth contorted in a grimace as he bared his fangs. They glittered like white daggers in the cold, artificial light but Sophie knew they wouldn’t stay white for long—soon they would be red with blood. If the Scourge have red blood, that is, she thought with distant horror, remembering the black ichor that had come from the urlich.

As Sylvan crouched over the other male, he seemed to grow bigger somehow, more menacing than Sophie had ever seen him. Suddenly her paralysis broke. I have to stop him! Xairn was going to let me go.

“Wait!” she said desperately, daring to touch his shoulder. “Sylvan, wait.”

He turned on her with a snarl—a beast disturbed while it crouched over its prey. For a moment Sophie cringed back. At that moment he was everything she feared in a man—everything that haunted and terrified her. There was nothing left of the sweet, gentle male who had carried her when she couldn’t walk and healed her wounds when she was hurt. There was only a huge alpha male with needle sharp fangs and blood-red eyes waiting to attack.

Run! screamed the primal part of her. Get away! He’s dangerous right now. You can’t stop him. You can’t do anything but hide and hope he comes back to his senses before he kills you too!

But Sophie was done running.

“I…I’m not afraid of you,” she said in a low voice, uncertain if she was trying to convince him or herself. “And you need to stop what you’re doing right now, Sylvan.”

“After what he did to you?” His voice was still thick and distorted with rage. “Never. He deserves to die.”

“He didn’t do anything,” Sophie said firmly. “He didn’t…didn’t try to touch me. Not like Burke,” she added in a softer voice, trying to make him understand.

“She’s right.” Xairn nodded as well as Sylvan’s hands around his throat would allow. “I was under orders to bring her back for the AllFather to despoil, but I did nothing myself.”

“There, you see?” Sophie asked.

Sylvan tightened his hold, making the Scourge commander’s face go a strange, dusky grey color. “He was taking you away to be raped and killed,” he said harshly. “Whether he touched you or not, I will show no mercy.”

“But he wasn’t,” she protested. “He was going to let me go. Look…” She pointed to the small wound on the inside of her knee. “He even cut out the, uh, tracking device thing they’d implanted so they could find me.”

The sight of her wound had a definite effect on him. Sophie could see the urge to kill warring with the urge to heal in those blood red eyes—she only prayed the latter won out.

“Sylvan,” she murmured, daring to touch his shoulder again. “Please—can’t we just get out of here? I feel…wow, I really don’t feel good.” She put a hand to hear head and wobbled unsteadily. It wasn’t an act—suddenly she was dizzy and faint. She stumbled and would have fallen if Sylvan hadn’t caught her with one hand.

He pulled her close and looked at her anxiously. “Sophia?”

“Want to go. Please,” she whispered.

Sylvan uttered a low curse and looked down at Xairn. He still had the Scourge commander by the throat with one hand, but his grip wasn’t nearly as tight as it had been. It didn’t need to be—Xairn was completely still. Whether he was dead or unconscious Sophie couldn’t tell. She thought she saw a faint motion of his broad chest but then Sylvan let him go and turned to swing her up into his arms.

“Thank you,” she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder. “And thank you for coming for me, Sylvan.”

“I will always come for you, Talana,” he said hoarsely. “No matter what happens or who stands in the way. You’re mine.”

“Sylvan…” She wanted to say more but her head was swimming again and then she started shivering.

Sylvan looked at her with obvious concern. “Let’s get you back to the ship.”

She caught one last glance at the still form of Xairn, lying on the floor, and then he carried her away.

Chapter Thirty-five

Sylvan didn’t know why he did it, but after getting Sophie safely strapped in he sealed the hole in the side of the artificial asteroid before disengaging from the enemy ship. Should have just let the bastard suck vacuum and die—if he’s not dead already, he thought as the last of the sealant compound adhered to the Scourge ship’s rocky outer surface. But Sophia’s tender heart and soft plea had stopped him. How she could be so forgiving was beyond Sylvan—he was still deep in rage and ready to kill anyone who so much as looked at her the wrong way.

“Sylvan,” she whispered faintly, her teeth chattering. “I’m c-cold. Do you have a b-blanket?”

“I have something better than that.” Reaching down, he found something soft and warm and handed it to her.

“My tharp! MM2!” Sophia cuddled under the moss green tharp which folded itself around her affectionately. Almost at once her shivering stopped. “I never thought I’d be so glad to see you again,” she told it. Then she looked up at Sylvan. “Thank you for bringing it.”

“I almost didn’t bother to get it but I thought you might need it to warm you,” he said shortly. “How do you feel?”

“Better. Much better. Well…”

“Yes?” Sylvan asked anxiously.

“It’s just that…I guess now that everything’s over I’m starting to feel the, uh, Blood Fever more. My, um…parts of me are feeling really sensitive right now,” she admitted in a low voice.

Sylvan nodded. “The effects of the fever. But don’t worry—I started a compound here in the ship’s lab, using my essence and the Blood Fever vaccine as the basis.” He nodded to the back of the small ship where a counter was filled with delicate looking but surprisingly tough equipment. “I did it while I waited for Kat and Lock and Deep to locate you.”

“You did?” Her eyes widened. “They did? But…Kat said she didn’t want anything else to do with them.”

“Apparently she changed her mind so they could help find you. It was…” Sylvan pressed a hand to his eyes briefly, trying not to think of the horrible uncertainty—wondering if she was dead or alive, if he would ever see her again… “It was the longest two hours of my life, waiting to hear where you were. I had to do something to keep from going mad and I knew if…when I found you that you’d need the cure.”

Sophie frowned. “So this cure—this antidote you’ve concocted—I just take a shot and the Blood Fever will be gone? And then you and I, our lives, everything—will just go back to normal?”

Sylvan nodded. “Yes, thank the Mother. And it’s not even a shot— I know how much you hate needles or anything sharp so I formulated it as an emulsion you can take by mouth. I need to get some glucose mixture to dissolve it in but they’ll have that at the med station on the Mother ship so—”

“I don’t want it.”

“What?” He frowned. “I assure you, Sophia, it’s perfectly safe.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. But I’m through playing it safe with you.” She leaned forward as far as her straps would allow and placed a hand on his knee. “I want you to bite me, Sylvan. Bite me and…and do whatever else you have to do.” Her cheeks turned pink but her eyes never left his. “That’s how I want you to cure me.”

Sylvan opened his mouth to answer but just then he caught sight of himself in the shiny, reflective surface of the blank viewscreen. Red eyes and fully extended fangs greeted him—the visage of a male still deep in rage. He tried to force his fangs to retract but they wouldn’t. Though he had rescued Sophia, the possessive need that had been raised in him by her abduction refused to die. With a sinking heart, he felt his blood burning again, the desire for her growing like a fire that threatened to blaze out of control and consume everything in its path.

I can’t take her in such a state. Can’t trust myself not to hurt her, to scare her. Besides, in order to heal her, he would have to bond her. Once he did that there would be no going back—no escape for her from his fangs, which she feared so. Because if he took her, if he allowed himself to fill her with his cock and pierce her with his fangs even once, he would never be able to stop. He would need her under him, open for him every night for the rest of their lives.

“No,” he growled, flipping on the viewscreen so that it showed the blackness of space instead of his own grotesque and frightening countenance. “I won’t do that.”

“Is it your vow holding you back? Because I release you of it,” she said softly. “I…I don’t want you to be foresworn of me anymore.”

“I appreciate that but it doesn’t make any difference,” Sylvan said stiffly. Gods, couldn’t she see how difficult this was for him? He hated to keep refusing her but it was for her own damn good.

Setting the coordinates, he turned the ship toward Tranq Prime. He wasn’t taking her back to his native planet, however. He’d had enough of his relatives to last a life time and besides, he wanted her back on board the Mother ship where he could care for her properly. The Kindred High Council were just going to have to understand.

“Sylvan—” she began, but he was already punching in a call to Baird.

“Brother.” Baird’s golden eyes were wary when he appeared on the screen. When he saw Sophia wrapped in the moss green tharp, he looked cautiously relieved. “She’s all right?” he demanded in a low voice. “She’ll live?”

“I’m fine,” Sophia answered before Sylvan could speak. “Just fine.”

Baird’s dark face broke into a grin of pure joy. “Lilenta,” he shouted over his shoulder. “She’s all right!”

“Oh, thank God! Thank God.” Olivia came running, appearing abruptly in their line of vision. Her eyes were red and her long blonde hair looked like she’d been running both hands through it in agitation. “Sophie, are you okay?” She looked at Sophia anxiously. “Really and truly? Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m okay—really and truly, wombmate.” Sophia smiled at her twin. “I’m fine.”

“She’s not fine,” Sylvan corrected sternly. “She still has Blood Fever and needs to take the antidote I made for her from my essence. I need a glucose mixture to dissolve it in—Olivia, you know where it’s kept in the med station, don’t you?”

Olivia nodded eagerly. “I’ll have it waiting for you in your suite.”

“Good.” Sylvan nodded. “And Baird, get ready to fold space. We’re coming home.”

Baird grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that. In fact, I already got permission to create the fold. Had to call in a hell of a lot of favors but it’s ready and waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Brother.” Sylvan felt an immense sense of relief that they weren’t going to have to wait for the fold to appear. He needed to get Sophia back to the Mother ship and healed quickly so that he himself could visit the sacred grove. Another trip to the priestess to cool his burning blood was definitely in order. Even now he could smell Sophia’s sweet scent and the outline of her naked body under the soft green tharp was almost more temptation than he could bear.

“Fly straight and true, Brother,” Baird said, interrupting his thoughts. “Come home to us safely.”

“We’re coming,” Sylvan promised. He started to cut off the communication but Sophia spoke up quickly.

“Liv, I need to talk to you. Bespeak me as soon as we come out of the fold—all right?”

“Of course,” Olivia promised. Something seemed to pass between them—something Sylvan couldn’t quite catch. He frowned, but it was probably just a twin thing. Deep and Lock often did the same thing—communicating with nothing more than a look or a touch.

“We’ll see you soon,” he said and cut the link. Immediately the viewscreen showed Tranq Prime racing toward them. Hovering in space above the grayish white sphere was a deep red wound in space—the fold. “Hold on,” he told Sophia. “We’re going through.”

“Good.” She gave him a warm smile that tugged at his heart. “I want to go home.”

* * * * *

“Sophie, are you there?” Liv’s voice popped into her mind the minute the small ship exited the fold.

“I’m here,” Sophie sent back at once. “God, Liv, you have no idea how good it is to hear you. To be home again.”

Olivia laughed delightedly, a warm sound that echoed in Sophie’s heart as well as her head. “Hard to believe you left barely a day ago.”

“Well it seems like a lot longer than a day, believe me,” Sophie sent back grimly. “You won’t believe everything I have to tell you. But for right now I just need a favor.”

“Name it. Anything,” came the immediate reply.

“Thanks.” Sophia smiled. “I just need you to hold off on getting that glucose stuff for a little while.”

Liv’s mental tone changed from agreeable to stern. “What? No way, Sophie. You’re sick—you need to take the antidote Sylvan made you. In fact, I’m in the lab
getting the glucose right now.”

“I don’t need the antidote—that’s not the only way to cure Blood Fever,” Sophie argued. Look, how much do you know about it?”

“I know that it’s fatal if you don’t treat it within forty-eight hours.”

“And I’ve had it less than eight. Come on, Liv, just look it up.”

“Hang on.” There was a short silence and Sophie pictured her sister tapping away on the info unit at the med lab. In a very short time her voice was back in Sophie’s head. “So you want him to cure you the traditional way? Do you know what that involves?”

“I know,” Sophie sent. In the past the idea of letting Sylvan sink his fangs into her had freaked her out. But the memory of her time with the Scourge and the things she had vowed to herself was still fresh in her mind. “I’ve just been through hell, Liv,” she told her sister quietly. “I thought I was going to die and you know what I realized? I haven’t really let myself live.”

“Sophie—”

“I’ve been so busy dwelling on the past, I haven’t allowed myself to enjoy the present or look forward to the future,” Sophia continued. “And I haven’t let myself love because loving someone means pain.”

“That’s doubly true in this case,” Olivia sent dryly. “Remember Sylvan’s fangs.”

“I remember,” Sophia sent calmly. “They’re out right now. But you know what? I’m not afraid of them anymore. I’m not afraid of him or of letting myself love him. I want him, Liv. And I don’t care if it hurts.”

“Sophie, you’ve just been through a lot. Maybe you should take some time to consider—”

“Do you remember when you told me you had to get to the place where you were more afraid of losing Baird than of letting him bond you?”

There was a long silence and then Olivia said, “Yes. Yes, I remember.”

“Well I’m at that point with Sylvan now,” Sophie told her. “I want him and I know he wants me. Only he’s afraid to do anything about it—afraid he’ll hurt me.”

“I’m a little afraid of that myself,” Liv sent. “I’ve never seen him look so scary as when you called on the viewscreen a little while ago. Those red eyes. And his fangs look so sharp.”

“That’s because he needs me,” Sophie sent simply. “As badly as I need him. I just have to convince him to…to take me.”

Olivia sent a mental sigh. “All right—I trust your judgment. So what do you want me to do?”

“Stall him. Meet us at the suite and tell him you’re out of glucose on this side of the ship and you’ll have to send for some more. Or better yet, offer to go get some yourself. Just say anything that will keep him in the suite with me while you ‘locate’ another supply.”

“My, my, my. Aren’t we devious?” Liv’s mental voice was filled with admiration. “Okay, I can do that.”

“Thanks, Liv. I owe you one.”

“I’ll be sure you pay up later. Because you know Kat and I are going to want all the juicy details.”

“How is Kat? Sylvan said she went back to Deep and Lock in order to locate me. Is she all right?”

“I haven’t talked to her. According to Lock she’s resting in her suite. Apparently she left him and Deep as soon as she was able to, after they, uh, located you. Of course the minute she wakes up we’ll want to talk. We should get together later on tonight.”

“We’ll see.” Sophie cast a sidelong look at Sylvan who was currently busy landing the ship. Besides the obvious signs of rage—the red eyes and extended fangs—there was a strained look on his face. She remembered what he had said to her before…My blood was burning. And I had no way to quench the flames. His blood was burning now, she was certain of it. He was on edge from wanting her—needing her. There would never be a better time to convince him to bond her to him. She just hoped she could manage it.

“What do you mean, ‘We’ll see?’” Liv demanded.

“I mean this might take a while. I think you know what I mean—or you should, anyway.”

“Oh.” Liv laughed. “Of course, what was I thinking? Especially if you, uh, succeed in your little mission.”

“I’ll succeed, all right,” Sophie promised her. “I’m not letting him out of that suite until he bites me. And does…everything else he has to in order to bond us together.”

Liv laughed again. “Okay, forget tonight. Kat and I will see you next week.” Her voice was suddenly sober. “Just be careful, Sophie. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do. For the first time since Burke hurt me, I know what I want—what I need—and I’m not backing down now. I’m not missing another chance to be with the man I love,” she told her sister.

“Okay, okay—you’ve convinced me. I’m behind you one hundred percent.”

“Thank you,” Sophie sent.

She just hoped she could convince Sylvan as well.

Chapter Thirty-six

Sylvan frowned as they walked into his suite. “I can’t understand how we could run out of glucose solution. Whoever has been doing the ordering at the main med station must be completely incompetent.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Sophia said, closing the door behind them. “Liv said she can get some from the other side of the ship in an hour or two.”

Sylvan tried to repress a sigh. An hour or two sounded like an eternity at the moment. Especially when he wanted Sophia so badly he could almost taste the salty-sweet flavor of her skin. When all he wanted to do was take her to bed and part her thighs while she offered him her throat. Stop it, he ordered himself. Stop thinking that way. You’re only making it worse!

Sophia shivered. “I’m chilled to the bone. Do you mind if I take a quick bath?”

“Of course not. Be my guest.” Sylvan was relieved. Maybe she would spend the next few hours soaking in the bathing pool. And though the thought of her naked and wet would be a torment, at least she wouldn’t be in the same room with him, where he could see her beautiful body under the thin tharp and smell her devastatingly feminine scent.

Sophia headed for the bathroom but then she hesitated and turned back. “You could join me, if you want. You look really tense. I could, ah, rub your back.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow at her. “Join you naked in the bathing pool?”

“Well…” Her cheeks were suddenly pink again. “Yes. Why not?”

Because I want you. Because even the thought of you slippery and wet and naked makes me feel like I’m losing my mind with desire. “It’s a bad idea,” he said shortly, frowning. “A very, very bad idea.”

“Oh.” Her face fell. “I just thought…never mind. I’ll just be a minute.” Quickly she went to the bathroom and shut herself in.

Sylvan felt terrible for turning her down so abruptly but it was obvious she didn’t understand. He was right on the edge of reason, his blood burning for her as it never had before, even after the second time he’d tasted her. If he allowed himself to get too close…I have to keep my distance from her until I can get to the sacred grove. Have to keep her at an arm’s length until the priestess can cool my blood. Otherwise I’ll do something we’ll both regret for the rest of our lives.

* * * * *

“Okay,” Sophie muttered to herself, shedding the tharp and draping it carefully across a shelf. “This is not working. Time for plan B.”

The only trouble was, she had no plan B. She’d never tried to seduce anyone before and she had no idea how to go about it. Obviously just offering herself wasn’t going to work. Sylvan was on his guard against her. He was so certain that he would hurt her that he wasn’t about to touch her with a ten foot pole. And that’s what I need, she thought as she dipped her foot in the bathing pool. His hands on me. And his mouth. If I could get him to go that far, I’m pretty sure I could get him to take me all the way. But how could she get past the wall he’d erected between them and get him to touch her?

The bathing pool was beautifully hot and having no answers, Sophie decided to take a soak and think about it. Liv had promised to stall for as long as she could, so Sophie figured she had a good two or three hours to work on Sylvan before he finally got fed up with the situation and went to fetch the glucose himself. In the mean time, she had to think up some kind of plan for the seduction—even though she had no idea what she was doing.

She hissed as she lowered herself into the pool. The hot water felt wonderful on the rest of her body but it stung the small wound Xairn had made on the inside of her knee fiercely. Ouch! Wish I’d had Sylvan heal that before I got into the pool. I should’ve asked him but—Wait a minute! Suddenly, it clicked. She’d been wondering how to get his hands and mouth on her—asking him to heal her knee was an excellent start. But only a start, she thought. I’ll have to get him to go further. But how? An answer popped into her brain. Of course! That should work. It’ll take a little subtlety but I think I can pull it off…

Sophie spent a little more time in the bath working out the details and then stepped out, feeling both refreshed and extremely nervous. Her plan seemed workable but how did she know if it would do the trick? She wasn’t exactly a legendary seductress. I don’t even have anything sexy to wear, she thought ruefully as she toweled off. I should’ve asked Liv to loan me a set of her naughty underwear. Of course then it would be really obvious I was trying to seduce him and this would never work. Still, if I had anything at all to wear…Her eyes fell on moss green tharp and she frowned. Maybe she did have something sexy to wear after all.

“Listen, MM2,” she murmured, taking the tharp off the shelf. “I know I said I’d never wear you again but we’re friends now, right? And you owe me one for that scene at the feast—you know you do.” She couldn’t be sure but she thought she felt a sense of agreement from the tharp. It was making a soft humming sound that seemed to indicate that it understood what she was saying and agreed with her. “Good,” she said. “So here’s what I want you to do…”

* * * * *

She came out of the bathroom much sooner than Sylvan had hoped she would. And she looked, if possible, even more lovely and desirable than when she’d gone in. The steam had given her fair skin a rosy glow and turned the little wisps of hair that framed her face into delicate ringlets. Even worse, the heat from the bath had brought out her scent—it drifted to his nose like an enticing perfume, warm and sweet and utterly desirable. It made him instantly hard, his cock aching for release. Sylvan shifted, hoping she wouldn’t notice the sudden bulge in his flight pants. But he was almost too busy looking at her to notice if she was looking at him.

Sophia was wearing the moss green tharp as a dress again and what a dress! It had a deep V neckline that showed the inside curves of her creamy breasts and outlined the tight points of her nipples clearly. The bottom was a long straight fall of soft green to her ankles, but there was a slit up the center that went to the middle of her thighs and showed her shapely legs quite clearly with each step she took.

Sylvan tried not to look after his initial assessment but it was difficult—almost impossible. Especially when she came and sat right on the couch beside him, so close their legs were touching.

“Mmm, I feel so much better.” Her voice was low and throaty—as contented as a cat’s purr. The soft, feminine growl seemed to go directly to Sylvan’s groin, making him harder than ever.

He shifted uncomfortably, trying to move his leg away from hers as unobtrusively as possible. “I’m glad.” His own voice sounded stiff and wooden in his ears—forced. But it was difficult to sound relaxed when he was more tense and agitated than he could ever remember being in his entire life.

‘Thank you.” She shifted toward him again, her knee brushing his and suddenly one of her sleeves slipped down her shoulder, baring most of her right breast. In fact, if her nipple hadn’t been erect, it might have slithered all the way down to her waist. As it was, though, the edge of the tharp caught on the tight point so that only the upper curve of her areola was revealed.

“Oh!” Sophia gasped, fumbling with the tharp. “I’m so sorry. This stupid thing…” She got the sleeve up and her breast mostly covered…and the other side promptly fell down. She grabbed for the tharp again, trying to get it to cover her but it was apparent it didn’t want to cooperate.

Instead of going back to its original shape, the front of the tharp formed indecently small triangles that clung tightly to her breasts. The upper points of the triangles started just above her nipples and barely covered the bottom curves of her ripe mounds. The final configuration outlined her jutting peaks and left most of the rest of her breasts bare in a way that was distractingly erotic—and so tempting Sylvan thought he might explode at any minute.

“There.” Sophia looked down at her chest uncertainly. “I think it’ll stay now. It certainly has a mind of its own.”

“You…you have to be firm with them,” Sylvan finally heard himself say in a hoarse voice. He forced himself to look away as Sophia spoke again.

“Sylvan, there’s just one thing…” She hesitated so long he was forced to turn and look at her again.

“Yes?” he asked, trying desperately to keep his eyes above her neck.

“The place where he—the Scourge commander—cut me to take out the tracking device. It still hurts…a lot.” She bit her lip, her lovely eyes filled with pain. “And well… if you don’t mind I was wondering if you could heal it for me. The way you healed my other injuries at the cabin.”

Kneeling on the floor in front of her, tasting her skin. I would start at her knee and run my tongue up the inner part of her thigh. Then I would part her legs so I could see her wet, ripe pussy. Her cunt lips would be swollen and sensitive, hot and wet with desire…No! Sylvan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get control of himself. I can’t think that way. She’s asking me to heal her and that’s what I need to do. All I need to do.

“Sylvan?” she whispered. “Did…did I ask too much? Did I offend you?”

“Of course not,” he said in a strangled voice. “It’s fine. I’m fine. And certainly I can…can heal you.”

“If you really wouldn’t mind…”

“Not at all. I never want you to be in pain—especially when I can help ease that pain.” He slid off the couch and positioned himself stiffly in front of her. “Where is the wound again?”

“Here,” she murmured, pointing. “On the inside of my knee.”

Sylvan had been meaning to lean over and heal her from the side but Sophia spread her legs, beckoning him in. Somehow he ended up between her thighs, which were thankfully mostly covered—at least from mid-thigh and up—by the tharp.

Struggling to keep his composure, Sylvan bent his head to the small wound and lapped gently, laving it tenderly with his tongue as he savored the delicious taste of her skin.

Sophie hissed at first, in apparent pain, and then moaned softly as he continued to lick her.

Sylvan looked up. “Did…did I hurt you?”

“No.” She ran one hand gently through his hair, sending shivers of pleasure down his back. “It…actually, it felt good. But I am having pain somewhere el—oh!” Her words ended in a gasp because the slit in her tharp had suddenly opened up, exposing her all the way to the waist.

Sylvan tried not to look but he couldn’t help catching a glimpse of her soft little pussy with its neatly trimmed thatch of dark brown curls. Her scent was suddenly much stronger and even more enticing, making his cock and fangs ache with the need to sink deep in her flesh. He pushed the need away roughly and forced himself to look away.

“I’m so sorry,” Sophie was saying as she tried to get the tharp back together again. “Naughty MM2!” she scolded it. “You should know better than that!”

“It’s all right.” Sylvan rose stiffly and sat beside her on the couch again. “I’m, uh, fairly certain you’re healed now. But…” He cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject. “You were saying you had pain someplace else?”

* * * * *

“Well, yes…” Sophia blushed as she spoke. It really was embarrassing to be exposed this way, even though MM2 was only following orders. But it was kind of hot too—especially since she could tell she was affecting him. “My, uh…” She looked at Sylvan uncertainly. “My nipples and my…between my legs. I’m so sensitive there it’s almost painful. And they’ve turned dark red—at least my nipples have.”

Sylvan shifted beside her and she couldn’t help noticing the hard ridge of his cock outlined against the fabric of his black pants. “I told you that was a symptom of Blood Fever,” he reminded her hoarsely. “The deeper coloration and sensitivity should go away as soon as you take the antidote.”

“I know but it really hurts,” Sophia said, trying to look pitiful. “I just wonder if it’s normal for it to hurt this much. I mean my nipples are so tight and achy and the inside of my…well, it just feels really sensitive and swollen.”

Sylvan frowned. “I suppose it’s possible the fever is progressing faster in you because you’re human.”

She bit her lip and looked down. “Do you think you could examine me? Just to make sure everything’s all right? I’m kind of worried.”

He hesitated for so long she was afraid she’d overplayed it. But finally he nodded. “Yes, I suppose,” he said in a low voice. “As long as we keep it completely professional…”

“Of course,” Sophie murmured. However, pealing down the tiny bikini-type top her tharp had formed turned out to be a little more difficult than she’d anticipated. Not because MM2 wasn’t cooperating—actually the tharp was doing its part beautifully. But because she really was nervous to be exposing herself so blatantly.

Her uncertainty must have shown on her face because Sylvan stroked her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s all right, Sophia, I’m just going to examine you. And I have seen you undressed before.”

“I know,” she whispered as she let the tharp fall to her waist. “I’m just…I guess I’m still just a little shy.”

“You have no need to be embarrassed,” he murmured, cupping her cheek. “You have the most beautiful body I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, feeling her cheeks get warm with the compliment. “That’s so sweet of you. Do…do you think my nipples are too red? I mean…” She nodded down at her jutting peaks which were a dark crimson. “Is that normal?”

Leaning down, Sylvan examined her closely—so closely she could feel his warm breath on the valley between her breasts. “You say they’re extremely sensitive?” he murmured.

“Extremely.” Sophie nodded and it was no lie. Even feeling his breath on her skin was enough to make her hot and bothered.

“Does this hurt?” Gently, Sylvan ran the tip of one finger around her right areola.

Sophie moaned softly as the nipple tightened even more and a spark of pleasure shot from her breast to the vee between her legs. “It doesn’t hurt exactly but I can really feel it,” she admitted.

“And this?” He licked his lips and then placed a soft, close-mouthed kiss against the tip of her nipple.

“Oh!” Sophie jumped at the sudden jolt of pleasure the simple action gave her. “That…actually, that feels nice.”

“I thought my lips would be softer than my fingers,” he said, looking up at her.

“They are,” Sophie assured him. “They really are. In fact…it feels better than it did before…before you kissed me. Why is that?”

Sylvan cleared his throat. “Probably because I licked my lips just before I, ah, kissed you. Remember I told you the healing compound wasn’t just in my essence but in all of my, er, other fluids?”

“Of course.” A light bulb suddenly went off in Sophie’s head. Up until now she’d had no idea how to seduce him other than just getting him close and letting him see her. But now another idea presented itself. “Sylvan,” she said softly, looking up at him. “Do you think…would you mind doing it again? And with…with the other one too? I know I’ll be completely healed once I take the antidote but in the meantime, it really hurts and if you could ease the pain just a tiy bit…”

He closed his eyes for a moment and she could sense him struggling with himself. He was still deeply in need—his fully extended fangs looked lethal and sharp—but Sophie no longer had any wish to ask him to retract them. In fact, although they were still frightening, the sharp points had begun to look sexy to her. Because the sooner she got him to bite her with them, the sooner they would be bonded together forever.

“Please,” she whispered, touching his thigh lightly. “If you could just lick…just a little bit…”

“Of course.” Sylvan opened his eyes and tried to smile but she could see the strain on his face. “But…” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to retract my fangs. I’ll be very careful not to bite you but I know in the past you said—”

“Forget what I said,” Sophie murmured. “I…I’m not afraid of your fangs any more, Sylvan. I’m not afraid of you. And to prove it…here.” Rising up on her knees, she pressed forward so that the tip of one nipple rubbed against his lips. “Go ahead,” she murmured. “Suck me. Take me all the way into your mouth.”

“Sophia…” her name was a low groan on his lips, almost a prayer. “I don’t think—”

“It’s all right,” she said softly. “I know you won’t hurt me.”

Apparently unable to withstand the temptation anymore, Sylvan did as she asked and sucked her nipple between his lips.

Sophie gasped in pleasure at the sensation of his hot, wet mouth on her incredibly sensitive peak. Sylvan sucked her nipple gently but she could feel the sharp points of his fangs pressed against the curve of her breast, though he didn’t break the skin. To her surprise, the sharp little pain of his fangs pricking her increased her pleasure rather than dampening it. Tentatively, she ran her hands through his hair, holding him to her. Sylvan growled low in his throat and switched to the other nipple, lapping it tenderly before taking it deep into his mouth.

“Sylvan,” she whispered, pressing forward, wanting to give him more. “God, that feels so good.” Sparks were flying from her breasts to her pussy, making her hot, making her want him. She could feel herself getting wetter and wetter, more and more ready…

Then Sylvan pulled back and looked up at her. “You’re feeling better then?” His breathing was ragged but his eyes were determined.

Damn! Sophie’s heart sank. He’s only going to do what he has to in order to make me feel better. He’s not going to go any further unless I push him. Well then, she would just have to push.

“My nipples do feel better,” she admitted breathlessly.

“Good.” He started to sit back but she touched him lightly on the arm to stop him.

“But…but Sylvan. Where it really hurts is…you know.” She nodded at the juncture of her thighs and saw with a kind of pleasurable embarrassment that her tharp had ridden up, exposing her pussy again. “I mean, you don’t have to…to do what you did for my breasts,” she added hastily. “But if you could just examine me and make sure everything is all right…”

Sylvan put a hand over his eyes for a moment and made an agonized sound deep in his throat. “Sophia, forgive me but what you’re asking…it may be difficult for me to be professional.”

“That’s all right.” She stroked his arm gently. “You know I won’t be offended if you…you know, lose control a little.”

“But that’s exactly what I can’t afford to do.” He looked at her, his eyes half-wild with need. “I have to be careful with you, Sophia. So careful…”

“You won’t hurt me,” she assured him again. “I trust you, Sylvan.”

“You trust me too much. More than I trust myself,” he said grimly. “Very well, let’s take a look and make certain you’re all right. Lean back and spread your legs for me.”

God, if only he was asking me that for a different reason. Sophie shivered involuntarily but did as he asked. Her tharp parted obligingly, leaving her completely naked and open to him. She bit back a gasp at the sudden feeling of intense vulnerability. Part of her wanted to close her legs and cover up at once but Sophie squashed that instinct immediately. She couldn’t give Sylvan any reason to doubt that she trusted him. So instead of shutting her thighs, she opened them wider as he leaned forward.

“All right now.” Sylvan’s voice was dry—obviously he was trying desperately to remain impersonal. “Let me check your sensitivity first. Does this hurt?” Lightly he ran a fingertip over her outer pussy lips, making Sophie squeak and jump slightly.

“Uh, no,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “It…it mainly hurts on the…on the inside.”

“Very well.” He looked up at her briefly. “I’m going to spread you open, Sophia. Are you ready?”

It reminded her so much of the first time he’d marked her—tasted her—that her breath caught in her throat and a shiver of anticipation coursed through her body. “Yes,” she whispered at last. “Yes, Sylvan you can open me. I want you to.”

“And I want to, much more than I should,” he murmured, his voice hoarse with need.

He stroked her outer mound once more and then she felt the broad pads of his thumbs opening her, parting her pussy lips to bare her inner folds for his inspection. “Well?” she murmured after a long moment of silence. “Do…do I look okay?”

“You’re certainly very wet.” His deep voice sounded strangled. “And I can tell you’re a little swollen too. Mostly…mostly around your clitoris. Here…” Licking his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss to her throbbing clit.

Sophie jumped and moaned softly as he prolonged the kiss, parting his lips to lave her little bud with the tip of his tongue. She squeezed her hands into fists at the intense sensation. She was so much more sensitive now that even such a gentle touch made her feel like she’d been struck by some kind of sexual lightning. It felt so good but she needed more…so much more.

At last Sylvan pulled back, licking his lips. “Gods, your honey is so sweet.” His voice was a low growl of lust. He looked up at her. “Did that help or does it still hurt?”

Sophie bit her lip. “It helped some but to be honest, I’m still in a lot of pain. Could you…do you think you could…”

“Ease your pain?” His eyes were burning red and half-lidded with desire but his voice still had that stubborn ring to it, as though he was determined not to go too far.

“Yes, please,” Sophie whispered. “If…if you don’t mind.”

His eyes softened. “You know I don’t, Talana. Tasting your pussy is a great pleasure to me. Even if I’m only doing it to make you feel better.” He frowned. “But we’ll have to be careful. Your increased sensitivity will make it easier for you to come and I don’t…don’t think that would be a good idea right now.”

Because he doesn’t think he could stop himself from biting me, Sophie thought with a little shiver. Fear and anticipation were warring inside her, creating an emotional mixture more potent than anything she’d ever felt. God, how she wanted him. But she didn’t need his fangs in her thigh—she needed them in her neck, piercing her at the same time as he filled her with his cock. Unfortunately, she still had no idea how she was going to manage that but she would take what she could get for now.

“All right,” she said, nodding. “I…I’ll try not to come.”

“And I’ll try not to make you come,” he said seriously. “I’m just going to press my tongue against you and let you rub against me. That way you can control exactly how much pleasure you receive.”

It was an intriguing and embarrassing notion. “So…I’ll be in charge?” She raised an eyebrow at him and he nodded.

“Exactly.” He pressed a soft kiss to the inside of her thigh and looked up at her. “I’ll be at your service. Are you ready?”

Sophie nodded hesitantly. “I…I guess.”

“Then spread your legs wider for me, Sophia. Open yourself and let me in.”

Despite what he’d said about her being in charge there was a note of command in his deep voice that she found it impossible to disobey. Spreading her thighs wide, she leaned back against the leather couch and opened herself completely for him.

True to his word, Sylvan didn’t try to kiss her or tease her with his tongue. He didn’t even lap up the excess honey which had collected on her inner thighs. Instead he simply pressed the flat of his tongue against her, covering the entire length of her open pussy.

Sophie gasped at the sensation of enveloping heat. Even though he wasn’t moving it, his tongue seemed to be everywhere at once. It felt amazing—hot and wet and perfect—but she wanted more. And she could have more, couldn’t she? After all, hadn’t he told her that she was in charge?

Tentatively, she moved against him. Sylvan gave a soft growl and tightened his grip on her thighs. Sophie froze. Shouldn’t I have done that? Is he upset now? She dared to look down at him but when his eyes met hers, he nodded very slightly. Go on, it’s all right, he seemed to be saying. So his growl must have been one of lust—apparently he was as affected by what they were doing as she was.

Encouraged by his wordless approval, she did it again. And then again and again until she was rubbing against his tongue shamelessly, working herself against him as her pleasure built and built until she felt like she was going to explode. “God, Sylvan…Sylvan,” she gasped, burying both hands in his hair and pulling him closer. The delicious feeling of his hot tongue against her sensitive pussy was amazing—intoxicating and she was close…so close… But just as she was about to jump over the edge, he pulled back.

“That’s enough.” He was panting, his mouth shiny with her juices.

“Why?” Sophie was ready to cry with frustration. How could she ever seduce him when he was so damned determined not to let himself be seduced?

“Because.” He licked his lips with obvious pleasure but then looked at her sternly. “You were close, weren’t you?”

“Well…yes,” she admitted. “But…but how could you tell?”

“I could feel your body tensing. And your pussy started making even more honey, my numala.”

Sophie felt her cheeks getting hot but a sudden thought occurred to her. “You told me back at the cabin that it was a good thing to be a, uh, numala. That men, er, males who had one for a mate were envied. Why is that?”

Sylvan sat back beside her on the couch, looking uncomfortable. “We lack the hormones that the Beast Kindred have, which allow their mates to accommodate their shafts. So a female who makes a lot of cunt honey will have an easier time accepting a Blood Kindred’s cock deep in her pussy.”

“Oh.” Sophie felt like her cheeks must be on fire by this point. “I…I didn’t know.”

“It’s the same reason we make so much precum,” he went on dryly, as though lecturing her on the subject would take his mind off what they had just been doing. “For lubrication—to ease the way.”

“Well you are kind of large, uh, down there,” Sophie said, scarcely able to meet his eyes. “In fact…” Wait a minute. A thought tickled the back of her brain…a way to make him go even further.

“Yes?” Sylvan spoke politely, though it was obvious he was as on edge as she was.

“You…what you just said gave me an idea,” Sophie said candidly. “I know you don’t think you should, you know, taste me any more because I might accidentally come. But I’m still hurting and sensitive so I was wondering…”

“Yes?” he said again.

“Well…you said that the healing compound was in all your, uh, fluids, right?”

He nodded.

“But it’s strongest in your essence and in your…your, uh, seed?”

He nodded again. “But I’m not going to come in you, Sophia.” His voice was a low, dangerous growl. “That would be much, much too risky. I couldn’t possible hold myself back.”

I don’t want you to hold back! The words were on the tip of her tongue but she swallowed them back down. “You don’t have to,” she said instead. “I was thinking that you could just, you know, rub yourself against me. That way enough of your, uh, precum would get on me and make me feel better until I can take the antidote.”

“You are still going to take it?” He searched her eyes earnestly. “It’s very important, you know. I can tell by your increased sensitivity and the deep color of your nipples and pussy that the fever is progressing rapidly in you. You need to be cured.”

“Of course.” Sophie nodded. “Of course I want to be cured.” Just not the way you think! “But right now it still hurts…hurts a lot. Please, Sylvan…please?”

He ran a hand through his hair in obvious agitation. “So you want me to rub the head of my shaft against your open pussy without entering you? Without filling you completely with my cock?”

Sophie bit her lip. “I…I guess so. Do you…am I asking too much?”

“Only the impossible.” He laughed ruefully and then gave her a serious look. “Gods, this isn’t going to be easy but I can deny you nothing, Talana. Sometimes I wish I could.”

“It’ll be okay,” Sophie reassured him softly. “We won’t go too far.” She was already unbuttoning the pale blue shirt he wore to bare his broad, muscular chest. Hopefully he would take care of his pants himself. She might be in seductress mode but it would be really embarrassing if she had to go fishing around in his black flight pants and pull out his cock herself.

Thankfully, Sylvan got the hint and unfastened his pants. Immediately his cock sprang free, the broad, plum shaped head already shiny with precum.

Sophie bit her lip at the sight of it. Somehow she’d managed to forget exactly how very large it was, and how thick. Will I really be able to take all that inside me? Even though she was, as he said, a numala, could the extra lubrication her body made really enable her to take something so big in her inexperienced pussy? Well, I’m going to find out, she decided firmly. If she could get over her fear of his fangs, there was no way in hell she was going to let a fear of his size keep her from consummating this relationship. And besides, she wanted him inside her, wanted to feel that thick shaft filling her completely while Sylvan held her and called her Talana. She wanted to be his Talana—his mate—in fact as well as in name.

Here goes, she told herself as Sylvan motioned for her to straddle him. Just try to take it slowly or he’ll suspect and this will all be over before you can get anywhere.

She got herself settled with one knee on either side of his thighs, feeling her pussy part wide in the new position. It made her feel hot and vulnerable at the same time, being naked in his lap and spread out in such a shameless fashion. She was pretty certain that the old Sophie would never have done anything this blatant but she was the new Sophie now. She’d made a vow to herself aboard the Scourge ship—a vow to not waste another minute of her life—and she wasn’t about to go back on it just because the position she found herself in felt embarrassing and naughty.

“Is this good?” she asked, when she was settled comfortably. The head of his cock wasn’t quite touching her open folds but she hadn’t lowered herself all the way down yet.

“Very good,” Sylvan growled softly. “All right.” He put his hands on her hips and nodded down to where his shaft was jutting up between them. “I’m going to let you take the lead. Just take me in your hand and rub me against you.”

“L-like this?” Hardly able to believe she was doing it, Sophie wrapped her fingers around this thick, hot shaft and brought the broad, slick head to her slippery folds. She liked the feel of him in her hand—it was like holding a heated bar of iron covered in velvet. Even better, though, was the delicious friction of his flesh rubbing against hers. His precum felt warm and soothing against her swollen clit and the intimate contact made her toes curl with pleasure.

“Yes, exactly like that.” His deep voice was strained and she could feel his fingers gripping her hips tighter and tighter. Clearly this was a real test of his self control—a test Sophie was determined to make him fail.

“Thank you, Sylvan,” she murmured. “I’m feeling better already and I think it’s helping with swelling and sensitivity. See?” Reaching between her legs with her other hand, she parted her pussy lips with her middle and index finger. The new position gave him an excellent view of the head of his cock sliding over her swollen clit and slippery inner folds.

Sylvan groaned at the erotic sight. “Gods,” he said hoarsely. “Be careful, Sophia.”

“I’ve done this before, remember?” she reminded him breathlessly. When you were…were marking me for the second time in the cabin.”

“Yes, but then you were just rubbing yourself up and down my shaft,” he rumbled. “This time you’re rubbing the head of my cock against your open pussy. And since we’re both extremely wet, it would be very easy for me to slip into you.”

“You mean like this?” Deciding to take a chance, Sophie slid the broad head down the length of her slit until it lodged in the entrance to her pussy. At first she wasn’t sure he would fit but when she allowed herself to relax and spread her thighs a little wider, the spongy tip slid completely inside her channel, followed by at least two inches of his thick cock.

“Sophia, what are you doing?” Sylvan’s deep voice was a soft, warning growl but at least he made no move to pull out of her. In fact, he held himself completely immobile inside her, as though he didn’t dare to move an inch.

“I just wanted to feel you in me—just a little bit,” she whispered, biting her lip. Had she gone too far? The look on his face and the tension in his big body made her wonder for a moment. But she needed to go this far and farther if she was going to have Sylvan in her life permanently. “Please, Sylvan, don’t be mad,” she murmured, daring to cup his cheek. “It just felt so good on the outside and, well, I hurt on the inside too.”

His gaze, which had been almost scary in its intensity, softened at once. “I didn’t know you had pain on the inside as well.”

“I do,” Sophie told him, lying only a little. To be honest it was more like intense sensitivity than pain, but it was true that having him inside her, leaking precum in her unprotected pussy was making her feel better. She was even getting used to the thickness of his shaft—although she knew it was much thicker toward the base. “Sylvan,” she murmured, wiggling her hips just a little bit. “Do…do you think you could put it all the way in me? Just once?”

“To ease your pain?” he asked sternly. “Or do you have some other motive, Sophia?”

“Both.” She looked him boldly in the eye. “I’m curious. I want to know what it feels like to have you all the way inside me.”

“You’re taking a risk, you know.” But he was already moving, sliding the two inches she’d managed to capture along with the head of his cock out of her and then back in.

“How…how do you mean?” Sophie moaned as he pressed even deeper into her.

“My blood is burning.” His blood red eyes flashed, emphasizing the truth of his statement. “And filling you with my cock makes me want to do more than just fuck you—it makes me want to bite you. To bond you to me. And if I do that—if I sink my fangs in you and inject my essence while I fill you with my cum—you’ll never be free of me.”

“What…what if I don’t want to be free of you?” Sophie could barely get the words out. Despite his harsh words, Sylvan was fucking gently into her, entering her slowly, inch by inch, to allow her pussy to get used to the thickness of his cock.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean,” he growled, thrusting a little harder. “I know how you feel about me, about my fangs. I’ve looked into your eyes when I gave you an injection and I’ve seen the fear and pain there. I don’t want to see that look every time I make love to my bonded mate.”

“You won’t,” Sophia promised him softly. He was almost all the way in her now—she could feel him stretching her wider with every shallow thrust. Soon he would fill her completely. “I…I swear you won’t, Sylvan,” she murmured.

“How can you be sure?” He demanded, sinking the final inch inside her. “How can I be sure?”

Sophie sucked in a breath at the feeling of fullness. God, she’d never had anything this big inside her before. Looking down she could see the place where they were joined—the root of his cock thrusting up into her open pussy, filling her to the hilt. And yet it still wasn’t enough. But if she wanted more, she would have to convince him she meant what she said. That she really wanted him.

Reaching up, she pulled her hair to one side and bared her throat to him. “I offer myself to you freely, warrior, blood, body, and soul,” she said softly, remembering the words Nadiah had taught her.

Sylvan’s eyes flashed crimson with need. “I tell you again, do not say such things if you don’t mean them, Sophia!”

“But I do mean it,” she protested. “Take me, Sylvan—bite me. I want you to.”

“Gods, Talana,” he groaned. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“Yes, I do. And Nadiah told me what Talana means, you know,” she murmured, looking up at him. “She said that Blood Kindred only use it for their bonded mates.”

A look of sorrow passed over his face. “That’s true. I know I shouldn’t have started calling you that in the first place. It just slipped out the first time and after that…it felt so right.”

“I don’t mind.” Sophie’s heart was racing and her body was aching for something she couldn’t name—aching to have him move inside her, to fill her, fuck her, make her his. “In fact, I think…think you should make it a reality, not just a nickname.”

Sylvan frowned. “Are you truly serious? You want me to bond you to me? You want to be my bride?”

Sophie felt like a thousand butterflies had just taken flight in her stomach. “Yes,” she whispered. “I…I do, Sylvan. You know, I took a long hard look at all the problems standing between us a little while ago.”

“And?” he murmured, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged. “And they’re not really problems at all. They’re just excuses I made to myself because I was afraid of you—afraid of feeling so much. I…I guess you could say that you thawed my heart too—the way you told me I thawed yours when we were dancing on Tranq Prime.”

“Oh, Talana.” He cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “Your heart was never frozen—it was just bruised.”

“Well, you healed it.” She smiled at him and wiggled her hips suggestively. “So please, Sylvan, heal the rest of me. Fill me with your seed and your essence—bond me and heal me at the same time. Make me yours.”

The look on his face was one of agony. “Gods, I’m still not sure if I’m doing the right thing but I can’t help myself. I need you too much!”

“I need you too,” Sophie assured him. “Please, Sylvan. Please…”

“As I said, I can deny you nothing. Sophia,” he said. Looking her in the eyes, he asked, “May I have your permission to penetrate you fully? To fill your pussy to the hilt with my cock?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Sylvan—that’s exactly what I want.”

“Very well.” Taking a new grip on her hips, he pulled almost all the way out of her and then thrust back in.

Sophie moaned at the intense pleasure and spread her thighs wider, trying to be open enough for his thickness. “God, Sylvan, yes!” Grabbing his broad shoulders she dug her fingers into his flesh, letting him know how much she wanted him, how good it felt to take him so deep inside herself.

“Love the feel of you around me,” he growled softly, thrusting in again, even deeper this time. “I knew the first time I tasted you that you’d be able to take me. That you’d be deep enough and wet enough for me to sink my shaft to the root in your sweet, hot pussy.”

“God!” Sophie loved the way he talked to her while he fucked her—his hot, dirty words excited her almost as much as his thick shaft pounding into her over and over. Part of her could scarcely believe she was doing this, opening herself to him, letting herself go with such primal abandon. But another part—a part that had been buried for years and was only now emerging—gloried in her new sensuality. “More,” she begged Sylvan, digging her fingernails deeper into his shoulders. “Give me more. Take me harder.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he objected but she shook her head.

“You’re not. Feels…incredible. Please…”

With a low growl he redoubled his efforts. “Is this what you want?” he demanded, thrusting up hard and then grinding himself into her, rolling his hips to press the head of his cock against the end of her channel. “You want to feel me inside you, fucking you, making you mine?”

“Yes…God, yes,” she almost sobbed. She could feel the pleasure inside her building to a peak. She just needed a little more…

Sylvan seemed to sense her need because one hand left her hip and slid across to the place where they were joined. Sophie cried out and bucked against him as she felt the broad pad of his thumb slide over her throbbing clit. The firm, knowing touch was exactly what she needed to send her into orbit. With a low, gasp, she felt herself beginning to come.

“Sylvan…oh God, I can’t…I’m…I’m…” She couldn’t get the words out but he seemed to understand. The hand that was still holding her hip tightened convulsively and his fangs seemed to grow even longer. He wants to bite me, she thought, still half delirious with the overwhelming pleasure that flooded her body. Not just wants to…needs to. But he’s still not sure. “Please,” she whispered hoarsely, looking him in the eye. “Please, Sylvan, do it. I…I offer the gift of my blood freely.”

“Sophia, I…” He shook his head and the look of agony was back in his eyes. “You have no idea how much I want to but I don’t think—”

Leaning forward, Sophie bit him on the neck as hard as she could.

It was the one thing Nadiah had assured her was guaranteed to make a Blood Kindred bite you—if you bit him first. Apparently it was a very erotic gesture and indeed, as Sophie sank her small white teeth into the strong column of his throat, she did feel incredibly sexy and primal. I want you, the gesture said in no uncertain terms. And if you won’t take me, then I’ll take you.

She tasted a small drop of blood on the tip of her tongue, salty and somehow delicious. And then all hell broke loose.

Sylvan pulled her away from his neck roughly and stared at her. For a long moment, Sophie was lost in his blazing eyes. All reason and logic was gone and the beast was there again—the same one she’d seen when he fought the Scourge commander. The one that had snarled at her when she tried to pull him from his prey.

She bit her lip at the sight. This is it. This is what I get. But this was what she wanted. And if this was the only way to get it—to get him—well then…

Heart pounding, she looked into those burning red eyes and bared her throat again. “Go ahead,” she said in a low voice, pressing the side of her neck to his mouth. “Bite me, Sylvan. I’d rather have a bite from you than a kiss from anyone else.”

There was no going back now. She felt his hot breath as he parted his jaws. As the sharp points of his fangs settled against her vein, the old fear rose up in her again and tried to crush her. Needles piercing me, nurses holding me down, the smell of rubbing alcohol, that sharp, gonna-get-a-shot smell…No!

It was the last thought that brought her out of it, that allowed her to push her panic aside. Because the only scent she smelled right now was Sylvan’s mating scent. Fresh and clean and rich and deep, it enveloped her completely, making her feel safe and loved, even as his fangs pierced her neck.

His scent made her feel safe and loved but the sharp pain of all four of his sharp points penetrating her vulnerable flesh still made her gasp and tighten her grip on his shoulders. God it hurts, it hurts, it…But suddenly the pain was gone. In its place was a warm, intoxicating pleasure that raced through her, triggering another orgasm almost at once.

“Oh!” she gasped as she felt herself tighten around his shaft. There was a heated, liquid rush inside her and she realized he must be coming in her as he bit her. And yet, he didn’t stop moving—in fact, it felt like he was just getting started. Another orgasm rushed over her and then another. Sophie moaned in disbelief. Feels so good. What is that?

My essence.

Sophie was startled. The voice in her head very definitely wasn’t her own. It sounded like Sylvan but how could he—

Because we’re bonded now. His mind voice was full of tentative joy. As though he could hardly believe his good luck and he desperately hoped she felt the same way.

Oh right—the mind bond. Liv had told her about it—about how you gained the ability to speak telepathically with your Kindred mate without a Think-me once you were fully bonded. So this means…we’re together now? Forever?

Yes. He thrust into her again, his hips rolling up in a deep, deliberate rhythm as he continued to fuck her. Forever, Talana. You’re mine and I’m yours. And I’m going to want to make love to you like this every day and every night for the rest of our lives. I’ll want to bite you too. To fill you with my essence. Do you mind?

Oh Sylvan…Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed the side of her throat harder against his mouth. Does that answer your question?

Indeed, it does. With a low growl he bit her again, this time sinking his fangs in deeper even as he sank his cock to the root inside her.

Sophie moaned as the fresh rush of pleasure washed over and through her. Love you, she whispered through their new link. Oh, Sylvan, I love you so much…

I love you too, Talana. Blood of my blood. My mate. My bride.

And then he was taking her higher and harder, making her his forever. Sophie gave herself to him completely, thinking that she didn’t know how she would stand the pleasure or the joy of knowing that they would never be separated again…

* * * * *

“You tricked me,” Sylvan accused as he kissed his new bride playfully on the cheek. They were lying in his large bed, having finally moved from the couch after the third time they’d made love. Even now they weren’t done but they were taking a break so Sophia could rest.

“Only a little,” she admitted, kissing him back. Her cheeks were flushed with pleasure but her nipples and the inside of her pussy had gone from crimson back to their usual warm pink, Sylvan noted with relief. Obviously the Blood Fever was completely cured. “I had to,” she went on. “You were so determined never to touch me because you were so afraid of hurting me. I had to do something.”

“How did you know that biting me would be the one thing I couldn’t resist?” He’d enjoyed it immensely—the feeling of her little, white teeth sinking into his flesh was one of the most erotic experiences of his life. But it wasn’t something he would have expected Sophia to do.

“Oh, well…you can thank Nadiah for that. She, uh, gave me some pointers on the Blood Kindred.” She looked down, tracing a pattern on the blanket with one finger. “She was also the one that told me that your bite would only hurt for a second before it became extremely, ah, pleasurable.”

“What?” Sylvan was shocked. “Nadiah is much too young to know things like that! She’s just a child.”

Sophia appeared to be trying to smother a smile. “She may seem like that to you but I think she’s grown up a lot since the last time you visited your home world.” She frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me yourself what your bite would be like?”

“Because I didn’t know—I’d never bitten anyone before. And the experience of being bitten seems to be different for different females.”

“Not according to the romance novels Nadiah reads.” Sophia grinned. “They seem to be full of swooning damsels in distress who can only be saved from certain disaster by the bite of a virile Blood Kindred warrior. She even has Kindred posters on her walls.”

Sylvan shook his head. “I can’t help feeling that she knows too much for someone her age.”

“Why, how old is she, anyway?”

“Twenty-five,” Sylvan said absently.

“Twenty-five?” Sophia stared at him blankly. “You do realize that I’m only twenty-four myself, don’t you?”

“What?” Now he was truly startled. “I had no idea you were underage.”

“I’m not.” She laughed. “On my world—well, in my country anyway—we’re considered adults at eighteen.”

“Becoming an adult and being sexually mature are two different things,” Sylan objected. “Residents of Tranq Prime come to sexual maturity much later than some other sentient species.” He frowned at Sophia. “Are you certain—”

“That I’m fully sexually mature?” She raised an eyebrow at him and grinned. “I think I just proved it, didn’t I?”

“I suppose…” Sylvan was still troubled by the idea that he might have taken advantage of her youth but Sophia didn’t seem bothered in the least.

“Come on, Sylvan, you shouldn’t be upset—about me or Nadiah. In fact, we should send her a thank you card—without her little pep talk I might never have gotten the courage to go after you.”

Sylvan frowned. “Send her a what?”

“You know—a thank you card. A little printed card with a verse or a poem in it? Sometimes they have funny pictures or sayings on them too.”

Sylvan was baffled. “I don’t understand. Why not just call her up and thank her over the viewscreen? Or tell her how we feel the next time we see her?”

“Because sending a card is nice. It shows you care and you’re thinking about the person you sent the card to,” Sophia explained. “And it…oh never mind.” She shook her head.

“No, really,” Sylvan protested. “I do want to understand your Earth customs.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She patted him on the shoulder. “You don’t have to be from another planet to not understand the importance of greeting cards—you only have to have a penis.”

He shook his head. “How does my shaft impair my inability to grasp your thank-you card custom?”

Sophia laughed. “I meant you just have to be male. Most Earth males don’t get the significance of sending a thank you card either. Anyway…” She stretched languidly and smiled up at him. “I’m going to let Nadiah know that she helped us—helped me—in some way. Maybe she could be in our wedding—as one of my maids of honor. Or…oh, no.” She sat up in bed suddenly, her cheeks going bright red.

“What? What’s wrong?” Sylvan was instantly on the alert. “Are you feeling ill again?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just…I was kind of assuming a lot.” She looked down at her hands. “I mean, here I am planning the wedding, er, bonding ceremony and you haven’t even asked me to, you know, marry you.”

“Only because we haven’t stopped making love long enough to talk until now.” Sitting up beside her, Sylvan took her small, delicate hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Sophia Waterhouse, will you do me the honor of officially becoming my bride?”

“Oh Sylvan…” Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears but she was smiling at the same time, making him marvel again at the enormous range of emotions Earth females were capable of. “Yes,” she whispered, pulling him down for a kiss. “Yes, yes, yes. And now we definitely have to have Nadiah in the wedding. So I can tell her I took her advice and went for it instead of holding back.”

“You should have waited,” he admonished her gently. “I had good reason to fear I would hurt you. My blood was burning—I was more beast than male before I bonded you.”

“You needed to be healed.” Sophia cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes seriously. “As much as I did. We healed each other—what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I suppose.” Sylvan smiled.

“It wasn’t just Nadiah that changed my mind about you…about us, you know,” she said softly. “I thought I was going to die on that Scourge ship. And my biggest regret was the fact that I’d kept you away—held you at arm’s length because of my fears.” She kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I swore to myself if I got out of there alive I wasn’t going to let fear stand in the way of having the male I loved anymore.”

“Talana…” He returned her kiss gently and then pulled back to look at her. “I’m so glad some good came of your ordeal. Although when I thought I’d lost you I wanted to die.” He felt a growl rising in his chest. “And when I saw that bastard crouching over you with a bloody knife I wanted to rip his throat out with my fangs. I thought—”

“But you thought wrong.” She put a hand on his arm as though to gentle him. “He didn’t hurt me or…or touch me inappropriately. That was what the AllFather wanted to do. Even though I wasn’t the one they were looking for, he still wanted to…to…” She shook her head, her face turning pale.

“Sophia…” Sylvan put an arm around her and looked at her with concern, but she shook her head.

“No, it’s all right. It’s over now and I’m not going to dwell on it. And like you said, some good did come of it. I finally got over my fear enough to let myself love you.” She looked at him shyly. “To return the love you gave me.”

“But are you sure?” Sylvan couldn’t help asking. “Are you certain you won’t change your mind about my fangs? About being bitten?”

Sophia smiled. “Positive. Here, I’ll prove it—show me your fangs.” When he hesitated she made a “come on” gesture with one hand. “Go ahead, let them come out. Or come down or whatever it is you do.”

“Very well.” Baring his teeth, Sylvan did as she asked, allowing his double set of fangs to extend completely.

“Good. Very good.” Sophia was staring at his fangs just as she’d used to before they were bonded. But now there was no fear in her face, only anticipation. She lifted her wrist to his mouth and looked into his eyes. “Now bite me,” she murmured throatily.

“Why?” Sylvan demanded. “You’re already healed.”

Sophia arched an eyebrow at him. “You told me back at the cabin that a Blood Kindred only bites for two reasons—to heal his mate when she’s ill or injured or to arouse her during sex. So bite me, Sylvan…” Her voice was suddenly husky, her lovely eyes half-lidded with need. “Bite me because it turns me on to feel you in me—any part of you.”

“Sophia,” he murmured hoarsely. “Talana…” Taking her hand in his, he licked the underside of her wrist, tracing the delicate blue bracelet of veins with his tongue. She shivered under his touch and her breathing suddenly grew more rapid.

“That’s right,” she whispered as he pierced her tender flesh. “Now isn’t that a much better use for your fangs than ripping out someone’s throat?”

Sylvan stopped biting long enough to answer. “You probably should have let me do it, you know,” he said seriously. “The death I would have given him would have been gentle compared to whatever the AllFather will do to him for failing to bring you in.”

She shivered. “I don’t want to think about that right now. I just want to spend more time with you.”

Sylvan kissed her and smiled. “Biting or being bitten?”

“Both.” Leaning forward, she offered him her throat in a gesture so sensual it made his cock ache and his fangs fill with essence once more. “Warrior,” she murmured, “I offer you the gift of my blood freely. Will you accept it?”

“With all my heart,” Sylvan growled softly and then he was on her again, biting her, filling her, bonding her to him forever.

Chapter Thirty-seven

“You have failed yet again. The girl I commanded you to bring is gone.”

Xairn put a hand to his aching head as he bowed before the black iron throne. “What does it matter? She was not the one we sought.” When he’d woken up the Blood Kindred and his female were long gone. For some reason the warrior had sealed the hole he’d made in the hull of the asteroid ship, sparing Xairn’s life. Though he couldn’t fathom why.

He should have killed me, he thought dully. It would have been better that way. Of course, if he’d died, there would have been no one to care for Sanja. The automatic feeder would have kept her alive but there would have been no one to stroke her glossy fur and love her. Xairn wished she’d been with him earlier, before he folded space to go home. He’d been fifty light years away from the Fathership and so close to freedom. If he’d had his pet he could have simply left, never to return. And maybe—

“It mattersss because I wanted her.” The AllFather’s angry words broke his train of thought. “Her pain was unique—exquisite.”

“Sorry to deny you your favorite dish, father,” Xairn said heavily. “But there was nothing I could do. The warrior was deep in rage—I don’t even know why he let me live.”

“I don’t either.” The AllFather’s voice softened suddenly. “But I am glad you ssstill live my ssson.”

The words caught Xairn off guard and for a moment his heart felt as though someone had squeezed it. Could it be that his father was showing some emotion for him after all these long, barren years? Could it be that the AllFather actually cared whether he lived or died?

“And…and why is that, Father?” he asked, forcing his voice to stay even and calm.

“Because I would have missed you, of course.” The AllFather’s hissing voice was as soft as Xairn had ever heard it. Almost gentle.

“You would?” Xairn tried to smother the small flame of hope that grew in his starved heart. “Truly?”

“Truly.” The blazing red eyes seemed almost to smile. “Ssso I will forgive you for losing the girl—just this once. And sssince we ssstill have the marker in place, all you need do isss locate her and use the beam to retrieve her. Ssshe will be bonded to her warrior by now, ssso her pain will be even more deliciousss when I take her.”

Xairn swallowed, trying not to let his dismay show. “About the marker…”

“Yesss?” The AllFather’s eyes glittered dangerously. “It isss ssstill in place, isn’t it? Or could it be…” He rose from the black metal throne and began pacing, his shadowy robes billowing around his skeletal frame. “Could it be that you very unwisely removed it before letting the girl go free?”

“What…” Xairn swallowed again with a dry click. “What would make you think something like that?”

“Because when I activated the detection sssystem, the sssignal led back to your ssship.” The AllFather continued to pace as he spoke. “I was puzzled at first. I thought that maybe you’d brought the girl after all and had hidden her away to keep her for yourssself. But none of my guardsss could find her anywhere.” He nodded at the huge, vat grown guards at his back and Xairn noticed for the first time that there were only three of them this time. Where was the fourth? Before he could say anything, the AllFather continued.

“I did eventually find the missing marker—which sssomeone had detached from the girl.” He held up the small metal chip, its silver surface tarnished with dried blood.

“Father—”

“Of course I had a little help sssniffing it out,” the AllFather continued, ignoring his interruption. “Alpha,” he added, turning his head slightly. “Come forward and ssshow my ssson our little helper.”

Xairn had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach—a feeling of dread he tried desperately to dismiss. No, it couldn’t be. He couldn’t have found out—Then the AllFather’s fourth guard came forward and all his worst fears were confirmed.

Sanja barked when she saw him, her stump of a tail wagging madly as she strained to get to her master. But the huge guard jerked on the metal leash she was attached to, causing the spiked choke collar around her throat to strangle her sounds of joy.

“No!” Xairn couldn’t stop himself from reacting. “No, leave her alone!”

“Green eyesss.” The AllFather laughed as Sanja stopped trying to bark and settled down at once. “Sssuch a pathetic little code. A reference, perhapsss, to your mother?”

Xairn just looked at him, refusing to answer.

“Did you truly think you could hide anything from my ssscan?” his father demanded. “Oh, you may have obscured a few detailsss—I wasss unable to retrieve the combination to your roomsss for instance, but with a little patience and a laser torch, my guardsss took care of that. It took them sssome time but the end result was sssatisfactory.” The AllFather nodded at Sanja.

“She’s just a pet,” Xairn pleaded. “Beneath your notice, surely, Father.”

“Sssuch emotion.” The AllFather sounded like he was licking his nonexistent lips in anticipation of the pain to come. “Sssuch care you have sssquandered on this sssimple beast.”

“Leave her alone, please.” Xairn struggled to keep his voice level. “I will go after the girl myself. Even if it means infiltrating the Kindred Mother ship. I can use a pigment dye on my skin and eyes to fit in with them. I swear I will bring her back to you. Please, Father…”

“It isss too late.” The AllFather shook his head. “The Kindred have already increased their ssshielding. Our the molecular transport beam cannot penetrate their new armamentsss. But I do not want the girl anyway. Not now.” He began to pace again. “For now we mussst concentrate on finding the one the prophesy spoke of—the true one this time. I am certain ssshe is of the sssame line as Sssophia and Olivia Waterhouse.”

“But the girl said there were no others. That all her relatives were dead. Did she lie?” Though he spoke of other things, Xairn’s eyes refused to leave his pet. How had the AllFather found her? How, when he’d been so careful to shield his mind? Or had his father known all along and only let him think he was keeping his secret safe?

“Sssophia told the truth—as far as ssshe knew it.” Absently, the AllFather put out a hand to scratch Sanja’s head. She whimpered and ducked away from him, obviously fearing his touch, but he took no notice. “But I believe that there isss another—one that neither Sssophia or Olivia knowsss of. We mussst find her sssoon for I am nearing my peak—the time when my ssseed will be most potent. I mussst have her here and ready for breeding before that happensss.”

“Of course,” Xairn murmured. And then he couldn’t help asking, “And Sanja?”

“Your little pet?” The AllFather glanced down at the cowering urlich with obvious contempt. “I sssimply brought her forward to prove to you that you cannot hide thingsss from me. To teach you a lesson.”

“Yes, of course, forgive me, Father.” Xairn felt a great wave of relief wash over him. “I will never do it again.”

“Of course not.” The AllFather spoke gently as though to a naughty child. “For I ssshall remove that which you tried to hide.” Sitting back on the green-etched throne he nodded at his guard. “Alpha, bring the bitch to me.”

“No!” Xairn lunged forward but suddenly there were two huge guards at his sides, holding him back. “No, you said you just wanted to teach me a lesson. Please, Father!”

“And I ssshall teach you a lesson, my ssson.” The AllFather still spoke softly, but his crimson eyes were filled with a horrible kind of glee. “Fear not—I do not intend to kill your little pet. Though I dare sssay ssshe will be much altered when I am finished with her…”

Leaning down, he took Sanja’s head between his hands. The urlich whined with fright at his cold touch, but the guard held her firmly, despite her struggles.

“Please,” Xairn begged again. “She’s never been modified—she can’t defend herself! Can’t…can’t you do it to me instead?”

“Oh, I ssshall.” The AllFather looked up briefly. “Never fear, Xairn, I will harvessst your pain when I am finished driving this little bitch mad. It ssshould almost compensate me for the losss of the girl. And now…” He looked down at Sanja again, his red eyes boring into her soft brown ones. “Let me sssee, it hasss been yearsss sssince I practiced my art on a life form ssso sssimple but I believe…Ah yesss.” His grip tightened on Sanja’s head and she let out a painful yip that tore at Xairn’s heart.

He’s going to do it. He’s going to drive her mad and it’s going to hurt—he’ll make it as agonizing as he possibly can. Xairn felt like he was going mad himself. To see his pet subjected to such torture—the one source of love and sanity he had on the cold, barren Fathership—was almost more than he could bear. He’ll damage her. Twist her the way he twisted me. Torture her in ways she’ll never recover from.

Sanja let out another pained cry and then another. She was whining continuously now, though her body had gone limp in the Alpha guard’s arms. In fact, he no longer had to hold her still at all—she hung loosely in his grip, held in place only by the AllFather’s will.

Xairn struggled mightily with the guards on either side of him but though he was six foot six and very muscular, the genetically engineered giants were larger by a foot and a half and hundreds of pounds each. Had Sanja been a female he was fighting for he might have had a chance. But she was a pet—a dearly beloved pet—but only a pet when all was said and done.

I don’t care if she’s just a pet—I can’t let her be driven mad. Can’t let her endure the torment and torture I’ve felt myself so many times before. But how could he stop it? How could he save her from the AllFather’s evil grip, save her from the madness and pain and horror of his hungry, malevolent scan?

The AllFather’s voice rang n his head. Did you truly think you could hide anything from my ssscan? Oh, you may have obscured a few detailsss…

Yes, a few details, Xairn thought grimly. And if he couldn’t get the combination to my rooms from my mind, surely he missed other things. Like the plans I put in place just in case he ever found Sanja. A coldness fell over him and suddenly he knew what he had to do.

“Sanja,” he called clearly, praying she wasn’t too far gone to hear and obey his command. “Sanja, come to me, girl. Come.”

She trembled in the guard’s massive arms, clearly fighting the AllFather’s hold. Fighting…fighting with all her might to go to the master she loved.

And somehow love won over compulsion.

Though it should not have been possible, Sanja broke loose from both his father and the Alpha guard and rushed to Xairn’s embrace. And though it nearly tore his arms from his sockets, he somehow found the strength to free himself from his captors and catch her.

“Good girl,” he whispered, burying his face in her warm ruff. He didn’t have much time—already the AllFather was issuing orders and the massive guards were converging on them, ready to pry her from his arms and return her to torment. “But I won’t let that happen,” Xairn whispered, hugging her fiercely. “I won’t let him hurt you any more, girl.”

“Take the bitch,” he heard the AllFather command. “Bring her back to me and be certain my worthlesss ssson doesss not escape again. Release her,” he snarled at Xairn.

Xairn felt the compulsion…and somehow managed to overcome it. Somehow managed to disobey just this once, when it really counted. He kept Sanja firmly in his arms and ignored his father’s orders.

“I’m sorry, girl. So sorry. I tried to protect you,” he murmured, looking into her true, brown eyes one last time.

“Xairn!” The AllFather’s voice rose with fury. “I sssaid release her!”

Again he fought the compulsion and again he won though it was harder this time—so much harder. It was now or never—he had to give the order he had always feared giving. The only one that could save his beloved Sanja from the evil and madness inflicted by his father. Save her from living a life as worthless and miserable as his own.

“Sanja,” he told her, his voice breaking as he voiced the dreaded command. “Sanja, die.”

At his order, the voice activated chip buried beneath her ruff went into action. The capsule containing a fast acting, painless poison broke open and the deadly substance spread throughout the urlich’s system instantly.

“Sanja,” Xairn whispered. Anguish coursed through his veins as the poison coursed through hers. “I’m so sorry. So very, very sorry…”

Faithful to the last, she licked his face, swiping away his tears with her long pink tongue. Then with a soft whimper, her eyes closed and she went limp in his arms.

“Idiot! Fool!” The AllFather was in a towering rage such as Xairn had never seen. “How dare you cheat me again of the pain I desssire!” He glared at Xairn. “Very well—I will sssimply have to extract twice as much agony from you.”

“You can try.” Xairn laid the limp body gently on the floor. He swiped once at his wet cheeks and when he rose to face his father, his eyes were dry.

The AllFather’s blazing red eyes narrowed but Xairn didn’t flinch or turn away from their probing stare. “What do you mean, try?” his father demanded at last.

Xairn shrugged. “Only that you’re welcome to scan me, Father. Do whatever you like. I don’t care.”

The AllFather made a curt gesture. “Beta, Gamma—bring him to me.”

Xairn was dragged forward roughly though he would have gone willingly. He no longer feared the AllFather’s cold caress—what more was there to fear? The worst had already happened.

“Look at me,” the AllFather snapped and Xairn looked dutifully into the red eyes. He felt the frigid fingers in his mind, saw his worst and most horrifying memories laid bare, but they no longer mattered. Even the face of his mother, her mouth shaping his name, her green eyes filled with tears, didn’t bother him. He was cold now—impervious.

The AllFather scanned harder, digging deeper and more brutally than he ever had before, but Xairn was unmoved. At last there was a savage curse and he felt the corpse-cold fingers withdraw from his brain.

“Why?” The AllFather glared at him. “You ssshould be brimming over with pain—ssshould be filled with agony. But I find nothing to feed upon, nothing to sssate my appetite.”

“There is nothing left,” Xairn replied, and knew it to be true. He was hollow inside now, a shell. The part of him that had been capable of love, of pity, of pain, was gone. It had died the moment the spark in Sanja’s eyes had gone out. “You should be glad, Father,” he said, looking into the AllFather’s crimson eyes, so hatefully like his own. “Finally you have a son in your own image. One who feels as much—and as little—as you.”

Chapter Thirty-eight

“So are you and Sylvan going to wait awhile before you tie the knot?” Liv asked. It had been over three weeks since Sophie’s return to the Mother ship and the three of them were sitting on the floor in Kat’s suite having a girl’s night in. Due to Liv’s cravings, the menu consisted mainly of ice cream, ice cream, and more ice cream. “Well?” Liv asked again and took another spoonful of Chunky Monkey from the carton the three of them were sharing. She licked it slowly, clearly savoring its rich flavor. “Mmmm. So good,” she moaned.

Sophie shook her head and laughed. “You’re too funny, Liv. The way you act, anyone would think you’d never tasted ice cream before.”

“I haven’t—not like this,” Olivia protested. “I’m serious, you guys. You have no idea how good food can taste when you’re pregnant. It’s like everything I eat is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“Except for spaghetti and meatballs, right?” Sophie asked. There had been an incident just the other night with the now infamous Italian staple—one she was sure would never be repeated. Especially by poor Baird, who had been doing the cooking at the time. Liv had taken one look at the plate he’d placed proudly in front of her and promptly lost all the ice cream she’d had earlier for lunch.

Olivia shivered. “Ugh, don’t even talk about that! Don’t even say it. Just the idea of…of S and M makes me feel like I’m going to hurl.”

“Oh yeah? I thought you said Baird was uh, into S and M now.” Sophie nudged her sister and grinned at Kat, who gave her a weak smile in return.

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Olivia said dryly, taking another spoonful of ice cream. “I never should have told you about that. I should have let you find out about the Law of Conduct on your own.”

“Oh I’m not worried about Sylvan spanking me.” Sophie grinned. “He’s too busy biting me for that.”

Liv shook her head. “How you got over your fear of needles enough to be into that I’ll never know. And if he’s biting you all the time, how we can’t see any marks on your skin?”

“He heals me too,” Sophie answered promptly. “He just licks me and the little holes disappear. It’s amazing what he can do with his tongue.”

“I’ll bet,” Liv said dryly.

Sophie blushed. “I didn’t mean—”

“I know what you meant. Anyway, back to your wedding—when are you having it?”

Sophie licked her own spoon of ice cream thoughtfully. “I want to wait until Nadiah comes of age so she can be part of it. Of course her parents think I’m crazy, so they don’t want her to have anything to do with me. But she swears she’ll be here the minute she can legally come.”

“Sounds like you bonded pretty quickly out there on Tranq Prime,” Olivia remarked.

“Well, yeah. She was the only person there besides Sylvan that wasn’t absolutely horrible.” Sophie shivered. “I mean, don’t get me wrong—I’ll give the place another shot if I have to—especially now that MM2 is behaving itself.” She stroked the green tharp, which she was wearing as a shawl at the moment. “But I really don’t want to.”

Liv made a face. “I just can’t believe you came back with one of those creepy live blankets and you actually made a pet out of it.”

“So what?” Sophie said a little defensively. “MM2 is actually really sweet—you just have to know how to talk to it. Isn’t that right, MM2?” she cooed, stroking the tharp.

Olivia just shook her head. “So how does Sylvan feel about you two ‘living in sin’ until Nadiah can be part of the bonding ceremony?” she wanted to know. “I mean, you do know that’s what Grandma and Grandpa Jakes would have called it, right?” Their mother’s parents had been notoriously strict about anyone living together without being legally wed.

“Yes, I know.” Sophie sighed. “But they’re dead so it’s not like I can invite them to the wedding.”

“I wouldn’t think you’d want to even if they were alive,” Olivia said. “That’s the reason they kicked mom’s sister, out of the family, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie admitted. “Mom would never talk much about Aunt Abby to me but I always got the idea that they were really close—almost as close as the three of us.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the reason they got rid of her.” Liv took another bite of the ice cream which was almost gone. “I got the story out of Dad once. He said Aunt Abby got pregnant ‘out of wedlock’ and they kicked her out of the house when she started to show. Mom wanted to go be with her when she had the baby but Grandma and Grandpa forbid it. And then Aunt Abby died having the baby. It was a little girl and she was going to name it after Mom, only the…the little baby g-girl didn’t make it either.” She sniffed and her eyes began to water. “Dad said Mom never forgave herself for not being with her sister when…when she d-died. Oh God, I’m sorry.” She wiped her eyes on a stray napkin. “Stupid pregnancy hormones.”

“It’s all right.” Sophie put a hand comfortingly on her twin’s shoulder. “It is a really sad story. But to get back to your question, Sylvan doesn’t care how long we wait. I think the Kindred really do these ceremonies more for our benefit than for theirs—in his mind, we’re already married.”

“I think Baird felt the same way once we were bonded,” Liv said thoughtfully. She blew her nose on a paper napkin and then nudged Kat playfully. “What about the Twin Kindred, Kat? How do they feel about ‘living in sin?’”

“I wouldn’t know, since I’m not talking to any of them at the moment.” Kat tried to smile but it turned into kind of a grimace instead.

“Kat, are you all right?” Olivia leaned toward her anxiously.

Kat made a shooing motion with one hand. “Fine, I’m fine.” But her voice was barely there and her usually rosy cheeks were as pale as paper. Worse, the circles under her deep blue eyes were almost as dark as bruises.

“No, you’re not,” Liv said firmly. “You’ve been quiet for weeks. Sophie and I were hoping you’d open up in your own time but we can’t wait anymore. You have to talk, Kat—tell us what’s going on. You’ve hardly said a word all night.”

“And you haven’t eaten a bite,” Sophie pointed out. “I figured you and Liv would do battle once I pulled out the Ben and Jerry’s but you haven’t even had a single spoonful.”

“Yeah, Kat woman, if you keep on like this you won’t be one of the ‘elite’ for long.” Liv’s tone was joking but it was clear she was really worried about their friend.

“Sorry girls but for the first time ever, I’m just not hungry.” Kat put a hand to her head. “I’ll tell you, messing around with the Twin Kindred is a great diet plan.”

“Really?” Liv asked.

Kat nodded. “Seriously, Weight Watchers had better watch their ass. If word gets out they’ll lose half their membership and the HKR building will be packed with plus sized ladies looking for love in all the wrong places.” She tried to laugh but it turned into a groan.

Sophie felt horribly guilty. “It’s because you had to join with Deep and Lock again to find me, isn’t it? Are you still feeling all their emotions?”

Kat nodded. “They’re not fading like they did last time. And this headache…” She shook her head and then winced, as though she regretted the movement. “It just won’t quit.”

“Oh God, Kat, I’m so sorry!” Sophie put an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. “I feel terrible. If you hadn’t been trying to find me you would never have put yourself through that again.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kat hugged her back tightly before letting go. “I’d do it again if I had to, Sophie. Even if it does mean having two of the most annoying males in the history of the universe stuck in my skull. Well, Lock isn’t so bad—he’s really sweet, actually. But Deep…” She shook her head and winced again. “Damn—gotta stop doing that. Anyway, Deep is a piece of work. And he feels the same way about me that I do about him.”

“Which is?” Olivia raised an eyebrow at her.

“Let’s just say our mutual feelings aren’t all sunshine and rainbows,” Kat said dryly. “And we’re both feeling them just as hard as we can 24/7. Or however you measure a day on this stupid ship.”

“Well it faded last time after awhile,” Sophie said hopefully. “Maybe it’s just taking a little longer this time because you had to look so far away to find me.”

“It was an intense joining,” Kat admitted in a low voice, running one hand through her long auburn hair. “But I just—”

“Just what?” Sophia had turned her attention to the empty ice cream carton again, which Olivia was scraping to get the last spoonful. She looked back over at Kat just in time to see her eyes roll up before she collapsed in a heap on the floor. “Omigod—Liv!” she gasped.

Olivia threw down the ice cream carton and spoon and went into action at once. “She’s having a syncopal episode. Get her feet higher than her head and call Sylvan—now!”

“A what episode?” Sophie grabbed her friend’s feet and began piling cushions from the couch under her knees.

“She fainted,” Liv clarified, helping with the cushions. “Is Sylvan on the way?”

“Sylvan come quick! Kat fainted!” Sophie sent.

“On my way. Where are you?” she heard him send back through their new link.

“Kat’s suite. Hurry, Sylvan! I’m scared!”

“Is she breathing?”

“Is she breathing?” Sophie asked, repeating his question to Liv.

“Breathing is shallow and her pulse is thready.” Liv had two fingers pressed to the side of Kat’s neck. “I hope Sylvan’s bringing his med kit.”

“I’ve got it right here.” Sylvan burst into the room, a grim look on his face. After checking Kat’s breathing and heartbeat, he lifted her eyelids carefully and examined her eyes.

“Well?” Sophie and Olivia spoke together.

“I was afraid of this.” Sylvan shook his head grimly.

“Afraid of what, Sylvan?” Liv demanded. “Just tell us what’s wrong and if she’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I don’t know the answer to either question. “She came to me a little while ago complaining about severe headaches and spells of dizziness. I did several scans but everything came out negative.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Sophie was crying, she couldn’t help it. “I mean if all her scans are clear?”

“I don’t know but I think it has something to do with the joining she had with Deep and Lock.” He touched her shoulder gently. “I’m sorry, Talana. I should have told you earlier but Kat wanted to keep it from you. She was afraid you’d feel guilty.”

“If it has something to do with their joining, then maybe Deep and Lock have an idea of what’s going on,” Liv said practically. “Sophie, run get them now. Sylvan and I will stay with Kat.”

“Don’t bother.” Sylvan shook his head. “Get me a Think-me—I’ll bespeak Lock.”

“Of course.” Liv snapped her fingers. “I brought mine with me—now where did I put it?”

“Here it is!” Sophie snatched it from the end table and jammed it on Sylvan’s temples. “Hurry!”

Sylvan concentrated for a moment and then looked up. “He and Deep are on the way. They’re just down the—”

“Where is she?” Deep burst into the room, a wild look on his dark face. “What happened?”

“She just collapsed.” Sophie was still crying as she looked at the still form of her friend. Oh God, Kat…Kat, please be okay. Please!

“We were just coming to see her.” Lock came in behind his twin. “To tell her our ship was ready to leave for Twin Moons. We…we were going to try and convince her to go with us.”

“She never would have,” Liv objected fiercely. “You know that—you know how she feels.”

“Yes, Olivia, we are intimately acquainted with the way Kat feels,” Deep snarled sarcastically. “Both day and night.” He tapped his temple. “We can’t get away from her feelings, no matter how much we might want to.”

“You’ll have to excuse Deep,” Lock told Liv apologetically. “Kat, uh, doesn’t like him very much.”

“So she was just telling us.” Olivia gave Deep a challenging stare and he glared back in return.

“Enough!” Sylvan’s deep voice rumbled with authority. “Kat’s been complaining of severe headaches and dizziness for weeks and her symptoms weren’t getting any better. Deep, Lock, what can you tell me? Does it have anything to do with the joining the three of you shared?”

“It’s possible.” Lock knelt on the floor beside her and cupped Kat’s pale cheek gently. “It might have to do with the fact that we used her as a focus to find Sophia, even though she’s female and we’re male. Or—”

“Look! Look at her,” Olivia interrupted excitedly. For some of Kat’s color had returned and her breathing seemed more even—at least to Sophie, who was still watching from behind Sylvan’s broad shoulder.

“Is she getting better?” Lock withdrew his hand and sat back, watching Kat hopefully.

But the moment he withdrew his hand, the color faded from her cheeks.

“Oh no!” Liv moaned. “Her pulse was getting so much better but now it’s weak again. Sylvan, can’t you give her some kind of stimulant?”

Sylvan had been watching the situation, his ice blue eyes taking in everything with his typical cool, logical precision. “She doesn’t need a stimulant—not a chemical one, anyway.” He turned to look at Lock. “Touch her again. Put your hand on her bare skin and keep it there.”

Lock followed orders at once, holding one of Kat’s limp hands. Sophie was relieved to see the color return once again to her friend’s cheeks.

“Now you.” Sylvan nodded at Deep. “Come over here—take her other hand.”

Deep looked like he wanted to protest but Lock gave him a pleading glance.

“Please, Brother,” he murmured. “Our Kat needs you.”

Deep didn’t answer but he did act. Scowling, he knelt beside Kat and took her hand with infinite gentleness, as though he was afraid he might break her somehow.

The effect was immediate. Color rushed to Kat’s face and her eyelids fluttered rapidly. “No!” she moaned, writhing on the floor. “Too much…too much!”

Deep dropped her hand as though he’d been stung and she subsided at once.

“She’s stabilized again,” Liv reported, relief in her voice. “For a minute there I thought she was going into cardiac arrest but she’s all right now.”

“It looks like you were wrong, Brother,” Deep sneered, rising to his feet. “Our Kat doesn’t need me at all. She only needs you.”

“Deep—” Lock began but his brother had already stalked away, making room, presumably, between himself and the scene around Kat.

“She’s doing better now but she can’t stay here,” Sylvan said decisively.

“Of course not,” Olivia agreed. “She’ll have to be moved to the med station. I’ll call for a stretcher.”

“No, Olivia.” Sylvan shook his head. “I ran a full battery of tests on her a week ago and I reran them again yesterday. Every one was negative. There’s nothing more I can do for her here on the Mother ship.”

Sophie was aghast. “But then where are you saying Kat should go? If you can’t help her, who can?”

“Someone on Twin Moons, I hope.” Sylvan looked at Lock. “Your people are the only ones that know anything about how the seeker/finder/focus relationship works. Is there anyone on your home planet that might be able to help Kat?”

“There is a very ancient healer—Mother L’rin,” Lock said slowly. “She knows more about seeking and finding than anyone else on the planet. She might be able to help Kat.”

“What?” Olivia demanded. “You want to just send her off to a strange planet with two men she can’t stand, with the hope that some old witch woman who probably has no formal medical training might be able to help her? No, Sylvan. No!”

Sylvan faced her squarely. “Then she’ll die. Look at her, Olivia—she’s been steadily deteriorating for days. This is the best she’s looked since I saw her at your joining ceremony, but Lock can’t spend the rest of his life holding her hand.”

“I can try.” Lock had been staring down at Kat but now he looked up at Olivia, his heart in his eyes. “I’ll do whatever I can to heal the lady Kat,” he said softly. “I care for her and so does Deep—he just doesn’t know how to express it.”

“I’d say he expresses his emotions just fine,” Liv said sourly. “But that’s not the point. Who even is this Mother L’rin person? What are her qualifications? Where did she do her residency?”

“Olivia…” Sylvan put a steadying hand on his sister-in-law’s shoulder. “Please. You’ve trusted me in the past. I wouldn’t be recommending this course of treatment if I thought there was any other way to save Kat.”

Liv looked at him, her mouth open to say something…and then she seemed to deflate. Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sylvan. But Kat…”

“She’s like a sister to us,” Sophie finished for her twin. She came out from behind Sylvan’s shoulder and went to hug Liv. “And if anything happens to her…”

“It won’t.” Deep was suddenly there beside his brother, standing over Kat protectively. “Lock is right—Mother L’rin has saved more lives than anyone can count. Only the most hopeless and desperate cases are brought to her and with good reason—she generally cures them.” He looked at Liv. “Are those credentials good enough for you?”

Liv swallowed hard. “And…you say she’s an expert at this kind of thing? The…seeker/finder thing?”

Lock answered for his brother. “She is. She’s the one who trained our mentor, F’lir. She’s revered on our planet.”

“She sounds really great,” Sophie ventured. “But to send Kat away to a strange planet—”

“We’ll go with her,” Olivia said, squeezing Sophie’s hand. “Of course we will.”

“Oh, no you won’t.” Baird walked into the room, frowning and Sophie wondered if Sylvan had called him. Liv opened her mouth to protest but he shook his head. “You’re expecting Lilenta. You can’t go.”

“Baird is right,” Sylvan said quietly. “Your can’t go through folded space while you’re pregnant. The effects on the fetus are…bad. Very bad.” He shook his head.

“Well then, I’ll go,” Sophia said. “Sylvan and I have only been together three and a half weeks so—”

“Three and a half weeks in which we’ve been making love every spare minute, Talana,” Sylvan reminded her in a low voice. “How can you be sure you’re not with child as well?”

“I could take a test,” Sophie said weakly but he shook his head.

“It wouldn’t be conclusive—not at this stage. But if you wish to take the risk…”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say that of course she would take the risk but Sophie looked in his eyes and saw the sadness there. Though he hadn’t spoken of it, she knew he yearned for what Baird and Liv had, knew how he wanted a son of his own. And her period was late. It might be a false alarm and she kind of hoped it was—she wasn’t sure if she was ready to be a mom just yet. But if it wasn’t…

“Sophia,” Baird said softly, looking at her. “Kat risked her life to save you. I don’t think she’d want you to lose a child just to go with her.”

Sophie bit her lip. “But to send her all by herself, alone and unprotected to an entirely different planet—”

“She won’t be alone,” Lock said in a low voice.

“And she won’t be unprotected.” Deep’s black eyes flashed. “Kat may hate me,” he said, speaking to Liv and Sophie both. “But I swear to you now, I will protect her with my life. Lock and I will die before we see her come to harm.”

“Deep speaks for us both,” Lock said quietly. “The lady Kat will come to no harm while she is in our care. This we both swear, on our honor as Kindred warriors.”

Sophie looked at the two huge males, one kneeling beside Kat and the other standing protectively over her. And suddenly she knew she could trust them. “Liv,” she said softly, turning to her twin. “They mean it—they really do.”

Liv sighed. “I know,” she whispered, wiping away a tear. “I…I can tell. Do you think Kat will ever forgive us?”

“I don’t know.” Sophie squeezed her hand. “But I think we have to let her go.”

“You’re making a wise decision,” Sylvan sent through their link. “Kat will thank you for it later.”

“Will she? I don’t know.” Looking down at Kat’s still form, Sophie felt tears rise in her throat and swallowed them down with difficulty. “Oh Sylvan, I just don’t know…”

THE END

Read on to find out about Brides of the Kindred 3—Sought

Kat O’Connor is no pushover. She’s a no nonsense girl with a commonsense approach to life. But there’s nothing common about what’s been happening to her lately…

First she was forced to have a kinky mind-ménage with two of the hottest and most irritating men in the galaxy—Twin Kindred warriors, Deep and Lock—in order to locate her kidnapped friend. But the mental three-way left her with a little gift—she can’t get their feelings out of her head. Now she’s on her way to their home planet, Twin Moons, to find a cure for the debilitating illness their unorthodox joining caused, when all she really wants to do is go home.

Locks Tight, the light twin of the two, is already in love with Kat. Her curvy plus-sized body is the epitome of beauty on his home planet and her sharp mind and snarky wit make her doubly attractive. But though he fell for her the moment he saw her, Twin Kindred are unable to mate a woman alone. Lock knows nothing can happen between them without his brother…

Stabs Deep. The dark twin has a secret agony in his past—a tragedy he feels he and he alone is to blame for. He too, hungers for Kat, but he hides his fear of rejection behind an impenetrable wall of angry sarcasm.  For if he lets anyone get too close, the unbearable pain he has already endured once may happen again.

Now Kat and her twin warriors are on a quest—but they’re all looking for different things. Kat wants to find a way to dissolve the half-formed bond between them so she can be alone in her own head again. Lock wants to convince both her and his brother to complete the bond which will keep them together forever. And Deep is trying to protect his heart and love Kat from afar…though it grows more and more difficult to deny the hunger he feels for her.

Their travels will take them from the uncharted wilds of Twin Moons to the Deadworld of the Scourge home planet. Will Kat find a cure for having other people’s emotions crowding her mind? Will Lock convince his brother and the woman they both love that they’re all meant to be together forever? And will Deep ever unshield his heart long enough to let Kat in?

You’ll have to read Sought, the third book in the Brides of the Kindred series, to find out…

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.

Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.

Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.

Blood Fever—a condition suffered by unmated females on Tranq Prime, the home world of the Blood Kindred. Blood Fever or Burning Blood, as it is often called, is caused by a parasite living on the icy world that affects only women. The parasite—found in the fleeta or blood beetle—reacts with a compound in the Tranq Prime water supply to cause the fever. Symptoms include chills, the feeling of the blood heating in the veins, and increased coloration of the nipples and inner sex. If the fever is not treated in forty-eight hours, it will result in death.

Once a Kindred male has had a female’s blood, he forms a natural antidote to Blood Fever which he can pass on by sharing body fluids with her. The most effective way to get the antidote into the female’s system is for a Blood Kindred to bite her, thereby injecting it along with his essence. However, it is also possible to pass along the healing fluid through sex.

Blood Fever used to be very common on Tranq Prime which is what prompted the cold, proud natives to initiate a genetic exchange with the Kindred in the first place. A recent vaccine has nearly eradicated the disease, however, and the original inhabitants of the ice bound planet have little reason to continue the trade. A faction calling themselves Purists are against any further trade with the Kindred.

Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.

Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.

Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means biting to inject his essence during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her as one and coming in her at the same time.

Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.

Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.

Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:

The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.

The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.

The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.

The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)

The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.

Dream Sharing—occurs when a Kindred warrior’s mind aligns with that of his bride and they begin to see each other’s day to day activities and memories in their sleep. However, the alignment of the two (or three in the case of the Twin Kindred) minds can take several forms and is not limited to sleep.

Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.

Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.

The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.

Krik-ka-re—a Scourge tradition in which the mind life of one being may be traded for or ransomed by another.

Law of Conduct—the Kindred law which says every warrior is responsible for the good behavior of his bride and gives him the right to punish her—within reason. Often the “punishment” is sexual in nature and some brides become serial offenders simply to experience their Kindred warrior’s particular form of discipline. ; )

Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.

Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.

Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.

Numala—a Blood Kindred name which means “liquid pussy.” It refers to a female who produces more than the regular amount of lubrication when aroused. Numalas are much prized by the Blood Kindred and sought after as mates because they are more likely to be able to accommodate a Blood Kindred warrior’s larger than average cock.

Rage—also Protective Rage or Berserker Rage—a state of altered consciousness that comes over a Kindred warrior when his bride is threatened. It floods the bloodstream with endorphins and causes such intense anger and aggression that a Kindred in this state becomes a killing machine who will die to protect the woman he has claimed.

Sacred Grove—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these holy trees to grow and flourish.

Scourge—a genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.

Scourge Prophesy—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are a dying race, forced to create new members in artificial wombs called flesh tanks because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the same genetic characteristics as the Kindred they are able to create only male children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.

Take-me—an animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me has green fur and two heads, one on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything except banana peels which they are allergic to.

Tharp—an animal that looks very much like a thin fur blanket which can be worn as a garment. Tharps are cultivated on Tranq Prime and prized for their ability to multiply their host’s body heat and keep them warm in even the most frigid conditions. A tharp can be worn by only one person— as a neophyte or youngster it imprints upon a host and will slowly starve if parted from them. Tharps are intelligent and capable of limited movement. They live as long as their host and subsist only on body heat, needing no other form of sustenance to survive.

Think-Me—a thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication between people who already have an intimate connection.

Touch-U—a flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.

Twin Kindred—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.

Urlich—a type of dog bred by the Scourge. At maturity they are modified with machinery to heighten their sense of smell and intelligence which results in a cyborg-type animal. Once in pursuit of whatever scent has been programmed into their brains, the urlich are utterly single minded and incapable of stopping until their prey has been cornered and captured.

Wave—a Kindred cooking appliance which emits thousands of finely collimated beams of heat to cook food in under a minute.

Zichther—an animal native to the jungles of Rageron, the zichther resembles a small bright blue teddy bear in appearance until it opens its mouth and reveals three rows of incredibly sharp, shark-like teeth.

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com Come visit for some free reads and to find out what’s coming soon.

You can also connect with her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=745272455

Or Twitter http://twitter.com/EvangelineA

Brides of the Kindred

Book 3: Sought

Evangeline Anderson

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred

Book 3:Sought

Copyright © 2011 by Evangeline Anderson

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com or Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Author’s Note #1—You’ve all probably heard more than you want to about e-book piracy but I have to say something about it here. I recently reduced my hours at my regular job to almost nothing in order to have more time to write. That means I’m making almost my entire living from my books—especially the Kindred books which I am writing and publishing on my own.

Please people, don’t steal the books. Don’t download them illegally and give them away for free to others. Most especially don’t go on e-bay and try to sell them. (Yes, some people actually have the nerve.) I want to believe all my readers are good people. I know none of them would come to my house and take something that didn’t belong to them. But when someone illegally downloads my e-books or sells them for a profit when they don’t own the copyright, it’s the same as coming into my house and taking a gallon of milk out of my fridge.

I keep the prices on my Kindred books low so no one will have to steal them. So please don’t. And if you see anyone who is, please send me a link at vangiekitty@aol.com and let me know about it. E-book piracy is a real and growing threat. If it isn’t stopped authors like me won’t be able to make a living doing what we love the most—writing hot new books to share with you, our readers.

Thank you so much for your kindness and honesty.

Author’s Note #2—You’ve probably already figured this out but this is the third book in the Brides of the Kindred series. I recommend that you read Claimed, the first book in the series, and Hunted, the second book, before attempting to dive into Sought.

Hugs and Happy Reading to you all!

Evangeline Anderson

Chapter One

Kat O’Conner was either dying or flying—she couldn’t tell which.

All she knew was that she was hovering above her own body, looking down, and what she saw didn’t look good—not good at all.

My God, I’m a mess!

Her long, auburn hair was a tangled snarl around her head and there were deep purple shadows under her eyes, which were closed at the moment. There was a troubled look on her face even in sleep—if it was sleep. Kat looked closer, trying to see if her chest was rising and falling, but it was difficult to tell because someone had covered her with blankets. She tried to check her own pulse, but when she reached for herself, she found that she had no hands, arms, or fingers to reach with.

Just like when I joined with Lock and Deep, when we were hunting for Sophie. It had been an exhilarating sensation—the feeling of being a swift, invisible bird able to flit from place to place in space instantly. But she wasn’t joined with them now—she could tell. Because, for once in the past several weeks, she wasn’t full to overflowing with their overwhelming emotions. And overwhelming was the right word.

Anybody who says men don’t have feelings is full of crap, Kat thought ruefully as she studied the scene below her. Locks Tight and Stabs Deep, the Twin Kindred warriors who had gotten her into this mess in the first place, had plenty of feelings—enough to make her feel like she was drowning in a sea of emotion whenever they got too close to her. And lately, anywhere was too close, at least as far as Kat was concerned.

She’d been trying to avoid them ever since their last joining—the one she’d agreed to in order to find her friend Sophie Waterhouse, who had been kidnapped by the Scourge. The evil race of red-eyed, gray-skinned bastards had attacked Earth a few years ago. Only the intervention of the Kindred warriors—a race of genetic traders from beyond the stars—had saved Kat’s home planet.

The Scourge had some kind of prophesy involving an Earth girl that they would stop at nothing to fulfill. At first they’d believed that Sophie’s sister, Olivia was their intended target. Then they centered on Sophie. Kat didn’t know who was going to be taken next, she was just glad that her friends were safe.

And speaking of Sophie and Liv, where were they? So far Kat had been focusing on her own still body, but now she looked around—if you could look without a head to turn or eyes to see with, that was. God, this was so freaking weird. She wondered again if she was dead. If so, wherever she was didn’t look much like her idea of Heaven.

The full-figured form which she recognized as her own was lying on one of the floating stretchers the Kindred kept for transporting the sick or wounded. The stretcher itself had been crammed into the back of a space shuttle and there was someone sitting beside her, holding her limp white hand. But it wasn’t Sophie or Liv.

Lock, she thought with dismay, watching the large male who was carefully cupping her hand in his. And sitting in the front of the shuttle, at the controls, was his brother, Deep.

Though they were twins, it was easy to tell the brothers apart. Twin Kindred always came in diametrically opposing pairs of light and dark.

The light twin, Lock, had sandy blond hair and eyes the color of melted chocolate. He also had a more optimistic view of life in general than his brother. Of the two of them, Kat found him much easier to tolerate. He was nicer than Deep, for one thing, and she could actually have a conversation with him that didn’t turn into an argument. His feelings were easier to deal with, too. Though Lock’s desire for her was loud inside her head, it was nothing like the deafening blast of lust she felt from his brother whenever he got too close.

Deep, the dark twin, had hair so black it almost had blue highlights and eyes the color of a night without stars. They seemed to burn when they looked at her, making Kat feel naked and vulnerable—feelings she didn’t care for a bit. She had enough body issues from having been plus-sized her entire life without an irritating alien male adding to them, thank-you-very-much. The big warrior had rubbed her the wrong way from the moment she’d met him—both literally and figuratively, since he couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself when the three of them did a joining.

Of the brothers, Lock was shorter by about an inch. But since both of them were over six foot six and extremely muscular, it didn’t make much difference. They were both huge as far as Kat was concerned—physically, and emotionally.

She should know—she’d had the two of them tramping around inside her head for the better part of a month.

The constant tension of two other people’s powerful emotions churning inside her was incredibly tiring and the headache she’d gotten from their joining was beyond painful. Lately she’d been feeling like she couldn’t take it anymore. Not that she would ever commit suicide—Kat was a fighter and her grandma hadn’t raised her to quit. But the thought of hijacking one of the Kindred shuttles and folding space to put a couple of galaxies between herself and the annoying pair had begun to seem more and more attractive.

The only problem was, she didn’t know how to fly a shuttle and she couldn’t fold space without the help of the special Kindred technology. Besides, where would she go? Sophie had recently visited Tranq Prime, one of the other worlds the Kindred had initiated a genetic trade with, and she hadn’t liked it a bit. She’d come back with stories of roach pudding and clothes that were alive and inclined to play practical jokes that weren’t funny. Not to mention extremely snooty natives—at least the ones Sophie had met. No, Kat had no wish to visit Tranq Prime.

She didn’t want to go to Rageron either—a savage world filled with blue jungles and vicious predators—which was another Kindred trade planet. And as for Twin Moons—the home planet of Deep and Lock—she definitely didn’t want to go there. Because that was exactly where the twin warriors wanted to take her. Earlier, on the Kindred Mother ship, she’d caught a few snatches of thought from them that indicated they were homeward bound—and they wanted her to come with them.

Not on your life! Kat thought, watching from above as Lock held her hand and Deep steered the shuttle through the blackness of space. Once they got me there, I’d never get away from them. Talk about having the home field advantage!

But where exactly were they taking her now? As if in answer to her question, Lock spoke at last.

“Are we almost there, Brother? I fear her pulse is weaker than it was.”

“Going as fast as I can,” Deep growled, throwing an irked glance over his shoulder at his twin. “We just passed through the fold. Home should be just ahead.”

“Well, go faster.” Lock’s voice was urgent. “My touch doesn’t seem to be stabilizing her anymore. What if we lose her before we land?”

“We’re not going to lose her. We can’t—she isn’t ours to lose.” Deep spoke in a lazy drawl but his broad shoulders were bunched with tension as he hunched over the controls.

“I wish you’d stop pretending you don’t care.” Lock stroked Kat’s hand. “Maybe if you’d let her know how you really feel instead of always putting up a wall—”

“There it is.” Despite his earlier sarcasm, Deep sounded relieved. He pointed to the viewscreen where a round gold and green orb floated like a Christmas ornament in the blackness of space. “Twin Moons, dead ahead. We’re almost home, Brother.”

Twin Moons? No! Kat was aghast. How had she gotten on board a shuttle with these two and why had they been allowed to take her back to their home world? Where were Liv and Sophie when she needed them? The last thing she remembered was talking to her two best friends before everything went black. And now I wake up dead, on my way to the last place I ever wanted to go? Great, just great.

Kat didn’t know how she’d gotten into this mess but somebody was going to answer for it. Just as soon as she found out if she was really dead or only sleeping, that was.

As she had the last thought, her vision began to waver.

“Deep—hurry!” she heard Lock say as though from a great distance. “I can’t feel her pulse any more!”

“Maximum drive engaged. It’s not safe this close to the planetary atmosphere but what the hell,” Deep growled. The tiny green and gold orb began to grow in size, filling the viewscreen with a dizzying suddenness.

Kat’s strange, otherworldly vision was growing dimmer, but she could still hear what was going on.

A speaker crackled to life and an alien voice spoke loudly in the small cabin. It wasn’t speaking English—of that she was sure. But somehow she could understand it anyway. “Unidentified Kindred shuttle, this is Control. Be advised that your approach exceeds upper limits of safe velocity. Please throttle down at once.”

“No can do, Control,” Deep responded in the same language, his big hands tightening on the steering yoke. “We have a sick female here. Repeat, a sick Earth female dispatched from the Mother ship and she may be…” He cleared his throat and his voice dropped for a moment. “She may be dying.”

“Regardless of the circumstances, your vector of approach is too steep. I cannot allow—”

“Did you hear me?” Deep demanded, overriding the voice. “I said she may be dying. Requesting clearance to land directly in the Healing Garden.”

“Negative!” The voice sounded panicked now. “Clearance denied. Spacecraft are forbidden within consecrated grounds. The gardens are filled with pilgrims at this time of day. To even consider—”

“Then get them out of the Goddess-damned way!” Deep barked. “We’re coming in now.”

The shuttle tilted alarmingly and Kat’s vision came back with a jolt. She saw a patch of green rushing toward the viewscreen at alarming speed and had a blurry impression of tiny, Barbie doll-sized figures running to get out of the way. Then her gaze was dragged back to her own still form. Lock was working on her frantically, doing some Kindred version of CPR that looked exceedingly painful as he begged her under his breath to “Live, Kat. Please, live.”

“Almost there,” roared Deep. “Hold on, Brother. Keep her with us!”

“I’m trying!” Lock’s voice sounded close to despair. “But she’s so still. She’s not responding.”

“Fucking make her respond!” Deep ordered. “And be ready to run the moment we touch down. We’re taking her stretcher straight to the center of the garden. Directly to Mother L’rin herself.”

“Yes, all right.” Lock nodded frantically, still working on her. “Please, lady Kat, if you can just hold on a little bit longer…”

There was a jarring thump that rattled everything in the shuttle and Kat saw her body jerk. Then Deep was out of his flight harness and reaching for her. “Go, go go!” he barked, nodding at the opening which had somehow appeared at the back of the shuttle.

“Going!” Lock was still holding her hand as he pushed the floating stretcher toward the pinkish-gold sunlight pouring in through the opening. “Get the other side.”

“Got it.” Deep grabbed the stretcher with one hand and Kat’s arm with the other. “Goddess, she’s cold! And her lips are blue.”

“I know. I—”

But before she could hear what else Lock was going to say, Kat felt a huge jolt, as though she’d been struck by lightning. Suddenly she was no longer hovering above her own still body, but rushing toward it on a collision course.

Wait, she had time to think. This can’t be right. I can’t—

There was a flash of brilliant light and then…

Nothing.

Chapter Two

Mother L’rin was a stern, older woman whom Lock had met only once—years ago when he and Deep had been confirmed with their mentor F’lir as a finder/seeker team. Now she paced in front of Kat’s floating stretcher, her bare feet splashing in the golden waters of the holy stream that ran through the center of the Healing Gardens. Mother L’rin practiced holistic healing and drew her powers from nature and the Goddess of All Life. The gardens around them were filled with herbs and plants mixed with flowering bushes and trees, all in shades of pink and gold and pale green.

“I remember you two,” she said, nodding at them in her slow, unhurried fashion. “Two more opposite twins I never saw.”

“Never mind about us,” Deep almost snarled. He was pacing as well, striding up and down the pinkish-gold and green grass that had been allowed to run wild along the edge of the stream. “It’s Kat we’re here for. She’s in trouble.”

“Enough trouble for you to land your shuttle in the center of my garden, almost crushing some very devout pilgrims?” Mother L’rin raised one pink-tinged eyebrow at them. She was of the native stock of Twin Moons, with no Kindred blood at all, which explained the way she blended into her own garden.

“Yes,” Deep snapped back. “I gave them time to get out of the way.”

“Barely.” Her voice was mild but her pink and gold eyes flashed. “You must care for her deeply, this Kat.”

“Not really.” Deep shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. “But we have been charged with her safety. So—”

“Yes, we care,” Lock interrupted his brother. “We care very much. Both of us.” He squeezed Kat’s hand gently and shot Deep a warning look to keep his mouth shut. “Please, Mother L’rin,” he continued. “She’s already stopped breathing once. I’m not even sure what brought her back, but it could happen again at any time.”

Kat was breathing steadily now but Lock knew he would never forget the feeling of relief that had swept over him when he saw her draw that first, shallow gasp as they pushed the stretcher out of the shuttle. He still didn’t know why she’d come back to them from the brink of death, only that he was desperate to keep her.

“How did she come to be sick in the first place?” Mother L’rin looked at them. “What manner of illness is this?”

Lock took a deep breath—this was the hard part. “You may have heard that our mentor, F’lir, died a few cycles ago, Mother,” he said, inclining his head respectfully. “So Deep and I are without a focus. While aboard the Mother ship, we found ourselves in a desperate position—we needed to use our skills but we had no one to—”

“What my brother is trying to say is that we used Kat here as a focus,” Deep interrupted in a bored tone.

Mother L’rin’s golden-pink eyes widened. “You used a female as your focus? And an off-worlder at that—one who is alien to us? You had no idea of what a joining with you might do to her mind—to her body!”

“That is true.” Lock bowed his head, accepting her rebuke. “We were, as I said, in a desperate position but I know that is no excuse.”

“It most certainly is not.” Her eyes flashed angrily. “Males must join with males and females with females on the astral plane—anything else is sacrilege. You know that.”

Lock nodded. “We know,” he murmured in a low voice.

Mother L’rin came to stand at the head of the stretcher and placed her hands on either side of Kat’s shining mass of auburn hair. “Very well.” She took a deep breath. “What were her symptoms after your joining?”

“Well, the first time—” Deep began.

“The first time?” Mother L’rin’s head jerked up and she glared at him. “You used this poor female more than once?”

“We used her twice.” Deep lifted his chin arrogantly. “And the second time we cast a net from Earth all the way to Tranq Prime. It doesn’t matter that she’s female and we’re male—Kat’s an amazing focus. She has raw natural talent that—”

“That will die with her,” Mother L’rin interrupted him.

“What?” Lock’s heart fisted in his chest. “Please, Mother L’rin, no!”

“Can’t you save her?” Deep’s voice was harsh but he was paler than Lock had ever seen him. “Are you saying we brought her to you too late?”

“It was too late the first time you two decided to attempt blasphemy with this innocent child.” Mother L’rin stroked Kat’s silky hair tenderly. “An elite, too. One blessed by the Mother. Such a pity.”

“So she’s going to…to die?” Lock heard the break in his voice but he couldn’t help it. Gods, to think they’d killed the woman they loved! Oh Kat, I’m sorry. So very sorry… From his twin he could feel similar emotions to his own. But Deep’s sorrow was shaded with a guilt so intense it was almost despair. Again, Lock heard his twin thinking in a rare burst of mental empathy. I’ve done it again. Gods…

“I will do what I can,” Mother L’rin said, pulling Lock back from his brother’s thoughts. “But I make no promises—you deserve none.” She fixed them both with a disapproving glare. “As you know, the bonds between twin males and their female is twofold—there must be a soul bond as well as a physical bond. What you two have done is created an incomplete soul bond with this girl.”

“An incomplete bond?” Lock frowned. “I didn’t even know such a thing was possible.”

“It’s very rare. In fact, in all my years of healing I have only seen it happen once before.”

“So we’re not the first male seeker/finders to use a female as our focus,” Deep said. “What happened in the other case?”

“The girl died,” Mother L’rin said grimly. “I wasn’t able to save her.”

Lock sucked in a breath and Deep went pale again. “Mother L’rin, please…”

“Her spirit is fractured,” she continued. “Which is why she is hovering between this life and the next. You must complete the bond in order to have any hope of healing her.”

“How can we bond with an unconscious female?” Deep demanded. “That’s called rape and Lock and I don’t practice it.”

“I didn’t say you should complete the physical bond.” The old woman’s eyes flashed again. “I know this is difficult to understand, warrior, as the soul bond and physical bond are usually formed at the same time during bonding sex. But it is possible to have one without the other—for a time, anyway.”

“What can we do?” Lock said eagerly. “Tell us, Mother, please.”

“Her spirit must be tethered to her body. But it must want to stay—you have to tempt it with pleasure, lure it back and heal it with your touch.”

“Not my touch.” Deep shook his head. “She’s reacted badly to my hands on her since her collapse.”

“That’s true,” Lock said reluctantly, thinking of the way Kat’s pulse had spiked after her collapse on the Kindred Mothership. “Her heartbeat increased abnormally and she moaned out loud—something about ‘too much’ when Deep put his hands on her.”

Mother L’rin frowned. “And were you touching her at the same time?”

Lock nodded. “I was. It was my touch that stabilized her the first time. But then, on our way here, it stopped working.”

“Because she needs you both. Do not dispute me, warrior,” she said when Deep opened his mouth to protest. “I know what I’m talking about. If you want to have any hope of healing this poor girl you and your brother so callously injured, you’ll listen and do exactly as I say.”

“All right.” Deep crossed his arms over his broad chest. “What can we do?”

“As I said, you must bind her spirit back to her body. It has to want to stay on this plane and be bonded to the two of you.”

Lock cleared his throat. “In that case…”

“In that case there’s no hope,” Deep finished for him. “Kat wants nothing to do with either of us. A fact I’ve been trying to make clear to you for over a month now, Brother,” he said to Lock.

Mother L’rin’s pinkish eyebrows shot up. “The three of you had an unwilling joining?”

“Kat only participated in the joining so that we could locate her friend—another Earth girl who was being held captive by the Scourge,” Deep said. “She never would have joined with us if need hadn’t forced her hand.”

“But you said the two joinings you did with her were successful?”

“They exceeded anything we’d ever done with F’lir,” Lock admitted. “Deep is right about one thing—the lady Kat is a natural focus. Her ability is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s not just her ability—she has an affinity for the two of you, whether she admits it to herself or not.” Mother L’rin looked thoughtful. “An affinity I’m sure you felt the first moment you laid eyes on her.”

Lock nodded. “That’s exactly how I felt.”

Deep said nothing.

“So if there is some affinity—some spark between the three of you—there is still hope. You have to bring that spark to the surface. Tempt her spirit back with it and then bind her to you with pleasure.”

“If you’re talking about sexual pleasure then we’re back to where we started,” Deep said icily. “Lock and I won’t take advantage of an unconscious female.”

“Of course she’s unconscious,” Mother L’rin snapped. “She’s is so much pain she can’t bear it. One of you must take the pain for her. Only when her agony is gone will she be able to receive your touch. Only then can you heal her spirit.”

“I’ll do it.” Deep stepped forward at once.

“Deep, no,” Lock protested. “You don’t have to—”

“I want to. And besides, Kat needs your touch to remain stable.” Deep frowned. “You stay with her, hold her hand. I’ll take care of this.”

“Before you accept your lady’s pain so easily, you ought to know what it entails,” Mother L’rin said quietly. When psychic pain is transmuted to the physical plane, it trebles in strength. And you should know that I sense a great deal of agony coming from this little one.” She stroked Kat’s hair gently.

“I don’t give a damn about that,” Deep growled. “Do whatever you have to. Just hurry up and get started.”

The wise woman nodded. “Very well.” Turning, she motioned to a small clump of golden-pink flana bushes on the far side of the stream. “Doby! Bring the whip.”

There was a rustling sound in the bushes and then the biggest male Lock had ever seen appeared. He was at least nine feet tall and so heavily muscled it was hard to see how he moved. His mottled pinkish skin proved he was of native Twin Moons stock, the same as Mother L’rin, and he wore only a loincloth made of green and gold leaves to cover himself.

Lock had never seen a native so large—he must be a genetic anomaly. As far as Lock knew, most of the native inhabitants of his home world were tiny. Small but fierce, they mainly lived in the wild lands of the uncharted continent. Mother L’rin was one of the few who had come to live in the more civilized and cultured world the Kindred had created when they first traded with the natives.

As the giant’s huge, flat feet splashed in the holy stream the leaves covering his groin fluttered. The flash of leaves caught Lock’s eye and he saw that there was nothing but a ragged stump where the huge male’s shaft should have been.

Gods! He recoiled at the sight and Mother L’rin saw him and laughed.

“My faithful Doby here is an eunuch. It is the sacrifice he made to come across the golden sea and live here in the Healing Gardens to attend me daily. Such devotion in a male is rare.”

“Rare indeed.” Lock cleared his throat uncomfortably. “What does he have in the box?” For the huge Doby had produced a lacquered green box from somewhere. He presented it respectfully to the wise woman, holding it in both huge hands.

“A transference device.” Mother L’rin opened the box and removed a plain black wooden handle. It was about two feet long and tapered on one end but there was nothing attached to it as far as Lock could see.

Deep must have been thinking the same thing. “I thought you called it a whip?”

“It is. Patience, warrior. All will be made clear.” Holding the black handle carefully, Mother L’rin pressed the smooth, round butt of it against Kat’s right temple. “Release it, child,” she murmured, stroking the shining auburn hair. “Let the pain go. Let it flow. Another has agreed to bear this burden, let me take it from you.”

Kat moaned softly and her hand jerked in Lock’s. He squeezed her fingers carefully, watching her face for any sign.

Then, slowly, the handle began to change. Wires spouted from it—three long silver wires that seemed to be made of brilliant light. They lengthened and thickened like snakes growing out of the tip of the black handle until they reached to the ground.

Lock watched in amazement as the three tongues of light blazed and sparked like live things at the end of the whip. Like hungry animals waiting to be fed, he couldn’t help thinking.

“A little more, child. Just a little more,” coaxed Mother L’rin. Suddenly the whip’s three tongues shivered and bright silver spikes grew from their ends.

Deep’s face remained impassive as he stared at the lethal device in the old woman’s hand. “And that’s a physical manifestation of her pain?”

Mother L’rin nodded. “This is the agony she’s been enduring ever since you and your twin used her as a focus. Tell me, Deep, does the sight fill you with dread?”

“Dread? No.” His mouth twisted.

Lock spoke for both of them. “What my brother feels—what we both feel—is shame. To think what she went through because of what we did. So much pain…”

“Which is about to be transferred to me,” Deep reminded him dryly. “Come on.” He jerked his head at Doby and began taking off his green uniform shirt. “I assume you’re the lucky one who gets to beat me. I doubt Mother L’rin has much time to practice her whipping technique.”

“You’re correct in that, warrior. Hands that offer healing must never deal in pain.” The old woman nodded at Doby. “Take him to the Stone Throat. Beat him until the whip is nothing more than a handle once more.”

“Wait!” Lock put out a hand, fear for his twin squeezing his throat. “How many strokes will that take?”

“As many as it takes,” Mother L’rin said calmly.

“That’s no answer!” Lock was beginning to be angry. “I know that Deep hasn’t been very respectful, Mother L’rin, but to beat him with that…that thing is—”

“Fine,” Deep finished for him. “Leave off, Brother. It’s all right. Think what Kat went through.” He nodded at the whip and its spitting, hissing tongues of fiery silver light. “Look at her pain.”

“It wasn’t your decision alone to let her act as a focus,” Lock protested. “I agreed to it as well as you. I should take half the whipping at least.”

“Pain cannot be divided between souls, it can only be transferred,” Mother L’rin said. “And if the whip isn’t used soon, the agony it holds will revert to its original owner.”

“In other words, let’s get on with it,” Deep growled. “Don’t worry about me, Brother,” he said when Lock opened his mouth to protest. “And don’t feel bad—you can tend me afterwards. It’s better this way—you’re a much better nurse than I am.”

“That’s true,” Lock acknowledged ruefully. “But though you take all the pain, the blame is half mine.”

“You can pay me back later.” Deep nodded at Kat. “Take care of her,” he said roughly.

“I will,” Lock promised.

“Go.” Mother L’rin handed the hissing, spitting whip to her huge servant. “The Stone Throat. And mind you do the job right. I’ll know if you don’t—I’ll hear it in his screams.”

“Yes, Mother.” Despite his immense size, the eunuch’s voice was as soft and high as a girl’s. “All shall be done according to your will.”

“See that it is.” She waved one wrinkled hand dismissively. “And now, let me see what I can do to keep this sweet child in the land of the living.” She stroked Kat’s silky red hair and didn’t spare another glance at her servant or Deep.

But Lock found he couldn’t look away as the massive eunuch led his brother through the tall green and pink grass. Deep’s head was held high and he walked casually with no outward sign of fear. And indeed, Lock felt no fear coming from him.

Deep was willing, almost eager to take the pain that was about to be inflicted. Because he felt that he deserved it. Every lick of the whip, every drop of blood, every ounce of pain. All earned. All deserved.

He blames himself, Lock thought as his twin’s broad, bare back disappeared in the taller grass at the edge of the Healing Garden. And not just for Kat. Oh Brother, it wasn’t your fault—when will you ever believe that?

But he knew the answer to that.

Never.

Chapter Three

Lauren Jakes walked quickly along the broad sidewalk that led around the edge of Saint Armand’s Square. Later on, around lunchtime, the entire expanse of white concrete would be filled with the idle rich—tourists mostly, who had come to see Sarasota, one of the richest small cities in the US. The beaches with their sugar fine sand and tropical blue waters were lovely any time of the year and if the rich got bored with baking their oiled bodies, they could always come here.

The Square was actually many interconnecting squares, all lined with specialty shops and expensive, chic little eateries. Marble statues of Greek gods and goddesses stood like sentries on the well trimmed verge, as pale as ghosts in the dim early morning light. Lauren’s shop, The Sweet Spot, was located between the Florida Olive Oil Company which specialized in flavored oils and aged balsamic vinegars and A Little is a Lot, a clothing store that sold only overpriced and undersized bathing suits.

Both shops were dark and quiet as Lauren fumbled for her keys. Neither one would really pick up until the lunch crowd arrived, hours from now. But while her neighbors could afford to sleep in, Lauren couldn’t. The Sweet Spot was a specialty cupcake store and she had to get the day’s inventory started or she would have nothing to sell. “Everything from scratch, everything fresh, every day,” was her motto.

“Should’ve decided to sell overpriced thongs and banana hammocks to rich old men and their trophy wives instead of baked goods,” she muttered to herself as she finally found the right key. “Then I could still be home in bed.”

But getting up early was a small price to pay to do what she loved, she reminded herself. She’d always enjoyed baking—her vanilla bean and passion fruit surprise cupcakes had won a national bake-off by the time she was twelve. Her mom had encouraged her to go to college and Lauren had, as a business major. Somehow, though, she wound up baking muffins and brownies for study sessions with her friends more than she actually ended up studying. Her grades weren’t great but her cupcakes were.

At last her mother had bowed to the inevitable. She’d helped Lauren finance the shop and given her a place to live in one of the condos she owned, just blocks from the Square. Lauren had only been open a few months but so far The Sweet Spot seemed to be a moderate success. Of course, she’d have to be much more than moderately successful in order to pay back the loan. But her mom didn’t seem worried. “Take your time, my darling,” she always said. “Enjoy your life. I just want you to be happy.”

Thinking of her mom always gave Lauren a warm feeling inside. Family was very important to Abigail Jakes—maybe because she’d become estranged from her own family back when she’d become pregnant with Lauren. She didn’t talk about it much but Lauren had gotten the idea that her loved ones had hurt her deeply—which made her mom that much more sensitive toward her own daughter. They’d always had a wonderful relationship—even back when Lauren was a teenager. And now as an adult, they were more friends than mother and daughter.

“Although I still want my mom when things don’t go right,” Lauren muttered, making sure the door was locked behind her. She wished she had her mom with her right now—she would put her to work. Her assistant, Jennie, had quit the day before which meant she had to man the whole shop herself until Lorenzo came in.

Thinking of Lorenzo with his sleek blond hair and tan good looks made her sigh. He was much better at looking good behind the counter than he was at baking. In a moment of weakness, Lauren had let him kiss her and now he thought he owned the place. She’d been putting off his advances ever since and had been planning to replace him before Jennie quit. Now it looked like she was stuck with him for awhile. Still, he was good at selling cupcakes. Especially to rich, older women who liked a little eye candy to go with their culinary confections.

Lauren went through the shop, flipping on lights on her way to the bathroom. To hell with the electricity bill—it was creepy being in a dark building all alone. And besides, for the past few days she’d had the feeling that someone was watching her. She knew it was crazy and completely impossible but she kept finding herself looking over her shoulder. Feeling like a pair of invisible eyes was watching her every move.

“Stop being stupid,” she muttered to herself as she tucked her long, silky black hair into a hairnet and checked her reflection. The girl in the mirror had smooth mocha skin and large eyes the color of fine whiskey. A tip-tilted nose made her cute rather than exotic, despite the eyes, but her full lips pushed cute to beautiful when she smiled—or so Lorenzo said when he was feeling poetic.

God, what was wrong with her? Why did she always fall for jerks and players? Just once Lauren wished she could meet someone genuine. Someone who was exactly what they seemed to be. But with her work schedule now and trying to keep the shop open seven days a week, she wasn’t going to have time to meet anyone but customers.

“Not that I have time for a love life even if I did meet someone,” Lauren muttered to herself. “As if—”

The words died on her lips. For a moment she could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes behind her in the mirror. Red eyes.

She whirled around, her heart pounding, to see…nothing.

“Of course it’s nothing. There’s no one here but me.” The sound of her own voice made her jump and Lauren put a hand to her chest to still her beating heart. It was time to stop being silly and get down to business. Today she had a brand new recipe she wanted to try out—a strawberry hazelnut with cream cheese frosting. She’d tried a small batch in the kitchen in her condo and they had come out nicely but—

Suddenly there was a popping, humming sound like electricity and the air around her seemed to be full of lightning. Every hair on her head stood on end and her nerves twanged like plucked strings. Danger—you’re in danger! an inner voice shouted. The voice of instinct—the same primitive voice that must have warned the cavemen when a fire or flood was on the way.

Lauren wanted to run—tried to run—but everything happened too quickly. The crackling electrical charge seemed to close around her, like a vast hand, and suddenly she felt herself dissolving. Looking in the mirror she could almost see it happening in slow motion—her body had been broken into a million tiny particles that were all vibrating against each other in deadly harmony. Her clothes, however, remained unaffected. In fact, they fell away from her, landing in a heap on the floor.

No! No, what’s happening?

There was no answer but suddenly she saw the eyes in the mirror again. Red eyes—blood red and laughing at her pain, her fear. She could almost feel the evil in that crimson gaze—the intent to cause harm—the desire to wound and mutilate and kill.

Before she could think anything else, the tiny white tiled bathroom of The Sweet Spot disappeared and she felt herself flying through the air in pieces. It was the most bizarre sensation she had ever felt in her life—as though someone had put her entire body through a cheese grater and shot the results into the air at supersonic speed.

I’m dying. This is dying, right?

Again, no answer. But suddenly she felt herself reforming—all the tiny particles finding their places and sticking together again. Oh, thank God! She felt her arms and legs frantically, making sure she was all in once piece. She was naked but she was whole and at least nothing seemed to be missing.

“Here ssshe isss at last. Sssee, my ssson, ssshe bears the mark. The mark the prophesy ssspoke of.”

A long, skeletal finger suddenly appeared in front of her and pointed between her breasts. Lauren looked down to her small, pale birthmark reflexively—it was shaped like a star and stood out against her creamy brown skin. She’d always had it and never even thought about it anymore, though it looked strange when she wore a bikini.

A feeling of dread filled her as she looked up, up, up the long arm clothed in billowing cobwebs and into the burning red eyes she’d seen in the mirror.

“Yesss,” hissed a voice Lauren knew she’d been hearing in her dreams for the past few weeks. “Yesss, ssshe isss the one. At last I have her. Ssshe isss mine.”

Chapter Four

Kat was flying again but this time she wasn’t looking down at herself. Instead she was hovering inside a narrow stone tunnel. There was a faint light at one end that illuminated the pinkish brown stones and she could hear footsteps coming, echoing down the long enclosed corridor. Who’s coming? Will they see me?

Looking down, she realized she couldn’t see herself. She was silent and invisible again, just as she had been before. Maybe I really am dead and this is my funeral. But why would they bury me in a cave? For some reason the thought held no fear, only fascination. Then the echoing footsteps grew louder. Kat pushed her morbid musings aside when she saw who was coming down the tunnel.

A massive male—she couldn’t really call him a man because there was nothing human about him—was leading the way. He had pinkish mottled skin and he was wearing a loincloth of large, flat leaves. In his hand he carried a fiery silver whip that snapped and crackled as though it was made of lightning.

What the hell? The question was driven out of her head when she saw someone familiar following the huge male. Deep was shirtless, his muscular chest gleaming in the light cast by the strange whip. Kat could see the silver light reflected in the black pools of his eyes too, which were otherwise completely impassive.

“So this is the Stone Throat, eh?” he said to the giant who only grunted noncommittally. “I’ve heard of this place. Never thought I’d see it in person. Not that there’s much to see.”

The enormous male didn’t even grunt this time. He just passed through the stone hallway, ducking his head to avoid hitting the ceiling where Kat was still hovering in her invisible form.

For some reason, she felt a stab of fear. What’s going on? What are they going to do? Without making a conscious decision to do it, she found herself gliding noiselessly after them down the stone corridor until they came to a thick green wooden door. Deep’s guide grasped the tarnished silver ring in its center and pulled it open easily though it looked immensely heavy to Kat.

The door swung to one side revealing a vast, round room made of the same brownish-pink stone as the corridor. The ceiling curved up but instead of forming a perfect arch, it elongated into a tall stone chimney far above. From that small opening, a perfectly round spot of sunlight streamed down to rest on the floor at the exact center of the room. It illuminated a rough obelisk of white stone streaked with reddish-brown mineral deposits.

The obelisk was at least ten feet tall and it pointed up toward the chimney like a jagged, accusing finger. Kat saw that someone had affixed two thick, rusty rings in its center. A feeling of cold dread filled her when she saw the thick chain running through the rings. What went on in this room? Why would anyone need to be chained to the strange white obelisk? She was horribly afraid but she didn’t want to let herself acknowledge it.

“Will you be chained or will you stand?” The huge male’s voice was high and almost effeminate but it echoed eerily in the vast chamber.

“I’ll stand.” Deep went to the obelisk without hesitation. Facing it, he gripped one of the rusty rings in each hand. His broad, muscular back presented the perfect target. “I’m ready.”

Ready for what? Oh dear God, please no! Kat didn’t particularly like Deep—in fact, she thought he was kind of a jerk. He made her more uncomfortable than anyone else she’d ever met in her life. But no one deserved to be whipped with that hissing, crackling silver whip. There were freaking spikes on the end of it, for God’s sake. Was it some kind of punishment Deep was about to be subjected to? But what had he done? And who had decided he had to be punished?

“Ready yourself,” the other male advised, raising the whip.

“I said I was ready.” Deep’s voice held not a trace of fear—only irritation.

How can he not be afraid? What’s wrong with him?

Kat watched in horror as the massive arm rose and the whip cracked, lashing around Deep’s ribs with a hungry hiss. Deep made a similar sound himself—a low hiss of pain—as the barbed silver tongues bit into his flesh, but no other noise escaped him.

The giant yanked the whip back, splattering crimson droplets against the white obelisk. Suddenly Kat understood that the brownish red streaks on its rough surface weren’t mineral deposits. Blood, my God, it’s blood! He’s bleeding! Stop it—stop!

But the whip rose again, ready for another blow. “Scream,” the huge torturer advised. “Release your pain into the Throat.” He nodded at the stone chimney above. “It will make the agony less.”

“Don’t want it to be less,” Deep growled. “Just get on with it, damn you.”

“As you wish.” The whip cracked again, biting and tearing the smooth, tan skin of Deep’s back, shredding it to bloody ribbons. He barely flinched.

No! Nooo! Kat tried to shriek but no sound came out. Deep didn’t cry out either. He stood at the obelisk, grasping the rusty rings in a white-knuckled grip, his jaw clenched and his eyes shut tight. Clearly he was enduring unspeakable agony and just as clearly he was determined not to make a sound.

Kat felt like she was going crazy. Rushing at the giant, she tried to grab his hand and keep the whip from falling again. But she was helpless to stop him—helpless to even touch him. It was as though she was trapped in a bad dream, one which she couldn’t wake up from.

Please, she begged silently as invisible tears fell down her cheeks. Please, please don’t. Please stop hurting him…

But nothing she said or did made any difference. The whipping went on and on…and on.

* * * * *

“She’s crying.” Lock looked down at Kat’s still-sleeping face in alarm. “Look, tears are running down her cheeks.” He cupped her jaw and brushed them tenderly away with the pad of his thumb.

“So she is.” Mother L’rin didn’t sound unduly worried.

“But what does it mean?” Lock looked at her anxiously. “What’s happening to her?”

“A bad dream, perhaps. I’m more concerned with what’s happening with that brother of yours.” Her wrinkled face creased in a frown. “I haven’t heard a single scream.”

“That’s because Deep won’t scream. He won’t give in to the pain that way.” Lock wiped Kat’s other cheek gently. “He’s too damn stubborn.” He closed his eyes. “I can feel his pain but he won’t share it with me—he’s closed tight, turned inward.”

Mother L’rin shrugged her bowed shoulders. “His choice. If he’d release the pain into the Stone Throat it would dissipate much more quickly.”

“I tell you, he won’t scream. He’d probably rather die.”

“He won’t die.” The old woman spoke with certainty. “That would put your life in danger as well and I wouldn’t do that, Lock. But he may well wish he was dead by the time the whipping is over.” She looked at him. “Are you wishing you could take his place?”

“Yes.” Lock swiped away tears of his own, blotting them angrily on his deep green uniform sleeve. “He doesn’t deserve this. He thinks he does, but he doesn’t. I know he’s a bastard a lot of them time but he’s my brother and I love him.”

“Of course you do.” Mother L’rin’s voice was suddenly softer and she laid one wrinkled old hand on Lock’s arm. “Never fear, you’ll both come out of this alive.” She looked grim. “I just wish I could promise the same for your lady Kat here.”

“Please.” Lock felt as though his heart was breaking. “Can’t we save her? Won’t it be easier for her now that Deep has taken her pain?”

“She’ll still be weak and even if you managed to complete the soul bond with her the pain may return in time.” Mother L’rin frowned. “You’ll need to take her someplace quiet and let her rest for a little while before you attempt that.”

“Of course. Deep will be in no shape for any kind of bonding activity for awhile anyway.” Closing his eyes again, Lock could feel the echoes of his twin’s agony. But Deep was still shut tight, conserving every ounce of his strength to bear the pain.

“His wounds will heal fast,” Mother L’rin predicted. “Lashes inflicted with psychic pain always do and Twin Kindred are quick healers anyway. The strokes hurt three times as much as physical wounds but they mend three times as fast as well. When Deep’s back is mostly healed, then you may attempt to finish your soul bond with the lady Kat.”

“And after we do? What then?”

“Bring Kat back and let me examine her.” Mother L’rin put a withered hand on Kat’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you what to do then if she survives.”

She has to survive. Please, Mother of All Life, let her survive, Lock prayed fervently. Do not let my brother’s sacrifice be in vain. Do not let the pain he feels count for nothing.

Kat was crying again. Tenderly, he wiped the tears from his cheeks, wishing he could ease her pain, wishing he could share Deep’s agony. But he was shut out from both of them—unable to help either of the people he loved.

Lock had never felt more alone.

Chapter Five

The human female was troublesome.

It annoyed Xairn the way she cried when he came near her. Later, when he offered her no harm, she began to talk to him and that was even worse.

“Please,” she whispered the third time he brought her food and water. “Please, I’m so cold. It’s freezing in here and I don’t have any clothes.” She was huddled in a corner of the bare nine by nine metal cell she was being kept in. Her knees were drawn up to her chin and she had her arms wrapped around her legs but even so her smooth, light brown skin was covered in chill bumps.

“It is the AllFather’s wish to keep you as you are,” Xairn said stonily. “I only obey his orders.”

“But you’re not like him.” She leaned forward, her eyes wide.

At least they aren’t green. Instead they were a brown so light it was almost golden. Amber, maybe. Xairn shook his head. “You’re wrong. I am exactly like him. I am his son.”

“That doesn’t matter. You may have his…his eyes…” She swallowed nervously. “But you don’t feel like him.”

“I haven’t laid a hand on you. Nor will I.”

“I didn’t mean feel in a physical sense.” She picked up one of the nutra-wafers he’d pushed over to her and began to nibble it. “I meant, whenever he’s near me I sense this…this evil. Hatred, malevolence—call it whatever you want, but he carries it with him like a cloud. With you…” She shrugged and took another nibble. “I don’t feel that.”

Xairn thought of telling her she would soon feel a great deal more. The AllFather was only abstaining from taking her until he reached his peak, when his seed would be most potent. It was only a matter of days—weeks at the most—before this human female became the new mother of the Scourge race.

She would probably lose her mind in the process.

It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.

“I am his son,” Xairn repeated, not having anything else to say. “I obey his commands and do his bidding.”

“Not always,” she said softly. “Yesterday I told you I was hungry. Today you brought me three of these cardboard pop tart things instead of just one.”

Xairn frowned. “I have to keep you in good physical condition for the AllFather. I have been charged with your wellbeing.”

“Still, I want to thank you.” She looked at him earnestly. “Maybe someday I can return the favor.”

“You will never be in a position to do me any favors.” Xairn turned to go.

“Please…” Her voice tugged at him for some reason and he looked over his shoulder.

“What is it? I have other duties besides you to attend to.”

“I’m cold,” she repeated. “If you could just bring me some clothes. Or even a blanket.”

“Your constant complaints are annoying.” Xairn reached under his chin and unfastened the black cloak he always wore. It was cold on the Fathership—not that any of the vat grown soldiers noticed. Finding a new cloak would be difficult, if not impossible—he’d bought this one by chance from a clothier on a fringe colony. Still, he told himself, being a little chilly was better than listening to her whining. “Here,” he said and tossed it to her.

“Thank you.” She reached up to catch it and he caught a glimpse of her full breasts and berry brown nipples, tight with cold. The sight bothered him for some reason but he didn’t have to see it for long. She huddled quickly beneath his cloak, pulling it tight around her. “I really mean it, thank you so much,” she said.

“Keep your thanks,” Xairn said coldly. “I’ll get the cloak back when the AllFather is through with you.”

She drew in a sharp breath and her large amber eyes filled with fear. Xairn didn’t wait to hear if she had anything else to say. He slammed the heavy plasti-steel door and keyed in the lock code.

The girl was nothing to him. Nothing.

But as he walked down the bare metal corridor, he couldn’t help thinking that amber was almost as troubling a color as green.

Chapter Six

Kat was floating.

Not in the disembodied sense. This time she could feel her body, her limbs heavy with unspeakable exhaustion, her skin tender to touch. She wasn’t fully aware of her surroundings but one thing was clear—someone was taking care of her.

Gentle hands lifted her into warm water and strong arms held her securely while someone else washed her hair. The sensations were so soothing she wanted to drift away to sleep. But I am asleep, aren’t I? If not, why can’t I wake up?

The same hands dried her off and put a straw between her lips. Kat sucked reflexively and a delicious, fruity flavor that seemed to be a cross between watermelon, strawberry, and some other fruit she couldn’t name filled her mouth.

“That’s right, my lady,” a deep, somehow familiar voice murmured. “Drink deeply. Nourish yourself. It’s almost time to attempt the bond.”

What bond? Kat wanted to ask, but she was stuck, held in the same, strange limbo she sensed she’d been in for days. Was it a coma? They said that people in comas retained some consciousness and heard everything that was said to them. But would she be able to drink from a straw if she was truly unconscious? Kat didn’t think so. It was all very confusing.

She finished the drink and someone fluffed a pillow behind her head and drew a light blanket over her naked body. “Sleep now,” the familiar voice murmured. “I must tend to my brother. He’s almost healed so maybe next time…”

But he didn’t finish what he was saying.

“Next time what?” Kat wanted to demand. But she felt so warm and comfortable she couldn’t be bothered to form the words. Instead she slid into darkness and let herself dream.

* * * * *

“You’re healing well.” Lock eyed the broad expanse of his twin’s back critically. “Of course, there will be scars. Extensive scars, I’m afraid.”

Deep, who was sitting at the edge of the large bed they shared, grunted noncommittally. “All warriors have scars.”

“Most get them in battle, though.” Gently, Lock smoothed some of the healing lotion Mother L’rin had given them over his brother’s wounds. Most of them were nothing but pinkish-white lines now, criss-crossing the tan expanse of Deep’s back. The wise woman had been right—he was healing remarkably quickly. His body, anyway. Lock feared that he would carry the memory of the beating with him forever. Not that he would admit to caring about such a thing—or anything for that matter. “Do you want to help me attend Kat again tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.

Deep frowned. “She’s not going to be happy when she finds out we’ve been bathing her while she’s unconscious, you know.”

“We drape towels over her to preserve her modesty,” Lock protested. “Besides, we’re only acting on Mother L’rin’s orders. She said Kat needed to spend plenty of time in the bathing pool—warm water is healing.”

“Kat won’t see it like that,” Deep predicted sourly. “She’ll think it’s a violation. And she’ll think the same thing about completing the soul bond.”

“We have to complete the bond. Nothing else will heal her fractured spirit.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to be healed. Maybe she’d rather be dead than bonded to the two of us,” Deep snapped. “Did you ever think about that?”

“I know what you’re thinking but Kat isn’t like that. She isn’t like her,” Lock said in a low voice.

“So you say.” Deep frowned moodily.

“We swore to Sophia and Olivia that we would do everything in our power to protect and heal Kat,” Lock reminded his brother.

“We’re doing a wonderful job so far, aren’t we?” Deep snarled. “We’re the reason she’s sick in the first place. We should never have used her as a focus. Never let ourselves feel…” He shook his head.

“It’s too late for those regrets now,” Lock said softly, dabbing more lotion on his brother’s back. He could feel how tense Deep was—could see it in the way his broad shoulders bunched with misery. The emotion echoed inside his heart, making him ache for his twin. “All we can do is try to heal her, to undo the damage we’ve done.”

“By completing a soul bond with a female who never wants to take the next step and make the physical bond with us as well? What good will it do any of us to have half a bond?” Deep demanded.

“It will heal the lady Kat,” Lock said firmly, trying to ignore his own fears. “That’s all that matters right now.”

Deep sighed and his broad shoulders slumped. “Have it your way, Brother. But don’t be surprised if she wants nothing to do with you—with either one of us—when this is over.”

* * * * *

Four, large warm hands on her body woke her up. They weren’t touching her anywhere inappropriate—shoulders, hips, thighs—but they were there, on her bare skin. Bare skin…oh my God—I’m naked! And so were the large, male bodies bracketing her own. She could feel their muscular warmth against her back and breasts, surrounding her, invading her, owning her. The familiar current of sexual electricity was running through her body—the feeling she always got when Deep and Lock were touching her bare skin at the same time. When the three of them were…

Kat’s eyes flew open and she found herself looking into Lock’s melted chocolate gaze.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, my lady,” he murmured with a smile. “We’re very glad to have you back.”

“Lock’s right—you gave us quite a scare,” Deep’s voice rumbled from behind her. “We didn’t think you would make it, there for awhile.”

“I almost died,” Kat blurted, the memory momentarily overcoming her shock at finding herself naked between them. “I was floating above my own body, looking down. I saw you talking about me. And then…” She frowned. “I had another dream. It was terrible but—”

“But it’s over now,” Lock finished for her, soothingly. “You’re getting better, Kat, but you’re not out of danger yet.”

“In my dream you were taking me to Twin Moons. Where am I?” she demanded.

“I would think that would be obvious,” Deep growled in her ear. “You’re in our bed, little Kat. And that’s where you’re going to stay until you’re all better.”

“What are you talking about?” She struggled to get up but they held her down, gently but firmly.

“Don’t be upset,” Lock pleaded. “We won’t hurt you, my lady. You must know that by now.”

“Look, I don’t know what you two think you’re doing, but I’m not interested in any more joinings. Especially after the way I felt after our last one. I had a headache so bad I felt like my skull was going to split in two.”

“We fully comprehend your pain,” Lock said.

“Easy for you to say,” Kat muttered. “You can talk about it all you want but—”

“It’s not just talk.” Deep’s voice was unexpectedly somber. “Lock and I know what we put you through. And we can’t tell you how much we regret it.”

Kat sighed. “All right—it’s not like it’s all your fault. After all, I was the one who asked for that last joining in order to find Sophie. I guess you could say I got what was coming to me.”

“No.” Lock shook his head. “We were dabbling in an area we didn’t fully understand. We never should have used you as a focus in the first place.”

“And we have no interest in doing it again now,” Deep continued. “What we’re trying to do is heal you.”

“Heal me? You’re trying to heal me by rubbing your…by rubbing against me?” Kat didn’t even try to keep the skepticism out of her voice. “Yeah, right.”

“Truly, my lady.” Lock’s brown eyes were earnest. “Mother L’rin—”

“Who?”

“The healer we brought you to our home planet to see,” Deep supplied. “She’s an expert in the seeker/finder/focus relationship as well as a master of her craft.”

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Kat said. “I was at death’s door so you two brought me home to the wise old healer lady to be cured. And her ‘prescription’ was for us to all get naked together in bed?” She twisted around to frown at Deep. “Can you see why I’m not buying this? I mean come, on guys—give me a break!”

“It’s true.” Deep glared at her, his coal black eyes burning. “Your spirit has been fractured by the stress of acting as our focus. Until we bind it securely back to your body, you’re in danger of dying.”

“Deep is right,” Lock said softly. “Your spirit could become untethered again at any time.”

“Well that’s a risk I guess I’ll have to take,” Kat snapped. “I’ll let you know if I see a bright tunnel and start hearing the voices of dead relatives telling me to ‘go into the light.’ Until then, you two can keep your hands and your, uh, other body parts to yourselves.”

She started to sit up and this time, as if by mutual consent, they let her. But the moment she was upright, dizziness swept over her, making the world spin and the room dance. She had a vague impression of a large, masculine space lit by soft, glowing lights in the corners. Then she had to put her head in her hands and shut her eyes to keep from getting sick.

“My lady? Are you all right?” Lock’s voice was anxious.

“Fine. I’m just…fine,” Kat managed to say weakly. But she wasn’t fooling anyone—not even herself.

“Little liar,” Deep growled. “Lie back down and let us take care of you.”

“But I don’t want…I can’t…” Kat shook her head and wished she hadn’t. It made the dizziness worse.

“Come back between us,” Lock urged. “Please, Kat, you know we only want what’s best for you.”

Kat struggled to remain upright a little longer. But when she lifted her head again, the spinning sensation was even worse. “Oh God, I can’t take this!”

“Satisfied?” Deep asked. “The only way to make it better is to let us heal you. So stop acting stupid and let us.”

“I’m not stupid,” Kat snapped angrily, even as she allowed Lock to guide her back down to the bed. “That’s the main reason I object to letting you two grope me as a form of holistic healing.”

“What exactly do you think we’re trying to do here?” Deep demanded. “You think we want to fuck you?”

His rough words made Kat’s stomach clench. “I sure as hell hope not for your sake,” she said evenly. “You try it and I’ll knee both of you so hard you’ll be wearing your balls for bowties.”

“Bravely spoken, little Kat.” Deep had the nerve to sound amused. “But that isn’t what this is about at all. We just need to heal you.”

“And how…how exactly do you expect to do that?” Kat asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

“We have to use pleasure to bind your spirit back to your body.” Lock’s voice was soothing.

“How much pleasure? What…what exactly are you going to do?” Kat whispered.

“Just touch you.” Lock cupped her cheek and looked earnestly into her eyes. “My lady…Kat…please believe me when I say we would never try to take advantage of you. What we’re doing here is necessary, I swear it.”

Kat opened her mouth to respond but suddenly she remembered something Sophie had told her. After her crash in the mountains with Sylvan, she’d woken up to find him licking her breast. She’d been sure he was up to no good, but it had turned out that he was actually healing her. Could it be that Lock and Deep really were on the level—that they were only doing what they had to in order to make her whole again? It seemed crazy but then, a lot of things associated with the Kindred did, she reminded herself.

Blowing out a breath, she nodded reluctantly. “All right. But no sex. Especially not bonding sex—whatever that entails with you guys.”

“Don’t worry.” Deep’s voice sounded bitter. “Lock and I would never want to tie an unwilling bride to us. The results could be…tragic.”

Kat twisted to look at him again. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Never mind,” Lock said quickly. “Deep just means that we would never physically bond you to us against your will. So…shall we begin?”

“I guess if we have to.” Kat could feel her heart thumping against her ribs. God, how did she keep getting into this kind of situation and how could she avoid it in the future?

“We do,” Deep said grimly. “But I don’t see how we’re going to give you enough pleasure to heal your spirit when you’re so unhappy about it.”

“Do you really find our hands on you so distasteful?” Lock’s eyes were wistful.

“No.” Kat closed her eyes briefly. “No, you…you know I don’t.”

“Then try to relax,” he urged. “Please, my lady. Here…” Kat had been lying on her side facing Lock, with Deep behind her. Now Lock turned her gently but firmly until she was lying on her back with both of them leaning over her.

“This is worse,” Kat, objected, trying to cover her bare breasts and sex with her hands. “I feel so…so exposed.”

“Are you ashamed to let us look at you?” Deep’s voice was surprisingly gentle. “You shouldn’t be, little Kat. I have never seen such beauty in my life.”

“But I’m…” So many words hovered on her lips—fat, chubby, chunky—insults from a lifetime of being plus sized in a world where skinny women were the ideal. Living as a size eighteen in a society that preferred a size eight hadn’t been easy. “Not thin,” she finished at last.

“We know.” Lock’s voice held only admiration. “You’re an elite. The most beautiful one I’ve ever seen.”

That’s right—they like big girls here. It was still a novel concept to Kat, who was used to being defensive about her ample curves. “All right,” she said at last. “But only because the lights in here are pretty dim. I don’t want you to think I’ll be parading around in my birthday suit just because you two are into plus-sized women.”

“Of course,” Lock assured her. “We would never want you to do anything that made you uncomfortable.”

Slowly, her heart beating so hard she could almost hear it drumming in her ears, she let her hands drift to her sides. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.

* * * * *

Deep couldn’t stop looking at her. Kat’s long, silky auburn hair glistened in the soft light of the glows and her full, creamy breasts rose and fell with each breath she took. They were tipped with deep pink nipples that were tight and erect, just begging to be sucked. And how he longed to do just that—to taste her. The last time they had been together it had been Lock that she allowed to suck her sweet, ripe peaks. Deep had cupped them in his hands but he still hadn’t had the pleasure of teasing her nipples with his mouth.

Looking lower, he saw that her voluptuous body was curved in all the right places, her hips and thighs deliciously ample. The small triangle of dark red curls that guarded her sex made his mouth water. He longed to press his face against her there and breathe her in, to inhale the warm, secret scent of her pussy until she spread her legs for him and let him in. He wanted to taste her—to lap her juices from the source and feel her small, delicate hands tugging his hair as she cried his name and begged for more. Just the thought of it made his cock so hard it ached.

Shouldn’t be thinking this way. Shouldn’t let her affect you so much. But he couldn’t help it—she was absolutely gorgeous. Adding to her appeal was the obvious fact that she had no idea how beautiful and desirable she was. Though how an elite could have no idea of her own devastating attraction, he didn’t know.

“What are you going to do to me?” Kat murmured and he realized that he and Lock had both been staring too long, drinking in her beauty.

“Touch you,” he said, trying to soften his voice which kept coming out too rough. “Bring you pleasure…Make you come.”

Her eyes flew open. “You…you have to do that?”

“An orgasm is the fastest way to bind your spirit back to your body.” Lock spoke quietly, obviously trying to relax her. “But we’ll be gentle, my lady—you know we will.”

“But…” Her eyes were wide with fear and uncertainly. “What exactly…?”

“To start with, this.” Leaning closer, Deep kissed the side of her neck gently. Her skin was as smooth as silk against his lips and he could feel her pulse pounding out of control just under the surface. Gods, she smelled good! He deepened the kiss, lapping hungrily at her neck.

Kat drew in a ragged breath and he knew he was affecting her. Looking up briefly, he caught his brother’s eyes and nodded.

Lock knew what to do. Sliding down, he pressed his mouth to the other side of Kat’s neck and began to kiss and lick gently while Deep continued to do the same.

“Oh…” The soft sound fell out of her and she trembled between them. “That feels so good.”

“It’s about to feel better,” Deep assured her, looking up. Cupping her right breast, he thumbed the tight bud of her nipple. Her soft gasp of pleasure and surprise went straight to his cock, making it feel like a bar of steel trapped between his thighs. “Gods, I want you, Kat,” he growled, capturing her eyes with his own, not letting her look away. “Want to feel you under me while Lock and I fill you at the same time.”

“Deep…” Lock put a restraining hand on his arm. “Don’t frighten her.”

“I’m not frightened.” Kat lifted her chin, her blue eyes snapping in the dim light. “But I’m not willing to go that far, either.”

And there’s the problem. We’re forming a bond with a female who doesn’t want to be bonded to us. And we haven’t even told her what we’re doing—not really. There’s going to be hell to pay when she finds out. Deep felt a wave of frustration. “We’re aware that you don’t want to go too far, little Kat,” he growled. “But know this—you will spread your legs for us tonight, even if it isn’t to get fucked.”

* * * * *

Kat’s breath caught in her throat at his blunt words. “I don’t see why I should…should have to do that,” she said, wishing her voice didn’t tremble so much.

“Because unless you can come from having your nipples sucked, Lock and I need access to your pussy,” Deep said roughly. “Remember how you didn’t want to let me open you and stroke your sweet little cunt the last time we were together? Well this time you’ll have to.”

“It’s all right, my lady,” Lock murmured, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “We’ll go very slowly if you like. And penetration might not be necessary. It might just be enough for us to stroke or kiss you between your thighs”

“Kiss?” Kat’s heart skipped a beat. “But I thought…thought that you just wanted to touch me.”

“We want to do whatever we can to bring you the most pleasure.” Lock cupped her left breast and laid a soft, hot kiss on her nipple. “See, that’s not so bad, is it?”

“Not there, it’s not,” Kat said. “But I just don’t know…”

“You don’t have to know,” Deep interrupted. “All you have to do is spread your legs for us and let us touch you and taste you.”

“We can try touching first,” Lock assured her. “If the idea of being tasted makes you uncomfortable. Here.” His hand slid down her trembling abdomen to cup her mound of curls gently. “Like this. Does that feel all right?”

“I suppose,” Kat admitted doubtfully.

“Spread her open.” There was a hungry look in Deep’s eyes as he watched his brother’s hand between her legs. “Slip your fingers inside her soft little pussy and see how wet she is.”

“May I?” Lock looked at her uncertainly. “Or would you prefer that we suck your nipples some more first?”

“I’ll take care of her nipples.” Suiting actions to words, Deep leaned over and sucked her right peak deeply into his hot mouth, taking as much of her breast as he could at once.

Kat couldn’t help herself, she moaned and arched her back, responding to the fierce suction and the burning desire she could feel inside him. God, he wanted her so badly…

Oh my God, their emotions—I’m beginning to feel them again! Suddenly she realized that she hadn’t been filled with their feelings when she first woke up. But now…

“Wait!” she gasped, trying to push them away. “Wait, I can…can feel you again.”

Deep looked up, his full lips red from sucking. “Of course you can. We’re touching you. Tasting you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kat protested. “Your emotions—I can feel them inside me again.”

“That’s a good sign,” Lock told her. “It means your spirit is being bound back to your body. You’re becoming part of the physical plane again.”

“But…but I don’t like it.” Kat frowned. “It’s so invasive. So uncomfortable.”

“You think it’s comfortable for us to know how you feel?” Deep growled. “How frightened you are of bonding with us? Because it’s damn sure not. I can tell you that.”

“At least you’re used to it,” Kat pointed out, refusing to rise to the bait about her being frightened. “You feel each other’s emotions all the time, don’t you?”

“When we’re not blocking each other out.” Lock sighed. “I’m sorry it’s so uncomfortable for you to feel us, my lady, but it really is unavoidable. After this is over, I swear we’ll go back to Mother L’rin and see if we can find a way for you to put a barrier up between your mind and ours. If that’s what you really want.”

“Is that even possible?” Kat demanded. “You’re not just saying that so you can…keep going?”

“Mind privacy comes naturally to twins,” Lock told her. “But it can be taught, too—at least among my people. I don’t know about yours.”

“Well…” Kat said hesitantly. She was throbbing all over, from the tips of her breasts to the sensitive vee between her legs which made it damned hard to think straight. “I guess so…”

“Then we’d better get on with it,” Deep finished for her. “As I was saying, Lock and I need to know how wet you are.”

“I…I don’t…”

Deep leaned closer, his eyes blazing into hers. “Spread your legs for us, little Kat. Open your pussy and let us see if you’re slippery with honey.”

Kat had no defenses left—she was being swamped in a sea of lust and only a third of it was her own. Feeling like she was drowning, she spread her legs and allowed them both to look at her.

“Gorgeous,” Lock murmured, his admiration radiating against her like sunshine. “So delicate and lovely.” He looked up at her. “May I spread you open, my lady? May Deep and I see your inner folds?”

“I don’t understand why you need to,” Kat protested feebly.

“We need to know how far we have to go to make you come,” Deep growled softly. “If you’re wet and ready it might just be enough for one of us to touch you. Unless you want to let one of us taste you.”

“No, I…not really,” she whispered. “All right. Just…be gentle.”

“Of course.” Lock and Deep exchanged a glance and Lock said, “If we need to taste you, my lady, I will be the one to do it.”

Kat was flooded with relief. If they had to go that far, she wanted Lock to be the one who went down on her. Letting Deep do something so intimate seemed dangerous somehow. Like trusting a panther to lick your face instead of biting it off. Not that she actually thought he would hurt her. He was just so intense it was frightening…overwhelming.

“All right,” she whispered again and tried to relax as she felt Lock gently part the lips of her pussy. She jumped slightly when he stroked a fingertip over her swollen clit.

“You’re wet, my lady.” His deep voice was thick with lust and she could feel his desire filling her.

“Wet but not wet enough,” Deep said in a dangerously soft voice. “You need to be tasted, little Kat. Need to have your pussy licked.”

Kat’s entire body was so tight with tension she felt like she was going to burst. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Deep is right.” Moving down the bed, Lock positioned himself between her legs. “Open yourself for me, my lady. Don’t worry, I’m just going to kiss you.”

Biting her lip, Kat watched as he spread her thighs wide with his broad shoulders. Beside her, she could feel the muscular bulk of Deep’s large body. His cock was hard and hot against her thigh and the dark spice of his scent made her dizzy.

“Watch him,” he growled in her ear. “Watch Lock open you. Watch him taste you.”

It was the same thing he’d said during their last joining when Lock was sucking her nipples. “Why…why do you always want me to watch?” Kat demanded breathlessly.

“Because then I know you can’t deny it, even to yourself.” Deep stroked her cheek, his large hand surprisingly gentle. “If you watch, you have to admit it’s really happening, little Kat. And that you’re really enjoying it.”

Kat had no answer for that. She watched, mesmerized, as Lock parted her pussy lips once more and placed a soft, open mouthed kiss on the throbbing button of her clit. “God!” Her back arched as pleasure raced through her. But she needed more…much more. Lock seemed to understand.

“I need to lick you, my lady,” he murmured, looking up at her. “May I have your permission?”

“Tell him yes,” Deep directed her in a low voice. “Say, ‘Yes, Lock, I want you to lick my pussy.’”

Kat felt her entire body heat with a blush. “Why should I have to say that?”

Deep tilted her chin towards him and looked into her eyes. “Because you need to admit you want it. Admit you need it. And because I want to hear you say it. Go on.”

“I…” Wetting her lips, Kat forced herself to speak the words. “Yes, Lock, I…I want you to lick me.”

“’To lick my pussy,’” Deep corrected her. “Say it right, Kat. Tell Lock what you want.”

He still held her eyes with his own and she felt helpless to look away—helpless to disobey his orders. “Lock,” she whispered, looking at Deep as she said the words. “I want you to…to lick my pussy. Please.”

She felt a surge of lust from Deep and he growled with approval. “Very good. I didn’t tell you to add the ‘please’ but it was a nice touch.”

“I will gladly taste you, my lady,” Lock murmured. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

“We both have,” Deep said, stroking her cheek again. “Watch now, Kat. Watch and tell me how it feels.”

Kat watched as Lock dipped his dark blond head between her thighs again. She honestly couldn’t believe she was doing this. Couldn’t believe she was lying here with the two of them, naked and spread open, completely defenseless while Lock licked her pussy and Deep watched.

She moaned softly as Lock started at the bottom of her slit and gave her a long, loving taste. His tongue was hot against her sensitive clit—hot and gentle and incredibly intense all at the same time.

“Delicious,” he said softly, looking up at her, his mouth wet with her juices. “I love the way you taste, my lady.”

“Th-thank you,” Kat stuttered as Lock went back for a second taste. God, his tongue felt incredible on her. He was tracing her now, circling her clit in slow, intricate patterns that seemed designed to drive her crazy. She could feel herself getting close to the edge almost immediately but she still needed something…something she hardly dared name, even to herself.

“How does it feel?” Deep demanded as Lock continued to lick and suck her inner folds. “Do you like his tongue between your legs? Does it make you feel like you need to be fucked?”

Kat’s breath caught in her throat. How had Deep known? But of course, he could feel her emotions, the same way she could feel his and Lock’s. She knew it must be part of the strange, unwanted link they shared, but that didn’t make her feel any less embarrassed.

“I told you, I don’t want to go that far,” she said breathlessly, trying to frown at Deep.

“You don’t have to,” he assured her. “What you need is penetration. I can provide that easily enough without using my cock…if you’ll let me.”

Kat bit her lip. Did she dare? She could see the hunger in his eyes, could hear the longing in his deep voice. But most of all she could feel the need coming off him in waves. He knows I’m afraid to trust him. He knows he scares me. And that knowledge hurt him, somehow. Hurt him deeply.

“I know you fear me,” Deep said, as though reading her mind. “But I swear I would never hurt you, little Kat. Please…will you let me bring you pleasure?”

“Yes,” she whispered, giving in at last. “Just this once, I guess it will be all right.”

“Very good.” Deep plundered her mouth suddenly in a kiss that took her breath away. When he pulled back he looked at her intently. “If I only get to do it once, then let’s make it count.”

“Deep—” Kat started to say, but he was already pulling her closer and sliding his hand under her to cup her pussy from below. Lock stopped licking her for a moment and looked up to catch her gaze.

“It’s all right, my lady,” he murmured, stroking her inner thigh soothingly. “Deep’s going to penetrate you with his fingers. Just open yourself for him and let him fill your pussy.”

Kat was drowning again—filled with their emotions as well as her own. But she knew there was no way around what was happening. She had to go through it—had to allow them to do as they wanted in order to come out the other side. Just once, she promised herself. Only once. She looked at Deep and nodded her head. “All right.”

“Very good. That’s a good girl, Kat.” Slowly two thick fingers breached her entrance and slid deep into her pussy. Deep held her eyes as he penetrated her, watching her intently as he filled her. “Such a good girl to let me fingerfuck your tight little cunt.”

Kat lifted her chin. “I’m only doing it because…because I have to,” she said, staring back at him challengingly. “Because there’s no other way.”

“I know.” Instead of the anger she had expected, there was a depth of sadness in his voice that made her heart ache for some reason. “But I want you to enjoy it anyway.” The sadness faded, to be replaced by lust. “So tell me if you like it. Tell me how you want it.”

“I…what do you mean?” Kat frowned, not understanding him.

“Do you want it soft and gentle, like this?” Deep’s fingers withdrew and then pumped back into her in a long, slow glide as he kissed her cheek. “Do you want me to be sweet to you and fuck you gently while Lock licks your pussy?” he murmured.

As if on cue, the blond twin went back to lapping her open cunt. Kat moaned out loud at the duel sensations of having one brother’s tongue laving her wet folds while the other brother pierced her with his fingers. God, it was too much, how could she stand it? And yet still she needed more.

Deep seemed to sense it. “You want it harder, little Kat?” he asked, his black eyes half-lidded with lust. “You need more? Well, you’re going to have to ask for it.”

“Damn you.” Kat glared at him. “What are you, some kind of a sexual sadist?”

Deep laughed. “No, I’ll leave that kind of behavior for the Scourge. “But I want to hear exactly what you want. What you need.”

Lock looked up again. “I know it seems like Deep is teasing you, my lady Kat, but truly, he doesn’t want to hurt you. He needs to know that you want it before he penetrates you with more force.” His brown eyes pleaded with her to understand, to forgive.

Kat thought with exasperation that it was clear why the Twin Kindred always came in pairs. Without Lock to explain and apologize for him, Deep would be completely incomprehensible. He needed his brother to act as an emotional interpreter.

“Fine,” she said, glaring at Deep. “I need it harder. Faster. Is that what you need to hear?”

“Yes. Exactly what I need to hear. But I want you to say it right.”

“Say what?” Kat squirmed impatiently. God, if he didn’t start soon…

“Ask me to fuck you.” His voice was a soft, lustful growl. “And say my name when you do. I want to hear it on your sweet lips, little Kat. Want to hear you ask me for what you need.”

Kat’s breath caught in her throat but she had never been one to back down. “All right then…” It took all her courage and her heart was thumping like a jackhammer but she looked him straight in his midnight black eyes as she spoke. “Fuck me, Deep,” she said in a soft, challenging tone. “Fuck me hard. I…I need you to.”

“Gods!” His voice was hoarse with lust as he pumped deep into her open cunt, his thick fingers pistoning in and out of her until she moaned. “So beautiful, little Kat,” he growled. “How I wish I was fucking you with my cock instead of my fingers.”

For a moment Kat let herself imagine that. The thought of his huge, muscular body covering hers filled her mind. Fucking Deep would be like fucking a tiger—something so fierce and wild it was completely uncontrollable. She would be helpless, able only to spread her legs wide and try to accommodate his thick cock as he pounded into her. As he filled her with his shaft and his seed…

Yes, Deep whispered in her head. I would ravage you, little Kat. Fuck you hard and long until I filled your pussy with my hot cum. But don’t forget, I wouldn’t be the only one…

Another image filled her mind. This time Lock had joined the equation, filling her from behind. He held her and steadied her, helping her take Deep’s rough, delicious loving as he stroked slowly into her himself.

God, Kat thought half deliriously. To be filled by both of them like that. To be fucked by two cocks at once…

And that’s only one of the ways we could take you, Deep taunted her. Think, little Kat. With three instead of just two, the possibilities are limitless.

Kat gasped as a barrage of images raced through her overloaded mind. She saw herself on her hands and knees, sucking Lock while Deep took her from behind. Saw Lock fucking her while Deep lapped her open pussy. And then, most frightening of all, she saw them bracketing her as they were now. Both of them were thrusting up and into her and it was clear that they were both piercing her at the same time in the same place…

No! Fear raced through her—surely that wasn’t possible. Her stomach clenched but not only with fright.

You want it, Deep whispered in her head. Want to take us both. To feel Lock and I filling your sweet pussy at the same time…

No, Kat denied but her mental voice sounded weak, even to herself. Surely he had to be kidding her. There was no way…

“You’re close now, my lady. I can feel it,” Lock murmured from between her legs, breaking her train of thought. “Just open yourself to both of us and let go. Let us take you where you need to be.” Ducking his head, he sucked her clit between his lips and began to lash it with his tongue.

The intensely pleasurable sensations coupled with her forbidden fantasies were too much. “God!” Kat gripped the bedspread beneath her and bucked up, unable to stop herself from moving. The brothers were working in tandem now, neither one of them getting in the other’s way despite the close quarters. They seemed to be feeding off each other and her, setting up a mutual rhythm of licking and thrusting that pushed her to the edge of orgasm faster and harder than she’d ever been pushed before.

“You’re going to come soon,” Deep murmured in her ear, his breath hot against the side of her neck. “When you do, I want you to look in my eyes. I want to see it when you lose control.”

Kat wanted to shake her head, wanted to deny him. But somehow she couldn’t. Unable to stop herself, she turned to face him and felt herself drowning in the midnight depths of his gaze.

“God,” she gasped as the pleasure peaked inside her. “I can’t…I’m…I’m…”

“You’re coming.” Deep’s voice was a low, lustful growl as he held her gaze. “I can feel you all around me, squeezing my fingers. Gods, I wish it was my cock instead.”

Kat shook her head. “No…not…”

“Don’t worry.” He frowned. “Lock and I know you don’t want to go there with us. With me. But a male can dream, can’t he?” The image of both of them fucking her at once filled her head again and Kat knew it was more than his fantasy—it was his deepest wish. His most ardent desire.

Kat couldn’t speak—couldn’t do anything but feel. As the orgasm rushed through her she felt something click into place inside her. It was as though some vital part of her had come loose, but with the rush of pleasure it reconnected, anchoring itself firmly once more. Is that my soul? she wondered uncertainly. My spirit? Am I all right now? Am I whole?

“We won’t know until we take you back to Mother L’rin to be examined.” Lock was looking up at her. “Forgive me,” he said. “I know we’re not in a joining but I couldn’t help hearing your questions.”

“You think very loudly,” Deep agreed, grinning. “But then, so do I. Wouldn’t you say, little Kat?”

“I’m sorry,” Kat looked away uncomfortably, not wanting to acknowledge the forbidden exchange they’d had moments before. “I’ll, uh, try not to think so loudly in the future.”

She couldn’t help noticing that now that her orgasm was over, Lock had withdrawn and was no longer tasting or touching her pussy. Deep, however, still had his fingers buried inside her, filling her in a way that was both uncomfortable and erotic. How do I ask him to stop? What if I get…excited again? What if—?

“Just ask me if you want me to stop penetrating you, little Kat.” Deep sounded amused. “And to answer your question, if you get excited again, well, we’ll just have to make you come again. Maybe I’ll get between your thighs and taste your pussy this time. How would you like that?”

Kat didn’t know what to say. The idea of letting the dark twin go where his brother had gone still seemed wrong to her—dangerous. “Deep,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I need…need for you to take your fingers out of me now. Please.”

“That ‘please’ again, tacked on to the end. So very polite.” He didn’t sound happy about it but he did withdraw his fingers…very slowly. “Well, until next time.”

“There isn’t going to be a next time,” Kat reminded him, frowning.

“Oh?” Deliberately he raised his fingers to his mouth and, keeping his eyes fixed on hers, sucked her juices off with apparent relish. “We’ll see what Mother L’rin has to say about that.”

Kat wanted to answer but a sudden weariness took her and she could only shake her head. Later, when I get more energy I’m really going to let him have it.

I look forward to it, little Kat. Deep grinned at her mockingly. You have no idea how much.

Chapter Seven

“Kat’s all right—for now at least.” Baird was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his massive chest and a serious look on his face.

“Oh, thank God!” Olivia turned from her husband to her sister. “Sophie, she’s all right.”

“I heard. I’m right here, you know.” Half laughing, half crying, Sophie hugged her sister tightly.

“Deep and Lock got her to Twin Moons just in time,” Baird continued. “Their healer…” He snapped his fingers. “What was her name?”

“Mother L’rin,” Liv supplied for him.

“Right. She did some kind of healing ceremony and now Kat’s resting. Lock called and told me a minute ago.”

“I’m so glad.” Sophie felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She’d been feeling horribly guilty ever since they’d allowed Deep and Lock to take Kat away to Twin Moons with them. But she and Liv had both trusted Sylvan’s decision that it was the only way to save their friend. Kat still wasn’t going to be happy to wake up on a strange planet with her two least favorite people in the universe, but at least now they knew she was going to live.

“When can we talk to her?” Olivia asked eagerly.

Baird frowned. “Not for a couple of days according to Lock. She needs to rest. But that isn’t the only thing I came to tell you.” He cleared his throat. “Do you remember telling me about the sister of your mother, Lilenta? The one who died in childbirth?”

“Yes, of course. Aunt Abby.” Liv frowned. “What about her?”

“Well, I just came from the viewroom and you have a call—you and Sophia both, actually. It’s a woman claiming to be her—your kin. Do you want to speak to her?”

“What?” Olivia demanded.

“But that’s impossible,” Sophie protested.

Baird shrugged. “Could be a hoax, I guess. But I don’t know why someone would want to pretend such a thing. And…” He hesitated. “Well, she looks an awful lot like you two in the face. Looks like blood kin to me.”

To me too, Sylvan suddenly murmured inside Sophie’s head. His mental voice was serious. I’m in the viewroom now talking to her, Talana, he continued, using his pet name for Sophie. I think you and your sister should come see her.

On our way, Sophie sent back. “Come on,” she said, hopping up and pulling Liv to her feet. “Let’s see what she has to say.”

“All right.” Olivia still looked shocked but she followed Sophie out of the suite to the viewing room which was used mainly for long distance conversations. Hesitantly, they looked around the corner at the huge viewscreen mounted on the wall.

Oh my God, Sylan was right! Sophie was shocked. The woman had black hair and light brown eyes but the face on the viewscreen could have been a slightly older version of hers and Liv’s. Or their mother’s.

Olivia was obviously thinking along the same lines. “She looks just like Mom. Oh, Sophie.” She nearly crushed Sophie’s fingers with her grip.

Sylvan, who had been standing in front of the viewscreen talking, motioned for them to come all the way into the room. “It’s all right, Talana, I believe she is who she says she is. Sophia, Olivia, meet your Aunt Abigail.”

“Aunt Abby?” Sophie could hardly believe her eyes.

“Yes, that’s me.” The woman nodded and for the first time, Sophie noticed that her lovely eyes, which were a brown so light they were almost amber, looked red from crying. “You must be Sophia and Olivia. I…I’m sorry we had to meet for the first time under these circumstances,” the woman continued.

“What circumstances?” Olivia put a hand protectively over her belly. She was still in her first quadmester and wasn’t showing yet, but her mothering instincts were already in high gear.

“Your husband didn’t tell you?”

“Tell us what?” Liv frowned. “First tell us why you aren’t dead. No offense, but that’s what our mom told us before…before she passed away.”

Aunt Abby closed her eyes for a moment as though holding back tears. “Yes, I heard about that. I can’t believe I never got to say goodbye to her. I always thought there would be time but I was afraid, so afraid she wouldn’t want me back in her life. And now it’s too late. She’s gone and Lauren is gone…I’ve lost everything. Everyone.”

“What do you mean ‘she’s gone’ and ‘Lauren’s gone’? Lauren was our mom’s name,” Sophie protested.

“And it was the name of my daughter too. The one who disappeared. Look.” She pressed a button and suddenly her face was replaced with the image of a lovely girl with creamy mocha skin and eyes the same amber color as Aunt Abby’s. The girl was laughing, her long silky black hair being whipped in the wind and the sun shining through palm trees behind her. She was wearing a pink striped bikini top and shading her eyes with one hand. There was something about the picture that bothered Sophie but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“She’s beautiful,” Liv said when their aunt reappeared again. “She has your eyes.”

“And her father’s skin,” Aunt Abby said grimly. “Which is why your grandparents decided to kick me out when they found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know they’d told your mom I was dead, though.”

“They said you died having her—having Lauren.” Sophie spoke through numb lips. “Mom never liked to talk about it much. It made her too sad.”

Aunt Abby shook her head. “Your grandfather paid me a great deal of money to sever all ties with my family. I took it and did well with it—I’m a wealthy woman now, for all the good it does me. I was carrying twins, you know, when I first got pregnant with her. And then I lost Lauren’s sister when I gave birth. But I told myself as long as I had Lauren…” Tears began to leak down her cheeks. “And I don’t even have her now. I don’t know where she is or even if she’s alive.”

“Oh, Aunt Abby, I’m so sorry!” Sophie wished she could give the woman a hug. “What happened? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“I hope so.” Their aunt wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I only tracked the two of you down a month or so ago. I was going to contact you first and see if you were interested in having some kind of relationship before I told Lauren. She always wanted to have more family.” She sniffed. “But I’m contacting you now for a different reason. I was hoping that since you’re both with the Kindred, maybe you might be able to help locate her in some way.”

Sylvan and Baird had been standing quietly in the background but now Sylvan stepped forward. “Tell us about the circumstances of her disappearance and we’ll see what we can do.”

“All right.” Aunt Abby sniffed again. “She disappeared from her shop almost a week ago. It’s the strangest thing—the police can’t find any blood or hair or fibers that might lead to the…to the attacker at all.” She cleared her throat, obviously forcing herself to continue. “In fact, there was nothing but a pile of clothes in the bathroom. But the way they were layered on top of each other, the clothes on the shoes… It wasn’t like she’d taken them off—more like she’d just…disappeared right out of them.”

Sophie felt her breath catch in her throat and she saw Sylvan’s face tighten. The molecular transport beam. Could it be? “Aunt Abby,” she said. “Could…could you show us that picture of Lauren again?”

“Of course.” Their aunt’s image disappeared to be replaced with the laughing picture of Lauren in the pink striped bikini top.

“There,” Olivia said, striding up to the viewscreen and pointing. “Right there. Do you see it? Between her breasts?”

“The star shaped birth mark,” Sophie breathed. That was what had been bothering her about the picture. She looked at Liv. “The prophesy,” she whispered, aware that her aunt could still hear them if they spoke too loud. “The Scourge prophesy.”

“Lauren is the one.” Liv’s face was pale and she was whispering too. “Oh my God, the poor girl!”

“Should we tell her?”

Sylvan shook his head. “Not yet,” he murmured. “Let’s see if we can do anything first.”

“Sylvan’s right. There’s no point it giving her news like that until we look into it and make sure,” Baird said in a low voice.

Aunt Abby appeared once more. “Well?”

“We’ll do everything in our power to help you.” Sylvan put a hand over his heart. “Any kin of our mates is a priority with us. You can believe that, Ms. Jakes.”

“Thank you.” Aunt Abby looked like she was going to cry again. “You can reach me through the HKR building in Sarasota, Florida. That’s where Lauren was living when she was…was taken.” The last word turned into a sob and suddenly the viewscreen went blank.

“What can we do?” Sophie looked at Sylvan frantically. “The Scourge have her, Sylvan—I just know it. Oh that poor girl!” She and Liv both knew first hand what it was like to be captured and interrogated by the evil AllFather. Sophie wouldn’t have wished it on her worst enemy.

Sylvan looked grim. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, short of attacking the Fathership to take her back by force.”

“And I don’t think the High Council is gonna go for that,” Baird rumbled, frowning. “Not unless we get some kind of incontrovertible proof that they have her and that’s where she’s being held.”

“Where else could she be?” Liv demanded.

“Anywhere.” Baird shook his head. “The Fathership isn’t the only Scourge stronghold, you know, Lilenta. They have a home planet too. It’s a Deadworld now—they killed it with their greed and pollution. But they still have impregnable fortresses there they can go back to in a pinch.”

“So you’re saying we just have to leave her there?” Liv was beginning to cry. “Leave her with that…that monster?”

“I’m saying let us talk to the Council first before you go gettin’ all upset.” Baird stroked her shoulders soothingly. “This news has a bigger impact than just the fact that your kin has been kidnapped.”

“Baird is right.” Sylvan nodded. “If the Scourge have finally found the key to their prophesy, something big may be about to happen. The Council will want to consider all complications and repercussions before they act.”

“Which means she’ll be dead or as good as dead by the time we get to her,” Liv said dully. “If we get to her. Oh, poor Lauren.”

“Poor Lauren,” Sophie echoed. Putting her arms around her sister, she held her tight and prayed for the cousin neither one of them had ever even known they had. Let her be strong. Let her be able to stand whatever the AllFather throws at her.

But she knew from experience how terribly difficult that could be.

Chapter Eight

Kat woke up feeling weak but rested. She was glad to find herself alone in bed—and, it seemed, alone in her own head, at least for awhile. Either Lock and Deep were far away, or neither of them was having any really strong emotions at the moment. Whatever the reason, Kat was glad to have some peace and quiet inside her skull for once.

Sitting up she stretched and yawned. God, she was starving! Was there anything to eat around here? The area she found herself in didn’t appear to have any food. It was a bedroom, from the look of it, with white walls and a green wooden floor. The huge Twin Kindred bed which dominated the entire center of the room was low to the ground. The spread was a warm green and gold that matched the floor and the sheets were a pale off-white color and softer than any linen Kat had ever felt. She pulled one of them around her as she got out of bed, because she had no idea where her clothes were.

Walking slowly, she made her way to the huge rectangular window across from the bed. It was covered with an indigo shade that gave the shadows in the room a bluish purple tinge Kat rather liked. She wanted to see out the window but the shade wouldn’t move and was firmly anchored in all four corners of the window.

“Stupid thing,” Kat muttered to herself, reaching high to run her fingers over the topmost edge of the shade. “How the hell does it open?” Just as she was about to give up, her seeking fingertips encountered two small buttons. “Okay, let’s just see what these do.”

She pressed the top button but instead of opening slowly, the shade suddenly snapped up sharply, leaving the entire window bare.

“Oh!” Kat stepped back as a flood of brilliant pinkish-gold sunlight bathed the room. She was momentarily blinded and had to shade her eyes with one hand while she clutched the white sheet to her chest with the other. Finally her vision adjusted and she was able to look out and see what was going on.

Kat had never been to Europe but she’d seen plenty of docu-dramas about it on TV. Now, looking at the narrow, crooked streets and tall, leaning buildings of the Twin Moon’s settlement, she couldn’t help thinking that it looked a lot like a quaint European town. It seemed to have an old world charm that was lacking in her home town of Tampa.

There were some differences, of course. Instead of being whitewashed, the buildings were made of some pinkish-gold stone and the streets weren’t paved with cobblestones. In fact, they seemed to have some kind of short pink and green vegetation growing in them—an idea that was reinforced when she saw several Take-mes grazing on the edge of the road. The two-headed animals were a pain to ride but if she remembered correctly, Liv had told her that they were native to Twin Moons. Although why anyone would want to domesticate something that looked like the push-me/pull-you from the Doctor Dolittle books was beyond Kat.

Far beyond the quaint, crooked houses she saw something that looked like a vast sheet of undulating gold. It took her a moment to realize it was water—an ocean in fact. An ocean of golden water. Beautiful… The sight took Kat’s breath away. There were small wooden boats with red and blue sails rocking on the glassy, gold surface of the water and people walking up and down the docks. Despite her fair skin, she’d always loved a day at the beach. She made a mental note to get Lock to take her as soon as possible.

Dragging her eyes from the enticing sight of the seashore, Kat looked down at the street outside her window and saw vendors selling some kind of meat on a stick and others selling fruit or bread. Wonder what that long purple looking thing is? she thought, stepping closer to the window for a better look. Was it a fruit? Some kind of Twin Moons pastry? Whatever it was, it was shaped like a banana but as large as a watermelon. Just the thought of ripe, juicy melon made Kat’s mouth water and she realized for the first time in ages that she was actually hungry.

She was just about to look around for some clothes so she could go find something to eat, when the vendor selling the purple banana thing looked up and saw her. He shaded his eyes and then a broad grin broke over his face as he waved at her. He nudged the vendor beside him and he looked up and waved as well.

Smiling, Kat waved back. What nice people. I wonder if it’s some kind of custom to greet newcomers even if you don’t know them? A handful more of the vendors and a few shoppers were waving at her now and she felt she had to wave back in order to be polite. She held her sheet firmly in place for modesty’s sake and waved until her arm was sore. She started to wonder how long the welcome ritual lasted.

“Okay, people,” she said under her breath when her stomach started growling and her arm felt like it was going to fall off. “I don’t mean to be rude but I have to get going and find something to eat before I fall over.” Nodding and smiling, she backed away from the window and went to find something to wear.

There was a long, low box in one corner of the room that could double as a bench if you had really short legs. Kat opened it up and found a green shirt with a blue and pink pattern depicted in short, shiny feathers. “Very fancy,” she murmured, picking it up. It was obviously made for a very large man—probably it was some kind of Twin Kindred dress clothing. She looked around but didn’t see any pants to match it or any other clothing options. Looks like it’s this or the sheet. Shrugging, Kat put on the shirt, which fell almost to her knees. Well, at least she was decent, unless the Twin Moons inhabitants frowned on women showing their bare legs. In which case, too bad. She was hungry.

Rolling up the sleeves, she made her way out of the bedroom and down a long hallway with the same green wooden floor. There was a spiral staircase on the far end of the corridor which led directly down into a sunny food prep area. All the standard Kindred appliances were there—the glass-front refrigerator and the Kindred stove called a wave. Liv had showed her how to use it, but Kat was still afraid she might burn some fingers off if she messed around with the alien appliance. Then she noticed the kitchen was occupied.

A tall, slender woman with light brown hair was standing in front of the sink. She was wearing a pink toga-looking garment and washing some juicy blue-green fruit about the size of large grapes. Kat had eaten those before—they were twin fruit. You couldn’t eat the outside though—it was bitter and sour. You pealed the succulent looking outer flesh off and ate the nut inside which tasted kind of like peaches and pecans mixed together. The woman appeared to be engrossed in her task and hadn’t heard Kat come down the stairs.

Kat cleared her throat, trying not to startle her. “Um…hi,” she said hesitantly.

The woman looked up at once and smiled at her. “Veelash abra boolash,” she responded pleasantly.

“Oh dear.” Kat frowned. “Uh, I don’t suppose you speak any English like Deep and Lock, do you?”

“Deep vun Lock crabash le taber.” The woman made a walking gesture with two fingers and pointed at the door which appeared to lead out to a garden.

Kat assumed that she meant the brothers were out doing…whatever it was they did while they were home. She wondered if the tall, slender woman was in any way related to Deep and Lock. She looked a little too young to be their mother but not quite old enough to be an older sister. Maybe she was just a maid?

“Um, okay,” she said hesitantly, wishing she’d gotten an injection of translation bacteria the way Sophie had before she visited Tranq Prime. “I guess I’ll just—” To her mortification, her stomach growled loudly, interrupting her hesitant speech. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Thoroughly embarrassed, she put a hand over her tummy, only to have it growl again.

The woman threw back her head and laughed. “Cheela! Noosh. Noosh,” she said, taking Kat by the arm. She pointed at the sink where Kat could now see there were several fruits or vegetables—she couldn’t tell which—laid out. The woman pointed at them and then looked at Kat and raised her eyebrows. It was clear she was asking which one Kat wanted.

“Uh…” Kat looked over the variety uncertainly. Aside from the twin fruit there was a twisted purple root and a greenish-yellow object with orange dots, about the size of a lemon.

Neither of the other choices looked really appealing. Kat was about to go for the twin fruit by reflex, when a warm, rich, ripe scent tickled her nose. She lifted her face and sniffed—what was that smell? Whatever it is, it smells amazing! Like a cross between pineapple and raspberry with something salty thrown in. Maybe buttered popcorn? The delicious aroma seemed to be coming from a bowl of triangular fruit about the size of her palm.

Looking closer, she saw the individual fruits were shaped a little like a strawberry, though they were considerably larger. Each was a tempting golden peach color with just a blush of pink on its smooth skin. They had purple stems at the top that were so pretty they could almost double as flowers. But Kat had never seen flowers that she wanted to eat, and suddenly her mouth was watering to try one of the three-sided fruits.

“Could I…would you mind if I tried one of those?” she asked, pointing to the bowl which was sitting to one side of the sink.

The woman looked surprised. “Kala?”

“Yes.” Kat nodded eagerly. “Kala—I’d like to try some of that. If it tastes half as good as it smells I’ll think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

The woman looked doubtful at first but then she shrugged and handed Kat one of the fruits.

Kat took it by the stem carefully. She had a fleeting thought that she might be about to eat something that was perfectly fine for Twin Moons inhabitants but poison to an Earthling like herself. But when she brought the peachy-pink triangular fruit to her nose and took a deep sniff, all her fears disappeared. Nothing that smelled so good could be bad for you, could it? Still, I’ll go slow, just in case.

Experimentally she took a tiny nibble from the pointed end of the fruit. A flavor unlike anything else she’d ever had exploded in her mouth. It tasted like it smelled—fresh pineapple, juicy raspberry, and hot buttered popcorn—but there were other, more subtle flavors as well. A hint of hot chocolate, a taste of honeydew melon, and the tiniest bit of smoked cheddar cheese. Really, the fruit had too much going on—the strange and different flavors should have fought with each other. Instead, they blended harmoniously in her mouth in a way that made Kat’s eyes roll back in her head with pleasure.

In no time she had finished the first fruit—right down to the purple stem—and the woman handed her another.

“Oh my God, this is amazing,” Kat said around mouthfuls of the juicy, tender flesh. The triangle fruit, as she was beginning to think of it, had a texture like a peach but with little crunchy lumps in it that were chewy and crispy at the same time. She finished the second as well and looked hopefully at the bowl. “Um, I don’t want to make a pig of myself or anything but…”

Laughing, the woman pushed the entire bowl into her hands. Then she surprised Kat by giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

“Oh. Uh, okay. Thanks.” Kat was caught off guard by her sudden affection. But the triangle fruit was so good she probably would have put up with much weirder things than a hug and a kiss in order to get a whole bowl of it.

Still smiling at her, the woman led Kat to a small, sunny alcove in the corner of the kitchen where large, flat pillows were arranged on the floor. She seated Kat on a blue and purple one and then made motions at the bowl of fruit. “Noosh. Noosh.”

That must mean ‘eat.’ Kat nodded politely. “Yes, noosh. Don’t worry, I will absolutely noosh. Thank you.” She picked up another triangular fruit and took a bite. “Mmm, good!”

This seemed to satisfy the woman. She smiled at Kat, said a few other things in the Twin Moons language, and went back to washing fruit at the sink.

Left alone with the bowl of succulent fruit, Kat got busy. She told herself sternly she ought to take it easy—after all, who knew what effects the alien fruit might have on her system? But it had been days since she’d done more than pick at her food and she was ravenous. Before she knew it, she was down to the last two fruit in the bowl and wishing she’d gone slower. She was about to take a bite of the next-to-last-fruit when Deep and Lock came through the door.

Immediately Kat was flooded with emotions that weren’t hers, and none of them were good.

“What in the seven hells were you doing this morning?” Deep demanded, striding over to her.

Kat was immediately on the defensive. “I don’t know what you’re upset about but you can just back off. You two went out and left me here in a strange house, in a strange town, on a strange planet where I don’t even know the language. I had to muddle through on my own.”

“We’re very sorry, my lady.” Lock, who had been speaking rapidly in Twin Moons dialect with the tall woman, came over to where Kat was still sitting with the mostly empty bowl. “We had to run some errands and we didn’t think you’d be up before we got back.”

“Oh, she was up, all right. Up and giving the vendors at the market a show,” Deep snarled.

“What are you talking about?” Tired of craning her neck to look up at him, Kat stood and put a hand on her hip. Of course she still had to look up, just not quite as far.

“I’m talking about the way you were showing yourself out the window this morning—the entire township is talking about it.” Deep glared at her.

Kat frowned. “I couldn’t find any clothes when I first got up but I wrapped a sheet around myself. I looked out the window and some people waved at me so I waved back. What’s the big deal?”

“The ‘big deal’ is that you shouldn’t be showing your body to strangers.” Deep eyed her possessively, making her feel suddenly naked.

“I wasn’t,” Kat protested, wishing the weird, feathered shirt she’d put on was longer. “I was very careful to keep the sheet wrapped around me the entire time, I swear.”

Lock cleared his throat. “Apparently, the light shining in the window rendered your sheet, ah, transparent.”

“What?” Kat felt a heated blush sweep over her. “Are you serious? So all those guys who were waving and smiling at me weren’t just being friendly?”

“They’d like to be a whole lot more than friendly,” Deep growled. “Do you know how often the average male here on Twin Moons gets to see an elite? Almost never. And to see an elite without her clothing, her lush curves revealed, her—” He stopped abruptly and frowned at the triangle fruit Kat was still clutching in one hand. “What are you eating?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “She gave it to me.” She pointed at the tall woman who had been standing at the sink and watching their conversation with a worried look on her face.

Lock turned to her. “Mumzell? Chara vena Kat Kala ala noosh?”

She nodded her head rapidly. “Ja, ja! Shiba ava Kala ala noosh.” Then she hugged Lock and stood on tiptoes to kiss his forehead.

“What? What is she saying?” Kat demanded.

Deep frowned. “She’s saying you asked for it. She thinks you wanted it because…” He broke off, shaking his head.

“Because what? What does it do?” Kat asked, worried. Had she poisoned herself with the strange fruit? Or had she somehow eaten something she wasn’t supposed to eat for religious reasons? Damn it, she didn’t know anything about this stupid planet. She had to get herself some translation bacteria!

Lock finally finished speaking to the older woman. He turned back to Kat and spoke in a low voice. “What you ate are Kala fruit—what we call bonding fruit. They have uh…a special significance to our people.”

Deep snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

“Deep, please.” Lock gave him a warning look. “Will you just let me explain?”

“They’re not poisonous or anything, right?” Kat asked. “I mean, I’m sure the nice lady wouldn’t have let me eat them if they were but—”

“That ‘nice lady’ is our mother,” Deep said harshly. “And she now believes that you intend to mate with Lock and myself. Immediately. Because why else would anyone eat an entire bowl of bonding fruit in one sitting?”

“What?” Kat felt a sudden rush of panic. “No, no,” she said to the woman, shaking her head rapidly. “It’s not like that with us. Really, it’s not.” She turned back to Lock. “What exactly are ‘bonding fruit’? Do they have some kind of religious importance to your people?”

“Not religious exactly…” He hesitated for a moment as though trying to think how to explain. “Bonding fruit is usually eaten by unmated women right before they bond with the twin males they have chosen to be their mates.”

“Oh.” Kat was relieved. “So it’s just a misunderstanding. She thinks because I ate the fruit, you and I and Deep were going to…but we’re not, of course.” She laughed nervously. “So just explain it to her and tell her I’m sorry I gave her the wrong idea and we can forget about it, right?”

“I’m afraid not.” Deep shook his head. “I don’t think any of us is going to be able to just ‘forget about it’ for quite a while.”

Kat frowned at him. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to profane your weird eat-fruit-before-you-get-busy custom but it was an honest mistake. If you can’t get over it then that’s your problem, not mine.”

“That’s not what Deep means, my lady.” Lock shook his head apologetically. “You see, there is a reason that females eat bonding fruit before they get mated. It has special properties.”

That sounded ominous to Kat. “What kind of special properties?” she demanded.

Lock looked uncomfortable. “Well, it increases your elasticity in certain, uh, areas.”

“What?” Kat demanded. “What are you trying to say?”

“It makes you able to take two shafts in your pussy at the same time,” Deep said bluntly. “Is that clear enough for you?”

Kat was horrified. Her eyes went immediately to the sink where the twins’ mother had been standing, but luckily, she had left the room.

“Don’t worry. Mumzelle can’t hear us. And even if she could, she can’t understand English, remember?” Deep laughed but it wasn’t a happy sound. “I can feel how upset you are. Why don’t you say something?”

“I just…I can’t…why the hell would anyone want to…to do that?” She looked at Lock appealingly, ignoring Deep though she couldn’t help remembering the images he’d sent her the night before. Of both of them inside her, thrusting, filling her…But I never thought it was really possible. Never thought they would really want to—

“It’s how we perform bonding sex, my lady,” Lock said gently, breaking into her frantic thoughts. “Deep and I thought you knew that.”

“Especially after our exchange last night,” Deep growled, giving her a piercing look.

“I didn’t think you were for real.” Kat shook her head, her mind filled with painful, scary images. “Never thought you’d really want to…”

“Of course we want to,” Deep said harshly. “It’s the way of our people.”

“But I thought…I guess I thought you did it, uh, one at a time. Or at the very worst, one in front and one in, uh, the back.” She could feel herself blushing but she couldn’t seem to stop. God, she really didn’t need to be thinking about this right now. Especially considering what the three of them had been doing the night before and the images Deep had sent her.

“We do share a female in many different ways.” Lock nodded. “And we can form a limited kind of physical bond if one of us fills your, um, front and the other one fills your back, as you put it. But for true bonding sex to occur…”

“Both our cocks have to be buried to the hilt in your pussy at the same time,” Deep finished for him in a low voice.

“Oh my God.” Kat shook her head. “But you guys are huge. I, uh, felt you against me last night. There’s no way anyone could—”

“Certainly you could. Especially after eating an entire bowl of bonding fruit.” Deep smirked at her.

Kat rounded on him, suddenly furious. “Why do you keep making such a big deal about how much of it I ate? I was hungry, damn it!”

“Brides-to-be usually start slowly, eating just a few bites of the fruit each day to increase their flexibility. They only eat a whole fruit on the day of their bonding ceremony,” Lock explained. “Just one whole fruit. I’m afraid since you ate considerably more than one, the effects will be multiplied.” He shook his head. “I really wish Mumzelle hadn’t planned the party for tonight.”

“What effects? What is this stuff going to do to me?” Kat waved one of the two remaining triangle fruits in his face.

“The bonding fruit doesn’t just make you more flexible,” Lock said carefully. “It also makes you more…what’s the word?”

“Horny.” Deep grinned at her but it wasn’t a happy expression. “I’ve been practicing my Earth vernacular again. Did I get it right?”

Kat’s hand itched to slap him but she somehow restrained herself. “You bastard,” she said in a trembling voice. “You’re telling me that I ate some kind of aphrodisiac? Didn’t just eat it but practically overdosed on it? And you think it’s funny?”

“Not at all.” The grin faded from his face and he looked at her intently. “In a very short period of time, none of us is going to think it’s funny.”

“What do you mean none of us? How can it affect you two?”

“We can feel your emotions, remember?” Deep tapped the side of his head. “Everything you feel, we, feel.”

“But it won’t just be us—though we’ll be affected most deeply.” Lock had a grim look on his face. “It’s going to affect every male in your immediate vicinity.”

“Okay, I get the emotions thing. But how is it going to affect everyone else?”

“Your scent,” Deep answered for his brother. “You already smell like a female in heat whenever you’re around Lock and me. This is only going to make it worse—much worse.” He started to pace as he talked. “You already look irresistible and now you’ll smell irresistible as well. We’re going to have to warn off every other male at the party tonight.”

Lock shook his head. “I just hope it doesn’t come to blows.”

“What party?” Kat was becoming thoroughly exasperated. “And why can’t we just skip it if it’s going to be such a problem?”

“The party our mother planned in your honor,” Lock said quietly.

“Which is why none of us can just ‘skip it,’” Deep snarled. “We have to attend and every other high ranking male in town is going to be there as well. The mated ones won’t be a problem. But the unmated males…”

“You’re going to have to stay very close to us,” Lock told her seriously. “Of course this wouldn’t be a problem if…” He hesitated.

“If what?” Kat said. “Come on, spit it out. If you know a way to keep every single guy in the immediate vicinity from humping my leg just because I ate the wrong fruit, then by all means, please share.”

Lock sighed. “If you’d let Deep and I mark you with our mating scents…”

“But you did,” Kat protested, in a low voice. “When you…you know, licked me. Didn’t you?” The memory of Lock’s head buried between her thighs while Deep growled in her ear and pumped her pussy with his thick fingers made her feel hot all over.

“I did mark you some,” Lock admitted. “I couldn’t help it. But I wasn’t tasting you to mark you, my lady—my aim was to bring you pleasure, so I wasn’t very thorough. And besides, my scent alone won’t keep other males away from you. Deep needs to add his scent as well.”

Kat put a hand to her throat. “And how exactly…”

“We need you naked and open between us.” Deep’s eyes raked her body, making Kat shiver.

“What…what do you mean open?”

“The same position we started in last night.” Lock’s voice was calming but somehow Kat didn’t feel soothed. “But you’d have to open your legs. To allow our shafts to rub against you. Against your—”

Kat had heard enough. “Huh-uh. Sorry guys, but no way.” She backed away from them, shaking her head. “I am not up for that. That’s too close to…Anyway, I’m not going there.”

“All right. It’s all right.” Lock held up his hands in a gesture of truce. “Deep and I would never do anything to you that you didn’t want us to do, my lady.” He looked at his brother. “Would we, Deep?”

Deep looked at her speculatively. “Not unless it was for her own good. Which this very well may be, as you know, Brother. After all, we can’t let her be attacked by every stray male who smells her scent just because she’s a little squeamish about letting us mark her.”

“No!” Lock held up a hand to stop him when he started to approach Kat. “Stop it, Deep. You know you wouldn’t act against Kat’s wishes, so stop pretending you would.”

“Who’s pretending?” Deep growled. “I absolutely would act against her wishes if I thought her life was in danger and what I was doing was in her best interest.”

Kat glared at him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I guess I’m just too stupid to know what’s good for me.”

“No, you’re just too damn tempting for your own good.” Suddenly Deep was right in front of her, cupping her cheek and looking down into her eyes. “You have no idea how alluring you are, do you, little Kat?” he said softly. “With your full curves and your hot scent. No male in the universe could be near you without wanting to fuck you.”

“Leave me the hell alone.” Kat jerked away from his touch. “I’ve had enough of you for one day.” Turning, she marched to the spiral staircase.

“You’re going to have to put up with a lot more of me during the party tonight. A lot more of both of us,” Deep called.

Kat didn’t bother to answer. She still had one of the triangular bonding fruits clutched in her hand. Acting on a sudden impulse, she flung it at his broad chest. The fruit hit him squarely above the heart and splattered all over his deep green uniform shirt, making what Kat hoped was a permanent stain. She was hoping to piss him off as much as he had irritated her. But to her intense annoyance, Deep only looked at her and laughed. Looking her in the eye, he drew one finger through the pulp that stained his shirt and stuck it slowly in his mouth.

“Juicy, little Kat,” he rumbled. “Juicy and succulent and oh, so sweet.”

Kat refused to dignify his leering with an answer. He was still laughing as, with one last glare in his direction, she climbed out of sight.

* * * * *

Lock sighed and reached down to pick up the remaining bonding fruit and the carved wooden bowl Kat had left on the cushions. He knew his mother only kept such fruit in the house to remind her of their fathers. Though she had loved their stepfather dearly, the same Kindred male who had been Baird and Sylvan’s true father, she had never forgotten her first mates—Twin Kindred who had died in battle with the Scourge.

She had been overjoyed when he and Deep had brought an unmated female home with them. After what had happened with Miranda, she seemed to have lost hope that they would ever call a bride. So of course when Kat had reached for the bonding fruit, she’d gotten the wrong idea about what was going on between the three of them. I wish it was the right idea, Lock thought longingly. Gods, how I wish it.

Putting the fruit in the bowl, he straightened up to see Deep staring moodily up the stairs where Kat had disappeared. The ruined bonding fruit was dripping down his shirt but he didn’t appear to notice or care.

“Why do you do that?” he asked, unable to keep his frustration from spilling over. “Why do you antagonize her? Why do you push her away?”

Deep turned to look at him. “In case you didn’t notice, Brother, I’m not the only one pushing.”

“Kat only pushes you away because you push first,” Lock accused him. “Why don’t you tell her how you really feel? Why don’t you tell her what you did for her? How you took her pain?”

Deep was on him in a flash, both hands fisted in Lock’s shirt. “That is not your secret to tell, Brother,” he snarled. “We haven’t come to blows since we were children but I promise if you tell her about the whipping—”

“Fine.” Lock pushed him away roughly. “You don’t have to threaten me. I don’t know why you want to keep it from her, but I’ll keep your secret if it means so much to you. I’d no more tell her what you did than I would tell her about Miranda.”

“See that you don’t.” Deep frowned and straightened his shoulders. “I’m going to try and get some rest before the party tonight. If you’re smart, you’ll do the same.”

“I can’t rest now,” Lock said wearily. “I have to talk to Mumzelle and try to explain that the bonding fruit was a mistake. Then I’ll try to make peace between you and the lady Kat—if that’s even possible.”

“Why should you care if we get along or not?” Deep demanded. “Just let it go, Brother. You know the minute we take her back to Mother L’rin she’ll be asking for a way to break the connection between us. Hell, she doesn’t even know it exists and she’s already angry. What is she going to do when she finds out we have a soul bond with her she didn’t ask for?”

“I don’t know,” Lock said, running a hand through his hair. “But I don’t think now is the time to tell her. Right now I just want to keep her from hating you. From hating us.”

“Too late, Brother.” Turning, Deep left him alone in the kitchen, clutching the last remaining bonding fruit. “Too late.”

Chapter Nine

Kat was a mess. She sat on the bed with her arms wrapped around herself and shivered. God, she hated to admit it but those two got under her skin—especially Deep! What was it with him, anyway? Why did she let him get to her so much?

“Drives me crazy,” she muttered, running a hand through her hair. It was surprisingly glossy and clean, despite the fact that she’d been out of it for so long before she’d woken up between Deep and Lock the night before. Vaguely, she remembered dreams she’d had. Dreams of large male hands bathing her and washing her hair—but those were just dreams, right? The thought of the brothers handling her naked body while she was unconscious made her really uncomfortable.

And what about the damn bonding fruit? Her hands still smelled of the triangular, palm-sized fruit. The scent was tempting and incredibly delicious but Kat had no desire to eat any more now. What was going to happen to her when the weird, alien aphrodisiac kicked in? And how was she going to make it through a huge formal party if she was horny out of her mind?

Not that I’d ever get horny enough to let Deep and Lock try that on me. Just the idea of both of them trying to fit their huge shafts inside her at the same time gave her the shivers. There was just no way that any fruit, no matter how “special,” could make that kind of three-way action anything but painful. How would you even get in the right position to do that? It made her head hurt just to think about it. Then don’t think about it. But the image wouldn’t leave her head. It was the same one Deep had sent her the night before while she was swamped in lust. Then it had seemed almost plausible and extremely hot. But now…Kat shivered and shook her head. No way. No way in hell.

Sighing, she got up to pace back and forth in front of the wide window. Then she looked down at her bare legs and had a sudden thought—who knew if what she had on would be considered decent or not? She didn’t need to be putting on another show. Quickly, she shut the shade, plunging the room into bluish-purple gloom, but not before she saw several men on the street below smiling and waving at her. Kat did not wave back. God, some of those jerks will probably be at the party tonight!

The thought made her wince. Her time on Twin Moons was really getting off to a great start. She hadn’t even been awake for one whole morning and she’d already given a peep show to strangers and eaten a whole bowl full of horny fruit by mistake. What the hell was she going to do tonight? And what—

“My lady?” A soft rapping on the door interrupted her mental tirade.

“Yes?” Kat sighed with resignation. “Come in.”

“Thank you.” Lock came in and shut the door behind him. He was alone, Kat saw with relief. She didn’t think she could handle another dose of Deep just now. “I just wanted to talk to you,” Lock said, coming over to the window where she was standing. “I wanted to tell you—”

“Have you been washing my hair while I was unconscious?” Kat blurted.

“Um…” Lock coughed and looked down at his boots. Then he looked up and nodded. “Yes.”

“You and Deep both or just you?”

“It was my idea,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. “But I did get Deep to help me.”

“God!” Kat started pacing again. “I knew it. I knew it wasn’t just a dream.” She rounded on Lock. “Do you know how creepy that is? I mean, I was unconscious, for God’s sake! You two could have been doing anything to me.”

“We only bathed you,” Lock said in a low voice. “Deep and I are honorable males. We would never take advantage of you as you slept.”

Reluctantly, Kat shook her head. “No, I guess not. You wouldn’t anyway.”

“Deep would not take undue advantage either,” Lock said, obviously taking her meaning. “And we draped you in towels to preserve your modesty if that makes you feel any better.”

Strangely enough, it did. Kat sighed and nodded slightly. “I guess, maybe a little.”

“Try to understand.” Stepping forward, Lock took her hand in his. “We were charged with your safety and well being. We were acting as any males would toward the female they cared for.” Bending his head, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand and gave her a soft, lingering kiss.

Kat felt her heart skip a beat at the old fashioned gesture and the feel of his warm lips on her skin. He looked so handsome standing there, so earnest and hopeful as he kissed her hand. When he looked up, his whole heart was in his chocolate brown eyes.

“Lock…” she said, not knowing how to continue.

“My lady,” he murmured. “Forgive me for offending your modesty. Please know that I acted only out of affection and the most earnest desire to see to your needs.”

He had needs of his own. Kat could feel them. She could feel the yearning inside him—the wanting so strong it brought tears to her eyes. And all of it, all his desire and need and love and lust, all was centered on her. “Oh, Lock…” Somehow she found herself hugging him, wrapping her arms around his muscular torso and holding him close.

“My lady… Kat,” he murmured into her hair, returning the hug carefully.

Kat breathed in his scent without speaking, knowing it was his mating scent but not caring for once. It was warm and calming—a mixture of hot coffee on a cold morning and fresh laundry straight from the dryer. Under it was a hint of masculine spice that tickled her nose and made her nipples and the tender vee between her legs throb. But despite her desire, hugging Lock was wonderfully comforting. His arms were hard and strong around her and she realized for the first time that she liked him—liked him a lot.

He liked her too. She could feel the warm iron bar of his cock against her thigh, but she didn’t pull back. It seemed right somehow—or at least, not scary. Her irritation and worry seemed to melt away and for a moment she allowed herself to just feel good in his arms.

“Kat,” he breathed and she looked up. His brown eyes were half-lidded and she realized he was going to kiss her.

I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m probably only feeling this way because of all the damn fruit I ate. But she couldn’t help remembering the gentle way he’d tasted her the night before, the sweet way he’d made her come with his tongue. The memory made her hot and cold all over and she shivered in his arms. She tilted her mouth up to meet his—

“Brother, I—” Deep’s voice at the door made her jerk away, but not before the dark twin’s coal black eyes had taken in the way she and Lock were wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Deep.” Lock raised a hand to his brother. “The lady Kat and I were just—”

“I see what you were just doing.” Deep’s eyes flashed. “Don’t let me interrupt you.”

“Stop,” Lock pleaded. “You know it isn’t like that. It can’t be. Without you—”

“I’d say you’re doing just fine without me.” Deep nodded at both of them coldly and left, shutting the door behind him.

Lock sighed and stepped back, away from Kat. “I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

Kat frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We’re bonded twins.” Lock ran a hand through his hair. “Touching a female in the way I was touching you should have been excruciatingly painful for me without my brother somehow involved.” He sat heavily on the edge of the bed. “It hurt me to take you in my arms without Deep touching you as well, but I was able to do it.”

“It hurt you to hold me?” Kat looked at him, her eyes wide. “Really? How…how does it feel?”

“Like a low-level electrical shock running through my body. But just the fact that I was able to do it at all…” He shook his head. “We’ve grown apart lately. Ever since—”

“Since what?” Kat asked but he only shook his head.

“Never mind. I owe you an apology.”

“It’s all right,” Kat said softly, sitting beside him. “I wasn’t exactly trying to get away. I should have, though—I don’t want to lead you on.”

He gave her a look from the corner of his eye. “Meaning you still have no interest in us.”

“I think I could if I let myself—I could have feelings for you, anyway,” Kat said honestly. “I mean, you’re sweet and kind and caring and gorgeous—what more could a girl want?”

“But?” Lock raised one dark blond eyebrow at her.

“But…” she said reluctantly. “You come with an awful lot of baggage. You know what I mean.”

“Yes.” He nodded heavily. “Yes, I do. But my lady, if you could just give Deep a chance…”

Kat was already shaking her head. “I’m afraid not, Lock, it would never work. Deep and I—we’re like oil and water—we don’t mix. We can’t even have a single conversation without it turning into a shouting match.”

Lock’s broad shoulders slumped. “I know he’s difficult to get along with. But he truly does care for you.”

“Then why don’t I feel it?” Kat asked. “I get all these strong emotions from you two but what I mostly feel from him is lust and annoyance. He wants me but mostly I irritate him.”

“You’re only feeling what he lets himself feel,” Lock protested. “But under all that, he cares. I know he does.”

“Maybe you just want him to,” Kat said gently. “Because you two come as a package deal and I can’t take one without the other. Look, I can tell how hard it is for you and I’m sorry—really I am. But aside from the whole feeling both of your emotions thing and the, uh, way you perform bonding sex which is scary to say the least…” she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “Aside from that, the fact is, I just can’t let myself get involved with two guys when one of them can’t stand me.” She shook her head. “God, that sounds so weird.”

“No, it sounds like common sense.” Lock looked down at the green wooden floor between his black boots. “I can’t blame you for what you feel, my lady. But I can’t help what I feel, either.”

“I’m so sorry.” Kat put a hand on his knee to comfort him. Then she pulled it away quickly. “Oh, I didn’t think. Did that hurt you just now? Me touching you without Deep being here?”

“A little.” Lock gave her a sad smile and put her hand back on his knee. “But it’s worth it.”

“That’s sweet.” He looked so dejected and his feelings of sadness and loss were so overwhelming, Kat felt like she was going to cry if they sat that way much longer. Clearing her throat, she rose and began pacing in front of the bed. “So when do the effects of this, uh, bonding fruit I ate kick in? And how long do they last?”

Lock shook his head. “The fruit should be in full effect in a few hours. As for how long it will last, it could be days.”

“What?” Kat rounded to face him. “Are you telling me I’m going to be feeling…uh, amorous for days?”

“No, no.” He shook his head hastily. “That will be the first effect to fade. But your scent will remain enhanced for a long time. As well as your…” He coughed delicately. “Flexibility.”

“Oh, well…” Kat crossed her arms over her chest protectively. “I don’t think we need to worry about it then. As long as I can get through tonight at the party…”

“You’ll be all right,” Lock finished for her. “And I promise we’ll take you back to Mother L’rin tomorrow. She wanted to examine you after we healed you, anyway. And maybe she can help you to shield yourself against some of our emotions.”

“I certainly hope so,” Kat muttered. “But about the party, tonight—before we go, I really need a shot of those translation bacteria that Sophie got. I mean, this whole mess could have been avoided if I could have talked to your mom instead of just pointing at the fruit I wanted. I don’t want to get into any more trouble.”

Lock shook his head. “I’m sorry, but those are only available on the Kindred Mother ship.”

“Really? Damn!” Kat sighed and raked a hand through her hair. “You know, I don’t get it. Back when you two were bringing me here in the spaceship I heard Deep talking in another language and I could understand it. But when I talked to your mom I didn’t catch a word.”

“You weren’t conscious in the ship,” Lock protested. “In fact you almost…almost died.” His face had gone pale and the last word came out in a whisper.

Kat nodded grimly. “I figured it was something like that. I was floating above my body looking down. And I saw you doing some kind of weird CPR on me. But the talking…I don’t see how I could understand the Twin Moons language then and not now.”

“Maybe you were dream-sharing with us.” Lock looked thoughtful. “It might explain why your spirit didn’t drift away entirely and also why you could understand our language. However tenuously, you were linked to our minds, seeing and hearing as Deep and I saw and heard.”

“Well I wish I could have a little of that now,” Kat grumbled. “This is going to be some fun party. I’ll be high on horny fruit and I won’t have any idea what anyone is saying to me.” Then she thought of the males who had seen her in only a sheet that morning. “Come to think of it, maybe that last part won’t be such a bad thing.”

“There will be a few people there you can talk to,” Lock told her. “Some of the ambassadors and their mates have had the translation implants so they’ll understand you. And they’ll be safe—your scent won’t affect mated males.”

“So I should stick with the couples.” Kat nodded. “Got it.”

“Only if you should get separated from Deep and myself,” Lock said. “But I don’t think that will be a problem. We’ll be shadowing your every move.”

“Oh joy,” Kat said dryly. “I can’t wait.”

It certainly was going to be a party to remember.

Chapter Ten

“What’s the matter, honey? You look like you just lost your last friend.”

At the sound of English being spoken, Kat looked up eagerly. The party, which was being held at a huge structure that was reminded her of an opera house, with frescoed ceilings and elaborate carvings, had been horrible so far.

It wasn’t so much that she didn’t know the language—although that was a big part of it. But she also felt like a prisoner, being flanked at all times by Deep and Lock. She was on an alien planet for the first time—she wanted to go explore. There were amazing works of 3-D art all over the walls and vast rooms full of strange and exotic things to look at. Not to mention all kinds of new foods to try—though Kat was being careful about that. But instead of wandering through the crowd checking things out, she was stuck staying where it was “safe.” At least according to her two captors.

Kat couldn’t see that it was so very unsafe at the huge, bustling party. It was true that just about every male in the place seemed to be eyeing her hungrily, but none of them had made any off-color gestures or remarks. Kat assumed it was just the scent she was supposedly giving off. And come to think of it, she wasn’t even sure about that. She didn’t feel any different and she’d sniffed herself several times without smelling a thing. Could it be that Deep and Lock were making up the whole bonding fruit thing—or at least exaggerating it—in order to keep her close to them?

Entirely possible, she thought, eyeing Deep, who was scanning the crowd warily for possible threats. But at least now she had someone to talk to. The woman who had spoken to her looked to be about five years older than Kat and she was voluptuous in the extreme, her full curves draped in a peacock colored toga-type dress which seemed to be the traditional Twin Moons style.

Speaks English and she’s plus sized! Kat smiled at her, feeling like she’d just won the jackpot. “Hi,” she said, nodding gratefully. “I’m Kat. Kat O’Connor.”

“Piper.” The woman held out an elegant hand dripping with diamonds and Kat took it. “Oh, who am I kidding? Come here!” Piper pulled her into a warm embrace and held her for a moment before letting go. “Sorry.” She grinned unrepentantly at Kat. “It’s just that I’ve been out here on Twin Moons with my husbands for so long. I’m so glad to see another face from Earth I could cry.”

“That’s okay.” Kat grinned back. On Earth she would have been put off by such effusiveness but not here, under these circumstances. “I know how you feel,” she said. “I haven’t even been here that long and I’m already homesick.”

“Of course you are! I mean, it’s wonderful here. But sometimes you just want to go to McDonalds and get a Big Mac and some fries. And knowing the closest Mickey D’s is seven light years away can make a gal feel mighty lonesome.” Piper sighed and patted her honey-blonde hair which was piled on her head in an elaborate up-do. “Where are you from, anyway?”

“Tampa,” Kat said, smiling. “You?”

“Houston, honey. Born and raised.” Piper smiled wistfully. “You know, it’s a big, dirty, ugly city and around here it’s all quaint little fishing towns and unspoiled beauty—couldn’t be more different. I’ll be the first to admit it’s gorgeous and all, but sometimes I miss the traffic and the smog. Isn’t that strange?”

“Not at all,” Kat said earnestly. “I haven’t been here for long but before that I was stuck on the Kindred Mother ship. I miss downtown Tampa and the Tampa picture show—it’s this old theater that’s been running for the last hundred and fifty years. The acoustics are horrible and the seats are so hard they hurt your behind, but my girlfriends and I used to go there and watch all the indie movies that none of the multiplexes would play.” She sighed. “They have this old fashioned popcorn machine and they use real butter—not that nasty fake stuff.”

“Oh, don’t get me started on Earth food.” Piper’s lime green eyes lit up. “What I miss the most is good barbeque. You couldn’t get decent pulled pork on Twin Moons to save your life! I don’t even think they have an animal that’s anything like a pig. Everything is so lean and healthy and good for you.” She shivered.

“Which is probably why everyone’s in such good shape and all the women look like supermodels,” Kat said, looking around. Every Twin Moons woman she had seen was tall and thin with perfect cheekbones. They glided around the room, taking nibbles from the mountains of fruit which were piled on low pillars, and looking perfect in the warm lighting.

“Oh no, honey.” Piper shook her head. “You and I, we’re the supermodels here. And that’s the one thing Twin Moons has over dear old Earth.”

“Uh, because we’re ‘elites’?” Kat dropped her voice, not wanting Lock and Deep to hear her discussing it. “I mean, the guys I’m with, they’re always talking about how curvy women are valued here—”

“Valued? Honey—we’re the cat’s pajamas! Just look at the way they’re looking at us.” She motioned to the hungry glances that were coming from several different sets of twin males scattered around the large gallery. “Why, every single man in this room would be on us like a duck on a junebug if we weren’t already mated!”

“I’m not though—mated, I mean,” Kat said.

Piper’s perfectly shaped eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Not mated? Then what are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story.” Kat glanced up again to see if Deep or Lock was listening. She really wanted to pour her heart out to a sympathetic ear but she didn’t want them hearing everything she said.

Piper seemed to understand the situation. “Come on, honey, let’s go powder our noses and you can tell me all about it,” she said, hooking her arm through Kat’s.

Suddenly Deep was blocking the way. “Where do you think you’re going?” He frowned at Kat.

Piper looked at Kat. “I thought you said you weren’t mated?”

“I’m not.” Kat frowned unhappily. “Look, Deep, this is Piper and as you can see she’s female. We’re going to the ladies restroom—” She looked at Piper. “Uh, they do have a ladies restroom here, right? I mean, it’s not unisex or anything?”

“Heavens no!” Piper smiled sweetly at Deep and Lock who was now standing beside his brother. “You two just run along for a little while. I promise I’ll keep your little gal safe.”

Deep didn’t budge. “Oh you will, will you?” he murmured, one black eyebrow cocked in obvious disbelief.

Lock cleared his throat. “Forgive me, my lady, but we don’t even know you.”

“I’m Piper. I’m the mate of Ambassadors Knows Much and Thinks Swiftly.” She patted Lock on the arm. “You two just go on over and talk to Much and Swifty, as I call ‘em,” She nodded her head at a pair of Twin Kindred who were standing off to one side. “While we run along to the ladies room.”

“Her mates are males of renown,” Lock said, talking to Deep.

“Well, if you’re just going to the room of convenience…” Deep was still frowning.

“That’s all. I promise.” Piper nodded at both of them. “It’s okay—we just want a little Earth girl talk.”

“We’ll accompany you,” Deep decided.

Kat sighed as the two of them flanked herself and Piper and they moved in a unit through the milling crowd. It felt like all eyes were on them and she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. This is so stupid! Like I’m some helpless little girl who can’t go anywhere without her bodyguards. Finally they came to a large pink and gold archway set in the back wall. It was right beside a flamboyant hologram display which appeared to be naked people covered in red, green, and brown paint pretending to be trees.

“From Earth,” Piper said, nodding at it. “You wouldn’t catch any native Mooners doing nonsense like that but they think our stuff is just to die for.”

“Mooners?” Kat raised an eyebrow.

“That’s just what I call ‘em.” Piper nodded at the crowd of Twin Moon natives before turning to Lock and Deep. “All right now,” she said, giving them a bright smile and a nod. “You two just run along. We’re going to be in here a little while.”

“When will you be back?” Deep wanted to know. He was still scowling, presumably at the idea of having to leave Kat alone.

“When we’re damn well good and ready,” Piper snapped, apparently losing patience. She towed Kat into the pink and gold entrance which curved off to the right, putting them out of sight of the main room. “Lord, those two are overprotective! And you say you’re not even mated to them yet?”

“No and I’m not going to be either.” Kat looked around the large, parlor like room they found themselves in. “Hey, this is really nice.”

It looked like an old fashioned power room down to the deep, plush chairs and red velvet wallpaper. Though when she took a closer look she saw that the wallpaper was some kind of moss, not velvet, and the chairs had an almost organic look—as though they’d been grown instead of made. There were also hanging plants, dripping exotic looking pink and gold and pale green blossoms everywhere.

As if in contrast to the organic appearance of the room, the walls were filled with wide angle, full length 3-D viewers for checking your makeup and dress. Kat saw dozens of herself reflected in the viewers. The new deep green toga-dress Lock had picked out for her complimented her auburn hair, which she’d decided to wear down for once.

“It is nice, isn’t it?” Piper looked around, smiling fondly. “Of all the Kindred trade planets, Twin Moons is the closest you’re gonna get to Earth. The islands, anyway—all bets are off on their continent but nobody goes there, so who cares?”

“You’ve been to the other trade planets?” Kat asked, interested.

Piper nodded. “Oh sure, honey—not that they’re much fun. Rageron is just this horrible, humid blue jungle full of critters so scary they’d make a gator cry. And on Tranq Prime they all live in caves and eat bugs.” She shivered. “Can you imagine? Of course here on Twin Moons they have the Grieza worms, but I can handle those since they taste like chocolate.”

“Those are good.” Kat had eaten some at Liv’s wedding and really enjoyed them despite their unappetizing appearance. “I haven’t eaten much Twin Moons food yet,” she confessed. “And what I did eat…well, I really shouldn’t have eaten it. I just…” She trailed off, not sure how much she wanted to reveal.

But Piper’s curiosity was clearly piqued. “What, honey? You can’t just leave a girl hanging like that—what did you eat?”

“Bonding fruit,” Kat admitted in a low voice. “Almost a whole bowl full of it. That’s why my guys—uh, Deep and Lock—are being so overprotective. They say I’m giving off some kind of a, uh, scent, because of it.”

Piper’s vivid green eyes widened. “You ate a whole bowl in one sitting? Was it a big bowl? How many did you eat?”

“Five or six,” Kat said with a sigh. “I’d just woken up from a long, uh, illness, I guess you could call it, and I was famished. But so far I don’t feel any different.”

“Oh you will, honey. You will,” Piper assured her. “But if it’s the first time you’ve had bonding fruit, it will probably take a little time to kick in—that’s how it is with us Earth girls. But once it does—watch out! You’re gonna be hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July.”

“Seriously?” Kat frowned unhappily. “I was hoping that Deep and Lock were just exaggerating. Or maybe that it didn’t work on me.”

“Oh, it’ll work all right. But if you’re lucky it won’t start until after the party when you can be alone with your men.” Piper grinned at her and shook her head. “If you’re not bonded yet you sure as hell will be pretty soon.”

“What?” Kat began to feel panicky. “But I don’t want to be.”

“Is it the whole two poles in one hole thing, honey?” Piper clucked her tongue sympathetically. “Don’t let that worry you. Now I’m not gonna lie to you, it is kind of a tight fit. But once that bonding fruit gets working on you, you’ll be feeling no pain. It’s like a mixture of Spanish fly and valium—you’ll be hopped up and cooled out at the same time.”

“No, it’s not that. Or not just that,” Kat protested. “I don’t get along with them at all—one of them, anyway.”

“Now let me guess—that would be your dark twin. Am I right?” Piper raised an eyebrow at her and Kat nodded.

“Lock is really sweet. But Deep…we just can’t get along.” She looked down at her hands. “My parents divorced when I was twelve and my grandmother raised me but before then, they were constantly yelling and screaming at each other. I just…I don’t want to be stuck for life in a relationship like that and…” She looked up. “And I don’t even know why I’m telling you this when I just met you.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m easy to talk to.” Piper smiled at her. “Everybody says so. I was a bartender back on Earth back before my men called me as a bride. Worked at a club in downtown Houston called Foolish Pride. I bet I listened to fifty sob stories a night and you know what? I kinda miss it.”

“You’re good at it.” Kat smiled at her. “Did…do you have the same problem with your, uh, guys? Not that Deep and Lock are mine or anything,” she continued hurriedly. “I mean, we kind of all got stuck together by accident and now I’m having a really hard time getting away.”

“Isn’t that just the way?” Piper nodded sympathetically. “As for dark twins—they’re always a problem. Ask any female on God’s green Earth who’s mated to one. They’re contrary and irritating and just plain ornery and yours seems to be worse than most.”

“He certainly is,” Kat agreed, thinking of Deep’s tendency to get under her skin. “He’s sarcastic and moody and dark…” She sighed. “But he’s very protective, too. And loyal and gentle when he wants to be. And…”

“And you’re really confused,” Piper finished for her.

Kat nodded gratefully. “I really am. But I do know I don’t want to be bonded to anyone until I’m ready. And I am so far from being ready right now it isn’t funny.”

“Then stay away from them tonight when the bonding fruit kicks in,” Piper said seriously. “Ask for a private room or lock yourself in the bathroom but whatever you do, don’t wind up between them or it’s gonna be game, set, and match. I promise you that.”

“Okay, thanks for the warning.” Kat crossed her arms over her chest. “Damn it, all this could have been avoided if I’d had a shot of translation bacteria before I came. Now I’m stuck here on a strange planet with no idea of what anyone is saying. It’s so frustrating.”

Piper smiled. “I don’t know what to tell you about your man problems but the translation thing is something I can help you with.” Reaching into a fold of her toga, she pulled out a tiny little clutch purse the exact color of her dress. “Now let me see, I’m sure I have one left…ah-ha!” Triumphantly, she pulled out what looked like a small green caterpillar with a head on either end and long purple hairs growing out of its hide. “Here you go,” she said, handing the half-inch long, wriggling creature to Kat.

“Uh, thanks.” Kat took it very reluctantly—she’d never liked bugs or insects much. She wasn’t afraid of them like Sophie, but she was more likely to step on them than make them pets.

Piper took a look at her expression and burst out laughing. “You don’t have any idea what it is or what it’s for, do you?”

“No,” Kat confessed. “I don’t.”

“It’s a convo-pillar. You put it in your ear and it picks up whatever you hear and translates it into your own language for your brain. It works the other way, too—just think what you want to say and it’ll send thought messages to your speech center and help you talk the other person’s language. Isn’t that great?”

“Uh, did you say you put it in your ear?” Kat frowned. “Look, I don’t like to sound squeamish but I’ve seen Wrath of Khan. I mean, it’s an oldie but a goody right? And anything alive that goes into your ear is bad news as far as I’m concerned.”

“Oh, please, honey,” Piper said a touch impatiently. “If you’re afraid you won’t be able to get it out again, don’t be. Look how easy it is.” She tugged twice at her left earlobe and a small orange caterpillar with pink hairs crawled out of her ear and onto her finger. “See?” she held it out to Kat. “Easy as pie.”

“How come yours is orange and pink and mine is green and purple?” Kat asked doubtfully.

“That’s cause the one I gave you is a new breed—special.” Piper smiled. “Supposed to be almost no lag time at all between thought and translation with that little bugger. I was saving him for a special occasion but I’d say you need him more than me.”

“Well, thank you.” Kat was still reluctant to put something alive in her ear but she didn’t see how she could refuse now without offending her new friend. “Uh, what happens when they, you know, die?”

“Oh, they stop working long before that,” Piper assured her. “When you stop understanding what people are saying, just tug your earlobe, get him out, and get a new one. If you can, that is. I don’t know of a supplier on Twin Moons—I get mine from a colony near Rageron.” Lifting her hand, she allowed the tiny creature to crawl back into her ear canal. “Now you. Go on.”

Wincing, Kat lifted the green convo-pillar to her ear. Oh God, I really don’t want to do this! The tiny hairs tickled horribly as the little creature crawled in her ear canal and she had to curl her hands into fists to keep herself from yanking it out again. It was hard to overcome the instinctive response to scream and freak out at the feeling of something living going where it very clearly didn’t belong. But she squeezed her eyes shut and reminded herself grimly of the benefits of having it there. She’d be able to understand everyone around her now and avoid any more disastrous mistakes like the one that had led her to eat an entire bowl of bonding fruit. And she could apologize in person to Deep and Lock’s mother, who had been looking at her sadly ever since Lock had explained to her that they weren’t really a threesome after all. And—

“Okay, it’s in. You can open your eyes.” Piper sounded like she was laughing. “I know it takes some getting used to but believe me, in a minute or two you won’t even know it’s there.”

Kat wasn’t sure about that, but at least the little creature wasn’t moving around any more. It seemed to have found a comfortable position and was staying still. Instead of the feeling of having a hairy bug in her ear, Kat felt more like someone had plugged it with a piece of cotton. “It makes it kind of hard to hear on one side,” she said uncertainly.

“No it doesn’t,” Piper said confidently. “You think so because of the way it feels but actually the convo-pillar conveys sound as naturally as your own eardrum does.”

“You’re right.” Kat nodded. “My ear feels like it’s plugged up, but actually I can still hear just as well on that side.”

“Of course you can.” Piper hooked her arm through Kat’s. “Come on—let’s go try it out.”

Kat frowned, suddenly worried. “Uh, I’m not sure how Deep and Lock are going to feel about this.”

“Please, honey.” Piper made a shooing gesture. “What they don’t know won’t hurt ‘em. Here—we’ll go out the back way.” She tugged Kat toward the opposite end of the large room where there was a small door.

“We’re just going to leave without telling them?” Even though she’d been longing to go off on her own, Kat was still reluctant.

“Of course. Aren’t we bad?” Piper giggled and tugged at her arm. “Come on, it’ll be an adventure. And don’t worry—we’ll get back to your boys before you know it.”

“Well…okay.” Though she still had some doubts, Kat allowed herself to be led out the much smaller, back exit from the ladies room.

She just hoped the convo-pillar worked. If she had to wear a live insect in her ear, it had damn well better be worth it.

Chapter Eleven

“Are these the only thing you guys eat or are they just prison food?” Lauren lifted one of the cardboard pop tarts questioningly after the tall man with the red-on-black eyes slid it across to her. “I mean, not that I’m not grateful,” she went on hurriedly. “Because I am. I was just wondering.”

He had been heading for the door to the cell they were keeping her in, but he turned back with obvious reluctance. “Nutra-wafers are specially formulated to provide all the protein, vitamins, and nutrition a warrior needs in a single work cycle. They should keep you in good health until the AllFather is ready for you.”

Lauren cringed at the mention of his father but she was determined not to let fear shut her down. Her jailor was the only person she ever saw—her only hope of escape. She had to form a connection with him.

“I was just wondering if you guys had any kind of junk food,” she said, trying to smile. “You know, Cheetos, Doritos, cupcakes?”

He frowned. “What are those? What is ‘junk food?’”

Lauren sat forward and wrapped his cloak more securely around herself. “It’s food you eat just for fun. It’s usually not good for you but it tastes really good.”

He shook his head. “We have nothing like that. What would be the point?”

“Pleasure is the point,” Lauren said, looking up at him. “For instance, I own a cupcake bakery called The Sweet Spot back on Earth. Nobody who comes in my shop actually needs one of my delicious cupcakes but they buy them for pleasure.”

“I still don’t understand. Why should one take pleasure in eating?” He was still just standing there, staring down at her. Lauren wished he would sit down. If she could just get him to stay with her a little while she might have a chance of connecting with him.

“You wouldn’t ask that if you could taste one of my deep, dark chocolate devil’s food cupcakes,” she said enticingly. “The cake itself is dense and moist and it just fits in the palm of your hand. Well…” She looked at his large, rough looking hands. “You could probably hold two or three. But anyway, when they first come out of the oven they’re hot and sweet and sticky—they practically melt in your mouth.”

“That sounds…strange.”

“Not strange—delicious. Stay and talk to me a little while. I’ll tell you all about it.”

He frowned. “Why should I stay? I have duties to attend to.”

“Because I’m lonely.” She didn’t have to lie about that—it was the absolute truth. “Please…just talk to me for a minute,” she whispered, almost pleading.

“I shouldn’t.” But he settled himself slowly in the opposite corner of her cell and made a motion with his hand. “Go on—tell me more.”

“I frost them twice,” Lauren said, her heart thumping. “With homemade butter cream frosting. First, when they’re hot out of the oven, I put on a thin layer that just melts right down into the cake. After they cool, I frost them again. I pipe out a thick, creamy dollop right on top and then cover them with chocolate sprinkles that crunch when you take a bite.” She closed her eyes, remembering the deep, chocolate flavor wistfully. “They’re so good people come from all over to get one.”

“All the flavors and textures you describe…I’ve never had anything like that.” He shook his head. “We have no such ‘pleasures’ aboard the Fathership.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Lauren sighed. “And that isn’t even my best seller. I make a raspberry filled vanilla bean cupcake with cream cheese frosting that’s out of this world.” Remembering her surroundings, she gave a sad little laugh. “Well, out my world, anyway.”

“You’re very passionate about your work. These things you make—the cakecups—”

“Cupcakes,” Lauren corrected gently, studying him from under lowered lashes as she talked.

Despite his frightening eyes and strange, gray skin, he had strong, noble features that looked like they had been carved out of granite. His profile looked almost Native American and she had an idea that the coal black hair he kept in a club at the back of his neck might be soft and thick if he ever let it free.

“Cup…cakes,” he repeated slowly. “You enjoy making them for others to consume?”

“Yes, I enjoy it very much. I love baking—creating things that give other people pleasure.” She smiled at him. “I wish I could bake one for you.”

“Me?” He looked startled. “Why would you wish such a thing?”

“To see you eat it. To watch your face when you first bite into it—I love to watch people the first time they taste one of my cupcakes.”

“You do?” He sounded perplexed.

Lauren nodded. “Yes—it’s always the same. The smell gets them first—warm and fragrant and then they have to take a bite. Even the ones who swear they’re on a diet—they just can’t resist.”

He leaned forward a little. “Yes? And then?”

“And then the flavor hits them. It rolls over their tongue, sweet and perfect as the cupcake just melts in their mouth. Their teeth sink through that moist, delicious texture and crunch on the sprinkles. Then their eyes roll up in their head and most of the time they moan.”

“They moan?” He frowned, his red eyes narrowing. “I thought you said it was a pleasurable experience.”

“It is. They moan because it tastes so good—feels so good in their mouth. Haven’t you ever had anything that made you feel so good you just had to let it out?” Lauren asked.

He shook his head. “No, never.”

She sighed. “Then I really wish I could give you one of my cupcakes. If we were on Earth, in my shop right now I would hand you one and say, ‘Here you go, Mr…” She paused and tilted her head to one side. “I just realized I don’t know your name.”

He frowned. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. I am called Xairn.”

“Is that your last name or your first?”

“I have only one name.”

“All right. Zzzairnnn.” She rolled the name on her tongue and looked up at him. “And I’m Lauren—but you probably already know that.”

“Your name is known to me,” he acknowledged gruffly. “Not that it makes any difference.”

Lauren refused to be sidetracked. “Xairn, I wish I could bake you a special cupcake to thank you for what you’ve done.”

“What have I done but capture and imprison you?” he demanded.

“You’ve given me more to eat when I asked for it. You gave me your cloak.” She nodded down at the thick black fabric which kept her from freezing in the cold and lonely cell. “And you’ve given me your time and attention when I needed to talk and to hear someone’s voice. I don’t feel so alone because of you.”

He scowled. “You don’t mean that—any of it.”

“Yes, I do,” Lauren protested. “Please don’t be angry. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

Xairn seemed to loosen up a little bit—at least some of the tension went out of his broad shoulders. He really was huge, Lauren reflected. Every bit as big as the Kindred warriors who came to Earth now and then to call their brides. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“I don’t know…what are your hobbies? What are your dreams?”

He shook his head. “I have neither. I was born on the Fathership and I will most likely die here. I do not aspire to anything else.”

“That’s so sad,” Lauren blurted. “I mean, to never have any hopes or dreams.”

“I have work that must be accomplished or I will be punished,” he offered.

She shook her head. “Uh-uh, work doesn’t count. What do you do for fun? You know, for enjoyment?”

Xairn shook his head again. “Nothing. I told you, we have no pleasures here.”

“Nothing at all?” She leaned forward eagerly. “You don’t play games or read books or watch vids? Don’t you have any pets?”

But she seemed to have said the exact wrong thing. Suddenly his face, which had been almost open to her, closed, and he stood up abruptly. “None of what you mention is permitted here. I must go.”

“Wait!” She reached for him, upset at the sudden change when everything had been going to so well. “Please don’t go—I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

Xairn looked at her, his eyes narrowed to black and crimson slits. “Cover yourself,” he said coldly. “I have no desire to see your flesh.”

Looking down at herself, Lauren realized that his cloak was gaping open, showing her bare breasts. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling it closed quickly. “It was an accident. I…I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I must go,” he repeated. At the door, he turned to look at her, his face impassive. “Eat your nutra-wafers. They may not be as good as your cupcakes but they will keep you strong until the AllFather sends for you.”

And then he was gone.

Lauren watched the heavy metal door close and heard the muted sound of the locking sequence being keyed in from the other side. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Tears of frustration rose in her eyes and she sobbed aloud before she could stop herself. So close! She’d been so close to making a connection with him—she could feel it. And then…nothing. What did I do? What did I say that upset him? That drove him away?

She sobbed again and then blotted her tears with the corner of his cloak which still carried a warm hint of his scent. It wasn’t just the lost chance that upset her—she genuinely didn’t want him to go. He was the only person she ever saw, the only one who would talk to her. Her only link to the outside world in this claustrophobic metal prison. Watch it girl—you’re stuck on an alien ship, a prisoner of the Scourge—the ultimate bad guys. The last thing you need is a bad case of Stockholm syndrome on top of everything else, she warned herself.

Lauren knew it was true but she couldn’t help herself. Xairn was the only one she had to talk to. She missed him when he was gone.

* * * * *

Xairn stood outside the heavy plasti-steel door and listened to her sob. He told himself that he felt nothing but it wasn’t entirely true. For some reason he wanted to open the door again and go to her. And then he would…What? What would you do?

He didn’t have the faintest idea.

It was a foolish thought, anyway. Better to keep your mind on your duties.

Yes. He had much work to accomplish if he didn’t wish to be punished. And just because the AllFather was no longer able to feed off him didn’t mean he couldn’t devise some cruel and cunning physical penalties. He could have Xairn thrown in the drowning tank, for instance, as he had when Xairn was young. Just the memory of that made him cringe inside. After all these years, he still feared deep water, though he knew how to swim.

I need to get back to work, he told himself, turning away from the soft sounds of distress on the other side of the plasti-steel door. I won’t visit her again. I’ll instruct one of the vat-grown to bring her meals.

The thought of never seeing her again seemed to stab at him, to touch a place inside that ought to be untouchable—frozen like the rest of him. Xairn ignored it. There was work to be done and punishment to be had if the work was not completed. He had no time for the human girl—For Lauren, whispered a voice in his brain—no matter how strangely she made him feel.

Chapter Twelve

“Here we are! These folks are prominent locals right here in town,” Piper said, ushering Kat up to a middle aged threesome who smiled and nodded at her kindly. “This is Twila and her two mates, Fishes Often and Catches Many. Go on, say hi,” she urged, nudging Kat with an elbow.

Kat looked at the smiling, nodding people and felt suddenly shy. “Uh, should I just talk in English and the Twin Moons language will come out of my mouth?”

“That’s right honey.” Turning to the threesome, Piper spoke in a language that was clearly not English but somehow Kat understood her anyway. “My friend is new to Twin Moons. Her name is Kat and she would be pleased to make your acquaintance.”

At once, both of the males each took one of Kat’s hands and their female mate came forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Welcome. Welcome to our world,” she said, smiling broadly.

“I…thank you,” Kat said haltingly. “Thank you very much.” She could tell that the words coming out of her mouth were some foreign language but somehow it seemed to be comprehensible to the Twin Moons threesome.

“See?” Piper grinned. “Works like a charm! Let’s see now, who else can we introduce you to?” Nodding goodbye to the smiling threesome, she grabbed Kat by the arm and towed her deeper into the milling crowd.

Kat followed her, trying not to step on any feet. It seemed that the party had gotten even more crowded while they were in the ladies room and she wondered where all these people had come from. Had Deep and Lock’s mother invited the entire town or were some of them just crashing the party? Speaking of Deep and Lock, she craned her head to look for them, but the Twin Moons inhabitants were too tall to see over. She felt like a little kid lost at the mall and looking for her mother. There was another feeling too, starting at the tips of her breasts and between her legs—something strange and ominous that made Kat uneasy. But before she could give it much thought, Piper was talking again.

“Here we are,” she said, nudging Kat into position in front of her. “These two own the local vegetable and fruit market here in town. It’s a very lucrative business they inherited from their fathers.” She nodded at two males who appeared to be around Lock and Deep’s age and spoke again in the Twin Moon’s language to Kat. “This is Large Tasty and this one’s Rigid Juicy.”

“Excuse me?” Kat said, startled. “I’m not sure I caught those names right.”

“I said they’re—”

“Oh my goodness, Piper—thank the Goddess you’re here!” A distraught looking Twin Moons woman suddenly appeared and grabbed Piper by the hand.

“Mina, what is it?” Piper’s easy smile was replaced by a frown of concern.

“It’s the Take-mes, they’re at it again. I knew it was a bad idea to bring a breeding pair, especially since Ju-ju is coming into heat. But those stupid mates of mine wouldn’t listen. Can you come help me? You know they always mind you so much better than me.”

“Of course I’ll come.” Piper squeezed the woman’s hand and turned to Kat. “Sorry, honey, but this is sort of an emergency. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“But…but I don’t really know anyone here,” Kat protested.

“You’ve got your convo-pillar—you’ll be okay. Look, hon, I really have to go. You’ve never seen a mess like Take-mes in rut. They’re as mean as a bull with a porcupine up his ass.” Piper patted her hand. “You just stay right here and I’ll be back in two shakes.”

And then she was gone.

Not knowing what else to do, Kat turned back to make polite conversation with the two large twins Piper had been introducing before she got called away. “Um, how do you do?” she said, trying to smile.

“We are well to do, thanking you, my lady.” The one Piper had introduced as Large Tasty had light blond hair and pale blue eyes. Clearly, he was the light twin. The other, Rigid Juicy, had dark brown hair and green eyes that reminded Kat of emeralds. He must be the dark twin, she thought, trying not to feel uncomfortable as that glittering green gaze raked over her body. The two of them looked somehow familiar but she didn’t know why.

“I’m not sure I understood your names correctly,” she said slowly, thinking how strange it was to hear a foreign language that she really didn’t know come out of her own mouth. “Could you please repeat them?”

“I am Large Tasty,” the light twin said, taking her hand and kissing it. “A name which tells of me—I have an immense fruit of succulent quality.”

“Uh, okay,” Kat said doubtfully. I really hope he’s talking about the fruit he sells at his stand!

“And I am Rigid Juicy.” The dark twin took her other hand and kissed it slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “Because of my fruit, which is full of flavorful juices for the sucking.”

“Umm.” Kat really didn’t know how to answer that. But the way they spoke seemed strange. Was her convo-pillar not working? “I’m Kat O’Conner and I’m new to Twin Moons,” she said, smiling uncertainly at both of them. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Already we have seen you,” Large Tasty said, nodding pleasantly.

“You have?” Kat frowned. “When?”

“In the light of morning, as the sun rose up, the day to greet,” his brother answered for him. “We rose our eyes to the window and see a star wrapped in shadows.”

“Huh?” Okay, her convo-pillar definitely wasn’t doing its job—this conversation was becoming more and more incomprehensible but Kat didn’t know how to end it.

“It was you, my lady,” the light twin, or Large, as she was beginning to think of him said. “Your sheet like a cobweb to cover the curves of a goddess.”

Suddenly, Kat got it. Oh no! No wonder they look familiar—they were two of the guys who waved at me this morning when I was only wearing a sheet. She began to feel intensely uncomfortable and not just because of what Large and Rigid were talking about. The strange prickling sensation she’d had earlier in her nipples and pussy was back and this time it was multiplied.

Shifting uncomfortably, she blurted, “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show but I didn’t do it on purpose. I mean, I didn’t know you could see through the sheet with the sun shining on me that way.”

Large frowned but then nodded, as though understanding her. “But though you showing curves of luscious tastiness without intention, still the seeing of an elite was a thing more beautiful than skies aflame by burning sun.”

Clearly it was a compliment so Kat nodded politely and murmured a soft, “Thank you.” She really wanted to get away from this embarrassing predicament and find out what was going on with her tingling body parts, but when she turned to leave, Rigid took her hand.

“The Goddess has blessed you with enough delicious to burn a male with desire,” he rumbled, his green eyes blazing into hers. “Good thing, come with us. Please enjoy evening entertainment of our tongues on every scrumptious curve.”

“Huh?” Kat tried to pull away but the dark twin was gripping her hand too tightly and refused to let go. “Look,” she said carefully. “I don’t think we understand each other very well, but I am not going to have sex with you and your brother. Is that clear?”

“Fine lady.” The light twin took her other hand and stared earnestly into her eyes. “Forgive this brother of mine. His tongue is rough like a boot to the rear. His meaning is this—you go with us and discover the joys of meat?”

“Meat?” Kat said doubtfully. Maybe they were just asking her out to eat. Not that she wanted to go anywhere with this weird tingling sensation going on in the most sensitive parts of her body. Still, she felt she ought to be polite. “Uh, well, I do enjoy meat. The only thing I’ve had to eat so far on Twin Moons is fruit.”

“Bonding fruit.” Suddenly Rigid pulled her close and pressed his face to her neck. Kat tried to push him away but he held her tight, inhaling deeply. To her dismay, the heated lump she felt pressed against her thigh proved that he really lived up to his name.

“Hey, let me go!” she gasped, pushing at his broad chest. It reminded her of the way Deep had scented her when they first met but this was different—strange. She couldn’t explain it but it felt utterly and completely wrong to have someone who wasn’t Deep or Lock touching her. Especially this intimately.

“Hands off, you son of a bitch,” a deep, familiar voice behind her growled. “This female is spoken for.”

“Deep?” Kat turned her head and saw him standing there, his black eyes blazing with barely controlled fury. “Oh, thank God! Help me—they won’t let me go!”

“That’s because you just agreed to spend the night with them, teasing their cocks with your talented tongue.”

“I said what?” Kat gasped as Deep pulled her away from the very irritated Rigid. “I did not! They just asked me if I liked eating meat and I said that yes, I did enjoy it.”

“Is that what you heard them say?” Deep frowned as he hustled her away through the crowd.

“Well, not in so many words,” Kat said, trying to keep up with him. “I mean, it was more like, uh…” She tried to think of exactly how Large had put it. “Something about discovering the joys of meat.”

Deep raised one black eyebrow at her as he dragged her along. “You mean the pleasures of the flesh?”

“Oh my God!” Kat shook her head. “But I had no idea that was what they meant. Look, could you please slow down? I—” She stopped abruptly as she tripped over someone’s foot and nearly fell. Only Deep’s grip on her hand saved her, but her stumble pushed them both into a silvery fountain which was spouting some kind of pale green alcoholic beverage. Kat only got a few drops on her dress but the entire front of Deep’s shirt was thoroughly drenched.

Cursing, he straightened up and plucked at the sodden mess. He was wearing the same kind of shirt Kat had found in the chest that morning and the tiny little feather designs that decorated the front of it dripped with alcohol.

“I’m sorry,” Kat said. “I didn’t mean to trip but if you hadn’t been dragging me along so fast—”

“Come on.” Grabbing her hand, he began pulling her through the crowd again. Kat expected that he was taking her back to Lock but she saw no sign of the light twin as they pushed through the people milling around the large room.

“Where are we going?” she demanded when Deep started pulling her up a broad spiral staircase that led to the upper levels.

“Away from unmated males for one thing,” he snarled, throwing a glance at her over his broad shoulder. “You smell entirely too luscious for your own good.”

“I do?” Kat wanted to stop and sniff herself but she wasn’t at all sure that she would be able to smell what was clearly so apparent to Deep’s sensitive Kindred nose. She concentrated on climbing the spiral staircase which was beginning to seem never ending. Deep had already pulled her past several upper levels and showed no signs of stopping. With each step she felt more and more sensitive and irritated between her thighs and she was beginning to have the urgent feeling that she needed to go somewhere private and do something about it, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what she could do. “How…how much further are we going?” she asked, trying not to sound out of breath.

Deep ignored her breathless question. “How did you even understand enough of the language to talk to those two without translation bacteria?” he demanded in a low voice, looking back at her.

“Piper gave me a convo-pillar,” Kat gasped. His pace was so relentless it was like being on the stairclimber at the gym set on maximum. “She…she had one too but hers worked… better than mine. I could…could barely understand what they were saying.”

“A convo-pillar?” He threw a glance over his shoulder. “You know those are illegal on most Kindred colonies?”

“No, of course I didn’t.” Kat felt a stab of panic. “Why? Do they cause some kind of disease or infection?”

Deep barked out a laugh. “Nothing like that. But they’re notoriously unreliable. The Kindred High Council determined they cause more problems than they solve.” He pulled her higher and higher until finally the never ending staircase came to an abrupt halt in a narrow hallway. At the end of it was a small, plain wooden door. “In here,” he growled, pulling Kat through it unceremoniously.

It turned out to be another restroom but one far less elaborate than the ladies room down in the main gallery. There were a few sinks with small 3-D viewers mounted above them and some blowers that she assumed must be for drying hands. And, to her intense relief, she could see a row of small, round curtained-off areas which must be the Twin Moons equivalent of bathroom stalls. The strange sensations in her body had increased until she was dying for some private time.

“Um,” she said, edging toward the row of round curtains. “I had a lot to drink earlier so I’m just going to—”

“Go on.” Deep released her hand. “And don’t worry—I won’t listen.”

Kat wanted to say something about there not being anything to listen to, but she was in too much of a hurry to get some privacy. Trying to walk normally even though her pussy was throbbing, she made her way to the last curtain at the very end of the row. It reminded her of an old fashioned shower curtain back on Earth—the kind people had used with those free-standing claw foot bathtubs. Her grandmother’s house had one in the downstairs bath.

Behind her she heard Deep laugh. “All the way down to the end, huh? I told you I wouldn’t listen.”

Kat refused to dignify his remark with a reply. Instead she slipped inside the small, round space and closed the curtain firmly behind her.

Inside was an extremely low toilet with a padded purple seat and some strange looking nozzles poking out at different angles. Some kind of Twin Moons bidet? Kat wondered, but she really didn’t care about the facilities.

Lifting her dress, she pressed trembling fingers down the front of her panties. God, she was on fire! Her pussy so hot and wet with need she was surprised her juices weren’t running down her inner thighs. At the first tentative touch a moan rose to her lips. Kat managed to clamp it off by biting her lip but it was a near thing. Already she was right on the edge—it seemed like the lightest touch might make her come.

Have to be quiet! Can’t let Deep hear! The idea of him finding out what she was doing was too embarrassing—Kat knew she would just die if he caught her touching herself. But she was finding it really hard to keep quiet when every gentle movement of her fingertips over her swollen clit sent intense jolts of pleasure through her entire body. Just as she thought she couldn’t keep from groaning or gasping one more minute, the loud sound of the blower cutting on provided the answer to her problems.

Thank goodness! Deep must be drying his shirt—now I can be as loud as I want to.

Wishing she had something to lean against, Kat spread her thighs wider and stroked her sensitive clit more firmly. An orgasm rolled through her and then another, arching her back and forcing a low moan from between her lips as her pleasure crested again and again. But with each successive orgasm, instead of decreasing, her desire seemed to intensify. Until finally, she was coming almost continually and getting more and more turned on each time.

What’s wrong with me? she thought hazily, her heart pounding and her head swimming. How can I be getting more horny every time I come? Shouldn’t I be feeling better by now? But she wasn’t—not at all.

Though it was incredibly difficult, Kat forced herself to stop. Clearly the effects of the bonding fruit had kicked in completely and what she was doing wasn’t working. What she needed was to go home and sleep it off. As if I could sleep like this. I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin! I’m so empty inside. I need to be filled. Need…no!

Panting, Kat pulled her hand out of her panties and straightened her dress. I can’t go back to the party like this. I can’t. I’ll go insane. She would have to get Deep and Lock to take her home and then shut herself up in the bathroom, just as Piper had recommended. And then what? Make myself come all night until I’m so sore I feel like my pussy is broken? It sounded ridiculous but she didn’t know what else to do.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and tried to look calm as she pushed back the curtain. She might be in desperate straights, but she was damned if she’d let Deep know about it. The last thing she needed on top of this crazy predicament was to have him mocking her.

To her relief, his back was to her when she exited the small circular stall. He was leaning over one of the blowers, holding his shirt up to dry it off.

Kat frowned as she walked closer. There was something on his back—its broad, tan surface was covered in long, pinkish-white marks. Kat had seen him shirtless before during a joining and she knew the marks hadn’t been there before. Suddenly, she realized what they were.

“Scars,” she whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. “My God, so many scars. But how—?”

Deep whirled around to face her, though she would have sworn he couldn’t have heard her horrified whisper over the roaring of the blower. “Feeling better now, little Kat?” he asked, giving her a knowing smirk as the blower cut off.

“What happened to your back?” Kat asked, ignoring the innuendo.

He shrugged lazily. “An old battle wound.”

“More like wounds. Those are fresh scars—how did you get them?” The sight of his back had stirred something inside her—some memory so disturbing she’d somehow repressed it. Maybe a dream she’d had? Kat didn’t know—she only knew seeing the cruel white and pink scars covering his broad back upset her terribly.

“They’re old. You just haven’t noticed them before.” Deep went back to examining his shirt. “I think I got most of the fermented narr juice off so if you want to go back to the party—”

“Hey.” Kat grabbed his arm. “Don’t brush me off or act like I’m stupid—a vagina and a brain aren’t mutually exclusive, you know.”

He raised one black eyebrow at her. “Are you accusing me of being sexist?”

“Among other things. I’ve seen you shirtless before and your back never looked like that. What happened?”

Deep’s bottomless black eyes narrowed as he stared pointedly at her hand on his arm. “It’s none of your concern. Now if you’re finished pleasuring yourself, maybe we can find my brother and get the seven hells out of here.”

Kat felt her cheeks heating in a blush but she refused to back down. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you were doing talking to two strange males when I specifically told you what effects the bonding fruit would have on you? Do you want to be raped? Or were you just looking for anyone besides me to scratch your itch?”

“You bastard!” Before she could stop herself, Kat slapped his cheek as hard as she could.

Deep caught her hand before she could pull it back. “Very nice, little Kat.” Slowly, he drew the two fingers she’d used to touch herself between his lips, sucking and licking gently as though trying to get every last trace of her juices.

Kat felt her heart skip a beat and then start to pound crazily against her ribs. Like it or not, she had to admit that the feel of his warm mouth on her flesh and the hot way he was looking at her was having an effect on her overheated body. “St-stop it,” she stuttered, trying to pull away. “Let me go.”

“For now.” He released her hand and began shrugging back into his shirt. “But you’ll pay for that little love tap, my lady. I promise you that.”

Kat wanted to respond in kind but somehow the words wouldn’t come. She watched mutely as he rebuttoned his shirt and tucked it into his tight black pants. Then, taking her hand firmly, he pulled her out the door.

“Wait,” she said, finally balking as they reached the head of the stairs. “I…I can’t go back to the party. I have a…a problem to take care of. I need to get home.”

“Of course you do.” Deep’s annoying smirk left no doubt that he knew exactly why she didn’t want to go back to the crowd. “I’ve alerted Lock. He’ll meet us at the back entrance and we’ll leave from there. We’ll go straight home and help you with your problem together.”

Kat began to panic. “I’m not bonding with you tonight!” she said, trying to pull her hand out of his. “I don’t care how much of that damn fruit I ate—there’s no way I’m letting you two get me between you.”

“Oh, you’ll be between us all right,” Deep snarled, keeping a firm grip on her hand as he dragged her down the spiral stairs. “That choice has been taken from you. You gave it up with your first bite of bonding fruit, little Kat.”

* * * * *

“What in the seven hells did you do to her? She’s scared to death and angry too.” Lock paced in front of the locked bathroom door. Kat was on the other side of it and she refused to answer his calls or pleas.

Deep shrugged lazily. He was leaning with one shoulder against the wall, a look of apparent unconcern on his dark face. “I simply told her that you and I would take care of the problem the bonding fruit had given her.”

Lock faced his brother. “And how exactly did you tell her we would do that? She probably thinks we’re waiting out here to pounce on her and bond her the minute she opens the door.”

“That’s exactly what I think.” Kat’s voice was muffled but audible through the thick wooden panel of the door. “Which is why I’m not coming out for the rest of the night until this damn fruit wears off.”

“My lady…” Lock paused, trying to think how he could put what he had to say delicately. “Forgive me,” he said at last. “But the, ah, effects of the fruit won’t just wear off on their own. Deep may have put things in the wrong way when he spoke to you, but he was right about one thing—you’re going to need help.”

“That’s not what Piper told me,” she protested.

“Piper also gave you an illegal life form to put in your ear. Look where that got you,” Deep pointed out sarcastically. “Now are you going to come out and let us help you or not?”

“Forget it. I know what your idea of help is—both of you skewering me at once. I’m not about to become a sexual shish-ka-bob for the rest of my life just because I ate the wrong fruit by mistake.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Lock pleaded. “Please, my lady, we can help you without making love to you or bonding you to us—I swear it.” To his surprise, Deep sighed and came to stand beside him at the door.

“Lock is right,” he said, putting a hand on the wooden panel. “Come out, Kat. I didn’t mean to frighten you, I was just…” He stopped and cleared his throat. Looking down at his boots, he continued. “I was angry when I saw you talking to those two unmated males.”

There was silence on the other side of the door and then, finally, it opened a crack. “Is that your version of ‘I’m sorry?’” Kat asked, one blue eye appearing warily in the narrow opening.

“It is.” Deep nodded, tightlipped and frowning. “And I don’t say it often.”

“Or ever,” Lock murmured, earning a glare from his brother.

“All right.” Kat opened the door all the way and stood there, her arms crossed protectively over her breasts as she shifted from foot to foot. “I’m listening. I wouldn’t be if the stupid fruit I ate wasn’t driving me crazy, but it is. So talk. How can you help me without the three of us doing the hokey-poke-her?”

“The what?” Deep frowned. “As much as I study Earth vernacular, sometimes I still find you completely incomprehensible, Kat.”

“Oh yeah?” She frowned up at him. “Well that goes double from me back to you, Deep. So come on, boys—what’s the plan?”

* * * * *

Lock had that look on his face, like he was trying to pick his words carefully so Kat was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. In fact, the only reason she was willing to listen to him and Deep at all was because the symptoms from the bonding fruit were getting completely out of control.

She’d thought she was uncomfortable at the party but that was nothing to how she was feeling now. From the minute she’d locked herself in the bathroom she’d been doing nothing but touching herself—she couldn’t help it. But, like before, giving herself pleasure had only made the problem worse. She was desperate—though she’d be damned if she would admit it.

So she stood there with her arms crossed over her breasts, trying to sound level-headed and cool when it felt like every inch of her skin was throbbing with unquenchable desire.

Facing them with their mating scents washing over her didn’t help either. Lock’s was warm and comforting—the fresh coffee/clean laundry scent that tempted her to relax and trust him completely. Luckily, Deep’s mating scent counteracted it and put her on high alert. He exuded something that smelled like pure sex dipped in dark chocolate—sensuous, alluring…and dangerous as hell. It got into her head and made it hard to think. Any female in her right mind would think twice before trusting a scent like that, Kat thought, frowning up at him.

“You need two things to get over the effects of the bonding fruit, my lady,” Lock said at last, apparently deciding to just come out with it. “To be touched and to be penetrated.”

Kat put a hand to her throat, her eyes drawn unwillingly to Deep. “You mean the way you did the other night. With…with your fingers?”

Lock shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

“You’ve had bonding fruit, little Kat—a lot of it.” Deep’s voice was surprisingly soft. “You need deep penetration.”

Kat had heard enough. “No thanks.” She started to shut the door in their faces but Deep caught it with one hand and held it open easily, though she was shoving against it with all her strength.

“I said you needed to be penetrated—I didn’t say it had to be with a cock,” he rumbled. His eyes narrowed. “You need to be fucked, Kat. But there are other ways of doing that than the traditional method.”

“What you two consider ‘traditional’ counts as porn on my planet,” she pointed out. “And I’m not about to star in the Twin Moons version of Debbie gets a Double Dicking.”

“We’ll keep our pants on—both of us. Will that help?” Deep raised an eyebrow at her.

Kat stopped pushing against the door and stood still. “I suppose…” She really wasn’t sure what would help at this point but she knew she needed something.

“Good. Then come on.” Deep took her by the hand and Lock took the other. Kat shivered as the familiar rush of sexual electricity rushed over her. She wasn’t at all sure she was doing the right thing…but she didn’t know what else to do.

Chapter Thirteen

They led her to the bed and Lock undressed her gently while Deep rummaged in the chest-like bench she’d found the feathered shirt in earlier that morning—which now seemed like a lifetime ago. Kat still felt shy about being naked in front of them but they had dimmed the lights and Lock murmured soothingly to her, telling her how beautiful she was and how he loved her body until she felt a little better.

Finally Deep came back but the object he held in his hand didn’t do a thing to assuage Kat’s fears. “My God!” she said, sitting up and crossing her legs protectively. “What the hell do you think you’re going to do with that?”

“I’m going to fuck you with it, little Kat,” Deep growled, getting on the bed with her and Lock. Kat noticed that he left his shirt as well as his pants on, though Lock had removed his own dress shirt and was bare-chested.

“I don’t think so,” she said, eyeing the long, extremely thick, carved wooden phallus he held in one hand. “I don’t know what you’re thinking but I can tell you right now there is no way in hell that is going to fit inside me.”

“This is only a little smaller in circumference than our shafts put together,” Deep assured her, his black eyes blazing. “Which is why I bought it specifically for you this morning, after we found out how much bonding fruit you’d eaten.”

“Leaving aside the question of what will and won’t, uh, fit…” Kat cleared her throat. “Isn’t it kind of strange for you two to have your, you know—equipment—touching like that? I mean, most straight guys that I know wouldn’t like it at all.”

“Touching my brother is like touching myself,” Lock said, answering for both of them. “We have sexual feelings only for the woman between us—for you, my lady.”

“That’s really nice but—”

“You’re stalling, Kat.” Deep sat on the bed beside her and handed her the phallus. “Here—take it in your hand, look at it, touch it. Get used to it. Because I promise you, before the night is out, it’s going deep in your pussy.”

“I…I don’t…” Kat shrank away from it but Deep took her hand and wrapped her fingers firmly around the wooden shaft. It felt smooth and hard and cool in her palm and Kat couldn’t help looking at it with equal parts fascination and dismay. “I’m telling you,” she said, looking up at both of them. “It’s not going to fit.”

“Oh but it will, little Kat. I promise you, it will,” Deep assured her. He moved up to the head of the bed. “Let’s talk a little while first,” he murmured in her ear. “Here, sit with me.” He coaxed her into position between his thighs but Kat found it hard to relax at first. With his hard chest against her back and his legs on either side of hers, she felt completely surrounded by him—possessed in a way that was both frightening and compelling.

“Relax,” Deep urged, stroking her hair with surprising gentleness. “I won’t hurt you, sweetheart. You can feel safe with me.”

“All…all right.” Kat wasn’t sure she would ever feel safe with him, but she did manage to lean back against him and let some of her tension leak away.

“That’s very good.” Deep’s breath was warm against her ear. “We’ll let Lock do the actual penetration and fucking if that makes you feel better. I know you feel safer with him in charge.”

Kat couldn’t deny that his words were true so she didn’t try. She just bit her lip and tried to loosen up as Lock kissed her cheek and the side of her neck. “Slowly, my lady. Gently,” he murmured as he slid down her body.

“Do you want Lock to lick your pussy, little Kat?” Deep asked softly. “He can if you think it would help get you ready.”

“It would be my very great pleasure,” Lock said, looking up at her. “I love tasting you, my lady.”

“No…no thank you.” Kat shook her head. “I’m just so sensitive right now. I think it might make things worse.”

“What things?” Deep asked, one large hand sliding over her bare shoulder. “What are you feeling right now, Kat? What do you need?”

Kat bit her lip but she knew there was no use trying to avoid the question. “I need…I need to be filled,” she said in a low voice. “It’s like an ache inside me—an emptiness I can’t help or control.”

“Your body is crying out for ours,” Deep told her. “To really be fulfilled, you need both of our cocks buried to the hilt in your pussy—need to have both of us fucking you and coming in you, filling you with our seed.”

Kat stiffened against him. “I told you, we are not going there.”

“Not tonight,” Deep assured her. He was caressing both her shoulders now, his large, warm hands moving up and down her bare arms in a soothing massage. “I’m just telling you what your body needs—not what it’s actually going to get. Even one of us inside you would be better than a carved piece of wood, but I take it you’re not prepared to go there either?”

“No.” Kat shook her head firmly. “I don’t want to take a risk. My pills ran out while I was on the Mother ship—I’m not protected right now.”

“There is no birth control pill that works with a Kindred male,” Deep said. “But you wouldn’t need protection anyway—there’s no way you could conceive if only one of us made love to you. In order to become pregnant by Twin Kindred, both of us have to fill you at once.”

“That’s very comforting,” Kat said dryly, hoping her voice didn’t tremble and give away her fear. “But I think I’ll skip it anyway.”

“Let me urge you to reconsider,” Deep said seriously. “Penetration with the phallus will ease some of your symptoms. But only being filled with the seed of either Lock or myself will truly end your pain—the deep need you feel to be taken.”

“I can’t,” Kat whispered, shivering. “Can’t let myself go that far.”

“Not even with Lock?” Deep rumbled in her ear. “He can be very gentle and slow, little Kat. You could just lean back against me and let him fuck you.”

His words brought an inescapable image to her mind’s eye—one so vivid Kat couldn’t help seeing it. She saw herself, leaning back against Deep’s broad chest, her hair spread like a red shawl over his shoulders. He was murmuring in her ear, telling her to relax, to open herself, while Lock covered her, his cock thrusting slowly into her, pumping in a gentle rhythm until he filled her with his seed.

For a moment she wanted it—wanted it so badly her entire being ached with the need to have one or both of them inside her, to be pinned between them and penetrated with no hope of escape. But that was the bonding fruit talking, Kat was sure. She pushed the need away and shook her head. “No,” she said. “Not even with Lock. I’m sorry,” she added, looking at the light twin. “I just can’t.”

“I understand.” Leaning down he placed a soft, warm kiss on the top of her knee. “I’ve told you before, my lady, that I don’t wish to do anything you don’t want me to do.”

“Thank you,” Kat said gratefully. “I believe you. And I trust you. I…I trust both of you.”

“You don’t sound entirely sure about that.” But Deep sounded amused rather than offended. “Very well, little Kat, let’s see what we can do to make you feel better. First I need you to spread your legs.”

Kat had known this was coming but it was still incredibly hard to part her thighs completely and let Lock get between them. She forced herself to do it, though, knowing there was no other way.

“Easy, my lady,” Lock murmured, rubbing his cheek against the inside of her right thigh. “I swear I’ll be gentle with you.”

“I know you will,” Kat said tightly. “It’s just…that thing is so big.”

“Lock will take things slowly.” Deep spoke softly in her ear. “As slowly as you need him to.” His hands slid down to find hers and he entwined their fingers. “Hold on to me if you need to.”

Kat found she did need to. She gripped Deep’s fingers tightly as Lock positioned the smooth wooden head between her thighs.

“I’m just going to wet it with your juices, my lady,” he said. “For easier penetration.” He stroked the head of the phallus between her swollen pussy lips, sliding over her clit. Kat moaned, her hips jerking involuntarily at the bolt of almost painful pleasure that shot through her.

“Sorry,” she gasped. “I’m just so damn sensitive.”

“It’s all right.” Lock looked concerned. “Did I hurt you?”

“You didn’t hurt her, you made her come.” Deep’s voice was a low growl in her ear. “Look how tight her nipples are. And her pussy is coated in honey. Did it feel good, Kat?” he murmured in her ear. “Or do you need more?”

There was only one answer Kat could give. “More,” she whispered breathlessly. “Please, more.”

“Put it in her,” Deep directed his brother. “Slowly, though. Make sure she’s open enough to take it.” He kissed Kat on the cheek. “Lock is going to enter you now, Kat. Are you ready?”

“I think so.” Kat squeezed his fingers harder. “Just…be gentle.”

“Always,” Lock assured her. “Always, my lady.”

Kat felt him position the head of the carved wooden cock against the entrance of her pussy. Then slowly but firmly he began to slide it into her.

Thought she tried not to, she couldn’t help tensing up. On Earth, every time she had a pelvic exam, her doctor always had to use the extra small speculum—she was that tight. And the damn wooden thing Deep and Lock seemed determined to use on her was freaking huge. Sure enough, she could feel herself stretching as the wooden shaft slid deeper and deeper into her…but somehow it didn’t hurt.

“See?” Deep murmured in her ear. “That’s not so bad, is it? And Lock’s already got half of it inside you.”

“No, it’s not,” Kat admitted. “It feels…kind of like it’s opening me up.”

“It is,” Deep told her. “But don’t worry, it’s not permanent. The bonding fruit allows you to be more flexible but everything goes back to normal the minute penetration is over.”

“And when…when will it be over?” Kat asked breathlessly as Lock slid the wooden phallus home inside her. She could feel the head of it pressing against the end of her channel and thought she had never been so full in her life.

“Not for a little while,” Deep said, kissing the side of her neck possessively. “You need to be fucked hard and deep, little Kat. Need to spread open your pussy and let Lock fill you until you’ve had enough.”

“How will I know when I’ve had enough?” she protested, her breath catching in her throat as Lock pulled the wooden cock halfway out of her and then thrust it back in again.

“When you stop coming,” Deep growled in her ear. “Now let go of my hands for a minute. I want to tease your tight little nipples while Lock fucks you.”

Kat released his hands and moaned softly as he reached around her and cupped her bare breasts. “So full and ripe,” she heard him mutter hoarsely. “So delicious, my curvy little elite. Fuck her, Brother,” he told Lock, who was in a semi-reclining position between Kat’s thighs. “Do it for both of us. Give it to her long and hard, the way she needs it.”

“God!” Kat’s back arched as Lock obeyed his brother’s orders.

“That’s right, Kat.” Deep’s voice was hoarse with desire. “Just lean against me and let it happen—let Lock fuck you. Gods but you look beautiful like this—so open and hot.”

Kat couldn’t answer. She could feel the wooden cock moving inside her, could see it sliding in and out of her pussy, slick with her juices, but she still couldn’t believe it. The fact that she was doing this with them—allowing this—seemed both strange and a little frightening at the same time. But right too—undeniably right. The pleasure rolled over her in waves building higher and higher with each stroke, rocking her to her core and making it hard to think. Making it hard to do anything but feel.

She fisted her hands in the material of Deep’s black pants, clinging for dear life as he twisted her nipples and Lock fucked her with the wooden cock. “God…God…” she moaned almost desperately. She could feel her pleasure coming to a peak and somehow she knew it would help—but not enough. Need more. Need both of them in me…but no, she couldn’t think like that. It was dangerous.

Deep seemed to know how she was feeling because he began murmuring in her ear. “It feels good, doesn’t it little Kat? To be opened…to be fucked. But this isn’t really what you need. What you need is to be between Lock and me. To open yourself for both of us at once and let us fill your cunt with our cocks.”

“No,” Kat managed to say.

“Yes.” Deep twisted her nipples almost roughly, sending sparks of painful pleasure from her breasts to the place between her thighs where Lock was pumping into her. “You need it,” he continued. “Need to feel us thrusting inside you, filling you together until we coat the inside of your pussy with our cum. Only then will you feel true relief, only then will you get what you really need.”

“I don’t…I can’t…” But Kat couldn’t talk anymore. Suddenly the pleasure crested inside her, swamping her like an enormous tidal wave that came crashing down around her, nearly drowning her with its intensity. “God!” she cried, her back arching and her fingernails digging into Deep’s knees. “Please!”

“Please what?” Deep demanded, his breath hot against the side of her neck. “Please stop fucking you? Or please keep it up?”

Kat couldn’t answer. She had never felt so overwhelmed in her life. At least Lock had stopped thrusting into her, though. He withdrew the wooden shaft and sat there waiting, his chocolate brown eyes half-lidded with lust, as she struggled to catch her breath.

“My God,” she whispered at last. “That was…incredible.”

“Just think how much better it would be with the real thing,” Deep said and Lock frowned at his brother.

Now that the tsunami-like orgasm was over, Kat was feeling much more self conscious. She tried to sit up but Deep pulled her back against his broad chest.

“Let me go,” she protested. “Aren’t we done here?”

“Oh no, little Kat.” He sounded like he was smiling as he kissed the side of her neck again. “It takes much more than one deep orgasm to dissipate the effects of the bonding fruit. We’re just getting started.”

Kat groaned but already she could feel her body wanting more…wanting to be filled again. It was going to be a very long night.

Chapter Fourteen

“You’re sure it’s been enough time? The results will be accurate?” Sophie stared at the small silver machine which whirred quietly to itself in the corner of Sylvan’s home office. He had brought it back to their suite from the med station at her request, because she didn’t want to be someplace impersonal when she got her results.

“Ninety-nine point nine percent accurate.” Sylvan’s deep voice was hushed and Sophie couldn’t help biting her lip as she looked at the man she loved. What is he thinking? What is he hoping for?

“And…here it is.” The machine emitted a few beeps and the lights on its front panel blinked. Sylvan reached into the small slot where he had put the vials of blood he’d drawn from her arm earlier. Sophie was no longer afraid of needles—though she still didn’t love being stuck. But this time she had barely felt the needle, she was so anxious to get the results of the test Sylvan was running.

She held her breath as he closed his large hand over the contents of the slot and held it out to her. “What is it?” She was nearly dancing with impatience when he unfolded his fingers to reveal…a small white flower.

“White.” Sylvan spoke gently, saying it aloud. “You’re not pregnant, Talana.”

“Oh.” A strange combination of relief and sorrow rushed through Sophie. So I’m not going to be a mom after all. Not now, anyway. Then she looked up at Sylvan’s face. Though his features were impassive, she knew him well enough by now to see the disappointment in his ice blue eyes. She opened her mouth to speak…and a sob rose in her throat.

“Sophia?” Sylvan leaned down, a worried look on his face. “Are you all right?”

“I…I think so. I don’t know why I’m crying.” But she couldn’t seem to stop.

“You don’t know why?” He took her by the shoulders and looked at her worriedly.

“Yes, I do. I know,” she said through the sobs that shook her. “It’s because I know…know you wanted a son. One who could grow up and play with Liv and Baird’s little boy. I’m sorry, Sylvan. So sorry I disappointed you.”

“You didn’t disappoint me!” He swept her into his arms and held her close, his face pressed to her neck. Pulling back, he looked into her eyes. “You could never disappoint me, Talana. I have you, and you’re all that I need.”

“But I know you want a family too,” Sophie said, sniffing. “We can try again as soon as you want.”

“We weren’t trying in the first place,” Sylvan pointed out, giving her his little one-sided grin.

“No, I know.” Sophie blotted her eyes on her sleeve. “I guess I just got so used to the idea in the past few days. And Liv is so happy to be pregnant.”

“Olivia is ready to be pregnant,” Sylvan said. “I get the feeling you’re not. Not quite.”

“Maybe I’m not.” Sophie looked down at the little white flower which indicated a negative pregnancy test. “But I want to be ready. When I look in your eyes and see how much you want a son, I want so much to give you one. A little boy with blond hair and blue eyes, just like you.”

“No, he should have green eyes and brown hair with red highlights—just like his mother.” Sylvan smiled again and swept a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Or, you never can tell—we might have a daughter. It’s extremely rare but it does happen from time to time.”

Sophie shook her head. “I’d rather have a little boy. I think I would worry about a boy less than a girl.”

“I doubt you’d worry less if you knew some of the things I got up to as a child.”

“Yes, well you were killing abominable vrannas by the time you were nine. I hope you wouldn’t expect to let our son do anything like that.”

“No.” Sylvan looked thoughtful. “There aren’t any vrannas aboard the ship. I suppose we could devise a different manhood ritual for him, though.”

“Over my dead body!” Sophie pushed away from him. “Listen, Mister, if you think for one minute I would let you take any son of mine into that kind of dangerous situation—” She broke off because Sylvan was laughing softly. “What?” she demanded.

“Nothing. I’m just thinking what a wonderful, protective mother you’re going to be when you’re ready to have children. When we’re both ready.” He pulled her close again and Sophie buried her face in his broad shoulder and breathed in his familiar, comforting scent.

I love you, she sent through their link, because it was so much more intimate to use mind-to-mind communication. Love you so much. Thank you for understanding.

Talana. Blood of my blood… He buried his hands in her hair and eased her head to one side, baring her throat for his teeth.

Sophie offered her neck eagerly, wanting to feel the rush of pleasure as he bit her and injected her with his essence. Before they had gotten bonded, she had been under the impression that Blood Kindred only bit at the moment of climax. But it turned out, biting—at least the deep, intimate biting done between a warrior and his mate—was almost like deep kissing for them. And now that he knew she truly didn’t fear it anymore, Sylvan was prone to sinking his fangs into her any time they had a moment alone. The sharp little prick of his four sharp points penetrating her flesh was like foreplay for her now. In fact, just the feel of his double set of fangs tracing her sensitive skin was enough to make her shiver with desire.

I want you, Sylvan said through their link, tracing his tongue over the delicate blue veins pulsing in her throat. I want to take you to bed and fill you all night. Want to pump you full of my essence and my cum over and over.

I want that too. Sophie thought her mental voice sounded rather breathless but she couldn’t help it—Sylvan made her weak in the knees, literally. She could barely stand, she wanted him so badly.

Obviously sensing her dilemma, Sylvan swung her up into his arms. Sophie gasped and then snuggled closer to his broad chest. She loved how strong he was—and how gentle he could be despite his immense strength.

“You’re strong too, you know,” he whispered, apparently catching her thought. “Stronger than you know. You’re going to make a wonderful mother when the time is right.”

“Maybe it’s right tonight,” Sophie suggested, kissing him eagerly. “We could try.”

“We could,” he agreed. “I’m not adverse to ‘trying’ all night long, if you wish, Talana.”

“Yes,” she murmured, kissing him again as he carried her from his office to the bedroom. “Yes, let’s try.”

The only thing that bothered her as he laid her on the bed and began undressing her was the thought of Kat. I’m not pregnant. I should have gone with her. She’s all alone and it’s my fault.

Then Sylvan’s hot mouth closed over one of her aching nipples and all coherent thought left her as he bonded her to him again…

* * * * *

“So you’re not preggers.” Liv looked down at the small, white flower, looking slightly disappointed.

“Afraid not.” Sophie handed her twin a plate before sitting down beside her on the couch. Today Liv was craving pancakes and nobody made better blueberry buttermilk pancakes than Sophie—or so she had claimed over the Think-me when she begged Sophie to come make her some. “Anyway, I wasn’t when we did the test. After last night, all bets are off again.”

Liv laughed. “You decided to try again?”

“And try…and try…and try…” Sophie laughed and then suddenly sobered. “I feel bad about it, though.”

“Why should you?” Olivia took a bite and closed her eyes to savor the delicious taste. “Mmm, you’ve outdone yourself, Sophie!”

“I’m glad you like them. Wasn’t that what I was making the morning Baird first claimed you? Blueberry pancakes?”

“Could be.” Liv took another bite. “Mmm. But I seem to remember that Kat wanted to make some kind of quiche. Something with way too many ingredients…ugh.”

“Kat is always so crazy in the kitchen.” Sophie sighed. “Poor Kat… That’s what has me feeling so bad. I’m not pregnant, Liv—I should have gone with her.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Liv said reasonably. “It was too early to take a test and we couldn’t wait to make the decision. It was send her to Twin Moons or lose her—personally, I still feel like we did the right thing.”

“I’m worried about her, though. When will we ever get to talk to her?”

“Soon.” Liv took a drink of milk. She had told Sophie she still couldn’t get Baird to try it. He didn’t like the idea of drinking something that came from a bag between a cow’s legs, though he ate cheese like it was going out of style. “Baird said that he had a call from Lock a little while ago,” she continued. “He and Deep are taking her back to see the holistic healer woman—Mother L’rin—again. They’re going to call us on their viewscreen on the way back.” She shrugged. “Who knows—if Kat gets a clean bill of health she could be back aboard the Mother ship with us before you know it.”

“I hope so,” Sophie said earnestly. “And I hope she can forgive us for sending her off with Deep and Lock in the first place.”

“Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee?” Liv grinned and cut another wedge of pancake with a particularly plump blueberry right in the middle. “Don’t worry about them. This is Kat we’re talking about—she can hold her own against anyone. I’m sure she’ll have some interesting stories to tell us when she gets back, though.”

“No doubt,” Sophie said, taking a nibble of her own pancake. “Not to change the subject but have you heard any more about Lauren? When I think about what might be happening to her…” She shivered.

“I know,” Olivia agreed soberly. “Baird’s been working with the High Council but so far they’ve determined that we can’t make any overt moves on the Scourge without having proof of where they’re holding her.” She sighed and put her plate down on the coffee table. Apparently, the thought of their unknown cousin being subjected to the probes of the AllFather took her appetite away.

“Well, have you heard any more from Aunt Abby? I don’t know how much longer we can keep what really happened to Lauren from her,” Sophie said.

“As long as possible,” Liv said grimly. “Think about it. What’s worse—thinking that your only daughter has disappeared into thin air? Or knowing that she was kidnapped by an evil, malevolent…thing for purposes too horrible to think about?”

“I see your point.” Sophie nodded sadly. “But poor Lauren! I was looking her up on-line, you know, wishing we could have gotten to know her. She looks so happy and bright in all her pictures. And did you know she dropped out of business school to start a specialty cupcake shop in Sarasota?”

“Specialty cupcakes? Mmm.” Liv nodded. “Sounds like a woman after my own heart.”

“Or a woman after your pregnant stomach.” Sophie gave her sister a little smile. “I just hope she’s all right somehow. And that someday we get to meet her.”

Olivia nodded. “I hope so too. I feel so bad for Aunt Abby, though. She still thinks Lauren is on Earth and she’s certainly sparing no expense to try and find her.”

“What do you mean?” Sophie took another nibble of her pancake.

“We got another vidcall last night. I meant to tell you earlier but I forgot,” Liv said. “Baird took it. It was a private investigator Aunt Abby hired —a specialist in finding missing persons.”

“Really? What did he want?”

Liv shrugged. “More information and Kindred cooperation. Baird said he was a real hard-ass. But he seemed to think that was a good thing. You know—like he respected him.”

Sophie sighed. “Sounds like an alpha male thing to me.”

“Of course.” Olivia smiled. “And we should both know about that, right womb-mate?”

“Yup.” Sophie allowed herself a small smile. “And to think, I used to believe an alpha male was the last thing I wanted.”

“You just had ‘alpha male’ confused with ‘asshole,’” Liv said comfortably, picking up her pancake plate again. “They don’t always have to be the same thing, you know.”

“I know that now,” Sophie agreed. “But it took Sylvan to show me.”

“And Baird to show me.” Liv sounded thoughtful. “I wonder what Kat is learning from Deep and Lock?”

Chapter Fifteen

“You’re telling me we have what kind of a bond?” Kat stared at the two of them in disbelief.

“A soul bond,” Lock said quietly. “It’s only half a bond, really—incomplete without the physical aspect.”

“Which, as you may remember, we have all agreed we’re not going to pursue,” Deep said dryly, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “It’s really not that important.”

“If it’s no big deal then why are you telling me now?” Kat demanded.

“We thought that since you’re going to see Mother L’rin again today—” Lock began.

“We thought you’d rather hear it from us than her.” Deep frowned. “Speaking of which, if we don’t get to the shuttle soon, we’re going to be late. They’re not going to let us land in the middle of the Healing Gardens again, you know. We’re going to be doing some walking to get to her.”

“Oh no, you’re not brushing this off so easily.” Kat put a hand on her hip. “I want to know more about what you two did to me and why you didn’t tell me first.”

“Let’s talk and walk, then,” Deep suggested. He was being infuriatingly calm about the whole thing—as though he and Lock bonding her to them against her will was of no importance whatsoever. Which of course made Kat suspicious.

“Please understand, my lady—we were saving your life,” Lock pleaded as they all left the house and headed for the waiting shuttle. It had taken the form of a smallish car, as all Kindred shuttles did when not in use for flight. “Mother L’rin told us it was necessary. Your spirit had fractured—forming a bond with you was the only way to mend it.”

“I don’t know if I believe that,” Kat snapped as she climbed into the back of the shuttle.

Deep turned from the driver’s seat, his dark eyes narrowed. “Are you calling us liars?”

“Well, it’s not like you can actually prove what you’re saying,” she pointed out. “I mean, if I’d broken my arm and woke up with a cast on it, I could buy that. But this whole ‘fractured spirit’ thing—”

“Came straight from Mother L’rin herself,” Deep said, frowning. “She can explain all about it when we get to the Healing Gardens. Until then, don’t call us liars until you know what you’re talking about.”

“Deep, please, I’m sure the lady Kat didn’t mean to offend,” Lock said quietly from the passenger seat. “She’s just upset, that’s all.”

“Damn right, I’m upset.” Kat glared at both of them. “After all that high-sounding talk about how you would ‘never bond an unwilling female to you…’”

“We meant a physical bond,” Deep growled. “Which we could have formed last night if we’d wanted to instead of—”

“Don’t start.” Kat lifted her chin. “I told you I didn’t want to talk about…about what we did last night.” In fact, she preferred not to think about it either. Stupid bonding fruit! She’d been completely out of control, letting the two of them fuck her with that huge wooden dildo. It made her cheeks hot with shame just remembering it. Don’t think about it, she told herself. Just put it behind you and never let it happen again.

“Don’t want to talk about it, hmm?” Deep’s eyes were angry in the rearview reflector. “Why not, little Kat? Don’t you want to discuss the way you spread yourself for us? The way you gave it up so sweetly while Lock fucked you—”

“That’s enough!” Lock’s voice was almost a shout. Kat and Deep both stared at him, surprised. “Why,” he continued in a lower tone. “Can’t the two of you just get along for two minutes? Why can’t you stop fighting and admit that you care for each other the way…the way I care for both of you?”

“Because we don’t,” Deep said coldly, before Kat could answer. “I know you have this sweet, pathetic fantasy that the three of us are going to end up together, Brother but it’s not going to happen.”

Lock shook his head. “Don’t,” he said in a low voice. “I thought after last night…”

“You thought wrong.” Deep’s eyes clashed with Kat’s in the rearview again and then he turned his attention back to the curvy, winding road.

“I’m sorry, Lock.” Kat reached up to put a hand on his broad shoulder. “I didn’t think—”

“And you don’t care, either.” Deep’s eyes were still angry and the emotions coming from him were like a black cloud, filling the interior of the car. Filling Kat herself with hurt and anger and misery.

“Deep…” Lock’s voice held a warning note but Deep shook his head.

“She doesn’t, Brother—not the way you want her to. So leave it alone. The sooner we get to Mother L’rin and have her dissolve our partial bond the better.”

Kat couldn’t have agreed more. But she still felt horrible as the little car made its way to the Healing Gardens. I never wanted it to be like this, she thought miserably. Never wanted to care for either one of them. I don’t know how my life got so screwed up. Well, it was about to get straightened out, she comforted herself. According to Deep and Lock, this Mother L’rin person could fix everything.

Kat just hoped they were right because at the moment, a lot more than just her spirit felt broken.

* * * * *

“Looking better today, you are.” The wizened old woman with strange, jewel-like eyes and pink-tinged skin circled Kat slowly, watching her sharply as though looking for some invisible defect. “But deceiving appearances can be.”

“Oh really?” Kat said politely, glad she could understand what was being said. She’d forgotten all about the convo-pillar still stuck in her ear until Mother L’rin had started speaking. Deep, of course, had wanted her to take it out. He’d said he or Lock could translate for her, but Kat had refused and demanded to speak to the healer alone.

She wanted to be able to talk confidentially with the old woman the twins said had saved her life. There were things she wanted to say and questions she wanted to ask that she didn’t feel comfortable having Deep and Lock hear. Besides, she was dying to get away from their suffocating emotions. After the fight she’d had with them, riding in the tiny shuttle car all the way to the Healing Gardens had been like breathing in choking lungfulls of second hand smoke. Putting some distance between herself and the two brothers was a breath of fresh air.

Now she was sitting in a lovely little meadow with flowering bushes all around and a golden stream tinkling musically to one side and she felt much calmer. She didn’t know where Deep and Lock had gone—she just hoped they stayed away for a good long while.

“Very ill, you were. Nearly dead, mm-hmm.” The old woman nodded wisely and Kat nodded back. The convo-pillar seemed to be working much better today, though it did kind of make Mother L’rin sound like Yoda.

“Deep and Lock say you saved my life,” she said. “I wanted to thank you for that.”

“Healing my profession is. Necessary thanks are not.”

“Uh, okay.” Kat nodded uncertainly. “They also say you told them to form a soul bond with me—whatever that is.”

“Half of a true bond, a soul bond is—the joining of three spirits as one.”

“And the other half is the physical bond? When you…?” Kat trailed off, blushing.

“Have sex that is bonding,” Mother L’rin finished for her, eyeing her sharply. “But this you have not done.”

“No, of course not,” Kat blurted. “Look, I never meant to get involved with Lock and Deep in the first place and now everything is all messed up and my whole life feels out of control! I can feel their emotions filling me up until I think I’m drowning. Can you help me block them? Lock said you might be able to.”

Mother L’rin shook her head. “Only with a full bond is mind privacy possible.”

Kat’s heart sank. “So you’re saying in order to have any kind of peace I’d have to tie myself to them for life?”

The wise woman nodded solemnly. “Bonded to them you must be.”

“But I can’t be. I don’t want to be,” Kat protested.

“Until you are, weak you will be.” Mother L’rin poked a finger at her. “The pain…return it will.”

“It will?” Kat felt sick. Come to think of it, she hadn’t felt anything like the symptoms she’d had while she was aboard the Mother ship since she woke up. But just the thought of enduring that splitting headache again was hideous.

“You must touch them—one at least. Both is better.” Mother L’rin nodded sagely. “As greater your weakness grows, the more deeply must you touch.”

“You mean like a…” Kat cleared her throat. “Like a sexual touch?”

“Yes, yes.” Mother L’rin nodded vigorously. “The bond it strengthens. Your pain will ease.”

“But I don’t want to be bonded to them,” Kat said, feeling like a broken record. “I mean, Lock is really sweet and I like him a lot but Deep is so angry all the time—”

“Much loss has Deep suffered,” Mother L’rin interrupted her. “Took your pain he did.”

“What?” Kat stared at her, confused. “You mean the headaches and dizziness I was having?”

“Yes,” Mother L’rin said simply.

Kat was still confused. “How could Deep take my headaches away?” The sharp, stabbing ache behind her eyes had been intensely painful but she couldn’t imagine how it could have been transferred to another person.

“Show you, I will.” Mother L’rin raised her voice. “Doby! The whip.”

There was a rustling in the nearby bushes and a giant with pink mottled skin appeared. He was taller than a professional basketball player and about three times as broad. His loincloth was made of large, flat leaves and he carried a green wooden box carefully in his huge hands. For some reason he looked familiar to Kat. That’s silly. How can a nine foot tall giant in a leaf loincloth look familiar? But she couldn’t shake the feeling and the sight of him made her vaguely uneasy.

“Here I have it, Mother,” he said in a high, almost feminine voice.

“Good. Accompany us to the Stone Throat you will.” Turning, Mother L’rin marched off through the long green and pink grass at a surprisingly fast pace. Kat had to scramble up and almost run to keep up with her.

The lovely wilderness of the Healing Gardens was a blur around her as they walked quickly through the grass and flowering bushes. Kat was feeling more and more uncomfortable though she couldn’t put her finger exactly on why. But when they came to the mouth of a cave made of brownish-pink stone, the feeling grew even stronger.

“Wait a minute,” she said, when Mother L’rin started into the low stone entrance. “Where is this place? I have the strangest feeling of deja-vu but I know I’ve never been here before.”

The old woman only gestured toward the cave. “Inside we must go.” She went in and the pink giant followed her, leaving Kat no choice but to join them.

They walked down an echoing stone hallway with Kat feeling worse all the time. By the time they came to the green wooden door with the tarnished handle in its center she was shivering and it wasn’t from cold. But it wasn’t until Doby swung the door open, revealing a vast, round chamber with a red-streaked white obelisk at its center, that Kat nearly lost it.

“Oh my God! This room!” She walked into the echoing chamber on unsteady legs. “I dreamed this. I saw…” She whirled to Mother L’rin. “I saw him.” She stabbed a finger at Doby’s mottled pink hide. “He took Deep in here. And he…he…” She couldn’t go on. Mutely she went to the white obelisk, pointing like an accusing finger toward the narrow stone chimney above. The red streaks were there, just as they had been in her dream. But now she knew what they were. “Dried blood,” she whispered. “My God, he whipped Deep. Whipped him until he bled.” She turned back to Mother L’rin. “I saw it all in my dream. What does that mean?”

“Dream sharing you were,” the old woman said quietly. “Saw everything you did.”

“You mean what I saw was true?” She had a sudden mental image of the night before—Deep’s broad back, covered in a twisted pattern of white scars. “Oh my God—it was true!” Suddenly she felt so faint and dizzy she couldn’t stand up anymore. She started to fall and Doby put out a huge hand to catch her. “Get away from me.” Kat pushed away from the giant, feeling sick to her stomach. “You’re the one who did it to him.”

“No, you are.” Mother L’rin pointed a crooked finger at her. “Your pain he took.”

“But I don’t understand. How could he—?”

“The whip.” Mother L’rin nodded at Doby who opened the green lacquered wooden box he carried. Inside was a plain black handle which Kat found sickeningly familiar.

“I…I’ve seen that before,” she said weakly. Only last time it had long silvery tongues attached to it. With spikes on their ends.

“Transfers pain, the whip does,” the old woman explained. “Someone had your pain to take.”

“And Deep volunteered?” For some reason Kat found tears in her eyes. “Why?”

Mother L’rin put a hand on Kat’s arm and looked into her eyes. “Why do you think, child?” she said gently.

“I d-don’t know.” Kat sniffed and blotted her eyes against the long sleeve of her toga-dress. “I honestly don’t. He hates me. Or at least he doesn’t like me very much.”

“Himself he hates,” Mother L’rin said, releasing her arm. “Cleansed of his hate he must be before you bond.”

“But I can’t bond with him and Lock. Don’t you see? It would never work out.” Kat thought of her parents—the constant shouting, the cold silences, the ugly accusations and names. Her father calling her mother “a fat, lazy whore” and her mother telling him, “Every time I see you, I hate you more. I wish you were dead.” And all that was before the beatings started.

Up until they’d finally gotten divorced and her grandmother had taken her in, the only peace she had was when she went to Liv and Sophie’s house. Their parents had loved each other and it showed in the little acts of affection, the kindness and consideration they showed each other. But Kat’s home had been a war zone. And though neither parent had ever physically laid a hand on her, only each other, she still carried the scars of their many battles.

“You don’t understand,” she told Mother L’rin, aware that she was crying again but unable to help herself. “I can’t be with them. I can’t be with him.”

The old woman shook her head and put an arm around Kat’s heaving shoulders. “Child, come,” she said, leading Kat back to the green door. “If bonded you cannot be, then a journey you must make.”

“A…a journey?” Kat blotted her eyes on her sleeve. If this kept up, she was going to have to change clothes because her entire freaking dress would be soaked in tears. God, she hated to cry! “A journey to where?” she said, sniffing and trying to get hold of herself.

“The fifilalachuchu blossom you must seek.”

“The what?” Kat was convinced that her convo-pillar was acting up again but Mother L’rin repeated the name and she realized she’d heart it correctly the first time. “But what good will this uh, fi-fi flower do? Will it break the bond between us?”

“Seek it you must,” the wise woman repeated firmly. “Back to me you will bring it. Medicine I will make for you.”

“Okay.” Kat nodded. The strange sounding flower must be the only way to break the soul bond between herself and Lock and Deep. “Uh, where can I find it?” she asked, as they left the cave and walked back to the meadow with the golden brook.

“Find what?” Deep and Lock came forward. Clearly they had been waiting for Kat to come back.

“Some kind of rare flower.” Kat found she could barely look at Deep. Why had he taken her pain? Was it out of pride? A sense of responsibility? She knew that a Kindred warrior took his oath to protect any female in his care very seriously. Could that be why Deep had submitted to the vicious beating for her? She wanted to ask him about it—to thank him for what he’d done. But one glance at the scowl on his dark face told her now wasn’t the time.

“The fifilalachuchu blossom,” Mother L’rin said firmly, pulling her thoughts back to the present.

“You mean the Moons blossom? But those are just a legend,” Lock protested.

The old woman shook her head. “In some legends, truth lies. Find it on the continent you will.”

“The continent?” Deep raised one eyebrow at her. “You want us to cross the golden strait in search of a mythical flower that only blooms when both full moons are in the sky?”

Mother L’rin marched up to him and poked him in the chest with one knarled finger. “At once you must.”

Though she was so tiny she barely reached his waist, Deep took a step back and nodded respectfully. “All right, all right. As you say, Mother.”

“Very good. Enough time have I wasted with you.” She nodded at her giant, silent assistant. “Doby, come.”

“Yes, Mother.” He shambled after her. Before long, both the tiny figure and the huge one had disappeared into the long pink and green grasses that lined the far side of the stream.

“Well.” Lock looked somewhat nonplussed. “It seems we have a quest to fulfill.”

Deep snorted. “It seems so. Though what she expects us to find on the continent besides filth and ignorance, I have no idea.”

“You heard her—she said to find the Moons blossom.” Lock straightened his shoulders. “We’d best get going if we want to make arrangements to leave immediately.”

“Immediately?” Kat asked, startled. “As in tonight?”

“If we can,” Lock said grimly. “You heard Mother L’rin—she said we had to go at once. It may be a matter of life and death.” He looked at Kat. “What did she tell you?”

“A lot of things.” Kat studied the ground, afraid that if she looked up she would catch Deep’s eyes and see the silver whip reflected in their midnight depths.

“What did she say about you?” Deep’s voice was harsh. “Are you completely well? All healed?”

Kat thought of what the wise woman had told her. That if she didn’t touch at least one of the brothers—or preferably both—her pain and weakness would come back. She opened her mouth to tell them…but somehow she just couldn’t. Not after the fight they’d had. How could she ask them to touch her when she refused to bond with them? It seemed rude and wrong—like she was using them. Besides, she had her pride. She didn’t want to sound like she was begging.

“Are you well, my lady?” Lock said and she realized she’d been silent too long.

“I’m fine.” She shrugged, trying to sound unconcerned. “What you two did for me cured me. So…thank you.”

Deep raised one black eyebrow. “So you admit the soul bond was necessary. You’re not so quick to call us liars now, hmm?”

A sharp retort rose to Kat’s lips but she bit it back when she remembered what he’d done for her. Mother L’rin’s voice echoed in her head. “Himself he hates.” Lifting her chin, she looked at Deep. “I’m sorry if what I said hurt you,” she said, staring unflinchingly into his angry eyes. “But it looks like we’re stuck together a little while longer. So I’d like to offer a truce—no more fighting. No more backbiting. No more hurting each other. Deal?”

He raised an eyebrow. “For the duration of our little ‘quest’ as Lock puts it?”

Kat nodded. “Yes. Will you agree?”

Deep shrugged, a look of apparent unconcern on his face. “If you like. Though fighting with you is much more amusing than fighting with Lock.”

“None of us ought to be fighting,” Lock said in a low voice. “We’re going to need to stick together when we get to the continent—if we ever want to get off of it again, that is.”

That sounded ominous to Kat. Like we’re going to the dark side of the moon or something. It’s all on the same planet—how bad can the ‘continent’ be?

She was afraid she was going to find out.

Chapter Sixteen

“Kat! You look wonderful!” Liv was so glad to see her friend’s face on the viewscreen she nearly squeed with joy. Beside her, Sophie was practically hopping up and down with excitement.

“Kat-woman! We miss you so much!”

“I miss you guys too. You have no idea how much.”

“I’m so sorry we let you go alone,” Sophie said breathlessly. “We didn’t want to but pregnant women can’t go through folded space.”

Kat looked startled. “So you’re pregnant too?”

“No, no.” Sophie shook her head rapidly. “But at the time I thought I might be. Because Sylvan and I had been…you know, practically every spare minute and my period was late.”

“Well don’t worry about it, I forgive you.” Kat smiled at both of them.

“But you’re okay?” Liv asked her. “You’re managing, right?”

Kat made a shooing gesture. “Don’t worry about me, girls. There’s nothing on Earth I can’t handle if I put my mind to it. Or on Twin Moons, either.”

“You look good,” Liv said, not quite truthfully. Honestly she thought Kat looked tired and not quite herself. But at least she was up and about instead of passed out on the floor—which was the state she’d been in the last time they’d seen her.

“How do you feel?” Sophie wanted to know.

“Better than I did,” Kat said. “But still not a hundred percent. The headache is gone at least.”

“That’s a start,” Liv said firmly. “So when are you coming home? Just say the word and Baird will get them to fold space.”

Kat grimaced. “If it was up to me I’d be there yesterday but…unfortunately, I can’t come back for a little while yet. There’s something I have to do—have to get—before I can leave Twin Moons.”

“What?” Liv and Sophie chorused together.

Kat laughed. “It always cracks me up when you guys do that—say the same thing at the same time. Well, it’s kind of a long story…”

“And we’ve got nothing but time,” Liv said. “C’mon, Kat—spill.”

Kat sighed and raked a hand through her long auburn hair. “God, how do I put this without sounding crazy…?”

“Don’t worry about the crazy part—that’s a given when it comes to the Kindred,” Sophie ordered. “Just talk.”

“Fine.” Kat took a deep breath. “Apparently joining with Lock and Deep the way I did, to act as their focus, ‘fractured my spirit.’ And the only cure for a fractured spirit is to form a soul bond with a willing Kindred…or two. So…”

“Oh my God!” Sophie clapped a hand over her mouth.

“You mean you’re bonded to Lock and Deep?” Liv demanded.

“Not entirely,” Kat said quickly. “Only about halfway, if that makes any sense.”

“Not a bit,” Liv said. “But go on.”

“Well, with Twin Kindred the bond comes in two halves—the soul bond which is kind of a spiritual connection—and the physical bond. Which is what you get when you have bonding sex.” Kat made a face. “And girls, you would not believe how the Twin Kindred do it.”

“One at a time?” Sophie guessed.

“One in the front and one in the back,” Liv said.

Kat shook her head. “Nope. I met a new friend here by the name of Piper who comes from Houston. And as Piper so charmingly put it, they put ‘two poles in the same hole.’”

“No!” Both Liv and Sophie were aghast. “Jillian never told me that,” Liv protested.

Kat shrugged. “Well, it’s true.”

“But that’s barbaric,” Sophie protested. “Unless they have…do they have really tiny equipment?”

“From what I’ve seen and felt, they’re every bit as endowed as all the other Kindred warriors,” Kat said dryly. “Remember how we used to joke that all Kindred were hung like Clydesdales?”

“Oh no.” Sophie looked horrified.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Kat said, apparently worried by the way they were looking at her. “They have this stuff called bonding fruit that, uh, makes you more flexible in certain areas. If you know what I mean.”

“And that’s supposed to make it okay?” Liv demanded.

“I don’t know about ‘okay,’ but supposedly it keeps the whole process from hurting.” Kat’s cheeks were pink. “Not that I want to find out first hand.”

“Kat, that’s awful! You can’t let them do that to you. You have to get away from them!” Liv leaned forward, wishing she could reach through the viewscreen and drag her friend to safety.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Kat protested. “But first we have to find this rare flower—it only grows in a certain part of Twin Moons.”

“Seriously?” Liv raised an eyebrow at her. “You can’t come home because you and Lock and Deep are going to go flower picking together?”

“We have to. It’s the only way to dissolve the bond.” Kat sighed. “We’re going to bring it back to Mother L’rin and she’s going to make some kind of special bond breaking medicine or something.”

“Well,” Sophie said doubtfully. “I guess if that’s the only way you can get free of them…”

“It is.” Kat ran a hand through her hair. “Look, I told you it sounded crazy, didn’t I? But I have no choice. And I swear as soon as I get the stupid bond dissolved I’ll be on my way back.”

“Well, if you have to, you have to.” Sophie sighed philosophically. “Just try not to take too long. You do realize I can’t plan my wedding without you.”

“Or my baby shower,” Liv put in.

Kat shook a finger at them. “You’d better not!”

“Of course not.” Liv smiled. “So how are things otherwise? Are Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee behaving themselves?”

Kat shook her head. “I just don’t know. Lock is a sweetheart, as always. But Deep…well, Deep is Deep. And I mean that both literally and figuratively.”

Sophie frowned. “Meaning what—that you two are still fighting?”

“We have what you could call an uneasy truce right now,” Kat said. She looked behind her and then leaned closer to the viewscreen and lowered her voice. “But I found something out about him. Something he did—”

“Kat,” a deep male voice said from somewhere off screen. “The ship leaves very soon. You need to hurry.”

“Just a minute!” Kat looked harassed. “We have to leave on the flower hunt tonight and the guys are waiting outside the shuttle so I can talk to you two privately. But I guess they’re getting impatient.”

“Forget about them,” Liv said. “Tell us what you found out. Is he an axe murderer? A gigolo?”

“No,” Sophie cut in. “She said it was something he did. What did he do, Kat? Was it awful?”

“Kat!” said the deep male voice again. “We have to go now.”

Kat sighed. “Sorry, I guess I’ll have to tell you later. But believe me, you will never guess in a million years. Love you both.” She blew kisses at the viewscreen and Liv and Sophie did the same.

“Kat, just tell us—” Liv started to say but then the viewscreen went blank as their friend’s picture flickered out.

“Crap!” Sophie sounded disappointed. “What do you suppose she was about to say? What did Deep do?”

“I have no idea.” Liv frowned. “But knowing him, I’m guessing it wasn’t random acts of kindness. I just hope Kat will be okay.”

Sophie looked troubled. “I hope so too.”

Liv gave her twin a comforting hug. “I’m sure she’ll be home soon and then we can get the scoop directly from the source.”

“I guess.” Sophie didn’t sound convinced. “But I think I’ll ask Sylvan what he knows about Deep…just in case.”

Liv nodded thoughtfully. “I’m going to grill Baird too. And we can compare notes later.”

She just hoped she didn’t find out anything too awful about the dark twin’s past. If Kat was already halfway bonded to him, there was no telling what might happen to their friend.

Chapter Seventeen

“So we’re actually going to sail to this continent place on a boat?” Kat eyed the green wooden boat with the pale pink sail doubtfully. It looked very picturesque rocking on the golden water—but not very safe. And despite living in Florida all her life, Kat had never learned to like sailing—she was always afraid she’d fall off whatever boat she was on, into shark-infested waters. “Why can’t we take the shuttle?” she asked Lock. “We could just fly there, find the fi-fi flower, and be back in a couple of hours.”

“It isn’t permitted to take advanced technology to the continent, my lady,” he said, shaking his head. “The natives who live there are very superstitious. They might take it for black magic and want to kill us for offending their gods.”

“Wait a minute—there are natives?” Kat’s heart skipped a beat.

“Angry, hostile natives.” Deep, who had been loading their gear spoke up.

“Not if you don’t antagonize them,” Lock said quickly. “And honestly, there aren’t that many of them. Hopefully we’ll be able to avoid them all together.”

Kat shook her head. “I don’t understand. Twin Moons seems like such a civilized place. How can you have a whole continent of superstitious savages?”

“It has to do with the genetic trade,” Lock explained. “When the Kindred first came to Twin Moons, hundreds of cycles ago, they introduced themselves to the inhabitants of the islands. There are over three hundred islands of different sizes and shapes in the archipelago, you know. Anyway, the Kindred made their trade with the islanders. Being fishermen, traders, and explorers, they were more open to new ideas and to change.”

“I get it.” Kat nodded. “So the islanders got all the technology and advances…”

“Not to mention the genetic advantages of the Kindred,” Lock said. “While those who still lived on the continent—”

“Remained ignorant savages.” Deep smirked at her. “Ignorant and depraved if you can believe the rumors. It’s said they have the most barbaric sexual habits.”

Kat raised an eyebrow. “More barbaric than never having sex unless you have at least three people involved?”

Deep grinned. “Point taken. But no, they still have two males to one female—that’s normal. For our world, of course. I’m well aware it’s considered immoral and disgusting on yours.” He laughed, as though making a joke, but Kat could feel a wave of bitterness coming from him that belied his apparent good humor. It settled harshly on her tongue like a bad tasting medicine she couldn’t spit out.

“Over the years attempts were made to bring the natives into the trade, but they were put off by the change in our physical appearance,” Lock explained. “The Kindred genes make us much larger and more intimidating. And they changed our skin and hair color too, making us resemble the natives less and less each passing generation. Until at last, we are an entirely different race of people.”

“That’s kind of sad,” Kat said thoughtfully. “To lose contact with your roots that way.”

“Believe me, if you saw them, you wouldn’t think so,” Deep said. “They still live in grass huts and perform sacrifices to their gods on full moon nights. Some even say they practice cannibalism.”

“Ugh.” Kat made a face. “I really hope we can find the fi-fi flower and get back without running in to any of those guys.”

“That’s what we all hope, my lady,” Lock said soberly. “But the sooner we get to the continent, the sooner we can find the Moons blossom and come home.” He looked at Deep. “Are we ready?”

The dark twin nodded. “Everything’s loaded.” He stepped from the pier and over the side of the rocking boat. Looking at Lock and Kat he said, “Come on. Time’s wasting.”

“Very well—come, my lady.” Lock climbed aboard also and then held out a hand to Kat.

Kat looked at the swaying golden water uneasily. It was very beautiful, certainly. But who knew what it hid in its depths? Just watching the way the waves swelled and slapped against the wooden side of the boat made her stomach roll. Still, she had to get aboard. Taking a deep breath, she reached for Lock’s hand. But just as she was leaning over the narrow gap between the pier and the side of the boat, a wave of dizziness hit her.

“God!” She put a hand to her head, swaying and would have fallen if Lock hadn’t quickly grabbed her hand.

“My lady?” he asked, looking at her with concern. “Are you all right?”

“Fine, I’m fine.” Kat blinked, trying to clear the bright spots that were dancing in front of her eyes. “Weak you will be,” whispered the voice of Mother L’rin in her head. “The pain…return it will.” But that couldn’t be happening yet, could it? She was probably just weak because she hadn’t eaten much today and her blood sugar was low. That must be it, Kat told herself. Please God, that has to be it. I can’t deal with this right now. I just need to be strong enough to go get this damn flower and get back again.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Deep was frowning down at her, his bottomless black eyes filled with some emotion she couldn’t read—it roiled inside him like a cloud of smoke, nebulous and confusing. “What happened, anyway?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Kat lied. “I just started to trip but Lock saved me. No big deal.”

“It had better not be. If I find out there’s something you’re not telling us…”

“Leave her alone, Deep.” Lock frowned at his brother. “Go make sure the boat’s ready to sail. We need to go if we’re going to catch the crosswind.”

“Yes, Captain.” Performing a mock salute, Deep turned to go. But not before he pierced Kat with another impenetrable look.

“So how long is this, uh, voyage going to take, anyway?” she asked, ignoring him as they got under way. “Not too long, I hope. This isn’t a very big boat.”

“It’s the sailing vessel our fathers left us,” Lock explained, doing something to one of the many ropes that were all around the boat. “We used to come out in it often before they died.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kat said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“You didn’t,” Lock assured her. “It was a long time ago. And to answer your question, the trip to the continent is only a few hours with a good headwind. We’ll be there before you know it.”

“Oh good.” Kat felt relieved. “I was afraid we were going to be gone for weeks.”

“We might be,” Deep said. “The flower Mother L’rin is sending us to find is rare—some say it exists only in legends and fairy tales.”

“What?” Kat frowned. “Then how are we supposed to find it?”

“We’ll start in the hill region,” Lock said. “That’s where the legends that talk of it come from. And it’s only a day’s hike from where we’ll be landing.”

“Hiking?” Kat raised her eyebrows. “Nobody said anything about hiking. I know you guys have on boots but I’m still wearing these.” She nodded down at the dainty, strappy sandals Lock had gotten for her at the local bazaar. She had to admit he had good taste and was excellent at judging her size, but the sandals were hardly suited to days of rugged mountain climbing.

“Don’t worry,” Deep told her. “The continent is covered in belsh. It’s a soft, velvety moss that cushions your feet at every step.”

“It’s so comfortable to walk on barefoot that the natives have never worn shoes,” Lock explained. “The whole concept of footwear is entirely foreign to them.”

“Well…all right.” She nodded. “But if we’re going to be there awhile, where are we going to stay the night? I’m assuming there aren’t any Hiltons or Holiday Inns on the continent.”

“We’ll sleep under the stars,” Deep said. “And there’s a tent if it rains.” He raised an eyebrow at Kat. “Though it might be a tight fit for three.”

“Guess we’ll be hoping for clear skies then,” she said dryly. Although a night snuggled up between the two of them was probably exactly what she needed to keep from getting too weak to function. What I want and what I need are two different things, Kat told herself firmly. Besides, there’s no point in being worried over nothing. We’ll find the flower and come back in no time. I’ll be fine.

She hoped.

* * * * *

Kat thought later in her life that the trip in the little wooden boat over the golden sea was one of the things about Twin Moons she would never forget.

Because Twin Moons’ sun was a red dwarf, the sunlight had a golden-pink glow that sparkled on the water. It was so clear she could see fathoms and fathoms down to the ocean floor where rainbow colored fish flitted playfully among spiny corals and waving anemone-type creatures. There were larger creatures too, moving in the depths. Some longer than their boat and about twice as wide, with round, glassy eyes and rough purple skin. Lock told her not to worry about them, though. He said they were peaceful plant eaters that wouldn’t harm her even if she fell overboard. Kat planned to stay firmly in the boat anyway—she had no interest in finding out how “tame” and “harmless” the huge creatures were firsthand.

At last they landed on the sandy shore of a vast tract of land—the continent. Deep and Lock anchored their boat firmly in a natural cove they knew of and the three of them took off their shoes and boots and Kat hiked up her dark blue toga dress before they splashed ashore.

The pink, sugar-fine sand of the beach soon gave way to rolling hills covered in a soft green velvety moss that felt wonderful under Kat’s toes. It was sprinkled with yellow and periwinkle blue flowers which she gathered as they walked and wove into a crown to wear in her hair. It was a game she and Liv and Sophie had used to play—queen of the castle—and she wished they could be there to see her now and admire the scenic beauty of the land she found herself in.

To her surprise, Kat was actually enjoying herself. She was more at peace than she could remember feeling since before Liv’s wedding. Before I met Deep and Lock, that is, she told herself. But even the twins seemed to be feeling peaceful. Or at least, Kat wasn’t filled to overflowing with their angst and hunger for once. Everything was quiet here on the continent—even their usually overwhelming emotions. It was very pleasant, though she knew it could change in an instant.

The sky was a vast lavender-blue bowl above her head without a single scrap of cloud. Looks like our sleeping arrangements won’t be too crowded tonight then, Kat thought, gazing up at it. Good thing I’m still feeling fine. It was true she was a little tired, but a lot had already happened that day—it was to be expected that she would get somewhat fatigued, she told herself. Lifting her chin, she ignored the ominous beginnings of a headache behind her right eye, and kept walking.

“So what are we looking for, anyway?” she said after they’d been hiking for about an hour in silence. “I mean, what does this fi-fi blossom look like?”

“The Moons blossom has two flowers on a single stem,” Lock said. “One light and one dark, like the moons that fill our sky at night.”

“One moon—Dakir is always in the shadow of the other—Lanare,” Deep explained. “So Dakir shows up as a black disk in the sky rather than a white or light one like Lanare. “When both are fully visible at once, then it’s said the Moons blossom will bloom.”

“Is it a full moon night tonight then?” Kat asked, shading her eyes to look up at the sky. The large pinkish sun was already descending, dropping behind the purple peaks brooding in the distance.

“The moons are coming to their zenith tomorrow night,” Lock said. But they should be close enough to full tonight for our purposes. Legend says that the Moons blossom hides in plain sight—its stem blends into the belsh and the flowers don’t unfurl until the light of the moons touches their petals.”

“So…they could be anywhere and we’d never see them?” Kat asked.

“Not until the moons come out.” Deep frowned. “Actually, we should probably be finding a place to camp. There’s a likely looking copse of trees over there about a hundred yards away.” He nodded at the small area of dense vegetation which reminded Kat of the bushes and trees in the Healing Gardens. “We might as well get comfortable and find a place to rest since we’re going to be up half the night hunting for fi-fi flowers, as Kat calls them.”

“Very funny.” Kat put a hand on her hip. “But that’s as close to pronouncing that weird long name that Mother L’rin said. Come to think of it, my convo-pillar wouldn’t even translate it. Why is that?”

Deep raised an eyebrow at her. “Possibly because it’s the biological equivalent of a shoddy piece of technological equipment? I believe in Earth vernacular you would call it a ‘piece of crap.’”

“Nice try,” Kat said. “But I’m not giving it up. I don’t like being dependant on anyone else to communicate for me.”

Deep put a hand to his chest. “It touches my heart, little Kat, that you’re so very trusting.”

Kat knew she shouldn’t let him get to her, but her head was really beginning to throb. “Maybe if you’d talk to me instead of keeping secrets,” she said furiously. “If you’d give me a reason to trust you—”

“Stop!” Lock frowned at both of them. “Kat’s convo-pillar couldn’t translate Mother L’rin’s name for the Moons blossom because it comes from the Elder Tongue.”

“The what?” Kat asked.

“The Elder Tongue,” Lock repeated. “It’s the root of all languages on Twin Moons and impossible to translate by biological or technical means. You have to study it for years to understand even a tenth of it.”

“And have you?” she asked. “Studied it?”

“Unsolvable riddles and obtuse, unlearnable languages are my dear brother’s passion,” Deep answered for him. “It’s one of the reasons he puts up with me so well.”

“Exactly,” Lock replied, smiling. “Because no one else in the universe speaks Deep’s language but me. Not really.”

Kat could well believe that was true, but it was interesting to hear them admit it out loud. So they know what they are to each other and how they appear to other people. Deep knows that he makes it hard for Lock and Lock forgives him and loves him anyway. Fascinating.

“Come here, Brother.” Deep grabbed for his twin and threw an arm over Lock’s shoulders, pulling him close for a brief embrace. “What would I do without you to translate for me?”

“You’d have died long ago. Most likely at the hands of an angry mob.” Lock grinned and hugged his twin back.

For a moment Kat forgot her growing headache in the pleasure of their positive emotions for each other. The love that flowed between the brothers spilled through their three-way link and flowed over her skin like the warm glow of a fire on a chilly night. Wow, she found herself thinking. See, if they felt like this all the time, I wouldn’t mind sharing their emotions at all. It’s really kind of nice.

It was so nice, in fact, that she didn’t notice the large green bush with vivid pink flowers that was creeping up behind her. Nor did she see the hand holding a knife with a strange, clear blade until it was at her throat.

By the time she felt the sharp prick on the side of her neck, it was too late. “So still—not moving. A frightened creature ensnared. Lovely prisoner,” whispered a throaty voice in her ear.

“What?” Kat started to look around in panic but the sharp point dug deeper into her neck.

“Goddess of full curves. I do not wish to harm you. Be still in my arms,” the voice commanded as a hard arm encircled her waist.

“Deep?” she gasped, holding perfectly still. “Lock? Guys, I think we have company.”

The twins turned in unison and she saw their faces change from happiness to worry and rage. “You dare…” Deep took a step toward her and her unseen captor, his eyes turning red and his huge hands balled into fists. “You dare touch our female? Take your hands off her now or suffer the consequences!”

“Deep, no!” Lock put a restraining hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Going into rage won’t help.”

“It can’t hurt, either.” Deep took another step forward. He was looking over Kat’s shoulder, clearly addressing the male who was holding her captive. “Let her go now and I might let you live.”

“This elite beauty. Sunfire hair, throat so white. One wrong step kills her,” hissed Kat’s captor.

Despite her terror, Kat couldn’t help wondering about his speech. Is my convo-pillar acting up again or is this guy actually speaking in haikus? If she hadn’t been so afraid it would have been funny. Oh well, better haiku than iambic pentameter, she thought, feeling slightly hysterical. I always sucked at that whenever we did Shakespeare in class.

Deep advanced on her captor, a low growl rising in his throat.

“Deep, stop!” Lock sounded desperate now. “He has a crystal knife—they dip them in shagra venom. One scratch could be fatal to the lady Kat.”

Deep’s eyes narrowed and he took a step backward with obvious effort. “All right, fine.” His voice still sounded rough with barely suppressed fury. “Tell us what you want and then leave us alone.”

“This holy meadow. You trespass here un-asking. Death is your reward.” The knife at Kat’s throat poked a little harder but somehow it still didn’t break the skin. From the corner of her eye she could see a strange sight—the bushes they had seen in the small copse of trees where Deep had wanted to camp for the night were all moving toward them. As they came closer, people emerged from behind them—strange looking people with mottled pinkish skin and large, golden-pink eyes. Their hair was black with a purple tinge and they had thin lips and delicate, pointed ears that made her think of elves or fairies. They were all wearing leaf loincloths and every single one was short—none of them was even as tall as Kat’s own five foot six.

With their diminutive stature and strange, jewel-like eyes, Kat thought they looked an awful lot like Mother L’rin. And their leaf couture reminded her of the wise woman’s huge and silent attendant, Doby. But their appearance didn’t worry her nearly as much as the fact that there appeared to be about fifty of them and all of them were armed with long, clear knives.

Oh my God… She felt faint and queasy. Is this how it ends? Killed by angry alien natives who speak in haikus? I never should have left Earth…

But then Lock began speaking rapidly, saying something that her convo-pillar couldn’t even begin to translate. He gestured at Kat and then made a pleading motion with both hands, his palms outstretched. Kat didn’t know what he was saying but slowly, the male holding the knife at her throat relaxed and finally he withdrew the sharp point all together.

Kat nearly cried in relief but from the look on Lock’s face, they weren’t out of trouble yet. He was still talking for all he was worth, gesturing eloquently, as though trying to make a point. The male behind Kat, who was holding her arm, replied but she got the feeling that Lock wasn’t convincing him to let them go.

Her feeling proved to be justified when her captor came around in front of her and looped a thick strand of rough rope around her wrists.

“Lock,” she asked, careful to keep her voice low and nonthreatening. “What’s going on?”

“I’d like to know as well,” Deep growled. He was eyeing the short, stocky male who had captured Kat in a most unfriendly way and the pupils of his eyes were still more red than black.

“They’re taking us to meet their chief,” Lock said in a low voice. “Apparently we stumbled into their holy meadow and the usual penalty is death. But I told him the lady Kat was a lost sun goddess looking for Moons blossoms to cure her illness.”

“Very poetic of you, Brother,” Deep said, frowning. “But a sun goddess?”

“She has sunfire red hair and she’s an elite,” Lock shot back. “It was the best thing I could think of at the time.”

“So that’s it?” Kat asked as the natives bound both Lock and Deep’s wrists with the same rough, faded pink rope. “We’re just going to go with them?”

“I’m afraid we have little choice, my lady,” Lock said ruefully. “They all have poisoned knives. One scratch will introduce a neuro-toxin into our systems so deadly we would never get home alive.”

“All right.” She nodded and swallowed hard, trying not to think of how close the knife point had come to cutting into her throat. “But what will they do to us when we get to their chief?”

“I think I’ll be able to talk to their chief,” Lock said. “They seem impressed that I know the Elder Tongue. Hopefully I’ll be able to make some kind of bargain.”

“Hopefully,” Kat echoed faintly. When I get out of this, I’m going to have some story for Liv and Sophie.

She just hoped she lived to tell it.

Chapter Eighteen

They threw Kat into a cave. Not just any cave, either—a dark, dirty cave full of very sharp rocks. The only light was from some glowing blue fungus that grew on one wall. There was a large flat boulder not far from the luminescent wall and Kat dragged herself to it and collapsed on it.

Oh God, my head…my head. The pain was back, just as Mother L’rin had predicted and this time it felt even worse than Kat remembered. She wished now that she hadn’t been too proud to tell Lock and Deep what the wise woman had said and ask for help. Stupid…I’m so stupid. But it was too late to be sorry. The brothers had been taken somewhere else and she was on her own.

Kat tried to think about escape but really, where would she go? Even if she could bear to stand upright and try to sneak past the guards at the mouth of the cave, what then? Of course, a heroine in one of her favorite romance novels would have been feisty and smart enough to hatch a plot to save both of her guys and get them all away to safety. But I’m not smart, Kat thought with a groan. Or I would have told Deep and Lock what was going on to begin with. And I’m pretty much the exact opposite of feisty right now. I’m miserable and weak and drained.

She didn’t know how long she lay on the cold, flat boulder. The pain in her head and the weakness that had come over her were so debilitating she could barely move. Her consciousness seemed to come and go in waves and the glowing blue wall at her side flickered in and out like a bizarre kind of neon sign.

“Kat?” The deep voice echoed in the darkness some unknowable length of time later. “Kat? I know you’re in here—I can feel how upset you are.”

“Here,” she managed to whisper feebly. “Who…?”

“It’s me.” Deep came suddenly into view, picking his way toward her over the fallen rocks. “Lock and I felt your distress and he managed to convince the natives that one of us had to be in here with you at all times. Sorry it turned out to be me, but he has to keep talking to their chief so I’m afraid you’re stuck with—” He broke off abruptly, obviously getting a good look at her for the first time. “Gods, Kat! Are you all right?”

“Just peachy.” Kat managed a weak smirk. Despite her pain she was still reluctant to admit the extent of her disability to Deep.

“Why are you lying there like that? What’s wrong?” he demanded, crouching beside her.

“Just getting a little rest.” This is stupid—just tell him! But somehow she couldn’t. “Being kidnapped at knifepoint by aliens who speak in obscure forms of poetry always tires me out.” She tried to smile but it was apparent Deep wasn’t fooled.

“Stop being so goddess damned brave and tell me what’s wrong.” Tilting his head to one side to look into her eyes, he cupped her cheek gently. “Please, Kat. Tell me.”

Even that one simple skin-to-skin touch made things a little better—drove the pain behind her eyes back a bit. Kat couldn’t help herself, she moaned softly in relief.

“I’m sorry!” Deep pulled his hand away as though he’d been stung. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t.” When his hand left her skin, the pain returned. This time it felt like someone was driving a rusty iron spike into her brain. Kat squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear slipping down her cheek though she tried to hold it back.

“Kat?” He sounded genuinely distressed. His hand hovered over her cheek again but didn’t quite connect—as though he was afraid by touching her he would make her worse.

“You didn’t hurt me,” she forced herself to say again. “This…the pain is back, that’s all.”

“How? How could it come back?” Deep demanded.

“Doesn’t matter.” Kat tried to shake her head and groaned. “Knew…knew it would come back. Mother L’rin…warned me.”

Deep scowled. “I knew she’d told you more than you were letting us know. Tell me now, Kat—what did she say?”

Kat was still reluctant to talk but it seemed she couldn’t avoid it any more. “She said…she told me that I still needed…needed to touch you and….Lock.” The rusty iron spike was digging into the tender flesh behind her eyes now, making it hard to think. “Incomplete bond means…pain…weakness….”

Deep ran a hand through his hair distractedly. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Despite her pain, Kat lifted her chin defiantly. “Didn’t want…your pity. And after the fight we had I didn’t…didn’t think you two would want to touch me anyway.”

“You mean you didn’t think I would want to.” Deep shook his head. “Goddess damn you, Kat, for your stupid, stubborn pride. Don’t you know I’d do anything to keep you from pain?” Standing, he began stripping off his shirt.

But when he reached for her, Kat had a sudden thought. “Wait,” she protested as he bent toward her. “Lock said…said it hurts you to touch too much if…if the other one isn’t there.” She gestured weakly at his bare chest. “Too much skin-to-skin contact…without Lock…will hurt you.”

“You think I give a damn about that?” Deep’s voice was an angry growl but he gathered her into his arms with surprising gentleness. “Come here, damn you. Let me hold you,” he murmured, settling himself on the flat boulder with her in his lap.

Kat couldn’t help it—she didn’t want to give him pain, but the immediate relief she felt when his broad, warm chest came in contact with her cheek was too wonderful to deny. His arms around her were so comforting and strong and the scent of his skin made her feel safe—protected. Suddenly, though she didn’t know why, she was crying.

Stop crying, stupid! It’s bad enough that holding you hurts him, he doesn’t want you crying all over him too! But she couldn’t stop. And to her surprise, Deep didn’t say a thing. No sarcastic remarks or biting observations—he just held her closer and stroked her hair in a gentle rhythm that somehow calmed her down.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last, when her tears slowed. “I didn’t mean to cry like that.”

“Were you crying because it still hurts?” Pressed against him as she was, his voice rumbled through her in a way that was oddly comforting.

“No,” Kat said honestly. “I think…I think I was crying because it finally stopped hurting. I know that doesn’t make any sense…”

“It doesn’t have to.” Deep stroked her hair. “There’s no rhyme or reason to pain—it just is.”

“I’m feeling better now,” she said cautiously, raising her head to look at him. In the dim otherworldly glow from the luminescent moss he looked like a dark angel. “I…I should probably be all right for a little while now.”

He shook his head. “Can’t wait to get away from me, can you?”

“It’s not that,” Kat protested. “But I know this is hurting you. Every minute you touch me without Lock touching me too—he told me it was like an electrical shock running through you. That can’t be comfortable.”

“It’s not,” he said shortly. “And yet, I would hold you a little while longer, if you’ll permit it.”

“Oh, uh…okay.” Kat tried not to let the surprise show on her face but clearly he could feel it through their link.

“It surprises you?” Deep asked, settling her more firmly against him. “That I would want to touch you—to be near you—for any kind of nonsexual reason?”

“It’s not sexual?” she blurted. “I mean, you do have your shirt off and I’m wearing a really thin dress with no bra—”

“Does this feel sexual to you?” He shifted his hips, pressing up against her. The intimate contact made it obvious that he wasn’t hard.

“Uh no,” Kat admitted. “No, I guess not.”

“It can’t be sexual—not without Lock. And I don’t want it to be,” Deep said softly. “Don’t want you to think that’s all there is—to think that’s all I want from you.”

“What do you want?” Kat looked up at him, honestly confused.

“Right now? Just to hold you.” He kissed her gently on the forehead.

“But the pain—”

“Believe me, little Kat, the pain of not holding you is much worse than any discomfort I get from a little skin-to-skin contact.” Deep stroked her back. “Do you believe me?”

“Yes.” She nodded slowly. “I don’t understand but…I do believe you.”

“Thank you. Now relax and be still.”

They sat in silence for a long while—how long, Kat didn’t know. There seemed to be no time in the dark, cool cave. Just the sound of their breathing and the faint thunder of Deep’s heart in her ear. She could smell his mating scent—the warm, dark chocolate sex smell which had made her feel so threatened before. But it didn’t scare her now. She breathed it in gratefully, glad for its soothing effect on her nerves. Safe, it seemed to whisper deep in the primitive part of her brain. As long as you’re in his arms you’re safe. This male will kill or die to protect you. Safe.

Kat relaxed and though she never would have believed it possible, she felt strangely content. She didn’t feel anger or hurt or irritation coming from Deep, either. He seemed to somehow be perfectly at peace—as though something had calmed the roiling storm of negative emotions that seemed to constantly fill him. Something or someone. Could it be her? Was she the reason he was calmer now, at peace? But how could that be right? Could it be that Deep cared for her…even loved her the way she knew Lock did?

The thought was so wholly foreign that Kat pushed it away at first. Why would he feel that way about me? He can’t stand me—we get on each other’s nerves. But then why had he taken her pain? Why was he, even now, allowing himself to be hurt for her sake? Could it be more than his Kindred sense of duty toward a female he had sworn to protect?

Experimentally, Kat shifted in his arms. Leaning even closer, she put her right arm around his waist and rested it lightly on his broad back. Deep stiffened at first but he didn’t tell her to stop, even when she traced one of the raised, ridged scars with a careful finger.

“Tell me about these,” she said softly, looking up at him. “Please?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “What do you want to know?”

“How you got them. Why you got them.”

“I told you—”

“And tell me the truth,” she said, before he could finish the lie. “I already know it—I just want to hear it from you.”

“If you already know, why do you want me to say it?” he demanded. “How did you find out, anyway? Did Mother L’rin tell you?”

“More like she reminded me of it. I…I saw it in a dream,” Kat confessed, not sure how he would take it. “I think it was while I was unconscious—when you two first brought me to the Healing Gardens.”

“So…you were dream sharing with us? With me?” Deep sounded shocked.

“I guess so.” Kat looked up at him. “Does that upset you?”

“It surprises me.” He peered down at her. “I guess I thought there could never be that kind of connection between us.”

“Why?” asked Kat, honestly curious. “I mean, why not? After the connection we shared during the joinings we did, it doesn’t seem so strange.”

“One doesn’t necessarily equate with the other. Just because we—”

“Deep,” she interrupted softly. “We’re getting off the subject. Why did you take my pain?”

“Someone had to.” His voice was rough and low and he wouldn’t look at her. “Mother L’rin said you’d die otherwise. I…couldn’t let that happen.”

“Why not? Because you and Lock had been charged with my safety?”

“If you like. It’s as good a reason as any other.”

“No, it’s not.” Kat sat up in his lap and frowned at him. “I need to know the real reason.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Why? Why do you care?”

“Because I need to know how you feel about me—all right?” Kat pushed away from him and stood there trembling, her hands on her hips.

“How can you not know?” His voice was hoarse and he sat there unmoving before her, his hands on his thighs. “We share emotions, remember? We feel each others feelings constantly.”

“But all I ever feel from you are negative emotions—anger, pain, sorrow, irritation…” Kat shook her head. “Lock tried to convince me that you cared about me, but you weren’t admitting it to yourself. Except, I don’t know if I can buy that. How can you not let yourself feel if you care for someone?”

Deep scowled and looked away. “Feeling too much can be a dangerous thing, little Kat. Especially if you know the other person doesn’t feel for you as well.”

“You have to give the other person a chance to feel.” Kat couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with him, but somehow the words kept coming out. “You have to let them believe you could ever be interested in them.”

He gave a short, sharp laugh. “How could anyone not be interested in you? You’re an elite with curves like a goddess.”

“Which is exactly why plenty of the guys on my planet wouldn’t be interested,” Kat said quietly. “I don’t know how much you understand about Earth but most cultures there—especially my culture—don’t go for full figured girls in a big way. They want skinny women—the skinnier the better.”

“What?” Deep stared at her, obviously startled. “So they reject you because of your curves instead of revering you for them?”

Kat couldn’t help smiling. “I know—it’s bizarre, isn’t it? I mean with a body like this, you’d think I’d have the world at my feet.” She made a gesture at her full hips and breasts.

Deep’s gaze flickered over her body hungrily. “That’s exactly what I would think.”

She laughed. “I was being sarcastic.”

“I wasn’t,” he said softly.

“I can tell.” She looked at him seriously. “Look, I’ve been plus-sized all my life. And barring some miracle breakthrough in skinny drugs, it looks like I’m always going to be a size eighteen instead of a size eight. But that’s okay, I’m used to it. I’m just…not the kind of girl you and Lock would be dating back on Earth. You’re big, muscular, good looking guys—you could have your pick. And I guarantee it wouldn’t be me.”

“If you think either one of us would rather be with some stick-thin bag of bones—”

Kat laughed again. “Hey now, no need to get down on the skinny girls. They need love, too.”

“Not from me and my brother.” Deep looked at her, a small frown on his face. “Kat, you’re beautiful—gorgeous. Is that really so hard for you to believe?”

“Not as much as it was,” she said carefully. “But then, I’ve always known you and Lock found me attractive. I could, uh, feel it pretty clearly when I was between you.”

“You mean the way our bodies react to yours,” he murmured. “Of course. How could we help it?”

Kat cleared her throat. “To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t kick you two out of bed for eating crackers either. So the physical aspect isn’t an issue.”

Deep shook his head. “I don’t understand your reference. Are you trying to say you find my brother and me attractive?”

“Very much so.” Kat ducked her head, having a hard time looking him in the eye. “But you already knew that.”

“I knew that your body reacted to ours,” he said softly. “But physical attraction doesn’t always equate with compatibility.”

“Exactly.” Kat took a deep breath. “Which is why I still don’t know why you took that beating for me. Did you do it out of a sense of duty? Or just because you wanted me—felt lust for me? Or was there another reason?” she said, before he could answer. “A deeper reason?”

“Come here.” He reached for her and Kat went willingly into his arms. He was so tall that, even though he was still sitting and she was standing, they were pretty much eye-to-eye. “You have to understand,” he said hoarsely. “You’re so beautiful…so high above me. What good does it do a male to love a goddess? I might as well love the sun or the stars or anything else that’s forever out of reach.”

“I’m not completely out of reach,” she said quietly. “I’m just frightened. Feeling your emotions all the time—that’s pretty overwhelming. And you…you can be pretty scary sometimes.” She lifted her chin. “Not that I’m afraid of you.”

He studied her for a long moment. “Maybe I’m afraid of you—did you think about that?”

“Why?” Kat frowned. “You’re a hundred times stronger than me. You could probably break me in half with your pinky finger.”

“It isn’t physical pain that frightens me,” he said hoarsely. “That’s nothing. It’s—”

At that moment five or six of the pink-skinned natives came into the cave, voices echoing in the darkness with their strange language. Kat caught parts of several different haikus, though none of them made much sense.

“Deep,” she said apprehensively.

“Stay behind me.” Deep dropped her hands and stood protectively in front of her. He was so big she had to peer around him to catch sight of their captors.

Suddenly a new voice rang in the cave. “It’s all right. Deep—Kat—don’t worry.” Lock suddenly appeared behind the armed natives. “It’s all right,” he said again. “They’re just moving us to the guest hut.”

“The guest hut?” Deep sounded skeptical. “Why are we going there?”

“I convinced the chief that we’re not going to run away.” Lock reached them at last. Then he nodded and said something to the natives who grunted back and began to lead the way out of the cave.

“So are we stuck here?” Kat started to head for the entrance but her foot slipped on a loose stone and she nearly fell. “Whoa!”

“Be careful!” Deep caught her by the arm. “Are you all right?” he asked frowning. “Still weak?”

“A little weak but I’m fine,” Kat assured him.

“Perhaps I should assist you, just in case.” Lock came up on her other side and took her hand.

“A good idea, Brother,” Deep said, letting her go at once. “Be certain she doesn’t trip—the ground here is treacherous.”

“Yes, it’s very dangerous.” Kat reached for the dark twin and took him by the hand. She saw Deep’s startled look as she entwined their fingers and she gave him a tentative smile in return. “So dangerous that I need both of you to help me.”

“If you’re certain…” Deep looked down at their hands as though he couldn’t believe she was touching him when she didn’t have to.

Kat could scarcely believe it herself. Now that all three of them were touching skin-to-skin, she could feel the familiar tingle of sexual electricity traveling through her body. But strangely enough, she had no urge to pull away and end it as she always had before. Instead she held both brothers’ hands tightly and smiled at both of them as they exited the cave.

It wasn’t far from the rocky cave in the hillside to a small village of grass huts, enclosed by a high wall of sharpened green stakes. Their captors led them past the gates and through the middle of the native town.

Kat tightened her grip on the twins’ hands and tried not to notice how people were gawking at them. Apparently having strangers in town was big news—especially if they were aliens from another land. She saw family units, all with two males and one female, and numerous pink children running around and playing in the lush belsh that carpeted the ground. The women stopped drawing water from the well and the children ceased their chatter as Kat and her men walked past. Well, I always did want to be a show-stopper, she thought wryly, smiling at one of the many children who were staring gape-jawed at them.

At last they reached a circular grass hut near the outskirts of town and their guards motioned for them to go in.

“Thank you.” Kat ducked inside, grateful to be out of the public eye. She wanted to explore the grass hut they found themselves in but she was already tired again. “So what kind of deal did you make with the chief?” she asked Lock, as she sat on a straw-stuffed cushion covered in the same velvety belsh as the ground. “God, I’m wiped.”

“Are you all right?” Deep, who had been checking the hut, his eyes narrowed for possible threats, looked at her with concern.

“Fine.” She waved a hand at him. “Still just a little tired, that’s all.”

“You mean weak.” He came to sit beside her and nodded at his brother. “Lock, come. Kat needs both of us now.”

“With pleasure.” Lock settled himself on her other side. “Is there a problem?”

“Kat’s weakness and pain will come back if we don’t touch her enough,” Deep explained.

Lock looked worried. “Mother L’rin told me that might happen but I had hoped she was wrong.”

Deep frowned. “When did she tell you that?”

“When we first brought Kat to her. While you were being—” Lock seemed to catch himself just in time. “When you weren’t there.”

“It’s all right, Lock,” Kat said in a low voice. “I know about what Deep did for me and he knows I know it.”

“You do? Good.” Lock looked relieved. “I’m glad not to have to hide it anymore.”

“I think the three of us should stop hiding a lot of things from each other,” Kat said firmly. “For instance, I notice that you still haven’t answered my question—what kind of deal did you make with the chief?”

The light twin looked uncomfortable. “Tomorrow night is their full moons festival. I had to promise that we would make a sacrifice to their gods.”

“A what?” Deep frowned. “Brother if you think—”

“Not a sacrifice of blood,” Lock interrupted. “Don’t worry about that—no one needs to get hurt.”

“Then why are you feeling so upset about it?” Kat asked. “Just tell us, Lock—how bad can it be?”

Lock blew out a breath and raked a hand through his dark blond hair. “I’m upset because I know you’re going to be upset, my lady. I…I had to promise them a sacrifice of pleasure. We’re going to be acting out the courtship of the sun and the moons for the, ah, private edification of the chief.”

“Lock!” Deep looked angry. “Couldn’t you offer them anything else?”

Lock turned on his brother. “Not without spilling blood! We trespassed on their holy meadow—we’re lucky we’re not all dead right now.”

“Okay, all right you two.” Kat held up her hands. “Look, it’s a lot more comfortable being between you when you’re not angry with each other.”

“I hope you’re willing to be between us in a much more literal sense then, little Kat,” Deep growled. “Because that’s what my brother has promised these savages.”

“What?” Kat went cold all over with apprehension. “What do you mean?”

Lock sighed. “It has to do with the legend of our sun, Nyra, and her two lovers the moons, Dakir and Lanare. She had to choose between the two of them.”

“Oh?” Kat raised an eyebrow, her heart pounding. “And which did she choose?”

Deep gave her a level look. “Both.”

Chapter Nineteen

“I want to hear more about your home world. More about Earth.” The words were demanding but his tone was soft and his blazing red-on-black eyes were almost gentle.

Lauren was so relieved to see him again, to hear his deep voice, that she didn’t care what he asked her. As long as he talks to me. As long as he comes back.

For a time the tasteless nutra-wafers had been brought to her by strange, emotionless creatures that scared her. They had flesh and gray skin like Xairn’s but they reminded her of robots out of a science fiction movie. Their eyes were dead—both the white and the iris were bottomless black pits and when she looked into them, she saw nothing. Nothing at all.

Pushing away the awful memory, she concentrated on the man in front of her. “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your life, your…family.” He frowned. “Is that the correct word for the people you live with?”

“Well I don’t live with anyone right now,” Lauren said cautiously. “And I don’t have a whole lot of family—really it’s just me and my mom. But we’re very close.”

“You…love her?” He said “love” as though it was a word in a foreign language that he didn’t fully understand. It probably is, Lauren told herself. I’m lucky he speaks English at all.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, I love her very, very much.”

“And she feels the same for you?” He was leaning forward now, a look in his strange red-on-black eyes that was hard to define. Hunger? Need? Longing?

“My mom loves me more than anything else in the world,” Lauren said with unshakable certainty. “She would die for me without thinking twice.” And she’s probably dying a little every day right now, wondering where I am.

She could imagine her mother’s frantic, worried face, could picture the way she was probably searching everywhere to find Lauren. Everywhere but in the right place. Because how could she ever suspect what had happened? Oh Mom, I miss you so much! A sudden longing to see her mother, to hear her familiar soft voice and know that everything was okay, came over Lauren so strongly that tears rose in her eyes.

“If she has so much love for you, why are you crying?” He still pronounced “love” like a foreign word but the look he was giving her was one almost of concern.

“Because I miss her. And I know she’s probably looking everywhere for me. She’s probably frantic with worry and I…I’ll probably never see her again. ”

“It would hurt you that much to be forever separated from her?” He sounded curious.

“Of course it would!” Lauren blotted her eyes on his cloak and took a deep breath, trying to slow the tears. She knew from past experience that crying was a sure way to drive any man away and she wanted Xairn to stay. “I’m sorry, but wouldn’t you be upset if you were never going to see your father again? I mean, I know he’s really scary and weird but he’s still your dad. Right?”

Xairn looked away. “I feel nothing for him. And he feels nothing for me.”

“Oh.” Lauren bit her lip, uncertain what to say. “I…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He shook his head. “It has always been so.”

“But don’t you…” Lauren hesitated, uncertain of how to phrase her question, afraid she might drive him away again. “Haven’t you ever had anyone love you? Or had anyone to love?” she asked at last.

“Once.” His deep voice was remote. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“It does matter,” Lauren said earnestly. “My mom always says that everyone just needs three things to be happy—something to do, something to look forward to, and someone to love.”

He laughed tonelessly. “Why would you think that happiness is a priority aboard the Fathership?”

“I guess it’s not.” Lauren twisted her fingers together. “But don’t you want to be happy?”

“I don’t want anything.” His voice sounded dead. “I merely exist.”

Lauren wanted to point out that “merely existing” was no way to live but she sensed this was no time to trade philosophy with him. If I want to keep him with me, I have to keep him interested. It made her think of Scheherazade, the heroine from The Arabian Nights, which she’d read as a little girl. Scheherazade had been married to a king who took a new wife every morning and killed her every night. But she told the king stories every night, stories that led into other stories and kept him too interested to kill her.

I have to be like that, Lauren told herself. I have to keep him interested.

She cleared her throat and smiled at Xairn. “Let me tell you something else about Earth. Have you ever heard of ice cream?”

* * * * *

Xairn listened to her speak, her soft, harmonious voice rising and falling as she told him about her world. She talked on and on, about the strange foods the humans ate and the soft white sands and warm waters of the beaches in the place where she lived. She talked about entertainments called movies and plays and explained that they read stories called “books” for pleasure.

The concept was foreign to Xairn. He knew how to read in two hundred different languages and dialects, including her own English, but the idea of reading something for anything other than information was a novelty to him.

Lauren answered his questions about books and then spoke about her childhood, growing up alone with only her mother for company. Much as Xain had had only his
father—the AllFather. But it soon became clear that their childhoods had nothing else in common. She spoke with love and tenderness about her mother, talked about how she had taken care of Lauren even in difficult circumstances. As far as he could tell there had been discipline, but nothing like the kind of punishments the AllFather could devise. Lauren had never known cruelty or hatred from the one who was supposed to love and care for her.

Xairn wondered why his heart throbbed while he listened. It was a weakness, he supposed—the same weakness that had caused him to come see her again, even though he had sworn not to. But still, he lingered and he listened, unable to pull himself away.

At last he realized the time. It was late—much later than he’d intended to stay. Already he had missed some crucial tasks for which he would doubtless be punished.

“I have to go.” He rose as he spoke and her eyes—lovely and golden in her light brown face—followed his movements.

“Do you have to?” Her voice was soft and pleading. “Can’t you stay a little while longer?”

Xairn shook his head. “I’ve already neglected several of my duties too long. I will probably be whipped—my father will order it done.”

“Oh no!” Lauren put a slim hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.”

Xairn shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does,” she insisted. “You’ll hate me for it when you’re being punished. And then you’ll never want to come see me again.”

“That’s not true.” Not knowing why he did it, Xairn stooped and placed a hand awkwardly over hers. “I take responsibility for my own actions,” he said softly. “I wanted to stay with you and so I stayed. I don’t hate you.”

She looked up at him with uncertainty and fear in her eyes and suddenly he saw how he must look to her. He was huge, hulking—monstrous. His shoulders were fully twice as broad as hers and his skin, which had seemed normal to him until now, was rough and discolored next to her smooth, creamy brown. And his eyes…his eyes were the worst of all. He had studied some Earth mythology and he knew what they must look like to her. A demon—isn’t that the word? She must think I have a demon’s eyes.

“You’re not a demon,” she said softly and he realized he must have spoken the words aloud. “I don’t think that about you, Xairn.”

The momentary lapse startled and troubled him. “That’s because you don’t know me,” he said roughly. He stood abruptly. “I must go.”

“Will…will you come back?” She looked up at him, hope shining in her amber eyes. “Please, you’re the only one I have to talk to. Please don’t leave me alone again with those…those things.”

“They are Scourge, the same as me,” he said, frowning. “They’re simply grown in the artificial wombs we call vats.”

“No.” Lauren shook her head. “They’re not the same as you. They’re nothing like you. I can see it in their eyes—they’re empty inside. Soulless.”

“So am I.”

“No,” Lauren said again, more softly this time. “You’re not soulless, Xairn. You’re just locked up tight inside. So tight even you don’t know how to find the key.”

“I have no time for your Earth metaphors,” he said harshly. “I must go.”

“Go on, then.” She looked at him appealingly. “But please…please come back.”

“I make no promises,” he said. The disappointment in her eyes made him add, “But I will try.”

“Thank you,” she said simply. “I’ll look forward to our next conversation. Maybe…maybe you can tell me something about your life.”

“I could.” Xairn laughed humorlessly. “But I doubt you’d wish to hear it. I have no pretty little stories of when I was young, Lauren. The only tales I could tell you—” He broke off, shaking his head.

“What?” she urged softly.

“Nothing.” He turned for the door. “I’ll come back again if I’m able.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

And though he knew she was only acting out of self preservation, he could have sworn that she actually meant it.

Chapter Twenty

“Tell me again what we have to do,” Kat said, wishing she felt a little less weak and nervous. She’d spent the night cuddled between Lock and Deep, in a nice, nonsexual way. The contact should have boosted her energy, but somehow she still felt off her game. At least the headache hadn’t come back, though—she didn’t think she could stand to go through what they were about to do with that rusty iron spike in her brain.

They had spent the day being feasted and stared at by the natives. Then, as evening drew near, all of them had bathed separately in the sacred golden waters of the holy stream in preparation for the night. Kat had been avoiding the thought of the coming ceremony, but she couldn’t help thinking of it now as she arranged the ceremonial outfit she’d been given to wear.

Her native haute couture appeared to be made mostly of leaves and flowers and was tied on by vines. It made her feel like Jane from the old Tarzan movies and not in a good way. She was nervous because she didn’t have on anything under it. So any strong breeze was likely to equal a wardrobe malfunction of epic proportions.

Deep and Lock had on leafy loincloth things too, but on them the leaf look was somehow hot. Their broad, sculpted chests and long, muscular legs seemed made to be exposed. They looked like Greek gods that had come to life right down to the strategically placed fig leaves. Of course, pretty soon she was going to be looking under those fig leaves. Don’t kid yourself, Kat—you’re going to be dong more than looking, whispered a little voice in her head. Kat tried to push it away but it wouldn’t go. She couldn’t quite believe what she was about to do, but it seemed to be their only way out, so she had no choice.

“We’ll be reenacting the courtship of the sun and the moons,” Lock said, interrupting her nervous musings. He patted her shoulder comfortingly. “The chief will be reciting the legend in their common speech so hopefully your convo-pillar will be able to translate. Just do exactly as the chief says and everything will be all right.”

“Yes, but what exactly is the chief going to say?” Kat asked, vainly trying to rearrange her leaves for maximum coverage. God, this is ridiculous! I feel like I’m wearing a salad—I’d get more coverage from a g-string bikini.

“We discussed this last night—you know the legend,” Deep growled. “It’s mainly going to be a lot of kissing and tasting but there’s likely to be penetration too. It just depends on these people’s version of the tale.”

“Will we…” Kat swallowed hard. “Is this going to seal the bond between us?” The prospect wasn’t as frightening as it had been. She and Deep seemed to be on better terms now, though she wished their talk in the cave hadn’t been interrupted. But she still wasn’t sure about the idea of being tied to the brothers for life.

Deep seemed to sense her hesitation. He frowned. “That shouldn’t be necessary. Though you may have to allow us to penetrate you.”

Kat swallowed hard. “Both at…at the same time?”

“No.” Lock shook his head firmly. “We won’t go that far, my lady, I swear it. At most Deep and I will enter you one at a time and then only briefly, for the purpose of the reenactment.”

“We won’t fuck you or come in you if that makes you feel any better,” Deep said harshly. His blunt words made Kat’s heart skip a beat.

“Oh my God. Okay. All right.” Kat took a deep breath. “I can handle this. I can.”

“Of course you can.” Deep’s voice went from harsh to unexpectedly gentle. “You know Lock and I would never hurt you, little Kat.”

“Yes, I know.” Kat had a sudden thought. “But won’t it hurt you? I mean, to be so…uh, intimate with me if only one of you is involved?”

“As long as we’re both making contact with you it won’t matter that one of us is touching you more…intimately than the other.” Lock coughed. “If you know what I mean.”

“I think so.” Kat nodded.

“So if Lock has to penetrate you, I’ll be holding you,” Deep explained. “The same way we did the night after you ate the bonding fruit. Remember?”

“How could I forget?” Her uninhibited behavior that night still made Kat’s cheeks hot. But I’m about to get a whole lot more uninhibited now, she told herself unhappily. We’re about to put on a live three-way sex show here for Chief Pervert and his band of merry men. Crap, how am I going to do this?

“My lady…” Lock took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “It’s going to be all right,” he murmured. “We’re going to get through this together.”

Kat saw the sincerity in his deep brown eyes and felt a little of her anxiety melt along with her heart. Why did Lock have to be so sweet and easy to trust? It made refusing to be with them permanently even harder. “Yes, all right,” she whispered. “I know.”

“And though it may strengthen the bond we already have—the soul bond, I swear it won’t form a physical bond,” Deep added, also looking at her. “I know that’s what you’re afraid of, but you don’t need to worry.”

Kat wasn’t sure what to say to that. She could feel the hurt radiating from Deep, the longing she had felt after their first joining, when he’d asked her to stay the night with him and Lock. Part of her wanted to hug him and give him hope—to let him know that she was becoming more open to the idea of bonding with them. But another part—a deeper part—was cautious.

She well remembered the times in her parents’ marriage when her father and mother would seem to make up. For weeks—once even for months—the constant bickering would stop and there would be peace between them. Kat would always get her hopes up that this would be the time they would learn to love each other…and then everything would blow up and things would be worse than before.

I can’t risk that, she thought, seeing the need in Deep’s black eyes, feeling the desire from both of them. I have to be absolutely sure before I let myself get into something I can never get out of.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last, looking up at Deep. “Really sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Lock stroked her cheek gently. “We know how you feel, my lady. And neither of us blames you for it.”

But Kat was very much afraid that Deep did blame her—and there was nothing she could do about it. He was silent, however, as he bent and kissed her forehead.

Then their guards came to the door of the hut and motioned. “The full moons shine down. The chief awaits your pleasure. Come do her bidding,” said the short, husky one who had taken Kat prisoner in the first place.

Her? Kat decided her convo-pillar must be acting up again. She nodded at the guard, trying unsuccessfully to smile. God, if I never hear another haiku again it’ll be too soon!

“All right, we’re coming.” Deep and Lock put her between them. Then, with Lock leading the way and Deep bringing up the rear, they left the grass hut and followed the guards.

The sun had just finished setting and there was still a warm pinkish-orange glow in the deep purple sky as they walked. A soft breeze played over her face, caressing her with the exotic scent of foreign flowers. Kat wondered where the twin moons were— she still didn’t see anything in the sky but the white pinpricks of the stars.

Somewhere out there is Earth, she thought. I’ve never been so far away from home in all my life. The thought made her feel lonely and homesick so she tried not to dwell on it. After all, I’ll be going back soon. Back to the Mother ship to see Liv and Sophie. As soon as we do this little show the natives will set us free. Then we’ll find the stupid fi-fi flower, get the meds from Mother L’rin, and I’ll be back with the girls eating Ben and Jerry’s and catching up on the latest gossip before you know it.

She tried not to imagine how she would feel once she took Mother L’rin’s medicine and was truly and permanently separated from both Deep and Lock. Even two days before she would have felt only relief to be parted from them. Now she wasn’t so sure…

Kat refused to let herself think about it. Instead she looked around at the lush, Twin Moons landscape and thought about how oddly familiar their surroundings looked. Come to think of it, where they were looked exactly like…

“Hey,” she said in a low voice. “Aren’t we back in the holy meadow?”

Lock looked around. “It would appear so.”

“So this is where we’re supposed to, uh, do our thing?”

Deep shrugged. “I guess so.”

Kat put a hand on her hip, thoroughly pissed off. “So their precious meadow is too holy to walk on but it’s okay to have a three-way screw session on it?”

“It’s not just a ‘three-way screw session,’” Lock said, mild reproof in his deep voice. “The legend we’re enacting is holy to all of us on Twin Moons—not just the natives. It explains how we became the people we are—why we are born as twins and need to share a single female between us.”

“Sorry,” Kat felt abashed. “I didn’t mean to make fun of your Adam and Eve story. Or I guess in this case, Adam and Eve and Steve. Or whatever.”

“It’s all right.” Lock smiled at her. “I just wanted you to know that what we’re doing tonight is more than just the chief’s erotic whim. It’s sacred to us—a beautiful thing, if you can bring yourself to see it that way.”

Kat swallowed. “I’ll try,” she said softly. “But I didn’t know we were performing a sacrament. I’m afraid I’d make a lousy alter boy.”

“A what kind of boy did you say?” Lock frowned.

“She’s just making a joke because she’s nervous,” Deep said, coming unexpectedly to her rescue. “Go easy on her, Brother. This is hard for our little Kat.”

Harder than you know, Kat thought, but didn’t say aloud. Their native guards were gesturing at them now and pointing to a circular clump of bushes to one side of the meadow. She and Deep and Lock walked over to the leafy clump and Kat was surprised when there was a sudden rustling and three pink skinned natives appeared from behind the bushes.

Two of them were male warriors with the usual leaf loincloths. But the third was clearly female. Despite her diminutive stature, she stood straight and tall, with the regal bearing of royalty. She had thick, lustrous black hair that reached to her ankles and she was wearing the same kind of leaf/flower/vine dress that Kat had on. In her hand was a green wooden scepter tipped with the deadly clear crystal all the native warriors had in their knives.

“Behold.” Lock bowed low to the regal female. “The chief.”

“A woman?” Kat asked doubtfully as she and Deep followed Lock’s lead and bowed. “But I thought the chief was a man.”

Deep frowned. “Why would you think that? We are a matriarchal society, you know—even the natives.”

“Especially the natives,” Lock murmured softly, watching as the chief conferred with the two males Kat assumed must be her mates. “They worship and revere their females almost as goddesses. Which of course, is as it should be.”

Kat shook her head. “You guys…I swear, if more Earth girls knew about Twin Moons, your whole planet would be completely overrun with desperate females looking to be Kindred brides.”

“I don’t think so.” Deep’s voice was unexpectedly harsh. “We frighten your kind, Kat. Frighten them to death.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she demanded in a low voice. “If you have something to say—”

His eyes flashed. “Nothing you want to hear, I’m sure.”

“Be silent.” Lock’s voice was unusually sharp. “The chief wishes to speak.”

“Visitors from the land beyond, we bid thee welcome,” the chief said in a low, melodious voice.

Kat counted the syllables silently. Good—no more haikus! Maybe because she’s a woman? Who knows…

“Thou art indeed most welcome, though thou camest as trespassers upon our holy soil,” the chief continued and Kat sighed inwardly. Apparently, the convo-pillar had traded Japanese poetry for Old English mumbo-jumbo. But at least she’s understandable. And she doesn’t sound like Yoda—that’s always a good thing.

“We are pleased to do your bidding, blessed one,” Lock said, bowing deeply again. “If by our sacrifice of pleasure we can make your full moons festival more sacred, then we gladly give of ourselves.”

Speak for yourself! Kat thought. From the dark look on Deep’s face, he was thinking much the same. The two of them remained silent, however and Kat couldn’t help thinking it was a good thing they had Lock to do the talking. He was really sweet and kind and honest but he could also, apparently, be a silver-tongued negotiator when he put his mind to it. It gave her new respect for the light twin, who could be sometimes overshadowed by his brother’s dark moods.

“Thy coming was foreordained by the stars,” the chief said, nodding her head at Kat. “A sunfire goddess searching for the sacred blossom, and her mates, light and dark, as the moons above.” She lifted her hands to the heavens and Kat looked up instinctively. What she saw nearly took her breath away.

High above them were two huge moons. One was a brilliant, silvery white and the other was so black it looked like an onyx orb in the sky. Both were many times bigger than Earth’s moon and the white one shed an eerie, otherworldly light over the holy meadow. Kat couldn’t understand how she hadn’t seen them before. They had either risen very quickly or she had been too involved in the conversation with Deep and Lock and the chief to notice. But now that she had seen them, she couldn’t look away.

“Oh,” she whispered reverently. “They’re beautiful.”

“Dakir and Lanare,” the chief said softly. “The twin lovers of Nyra, our beloved sun. But how came the fiery maiden to choose them both? Tonight shall we speak of these things and show them again for the pleasure of all.”

“You mean we’re going to show them,” Deep muttered, frowning.

The chief caught his words and nodded. “Indeed, warrior. Your brother has told me of your quest. Know this—if thou please the gods with thy sacrifice, the holy meadow shall burst into blossom and the fifilalachuchu flower shall be thine.”

“Really?” Kat looked around the meadow eagerly, but she saw nothing except the little yellow and blue flowers she’d woven into a crown the day before. “Where are they?”

“They shall not bloom unless thy sacrifice is pleasing.” The chief sounded stern. “See to it that it is.”

“Of course we shall,” Lock said smoothly. “How do you wish us to perform, oh blessed one?”

“My mates and I shall sit here, behind the screen of leaves.” The chief gestured to the flowering bushes behind them. “I shall speak the sacred words and thou must act upon them. See that thou givest proper sacrifice—the gods themselves are as we shall be—seeing but unseen.” She nodded at them regally and then stepped back behind the bushes. Her mates followed her and, after a brief rustling of leaves, the three of them were completely concealed.

Seeing but unseen, Kat thought. Well, at least that’s a little less intimidating than if they were all standing over us watching. I guess if we have to do this—

“In the dawn of time, from the emptiness of the great black void, was born a beautiful elite maiden, with the curves of a goddess and fiery red hair,” the chief’s low, musical voice began, interrupting her thoughts. “Her name was Nyra.”

“Oh, uh…” Kat wasn’t sure if she was supposed to act out being born or what. But luckily, the chief was already speaking again.

“She moved through the void seeking for her mate, seeking in all directions.”

Feeling like she was back at summer camp, playing charades, Kat shaded her eyes with one hand and pantomimed looking everywhere.

“Two males she found—brothers, one light, one dark. The light brother was named Lanare and the dark one, Dakir. Nyra cared for them both and she found it difficult to choose. Lanare was loving and warm. He made her smile and feel at ease and Nyra found his kisses most pleasing.”

Kat thought uncomfortably that the legend was hitting a little too close to home. Then Lock was taking her in his arms. Smiling, he pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead and then to both her eyelids, and finally, to her lips.

Despite their unseen audience, Kat felt herself warming in his arms, feeling completely at ease with him, as she always did. At her back she could feel Deep, his large body like a line of fire down her spine. He was touching one of her shoulders, making sure the kiss wasn’t painful for his brother. Kat was glad—knowing that the intimate contact wasn’t hurting the light twin enabled her to completely relax and enjoy it. But just as she was really getting into the kiss with Lock, the chief continued her narrative.

“But though Lanare filled her with peace, Dakir filled Nyra with fire. He was harsh and unforgiving with the soul of a thunderstorm but when he took her in his arms, she could think of nothing but him.”

The hand on her shoulder gripped tighter and suddenly Deep spun her around to face him. He took Kat in his arms, pulling her against him, holding her close so that she could feel the hard ridge of his cock branding her thigh. For a long moment he simply gazed at her, his black eyes burning. Kat could feel the lust rolling off him in waves. They crested around her, threatening to drown her with their overwhelming intensity.

“Deep—” she started to say, and then he was crushing her mouth with his.

Kat gasped at the sudden flare of heat that went through her. Hardly knowing what she was doing, she locked her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes, giving as good as she was getting.

Not to be outdone, Deep bent her over one muscular forearm. His tongue caressed the seam of her lips until Kat moaned and opened for him. She was dimly aware of Lock’s hand on her shoulder as the light twin performed the same service for his brother that Deep had done for him, but most of her attention was focused on trying to stay afloat on the sea of emotions she felt emanating from Deep.

Finally, after kissing her dizzy, Deep released her. As suddenly as the kiss had started, it was over.

Kat wanted to moan in frustration and disappointment. Her nipples were throbbing behind the strategically placed leaves and her pussy felt wet and swollen. But soon she became aware that the chief was speaking again, going on with the legend.

“The brothers could not agree upon which of them was to have Nyra and she confessed herself to be incapable of choosing one over the other,” the low, hypnotic tone continued. “Thus did they devise a contest, to see who could bring her the most pleasure and so earn a place by her side. Lanare went first, suckling her breasts and teasing her tender nipples with his tongue until she moaned.”

If she hadn’t done this with Lock before, Kat would have been freaking out. But she knew the light twin would be gentle. Smiling at him, she allowed him to untie the vines that held her top together. It fell off and landed in a little pile of leaves at their feet. Kat stood bare breasted under the stars and the two huge moons, feeling vulnerable.

“Beautiful,” Lock breathed, smiling at her. “Such full, luscious breasts, my lady.”

“Then suck them, Brother.” Deep’s voice was hoarse with desire. “Give our little Kat what she needs.”

Lock cupped the undercuves of her breasts gently and Deep stepped up behind her, until Kat could feel his broad, muscular chest pressed against her bare back. She felt surrounded by them—just as she had when they were in a joining—but in a good way.

“My lady…” Lock looked at Kat, an unspoken question in his true brown eyes and she knew he was waiting for permission. Not speaking a word, she thrust her chest out, pushing her breasts into his hands and giving him his answer.

“Suck her, Brother,” Deep commanded. “Suck her ripe tits and make her moan. Make her moan for both of us.”

Lock obeyed, his mouth enclosing on one tight nipple in wet heat that made Kat gasp breathlessly. “God,” she whispered. “God, Lock… feels so…”

“It feels good, doesn’t it?” Deep murmured in her ear. “Feels good to be bare breasted in the moonlight, letting Lock suck your sweet nipples. Give in to him, little Kat. Just relax and let him suck you.”

Kat didn’t see how she could have done anything else. With a low moan, she pressed forward even more, offering Lock her body.

The light twin took her offer eagerly, sucking first one tight nipple and then the other until Kat thought she would die of pleasure. The sexual electricity traveling through her body was becoming too much to bear and yet she realized that the three of them had barely started their erotic journey together. Suddenly she heard the chief’s voice again.

“Lanare brought Nyra much joy by sucking her nipples, but then it was Dakir’s turn and he vowed to double and even treble the pleasure his brother had given Nyra by the use of his tongue.”

By the use of his tongue? What exactly— But the question scarcely had time to form in her head before Deep was turning her to face him again. Then, as Kat watched, he went down on his knees before her. His face was on the same level as her leaf skirt and Kat suddenly understood what was about to happen.

“Little Kat,” Deep murmured, looking up at her. “I know you feared me in the past, but I swear I would never, never hurt you. Will you allow me to taste your sweet pussy?”

A shiver went through Kat, a strange feeling of apprehension mixed with desire so strong it took her breath away. Deep was right—she had been afraid of him in the very recent past. And she still wasn’t nearly as at ease with him as she was with Lock. But the pleading look in his eyes and the need she felt radiating from him seemed to melt her defenses.

“It’s all right, my lady,” she heard Lock murmur, as he pressed his chest to her back, surrounding her with his comforting warmth. “Deep only wishes to give you pleasure. Just open your thighs and let him in.”

Kat felt helpless to do anything else. Biting her lip, she watched as Deep untied the vines that held her skirt in place and let it drop to the ground beside her leafy top. She was completely naked now and she should have been feeling incredibly exposed. Instead, she felt surrounded and protected by the two men. With Lock at her back and Deep in front of her, she knew that no would dare try to hurt her. And if they did try…

“We’d kill them,” Deep murmured, obviously catching her thought. “We’d do anything to protect you…and anything to pleasure you.” Bending his head, he nuzzled her thigh and kissed the top of her mound.

“Deep…” Kat shifted uneasily but Lock stroked her shoulders soothingly and whispered in her ear.

“Easy, my lady. Deep won’t hurt you. He simply wants to learn your scent before he tastes you.”

Speaking of scent, Kat felt surrounded by both of theirs. Lock’s—warm, fresh, and comforting, and Deep’s—dark, dangerous, and completely intoxicating. She breathed them in, feeling dizzy with fear and desire.

Deep kissed the inside of her thigh with surprising gentleness. “You smell so sweet, little Kat,” he growled softly. “And you’re already so hot and wet…” With one fingertip he traced the slit of her pussy, making Kat moan as he brushed lightly over her throbbing clit. Deep looked up at her. “You need this,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “Need to be opened and tasted. I can feel it coming off you in waves.”

Much to her shame, Kat couldn’t deny it. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the incomplete bond between them or simply because she was so turned on but it was true—she didn’t just want Deep to taste her, she needed him too.

“Please,” she whispered, not sure what else to say. “Please, Deep, I…”

“Yes.” He answered her unspoken request. Lifting her leg, he placed it over his broad shoulder. “Yes, sweetheart, I’ll give you what you need.”

The new position spread her open, parting her pussy lips and putting her inner folds on display. If Kat had remembered that they had an unseen audience, she might have been embarrassed. But at that moment, in the lovely, unearthly moonlight, it was easy to forget that anyone else but the three of them existed.

“Little Kat,” Deep murmured and then he parted her even further with his thumbs and took a long, loving taste of her pussy. He started at the bottom of her slit and licked up, pressing the flat of his tongue to her heated inner cunt, dragging upward in a slow, teasing taste that made Kat feel like she was melting from the waist down.

“God!” Her hips bucked forward involuntarily and she might have fallen if Lock hadn’t been there to hold her up.

“Is it good, my lady?” he said softly in her ear. “Does it feel good to let Deep taste you?”

“Yes,” Kat breathed, unable to lie. “God, yes, it does. So much…”

“Get ready, little Kat,” Deep growled, looking up at her. “Because it’s about to feel even better.” Pressing his face between her legs, he lapped her again and then sucked her swollen clit into his mouth and teased it mercilessly with his tongue.

Kat cried out and found that she was clutching his head, her fingers clenching in the thick black silk of his hair. When she realized what she was doing she tried to let go, but somehow her fingers wouldn’t uncurl. And besides, her frantic grip seemed to actually add to Deep’s pleasure. She felt a fresh wave of lust from him, licking over her entire body like flames, and then he growled low in his throat and redoubled his efforts.

“Deep…Oh God, Deep,” she gasped as he lapped her pussy mercilessly. One minute she could feel his hot tongue invading her and the next moment he was pressing two thick fingers deep in her cunt as he lashed her clit, licking and sucking as though he was determined to drive her completely mad.

Through it all, Lock held her steady, talking softly about how beautiful she was when she surrendered herself and how he loved to watch her open herself for his brother. The constant low murmur of encouragement and the feelings of need, desire, and lust coming at her from all directions were pushing Kat to a higher peak than she’d ever been to before.

I’m going to come, she thought deliriously as Deep pressed his tongue deep inside her yet again. Going to come so hard…

But just at that moment, she heard the voice of the chief again and Deep stopped his relentless oral assault.

“Nyra received pleasure such as she had never felt before from the dark brother’s tongue, but still she could not choose between them,” the low, melodious voice intoned.

Damn it! Kat was so aggravated she wanted to scream. I was so close…so close… But the chief’s next words almost drove her sexual frustration right out of her head.

“So it was that Lanara proposed a last contest, to see which of them should stay at the lady Nyra’s side forever. He said that it should be decided which should claim her by seeing which of their shafts fit the best inside her and gave her the most pleasure.”

Oh my God, here we go. Kat suddenly felt as though she’d swallowed an entire bucketful of ice cubes. Could she really do this? Could she really let Lock penetrate her pussy for an audience—even an unseen one?

“It’s all right, my lady,” she heard the light twin whisper in her ear. “I swear I’ll be gentle with you. And I’ll withdraw after only a few strokes.”

“All…all right,” Kat whispered, knowing she really had no choice. “But just a few…”

“Of course.” And then the twins were switching positions and the three of them were down on the soft, inviting belsh covered ground.

“It’s all right.” Deep was behind her, holding her as he had been when Lock had used the carved wooden shaft on her. “It’s all right, little Kat. Just relax and let Lock fuck you.”

Kat leaned back against the dark twin’s broad chest and watched, wide-eyed, as Lock insinuated himself between her thighs.

“I’ll be slow and gentle,” he promised, leaning down to kiss her gently on the mouth. “You’ll barely feel me in you.”

As he spoke, he fitted the broad, mushroom-shaped head of his cock to the slippery entrance of Kat’s pussy. Then, with one long, smooth thrust, he pressed inside her.

Despite his promise that she would barely feel him, Kat couldn’t help moaning. He was thick and despite the bonding fruit she’d had recently, she could feel him stretching her open as he entered her.

“Easy, sweetheart,” Deep murmured, stroking her hair. “Just relax. Lock only needs to thrust once or twice to fulfill the legend.”

“Okay,” Kat gasped as the light twin pulled almost all the way out of her and thrust in again. He was keeping his thrusts shallow and wasn’t hitting bottom inside her, doubtless trying to make her feel more at ease. But Kat was getting used to the feel of him inside her now, getting used to the thick cock stretching her pussy, and she found that she liked it—liked it a lot. Her pleasure was building again, reaching closer to the peak with each slow, careful stroke and she wanted more…needed more…

“So Lanare withdrew from her, having showed that he fit well within her,” the chief said and suddenly, Lock pulled all the way out of her, making Kat feel empty inside.

Damn it, what is wrong with this woman? she thought, glaring in the general direction of the bushes. Does she have a sixth sense about screwing up other people’s orgasms or what? And then the chief was speaking again.

“But Dakir vowed that he could outdo his brother. He asked Nyra to open herself to him in order that he might prove it was so.”

Oh God. Kat felt her apprehension rising. It was Deep’s turn in her pussy—the dark twin’s turn to fuck her. And despite the fact that she was feeling much more comfortable around him lately, she still wasn’t completely relaxed about the idea of spreading her thighs and letting him thrust his long, thick cock deep inside her.

Deep must have sensed her fear because he turned her slightly and lifted her chin so they were eye to eye. “It’s all right, Kat,” he murmured hoarsely. “You don’t have to be afraid. Just a few thrusts and I’ll be done. I won’t come in you.”

“All right.” Kat looked down, unable to meet his intense gaze. Could she really do this? Yes, she decided. And not just because she had to. I want him in me, she thought with some surprise. Want to feel him thrusting inside me just the way Lock was. It doesn’t feel right, doesn’t feel…balanced if only one of them does it. She looked back up at Deep. “All right,” she repeated in a stronger voice. “Do you want me to lean against Lock?”

“Yes, but not the way you’re thinking.” Deep urged her up until she was kneeling on her hands and knees, her bare breasts swaying like ripe fruit beneath her.

Kat looked over her shoulder. “But—”

“I’ll take you from behind,” he growled, caressing her bare ass with one large, warm hand. “That way you don’t have to see me do it.”

Kat heard the faint hint of bitterness in his voice and knew what he was thinking. He still thinks I don’t want him—that I don’t feel for him like I feel for Lock. “Deep—” she started to say, but then Lock was in front of her, urging her to rest in his arms and lean her head against his broad chest as Deep got into position behind her.

“It’s all right, my lady,” he murmured soothingly. “Just spread yourself open and let Deep enter your pussy.”

Kat shivered as she felt the broad, blunt tip of Deep’s cock slide over her slick, swollen folds. Clutching Lock tightly, she pressed her face against the broad planes of his chest, trying to be ready for what was coming.

“I’m afraid I can’t be quite as delicate as my brother,” Deep said from behind her. “I want you too badly, little Kat. Need to be inside you, even if it is only for a few thrusts.”

“Don’t frighten her,” Lock said sharply, hugging Kat tightly to him. “You know you won’t hurt her, Deep, so don’t make her think you would.”

“Hurt her? No.” Deep’s voice was a hungry growl. “But I can’t be satisfied with a few shallow thrusts, either. I need to be deep in her pussy, Brother. Need to fill her completely and feel her sweet little cunt clenching around my shaft.”

“Then do it.” Kat turned her head to look at him, looming over her in the moonlight. Taking a deep breath, she parted her thighs even wider, trying to be open enough for him. “Just…just do it,” she said breathlessly. “Go on, Deep. Please.”

“Your wish is my command.” And then he breached her suddenly, driving the full length of his thick, hot shaft deep inside her open pussy.

Kat cried out and clutched wildly at Lock who held her tight and close. The light twin’s entry had been as smooth as silk but Deep’s was rough and demanding. He didn’t just thrust into her—he pressed deep, plumbing her depths and grinding hard until the head of his cock kissed the mouth of her womb. Then, instead of pulling out again, he held himself there, rock solid and steady inside her.

“Feel that, little Kat?” he growled softly, pressing even deeper. “That’s me inside you, my cock deep in your tight little pussy. How do you like it, sweetheart? Does it feel good?”

Once again, Kat couldn’t lie. “Yes,” she moaned, pressing her cheek to Lock’s chest. “God, yes. I can’t help it…it does. It feels so good.”

“The only thing that would feel better is to have both of us inside you at once. Just imagine it…” As he spoke, Deep began to pump, setting up a slow, deliberate rhythm in her pussy that made Kat feel like she was going insane. “The two of us together, filling you. You think you’re full now? Think my cock is thick? Just wait, little Kat. If Lock and I entered you together, you’d be more open than you’ve ever been in your life.”

“She doesn’t want that,” Lock reminded his brother, stroking Kat’s shoulders as she shivered against him. “Doesn’t want both of us inside her at once.”

“Doesn’t want both of us? Hells, Brother, she doesn’t even want me.” Deep laughed bitterly. “But she’s got me, for a few more strokes at least. Isn’t that right, little Kat?”

“Deep…” She wanted to tell him he was wrong, wanted to let him know that she wanted him every bit as much as Lock. But somehow the words wouldn’t come. “Deep, please…” she whispered as her pleasure built once more. Close…she was getting so close…

“Just a few more thrusts inside your hot little pussy, sweetheart,” he growled, obviously misunderstanding her. “If this is going to be my only chance to fuck you, I want to do it right. Want you to always remember how it felt to have my cock buried deep in your tight little cunt.”

“You’ve had enough.” Lock sounded almost angry. “Enough now, Brother. Stop it and pull out—the lady Kat doesn’t want you to come in her.”

“Please!” Kat wanted to cry at the thought of him stopping now. True, it was frightening and intense to open her pussy and let Deep fuck her. But she could feel her orgasm building again, getting closer and closer like a thunderstorm over her head, about to break and drench her in pleasure. I have to come, she thought deliriously as she clenched the thick length of Deep’s shaft inside her. Have to come this time or I’m going to go crazy. I need to come.

“Please,” she said again and then forced herself to turn her head and look at Deep. The expression on his dark face was utterly focused, completely intent as he drove himself into her. She had the feeling he could go on all night—if only she let him.

“Please what, little Kat?” he demanded. “Please pull out of you now and leave you alone?”

“No.” She shook her head, forcing the words out with an effort. “I’m so close. Please, Deep, I…I need to come.”

Deep’s black eyes, so hard a moment ago, softened at once. “Of course you do,” he murmured, caressing her back with surprising tenderness. “And I swear I won’t stop until you do.” Looking up, he met Lock’s eyes. “Touch her, Brother,” he demanded hoarsely. “Pinch her nipples. Stroke her pussy. Do whatever you can to help—little Kat needs to come.”

“With pleasure.” Lock kissed her forehead tenderly and then two large, warm hands cupped Kat’s breasts and he began to tug and twist her nipples in the same rhythm that Deep was thrusting into her. “Is that good, my lady?” he asked as Kat moaned and writhed between them.

“Is it?” Deep demanded, before she could answer. “Do you like to feel Lock play with your nipples while I fuck you? Is that what you need?”

“Yes but more,” Kat gasped. She felt like her entire body was on fire, like she couldn’t get a deep enough breath. And she was close, right on the edge of coming. She just needed a little more stimulation…

“This is what you need, isn’t it?” Deep growled and Kat felt one large hand slide from her hips down between her legs where they were joined. It didn’t take much—two strokes of his fingertips against her swollen clit and then she was coming, coming so hard she saw stars flashing in front of her eyes as the thundercloud finally burst, drenching her in the warm, sweet rain of pleasure.

It was intense—more intense than anything Kat had ever felt in her life. She felt herself clenching around Deep, her pussy gripping his shaft like an impatient fist. At the same time she pressed her face into Lock’s chest, holding onto him for dear life as the pleasure took her to mindless heights of ecstasy, climbing higher and higher until the sky swirled dizzily above her and she couldn’t tell the light moon from the dark one.

Lanare or Dakir, she thought deliriously. Which one should I choose? Why can’t I have them both?

And then the light flicked and went out, leaving her floating in the smooth blackness of space.

* * * * *

Deep’s heart nearly stopped in his chest when she suddenly went limp. “Gods!” he gasped, sliding out quickly and gathering her in his arms. “Kat? Kat?”

“My lady?” Lock was distressed as well as he patted Kat’s cheek anxiously. “My lady, come back to us. Please!”

My fault, Deep thought numbly as he and his brother cradled her still form between them. I was too rough—too harsh. I overloaded her with my need, my desire. I knew she wasn’t feeling well. Hell, just yesterday she was so sick she could barely move. But I still couldn’t stop myself from taking her too hard, couldn’t keep from rutting inside her like a beast…

In that moment he hated himself more than he ever had. Even more than after what had happened to Miranda. It was apparent that Lock felt his pain and self loathing because he looked up briefly and shook his head.

“No, Brother, don’t feel so. She wanted more from you—she asked for it. It’s just the incomplete bond between us that made her too weak to withstand the pleasure you gave her.”

“The bond is no excuse,” Deep said roughly. “I hurt her. I killed her—”

“Hey, you guys, I’m not dead yet.” It was Kat’s voice—faint but unmistakable.

Deep felt a surge of hope. Gazing down into her lovely blue eyes he saw that she was looking up at them with a worried look on her face.

“What happened?” she whispered.

“You fainted for a moment,” Lock murmured, stroking her flushed cheek tenderly.

“Are you all right?” Deep demanded. “How do you feel?”

“Pretty good for someone who just took a trip to la-la land.” Kat struggled to sit up between them and Lock helped her. Deep sat back and kept his hands to himself, fearful of what might happen if he touched her again.

“Are you certain you’re all right, my lady?” Lock asked anxiously.

“Fine, except…” She looked down at herself blushing and then crossed her arms over her breasts. “Uh, that was all really intense but now I’m kind of embarrassed.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Lock assured her. “You were simply giving your all, participating in the reenactment of the legend.”

“What I’d like to be participating in right now is getting dressed,” Kat said. “I mean, I know you guys have seen me in my birthday suit but I’m still shy about putting on a show for anyone else.”

Lock shook his head. “Birthday suit? You have special clothing you wear on the day of your birth?”

“Birthday suit means nude,” Deep explained, glad to finally understand a piece of the confusing Earth vernacular Kat was always speaking. “Where are her clothes?”

“If you can call them clothes,” Kat muttered, still covering herself. She looked at both of them, frowning. “Hey, are you sure I fainted? I mean, I don’t feel dizzy at all. In fact, this is the best I’ve felt since before the first time we did our first joining to find Sophie and Sylvan.”

“You fainted, all right,” Deep said dryly, as he helped her fasten on the discarded leaf garments. “Only for a moment but it was long enough.”

“Long enough for what?” Kat asked. “What happened while I was out? Did she finish the story?”

As if in answer to her question, the chief’s soft, melodic voice floated out into the still night air again.

“And then Nyra declared that she could not choose between the brothers for she loved them both. And she took both Dakir and Lanare as her mates and slept between them every night, giving her light to the world every day as she shone in the sky.”

She might have loved them both but only one of them was good for her, Deep thought, eyeing the gentle way his brother was caressing Kat’s cheek. Ever since he’d walked in on them kissing, he’d had the sense that they belonged together—that Kat and Lock would be better off on their own, without him. The way she’d fainted while he was fucking her seemed to confirm that belief.

But she cares for me now—not just Lock. She cares for both of us, whispered the soft voice of hope in his head. And maybe Lock is right—maybe it’s just the incomplete bond that makes her weak. If the three of us were bonded completely maybe she could withstand the pleasure I give her, maybe I wouldn’t hurt her anymore. If only…

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft gasp from Kat. She was staring down at the ground around them, her eyes filled with wonder. “Oh my God! Look!”

“Look at wha—?” Deep started to say and then he saw.

Flowers had suddenly bloomed everywhere, covering the soft green belsh in fragrant beauty.

“They’re gorgeous!” Kat leaned down to examine one. “And look—they each have two blossoms coming from one stalk.”

Deep looked and saw that it was true. The flowers were large—about the size of his palm. And every stalk had two of them—one a pure, milky white and one a deep, velvety black. In the heart of each blossom was a crimson center—like a single, perfect drop of blood. But they weren’t here just a moment ago, he thought. Did they appear the minute the chief finished speaking the legend? They must have.

“The Moons blossom,” Lock breathed reverently. “So it does exist.”

“Not only does it exist, it’s our ticket out of here.” Kat leaned down to sniff one pure white flower. “Mmm, they smell good too.”

Deep started to respond and then he felt Kat’s rush of relief. His fragile hope that she had learned to love him as well as Lock crumbled in that instant.

She’s glad, he thought, his mouth twisting. So glad we’ve found the blossoms. Because now we can take them back to Mother L’rin and Kat can be rid of us forever. Rid of me. He had no doubt that Kat would have happily joined with Lock if he himself hadn’t been in the picture. He’d lingered outside the bedroom door after seeing their kiss for a moment, intending to go back in. And he knew what Kat meant when she told Lock that he “came with a lot of baggage.”

More Earth vernacular, he thought bitterly. Just another way of saying I’m not the one she wants.

He’d fooled himself into thinking that she cared for him—that she loved him as he had so stupidly allowed himself to start loving her. But it wasn’t true—she couldn’t wait to get the Moons blossom and leave—he could feel the impatience to be away coming from her already.

It doesn’t matter anyway, Deep told himself grimly. I’m no good for her—just look at my past. At what happened to Miranda. I don’t want that to happen to Kat, even if she doesn’t care for me. I couldn’t bear it if…But he couldn’t make himself finish the grim thought. Instead he watched as his brother helped the woman they both loved gather the rare, mystical blossoms. They were laughing as they did and Kat was tickling Lock under the chin with one of the two-headed flowers.

Lock is good for her, Deep realized. He’s the one she ought to be with. Not me and not both of us. Just him. The concept of one of them having a female without the other was so foreign to him it was hard to contemplate, but he knew it was true.

It didn’t matter who he thought Kat belonged with, though. They had the Moons blossoms—or fifi flowers, as she called them. Mother L’rin would be able to brew a potion to separate Kat from both of them.

By this time tomorrow we will be two and one again instead of three, Deep thought. That’s a good thing—good for all of us. But though he tried, he could feel no joy at the idea. All he felt was achingly empty.

Chapter Twenty-one

Sophie turned on her side again and flipped her pillow, hoping the new position would help her fall asleep. It didn’t, though she was tired enough. She’d started her new part time job at the elementary school aboard the Mother ship and the little ones had just about worn her out.

Sylvan had told her she could just stay home and concentrate on her art but Sophie had decided she needed an occupation outside the home to keep from going crazy. Besides, she adored kids and teaching them to paint and draw and use modeling clay was great.

But it wasn’t her new job that was on her mind now. Something else was keeping her restless and wakeful.

With a sigh, Sophie turned over again, facing Sylvan’s broad, bare back. He was breathing deeply and she knew he must have had a hard day at the med station. There had been a big influx of wounded that day from a scrimmage with the Scourge and he’d been going from morning until night with barely a pause.

Sophie sighed softly. If only the thoughts and images would leave her alone. If only—

“Sophia?” Sylvan turned over to face her, his eyes glowing a faint blue in the dark. “Are you all right?”

“I’m sorry,” Sophie said contritely. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. I know how tired you are.”

“It’s all right.” Reaching out, he cupped her cheek gently. “I can tell you have something on your mind.”

“It’s nothing,” Sophie protested. “Go back to sleep.”

“I’m awake now so you might as well talk. Come on, Talana. Tell me what’s troubling you.”

Sophie sat up and ran a hand through her hair. “It’s Lauren—I can’t get her out of my head. I keep imagining what that horrible AllFather must be doing to her and I feel so bad. I mean, that could have been me. It would have been if you hadn’t found me in time.”

“Sophia…” Sylvan sat up beside her and drew her close to his side. In the darkness he felt warm and solid and his muscular arm around her shoulder was very comforting. “I know you feel bad for your kin but you can’t dwell on it,” he said softly, his deep voice rumbling through her. “There’s nothing we can do at the moment—no way to trace her.”

“I wish Deep and Lock were here,” Sophie said mournfully. “Maybe they could locate her doing their seeker/finder thing.”

“That’s very doubtful if not completely impossible,” Sylvan said. “They don’t have a properly trained focus and without one, their only hope to find Lauren would be to join with someone who knew her intimately. And you saw how that ended for Kat.”

“That’s true.” Sophie nodded. “But it just seems like there should be something else we can do.”

“You’re not the only one who thinks so,” Sylvan said dryly. “Baird told me he got another call from the detective the sister of your mother hired to find Lauren today. He was angry when Baird put him off.”

“He was?” Sophie frowned and sat up. “But why? What does he know?”

“I’m not sure.” Sylvan shook his head. “But I don’t think we can keep evading his questions forever. The male has good instincts—he seems certain that we know more than we’re telling him.”

That reminded Sophie of something. “Sylvan,” she said, looking up at him. “Speaking of keeping secrets, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, anything.” He looked at her. “But I hope you don’t think I’m keeping secrets from you.”

“No, I know you’re not—this isn’t about you. It’s about Deep.”

“What about him?”

“Well, Kat seemed to think that there was something he’d done in the past. Something…troubling. She didn’t get a chance to give us any details but Liv and I were worried about it.”

Sylvan sighed and raked a hand through his spiky blond hair distractedly. “What you’re asking me, Talana…it’s a secret that really isn’t mine to tell.”

His actions put Sophie on high alert—she almost never saw her cool, collected male so obviously agitated. Whatever it was, it must have been bad!

“Please,” she pleaded. “This is Kat we’re talking about—she’s my best friend in the world besides Liv. If she’s in any kind of danger when she’s with Deep I need to know.”

Sylvan was silent for a long moment, apparently debating with himself. Then he shook his head. “I’m sorry but I can’t reveal another warrior’s past—not even to you, Talana. Not when it concerns something this delicate.”

“Sylvan—”

“I will tell you that Kat is not in any danger,” he said, interrupting her protest. “And that Deep didn’t do anything wrong…though that’s not how he sees it.”

“Do you have any idea how frustrating this is?” Sophie demanded. “You keep throwing out these little half hints and then refusing to tell me the whole story.”

Sylvan looked serious. “The whole story, as you put it, is a grim tale—not something I want to talk about in the dead of night.”

“Not even with me here to keep you safe?” Deciding to let the matter drop for now, Sophie snuggled against him.

“There are other things I’d rather do with you at night than talk.” He kissed her, taking her mouth in a way that made her moan softly.

“Sylvan…” she protested. “About Deep—”

“I don’t want to talk about that. About grief and sorrow and loss.” His deep voice was unexpectedly rough. “Don’t you know I have dreams—nightmares—where I don’t reach you in time? Where I break into the Scourge ship to find you already…already gone?”

“Well, I’m not gone—I’m here with you.” Sophie pressed closer to him. “You got to me in time—you saved me, Sylvan.”

“No, Talana,” he rumbled, kissing her again. “It was you who saved me. Without you I’d be dead inside.”

“Hmmm,” she whispered, stroking his thigh. “You feel pretty alive to me.”

“I’m going to get a whole lot livelier if you keep that up,” he warned.

“That’s okay,” she murmured. “I don’t mind. I…” But she couldn’t finish—Sylvan was licking a long, slow trail down her neck.

Sophie’s heart began to race as his warm, wet tongue caressed her sensitive skin. His big, hard body felt so good against hers and his mating scent was rising, enveloping her in pure lust. She tilted her head to one side, baring her throat. “Do it, Sylvan—I want to feel you in me.”

“I never get tired of biting you,” Sylvan growled softly, lifting her so that she was straddling his hips. “Or kissing you…or tasting you…or fucking you.”

“Sylvan…” she whispered breathlessly as he lifted the lacy hem of her nightie and parted her thighs. Hearing dirty talk from him when he was usually so cool and logical never failed to turn her on.

“Yes, Talana?” he murmured, sliding the broad head of his shaft against her wet folds. “Was there something you wanted?”

“Nothing but you. God,” she moaned as he sank his fangs and his cock into her at the same time. “Sylvan!”

“I love it when you call my name while I’m inside you,” he sent through their link. “Love the soft, helpless little sounds you make when I take you.”

“Take me harder…more!” she begged. And the part of her mind that wasn’t drowning in pleasure wondered how he always knew exactly what she needed. All the troubling thoughts that had been bothering her were swept away on the tide of pleasure as he made her his once again.

But though Sophie knew she would sleep well after their loving, she was also certain she would return to her worries eventually. Lauren was still out there, somewhere and as for Deep’s dark past…well, she would have to compare notes with Liv and see if she’d gotten anything out of Baird.

Later…

Chapter Twenty-two

“We’re here! And we brought the fi-fi flowers.” Kat presented the bouquet of blossoms triumphantly to Mother L’rin.

“Have them, you do,” the old wise woman acknowledged, nodding. She was sitting quietly in the middle of the Healing Garden, doing something with a fluffy bunch of pink and purple herbs. “And still you wish to use them?”

“Of…course we do.” Kat looked uncertainly at Deep and Lock who were standing on either side of her. Well, standing might be too strong a word—Deep was actually slouched against a nearby tree studying his fingernails. “That is…I think so.”

“My lady…” Lock gave her a pained look. “Kat…I wish to say that the time Deep and I have spent bonded to you—even partially—has been an experience I shall never forget. Neither of us will,” he added, looking at Deep.

“How could we forget it? It’s been one disaster after another from the start.” Deep spoke in a bored tone. “But I suppose there’s no use rehashing it now that we’re almost free.”

“Almost free?” Kat couldn’t help the sharp pang of hurt and rejection that raced through her, though she told herself it was ridiculous. “Is that how you feel?”

“Isn’t it how you feel?” he countered, looking up to give her a smoldering glare.

“I…I don’t know.” Kat’s voice sank to a whisper. “I just don’t know.”

She’d been overjoyed to find the Moons blossom—ecstatic almost. But now she realized the reason for her joy wasn’t that she was going to be parted from Deep and Lock—it was because the lovely black and white flowers represented her ticket home. In her mind, they had come to symbolize everything she missed—Earth and Sophie and Liv and a culture where she spoke the language and didn’t have to rely on a partially defective fuzzy caterpillar to translate for her. Somehow that was all she’d been thinking of when she gathered the fi-fi flowers—she’d conveniently managed to forget that the sacred blossoms also meant the end of her partial bond with the brothers.

“Strange that you don’t know how you feel when it’s abundantly clear to me,” Deep snapped, breaking her train of thought. “I felt your relief when we found the blossoms. I’m sure Lock did too. Mother L’rin,” he said, turning to the old woman. “We would be most grateful if you’d use these blossoms to brew the potion that will separate Kat from my brother and me.”

Mother L’rin shook her head. “Separate you it will not. No potion such a thing can do.”

“What?” Kat said flatly. “I really hope my convo-pillar is acting up again. It sounded like you just said the fi-fi flowers won’t break the soul bond.”

“That they cannot do.”

“But you told me,” Kat cried. “You said if I brought you the flowers—” She stopped abruptly. What had the wise woman said? Had she ever really promised that the flowers would break the soul bond? Or had Kat just inferred it because she had been so eager to get away from Deep and Lock?

“Break the bond the flowers cannot,” Mother L’rin said. “But ease your pain they will, as nothing else.”

“Ease her pain? What do you mean?” Lock demanded. “Why should the lady Kat need special blossoms to ease her pain?”

“Because come back, it will” the old woman said calmly. “Half-bonded a female cannot be forever. But the fifilalachuchu blossoms her torment will ease—for a while, at least.”

“What?” Kat’s heart was suddenly in her throat. Surely she must have misunderstood the old woman? But from the grim look on Deep’s face and the concerned look on Lock’s, they had heard the same thing she had. “But…but I don’t want to live in pain the rest of my life,” she whispered through trembling lips. “And I don’t want to be dependant on some magical flower in order to function.”

Mother L’rin rose and poked her hard in the sternum. “Then bonded you must be. No way to break the soul bond there is and so—”

“Yes, there is.” Deep stepped forward, frowning. “There is a way to break the bond between us—one that has nothing to do with flowers and foolishness.”

“What are you talking about?” Lock said, frowning. “There’s clearly no way around this—Kat will have to be fully bonded to us.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Deep’s bottomless black eyes narrowed to slits. “Yes, you’d love it, dear brother. The problem is, that little Kat here, would not.” He turned to Kat. “Would you?”

Kat’s heart clenched in her chest. “Up until recently I would have said I absolutely didn’t want to be with the two of you,” she said quietly. “But—”

“But now you’ve had a change of heart and you’ve decided you want to be with us forever?” Deep said sarcastically.

“I didn’t say that,” Kat protested.

“Of course you didn’t. “Because that’s not what you want. We’re not what you want.”

“Deep,” Lock said warningly, stepping toward his brother.

Kat waved him back. “No, let’s try and talk this out. Deep,” she said softly, taking a step toward the dark twin. “Why are you acting this way? After how we talked in the cave, I thought…”

“I thought a few things myself.” Deep’s hot glare turned suddenly cool and distant. “All of them wrong. But as I was saying, there is a way to break the soul bond and let the three of us go back to living our normal lives.”

“Of what do you speak?” Mother L’rin demanded.

Deep frowned down at her. “The Scourge. They developed a way to break bonds between warriors and their mates. The psychic knife, they called it—a machine they developed on their home world.”

Lock stared at him, obviously appalled. “You can’t be serious. That machine, as you call it, was a torture device.”

“Why shouldn’t I be serious?” Deep demanded. “The breaking of an incomplete bond wouldn’t hurt any of us. I’ll admit the machine was invented for diabolical purposes, but why shouldn’t we use it to our advantage?”

“Maybe because it’s on the Scourge home world?” Lock raised an eyebrow at his brother but Deep was not so easily deterred.

“Please, Brother, their planet is a deadworld now. Since the last battle of Berrni nothing lives there and no one goes there—the entire place is abandoned. We could walk in, break the bond, and fly off-planet and no one would ever be the wiser.”

“The Goddess would know.” Mother L’rin rounded on Deep, waving a crooked finger in his face. “Sacrilege you speak of.”

Deep frowned. “No, what’s sacrilege is bonding an unwilling female to you.” He looked at Kat. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Kat’s chest was tight but she lifted her chin and looked him in the eyes. “Yes,” she said, nodding stiffly. “I would.”

“Good, then it’s settled.” Deep clapped his hands together once, in a motion of finality. “We’ll go at once.”

“Not without permission from the Kindred High Council, we won’t.” Lock glared at his brother. “Or have you forgotten that it’s a forbidden zone?”

“We’ll find a way around that,” Deep said casually. “You know Baird has friends on the Council.”

“But what about lady Kat’s pain?” Lock demanded. “Or don’t you care about that, anymore?”

“Of course I care.” Deep’s voice was suddenly gruff. He turned to Mother L’rin. “How long will it take you to brew that potion?”

“No potion will I make for you!” Mother L’rin threw the bouquet of black and white blossoms on the ground and trampled them into the dirt with her tiny feet.

“Hey, wait!” Kat protested. “We went to a lot of trouble to get those! And anyway, I thought they were sacred!”

“Sacred they are. But better they should be crushed than used by such as you. Blasphemers!” She spat at Deep’s booted feet. “If pain your lady has, ease her yourself.” Then she stalked off into the tall pink and gold grass muttering angrily.

Kat felt her heart sink. “Wait! Please, Mother L’rin,” she called and started to go after her.

“She’s just going to tell you that the only solution is to let Lock and I bond you to us forever,” Deep said. “Is that really what you want to hear?”

Kat stopped. “No,” she said, giving him a cool look. “No, most definitely not.”

“I didn’t think so.” He smiled but it wasn’t a happy expression. “So it’s settled. We’ll head straight back to the Mother ship and get permission to go to the Scourge home world where we can break our annoying little bond. We’ll be free of each other before you know it.”

“Wonderful,” Kat said flatly. “As easy as one, two, three.”

“Exactly.” Deep nodded. “And if your pain comes back, just tell Lock or I. We’ll take care of you.”

“You’re too kind,” Kat said, glaring at him. “But I feel fine—better than fine, actually. Great. Especially now that I know I’ll be getting away from you.”

Turning, she stalked away. Tears were rising in her eyes again and she didn’t want to cry in front of either of the brothers. Especially not Deep—the heartless bastard.

* * * * *

“Why did you do that?” Lock’s voice was soft and desolate. When he looked at Deep, the hurt in his brown eyes was almost too much to bear. Deep wanted to shield himself against his brother’s suffering, but he didn’t deserve not to feel it. Instead of closing himself off, he opened himself to the painful emotion.

“I did what was best for her,” he said evenly. “You know that’s true, Lock.”

“No, you did what was best for you.” Lock’s pain turned suddenly to rage. He rounded on Deep, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes blazing. “Because you always do what’s best for you. And because you think if you push her away first, she won’t have a chance to hurt you.”

“She’s had her chance,” Deep said in a low voice. “Don’t worry about that, Brother.”

“Well, I haven’t had mine!” Lunging forward, Lock punched him on the jaw.

Deep saw it coming but he didn’t back away or try to defend himself. He took the punch full on. And the next and the next, until his face was as bloody and numb as his heart.

Finally Lock stopped and stood there panting. His hands hung limply by his sides, the knuckles blood-spattered and raw. The blows had hurt him as much as Deep—the echoes of their shared pain, both emotional and physical—flooded the closed loop between them.

Deep wiped blood from his lower lip and winced. “Are you finished? Or do you want to hit me some more?” It was the first time since they were children that Lock had struck him. He was hurt but not surprised—not really. I had it coming.

Lock looked down at his hands, examining his bloody knuckles with dead eyes. “No…I’m done.”

“Good.” Deep straightened his shoulders and sighed. “Let me get some gel packs on my face before it swells while you go find Kat. If we hike fast and the tide is right, we can be folding space before the sun sets.”

“If we hurry,” Lock repeated dully. “Because the faster we get back, the faster you can get us separated from the only woman I’ve ever really loved. The only woman either one of us has ever really loved.”

Deep raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you forgetting Miranda?”

“We shared a few dreams with her,” Lock said wearily. “Not our lives—not like Kat.”

“So she doesn’t count because we never actually got to meet her in person?” Deep demanded.

Lock looked up at him wearily. “What happened to Miranda was terrible, Brother. It was a grief deeper than anything I have ever felt—until now.” He sighed. “But Miranda is gone and Kat…she’s right here. She’s lovely and intelligent and perfect in every way. So of course you have to drive her away.”

Deep looked his brother in the eyes. “If you truly love her, then you’ll help me in this. I’m no good for her, Lock—for any female. I’ll poison her life if we get too close.”

“Just the way you’ve poisoned mine.” Lock ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I wish I could cut the tie between us. Not just between the two of us and Kat—between you and me. I wish…I wish we weren’t brothers.” He glared at Deep. “I’d rather be dead than spend one more day as your twin.”

Despite his outward composure, Deep’s breath caught in his throat. He knew his brother—Lock never spoke unkindly and he never lied. If he said a thing, it was true from the bottom of his heart. “Brother…” he said uncertainly.

“Don’t call me that.” Lock threw him one last glance over his shoulder before he walked away. “Not anymore.”

Deep watched him go, his heart aching in his chest. He was only doing what he had to do, but it still hurt. It’s for the best though, he told himself. For Kat. For all of us.

But seeing misery in the set of his brother’s hunched shoulders, and feeling the echo of both his pain and Kat’s, it was hard to believe.

Chapter Twenty-three

“So you’re going to the Scourge home world?” Sophie’s green eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Apparently.” Kat took a scoop of the ultra-premium vanilla bean ice cream and plopped it unceremoniously onto the homemade chocolate chip cookie. Then she jammed another cookie on top and sighed. “If Baird can get us permission from the council.”

“He got it.” Olivia came into the food prep area and lifted her nose. “Mmm, you can smell those cookies all the way down the corridor.”

“Liv! These were supposed to be a surprise,” Sophie protested. “We’re making you homemade chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches but we’re not nearly done yet. These have to go into the freezer for at least an hour before…”

“Before what?” Olivia said, around a mouthful of cookie and ice cream. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she moaned, “Soooo good!”

Despite her inner turmoil, Kat couldn’t help laughing. “I swear, she’s getting worse all the time! Liv, honey, I don’t want to hurt your feelings but you need to ease up on the sweets or you and I will be able to swap clothes after the baby is born.”

“Uh-uh.” Liv shook her head and grabbed a napkin to wipe her chin. “That’s one of the nice things about carrying a Kindred baby—you don’t have to worry about weight gain.”

“You don’t?” Kat frowned. “Who told you that?”

“Sylvan,” Sophie said promptly. “He says when an Earth woman is carrying a Kindred fetus, she requires so many extra calories that she could live on Krispy Kreme donuts and Godiva truffles and not gain an ounce—the real problem is to keep yourself from losing too much weight.”

“Seriously?” Kat could scarcely believe it. But it was true that though she ate from morning until night, Liv didn’t appear to have gained a single pound. Which was really kind of unfair when you thought about it.

“Uh-huh.” Liv nodded and took another bite of the drippy ice cream sandwich. “Of course I try to get plenty of fruits and veggies too. But I’m not holding back on the stuff I like, either.” She turned to Sophie. “And these are heavenly. Thank you so much!”

“Well, you did say you were craving something sweet.” Sophie gave her a one armed hug since she was holding a dripping ice cream scoop in the other hand.

“When am I not?” Olivia laughed and nodded at the plate. “Well, go on you two—might as well dig in. I can’t eat them all but I might be tempted to try if you don’t help out.”

“Oh, all right.” With a sigh, Sophie put down her scoop and picked up a sandwich. “But you’re supposed to freeze them first.” She looked at Kat. “Have one. You better get them quick before Baird and Sylvan get home—Baird has a sweet tooth almost as bad as Liv’s.”

Kat shook her head. “You two go ahead. I’m not hungry.”

“Oh no.” Sophie put down her cookie at once and gave Kat a worried look. “Are you sick again? Did the pain come back?”

“And how did it go away in the first place?” Olivia demanded. “Was it that wise woman they took you to see or what? Now that you’re home and we’re finally all together again you have to spill.”

“I’m fine,” Kat told them, more or less truthfully. “I’m a little weak but there’s no pain.” Not yet, anyway. But she didn’t say that aloud—no point in worrying her friends when there was nothing they could do about it. “As for how the pain went away in the first place…well, remember that I told you Deep did something you’d never guess?”

Liv and Sophie gave each other a look she couldn’t interpret. “We remember, all right,” Liv said. “But neither Sophie or I could get anything about it out of Baird of Sylvan.”

Kat frowned. “Baird and Sylvan? How would they know?”

“I don’t know but they do—only they won’t tell us,” Sophie said. “Sylvan said he couldn’t reveal the past of another warrior or something like that.”

“Baird said the same thing,” Olivia chimed in.

Kat shook her head. “Well, it’s nice that they’re so trustworthy, but I really don’t see how either one of then could know that Deep took my pain.”

“What?” Liv asked just as Sophie said,

“He took your what?”

“He took my pain,” Kat repeated. She went on to tell her two best friends about the dream she’d had of Deep being whipped in the cave and how Mother L’rin had showed her that it was real. “So you see,” she ended in a low voice. “He’s the reason my head doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“I don’t think it’s your head we have to be concerned with right now. It’s your heart.” Liv put down her sandwich and wiped her fingers on a napkin before putting an arm around Kat. “Am I right, Kat-woman?”

“I d-don’t know.” Kat brushed at her eyes angrily. “I’m sorry—I don’t know why I let him affect me like this. He’s such a bastard.”

“He does put the ass in asshole,” Liv agreed calmly. “But it sounds like he’s not all bad.”

“He’s the reason we’re going to the Scourge home world in the first place,” Kat said, sniffing. “He doesn’t want to be bonded to me—not even partially bonded. We’re supposed to find some machine the Scourge invented called ‘the psychic knife’ to cut ourselves apart.”

“What a jerk!” Sophie said indignantly. “Don’t you listen to him, Kat. Any guy would be lucky to have you!”

“Speaking of other guys, how does Lock feel about all this?” Olivia asked. “It seems to me that he’s always in the middle of you two—that can’t be easy for him.”

“I don’t know.” Kat shook her head. “We didn’t talk on the trip back home at all. None of us. But…I’m pretty sure the two of them were fighting after our argument on Twin Moons.”

“Really? How could you tell?” Liv looked interested.

“I’d say Deep’s face was a pretty good indication. He looks like he slammed head-first into a concrete wall. And the knuckles on Lock’s right hand are all cut and bruised.”

“A fist fight?” Liv shook her head. “Really? Because I was under the impression that Twin Kindred never strike each other—under any circumstances. I think it hurts them just as much to hit their twin as it does to be hit…like they share the pain they inflict or something like that. That’s what Baird told me, anyway.”

“Well, I’d say they made an exception to the no-knuckle-sandwich-between-brothers rule,” Kat said dryly but she couldn’t help being troubled. “I guess…I guess they were fighting over me.”

“Lock loves you, doesn’t he?” Sophie said sympathetically.

Kat nodded. “And I could love him too if—”

“If Deep wasn’t in the way,” Olivia finished for her.

But Kat shook her head. “No, that’s not what I was going to say. I could love Lock—hell, I could love both of them if there was any chance of my love being returned.”

“But what about having their emotions in your head all the time?” Sophie asked. “I thought you hated that.”

Kat thought of the warm, happy feelings she’d gotten from both brothers just moments before they were captured by the natives. “It’s not so bad when they’re in a good mood. But Deep…”

“Is never in a good mood,” both Liv and Sophie said.

Kat nodded sadly. “You know, for awhile there back on Twin Moons, I really thought we were almost on the same page. I found out what Deep had done for me and then we talked and it seemed like the three of us were getting really close. Especially after—” She broke off abruptly, blushing.

“After what?” Sophie and Liv demanded together. “Come on, Kat—give.”

“Oh God, you guys, do I really have to say it?” Kat looked at them, pleading with her eyes. “You’re married women now—or practically married. You get enough hot sex of your own without hearing about my measly sex life.”

“Are you kidding me? We might get hot sex but you my friend are getting some genuine ménage a trois action,” Liv said. “Or are you?”

Kat sighed. “Well…kinda.”

“Kinda? What does that mean?” Sophie frowned. “When I think how you two pried out the details of how Sylvan healed me and marked me in that cabin…”

“All right, all right…” Kat held up her hands in a gesture of defeat. “I’ll tell all. But you can’t laugh.”

“Why would we laugh?” Sophie grabbed the platter of oozing cookie sandwiches. “Come on, let’s move this into the living room.”

“Before I start,” Kat said, once they were comfortably settled on the large leather couch. “I want to get one thing straight—what was it that you guys thought Baird and Sylvan knew about Deep before I told you about how he took my pain?”

“We told you—we’ don’t know,” Liv said and she and Sophie gave each other an uneasy look.

“It’s something about Deep’s past,” Sophie said. “Something really bad, I think. Sylvan said you aren’t in any danger from him though, if that’s any consolation.”

“Not much.” Kat’s stomach did a flip. “God, I wonder what it was? And even if Deep won’t tell me, why doesn’t Lock?”

Sophie shrugged. “Who knows? Why didn’t he tell you about how Deep had taken your pain?”

“Baird says there’s a huge stigma among the Kindred in being involved in a tragedy involving a potential mate,” Olivia said.

“A potential mate? And tragedy? That’s the word he used?” Kat raised an eyebrow.

“Yup.” Liv nodded. “It’s like a blot on their character—a shame they can never live down. Maybe Lock is ashamed to tell you about whatever it is.”

“Maybe,” Kat said thoughtfully. “Or maybe Deep won’t let him.” She sighed. “He never has wanted to let me in—not even a little bit. He blocks me constantly.”

“Well, you won’t have to put up with it for much longer,” Sophie said comfortingly. “But…do you really think it’s safe, going to the Scourge home world?”

“Baird says it’s completely deserted,” Liv said. “There was this big battle there about fifty years ago and the Kindred annihilated almost everyone living there—which were all men, by the way, since the Scourge have no females. The few that were left packed up and flew off in the Fathership. They’ve been growing more warriors in these huge, disgusting vats ever since but they can’t have any babies naturally because they have no women.”

“I wonder if that has anything to do with that weird prophesy they’re always talking about?” Sophie said in a low voice. “And with cousin Lauren. You don’t think she’s…they took her to…to…uh, replenish their race, do you? I mean, because when they had me in that ship they were talking about…about breeding and—” She broke off, clearly too upset to finish.

Olivia shivered and gave her sister a comforting hug. “I know it was awful, Sophie but it’s over now. And as for what they want with Lauren, maybe Kat can find out. That’s the excuse Baird used to the Council,” she explained turning to Kat. “You guys are going to hunt for traces of Lauren and also see if you can get any more information on the Scourge prophesy.”

“So we’re on a fact finding mission that just happens to double as a psychic soul-divorce,” Kat said dryly. “Lovely.”

“It’s better than being tied to a man who doesn’t love you,” Sophie said, straightening up. “You know that, Kat.”

“Yes, I know.” Kat sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I thought about that a lot while we were on Twin Moons. Mostly because of, you know, my mom and dad.”

“They…weren’t very happy together, were they?” Sophie asked tactfully.

“Our house was a war zone,” Kat said flatly. “They were always screaming insults at each other, throwing things…hitting each other. That’s why I was always over at your house.” She shook her head. “I swore to myself that I would never be with a man I didn’t love with my whole heart, who loved me the same way. I can’t be with someone I’m constantly fighting with—someone who doesn’t want me.”

“Of course you can’t,” Sophie exclaimed. “Just wait until they cut you lose, Kat, and find some other nice Kindred. Try a Blood Kindred like Sylvan—they’re wonderful.”

“I would have to put in a vote for a Beast Kindred,” Olivia said, grinning. “Not only are they the best lovers, they’re the best cooks too. Baird has been making me something new every night.”

“Better than his first attempt at pizza, I hope?” Kat said, trying to smile.

Liv grinned. “Much better. Baird’s come a long way from the days when he thought fruit cocktail was a good topping option.”

Kat sighed. “They sound great and both of your husbands are wonderful men…”

“I hear a ‘but’ coming,” Sophie murmured.

“But, I’m just not interested.” Kat sighed and put her head in her hands. “I don’t know, maybe when this is all over with I’ll just go back to Earth and try to find a regular human guy. One who doesn’t force me to feel his painful emotions all the time, one without a tortured secret past, one who doesn’t freaking have to have his brother in bed with him to have sex.”

Liv snorted. “Uh, sorry Kat but that came out sounding really wrong.”

Kat waved a hand. “You know what I mean. It’s not sexual—not between them, anyway. But they seriously can’t touch me unless the other one is too, or it hurts them.”

Sophie shook her head. “That’s so weird.”

“Weirder than being bitten every single time you have sex?” Liv said, frowning. “Weirder than any of the other stuff that goes with being a Kindred bride?”

“Well, I guess not,” Sophie said, shrugging. “But you have to admit, it’s not what we’re used to.”

“Different isn’t always bad,” Liv said. “And love comes in all shapes and sizes. Maybe Deep is afraid to let himself love you, Kat. Maybe because of whatever it was that happened he feels unworthy of your love.”

Kat frowned. “He did say something about me being unattainable—like the moon or the stars or something like that.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But then he went right back to being a jerk.”

“He went back into his protective shell,” Olivia said. “I’m telling you, Kat—I bet he loves you just as much as Lock does—in his own way.”

“Yeah? Well he could have fooled me,” Kat said sarcastically. “He can’t wait to get rid of our bond. He…” she trailed off, shaking her head. She was feeling weaker and weaker as she spoke but she didn’t want to show it.

“He what?” Sophie asked.

Kat sighed wearily. Need to get out of here and go lie down. “He—”

Just then the holo link buzzed, interrupting her.

“Oh, hang on a minute. Hold that thought,” Sophie said. She ran to the link and hit the accept button. Immediately a winking blue dot appeared about a foot above the black cube of the holo link. It slowly expanded to show the stern features of a Blood Kindred warrior.

“Excuse me, mate of my commander,” he said formally, nodding at Sophie—a gesture which looked odd since only his head was being projected. “Communications officer Bastian here. Forgive me for interrupting you at home but I’m afraid there is a planet to ship call coming in for you from Earth in the viewing room.”

“Oh?” Olivia came to stand beside her sister. “Who is it?”

“A human male by the name of Detective Adam Rast. He claims to have spoken to both your mates before, but now he wishes to speak to you as well.” He nodded at Liv and Sophie, including them both.

“Well, you can tell him to just—” Liv began.

“Wait!” Sophie put a hand on her twin’s arm. “He’s the one searching for Lauren. We’ll take it,” she told the communications officer. “We’ll be in the viewing room in five minutes.”

“Very well. I will inform him.” The holo head nodded again and then winked out.

“Why did you do that?” Olivia demanded, frowning. “What can we possibly tell him?”

“The truth.” Sophie’s face was paper-pale but she looked determined. “It’s not fair to do anything else.”

“Sophie, we can’t just—”

“Look, girls, you two are going to have to work this out between you. I’m beat.” Kat rose carefully, trying not to let them see how weak she was. She hoped neither of her friends noticed how white her knuckles were as she gripped the arm of the couch for support.

“You’re going?” Sophie asked. “But you haven’t even told us the dirty details of your time on Twin Moons yet.”

“And you’re folding space for the Scourge home world tomorrow morning,” Liv added.

“Sorry girls.” Kat tried to laugh but it came out as more of a croak and she had to turn it into a cough. “Looks like you’ll have to grill me later.”

“Kat, are you sure you’re okay?” Liv looked at her critically. “I mean, you still don’t seem like yourself.”

“Of course she doesn’t,” Sophie jumped to her defense. “Her soul is still tangled up with Deep and Lock’s. She won’t be back to her old self until she gets all that straightened out. Right, Kat?”

“Right.” Kat nodded. God, she was so tired. Have to get out of here. “And as anyone knows, a good night’s sleep is really important before getting a soul-divorce. So I’m going to hit the hay.”

Sophie gave her a hug. “We’ll be there to see you off, tomorrow,” she promised.

“You don’t have to do that,” Kat protested. “I’m sure we’re leaving at some ungodly hour.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Olivia hugged her too. “We wouldn’t miss it.”

I hope I don’t miss it either! Hope I’m not too weak to get there. Or in too much pain… The beginnings of a headache were throbbing behind her eyes ominously. Kat tried to smile. “Okay, you win. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

It took every ounce of strength she could muster to stand straight and walk out the door as though nothing was wrong. But somehow she managed. She even managed to get to her own suite without falling over. Once there, however, she collapsed on the bed and put a hand over her eyes.

Oh God, the pain…The rusty iron spike was back, digging into her brain just behind her eyes. Kat knew she ought to call for help but the only two people who could help her were Deep and Lock.

And after the scene the three of them had been through on Twin Moons, she knew she would rather die than ask. We’re getting our divorce tomorrow, she told herself, gritting her teeth. Surely I can make it until then…She hoped.

Chapter Twenty-four

Detective Adam Rast was a big, imposing man with dark green eyes and golden brown hair, cut short and neat. From his image on the viewscreen, he looked to be in his early to mid thirties. If Liv hadn’t spent so much time around the Kindred, he might have intimidated her. But though he was nearly as tall as Baird and built like a linebacker, she was used to big males now. And besides, he was back on Earth—there was nothing he could actually do to them.

Though it certainly looked like he wanted to try.

“I’m sick of these evasions and half answers.” His deep voice was a menacing growl. “Your aunt hired me to find your cousin and I know you know more about her disappearance than you’re telling me.”

“What makes you think that?” Liv asked coolly. “My husband tells me the Kindred have cooperated with you fully.”

“He’s also not telling me everything he knows.” The detective gave them a frustrated look. “Look, I know you girls have never met your cousin but she may be in real danger so—”

“She is in danger,” Sophie said quietly, looking up at the viewscreen.

“What?” He frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

Liv sighed. Here we go. But if Sophie had decided to let the truth come out, she had to support her. “We believe Lauren was taken by the Scourge,” she said clearly.

Detective Rast glowered at them. “Why wasn’t I told this immediately?”

“Because there’s nothing you can do about it,” Liv said. “Hell, there’s nothing we can do about it.” She pointed a finger at the viewscreen. “And don’t think for a minute that we don’t care just because we’ve never met Lauren. Both Sophie and I have been held by the Scourge and we’re well aware of what a horrible experience it is.”

“Which is why we didn’t want to tell you—or Aunt Abby,” Sophie added. “We thought it would be better for her to go on thinking that Lauren was just missing rather than actually knowing that she’s a prisoner of that…that…” She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Poor Lauren.”

The anger in Rast’s face faded to be replaced by concern. “And you’re sure they took her?”

“Not positive, no,” Liv said. “But the way she was taken—with all her clothes left behind—is consistent with the way the Scourge kidnapped Sophie here. They have this device called a molecular transfer beam that can only transport living tissue—that’s why the clothes get left behind.”

“And she has a mark between her breasts,” Sophie added, sniffing. “We saw it on the pictures Aunt Abby showed us.”

Rast frowned. “What does that have to do with it?”

“We’re not completely sure,” Liv said. “But the Scourge have a prophesy that seems to have something to do with an Earth girl who has a special mark between her breasts. They checked both me and my sister for the mark when they kidnapped us. Lauren is related to us and she has it—we’re pretty sure there’s a connection.”

“What can we do? How can we get her back?” Rast asked.

“We can’t,” Liv said bluntly. “I’m sorry, but we’re not even sure where they’ve taken her. Although we do have some Kindred warriors who are going to go to the Scourge home planet tomorrow,” she said, wanting to give him hope. “They’re going to be looking for any traces of Lauren and also, they want to find out exactly what the Scourge prophesy says.”

“What good is that?” Rast demanded. “Isn’t it more likely that they have her in their ship?”

“The Fathership? Possibly,” Liv said. “But it’s practically impregnable and the Kindred High Council has determined that they can’t make an attack on it and risk the safety of the entire Earth just for one girl.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Detective Rast.”

“Please don’t think we don’t care about Lauren,” Sophie pleaded. “She’s all I’ve been thinking about lately. I feel so bad for her because I know what she’s going through.”

“And that’s all you can tell me? You’re not holding anything else back?” Rast looked back and forth between them.

Liv nodded. “I’m afraid that’s it. I hope you can see why we’ve been hiding it. We thought not knowing was a better option for Aunt Abby than telling her that her daughter had been abducted by the Scourge.”

“It’s a tough call, all right.” Rast blew out a breath and ran a hand through his short golden brown hair. “But I need to let her know. I can’t keep taking her money when there’s nothing I can do.”

“Hold off on telling her just a little while longer,” Sophie pleaded. “Maybe Deep and Lock—the warriors that are going tomorrow—will find out something about where she’s being kept or…or what they want her for.”

“We might even be able to arrange for you to come up here to the Mother ship and talk to them after they get back in person,” Liv said, having an inspiration. “I could ask my husband to ask the Council for a special dispensation.”

“I fail to see how taking a tour of your ship will help me locate Lauren,” Rast growled. “But I would like to conduct interviews in person rather than over this damn viewscreen.”

“Let me see what I can do,” Liv said smoothly.

“And in the mean time, can you hold off on telling Aunt Abby?” Sophie pleaded.

Rast sighed. “I’ll think about it. As I said, I don’t like taking her money without doing my job.”

“But you are doing your job,” Liv pointed out quietly. “You didn’t quit until you got answers about where Lauren is.”

Rast got a stubborn look on his chiseled features. “Your aunt hired me to find Lauren and bring her home safely. Until that’s accomplished, my job isn’t done.” He nodded briefly. “I’ll let you go now, but I’ll be in touch. If you find out anything, the communications officer I spoke to has my contact information. Call me any time of the day or night and I’ll come straight down to the Human/Kindred Relations building to talk on the viewscreen.”

Sophie nodded. “All right, thank you, Detective.”

His face softened slightly. “Thank you for telling me the truth. Now we just have to hope to God that the warriors you’re sending find something.”

“I’m sure they will,” Liv said, making a mental note to talk to Lock about it. Just because he and Kat and Deep were mainly visiting the Scourge home planet to get their “soul-divorce” as Kat called it, didn’t mean they couldn’t also dig for clues. She knew the light twin would take the assignment very seriously if she asked him to.

Rast nodded once more and then the viewscreen flickered and went blank.

“Wow, he’s really dedicated,” Sophie murmured.

Liv nodded. “I can see why Baird respects him so much.” She sighed. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag, now. I wonder how long he’ll wait to tell Aunt Abby.”

Sophie looked troubled. “Maybe…maybe we should tell her. It doesn’t seem fair to put that decision on him. And we are family.”

“You were the one begging him to wait,” Liv pointed out. “And besides, I think you were right. Kat and the guys might find something worth knowing. If they could even get the exact wording of the prophesy, we might have a clue about exactly what they want Lauren for and where they might be taking her.”

Sophie nodded reluctantly. “All right. I just feel so bad that we’re keeping it from Aunt Abby. But it still seems worse to just come out and tell her that the AllFather has Lauren without being able to offer her some kind of hope.” She looked at Liv. “Do you think if we can somehow prove she is aboard the Fathership the Council will approve an attack or some kind of rescue attempt?”

“I don’t know.” Liv sighed. “That would mean full scale war which would probably have some serious fallout effects on the Earth. It’s one of those “the lives of the many are worth more than the lives of the one or few” kind of things.”

“But Lauren is blood! She’s our cousin.” Sophie’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, poor girl. I wish I knew where she was right now.”

“Me too.” Liv gave her sister a comforting hug. “Me too, Sophie.”

Chapter Twenty-five

“The girl will have to be moved. Ssshe will come with usss to the home world.”

“The home world?” Xairn frowned at his father, who was seated on the black metal throne etched in glowing green runes. He was surrounded, as always, by four enormous vat grown soldiers he’d had specially made for his own private guard.

“Yesss.” The AllFather nodded, his shadowy hood billowing with the movement to reveal burning red eyes. They did not glow quite so brightly as they had in the past—since he had lost his primary source of sustenance, Xairn’s father seemed to move more slowly and speak with a little less vehemence.

He is weakening before my eyes. Xairn supposed he ought to feel pity for the male who was his father but since he, Xairn, had been the AllFather’s main source of nourishment, he couldn’t find it in him to care. In fact, he cared about nothing lately—which was the reason the AllFather could no longer feed on his negative emotions. He had none.

“We mussst go back,” the AllFather hissed. “There are facilities there to augment my power.”

“You need more power?” Xairn kept his voice neutral.

“Imbecile! You know that I do!” the AllFather raged in a weak voice. “Now that your pain no longer nourishesss me, I have only the vat grown to feed on. And their emotionsss are vague ssshadows—not nearly enough to sssustain me.”

“What of the humans you took just yesterday with the beam?”

The Allfather made an irritated gesture. “Too weak. They are already sssucked dry.”

“I’m sorry you can no longer harvest my pain, Father,” Xairn said blandly. “Perhaps you should have taken more care not to destroy your primary source of sustenance.” When he had been forced by his father to kill his beloved pet, Sanja, Xairn’s emotions had died with her. He was empty inside thanks to the AllFather’s cruelty. Not that he cared.

“Never mind. Sssoon I ssshall have no need of your pain.” The sunken eyes glowed a dull red. “My peak approachesss—the time when my ssseed will be most potent. I ssshall have more than enough pain to sssustain me when I breed the girl.”

Xairn felt a flicker of uneasiness which he quickly extinguished. The human female was nothing to him—was she? Of course she’s not, he told himself firmly. “When will you reach your peak?” he asked.

“Tomorrow—I feel it building.” The AllFather rubbed his skeletal hands together in anticipation. “Which isss why we must prepare to fold ssspace at once.”

“The Kindred instruments will pick up our movements,” Xairn objected.

“They would—if we were fool enough to fold in this sssector,” The AllFather said. “We will be taking the adjunct ssship sssome distance away and using a thinner fold. If they detect usss at all, they will think it a sssimple anomaly.”

“Very well.” Xairn bowed. “When do you wish to leave, Father?”

“At once, asss I sssaid. Have the girl moved and the adjunct ssship primed for take-off within the hour.”

Xairn felt a dark impulse stir within his soul but he quickly repressed it. “And are we to be the only passengers? You and the girl and myself?”

The red-on-black eyes flashed bright crimson for a moment. “Do you think me a fool? My guardsss will come asss well.” Reaching out, the AllFather patted the massive forearm of the nearest vat-grown solider. Though Xairn well knew how repulsive his father’s touch was, the huge male didn’t even flinch.

“But the home world is deserted,” Xairn pointed out. “What need will you have of them?”

“I may find a use for them.” Grasping the soldier’s arm more firmly, the AllFather pulled himself to his feet. “They will ssserve me well, won’t you, Alpha?” he crooned in his high, evil voice.

“Yes, AllFather.” The vat grown male looked straight ahead, never blinking.

“You sssee?” The AllFather nodded.

Xairn shrugged. “As you wish. I will get the girl.”

“Sssee that you do. And let her know what isss in ssstore for her. Tell her how I ssshall ssspread her legs and breed her.” The red eyes gleamed hungrily. “Her terror when I take her will be all the sssweeter for the anticipation.”

For some reason Xairn’s large hands curled into fists. She’s mine! I’ll never let you—He frowned and pushed the thought away. Where had such a foolish, possessive impulse come from? What the AllFather wanted, he got—it had always been so. And if he wanted to breed Lauren to fulfill the prophesy, then he would have her. It was as simple as that.

Yet, for some reason Xairn’s chest felt tight when he imagined the Earth female’s delicate form pinned beneath the AllFather’s shadowy black robes as he ravaged her. Stop being so stupid, he told himself. You feel nothing. But still…

“Xairn?”

He looked up to see the AllFather eyeing him hungrily. “Yes?” He kept his voice carefully neutral.

For a long moment those hateful red-on-black eyes, so like his own, seemed to pierce right through him. Then the AllFather shook his head. “Nothing. For a moment I thought I felt…but I sssuppose I was wrong.”

“Yes, Father.” Xairn bowed again and turned to leave. But he couldn’t help throwing a glance over his shoulder as he descended the broad, black steps that led to the throne.

The AllFather seemed shrunken and depleted, leaning for support on the arm of his Alpha guard. But Xairn could still read the malice in his eyes, could still feel the hunger and dread emanating from him like a poisonous miasma. His father might be weak, but
he was still strong enough to do what he wanted—to take Lauren.

And though Xairn knew he shouldn’t care, he couldn’t stop his jaw from clenching or his hands from curling into fists again. Mine, whispered a voice in his head. She should be mine…

* * * * *

Lauren looked up in surprise when her cell door clanged open. Xairn had just been to see her a few hours before, to bring her morning ration of cardboard pop tarts, as she thought of the nutra-wafers. He shouldn’t be back again until supper time, which was when they usually got to talk. Or rather, she talked. Xairn mostly listened.

His face was expressionless as he looked down at her, but somehow she knew something wasn’t right.

“What is it?” she asked, clutching his heavy black cape tightly around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

“Get up.” His deep voice was charged with tension.

Lauren scrambled to her feet. She gasped as he clamped one huge hand around her upper arm in a grip tight enough to hurt. “What’s happening? Where are we going?”

“To the home world.”

“What? Why?” she asked desperately as he dragged her out of the cell and down a long metal corridor.

“Why do you think?” He threw her a glance, his red-on-black eyes burning.

“I…I don’t know,” Lauren faltered.

“Yes, you do.” He dragged her along so fast she had to run to keep up with his long strides. The interior of the ship went by in a dull-gray blur around her but she had eyes only for his face. His expression remained impassive but his eyes blazed.

“Please, Xairn,” she begged. “You’re hurting me.”

“Not as much as you’re going to be hurt.” He glanced at her briefly as they rounded a curve and went through a low archway. “Here we are.”

“Where is here?” Lauren looked around uncertainly. They were in a vast room filled with ships of all sizes and shapes. Most of them were long and narrow and sleek, their outer skins an oily, inky black that was hard to look at for some reason. Xairn chose a larger ship and herded her toward it.

“The docking bay. We’re taking the adjunct ship to the home world.”

“Do you mean your home planet—the place you came from?” she asked as he dragged her through the echoing space to the chosen ship. The metal floor was freezing under her bare feet.

“It was never my home. But it is the place my people originated, yes.” He placed his large hand against the inky black side of the ship. Lauren watched in amazement and fear as his fingers seemed to sink right into the strange black metal—as though he’d put his hand into a puddle of oil. The ship shivered and oozed open—there was no other word for the way the gaping hole suddenly appeared in its side.

“But…why are we going there?” she asked as he half pushed/half boosted her into the strange ship. Why are you taking me so far away from Earth? From my mom and everyone I love? She didn’t dare to say it aloud but the fear that she would never return rose in her throat, almost choking her.

“The AllFather needs to draw power from his place of origin.” Xairn’s voice was tight as he pushed her to the back of the ship where Lauren could see a holding cell. It looked much like the one she’d been kept in on the Fathership except it was smaller—much smaller.

“Please!” She turned to face Xairn when he would have pushed her into the cell. “Please, wait.”

“We don’t have much time. The AllFather will be here soon and he will expect the ship to be primed and ready.”

“Just tell me one thing,” Lauren said, trying to control her panic and keep her voice level and calm. “Why does he want me?”

“He wants to breed you. You are the fulfillment of a prophesy—the female we have been searching for.” He looked down at her, his eyes blazing. “Only you can replenish our race. Only you can bear daughters born of the AllFather’s seed.”

Lauren had been afraid something like this was to be her eventual fate but she hadn’t allowed herself to think about it. Now, faced with the truth, she knew she could do one of two things—panic and give up hope, or save herself the only way she could.

“Why does it have to be him?” she asked in a low voice.

Xairn frowned. “What do you mean? What are you asking?”

“I said, why does it have to be him who, you know, does it?” Taking a deep breath, she took a step toward Xairn. His broad chest was at the level of her face and she had to look up to see him looming over her. But she didn’t flinch, not even when his red-on-black eyes bored into hers.

“I don’t understand you.” He shook his head.

“Why can’t it be you?” Slowly, gently, Lauren raised her hand and cupped his cheek. His skin was warm and slightly scratchy under her palm though she had never noticed any beard shadow on his face. Up close she could smell his scent—the same warm, exotic spice that permeated the cloak he had given her.

“Me?” His deep voice was hoarse.

“Yes, you,” Lauren said patiently. She hoped desperately that she wasn’t overplaying her hand but this was all she had and she would rather die than submit to the hideous AllFather. “You’re his son. You have the same blood—the same DNA. Why can’t it be you who…who breeds me?” The word stuck in her throat but she forced it out anyway.

Xairn jerked back from her light touch as though he’d been burned. “Are you asking me to rape you?”

Lauren swallowed hard and let her hand drop to her side. “It doesn’t have to be rape,” she said in a low, steady voice. “Not if you’re gentle. You can be gentle, can’t you, Xairn?”

For a moment his face twisted and then he shook his head. “I have no gentleness in me. Only cruelty and brutality.”

“You’ve never been cruel to me,” Lauren protested. “Please, Xairn. If…if someone has to do that, I want it to be you. Not him. Never him.” The tears were filling her eyes but she blinked them back, not allowing herself to cry. Have to stay calm. In control.

“Even if I wanted to breed you, I couldn’t.” His deep voice was cold but his eyes blazed. “Those desires are buried in me—never to emerge.”

“You’re saying you can’t do it because you don’t want me? You don’t find me attractive?” she asked.

“I…” Xairn frowned. “Certainly you’re very beautiful. But beauty means nothing to me. My sexual urges are dormant and shall remain so.”

“Oh?” Lauren had no idea if she was doing the right thing or not. She only knew she was desperate. Taking a deep breath, she unfastened the neck of the long black cloak and let it drop. It pooled at her feet in a heap of fabric. She felt horribly naked and vulnerable without it, but she refused to cover herself.

“What are you doing?” Xairn’s voice was a harsh whisper now.

“Look at me,” she murmured, holding her hands out to her sides. She was no Victoria’s Secret model but she had curves in all the right places and she knew it. Her bare breasts were high and full and firm and her berry-brown nipples were tight in the cool air. The neatly trimmed thatch of black curls between her thighs was soft and inviting.

“Why should I?” he demanded but his eyes burned over her body, devouring her hungrily, making her feel even more naked.

“I want you to see me,” Lauren said clearly. “Not just as a sex object or a female animal with the right bloodlines. See me—see Lauren. The girl you’ve been talking to for so long.”

“I see you.” His eyes stopped roving over her body and he looked into her eyes. “But I still don’t understand.”

“I’m asking you to help me,” Lauren said softly. “And I think you will.”

“What would lead you to believe that?” He sounded uneasy.

Lauren took a step closer until she could feel the heat of his large body against her bare skin. “Because you clothed me when I was cold and fed me when I was hungry. Because you comforted me when I was sad. You care, Xairn—I know you do. So please, help me.”

“I cannot. I must not.” But he didn’t move away from her this time.

“You can,” Lauren assured him. Taking his hand, she placed it carefully between her bare breasts, pressing his palm to the smooth skin of her chest. “Feel my heart. Look into my eyes. You can have me if you want—I won’t fight you. Just don’t…don’t let him have me. Please.”

Xairn looked down at his large hand between her breasts and then back up into her eyes. “I—”

The sound of boots echoing outside cut him off.

Lauren looked toward the door in the side of the ship with alarm. “Who—?”

“Quickly!” Stooping, Xairn retrieved the cloak, wrapped it around her, and pushed her into the small holding cell almost in one motion. “Be silent,” he warned in a low voice. “Don’t bring attention to yourself.”

“But will you help me?” she whispered, looking up at him, pleading with her eyes. “Please, Xairn!”

“We’ll speak of it later.” He slammed the door in her face and she heard the locking mechanism being punched in.

There was nothing in the small cell but a tiny triangular bench affixed to one corner and a harsh, overhead light. Trying not to cry, Lauren wrapped his cloak tighter around herself and huddled on the bench. Did Xairn care for her enough to save her from his hideous father?

She was afraid she wouldn’t find out until it was too late.

Chapter Twenty-six

“This is stupid,” Kat mumbled to herself. “Not…not gonna kill myself for pride.” Through a haze of pain, she fumbled for the button on her holo-link, which was sitting on the nightstand next to her bed. She wished she could use a Think-me, like Liv and Sophie did but as an unmated female, she wasn’t permitted to use the Kindred version of a telepathic cell phone. It wasn’t a sexist rule—more of a practical one. Without a Kindred mind bonded to and shielding her own, she might transmit her thoughts anywhere—including to the listening ears of the Scourge. Not that the AllFather wants to hear about my splitting headache, she thought wearily. He’s probably too busy cooking up his next nasty plot to care about one stupid Earth girl who accidentally got herself soul-bonded to the wrong guys by mistake.

She hated like hell to call Lock and Deep, but she could tell the pain wasn’t going away any time soon without them. Already it was almost as bad as it had gotten back in the cave on Twin Moons. And how was she ever going to get through the psychic divorce if she was completely incapacitated?

Maybe I’ll just call Lock. No, it’ll hurt him to touch me without Deep. But damn it, she really didn’t want to have anything else to do with Deep right now. Especially after their last encounter. Her finger was hovering indecisively above the send button when she heard someone pounding on the front door of her suite.

“Coming,” she groaned, dragging herself off the bed. “I’m coming, just hang on.” She slapped the switch and the door slid open with a soft whoosh to reveal a very worried looking Lock.

“My lady?” He came inside just in time to catch her as her legs collapsed. “Kat!” He looked at her anxiously. “Are you all right? I could feel your pain and distress—it worried me.”

Kat smiled at him weakly. “Just the same old thing. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” She sighed. “Where’s Deep?”

Lock’s handsome features tightened. “I don’t know and I don’t care to know.”

“What? So you two really are fighting?” she asked as he carried her back to the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed.

“It goes beyond that.” Lock stripped off his shirt and climbed into the bed beside her.

Kat sighed in relief when she felt his warm hand on her arm. She didn’t even protest when he pulled her blouse gently over her head, leaving her bare from the top up except for her bra. “We should call him, even if you are fighting,” she said as Lock pulled her close, pressing his broad chest to her back. “Don’t want to hurt you.”

“The pain is nothing,” Lock assured her gently. “It’s more than worth it to be near you, my lady. Especially when…” His voice faltered for a moment. “When I’m going to lose you so soon.”

“Oh, Lock…” Kat could feel his sorrow welling up, a sense of loss so great it nearly smothered her with its intensity. Still, she didn’t draw back or try to get away. Instead, she turned in his arms so she was facing him and drew him into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry,” she whispered into his shoulder. “So sorry.”

“So am I.” It sounded like Lock might be crying. His large form shook against hers and Kat held him tighter, wishing she could comfort him better. “I love you, Kat,” he whispered brokenly. “And the idea of being torn apart from you tomorrow—of losing what little bond we have between us—it feels like death to me. Like the end of everything.”

“I love you too,” Kat admitted. “And…I feel like I could love Deep. If only he would let me. If only he wanted me to.”

Lock stiffened in her arms. “He won’t. He doesn’t. There’s no point in even considering it. No hope.” A low growl rose in his throat. “Gods, I wish I wasn’t tied to him.”

“Don’t say that,” Kat said softly. “You’re brothers—twins. You ought to be close.”

“How can I want to be close to him when he’s killing the only relationship that ever mattered to me?” Lock demanded. “What he’s doing to you—to us…I cannot forgive it.”

“Of course you can’t.” The new voice startled them both.

Kat jerked her head up to see Deep lounging in the bedroom doorway, one broad shoulder pressed against the door jam. There was a mocking look on his dark face but his eyes were fierce. “Well, well,” he murmured. “You two look so cozy. I’d join you but I don’t think that bed is big enough for three.”

Lock sat up, shielding Kat protectively with his arm. “What are you doing here?” he snarled.

“The same thing you are, dear brother. Little Kat’s pain called to me—dragged me like a magnet all the way across the ship from the Unmated Males section.”

Lock’s brown eyes flashed. “What were you doing there? You’re not unmated!”

Deep raised an eyebrow. “I practically am. Anyway, why should you care?”

Kat looked back and forth between them uneasily. She wasn’t sure exactly what went on in the Unmated Males area—but she thought there must be some kind of sexual element to it. She’d never heard of prostitutes aboard the Mother ship but vague whispers and rumors seemed to indicate that there was some form of release available to the unmated warriors. Which made sense when you considered the uncharted amount of testosterone in the average alpha male Kindred.

“I care because it’s disrespectful to the lady Kat,” Lock growled. “But why should I expect anything different? You disrespect everything and everyone. You don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

Deep threw up his hands. “That’s me—I’m just a self-centered bastard, pissing on everything you hold dear. Ruining your life.”

“Yes, you are!” Lock’s hands were curled into fists and his normally mild expression had turned to one of hatred. He started to get off the bed but Kat stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Don’t,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Please, don’t.”

“Let him.” Deep gestured to the half-healed bruises on his face. “If the only way he can express his emotions is through his fists. Why not?”

“Because.” Kat hated how weak she sounded, how her voice trembled. She wanted to say something cutting or witty. Wanted to defuse the tension somehow, the same way she had sometimes when she was a little girl and her parents fought. If you can make them laugh or make them hate you instead of each other, they’ll stop fighting, whispered a little voice in her head. And maybe they won’t hit each other anymore… But nothing came to mind. “Please,” she repeated softly. “Please, just don’t.”

“I won’t, my lady, forgive me.” Lock gathered her protectively into his arms. “I’m sorry we upset you,” he murmured into her hair.

Kat closed her eyes, feeling bombarded by their emotions. Lock was feeling sorrow/worry/protectiveness and Deep was filled with despair/rage/hatred.

No, not just hatred…self-hatred. Kat opened her eyes to see the dark twin smirking at her, an insolent expression on his handsome features. But underneath that look of indifferent scorn, she thought she saw a flash of something else. A sorrow so deep it was nearly unbearable. A desolation so dark it made her heart knot like a fist in her chest.

“Guess I’ll leave and let you two finish comforting each other,” he said.

“Wait!” The skin to skin contact she’d had with Lock gave Kat the strength to jump out of bed and run after Deep as he was turning for the door. “Wait,” she demanded again, putting a hand on his arm.

“What is it now?” Deep growled, turning to face her.

Now that she was facing him, Kat didn’t know what to say. She wanted to shake him, to demand he stop acting this way and admit his true feelings. But part of her was still shaken by the fight—or almost fight that had just occurred. Part of her was still the scared little girl, huddling in the corner, listening to hatred and insults fill the air and praying that the people she loved wouldn’t hit each other this time.

“Well?” Deep demanded and she realized she’d been standing there silent for too long.

“Don’t be this way.” She looked at him pleadingly. “Please, Deep. I…I know you care about me. And I know you love Lock—he’s your brother. Please don’t act like you don’t.”

He raised an eyebrow at her mockingly. “You think I care? How very touching. And, unfortunately, how very wrong.”

“You do care,” Kat insisted. “Why else would you take my pain? The scars on your back prove it.”

“They prove nothing, other than my honor as a warrior,” he snapped. “I couldn’t let a female whose safety I’d been charged with die. That is the only reason I did what I did. Nothing more.”

Kat felt herself freezing inside. Despite her outward self-confidence, she’d suffered a lot of rejection in her life. It was hard—incredibly hard—to stand there, insisting that a huge, gorgeous, muscular man who would have been dating a supermodel if he was human and lived on Earth—loved her. Especially when he was saying in no uncertain terms that he didn’t.

Still, she tried one more time.

“I know something bad happened to you in the past,” she said quietly, meeting his eyes.

“Oh you do, do you?” Deep’s black eyes blazed. He looked up at Lock. “Thank you, Brother, for revealing my most private and painful shame.”

“I said nothing,” Lock growled.

“I’m just saying that I know about it, not that I know any details or that I judge you for it,” Kat said hastily. “I was thinking that whatever it is, maybe it had something to do with the way you’re acting now.”

Deep shook his head. “What happened is in the past—over and forgotten. It has nothing to do with what I feel for you, little Kat.”

Kat lifted her chin, her heart pounding. “And what do you feel for me?”

Deep leaned down until they were almost close enough to kiss. Looking into her eyes, he murmured, “Nothing. I feel nothing for you.”

Kat sucked in a breath. It felt like someone had punched her in the gut and she couldn’t get enough air. “Oh,” she whispered.

Deep nodded and straightened up to his full height. “Are you satisfied now, sweetheart? Can I go?”

“You can go, all right.” Tears of pain and rage filled Kat’s eyes but she blinked them back fiercely. “Go straight to Hell!”

Deep winked at her. “I prefer the Unmated Males section. There are so many more…distractions there.”

“I don’t care where you go—as long as you’re back in time for our trip tomorrow.” Kat kept her voice steady though she wanted to sob. “So we can go get this damn bond cut once and for all.”

Deep grinned insolently. “I wouldn’t miss it.” He sauntered out of the bedroom and through the suite.

Kat held herself in until she heard the front door whoosh shut behind him. Then the tears came—tears of shame and pain and embarrassment. Tears of rejection that stung worse than all the others put together. He really doesn’t care. Doesn’t want me. Putting a hand over her mouth, she sobbed.

Lock was there suddenly, enfolding her in his arms and raining soft, consoling kisses on her hair. “Oh my lady,” he whispered brokenly. “I’m so sorry. So very sorry.”

“I shouldn’t let him get to me.” Kat blotted her eyes against the back of her hand. “But I feel so stupid. Liv kept saying tonight that maybe he was just afraid to love me or that he felt unworthy.” She shook her head. “I’m the unworthy one.”

“No, you’re not!” Lock took her face in his hands and looked at her earnestly. “You’re beautiful and intelligent and perfect. If only I could be free of him, I would bond you to me as quickly as I could. If you’d have me, that is.”

Kat sniffed and straightened up. “Thank you, Lock. I wish I could,” she whispered. “But I can’t be with a man who doesn’t want me and there’s no way to separate the two of you. I’m sorry.”

A look of sorrow passed over Lock’s face. “Will you let me hold you tonight, at least?” he asked softly. “Since tonight is the last night I’ll ever be able to do so?”

Kat knew by now that he didn’t care about the pain the physical contact would cause him. “Yes.” Turning her head, she kissed his broad palm. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

“Thank you, my lady.” Lock swung her up into his arms and carried her back to bed.

Kat laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to forget the hurt and humiliation she’d endured. But in her mind’s eye, she just kept seeing Deep’s mocking grin and hearing him say over and over, “Nothing. I feel nothing for you.”

She wished she could say the same about him.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Deep didn’t go to the Unmated Males area. In fact, he barely made it back to the suite he shared with Lock. Just inside the front door, he collapsed, sliding down the wall to sit with his knees drawn up to his chest.

She hates me now. Utterly and without a doubt. Hates me. Well good—that was what he’d wanted. Wasn’t it?

Self loathing rolled through him in waves like nausea until he knew he was going to be sick. Heaving himself to his feet, he just made it to the bathroom in time to void the contents of his stomach.

When he was empty, he splashed water from the sink in his face and rubbed his cheeks and mouth vigorously with a towel. Looking up into the viewer, he saw emptiness—a male with nothing left to lose. Nothing left because he’d just thrown away the most precious thing in his life. Thrown it away like a piece of garbage to lie rotting and festering in a dump.

“I killed it,” he said aloud, addressing the hated face in the mirror. “Anything she felt for me is dead now.”

But that was good—that was how it had to be. Closing his eyes, he remembered again the moment of total panic he’d experienced when she fainted during their love-making. I would have hurt her. Would have been the death of her—the same way I was with Miranda. She’s better off without me. Better off with Lock.

Yes—that was the truth of it. The real heart of the matter. Deep knew he didn’t deserve to love and be loved in return by such a beautiful, intelligent elite female. But Lock did. And Lock would take care of her, he would shelter Kat and protect her from the fiercest danger. He was the one she needed to be with. But how?

I know a way. Deep thought of the schematics for the Scourge torture device called the psychic knife. He’d been studying them before he was called away by Kat’s pain. When he’d first suggested using it, Deep had fully intended to simply sever himself and Lock from Kat once and for all. But after reading over the specs, a different plan was emerging in his head.

Forgive me, little Kat, he thought, wiping his face one last time and going in to the bedroom to study some more. Forgive me for hurting you but you’ll see—it will be for the best in the long run. I promise it will.

* * * * *

Kat was dreaming. At least, she thought she was—she seemed to be floating disembodied in an empty room. Where am I? she thought, looking around. The room seemed familiar—the large leather sofa built for three, the small, cozy fireplace, the pictures on the wall of a world with golden oceans… Deep and Lock’s suite, she thought. But what am I doing here?

Her question seemed to be answered when Deep walked in and settled himself at the desk in one corner of the room. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a long, thin tube and unrolled it to form a personal memory pad. Kat watched with interest as the liquid crystals within the pad’s black surface came to life and began to form shapes. What was he doing? The dark twin didn’t strike her as the introspective type—the idea that he might keep a memory journal surprised her greatly. But then, a lot of things about Deep surprised her. And not all of the surprises were pleasant.

Deep looked over his shoulder for a moment, almost as though he could sense that someone was watching him. Then, having satisfied himself that he was alone in the room, he leaned closer to the pad. “Enable memory five-two-six. Replay nonstop. Allow no interruptions,” he murmured.

There was a soft clicking and then the display screen enlarged substantially as the crystals expanded. By the time the memory began, it was large enough that Kat could have seen it from across the room.

The memory looked like a scene shot with an old fashioned handheld camera. It was clearly from Deep’s point of view and seen though his eyes because Lock was walking right beside him and they were talking in low voices. They appeared to be moving down a clean white sidewalk along a row of well cared for houses.

The neighborhood could have been in any town in America, as far as Kat could see. The houses looked to be upper middle class—prosperous without being gaudy. There were luxury cars and minivans in the driveways and the lawns were green and well tended. All the houses were quiet and peaceful…except for the one at the end of the block.

It was a white two story house with green gingerbread trim and a green door to match. But the white gravel driveway was crowded with emergency vehicles, their lights flashing. People in official looking uniforms were swarming over the neatly mown lawn.

“Is that the place?” Lock asked, pointing to the house. “You always see it so much clearer than me in the dreams.”

“That’s her house.” The point of view moved up and down, as though Deep was nodding.

“What’s going on?” Lock asked.

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t look good.” Deep sounded grim.

“Maybe we should go back to the HKR building. Come again later. Or send the draft officers for her instead.”

“We agreed to come for her ourselves. Those damn draft officers only scare the human females when they drag them out of their homes. And she’s already scared enough of me as it is.” Deep sounded unhappy.

“Still, it’s official procedure.” Lock sighed. “Don’t worry about the dreams, Deep. She just needs to get to know you. We’ll take things slowly during the Claiming period. Very slowly.”

“Agreed. If there is a Claiming period.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lock demanded as they went through the gate of the white picket fence surrounding the house with the gingerbread trim.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this is an official crime scene,” a voice said, before Deep could answer. The point of view looked down and Kat saw a human police officer standing there with his thumbs hooked in his belt, frowning and blocking the walkway.

“We’re Kindred,” Deep said smoothly. “Here on official business.”

The cop got a mulish look on his face. “Well, I’m afraid your business will have to wait. Crime scene takes precedence.”

“Give it up, Murphy.” Another policeman, this one a middle aged woman with her black hair scraped back into a ponytail, came to stand beside him. “It’s not really a crime scene when she meant to off herself.”

“That’s not our call to make. The Coroner’ll decide if it was suicide or not,” the first policeman said stubbornly.

“Suicide?” Lock sounded worried. “What are you talking about? Who—?”

“There they are! Let them through, officers. Let them through—those are the murderers.” A young woman with scraggly, brownish-blonde hair came running out onto the front porch. She was pointing to Lock and Deep and sobbing hysterically.

“Murderers, eh?” The first policeman, Murphy, looked at them with considerably more interest. “You gentlemen care to explain that?”

“Officer, I assure you that my brother and I have never even been on this planet until this morning and we—” Lock began but Deep was already pushing past the officers and rushing to the front porch.

“Where is she?” Kat saw his large hands grip the hysterical girl and give her a firm shake. “Where’s Miranda?” he demanded.

“You want to see her?” the girl shouted through her sobs. “You want to see what you did to her, you son-of-a-bitch?”

“Yes, I want to see her, damn it!” Deep’s voice was fierce now. Fierce and fearful—Kat could hear the dread throbbing in his tone. The knowledge of what he might find if he followed the crying girl into the house. But he went with her anyway, climbing a staircase and going down a hallway to the bedroom at the end.

Kat could hear soft sounds of grief coming from behind one door and there were two paramedics just leaving the far bedroom as they entered it. “Hey, I thought the police didn’t want anyone going in there,” one protested as Deep and the girl brushed past them.

“Official business,” Deep said, but his voice sounded hollow and strained.

At the door to the bedroom, the girl turned to face him, her face pale and blotchy with tears. “So you finally came for her. She said you would. It was all she talked about for the past month.” Her voice went high and scared as though she was imitating someone. “‘The dark one—I don’t know his name but he won’t leave me alone. Every time I close my eyes I see him…coming for me, reaching out to touch me.’”

“Enough. Let me see her,” Deep sounded quiet but dangerous. “She’s supposed to be our bride—I have a right to see her.”

“She was never going to go with you,” the girl spat. “She made sure of that. You want to see? Fine, have a look!”

She flung open the door, revealing a room that was decorated in cream and pink and butter yellow. A cheerful room with a canopy bed against one wall and set of French doors leading out onto a balcony covered with climbing ivy.

It was cheerful, that was, until you noticed what was lying on the bed. Kat didn’t want to see it but somehow she couldn’t look away as Deep approached.

At first it looked like a doll. A life sized doll with hair the same brownish-blonde as the crying girl’s. But it was clear when you got closer that the doll was broken—its large, china blue eyes were wide and staring at the canopy overhead, its mouth frozen half open, as though it wanted to speak.

Oh my God, Kat thought numbly. It’s not a doll—it’s a girl. And she’s dead. She’s really dead.

“Gods!” There was a sudden, dizzying shift in the point of view and Kat realized that Deep had fallen to his knees. “Miranda!” he whispered hoarsely.

“I found her like this when I came to get her for breakfast.” The crying girl, who had to be Miranda’s sister, sounded numb. “She took my mom’s pills—all of them. And she left this.” She thrust a crumpled piece of notebook paper into Deep’s hands. “Read it,” she demanded.

Deep bowed his head and the words on the paper came into focus.

They’re coming for me and the dark one won’t leave until he gets me. I see them every night getting closer and closer. I just want him to leave me alone. I just want the dreams to stop. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…

There might have been more but Kat couldn’t read it. The point of view was suddenly blurry. When she heard Deep speak again, she understood why.

“She wrote this?” he asked, his voice shaking. “Before she…”

“Killed herself. Yes,” the girl said flatly. “She was so afraid of what you were going to do to her. So afraid she would rather be dead than let you get her.” She ran both hands through her hair distractedly. “Miranda had her whole life ahead of her. She was in college—she was going to be a vet because she loved animals. Did you know that? Did you know anything about her except that you wanted her?”

“This was never our intention,” Deep protested. “We’d been dream sharing for weeks. I knew she was frightened of us…of me. But I never thought—”

“That she’d go this far? I didn’t either.” Her voice began to rise in pitch. “I knew something wasn’t right last night. I never should have left her. Never should have—”

“None of this is your fault.” Deep stood slowly, never looking away from the dead girl on the bed. “None of it. I bear this blame alone.”

“End memory,” a soft, mechanical voice said. There was a clicking sound and the liquid crystal screen went black. Then the room was silent except for a low, hoarse sound Kat didn’t recognize at first.

She looked away from the screen and saw that Deep had put his head down on the desk, his face buried in his arms. His broad shoulders were heaving. The hoarse, painful sound was coming from him.

He’s sobbing, she realized. My God, he’s tearing himself apart. Despite the way he’d treated her earlier, she had an overwhelming impulse to go to him, to put her arms around him and comfort him, to somehow ease the overwhelming agony she felt coming from him in waves.

But she couldn’t touch him—she could only watch helplessly as his misery went on and on. At last the sobbing quieted and Deep raised his head. His face was calm but his eyes were red. “I’m sorry, Miranda,” he said in a low voice. “So damn sorry.” He sighed. “I cannot take back what happened to you. But I can keep it from happening to another. I can stop it before it’s too late—before I ruin her life the way I ruined yours. I love her too much, I can’t let that happen—I won’t let it happen.”

He’s talking about me, Kat realized. He does care! He thinks he’ll hurt me if he stays with me, if he and Lock bond with me completely. That’s why he’s being such an asshole—he’s trying to drive me away. But now that I know—

* * * * *

“My lady? My lady Kat, I know it’s early but we agreed that an early start was best.” A gentle hand shook her shoulder.

Kat burrowed deeper into her pillow. No, can’t wake up yet. Have to remember. Have to know…it’s so important. It’s so—

“My lady?” The hand shook her again and the last vestiges of the dream wisped away.

Kat sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Is it time to get up already?”

“I’m afraid so.” Lock sounded apologetic. “We’re supposed to be in the docking bay by o-six hundred.”

“Okay, okay, I’m up.” She frowned and rubbed sleep from her eyes. Something was bothering her—something important was tugging at the corner of her mind. What was it? she thought uneasily. I told myself not to forget it but what—

“Would you like the first turn in the bathing pool?” Lock asked courteously.

Kat sighed and gave up the hopeless quest. Whatever it was, it would come back to her if it was important enough. Right now she had to get ready to go. “Yeah, I’ll go first,” she said, nodding. “But I warn you, I have nothing to wear. Not that I can even begin to guess the correct dress code for exploring an abandoned alien planet and getting a double divorce.”

Lock winced and she was sorry she’d been so snarky. “Wear whatever is comfortable and practical, my lady,” he said in a low voice. “We’re likely to be walking through some dark and dirty areas and the entire planet is polluted.”

“Got it.” Kat sighed. “Wading through polluted muck. So I guess my favorite pair of kitten heels is out.”

Lock gave her a wan smile. “I wouldn’t recommend them. Unless you want me to carry you the whole way. I wouldn’t mind.”

Kat straightened up and lifted her chin. “Thank you, Lock, but I think I’ve had enough of the damsel in distress routine for a little while.” I got myself into this mess, and I guess I can get myself out of it. But she didn’t speak the thought aloud—she couldn’t bear to see the sorrow and loss on Lock’s face again. Couldn’t stand the thought that by this time tomorrow, she would no longer be bonded to him or to Deep.

Deep…that was it. It was something about him. Something I was supposed to remember…But though it seemed terribly important, the memory eluded her as she showered and dressed.

Kat sighed. The only thing I need to remember about Deep is to steer clear of him until we get this damn soul-divorce. Then he can do whatever he wants and we can all go our separate ways—which is what I wanted in the beginning.

She only wished it was what she wanted now.

Chapter Twenty-eight

“Land usss in the hidden passageway of the Command Complex,” the AllFather directed as their ship approached the dark gray-green world that was the Scourge home planet.

“As you wish,” Xairn said tightly. He was struggling to keep his emotions in check—at least until he could get away from his father. After Sanja’s death, he had felt hollow inside—empty…emotionless. And he had assumed he would never feel anything ever again. But after his last exchange with Lauren, something was stirring within him—something dark and sinister. Something too frightening to face.

Then don’t face it. Push it down. Ignore it!

Trying to follow his own advice, Xairn piloted the ship through the layers of atmosphere until they were just skimming over the surface of the black, oily sea. Once, so he’d been told, this immense ocean had been teeming with life—from tiny, delicate fire fish no bigger than a fingernail to the huge purple-green leviathans, larger than the Fathership. But they were all gone—extinct for hundreds of years. Nothing lived in the vast oily waste now but a few hearty strains of algae that had adapted to the chemicals and pollutants which had poisoned the rest of the marine life.

Finally the brown shore of the beach came into view and shortly after that, the old battlefield and the towering edifice of the Command Complex. Xairn knew the dirty gray towers soaring into the soot-smudged sky were mostly for show. The majority of the Complex was located underground, in a sprawling warren of tunnels.

Xairn had been to the home world—called Zlicth in the Scourge tongue—only once before in his life. But he remembered the visit vividly and had no problem finding the hidden passageway around the back of the Complex. It was so well camouflaged that a person walking on the ground would have fallen into it before they saw it. Xairn guided the ship in smoothly and flew through the tunnel until he came to the back entrance of the large building.

“Very good.” The AllFather nodded. “When we disssembark, lock the girl in a holding cell in the medical wing.”

“What of you, father? What of your peak?” Xairn hoped his voice didn’t come out sounding strained. He didn’t want the AllFather to have any idea of the newfound emotions churning inside him.

“It isss not yet upon me. I must ssspend time in my Sssouda. A few hoursss or perhapsss a little longer and I ssshall be ready to breed her.”

Xairn’s hands clenched into fists but he only nodded his head. “As you wish. I will see to the girl but what of your guard?”

“They ssshall come with me.” The AllFather nodded to the four massive soldiers who were crammed into the back of the ship. They had been crouching there, unmoving for hours in what looked like extremely uncomfortable positions, but none of them had complained. In fact, none of them said anything at all. They just sat there, staring straight ahead with dead black eyes.

Soulless, Xairn thought. That’s what Lauren thinks of them. Maybe they are. Maybe the vat grown are devoid of real consciousness. Or else they hide their emotions even better than I do.

Of course, up until a few hours before, he hadn’t had any emotions to hide. Now he was full of them—some old, hatred for his father, despair for his joyless life—but some new as well. When he remembered how Lauren had looked, naked and defiant as she offered herself to him, feelings stirred inside him which didn’t bear thinking about.

If Father finds out I have feelings again, that he can feed on me… Have to get away from him. Get away and stay away as much as possible.

It was his only thought as he watched the AllFather descend from the ship, aided by his Alpha guard. He still seemed stiff and weak but the moment he stepped foot on the ground, he lifted his hooded face and took a deep breath of the dank, fetid air. “Home at lassst.” The words hissed from his lipless mouth and he turned glowing red-on-black eyes to Xairn. “Sssee to the girl. Do not bother me unlesss I sssend for you.”

“Yes, Father.” Xairn nodded briefly and was relieved when the AllFather turned to go.

“Xairn.”

He jerked as his father hissed his name. “Yes?”

“The control wand. Give it to me.” One skeletal hand emerged from the shadowy depths of the AllFather’s robe, palm up. “Just in case you get any ideasss.”

Struggling to maintain a blank expression, Xairn did as he was told. Pulling the tiny silver control wand from the instrument panel, he dropped it into his father’s hand. Without it the ship could not be started or steered—without it, he was stuck on this planet with no choice but to do his father’s will. Of course I’m going to do his will. What else would I do? Take Lauren and fly away with her? Xairn shook his head. Just the fact that he’d even had such a thought proved that he was becoming more and more unstable.

The Allfather’s burning crimson eyes narrowed. “Are you well, my ssson?”

“Perfectly, Father.” Xairn stared straight ahead. “Hadn’t you better get to your Souda?”

“I ssshall indeed. And I will keep thisss with me at all timesss.” The silver control wand disappeared into the folds of the AllFather’s shadowy robes. Then, surrounded by his four huge guards, he glided away.

Xairn gave them plenty of time to enter the Complex, watching as the massive plasti-steel doors rolled inward silently and then shut behind them. When he was sure they were gone, he sighed in relief. At least now that his father was out of the immediate vicinity, he could stop worrying about the AllFather sensing the new emotions churning in his gut.

Emotions he could neither defend nor deny—and all of them centered on Lauren.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Deep was suspiciously quiet during their flight to the Scourge home world. He barely spoke except to warn Kat to be sure she was buckled in safely when they went through the deep red fold in space. And since Lock was too sunk in misery to say anything and Kat wasn’t feeling too chatty herself, their journey was mostly silent. She still had the nagging feeling that there was something she ought to know or remember and every time she glanced at Deep, it grew stronger. But whatever it was, it stayed in the back of her mind and refused to come forward.

At last Deep broke the silence as he piloted the ship into the smoggy atmosphere of the gray-green planet. “Here we are—Zlicth.”

“What?” Kat asked, as the oily black ocean whizzed by under their ship. “What’s a zlickt?”

“Zlicth, is the name of this planet in the ancient tongue of the Scourge,” Lock explained as the ship left the water behind and landed on a brown beach. “The same way you call your planet ‘Earth.’”

Oh,” Kat said as they all unsnapped their safety harnesses. “But if this is their home world, why did they abandon it?”

“Take a look outside and you’ll see.” Deep pressed a button and the door of the shuttle slid smoothly open.

Kat stepped out onto the metal steps descending from the small silver craft to survey the planet. Standing on the topmost step, she looked out across a beach of grimy brown and gray sand and put a hand to her nose. “Ugh, what’s that smell?” It was like a combination of car exhaust, sulfur, and a cat box that badly needed to be changed.

“The sweet smell of Zlicth, of course,” Deep said with a touch of his old sarcasm. He came to stand behind her. “The Scourge weren’t terribly particular about the welfare of their planet, as long as there was a profit to be turned.”

“They ruined their world for gain,” Lock explained. “This planet contains vast quantities of verinium—which gives tremendous amounts of energy when burned.”

“But also releases noxious fumes into the air and chemicals into the water,” Deep said, nodding at the oily waves lapping at the brown sand. There was a thin grayish scum on the water that looked toxic.

“It’s disgusting,” Kat said, still holding a hand over her nose. “I mean—oh!” Her foot slipped and she started to fall from the steps. Only Deep’s strong hand under her arm saved her. He pulled her back to her feet and gave her a quick shake.

“Try not to injure yourself while we’re here—all right, sweetheart?”

Kat stiffened and lifted her chin. “What do you care what happens to me? You just want to be free of me, right?”

Deep’s black eyes flashed. “Just because I don’t want to be bonded to you doesn’t mean I don’t care if you—”

“If I kill myself?” Kat finished for him, without thinking. To her surprise, instead of snapping out a sarcastic retort, Deep turned pale.

“Don’t say that.” His voice was low and hoarse and for a moment, his eyes looked almost haunted.

“Why not?” Kat stared at him, again having that niggling feeling that there was something important she ought to remember.

But Deep only shook his head, and the moment passed. “This may be a deserted world but there are still plenty of dangerous things lying around—the Scourge weren’t very careful where they left their toys.”

“Deep is right,” Lock said, unexpectedly agreeing with his brother. “This is a dangerous place. Which is why we should leave and go back to the Mother ship right now.”

“Nice try, Brother,” Deep drawled. “But I don’t think so—we’re going to do what we came here to do. Besides, don’t you have another little job while we’re here?”

Lock frowned. “Olivia did ask me to see if I could find any clues to her cousin’s whereabouts. Although what we can find on a planet that’s been abandoned for fifty cycles, I have no idea.”

“The prophesy,” Kat reminded him, walking carefully down the steps to the greasy sand below. “If we can find out the exact wording we might have a clue as to what they want her for and where they’ve taken her.”

“Possibly,” Deep agreed, his boots crunching on the sand. “Although I think we all know what they want her for.”

Kat frowned at him. “What do you mean by that?”

Deep shrugged. “What does any Scourge want with a female?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know but I take it they’re not interested in romantic candlelight dinners and long walks on the beach. Especially not this beach.” She made a face.

“They’re depraved in every way,” Lock said, stepping down to join them on the sand. “It’s one of the reasons many of our forefathers wanted to block the genetic trade with them.”

“Hold on.” Kat put up a hand. “You’re telling me the Kindred actually made a trade with them? With the Scourge?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Deep nodded. “A small faction of Kindred, anyway.”

“It was only about a hundred and fifty cycles ago that we came across them,” Lock explained as they began to walk up the beach. “We observed them first, of course. They had the physical characteristics and DNA to make a genetic exchange possible. But the majority of the Council was against the trade from the start.”

“Why?” Kat asked, fascinated despite herself. Who could have guessed that the Kindred’s greatest enemy had at one time been an ally?

“The things they had done to their world for one thing.” Lock gestured at the dirty beach and oily black water. “To so pollute and ruin a planet showed a blatant disregard for the blessings the Mother of All Life had bestowed on them in the first place. But more importantly, the forefathers didn’t like the way the Scourge treated their females.”

Kat’s breath seemed to catch in her throat. “How…how did they treat them?”

“They’re sexual sadists.” Deep’s black eyebrows were pulled low, his face like a thundercloud. “They enjoy inflicting pain and they demand complete submission at all times.”

Kat raised an eyebrow. “So the whole planet was into BDSM? Kinky.”

“Not just ‘kinky’—depraved,” Lock corrected her sternly.

“Lock’s right.” Deep nodded. “I’ve seen vids about your sexual practices on Earth—I know a few of your people are into games of sexual control. But it’s no game for the Scourge—it’s a dominant gene, hardwired into the genetic makeup of every Scourge male. Dominance and submission isn’t play to them—it’s life or death.”

“They can’t take a female unless they’re dominating her completely,” Lock said quietly.

“And they practice and enjoy forms of sexual torture that would turn your stomach,” Deep said darkly. “The Goddess help that girl if the Scourge really do have her. I don’t like to think of the torment they must be putting her through.”

“Poor Lauren!” Kat suddenly felt for Liv and Sophie’s cousin as she never had before. Before she’d been sympathetic to her plight and worried about her, but now she felt Lauren’s pain like a fist to the gut. Lock and Deep’s words brought home what the kidnapped girl must be enduring in a visceral way that nothing else had. “I don’t understand, though,” she said. “If the Scourge are so horrible, why did the Kindred trade with them?”

“A small faction disagreed with the ruling of the Council,” Lock explained. “The Scourge were the first new species suitable for a trade that we’d seen in hundreds of years. And they argued that the Kindred genes were dominant—a new generation of Scourge could be raised who had no wish to torment or inflict pain. Who loved and revered females, as we do.”

“They pointed out that the savages from Rageron had been tamed and taught to worship the Goddess,” Deep said. “But the Beast Kindred never had the genetic need to dominate that the Scourge do. It turned out to be impossible to breed that out of them.”

“So what happened? How did you guys become mortal enemies?” Kat asked. “Was it because they wouldn’t stop mistreating their women?”

“Their continued sexual practices led to a lot of friction, yes,” Lock said. “But it wasn’t until it became common knowledge that the Scourge were experimenting on and torturing abducted Kindred warriors and their brides that all-out war broke out between us.”

Kat made a face. “But why would they do something so horrible?”

“They claimed that they were looking for the connection between the Kindred and their mates—the connection they themselves seemed to be lacking,” Deep rumbled. “But nobody really believed that—what they were doing was all about revenge.”

“Revenge?”

Lock nodded. “You see, from the genetic trade, the Scourge got the Kindred size and musculature and prowess in battle but they also inherited our greatest weakness.”

“Our inability to breed females,” Deep clarified. “With our people, only five percent of pregnancies result in female children. But in the Scourge, the trait was worse. Only one fifth of one percent of their pregnancies resulted in girls.”

“They hated us for it—they still do,” Lock said. “They blame us for the decimation of their race.”

Deep made a sound of disgust in his throat. “They had something to do with it too—right here in fact. During the Battle of Berrni. You can see the results.”

They were climbing a ridge that ran along the top of the greasy brown dunes as he spoke. What she saw when they made it to the top, took Kat’s breath away.

There, on a vast field of barren gray dirt, lay the wreckage and remains of hundreds of space ships. Some of them looked a little like the shuttle they had come in and she assumed they must be of Kindred design. Others were completely alien with strange, gleaming black skin that her eyes kept wanting to slide away from—apparently Scourge ships.

“This is the Field of Berrni—it was the final testing ground,” Lock said quietly, gesturing to the wrecked and abandoned ships. “We had broken into their medical complex and rescued the prisoners they had taken and we were about to wipe them out completely. In desperation, the Scourge deployed a viral bomb designed specifically to cause spontaneous combustion in anyone with Kindred DNA.”

Kat put a hand to her mouth. “Oh my God—so they burned them alive?”

Deep nodded. “Look in any of these abandoned ships and you’ll see little piles of black ash—all that remains of the pilots.”

“But the Scourge didn’t count on one thing—they themselves had Kindred DNA,” Lock said. “They thought that they had modified their virus enough so that it wouldn’t affect them—but our dominant genes are incredibly strong. The survivors of the battle escaped aboard the Father ship but not wholly intact.”

“It sterilized them,” Deep explained. “All but a few who were completely shielded from the initial blast.” He looked grim. “We think the AllFather was one of them.”

“So he might be looking for a way to replenish his race?” Kat guessed. “Do you think that’s what he wants Lauren for?”

“It’s entirely possible,” Lock said. “Though we won’t know for sure unless we can find the exact wording of the prophesy.”

Kat shook her head. “Oh, poor, poor girl. I really feel sorry for her now.”

“We’ll do what we can to help find her,” Lock promised quietly. “We’re not just here to dissolve the bond between us.”

“Of course not,” Deep agreed dryly. “We have much more noble ambitions in mind than simply separating our souls.”

“If you say so.” Kat gave him a look. “But are you sure it’s safe for us to be here? Especially you two—I mean, with the spontaneous burn-you-to-death-if-you’re-Kindred virus running around?”

“Why do you think we landed so far from the Complex?” Deep asked, nodding to the gray spikes and spires rising in the distance. The sprawling building was apparently where they were headed. “Lock and I are both wearing monitors that will detect any stray virus strains that might be harmful long before they become concentrated enough to hurt us.”

“The virus has had years to dissipate so we don’t expect any trouble,” Lock explained. “But we’re moving in slowly, just in case.”

Kat sighed. “All right—as long as you two are safe.”

“Why, Kat.” Deep put a hand over his heart. “I didn’t know you cared.”

Kat refused to rise to the bait. “You know I do,” she said quietly. “And just because you don’t, doesn’t mean I can turn it off just like that.” She snapped her fingers to illustrate her point.

For a moment, Deep looked stricken. “Kat,” he said, stopping in his tracks. “Kat, I…”

“What?” Kat stopped beside him and looked up at him, her heart pounding. Was he going to admit that he cared after all? From the corner of her eye she could see Lock’s face filled with hope.

But Deep just shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “Sorry it has to be like this. But it does.”

“All right.” Kat nodded stoically and began walking again. Let him do what he wanted—she wasn’t going to beg. And she wasn’t going to remain bonded to a man who didn’t want and love her—not even halfway bonded. It’s for the best, she told herself as they trudged closer to the monstrous gray building that Deep had called the Complex. We all need to be free of each other—it’s the only way.

But her heart was sore and she found she couldn’t look at Deep as they walked. Not if she wanted to keep from crying.

Chapter Thirty

Lauren sat huddled on the tiny triangular seat, crammed into the claustrophobically small holding cell and tried not to cry. It’s going to be all right. Everything is going to be all right, she told herself over and over. If she gave in to panic now, everything would be lost. She had to believe she was going to get out of this somehow. Even if her best chance of escape—Xairn—seemed to be completely conflicted about his feelings for her. If he has feelings at all, she thought. He certainly didn’t seem to want to admit it if he did. Could she break down the wall he’d built between them and get him to see that she was important to him? That he needed her as much as she needed him? Lauren hoped so.

The ship had decelerated and landed smoothly and then she’d heard murmuring from the front of the cockpit. The deep, quiet voice she recognized as Xairn’s. The other voice—high and hissing—made her skin crawl. It belonged to the AllFather—the one who wanted to—No, don’t think about it. If you think about it you’ll lose it completely.

Lauren put her fingers in her ears and hummed softly to herself to block out those hateful, hissing tones. The humming started tunelessly but turned into the lullaby her mother used to sing her when she was little. After a few minutes, she could almost hear the beloved voice murmuring the words in her ear… Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Momma’s gonna buy you a mocking bird. And if that mocking bird won’t sing, Momma’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if—

“Lauren?”

She looked up to see Xairn standing there with a terrible look on his face. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or just upset but whatever he was feeling, it wasn’t good.

“Xairn?” She stood up and took a tentative step toward him but her legs were weak from sitting in the cramped position so long. She stumbled and started to go down.

“Careful!” Xairn caught her and dragged her out into the main part of the ship before swinging her up into his arms. He held her easily, as though she was lighter than a feather.

“What’s going on?” she asked softly, looking into his eyes. This was the closest she’d ever been to him—the most he had ever touched her.

Without answering, Xairn carried her out of the ship and into a long concrete tunnel which appeared to be a hidden landing strip. Despite the tense expression on his face, he handled her gently—as though she might break if he wasn’t careful.

As they left the ship, panic gripped Lauren by the throat. “Where are you taking me?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice from wavering.

“To a holding cell.” His red-on-black eyes flickered to hers quickly and then away.

“But why?” Lauren begged. “This is the perfect opportunity—we can leave in the ship together. Just the two of us.”

“Do you think that scenario didn’t cross my mind?” he demanded in a low voice. “Unfortunately, it crossed my father’s mind as well. He has the control wand in his possession. I cannot start or steer the ship without it.”

Despite the bad news that the AllFather had the key to the ship, Lauren felt encouraged. At least Xairn had admitted wanting to take her away—or at least admitted to thinking about it. That was a definite start. “What are we going to do, then?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Stop talking—these hallways are monitored.”

Lauren was obediently silent as he nudged a button which opened a huge set of double doors that looked like they were made of some kind of metal alloy. The doors swung open silently, revealing a long central corridor with many smaller hallways leading off from it on either side.

Xairn stepped inside and the doors swung shut behind them with a finality that had the panic clawing at her throat again. Lauren refused to give in to the fear. Have to keep calm. Keep my head and trust that he wants me enough to keep me from his father. To keep him from… She cut off that line of thought abruptly and rode silently in Xairn’s arms as he walked down the long hallway, his boots echoing in the empty space.

Lauren supposed she could have walked by now—her legs felt fine. But she didn’t want to. The echoing, empty corridor was creepy—like some kind of a ghost town—and most of the smaller hallways leading off from it were dark and filled with shadows. The air was musty and foul and the few light panels that were on overhead flickered as though they might decide to go out at any time. It was like Xairn was carrying her into a haunted house—one she desperately wanted to escape from. But the man bringing her into it was her only hope of getting out again alive, so she clung to him for dear life.

At last they came to a slightly larger hallway branching off from the main one at an oblique angle. It was blocked by a set of metal doors exactly like the ones that had led into the building in the first place, only smaller. Xairn stopped and nudged a black button which caused the doors to slide silently into the wall, revealing a dimly lit space filled with glass doors and strange equipment.

“What is this place?” Lauren breathed, forgetting she wasn’t supposed to talk.

Xairn closed the door behind them before answering. “The medical wing. We can speak here. This wing is shielded from the rest of the Complex.”

“The medical wing?” she asked.

Xairn nodded. Where my father and his chief medical officers used to perform… experiments.”

“Experiments? What kind of experiments?” Lauren shivered as she looked around. There were several glassed in rooms—some were bare but one was set up like an operating theater. But the instruments that lay scattered on the floor and the exam table were strange and brutal. Saws with jagged teeth, long, thin picks with razor sharp points at their ends, something that looked like stainless steel barbed wire unwound in a lethal, shining line across the glassy red floor…

“What kind do you think?” Xairn said in a low voice.

Lauren felt sick. “Torture—my God, they tortured people here, didn’t they?” The fear she’d been trying to hold back suddenly grabbed her by the throat and she couldn’t breathe. “Oh please, Xairn. Please, no,” she whispered in a low, trembling voice. Clinging to him desperately, she buried her face in his neck. “Please…please don’t hurt me.”

“You think I brought you here to torture you?” he demanded hoarsely. “To take pleasure in your pain?”

“I…I don’t know.” The tears were coming now, hot and fast and there was nothing she could do to stop them. “Please, Xairn, please…”

“I won’t hurt you,” he said roughly. “Lauren, look at me.”

Reluctantly, she pulled her face away from his neck and looked up into those burning crimson eyes. “Yes?”

“I won’t hurt you,” he repeated. “And I won’t let anyone else hurt you either.”

“Not even your father?” she whispered.

“Especially not him. I won’t let him have you.” His eyes blazed and a muscle in his jaw clenched. “And I won’t let him harm you.”

“You…you won’t?” A rush of relief came over her so strongly she felt faint.

“No.” Xairn shook his head grimly. “I don’t know how I am going to manage it, but I swear on my honor, I will take you away from this place unharmed and bring you back to your home planet. Do you understand?”

“Oh Xairn!” She almost laughed through her tears. “I…I could just kiss you!” Throwing her arms around his neck she leaned forward impulsively and pressed her lips to his. They were surprisingly soft but before she could register much more, Xairn jerked away from the sudden contact.

“Don’t.” His deep voice was harsh, strained. “Don’t ever do that again, Lauren. Or I can’t be responsible for the consequences. Do you understand?”

Not really? Why did a simple kiss upset him so much? But she only nodded contritely. “I’m sorry. I’m just so glad. So glad you care about me enough to help me.”

“Let us be clear about one thing.” He held her eyes with his. “You have aroused emotions in me—very strong emotions. But that is not a good thing.”

Lauren stared at him uncertainly. “Do…do you mean that you hate me? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Not hate, no.” He shook his head. “What I feel for you…let’s just say it will be better—far better—if those feelings are never explored or acted on.”

“I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say,” Lauren said softly. “But I do want to thank you for promising to help me.”

“There’s no point in expressing your gratitude yet—I haven’t even worked out a plan.” He sighed. “Until I do, I must pretend to comply with my father’s will. And you’re going to have to trust me. Can you do that?”

Biting her lip, Lauren nodded hesitantly. “Yes, I trust you.”

“Thank you.” He nodded gravely. “That means a great deal to me. And now I have to put you in one of these cells and secure the rest of the Complex before reporting back to my father.”

“You’re leaving me alone? In here?” She couldn’t help glancing at the instruments of torture strewn around the surgery suite room again.

“Nothing will harm you,” Xairn said, his rough voice almost soothing. “We are the only creatures alive on this planet. Well—other than a few minor life forms like the black crested lizards. But they live mainly on the beaches and won’t come inside.” He shook his head. “The point is, you’ll be safe, even if I’m in another part of the building.”

“But what if…if your father decides he wants to come, uh, see me?” Lauren asked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. “If he touches me, Xairn, I swear I’ll go crazy. I can’t help it.”

“He often has that effect on females,” Xairn said grimly. “But you don’t need to worry about him—not yet. He is ensconced in his Souda—it’s a special room within the Complex which channels the power of the planet directly to his person. Once he enters it, a dravik forms.”

Lauren frowned. “A what?”

“A dravik—a large bubble made of nourishing blood which forms around him. He can move about the Complex while ensconced within it, but until it bursts, he will be unable to touch you.”

“But how long will that be?” Lauren protested. The idea of the hideous, skeletal AllFather encased in a bubble made of blood was horrific enough. But the idea of him coming for her after the bubble had burst and he was covered in the stuff—well, it didn’t bear thinking about.

“At least a few hours—most likely more,” Xairn said patiently. “But you don’t need to fear—I will return for you long before that. I promise. I just have to lull my father into believing all is well and we’ll make our escape.”

“How? I thought your father had the only key to the ship we came in?”

“He does but there are abandoned ships not far from here—many of them—from the last battle that was fought here with the Kindred. We can take one of those—they should still be operational.”

“All right.” Lauren sighed and nodded. “I trust you to do right by me, Xairn. Just please hurry—this place gives me the creeps.”

“It has been the site of untold horrors,” he agreed, taking her into one of the empty, glassed in cells. “But they’re over and done and in the past. You have nothing to fear now.”

“I hope you’re right.” As he deposited her gently onto her feet, Lauren reached up impulsively and gave him a tight hug. “Come back soon,” she whispered in his ear. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I will come as soon as I can.” Xairn gently disengaged her arms from around his neck and when his face came into view, it wasn’t at all happy. “But you must stop touching me that way, Lauren. It…is not a good thing.”

“Because it makes you feel?” she asked softly.

Stiffly, Xairn nodded. “Yes. I must go now.”

“All right.” She stood with her back to one glass wall and watched as he locked her in. “Goodbye.”

“I’ll return,” he said shortly. “Remember, you’re perfectly safe. There is no one else on the entire planet besides the two of us, my father and his guards. And they are programmed to stay exclusively with him and protect him.”

“All right.” Lauren nodded and watched as he left the medical wing. She listened as the echo of his boots died away to silence and then began to pace. The glass holding cell was small—barely bigger than the one she’d been kept in aboard the Fathership, although thankfully larger than the tiny cramped space she’d been shoved into on the adjunct ship. Still, it only took her five steps to get from one end to the other and eight steps to go across diagonally.

Lauren supposed she ought to conserve her strength but she couldn’t help it—she was nervous. She had faith that Xairn would keep his word—or try to, anyway—but she didn’t like being locked in a cell on a dead planet with an evil being who wanted to rape her. Not to mention his monstrous, soulless guards. Those things were eight feet tall if they were an inch and she had no idea how Xairn was going to get around them if they got in the way when she and Xairn attempted their escape. Or—

Lauren stopped pacing suddenly and listened. What’s that sound?

At first she thought Xairn was coming back because the faint noise sounded like the echo of his boots in the hallway. But it was coming from the opposite direction he’d left from and soon she could tell that it wasn’t just one set of boots approaching her. There were at least two, maybe more, and the deep, masculine voices she heard murmuring over the tap-tapping of their boots were wholly unfamiliar.

My God, she thought, panic rising in her like a tidal wave. There are other people here—strangers—and I’m locked in this cell like a sitting duck. They can do anything they want to me and I can’t stop them, can’t get out.

She was trapped.

* * * * *

“I thought I told you not to disssturb me.” The AllFather floated forward, his skeletal form partially obscured by the round crimson-black orb of the dravik which surrounded him in a bubble of polluted blood. In each of the four corners of the Souda stood an eight foot tall soldier—the AllFather’s personal guard were silent as always. Xairn ignored them.

“I know what you said, Father, but I wanted to let you know that the Complex is secure.” He kept his voice neutral.

“I sssee.” The shape inside the blackish-red bubble nodded. “Well then, that isss all to the good. Where isss the girl?”

“Securely imprisoned within the medical wing, as you requested.”

“Very good. Sssee that ssshe isss ready.” The AllFather’s voice was a hiss of pure lust. “I’ll take her the moment my dravik burstsss.”

Xairn felt a muscle in his jaw clench and forced it to relax. Nothing I feel nothing. But it was no longer true. Lauren had woken something inside him. Something that would have been better left undisturbed.

“My ssson?” The AllFather floated closer, seeming to glide within the confines of the dravik. He was always in the exact center of the glistening, blackish-red bubble, no matter which way he moved. “Isss all well with you?” he enquired.

“Yes, Father.” Xairn did his best to appear stoic and unconcerned. “Of course.”

“I sssense sssomething from you. A disturbance…” Claw-like hands reached out but the AllFather couldn’t penetrate the wall of the dravik, which was feeding him power, and his fingertips stopped inches from Xairn’s face. Thankfully, the bloody bubble also kept his mental powers in check so he couldn’t rifle through Xairn’s mind—though it was obvious he could sense that something wasn’t as it should be.

Xairn didn’t move. “I yearn for the completion of the prophesy. The fulfillment of our race. Perhaps you sense that.”

“Perhapsss.” The fingers withdrew and the vast, quivering, slimy bubble moved away. “We ssshall sssee in time. For now, leave me and prepare the girl. My guardsss and I will be in the medical wing presently.”

“Of course, Father.” Xairn bowed submissively and left the room. As the door to the Souda hissed shut behind him, he took a deep breath and pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes.

The feelings were growing stronger. The need to possess, to dominate, was flowering in his heart like an evil bloom. Xairn had always known that the seed was there—it was part of his very DNA. But he had hoped and prayed that it would never sprout, that he would never be tempted to the depravity he had witnessed for so long in his father.

I must be calm. I must repress these feelings for a little longer—until I can get Lauren safely home.

But how safe would she be if she was with him and the feelings continued to develop? Xairn feared to answer that question, even to himself. The need that was growing inside him was already so strong. Though he hated to admit it, he knew she would be better off away from him.

I must take her home as quickly as possible, Xairn thought. The need is too great, the desire already too strong within me. If she is to be kept safe, she must stay away from me.

The thought of just dropping her off on her home planet and leaving, made his heart ache fiercely. But it was the only way. And besides, what had he thought was going to happen between them? It wasn’t like he could stay with her once this was over. They had to go their separate ways and never see each other again.

His life would be empty again without her. Meaningless. But if he cared for her, the best thing he could do was take Lauren home and then chart a course for the farthest star he could find.

Lifting his chin, Xairn continued down the corridor, heading for the medical wing. He had no time for the storm of emotions boiling within him now—there was a plan to carry out.

And if it didn’t succeed, they were dead.

Chapter Thirty-one

“Here it is—the psychic knife.” Deep pushed open a door and ushered them into a large space that appeared to be set up like some kind of laboratory. To one side was a vast silver cylinder that looked to Kat like a massive oil drum turned up on its end. There were steps leading up to it and a door cut into its side which seemed to indicate that you were supposed to go inside it. Although I’m sure the people who went in there, didn’t go voluntarily, Kat thought with a shiver.

To be honest, the whole place gave her the creeps. The empty, echoing corridors and the medical complex, which Lock told her was just beyond this room, felt haunted. This is the place where they did those horrible experiments on the Kindred and their brides, she thought. How awful to be trapped down here and know that you were about to be torn away from the man or men you loved forever.

But wasn’t that pretty much what was happening to her right now? Kat pushed the thought away angrily. Yes, she cared for Lock—maybe even loved him. And yes, despite all the hateful things he’d said, she cared for Deep too. But one half of the dynamic duo didn’t want her and since they came as a matched set, she was going to have to get over both of them at once. I just hope it won’t be too painful, she thought, staring uneasily at the psychic knife. The more she looked at it, the less she wanted to get into it, or go anywhere near it for that matter.

To one side of the large silver drum was a bank of control panels. Deep went to them immediately and began manipulating the various slide-boards and holo-graphs.

“Good power flow,” he remarked as he worked. “Must be running on a longevity source.”

Lock frowned as he watched his brother work. “I don’t care how good it is, Deep, this is madness. Look at this place—this thing is an instrument of torture. And you want us to risk our lives in it?”

“You won’t be risking anything but your pride,” Deep snapped. “When you find out what a coward you’ve been.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Kat said, putting a hand on her hip. “I’m with Lock on this one—this entire place gives me the willies. And how do we know that thing is safe? I mean it has the word ‘knife’ in its name and it was previously used to torture people. Somehow I doubt it would get the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval—you know?”

“No, I don’t,” Deep said coldly. “But I do know this is our only option.”

“It’s not our only option.” Lock’s voice was quiet and tense. “We can go back home to the Mother ship and bond the lady Kat to us completely. Then we can spend the rest of our lives trying to make her happy.”

Deep laughed harshly. “Trying being the operative word, Brother. Bonding her to us would bring her nothing but unhappiness and pain, no matter how hard you tried to do otherwise.”

“That’s not true,” Lock protested angrily. “Or it wouldn’t be if you could just stop—”

“Stop what?” Deep raised an eyebrow. “Stop being myself? I’m afraid I can’t do that, Brother.”

“Don’t call me that.” Lock’s voice was a dangerous growl. “I told you I don’t want that relationship with you anymore. I don’t want any relationship with you.”

“Then press your hand to the scanner and get into the machine, damn you.” Deep sounded exasperated. “Look.” He pressed his large palm to a flat black screen on the control panel which lit up immediately with a low hum. “I’ve got the damn thing all set up—we just need to activate it and step inside.”

“How will separating the two of us from the lady Kat free me of you?” Lock demanded.

“Stop clouding the issue and just do it.” Deep took a step toward Lock who was standing his ground with his fists clenched. “You stupid bastard. If you think—”

“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” Kat couldn’t take any more. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to hold back the tears as their negative emotions filled her to overflowing. More than anything she couldn’t stand it when they fought, when they hated each other out loud like that. Next they’ll be throwing things or Dad will hit Mom… No! She took a deep breath. They’re not Mom and Dad. They’re Deep and Lock. Get hold of yourself, Kat. Suck it up and deal.

She opened her eyes to see both of them staring at her with concerned looks on their faces.

“My lady?” Lock asked tentatively. “Are you all right?”

“Fine, I’m sorry.” Kat ran a trembling hand through her hair. “It’s just…you two shouldn’t be fighting. Especially not over me.”

“Are you saying you’re not worth it?” Deep gave her a penetrating glance. “Because I would have to disagree.”

“I’m worth it, all right.” Kat raised her chin and glared at him. “But I don’t want it. And I don’t want to come between you and be the reason you two start hating each other.”

“You’re not,” Deep said shortly. “So don’t worry about that.”

“I am,” Kat insisted. “And it’s not right. Twin Kindred aren’t supposed to fight like this, are they?”

Lock looked troubled. “It’s true that we’re supposed to be of one mind on just about everything. We used to be, anyway.”

“Well we’re not of one mind on this,” Deep snapped. “You want to keep the soul bond and I don’t. So let’s just do this and get it over with.” He pointed to the flat black screen which had scanned his handprint. “Go on.”

Lock folded his arms over his broad chest. “I won’t.”

“Well, I will.” Kat stepped forward and slapped her palm down on the scanner. There was a low humming sound and her hand was briefly outlined by a brilliant white light. “There,” she said, stepping back when the process was complete. “I’m sorry, Lock,” she said softly, seeing the agonized look on the light twin’s face. “But I’m not going to stay with a man who doesn’t want me and since you two are a package deal…”

“I understand.” Nodding slowly, Lock pressed his palm to the scanner as well. Then he stood back and looked at Deep with real hatred in his brown eyes. “Now what, Brother?”

Deep took a deep breath and a look passed over his dark features too quickly for Kat to read. Remorse? Grief? Whatever it was, it was there and gone again, leaving his face perfectly blank. She tried to read his emotions but all she got was a storm cloud of negativity—too thick and black to penetrate or understand.

“Now,” he said. “We need to—”

“What you need to do is turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see them.”

The deep voice behind them startled them all. Kat’s heart began to pound when she turned her head to see a huge male with glowing red-on-black eyes pointing some kind of weapon at them. He looked horribly familiar and suddenly Kat realized where she’d seen him before. That’s the one, she thought numbly, staring at him. The Scourge who kidnapped Sophie and was going to kill her. Oh my God, what is he doing here?

“Guys?” she whispered as Deep and Lock turned around as well.

“Get back.” Deep pushed her behind him and then he and Lock joined ranks, standing shoulder to shoulder to create an impenetrable wall between her and the threat. “What do you want?” Deep said, his voice a low, threatening growl.

“I could ask the same thing of you,” the Scourge returned. “What are you doing here on my home planet without invitation?”

“We didn’t realize we had to wait to be invited,” Deep said sarcastically.

“That’s no answer.” The Scourge sounded agitated now.

“And you’re not going to get one,” Deep snapped back.

“We’re not here to harm anyone,” Lock said, obviously trying to smooth the situation over. “Just let us leave and we won’t bother you again, I swear.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Peeking around Lock’s elbow, Kat saw the Scourge warrior wave his weapon menacingly. “Drop your weapons on the floor and march single file into the medical wing. Now.”

“What makes you think we’ll comply?” Deep demanded. “There are two of us and only one of you. Even if you shoot one, the other will still kill you.”

“You will comply because I won’t be aiming for you,” the Scourge said quietly. “I will set my sights on your female and I promise I will wound or kill her before either of you can kill me.”

“You son-of-a-bitch!” Deep snarled, taking a step forward. Lock put a hand on his arm.

“Deep, I don’t think we have any choice.”

“Listen to your friend,” the Scourge advised. He frowned. “I do not like to make such dire threats. I wouldn’t if I could be sure of you.”

“Sure of what? Because you can be damn sure we’ll carve you to pieces if you so much as touch our Kat.” Deep sounded like he was going into rage and Lock put a hand on his brother’s arm again.

“Deep, please.” He spoke to the Scourge. “What do you want from us? What’s your name?”

The Scourge gave them a level look. “I am called Xairn. And for now I just want to talk.”

“You want to talk? Then talk,” Deep growled. “I don’t see why we have to be disarmed to hear what you have to say.”

“Because my father is here in the Complex as well.” The Scourge raised an eyebrow at them. “Perhaps you know him—the AllFather?”

Deep swore loudly and Lock said,

“Of course we know of him. What is he doing here?”

A grim look passed over Xairn’s face. “Gathering power—soon he will be too strong to stop. If you wish to leave this planet alive you need to listen to me.”

“We’re listening,” Lock assured him. “What do you want to say?”

“Only this—I need your help to leave this place safely and I am willing to offer you mine in return if you’ll trust me.”

“Trust a Scourge? Not likely,” Deep spat. “As if—”

“I think we should trust him,” Kat said, stepping out from behind the brothers.

“Are you out of your mind?” Deep demanded. “Don’t you recognize this male? He’s the same one we saw attacking Sophia during our last joining.”

“I recognize him, all right,” Kat said evenly. “And I remember what we all saw. But I’ve talked to Sophie about what happened aboard his ship—he didn’t want to kill her. He was going to set her free.”

“If you’re speaking of the human female with the green eyes, that is true,” Xairn said, nodding.

“That’s her,” Kat said. “She’s like a sister to me.” She took a deep breath. “Look, we’re really just here to use your psychic-knife thingy—we’re not trying to start any trouble.”

Xairn raised his eyebrows in obvious surprise. “You wish to sever the bond between you?”

Deep scowled. “We were…wrongly and accidentally bonded. This is the only way to sever the bond.”

Xairn nodded slowly. “I see. Well, if you actually want the connection dissolved…”

“We do,” Kat said, throwing a glance at Deep. “Very much.”

Xairn shrugged. “You may use the psychic-knife if you wish—it is nothing to me. But my father may be here at any moment. He is in his Souda now, gathering strength and power. As soon as he feels strong enough he will be here—it may be several hours or a much shorter time before he appears. I cannot tell you for certain.”

Lock had a worried look on his face but he spoke calmly. “This is insane. We can leave and come back later—or possibly rethink the entire thing. But if the AllFather is on this planet, we need to go now.”

“Deep is right,” Kat said, nodding. “As much as we want to be free of each other, staying here is crazy.”

Xairn frowned. “But you haven’t achieved what you came here for.”

“He’s right about that in more ways than one,” Deep growled at Lock. “Or are you forgetting the secondary mission Olivia set for you, Brother?”

“Secondary mission?” Xairn looked wary. “Why else are you here?”

“We are also here to try and gather information about a missing human female—one we are certain was taken by your father for nefarious reasons,” Lock said. “Perhaps you know of her? Lauren Jakes?”

The effect on Xairn couldn’t have been more profound if Lock had shoved a double barreled shotgun into his gut and pulled the trigger. “Lauren? You’re looking for Lauren?” He looked shocked at first, but then his voice dropped to a low, menacing growl and he seemed to grow bigger somehow. It reminded Kat of how Sylvan had looked when he went into rage while protecting Sophie. “Lauren is mine. She’s mine,” Xairn snarled. “And I do not intend to surrender her to anyone.”

“So you do have her.” Lock’s voice was mild but his eyes were hard.

“You bastard.” Deep glared at the Scourge. “What have you done to the poor girl? Or maybe I should ask if there’s anything you haven’t done. Is she even still alive?”

Xairn’s red-on-black eyes flashed crimson. “Of course she is! Do you think me some kind of a monster?”

“Actually, we do,” Deep said. “We know exactly how you Scourge treat your females.”

Xairn lifted his chin. “Not me. I have never touched a female in anger—this I swear.”

“What about lust?” Deep raised an eyebrow. “Ever touched a female that way?”

Xairn looked suddenly ill at ease. “I…do not act on those emotions. I do not engage in the practices of my father and the rest of my people.”

“We’ll believe it when we see it.” Deep’s black eyes narrowed. “Where is Lauren now?”

Xairn bristled. “Someplace safe.”

“Can we see her?” Kat asked. “I mean, can I see her? I’m no threat,” she went on softly, meeting his strange, burning eyes. “And I think if we could hear from Lauren herself that you haven’t hurt her, it would make it a lot easier for us to trust you.”

Xairn looked at her appraisingly. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to let another female speak to Lauren. But I will not tolerate another male near her.” He glared at Deep and Lock and then nodded at Kat. “Come with me.”

She stepped forward to meet him, only to feel an iron grip locked around her upper arm. “Like hell, she will.” Deep pulled her back behind him.

“Deep!” she protested angrily but he ignored her.

“We feel the same way about Kat that you do about Lauren,” he told Xairn, his voice a low growl. “If she goes, we go. It’s as simple as that.”

Xairn frowned. “I suppose that is fair. But do not attempt to take Lauren from me. I have sworn that I will see her safely back to her planet but until then, I refuse to give her up to anyone.”

“Even your father?” Lock said softly.

Xairn’s eyes flashed crimson and his hands clenched into massive fists. “Especially him. Why do you think I need your help? He has four massive vat-grown guards with him. If they should catch us leaving I could only defend Lauren until I died. After that my father…” He shook his head. “I will not speak of it.”

“Come on.” Kat shook free of Deep’s grip and gave him a glare which he returned with a blank expression. “Let’s go.”

It took a little maneuvering as to who was going to go first and who would have what weapon pointed at whom, but finally they entered the set of double metal doors at the end of the lab and found themselves in a long hallway made up of several glassed in rooms on either side.

Huddled in one of the rooms, wrapped in a long black cloak, was a beautiful girl with creamy mocha skin and striking amber eyes. Kat recognized her at once from the pictures Sophie and Liv had showed her.

“Lauren!” She ran to the glass wall of the room at once. “It’s really you!”

Hesitantly, the girl came forward. “Do I know you?” Her voice was muffled but understandable through the thick glass.

“No, but I know you. Or I know of you, anyway.” Kat turned to Xairn. “Please let me in to talk to her. I’m not armed—you can pat me down if you want.”

“No, he can’t!” Deep’s black eyes flashed possessively. “He won’t touch you or I swear to the Goddess—”

“I will take her word that she isn’t armed,” Xairn interrupted coolly. “And I will allow her into the cell with Lauren. She has been missing human companionship. Perhaps seeing another of her kind will make her feel better.”

“Thank you.” Kat stood by impatiently while he opened the door to the cell and then stepped in at once. “Lauren,” she said gently, taking a step forward and extending her hand. “It’s all right—I’m a friend.”

“I just can’t believe…after all this time…” Lauren stepped forward slowly. Hesitantly, she took Kat’s offered hand. “Are you real?” she whispered, squeezing her fingers. “Are you really real?”

Kat smiled at her. “Last time I looked I was. Large as life and twice as natural.”

Tears began to stream down Lauren’s face. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, blotting her eyes on the black cloak she wore. “I just…I just…”

“Hey, it’s all right. It’s okay.” Impulsively, Kat pulled her in for a hug. Lauren trembled and cried against her and Kat didn’t blame her a bit. God only knows what this poor girl has been through. Finally the sobs slowed and then tapered off to sniffs and hiccups.

“S-sorry,” Lauren said, pulling away. “Didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“It’s fine,” Kat assured her. “I’m sure if our positions were reversed I would have done the same thing. I’m Kat, by the way. I’m a friend of your cousins, Olivia and Sophia Waterhouse.”

Lauren frowned. “Who? I don’t have any cousins.”

“Yes, you do. Your mom tracked them down and didn’t want to tell you until she was sure they wanted to do the whole family reunion thing. And they do, by the way—they can’t wait to meet you.”

Lauren looked dazed. “Wow…I don’t know what to say—I’ve always wished I had more family. I’d love to meet them too. I’d love to meet anyone on Earth right now.”

“Oh, they’re not on Earth—they’re on the Mother ship. Both of them are mated to Kindred warriors,” Kat explained.

Lauren’s amber eyes flickered to Deep and Lock, standing on either side of Xairn outside the glass cell. “And you are too? Is one of those guys your husband…uh, mate?”

Kat felt a pang of sorrow but she pushed it away and gave Lauren a smile. “Nah. Well—we do have a kind of connection but it’s not complete. And we’re going to get rid of it.” She eyed Deep. “Irreconcilable differences, you know?”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lauren murmured.

“What about you?” Kat asked, trying to phrase the question delicately. “How has, uh, Xairn been treating you? All right?”

“He’s been a perfect gentleman,” Lauren said quietly. “I know what you’re probably thinking about why they took me and it’s partly true. The AllFather wants to…wants to…” She shook her head. “I can’t think about what he wants to do. It’s too awful. But Xairn has promised to protect me from him and take me home.”

“Do you believe he really will?” Kat asked in a low voice she was pretty certain couldn’t be heard through the thick glass. “Look, it’s okay—you can tell me the truth. The guys I’m with are armed—we’ll keep you safe.”

Lauren got a stubborn look in her amber eyes. “I know how it must sound—like I have the worst case of Stockholm syndrome in history. But honestly, Xairn has never hurt me and I do trust him. He’s very repressed—I mean, wouldn’t you be if you had his father for a dad? And I get the idea he went through some pretty bad things in his childhood, though he won’t talk about it much.”

Kat nodded noncommittally. “Sounds like he has major issues.”

“He does. Seriously though, he’s one of the good guys. Even though he’s one of the bad guys—if you know what I mean.”

Searching her eyes once more, Kat and found nothing there but sincerity. She nodded. “Yeah, I know. But this whole idea of him taking you home…don’t you think it would be better if you came with us instead? We’re going straight back to the Mother ship and from there it’s a hop, skip, and a jump to Earth.”

Lauren bit her lip. “Probably… But I don’t exactly know how…”

“How to talk to him about it? Leave it to me.” Kat put an arm around her shoulders. “Right now, we’ve got to get out of here before we can start dividing up the carpool. Come on.”

“Okay.” Lauren nodded.

“Good.” Kat turned and rapped briefly on the glass. Xairn opened the door and she and Lauren stepped out. “Hey, guys, it’s okay. He’s all right,” she said, nodding at the big Scourge. “Lauren says he’s a perfect gentleman.”

“I am a what?” A look of incomprehension creased Xairn’s stern features.

“It means you’ve never taken advantage of her,” Kat said tactfully. “Or hurt her.”

“Of course I haven’t.” Xairn lifted his chin. “I would rather die.”

Deep gave him an appraising look. “You sound like one of us—a Kindred warrior. We also would rather die than hurt our females.”

“Physically or emotionally?” Kat gave him a penetrating look.

“We have no time for bickering,” Xairn reminded them sternly. “We must leave this place quickly, while my father is still in his Souda. I was going to take one of the abandoned ships from the battlefield and return Lauren to Earth. But now…” His red-on-black eyes flickered over Kat, who still had her arm around the shivering Lauren. “Perhaps…perhaps you should take her with you.”

Deep raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t trust her with another male.”

Xairn’s eyes flashed crimson. “I don’t. But I see now that she needs the comfort of her own kind. And…” He looked at Deep and Lock and back at Kat again. “No matter what you say, I do not believe the two of you have any interest in another female besides your companion.”

“You’re right about that,” Lock said quietly. “We have no interest in Lauren—although we will swear to protect her.”

“She has kin aboard our Mother ship,” Deep said. “We’ll see that she gets there safely and is reunited with her family.”

Xairn nodded. “Then she shall go with you. Come.” He turned to lead the way out but Lauren called his name.

“Xairn, please,” she said softly.

“Yes?” He turned to face her.

“What about you? Will you…come with us?”

His rough voice gentled. “No, Lauren. I cannot.”

“But why? What are you going to do?”

“Take a ship and get as far from my father as possible.” He jerked his head in the direction of the doors. “Come. Time is running out. My father will not remain in his Souda much longer. And if he finds us, none of us will get anywhere.”

“True enough,” Deep growled. “Let’s quit this place. We can come back later when it’s deserted again.”

“Or not at all,” Lock muttered.

Kat felt a great surge of relief. We’re leaving. We’re not going to do it. Not going to cut the bond! Up until that moment, she hadn’t realized how very much she didn’t want to be separated from Lock and Deep. She had forced herself to think it was all right because it was so clearly what Deep wanted. But now that it was no longer an option, she couldn’t help hoping that he could be made to see reason. That he could learn to care for her as Lock did and the three of them could be happy together.

Stupid, whispered a little voice in her head. You can’t change how he feels. You need to give up that idea right now because there’s no way it’s going to work. But despite the negative self-talk, Kat couldn’t help the hope that bloomed in her heart. She kept feeling that there was something about Deep—something standing in his way. And if she could just find that last barrier and remove it, maybe—

“Well, well, how very fortuitousss…it ssseems we have visitorsss.”

The soft hissing voice froze all of them in their tracks. Kat turned her head slowly, dreading what she was about to see but completely unable to help looking.

It was the AllFather—or the outline looked like him, anyway—encased in a huge, slimy, blackish-red bubble of blood. And he was surrounded by four of the hugest creatures Kat had ever seen—no doubt the vat-grown soldiers Xairn had mentioned.

Kat couldn’t be sure, but she thought the AllFather might be smiling—or maybe it was just his eyes glowing with eagerness and greed as he looked them over.

Oh my God, we waited too long. He’s here and now we’re trapped—what the hell are we going to do?

Chapter Thirty-two

Xairn felt like the marrow in the center of his bones had suddenly frozen. How could he miss his father’s entrance so completely? And how much had the AllFather heard of what they were saying?

“Ssso the Complex is sssecure, is it?” his father demanded, drifting closer in the glistening dravex.

“It’s about to be.” Praying the Kindred warriors would understand, Xairn waved his shocker menacingly and growled, “I told you to hand me your weapons and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Deep and Lock exchanged a look and then both of them handed over their blazers and spread their hands, palm up. “No need to get nasty,” Deep said. “We were just leaving.”

“But now you will be ssstaying, yesss?” The AllFather glided forward, his eyes gleaming with hungry glee. “Of course, it begsss the question—why are you here in the first place, Warrior?”

“They came to find Lauren,” Xairn said, still keeping his shocker trained on the two Kindred. He hoped they would trust him. If they all stayed calm and kept their heads, they might still get out of here alive.

“And they have found her, haven’t they, my sssweet?” The red-black bubble floated over to Lauren who shivered and tightened her grip on Kat. “Sssoon,” the AllFather hissed at her. “Sssoon I will have you, my lovely. And you will bear me many, many daughtersss. And I ssshall have them too—until the entire Ssscourge race is replenished, ssstronger than we ever were before.”

Xairn wanted to kill him—to break through the fragile, glistening shell of the dravik and wring his neck, but he held himself in check grimly. Once released from the bubble of blood and power, his father would be a much greater threat. As it was, all he could do was issue orders for his rather stupid vat-grown guards to carry out. But if the bubble burst…Well, Xairn just hoped it wouldn’t until they were well clear of the Complex and on their way into space. In the mean time, he waited to see what his father would do next.

The AllFather drifted closer to Lauren and Kat. “Ssso beautiful,” he hissed, looking hungrily at Lauren. The sense of dread and horror in the room was almost palpable—the AllFather carried it with him wherever he went like a nauseating scent that permeated everything. Xairn could see that it affected both the human women but neither of them cried or panicked. Instead, Kat raised her chin and looked his father squarely in the eyes.

“Leave her alone.”

“Ah, thisss one hasss ssspirit.” Skeletal hands reached out from behind the bubble and Xairn knew if the wall of the dravik had not been in the way, his father would have caressed Kat’s cheek with his scabrous fingers.

Kat seemed to know it too because she flinched back, ever so slightly, but never broke eye contact. “You’re a sick, crazy bastard and you need to step back before I pop that weird blood balloon thingy you’re floating around in and you go down like a ton of bricks.”

The sense of gleeful lust radiating from the AllFather shifted subtly to irritation. “A bit too much ssspirit, it seemsss. And which of these is your mate?” He looked at Deep and Lock—both of whom were poised for a fight. Xairn knew that if his father came even an inch nearer their human female, they would spring and all would be lost.

“They both are,” he said, moving subtly to put himself between the AllFather and Kat, while still keeping his weapon trained on the Kindred. “I believe they are Twin Kindred.”

“Isss thisss ssso?” The AllFather looked at Deep who nodded shortly.

“It is. Which means both of us are ready to kill you if you so much as lay a finger on her.”

The bubble glided backward and Xairn breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. “I will not touch her,” the AllFather said, still staring at Deep. “But you will not, either. Ever again, my brave warriorsss.”

“What do you mean?” Lock asked.

“You ssshall sssee.” The AllFather nodded at Xairn. “Take them to the cutting lab and prepare the psychic-knife. And bring the girl.” He nodded at Lauren. “Ssshe ssshall watch as their bondsss are sssundered.”

Xairn nodded shortly. “Very well.” He looped an arm around Kat’s neck and waved his weapon at the warriors. “Do as my father says or your female will pay the price.”

Deep’s hands curled into fists and the pupils of his black eyes turned red. “Take your hands off her! Now.”

“I’ll release her when you do as you’re told.” Xairn kept his voice steady and hoped the dark twin would understand. “I believe I know what my father has in mind—you and your female are going to be taking a turn in the psychic-knife.”

Lock touched his brother’s arm. “Be calm,” he murmured. “He won’t hurt her as long as we do as he says.”

“Indeed.” The AllFather nodded within the dravik. “Listen to your twin and behave yourself, warrior. I may even let the three of you go once your bondsss are cut. The thought of having my own bride to breed makesss me feel almossst merciful.”

Xairn was sure the two Kindred would have fought to the death for their female—it was the Kindred way. His way too, he thought, looking at Lauren who was standing beside him shivering. But since a trip inside the psychic-knife was what they had come for in the first place, he was fairly certain they would play along. Up to a point. It was going to be up to Xairn to gauge when they should make their move—he only hoped they could do it before the slimy bubble of the dravik around the Allfather burst, releasing him in a state of supreme metal power.

“My guardsss and I will retire to the viewing area beside the lab.” His father’s hissing voice broke into his frantic train of thought. “The girl will come with usss. Alpha—take her.”

“That is not necessary.” Xairn struggled to keep his voice even as the huge vat-grown guard took Lauren’s slim shoulders in its huge hands. Gods, just seeing another male touching her was enough to send him over the edge! But he had to stay calm. “I have the situation in hand, Father. I do not need help.”

“Of course you do, my ssson.” The AllFather’s red eyes gleamed evilly. “And even if you do not, I feel better with the girl in my own cussstody. Alpha, come.”

Lauren threw a pleading glance over her shoulder as the huge guard marched her away. Xairn could do nothing but watch her go. The muscle in the side of his jaw clenched so hard he could feel his teeth grinding together and his grip on the shocker tightened until he was sure he was leaving fingerprints in the metal itself. He couldn’t even say anything to reassure her—though the AllFather had turned his back and was gliding into the cutting lab, he was still within earshot. Xairn felt like he was being torn in two as he watched her go but he nodded at Lauren as reassuringly as he could.

Trust me—I will keep my promise! Gods, how he wished he had a link with her—the same kind the Kindred were said to have with their bonded brides. Some way to communicate his true intentions other than just his eyes.

But Lauren seemed to understand him somehow. She nodded back and the look on her face became a little less desperate.

She trusts me, Xairn realized, feeling like someone had stabbed a thorn in his heart. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, she still trusts me.

As he watched her go, he swore to himself not to betray that trust.

Even if it meant his death.

Chapter Thirty-three

The huge blackish-red bubble that floated into the cutting lab through the open double doors reminded Kat of a spider’s egg sac. It was slimy and glistening and beyond its mostly opaque surface she could see the skeletal shape of the AllFather moving. It seemed to bulge as it moved, as though it might burst and vomit out some vile abomination at any moment. She just hoped they were far away by the time it popped.

In the mean time, it looked like she and Deep and Lock were going to have the soul bond between them cut after all. She felt her heart sink as they entered the lab and Xairn marched her up to the large silver drum of the psychic-knife. So this is it. This is how it ends between us. She felt tears threatening but she didn’t want to cry in front of the horrible AllFather.

He and three of his guards had mounted a small platform to one side of the room, separated from the rest of the lab by a low wall. It was like an observation area in a regular operating theater. Standing by the bottom steps of the platform were the huge guard the AllFather had called Alpha, and Lauren.

Lauren watched what was going on with uncertain amber eyes and Kat reflected that she had the same delicate bone structure as Liv and Sophie. She hoped with all her heart that they all made it back to the Mother ship for a family reunion. Already she was sure that her two best friends would love their new cousin.

“We are ready,” the AllFather called, breaking her train of thought. “Proceed with the cutting, my ssson.”

Xairn motioned to Lock. “Open the door of the mechanism and the two of you climb inside.”

The light twin did as he was told but Deep wasn’t so easy to persuade. “Send me Kat first. I want to know that she’s safe.”

“Very well. But if you try anything, she dies.” Xairn’s big hand tightened on her shoulder and he hissed in her ear, so softly she could barely hear it, “Be ready to fight or flee the second you come out. The AllFather will be off his guard for only a moment. Tell your males.” Then he pushed her roughly forward with one hand, keeping his weapon trained on Deep with the other.

Kat knew it was just for show but she stumbled and would have fallen if Deep hadn’t caught her. “Come on.” He led her carefully up the steps to the door of the silver drum.

She allowed herself to be helped inside the dark, circular space and then she felt Lock’s hands on her, gentle and competent. Finding her way forward, she leaned against him and whispered in his ear, “Xairn says be ready to fight or run the minute this is over. He says the AllFather will be off guard, but only for a moment.”

She felt Lock nod. “I’ll let Deep know.”

“Let me know what?” Deep said in a low voice.

There was the soft growl of masculine voices in the dark, too low for Kat to hear, and then Lock positioned her against the curved wall and started buckling her in with some kind of safety harnesses. “What’s this?” Her voice echoed emptily in the hollow interior of the drum and she made an effort to lower it. “Why do we need to be strapped in?”

“Because among other factors, the psychic-knife uses centripetal force to cut the bonds between Kindred and their brides.” Deep was already strapping on his own harness.

“Seriously?” Kat gave him an incredulous look. “We traveled halfway across the galaxy to cut this damn bond when we could have just found a traveling fair back home and gone on the tilt-a-whirl? I mean, who needs the AllFather’s evil inventions when you’ve got an all day ride pass and a semi-sober carnie?”

“I said among other things,” Deep growled. “I would not be subjecting you to this if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.”

“But why?” Kat peered at him, trying to make out his features in the gloomy interior of the silver drum. “Why is this so important to you, Deep? Why do you hate me so much that you can’t stand even the thought of being tied to me?”

“I don’t hate you.” His deep voice was suddenly hoarse. “If I hated you, or cared for you even a little less, I wouldn’t hesitate to complete our bond, little Kat.”

“You told me you felt nothing,” she said, her voice trembling despite herself.

“I lied,” he whispered.

“Deep doesn’t hate you, my lady,” Lock said, sounding bitter. “He hates himself. And we all must pay for his self loathing.”

“I’m sorry,” Deep said in a soft, agonized voice. “Lock is right—forgive me for all I have put you through. But please don’t think any of it is because of you, my Kat. I bear this blame alone.”

For some reason his last words seemed to echo in her head. I bear this blame alone…I bear this blame alone…The words seemed important somehow, like something she had heard before and forgotten. Something she must remember…

And then the door slammed shut and the ride began.

It didn’t take Kat long to be glad she hadn’t eaten much for breakfast. Earlier that morning, Sophie and Liv had arrived at the docking bay yawning and bearing donuts. Despite the fact that she’d been tempted by a chocolate covered Bavarian crème and a jelly filled glazed donut, Kat had only accepted one plain one. And as the drum of the psychic knife lurched and began to spin, she knew that if she’d eaten more it would have come right up.

Kat loved scary rides but the psychic-knife soon attained a speed and force that put anything she’d ever experienced at any amusement park to shame. Flattened against the wall with her head pressed to the side, she struggled to breathe, her heart pounding frantically.

Oh God, I’ll never go on the tilt-a-whirl again if you just let me live through this. Hell, I’ll never even go on the merry-go-round. I could kill Deep for getting us into this. This is all his fault… And again his words echoed in her head. I bear this blame alone…What had he meant by that? When had she heard those words before? What…?

Suddenly a picture began to form in her head. Kat didn’t know if it was a side effect of the knife or just her mind’s desperate attempt to distract her from her fear. But whatever the reason, the vision was clear.

A doll on the bed…a life-sized doll with dull blonde hair and wide blue eyes. But not a doll—a girl and she’s dead! She’s dead! Deep kneeling by the bed, taking the blame, saying that it is all his fault, swearing that it will never happen again…

And then it all came back. The dream—I dreamed about the dead girl but it must be real, Kat realized. We were dream sharing again last night, just like we were when he took my pain. My God, this is why he wanted us to be separated. He was afraid he’d hurt me—ruin my life or kill me. That I’d die like that poor girl, Miranda, who took her own life rather than be with him. But what would make him think that? He ought to know by now I’m not the type to commit suicide…

Another thought flashed through her head. The memory of the way she’d almost died before Deep had taken her pain and Mother L’rin had cured her. And the way she’d fainted during the ceremony on Twin Moons while Deep was making love to her. Surely the sight of her limp body, her illness caused—so he must have believed—by him alone, had affected the dark twin. Could it be that Deep had somehow convinced himself she would die if he stayed with her? If he allowed their bond to become complete and permanent?

That must be it! Kat thought excitedly. That must be why he—

And then a pain like nothing she had ever felt before stabbed into her very soul.

Part of her was being removed—and not neatly and cleanly like a knife would cut it either. It felt like it was being pulled out like a tooth by a sadistic dentist with no Novocain. Psychic-knife my ass, she thought wretchedly. More like psychic-pliers. It occurred to her that the pain was on purpose—that the instrument they were in wasn’t meant to sever the bonds between a Kindred and his bride quickly and cleanly, but to draw the process out and make it even worse. Lock hadn’t called it a torture device for nothing—he’d been absolutely right.

As the pain grew, Kat moaned in agony. God it hurt! Hurt more than anything she’d ever felt in her life and the worst thing was, the pain wasn’t physical. It went deeper than that—into the very core of her being. The part that was being removed from her was something she needed—something she had to have to survive. It was like someone was cutting out a piece of her heart and she could feel every cruel stroke of the butcher’s dull knife. She writhed against the curving wall, feeling like she was being gutted and turned inside out like a fish. Feeling like she was going to die if it didn’t stop…

She wasn’t sure how long it went on but from the hoarse cries to either side of her, she could tell that Deep and Lock were experiencing the same thing. She longed to comfort them and to draw comfort from the feeling of their strong arms around her. But would she ever be able to touch them that way again? Would she ever—

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything was over. The pain ceased and the machine stopped spinning with a sickening jolt.

“Is…is it over?” Finding that she could move again, Kat raised a trembling hand to her head and then ran her fingers down the front of her body. Am I all right? All in one piece? It seemed like she must have some visible, tangible wound after going through such a horrible experience. But her seeking fingers didn’t feel anything sticky and warm—she wasn’t bleeding. At least not outwardly. She wondered about what was going on inside though. And what was going on with Deep and Lock? Instinctively, forgetting that their connection had been cut, she reached out for them, wanting to know how they were feeling. To reassure herself that they were both all right.

“My lady, are you well?” Lock asked in a low, trembling voice. Kat could feel the waves of tension and fear coming from him—pretty much what she was feeling herself.

“I…I think so,” she said. “Are you?”

“I will be, when we get out of here.”

“Deep?” Kat asked. “Are you okay?”

There was a low rustling sound. “Yes,” he said at last. “I’m fine.”

“You bastard,” Lock said, addressing his brother. “You never said it would hurt like that. I’ve never experienced such pain. And to put the lady Kat through it too—you’re a monster.”

“I didn’t know.” Deep’s voice was hoarse, filled with horror and pain. “Forgive me—I thought with just a partial bond—”

He said something else but Kat didn’t catch it. She was too busy noticing that while she could hear the pain in his voice, she couldn’t feel any of it. Frantically, she tried harder, reaching out with the part of herself that had somehow grown during the time she and the twins had been bonded. But for all her seeking she encountered…nothing.

Oh my God, no…No! Kat knew in the past she would have been overjoyed not to feel Deep’s dark, negative emotions crowding her head, but now she felt only dismay and traumatic loss. It was as though she’d looked down and suddenly realized that someone had cut off one of her hands.

“Deep,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “What’s going on? I can feel Lock but when I try to reach you…”

“It’s the same for me.” Lock sounded, if anything, even more horrified than Kat. “I can feel you, my lady but when I reach for Deep…nothing.” She felt his terror—the sudden sense of loss, the realization that after a lifetime of being half of a whole, he was now just a half. “Brother,” he said, his deep voice shaking. “What…what have you done?”

“You don’t have to call me that anymore.” Deep’s tone was one of utter desolation. “You got your wish, Lock. Can’t you tell?”

“I don’t understand.” Kat yanked against her safety harness, trying to get free. If she couldn’t touch Deep with her mind, she needed to touch him with her hands. To make sure he was still there. She had the absurd but somehow compelling notion that he was a ghost now—something she could hear but would never be able to see again. I need to feel him under my hands, need to smell his skin, touch his hair…

The door opened suddenly, making her blink with the rush of light. “Now.” Xairn’s voice was a harsh whisper.

“Now what?” Deep was the first to recover. Unbuckling himself from the safety harness, he crouched close to hear what the Scourge warrior was saying.

“The AllFather is distracted—the pain from your cutting has filled him to completion. He is satisfied for the first time in weeks—torpid. We must act before he becomes alert again. And most especially before the dravik bursts.”

“Dravik?” Kat frowned as she fumbled to unbuckle her harness. “Is that the weird blood-bubble thing he’s in?”

Xairn nodded tersely. “Yes. Come, we need to get Lauren and run for the front entrance of the Complex at once. Here.” He passed Deep and Lock the weapons he’d taken from them earlier. “Watch what you shoot—if you burst the dravik none of us will get out of here alive. Now hurry.”

“Wait,” Lock said. “What about the guards?”

“They’re slow and stupid—they do only what the AllFather tells them,” Xairn said rapidly. “But they’re also extremely strong so don’t let them get too close. They aren’t intelligent enough to be trusted with projectile weapons but the AllFather has armed them with kusaxs.”

“What’s a kusax?” Kat asked, finally getting free of her harness.

“A Scourge knife,” Lock answered in a low voice. “The blade is made of the tainted black metal found only here on their home planet. It’s said that even a scratch from one it will poison your soul.”

“Great,” Kat muttered. “Like my soul wasn’t messed up enough already.” She was trying to joke but in fact, the strange feeling of having had something vitally important amputated continued to grow. She couldn’t stop reaching out, feeling for Deep, expecting to pick up his emotions. But every time she tried she felt nothing…nothing…

Then Lock wrapped an arm firmly around her waist and they were leaving the confines of the silver drum. “She’s yours now,” she heard Deep telling the light twin. “Take care of her. Leave the guards to me.”

“Brother—” Lock began but Deep gave him a look fierce enough to shut him up.

“Just do it,” he ordered. “And don’t call me that anymore—it no longer applies.”

Lock nodded. “Very well.” He pulled Kat closer to him. “Stay with me, my lady. I will shield you with my life if necessary.”

“I know you will.” There was a lump in Kat’s throat as they exited the interior of the psychic-knife. She kept feeling like she had lost something important—something irreplaceable which was now gone forever.

The first thing she noticed when they stepped out was how silent everything was. The spidery shadow of the AllFather, within the glistening bloody bubble, was still—almost frozen. The three huge guards that surrounded him were silent too, reminding Kat of robots that had been switched off or monstrous toys whose batteries had run down.

What’s going on with them? Kat wondered, staring at the silent tableau in the viewing gallery. She remembered Xairn saying something about the AllFather being satiated with pain… Our pain, she realized suddenly. That’s why that damn psychic-knife hurts so much. It’s not just meant to cut bonds—it generates the maximum amount of agony. Pain is what that sick bastard feeds on. Looking at the skeletal figure slumped within the slimy bubble, she knew she must be right. After everything we just went through, he must have sucked down so much hurt he can barely move—like a spider full of flies. He looks like somebody who just finished an entire Thanksgiving dinner all by himself, turkey and all!

Obviously the AllFather’s torpor had spread to his attendants. Even the Alpha guard who was holding Lauren seemed to have loosened his grip and was simply standing behind her with his huge hands resting on her shoulders.

Lauren seemed to have sensed the change too. She was tense—her eyes wide, obviously poised for something. A signal? A word? Kat moved a little back from Lock, ready to reach for her and try to drag her away from the monstrous solider guarding her. Then Xairn said, “Now!” and everything happened at once.

Chapter Thirty-four

“Lauren, to me!” Xairn shouted.

She sprang forward, obeying his command at once. The huge hands that had been resting on her shoulders snapped shut—an instant too late.

“Quickly!” Xairn grabbed her hand. “Before they awaken.”

“Too late for that, my ssson.” The shape within the bloody black and red bubble moved as the AllFather came to life. “Alpha! The girl—get the girl!” he commanded, the dravik expanding with the force of his anger.

The huge guard stumbled forward blindly, clumsy after his doze. He reached out but the female his thick fingers closed on was Kat, who was trying desperately to get out of the way as the other guards came to life.

“Let go of me, you idiot!” She thrashed and kicked, aiming for his shins. But though plenty of her kicks connected, the merciless grip on her shoulders only tightened more.

“Kat!” Lock and Deep both ran forward but at the same time the AllFather was descending the stairs of the viewing area. Worse, Xairn could see the dravik expanding and contracting regularly now—beating like a heartbeat. It was a sure sign that it was about to burst and release the AllFather. His father had gorged himself on the pain of the Kindreds’ cutting and now he would be more powerful than ever. They had to get away before that happened.

I could go, he thought. I could take Lauren and run while the guards are distracted by the Kindred and their female. We could be safe in space before they even realized we were gone.

But he couldn’t do it. He had pledged his help to the enemy warriors as they had pledged theirs to him. He had no right to leave them now—even if it meant his life. But that didn’t mean that Lauren had to die with him.

“Run,” he told her, pushing her toward the far end of the lab. “Go straight down the corridor and out the double doors at the end. Keep going and you’ll come to a place with many abandoned ships. They should be touch activated so—”

“No.” She shook her head emphatically. “I’m not leaving you.”

“You have to go!” Xairn was torn between exasperation and admiration. “I cannot leave until the Kindred and their female are free.”

“I’m not leaving either.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Give me a weapon—let me help.”

The thought that she might want to join the fight had never entered Xairn’s head. But from the look of things, they could use every hand they could get.

“Here.” He fumbled in his boot for a moment and came up with a slim, finger-sized weapon. “This is a stunner. Point and press the trigger button at the end. Aim for the chest if you can—it’s a bigger target. Just don’t hit any of us—it’s calibrated for the guards.”

“Got it.” She took the weapon in remarkably steady hands.

“And don’t burst the AllFather’s dravik,” Xairn added, as he primed his own weapon and took aim. “It will rupture soon enough on its own.”

“All right.” Holding the stunner in one hand, she steadied her wrist with the other and took aim. Xairn was impressed to see one of the guards who had been reaching for Deep knocked backwards from the force of the blast. Convinced that she knew what she was doing, he joined the fight.

* * * * *

Kat was doing her best not to freak out but it was pretty hard not to. One minute she’d been reaching for Lauren and the next she was being dragged backward by the massive, dead-eyed guard toward the raving AllFather.

“No, no, you imbecile!” he was hissing angrily at the oblivious Alpha guard. “The other girl—thisss female isss uselesss to me. Get the other!” The weird blood bubble enclosing him was moving in waves, sucking in and out almost as though it was breathing. The strange motion somehow made it even more disgusting than it had been previously—and that was saying something as far as Kat was concerned.

“Get off her, you son-of-a-bitch!” Behind her, Lock was aiming his weapon at the guard but clearly he was afraid to shoot—probably because at this range he might hit her instead of the guard. The guard wasn’t paying any attention anyway—he just continued dragging Kat toward the AllFather no matter what anyone said or did.

“Can’t risk the blazer,” she heard Deep shout. “She’s too close.”

“I know.” Lock sounded desperate. “Watch out behind you!”

Deep turned but just then a blast of energy knocked down the guard who had been reaching for him. Kat looked around to see Lauren pointing some kind of tiny weapon and Xairn running toward them. Oh good, the cavalry is here. But she really didn’t see what good anyone could do. If no one could make the massive hands let her go, she was on a one way trip straight to the AllFather in his slimy bubble.

Then Deep jumped on the Alpha guard’s back. Wrapping one arm around the thick throat, he began to squeeze. At first the guard didn’t even seem to notice—then he choked and shifted, as though trying to shake Deep off. But it was obvious the dark twin didn’t intend to be so easily dislodged. He tightened his grip on the corded neck and squeezed until the flat, black-on-black eyes bulged in their sockets.

Kat felt one paw-like hand leave her shoulder and the Alpha guard began groping at its belt. A weapon, she thought dismally. It’s looking for some kind of weapon. She squirmed in the guard’s grasp, trying to get loose. But though she twisted until it felt like her entire arm was about to break off, she still couldn’t free herself.

Deep wrapped both muscular arms around the guard’s neck and squeezed harder. At the same time, another one of the guards went down, its limbs jerking and thick boots drumming the floor as though it was having a seizure. From the corner of her eye, Kat saw Xairn taking aim again. She didn’t know what his weapon did exactly but the results were impressive—the guard wasn’t getting up.

Above the shouting and shooting, she could hear the high, evil screech of the enraged AllFather. She couldn’t tell what he was saying but he was coming closer, the floating blood bubble throbbing like a vein in an angry man’s temple. Have to get out of here before that thing pops! she thought, her skin crawling with fear and revulsion. If we’re still here when he gets free of it, there’s going to be hell to pay! And we—

“Deep, be careful! The knife—it’s got a knife!”

Lock’s desperate cry dragged her attention back to the dark twin and what she saw nearly froze her heart. In the split second she’d been watching the AllFather, the Alpha guard had somehow managed to draw a knife from its belt. To Kat, a confirmed Lord of the Rings fan, it looked like something an orc might carry. The blade was long and curved like a scimitar and the metal it was made of was gleaming, polished black with rust-red streaks running through it.

The kusax! she thought numbly. Oh my God! Lock said even a scratch would poison him. And it looked like the guard was intending to do a lot more than scratch. Though it was obviously getting woozy from lack of air, its grip on her shoulder remained firm—as well as its grip on the knife.

As she watched, the Alpha guard raised its arm, obviously aiming to take a stab at the warrior still clinging to its back. Looking up, Kat could tell that Deep saw it too. But though she and Lock both shouted at him, he refused to let go.

“No,” Kat screamed as the knife made its slashing descent. It seemed to happen in slow motion—she saw every inch of the black blade as it entered Deep’s side, heard the guard’s grunt of effort as it thrust the knife home. Then, at the same time, the soulless eyes finally closed and it slumped to its knees, releasing her.

Lock pulled her out of the way just in time. The huge, heavy body of the Alpha guard came crashing down right where she’d been standing, with Deep still clinging to its back.

Kat didn’t care. She shook loose of Lock’s restraining hand and ran to Deep. “No…oh no,” she whispered as she saw the extent of the damage. Only the handle protruded from his side—the entire wicked, black blade was buried in his body.

Then, to her utter surprise, his eyes fluttered open and he sat up.

“Don’t try to move, Brother.” Lock was suddenly there too, putting a hand on Deep’s arm. “You’re badly wounded.”

“I’m fine.” Deep hauled himself up, swayed, and then steadied himself to Kat’s amazement.

“You’re not,” she blurted. “Lock is right—you’re hurt. Look at your side!”

Deep looked down, saw the knife handle sticking out of his body, and shrugged. “Looks worse than it feels. I’ll leave it in until we get back to the ship though—keep it from bleeding.”

How he could stand and talk, let alone move around and get back to the ship with a foot long blade buried in his guts, was more than Kat could understand. But it didn’t seem to surprise Lock as much as it did her. “We have to go.” He nodded at the other guards, all of whom were on the floor. “They may be wounded but they’ll get back up soon enough.”

Indeed, the huge Alpha guard was stirring at their feet already. And the AllFather…wait a minute—where is the AllFather? Kat wondered uneasily. Her shoulder ached fiercely and she was still horribly afraid for Deep but the fact that she could no longer see the slimy blood bubble and its foul occupant scared her to death.

Then she heard Xairn’s deep voice behind her. “Ware!” he bellowed. “Ware the dravik—it’s going to burst!”

Turning her head, Kat saw that the ball of black-red blood containing the AllFather had moved out into the middle of the cutting lab floor, directly opposite the psychic-knife. The dravik was pulsating rhythmically now—faster and faster. Within it the AllFather had his arms raised and his crimson eyes were blazing with fury.

Deep swore loudly. “Go now! Run—everyone. We have to get out of here!”

Kat didn’t see how he could take his own advice with a knife sticking out of his side but he grabbed one of her hands and Lock grabbed the other. From the corner of her eye she saw Xairn take Lauren’s hand as well. And then they were running as fast as they could. She knew Deep must be in pain with every step he took, but she felt nothing from him, nothing but Lock’s fear for her and sorrow for his twin.

We’re going to make it, she thought wildly as they neared the double doors at the far end of the lab. We’re really going to—

A horrible, wet, popping noise, like a rotten carcass exploding, interrupted her train of thought. At the same time, a gush of putrid air, worse than anything Kat had ever smelled, suddenly rushed over them. That was followed by a wet, splattering sound and she was hit in the back by a wave of something slimy and cold.

“Oh my God!” Kat gagged in revulsion. The cold, jellied, foul-smelling slime was coating her back and dripping from her hair. Her first instinct was to stop and try to get it off her at once. It was the same way she would have felt if she’d found a spider crawling on her skin. Unclean! Disgusting! Get it off, get it off, get it off! screamed the primitive part of her mind. But there was no time—Deep and Lock were dragging her along faster than ever now, even though both of them were coated in the disgusting substance too.

The three of them hit the doors at a dead run, shoving them open and barreling through. At the last instant, Kat turned her head and saw that Lauren and Xairn were right behind them, both of them absolutely covered in the ghastly, black-red slime. Behind them, the AllFather stood, skeletal arms raised, crimson eyes blazing. His shadowy cloak billowed around him and despite the glistening remains of the dravik, which covered the entire room, he himself was somehow dry. He shook back his hood and opened his lipless mouth to speak—

And then the doors banged shut behind them and they were running down the corridor, heading for safety and home.

But will we all make it there alive? Kat thought, casting a frantic glance at Deep who was holding her hand in one of his, while he grasped the protruding handle of the kusax with the other.

She didn’t know.

* * * * *

“Stop!” the AllFather screeched. His power flowed outward like a tidal wave, engulfing Xairn and Lauren just as they were about to reach the doors the Kindred and their female had just gone through.

Xairn couldn’t help it—he slowed his pace and then skidded to a stop. He felt the drag of the words, the power of his father’s command as he never had before—not even on the day that Sanja had died. His knees wanted to lock, his body wanted to turn so his legs could carry him back to kneel at the AllFather’s feet.

Lauren felt the power too. Xairn felt her freeze beside him. Her hand, already slimy from the noxious remains of the exploded dravik, began to slide from his grip as she turned toward his father.

“Yesss…Come to me, my bride…come…” The AllFather was calling her back, forcing her will to bend to his, luring her back to a living death, an existence of pain and madness and never ending suffering and agony.

“No!” At the thought of the female beside him—his female, being used in such a way, Xairn felt something growing inside him. A rage so fierce it was like a red curtain dropped over his vision, tinting everything a bloody crimson. “No!” he bellowed again, turning to face his father, his hands clenched into fists. “You shall not have her. Lauren is mine!”

The AllFather’s voice dropped to a soft hiss, sounding reasonable and coaxing at the same time. “Come now, Xairn, thisss is asss it must be. The girl is the future of our race, our destiny. You know thisss.”

“Lauren is not your destiny. And she’s not your property to do with as you please.” Xairn glared, his eyes never leaving his father’s. “Here and now, I cut the ties that bind me to you. I never wish to see you again.”

“But you will sssee me. Sssee me now. Come to me, my ssson.” The power was doubled, trebled, the drag of it like lead on Xairn’s limbs. But this time he had more to fight for than just a pet. Rage and a power of his own filled him—something savage that had been sleeping, or had only just started to stir, suddenly woke fully within his chest.

“NO!” Bending, Xairn scooped Lauren into his arms. “I will die before I let you have her. And I will kill you if you threaten her again. I renounce you as my father and I renounce my race. For now and evermore I am no longer Scourge.”

Xairn felt the words of power leave him and gloried in the sense of rightness they gave him. He wasn’t just saying this to hurt the AllFather, he had given his oath to the universe. It had gone out from him with a finality that could not be refuted or ignored. He had cut the ties that had bound him all his life—he truly was no longer Scourge.

His father said something else, but though Xairn felt the drag of his mental command, it couldn’t control him. His heart, so long a cold and shriveled lump of carbon, was a glowing, beating star—a super nova in his chest. He was alive in a way he never had been before. Alive and filled with emotions he had been suppressing for a lifetime.

He wanted to rip the AllFather limb from limb and bathe in his blood. Wanted to throw back his head and howl like an animal scenting prey. But most of all, he wanted to take the woman in his arms right there, filling her with his cock as she writhed beneath him on the cold, hard floor while he pounded into her again and again as she screamed his name and…No! No, get hold of yourself!

Xairn shook his head, trying to force the disturbing feelings back, to hide them away and ignore them as he had been his entire life. But the door had been opened and there was no closing it—he was filled with urges he had never known before—urges he had sworn never to act on.

Must get Lauren out of here. Give her to the Kindred—keep her safe, away from me!

The AllFather’s eyes glowed. “You feel it, do you not, my ssson? The need to hurt, to dominate, to breed. You can renounce your race if you like but those needs within you mark you as Ssscourge. They are your birthright and you cannot essscape them.”

“No! I will never be like you—never.”

Turning, Xairn carried Lauren through the double doors and out into the long corridor that led to freedom. He had to give her to the Kindred warriors to take back with them as quickly as possible. He had to get her out of his sight.

Before he did something he would regret forever.

Chapter Thirty-five

“Stop for a minute. I need to take care of this.” Deep staggered to a halt as soon as they were out of the Scourge Complex.

Kat stopped beside him at once. “How can I help?”

He made a face and she knew he was in pain, though she couldn’t feel it the way she ought to. “Need you to…pull it out.”

“But I thought you said…what about the bleeding?”

“Bleeding be damned—can’t stand it anymore.” He looked at Lock. “Hold me steady while she does it.”

“Of course, Brother.” Stepping forward, Lock pulled his twin close and locked his arms around Deep’s broad chest. Then he looked at Kat. “Pull it out as quickly as you can. There’s no sense prolonging the agony.”

“Of course.” Kat felt like she might be sick but she realized that she didn’t have time for that luxury. I wish Liv was here, she thought, reaching for the handle of the black knife. She’d know how to do this. I’m not a nurse!

“Do it!” Deep said through gritted teeth.

Get on with it, girl! Stop stalling. Kat clenched her jaw and took a firm grip. “Here goes,” she said grimly and yanked as hard as she could.

The curving black and rust-red blade slid out smoothly. As the final inch came out of Deep’s side, he cried out and fell to his knees. Lock went down with him, holding him tight. When he looked up at Kat, there were tears in his brown eyes.

“I can’t help him,” he said hoarsely as the dark twin slumped in his arms. “I can’t feel his pain—can’t help him bear it.”

“Never mind.” Pressing a hand to his side, Deep somehow staggered to his feet again. It seemed to Kat like a superhuman effort—or a superKindred one, she supposed.

“I don’t understand,” she blurted, looking down at the hateful blade, still clutched in her fist. “How can you just go on like that? I thought even a scratch from one of these things was poison.”

Deep’s black eyes flashed. “I go on because I have no choice, little Kat. And as for the blade—it’s not a kusax.”

“It’s not?” Kat examined it more closely. It still looked like something an evil orc would carry straight to Mordor, only now it was sticky with Deep’s blood.

“No.” Lock, who was still helping to support his brother, shook his head. “A kusax is much smaller than that and it has a short, five-sided blade that ends in a bright green tip. It’s the tip that contains the poison—some say the AllFather has a throne made of the same metal.”

Kat remembered Liv’s description of the black metal throne etched in glowing, neon lines that the AllFather sat on in the Fathership. That must be it, she thought. Maybe it’s part of his power source or something. “So…” She looked back up at Deep and down to the long, curving knife in her hand again. “Does this mean you’ll be okay?”

“If we get him back to the Mother ship quickly. Twin Kindred have self-sealing internal organs. Come.” Lock jerked his head in the direction of the beach. “We still have to get through the old battleground.”

“But what about Lauren?” Kat asked. “We can’t just leave her here.”

“She and Xairn are right behind us,” Lock said. “I saw them as we were leaving. Don’t worry, they can meet us on the beach. Until then, Xairn will take care of her.”

“How can you be sure?” Kat insisted as they began walking again. The old battlefield was in sight now—she could see some of the wrecked and abandoned ships littering the dusty, barren plain.

“Didn’t you see the way he looked at her?” Deep shook his head. “Don’t worry, Kat, he’ll die before he lets her come to harm.”

Kat thought they were trusting the big Scourge an awful lot on such a short acquaintance but then she remembered Lauren’s words and the way she’d looked at Xairn. Maybe it will be all right, after all, she thought. And we do need to get moving—need to get Deep back to the Mother ship. Even if the knife wasn’t one of the poison kind—a kusax—it still nearly went right through him. Looking down, she realized she was still clutching the bloody blade in one hand. She almost threw it away, but then she tightened her grip on it instead. They weren’t safe on the ship yet and who knew what might happen between here and there?

“Come on, Brother, just a little bit further,” Lock urged as Deep staggered, one hand pressed hard to his wounded side.

“I’m fine,” Deep growled but he made no move to stop his twin when Lock looped an arm around him to give him support. Kat hoped he was all right as he claimed, but she couldn’t help worrying. She wished again that she could tell what he was feeling—if she could still feel his emotions, she would have been able to tell if he was lying or not. Maybe it will all be okay, she thought hopefully. We’ll get back to the Mother ship and Sylvan can fix Deep up. We can find out why Lock and I can feel each other but not him. And get a shower and wash all this gunk off!

She shivered in disgust at the feel of the now-drying goo on her back and hair. It must have been the remains of the AllFather’s bubble—she wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it smelled worse than anything she could even imagine. She probably would have been happier having rat guts in her hair. Or roaches, or spiders, or pretty much anything else but this disgusting slimy jelly-like stuff.

They were almost all the way through the maze of dead and abandoned ships when she heard a hoarse shout behind them. The three of them turned to see Xairn striding toward them with Lauren held in his arms. He shouted something else, but he was still too far away to hear—just on the edge of the old battlefield.

“See?” Deep said as they stopped to watch the huge Scourge approach. “I told you he would protect her.”

“He may be of the AllFather’s bloodline, but I believe he must have some Kindred genes as well,” Lock said thoughtfully, stepping forward.

“He certainly cares for his female like one of us.” Deep sounded approving. “I wonder if his mother could have been one of the rare Scourge-born females? They say there were a few born before the race was decimated.”

Xairn shouted again and this time Kat could hear him. “You must take Lauren with you,” he said. “Back to your Mother ship. She cannot stay with me.”

Kat frowned. The Scourge warrior sounded truly distressed. “Is there something wrong with her?” she yelled, running forward a few steps to meet them. “Is Lauren hurt?”

“No, but she must—”

But whatever else Xairn was about to say was suddenly cut off when a massive hand reached out from behind an abandoned ship and yanked Kat off her feet.

“Wha—?” she gasped as the hand spun her around. She looked up and up and up…into the face of the Alpha guard. But this time its eyes weren’t the blank, empty black-on-black she’d come to expect. Instead, the pupils blazed crimson with malice. When the guard opened its mouth, a familiar voice came out.

“Die, sssweet little human,” it hissed. “Die ssslowly and know that the daysss of your race are numbered. I will take sssuch revenge on the femalesss of your world asss hasss never been ssseen before.”

A knife suddenly appeared in its grip—a tiny one, so small it looked like toy in the Alpha guard’s huge hand. The blade was strange, black and many sided, and the tip…the tip was a bright, poisonous green.

It all happened so quickly that Kat had no time to react. She wanted to raise the curving black blade she still carried to defend herself, but her arm seemed frozen in place. Somewhere to her right she heard shouting as the tiny sharp, knife came down, the shining, deadly point coming closer and closer…

And then Deep and Lock barreled into the massive guard, knocking him to the ground. The knife flew out of his hand. Kat tried to see where it went but then she was knocked over too, her legs pinned under the tangle of bodies.

She hit the ground hard, knocking all the wind out of her and a sharp stone sliced into her cheek. Ouch! Can’t…breathe… Gasping for air, she blacked out for a minute.

When she came to, Deep and Lock were kneeling over her, worried expressions on both their faces. Behind them, the body of the massive Alpha guard was lying completely still. Vaguely, Kat could see the handle of the black blade she’d been carrying since she pulled it out of Deep protruding from its chest. Was it finally dead? God, I hope so! She struggled to sit up but four large hands pressed her back down gently.

“Are you all right, my lady?” Lock asked anxiously.

“Did it touch you? Did the blade of the kusax scratch you?” Deep demanded at the same time.

“I…I’m fine, you guys. Let…let me up,” she demanded breathlessly. She rolled onto her side with some help from Lock and propped herself up on one elbow, still trying to catch her breath.

Deep, one hand still pressed to his wounded side, scanned the area alertly. “Where did the kusax go?”

“I don’t know. I saw it fly out of the guard’s hand—I don’t know where it landed. Ouch!” Kat winced at the stinging in her cheek. She put a hand to her face and her fingertips came away bloody. “Damn, that was one sharp rock.”

“What’s wrong?” Deep was by her side at once.

“Nothing.” Kat shook her head, brushing her long hair, still matted with the AllFather’s slime, out of the way. “I just got cut with a rock when I fell. I’m okay though, it’s just a scrape.”

“A rock, you say?” Lock sounded so grim that she sat up and looked at him.

“I guess so, why?”

“Because.” Reaching down, he grabbed something off the ground that she hadn’t seen earlier—something which must have been covered by her hair.

“No,” Deep whispered and there was real horror in his voice. “Oh please, Goddess…no.”

Kat already knew what she was going to see, but she couldn’t help looking anyway. Gripped in Lock’s big fist was the tiny, sharp dagger the Alpha Guard had been aiming at her. On its poisonous, bright green tip was a single ruby droplet of blood—her blood.

She was going to die.

* * * * *

“What are they doing? What’s wrong?” Lauren strained to see what was going on with Kat and her two Kindred warriors, but they had gone out of sight and there were several abandoned ships in the way of her line of vision.

“I don’t know,” Xairn said grimly. “But you must go with them.”

Lauren looked at him uneasily. Both of them were covered in the slimy gook from the AllFather’s bubble but aside from that, he looked…different somehow. His red-on-black eyes were blazing—it was as though someone had lit a fire within him and it was consuming him from the inside out. No, not just a fire, she thought in alarm. An inferno. God, he looks like he’s about to explode. “Xairn,” she said tentatively. “Are you all right?”

“No,” he said shortly. He shifted and she could feel his hard muscles bunching with tension.

Lauren wasn’t sure what to say. “Am I too heavy? Do you need me to get down? I can walk now.”

“Of course not—you’re very light.” For the first time he seemed to focus on her totally. “And this is the last time I’ll ever get to hold you,” he added in a low voice. “I would rather not put you down until I have to.”

“All right then,” Lauren said softly. “I don’t mind. I’m just worried about you.”

He shook his head and the distance returned to his eyes. “I’ll be fine. I just need to be certain you’re safe before I leave.”

“But I don’t want you to leave,” Lauren protested. “I…I don’t like the idea of never seeing you again.”

“It’s for the best.” Xairn began walking rapidly in the direction they’d last seen Kat and her Kindred warriors. “It is better if I don’t see you—safer.”

“How could it be safer for us to be apart? I don’t understand.”

He closed his eyes briefly, a look of almost agony passing over his strong features. “I would rather not explain. I don’t want your memory of me to be…tainted.”

“If you’re thinking I’ll hold your father against you, you’re wrong,” she said quietly. “People don’t choose their parents. You can’t help what he’s like or what he did.”

“It’s not that.” He shook his head. “Please do not ask me to explain. I don’t wish you to think me a monster.”

“A monster?” Lauren looked at him in shock. “Why would I ever think that? How could—”

A sudden sound behind him made both their heads turn.

“Oh my God!” Lauren put a hand to her mouth. “The guards—they’re back!”

It was true. Two of the AllFather’s immense guards were closing in on them rapidly. Only their great size and bulk kept them from running faster.

“Do you still have the stunner I gave you?” Xairn asked, backing away from the approaching guards warily. “If you do, shoot. I can’t reach my own weapon without putting you down and that would not be safe at this moment.”

Lauren fumbled in the folds of the black cloak. She’d hidden the tiny weapon in a small pocket sewn on the inside but now she couldn’t seem to find it. “I can’t…can’t find it. God, Xairn, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.” He turned his head to look behind them briefly. “But here comes another one.”

“I thought they were all dead!” Lauren looked at the approaching guards fearfully. “Or at least disabled. How can they just get up and walk after the way we shot them?”

“They’re probably being animated by my father—he’ll stop at nothing to get you back.”

Lauren’s heart froze in her chest. “No! Oh, no—please, Xairn, don’t let him have me!”

“Didn’t you hear me before?” His deep voice was fierce. “I’ll die before I give you up. Damn it to the seven hells, where are those Kindred?” He craned his neck, obviously looking for Kat and her men, but there was nothing to see but junked and abandoned ships. And in the mean time, the three guards were closing in. One of them opened its lipless mouth and the voice of the AllFather filled the air.

“Come back, my ssson. Return the girl to me and all ssshall be forgiven. You ssshall rule at my ssside as you were always meant to do. Come back and bring my bride…”

“Xairn—they’re getting closer!” Lauren clutched his shoulders—they were being surrounded. They were trapped.

Xairn swore blackly in a harsh, guttural language. He looked at Lauren, frowning fiercely. “I am sorry but there is no more time to find your human friend—you’ll have to come with me.”

Turning, he jogged to the nearest silver ship and slapped his palm to its side. “Open!” he shouted and then repeated the command in another foreign language.

A hatchway slid to one side smoothly, revealing an opening into the ship. Xairn boosted Lauren in and then climbed in after, just as the first of the AllFather’s guards reached them.

“My ssson,” it began in the AllFather’s high, evil voice.

“No longer.” Xairn kicked the possessed guard in the jaw, knocking it to the ground. Another was already coming but by then he had closed the hatch and was giving the ship directions in the same, foreign tongue he’d spoken in earlier.

Lauren scrambled into a seat which was much too large for her—it seemed to have been built for people Xairn’s size, not humans. Xairn took the seat beside her and began working the controls. “Strap in,” he directed. “This will not be a smooth flight.”

“All right.” Lauren was fumbling with the unfamiliar, too-large safety harness when something big and heavy thumped against her side of the ship. A dent appeared in the metal just beside her thigh. “Oh!” she gasped, jumping away. “What—?”

“They’re trying to get in.” Xairn was still concentrating grimly on the control panel. “Don’t worry, they won’t. The Kindred build their ships well.”

He did something else to the controls and they started to rise straight up into the air. There was another mighty thump which made the small ship sway alarmingly in mid-air, and then they were apparently above the reach of even the massive guards.

They rose higher and higher and Lauren watched in the viewscreen as the dark, polluted planet receded into the distance. When it was no larger than a dirty tennis ball hanging in space, Xairn held the ship still for a moment and sat in silence, staring at it.

Though his face was impassive, Lauren thought she understood what he must be feeling. Reaching out, she rested her hand lightly on his knee. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “It must be hard—saying goodbye to your home planet.”

“That place was never my home.” Xairn’s voice was cold but when he looked at her his eyes were burning. “I have no home. No people. No father. I have nothing.”

“That’s all right.” She tried to smile. “You can come home with me—if you want.”

“Eventually.” His voice was remote. “But I’m afraid it will be some time before you see Earth again.”

“What do you mean?” She tried to keep the fear out of her voice but he was acting so strangely it scared her. “Why—?”

“You will understand in time.” He looked down at her hand, still resting on his knee. “I thought I asked you before not to touch me.”

“I’m sorry.” Lauren removed her hand hastily. “I just thought…I wanted to comfort you.”

“I need no comfort. And I do not want your hands on me. It isn’t safe.”

“Isn’t safe? What do you mean?”

He turned his head to look at her and she thought again that his eyes looked like they were on fire. The savage look on his face was like nothing she had ever seen before. There was nothing but hunger in his gaze. No compassion, no pity…just the naked desire to devour. “Please, Xairn,” she said, her voice trembling. “Please, you’re scaring me.”

He took a deep breath and the fire in his eyes died down a little. Some of the tension eased from his broad shoulders and the hunger left his face. “Forgive me, Lauren.” He shook his head. “But I wish very much that you were not with me right now. It would have been better if you had gone with the Kindred and their female. Better and far safer.”

“I’m safe with you.” Lauren touched his arm for emphasis and then remembered he didn’t want her to and drew back. “It’s all right,” she said, holding his eyes with hers. “Everything is going to be all right because I trust you. And I know you’ll keep your promise to see me safely home.”

“I did promise that, didn’t I?” Xairn pressed a hand to his eyes briefly and took another deep breath. “Yes, I did. And I will keep my word. Even if it kills me to do so.”

Lauren didn’t understand what he meant by that, but as the small silver ship turned away from his home world, she did understand that it would be a while before she saw Earth again.

She didn’t know where Xairn was taking her, but it wasn’t home—not yet.

Chapter Thirty-six

“Am I going to die now?” Kat tried to keep her voice even and nonchalant but she couldn’t help the little tremble that crept in as she stared at the poisoned knife in Lock’s hand. “Because I don’t feel any different.”

“The effects of the kusax are not immediate,” Lock said in a low voice. He threw the dagger away with a quick, jerky motion, like a man getting rid of a deadly snake. “But we should not speak of that now. We need to get back to the ship.”

“Lock’s right.” Deep spoke slowly, a stricken expression on his face. “We…we need medical attention. We must go.”

“All right, let’s go then.” Kat got unsteadily to her feet, shaking off the helping hands of both brothers. She wanted to know that she could still get up and move around on her own—wanted to feel that she was still all right, no matter what they said about the stupid Scourge knife that had scratched her. She headed in the direction of the beach and then stopped. “Wait a minute, what about Lauren?”

There was a suddenly muted roaring sound and a rush of wind. From further down the abandoned battlefield a small silver Kindred ship rose into the air. It hovered for a moment and then shot straight up, disappearing into the smoggy sky.

“There’s your answer,” Deep said, pointing. “Xairn has gone and he’s taken Lauren with him.”

“How can you be sure he took her with him?” Kat demanded. “What if she’s still here, wandering around in this horrible place?”

“He would not have left her,” Lock said quietly. “He loves her, my lady—could you not tell?”

“I know that Lauren seemed to be very fond of him…” Kat frowned. “But Xairn’s still a Scourge. And I don’t know if I could tell that he loved her.”

“His heart was given,” Deep said. “It was clear—at least to another male who has given his heart.”

“And how would you know? When did you ever give anything to anyone but pain?” Lock asked but his voice was more weary than angry.

Kat held out her hands. “Don’t start guys, okay? Let’s just do a quick search to make sure Lauren’s not here and then we can assume she went with Xairn. All right?”

“A very quick search.” Lock frowned. “We need to get you home, my lady. To see if there is anything…anything Sylvan can do for you.”

Kat put a hand on her hip. “Do me a favor and stop acting like I have one foot in the grave, okay? For your information I feel perfectly fine. In fact I don’t have a bit of pain and—”

At that moment the alpha guard sat straight up and began laughing. The black knife blade still protruded from the center of its massive chest—there was no way it could still be alive. But somehow it was—or at least it was moving. The high, eerie cackle that came from its dead, lipless mouth froze the blood in Kat’s veins.

“Of course you do not have pain yet, sssweet little human,” the thing said. “That comesss later, after the weaknesss has ssset in. After the green linesss reach your heart and delve deep to find your very sssoul…”

“Oh my God!” Kat gasped as the reanimated Alpha Guard began to get up. “It’s alive. How the hell—?”

“The AllFather is directing it, just as he was before.” Quickly, Lock scooped her into his arms. “Shoot it, Deep, and let’s be on our way. We’ve overstayed our welcome here.”

“I think you’re right.” Pulling his weapon, Deep took careful aim and released a bright red beam of energy.

The deadly laser blast took off the monstrous Alpha guard’s head as easily as a knife slicing through cheese. It fell from the broad shoulders and rolled on the ground at their feet, the eyes still blinking and the lipless mouth still laughing. “Die,” it whispered, so faintly Kat could barely hear it. “Sssoon you ssshall die, little human…sssoon…sssoon…” Then the guard’s body fell to its knees and collapsed slowly, its dead hands still reaching out, the thick fingers grasping the air.

“Crap!” A chill swept over her and Kat felt like she might be sick. “That’s…that’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe it just kept moving and talking like that even after…” She shook her head, unable to finish.

“Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here!” Deep led the way, his hand still pressed to his side.

“But Lauren!” Kat protested. “You promised we’d look for her!”

Lock turned reluctantly and then they saw three more of the massive guards lumbering toward them. “I’m sorry, my lady,” he told her. “But we must go now. You and Deep are both wounded. I cannot protect you both and fight off three more guards on my own.”

They ran through the ships on the battlefield and crossed the polluted beach, the oily brown sand crunching under the twins’ booted feet. The guards behind them were gaining rapidly, probably because none of them was A—wounded or B—carrying a plus-sized woman, Kat thought, staring over Lock’s shoulder as he ran. Deep staggered along beside them, his face white and one hand fisted at his side. There was blood leaking down his leg in a dark rivulet. God, she hoped all this running wasn’t making his wound worse, though she didn’t see how it could possibly be helping any. She still didn’t even know how he could be functioning after receiving such a serious injury—did Twin Kindred have extra special healing ability? Lock had said something about self sealing organs but what did that even mean?

Finally they reached their ship and piled inside. “I’ll pilot,” Lock said, sliding into the driver’s seat. For once, Deep said nothing. He only nodded and settled himself carefully in one of the other seats. Kat did the same and started to buckle herself in. She felt terrible about Lauren but Lock and Deep didn’t seem overly concerned. Maybe they’re right, she comforted herself. Maybe Xairn took her with him and he’s so in love with her that he’ll take care of her no matter what happens.

She hoped so. It was going to be really hard to face Liv and Sophie and tell them that she had found their long-lost cousin…and then lost her again. Then again, it was going to be hard to tell them the other news too.

But surely I won’t die—not of a tiny little scratch! She touched her wounded cheek gingerly with her fingertips and winced at the sting.

“I’m sorry.”

Kat looked up to see Deep watching her with a look of remorse in his black eyes. “What?” she asked.

“I said I’m sorry. All this is my fault. If I hadn’t insisted we come here, none of it would have happened. You wouldn’t have been cut and—”

“That’s true,” Kat interrupted, refusing to discuss her impending doom. “But we were looking for traces of Lauren too, so the mission wasn’t a complete wash.” She frowned. “I still don’t understand what happened in the psychic knife though.”

“I understand,” Lock said grimly as he worked the controls. “The knife is made to cut bonds between people, but it only cuts the bonds the operator stipulates. When Deep set the controls, he didn’t program the machine to cut the soul bond between the two of us and you, my lady. Instead he—”

“Cut the bond between the two of us and himself,” Kat finished, understanding. “So now you and I are bonded but neither one of us has any connection to Deep.”

“That’s true.” Deep nodded. “I thought…I believed that the two of you would be better off together. Without my interference.”

Lock turned to give his brother a fierce look. “That’s not right or natural and you know it, Deep. The Goddess formed Twin Kindred to share a female—I never wanted the lady Kat all to myself. I wanted to share her with you. And now…” His throat worked convulsively and he shook his head. “And now I don’t know what will happen to us. Any of us. Because I cannot live without the two of you and both of you are wounded.”

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.” Kat tried to sound a lot more positive than she felt. “Once we get back to the Mother ship, Sylvan will patch us up physically. And as for the bonding and soul stuff, we can always go back to Mother L’rin, right? I mean, I know she was pretty pissed at us last time we saw her but surely she won’t turn us away when we explain what happened.”

“Maybe she can help.” Deep sounded hopeful. “Hasn’t she treated kusax wounds before?”

“I don’t remember.” Lock stared straight ahead at the viewscreen. “But I think it would be best for us to contact her as soon as possible to ask.”

“There, see—all better.” Kat tried to smile at them but neither brother returned her positive expression. She felt a steady wave of worry/fear/helplessness coming from Lock and from Deep she still felt…nothing. God, I never thought I would miss having his feelings in my head! Now I just wish I could tell what was going on behind those black eyes of his. But whatever it was, Deep wasn’t telling.

It will be all right, Kat told herself uneasily. We’ve been through a lot but surely we can fix this, like we fixed everything else. We’re all going to be okay…aren’t we?

She hoped so. Oh God, she certainly hoped so.

Chapter Thirty-seven

“I’m afraid you and Olivia need to prepare yourselves, Talana.” Sylvan’s face looked so grave that Sophie’s heart skipped a beat.

“Prepare ourselves? For what?” Liv demanded.

“I’ve examined Kat thoroughly and done everything I could for her. But…” Sylvan hesitated so long that Sophie couldn’t wait any more.

“But what? What’s wrong with her?”

She was afraid to hear the answer. The minute Deep and Lock’s ship had returned to the docking bay, they had requested immediate medical assistance. Deep had been badly wounded and was being examined by one of Sylvan’s colleagues. But Kat, well, she’d looked all right when they wheeled her into the med station strapped to one of the floating Kindred stretchers. She’d even smiled at them and given a big ‘thumbs up.’ She’d had some weird stuff matted in her hair and on the back of her clothes but Sophie hadn’t seen any blood or obvious wounds. Well, other than a tiny red scratch on her cheekbone, but that was nothing. So what could possibly be wrong?

Sylvan took a deep breath. “Kat has been wounded with a kusax.”

“A what?” Olivia gave him a blank look. “What’s that?”

“A weapon of the Scourge—it poisons the soul.”

“The soul?” Liv raised her eyebrows. “Seriously?”

“Just because you can’t see it on any kind of scan or medical exam doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, Olivia,” Sylvan said quietly. “And that is precisely why this kind of poisoning is so…difficult to treat.”

“But there is a treatment—right? Right?” Sophie asked anxiously.

“There has to be,” Liv said. “Poison is curable if you catch it in time and they just came back an hour ago. So what’s the antidote?”

Sylvan shook his head reluctantly, his ice blue eyes sorrowful. “I’m sorry, Olivia, there is none.”

“No antidote?” Sophie fumbled for her sister’s hand and gripped it hard for support. “Sylvan, please don’t tell me what I think you’re going to tell me. Please don’t say that Kat is going to…to…”

“To die,” he finished for her softly. “I’m so sorry, Talana. But there’s no cure. Nothing I can do.”

“I don’t accept that!” Liv declared. “I can’t. The Kindred have an incredibly advanced system of medicine, Sylvan. Surely there must be something you haven’t tried.”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, this is not the first case of soul poisoning I’ve treated—or tried to treat. It starts in the soul but because your spirit is anchored to your body, eventually it affects everything. The symptoms are always the same—at first the victim feels nothing. Then the place where he—or in this case she—was wounded begins to show curling dark green lines, just below the surface of the skin. That’s the poison working its way from the soul into the body and ultimately to the heart. As the lines progress, the symptoms progress as well. Weakness, dizziness…”

“And then what?” Sophie demanded.

Sylvan sighed reluctantly. “And finally intense pain and death. But once she reaches that stage there are drugs we can give her—”

“To ease her pain? To help her die? No!” Liv shook her head emphatically. “Kat’s our friend—our best friend, Sylvan. And she’s a young, healthy woman. Don’t start talking that hospice shit to me—don’t you dare.”

“There has to be another way—something we can do. There has to.” Tears were rolling down Sophie’s cheeks now but she couldn’t seem to stop them. “Please, Sylvan!”

Sylvan looked almost as upset as she felt. “Talana—”

“There is something—at least we hope there is.” Lock came up behind them, and despite her distress, Sophie thought the light twin looked worse than she had ever seen him. His dark green uniform shirt and black pants were stained and dirty and the expression on his handsome features was one of weariness beyond endurance.

“What? What is it?” She and Liv both spoke eagerly at the same time.

“Deep has gone back to Twin Moons to beg help from Mother L’rin. She healed Kat the first time, we have hopes that she may be able to do it again.”

“What?” Sylvan frowned. “Deep has already left the med station? I was told he was gravely injured.”

Lock shrugged. “You know how quickly we Twin Kindred heal—Deep was already on the mend, even before we left the planet.” He cleared his throat. “It is his heart, not his body, that is broken now. He took a quick shower and left—against the advice of your colleague, I might add.”

“Twin Kindred do heal well and cleanly,” Sylvan admitted grudgingly. “You’re especially lucky your internal organs are self-sealing after any kind of blunt trauma or puncture wound. But I still would have liked to have a look at him myself.”

“We felt there wasn’t time to waste.” Lock spoke in a low voice and nodded at the entrance to the med center where Kat was resting in one of the private rooms. “If there is a cure for soul poisoning at all, it would be better to apply it early rather than to wait until the disease progressed to the…the later stages.” He coughed and looked away but not before Sophie saw the glint of tears in his brown eyes.

“True,” Sylvan said. “Well then, please let me know what he finds out.”

“Can we see Kat now?” Liv demanded.

“Certainly.” He nodded gravely.

Liv was already striding toward the med center entrance but Sophie hung back. “Does…does she know? About the poisoning? About how there’s no…no known cure?” Her throat was so tight she could barely get the words out.

“She knows,” Sylvan said quietly. “I don’t believe in keeping such things from patients.” He pulled Sophie into a tight embrace and buried his face in her hair. Softly, he spoke through their link. “I’m sorry, Talana. So sorry there isn’t more I can do. I know how very dear Kat is to you and Olivia.”

“She’s more than a friend—she’s like our sister.” Sophie wanted to cry again but she was afraid she would never stop if she did. “I know you’re trying,” she said aloud, kissing Sylvan on the cheek. “I won’t blame you if…if… I won’t blame you. No matter what happens.”

He drew back, searching her eyes for a long moment. “But I’ll blame myself. I want so much to make you happy—I’d do anything I could to keep you from pain. Anything.”

“Don’t. Don’t, Sylvan. I know.” Sophie kissed him again. “I have to go, Liv is waiting for me.”

He nodded. “Go then. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“I know.” She tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. She was still swiping tears from her eyes when she caught up to Olivia, who was hovering just outside the closed door of Kat’s room.

“I don’t know what to say.” Liv’s voice, so strong a moment ago, was wavery and uncertain.

“I don’t know either,” Sophie admitted. “I just…what can you say about something like this?”

“You could say, ‘Hi Kat, welcome home.’” The door slid open to reveal Kat standing there with one hand on her ample hip and a little smile on her face. Her long red hair was damp—obviously she’d just gotten out of the shower. Sophie couldn’t see a thing wrong with her except for a tiny green half-circle that looked like the start of a shamrock tattoo on her right cheekbone.

“Hi, Kat-woman.” Olivia looked at her uncertainly. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy, aside from the fact that I’m supposed to die in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.” Kat’s voice was perfectly calm but there was something wild in her eyes—a despair that Sophie could see even if their friend wasn’t willing to speak it out loud.

“Kat,” she choked, holding out her arms. “Oh, Kat…”

Suddenly all three of them were hugging and crying, right there in the hallway of the med center. Sophie held her friend tight, feeling like if she could just hold her close enough, she might never have to let go.

Surprisingly, Kat was the one to recover first. Sniffing, she pulled back from the little huddle of misery they had formed and blotted her eyes on the sleeve of the hospital gown she was wearing. The Kindred version of the gown was made of much nicer fabric and came in a variety of stylish colors but unfortunately still gaped open in the back.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” she said, wiping her eyes one last time. “I don’t have time to waste getting all emotional.”

“Sorry,” Sophie whispered, blotting her own eyes. “I just…I can’t believe it. It can’t be true.”

“It doesn’t feel real to me either.” Kat lifted her chin. “But I guess it is. Sylvan’s the best and if he says there’s nothing they can do…”

“Don’t give up hope yet,” Liv said, sniffing fiercely. “We just saw Lock and he said Deep was on his way to Twin Moons to find Mother L’rin. She healed you before—I’m sure she can help this time, too.”

“Yeah, that’s what we were talking about on the way up here.” Kat frowned. “But should Deep be going such a long distance after the wound he got? I mean, you should have seen the knife he got stuck with. It was practically as long as my arm.”

“Lock said he felt he was healed well enough to travel,” Sophie said. “And Sylvan said something about the Twin Kindred having self healing or self sealing organs or something, I think. Anyway, Lock said they didn’t want to waste any time in case…well, you know.”

“I know.” Kat nodded.

“I don’t understand why Lock didn’t just go and let Deep stay here and recuperate,” Olivia said.

“He probably wants to apologize in person,” Kat murmured.

“Apologize? For what?” Liv said. “Was it his fault you…” She motioned to the tiny green mark on Kat’s cheek.

“Oh no, that was just bad luck.” Kat swallowed. “Really, really bad luck. But Mother L’rin was extremely angry at us the last time we saw her—especially at Deep because he was the one who insisted we cut our bond.”

“And did you?” Sophie asked. “Did you get it cut?”

“In a way.” Kat sighed. “Look, it’s a long story and I don’t want to tell it here. Hang on while I get dressed—I had Lock go get me some clothes. Just give me a second and then we can go back to my suite and talk.”

“Wait a minute.” Liv frowned. “You can’t just leave AMA, Kat.”

“Watch me,” Kat said grimly. “You think I’m going to spend my last day or days cooped up in here wearing a hospital jonnie? I don’t think so. If I’m going to die I need chocolate STAT. And I want to wear my favorite dress—you know, the green one I spent a fortune on and keep in the back of the closet? I’ve never dared to wear it out because it’s too low cut so I feel like my boobs are falling out of it. But I’m going for it now. And I also want to…to…” Her voice began to waver. “Oh hell, I want to talk to my Grandma. I think…I guess I’d better warn her what’s going on. What’s going to happen.”

“Kat…” Sophie and Liv reached for her again but she shook her head and took a deep breath.

“Nope, not gonna cry. I am not going to spend the time I have left whining.” She squared her shoulders. “Hang on, I’ll be out in a minute and then we’re going to paint the town red. Or the Mother ship. Or whatever.”

As the door shut behind her, Sophie looked at her sister. Olivia shrugged. What could they do but comply with what might be Kat’s last request? It’s so like her, Sophie thought, listening to the determined sounding humming coming from behind the door as Kat got dressed. Not to complain or waste time crying. She’s so much braver than I could ever be. It was one of the reasons she loved Kat—why she and Liv both loved her. But to see her friend’s courage tested in such an extreme way was almost beyond what Sophie could stand.

Liv must have seen the look on her face because she squeezed Sophie’s hand. “I know,” she whispered. “It’s hard.”

“It’s awful,” Sophie whispered back. “Poor Kat.”

“She doesn’t want us to pity her.” Liv sniffed and straightened her shoulders. “So we won’t. We’re going to make this the best time she ever had—however long we have to do it.”

“You’re right.” Sophie blotted her own eyes and tried to be brave. After all, how could they deny their friend’s request to have a little fun before she died? But please, God, don’t really let her die. Don’t take Kat away from us, she prayed fervently. Let Deep find the solution, let him bring back hope that everything is going to be okay.

Then Kat came out of her room, dressed and smiling and Sophie forced herself to smile back. Everything was going to be all right because it had to be. Losing Kat was unthinkable so she wasn’t going to think about it.

Not yet. Not until she had to.

Chapter Thirty-eight

“I am sorry, Warrior, but I can do nothing for you.” Mother L’rin stood wreathed in the pink and gold and green plants of the Healing Garden, looking almost like one of them herself. She had agreed to see him on short notice which was good since Deep hadn’t intended to wait for anyone. He’d folded space and gotten back to his home planet in record time—less than an hour from when he’d left the Mother ship. And now it seemed his entire trip had all been in vain.

“Please.” He struggled to keep his voice even. “Please, Mother L’rin, I’ll do anything. Anything. Look…” He tore off his shirt, baring his back for her. “Use the whip. Lash me until my skin peals from my body—I don’t care. Only please heal her.”

She spread her wrinkled hands. “I have already told you—I cannot.”

Deep wanted to tear his hair in frustration. “Please don’t punish Kat for my arrogance. I know I have been disrespectful and rude and foolish…”

“You have been all those things.” Mother L’rin nodded gravely. “But worse than anything else, you have blasphemed against the Goddess. It was she who put you and your brother together with the lady Kat. It was her will you broke when you cut the bond she had forged between the three of you.”

“Then I’ll go to the sacred grove,” Deep began pacing wildly. “I’ll get on my knees and I’ll pray for forgiveness.”

“You may do that if you wish and I am certain that the Goddess will forgive you—she is merciful in all things,” the old healer said quietly. “However, that does not mean she will heal your lady. Some things cannot be undone, Deep.”

“But there has to be a way. There has to.” He fell to his knees before her. “Please, Mother L’rin—you healed her before. I know you can heal her again. I am begging you.”

“I did not heal her,” she corrected him gently. “You did. You and Lock. By forging the soul bond with her in the first place.”

“And then we cut it.” Deep slumped back on his heels. “Or I should say, I cut it. Or insisted on having it cut.”

“That you did.” Mother L’rin nodded. “There is nothing you can do for soul poisoning but dilute the poison. If you and Lock both were still bonded to the Lady Kat, you might have been able to save her by completing the bond and each taking a little of the taint into yourselves.”

Deep felt like an iron fist was gripping his heart. “So…we might have saved her if I had not cut the bond between us?”

“It is not certain but you would have had a chance. Now, I fear…there is none. No chance.”

“No chance,” Deep echoed. “Gods, what a fool I am! In trying to save her I have damned her instead. Oh, Kat…” Rage and frustration rose within him along with a grief too terrible to be born. He had condemned the woman he loved to die. Then he had a new fear. “But Lock still is bonded to her. Does…does that mean they both will die?”

Mercifully, Mother L’rin shook her head. “If what you have told me is true, the bond between them is not complete. And it never can be.”

Deep frowned. “Why not? Other than the fact of Kat being…being poisoned?”

“The poison cannot seep though an incomplete or partial bond,” the old healer said. “And a Twin Kindred cannot form a complete bond on his own without his brother. Be at peace, Deep—you will not lose your twin as well as your lady.”

“I’ve already lost him. As surely as I’ve lost Kat. Lock hates me now and I don’t blame him.” Deep looked down at his hands. “Gods, how could I have been so stupid? So…so…”

“Prideful,” Mother L’rin finished for him. “You chose to withdraw yourself from the will of the Goddess. You refused to trust her when she brought a new female into your life.”

“You didn’t see her lying there,” Deep said in a low voice. “Miranda. Just lying there, her eyes open, staring at nothing. Dead. And all because of me.”

“I know about your past.” Mother’s L’rin’s voice was unexpectedly gentle. “It was a tragedy. But far sadder is the fact that you have cut yourself off so thoroughly that you could not see the lady Kat for what she truly is—a courageous female who would never take her own life.”

“She may wish to if the soul poisoning progresses much farther,” Deep said grimly. “I’m told the pain can be intense.” He pressed the heel of his hand to his eyes. “And it’s all my doing. Don’t you see, Mother? This is why I wanted to cut her from me in the first place—to spare her pain. But my plan backfired and made things worse. So much worse.”

“I’m sorry there is nothing I can do for you or for that sweet child you and Lock both care for so much.” Mother L’rin touched his shoulder gently. “Go home and make your peace with her and with your brother before the end.”

“Neither Kat or Lock is going to want to make peace with me.” Lock took a deep breath and stood up. “I bring them nothing but tragedy and pain—as I have always done.”

“You are a dark twin,” Mother L’rin said. “Your path is not the easy one, Deep.”

“No, it is not.” Slowly he turned to go. “I have been the worst kind of fool. Truly, I should be the one who is dying—not my little Kat. If I could give my life for hers, I would.”

“It is not for you to say who lives and who dies,” Mother L’rin said. “That is a task for the Goddess.”

“Maybe so,” Deep murmured. “But even the Goddess must recognize justice when she sees it.” He knew now what he had to do. He might not be able to heal Kat or stop her demise, but at least he could make a proper atonement for the role he had played in her death. It was only right.

Chapter Thirty-nine

“I’m sorry, Grandma. Really sorry.” Kat wiped away a tear that she couldn’t help shedding. As much as she was determined to stay positive, it was impossible to tell the woman who had raised her that she was about to die without tearing up.

“And you’re sure you can’t come back to Earth and see me?” Her grandmother asked in a quavering voice. She was crying too but also oddly calm.

She’s still in shock, Kat thought. She can’t really believe it. Well that makes two of us.

“I’m sorry Mrs. O’Connor, I know you want to see Kat but she needs to stay here on the Mother ship,” Liv answered for her. “She needs to have access to the special drugs that will help when she…when the poison…drugs that help,” she ended lamely.

Grandma nodded her silver-haired head. “I understand. And if you truly have such a short time, I won’t keep you. But I will say this—I love you, Kat. More than I can say.”

“I love you too, Grandma. Thanks for always being there for me after Mom and Dad split up.”

“They love you too, you know—your parents,” Grandma said. “They just never knew how to show it.”

That’s because they were too busy hating each other to show that they loved me. But Kat didn’t say it aloud—there was no point in bringing up bad memories at this point. “You tell them what’s happening and that I love them, okay?” she said.

Her grandmother nodded. “I don’t know how but…yes, I’ll try.”

“Thanks, Grandma.” Kat felt like she was about to burst into tears and she was afraid if she really started bawling, she wouldn’t be able to stop. She didn’t want to spend her last two days having a pity party. “I, uh, think our time is up,” she lied gently. “There are other people waiting to use the viewing room.”

“Of course.” Her Grandmother blew her a kiss. “Remember, Kat, I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

“Thanks Grandma. Goodbye.” Kat watched as her grandmother’s image faded to a single bright dot in the middle of the viewscreen and then went completely black. Olivia, sitting on her right hand looked grim and Sophie, on her left, was openly sobbing. “Okay, guys, come on,” she said with an effort. “Let’s get going. We can’t paint the town red of we’re crying our eyes out.”

“I’m sorry,” Sophie whispered brokenly, trying to control her tears. “I just…don’t want to lose you, Kat.”

“I don’t want to lose me either,” Kat said grimly. “But I’m not lost yet so if you don’t mind—”

Suddenly the viewscreen popped back to life. “Forgive me for interrupting your privacy,” said the Blood Kindred warrior, whose face had appeared on the screen. “But there is an incoming call for Miss Waterhouse from a woman who says she is your aunt. Do you care to accept it?”

“Oh my God! Aunt Abby! That detective must have told her what we said about Lauren.” Sophie turned to Liv. “Should we take it?”

Liv frowned. “It’s likely to take a little while and we might not have much time to, er, have fun. Maybe we should ask her to call back later.”

“No.” Kat swiped at her eyes and shook her head. “Take the call. I want to talk to her.”

“All right, if you’re sure…” Liv looked up at the Blood Kindred communications officer. “Fine, we’ll take it.”

“As you wish.” His image disappeared to be immediately replaced by the distraught face of Liv and Sophie’s Aunt Abby.

“Detective Rast told me that Lauren’s been taken by the Scourge,” she said without preamble. “He said you knew all along. How could you lie to me, Olivia, Sophia? How could you?”

“We didn’t want to,” Sophie said at once. “But we thought it might be easier for you to just think she was missing rather than to know…to know…”

“That the Scourge had her,” Liv finished for her. “Aunt Abby, we’re sorry, really we are. We thought not knowing would be better than, well, knowing.”

“And you’re sure they have her?” Aunt Abby looked almost wild. “Truly certain?”

“Beyond the shadow of a doubt,” Liv said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“They don’t have her any more.” Kat spoke for the first time, stepping forward. “At least, the AllFather doesn’t.”

“What do you mean? What do you know?” Liv and Sophie’s aunt demanded wildly.

“I don’t know exactly where she is right now but I saw Lauren just a few hours ago and she was fine,” Kat assured her. “She hadn’t been molested or abused in any way—just held prisoner.”

“But where? Where are they holding her?”

“She was on the Scourge home world when I saw her.” Kat shifted uncomfortably. “But I think she escaped.” She wished again that they could have made a more thorough search for Lauren before leaving the deserted planet.

“You think? So then she’ll be coming home soon?” The hope in Aunt Abby’s eyes—the same clear amber as Lauren’s—nearly broke Kat’s heart.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I do know she had a protector—one of the Scourge was taking care of her, making sure she was safe and no one hurt her. We…had to leave the planet in a hurry but we saw another ship take off right before we went. I think he and Lauren must have been aboard.”

“But will he bring her home? Will I see her again?” Aunt Abby demanded.

Kat bit her lip. “I wish I could answer your questions but I really can’t. All I know is that Lauren seemed safe and well when I saw her and she did say that Xairn—the Scourge who was keeping her safe—had promised to take her home.”

Aunt Abby took a deep breath and nodded. “All right, thank you…”

“Kat,” Kat supplied.

“Thank you, Kat. At least I know she was well and healthy a few hours ago. If only I knew where she was and if she was heading home…” She blotted her eyes and looked at Sophie and Liv. “If you find out anything else will you please, please let me know, girls? Lauren is my daughter, I’d like to be kept in the loop.”

“Of course, Aunt Abby.” Olivia looked chagrinned. “And we’re really sorry for not telling you in the first place. “We just thought…well, obviously we thought wrong.”

“Obviously,” Aunt Abby agreed. “Oh, and you can expect a visit from Detective Rast. He’s going to be coming up soon to see what other information he can get.”

“Of course, he’s welcome to come.” Sophie nodded eagerly.

“I’ll talk to you later. If you get any more information about Lauren or her whereabouts, I’m always available.” Aunt Abby nodded once more and was gone.

“Whew.” Sophie put a hand to her head. “That wasn’t so good. I guess we should have told her in the first place.”

Liv frowned. “We agreed not to for her own good. Though I guess I can understand how you’d want to know any information you could about your child.” She cupped her still-flat belly protectively.

The maternal gesture caught Kat unawares and she nearly started crying again. I’ll never get to meet Liv’s little boy, she realized suddenly. Never get to hear him call me ‘Aunt Kat’ or have any babies of my own. Oh God…

A knock on the viewing room door interrupted her morbid thoughts. She looked up to see Deep standing there, his broad shoulders slumped wearily.

“Yes, what is it?” Olivia asked him at the same time Sophie chirped,

“Did you find it? Did you find the cure?”

“Forgive me,” he said heavily. “But could I please speak to Kat alone?”

Liv and Sophie exchanged glances that held a world of silent communication. They nodded at the same time. “Of course,” Liv said quietly. “We’ll be outside in the hallway if you need us.” They stepped out together, the door whooshing shut behind them.

“Did you find anything? What did Mother L’rin say?” Kat tried not to sound too eager but she couldn’t help herself. Surely the wise little healer would be able to help her. Surely…but Deep was shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Kat but she says there’s nothing she can do.”

“Nothing? Nothing at all?” Kat could scarcely believe it. “No magic plants or herbs. No spells? Just…nothing?”

“Forgive me.” Deep bowed his head. “I have failed you in the worst possible way.”

“No.” Kat shook her head, trying to keep back the wave of despair that was threatening to drown her. “No, it’s not your fault.”

“It is my fault,” he said forcefully, looking up. “I was the one who insisted we cut the bond between us. I was the one who pretended I didn’t…didn’t love you so that you would agree to our separation.”

Kat’s breath caught in her chest. “What are you saying?”

“That I do love you. Oh, Kat…I’ve been such a fool. Such a Goddess damned fool when it comes to you.” His voice was hoarse with emotion.

“Deep—”

“I’ve always loved you,” he went on, taking her hand. “From the moment Lock and I first laid eyes on you. He was male enough to admit how he felt but I…I was afraid. So afraid that what had happened once before might happen again.”

“I know about that,” Kat said quietly. “About Miranda. I saw it when I was dream sharing with you. I know how deeply it affected you.”

“You didn’t seem to want us at first,” Deep said, examining her small hand in his big one. “I hardened my heart against you then. I told myself I wasn’t surprised that such a gorgeous elite female wasn’t interested in joining with Lock and me. After all, we’d already had our chance once and failed miserably. Or I should say, I failed miserably.”

“It wasn’t your fault Miranda killed herself,” Kat protested.

“Yes it was. Just as it’s my fault you’re going to…to…” Deep shook his head, apparently unable to go on.

“You don’t have to say it.” Kat squeezed his fingers. “And it’s not all your fault. I was against being with you and Lock to start with. It was scary—the idea of being with two guys at once—really big guys too. And having your emotions in my head all the time, at first it was awful. Now…now I kind of miss it. Miss feeling you, Deep.”

He raised his head. “When did you change? I thought you seemed different while we were on Twin Moons but I didn’t let myself believe. I was too afraid. And then you collapsed after we made love and I told myself it was for the best if you didn’t want us. I was so afraid, you looked so much like her at that moment.”

“I understand,” Kat said quietly. “I thought it might be something like that. But as for when I changed my mind about you and Lock, It was so gradual it’s hard to say. I think it was on Twin Moons, before we were captured by the natives, when I first realized how nice it could be feeling you and Lock inside me.” She blushed. “Uh, you know what I mean.”

Deep smiled sadly. “Yes. Don’t worry, I won’t mock you.”

“That’s a change.” She gave him a tiny smile back. “Anyway, I noticed that when both of you were in harmony, when you were loving each other and…and caring for me, it was wonderful feeling your emotions. Like being filled with sunshine. I think that’s when I began to feel less opposed to the idea of being bonded to both of you permanently, even if it was an unconscious rather than a conscious decision.”

Deep sighed. “Lock and I haven’t had many of those brotherly moments lately. I’ve made him hate me—just as I tried my damndest to make you hate me, Kat.”

“Well, you never really succeeded.” She squeezed his hand. “Although I certainly thought you were an asshole.”

“I was,” he said seriously. “And a bastard and any other Earth vernacular names you can think of to call me. But worst of all, I was a fool. Lock and I could have had you in our lives forever if I hadn’t been so arrogant and cowardly. Now…there’s nothing I can do except admit my faults to you and say goodbye.”

“Deep—” she started to protest but he shook his head.

“I do not ask for your forgiveness. I know full well I am beyond redemption.” He sighed and looked into her eyes. “But please let me say it once more—I love you, Katrina O’Connor of Earth. I love you with everything that is in me. I will never forgive myself for the way my foolish actions have harmed you. And for this…” he brushed her wounded cheek with his fingertips. Kat felt the tingle and knew the curling green lines must have progressed. But she didn’t pull away from his touch.

Deep studied her eyes for a long moment. Searching for something, Kat thought. But what? If he was searching for hatred or recrimination he didn’t find it. Even though she was going to die, Kat couldn’t bring herself to hate him. He had acted horribly but in the end, it was her best interest he’d had in mind. He was trying to save me…save me from himself. And now it’s too late.

“Kat…” Deep’s voice was filled with need. He pulled her close and Kat didn’t fight him. She expected a desperate, burning kiss filled with passion and Deep didn’t disappoint her. But then, suddenly, the kiss turned gentle and his touch was soothing rather than demanding. This is how he could be all the time, if only he let himself, she thought as he deepened the kiss, sucking her lower lip tenderly before exploring her mouth. If he could let go of his past, his bitterness, his fear. If he could have let himself admit he loved me before it was too late…

She clung desperately to him, her heart drumming in her ears, feeling like she was going to die if he let her go. But you’re going to die anyway, no matter what, a little voice in her head reminded her. Kat pushed it away. She didn’t want to think of that right now. She just wanted to let herself melt against Deep and know, finally truly know that he loved her.

Even if it was too late.

At last he pulled back and studied her face. “Thank you.” His voice was hoarse and there was a bright sheen of tears in his bottomless black eyes. “Thank you for not hating me.”

“Deep, I could never—”

“Forgive me, but we need to use the viewing room.” Two Beast Kindred officers came in with Olivia and Sophie trailing behind them.

“Sorry,” Liv said. “We tried to stop them.”

“That’s all right.” Deep straightened and nodded at them. “I think we’re finished here. Aren’t we, little Kat?”

“I…I guess so.” She wasn’t sure why but she had the feeling that she needed to say or do something else. But what? What else could she do but let Deep go as he seemed intent on doing. There is one thing I can do, though, she thought. “Deep,” she called as he turned for the door.

“Yes?” He turned back for a moment.

“Please, if you meant what you said, tell Lock everything you just told me,” she said quietly. “He needs to hear it as much as I did. Maybe even more.”

A grim look crossed his face. “Don’t worry, little Kat. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Then he turned again and was gone, through the doorway as silent as a ghost.

Kat watched him go, strangely troubled. But then Sophie and Liv were taking her by the hand and leading her out of the viewing room. I’ll see him again, she promised herself. Before it’s too late, I’ll see him one last time.

* * * * *

Lock packed slowly, putting his clothing into the compressor and watching as the machine minimized each item and spit it neatly into the waiting box. Using the handy little contraption, an entire household full of items could be packed in one or two small crates, making moving out much easier. Physically, anyway. Emotionally, he was torn.

He had taken a long shower, washing the AllFather’s muck from his body and it was there, with the hot water pounding on his head, that the idea of leaving had presented itself. Lock wasn’t sure where he was going, only that he needed to get away.

Living with his brother had always been the most natural thing in the world. But now that the connection they had shared since birth was cut, it didn’t feel right any more. Even if he and Deep had still been getting along, it wouldn’t have worked. And since they’d declared open warfare on each other, the idea of continuing to live in the same suite and share the same bed as they had since they were babies was completely unthinkable.

I’m an island now. A single that used to be a double. It was something he had secretly wished for sometimes as a child. Deep had always been abrasive and argumentative, making it hard to make and keep friends. Sometimes Lock had wished he was a different kind of male, a Blood or Beast Kindred instead of a Twin. Someone who could live life on his own instead of always being tied to another.

But now that he had his wish he just felt…empty. I don’t even hate him anymore, he realized tiredly as he packed. Because he’s not my brother now that the tie between us has been cut. He’s just a stranger. And I’m alone…all alone for the first time in my life.

He would be even more alone once Kat died but he didn’t want to think about that. He wanted desperately to go see her, to tell her how he felt one last time before it was too late. But something kept holding him back—maybe it was the fear that once he said goodbye the whole situation would finally be real. Lock knew it wasn’t logical to delay for such a reason but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want to admit the woman he loved—the only woman he had ever loved—was going to die.

Oh my lady…Oh Kat…

“I’m back, Brother.”

The sound of Deep’s voice behind him startled Lock and he turned to face his twin.

“What did Mother L’rin say?” he demanded. “Did she give you any hope?”

“None. I’m sorry.” Deep’s shoulders slumped. “She did say there might have been hope—if we were both bonded to her. We could have diluted the poison—shared it between us until it was no longer deadly. We could have saved Kat’s life.”

A swell of fury and despair threatened to overwhelm Lock but he stood his ground, his hands clenched into fists. “But we can’t now, is that it? Now that you’re no longer bonded to either one of us?”

“We can’t,” Deep acknowledged heavily. “Because of me. Because of my foolish pride, my fear, my arrogance. I’m sorry, Brother. This is all my fault.”

Despite the emotions tearing him apart inside, Lock couldn’t help looking at his twin in surprise. “What a shock—the infallible Deep finally admitting he has some faults. But saying you were wrong now won’t help anything. It won’t save Kat’s life…or keep me from leaving.”

“I noticed you were packing.” Deep nodded at the compressor and the half full box. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know,” Lock said tiredly. “I’ll stay here until Kat is…until she’s gone. But after that…” He shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows?”

“Anywhere away from me, I guess,” Deep said in a low voice. “I can’t say that I blame you, Brother.”

“Don’t call me that,” Lock said, but without heat. “As you pointed out, it no longer applies.”

“Lock…” Deep came forward and put a hand on his shoulder. Lock wanted to shrug it off but he was too tired. He looked into his twin’s eyes instead…the eyes of a stranger.

“What?”

“I know I’ve made a mess of everything. I’ve ruined all three of our lives and cost Kat hers. But I need a favor.”

“A favor?” Lock raised an eyebrow at him. “After all you’ve put us through, you have the nerve to ask me for something?”

“It’s easy. And small. It will only take you half a second—less. I swear.” Deep looked at him earnestly. “Please, Brother, if you ever loved me, grant me this one thing.”

Lock sighed. “All right, I should say no but…what is it?”

“First swear you’ll do it.” Deep’s grip on his shoulder tightened. “Swear on our fathers’ graves.”

“Our fathers were buried at sea,” Lock reminded him. “But I know what you mean. Yes, I swear it.”

“Thank you.” Deep breathed a sigh of relief and took a step back.

“Well?” Lock frowned at him. “What is it? And when do you need me to do it?”

“The sooner the better.” Deep drew his blazer and pressed it into Lock’s palm. “Here.”

Lock looked down at the deadly weapon, uncomprehending. “Why are you giving me this? What do you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to honor your promise, Brother,” Deep said calmly. “And kill me.”

Chapter Forty

Kat stared at herself in the bathroom viewer, tracing the curling green lines that swirled around most of her right cheek. So this is how it ends. Done in by what looks like a really bad Saint Patrick’s Day tattoo. It seemed so unfair—so unbelievable—that something so small should end her life. But Kat knew it was true. Even now she could feel herself getting weaker. At least I don’t have that awful pain anymore. No more rusty spike in my brain—that’s an improvement.

An improvement but little consolation, considering that she was dying.

She frowned at her image in the viewer. She was doing it again—having a pity party when she had promised herself not to waste her last hours whining. Liv and Sophie had wanted to take her dancing or drinking at one of the clubs on the ship but Kat had vetoed that idea. Instead they’d decided to go back to her suite for brownie sundaes and girl talk—possibly the last girl talk they’d ever get.

But as much as she loved spending time with her friends, Kat yearned for something more. If these were her final hours she wanted to spend them doing something exhilarating. Something incredible…but what?

Suddenly a memory came to her—the feeling of flying like a weightless, invisible bird, the sight of suns and planets and galaxies rushing past her, the incredible exhilaration of being joined to two other minds as they swooped through space at impossible speeds… It was the sensation she’d gotten the last time she’d done a joining with Lock and Deep, when they were searching for Sophie after she’d been kidnapped by the Scourge. By Xairn, in fact—the same warrior who was now holding Lauren.

That’s what I want to do, Kat realized with a surge of excitement. I want to feel that joy one more time. And maybe we can help locate Lauren while we’re at it. That way it will be like I’m doing something useful before I die…leaving things better than I found them. Of course, it was joining with Lock and Deep that had started this whole mess in the first place. But what did she care now if the pain came back? She was going to die anyway. If I could get Lauren’s mom even just a little bit of hope it would be worth it.

Kat nodded at her face in the viewer. “I’ll do it.”

Turning, she headed out of the bathroom to tell Sophie and Liv her decision. Then all she had to do was convince Deep and Lock.

* * * * *

Kat let herself into the twins’ suite without knocking. The door recognized her and let her in with no problem, whooshing quietly shut behind her. She was rehearsing her argument when she came to the bedroom…and stopped in her tracks.

Deep and Lock were standing in front of the huge bed, neither one of them moving. But Lock had a blazer pointed straight at Deep’s heart.

“Take the shot,” Deep urged, baring his chest. “One quick, clean shot and you’re done.”

“I don’t want to.” Lock’s voice trembled and so did his hand, holding the weapon. “I probably should after everything you’ve done but…I don’t. I can’t lose my brother and the woman I love at the same time. I can’t.”

“You’ve already lost me.” Deep’s voice was desolate. “And we’re both going to lose Kat. I deserve to die for the part I played in that—you know it’s true.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to be the one to kill you!” Lock threw the blazer down and it clunked harmlessly on the carpet. “It’s not fair for you to even ask me.”

“I thought you’d want to,” Deep said quietly. “You hate me, don’t you? I thought it would give you satisfaction.”

“How could I take satisfaction in killing my brother? The other half of my soul.” Lock grabbed him roughly and pulled him into a hard embrace. “I don’t hate you, Deep,” he muttered into his brother’s shoulder. “Sometimes I wish I could but I don’t, no matter what you’ve done.”

“I don’t hate you either,” Kat said quietly. “I never could—which is what I was trying to tell you before we were interrupted in the viewing room.” She stepped forward. “In fact, I…I love both of you. Very much.”

Tears stung her eyes as two sets of muscular arms enfolded her. “Kat, little Kat,” she heard Deep murmur as Lock whispered, “My lady…” into her hair.

“I’ve come to ask you for something,” she said at last, pulling out of the sweet, three-way embrace and looking up at them. “Kind of a last request.”

“Anything,” Lock said at once and Deep said, “Name it.”

“A joining.” Kat spoke rapidly as both brothers opened their mouths to protest. “Just hear me out. I want to act as your focus so we can find Lauren. I spoke to her mother earlier and she’s distraught. If I could give her any information about where Lauren is and if and when she’s coming home, it would mean a great deal to her. Will you help me?”

“Mother L’rin told us to never use you as a focus again,” Lock protested. “She said that it was very dangerous for you.”

“She also told Deep there was no hope to save me from the soul poisoning,” Kat said flatly, pointing to her cheek. “So what have I got to lose?”

The Scourge home planet is three times as far as Twin Moons,” Deep said thoughtfully. “Such a distance has never been attempted before. Even if we could cast a net so far, it could be all for nothing if they’ve folded space. Attempting such a distance might be the end of all three of us.”

“Oh.” Kat shook her head. “I…I didn’t know. Then of course I withdraw the request. I wouldn’t want to put you and Lock at risk.”

“Risk be damned,” Deep growled. “I don’t care how dangerous it is at this point.”

“I agree with Deep,” Lock said quietly. “There is no life for me without you, my lady. I too, will take the risk.”

“I can’t let you sacrifice yourself for me,” Kat protested.

“We’re not. Or not just for you,” Lock said. “It’s for Lauren and her mother too, remember?”

“Well, yes…” she said hesitantly. “But—”

“I would rather burn brightly for an instant and bring some light into the universe in my last moments than live a thousand years in darkness,” Deep said softly. “And I want to be joined with you again, Kat. I think Lock feels the same.”

“I do.” Lock nodded. “So very much, my lady.”

“Well then…” Kat knew she shouldn’t let them do it but the lure of being between them again, feeling their minds joined to hers, was too tempting. Then she had a new thought. “But…can we even do a joining now that you two aren’t connected anymore?”

“Severing the bond between us won’t have affected our abilities as seeker/finders,” Lock said. “Though it may mean we’ll need a great deal of…contact in order to achieve a good link.”

“We’ll need that anyway, casting a net such a distance away.” Deep stepped closer and brushed Kat’s cheek lightly with his fingers. “How do you feel about that, Kat?”

Kat’s breath caught in her throat. “What exactly are we talking about here? Complete nudity?”

“At least.” Lock cleared his throat. “And quite possibly penetration as well.”

“By both of us. At the same time.” Deep searched her eyes with his. “Now how do you feel about it?”

Kat lifted her chin. “I say I’d rather go out with a bang than a whimper. Although…” She bit her lip. “It has been awhile since I ate the bonding fruit.”

“Wait here.” Lock disappeared and came back a moment later with a lovely blue crystal bottle etched in flowing designs and a small crystal goblet to match. “Here.” Handing the cup to Kat, he poured it about half full of a shimmering, clear liquid.

Kat raised the goblet to look at its contents and a familiar scent wafted up. Fresh pineapple…ripe raspberries…buttered popcorn. “Bonding fruit.” She looked up at Lock. “Is it made from bonding fruit?”

“It is distilled from the Kala fruit, yes.” He nodded. “I found it in my things when we came back from Twin Moons. I think our mother put it there.” He gave Kat a sad smile. “She likes you a lot, you know.”

Kat felt a lump in her throat. “I liked her too. I just…I wish I could have gotten a chance to know her.” She took a deep breath. Okay, I can’t do this if I’m bawling like a baby. Get hold of yourself, girl!

“My lady, don’t—” Lock started to say but Kat didn’t wait for him to finish.

“Bottom’s up!” Lifting the goblet, she tossed down the contents in one gulp. The sweet, innocent-smelling liquid lit her insides on fire. “Wow!” Kat gasped, her eyes watering. “What the hell is in that stuff? I don’t remember the bonding fruit tasting like that.”

“That’s because this ‘stuff’ is the distilled and fermented essence of the bonding fruit,” Deep said dryly. “It’s incredibly potent.”

“I was about to tell you not to drink it too quickly.” Lock gave her a worried look. “Most females just sip it.”

“Just sip it, huh?” Kat looked ruefully at her empty glass. “Sorry. I guess my history of bonding fruit abuse continues. I’d offer to go to rehab if I had the time.”

“Let’s not talk about time right now.” Deep pulled her into his arms and Lock came up close behind her, pressing against her back. “Let’s talk about pleasure…and building enough power to cast our net.”

Kat had one more fear. “Before we do this…is it going to cause a bond?”

Deep raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you still afraid of being bonded to the two of us?”

Kat frowned. “Not at all. I just don’t want to drag either one of you down with me—if the joining itself doesn’t do us all in, that is.”

“I don’t think that’s possible, my lady.” Lock sounded sad. “With the bond cut between the two of us and Deep, I don’t see how we could form a bond with you—even half a bond as we did before.”

“All right then.” Kat relaxed. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“What you can be sure of is that we want you,” Deep rumbled in her ear. “And right now, we want you naked.”

Kat bit her lip but allowed them to undress her. She knew she ought to have lost her body consciousness by now—they saw her ample curves as beautiful and alluring, after all. But she didn’t know if she’d ever get used to being naked with two gorgeous guys staring at her. You don’t have time to get used to it, a nasty little voice whispered in her head but Kat pushed it away. As Deep had said, it was better not to talk about time.

True, little Kat. Better we should speak about desire. Deep looked down into her eyes, a faint smile on his sensuous lips.

Oh, I can hear you again!

And I can hear both of you—though Deep’s mental voice is very faint, Lock said in her mind.

That means we need to get closer, Deep sent.

All right. Reaching up, Kat cupped his scratchy cheek. With her other hand, she laced her fingers with Lock’s. It was surprising how good it felt to be able to hear both brothers inside her head again. She had thought during their first joinging that she would never get used to having two sets of alien thoughts and emotions filling her all the time…but apparently a girl could get used to almost anything. What about having two cocks filling your pussy? Kat blushed but neither Deep or Lock reacted so apparently she’d managed to keep the thought to herself.

Not quite, Deep sent through their link. But that’s all right…we won’t get to that for awhile.

We want to see you first, to touch you and bring you pleasure, Lock murmured in her mind.

That sounds wonderful, Kat sent. But you two are always the ones giving the pleasure.

Meaning what? Deep frowned.

Meaning that I want to be in charge this time. Kat nudged them toward the bed. At least to start with.

What would you have us do, my lady? Lock asked.

First I want to undress you. Turning to him, Kat began to suit actions to words. Off came the green Kindred uniform shirt, baring a broad, smooth chest with golden tan skin. Kat ran her fingers down it and pinched Lock’s nipples lightly until he moaned low in his throat. Then she reached for his pants and peeled them down. Lock toed off his boots for her and, as she rose from pulling the pants all the way off, she saw that his cock was already more than half hard. His bonding scent, the hot coffee/clean linen aroma she found so soothing, was beginning to manifest as she touched him.

My lady, he sent breathlessly as she took him in her hand. Hot and silky smooth against her palm, his shaft was long and thick. It was hard to believe that it would ever fit inside her—let alone it and another just like it at the same time. But already Kat could feel the familiar tingle in her nipples and pussy that let her know the bonding fruit drink was working on her.

Fast stuff, she thought to herself. Either it was working faster because she’d had bonding fruit before or the distilled essence was just more potent.

Both, Deep sent her, apparently hearing her thought. His coal black eyes watched hungrily as she stroked Lock’s shaft.

Kat was intrigued. Do you like to watch, Deep? You like to see me touch your brother this way? she sent, giving him a naughty little smile.

Deep raised an eyebrow at her. Kinky, little Kat. But yes, it does give me pleasure to see my twin receive your ministrations.

Just as it gives me pleasure to watch you with Deep, Lock sent. That’s the way it is with Twin Kindred—otherwise we would be jealous of each other instead of being willing to share a female.

Then I guess it’s your turn to watch, Kat sent him. Letting go of Lock, she turned to Deep. Time to strip, lover.

Lover…I like that. He gave her a half-lidded gaze and a sensual smile as he spread his arms. I’m all yours, little Kat. Strip me.

With pleasure. Kat wasn’t lying—she enjoyed herself immensely as she pulled away Deep’s shirt, baring his muscular chest. It was just as broad as Lock’s but he had a small patch of wiry black hair between the flat copper disks of his nipples. Mmm… Daring greatly, Kat leaned in and took his right nipple lightly between her teeth.

Deep sucked in a breath and his hands clenched into fists as she teased the tiny nub with her tongue. Gods, little Kat. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.

Let’s find out then, shall we? Continuing her exploration, Kat unfastened his black flight pants and pulled them down. Deep’s shaft came into view at once, rampant and rock hard, thrusting up from between his muscular thighs.

Mmm… Kat couldn’t get finished pushing his pants and boots down fast enough. She wanted to touch that long, hard shaft, to hold Deep in her hand. Already she could smell his bonding scent, that dark chocolate and sex spice that put all her senses on full alert.

Deep groaned as she stroked him, his shaft throbbing and hot between her fingers, like a bar of heated iron from the forge. Kat, little Kat…you’re driving me crazy!

I enjoy driving you crazy. Kat smiled up at him. And I hope you like taking the scenic route because I’m not nearly done yet.

What else do you have in mind for us? Lock asked, his chocolate brown eyes glued to the way she was slowly stroking Deep’s shaft.

I want to suck you. Kat smiled as the two of them looked at her in obvious surprise. Both of you.

I can’t wait to feel your sweet lips wrapped around my cock. Deep’s eyes were blazing with desire. But first I want to do something.

What? Kat asked but the dark twin didn’t answer. He left the room for a moment and then returned with something under his arm.

“What’s that?” Kat asked aloud, intrigued as he set it up next to the bed.

“A portable, expandable viewer. I want you to be able to watch while you suck us…and while we fuck you, little Kat.”

Kat raised an eyebrow at him. “Who’s kinky now?”

“Does it bother you?” Lock asked, looking at her anxious. “Because if it does…”

“No…no I don’t think it does.” Kat looked into the viewer thoughtfully. She didn’t look at herself naked much because when she did, she was usually cataloguing her faults. Not this time, however. This time she made an effort to see herself as Deep and Lock saw her.

So beautiful, Deep whispered in her mind. Your full breasts, your curving hips, your ripe nipples.

Truly, my lady, you look like a goddess, Lock assured her.

A goddess? Kat wasn’t sure about that but she did think the girl in the viewer looked pretty. Her long, auburn hair fell around her shoulders like a silky curtain and her pale, creamy skin seemed to highlight how tight and pink her nipples were. The small thicket of red curls at the top of her sex led down to the tender slit of her pussy—innocent and tantalizing at the same time. The men on either side of her were handsome and muscular—one light and one dark—completely different except for the identical expressions of need and lust on their faces. They want me, Kat realized. As much as I want them.

Even more, Lock assured her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. Where do you want us, my lady?

Right here in front of the bed will do to start, Kat decided. She smiled at both of them and then turned to Lock. I think it’s your turn again, isn’t it?

Before the light twin could answer, she had dropped to her knees before him and was rubbing her cheek against his shaft. His mating scent was very strong here. Warm and comforting, it seemed to beckon her. Kat nearly purred as she placed a gentle kiss on the head of his shaft.

Lock moaned gently as she took him in but he held rigidly still, obvious afraid he would hurt her if he thrust. It’s okay, Kat sent him as she sucked. You can move a little bit—I don’t mind.

My lady… His mental voice sounded hoarse as he began to slide hesitantly between her lips. Kat helped him by dropping her jaw and angling forward to take in more of his shaft.

Gods that’s so incredibly hot, Deep murmured in her head. Kat looked up as well as she was able to see the dark twin watching hungrily as she sucked Lock.

You really do like to watch, she murmured.

Of course I do. I can’t imagine a more arousing sight than watching Lock fuck your sweet little mouth.

Except maybe watching yourself do it. With a last, loving suck, Kat pulled away from Lock and turned to Deep. Get ready…

Before you start, watch. He angled himself to one side and motioned Kat to do the same. At first she couldn’t understand why but then she caught a glimpse in the viewer and understood. Deep wanted her to watch as she sucked his cock, wanted her to see his thick shaft sliding between her lips as he fucked her willing mouth.

The tingling in her nipples and pussy grew as she took him in her hand once more. She was beginning to feel wet and swollen between her legs and she knew she needed to be penetrated soon. But for now, she wanted to enjoy this, enjoy making love to the two men she loved most in the universe.

Slowly she leaned forward, watching as the red-haired girl in the viewer did the same. Deep was standing rigidly still, his thighs spread to give her easy access. It was clear he expected her to take him in her mouth right away. But Kat didn’t like being predictable.

Leaning a little lower, she cupped his balls in her hand, rolling them gently with her fingers. Deep gasped in surprise as she covered them in feather-light licks, her tongue flicking quickly over his sensitive flesh as he watched. Before he could say anything, Kat turned her attention to his cock.

It was long and, if possible, even thicker than Lock’s. But somehow she managed to take at least half of him in her mouth on the first try.

“Gods, Kat!” Deep groaned aloud as she bobbed her head in a hot, sucking rhythm.

From the corner of her eye, Kat watched as the red-haired girl in the viewer gave the muscular, dark haired male an excellent blow-job. It wasn’t a skill she’d practiced often and certainly she’d never sucked anyone as big as Deep or Lock but she seemed to be doing great now. In fact, she was disappointed when Deep pulled away and gently helped her to her feet.

No more, little Kat, he sent, stroking her cheek. Now it’s our turn to pleasure you. And I want you to watch everything we do in the viewer.

All right, Kat sent, rather breathlessly. Her nipples were so tight they ached and her pussy felt like it was on fire. The bonding drink must really be working because she felt incredibly hot, incredibly needy.

You’re feeling the same effects you did when you first ate the entire bowl full of bonding fruit, Deep told her.

Only multiplied because of the potency of the drink, Lock sent.

Multiplied? Kat began to feel alarmed. Seriously? Because last time I thought I was going to go crazy.

Last time you wouldn’t let us fuck you and fill you with our seed, Deep reminded her. That’s what you need, sweetheart—to have our cum painting the inside of your pussy, filling you to overflowing. Only then will you feel better…but I want to taste you first. He looked up at his brother. Lock, tend to her nipples. I want to lick her sweet pussy.

Of course. Lock bent his head and took one of Kat’s aching nipples between his lips at once. As he began a strong but gentle suction, Deep dropped to his knees before her and spread her thighs.

Open for me, little Kat, he demanded, looking up at her. Spread your thighs so that I can lick your creamy pussy.

Kat couldn’t refuse, even if she had wanted to. She needed this too much. Wanted to feel his hot breath and talented tongue stroking the inside of her pussy and teasing her clit.

That’s exactly what I want to do to you, Deep murmured, stroking her thighs. But first I want to look at you.

Kat bit her lip to keep from moaning as he spread her swollen pussy lips gently with his thumbs, baring her slippery inner folds for his pleasure.

Gods, he murmured softly in her mind. Look how wet she is, Lock. The bonding drink must really be affecting her.

Kat was torn between embarrassment and pleasure as both brothers stared at her spread pussy. It was true she was wet—her inner cunt was slippery and glistening with her juices and her clit was throbbing like a pink pearl in the center of her folds.

Beautiful, Lock agreed, pinching her nipples gently. Lick her, Brother. Eat her sweet pussy. It’s what our lady needs.

With pleasure. Bending his head, Deep pressed a soft, hot, sucking kiss to her sensitive clit, making Kat moan breathlessly. Without meaning to, her hands slid down and buried themselves in the thick silk of Deep’s black hair. That’s right, little Kat, he growled softly inside her head. Hold on to me. It’s going to be a wild ride. Then he spread her even wider with his thumbs and took a long lick upwards, starting at the entrance of her pussy and bathing her entire cunt with his tongue.

“God!” Kat gasped. Her fingers tightened in Deep’s hair involuntarily and her eyes were drawn inexorably to the viewer. The red-haired girl was standing with her legs spread, moaning with obvious pleasure. The blond man behind her was pinching and twisting her nipples while the man with black hair knelt between her legs, splitting her thighs wide with his broad shoulders and lapped her pussy as though he couldn’t get enough of her sweet honey.

“Oh!” Unable to help herself, Kat tilted her pelvis forward, giving Deep greater access to her pussy. But it wasn’t enough for him. With one sudden move, he shifted one of her legs up to his broad shoulder, spreading her thighs even wider for him and opening her completely.

Kat moaned and jerked against him as she felt Deep enter her with two thick fingers as he lapped her cunt. Behind her, Lock continued to pinch and twist her nipples while he kissed and nibbled her neck.

“Does it feel good, my lady?” he murmured hotly in her ear. “Do you liked being spread open so Deep can taste your sweet pussy?”

“Yes, God, yes!” she moaned, unable to lie. She could feel the orgasm building within her, threatening to wash her away with its intensity but she couldn’t stop reaching for it just the same. She needed to come, God how badly she needed that!

Not yet. Much to her frustration, Deep pulled away just when she was tilting over the edge.

Deep! she protested but he shook his head.

I’m sorry, little Kat but we need the energy of your orgasm to propel us across the vast distance to the Scourge home world. So you can’t come yet.

But I’m about to go crazy! I need—

You need to come, my lady, Lock murmured soothingly. And never fear, you will. But you must come with both Deep and I inside you.

Only when we have both our cocks buried to the hilt in your sweet pussy can we let you orgasm, Deep sent. Because only then will the three of us be fully joined.

Kat bit her lip. Bonding drink or no bonding drink, this part still made her a little bit nervous. They were both so freaking big and the idea of two of them at once…

Don’t worry, my lady. Lock stroked her hair gently. I can feel your apprehension but when Deep and I come together, our shafts will fuse into one symmetrical shape—much like the phallus we used on you the night after you ate the bonding fruit.

It makes for greater ease of penetration, Deep added. As though you’re being filled by one cock instead of two.

Except that one is freaking huge, Kat pointed out. Will you still be able to do that—to fuse together that way with the bond between you cut?

Deep frowned. We should be able to. The bond affects our emotional connection—not our physical abilities. But we won’t be filling you together to start with.

You won’t? She looked at both of them. Then what are you going to do?

We’ll take things slowly, Lock assured her. Each of us will take a turn. Having one shaft at a time inside you will stretch you open gradually.

And it will make us wet enough to enter you together, Deep said. Both our cocks need to be coated with your juices so that we can slide easily inside you when we fuse together.

All…all right. Kat felt like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her ribs with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. God, was she really going to do this? It certainly looked like it. How do we get started? she asked.

I think it’s time we all moved onto the bed, Deep said. I’ll adjust the viewer so you can keep watching while Lock and I fill you.

Kat allowed herself to be helped onto the vast, broad bed thinking that it was odd he’d said “fill” instead of “fuck.”

That’s because it’s not really fucking until we’re both together inside you, Deep sent, apparently hearing her thoughts. Not by Twin Kindred standards, anyway.

Oh. Okay. Kat cuddled with Lock on the bed while Deep adjusted the viewer. Her eyes strayed to the image of the red haired girl and she saw that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright from the pleasure she’d already given and received. She also couldn’t help noticing that the spiraling green lines of poison had grown until they nearly covered her right cheek but she refused to dwell on that. She was going to squeeze as much love and pleasure and joy into her final hours as she could and not think about anything morbid. Still…a tear dripped down her green-stained cheek despite herself.

“My lady…” Lock whispered aloud, his voice husky with sorrow. Kat felt his pain and loss as she felt her own and for a moment the shared emotion was almost her undoing. She leaned her head against his broad chest and breathed deeply, trying not to cry. Trying not to spoil what little time she had left.

“Kat?” Deep climbed into bed beside her and nestled close, his broad chest pressed to her back. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” she whispered in a muffled voice. “I’m just…I’m fine. Really.” And the strange thing was that after a minute, she was.

It was the warmth and reassurance of their bodies against hers that did it. Kat felt completely surrounded by them, cocooned in comfort. And though she couldn’t feel Deep’s emotions as she felt Lock’s, she knew he cared for her just as much as his brother. She could feel his love in the gentle way he touched her, the soothing way he caressed her hair.

Finally, she sat up and swiped at her eyes. “Sorry, guys. Didn’t mean to kill the mood.”

“You didn’t,” Lock said quietly. “We feel as you do, don’t we, Deep?”

“Indeed.” Deep stroked her arm, his eyes bleak. “The idea of losing you just as we’re really getting together is agony, little Kat. Unbearable.”

Kat sniffed and lifted her chin. “Well we’re just going to have to bear it. We need to do this for Lauren. And…” She snuggled back down between the two of them. “If I have to go, I want to go out on a high note, you know?”

“A high note?” Lock frowned.

“I mean…” Kat could feel her cheeks heating in a blush but she made herself continue. “I want to feel you in me, both of you, before the end.”

“And we want to fill you, little Kat. And fuck you,” Deep murmured. “But first we must wet our cocks in your pussy. Are you ready to let us do that?”

Kat felt a twist of desire in the pit of her stomach. God, just the idea of spreading her legs and letting them fill her, one at a time was making her hot. The bonding drink was still in her system and her pussy ached with the need to be penetrated. But even beyond that, the love she felt for both of them drove her on. Yes, she murmured, using the mental link of the joining to answer. Yes, go ahead. I want you to. Uh…she looked at them doubtfully. Which one of you wants to…?

Fill you first? I will, Lock murmured, his brown eyes half-lidded with lust. The last time I entered you, my lady, I never allowed myself full penetration. This time…

This time he needs to thrust hard and deep inside your sweet pussy, Deep finished for his twin. Come here, Kat. He held out his arms and she crawled into his lap. He kissed her urgently for a moment, then urged her up onto her hands and knees. Lean your head against my chest and spread your legs as wide as you can, he directed as Lock got into position behind her. That will open your pussy enough to let Lock get deep inside you.

Kat shivered slightly as she felt the broad head of Lock’s shaft brush her wet folds. She moaned softly as he slid over her sensitive clit and Deep stroked her hair soothingly. Watch him, he directed, indicating the viewer. Watch Lock penetrate you, little Kat. Watch him fill your sweet pussy with his cock.

Turning her head, Kat did as he demanded. It was an incredibly erotic sight. The red-haired girl, on her hands and knees, trembling and leaning against the black haired man who was propped up against the head of the bed. Behind her, the blond man knelt, slowly thrusting his thick shaft inch by inch into her wet, open pussy.

Now, Lock whispered through their link as he stretched her open, his cock finally sliding home inside her. Do you feel that, my lady? Do you feel me in you?

Yes… Kat moaned and tilted her pelvis, trying to get even more. The penetration was good—was wonderful—but the bonding drink in her system was telling her she needed more. So much more… Good…so good. If only she could get Lock to fuck her, to thrust just a little bit, she was sure she could go off like a rocket…There was some reason she wasn’t supposed to come yet but it slipped her mind. Her thoughts seemed to be blurring, her rational mind consumed with the need for pleasure and penetration.

But though she came close, she couldn’t quite tilt over the edge of orgasm. All too soon it was over—Lock withdrew slowly, as though reluctant to leave the tight, hot confines of her pussy. Kat almost cried with the feeling of emptiness. But there was another shaft right in front of her, she realized, looking down at Deep’s lap. And it was even thicker than Lock’s.

Now, Deep was saying. It’s my—

Kat didn’t give him a chance to finish. With a little cry, she sat up and straddled his narrow, muscular hips. Taking his shaft into her hand, she positioned the wide head of his cock against the opening of her pussy and sank down on him before Deep could say a word.

Both of them moaned at the sudden intimate contact and Kat gasped in pleasure as the thicker shaft stretched her wide.

“Gods, little Kat,” Deep murmured hoarsely. “I’ve never known you to be so forward.”

“I need it,” Kat told him, raising her pelvis so that a few thick inches slipped free and then thrusting back down again to impale herself once more. “I need you. God, Deep, please…fuck me!”

“Gently, Kat. Gently,” Deep cautioned. He looked over her shoulder at Lock. “Brother, I know we wanted to take things slowly but I think the bonding drink is having an even more pronounced effect on her than we thought. Our little Kat needs to be fucked very badly. Now.”

“I think you’re right.” Lock nodded. “So how…”

Lie down beside us on the bed, Deep directed, switching back to the mental exchange of the joining. I’ll withdraw for just a moment and then we’ll fuse and enter her together.

Yes, Kat sent urgently. Yes, that’s what I need—both of you in me. Now. Right away—please! She was no longer afraid or uncertain. This was what she needed—both of their thick cocks filling her at once. Filling her, fucking her…and coming in her. She was certain of it. Please, she whispered and then gave a soft cry of protest as Deep withdrew from her slowly. God, she felt so empty without him and she needed so badly to be filled…

It’s only for a minute, sweetheart, he promised, stroking an errant strand of hair out of her eyes. Only for a moment and then Lock and I will fill you properly—the way you need to be filled.

He urged Kat to lie on her side, propping a pillow under hear head. Relax, little Kat, he murmured. Gods, I love you! You’re so beautiful and so brave, spreading your sweet pussy for Lock and I to fill you at the same time. I never thought you’d be willing to do this with us. To love us both at once.

You thought that because of what happened in the past, Lock told his brother. I always knew the lady Kat had courage.

It’s not just courage, Kat protested, trying to think past the haze of lust that was clouding her mind. It’s need—please, I need you both so badly!

We know, my lady. Just a moment while we fuse, Lock responded, kissing her shoulder.

Lock and Deep were conferring in low voices but she only heard about half of what was said and she comprehended even less. All she knew was that she was consumed with a burning desire and only being filled and penetrated could slake her sexual thirst.

“Press your shaft to mine,” Deep murmured to Lock. “I know we cannot feel each other’s emotions as we should at this moment so we must let our bodies do what is necessary.”

“Here. It’s not…Ah, there.” Lock’s voice was strained at first but then he sounded relieved. “Do you feel that, Brother? I think we’re ready to fill our lady.”

“Yes,” Deep responded. “And our little Kat is more than ready to be filled…and fucked.”

Lock, who was behind Kat, raised her top leg, opening her pussy for their penetration. Both of them pressed very close to her, their hard chests bracketing her own until it felt like all three of their hearts were beating in the exact same rhythm.

Together, Deep murmured. I’ll guide us…now!

Kat gasped in pleasure as she felt the single, thick cock begin to push into her pussy. First she felt the slippery, broad head press against her entrance. Then, with a slight stretching sensation, the brothers breached her entrance and began to enter her.

She moaned softly and bit her lip as the sensations became incredibly intense. She could feel her body opening for them, taking them in, but the feeling was of a tightness that was almost but not quite painful.

God, so much, so deep, she thought, writhing between them. Almost too much…

It’s all right, Kat. You’re all right, Deep sent, searching her eyes anxiously. I know it’s hard to take the first time. But I swear to you, in a moment you’ll adjust.

Slowly, my lady. Gently, Lock sent as they continued to thrust slowly into her. Once we touch bottom inside you, the bonding drink will take its full effect and you’ll feel nothing but pleasure.

I hope you’re right, Kat sent, biting her lip. Because…Oh! Just at that moment, she felt them press hard against the end of her channel and a wave of pleasure overcame her. “God,” she gasped deliriously. “Deep…Lock… Please, I’m close, I’m so close…”

Gently but with power, Deep directed, obviously sending to his brother. Just a few thrusts should do it. The moment Kat comes, we’ll be launched.

The feeling of their long, thick cocks pulling out and thrusting back in again was too much for Kat. With a low moan, she felt herself coming, finally tilting over the edge as the orgasm that had been building so long finally came crashing down on her.

God, yes! she thought again and then the world around her melted away and the air was suddenly full of stars.

Chapter Forty-one

The peak of orgasm faded gradually to be replaced by the familiar rush of pleasure and the sensation of being a swift, invisible bird. Kat looked around in delight at the sight of the blue-white ball of Earth floating in space and the stars surrounding it.

Hold on, she heard Deep say. We’re going to be going faster and farther than we ever have before. Whatever you do, stay together and don’t get lost.

Kat had a moment of concern—she hadn’t known it was possible for them to get lost from each other during a joining. How could we possibly—she began and then everything became a blur.

During their previous joinings, Deep had taken his time, allowing her to see her solar system first hand—or as first hand as they could get on the astral plane, anyway. This time, apparently they had no time to linger. Stars, planets, entire constellations rushed by in the blink of an eye. Suns so massive they blotted out the blackness of space with their fiery brilliance rose up and vanished so fast they seemed like wild illusions.

We have to hurry, Lock explained in her mind as they flew. We have to use the power of your orgasm quickly, my lady, before it dissipates.

Not to mention that the longer we wait, the more likely it is they’ll fold space and be gone beyond our reach, Deep growled. Have you got the net ready, Lock? Moving at this rate we’ll be there before we know it. I just hope I can hold us in place long enough to find them and see what they’re up to.

I’ve got the net. Don’t worry, Lock responded.

Good. Are you picturing Lauren in your mind? Deep asked Kat. I hope you know her well enough to find her.

I didn’t have much time to get to know her, but she made a big impression on me, Kat said, watching as the stars and planets whizzed by them. She’s so beautiful and so brave—I really felt for her. Yes, I’m certain I’ll be able to locate her if we can catch them in the net.

Let’s hope they’re not far from the Scourge home world, then, Deep said grimly. If they’ve gone too far we’ll never find them.

I have a net big enough to cover three sectors. Lock sounded confident. Unless they’ve folded space, we’ll find them. Never fear.

Are we almost there yet? Kat asked, feeling like a little kid. As fast as they were traveling, she had the strange sensation that they already had been on the astral plane longer than on any of their two previous joinings.

It’s just ahead. Look, Lock murmured.

Their incredible speed slowed until the white and black blurs rushing past them became planets and stars again. It reminded Kat of how space looked when the Millennium Falcon was coming out of light speed in the Star Wars movies. Just ahead she saw the dirty, gray-brown ball of smog and pollution that she recognized as the Scourge home planet. It was only about the size of a billiard ball in the sky but it was getting closer by the minute.

I don’t see their ship, she sent, feeling disappointed.

Don’t worry, Lock told her. I’m casting the net wide and far.

Kat felt a moment of intense concentration from him, as though he was preparing to do some hard physical labor. Then the Scourge home world and all the space around it in every direction was blanketed in a silvery, shimmering net so beautiful and vast it took her breath away.

Oh Lock, she whispered, totally awed. This is your finest work yet. It’s gorgeous.

Let’s just hope it does its job, Deep said. Open your mind and feel for the tugging, Kat. Is Lauren anywhere near here?

Kat deepened her concentration. Well, she’s not on the planet, she sent with relief. Despite being ninety-nine percent certain that Lauren and Xairn had left in the small silver ship they’d seen blast off, she’d had a nagging fear that Sophie and Liv’s cousin had somehow been left behind. But apparently that wasn’t so—she didn’t feel Lauren anywhere on the surface of the deadworld. She made one more sweep to be sure…and her mind touched something new—something so shocking and harsh she drew in a ragged gasp.

What? What is it? Deep demanded, sounding concerned.

Something on the planet. Something dark. Burned me…shocked me, Kat choked. Her astral form was tingling all over. It was as though she’d grabbed a live electrical wire with her bare hands.

The AllFather, Lock sounded grim. He must still be there.

Did he feel you, Kat? Deep asked urgently. Does he know we’re here?

I…don’t think so. Kat shook herself mentally, trying to regain control. He’s angry though. So much rage…hatred…betrayal.

No doubt because Xairn flew off with the only female who could fulfill their twisted prophesy, Lock sent. This changes things, we have to hurry. If he feels us out here…He let the sentence dangle ominously and Kat had an idea she didn’t want to know what might happen if the leader of the Scourge found their vulnerable spirits wandering so far from their physical bodies.

We have to hurry anyway. Deep sounded strained. Taking us this far and holding us here is almost beyond my power. Quickly, Kat, avoid the planet and feel for the tug of Lauren’s mind in the space around it.

Got it, Kat sent. Just give me a little time.

Time is what we don’t have. Hurry!

She didn’t bother answering. Taking a deep breath she pictured Lauren in her mind’s eye. The delicate features, the long, silky black hair and warm mocha skin, the high cheekbones so like Sophie and Liv’s. And of course her striking amber eyes. Lauren, she thought, feeling her way along the net, searching with every ounce of concentration she could muster. I haven’t known you long but I can tell you’re strong. Brave. You’ve been through so much but your spirit shines through it all. Let me find you so I can give your mom some hope. She loves you so much! Please let me tell her that her daughter is coming home soon…

At last she felt the faintest tug imaginable from the far distant corner of the great net. It was so miniscule Kat nearly ignored it, almost waved it away like a tiny mosquito buzzing near her ear. But then the feeling began to grow and she knew it wasn’t her imagination—the tug really was Lauren, and she was somewhere on the edge of the shining net Lock had cast.

This was the part Kat liked the most. As the seeker, Deep provided the power to get them to their destination and hold them in place. Lock, as the finder, wove and cast the net. But as their focus, it was Kat’s job to track down the person they were looking for and fly the three of them to the exact spot where that person was.

Hang on boys, here…we…go! She spread invisible wings and lunged forward, slicing cleanly through space as a swimmer diving into a pool slices through water. The feeling of speed, the exhilaration of finding what they were looking for as she followed the tug forward, grew stronger and stronger within her…

Kat, watch out! Lock sounded more alarmed than Kat had ever heard him.

What? What’s wrong? She wanted to look behind her but they were moving too fast.

It’s coming…he’s coming for us. Look to the planet! Look to Zlicth!

Finally managing to backpedal, Kat turned her gaze to the quickly receding Scourge home world…and saw something that nearly stopped her heart.

A finger of darkness was extending from the planet. A searching tendril of black slime which made even the blackness of space seem faded and pale in contrast. But this finger was huge—a tentacle of pure evil big enough to engulf them completely like a snake swallowing a mouse.

If it touches us, Kat thought, her blood turning to ice. If it even brushes us we’ll be caught. I just know it!

The AllFather, Deep sent. He must have felt your probe after all.

What can we do? Kat sent back, trying not to panic. How do we get away?

We can’t. Not unless we leave now, Lock sent.

But I don’t want to leave! We’re so close. I can feel Lauren and we’re almost to her.

Then we can tell her mother that she’s safe, Lock sent back. But if we stay here and the AllFather catches us in his web, we’ll never get back to our physical bodies and be able to tell her anything at all.

Kat wanted to cry. To come so close and then not be able to finish what they’d started was too much, too awful. I don’t—she began but Deep interrupted her.

Kat’s right—we shouldn’t leave without seeing this through.

I agree but I don’t see how, Lock argued. If we don’t leave now—

There is another way. Deep sounded determined. Go on Kat, take us there. If the AllFather traces us I’ll…distract him.

That was all Kat needed to hear. She dived forward again, following the tugging which was growing stronger in her mind. Find me, Lauren’s life force seemed to be saying. Find me, find me, here I am!

There! Kat couldn’t keep the triumph out of her voice as a small silver spaceship came into view. There she is! I knew it.

Quickly, then Lock urged. The AllFather is just behind us. His arm grows long and if he catches us…

Too late. Deep sounded so grim that Kat turned her attention from the spaceship to look behind them again. Rolling toward them like a black, oily cloud that smudged and dirtied the very space it moved though, was the AllFather’s trap. Kat could feel the tingling, burning sensation again even though she wasn’t touching it…yet. A sudden , awful thought filled her mind.

What were we thinking? We’ll lead him right to them!

Lauren and Xairn aren’t on the astral plane, Lock told her. So while the AllFather might sense them, he won’t be able to hurt them. Not physically, anyway. Hurry, Kat, we have no time to spare.

He’s getting too close, Deep sent. You two stay together, I’ll distract him.

Stop! Lock’s mental voice was urgent. Don’t you think I know what you mean by ‘distract’ Deep? You can’t sacrifice yourself for us—I won’t allow it.

What makes you think I’d sacrifice myself? Deep’s voice was filled with mocking laughter but it sounded hollow to Kat. Don’t be foolish, Lock. The AllFather won’t know there’s more than one mind wandering the astral plane. If he gets me, he’ll think he has us all. But he won’t get me—I’m just going to lead him a on a little chase while you two look in on Lauren. So hurry!

Kat wanted to protest but there didn’t seem to be any way to stop him. I love you, Deep! she sent as strongly as she could. Be safe and come back to us or I swear the AllFather won’t have to do a thing to you—I’ll kick your ass myself!

You and your Earth vernacular. I don’t see how you could hurt me by planting your sweet little foot on my posterior. Deep laughed again in her head. But I’ll be sure to come back so you can demonstrate.

Do that, Brother, Lock sent. I love you too.

And I love both of you. Goodbye. And then there was sudden silence from the spot where Deep had been. Looking over her invisible shoulder, Kat saw something bright whiz daringly close to the foul finger of darkness. The inky black tendril hesitated and then seemed to make a decision. It swooped after the bright thing so fast it was a blur in space.

God! Kat’s heart was in her throat. She hadn’t realized the AllFather was so fast on the astral plane. Watching him chase after Deep’s spirit was like watching a striking cobra after a mongoose.

Don’t waste time watching, Lock told her, sounding stern. Deep is playing the decoy so that we can get the information we need. Hurry, Kat. Hurry!

You got it. Forcing herself to look away from the horrifying spectacle, Kat turned her attention toward Lauren and gave their mission her whole concentration again.

There was nothing else she could do.

Chapter Forty-two

Slicing through space, Kat dived straight at the silver ship and passed through its skin easily. She could feel Lock behind her but he said nothing as they looked around the cockpit they suddenly found themselves in.

Xairn’s massive form was hunched over the controls and he seemed to be concentrating fiercely. Kat felt a stab of panic as she realized she didn’t see Lauren. But I feel her here! Where is she? Where—

“Oh, that feels so much better.” Lauren came forward from a hidden compartment at the back of the ship. She was wearing one towel draped around her body and blotting her still-damp hair with another. Kat guessed she must have just come out of the shower. Who knew they had showers on these ships? she thought as she watched.

It was a standard feature on the older models, Lock murmured. Warriors used to have to stay away from the Mother ship for much longer—each ship had all the comforts of home. Well, as much as it was possible to have in deep space, anyway.

“I am glad you’re feeling better.” Xairn glanced up, his red-on-black eyes widening briefly as he took in the way the thin towel draped over Lauren’s curves. Then he looked back at the controls hastily. “It must be a relief to get the remains of the dravik off your skin.”

“It certainly is.” She settled in the passenger seat beside him, still patting her hair. “I just wish I had some other clothes to wear. I’m afraid your cape is ruined.”

“That’s quite all right.” Xairn’s deep voice sounded slightly strangled. “I’m certain we can find you something…suitable to wear in the place we are headed.”

“Where is that? Where are we going? Are…are you still going to take me home?”

He nodded stiffly, still not looking at her. “I have sworn to do so and I will keep my promise. But it wouldn’t be safe for us to go back to Earth now—not before we make a few minor adjustments.”

“Adjustments? To what—the ship? So your father can’t trace it—right?”

Xairn shook his head. “That is not what I am referring to at all. We’ll need to adjust our DNA—both of us—before I can safely take you back to your home planet.”

“Our DNA?” Lauren sounded horrified. “What are you talking about, Xairn? I don’t want my DNA adjusted!”

“I’m sorry but it’s necessary.” He stared straight ahead as he spoke, his broad shoulders tense. “Which is why we’re heading to the Maw Cluster at this very moment. The best genetic manipulators live there. They can help us reach our destination safely.”

“But…” Lauren made a helpless gesture. “How far away are they?”

“About a hundred thousand light years from Earth.”

“What?” Lauren demanded. Then she took a deep breath and put a hand on his muscular arm. “Xairn, I’m trying really hard not to get upset or excited here. But it sounds to me like we’re going in the opposite direction of where we need to be.”

“Lauren…” Xairn looked pointedly at her hand on his arm and Lauren withdrew it hastily.

“Sorry. But look, how can you even get us so far away and back again before we get old and die? I mean, I’m a cupcake baker, not a physicist but I don’t see how it’s possible.”

“It’s possible, all right. Using that.” Xairn nodded at the viewscreen and Kat followed his gesture involuntarily. What she saw was incredibly strange. There appeared to be a dark silvery-blue, swirling hole somehow cut into the fabric of space. Not just a hole, she thought, still staring. It’s like a funnel or a spout. Like water circling the drain in a bathtub—the biggest bathtub in the universe.

“What’s that?” Lauren sounded as awed as Kat felt. “Is it a black hole?”

Xairn made a strange, deep rumbling sound from low in his chest that made Kat drag her eyes away from the strange sight on the viewscreen. After a moment, she realized the big Scourge warrior was laughing. It was a rusty sound, as though he didn’t laugh very often, but kind of nice anyway.

“Of course not,” he said, one corner of his mouth twitching with amusement. “If it were, our ship would have been broken to bits and sucked in by its huge gravitational pull even before we saw it. That, Lauren, is an inter-dimensional gateway. A wormhole.”

“A wormhole? And you’re going to fly us into it?”

“Through it,” Xairn corrected. “We’ll be at the Maw Cluster instantaneously. After we conduct our business there, we can find another to take us home—your home anyway. That sector is full of them and the star charts indicate several that will bring us back to your solar system.”

“I don’t know…” Lauren looked doubtful.

“I do.” Xairn closed his eyes for a moment and his entire body tensed. “Can’t you feel that? My father is out there somewhere, not far behind. He’s seeking someone or something else now, but the moment he captures it he’ll turn his attention to us.”

Lauren looked over her shoulder fearfully although there was nothing but the back of the ship to see. “He’s after us? You mean in a ship?”

“He’s pursing with his mind.” Xairn made a face. “I can hear him whispering to me. Urging me to bring you back to him… Gods!” He pounded one huge fist on the steering yoke. “We have to get away before it’s too late.”

“All right.” Lauren’s face had gone pale but she began strapping herself into the safety harness with determination. “All right, Xairn. Get us out of here.”

His grip on the controls tightened and the look of concentration on his face was frightening in its intensity. “Hold on. Traversing a wormhole is rough business.”

We have to go! Lock’s voice in Kat’s head startled her. She’d been so caught up in the interaction between Lauren and Xairn that she’d almost forgotten what was going on. Kat, we have to go, Lock said again. If they take us with them through the wormhole, we might never get back to our physical forms.

Got it. Kat gave herself a mental shake. Let’s get out of here, grab Deep and go.

Rising up through the skin of the ship, she found herself in the darkness of space once more. Deep? Where is he? She felt a moment of panic and then she saw the bright silver streak of his spirit zipping around, just inches away from the seeking black smudge of the AllFinger’s tentacle. God, how was he doing that? Staying one step ahead of the evil like that? Kat felt her heart, thousands of light years away, jump in fear as she saw the tendril of darkness almost catch him just before he skipped away.

Deep, she called. Deep, come back to us! We know what’s going on with Lauren. Let’s go home.

Can’t. His mental voice was hoarse with exhaustion. He’ll feel it. He’ll know there’s more than one of us if I join you two. Can’t risk it.

Yes, you can, Brother! Come! Lock demanded, but his command had no effect on the brilliantly darting light that was Deep’s spirit.

You’ll have to go without me. I can’t distract the AllFather and hold you here much longer anyway.

Don’t you dare let us go while we’re still separated! Kat raged at him. We need you, Deep. Lock needs you and he’s going to need you even more after I’m gone.

I’m sorry, little Kat. But I—

Just then there was a blast of light from the direction of the wormhole. Momentarily distracted, Kat turned her attention to it just in time to see the small silver ship circling the wide funnel like a toy boat being sucked down a vast drain. My God, she thought. Can they survive that? They’re going to—

Deep! Lock’s mental voice was filled with such anguish that Kat felt it like a knife in her heart. From the corner of her eye she saw something that made her scream in sorrow and disbelief.

The bright, flitting light had flown too close to the black tentacle of darkness. As she and Lock watched, an oily, black, many-armed cloud erupted around it and began to engulf it, like an octopus snaring its prey. For a moment the light seemed to be straining to pull free, struggling away from the tentacles until only one of them had a grip on it. No, not just a light—that’s Deep, Kat thought numbly. Deep, please no! Not now. Not when I finally know that you really do care for me. That you love me the same way I love you! Please!

But her mental plea did no good. As they watched, a thousand more tentacles exploded, like a nest of writhing snakes. They covered the light, drawing it inexorably inward…until the darkness ate it completely.

No! Kat howled with anguish. No, Deep! No! She felt Lock’s grief too—an agony so intense it was almost unbearable…and then, suddenly, they were flying backwards, away from the darkness and the vanished light. Away from Lauren and Xairn and the wormhole and the polluted Scourge home world at a tremendous speed until everything was a blur.

Stop! Kat was in a panic. Stop! We have to go back for him! We can’t just leave him there.

He is already lost. Gone beyond our reach. Lock’s voice was quiet with despair. And we cannot go back. It was Deep’s power that brought us out so far and held us in place. Without him, we can’t help being pulled back.

Even as he spoke the incredibly fast, intense journey was over. Kat felt herself reenter her physical body with an almost audible thump. Her eyes flew open and she found herself looking into Deep’s face.

The coal black eyes she’d grown to know so well were open but unseeing. His broad chest rose and fell but the rest of his big body was limp.

“Deep?” Kat patted his cheek eagerly. “Deep, can you hear me?”

“My lady, he’s gone. He cannot hear you where he is.” Lock’s voice was thick with sorrow.

“What do you mean?” Kat demanded. “Where is he?”

“Gone,” Lock repeated. “His spirit is untethered from his body, lost forever to the AllFather. Only a shell remains.”

Kat looked in horror and disbelief at the familiar, sharp features of the dark twin. Deep had made her completely crazy at times, he had even managed to make her believe he didn’t care anything for her even though he was madly in love with her. But despite his contrary nature, she’d grown to love him dearly. And now…

Now he’s gone, she thought numbly. Gone forever and there’s nothing I can do about it.

A sob rose in her throat. A sound of pure longing and loss and grief.

Gone…forever gone. Oh Deep…

Chapter Forty-three

Deep was so far past exhaustion he could barely feel. The power it took to keep the three of them at a spot so many light years from their physical forms, as well as the energy to dart around, keeping one step ahead of the AllFather, was draining him rapidly. He felt like he was running a race without oxygen, like his lungs were burning and the big muscles in his thighs were quivering with fatigue until he might collapse at any moment. But that was all right—as long as Kat and Lock got to safety. That was all he cared about, all that mattered.

When he felt the AllFather catch him, like a corpse-cold hand closing around his ankle, dragging him down to the bottom of a lake of darkness, it was almost a relief. Still, he tried to get away. Straining, he pulled with all his might. He wouldn’t leave Kat and Lock alone if he could help it. Couldn’t leave…And then the darkness erupted around him and he lost sight of the stars and planets and space. There was nothing but greasy black nothingness wherever he looked.

Sssooo, he heard a familiar voice whisper in his mind. I did not know you had sssuch ssspecial talentsss, Warrior. How fortuitousss, especially when I am ssso very hungry…

He’ll eat me, Deep thought with despair. He’ll suck down my spirit like a fine wine—he won’t even have to extract it from my body. I’ve handed it to him on a silver platter. That was an Earth vernacular saying which he had learned only recently but he’d never imagined he would be able to apply it to himself. Kat, he thought as the cold, oily tentacles slid around him, suffocating him, making it hard to breath. Lock, I’m so sorry. I loved you both so much. But if my death can set you free, it’s worth it.

Sighing, he released the tension inside himself, the psychic anchor which had held them all in place in this particular part of space. He thought he heard cries of sorrow as he let Kat and Lock’s spirits go, allowing them to slingshot back to their waiting bodies on the Mother ship. But they were so faint he couldn’t be sure. The AllFather didn’t seem to notice them at all—he was too busy preparing to devour.

So this is how it ends, Deep thought, feeling oddly at peace. I just hope it goes quickly.

Not quick, Warrior, the AllFather hissed in his head. Not too quickly at all. You helped my ssson to sssteal my bride. And sssince he is gone beyond my reach for the present, I want to sssavor your pain. Ssslowly…oh, ssso ssslowly… I—

No. You shall not have him. A sudden flash of light, like a stroke of lightening splitting the darkness, cut off the AllFather’s words. Deep was momentarily blinded. What—?

Not what, Warrior. Who. The voice in the darkness was filled with authority and distinctly feminine.

Who, then? Deep thought at it, feeling disoriented and confused. Where was the AllFather? What was happening to him? And who was this new entity he was speaking with?

Do you not know me? The voice was gentler now, almost laughing. The dark, oily tendrils suddenly shrank back at the sound and then disappeared altogether. You have worshiped me your whole life, the voice went on. Or pretended to, anyway.

Goddess? Mother of All Life? Deep could barely believe it. Like his brother and all other Kindred, he had been raised to show deep respect to the female deity they worshipped. But deep in his heart he had always harbored doubt as to her actual existence.

Doubt no more, Warrior. The light around him was growing. A soft glow that seemed to be the exact opposite of the AllFather’s evil black cloud.

I do not doubt, Deep sent, wishing he could see the being he was addressing.

To see my face is to die. No mortal can look upon my true visage and live, the Goddess sent gently. But I have provided a part of myself to you, Deep—a part you rejected.

To Deep’s surprise, out of the glowing white light stepped Kat. Or the image of her, anyway. She was wearing the deep green gown Lock had gotten her for the party on Twin Moons and her long auburn hair was loose around her shoulders. She was so beautiful his heart ached, yet he was confused.

I don’t understand. Are you saying that Kat is actually you? That’s she’s a goddess?

No, of course not. Musical laughter like chimes filled the air around him. But I place a little piece of myself in every female that I match with my males. That piece is what calls to you—what starts the dream sharing and causes the attraction between Kindred males and their chosen brides. Do you see now why fighting your love for Kat was useless from the start?

I see. Deep nodded respectfully. Forgive me, I beg. Truly, I have misused your gift to me most shamefully, Goddess.

You certainly have. The voice was stern. For that willful misuse you deserve to die, Deep. As well you know.

I know. He bowed his head submissively.

But there are others who would miss you if you were gone. Your brother Lock, for instance. Though you have treated him cruelly, still he loves you. And Kat, of course. She too would grieve your loss, though you have done your best to turn her against you.

Kat…Deep almost couldn’t continue. Forgive me, Goddess, but Kat will not have long to miss me. She has soul poisoning. I fear she hasn’t long to live.

I am aware of the situation with your lady, Deep. The voice was gently reproving. Tell me this, would you trade places with Kat? Would you take her pain and the certain death that comes with the wound of the kusax if I allowed her to live?

In an instant! Deep felt a surge of hope. Please, Goddess, I know now that you’re capable of all things. Please, if I could give my life for Kat’s, how gladly would I do so.

I feel the sincerity of your words. The voice sounded approving now. And so I will honor them in the spirit in which they are spoken. I will give to you, my errant son, what I have given to few others.

What do you give? Deep asked after a moment when the voice appeared to have finished speaking. Do you mean you’ll allow me to switch places with Kat? Please, Goddess, please, let it be so.

Remember my words, the voice whispered, not answering his question. Listen carefully that you may hide them deep in your heart. A war is coming—a conflict that will make the battles you have had with your enemy thus far seem like the battling of children at play with their toys.

Am I to play a part in it? Deep’s heart sank. Does that mean you won’t allow me to die in Kat’s place?

Many will have a part to play. Not least of all this one. The image of Kat melted away to be replaced by one of Xairn.

Him? Deep couldn’t help feeling doubtful. But he’s one of them—a Scourge.

Has he not conducted himself as a true Kindred would? the Goddess demanded. I tell you, Deep, this male is close to my heart. Much grief and pain has he bourn, yet he remains bowed but not broken.

He did seem to revere Lauren as a proper male should his female, Deep admitted grudgingly. Still, I don’t see—

His heart is in conflict, the Goddess continued. Though I have planted light within him, there are seeds of darkness as well. The outcome of the conflict I spoke of will hang upon his will. Her voice grew stern again. I charge you, Warrior, that you give him aid if he asks it of you. That you help him in any way you can. And that you not speak of this until the time is right. Do you understand?

I understand. Deep wanted to ask how he would know when the time was right but he had a feeling the question was unnecessary. The Goddess would let him know when it was time to reveal what she had showed him. Until then, for however long he had, he would keep the secret in his heart.

A long, lonesome time, he thought, feeling an ache when he thought of Kat. An eternity without my Kat. Unless I am given the opportunity to speak at once and then I die in her place. Anything was possible, he supposed. He only hoped he wouldn’t have to live without the woman he loved and the brother that was still so dear to him—even if the emotional bonds between the three of them were cut.

It is time for you to return, the voice murmured in his ear. Remember all that I have told you. Remember that I give to you what few others receive.

But what…What

“Is it?” he finished aloud.

“Wh-what’s what?” Kat was sobbing uncontrollably and Lock was holding her in his arms with a look of pure misery on his face.

“Forgive me, my lady,” he murmured. “But I said nothing.”

“Yes you did.” She looked up at him, sniffing. “You…you said ‘what is it?”

Deep cleared his throat. “Actually, I said that.”

The expressions on their faces when they looked at him made Deep wish he had a recording device. Shock and dismay were followed by fear, disbelief, and finally, burgeoning hope.

“D-deep?” Kat whispered, her voice scratchy from crying. “Deep, is that you?”

“It certainly looks like it.” Glancing down at himself, Deep saw that he was still nude, though he and Lock were no longer fused or joined to Kat.

“Are you all right, Brother?” Lock’s voice sounded strained and hoarse. He put out a hand as though he could scarcely believe it. “Are you…really all right?”

Deep seized his hand and squeezed it tightly. “I feel fine, Brother. Never better.”

“Yes…” Lock looked at him in wonder. “You do feel fine. I feel it in my bones—your wellbeing. Your happiness to see us again.”

“What are you talking about?” Kat asked uncertainly.

“The bond. The emotional bond between us,” Deep said slowly. “I don’t know how it’s possible but it’s back. It’s been restored.”

“I…I think I can feel him too,” Kat said hesitantly. “Only I can hardly tell if it’s just me or both of you. I feel…I’m so filled with joy. And gratitude. Oh, Deep!” She threw herself into his arms and he caught her and held her tight. “You’re back. You’re really back and all right!” Her voice trembled with emotion.

“Yes, I am.” Deep stroked her shining hair gently, so filled with joy he could barely speak. But then he had a new thought. If he was back in his physical form with not a cut or a scratch on him, did it mean that the Goddess had decided not to let him trade places with Kat?

Surely she wouldn’t be that cruel, he thought, carefully shielding his thoughts. To bring me back and let me hold the woman I love and then take her away again. Oh, please Goddess…

Kat, who had had her face buried in his chest, pulled back to look up at him. “You’re upset now. What’s wrong?”

“Yes, what is troubling you, Brother?” Lock leaned forward, frowning.

“This.” Lifting Kat’s chin, Deep brushed his fingers over her right cheek…and then realized that it was smooth and unmarked. Had he mistaken which cheek had been wounded with the kusax? Quickly, he turned her chin to look at the other cheek—nothing. So the Goddess had honored his request. Knowing what he would see, Deep turned to look at the viewer which was still humming beside the bed. He examined the angular planes of his own cheeks and found…nothing.

So he wasn’t to trade places with Kat after all. Instead, they were both to live. The soul poisoning was gone. Healed. And the Goddess had restored their bonds. Oh thank you, Mother of All Life. Thank you so much!

Lock, who had been watching him and Kat in the viewer, seemed to realize what was going on at the same time. “My lady…” His voice trembled with joy and disbelief. “Kat, your cheek.”

“What?” She put a hand to her right cheek, frowning. “Has it spread some more?”

“No,” Deep brushed her hand aside and pointed at her reflection in the viewer. “It’s gone, little Kat. It’s completely gone.”

“Oh my God. What does that mean?” She examined her unblemished cheek in the mirror. “Has it moved somewhere else?” She looked down at the rest of her body and then examined herself in the viewer, looking for the green spiral of the soul poison.

Deep already knew she wouldn’t find a thing. A puff of air so soft that no one but him could hear it blew gently against his ear. I give to you what few others receive, Deep, it whispered. A second chance. Use it wisely and well. Love your lady and your brother and treat them with respect and kindness as a true Kindred should. And do not forget your promise.

I won’t, Deep sent, his heart filled to overflowing with gratitude. Thank you so very much, Goddess. I won’t forget.

“You won’t forget what?” Lock was frowning at him and Kat was still searching her body uncertainly.

“Stop.” Deep, lifted her chin and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Stop looking, little Kat. You’re not going to find anything—you’re cured.”

“Cured? Are you sure?” The light of hope shone in her eyes. “But how? By who?”

“By the same one who sent me back to both of you.” Deep hugged her tightly and then beckoned with his free arm to Lock. “Come here, Brother.”

Lock joined their embrace with tears in his eyes and they held Kat tightly between them in the way of the Twin Kindred when they find their true bride.

You’re ours now, little Kat, Deep sent her through the new and very permanent bond that had been formed in their joining. Mine and Lock’s forever.

You mean…we’re bonded? Completely bonded this time? She looked up at him, uncertainty filling her lovely blue eyes.

I hope you don’t mind, my lady, Lock sent anxiously. But it’s true—feel the depth of the bond between us. This connection is to the soul bond we shared previously as a rope is to a thread. It binds us tightly and permanently together.

Lock’s right, Deep told her. I’m afraid there’s no going back.

No going back? You idiots! Kat was laughing and crying at the same time as she pulled them both close again. I don’t want to go back! I just want to spend the rest of my life with the two most wonderful guys in this or any other galaxy.

Oh? Deep raised an eyebrow at her. And who are they? Have we met them?

You…Kat shook her head, still laughing through her tears. I swear one of these days I’m going to kill you, Deep.

I’ve already died. He made his mental voice serious as he looked into her eyes. But I came back for you, little Kat. You and Lock. And to keep a promise.

“A promise?” Lock said aloud, frowning. “A promise to who?”

“Never mind.” Deep shook his head. “I’ll tell you when the time is right. And it isn’t yet.”

“I know what the time is right for.” Kat’s eyes were suddenly half-lidded with desire as she smiled up at him and Lock. “It’s time for another session of bonding sex between the three of us. I want to feel both of you in me again.”

Deep smiled. “You want to ‘renew our vows’ as they say on Earth, already?”

“Absolutely.” She smiled. “And do you think this time we could manage to do it without anybody being dead for a couple of minutes and giving the rest of us heart attacks?”

“I think that can be arranged, my lady.” Lock smiled and stroked a strand of silky red hair out of her eyes. “And this time I want to be in front.”

“You can both take turns being in front and back all night long.” Kat smiled and gave them each a long, slow kiss. “I drank a whole glassful of that bonding juice, remember? I don’t think the effects will be wearing off any time soon.”

“I hope not, little Kat,” Deep murmured as he and his brother lowered their bride gently to the bed and prepared to bond her to them all over again. “I certainly hope not.”

Epilogue

“So Sylvan gave you and Deep both a clean bill of health?” Olivia chose a homemade soft pretzel from the tray and added a tiny dollop of horseradish mustard before taking a big bite.

“Yup. We’re good to go—not a trace of soul poisoning anywhere.” Kat smiled happily.

“But how?” Sophie asked. “What healed you?”

“Mother L’rin told Deep that if the three of us had a bond we could dilute the poison. We didn’t think a bond was possible when we, ahem, had bonding sex, but apparently we formed one anyway. So that’s the official theory. But Deep seems to think there’s more to it.”

Like what?” Liv asked

“I don’t know and he’s not telling. I guess the important thing is that we’re all healthy and together.” Kat sighed happily. “I’m just so glad everything’s okay. And I can even act as their focus as often as I want—now that we’re bonded it’s safe. So it looks like I have a whole new career in front of me.”

“I thought you wanted to go to law school,” Sophie said.

“Nope. Having hot three-way sex in order to find missing persons is way more fun than torts and tax law.” Kat grinned.

“My, my. You’re grandmother will be so proud,” Liv said dryly, adding more mustard, a splash of soy sauce, and some creamy peanut butter to her next bite of pretzel.

“She’s just happy I’m not going to die,” Kat said seriously. “I don’t think she cares what I do for a living as long as I live.” She made a face as Liv added even more condiments to her pretzel. “Uh, don’t take this the wrong way, hon, but that looks disgusting.”

“It may look awful but it tastes like heaven.” Liv smiled.

“She’s been craving salty instead of sweet lately,” Sophie explained taking a dainty bite of her own soft pretzel. “I swear I’m going to become a master baker just trying to keep up with her pregnant whims.”

“You’re the best sister ever.” Olivia smiled at her gratefully. “And you’re the best friend,” she told Kat. “Although you should have told us the minute you knew you weren’t going to die instead of spending the rest of the night having wild three-way sex with your men.” Her gray eyes filled with tears. “Sophie and I sat up all night talking about how much we were going to miss you. And…and…” She sniffed. “Sorry. Hormones again.”

“Aw, Liv, I’m so sorry. Really I am!” Kat leaned over and hugged her. “I know it wasn’t very nice of me but I was so happy that Deep was back from the dead and I wasn’t going to die. Plus, I drank like a whole glass full of horny juice—you know, from the bonding fruit? And it kind of…clouded my judgment.”

Sophie shook her head. “You and that bonding fruit. I honestly think you’re addicted, Kat.”

“Better addicted to bonding fruit than pretzels with horseradish, soy sauce, and peanut butter,” Kat pointed out, laughing.

“I guess so.” Liv stopped eating and stared at her pretzel thoughtfully. “You know what this needs? Some hot sauce. Do you have any?”

“I don’t think so.” Sophie got up to look. “Tranq Prime food is pretty bland…except when it’s completely disgusting, which is most of the time. Sylvan doesn’t care much for condiments.”

“I can run get some from our suite if you want. I think I have a tiny little bottle of Tabasco somewhere,” Kat offered.

“No!” Sophie yelled at the same time Liv said, “Not on your life.”

Kat looked at them in surprise. “What? You changed your mind?”

Sophie came back to the couch looking sheepish. “No, it’s just that Liv and I made a pact not to let you out of our site for a little while. Since every time you leave you wind up doing crazy things like getting soul bonded or poisoned.”

“We’d just feel safer if you stayed right here with us for awhile.” Olivia smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Fine with me,” Kat smiled and settled back against the comfortable cushions. “But if you want to keep me in your line of vision every single minute I’m afraid you’re going to have a fight on your hands. Deep and Lock are expecting me back in time for dinner…if we even manage to eat. I swear those two are insatiable.”

“Said the girl who can’t get enough kinky threesome sex,” muttered Liv.

“Liv!” Sophie nudged her sister and grinned. “We agreed we weren’t going to keep on teasing her all the time about that. We have better things to talk about.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Than sex? I don’t think so.”

“How about how Lauren’s mom reacted to the news that her daughter is headed for the Maw Cluster—wherever that is,” Kat said soberly. “Do you guys think I was able to give her any hope at all? I feel so bad about the whole thing.”

“I think she took it reasonably well,” Sophie said thoughtfully, breaking off another piece of pretzel and popping it into her mouth.

“You told her that her daughter was safe and with a male she trusted. And that she’d be coming home eventually,” Liv spoke distractedly, busy with doctoring another pretzel into submission. “What about maple syrup, Sophie? Got any of that?”

“Actually, I do.” Sophie popped up again. “But please tell me you’re not going to mix it with soy sauce and horseradish.”

Liv gave her a mock glare. “Just get it. Anyway, as I was saying, Kat,” she continued. “You did the best you could. I mean, you risked your life to get that information. And I think Aunt Abby was grateful that you tried.” She sighed and took the maple syrup Sophie was offering her. “Thanks. Detective Rast is still coming up in a couple of days to check things out, though. I think he wants to make sure we’re not hiding Lauren somewhere on the ship or something.”

“What? Why would we do that?” Kat protested.

Liv shrugged as she added the syrup to her nightmare of a pretzel. “Dunno. I get the feeling he doesn’t quite trust the Kindred.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know them like we do,” Sophie said, watching as her twin took a big bite of the dripping concoction in her hand. “I swear I’m never going to bake for you again, Liv—you’re ruining my perfectly good pretzels.”

“I’m improving them,” Olivia corrected, licking her fingers. “God, that’s good! Anyway, Rast should be here on Friday.”

“What? You never told me that!” Sophie put down her pretzel and frowned. “He’s going to be here right in the middle of my bonding ceremony.”

“You’re bonding ceremony?” Kat and Liv said at the same time.

“When were you going to tell us? Where are you going to hold it?” Kat demanded.

“And how do you think you’ll get an entire wedding together in just a few days?” Liv asked.

Sophie blushed. “It’s not going to be a big to-do, you guys. Just something small and intimate—only friends and family. And since Nadiah is on her way, we thought this would be the perfect time.”

“So she finally came of age?” Kat remembered the way Sophie had described Sylvan’s cousin, who had helped her out considerably on Tranq Prime. With her bubbly personality and multicolored hair she sounded like fun.

Sophie nodded. “Yup. Her mother is having a fit, too. Apparently she wants Nadiah to settle down and marry some stodgy full-blooded Prime guy they have all picked out for her. In fact, I think there was some kind of childhood engagement or something and she’s claiming Nadiah has no choice.”

“Is that true? Will she cave and marry him?” Olivia raised her eyebrows.

“Anyone else might but not Nadiah.” Sophie laughed. “She told me all that from Tranq Prime and then the next time I heard from her, she was aboard a cargo carrier bound for the Mother ship. So I’m guessing the Prince Charming dear old Mommy picked out is going to be left standing at the altar.”

“Well you won’t be.” Kat kissed her cheek impulsively. “You’re going to make a gorgeous bride, Sophie.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “I just wish there was someone Nadiah could do the luck kiss with during the ceremony. I know it would give her such a thrill, but all of Sylvan’s brothers and second brothers are spoken for now.”

“Isn’t there anyone?” Liv asked, eyeing the last pretzel.

“Well, Sylvan does have an old friend he wants to ask but he’s having trouble getting hold of him. Apparently he’s doing some kind of religious retreat back on the original Kindred home world. You know—wearing special clothes, eating special foods, purifying himself. That kind of thing.” Sophie shrugged. “We’re hoping he’ll come but it’s kind of iffy right now. I told Nadiah not to expect too much but she says she’s just happy to be in the ceremony—even if she doesn’t get to kiss a Kindred.”

“She has a real thing for the Kindred, huh?” Kat smiled.

“Mmm-hmm.” Sophie nodded. “Especially the Blood Kindred. I think it’s kind of a rebellion thing because her parents are so against them.”

“Well, she can have her pick here,” Liv said. “Better keep her away from the unmated males area though—that can get kind of hairy.” She shivered and Kat knew she was still remembering her own ‘adventure’ there, back when Baird had first called her.

“I don’t think she’ll have to look far to find a male—she’s really pretty.” The timer dinged and Sophie jumped up. “Hang on, that’s my second batch of pretzels.”

Kat groaned. “Another batch? I’m already so full you’re going to have to roll me out of here.”

“Well, it’s not like you have to go on a diet,” Liv pointed out. “Since Deep and Lock love you in all your curvy glory.”

“That’s true.” Kat couldn’t help smiling. “After a lifetime of Weight Watchers and Slim Fast it’s nice not to feel horribly guilty if I want a donut now and then. Not that I’m totally letting myself go,” she added hastily. “But now I feel, I don’t know…”

“Beautiful, just the way you are?” Sophie suggested, smiling from across the room. “Honestly, Kat, that’s what we’ve been telling you all along.”

“Yeah, but having your best friends tell you is one thing. Having two hot guys panting after you is something else entirely.” Olivia grinned.

“She’s right.” Kat grinned back and then sighed.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Sophie asked anxiously. “You look so sad all of a sudden. What are you thinking about?”

“More like ‘who,’” Liv said. “Is Deep already giving you problems again?”

“Deep? Oh no, he’s fine. More than fine—incredible, actually.” Kat smiled. “I don’t know exactly what happened to him while he was, uh, gone for those few minutes and he won’t say either. But whatever it was, it really changed him.”

“Then why the long face, Kat-woman?” Sophie asked, piling hot pretzels onto a platter.

“I was just thinking of Lauren again,” Kat admitted. “There’s something that worries me. Something…well, something I didn’t tell your aunt.”

“What?” Olivia frowned and Sophie said, “Oh dear.”

“I’m sorry,” Kat said. “I know you two agreed to do full discloser with her from now on but I didn’t want to upset her.”

“What could upset her more than knowing her daughter is flying through wormholes with a huge Scourge warrior a hundred thousand light years from Earth?” Liv asked practically.

“Believe me—this could upset her more.” Kat sighed again. “It was something Xairn said when Lauren was asking when he would take her home. He said…” She stopped, biting her lip.

“Well, go on,” Liv said impatiently. “Spit it out.”

“Yes, Kat, give!” Sophie demanded.

Kat frowned. “Okay, but you’re not going to like it. Xairn said that the reason he was taking Lauren to the Maw Cluster was so they could change their DNA before he took her back to Earth.”

“What?” both Sophie and Liv shrieked at once and Sophie almost dropped the pretzels.

“Change her DNA? That’s crazy,” Liv said.

Kat nodded. “I know—I thought so too. What do you suppose he meant by it? Is he going to turn Lauren into something else…some other life form he can smuggle back to Earth without anyone knowing?”

“I hope not.” Sophie looked worried. “Oh, poor Lauren! I wish Liv and I had gotten a chance to meet her.”

“I think you’ll get your chance.” Kat straightened her shoulders. “I will say this—I think Xairn had her best interests at heart. And I don’t think he’d hurt her…not on purpose anyway.”

“I hope he won’t hurt her at all!” Olivia exclaimed. “And when do you think he’ll bring her back home?”

Kat shook her head. “I just don’t know. But I hope she’s being careful and safe—as safe as she can be, anyway.” She smiled. “Deep and Lock think that he loves her, you know. And that he acts more like a Kindred than a Scourge.”

“I hope they’re right about that. I’ve heard what the Scourge like to do to their women.” Sophie shivered. “Whips and chains and God knows what.”

“Supposedly they’re into domination and bondage,” Kat said. “But believe me, girls, Lauren has backbone. I don’t think Xairn will find it easy to dominate her—if he even tries.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t.” Liv frowned and looked at Sophie. “Hey, why are you standing way over there with the fresh pretzels when I’m sitting over here?”

“Sorry, your pregnant majesty,” Sophie said sarcastically, but she was smiling as she brought the platter. “Here you go—have some.”

Kat looked down at the fresh batch uncertainly. “Uh, Sophie? What did you put on these things? I’ve never seen pretzels that look like this before.”

“That’s because these are the sweet ones.” Sophie pointed. “See? These are the s’mores pretzels with crushed up graham crackers and marshmallows and chocolate. These are the blueberry ones. And these are cinnamon raisin.”

“Mmm, they look delicious. Thanks, womb-mate.” Olivia picked up a blueberry pretzel and raised it to her nose. She inhaled deeply. “Wonderful!”

Kat frowned at Sophie. “I thought you said she was craving salty things now.”

Sophie shrugged. “It changes daily—sometimes hourly. I’m just trying to keep up.”

“Salty is good too.” Liv stopped with the blueberry pretzel halfway to her mouth and looked up. “Hey Sophie, got any ketchup?”

The End

Can’t get enough Kindred…?

Don’t worry—there’s more. Read on to find out about Found, Xairn’s story.

A warrior with a scarred heart who doesn’t know how to love. And the woman who must teach him how before it’s too late…

The son of the evil AllFather, Xairn is filled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he has finally gained his freedom and cut the ties that bound him to his race and the sadistic male who is his father. But doing so has unleashed feelings in him Xairn would rather keep buried. Desires that he prayed would never manifest now rage through him and they are centered on one woman alone…

Lauren Jakes is the long lost cousin Liv and Sophie never knew they had. Abducted by the Scourge, she formed a connection with Xairn more meaningful than any other in his life. But though Lauren thinks she knows him, there is more to the huge Scourge warrior than she comprehends. A nightmare childhood and a cruel father have scarred Xairn’s heart almost past the point of healing. But that is nothing to the secret inside him—the forbidden desires coded into his very DNA itself, which urge him to commit unspeakable acts in order to sate his newly awakened hunger.

Now a conflict is brewing—both in Xairn’s soul, and aboard the Fathership where the twisted AllFather has hatched a new, malicious plot to bring his estranged son home. Can Xairn resist the brutal lust growing within him? Can he fight against his very nature which urges him to dominate and control any female he mates? Can Lauren heal his heart before the AllFather’s trap closes on both of them?

And can she teach him how to love before it’s too late?

You’ll have to read Found, Book 4 in the Brides of the Kindred, to find out.

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.

Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.

Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.

Blood Fever—a condition suffered by unmated females on Tranq Prime, the home world of the Blood Kindred. Blood Fever or Burning Blood as it is often called, is caused by a parasite living on the icy world that affects only women. The parasite—found in the fleeta or blood beetle—reacts with a compound in the Tranq Prime water supply to cause the fever. Symptoms include chills, increased sexual need and the feeling of the blood heating in the veins as well as increased coloration of the nipples and sex. If the fever is not treated in forty-eight hours, it will result in death.

Once a Kindred male has had a female’s blood, he forms a natural antidote to Blood Fever which he can pass on by sharing body fluids with her. The most effective way to get the antidote into the female’s system is for a Blood Kindred to bite her, thereby injecting it along with his essence. However, it is also possible to pass along the healing fluid through sex.

Blood Fever used to be very common on Tranq Prime which is what prompted the cold, proud natives to initiate a genetic exchange with the Kindred in the first place. A recent vaccine has nearly eradicated the disease, however, and the original inhabitants of the ice bound planet have little reason to continue the trade. A faction calling themselves Purists are against any further trade with the Kindred.

Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.

Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.

Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means sex during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.

Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.

Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.

Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:

The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.

The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.

The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.

The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)

The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.

Convo-pillar—A half inch long insect which resembles a brightly colored caterpillar. Convo-pillars were genetically engineered by traders on the fringe colonies around Rageron to translate alien languages by communicating via thought waves to their wearer’s brain. They have been outlawed by the Kindred High Council because their notoriously unreliable translations cause more conflicts than they solve.

Dream Sharing—occurs when a Kindred warrior’s mind aligns with that of his bride and they begin to see each other’s day to day activities and memories in their sleep. However, the alignment of the two (or three in the case of the Twin Kindred) minds can take several forms and is not limited to sleep.

Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.

Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.

The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.

Krik-ka-re—a Scourge tradition in which the mind life of one being may be traded for or ransomed by another.

Kusax—a special knife made from the tainted metal at the core of the Scourge home planet. One scratch can be deadly as it infects the wounded person with a soul poison which ensures a slow, agonizing death.

Law of Conduct—the Kindred law which says every warrior is responsible for the good behavior of his bride and gives him the right to punish her—within reason. Often the “punishment” is sexual in nature and some brides become serial offenders simply to experience their Kindred warrior’s particular form of discipline. ; )

Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.

Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.

Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.

Numala—a Blood Kindred name which means “liquid pussy.” It refers to a female who produces more than the regular amount of lubrication when aroused. Numalas are much prized by the Blood Kindred and sought after as mates because they are more likely to be able to accommodate a Blood Kindred warrior’s larger than average cock.

Psychic-Knife—a torture device developed by the Scourge which is able to break the mental and emotional bond between a Kindred and his bride.

Rage—also Protective Rage or Berserker Rage—a state of altered consciousness that comes over a Kindred warrior when his bride is threatened. It floods the bloodstream with endorphins and causes such intense anger and aggression that a Kindred in this state becomes a killing machine who will die to protect the woman he has claimed.

Sacred Grove—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these holy trees to grow and flourish.

Scourge—a genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.

Scourge Prophesy—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are a dying race, forced to create new members in artificial wombs called flesh tanks or vats because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the same genetic characteristics as the Kindred, they are able to create only male children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.

Take-me—an animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me has green fur and two heads, one on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything except banana peels which they are allergic to.

Tharp—an animal that looks very much like a thin fur blanket which can be worn as a garment. Tharps are cultivated on Tranq Prime and prized for their ability to multiply their host’s body heat and keep them warm in even the most frigid conditions. A tharp can be worn by only one person— as a neophyte or youngster it imprints upon a host and will slowly starve if parted from them. Tharps are intelligent and capable of limited movement. They live as long as their host and subsist only on body heat, needing no other form of sustenance to survive.

Think-Me—a thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication between people who already have an intimate connection.

Touch-U—a flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.

Twin Kindred—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.

Urlich—a type of dog bred by the Scourge. At maturity they are modified with machinery to heighten their sense of smell and intelligence which results in a cyborg-type animal. Once in pursuit of whatever scent has been programmed into their brains, the urlich are utterly single minded and incapable of stopping until their prey has been cornered and captured.

Wave—a Kindred cooking appliance which emits thousands of finely collimated beams of heat to cook food in under a minute.

Zichther—an animal native to the jungles of Rageron, the zichther resembles a small bright blue teddy bear in appearance until it opens its mouth and reveals three rows of incredibly sharp, shark-like teeth.

About the Author:

Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com Come visit for some free reads and to find out what’s coming soon.

You can also connect with her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=745272455

Or Twitter http://twitter.com/EvangelineA

Brides of the Kindred

Book 4: Found

Evangeline Anderson

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson Books

Brides of the Kindred

Book 4:Found

Copyright © 2011 by Evangeline Anderson

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com or Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Author’s Note #1— Again with the piracy—I keep the prices on my Kindred books low so no one will have to steal them. So please don’t. And if you see anyone who is, please send me a link at vangiekitty@aol.com and let me know about it. E-book piracy is a real and growing threat. If it isn’t stopped authors like me won’t be able to make a living doing what we love the most—writing hot new books to share with you, our readers.

Thank you so much for your kindness and honesty.

Author’s Note #2—This is the fourth book in the Brides of the Kindred series. I recommend that you read Claimed, Hunted, and Sought before starting Found.

Hugs and Happy Reading to you all!

Evangeline Anderson

Chapter One

Lauren Jakes was bored.

Although how it was possible to be bored when she was a hundred light years from Earth on a strange planet in a far off galaxy where no other human had ever set foot was beyond her. By all rights she ought to be soaking in the exotic sights and immersing herself in the fascinating alien culture. It was certainly better than the tiny metal cell she’d been kept in on the Scourge Fathership.

The Scourge were a menacing alien race which had come to Earth searching for the one female they believed could mate with their evil overlord, the AllFather. She and she alone would be able to revitalize their race by bearing daughters. Lauren was that female and she had been taken and held within their immense ship for weeks.

While she was there, however, she’d made a connection with Xairn. The huge alien with the burning red-on-black eyes was the AllFather’s son, but he had severed his ties with both his father and his race in order to free Lauren and take her home. Of course, first they had to travel through a wormhole to another galaxy in order to get their DNA modified which, according to Xairn, was the only way they could go back to Earth safely. Lauren wasn’t thrilled with that but if he said it was necessary, she believed him. So she’d been prepared for danger and adventure and excitement…but not for boredom.

Because in order to soak up exotic sights and immerse herself in the alien culture, she would have to leave the small silver Kindred spaceship where Xairn had left her. And the enormous Scourge warrior had made it very, very clear before he left that she wasn’t to do that. Sighing, Lauren remembered their conversation…

“Under no circumstances should you step foot outside the ship,” he told her sternly as he was about to leave himself.

“Why?” Lauren looked out the viewscreen apprehensively. Xairn had landed them in a dark alleyway in a city he’d said was called O’ah but she could catch glimpses of the street beyond which seemed to be the site of a busy marketplace. “Are the native people dangerous or hostile?” she asked.

“Anyplace is dangerous if you don’t know the language and customs,” he replied obliquely. “I’ll be back in one of your Earth standard days. Until then, stay in the ship and speak to no one.”

“All right,” Lauren agreed. After everything they’d been through together on the Fathership and the Scourge home world, she trusted Xairn implicitly to keep her safe. Still… “I know you’re going to find the uh, DNA, guy,” she said, looking up at him. “But I still don’t understand why I just can’t come with you. Wouldn’t that make it easier—save you a trip? After all, you got me some decent clothes.”

She nodded down at the voluminous robe that reminded her of the muumuus her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Goldman, liked to wear back on Earth. It wasn’t very pretty, and the silver-blue material it was made of was extremely scratchy, but it covered her from neck to ankles which was all Xairn seemed to care about. After the cloak he’d loaned her had been ruined, Lauren hadn’t had a thing to wear but the thin towels she’d found in the small ship’s bathroom—a fact that had seemed to bother the large warrior greatly. So much so that the first thing he did when they landed in O’ah was to go out and buy her the silver-blue muumuu dress.

“It wouldn’t be safe for you to come. The splicing quarter is too rough for a female like you,” Xairn growled.

“What do you mean ‘a female like me?’” Lauren put a hand on her hip and frowned at him. “Do I need to remind you that I helped when we were fighting your father’s guards? I may not be as strong as you but I’m not stupid, Xairn. If you give me a weapon I can take care of myself. I won’t slow you down.”

“I didn’t mean that you were stupid or weak.” He sighed and ran a hand over the thick, glossy black hair he kept in a club at the nape of his neck. Lauren had been dying to see his hair let down from the moment she’d met him. With his stern, proud features he would have looked almost Native American if not for the strange coloring of his skin and eyes.

“What did you mean then?” Lauren demanded.

“Your kind has never been seen here. You’ll be considered very…exotic.” His red-on-black eyes flickered over the faint outline of her body under the voluminous muumuu, making her feel warm all over. “Many males will want you.”

Lauren was getting exasperated. “Xairn, are you trying to say I’m too pretty to go with you?”

“That word does not describe you accurately.” He looked away from her, frowning. “It doesn’t do you justice.”

Lauren found herself unexpectedly touched by the oblique compliment. Up until a little while ago Xairn had claimed to have no sexual urges at all toward her or anyone else. Even now, when he had admitted to her that she had woken new and unfamiliar emotions inside him, he still seemed hesitant and uncertain about expressing those emotions. Lauren thought it was because he’d never been given any love as a child—how could he learn to show affection for anyone else when he’d never received any himself? She was determined to work on that, to try and help him as much as she could. But now wasn’t the time for a therapy session.

“That’s very sweet of you, Xairn,” she said. “But I’d still like to go with you.”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand. Your beauty makes you priceless here in O’ah. Any splicer would give his left hand for a chance to replicate your flawless skin and lovely eyes. I am only one male and there are gangs that search for exotics. If they set on us all at once, I don’t know that I could protect you.” He lifted his chin. “I would die trying, of course. But that would be of little comfort to you if they killed me and took you away to a stripping shed.”

“A stripping shed?” That sounded bad to Lauren.

“A laboratory where candidates with good or unusual DNA are rendered into their component parts for maximum cloning potential.”

Lauren felt sick. “So they kill you and cut you into little pieces?”

Xairn nodded. “Essentially. But that’s only in the splicing district. Not here in the main part of O’ah.”

“But how do you know this…this splicer person you’re looking for won’t want to do the same thing?” Lauren demanded. “How do you know he won’t just kill me and strip me down for parts like a stolen car?” She shivered at the thought.

“Because the DNA specialist I am searching for is one I have had dealings with before. His name is Vrr and he will not betray me.” Xairn reached out one large hand awkwardly as though he wanted to comfort her somehow.

Lauren leaned toward him— after hearing about the grisly things they did on this planet she needed all the comfort she could get. “Xairn,” she whispered.

His long fingers almost brushed her cheek, but then he drew back without touching her. His hand flexed into a fist at his side. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, Lauren,” he said in a low voice. “Planning it. I’ve wanted to get away from my father almost my entire life. This is the only way to get away from him forever—for either one of us. Only by changing our DNA will we make it impossible for him to lock onto either of us with the molecular transfer beam.”

Lauren shivered. “Was that the way he kidnapped me in the first place?” She well remembered the way it had felt to be turned into a million tiny pieces and sent flying through the air. It was not a pleasant sensation at all.

Xairn nodded. “We have to alter ourselves enough that he can never transport either of us again.”

“And you can do that?”

“The Alteration house can. I built the beam for my father—I know exactly which sequences have to be altered in order to make us untraceable and untransportable.”

She sighed. If Xairn really had been planning his escape for as long as he said, then he must know what he was doing. “All right,” she said at last. “I told you before that I trusted you, Xairn, and I still do. But please…don’t take too long.”

“No more than one of your Earth standard days,” he promised, nodding. “Two at the very most.”

That had been three days ago…

Lauren frowned moodily and looked out the front viewscreen at the busy alien marketplace. Though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, it wasn’t boredom that was really bothering her.

It was fear.

What if something happened to him? What if he’s dead or hurt somewhere with no one to help him? What if he never comes back?

She tried to push the troubling questions to the back of her mind, but she could no longer manage it. Xairn was gone and she was all alone on an alien planet a hundred lightyears from home.

What was she going to do?

There was plenty of food, at least. The Kindred ship was stocked with tiny food cubes which expanded into a full sized meal when they were put in the rehydrator. Xairn had showed her how to work the microwave-like machine before he left and Lauren estimated there were hundreds of the sugar-cube sized meals stored neatly in a cabinet at the back of the ship.

True, some of them were pretty strange—she’d rehydrated one which contained what looked like a writhing nest of worms. Lauren had thrown it away—she didn’t like to waste food but there was no way she was eating anything alive. Just thinking of it made her feel queasy. But the other meals seemed edible enough and the portions were so large she could often eat an entire day off a single cube—probably because they were intended for huge Kindred warriors and not Earth females.

“So at least I won’t starve to death,” she muttered, staring out the viewscreen some more. She wished Xairn had parked a little closer to the entrance of the alley. The light in O’ah was a dim, dusky violet which never got much brighter than twilight on Earth. She could make out shapes in the weak, purplish light but it was hard to tell for sure what the alien inhabitants of the city looked like. Lauren wondered if they were humanoid at all or something completely different—huge insects maybe. Or amphibians or reptile-like creatures with claws or beaks or—

“Stop it Lauren,” she told herself firmly. “You’re just giving yourself the heebie-jeebies. So just stop right n—”

Before she could finish the sentence something hopped right in front of the viewscreen. Lauren let out a startled squeak and nearly fell backwards off the black leather seat she was sitting on. “What the—?”

There it was again. The thing hopped up, obviously tying to get her attention on purpose. With one more hop, it finally managed to scramble onto the nose section of the silver Kindred ship. Then it stood up and waved its hands in the air…only they were more like…

“Paws,” Lauren murmured to herself. She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating like a drum because she’d been certain at first that she was being attacked. But now she wasn’t so sure.

The alien hopping and waving in front of the viewscreen didn’t look the least bit menacing. In fact what he looked like was a very large…

“Bunny rabbit.” Lauren finished the thought aloud. “Oh my God, he’s the spitting image of Mr. Kittles!”

Mr. Kittles had been the brown and white lop eared bunny her mom had bought her for her twelfth birthday. He’d been Lauren’s favorite pet and had slept in her bed every night. Extremely intelligent for a bunny, Mr. Kittles had learned to use a litter box just like a cat and had begged for carrots on his hind legs like a dog. Lauren had been heartbroken when he’d gotten out of the house and been run over by a careless driver in a huge SUV when she was seventeen. And now, here he was again—almost ten years later and a hundred thousand light years away…how was it possible?

“Well, he’s not exactly like Mr. Kittles,” Lauren murmured doubtfully. Which was true. For one thing, Mr. Kittles had never worn clothes and this bunny—or the alien who looked like a bunny—was. His short, furry frame was draped in a shimmering purple cape and he wore soft brown boots on his hind feet. He was still waving frantically as though he wanted her to let him inside.

Lauren was tempted to do just that from sheer boredom but she remembered Xairn’s warning and decided against it. “Sorry, little fellah,” she said, watching the caped and booted bunny hop around like crazy. “No can do. No matter how cute you look, you might be bad news and I can’t take the risk.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than an earsplitting roar shook the ship. Lauren had the speakers on the viewscreen turned down but even so, she covered her ears and winced. What the hell was that?

The answer wasn’t long in coming. Suddenly the narrow entrance to the alley was filled with an enormous red reptilian face. It had fierce white eyes outlined in black and a square snout, reminding Lauren of the stylized paper dragons that appeared around the Chinese New Year.

The bunny rabbit’s huge brown eyes suddenly widened with fear and it hopped up and down even more frantically. Its whiskers trembled and it seemed to be mouthing a plea at the viewscreen.

The dragon-like creature saw it and roared again, its jaws gaping open to reveal rows and rows of jagged pale blue teeth. It was a tight squeeze but it began pushing its massive head into the alley. A forked tongue licked out of its mouth and slithered over the rabbit’s right boot before cinching tight. With a jerk of its head, the dragon lifted the terrified rabbit into the air and for a moment it seemed certain that it was going to eat the helpless little creature right before Lauren’s horrified eyes.

Then, at the last minute, the boot came off and the rabbit fell back onto the Kindred ship with a hollow thump. The scrap of brown leather disappeared into the dragon’s gaping maw and it roared angrily when it found its prey had eluded it. The tongue snaked out again…

But by this time Lauren had already slapped a palm over the door release mechanism and was beckoning for the frightened rabbit-thing to come in. “Hurry!” she urged, waving at it. “Come on—get in here quick!”

She had no idea if the rabbit could understand her or not but it seemed to comprehend her gestures. Barely eluding the seeking tongue again, it slid across the slick silver surface of the Kindred ship and right into her arms.

Lauren pulled it tight to her chest and slammed the door just as the forked black tongue was curling toward her. The very tip of one fork caught in the ship’s door and was amputated in a gout of slimy black blood as the silver panel shut. It fell to the floor with a wet smack and lay twitching at Lauren’s feet like a snake that’s been cut in half but doesn’t have the sense to die.

“Ugh!” Lauren took a step back, still clutching the bunny creature to her chest. From the pained roaring outside the ship, the dragon was even more upset than she was. She wondered uneasily if it could force its way into the alley and get her. Would the Kindred ship protect her from something with the size and strength of an angry T-rex?

“Don’t worry.” The piping little voice from between her breasts startled her and when Lauren looked down, she realized she was still hugging the bunny tight—like a little girl clutching a stuffed animal.

“Wh…what?” she managed to stutter. “Who…how…who are you and how can you speak English?”

The rabbit shook itself free of her and hopped down. Then is shimmered and suddenly began to glow and grow.

Lauren watched in horrified amazement as it doubled and then trebled in height and mass until it was a pillar of brilliant light higher than her head. She blinked, trying to get used to the bright glow but almost at once the light solidified into the shape of a blond man wearing a purple cape, black pants and brown boots.

He was tall—almost as tall as Xairn though not quite so broad in the shoulders. Still, he was large and muscular enough to be a threat and Lauren took a step back when he raised his head. His eyes were a pale, silvery-purple and they gleamed strangely when smiled at her.

“Hello, Lauren,” he said. “Welcome to O’ah.”

* * * * *

Deep in the bowls of the splicing district, Xairn raised his bloody head.

He’d spent more time than he liked looking for Vrr only to find that the DNA specialist had retired and given the business over to his son, Slk. The Alteration house he ran still appeared reputable, however, though the price for what Xairn needed done was considerably more than Vrr would have charged him.

Indeed, he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to pay the fee that Slk demanded. But somehow he had to if he and Lauren were ever going to be free of the AllFather’s influence and get beyond his reach. And at least he’d gained permission to access their secure parking area. To bring a ship to the splicing district without secure accommodations was asking to have it stripped in a matter of minutes.

He’d been making his way back through the narrow warren of arching plasti-glass tunnels built high above the skyline of O’ah when a pack of splicers had jumped him.

He hadn’t been expecting the attack because it didn’t make sense. Everyone knew that Scourge DNA was flawed—their stubborn intractability and volatility made them useless as slaves except to other Scourge and their pearlescent grey skin and red-on-black eyes weren’t considered beautiful enough to replicate for cloning. So why would splicers attack him? Putting the question aside, Xairn had fought them off one by one, despite the fact that his weapon was out of charge. But the splicers were very determined and it was a long, messy business—mostly knife work which left him covered in gore.

Five splicers lay dead at his feet, their red-black blood splattering the smudged plasti-glass tunnel before he was done. Only one remained alive and in the state he was in, he wouldn’t last for long.

Xairn knelt on the male’s narrow chest and stared into the pale purple eyes. “Why did you attack me?” he demanded hoarsely, gripping the neck of the splicer’s cloak and twisting. “Is Scourge DNA suddenly in vogue on this benighted planet? I thought we had too many flaws to be of much use to a splicer.”

“Don’t…don’t want your DNA,” the male choked, a thin trickle of reddish-black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. “Scourge DNA is shit.”

“Why then?” Xairn twisted harder until the male’s face turned as purple as his cloak. “Tell me now and I’ll give you a painless death.”

“T-too late for that.” The male broke into a cracked laugh that turned into a sob. “Gods…think my spine is broken. Can’t feel anything…below my waist.”

“Lucky for you,” Xairn said coldly. “You can’t feel pain in the lower half of your body. But if you don’t want the top half of your miserable carcass to be in absolute fucking agony, you’ll tell me what you know, now.”

“Spider sent us.” The splicer coughed weakly, spewing black droplets from his thin lips. “He wanted us to kill you so he could have your ship.”

“My ship?” Xairn frowned. “What the hell does he want with a Kindred Outrider? The damn thing is fifty cycles old if it’s a day—surely he could see that.”

“He doesn’t…doesn’t want the ship itself.” The light in the pale purple eyes was dying and the splicer’s voice was growing faint. “He wants…what’s inside it.” He coughed again. “Treasure…”

“Treasure? I don’t have any fucking…” Xairn’s voice trailed off and his eyes widened. “Gods, Lauren!”

He shook the splicer hard. “What was he going to do to her? Where was he taking her?”

But the light in the splicer’s pale purple eyes had gone out—he was talking to a corpse.

Dropping the lifeless body, Xairn leapt to his feet and took off down the warren of smudged, plasti-glass tunnels at a dead run. If he didn’t get back to Lauren soon, there would be nothing to get back to. And if he was too late to save her…

Xairn didn’t let himself think about that. Didn’t allow himself to explore the new emotions exploding inside him. Rage…possession…desperation…

Please, he prayed, not knowing who he was praying to. Please don’t let me be too late. Oh Lauren…

Chapter Two

Sophie was nervous.

“Of course you’re nervous.” Liv adjusted her veil and smiled at her. “It’s your wedding day—everyone’s nervous on their wedding day.”

“You weren’t,” Sophie accused, looking at herself in the 3-D viewer. Like Olivia before her, she was wearing their mother’s wedding dress and she had to admit it looked beautiful. “You were so happy you were completely blissed out,” she continued, pointing at her twin. “So happy you didn’t even think twice about making me do the luck kiss with Sylvan.”

Liv snorted. “Don’t tell me you’re going to complain about that? You wouldn’t be getting married today if it wasn’t for that luck kiss.”

“She’s right, you know.” Kat bustled into the small tent-like changing area just outside the sacred grove. Once more she was playing the mother of the bride roll and making sure everything went perfectly. Of course, she had a lot less to do than she had for Olivia’s wedding because Sophie and Sylvan had decided to keep their bonding ceremony a small, intimate affair.

“I know.” Sophie smiled at her sister and her best friend. “And believe me, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying you weren’t as nervous on your wedding day as I am, Liv.”

“What are you nervous about?” Kat asked, frowning. “Believe me, there’s nothing to worry you. The guests are all seated, Sylvan’s waiting at the altar—or in front of the priestess, I guess. And I have to say he looks pretty amazing in that native Tranq Prime costume—you didn’t tell me they dressed like cavemen. I love the fur skirt and boots look.”

Sophie laughed. “I have to agree with you there—Sylvan looks really good in his native outfit. But I assure you not all men look as good in that ‘fur skirt’ as you call it.”

“I don’t know.” Liv smiled. “I saw Baird wearing his own furry kilt just before the ceremony and he looked pretty hot in it too.”

“That’s because he and Sylvan both have such nice muscular chests,” Kat said. “I’d be jealous if I didn’t have a pair of hot guys of my own to admire.” She smirked. “Though I don’t know why the guys get to wear boots in the sacred grove while the rest of us go barefoot.”

“I wondered about that too,” Sophie said. “It’s something to do with the boots being made of the fur of a consecrated animal. Apparently the Tranq Prime warriors pray over the vranna before they kill it.”

“If that’s the huge abominable snowman thing they have to kill to prove they’re a man, I’d think they’d be praying pretty much every minute they were hunting it,” Liv said dryly. “Praying the damn thing doesn’t rip their heads off.”

“Well, I have a really cute pair of heels that exactly match this dress.” Kat nodded at the beautiful blue-green silk sheath she was wearing. “I’d be happy to say a quick prayer over them if I could put them on.”

Sophie shook her head. “You know it doesn’t work that way. No shoes allowed in the sacred grove.”

“I know, I know…” Kat sighed. “But as I was saying before we got onto the subject of religious shoes, everything is good to go and the refreshments for the reception are all laid out. Everything looks fabulous. Well, except for that weird brown mush from Sylvan’s home world. That looks like dog crap on a plate, unfortunately.”

“That would be the fleeta pudding.” Sophie made a face. “You didn’t try any, did you? You know it’s made of bug guts, right? There are legs in it and everything.”

“Anything that looks and smells like that stuff, I’m smart enough not to put in my mouth,” Kat said tartly. “Oh, but I think we’d better stop talking about it. Look at Liv.”

Liv, who was nearing the end of her first quadmester of pregnancy and just beginning to show, had a hand over her mouth and was looking distinctly green. “I think I need some air,” she whispered.

“Sorry!” Kat opened the flap of the tent and waved Olivia out. “Just be sure you’re back in ten minutes. The ceremony is about to start.”

“And that’s what’s worrying me,” Sophie said, as soon as her sister left, shutting the tent flap behind her. “Where’s Nadiah? She was supposed to be here hours ago. I promised her a spot in my wedding but I can’t hold the whole thing up indefinitely waiting for her.”

“I’m sure she’s on her way.” Kat patted her arm comfortingly. “Don’t feel bad, doll. That’s one of the advantages of having a small wedding—you’re not making a huge to-do so you don’t have to worry if things don’t go off perfectly.”

“But Sylvan’s friend isn’t here either,” Sophie protested. “I mean, we knew it was iffy when we invited him but I was hoping there would be someone besides Baird to stand up with him.”

“Well you could have had Deep and Lock if I hadn’t needed them to help,” Kat remarked. “But as it is, Lock is stationed at the docking bay to grab Nadiah and Sylvan’s friend the minute they get here and Deep is at the entrance of the sacred grove to be sure they get into their places quickly and quietly if the ceremony’s already started. So either way, you’re covered.”

“Thanks, Kat.” Sophie gave her friend an impulsive hug. “You’re right—I should stop worrying. I can see you have everything under control.”

Kat hugged her back. “Of course I do. So just relax and enjoy your big day. You look beautiful. Sylvan’s a very lucky guy.”

“Look who I found, wandering around.” Olivia suddenly pushed back into the tent holding someone by the arm. It was a tall, slender girl with pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

“Nadiah!” Sophie exclaimed happily.

“Sophie! Omigoddess, you look gorgeous.” The Tranq Prime girl threw herself into Sophie’s arms and hugged her enthusiastically.

“You look wonderful too.” Sophie hugged her back. The last time she’d seen Nadiah, her pale blond hair had been cut pixie short and frosted purple and blue at the tips. Now it had grown out past her shoulders and had just one deep blue streak which framed her face dramatically.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Nadiah said, breaking the hug at last. “The stupid transport I hitched a ride on made an unscheduled stop and then when I did finally get onboard the Mother ship, I got lost. This place is huge. Much bigger than my home grotto.”

“It really is big,” Sophie agreed. “I’m so glad you got here in time but we have to hurry, we only have a minute to change you into your dress before the ceremony starts.” She nodded at the long pale gold gown hanging from the rack which was the twin of the one Olivia was wearing. “I hope I got the right size. I had to guess so—”

“Oh, no need for that.” Standing directly across from Liv, Nadiah stared hard at the bridesmaid’s dress she was wearing. “See that?” she murmured, stroking the sleeve of the dark green jumpsuit she was wearing. “Emulate.”

The dark green jumpsuit shifted and then shivered like a live thing—which was exactly what it was, Sophie realized. Nadiah was wearing a tharp—a living furry blanket-type creature that fed on body heat and could be worn as clothing. But she had never seen a tharp like this one.

It didn’t look furry, for one thing. And though she knew an intelligent tharp could be trained to configure itself into almost any kind of garment, she’d never seen one that could change color like this one was doing. It actually went from dark green to pale gold as she watched—even its texture changed. In less than a minute it was an exact replica of Olivia’s dress—right down to the lace on the sleeves and the deeply scooped neckline.

“Wow!” Sophie smiled in admiration.

“That’s amazing,” Liv, who usually didn’t care for tharps, which she referred to as ‘creepy living blankets,’ exclaimed. She stared at the dress Nadiah was still wearing in astonishment. “I didn’t know tharps could do that!”

“Well they can’t, generally.” Nadiah grinned. “This is a new kind they’re breeding and Mamam got the very first one. It was going to increase her social status immeasurably—only I got to it and imprinted it first.”

Sophie didn’t care much for Nadiah’s mother, who also happened to be Sylvan’s aunt, so she laughed. “I bet she loved that.”

“Almost as much as she loved me hitching a ride to the Mother ship right before what was supposed to be my own bonding ceremony.” Nadiah sighed dramatically. “Of course I’ll have to go back eventually. Yo-dah and I have the bond of blood between us—my parents saw to that when they enacted our engagement.” She shook her head. “I still remember crying when they pricked my finger with the stylus. I was just a little thing and it scared me to death.”

“Wait a minute.” Kat held up a hand. “Did you just say your fiancée is a guy named Yoda?”

Nadiah nodded. “Yo-dah Licklow. He’s the son of the local magistrate in my grotto.”

“Yoda Licklow?” Kat was cracking up. “Seriously? That’s his name? So if you married him you’d be Mrs. Yodah Licklow?”

“Well, not exactly. When speaking formally, we break up the names to show the possessive of bonding,” Nadiah explained. “So my formal name would be Lady Lick Yo-dah Low.”

“Lick…lick Yoda…low…” Kat dissolved into a fit of giggles and Sophie and Liv couldn’t help laughing too.

Nadiah smiled at them quizzically. “I’m not sure what’s so funny. I got a shot of translation bacteria but maybe they’re not working right.”

“They’re working fine,” Sophie assured her with a smile. “Sorry—I’ll explain why it’s funny later but right now the ceremony is about to start.” She sighed. “I’m afraid there’s not going to be anyone for you to do the luck kiss with, though. It looks like Sylvan’s friend couldn’t make it.”

“Oh, he’ll be here.” Nadiah was unexpectedly serious. “I know he will—I have forseen it.”

“You what?” Liv asked, frowning.

“I forsaw him.” Nadiah blushed and looked down at her fingers. “It’s a new thing for me—I just came into my powers when I came of age. But so far it’s always been accurate.”

“Your powers?” Kat asked blankly. She had finally stopped laughing and was dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

“The Sight. It’s hereditary in my family,” Nadiah explains. “It skips every other generation. My Grandmaman had it and I have it too. Basically it just means I can see things before they happen.”

“So…you’re psychic?” Liv sounded skeptical.

Nadiah lifted her chin. “Call it what you want, but I do have the Sight. And before I came here I saw myself standing in the sacred grove during Sophie’s bonding ceremony and kissing a Kindred male. He’s big and powerful and he has truegreen eyes.” She gave Sophie’s arm a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Sophie—he’ll be here. And when he shows up, I’m going to give him a luck kiss he’ll never forget.”

* * * * *

Detective Adam Rast had the strangest sensation of coming home the moment he set foot on the Kindred Mother ship.

Of course, that made no sense. He’d never even been off the planet before—let alone aboard an alien ship. The closest he’d come to leaving mother Earth was during his stint in the marines where his squadron had been taught to sky dive. Rast hadn’t cared for that much—he preferred to keep both feet planted solidly on the ground. So being in a ship a fourth the size of the moon orbiting high above the planet he’d been born and bred on should have been an uncomfortable experience. Instead it seemed…oddly familiar.

He tried to shake the ridiculous feeling as he climbed out of the shuttle and thanked the Kindred pilot who had ferried him up from the Human/Kindred relations building in Tampa. Say what you wanted about the aliens who were protecting Earth, but they were damned polite. And no-nonsense, which Rast approved of. Time spent in both the military and the police force before he’d left to start his own detective agency had left him with little tolerance for any kind of foolishness. He appreciated the precision and dignity that seemed to be innate to the Kindred.

Of course, he wouldn’t be aboard the Mother ship at all if his latest job hadn’t led him in the strangest direction imaginable. Rast specialized in missing persons cases which meant he was usually tracking down runaways or kidnapped children—usually taken by an estranged parent during or after divorce proceedings. When Abigail Jakes had approached him about finding her missing daughter, Lauren, he’d known that the case was different right from the start. It had appeared that she’d disappeared into thin air, vanishing right out of her clothes which were left in an oddly orderly heap on the floor.

In fact, that was exactly what had happened. After a lot of probing, Rast had discovered that Lauren Jakes had been taken by the AllFather himself—the leader and overlord of the evil Scourge. He’d been assured by Lauren’s cousins, Olivia and Sophia, that she was in fact well and on her way home, but he would believe that when he saw it. In the mean time, Lauren was still technically missing and the Kindred seemed to have more information about the case than anyone else. Rast was hoping that meeting Commanders Sylvan and Baird face to face would help him establish a working relationship and maybe even get Lauren home faster—if they knew more than they were saying.

Speaking of Commanders Sylvan and Baird, where were they? Frowning, he looked around the huge, echoing docking bay. Someone was supposed to meet him and escort him somewhere they could talk. Just as he was thinking he would have to find someone to ask for directions, a tall blond Kindred came over to him.

“Are you here for Sylvan?” the warrior asked, looking at him anxiously. “I certainly hope so because everything is about to begin.”

Rast nodded. “Yes, I’m here to see Commander Sylvan. Can you show me to him?”

“I can but there’s no time to use a Take-me. I’ll have to send you in a transport tube. This way.” The warrior began walking through the docking bay, weaving rapidly through the rows of ships. His black boots echoed in the vast space.

Rast was every bit as large as the Kindred warrior and his stride was as long but he still had to hurry to keep up. His guide seemed to be in a terrible rush for some reason. “Where are we going?” he asked as they came to a row of round, tubular structures at the end of the bay. Each of them looked like an oversized pipe and was a little larger than an old fashioned telephone booth.

“To the sacred grove.” The Kindred pressed some buttons on the outside of one of the tubes and its silver door whooshed open. “There—get in. It’s a tight fit and you’ll have to change once you get there. I’ll notify Deep you’re on your way.”

“Who?” Rast frowned even as he climbed into the tiny structure. It was a good thing he wasn’t claustrophobic—his shoulders touched the walls on either side.

“My twin. I’m sorry—didn’t Sylvan tell you about us? I’m Lock, his second brother.”

“Nice to meet you.” Rast nodded.

“You as well.” Lock studied him intently. “Forgive me for asking, but did you know our father? Our second father, I should say—Sylvan and Baird’s sire.”

Rast shook his head. “How would I know your father?”

“He was one of the First Kindred, from the home planet—there aren’t many of them left, you know. And with eyes that color of green, I thought…but obviously I was mistaken.”

“What does my eye color have to do with anything?” Rast was thoroughly confused by now but the warrior was already punching a series of commands into the panel of buttons on the side of the tube.

“Never mind—we’re just glad to have you here.” He smiled at Rast. “It’s a bumpy ride but it doesn’t take long. Deep will meet you at the end and get you dressed.”

“Get me dressed in what?” Rast demanded but the silver door had already whooshed shut before he could get an answer. With a jerk, the tiny tube began to move and there was no time to think—it was all he could do to hold on for dear life and hope he made it safely to wherever Commander Sylvan was waiting for their interview.

Chapter Three

Lauren stared at the tall man with pale blond hair and strange purple eyes apprehensively. “How do you know my name?”

“Many things are known to me, my dear Lauren. But let me introduce myself. My name is Anik Blix but my business associates call me The Spider.” He made a sweeping bow and rose to give her a charming smile.

“Why do they call you that?” Lauren crossed her arms over her chest protectively. “Are you a splicer? Do you cut people up like flies and suck out their DNA or something?”

“Heavens no!” Blix looked suitably horrified. “I am a purveyor of beauty. They call me Spider because once I have a customer in my web of goodies, they have no chance to escape without buying.” He smiled. “A little joke, don’t you see?”

“Uh, well that’s really nice but I don’t have anything to buy or sell so if you wouldn’t mind leaving…” She nodded at the door.

“On the contrary, my dear.” Blix took a step toward her. “I believe you have some valuable commodities here. Some very valuable commodities indeed.”

Lauren backed away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do.” He took another step toward her and Lauren shrank back. If only she had a weapon of some kind! Xairn had left her the finger-sized stunner but there were no pockets in the voluminous silver muumuu so she didn’t have anyplace to put it. She’d been keeping it on the counter across from the rehydrator machine but now the tall blond alien was blocking her way.

Blix leaned over her, so close that she could smell the strange, musty scent of his breath. Lauren was about to knee him and hope that it would hurt a male of his species as much as it would a human, when he suddenly reached past her and threw open the cupboard above her head with a flourish. “Food cubes!” he announced in the ecstatic tones of a prospector striking gold. “Genuine Kindred food cubes.” He turned to Lauren. “I knew it—you have hundreds. They’re quite valuable, you know.”

“They are?” Lauren put a hand to her chest to still her pounding heart. “So that’s what this is all about? That’s what you’re interested in—just the food cubes?”

“But of course!” Blix laughed. “What else would I want?”

“I…I don’t know.” There was no way she was going to tell him she’d been afraid he wanted her.

“I was certain you would have some in a vessel like this. They always stocked this particular model with plenty to spare.” Blix looked around the small ship approvingly. “But you didn’t seem inclined to let me in—which was why I created a small, ah, illusion, to facilitate my entrance into your lovely ship.”

Lauren shook her head. “I still don’t understand how you were able to do that. How did you make yourself look exactly like a rabbit? Like…”

“Like Mr. Kittles?” He raised one pale blond eyebrow at her. “It wasn’t hard at all, my dear. You think very loudly. You really should try to stop that.”

“I do?” Lauren put a hand to her temple and frowned. “But what about the weird dragon thing that was after you?”

“All part of the illusion.” Blix assured her.

“Illusion? But that thing was real. The door cut off a piece of its tongue.” Launre pointed to the slimy black chunk still twitching on the metal floor.

“That did smart a bit.” Blix went to stand by the chunk of tongue. Pointing one foot delicately, he touched it with the toe of his brown boot. There was a faint but disgusting sucking sound and the slimy mess was somehow suddenly absorbed into his foot. “It was me,” he explained as Lauren’s eyes got wide. “All of it. The bunny, the dragon—this form too. Don’t I look slightly familiar?”

Lauren looked at him, frowning. “If you had brown eyes instead of purple I’d say you looked like a grown up version of—”

“Scott Snyder—the first boy you ever kissed.” Blix smiled at her, his purple eyes flashing briefly brown. “He was a senior and you were just a freshman. You weren’t supposed to be out with him at all but you couldn’t resist—he was forbidden fruit. And the way he kissed. Just thinking about it still makes your toes curl, doesn’t it, my dear? Positively yummy.”

“Don’t do that.” Lauren frowned. “Don’t go into my head. I don’t like that.”

“I beg your pardon,” Blix managed to sound contrite and amused at the same time. “I didn’t mean to upset you. On the contrary—I wish to put you at ease.”

“Well you’re not doing a very good job.” Lauren put a hand on her hip. “Look, it was nice of you to drop in and all but my, uh…” She started to say ‘boyfriend’ but that description of Xairn didn’t really fit. “My protector who happens to be a very large, aggressive Scourge warrior will be back at any second,” she continued. “So it’s probably better if you leave. Now.”

“Very well.” Blix nodded humbly. “I realize that I used trickery to gain entry to your ship and my harmless little illusion has made you angry so I will go. But please consider doing business with me in the future. For just a few of those food cubes I’d be willing to give you enough creds to live comfortably here in O’ah for a year.”

“A year?” Lauren looked at the cupboard filled with cubes uncertainly. It wasn’t like she could eat them all. And maybe she could just sell him the ones that rehydrated into worms. Those she was never going to eat. If Xairn really was gone, she’d need a way to survive. No, don’t think like that. He’s not really gone—he’ll be back. But she was no longer so sure.

“Indeed.” Blix nodded gravely. “And a year on my planet is the length of five of your Earth years. As a token of my good faith and willingness to do business with you, please accept these.” With a flourish, he produced what looked like a stack of colorful scarves from beneath his purple cloak and pressed them into Lauren’s hands.

“What are they?” She frowned at the neatly folded bundle.

“Contemporary fashions from the Narn district right here in the city. If you put them on, you can blend right in at the marketplace.” Blix sniffed delicately. “I’m afraid the outfit you have on now would brand you as something of a country bumpkin. Only peasants and old ladies would wear such a thing.”

Lauren looked down at the shapeless silver-blue muumuu and made a face. “Yeah, on my planet too.”

“Well then.” Blix smiled at her and made a low bow. “I’ll take my leave. But please feel free to visit my booth in the marketplace. It’s just to the right of the mouth of the alley. And bring a few food cubes if you’re willing to sell. Only…” He hesitated dramatically.

“Only what?” Lauren asked, trying not to sound impatient. Though Blix was turning out to be harmless, she still didn’t like him invading her space.

“Only you’ll need to come today if you want to make a sale. I’m leaving the district tomorrow for an interstellar buying trip and I won’t be back for quite awhile—what would amount to a year in your Earth time.”

Lauren bit her lip. “I don’t know…”

“Well, take your time and think about it.” Blix smiled. “I’m sure you have enough food cubes to keep you alive until I come back. I mean if your paramour never returns, which is a distinct possibility since he has gone to the splicing district alone.”

“Stop that.” Lauren put a hand to her head. “I told you I don’t like it. And Xairn is fine. I know he is.” She lifted her chin, trying to make herself believe it.

“Forgive me. A force of habit and nothing more, I assure you.” He made another bow. “If you wish to do business with me, I’m just around the corner, as you know.”

Lauren frowned indecisively. “But I was told not to leave the ship under any circumstances.”

“Very wise advice—as long as your lover is here to serve as a go-between to the outside world. Of course if you’re on your own—and I’m sorry, my dear, but you very well may be—you’ll need to get out and learn to fend for yourself. You’re sitting on a goldmine here.” He nodded at the cabinet full of food cubes. “But you can’t do anything about it if you just stay inside your ship and eat up all the profits.”

“All right. But, uh, is it safe? For me to go out there alone?”

“As long as you blend in.” He nodded at the stack of colorful clothes in her hands. “Wear those and you won’t have any problems. If anyone asks, say you’re an associate of mine and they’ll treat you appropriately.” He pressed the release for the door to the ship and it slid open silently. “I hope to see you soon, Lauren. Until then I bid you adieu.”

He stepped to the open doorway and shimmered as he had before. Suddenly Mr. Kittles was back, his whiskers twitching. The rabbit bowed low again and then hopped down the steps and into the dim alley where he disappeared into the violet gloom.

* * * * *

Xairn finally reached the edge of the splicing district, his lungs burning in his chest. The plasti-glass tube he was in ended abruptly and his forward momentum almost took him over the edge. He gripped the sides of the tube tightly and looked down into the purple gloom hundreds of feet below, searching desperately for an air-cab or a cloud cushion which would have been the fastest way down. But neither was apparent.

He cursed softly in his native tongue. There was no time to wait around, hoping for quick transportation. Lauren was in danger. Even now she might be—Xairn cut off that train of thought ruthlessly. He couldn’t think about what might be happening to her. Not if he didn’t want to go completely mad. He would have to climb down the long, latticed tube support system and hope he got to her in time.

“Should have told her more,” he muttered to himself as he swung out onto the ledge and gripped the first slippery metal rung tightly. He felt for a lower rung with his foot and found it, his boot scraping against it loudly in the empty air. “Should have told her what goes on in this damn city.”

Yes, he should have told her more. Should have told her the reason she shouldn’t go outside the ship. Most of all, he should have told her the reason she shouldn’t bargain or trade with anyone. But he hadn’t wanted to frighten her. Hadn’t wanted to tell her that the splicing sheds weren’t the worst place a visitor to O’ah could end up if they weren’t careful.

“Be careful, Lauren,” he begged under his breath as he began the long, dizzying descent. Not for the first time, he wished he had a telepathic link with her, like the Kindred had with their brides. It would be so convenient to be able to contact her mind-to-mind. Of course that kind of intimacy only came with bonding and he knew no female as beautiful and perfect as Lauren would want to bond with a Scourge. Especially not one with such twisted urges…

Stop it. Stop thinking about it and concentrate on climbing. One wrong move and you’ll be splattered like a bug on the pavement. Who will help Lauren then? Who will save her from that bastard, the Spider?

Xairn knew the answer to that question—no one. He had brought Lauren to a strange and dangerous planet lightyears from her home and she had come with him willingly and trustingly. Because he had promised to keep her safe. When he had made that promise, Xairn had thought the worst thing he’d have to protect her from was himself. The dark desires she woke in him made him fearful and wary of getting too close to the tempting little female. But the things Spider would do to her…

Don’t think about it. Just climb!

Xairn tried to take his own advice but it was hard. So damn hard when he knew she was in terrible danger and there was nothing he could do to help her.

Be safe, Lauren, he thought, wishing he could send the thought across space and somehow reach her. Be safe and whatever you do, stay inside the ship!

Chapter Four

“Good, you’re finally here.” A Kindred warrior with coal black hair and eyes dragged Rast out of the transport tube. “I’m Deep, Lock’s brother. Cutting things a little close, aren’t you?”

Rast was so dizzy from the jerky motion of the tube he was seeing double for a moment. “What are you talking about?” he growled, frowning at the warrior. “I came on the day we agreed on.”

“Yes but these things always take time to prepare for, no matter how ‘simple and elegant’ they’re supposed to be. But that’s how it goes when it comes to Earth females.” The warrior called Deep sounded like he was complaining but there was a fond smile on his face as he spoke. “Well, come on—you’re here now and that’s what counts. But you can’t wear that.”

Rast frowned down at the conservative black pants and gray sports jacket he was wearing. “Excuse the hell out of me. I didn’t realize seeing Commander Sylvan was such a formal occasion or I would have brought my tux.”

Deep shook his head. “That wouldn’t be appropriate attire either. Didn’t anyone tell you the males are all wearing the native costume of Tranq Prime?”

Rast was getting more and more irritated. “No. I don’t know what the hell the ‘native costume’ is and I don’t have one with me either. So I guess I’ll have to see him as is.”

“And ruin everything? I don’t think so.” Deep glared at him. “Lucky for you, I have an extra tharp and some boots Sylvan said should fit you on hand. Come to the changing area and hurry—we don’t have long to get to the sacred grove.”

Before Rast could protest, the large Kindred had turned and was leading the way through a park-like expanse of green and purple grass. They appeared to be headed toward a sheltered area filled with well tended trees where presumably Commander Sylvan was waiting. It was irritating in the extreme, but it seemed there was little choice but to follow him.

* * * * *

“Oh my God, Sophie—he’s here.” Kat rushed back into the changing area bubbling with excitement.

“Who’s here?” Olivia asked. “Sylvan’s friend?”

Kat nodded. “Lock just bespoke me. He got him off the shuttle and sent him through the transport tube to Deep. He’s getting dressed right now.”

“Thank God!” Sophie looked relieved. “But the ceremony’s about to start. Will he be ready in time?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Kat said. “Deep says he’ll shove him in a tharp and sneak him into line right beside Baird and no one will even notice. Because all eyes will be on you, my darling gorgeous Sophie.”

Sophie smiled and Nadiah, who had been standing quietly in the corner of the changing tent thought that she really did look radiantly lovely.

“So you were right,” Olivia said, turning to her with a friendly smile. “He did make it here on time.”

“I knew he would,” Nadiah said quietly.

Olivia arched an eyebrow at Kat. “And are his eyes green like Nadiah, uh, forsaw?”

“Hang on, I’ll ask.” Kat put a hand to her temple and closed her eyes briefly. Clearly she was using the mental link all Kindred brides got when they bonded to their males to communicate with one of her mates. She opened her eyes after a second. “Yup. Lock says his eyes are truegreen—the color of the First Kindred males. The ones who started out on the Kindred home world before they made any genetic trades.”

“Wasn’t Sylvan and Baird’s father a First Kindred?” Olivia asked.

Sophie nodded. “I’m pretty sure he was. It’s too bad he died before we got to know our guys.” She turned to Nadiah. “You really predicted that perfectly—I’m impressed.”

“Thank you.” Nadiah beamed. Her grandmamam had told her there would be skeptics if she revealed her powers and she had been right. It was nice to feel vindicated.

“So is he one of the First Kindred?” Kat asked curiously. “I mean, could you see that when you, uh, forsaw him?”

Nadiah frowned. “The Sight can be tricky—it’s not like someone injecting a huge dose of information into your head. I see things—mostly in dreams or visions—and I have to interpret them. But I did get a glimpse of his standing before the throne of the Mother of All Life wearing the ceremonial robes of the First Kindred.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Olivia objected. “He was just there on a pilgrimage.”

Nadiah shrugged. “I can only tell you what I saw. And the only other glimpse I got was of me kissing him.”

“The luck kiss.” Sophie smiled sentimentally. “It seems like just yesterday I was scared to death about having to perform it with Sylvan.”

“Well, I’m not scared.” Nadiah gave her a grin. “I’ve been looking forward to my first Kindred kiss since I was a little girl. I promise you, Sophie, I’ll make sure your union to Sylvan starts off with a bang.”

“I know you will.” Sophie gave her a hug and then cocked her head. “Oh my God, the music’s starting. How do I look?”

“Gorgeous.” Nadiah hugged her carefully, trying not to disarrange the transparent white panel she wore over her face which the other Earth girls had called a veil. It was a beautiful and interesting custom—one she was determined to emulate in her own bonding ceremony.

And who knows, she thought as they lined up behind Sophie and began the slow procession out to the sacred grove. Maybe I’ll be meeting—and kissing— my future mate in the next few minutes.

Of course she knew that was nonsense. The blood bond between herself and Yo-dah was practically unbreakable. Her parents had seen to that. Still, a warrior who genuinely cared for her might be able to challenge the bond…

Humming softly along with the lovely Earth music, Nadiah followed her friend out of the changing tent.

Chapter Five

“Well…that wasn’t so bad,” Lauren murmured after Blix finally left. She shut and locked the door carefully, checking it twice to make sure it was secure, before shaking out some of the clothes in the pile.

She had to admit they were a vast improvement over the silver muumuu. There was a tight-fitting blouse with long flowing sleeves in a shimmery see-through pale blue that felt as soft as silk. It fit Lauren so exactly she wondered how Blix could know her size. Probably picked it right out of my head like everything else. The idea made her frown but Lauren pushed it away. If the worst thing that came out of her meeting with the alien mind reader was a new set of clothes she supposed she couldn’t complain.

The only problem she could see with the blouse was that it was revealing—very revealing. Her full breasts and tight nipples were clearly visible through its shimmery fabric. Just as she was thinking there was no way she could wear it out in the open, she saw a solution. The next piece of clothing she unfolded was a red sash. It was about the width of her palm but so long she was able to wrap it around her several times and still knot it on one side. It looked a little strange when she was done—kind of like the wrapping on a kimono—but it was better than showing God and everybody her boobs.

The skirt that went with the blue blouse and red sash was deep cobalt. Lauren caught her breath at the lovely color and was pleased to see that it was completely opaque. It fit just above her hips and fell to her ankles in a snug but comfortable sheathe. There was a long slit up one side that showed most of her left leg when she walked but Lauren shifted it over so it didn’t reveal as much as felt satisfied with the result.

The only problem now was shoes—she didn’t have any. In fact, she’d been barefoot for weeks, ever since the AllFather had first kidnapped her and taken her aboard his Fathership. Lauren wasn’t wild about the idea of going barefoot on an alien planet—who knew what she might pick up out there? But when she looked down again, she saw something she must have missed the first time. A pair of deep blue slippers with crimson soles was lying where she’d put the pile of clothes. Lauren tried them on and found that they fit perfectly and were deliciously comfortable.

She went to look at herself in the bathroom viewer and was pleased with what she saw. “Sooo much better than that ugly silver muumuu,” she murmured, running her fingers through her long black hair. She wished she had a little lipstick to brighten up her face but other than that, she looked ready for a night on the town—well, a strange alien town, anyway.

Which led to a dilemma—should she leave the ship and trade a few food cubes to Blix or should she stay tucked inside the spaceship as Xairn had instructed?

On one hand she had promised to stay inside. But on the other hand, he had promised to be back in one day. Lauren didn’t want to let herself think that something had happened to him—the very idea put a lump in her throat and not just because she’d be stranded on a distant planet without him. As fierce and moody as he was, Xairn had become very dear to her. She felt safe in his arms and wanted to help him work through his troubled past. Not to mention that when he looked at her with that burning red-on-black gaze she felt hot and cold all over and wanted…what did she want from him? Lauren wasn’t quite sure but she did know she didn’t want to lose him.

Right now, though, she had to be practical. What if she was on her own now? Marooned on a distant planet in a galaxy light years from Earth. What was she supposed to do? How would she survive when the food cubes ran out? There were hundreds of them but not a lifetime supply. And besides, did she really want to live the rest of her life cooped up in the small silver spaceship?

When she thought about it that way, there was no choice. “I’ll do it,” Lauren said out loud. The sound of her own voice seemed to give her courage. Lifting her chin, she went to the cabinet and began sorting rapidly through the cubes, looking for the ones that had the little squiggle that indicated worm based cuisine. When she had a handful she tucked them into the pocket of the skirt. Then, taking a deep breath and gripping the stunner Xairn had left her firmly in one hand, she unlatched the door and went out.

She hadn’t gone two steps, her crimson soled slippers soundless on the stones of the alley, when a girl with deep orange skin and strangely tilted eyes suddenly appeared before her.

Lauren gasped and held up the stunner. “Stay back, I’m armed!”

“I’m Vlanka. Don’t be scared—Spider sent me.” The girl smiled, revealing blue teeth. Instead of hair she had two large, fleshy tentacles with purple tips growing out of either side of her head. They twitched and moved, seeming to have a life of their own—reminding Lauren of an elephant’s trunk. Other than that and the coloring of her skin and teeth, she looked more or less humanoid and seemed to speak English as well as Blix had. She was also wearing the same kind of outfit Lauren had on, right down to the blue shoes with red soles.

“You mean Blix?” Lauren asked, still keeping the stunner level with the girl’s midsection.

Vlanka shrugged. “If you want. Around here we mostly just call him Spider. He said you’d be out. Sent me to bring you to him.”

Lauren frowned. “I thought his, uh, booth or stall or whatever was just around the corner.”

“It is.” The girl smiled mysteriously. “But you got to know which corner to go around. First though, you’re wearing your tok all wrong.”

“My what?” Lauren asked but the girl was already rearranging the red sash Lauren had wrapped around herself so carefully. She used both her hands and her hair trunks, as Lauren was beginning to think of them, for the job. Lauren couldn’t help noticing that she had seven fingers on each hand, tipped with long purple nails. Several of them were missing joints, however, and ended in stubs instead of nails. Lauren wondered if Vlanka had lost them in some kind of accident.

At last the alien girl stood back to admire her handiwork. “There. Better.”

“Hey,” Lauren protested, looking down at herself. The long red sash now crisscrossed between her breasts and tied at her waist in an elaborate knot. Unfortunately, the new configuration left her breasts exposed through the sheer pale blue top. “I can’t go out in public like this,” she said, trying to pull the sides of the sash over enough to at least cover her nipples. She was only partially successful.

“You got to,” Vlanka said implacably. “That’s the only way to wear a tok in the trade.”

“A what in the where?” Lauren asked but Vlanka was surveying her with a frown.

“You got this wrong too.” She twitched the long cobalt skirt around until the long slit was directly up the front, flashing a lot more of her crotch than Lauren was comfortable with. But before she could protest again, Vlanka said, “Come on. Spider’s waiting.”

Taking her by the hand, she pulled Lauren down the alleyway toward the busy marketplace beyond.

Chapter Six

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Rast said, looking down at himself. The black haired warrior named Deep had made him strip down to his skin. Then he’d given Rast nothing to replace his clothes but a furry green kilt-thing to wrap around his waist and green fur boots to match.

Deep raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t like it?”

“Of course I don’t fucking like it,” Rast growled. “I look like a reject from a Conan movie.”

“Too bad.” Deep clapped in on his bare back. “Because the ceremony’s starting and I promised my female I’d have you dressed and in line in time to participate.”

“What do you mean? What am I supposed to do?”

But Deep was already leading the way out of the changing tent and around the side of the grove of green and purple trees Rast had seen earlier. He felt beyond strange in the weird alien outfit but at least there didn’t seem to be many people in the immediate vicinity to witness his shame.

Taking a deep breath, Rast decided to try and go with it. It pissed him off to no end that he had to change into some strange get-up in order to even talk to Commander Sylvan but he supposed it must be part of the Kindred culture. It was bizarre but he would have done stranger things than wearing a furry green kilt and matching boots in order to solve this case and bring Lauren home safely to her grieving mother.

He followed Deep, who was stalking around the side of the grove of trees purposefully. The warm scent of growing things almost made Rast forget he was inside a spaceship and the artificial green sun hanging overhead beamed down on his bare shoulders in a way that was strangely soothing. Again he was overcome by the oddest feeling. Not déjà vu exactly. More like…homecoming. As though he belonged here somehow. As though—

“Here we are,” Deep hissed, breaking into his musings. “We’re just going to slip in the side here.”

Rast nodded and followed him through a narrow path in the green and purple trees. He felt like he had as a kid, playing Cowboys and Indians, stalking silently through the trees to ambush…

A wedding.

Rast stared blankly at the assembled group of people. Yup, no doubt about it, for some reason he was about to take part in a Kindred wedding. The groom was Commander Sylvan and his best man was Commander Baird. Both of them were dressed in the same fur kilt and boots outfit that Rast was wearing but the bride—one of Lauren’s cousins—was wearing a traditional white lace wedding gown and her bridesmaids were wearing simple pale gold sheaths.

It was obvious what was going on, but not why he was being made to take part in it. “Hey,” he whispered to Deep, who was already pushing him into line beside Commander Baird. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake.”

“No mistake,” Deep growled softly. “Just stand there and shut your mouth. You don’t have to do a damn thing until the luck kiss.”

“The what?”

But Deep had already faded back into the trees, leaving Rast to watch as a beaming Commander Sylvan said his vows to his bride in front of a very stern-looking priestess.

He looked around uncertainly. Should he just stand there and do nothing? He didn’t want to make a scene and, regardless of how strange the situation was, he was a nice enough guy not to want to ruin someone else’s big day. But what was it that the dark Kindred had been saying about a kiss? Was he supposed to kiss someone? And if so, who?

Rast looked speculatively at the two bridesmaids standing across from him. One was Lauren’s other cousin—he recognized her from the conversations they’d had on the viewscreen. The other was a tall, slender girl with long, pale blonde hair that flowed over her shoulders like a golden shawl. She had sharp, clever features and bright blue eyes which were currently fixed directly on him.

Why is she staring at me? Rast thought uneasily. He returned her look, giving her a challenging gaze in return. But instead of dropping her eyes and blushing like most girls would have done, the blonde bridesmaid stared back. A teasing little smile curved the corners of her lush mouth and Rast couldn’t help thinking she had the softest, pinkest looking lips he’d ever seen.

The rest of her wasn’t bad either. She might be slender, but she had curves where it counted. The pale gold dress clung to her lovingly, making it apparent she was all woman. He raised his eyes to her face again and saw her arching an eyebrow at him. Obviously she’d seen him checking her out. Rast felt his cheeks burning—he’d been ogling her like a horny teenager. But he refused to look away. Instead he looked into her eyes, taking their staring contest to the next level.

He willed her to drop her gaze but the blonde girl clearly wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. Rast wasn’t either. Though it was uncomfortably intimate to look into a stranger’s eyes for such a long time, he held her gaze unflinchingly.

He was dimly aware that the priestess performing the ceremony was saying something that sounded final. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Commander Sylvan lift his bride’s veil and kiss her passionately. Funny, he hadn’t seemed like the type for such effusive public displays of affection, but Rast supposed allowances had to be made considering it was his wedding day. And also—

But his train of thought was cut off abruptly when the blonde girl came toward him. Rast thought she was finally going to say something now that the ceremony seemed to be wrapping up.

Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He was so surprised that at first he couldn’t do a thing. Then his heart thudded in his chest and his body took over.

Rast wrapped his arms around her, crushed her to him, and kissed her back.

She felt warm and soft against him, the curves of her breasts pressing against his bare chest. And her lips tasted like cherries—not artificial cherry lip gloss but real ripe cherries—sweet and succulent and completely irresistible. And her scent…God, he’d never smelled anything like it in his life. Warm and sweet and devastatingly feminine, it seemed to go straight to his cock, which was rock hard against her thigh.

Rast was really tall—every bit as massive as the Kindred warriors that surrounded them. But the girl in his arms was tall, too. He liked that—liked that for once in his life he didn’t have to stoop over to get a good kiss. And the way she was running her fingers through his hair and scratching his bare shoulders was driving him fucking crazy.

Despite the fact that he always kept a rigidly tight rein on himself, he was rapidly losing control. He wanted the girl in his arms. Wanted her with an intensity and single minded need that he’d never felt before in his life.

She broke the kiss for a moment to look into his eyes. “I knew it,” she whispered in a low, lovely voice that made his cock throb with need. “I knew it would be like this from the moment I saw you.”

Rast didn’t know what she was talking about but by this time he didn’t care. He only knew that she had him so aroused he felt like he could fuck a hole through a concrete wall.

“I want you,” he growled, looking into those gorgeous, deep blue eyes again. “Now.” Then he took her mouth again, possessively. He didn’t care that she was a complete stranger. Didn’t care that he didn’t even know her name and they were surrounded by people. He wanted to lower her to the ground and have her here and now in the green and purple grass and damn the consequences.

But just as he was about to put his lascivious thoughts into action, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Rast ignored them so whoever it was tapped again, this time much more insistently.

“Detective Rast?” a vaguely familiar voice said. “Is that you? What are you doing?”

* * * * *

This is it—he’s here, Nadiah had thought excitedly the minute Deep shoved the Kindred with the truegreen eyes into line beside Baird. He looked exactly as she had forseen him.

He had a warrior’s build with a muscular chest and arms and well developed legs that did the tharp he was wearing justice. His thick, golden-brown hair was tousled, as though he’d been carelessly running his fingers through it and his eyes were a shade of green so deep it was almost black. Around his iris was a thinner line of pale green that gave his gaze an intensity so powerful it was very difficult to meet his eyes.

But meet them she did, and she refused to drop her gaze even when he frowned at her. She sensed that this was a male she could never back down from—not if she wanted to win and keep his respect. So she lifted her chin and stared harder even though the way he was looking at her made her nipples feel tight and achy and the vee between her legs hot and wet. Goddess but he looked so primal standing there wearing nothing but the short tharp and boots. The big muscles of his arms and thighs were bunched tight with tension—tension she was causing, Nadiah could tell.

Maybe he’s the one, she couldn’t help thinking. Maybe he’ll challenge the blood bond and set me free. Looking at this male she was certain that if he made a challenge he would win it. There was a fierce determination about him that told her he didn’t back down for anyone.

When it was finally time for the luck kiss her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe. But Nadiah was determined not to show how nervous she was. It was the female’s responsibility to go to the male and she didn’t intend to mess up her part in the ceremony. Taking a deep breath, she swept forward and wrapped her arms around his muscular neck. A look of surprise filled his truegreen eyes and then she kissed him hard on the mouth.

At first she was afraid he wasn’t going to respond. He stood absolutely rigid—doing what appeared to be the galaxy’s best statue impersonation. Then, suddenly he came to life.

Nadiah gasped in surprise as he bent her over his arms and plundered her mouth, kissing with a passion that belied his stoic outer appearance. His arms around her felt like warm, flexible iron and when his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth, she parted her lips with no hesitation at all.

Goddess, she was melting…burning…being utterly consumed in the heat of passion. It was exactly as she had always known her first kiss from a Kindred male would be. The instant heat between them, the sudden lust, was as rapid and devastating as a lighting strike. It was amazing…incredible…

And then Olivia ruined it by tapping the big male on the shoulder and breaking their kiss.

“Detective Rast,” she said, frowning. “Is that you? What are you doing?”

The male pulled away from Nadiah and as quickly as the luck kiss had begun, it was over.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Olivia repeated. “Why are you even at my sister’s wedding?”

“I don’t know.” He scowled at Olivia in a very unfriendly way. “I just came up here to interview Commander Sylvan and Commander Baird. But before I knew it, I was being forced into this ridiculous get-up and pushed into the damn wedding.”

“This ‘ridiculous get-up’ happens to be the native costume of my planet,” Sylvan said mildly, as he and Sophie joined the conversation. “Though I don’t know why you’re wearing it instead of my good friend, Merrik, who was supposed to be here to perform the kiss.”

“I don’t know either,” the big male protested. “Ask that guy.” He pointed at Deep, who was standing with Lock and Kat at the far end of the sacred grove, talking to some of the other wedding guests. “He’s the one who made me wear a fur skirt and these damn matching boots. And he’s the one who told me to just stand here until the, uh, the ‘luck kiss’ thing. Which I guess is what we just did?” He turned to Nadiah, one eyebrow arched in question.

Nadia had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Yes, that was the luck kiss. But…are you saying you’re not a Kindred?”

“He’s human,” Sylvan assured her. Then seeing the disappointed look in her eyes, he put a hand on Nadiah’s shoulder comfortingly. “Sorry, daughter of my mother’s sister.”

“Oh, this is all my fault.” Sophie bit her lip. “I’m so sorry, Detective Rast. I knew you were coming up here today but then it just completely slipped my mind. Deep and Lock must have thought you were Sylvan’s old friend who was supposed to come in time for the ceremony.”

“Don’t worry, Talana, there’s no real harm done.” Sylvan put an arm around his new bride and hugged her consolingly. “After all, even though he wasn’t meant to be in the ceremony, Detective Rast certainly did credit to our traditions.”

“I’ll say.” Olivia laughed. “After a kiss like that, there’s no way you could have anything but good luck in your marriage.”

The tall male’s cheeks went dark red with embarrassment but he held his head high. “About that,” he said to Nadiah in a low voice. “I’m sorry. I don’t know…I’m not sure what came over me. If I hurt you—”

“You didn’t,” she said quickly, crossing her arms over her chest. A human. He’s just a human—not a Kindred at all. But how is that possible? I was so sure. So sure…

Detective Rast cleared his throat. “All right then. Good.” He turned away from her to face Sylvan. “I can see it’s your wedding day and you’re somewhat, ah, preoccupied, but I still have a few questions I’d like to ask about Lauren. I know you believe her to be safe but she’s still missing and her mother is very upset.”

“Of course she is,” Baird rumbled, coming up to put an arm around Olivia. “But why don’t you let me handle the questions, Detective? I’ll be happy to tell you anything I can—you’ll have full Kindred cooperation.”

“I’ll come with you and tell you everything I can too,” Olivia offered. “We want to see Lauren get home safely as much as you do.”

At the mention of the missing girl’s name, Nadiah began to have a strange feeling. It started as a tingling in her fingertips and spread up her arms to encompass her entire head and face. Oh my Goddess…what is it? What’s wrong? The others were still talking about Lauren and every time they mentioned her name, the feeling grew stronger. Then Nadiah remembered something her grandmamam had told her when she came of age.

‘You may have an al’lei my child,’ she’d said when she was explaining about the manifestation of Nadiah’s powers. ‘A waking dream. They’re very rare but not unheard of among those with the Sight. If an al’lei comes upon you, don’t try to fight it. Let the power flow through you. Speak the words that come to you and hold nothing back.’

Lauren couldn’t have held back if she wanted to. A vision rose before her eyes, blotting out the sacred grove and everyone in it. Suddenly she saw a narrow, crooked alley wrapped in violet shadows. A girl was there, a human girl with smooth, light brown skin and warm amber eyes and she was following another female who was leading her…leading her…

“Into danger,” Nadiah heard herself speak the words aloud but somehow the voice that came from her throat was not her own. It was deeper and filled with authority. It tolled like a bell in the sacred grove. All conversation stopped and every eye was on her but she couldn’t stop.

“I see her,” she went on in the strange, sonorous voice. “Lauren—the missing one. The chosen of the Scourge. She with the star between her breasts. He has taken her to O’ah where the purple darkness never recedes.”

“What…Nadiah, what are you saying?” She heard Sophie ask in a small, trembling voice. “Why are you talking like that?”

Nadiah couldn’t answer—the al’lei wasn’t over yet. “He has tried to safeguard her but another has deceived her,” she went on, still seeing Lauren before her eyes. “She is in danger…so much danger. If he does not return to her soon it will be too late. Too late…too late…” The vision faded as suddenly as it had come, leaving her feeling weak and lightheaded. “Goddess!” she whispered in her own voice. The world went gray and swam around her and then her knees gave out and she collapsed.

Strong arms caught her and someone held her protectively. “Are you all right, uh…”

“Nadiah,” Sophie said. “Her name is Nadiah.”

“Are you all right, Nadiah?” the deep voice repeated.

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw that the human called Rast was holding her. He was looking down at her anxiously, a worried expression in his truegreen eyes.

No, not truegreen, Nadiah reminded herself with a spasm of regret. Just green. He looks Kindred but he isn’t, not really. And despite the intense heat she’d felt from him during the luck kiss, only a Kindred warrior would be able to challenge her blood bond.

“What happened?” she asked weakly. The events of the past minute were strangely fuzzy in her mind.

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Olivia said.

“You started speaking in a weird voice and then you fainted,” Sophie told her. “You were talking about Lauren. Saying she was in danger.”

“Omigoddess!” Suddenly the vision rushed back. Nadiah put a hand to her head. “I saw her, Sophie! I saw Lauren. She was wearing blue and red and she was following a female who was leading her into danger.”

“Danger? What kind of danger?” The human was staring down at her with a disbelieving frown on his face. “Are you trying to say you’re psychic or some kind of bullshit like that?”

Nadiah frowned back. “I have the Sight,” she said stiffly. “Although it’s never manifested quite so strongly before.”

He arched an eyebrow at her incredulously. “And you expect us to believe you suddenly saw Lauren, wherever she is?”

“I did see her.” Nadiah struggled to get out of his arms. “Don’t look at me like that. And put me down.”

“With pleasure.” He sat her on her feet and crossed his arms over his broad, bare chest. “You should know something, lady—I worked long enough at the PD to see this kind of thing a lot. People lose a kid and they get desperate. Desperate enough to call in some fake who claims to be able to locate their child through ‘astral projection’ or some shit like that. But you know what? It never pans out. It just gives them false hope.”

“She’s not trying to give you any ‘false hope.’” Sophie put herself between Nadiah and the human detective and glared at him angrily. “She’s just telling you what she saw. Nadiah has a gift.”

“She saw you coming,” Olivia put in, joining ranks with her twin sister. “She even knew the color of your eyes. Although she didn’t say anything about you being a jerk.”

“All right now, this isn’t solving anything.” Sylvan put a hand on his bride’s shoulder. “Come, Talana, I think the detective is simply upset because he’s been searching so long and hard for any trace of Lauren’s whereabouts.”

“Are you siding with him?” Sophie frowned at him incredulously.

“I’m not siding with anyone,” Sylvan protested. “I’m just trying to defuse the situation.”

“Consider it defused.” Detective Rast gave Nadiah a cold look. “I apologize if what I saw was offensive—it’s just that my experience leads me to disbelieve these kinds of claims.”

Nadiah lifted her chin. “That’s quite all right, Detective. I don’t expect a mere human to understand my gift.”

“A human? Who’s a human?” Deep and Lock came up with Kat between them.

“He is.” Nadiah nodded at Detective Rast who was still frowning at her.

“He is?” Lock looked confused. “But I thought…with his eyes that color of green…”

“So did I,” Deep put in. He look at Sylvan. “Forgive me, Brother. I was certain he was your friend, Merrik.”

“No harm done,” Sylvan said in a tight voice.

“If there’s no harm done then why are you all so upset?” Kat asked, her blue eyes flicking over everyone’s faces. “And what was that you were saying a minute ago?” she asked Nadiah. “Something about danger?”

“She saw Lauren,” Sophie said eagerly.

“I had an al’lei,” Nadiah said stiffly. “A waking dream. My grandmamam warned me I might have them when I came into my powers. I saw Lauren in an alley filled with purple shadows. She was wearing red and blue and I had the feeling that she was in terrible danger. She…” A feeling of dread rose in her throat and Nadiah put a hand to her chest, trying to hold it back. “She’s in trouble.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s not there to protect her. I don’t know where he went but—”

“Again?” Detective Rast gave her a disgusted look before turning to Baird. “Commander, I’m going to change back into my clothes and then I’d like to get this interview over with.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Baird rumbled.

“Thank you. And best wishes on your wedding.” Rast nodded at Sylvan.

“Thank you.” Sylvan frowned. “But Detective?”

“Yes?” Rast turned back for a moment.

“Don’t disrespect things you don’t understand.” Sylvan’s ice blue eyes glinted dangerously. “I know there are many things beyond the realm of human experience but that doesn’t excuse rudeness toward my kin. The Sight runs in my family. If Nadiah says she saw Lauren, then she did see her.”

“You can believe what you want,” Rast said shortly. Then he strode off toward the male’s changing area where, presumably, he’d left his clothing.

“Whew.” Lock shook his head. “He’s a prickly male.”

“And a rude one.” Deep frowned.

“You’re one to talk about that.” Kat elbowed the dark twin with a small smile. Deep returned her smile with one of his own but his twin brother, Lock, looked troubled.

“Nadiah,” he said, turning toward her. “Forgive me, but we know Lauren was headed for the Maw Cluster. Did you happen to see the planet she was on during your vision?”

Nadiah frowned. “I don’t think so.”

“You said she was in O’ah, wherever that is,” Olivia volunteered.

“O’ah?” Lock looked even more troubled. “That would be on Primus Six, I think. And you said she was wearing red and blue?”

Nadiah nodded. “Yes, and blue shoes with crimson red soles. They were very pretty, actually.”

Lock shook his head. “I was afraid of that.”

“Afraid? Why are you afraid?” Kat demanded.

“Yes, why?” Nadiah felt the fear threatening to close her throat again.

“Because.” Lock frowned. “I believe that on Primus Six, those are the colors of the skin trade.”

“The skin trade?” Sophie asked at the same time Olivia said, “What’s that?”

Deep answered for his brother. “Prostitution,” he said, his black eyes troubled. “If what you saw was accurate, Nadiah, somehow Lauren has been sold into sexual slavery.”

Chapter Seven

The girl with the orange skin led Lauren to the mouth of the alley and then turned right, into the marketplace. Things seemed to be winding down now at the end of the day, but there were still plenty of strange things to see.

Lauren watched wide-eyed as what looked like a walking tree with purple bark glided down the middle of the street. To her right, a tiny gnome with bulging iridescent eyes haggled with an insectile creature with two heads and broad, glittering transparent wings that buzzed angrily. Further down across the road, she saw what appeared to be a vending machine selling amputated fingers. Ugh! she thought uneasily. I hope those are just some kind of macabre candy. Like the gummy eyeballs you can buy to give out at Halloween back home.

Just as she was beginning to think her eyes were going to pop out of her head from the strangeness of it all, the orange girl stopped so abruptly Lauren almost ran into her. “What—?” she began.

“We’re here.” Her guide nodded at a small, dusty booth with a faded red awning. Behind the counter sat Blix. He was in his human form again with pale blond hair and eyebrows. When he looked up and saw Lauren, he smiled broadly.

“Well, well, my dear,” he said, rising and coming around the front of the booth to greet her. “So here you are. I had hoped you would take me up on my offer.”

“It seemed…reasonable.” Lauren nodded guardedly and crossed her arms over her chest. She wished she hadn’t let Vlanka rearrange the red scarf-like tok so that it exposed her breasts through the sheer light blue shirt.

Blix laughed. “Don’t worry about exposing your lovely breasts, my dear. It’s quite common here on O’ah. Especially with those in the trade.”

“The what?” Lauren frowned but he waved her question away.

“Unimportant. Did you bring me some cubes?”

“A few.” Lauren pulled the handful of food cubes out of the pocket of her skirt and held them out for him to examine. “Uh, fair warning though,” she said, feeling suddenly guilty. “Most of these feature live worms as their main entrée. So…” She shrugged. “I don’t know if you’re interested in that or not.”

“Worms?” Blix frowned and plucked several of the cubes out of her hand. “What kind of worms?”

“Well that’s just it—I don’t know. I mean—”

“Stop!”

Both their heads turned and Lauren felt a surge of relief so great her knees almost buckled. Xairn was striding towards them.

“Xairn!” Lauren took a step toward him… and stopped. He didn’t look nearly as happy to see her as she was to see him. In fact, he looked positively furious. His broad shoulders were tensed and his big hands were curled into fists at his side. The look in his red-on-black eyes was terrifying and that was saying something considering that his eyes looked forbidding at the best of times.

The minute he reached Lauren, he grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her close to his side. “What in the seven hells are you doing?” he demanded, looking her up and down. “And why are you dressed like that?”

“She is dressed like that because I gave her the clothes.” Blix came forward, his pale purple eyes glittering.

Xairn turned to her, his face so fierce it was frightening. “Is that true?” he demanded. “You accepted the clothes from him?”

“Well, yes,” Lauren admitted. She could tell she’d done something completely wrong but she didn’t know what it was. “I’m sorry, Xairn but I—”

“Strip.”

“What?” Lauren stared at him, uncomprehending. Surely he didn’t mean—

“You heard me. Strip.” Xairn glared at her. “Take off every single piece of clothing the Spider gave you right now.”

“But…but I can’t just—”

“Undress now or I’ll undress you myself, Goddess damn it.” His eyes flashed and when Lauren was a little slow to obey him, he reached for her and started unknotting the long red tok himself.

“No!” Lauren tried to push his hands away. “We’re in public. I don’t want to be naked in front of all these…these people.” If walking trees and gnomes and talking insects could be considered people, anyway.

“You have a choice,” Xairn growled. “Get naked now in public or spend the rest of your very short life getting naked over and over in private.”

“What are you talking about?” Lauren protested as he unwound the tok and threw it at Blix’s blond head. He turned back and started immediately on the elaborate buttons running down the front of her pale blue blouse.

“There’s no time to explain. Here.” He stopped undressing her long enough to strip off his own shirt. “Take that off and put this on. Hurry.”

There seemed to be no point in arguing with him. Wondering what kind of alien custom she’d broken by accepting clothes from a stranger, Lauren stripped quickly out of the pale blue blouse and shrugged into Xairn’s shirt instead. It was much too large and drooped down to her knees. Which suited her fine, since the lovely cobalt skirt was the last thing to go. She was bare beneath the shirt but at least she was covered.

Xairn took each item of clothing as she handed it to him and tossed it back to Blix. The blond alien caught the blouse and skirt in turn but there was a strange little smile playing around his lips that Lauren didn’t like.

“You might as well have saved yourself the trouble, Scourge,” he said, passing the outfit to Vlanka who folded it neatly. “In return for the clothing, your little pet gave me these.” He held out the three food cubes he’d plucked from Lauren’s palm.

Xairn’s face was suddenly as impassive as stone but his deep voice sounded strangled when he talked. “That’s all? She gave you nothing more?”

“That’s all.” Blix was practically beaming by now. “Just three little food cubes, my friend. In exchange for clothing made from the finest Belarian silk and satin. Not to mention a tok made of one unbroken piece of skin from a rare crimson-hide gelk. Very expensive, I’m afraid, and all sales are final.”

A what? Lauren looked at the neatly folded tok in Vlanka’s orange hands. Was it really made out of some creature’s skin? It certainly hadn’t felt like any kind of leather. But from the look on Xairn’s face, she had worse things to worry about than what kind of weird alien skin she’d been wearing.

“Xairn?” she asked anxiously, tugging at his arm. “What’s wrong? What did I do?”

“You’ve sold yourself.” His voice was hoarse and his grip on her arm tightened until Lauren let out a squeak of pain. “Sold yourself into the skin trade.”

Panic gripped her by the throat. “What? What are you talking about? I swear I didn’t mean any harm. I only gave him the cubes with worms in them. I didn’t think—”

“Worms?” Xairn’s eyes widened suddenly. “Grieza worms?”

Lauren shrugged uneasily. “I don’t know what kind they are. They’re pale orange and about this long…” She held out her hands to measure. “And they come with a side dish of some weird blue-green sauce.”

“So.” Xairn turned back to Blix who was looking much less happy and smug now. “You traded your ‘very expensive’ clothes to Lauren for three helpings of Grieza worms. Which are, as you know, a rare and costly delicacy all the way from Twin Moons.”

“Not rare or costly enough,” Blix protested. “Not to pay for the fine garments I gave your pet.”

“The clothing you gave Lauren was the equivalence of slavery and death,” Xairn growled. “And you damn well know it, Spider. Do you want me to call the Judge of the Market to settle the claim?” He nodded at the purple tree being which Lauren had first seen striding up and down the center of the street. As though sensing trouble, it had stopped what it was doing and was staring fixedly at the scene playing out in front of Blix’s dusty stall. “Or will you acknowledge that what Lauren gave you was of equal value to the fucking clothes?” Xairn finished.

Blix looked sulky. “No. I’ll acknowledge.” His purple eyes flashed. “But be warned, Scourge—I’m not the only one who desires a piece of your little pet. An exotic like that will draw all kinds of interested parties. You’ll have to guard her with your life if you want to get her out of O’ah intact.”

Xairn’s eyes blazed and his voice dropped to a menacing growl. “I’d die before I’d let you take so much as a single hair from her head, you sick bastard!”

“And you may. If you don’t watch out.” With that, Blix disappeared abruptly, taking Vlanka, the clothes, and the booth he’d been sitting in when Lauren first walked up, with him. There was nothing left but a dusty, bare spot on the stone pavement.

“Xairn, I—” Lauren began…but then she stopped. There was a lot she still didn’t understand but by the look on his face, now wasn’t the time to ask.

“Come on.” Xairn pulled her roughly down the street, steering her back into the alley where the Kindred ship was parked.

“Hey! You’re hurting me!” Lauren protested when he opened the door and shoved her inside.

“You’d have been hurting a lot worse if I’d been even a parsec later getting to you,” Xairn growled, but he let her go at once.

“I don’t understand.” Lauren put her hand on her hips and glared at him. “Will you please explain what just happened out there?”

A muscle in Xairn’s jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. “What just happened was that you were about to become a splice whore for the Spider.”

“A spice whore? What the hell is that?” Lauren demanded.

“A prostitute who offers her body to prospective clients. They try you out and if they like you, they can pay an extra fee to take part of your body to a lab and clone you.”

“Part…part of my body?” Lauren could hardly believe it. Suddenly she flashed back to Vlanka’s orange, seven fingered hands. Some of her fingers had ended in sharp purple nails but some had ended in…In stumps. Oh my God! “You…you mean like fingers?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“Among other things,” Xairn said darkly. “Believe me, Lauren, it’s not a life you’d want. And as beautiful and exotic as you are, you wouldn’t have lasted a month on the streets. Blix would have sold you piece by piece until there was nothing left.”

Lauren shook her head. “But…but I don’t see how trading food cubes for clothes would make me Blix’s, uh, whore.”

“The rules of trade in O’ah state that every transaction must be of exactly equal value. That is why it’s so dangerous to barter here instead of just buying something with credits. The Spider gave you very expensive clothing and in return, you gave him nothing but a few food cubes—you owed him more. Much more. And he could have forced you to pay the difference with your body.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tightly for a moment as though trying to hold back a headache. “Gods, if you hadn’t given him the cubes with the grieza worms…”

“What would have happened?” Lauren whispered.

“I would have fought for you to the last—please know that,” Xairn said in a low voice. “But there is no surviving a physical confrontation with the Judge of the Market. He is a Quinlow—they carry the power of life and death in their hands. So I…I would have lost you.” Suddenly he pulled Lauren to him in a crushing hug. “Gods, Lauren, I can’t lose you. I won’t.” His deep voice was raw with emotion.

Lauren was so surprised she could barely think. In the entire time they’d known each other, Xairn had hardly ever touched her willingly. In fact, he’d even gone so far as to ask her not to touch him. Which made his spontaneous display of affection all the more rare and precious.

“Oh, Xairn…” She hugged him back tightly, nuzzling her face into his neck, breathing in the warm, spicy scent of his bare skin. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered in his ear. “You were gone for so much longer than you said and I was so afraid…” She choked. “Afraid something had happened to you. And then Blix tricked his way into the ship by pretending to be Mr. Kittles—the pet rabbit I used to have. And then he seemed so nice and reasonable and he kept saying you would never come back and I…I was so scared and I missed you so much.”

“That is what thought thieves do.” Xairn’s voice was soft and fierce in her ear. “They sense the troubled thoughts of their prey and then they stalk them mercilessly using their own fears against them. Forgive me for not warning you in more detail but I did not want to frighten you.”

Lauren kissed his cheek impulsively. “That’s okay,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry I disobeyed orders. I should have known you had a good reason for me to stay inside the ship.” She shifted closer to him, happy to feel his arms around her and the comforting press of his muscular chest against her breasts. “I’m just so glad you’re safe.”

As she pressed her body against his, Xairn stiffened in her arms. Abruptly, he drew away from her, ending the hug as suddenly as it had begun. “I am pleased and relieved that you are safe as well,” he said formally. “And I have good news—I have located an Alteration house that will perform the necessary manipulation of our respective DNA.”

“That’s nice, I guess,” Lauren said doubtfully. “But Xairn…” She closed the distance he’d put between them and put a hand on his arm. “I still—”

“Please.” Xairn pulled his arm away. “Don’t. And I believe it would be best if you would give me back my shirt and go put on the other garment I bought for you before I left.”

Lauren frowned, scanning the heavy muscles of his chest and arms for chillbumps. “I’m sorry. Are you cold?”

“No.” He suddenly wouldn’t look at her. “I just think it would be best.”

“All right.” Feeling hurt by his sudden about-face, Lauren withdrew. How could he be so effusively glad to see her one moment and so cold the next? Try as she might, she couldn’t help wishing to be in his arms again. He was so big and warm and she felt so completely safe when she was pressed to his chest. But from the closed look on his face, she could tell that wasn’t going to happen.

Sighing, she went to the bathroom. So much for new clothes.

She was so busy removing Xairn’s shirt and replacing the silver-blue muumuu, she almost missed the fact that she was still wearing the blue slippers with crimson red soles. When she finally realized she still had the shoes on, she had an uneasy feeling. Was this going to cause problems later on? Or were the worm cubes enough to pay for the slippers as well as the clothes Blix had given her? Would Xairn be upset when he saw that she had kept them?

Deciding not to take a chance, Lauren took off the slippers and hid them in a small storage cabinet under the sink. Then, sighing, she went to return Xairn’s shirt.

* * * * *

Xairn was weak with relief—or possibly blood loss. He’d gotten into one last fight at the base of the support which held up the plasti-glass splicer tunnels. There had only been two splicers this time but one of them had jumped on his back before Xairn saw him. His knife had bitten deep—though thankfully not deep enough to wound his primary heart, which was what he’d no doubt been reaching for.

He looked down at his side, examining the wicked gash where the knife had cut him. Dark red blood was welling up from the slice but at least it wasn’t gushing out. Xairn pulled the waistband of his black flight pants a little higher and tightened his belt to put pressure on the wound. There was no time to deal with it any further at present. He had to get the ship powered up and moved to Slk’s parking accommodations before it got completely dark. And before the Spider’s spies found out where he was headed.

He walked stiffly to the front of the ship and settled himself in front of the controls, careful of the wound on his side. Though he didn’t want to admit it, his body was throbbing and it wasn’t just with pain. His secondary shaft, which for years had lain dormant between his legs, was so hard it was painful. It pressed against the front of his pants,snarling for release. Thank the gods, at least, that his primary shaft remained unaffected. But it was necessary only for bonding—the engorgement of his secondary shaft was more than adequate for other sexual purposes. Not that he would ever do such things to Lauren. Still, his body was urging him to, telling him to take her, to make her his.

All because of one simple, innocent hug.

She has no idea what she does to me—how she affects me, he thought as he put the engine through its warm-up sequence. For a moment he allowed himself to relive the sweet sensation of Lauren’s full breasts flush against his chest. He’d been able to feel her nipples, tight and ripe, rubbing against him through the thin material of his shirt. All her warm curves pressed against him as she came so willingly into his arms…it was almost as though she wanted to touch him. As though she wanted to be close to him despite what he was.

She wouldn’t be so eager if she knew how I felt. The things I need, Xairn thought grimly. He didn’t want the desires inside him. Didn’t want to be like the rest of his race…like his sadistic father. Closing his eyes briefly, he remembered the many perversions he’d seen the AllFather perform. He’d savaged them—the unwilling females he took to satiate his monstrous appetites. I’d rather die than hurt Lauren that way, Xairn told himself fiercely.

No, he decided as the ship rose above the skyline of O’ah and nosed toward the splicing district, he would never do that to her. Never use her that way. In fact, it would be better if he never touched her again. Gathering her into his arms had been stupid and impulsive, especially considering even such brief contact made his body react so strongly.

From now on he would have to keep his distance—it wasn’t safe to be near her again.

Chapter Eight

“What’s troubling you, my lady?” Lock’s voice was soft as he washed Kat’s back.

“I’ve sensed it too.” Deep kissed her and squeezed the sponge he was holding so that warm water ran down over her bare breasts. “Tell us what’s wrong, little Kat.”

The three of them were in the huge bathing pool in their bathroom, enjoying a relaxing soak after the stress of Sophie’s wedding. And there had been considerably more stress than Kat had expected.

“It’s Lauren,” she admitted with a sigh. “I really liked her—really felt for her. And now I’m worried.”

“I would say you have cause to be.” Deep frowned. “If what Nadiah saw was accurate she could be in trouble.”

“But that’s the thing.” Kat sat up a little straighter, splashing water. “Do you think it was?”

“Sylvan seemed to believe in her power,” Lock pointed out. “Apparently it’s a rare but recognized phenomenon on Tranq Prime. A manifestation of the goddess in a few chosen females.”

“But couldn’t she be wrong?” Kat pleaded. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to believe Nadiah had some kind of psychic ability—it was just that she didn’t want Lauren to be in danger.

“I don’t know,” Lock murmured.

“Well, she did think that Detective Rast was a Kindred,” Kat pointed out, feeling a spark of hope.

“Yes, but you can’t blame her for that,” Deep objected. “Lock and I thought the same thing. He looks Kindred.”

“He does,” Lock agreed. “And it’s not just the truegreen eyes. It’s his build, his bearing—”

“Though he doesn’t treat females with the respect they deserve,” Lock pointed out, frowning.

“Not exactly,” Deep agreed. “Although I got the feeling he wasn’t upset at Nadiah so much as at the application of her gift, which he claims not to believe in.”

“But that’s the thing,” Kat said, feeling frustrated. “Can we believe that she’s accurate? Oh, I wish we had some way to check on Lauren but I know the Maw Cluster is way too far away for us to do a joining.”

Deep looked thoughtful. “Ordinarily I’d say you were right about that, Kat. But there might be a way.”

“Really? There might?” Kat asked excitedly.

Deep’s voice was grave when he nodded. “Yes, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“What do you mean?” Kat frowned.

“Well, as you know, sexual energy generates the power that we use to propel ourselves as seeker, finder, and focus into the astral plane,” Deep said. “The higher the tension between the three of us, the more energy is generated.”

Kat smiled. “Of course. But I thought we generated more than enough energy. Hell, we could probably light up Yankee Stadium for a year if we could bottle what we put out.”

“Be that as it may, it won’t be enough to reach the Maw Cluster,” Lock said softly from behind her. “Not unless we try something new. Something guaranteed to boost our output.”

Kat frowned warily. “What exactly are we talking about here?”

“Something we haven’t tried before.” Deep looked into her eyes. “I think you know what I’m talking about, little Kat—double penetration.”

Kat’s mouth was suddenly almost too dry to talk. “I…” She cleared her throat. “What do you mean? We always do that. Every time the three of us make love when you and Lock fuse together to, you know, enter me.”

She could feel herself blushing as she spoke the words but she couldn’t seem to help it. No matter how often she made love with her two new mates, she still felt a little shy about what the three of them did together. Deep and Lock might consider it perfectly normal to share a woman but it still counted as kinky in her book.

“That’s not what I mean and I think you know it,” Deep said gently. “When Lock and I fuse our shafts together, we enter your pussy. But we’ve never tried filling both your pussy and your back passage at the same time.”

“You mean one in front and one…” Kat cleared her throat again. “In back?” Her voice ended in a squeak.

“Deep and I would like to make love to you that way, my lady,” Lock murmured in her ear. “While we enjoy fusing our shafts to enter you as one, we also crave the sensations of filling you individually.”

“You…you do?” Kat swallowed.

“Does that bother you?” Deep asked softly. “Do you not want to be touched here?”

Kat felt his finger brush lightly between her cheeks, caressing her rosebud as he spoke. She gasped and jumped, splashing water out of the bathing pool all over the bathroom floor.

“Kat, are you all right?” Deep’s concern washed over her. At the same time Lock said, “My lady?” And she felt his tenderness and affection as well.

“Fine, I’m fine,” she said, backing away from the two of them. “I just…I think I’ve had enough time in the bath.” She climbed out of the bathing pool quickly and wrapped herself in a long crimson bathing robe. It had been specially developed by the Kindred to instantly absorb water so it dried her immediately. Trying to look as though nothing was wrong, Kat swept out of the bathroom and curled up in the middle of the huge, three-person bed.

She heard the low murmur of voices and knew if she ‘tuned in’ to her guys, she would probably be able to catch some of what they were saying or thinking but she didn’t want to. Instead she closed her eyes and burrowed her head into one of the big fluffy pillows. Maybe if they thought she was asleep…

“My lady, what’s wrong?” Lock’s question let her know her sleep ruse wasn’t working.

“Nothing.” Sighing, she sat up. “I told you, I’m fine.”

“We can’t help but know when you’re lying, you know,” Deep said, sitting down on one side of her as Lock took the other side. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing really. I just…” Kat grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. “I’m just not a big fan of…that kind of sex. That’s all.”

“You know the bonding fruit will help you stretch to accommodate us, don’t you?” Lock asked.

“She knows.” Deep frowned. “But I’m guessing our Kat’s objection goes deeper than that.”

Kat sighed. “I guess I might as well tell you or you’ll never leave me alone.”

“I think you need to tell us,” Deep said, his voice unexpectedly gentle. “So no, we won’t leave you alone until you do.”

“Fine.” She squeezed the pillow harder and looked down at the bed. “It’s not a big deal really. Just that I let…let a guy try that once, back there, and it really hurt.”

“And?” Deep’s voice said he knew there was more to it than that.

Damn him. Kat flashed him an unfriendly look and he stared back, one black eyebrow raised. “And he was really into the moment and he didn’t…” She swallowed hard, not wanting to remember. “He didn’t stop when I asked him to. It just…wasn’t a very good experience, okay?”

“He hurt you?” Lock’s voice was raw—filled with the pain Kat didn’t want to express.

“Yes,” she said tightly. “And ever since then I’m not…I don’t really want to go there. Or let anyone else go there, if you know what I mean.”

“We know,” Deep murmured.

“I don’t understand,” Lock said, shaking his head. “I thought…during our joining to find Sophia, when you let us all the way into your memories…I don’t see how you could have concealed such a source of pain, my lady.”

“She was able to conceal it from us because she’s been concealing it from herself,” Deep rumbled. “Isn’t that right, Kat?”

Kat gave a short nod. “It’s not a happy memory, okay?”

“Of course not.” Lock stroked her shoulder soothingly.

“Perhaps you’d feel better if the bastard who hurt you was brought to justice,” Deep growled.

Kat sighed. “No, I wouldn’t. He wasn’t a bad guy—it was just that we were both kind of drunk. He apologized afterwards.” Not that I could ever stand to date him again. Not after that, she thought with a shiver, remembering the painful experience of being pinned to the bed and invaded.

She’d cried and begged but Devon had never seemed to hear her. Or if he had, he hadn’t wanted to stop. Afterwards, seeing her swollen eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, he appeared to feel terrible about what he’d done. But Kat could never really trust him after that. They broke up a few days later and she’d never seen him again. And tried never to think of him. Until tonight…

We would never hurt you that way, she heard Lock send through their mental link.

Never, Deep echoed. He slid an arm around her shoulders. Come here. If you have to cry, Lock and I want to hold you.

She sniffed and realized that hot tears were rolling down her cheeks. Four muscular arms surrounded her and drew her down on the bed. Kat knew she was safe, sheltered by their love for her. It flowed over and around her, comforting, soothing, whispering that she was cared for, needed, loved. Telling her that she would never be hurt in such a way again.

For a long time Kat let herself drift. Cradled between Deep and Lock she closed her eyes and tried to let go of the past. What Devon had done was painful and humiliating but it was over. It was time to let it go.

Finally she felt strong enough to speak. I’m sorry, she whispered at last, through their link. I didn’t realize until now how much it upset me. I spent so many years trying to forget.

Of course you did—anyone would try to forget a memory so painful, Lock assured her.

Well, maybe forgetting isn’t the answer. Sniffing, Kat wiped her eyes and sat up. “Maybe it’s time I got over it.”

“And how do you propose to do that?” Deep asked, as he and Lock sat up as well.

“By…by trying it again.” Kat took a deep breath. “By letting the two of you make love to me there…that way. The way you want to.”

“We don’t want to do anything that will hurt you, my lady,” Lock protested, stroking her hair.

“Lock’s right. We’re perfectly happy to make love to you in our regular way for the rest of our lives,” Deep said.

Kat lifted her chin. “But that won’t help us find Lauren, will it?”

“Kat, look at me.” Deep tilted her chin so that they were eye to eye. His coal black eyes were burning. “If we do this,” he murmured, “It should be for you—not anyone else. We can try and find Lauren if you want, but the main focus should be on healing your wounds.”

Kat tried to laugh. “You mean sexual healing?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Deep nodded.

“It is possible, you know. Especially when three people are as closely connected as we are,” Lock said, kissing her shoulder. “We just need to take things very slowly.”

“We need to show you that it can be pleasurable to be penetrated here,” Deep murmured, his large hand caressing her buttocks through the crimson robe. “That you can enjoy it instead of fearing it.”

Kat bit her lip. “You…you really think that’s possible?”

Deep nodded and Lock said, “Yes, my lady. Very possible.”

“But it has to be about you,” Deep said, looking into her eyes again. “No one else, sweetheart. And you have to be sure…very sure you want to do it.”

Kat’s heart was pounding a mile a minute but she knew she wanted this. After all the years that had passed since her experience with Devon, she wanted to finally get over the pain—to exorcise the bad and hurtful memory. And, she had to admit, she wanted to give her men something they’d been craving. To open herself to them and let them in completely in a way she hadn’t before.

No more secrets, she whispered to both of them through their link. No more lies. I want the three of us to be one. I want to do this.

Lying through the mental link was next to impossible and she could feel Deep and Lock registering her sincerity. They know I mean it, that I really want this, she thought. No matter how much it scares me.

Yes, we know, Deep assured her softly. But there’s no need to be frightened, sweetheart. Just relax and let Lock and I give you pleasure.

Though Kat was more than willing to try it, she still didn’t see how she could get pleasure from being filled there.

Because we won’t be filling you—not to start with, Lock told her soothingly.

You’re not? Then what—? Before she could finish asking the question, the light twin answered it by licking a long, slow trail from her ankle to her knee.

Take off your robe, little Kat, Deep murmured in her head. Take off your robe and allow Lock to taste you.

You mean to taste me…there? Kat looked at them uncertainly.

Of course, my lady. Lock smiled up at her, his warm brown eyes filled with love and lust. We need to put you at your ease by giving you pleasure before we attempt penetration. What better way than to tease open your sweet little rosebud with my tongue?

I don’t know… Kat crossed her legs uneasily.

What’s wrong? Deep asked, stroking her cheek. You have no problem with allowing us to taste your pussy. Why should this be any different?

Kat felt her cheeks getting hot. Because it seems…I don’t know…dirty.

My lady, we just finished bathing, Lock reminded her gently. You are not dirty. You’re warm and sweet and soft and I want very much to taste you.

Really? Kat turned to look at him. Even there?

Especially there, Deep assured her. And to make it easier, I’ll hold you while Lock goes down on you. You know I won’t let you come to any harm, don’t you? I would die first.

As would I, Lock murmured, kissing her knee gently. Please, my lady. Open yourself for me. I want so much to taste you.

The outpouring of love, lust, and tenderness from the two of them was so strong it almost threatened to drown her—but in a good way. All right, Kat whispered. Sitting up, she shrugged out of the robe and threw it to the far side of the bed. As long as we take it slowly. And as long as we use our energy to try and find Lauren.

Agreed, Deep murmured and she felt Lock’s acceptance as well.

All right then. Kat took a deep breath and looked at both of them. Let’s get started.

Very well, let’s start with something familiar. Come here and sit between my legs, Deep instructed.

Kat did as he said, leaning back against him, enjoying the warmth of his bare, muscular chest against her back.

Very good, Deep instructed softly. Now allow Lock to open your thighs.

It wasn’t easy, but Kat obeyed again. She watched as Lock parted her thighs and spread them wide, baring the mound of her sex, decorated with a neatly trimmed nest of auburn curls. Despite her earlier fear, her pussy was already beginning to feel wet and swollen with desire. This was one of her favorite things to do—to lean back against Deep and hear him whisper hot, dirty fantasies in her ear while Lock lapped her open cunt.

It was so incredibly arousing to be surrounded by the two of them, to feel their love and lust for her rising as they pleasured her. Unlike many human males, the Kindred reveled in going down. In fact, Deep and Lock had both told her that spreading her open and tasting her pussy was one of their favorite sexual acts. Kat enjoyed tasting them as well, but they didn’t often let her because they preferred to be the pleasure givers.

Start with her pussy, Brother, Deep instructed his twin. Lick our little Kat long and slow. Tease her clit and put your tongue deep in her sweet little cunt..

With pleasure. Looking up to meet her eyes, Lock spread her swollen pussy lips wide to reveal her slippery pink folds. Then, starting at the bottom of her slit, he dragged his tongue upwards as though Kat was his favorite flavor of lollypop.

Kat’s breath caught in her throat as he bathed her clit with his hot tongue and then swirled the tip of it around the little bud, tracing magical patterns over her wet flesh. God, would she ever get used to this? Ever get used to lying in one brother’s arms while the other went down on her? It still seemed kinky and a little bit forbidden. But what Deep and Lock wanted to do to her was much more forbidden than this.

As if reading her thoughts, Lock nuzzled downward and began licking the narrow, sensitive margin of skin between the bottom of her slit and her rosebud.

Kat gasped at the sudden sensation. And yes, though it felt strange to be licked there, it didn’t hurt or feel wrong exactly. In fact, it was beginning to feel very good, especially since Deep had reached around in front of her and was tugging gently at her nipples.

That’s right, Brother, he growled softly through their link. Now lick our little Kat lower. Trace that sweet virgin rosebud with your tongue.

But I’m not a virgin there, Kat protested, turning her head to look up at him.

His black eyes burned into hers. You’ve been hurt and taken against your will, little Kat. None of that counts as making love. Until you’ve been penetrated and filled by a male who truly loves you and cares about your comfort, you are still a virgin in my eyes.

And mine, Lock added, looking up. Please my lady, I need to open you a little more in order to taste you as I want to.

Kat wanted to protest again that it seemed dirty or wrong but the words stuck in her throat as she watched Lock spread her even wider and slide his tongue down the groove between her buttocks and into forbidden territory.

“God!” she gasped aloud as the light twin began a careful exploration of her rosebud with his tongue. He lapped gently around the circumference and then, very gently, pressed the tip of his tongue to her very center. Kat gasped again at the tender penetration and Deep growled in approval, obviously feeling the sudden rush of surprised lust that washed over her.

Kat couldn’t get over the fact that what Lock was doing turned her on. It was hot and incredibly erotic to watch the light twin on his knees before her, piercing her intimate back entrance with his talented tongue. She had never in a million years imagined she could enjoy such a thing but now she couldn’t get enough.

Feels good, doesn’t it? Deep asked through their link. Feels good to let Lock taste you there—to put his tongue inside you.

Yes, Kat admitted, knowing there was no point in trying to pretend otherwise. I can hardly believe it but yes, yes it does. It’s amazing.

Not to mention extremely hot to watch. Deep twisted her nipples until she squeaked with pleasure/pain and then one large hand slid down her abdomen to cup her mound of curls. Gods, I love to watch Lock go down on you. Almost as much as I love tasting you myself, little Kat.

Kat knew that part of the Twin Kindred mentality was taking enjoyment in watching while their lover was pleasured by their twin. It eliminated jealousy between the brothers and kept her from ever feeling like one of them was being left out or slighted. Such an amicable, sharing relationship would never have been possible if her lovers had been human, but the Twin Kindred were born to share a female between them and enjoyed it to the hilt.

Speaking of the hilt, how much deeper was Lock going to put his tongue? More, she heard Deep urging him. Pierce her gently but thoroughly, Brother. Open our little Kat with your tongue.

“Please!” Kat writhed between them, unable to keep still. She’d been afraid that having anything at all back there would bring back the terrible sensations she’d felt with Devon, but there was nothing but pleasure. So much pleasure she almost couldn’t stand it. And then Deep added to it by parting her pussy lips and stroking her swollen clit.

“Deep,” she gasped. “What—?”

“Touching you,” he growled softly in her ear. “Getting you ready. Lock is about to stop using his tongue and slip his fingers into your rosebud instead. Are you all right with that, little Kat? Can you be open enough to let him touch you like that?”

“I…I guess so,” Kat whispered back. She tensed slightly as she felt Lock’s tongue withdraw and then his fingers were there instead. He surprised her again, however. Instead of just invading her, she felt some kind of warm, soothing cream being rubbed into her tender back entrance. Kat jumped a little and then tried to relax into the light twin’s gentle touch. “What’s that?” she asked.

“Just something to ease the way, my lady,” Lock murmured, looking up at her. “The bonding fruit in your system will allow you to accommodate my fingers easily but I want this experience to be as smooth and gentle as possible.”

Kat smiled and reached down to card her fingers through his dark gold hair. “You’re always so thoughtful, Lock. I love you.”

“And I love you, my lady.” He smiled, his warm brown eyes filled with emotion. “Thank you for allowing me to touch you this way.”

“Yes, Kat, thank you for trusting us.” Deep kissed her cheek. “It means a lot to both Lock and myself.”

“It means a lot to me that you both care so much.” Kat cuddled back against Deep’s broad chest and nodded at Lock. “Go on. I…I think I’m ready.”

“Slowly then,” he murmured. His eyes never leaving hers, he began to penetrate her.

Kat jumped a little bit as Lock slipped the first finger in but he had been right—her steady diet of bonding fruit allowed her much greater elasticity in this area than she’d had during her previous experience with Devon. There was no pain at all as Lock fucked her gently with first one finger, then two, then three. And as he worked on her, Deep continued to stroke her swollen clit and whisper through their link how beautiful and brave she was.

The pleasure built and built until Kat was right on the edge. Just one more stroke would send her over…so of course that was when Lock withdrew his fingers and Deep stopped stroking her.

“You two!” she moaned in frustration. “You know how close I was—I know you can tell.”

“We can tell, all right.” Deep kissed her cheek. “But if you want to find Lauren we need you to hold off.” He looked into her eyes. “You need to wait until we’re both buried to the hilt in your ass and pussy before you come, little Kat. All right?”

Kat felt herself blushing at his frank words. “All right,” she whispered. “Which one of you is going to…to fill me back there?”

Deep frowned. “I would like the pleasure myself but I think we should allow Lock to do it this first time.”

“Deep is right,” Lock agreed. “My shaft isn’t quite as thick than his. It will be less frightening for you, my lady.”

“I’m not scared,” Kat said, lifting her chin. “Not…not anymore.” Which was almost true. To be completely honest, now that they were getting down to the actual act, her heart was drumming so hard it felt like it was trying to break through her ribs and escape. But she still wanted this—wanted it badly.

Deep looked at her critically. “Yes you are—a little. But don’t worry, little Kat. I’ll be holding you every step of the way. Just lean on me and look into my eyes. I’ll keep you safe.”

“And if you’re ever uncomfortable at any time, let me know,” Lock murmured. “I swear to stop and withdraw at once if you change your mind.”

Kat didn’t think that was going to happen. Now that she had started this, she wanted to see it through to the finish. Not to mention that her entire body was aching for sexual release. But it was nice to know that her lovers were attentive to her needs and both willing and able to stop if whatever they were doing felt too uncomfortable to stand.

Let’s do it, she whispered, reverting back to their mind link once more. I want this. Want both of you in me…now.

As you wish, my lady, Lock murmured and Deep said, Of course, little Kat.

The two of them lay her down on the bed on her side with Lock behind her and Deep in front. Nestled between them, Kat felt warm and protected as always. Deep made sure she was comfortable, with her head resting on a pillow so he could look into her eyes and Lock stroked her back in a soothing caress.

Slowly now, little Kat, Deep murmured in her mind, his eyes never leaving hers. Lock is going to enter your rosebud first. Only when he is completely inside you will I fill your pussy. Are you ready?

Yes, Kat whispered, her heart pounding. Yes, I’m ready.

Good. Deep stroked her cheek lovingly and then looked over her shoulder to make eye contact with Lock. Gently, Brother. Just press against her at first. Let her feel the head of your cock kissing her sweet bud.

Kat bit her lip as Lock raised her leg. The she felt the broad head of the light twin’s shaft pressing gently but firmly directly against her rosebud. For a moment that night with Devon came rushing back and she panicked. But her old boyfriend had never been this slow and patient. Instead of holding still, allowing her to get used to the feeling of his cock touching her ass, he’d simply plowed ahead, causing excruciating pain.

Lock and Deep would never do that to me, Kat reminded herself, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. And besides, I have the bonding fruit in my system. I can do this.

“Do it,” she said out loud and was proud when her voice didn’t tremble. “Go ahead, Lock. Put…put it in me. I can take it.”

“You’re certain?” Deep cupped her cheek and she nodded. “Very well.” He looked at Lock. “It’s all right, Brother. You can enter her. Just do it very slowly.”

“Of course,” Lock said reassuringly. And then Kat felt the blunt probe of his cock begin to press inwards, stretching her gently but firmly as he entered her.

Kat felt the head of his cock slide in, followed by two or three inches of thick shaft. There was no pain but she couldn’t help jumping a little and squeezing Deep’s muscular arms tight as Lock’s shaft invaded her.

Easy, little Kat, he murmured, holding her eyes with his. Just try to relax and be open for Lock.

I am, she whispered back. It’s just…a little more difficult than I expected.

Do you wish me to stop? Lock sent through their link, his mental voice anxious. Because I will if you want me to, my lady. I will withdraw at once. He began to suit actions to words but Kat reached back and grabbed his arm.

No, don’t. Don’t pull it out. I…I want you in me, Lock. I just need a little time.

Take as much time as you need, my lady, he responded, stroking her back soothingly. I swear not to move again until you ask me to.

Thank you, Kat whispered back.

Kat, look at me, Deep murmured and she lifted her chin to see the dark twin staring down at her intently.

Yes? she sent back.

Tell me about it. Tell me how it feels. Tell me how you feel.

Kat bit her lip. I…I feel opened. Opened but not violated so that’s good. And it doesn’t hurt. It just…brings back bad memories.

We need to try and make some good ones, then, Deep said firmly. I’m going to touch you now, Kat. One large hand slid between her thighs and cupped her pussy again. Going to spread open your sweet cunt and stroke you while Lock stays inside you. He’s only about halfway in, right?

Kat nodded. Yes, I think so.

Good. As I touch you, I want you to concentrate on Lock’s shaft. Feel it inside you. Imagine what it will be like to have him all the way in, filling your back entrance completely. Give yourself to the sensation of being opened, of being penetrated with love and tenderness instead of cruelty and pain.

I’ll try, Kat promised, looking up at him. I do know you and Lock would never hurt me. That helps.

I’m glad, little Kat. Deep lowered his head to kiss her and at the same time, Kat felt him part her wet folds and being to stroke gently against the side of her swollen clit with one careful fingertip. Glad you can trust us enough to try this.

I…I want to do more than just try, Kat told him, her breathing beginning to speed up as he built the slow fire of pleasure between her legs. I want both of you in me, making love to me at the same time.

In good time, Deep promised, and kissed her again. For now, just concentrate on the sensations between your legs. How does it feel to have Lock’s shaft penetrating your bud? Do you begin to feel the stirrings of pleasure from allowing him to fill you there?

Kat closed her eyes for a moment. Making a deliberate effort, she blocked out her past with her old boyfriend and concentrated on what was happening now with Lock and Deep. The light twin’s shaft was thick, stretching her to the limit, but it didn’t feel bad. In fact, it felt good to be so open for her lover’s cock. Good to spread herself and let him fill her this way, especially since she knew that Deep wouldn’t be far behind in filling her pussy.

I like it, she admitted at last. When there’s no pain it’s a very erotic sensation.

And do you think you could let Lock fill you completely now?

Kat nodded. Yes, I think so. Lock?

I am ready and waiting to do your bidding, my lady, the light twin sent back. Shall I sink my shaft to the hilt in you now?

Kat took a deep breath, fear and desire warring inside her. Yes, she sent back. Yes, please do. I want you in me, Lock. All the way in me.

As my lady wishes. She felt something soft and warm press against her neck and realized that Lock had kissed her there. Then, gripping her hips for leverage, he slid the rest of his long, thick cock smoothly into her ass.

Kat let out an involuntary moan but it wasn’t a sound of pain. On the contrary, she couldn’t believe how good it felt to be completely filled in such a forbidden area. She felt Lock’s hips brush against her buttocks and knew he was all the way inside her, filling her to the hilt just as she had wanted him to do.

Are you all right? Deep murmured, looking at her. His broad fingertip continued its slow, erotic caress of her swollen clit, gently building the pleasure inside her.

Yes. Kat nodded. Yes, it feels…it feels good. Wonderful. The only thing that could make it better is having you in me too.

So you’re ready for me to penetrate you as well? Deep’s caressing finger slid lower, invading her pussy and pressing deep inside the slippery well of her cunt. I can tell you are, he sent, answering his own question. Gods, little Kat, you’re so wet.

Because I need you in me. Both of you, Kat told him, looking into his eyes. Please Deep, fill me up.

With pleasure, sweetheart. Reaching between them, he fitted the broad head of his cock to the wet entrance of her pussy. Kat couldn’t hold back a moan as she felt his thick shaft thrusting slowly into her. God, but it felt incredible. Hot and erotic in a way she’d never experienced before.

In the past, while making love to her men, they had always been fused together, the better to penetrate her pussy as one. This time she could feel both shafts distinctly, and the sensation was amazing. Her eyelids fluttered briefly shut with pleasure and when she opened them, she saw Deep looking down at her.

“Gods, you’re beautiful, Kat,” he whispered hoarsely. “And so brave to take both of us at once this way. So sweet and courageous to spread your legs and let Lock and I fill your pussy and your ass at the same time.”

As he spoke, Kat felt the broad head of his cock press against the end of her channel and she knew both men were inside her, filling her completely. “God,” she moaned softly as her pleasure built higher and higher. “So good. So…so right.”

“It’s always right when it’s the three of us together, my lady,” Lock murmured, kissing her neck again. “Though I have to admit, this is amazing. I can feel Deep’s shaft rubbing against mine.”

“And I feel yours as well, Brother,” Deep growled. “So tell me, how shall we fuck our lady? Shall we move against each other or as one?”

“As one,” Lock answered at once. “The lady Kat needs to feel both of us sliding in and out of her pussy and rosebud in tandem.”

“That sounds…sounds good to me.” Kat couldn’t help how breathless her voice had become. She’d never felt this filled before—not even when both her lovers were filling her pussy at once. The double penetration was a whole new sensation—one so incredibly intense she felt like the moment they started to move within her she would go off like a rocket.

That’s exactly what we want, Deep sent her, having obviously caught her thought. The more intense your orgasm, the further we can travel.

Then let’s go, Kat sent, leaning up to give the dark twin a passionate kiss. I can’t wait any longer—I need to come!

As my lady wishes, Lock murmured. He and Deep locked eyes and the dark twin murmured Now.

A low gasp was drawn from Kat as both thick shafts pulled slowly out of her ass and pussy and then pressed back in again, even deeper than before. She threw back her head, resting it on Lock’s broad shoulder as they did it again, fucking her together in a way that went beyond any pleasure she’d ever known or imagined.

And it wasn’t just their cocks inside her—large, warm hands and hot mouths were all over her. Lock was licking and kissing the side of her neck while he pinched her nipples and Deep had worked his hand between them again and was stroking her swollen clit much more firmly than before.

Suddenly the sensations of having two cocks inside her, fucking her, loving her as her men pleasured her every way they knew how was too much for Kat. With a loud, gasping cry, she felt her orgasm take flight.

Blast off! she thought deliriously.

And suddenly there were stars everywhere…

Chapter Nine

“Here you go.” Lauren walked to the front of the ship and held out Xairn’s shirt.

“Leave it on the back of my seat, please.” His red-on-black eyes never left the viewscreen. In the time it had taken her to change and stow away the blue and crimson slippers he had piloted them from the dark alley to what appeared to be…another dark alley.

“Where are we?” Lauren asked as he made preparations to land.

“The parking accommodations of the Alteration House of Slk.” He pulled the ship neatly into a large stone stall and set them down gently. “There. And not a moment too soon.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

Xairn cast her a sidelong look. “It is not safe to be out in the public part of the splicing district after dark. This area communicates directly with the House of Slk.”

“I thought you said the man who was helping you was named Vrr?”

“It was but he is retired. Slk is his son who is equally skilled…if considerably more expensive.” Xairn frowned. Then with a sigh, he locked the controls and rose. “Come. He’ll be waiting for us.”

He brushed against Lauren as he reached for his shirt and she felt something warm and wet on the back of her arm. Looking down, she saw a smear of dark red on her skin. “Xairn?” She looked up at him questioningly.

“What?” He was already shrugging into the shirt but she stopped him with one hand on his arm. Looking closer, she saw the source of the red liquid. Blood—it was welling up from a cut on his side, somewhere under the waistband of his black flight pants.

“What’s that?” she demanded, pointing to his side. “Why didn’t you tell me you were wounded?”

The big warrior looked down as though noticing his wound for the first time. “A scratch. I got into several altercations on my way back to you. That’s the main reason I was late.”

“It’s a lot more than a scratch. Let me see it.” When he started to refuse, Lauren made her voice strict. “I said let me see it.”

“I would prefer that you didn’t,” he said stiffly. But she was already unbuckling his belt and pushing the black pants lower down his muscular abdomen and hips to see the extent of his injuries. Sure enough, there was a long, nasty gash running up from the front of his right hip to the curve of his back. Thankfully, it didn’t look deep but it was still oozing blood and Lauren was afraid it might become infected.

“Wait right here,” she said. “I think I saw some kind of first aid kit thingy in the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

She grabbed the mini-suitcase she’d seen earlier—it was filled with what looked like bandages and bottles with alien script written on them—and brought it back to Xairn. He was still standing in the middle of the ship as still as a statue with a frown on his face.

“Okay now,” Lauren said. “You’re going to have to help me with this because I don’t read Kindred.” She looked up at him. “Uh, do you?”

“I am fluent in over two hundred languages and dialects. And yes, the Kindred common tongue is one of them,” he answered.

Lauren let out a low whistle. “Wow! That’s amazing. Is that a Scourge thing?”

He shook his head. “I have an aptitude for languages. To my knowledge, it is not common among my people. Perhaps…I may have inherited the ability from my mother.”

“You’ve never talked about her before,” Lauren said softly. “Were you…very young when she died?”

“I do not know if she is living or dead,” Xairn said stonily. “Only that my father took me from her soon after I was born.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed…”

“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head and then pointed to a green plasti-glass bottle with a strange looking stopper on it. “That is the disinfectant. You should use it first.”

“Of course.” Lauren felt like she’d really put her foot in her mouth, asking about his mother. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about her or her fate—whatever it had been. She fiddled for a moment with the stopper on the bottle—and it came off in her hand. “Oh!” She looked at it in surprise. The stopper was attached to a long wand with a bulbous end. It was dripping with clear, viscous fluid. She looked up at Xairn. “So I guess I just…spread it on with this?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Lauren shrugged. “Okay.” Carefully, she touched the bulbous end of the wand to the start of the long gash and began to paint the wound with the viscous liquid.

Xairn drew in a hissing breath and all the muscles in his big body clenched at once.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Lauren looked up at him. “Does it sting?”

“It’s not pleasant but I will survive. Please continue—Slk is waiting for us.”

“All right.” Lauren went back to painting the wound but as she went, she blew a soothing stream of cool air to try and ease the sting.

Xairn looked down at her frowning. “What are you doing?”

“Just trying to make it feel better.” Lauren looked up at him sheepishly. “Uh, my mom used to do it for me. She’d always blow on my cuts before she put the band aid on.” She shrugged. “It made it hurt less. Do you want me to stop?”

A strange look came over his face and his voice was a little less remote when he answered. “No, that’s all right. You can continue if you want.”

“Good.” Lauren smiled at him and went back to the business at hand. When she had the entire cut painted with disinfectant, she put the stopper back in the green bottle and rummaged around in the little suitcase for what looked like a roll of gauze. But as she was about to unroll it, Xairn held out a hand.

“Give it to me.”

Lauren frowned. “You can’t put it on yourself. This cut goes halfway up your back.”

“I won’t try to but I need to activate the qui.”

“The what?” Lauren frowned at the roll of gauze in her hand.

“The qui. It means the Goddess of Mercy bandage.”

“Does it have some kind of microchip in it or something?”

“Hardly. Like most Kindred inventions, it’s actually a living organism. But it must be activated in order to work.” He held out his hand again and raised an eyebrow at her.

Giving in to his unspoken request, Lauren handed him the roll.

Xairn raised it to his mouth and whispered something in a foreign language. Then he pressed the roll to his forehead, both cheeks, and lips before handing it back to Lauren. “There. It should work now.”

“What did you say to it?” Lauren asked, beginning to unroll the gauzy substance. No, not substance—animal, I guess. How weird.

“The exact wording is ‘Drink of my blood and be nourished. My body is thine to heal as thou will. A gift for a gift. A life for a life.”

“My body is thine,” Lauren murmured. “Hmm. I think I like that.” She had the right length of bandage that she wanted now but she wasn’t sure if it was permissible to cut it to fit. Maybe she should just wrap it around and around Xairn’s waist until it— The thought died in her mind to be replaced by wonder. As she watched, the qui shortened itself to the exact length she wanted. It broadened a little as well, becoming a little wider than the palm of her hand. “Well.” She stared at it a minute then shrugged and began to press it gently to Xairn’s side.

She wasn’t sure how it would stay on—was there some kind of glue or tape she could use? But the qui adhered to his muscular side at once and stuck nicely without any help.

Lauren was impressed. “That’s good. That’s really good,” she murmured, stroking her hand over his side to make sure the living bandage was smooth and evenly applied. “I wish the Kindred would share this with Earth.”

“Actually it’s old technology. They have much more sophisticated healing methods now.” Xairn’s deep voice sounded strained. Lauren noticed that his big hands were curled into fists at his sides and he was positively trembling as she touched him. She frowned. Am I hurting him? “Are you okay?” she asked aloud.

“Fine.” He gazed down at her, his eyes blazing. The look on his face was so intense she drew back a little.

“Xairn?” she asked, trying to keep the unease out of her voice and not quite managing.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the fire in their red-on-black depths seemed to have died down a little. “Forgive me but Slk is waiting. Thank you for tending to my wound but now we really must go.”

“All right.” Lauren got to her feet and rubbed her aching knees. “That floor is hard. Let me just put the first aid kit back and we can go.”

* * * * *

Xairn refastened his flight pants as he watched her go, her curves still visible—at least to him—even through the voluminous silvery-blue garment he’d bought for her. It was much too large but he had wanted it that way. He didn’t want to be tempted by her, by the sight of her lovely body. But she might as well not be wearing anything at all as far as he was concerned. He kept remembering how she looked completely nude.

Don’t think about it, he told himself fiercely. But he couldn’t help it.

Just before they had left the Fathership and taken off for the Scourge home world, Lauren had dropped the cloak he had given her and offered herself to him. When he closed his eyes he could still see the curve of her hips, her full breasts tipped with tight, berry-brown nipples. And most enticing of all, the tender lips of her sex, half hidden by the neatly trimmed mound of black curls. Gods, she was beautiful. So beautiful it made him ache.

Of course, Xairn was under no illusion that she actually wanted him—she didn’t. She’d only done it because she preferred his touch to the AllFather’s—as any female in her right mind would. His father held horror and madness in his boney, scabrous hands.

And what do I hold in my hands? Xairn asked himself as she disappeared briefly into the bathroom. For Lauren or any female? There was no gentleness in him. No tender caresses—of that he was sure.

It had been all he could do to control himself when she was touching him so gently, healing his wound. Her face had been right on the level of his throbbing secondary shaft and her soft hands on his body had been maddening. His head had been filled with forbidden thoughts—images impossible to block out.

He could almost see her delicate hands wandering just a little to the right and reaching into his unfastened pants. Her fingers would feel cool and soothing, caressing his secondary shaft. And then she would slip her hand around him and touch his primary shaft, his bonding shaft and he would…But Xairn didn’t want to think about what he wanted to do.

I am filled with desires I don’t want, he thought in despair. Why could they not have remained dormant? What is it about Lauren that brings my body to life in this way?

He didn’t have any answers.

Just then Lauren came back. “Xairn,” she said in that soft, sweet voice he loved to listen to. “I just want to say again how sorry I am.”

He frowned. “Why are you apologizing?”

“You got hurt because of me.” She reached out, her fingertips lightly grazing his wounded side in a way that made Xairn quiver. “You were out fighting those horrible splicers to make it possible for me to get home and I didn’t even trust you enough to wait. I went outside the ship even though you told me not to, and gave you a whole new problem to deal with as soon as you got back. I’m so sorry for that.”

The pleading look in her lovely amber eyes seemed to do something to his heart. It was strange but Xairn felt almost as though he was melting inside somehow. And yet, it was not an unpleasant sensation. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to make his rough voice gentle. “I’m just glad things worked out as they did. I…I would rather die that see you sold as a splice whore.” Just the thought of her being passed around from male to male, taken against her will…It gave Xairn a cold, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, as though he’d swallowed a fist-sized lump of ice. I would kill them. Kill any that touched her! She’s mine…mine!

“Hey…” She laid a hand on his arm, shaking him out of the strange, possessive thoughts. Her gentle touch was like fire against his skin but Xairn didn’t ask her to stop.

“It was good that I came when I did and that you used the cubes with the grieza worms to trade with.” he said in a low, choked voice. “You were supremely lucky.”

“Or maybe my guardian angel was looking out for me.” She smiled at him and though Xairn had no idea what a ‘guardian angel’ was, he found himself smiling back—a little, anyway.

“Come,” he murmured. “We really need to go.”

“Okay.” Her fingers slid down his arm and then she nestled her small, soft hand in his large, rough one. She looked up at him. “Is this all right?”

Xairn frowned. “I don’t know. What are you doing?”

“Holding your hand, silly.” Smiling, she interlaced their fingers and gave his palm a little squeeze. “If you don’t mind, I mean.”

It was a bad idea and Xairn knew it. Even such a light, innocent touch sent his senses into overload. But somehow he couldn’t ask her to stop. “No,” he said at last, his voice sounding hoarse. “I…I suppose it’s all right.”

“Good.” Lauren squeezed his hand again. “Because I feel safer this way.”

“You do?” He couldn’t imagine why physical contact with him would alter her feeling of safety or danger but perhaps it was an Earth thing. Or maybe just a female thing—it was hard to say since Xairn had never really known many females in his life.

Lauren nodded. “I do. Now let’s go get our DNA altered.”

Chapter Ten

“She doesn’t seem to be in any danger. Not now at least.” Kat opened her eyes as she spoke and took a deep breath, trying to recover from the intense joining. She was still intimately connected with both her men and though the sensation of being penetrated both in front and in back was still pleasurable, it was no longer so intense as to be overwhelming.

“It sounds like she was though—and Xairn rescued her just in time.” Lock sounded thoughtful.

“I’d give a great deal to know the exact details of what happened.” Deep frowned. “But I suppose the important thing is that he’s looking out for her—protecting her as a proper male should his female.”

“You really think he loves her?” Kat asked, shifting a little. The resulting sensations made all three of them moan. “Sorry…” she managed.

“That’s all right.” Deep stroked her cheek. “And of course he loves her.”

“Did you not see the way he trembled when she treated his wound?” Lock asked softly. “He loves her, my lady. But he doesn’t know how to express that love.”

Deep snorted. “Show me a Scourge who knows how to love and I’ll pay good credit for the sight. They aren’t able to show love because it’s not in their genetics. They’re hardwired for pain and domination—not tender caresses.”

“Maybe Xairn is different,” Kat said, really hoping it was true. “Maybe he’ll be able to show her how he feels in an appropriate manner.”

“Being realistic, my lady, that probably won’t happen,” Lock said.

“Lock is right, unfortunately,” Deep agreed. “He’s more likely to want to tie her to the bed and ravage her than prepare her favorite meals and bring her flowering vegetation.”

Kat frowned. “I hope you’re wrong about that. Because I can tell that Lauren cares about him too. I don’t know if she knows it yet, but it’s easy to see. The way she looks at him—the way she touches him.”

Deep shook his head. “She’d better be careful there. It’s the touching that’s likely to drive him over the edge.”

Kat was troubled. “So you’re saying…”

“The more she touches him, the more he wants her and the harder he has to fight against his natural impulses,” Deep finished for her.

“Don’t despair, my lady.” Lock kissed the side of her neck gently in a way that sent a shiver down Kat’s spine. “He cares for her—that much we can see. I would venture to say that Xairn will do his utmost to hold back his Scourge nature in order to keep from hurting Lauren. Wouldn’t you, Brother?”

“I would.” Deep kissed her cheek. “In the mean time, we know she’s safe. So why don’t we turn our attentions to more pressing matters?” He pulled halfway out of Kat’s pussy and pumped slowly back in, as though to illustrate his point.

Kat groaned. “God, you’re insatiable.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Do you want me to stop?”

She shook her head. “No…no, I think I could be up for round two. And I can tell both of you are.”

“Indeed we are, my lady,” Lock murmured in her ear. “And this time there is no fear to get in the way. We can all fully enjoy the experience.” He followed his brother’s lead, pulling halfway out and thrusting slowly back into Kat’s rosebud.

She moaned and threw her head back, letting it rest on Lock’s shoulder. “You’re right—I’m not a bit afraid. Except maybe that you two will wear me completely out.”

“I doubt that,” Deep growled. “But it will certainly be fun trying.”

Kat moaned again and gave herself up to pleasure. It was going to be a long, long night and she didn’t mind one bit.

Chapter Eleven

They walked down a long stone corridor with massive stalls on either side—some empty and others occupied by alien ships. Not many of them looked as normal as their little silver Kindred ship, but Lauren didn’t get a chance to admire or inspect them. Xairn set a fast pace, pulling her relentlessly onward. The rough purple-brown stone pavement hurt her bare feet and made her wish she had taken a chance and worn the blue and crimson slippers she’d gotten from Blix after all.

Xairn said nothing until they reached what looked like a blank stone wall. “Here,” he murmured. Then, pressing his palm to the wall’s surface, he muttered a string of harsh, alien syllables.

Lauren watched, her eyes wide, as a crack appeared in the stone wall. It widened until there was enough room for both of them to walk through into the dimly lighted area beyond.

“Come,” Xairn said tersely, pulling her through. “Stay close to me at all times. Even though we’re within a reputable house, this is still splicer territory.”

“No problem.” With a shiver, Lauren pressed closer to him, wrapping her other arm around his and pressing her cheek to his shoulder. “Is…is this Slk person a thought thief too, like Blix was?” she asked in a low voice.

Xairn shook his head. “No, but he is a very skilled negotiator. Just let me make the deal and we should be fine.”

Lauren thought he sounded worried but she didn’t like to ask why—he obviously had enough on his mind already. They walked quickly through another, shorter and smaller corridor and came out into a well lighted living area that looked like a mansion.

The floors were of the same purple-brown stone of the parking area but they were smooth and level. Large carpets of bright orange, red, and blue grass were placed at intervals like stepping stones down the hallway they now found themselves in. There were strange works of art on the walls—some of which appeared to be alive—but again Lauren didn’t get a chance to examine them. She only got a few brief impressions.

One which caught her eye looked like an ant farm but all the insects had human-looking heads and were wearing clothes. Another frame appeared to contain fireflies with colored neon lights. They formed a picture of Lauren’s face as Xairn rushed her past. Her eyes, depicted in the fireflies’ brilliant yellow glow, followed them down the hallway.

“Wait a minute,” she protested. “Did you see that? It was amazing! Can’t we go back and look?”

Xairn shook his head. “There is no time. We’ve already kept Slk waiting long enough. Every parsec his price rises.”

“Sorry.” Lauren made more of an effort not to drag her feet, even though she was dying to examine the other strange things on the walls.

Soon enough the hallway opened up into a huge area that looked like a cross between a laboratory and a throne room. There were rich looking tapestries on the walls but there were also tables filled with strange equipment and cages housing even stranger looking animals. Some looked vaguely familiar to Lauren—A monkey crossed with a fish? What the hell? A miniature giraffe with a shell like a turtle? How does it get its neck all the way in?

“It doesn’t.”

The voice which answered her question startled Lauren so much she nearly jumped out of her skin. Looking around, she saw that what she had taken for another one of the strange, hybrid animals was actually the one who had spoken.

“I…I’m sorry?” she said, looking at the strange creature. It had a vaguely humanoid face but its eyes were vertical ovals instead of horizontal and it had three of them—two where human eyes normally were and one on its broad forehead. Its nose was a mere indentation and its mouth was a mass of purple tentacles. If that is a mouth, Lauren thought doubtfully.

“It is, in fact, my oral cavity. I use it to speak and also to consume comestibles,” the creature said, speaking again in that same, deep, resonant tone. Lauren imagined it was what an elephant would sound like if it could speak English.

“How can you read my thoughts?” she demanded, looking at it. She turned to Xairn. “I thought you said he wasn’t a thought thief.”

“I am not.” The creature—which she supposed must be Slk—rose from the throne-like chair it had been sitting in and slithered over to them. It had a human-seeming torso but from it sprouted four arms with two hands each. Its legs were simply a mass of purple-grey tentacles. “I do not use the thoughts of others against them,” it said as it came to a stop a good deal closer than Lauren really liked. “But I cannot help hearing them and responding in kind. Especially when I sense curiosity about myself.”

Xairn gave a short, formal bow. “This is Lauren, the Earth female I told you about, Slk. Her DNA must be altered in order for her to return to her home planet in safety.”

“And you want your own altered as well, I believe?”

Xairn nodded. “Yes.”

“What you ask is not an inexpensive procedure.” All three of Slk’s vertical eyes blinked slowly in unison.

“I am aware of that,” Xairn said grimly. “Though I still don’t fully understand why. All we’re asking is a simple alteration.”

“The procedure itself will be exceedingly simple,” Slk acknowledged. “But finding a match for your female’s DNA will be well nigh impossible. She is an exotic of the first order. Of course, if you do not mind altering her appearance and physical capabilities, I can use less compatible genes.”

“What do you mean ‘less compatible’?” Lauren put a hand to her throat.

Slk made a strangely fluid motion which appeared to be his version of a shrug. “It depends on which strains I choose to mix into your double helix. If I use neenya genes you might grow gills and webbed appendages. Of course, the advantage to that would be that you could live in an underwater environment. Or I could use brrn DNA. But that would cause you to grow a thick coat of soft, purple fur. Advantageous if you live in an extremely frigid climate. Otherwise, it might be considered something of a nuisance.”

“Yeah, that might put a little bit of a damper on my social life,” Lauren said flatly. “Not to mention the money I’d have to spend on laser hair removal since I live in a subtropical climate.”

“Ahh, hmmm,” Slik hummed thoughtfully. “In that case, brrn genes would not be the optimal choice. If you like I could use pardock strains instead. That would cause all your body and head fur to fall out and your sweat glands to enlarge rendering you smooth and most efficient in elevated temperatures.”

Lauren shivered. “No thanks!” She looked at Xairn. “I hate to be negative but I’m beginning to think I’d rather take my chances and go back to Earth as-is.”

“That is not an option,” he said grimly. “We wouldn’t even make it past the outer edge of your solar system. We must be altered, Lauren.”

“But I don’t want to grow fur or gills or lose all my hair and become one big sweat gland!” Lauren protested. “I’ll be a freak, Xairn. I might as well just give up on going home for good if those are my only options.”

“There is one solution we have not yet explored,” Slk said smoothly.

“Which is?” Xairn snapped. “Tell us and be quick about it. You never told me when I came to you in the first place that this alteration would be so difficult.”

“As to that, I apologize but I wished to see your exotic for myself.” Slk nodded his head in apology and all three eyes blinked again. “But of all my various specimens, none is as close a match to your little Earth female as you are yourself, Xairn. You are so close, in fact, that you could almost breed and produce viable offspring. Almost.”

“Never!” Xairn glared at Slk fiercely. “I’ll never allow Lauren to be polluted with my DNA.”

“Polluted? What are you talking about?” Lauren frowned at him.

It was Slk who answered. “Scourge genes have traditionally been labeled as inferior stock. They have, ahh, unpardonable genetic traits which cannot be bred out of them. And in addition, I am afraid they are not considered to be very physically appealing.”

“That’s not true,” Lauren said, frowning. “I find Xairn extremely physically appealing.”

“You do?” Xairn gave her a startled look.

“In fact, she does.” Slk nodded. “I can read it in her thoughts. She finds you a most compelling specimen. Hmm, most compelling indeed.”

Lauren felt her cheeks getting hot but she didn’t want embarrassment to stand in the way of what sounded like a perfect solution. She squeezed Xairn’s fingers and looked at him pleadingly. “Come on, Xairn—I’d rather have some of your DNA than any of the other, uh, things he mentioned.”

“And I could use her DNA to alter you as well. Ahh, hmmm. A most elegant and economical solution,” Slk said. “That way you have only to pay for the alteration itself and not the genetic material.”

Xairn looked undecided for a moment, then he sighed heavily. “Very well. But I don’t want Lauren’s physical appearance altered if you can help it. She is perfect just as she is.”

It was Lauren’s turn to give him a startled look. Did Xairn really think that? He was so stand-offish sometimes it was hard to tell how he felt about her.

“It is difficult to know how Xairn feels about you because he himself is unsure,” Slk said, obviously answering her thought. “He desires you greatly but he fears to hurt you. His Scourge nature wars with his better intentions.”

“Scourge nature?” Lauren looked up at the big warrior who was glaring at Slk.

“We are here for an alteration of our DNA, Slk—not an in-depth analysis of our emotions. Kindly keep your remarks relevant to the matter at hand. As I was saying, I do not wish Lauren’s appearance to be changed.”

“Very well.” Slk nodded. “I will endeavor to make the change as minimal as possible. But what of you, Xairn? Do you mind if your appearance is altered? I cannot promise it will not be as I have never worked with this breed of exotic before.”

“Change me if you like,” Xairn said stonily. “I have forsworn my heritage and my race. I no longer care if I appear Scourge or not.”

“As you wish. Well then.” Slk rubbed all eight of his hands together. “Let us get to work. First we’ll need to collect some samples.”

“Samples?” Lauren shrank back. “Uh, you mean like chopping off one of our fingers?”

Slk made a burbling sound and after a moment she realized it was laughter. “Nothing so barbaric, my dear, I assure you. I am an artist—not like those crude butchers who roam the tunnels looking for fresh meat to splice. They need so much tissue because they make so many errors. A vial of blood from each of you is all that I truly require.”

“Oh, well I can do that. No problem.” Lauren started to step forward and hold out her arm but Xairn held her back.

“Before we begin, let’s agree on a price,” he said, frowning at Slk. “I don’t want to be surprised by any hidden charges after the alteration is complete and it’s too late.”

“Most wise.” Slk rubbed his hands together again—they made a dry, papery sound that got on Lauren’s nerves. “Very well. What have you to offer?”

“Some valuable food cubes containing a rare delicacy—grieza worms all the way from Twin Moons.”

Xairn pulled them out of his pocket but Slk shook his head, his eyes blinking. “I agree that they are indeed tasty but I have grieza worm DNA in my stock—I can synthesize a batch of them whenever I desire. No, what I really want from you is something quite different, my friend.”

All three of his vertical eyes were fixed on Lauren as he spoke and she felt a cold shiver go down her spine. Immediately, Xairn pushed her behind him.

“You can’t have Lauren or any part of her. So forget it.”

Slk’s eyes opened wide. “Not even a single extra vial of her blood for seed cloning? For that is truly all I desire.”

Lauren frowned. “Seed cloning? What’s that?”

“Seed clones are mindless, expendable clones made mostly for pleasure or brief service,” Slk explained smoothly. “They live only a few days and are never fully cognizant of their surroundings.”

“So…sex dolls?” Lauren said, feeling a little sick. “You want to make a bunch of sex dolls that look like me?”

“Essentially, yes.” Slk nodded. “An exotic like yourself would make the most exceptional seed clones, I’m certain.”

“But…to make them just to use them,” Lauren protested. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“Seed clones are mindless, my dear. They can do and say only what they are programmed to and they do not experience pain or pleasure or emotion as we do.”

“Xairn?” She looked up at him for guidance.

“I don’t like it,” he growled, glaring at Slk. “But it will have to be your decision, Lauren. It is your DNA.”

“Why don’t you like it?” she asked, wanting to get a more in depth answer. “Do you think it’s morally wrong or—?”

“Xairn cannot bear the thought of you with another male. Not even a seed clone which only bears your appearance,” Slk answered before Xairn could speak.

Wow. Lauren looked up at the big warrior and saw a muscle clenching over and over in his jaw. This was turning out to be a most informative session!

“I know you are upset with me for stating your thoughts aloud,” Slk went on, addressing Xairn. “But my time is valuable. And I find that things go so much more quickly when everyone involved knows exactly where they stand.”

“I’ll do it,” Lauren said, making a decision. The thought of a bunch of living sex dolls that looked just like her creeped her our something fierce, but there didn’t seem to be any other way to get what they needed done. She dropped Xairn’s hand and held out her arm. “Go ahead and take our blood. How long will it take to get the, uh, alteration done?”

“Not long at all, my dear.” Slk was already bustling forward with an exotic looking blood collection kit in his many hands. “I have only to feed your data and genetic material into my instruments and manipulate the genes—that I do myself of course. It takes finesse and an artist’s skill to correctly mix DNA. Once I am finished I will inject you both with the finished product.”

“And will we see immediate results?” Lauren winced as the alien needle pierced the vein in the crook of her elbow. The vials of blood Slk was drawing seemed awfully large but she supposed she really couldn’t complain.

“No, the new sequence needs time to merge with your existing DNA. You will probably see the final results tomorrow morning. In fact…” He looked up at Lauren as he withdrew the needle. “I’ll be happy to offer you overnight accommodations. I have a guest suite for just this purpose.”

“And what will that cost us?” Xairn growled, holding out his arm as Slk finished with Lauren and moved on to him.

“No extra charge.” Slk’s three eyes blinked slowly. “I merely wish to keep you both close until your transformations are complete.”

“Why? Do you expect complications?” Lauren couldn’t quite keep the nervousness out of her voice.

“No, but it’s best to be prepared just in case,” Slk said smoothly. He finished with Xairn and withdrew the needle. “Now then, I will combine your respective DNAs in the way that will suit each of you best. I’ll only be a moment.”

Lauren frowned. A moment? He’s messing with our genes, making permanent changes in us and it’s only going to take a moment?

“You forget, my dear, I am a skilled artisan,” Slk said. Taking the vials of blood to one of the tables, he fed two of them into a slot on the side of a complicated looking machine and then peered at the attached screen. At once a series of colored blocks appeared. “And, not to insult you, but you both have extremely primitive DNA. I could do this alteration with my hands tied behind my back.”

“I see,” Lauren murmured. She watched in fascination as all eight of the aforementioned hands flew over a touch-pad, changing the colored blocks until they were a rainbow blur on the screen.

“Ahh, hmmm.” Slk nodded and sat back at last. “There we have it.” He pressed a button and two new vials popped out of the slot he’d deposited the blood in moments before. “Xairn first,” he said beckoning.

Xairn came forward and held out his arm stoically while Slk injected the contents of the first vial into his arm with a needle roughly the size of a harpoon. Lauren watched, biting her lip. She didn’t have a problem with needles in general but this thing was huge. Why did it have to be so much bigger than the one he’d used to draw their blood in the first place?

“I know what you’re thinking, my dear,” Slk said, finishing with Xairn and motioning her to come forward. “But I must use a larger needle this time. The size of the altered molecules makes this liquid much more viscous and difficult to inject.”

“All right.” Taking a deep breath, Lauren moved forward. Slk hovered over her arm with the giant needle for a moment and then looked up at Xairn. “Hold her while I do this. She needs comfort.”

“Hold her?” Xairn sounded uncertain but he came forward willingly enough. Awkwardly, he put an arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “Like this?”

“No, like this.” Lauren leaned against him, glad of the warmth of his big body at her back. Then she reached up to wrap his other arm around her waist. “There.” Tilting her head, she looked up to give him a smile.

Xairn looked back at her quizzically. “And this makes you feel…better?”

“Yes.” She squeezed his arm. “Much.” Then she held out her arm to Slk. “Okay—hit me.”

“Very well,” Slk murmured, leaning over her arm again.

At the last moment Lauren squeezed her eyes shut and pressed back hard against Xairn. She felt him shift uneasily but then the giant needle bit into her arm and all she could think of was how much it hurt. Not just the sharp hollow tip of the needle but the liquid being injected—it was cold. So cold it burned, sending a line of ice and fire shooting up her arm.

Though she tried not to make a noise, a little squeak of pain escaped Lauren’s lips. Behind her, she felt Xairn’s big body stiffen instantly and his arm tightened protectively around her waist.

“Are you all right?” His deep voice in her ear was filled with concern.

“Fine,” Lauren managed to say. “It…it just stings a little. That’s all.”

“It is over now.” Slk withdrew the needle as he spoke, which hurt almost as much as when he’d stuck it in. Lauren muffled another moan and was relieved to feel Slk using some kind of glue to close the wound. So at least she wouldn’t bleed out from the gaping hole.

She sighed with relief. “I’m so glad that’s over.” Turning in Xairn’s arms, she gave him a brief, impulsive hug. “Thanks.”

He frowned. “No thanks are necessary. I did nothing—I could not even alleviate your pain.”

“But you helped me get through it.” Lauren smiled up into his red-on-black eyes. Really, when you got over their color they were quite striking. Xairn was extremely attractive in his own exotic, alien way.

“I would prefer it if you performed your mating rituals in the guest quarters,” Slk said dryly.

Xairn frowned and stepped away from her. “I think you misunderstand the situation. Lauren and I are not carnally involved, nor do we plan to become so at any time in the future.”

Slk made the burbling laughter again. “You had better inform your female of that. She is feeling arousal for you at this moment.”

“She is?” Xairn’s eyes widened.

This was too much for Lauren. “Hey, I thought you could only read thoughts—not emotions.”

“I read and understand many things,” Slk said mysteriously. “But as amusing as this is, I do have work to do. If the two of you would please follow the lighted trail to your room, I would be forever grateful.”

“What lighted trail?” Lauren said but even as she spoke a series of brilliant white spots appeared on the purple-brown flagstones as her feet. They curved around to include Xairn and led out of the throne room/laboratory in a different direction from the one they’d come in.

“Come.” Xairn nodded stiffly at her but Lauren noticed that he didn’t take her hand. Feeling hurt, she crossed her arms over her chest and followed him.

“Good night and thank you,” she told Slk as they left.

“No thanks necessary, my dear. This is an excellent bargain for me. I already have buyers.” Smiling, he held up the extra tube of her blood and nodded. “Please enjoy the guest accommodations. Evening comestibles will be sent to your room and I will see you both in the morning.”

* * * * *

Xairn fumed as he stalked down the long hallway the trail of lights led them to. Slk had no right to speak as he did. Broadcasting the thoughts and emotions of others was wrong and offensive. Especially when there was no way they could be true.

What kind of game is Slk playing? he wondered, taking a sharp right as the lights dictated and finding himself in front of a large green door. How could Lauren find a Scourge compelling or attractive? We are not known for our physical beauty. No, they certainly were not. Xairn was well aware that the grey skin and red-on-black eyes he had inherited from his father looked monstrous next to Lauren’s own smooth, warm brown skin tones and lovely amber eyes. What would people see if they were placed side by side? A beast next to a beauty. That is what they would see.

And how could Lauren see it any differently?

Slk must have been lying for his own benefit, Xairn told himself as he pushed open the door to reveal a small but well appointed guest suite. But what does he stand to gain? And why didn’t Lauren contradict him?

He cast a sidelong glance at her as they entered the room but she was looking elsewhere, her arms crossed protectively over her breasts. Xairn sensed that she was upset about something but he had no idea what. Perhaps she, too, was distressed by the things Slk had said but was too polite to say it aloud.

That must be it. She doesn’t want to cause me undue emotional pain by contradicting Slk which is why she chooses to remain silent.

Xairn felt marginally better at this explanation. It was like Lauren’s kind and gentle nature to refrain from hurting his feelings, though it still seemed strange to him. All his life, he’d been raised in an atmosphere specifically designed to cause pain—whether physical or emotional. The AllFather had fed from his pain and he was an expert at causing the maximum amount of damage. To be with someone who wanted to avoid hurting him was a new experience.

It made Xairn glad that she didn’t desire him as he desired her. If she had, he would have had to worry about hurting her—something he would rather die than do. No, it was far better that he leave her alone and admire her from afar. She was too beautiful, too good and pure for one such as him.

But if he was only meant to admire her from afar, why did his body still tingle where she had pressed against him? Why could he still smell the scent of her hair and feel the warmth of her in his arms?

Xairn pushed the enticing but dangerous thoughts away. Looking around the small room, he saw only one sleeping platform but there was also a couch at the foot of it. Good, so he could take the couch and leave Lauren the platform. It wouldn’t do to be too close to her in the night. Especially considering how his body reacted to hers. And in the morning, they would leave this place and he would take her back through the wormhole to her own planet. The AllFather would never again be able to find her—he certainly wouldn’t be looking for a human female with Scourge DNA. And if—

“I have something to say.”

Lauren’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Xairn turned to see her glaring at him.

“What is it? And why do you look so angry?”

“Why do I look angry? How can you ask me that?” she demanded. “Why do you think I’m angry?”

“I have no idea,” he said, honestly mystified. “Are you concerned about the effects my DNA might have on you?”

“No, nothing like that.” She sighed. “You’re really going to make me spell it out?”

Xairn raised an eyebrow at her. “If you would prefer to speak each individual letter rather than—”

“That’s not what I meant—stop being so literal.” She sounded exasperated. “Look, what I’m trying to say is, why did you make such a big deal to Slk about us not being ‘carnally involved?’”

He frowned. “Because we’re not.”

“Yes, but you acted like the whole idea of being with me was repellant to you.”

Xairn shook his head. “Not repellant. Impossible.”

“Why?” she demanded. “Look, Xairn…” She came closer to him and put one slim hand on his arm. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this but we’ve been through hell together and I care about you—a lot. And, well, I thought that maybe you cared for me too. At least a little.”

Her big, amber eyes were filled with hope—an emotion almost unknown to Xairn. He had been raised without hope or love or tenderness aboard the Fathership. So how could he show them to another? His shaft throbbed at the soft touch of her hand and he moved away.

“I do care about you, Lauren,” he admitted in a low voice. “That’s the main reason we cannot become sexually involved.”

She bit her lip. “Are you saying you don’t want me?”

“No!” Xairn ran a hand over his hair and took a deep breath. “I do want you. Much more than I should. But I don’t want to hurt you. My Scourge nature—”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “So you’re really going to use that as an excuse? Your nature? Your race?”

He frowned. “It’s no excuse. It is the truth.”

“Well, I’m not buying it.” Lauren came forward and poked him in the chest with one finger. “I think you’re scared—scared of any kind of relationship, sexual or otherwise.” She sighed. “Look, Xairn, I’m not normally a pushy person—especially about things like this. But, well, I like you. A lot. And if you like me too and we finally got away from your father, well, what’s to stop us from taking things to the next level?”

“What exactly do you mean by the ‘next level?’” he asked warily.

Lauren smiled. “You could start by kissing me.”

“Kissing?”

“You know—you put your mouth on mine? I gave you a kiss before, don’t you remember?”

Xairn eyed her lush mouth longingly. He well remembered the soft touch of her lips against his own—it had been just after he promised to keep her safe from his father and take her home. She’d been happy and had pressed her lips to his in a display of spontaneous joy and affection. The gesture had deeply affected him but he understood instinctively that it would be a bad idea to repeat it. It was too intimate…too dangerous.

“You say that I’m scared?” he said, looking at Lauren. “Well it’s true—I am. Because I don’t want to harm you. To do the things I’ve seen done. The things…” He cleared his throat and looked away. “The things I’ve seen my father do to females.”

“You’re not your father, Xairn.” Lauren’s voice was gentle as she reached up to cup his cheek. “You’re nothing like him. Or any of those other Scourge for that matter.”

“You’re wrong!” Xairn pulled away before her touch could start an avalanche of desire that would bury his reason. “I am like them,” he said fiercely. “Their actions—their desires—they are my birthright. I have denied my father and forsworn my race but how can I escape something written in my very blood?”

Lauren frowned. “And these desires you’re talking about…they’re really that bad?”

Something close to despair welled up in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to crush her to him, to press his lips to hers until she was burned into his senses forever. And though he could scarcely believe it, that was apparently what Lauren wanted too. But I can’t. I must not give in to this emotion, this desire for her.

“Fine,” he said heavily. “You wish to know about Scourge sexual practices? I’ll tell you.” Pacing over to the sleeping platform, he sat on the side, his shoulders slumped. “Females are nonexistent among my kind but even before they became extinct, they were incredibly rare. So they were kept caged from childhood until they were ripe for breeding.”

Lauren swallowed with an audible click. “Caged like…like animals?”

“Exactly.” He nodded shortly. “By the time a female was ready to be bred, there were usually multiple males vying for her.”

Lauren frowned. “So what—she had to pick one?”

Xairn shook his head. “If only it were that simple. But the female in question never had a say in the matter—the males would decide it among themselves.”

“How?”

“A fight to the death. Sometimes as many as a thousand males would enter the battle but only one would emerge victorious to claim the female.” Xairn closed his eyes for a moment. Gods, she would think he was a monster when he was finished telling her the practices of his people. But if it was the only way to keep her out of danger he had no choice. “Then the winner would take her home and put the marks of possession on her,” he said.

“Marks…marks of possession?” Her voice was soft and uncertain. “What are those?”

“The Kindred are content to scent mark their females,” Xairn said in a low voice. “But there are other, darker marks of ownership the Scourge place on their females. Those are the marks of possession.”

“But what exactly are they?” Lauren still looked more interested than frightened which wasn’t good as far as Xairn was concerned.

Determined to drive his point home, he grabbed her roughly by the upper arms and pulled her closer, so that she was standing between his thighs, facing him. Her sweet scent drew him like a drug but he forced himself to ignore her effect on him.

“First, a collar.” He placed his hand on her neck, his long fingers spanning her slender throat easily. Lauren’s eyes widened and he could feel her entire body trembling but to her credit, she didn’t pull away. “Then a brand,” Xairn continued. “Here or here.” He touched the inner curve of her hip and the upper slope of her ass. “After that—”

“Wait—there’s more?” Lauren looked at him in disbelief.

Xairn nodded. “After that,” he continued, “She was pierced.”

“Pierced?” Her voice trembled. “Where? I’m guessing you don’t mean her ears.”

“Here.” Though the garment she was wearing was oversized, Xairn could still see the ripe points of her nipples pressing against the silvery fabric. He brushed his fingertips over them lightly, drawing a gasp from Lauren. “And here,” he murmured harshly, letting his hand drift down to brush the tender V of her sex.

Lauren gasped again and jumped back. “You…you’re kidding me.”

“I wish that I was.” Xairn sighed and ran a hand over his hair. “But all that was simply a prelude to the torture that was to come.”

“A prelude? Being caged, branded and pierced was a prelude?” Lauren shook her head. “What could possibly be worse?”

“Bonding sex.” Xairn rose and began to pace the room. It wasn’t very large so there wasn’t much room to pace but he felt like he had to move or he would go mad.

“What is that, exactly?” she asked.

“A mark that never fades—one that causes a permanent mental and emotional connection.” Xairn stopped and looked at her. “Do you want to know how it’s done by my people?”

“I…I don’t—”

“Fine. I’ll tell you.” He began pacing again. “The male would chain his newly won female to the bed. Arms and legs wide, for easier access. After various inventive sexual tortures, he would straddle her and force her to suck his primary shaft.”

“Wait—hold on. His primary shaft?” Lauren frowned. “How many, uh, shafts does a Scourge have?”

Xairn raised an eyebrow. “Don’t human males have more than one shaft?”

“One is usually enough,” she said dryly. “Are you saying you have more than one?”

“We have two. The secondary, which can be used for non-bonding sexual activity and the primary which is only for bonding sex.”

Her eyes widened. “What, like side by side or—?”

“The primary shaft sits above the secondary,” Xairn explained. “Unless it’s properly stimulated, it remains small and inactive.”

“So what…” She coughed. “What happens during, uh, bonding sex then?”

“With both shafts engorged, a Scourge male is able to fill his female completely—both front and back.” Xairn gave her a level look. “I trust you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Lauren nodded and he thought that her normally warm brown skin looked pale. “So she’s tied to the bed and he—?”

“Fucks her,” Xairn said roughly. “Bonds her. He’s not gentle either. It takes a long, long time. And when he’s finished, if his female isn’t dead of blood loss or shock, she is his to do with as he pleases for the rest of her life.” He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. “Do you see now why I didn’t want to tell you? Why it isn’t a good thing that I have emotions for you?”

“God.” Lauren let out a shaky breath and sank down on the bed. “And you…” She looked up at Xairn. “Are you saying you’d want to…to do all those things to me?”

Xairn squeezed his eyes closed for a moment. Gods, how he hated himself at this moment! Himself and his whole twisted race. “Would I take pleasure in hurting you?” he said at last, looking at her. “Is that what you’re asking?”

Slowly, she nodded.

“I told you that I have no desire to cause you pain,” he said, coming to stand before her. Reaching down, he grasped her by her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. She was so fragile in his hands—like a flower that could be snapped in two with one careless move. “But I have the same desire—the same need—to posses that all my people do,” he told her. “The need to claim—to mark—to own. I can never get away from it, Lauren. It’s in my blood.”

She looked up at him, her amber eyes wide with uncertainty and fear. “I get it. And if you’re trying to scare me, then congratulations—you’ve succeeded.”

“Good.” Xairn let her go abruptly and crossed to the other side of the room, putting some distance between them. He reached for the door.

“Wait—where are you going?” Lauren protested.

“Out.” Xairn threw her a glance over his shoulder. “These are close quarters. I need some air.”

“But…how long will you be gone? You’re not going to leave me here alone in this weird place, are you?” The pleading tone of her voice gripped Xairn’s heart like a fist.

“Of course not,” he said roughly. “I’m not leaving the alteration house. And I swear I’ll be back later tonight. You can have the sleeping platform—I will take the couch.” His hand was on the knob but her soft voice called him back.

“Xairn,” she said. “Please, I’m sorry you felt like you had to tell me all that but I still don’t believe you’re like…like—”

“Like the rest of my people?” he demanded. “But I am, Lauren. I told you because I needed you to see why nothing can ever happen between us. Why I can’t trust myself with you.”

“I trust you,” she said softly, lifting her chin to look him in the eyes. “Even if you don’t trust yourself.”

Xairn felt his heart clench like a fist. “You shouldn’t.” Before she could say anything else or try to stop him, he left.

It was the only safe thing to do.

Chapter Twelve

Lauren lay on the bed, curled in a ball after he left. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to think about home, about the fact that she’d be seeing her mother and walking on the warm, sandy Florida beaches very soon now.

But the images filling her mind were too disturbing.

Lauren wrapped her arms around herself protectively. God, the things Xairn had told her had been awful! And he’d spoken so dispassionately. His voice was utterly flat as he described the atrocities his race perpetrated against women. Clearly females were nothing more than property to them—to be won in barbaric contests and then marked like cattle.

But though his voice had been flat as he talked, his eyes had been burning. The way he’d looked at her when he spoke made it clear that each word hurt coming out. He didn’t want to tell me. Didn’t want me to think he was a monster.

Lauren sat up in bed and ran a hand through her long black hair. It felt rough and tangled and she wished for a hot bath and a hairbrush. He’s not a monster, she told herself forcefully. He’s protective and sweet and thoughtful. I know he would never hurt me.

But he’d admitted that he wanted to mark her as his—to put the ‘marks of possession’ on her. Lauren shivered. She supposed she could do the collar and maybe even the piercing—well, the nipple piercing, anyway. But there was no way she was going to let any man—no matter how much she was beginning to care for him—brand her or give her a piercing below the navel. There were lines she simply wasn’t willing to cross for anyone.

Well, she’d have to think about it later. Maybe talk to Xairn some more when he wasn’t in such a dark mood. Sighing, she got up and went to see about getting the hot bath she’d been longing for.

She was happy to find a small but luxurious bathroom with surprisingly Earth-like accommodations in the adjoining room. There was a recognizable toilet which looked completely normal except for being a startling shade of bright blue. A matching marble tub with gold taps sat in one corner and a shower stall in the same color stood across from it. There was even a plush purple robe hanging from a hook on the back of the door.

Lauren was glad to shed her scratchy silver-blue muumuu and put on the robe instead. It fell to her knees and felt as soft as feathers whispering against her bare skin. Then she turned to the tub and twisted one of the gold taps.

To her dismay, instead of water, a thick stream of what appeared to be bright pink oatmeal started pouring from the gold spout between the taps.

What the hell? She twisted the other tap but that only made the pink oatmeal flow faster. Already the bright blue tub was more than half full of what looked like psychedelic breakfast cereal. It was like the Quaker oat man had taken a dose of LSD and then decided to cook up some new flavor. Shocking strawberry, maybe.

Lauren twisted the knobs this way and than but with no result other than to completely fill the blue marble tub with the thick, viscous stuff. At last she got them turned off and stood there, her hands on her hips. The steam rising off the shocking pink oatmeal actually smelled pretty good—kind of flowery—but there was no way she was getting into it.

She was just going to try the shower instead when she heard a soft chiming at the door of the guest suite. Could it be Xairn coming back to continue their conversation?

Wrapping the plush purple robe more tightly around herself, Lauren ran to open the green door. She was disappointed, however, to see that it wasn’t Xairn. Instead, a creature which looked very much like a crane, completely with long, skinny legs and a feathered orange crest on its head nodded at her from behind a bulky black cart.

“Yes?” she said politely, keeping a firm hold on the door.

The creature said something in a strange, burbling language and nodded at the cart with its long orange beak.

“I’m sorry,” Lauren told it. “I don’t speak…whatever it is you’re speaking.”

The crane-thing raised one arm—it did have arms, not wings at least, Lauren noted—and tapped a small silver box it was wearing around its neck. When it spoke again, the burbling somehow became English.

“These are your evening comestibles, courtesy of Master Slk.”

“Oh—dinner!” Suddenly Lauren was famished. It had been hours and hours since her last Kindred food cube and her stomach was rumbling. “Great.” She nodded eagerly at the tray with its domed metal cover. “Bring it in.”

The stork-thing maneuvered the rolling cart into the small room with some difficulty, squeezing it between the bed and the couch. Then, with a flourish, it raised the lid from the tray and made her a short bow.

“Oh, uh…wow.” Lauren’s enthusiasm faded quickly. The food on the tray looked strange and smelled even stranger. There was a mound of blue stuff that stuck together rather like rice except the grains were four times as big. Beside it sat a thin cut of what appeared to be ivory meat marbled with olive green streaks. And to finish the meal, there was a goblet filled to the brim with something that looked like clear, watery Jell-O. It jiggled in a most unappetizing way when Lauren poked it.

“Only the finest comestibles for the guests of the House of Slk.” The stork creature sounded extremely proud to be serving her green streaked meat, giant blue rice and whatever the drink was.

“Thank you.” Lauren smiled weakly. “Um…what is it?”

“Thenolian slugs from the Serba region,” the stork said, pointing to the blue rice. “The prime cut of a venga’s brain pan,” pointing to the meat. “And your libation is purified slime from the wounds of a tren.”

“Uh…slugs, brain and slime? That’s what’s on the menu?” Lauren tried not to sound as horrified as she felt. God, this stuff made the weird Grieza worms from the Kindred food cubes look positively delicious. Suddenly homesickness washed over her so strongly she had to gulp back tears. All she really wanted was a thick slice of her mom’s meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes with brown gravy. Instead she got this. She knew she probably ought to be grateful—obviously this was the O’ah version of a gourmet banquet. But it was all she could do not to retch at the sight of it.

“As I said, only the best for the guests of Master Slk,” the stork repeated, interrupting her dark thoughts. “Oh, but I almost forgot the most important part.”

“There’s more?” Lauren said weakly.

“Of course. Dessert.”

“Dessert?” She wondered what in the world it could be. Probably some kind of pie made of alien bug intestines if the rest of the meal was any indication.

“Dessert. A sweet confection eaten at the end of the meal,” the stork said, as though reciting a memorized definition. “We have no such thing in our culture, of course, but Master Slk told me that you do. He commanded me to bring you this.”

With another flourish, it produced a small platter from a lower level of the cart and thrust it right under Lauren’s nose.

Her first instinct was to recoil but before she could, a rich, familiar aroma assaulted her nose.

“Chocolate?” She looked down at the small platter and saw a thick, fudgy brown rectangle sitting on it. “A brownie? Is that a brownie?”

The stork nodded, its orange feathered crest rustling. “Master Slk said I must ask your pardon for it. He saw your liking for such confections inside your mind and commanded me to make it for you. He says to tell you he did not wish to pry, only to please.”

“Tell him he’s forgiven.” Eagerly, Lauren picked up the delicious looking brownie and raised it to her lips. She was almost afraid to try it for fear it wouldn’t taste as good as it looked and smelled. But another whiff of the heavenly, chocolate aroma did away with her hesitation. Carefully, she took a small nibble from one corner. The rich, delicious and, best of all, familiar flavor exploded across her tongue and she took another, larger bite. And then another and another.

Before she knew it there were nothing but a few fudgy crumbs left on the small platter. She looked at them in dismay—how in the world had she managed to inhale the brownie so quickly? Guilt poked at her—she should have saved half of it for Xairn. It was certainly a hell of a lot better than those horrible cardboard Poptarts he’d grown up eating on the Scourge Fathership.

I’ll make it up to him, she told herself, licking her fingers. I’ll make him some of my Deep Dark Devil’s-food cupcakes as soon as we get home.

In the mean time, she was beginning to feel warm and sleepy and content. Though she’d been wishing for a bath earlier, that somehow no longer seemed like a priority. Now all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep.

“I trust it was to your satisfaction?”

The stork’s voice startled her. It had been standing as still as a statue, watching her polish off the brownie, and Lauren had almost forgotten it was there at all.

“Yesh, it wash…was d’lishious,” she said and frowned. Why was she slurring her words? And why was the room swaying around her? She tried to take a step and fell. Luckily she landed on the bed, which was just beside her, but she was lying at an awkward angle with one arm pinned under her and her other hand dangling limply off the edge of the mattress. “Wha…wha’s goin’ on?” she slurred, trying to look at the stork. Her eyes kept crossing and there appeared to be two of him in the room. If it was a him—she realized she didn’t even know.

“The effects are temporary,” he/it said, coming toward her. “And regrettably necessary. I must finish my assignment before Master Xairn comes back.”

“Wha ‘signment?” Lauren asked but her voice sounded weak and slow.

“This.” The stork took a firm grip on her hand—the one dangling limply over the edge of the bed—and raised what looked like a massive pair of red metallic fingernail clippers.

“Wha—?” Lauren started to say and then there was a muffled snap and she felt a sharp agony at the base of her little finger. My finger! Oh my God, he cut off my finger!

But though she was freaking out inside, she was now completely paralyzed. There was nothing she could do but watch as the stork applied some clear gel to the bloody stump of her finger and then sprinkled it with strange pink granules.

“There. Rest now,” it said, nodding at her.

How am I supposed to rest? You cut off my freaking finger! But despite her horror and the sharp ache in her hand, she could feel her eyelids closing. Have to wake up! Have to find Xairn, tell him…warn him…

But then her eyes closed and the world was eaten by sleep.

* * * * *

Xairn wandered the house for awhile, looking at Slk’s gallery of art and oddments. Vrr had had quite an impressive collection and his son had added to it. Many of the displays were alive and a good number of them were obviously Slk’s work. His talent at DNA recombination was plain to see, which Xairn supposed should make him feel confident.

Instead he had a feeling of dread. What if his own DNA infected Lauren somehow? What if it already had? Could that be the reason she still wanted and trusted him, even after he had revealed the vile and cruel practices of his people? Xairn could think of no other reason why she would still want to be with him after hearing the Scourge mating practices.

Well, he would just have to make even more of an effort to stay away from her, he decided. If she didn’t have enough survival instinct to stay away from him, that was. Though the gods knew how hard that was going to be. Every time he saw her he wanted her more. Wanted to make her his, to mark her as his own forever… No!

Shaking his head, Xairn took a deep breath and decided to return to the room. Lauren had been alone long enough and he couldn’t avoid being near her forever.

When he got back to the green door, he found one of Slk’s servants just leaving. It was a Bleek and it nodded its long beak genially as it left. “There are evening comestibles for you, Master Xairn. Mistress Lauren has already eaten and is resting.”

Xairn frowned. “She’s resting? You mean she’s already gone to sleep?”

“The effects of the gene alteration.” The Bleek seemed to speak a little too quickly. “It makes one tired sometimes. I bid you good evening, Master.” It took off in an awkward trot down the hallway on its long, backward bending legs.

Still frowning, Xairn pushed his way into a room and stepped around a cart laden with O’ah delicacies. Sure enough, Lauren was tucked neatly into the sleeping platform, one arm beneath the covers and the other resting at her side. She was breathing softly and evenly, her silky hair spread across the pillow like a shining river of midnight black.

So beautiful, he thought, tracing the delicate lines of her face with his eyes. So perfect and pure and sweet… Too perfect and sweet for one such as him, he was sure. No matter how much he wanted her, Lauren wasn’t for him.

Sighing, he looked down at the food cart. After years of eating only nutra-wafers, he found such fare mildly repulsive. It didn’t look like it had appealed to Lauren either—nothing appeared to have been touched. Xairn frowned. Hadn’t the Bleek said she had eaten? Well, maybe she had tasted a bite of everything to be polite. Whatever the case, Xairn didn’t want any.

He pushed the cart outside into the hallway and then went back to the bathroom, intending to take a shower before going to bed. He frowned when he saw that someone had run a glira bath and then let it go cold in the tub. Had Lauren done that? And why hadn’t she emptied the tub when she was finished? Now the glira had congealed into a solid lump which would have to be cut into chunks and removed manually rather than washing down the drain. Well, Xairn decided wearily, he would let Slk’s servants deal with it in the morning. Just now he felt incredibly tired.

He took a quick shower, noting that the wound Lauren had doctored was healing well. Drying off, he dumped his clothes into the cleaning cabinet. They took only a moment and he pulled them out fresh and clean when a low chime sounded. He bundled them under his arm and, wearing only a towel, went back into the bedroom.

Lauren was still asleep, the expression on her lovely features serene and peaceful. Xairn looked longingly at the empty side of the bed and then turned his attention to the couch. It was far too short for his long frame and the cushions looked lumpy. Still, he had told Lauren he would sleep there and he intended to keep his word.

Sighing, he settled himself on the cushions only to jump up again a moment later when something poked him sharply in the ass. Xairn pressed the cushion gingerly with his fingers and gave a muffled curse when the cushion pushed back. Flarns. The damn thing is stuffed with flarns!

The finger-long insects also known as “massage bugs” were native to this solar system and were often used in high-end furnishings. They lived just between the upholstery and the padding and poked and prodded anyone who sat on them giving a “massage” that many claimed to enjoy.

Xairn was not a flarn enthusiast. And even if he had been, he had no desire to be “massaged” all night when he was trying to sleep. Sighing heavily, he looked around the cramped room. He could take the floor, of course. It probably wasn’t much harder than the sleeping platform he’d used his entire life aboard the Fathership. The Scourge didn’t believe in luxuries and lived a Spartan existence filled with hardship and self-denial. Well, all except for the AllFather, but Xairn didn’t want to think about his father now. Some things were best left forgotten.

Instead he looked at the bed again. Lauren was resting so peacefully he was certain he wouldn’t disturb her if he just lay down on the very edge of the empty side. And he knew he could trust himself not to harm her in such a helpless state. It was only when she was awake and touching him, looking at him with those gorgeous amber eyes, that the disturbing urges rose within him.

It was late and he was bone weary. For days he’d been running, fighting, and bargaining, trying to keep Lauren safe and find a way to get her back to her planet in one piece. He was sure she wouldn’t mind letting him share her sleeping accommodations, just this once.

I’ll sleep on top of the covers, he told himself, going around to the empty side of the bed and pulling his under shorts back on. To make certain nothing can happen. Not that he thought anything would happen, but if Lauren should wake up in the middle of the night and decide to reach for him, he wanted to have some barrier, however flimsy, between them.

He settled carefully on the empty side of the gellafoam mattress, keeping an eye on Lauren as he did. She shifted slightly in her sleep and murmured something that sounded like his name, but her eyes stayed closed and she didn’t wake even when he lay all the way down.

When he was sure she wasn’t going to wake up, Xairn breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to relax completely. Thank all the gods that ever were the sleeping platform isn’t filled with flarns as well! With a good night’s rest, he was certain he’d be a new male in the morning. Both literally and figuratively, because in the morning he would see exactly what effect Lauren’s DNA had had on him—and his on her. Please, he thought, turning his head to study her exquisite profile. Please don’t let her be hurt by my genes. Don’t let her be polluted by the evil in my blood.

At least she looked the same so far. Still lovely. Still pure and undefiled. Xairn prayed she would stay that way, though he hardly knew who he was praying to.

“Lights, dim,” he whispered hoarsely. At once, the room was plunged into shadow. Because Scourge had excellent night vision, he could still see her, but her features were muted and indistinct. She was still beautiful, though, still Lauren.

Without thinking, Xairn reached for her hand, the one that was lying on top of the covers. Taking it in his own, he laced their fingers together just as Lauren had when she was holding his hand earlier. As he squeezed her fingers gently, he felt a tingling throughout his entire body. Was it her DNA having an effect on him, changing him forever? Xairn was too tired to care.

With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

Chapter Thirteen

Somewhere in the dark reaches of space a pair of red-on-black eyes opened and a low, frustrated hiss filled the air.

The AllFather sat up, his skeletal frame still dripping with the nutrient slime of his personal pit. He never ingested food or drink, preferring to take physical nourishment through his tightly-stretched, paper-thin skin. It was emotional sustenance that he truly craved—that he could not live without. And now that Xairn had run and taken the human girl with him, the AllFather had none.

“Ssstupid fool.” Rising, he stepped from the pit and began to pace. The greenish slime, impregnated with the poisonous, tainted metal at the core of the Scourge home world, slid from his body and splattered on the metal flooring.

Having recovered with some difficulty from the confrontation with the damned Kindred deity, the AllFather was back aboard the Fathership and heading for the Maw Cluster. He could feel that Xairn and the girl had gone there—could sense them like two pinpricks of light far away on a distant horizon. Their traces were faint but he could follow them, sniffing out the familiar scents like an urlich hot on a scent.

Or he had been able to until just a few moments ago.

Closing his burning eyes, the AllFather cast his dark net again, flinging his consciousness out into the blackness of space like a poisonous spider flinging a strand of toxic silk.

But there was nothing. The lights had disappeared, the traces had vanished.

Where could they have gone? Were they dead somewhere, the flimsy little ship Xairn had stolen crashed into the side of a stray asteroid?

The AllFather felt no sorrow at the thought—only rage. Rage that his only son and best source of nourishment should have escaped him so completely.

But he didn’t truly believe that Xairn was dead, or Lauren either. His son had developed a ridiculous fascination with the human girl. Knowing him, he would go to great lengths to protect her. Just as he had tried to protect the common urlich which he had taken for a pet. The AllFather well remembered how foolishly attached the boy had become to it—how upset he had been at the dumb beast’s demise.

But why the Maw Cluster? There was nothing of interest there—nothing but the thuggish splicers, constantly carving each other up and recombining the DNA into different configurations. Always…

The AllFather stopped pacing abruptly. His long, skeletal hands squeezed into fists. Of course. Their DNA—Xairn has taken her there to get their DNA changed. And he’s succeeded—their signatures are completely different now. No wonder I have lost sight of them!

The AllFather threw back his head and let out a long, hissing howl that echoed through the entire ship. Far down the bleak, empty corridors of the Fathership, the urlich heard him in their kennels and took up the cry.

“Gone!” the AllFather screamed, as his personal guard came running to find out what was wrong. “He’sss taken her away and changed her. They are gone forever from my sssight. Gone!”

Chapter Fourteen

Lauren woke suddenly from a horrible dream about a pair of big red scissors cutting off her hand. No, not my hand—it was my finger. My pinky finger.

She raised her left hand to her face and examined it anxiously but everything looked normal. Didn’t it? On closer examination she wasn’t so sure. Her pinky finger looked…strange somehow. Lauren couldn’t put her finger on it—no pun intended—but when she touched the tip of her pinky finger to her thumb it tingled. Also, the nail on it was a lot shorter than the nails on her other fingers. Lauren wasn’t a nail biter and she didn’t remember breaking a nail, so what was going on?

Don’t be silly, she told herself uneasily, turning her hand this way and that to examine the suspect pinky. It was just a bad dream. Get over it and move on.

Feeling more awake, she looked around the room for Xairn. He’d said he was going to sleep on the couch across from the bed, but it was empty. Then she became aware that someone was in bed beside her, breathing deeply and obviously asleep.

Blinking, Lauren turned over to face him. He was lying on top of the covers but sometime during the night he’d wrapped the long trailing edge of the bedspread over his big frame and nothing was visible now except his sleek black hair. She wondered why he never took it out of the club he wore it in at the base of his neck—not even to sleep. But maybe he’d been too tired to bother last night.

Poor baby. He’s had a hard time lately and all because of me. Unable to resist the impulse, Lauren reached out and tenderly stroked his hair. He stirred a little but she didn’t move her hand. Instead, she caressed him again, letting her fingers trail down inside the cover to cup his rough cheek. Her heart yearned for the man she was touching so gently. He’s so conflicted inside. So wounded. If only he would let me love him, heal him—

“What in the seven hells do you think you’re doing?” a familiar voice demanded. And then the man beside her sat up and threw off the covers in one fluid movement.

“I was just…” The words died on Lauren’s lips. The voice sounded like Xairn’s but the man in bed with her was a complete and total stranger.

“What is it?” he said, frowning at her. “Why are you staring at me that way?”

“Oh my God.” Lauren’s voice came out in a weak whisper. “Who…who are you?”

“What do you mean, who am I? I’m Xairn.”

“No you’re not.” Although, his features did look like Xairn’s. They were still had the proud, stern cast that reminded her of a noble savage or some classical statue come to life.

But instead of the pearly gray shade she’d become used to, this man had smooth tan skin several shades lighter than her own mocha brown. And the burning red-on-black eyes, which had so frightened her at first, had been replaced by normal human eyes.

Well, not normal exactly—his irises were a pure pale shade of blue-green that reminded Lauren of the clear waters of a tropical ocean. Gorgeous, she couldn’t help thinking. He looks like a freaking model.

And as much as she was growing to love him, “gorgeous” was not a word she would have normally applied to Xairn. He was rough around the edges, with more than a little bit of the beast about him. Not this handsome Romeo sitting in bed beside her, wearing nothing but a pair of tight-fitting boxer brief looking things.

A sudden thought occurred to her. “You’re not some kind of clone are you? Something they send to replace Xairn? Because I don’t care how hot you are, you’re not him. I want him back—where is he?”

“I’m telling you, Lauren, it’s me.” He ran a hand experimentally over his face. “It must be the effects of your DNA on me. Do I really look that different?”

“The DNA exchange—of course!” Between her bad dream and the shock of waking up beside a “stranger,” Lauren had completely forgotten that they’d had their DNA altered. So it was Xairn after all. But Xairn as she’d never imagined him. “You look completely different,” she said. “Well, not completely—you’re the same size and shape and your features are the same. But your skin and eye color—”

“Let me see.” He was already out of bed and running for the bathroom. Lauren caught up to him as he was standing in front of the viewer, examining his new skin and eyes.

“I am changed,” he murmured, running his hands over his face wonderingly.

“But I’m not.” Lauren looked at her reflection beside his and frowned. “Look at me—I look exactly the same.”

“Which is at is should be,” Xairn said, looking down at her. “I asked Slk to leave your physical appearance intact and make the smallest change to your DNA possible, remember?”

“I remember.” But Lauren couldn’t help feeling disappointed. “It’s easy to see what you got from me,” she pointed out. “But what did I get from you when Slk rearranged our DNA?”

He shrugged. “It might be something so tiny as to make no difference. You may never know—pray you don’t. I have nothing you want.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Lauren said quietly.

“What?” He frowned at her. “You’re not saying you wanted red eyes or gray skin, are you? That you wanted to look like I did before this change?”

“What I want is to know that there’s a little piece of you inside me—the same way it’s obvious there’s a little piece of me inside you,” Lauren said stubbornly. “I don’t see why that’s so hard to understand.”

“What’s hard to understand is why you would wish to pollute yourself with my genes—to defile yourself with the toxins in my blood.”

“It’s not pollution or defilement,” Lauren argued. “I still don’t understand why you think that about yourself.”

“Because it’s true,” he said shortly. He frowned again as he studied himself in the viewer. “There is one thing I don’t understand—why is my skin lighter than yours?”

Lauren sighed. “Oh, well I’m half white, you know. I mean, because my mom is,” she said. “It was my dad who was African American. You know—black.”

“But my skin is not white. It’s a sort of…tan. And your skin is not black. It’s a beautiful, smooth brown.”

“Well, we say ‘black’ and ‘white’ on my planet, but what we really mean is tan and brown.” Lauren shrugged. “I know, it’s silly isn’t it? But I guess you got DNA from my mom’s side of the family.”

“Does your mother have eyes this color?” he asked, looking into his own eyes in the viewer.

Lauren shook her head. “Uh-uh, she has eyes like mine. But I do remember her saying once that my great-grandfather had eyes that color. Sea colored eyes, she called them.” Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and turned him to face her. “They’re beautiful, you know. Not that your other eyes weren’t—they were very…fierce. But now—”

“Now I conform to your human standards of beauty,” Xairn finished for her.

She nodded and let her hand drop. “You look like a model.”

“A model?” His perfect forehead wrinkled.

“Someone who sells products to others just by looking good. Like if you wanted to sell people a particular brand of clothes, you’d have someone hot, er, good-looking wear them.”

He shook his head. “Why?”

“Well…it’s psychological. It gives people the idea that if they buy and wear those particular clothes, they’ll look as hot as the model wearing them.”

“Why would they think such an illogical thing? And why do they care what their clothing looks like, anyway?” Xairn was clearly confused. “As long as it is adequately functional and keeps them warm, that is all that should matter.”

“Oh, Xairn honey…” Lauren laughed delightedly. He might look like he’d just stepped from the pages of GQ but he was obviously still the same old Xairn underneath. Honestly, it made her feel better about the change he’d undergone. With his big, muscular frame and those striking eyes, he looked like a movie-star—almost unapproachable.

So much physical perfection was hard to be around. It made her feel intimidated in a way she never had even when she’d first met him and thought he looked like a beast out of a nightmare.

Of course, it had been a long time since she’d thought that. Recently she’d really begun to like the way he looked and now…now he was so different.

“I wish my skin was the same color as yours,” he said, holding his arm alongside hers to compare. “But I’m glad you find me easier to look at now.”

“I never found you hard to look at,” Lauren protested. “In fact…Here, lean down a little.”

Obediently, he crouched down so she could reach around behind his neck. Lauren felt for the leather thong that kept his hair tied in the tight club at the back of his neck. Carefully, she unknotted it and pulled it free.

The effect was dramatic. A thick, glossy curtain of blue-black hair fell down around Xairn’s muscular shoulders. It framed his face, softening his stern features, and making him look more than ever like a model on the front of a romance novel.

“Wow,” Lauren breathed, stepping back to look at him. “See, now I’ve been wanting to do that almost from the first moment I saw you. And that was long before you turned into Mr. GQ.”

He frowned and ran a hand over his hair. “Why should you want to let my hair down?”

“Because I wanted to do this.” Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his silky black mane. Truly, he looked magnificent, but what really made him attractive were the traces of the old Xairn she could see peeking out through his gorgeous new exterior.

Xairn shivered under her touch like a nervous animal but didn’t draw away. Instead he held perfectly still as she caressed him. “Why?” he whispered. “Why would you want to…to touch me so?”

“Because I like you.” Lauren pulled him closer and he came to her willingly, his gorgeous, sea-colored eyes wide and uncertain. “Xairn, I think…I think I might be starting to love you,” she confessed. “And not because of this…because of how you look. Because of all we’ve been through together. Everything you’ve done for me… risked for me… given up for me. You’re the sweetest, kindest, most noble man I know.”

“You’re wrong,” he whispered hoarsely as she drew him closer. “I am not any of those things.”

“You’re all that and more,” Lauren insisted. She put her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes. “I wanted to do this too, you know,” she murmured. Gently, she brushed his lips with hers.

Xairn’s reaction was immediate and intense. Arms like warm, flexible steel suddenly crushed her against him and his mouth covered hers, insistent and demanding.

At first Lauren was a little frightened but then she relaxed into his grip. She could feel the need in him—need that had been buried for years and years, desire he’d been too afraid of to ever let see the light of day. Can’t let him think I’m afraid of him. Can’t feed the image he has of himself as some kind of sexual monster.

Moaning softly, she opened her mouth to him, inviting him in, trusting him. Xairn hesitated at first but then she felt his tongue enter her slowly. She caressed it gently with her own, inviting him to do more, to explore. Xairn took her invitation eagerly, threading his fingers through her hair and growling softly deep in his chest as he pulled her even closer.

Lauren was still wearing the fuzzy purple robe she’d put on the night before and she was bare underneath. As Xairn pulled her to him, the robe opened up and she moaned breathlessly to feel her naked breasts rub against his broad, bare chest.

There was a hard bulge in the black boxer briefs he was wearing and it pressed insistently against her thigh, dangerously close to her unprotected pussy. Lauren had a brief thought about how he’d claimed to have double the usual equipment down there but from what she could feel, it was perfectly normal. Well, maybe not completely normal—it did feel awfully large. Maybe she’d get a chance to explore and find out exactly what…

“Stop!” Xairn broke the kiss abruptly.

“What? Why?” Lauren looked up dazedly, trying to find the reason in his eyes. “Do you want to go to bed? Because I agree this isn’t the best place for this.” She gestured around the bathroom with its deep blue fixtures and the bathtub still filled with congealed pink oatmeal stuff from her abandoned bath of the night before.

“No, I do not wish to take you on the bed.” Xairn’s voice was hoarse and the hot, hard ridge Lauren could still feel against her thigh throbbed as though in denial of his words.

“Where then?” she asked, frowning.

“Nowhere. I…I do not wish to take you at all.”

“You’re lying,” Lauren said softly. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and looked into those new, beautiful sea-colored eyes. “You want me, Xairn—I can feel it.” She nudged him with her thigh and had the satisfaction of seeing him jump. “And I want you.” She nodded down at herself to where her tight nipples were still rubbing against the broad, tan planes of his chest. “We want each other,” she clarified. “We need each other. And I don’t see one good reason we shouldn’t give in to that need.”

“Because I feel for you as well.” Gently but firmly he took her hands and put them down by her sides. Then he stepped back, breaking all physical contact between them. “I don’t know what to call it but I want…I want to shelter you from pain, to keep you safe from harm. To comfort you when you’re sad. To put my body between you and any danger that might befall you.” He shook his head. “It’s a very strange and confusing emotion.”

“It sounds like love to me,” she said quietly. “If you love me, why are you pulling away?”

“Because of everything I told you last night. Because of what I am.” He shook his head and looked away from her naked body, framed in the fuzzy purple robe. “And it’s because I care for you that I must leave you. I’ll see you safely home to your planet but then…then I must go.”

“Go where?” Lauren reached for him but he ducked away from her touch. “Will you come back and see me?”

“No.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Never.”

“What?” Stung and surprised, Lauren began to cry. Hot tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks before she could stop them.

“What did you expect?” he asked roughly. “For me to stay on Earth with you? Live as a human? Just because I look like one now doesn’t mean I am one inside, you know.”

“I…I know.” Lauren sniffed and tried to stop crying. “I don’t know what I expected but I hoped you might stay…at least awhile.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I must go.”

“Why? Because of what your people do?” Lauren sniffed again and glared at him fiercely. “I don’t accept that. I don’t care how the men in your race treat women or what you’ve seen your father do—you’re not them, Xairn. You’re you. And I know you wouldn’t treat me that way. I know you would never hurt me.”

“You’re wrong,” he said in a low voice. “More wrong than you know.”

“Maybe I am at that.” The tears wanted to come back but Lauren wouldn’t let them. “Because you have hurt me—worse than I’ve ever been hurt in my life.”

“What?” He looked startled. “I haven’t laid a hand on you. Not in the way of my people, anyway.”

“No, but you’re leaving me as soon as we get back to Earth. Leaving without even trying to explore these feelings we have for each other.” Lifting her chin, Lauren looked him in the eye. “And that hurts worse than any rough, kinky BDSM-type fantasy ever could. You haven’t just wounded my body, Xairn—you’ve wounded my heart.”

He opened his mouth to reply but Lauren didn’t want to hear it—didn’t want to hear more excuses. Straightening her shoulders, she drew the robe close around herself and stalked out of the bathroom. If that was the way he wanted it, then so be it. It was clear he was serious about dropping her off on Earth and leaving her without a backwards glance. Fine then, she wasn’t going to beg.

But it hurt. Oh God, it hurt much worse than she ever could have believed possible. And she couldn’t stop hearing his deep voice in her head saying those sweet words, I want to shelter you from pain, to keep you safe from harm. To comfort you when you’re sad. To put my body between you and any danger that might befall you.

It was love all right, but it wasn’t enough. He didn’t care for her enough to stay. To take a chance. Oh Xairn, she thought sorrowfully. If only you were as willing to risk your heart for me as you are to risk your body.

If only…

Chapter Fifteen

Xairn watched her go with a fierce ache in his heart he couldn’t explain. Why couldn’t she understand that he was doing this for her own good? He no more wanted to leave her on Earth and never see her again than Lauren wanted him to go. But he couldn’t help himself—if he allowed himself to get close to her, his true nature would come out.

Briefly, he allowed himself to relive the sweet moment when she’d pressed her lips to his. That…kiss, yes, that was what she had called it. That kiss which had started out so soft and tender and then turned into something else—something more. Xairn had wanted her then, especially when she parted her lips and offered him the freedom to explore her, to know her completely. He’d had dark visions of dropping to his knees and parting her other lips—her sweet, soft pussy lips with his tongue as well. He wanted desperately to taste her, to lap open her willing little cunt and explore her hidden treasures while she moaned and gripped his hair, begging him to do more, to go farther….

But I can’t. I mustn’t. For if he allowed himself to taste and explore her body, other things were certain to follow. Things his body yearned for but which were considered perversions by others.

Sighing, he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. There were no tears in him anymore—they had gone after his pet urlich, Sanja, had died. But for some reason his eyes were burning now and he felt a lump in his throat that wouldn’t go down no matter how hard he swallowed.

He breathed deeply, trying to push the unwanted emotions away, and caught a faint fragrance from somewhere. Her scent, it must be Lauren’s scent. He’d been stroking her hair as he kissed her—it was all over his hands.

His first impulse was to wash his hands but he couldn’t bear to do that. Instead he cupped his palms to his face and inhaled, trying to breathe her in, trying to memorize her forever. Then he frowned—it was different somehow, her scent. Essentially the same but slightly changed. She smelled like…

“She smells like me,” he whispered in a rough voice. It was true—it was as though he’d scent marked her in the way of the Kindred. But how…? Suddenly he understood. The DNA exchange. Lauren had wondered what she had gotten from him—this was it. It wasn’t much—nothing she would ever notice herself. But it would keep any other male of the Kindred or Scourge race away from her forever. Her new scent branded her as belonging to another male—to him—as surely as if he’d laid all the marks of possession on her.

Forgive me, Lauren, he thought, breathing in her altered but still lovely scent once more. Forgive me for branding you as mine when I am not fit to claim you.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. He would have to go on with his plan. They had to see Slk once more to be certain the DNA alteration was stable and then he would take her back through the wormhole to her own solar system and Earth.

And after he dropped her off? Xairn didn’t know. He only knew that he had to leave her and never see her again. The knowledge was like a stone tied in his chest but there was nothing he could do about it. If he truly loved Lauren—if his twisted heart was capable of such emotion—he would leave her and never look back.

No matter how much it hurt.

* * * * *

“Ah, hmmm. Yes, satisfactory. Most satisfactory.” Slk paced—or slithered might be a better word since he had tentacles for legs—around the two of them, nodding in obvious approval. “The alteration was a complete success.”

Lauren thought he sounded awfully pleased with himself. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, it’s clear that it worked on him.” She gestured to her left where the new and improved eye-candy-Xairn stood. “I mean, he looks completely different. But what about me? I can’t find a single thing that’s changed.” Well, except for her pinky finger but she was certain that was nothing—just that stupid nightmare she’d had still lingering in the back of her subconscious.

“Never fear, my dear Lauren—you are changed. Subtly but substantially. You should now be able to travel safely back to your own world with no one the wiser.” He squinted at them with all three eyes. “But neither of your faces reveal the standard signs of joy. In fact you seem somewhat depressed. Are you not pleased at the successful alteration and the prospect of returning home?”

“We’re pleased,” Xairn said gruffly. “We thank you, Slk, for a job well done. And now we’ll take our leave.”

“Ah, hmmm, not so hasty, my friend.” Slk slithered over to peer into Xairn’s face. “Before I let you go, I must warn you of something.”

“Make it fast,” Xairn growled. “We need to go.”

“It is only this—any time you alter DNA there is always the possibility of it returning to its original state. This should not be a problem for Lauren—the change in her was extremely subtle and slight. But for you, Xairn, your Scourge DNA is very strong and persistent. It resists being altered in any way. You should beware of any sudden, dramatic emotional upheaval. It could undo the work I have done on you and allow your Scourge DNA to dominate once again.”

Xairn frowned. “I’ll keep it in mind but I don’t believe it will be a problem. Not after—” He stopped abruptly but Lauren knew what he had been about to say. Not after he gets rid of me. Because I’m the one who causes him to have too many emotions, who makes him feel things he’d rather burry and remember things he’d rather forget. She tried not to be bitter about it but it still stung, the idea that he would leave her rather than even give what might have grown between them a try.

“I feel I have to give you warning because any reversal of the process would be permanent.” Slk gestured with all eight hands. “I would not be able to alter your DNA again. So have a care, my friend.”

“I will.” Xairn nodded shortly and then they all stood there, not saying anything.

“Well, I see you need to be going,” Slk said at last, filling the awkward silence. “I wish you safe journey to your destination’s end.”

“Thank you, Slk,” Lauren said politely. “And, uh, I’m sorry if I left the bathroom in kind of a mess. I’m afraid the bathtub is filled with some weird pink oatmeal stuff.”

Slk waved all eight of his hands dismissively. “Not to worry, my dear. I’ll have one of my servants clean it up. And now, I have work to do.”

“Good bye.” Xairn nodded at the alien geneticist and jerked his head at Lauren. “Come.” Then he was off, striding down the long hallway they’d come in by the night before, his boot heels clicking on the purple-brown stone floor. Lauren had to almost run to keep up with him.

Come. Just as if I was his dog, she thought, fuming. “I’m coming,” she said in her coldest voice as she caught up to him. “I know you can’t wait to get rid of me.”

“You know that isn’t how I feel.” They reached the blank stone wall and he pressed his hand to it, muttering something in an alien language under his breath. The crack opened and they stepped through into the parking area filled with large stalls.

“How do you feel then?” Lauren demanded.

“I have told you how I feel. There is no need to repeat it.” He was staring straight ahead as he walked purposefully down the broad corridor between stalls. Lauren wanted to make him stop and look at her, make him answer her question truthfully.

“If you really feel for me then stop running from me,” she said.

“I am not running,” he said, walking faster than ever.

“Bullshit!” she exclaimed, loosing her patience. They were passing a stall with no ship in it and her voice echoed in the empty space. “At least look at me! At least—”

Someone slapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her backward into the dark, empty stall.

Lauren began struggling at once but arms like iron bands were wrapped around her and the hand over her mouth was gripping her jaw so tightly she couldn’t even open her lips to scream or bite. She was concealed in the shadows, just around the corner, and she could see Xairn walking away from her, getting further and further down the row of parking stalls, but she knew he wouldn’t be able to see her.

“At least what?” he asked, still walking. When there was no answer, he turned, frowning to look where she had been. “Lauren?” His eyes widened. “Where are you?”

Here, she thought frantically, struggling against her unseen assailant to make some kind of noise. Even a moan or a gasp would do but there was another hand now, locked around her throat. It was all she could do to breath in a trickle of air, let alone make any sounds.

“Lauren?” Xairn was looking around, obviously beginning to panic. “Where are you?”

He’ll find me in a minute. He won’t leave without me—I know he won’t. No matter how much he dislikes having feelings for me, he would never leave without—

“Here I am, Master Xairn.”

To Lauren’s horror, a girl who looked just like her suddenly emerged from the stall directly in front of them and walked toward Xairn. She was even wearing the exact same silvery-blue, too-big muumuu Lauren had on.

Xairn frowned at her. “Since when am I your ‘master?’”

“As you wish, Master Xairn.” The Lauren clone nodded and smiled at him. “Shall we go?”

His eyes narrowed. “And where exactly are we going?”

“Where ever you wish, of course, Master Xairn.” She nodded and smiled vacantly. “Shall we go?”

“I’m not going anywhere until I find Lauren.”

“I am Lauren.” The Lauren clone tried to put her arms around his neck but he pushed her away.

“No, you’re not. Where is she?”

Thank God! Lauren felt weak with relief but it was short-lived.

“Well, well, your lover is sharp for a Scourge, I’ll give him that,” a familiar voice hissed in her ear.

Blix? Is that Blix?

There was a low, nasty laugh in her ear and she remembered he could read her mind. “Of course it’s Blix, my dear. You didn’t think I’d give up on such a rare exotic as yourself so easily, did you? But your paramour doesn’t seem content to give up either. Let’s see how he deals with more than one decoy.”

From another empty stall, a second Lauren look-alike appeared. And then another and another. All of them were dressed alike in silvery blue muumuus. And all of them looked exactly like her. Lauren counted at least twenty. Were these the seed clones Slk had been talking about the night before?

“Xairn? Master Xairn?” They all spoke at once, all of them reaching for Xairn, converging on him like a flock of flightless birds.

“Stop it!” Xairn roared. “Get away from me, all of you.” He turned in a circle, his blue-green eyes scanning the empty stalls filled with shadows. “Show yourself Spider! I know you have to be the one behind this. Give Lauren back right now and I might let you live.”

“Ah, here we go. Showtime!” Blix murmured in her ear.

There was a strange twitching sensation behind her and a very faint popping noise. Suddenly another Blix was standing to her right while the original continued to hold her tight and keep a hand clamped over her mouth. Lauren watched, wide-eyed, as this second Blix strolled casually out to meet Xairn with a smile on his face.

“Spider!” Xairn reached for him but he ducked lightly out of the way.

“Ah-ah-ah my dear Scourge,” he tisked. “Hands off, if you please. It’s true that I have your lady-love but I have a perfect right to her.”

“You have nothing.” Xairn glared at him, his big hands curling into fists. “We gave back the clothing you bartered and let you keep the grieza food cubes.”

“Alas, the cubes were defective and wouldn’t rehydrate properly.” Blix made a sorrowful face. “And unfortunately, your sweet Lauren neglected to return the lovely slippers I gave her. Worth a fortune, I assure you—much more than the cubes even if they were in top condition—which, as I said, they were not.”

“You’re a fucking liar!” Xairn grabbed for him again and this time the second Blix wasn’t fast enough to evade the enraged Scourge. He struggled as Xairn gripped him by the throat and squeezed. “Bring me Lauren now!” It was a deafening, full throated roar that echoed through the stone walled parking area. Watching, Lauren saw his eyes flash briefly from blue-green to the familiar red-on-black she knew so well. God, was his Scourge DNA reasserting itself already? Slk had warned that an extreme emotional reaction might trigger the change. Was he—?

Suddenly Blix shivered in Xairn’s big hand and then divided neatly in two. The second—or actually the third Blix, Lauren supposed—stepped to one side and shook his head. “Now, now, Xairn—there’s no need to resort to violence. We should settle this sensibly.”

“I believe you should settle it legally.” There was a sudden commotion among the milling clones and then Slk came into view, his tentacles whispering over the stone floor. “I thought you might be up to something unsavory when you contacted me so quickly to buy Lauren’s blood.”

Xairn turned on the alien geneticist. “You bastard! You knew about this?”

All three of Slk’s vertical eyes blinked slowly. “I suspected. Which is why I brought an arbitrator to judge.” He nodded behind him and Lauren watched in amazement as the huge, purple tree-like being which she had seen in the O’ah marketplace came gliding up.

“I am the Judge of the Market where this transaction first took place.” Its voice was like the creaking of an old oak in the wind and its eyes and mouth looked like the knots in the bark of an ancient tree. “Present the facts to me.”

At last Blix began to look worried. “Oh, great Judge of the Market,” he began, licking his lips nervously. “We are so honored by your presence among us today. If you will be pleased to listen—”

“I will be pleased to listen to nothing but the truth!” The Judge’s voice crackled with anger and above its head, the bare purple branches suddenly burst into pale blue flames.

Lauren would have gasped if she could have gotten enough breath to do so. The flickering pale blue light illuminated the dark parking area and cast an eerie glow over everything. She tried to remember what Xairn had told her about the purple tree being. He is a Quinlow—they carry the power of life and death in their hands. As she thought it, the tree-being raised its stumpy, branch-like arms which ended in two long-fingered hands. The fingers looked like twigs that had been set on fire—they two glowed with the deadly, pale blue flames.

Blix gasped and jumped back. “Your Eminence! I—”

“Your pardon, Judge of the Market,” Xairn interrupted him, bowing briefly. “The facts of the matter are this: While I was away bargaining with Slk for a DNA alteration, this thought thief tricked his way aboard my ship and deceived my female into dealing with him. His intention was to take her for a splice whore. He gave her expensive clothing which he claimed was a gift in return for what he believed to be worthless food cubes.”

“But they were worthless!” the Blix whose throat he wasn’t squeezing protested. “They were defective!”

Xairn glared at him. “Prove it.”

Blix shrugged uneasily. “I cannot. I threw them away, of course—I don’t keep useless things around. What would be the point?”

“The point is that food cubes containing grieza worms are more than equal to the cost of the clothes you gave Lauren. Which we gave back,” Xairn said.

“But she did not return the slippers I traded to her,” Blix remarked triumphantly. “And those were worth a fortune—more than your ship at least.”

“But not more than Lauren’s life,” Xairn growled. “She is priceless—nothing you can do or say or offer will convince me to give her up.” He looked at the tree-being. “I appeal to you to rectify this injustice, oh Judge. The Spider has captured my female and is holding her somewhere near. He thought to confuse me with seed clones but none of these are the real Lauren.” He gestured to the milling clones who were standing around in groups of two and three watching the proceedings vacantly.

“An injustice has indeed been done.” The Judge’s branches and twig-like fingers burned even brighter. “Grieza worms are a delicacy prized the universe over and are worth more than whatever garments were given. Unless Blix the Spider can produce the cubes and prove that they are defective, the Scourge’s female shall be returned to him. At Once.”

“Very well. Very well.” The third Blix backed away, rubbing his hands together nervously. “Send her out,” he called. “Send out the true female—no more clones.”

Again Lauren felt a huge rush of relief. At last she was going to be free to go back to Xairn! But the hands holding her in a vise-like grip didn’t relax. Instead, Blix number one tightened his grip and laughed nastily in her ear.

“Come now, my dear. You didn’t think I’d give up as easily as all that, did you?”

And then someone was shouting, “Here I am! I’m coming, Xairn.”

Lauren nearly fainted when she saw yet another look-alike come running up. She pushed her way past the seed clones and threw herself into his arms, sobbing much as Lauren wanted to sob herself.

“Lauren?” He looked down at her uncertainly and released the second Blix, which promptly merged with the third one.

“Oh God, it was awful!” the new pseudo Lauren gasped. “He grabbed me and held me and I was so afraid I’d never get back to you. Oh Xairn!” She stood on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching him tightly.

“She’s quite good, isn’t she?” Blix muttered into Lauren’s ear. “I know you’re wondering why she’s so different from the others—it’s because she’s a true clone, not a seed clone. I hate to tell you, my dear, what it cost me to bribe Slk’s stupid servant to get me one of your fingers so I would have enough raw material to grow her, but it was well worth it, as you can tell. Besides…” He squeezed her tighter. “You can pay me back during your first year of work.”

Lauren had gone rigid with shock at seeing the new clone but now her knees felt like rubber. She was sure if Blix hadn’t been holding her so ruthlessly she would have collapsed. My God, she looks and acts just like me! He’ll never know the difference. He’ll leave me here and won’t find out until too late that she isn’t real. But if she’s such an exact copy, why do they need me at all?

“Because the original is always better than a copy, especially for making other copies, my dear,” Blix said, answering her thought. “And because I’m able to charge so much more for a night with an original splice whore. Their reactions are so much more… satisfying and unique.”

Tears sprang to Lauren’s eyes. Was this how her life was going to end? A hundred thousand light years from home, trapped into prostitution on a planet no one on Earth had even heard of?

“Indeed, this is to be your fate, my dear,” Blix purred in her ear. “But don’t worry, I won’t give you over to the customers before I put you through your paces myself. I always like to make sure my girls are well trained.” The hand holding her throat slipped down to cup her left breast and squeezed it roughly. Lauren gave a muffled gasp and tried to kick him but it was like kicking a brick wall. “Don’t struggle so, my darling Lauren,” Blix murmured. “You should be enjoying your last sight of your Scourge paramour. He’s about to leave with that pretty little clone and no one will ever be the wiser. Even your own mother won’t be able to tell the difference between her and the original when he gets her back to your home planet.”

Despair washed over her like a cold wave and Lauren knew he was right. Even now Xairn was holding the clone close, his face buried in her hair as he comforted her. Me, that should be me that he’s holding! she thought desperately. But there was nothing she could do but watch. Nothing she could do but—

“Get away!” Suddenly Xairn pushed the clone to one side. “You’re not her either. Where is she? Where is Lauren?”

Behind her, Lauren felt Blix stiffen. “How in the seven hells—?”

“I know she’s near.” Xairn was moving in a circle, his head high in the air as if searching for some scent only he could smell. After a moment he seemed to catch it. He pushed the clones out of the way and headed toward to the empty stall where Blix was holding her.

Blix began dragging her backwards, deeper into the shadows but Lauren fishtailed her body desperately, fighting with renewed desperation. His hand on her mouth slipped and she was able to clamp down on his fingers. To her disgust, they came off in her mouth, wiggling like worms.

Lauren spat them out and screamed, “Xairn! Here—I’m here!”

“Lauren!” He rounded the corner of the empty stall where Blix had been concealing her just out of sight. “Let her go!” he roared, his eyes flashing red-on-black. “Or I’ll rip you into so many fucking pieces you’ll never be able to reassemble yourself!”

At last Blix released her and Lauren stumbled forward into Xairn’s arms. He snatched her up, holding her by the waist and buried his face in her hair. Lauren felt his broad chest expand like a bellows as he inhaled, breathing her in just as he had when he held the clone.

When he pulled back there was a look of relief on his face. “It’s really you this time,” he murmured, looking into her eyes.

“Yes. Yes, it’s me.” Lauren didn’t want to be a cliché or repeat everything the clone had just done but she couldn’t help tearing up just the same. She sniffed and blinked, trying not to let her voice shake too much. “How…how did you know? Blix said even my own mother wouldn’t have been able to tell me apart from that…that thing.”

“She probably wouldn’t.” Xairn changed his grip on her so that he was cradling her protectively close to his chest like a baby. “She doesn’t have my sense of smell.”

“What?” She frowned. “We smell different?”

“The clone smelled like you in your pre-altered state,” Xairn explained. “You smelled different this morning after the DNA alteration had completely taken effect.”

From the shadows of the empty stall, Blix cursed. “That stupid Bleek! To think what I paid and he gave me a pre-altered finger!”

Xairn glared at the thought thief. “You took her finger? You harmed my Lauren?”

“I thought it was a dream,” Lauren confessed. “The weird stork-looking servant gave me a brownie to eat and it must have had some kind of drug in it. I passed out but before I did he…he cut off my little finger. But when I woke up, it was still there so I thought it must have been a nightmare.”

“He regenerated it, of course,” Blix said. Casually, he reached down for his severed fingers, the digits Lauren had bitten off, and reattached them one by one.

It’s like he’s made of Play dough, Lauren thought with a shiver.

Blix eyed her coolly. “No, my dear—plasma. But you’ll have years to find out all the particulars about me, never fear.”

“What are you talking about?” Xairn demanded. “Lauren is leaving with me. But before I go, I’m going to rip you to fucking shreds.” He started to move forward menacingly but Blix sidestepped him.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Reaching into a pocket of his purple cape, he withdrew something. “Pardon me, your Eminence,” he said, nodding to the Judge of the Market who had come to stand in the entrance of the empty stall. “But I seem to have those defective food cubes after all. See here?”

“Let me examine them.” The Quinlow held out one burning hand.

Gingerly, Blix dropped several blackened cubes into the Judge’s branch-like palm, being very careful not to touch the pale blue flames. “They’re rotted—see, your Eminence? They can have no possible value at all.”

After a moment, the Judge nodded. “Blix is correct—these cubes are defective.”

Xairn set Lauren down and pushed her behind him. “I can’t believe we are even having this conversation. The Spider has just admitted to bribing one of Slk’s servants to maim my female in order to grow a clone to fool me. His crimes should be punished!”

“I was only trying to get what was rightfully mine without a fuss,” Blix protested. “In fact, your Eminence, I propose an amicable solution. Since the true clone and the original are exactly the same, let Xairn have the clone and I will keep this female.” He pointed at Lauren who shrank back against Xairn.

“What do you mean, just the same? We’re not just the same!” she protested.

“I’m afraid you are,” Slk said. Taking the true clone by the hand, he led her forward. “I have been speaking to this female—Blix had even given her your memories. For all intents and purposes, she is you.” He turned to Xairn. “I cannot tell you how I regret this. I will punish the servant Blix bribed in the sternest possible fashion.”

“Death is too good for him,” Xairn snarled. “This female is the only one I want.” He put an arm around Lauren and pulling her protectively close. “I brought her here and I have sworn to see her safely home which I still intend to do.”

Suddenly the Judge, who had been standing silent and thoughtful, spoke in his creaking, sonorous voice. “Blix makes a valid point. As the cubes are defective, it should be his right to take the female into his possession. Xairn the Scourge may have the true clone to do with as he pleases.”

“What?” Lauren felt like hear heart was going to stop. “Surely you can’t be serious.”

“Do you dare to doubt my judgment?” The Quinlow strode forward, its arms outstretched, the blue flames crackling like deadly lightning between its fingers.

Lauren bit her lip. Somehow she knew that if it touched her with those hands, that if even one twig-like finger brushed her cheek, the results would be horribly painful, and quite possibly fatal.

“We are not doubting, your Eminence.” Xairn’s voice was low with barely controlled fury and his grip on Lauren’s shoulders tightened until it was almost painful but he didn’t display any outward signs of anger. “But I regret to say that I cannot comply with your ruling. This female, and no other, is bonded to me. So I cannot let her go.”

The Quinlow’s mouth yawned wide in fury and Lauren saw that it was burning inside as well. She could feel the flames against her skin—not hot but cold. So cold it made her lungs ache to inhale the air around it. “You dare defy me? Death is the penalty, as you well know, insolent Scourge.”

“Of that I am aware,” Xairn said evenly. “And if a life is needed to satisfy, then you may take mine. But not until I am guaranteed that my female, Lauren, will be treated with respect and kept safe from the Spider.”

“No,” Lauren protested. “Xairn, you can’t!”

He gave her a brief glance. “I will be glad to die if it ensures your safety.”

“I will care for your female as I would my own progeny,” Slk said, his three eyes blinking. “Blix shall never have her. The clone either.” He turned a disapproving look on the thought thief. “I claim her—for the material that made her was harvested illegally under my own roof. You shall have neither of them.”

“Slk makes a telling point and his claim is valid.” To Lauren’s immense relief, the Judge of the Market drew back, its bark-like face creased into a frown. “Slk has decided to assert his rights. It seems that defective food cubes or no, you cannot have either female, Blix. One is bonded to another male—I cannot break a life bond. And the other was grown illegally.” It turned its attention to Lauren. “You must, however, return the slippers.”

“They’re in our ship, your…your Eminence,” she managed to say. “I’ll be more than happy to return them.”

Blix arched one pale blond eyebrow at them. “A moment, your Eminence. Of course I am pleased to comply with your rulings, but are we certain the Scourge is telling the truth? He claims to be bonded to this female but I see none of the Scourge marks of possession on her.”

Lauren felt herself freeze inside. Oh God, the marks of possession. What had Xairn said they were? A collar and a brand? Not to mention the various piercings. And she had none of them.

“I only bonded her last night,” Xairn said, frowning. “I have not had time for such things. She wears my scent on her skin—that is enough for the time being.”

“A brand, at the very least, is necessary to prove possession.” Blix crossed his arms over his chest. “A collar and piercings may be removed but a brand is permanent. If the female does not display your brand then I contend she is not bonded to you.” He looked at the Quinlow. “Your ruling, your Eminence?”

The Judge frowned at Xairn. “Blix speaks the truth—your female will need to be branded in order for your claim to be validated.” It held up one long twig-like finger, tipped with blue flame. “If you wish, I can brand her for you myself. But she must be marked before I can allow the two of you to leave.”

“I think that is an excellent idea, your Eminence.” Blix nodded.

“You sadistic bastard.” Xairn glared at him. “You just want to see her pain.”

Blix shrugged and gave him a nasty grin. “Why not? If I can’t have your sweet Lauren, I might as well get some fun out of your farewell.”

Lauren’s heart, which had already been racing, began to beat so fast she thought she might faint. God, she didn’t want the tree thing to touch her, to burn her! But if it was the only way they could get out of here alive, what choice did she have?

“All right,” she whispered, having trouble making the words come out. “If…if you have to.” She started to step forward but Xairn pushed her back.

“With respect, your Eminence,” he grated. “That is not how things are done among Lauren’s people. I have said that I was bonded to her but not that I owned her. In point of fact, it is Lauren who owns me.”

The Judge frowned. “This is highly irregular. The Scourge always own their females.”

“Not in this case,” Xairn insisted. “In fact, if either of us should wear a brand, it should be me.” Pulling his shirt open, he knelt suddenly before the tree-like being. “I submit to your ruling, your Eminence, and ask that you brand me now with my female’s name.”

“Xairn.” Lauren whispered his name through numb lips. “Xairn, please…”

He glanced back at her. “It is my wish, Mistress. And you would have branded me anyway, once we reached your home planet. This simply saves time.”

The Quinlow frowned. “I am willing to make the substitution but for the brand to be meaningful, I must know what to write.”

“Her name.” Xairn lifted his chin. “Write it in the language of her people, here, across my chest.”

“Then I must have knowledge of this language.” The Judge held out one burning hand to Lauren who was still standing beside the kneeling Xairn. Its creaking voice softened slightly. “Come, child, I can read your thoughts, but in order to make your mark properly I need a direct transference.”

Lauren looked at the flame-tipped fingers. “You want me to…to touch you?”

“Not the hand,” Xairn said sharply. “Brush your fingertips over its arm—that should be sufficient.”

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Lauren reached out to do as he said. The Judge leaned forward obligingly, reminding her of a tree bending in the wind. Careful to avoid its burning hands, she let her fingertips brush lightly over the knotted, branch-like arm. Her whole arm went instantly numb and she gasped as she felt something pass between them—like a burst of electricity. Then it was over and she pulled back her hand and tried to massage some life back into her tingling fingers.

“That is well.” The Quinlow nodded at her. “I have what I need. Scourge, are you prepared? I warn you that my brand will not be light or painless. Many have died at my hands. I have no easy touch to give.”

Xairn’s face was like stone. “I understand, your Eminence. I am ready.” He looked briefly at Lauren. “Step back. I don’t want you hurt by the energy transfer, Mistress.”

Feeling numb, Lauren did as he asked. Me, he’s doing this for me. So I won’t be hurt, she thought as the Quinlow bent to press its burning fingertip to Xairn’s broad, bare chest. There was a hissing sound like burning flesh, but he didn’t even flinch as the moving finger began to write.

Lauren watched in mingled parts horror and fascination as her name slowly appeared in two-inch high letters across Xairn’s muscular chest. It was terrible to see because she knew he must be in agony—her name was being literally burned into his body, after all.

But though the whole scenario was surreal, the strangest thing was that the Quinlow was writing in her handwriting. The same loopy scrawl she used when signing letters and checks was what came out of the burning blue fingertip. It made her feel like she herself was doing the branding, as though she was disfiguring Xairn’s body like a vandal would mark a priceless piece of art. Her hands clenched into fists and tears sprang to her eyes again as she watched helplessly.

Xairn bore the agonizing operation in silence and when the Judge was finished, her entire first name was there, in raised black lines on his flesh. The pain must have been almost unbearable but he only nodded his head and said, “My thanks, your Eminence. I will wear my mistress’s name with pride.”

“Go and do not return.” The Quinlow frowned and stepped back. “Your welcome in O’ah has expired.”

“We’re going.” Rising stiffly, Xairn took Lauren by the hand and pulled her away, through the milling crowd of seed clones.

Lauren had to run to keep up with him but she didn’t care. All she knew was that they were finally getting out of this strange and dangerous place. But as relieved as she was, she was still horrified by the price Xairn had paid for their freedom. God, how could he do that for me—let my name be burned into his flesh and never even flinch? He must hate me now!

In the time he’d know her he had lost his father, his race, and his entire way of life. He’d even had to alter his entire appearance. And now this.

Was it any wonder he wanted to leave her on Earth and never come back?

Chapter Sixteen

The burning pain of the Quinlow’s touch still lingered on his chest, setting his nerve endings afire, but Xairn didn’t care. The agony he had endured to be branded with Lauren’s name was nothing compared to the fierce ache around his heart. Gods, to think that I almost lost her again, and for good this time! If the DNA alteration hadn’t changed her scent—no, he couldn’t allow himself to consider it. Not now.

They reached the ship and he pushed Lauren inside as quickly as possible, wanting to get her to safe territory. The Judge had made what he considered to be a fair ruling but it was based on a lie—he had not bonded Lauren to him. And I never will, he vowed to himself. There would be too much chance of losing control. But bonded or not, she was still his. Or rather, he was hers. Xairn knew that now and there was no going back from that knowledge, no matter how it pierced his heart.

Just as he was about to enter the ship himself, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. “What?” he snarled. He turned to see Blix standing there, smirking.

“I simply wanted to remind you to return the slippers. Unless you wish me to make a short visit to your lady love’s home planet someday soon?”

Xairn’s hands curled into fists and he felt his eyes growing hot—almost as though some other part of him was trying to get out. He wanted to rip the calmly smiling bastard into a thousand tiny pieces and listen to each one scream but there was no time. “If you come within a hundred light years of her again I’ll fucking kill you,” he grated. “That’s a promise, Spider.”

“One I’ll remember.” Blix nodded, still smirking. “You’re a worthy opponent, Scourge—you countered every trick I had. I can’t remember the last time anyone was able to do that. And now, the slippers if you please?”

Xairn turned to get them but Lauren was suddenly standing at the doorway of the ship. “Here they are!” With surprising speed and accuracy, she flung both of the crimson-soled slippers in quick succession. Both hit Blix in the face and the second one knocked his nose completely off. It lay twitching on the ground beside him like a slug.

“Why, you—She’s not really bonded to you!” he shouted at Xairn. “No female truly subdued by a Scourge would act like that!” He started to surge forward but Xairn put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. The thought thief stumbled and fell on his ass, an almost comical look of surprise on his noseless face.

“Thanks for the shoes,” Lauren told him, her eyes flashing. “But I’ve never been into designer footwear. Especially if it costs me my freaking life.” She looked at Xairn. “Come on, let’s get out of this crazy place!”

Xairn gave her a look of admiration and then glanced back at Blix. “Forgive me, Spider but I have to go. My mistress calls.”

“Come back!” Blix stormed, spitting into two and then three and four other Blixs in his fury. “I am calling for a re-judgment on this case. I want that female thoroughly examined. I’ll—”

“You’ll rot in the seven hells,” Xairn growled over his shoulder. “Now get the fuck out of way or I’ll fry you with the ship’s engines.” Not waiting to see if the thought thief complied, he slapped the door switch closed and turned toward the pilot’s chair. “Strap in,” he told Lauren who was already sitting in the passenger seat. “We need to get out of here quickly. The Spider wants to reopen proceedings with the Judge.”

She shivered as she pulled the safety harness in place. “I can’t believe he got so upset that I pegged him with a couple of overpriced slippers. I mean, I bit his fingers off earlier and he didn’t care about that.”

“The slippers he gave you had crimson soles—they were footwear reserved exclusively for whores,” Xairn explained as he started the ship. “Hitting him in the face with them was a grave insult.” He gave her a quick smile. “It made him angrier than anything else you could have done—you hurt his pride.”

She tried to smile back but her lovely face looked uneasy. “Good for me, I guess.”

“Hold on.” Xairn gunned the engines and the ship went racing down the long stone corridor. Both of them were thrown back against their seats. The pressure eased as the ship lifted up into the purple haze of the O’ah sky. “We’re leaving now before things get ugly.”

“Seriously, like they weren’t ugly before?” Lauren laughed but the sound ended in a sob.

“Are you all right?” He spared her a quick glance before looking back at the controls. He had to get a good distance from the planet to make sure they weren’t followed.

“I’m fine.” She lifted her chin but her voice trembled. “Is…is it safe now? Will we be okay?”

“We should be all right. It might take me a little while to find the right worm hole but I think I can promise to have you home in a fairly short time,” Xairn said.

“I see.” Lauren nodded stiffly. “Then…can I…is it safe to go to the restroom?”

He nodded. “You can unstrap your harness.”

“Thank you.” She was already fumbling with the straps and as soon as she had gotten lose, she almost ran to the back of the ship. Xairn frowned and cast a glance over his shoulder to watch her retreat. Was she really all right? Should he go to her?

He felt a surge of frustration at his uncertainty. What would a normal male—one who had been raised around females and knew how to treat them—do? Many of Lauren’s emotional responses still confused him. He could tell she was upset and hurt and he wanted to fix that somehow—to assuage her pain. But he didn’t know how. And he didn’t know if he would ever be able to learn.

Forgive me, Lauren, he thought, staring blankly into the black reaches of space displayed on the viewscreen. For my ignorance and uncertainty. For not knowing how to ease your pain. I am no fit mate for you. He looked down at the burning letters of her name branded on his chest. And yet I don’t know how to be anything else.

* * * * *

Lauren slapped the bathroom door shut and clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. It felt like she’d been crying off and on all morning but what a hellish morning it had been! She honestly couldn’t remember a worse one. Even waking up naked on the cold metal floor of the Fathership didn’t compare.

She sank to the floor and wrapped her arms around herself, trembling. She didn’t want to be weak but just for this one moment, she couldn’t help it. She had to give in to the tears.

Over and over she relieved the terrifying sensation of being grabbed and then watching as the clones tried to take her place. The fear that Xairn wouldn’t know the difference, that she would be left behind on a strange planet trapped in a life of prostitution until she died. And then watching as he endured agony for her—as he allowed himself to be branded with her name without saying a word.

It should have been me! I should have been the one who was marked! I shouldn’t have let him do it. Though she wasn’t sure how she could have stopped him. Now, even though he was going to leave her, he would have a permanent reminder of her stamped forever on his chest. Lauren wanted to go to him, to treat the burns with some of the cooling gel she’d found in the Kindred first aid kit earlier, but she couldn’t bring herself to face him again. Not yet. For now she could only try to deal with what she’d been through…and try not to think about how she was going to feel in a few hours when he left her on Earth and went away for good.

She cried quietly for awhile, muffling the sobs with her hand so as not to disturb Xairn. Letting out the terror and pain of what she’d just gone through seemed to help and at last, she began to feel calmer. It’s all right, Lauren, everything is going to be all right, she told herself fiercely, blotting her eyes on the sleeve of her muumuu. You got through being kidnapped, held prisoner by the AllFather, having your DNA altered, and being cloned. You’ll make it through this too. You’ll make it through him leaving…But she didn’t know how she could.

Out of everything that had happened to her since she’d been plucked her from her normal life on Earth and sent on a dizzying, out of control rollercoaster ride of adventure and fear, knowing she would never see Xairn again hurt the worst. The idea of never being held in his arms, of never looking into his eyes—whether they were red-on-black or blue-green, she didn’t care—was so painful it hurt to breathe when she thought of it. She didn’t blame him a bit for wanting to go but God, how was she going to—

A soft knocking on the other side of the bathroom door broke her train of thought abruptly. “Lauren?” Xairn sounded concerned. “Are you all right? Can I see you?”

“Just a minute.” She jumped up and turned to the sink to splash some cool water on her face. Blotting her cheeks with a towel, she studied her reflection in the mirror. Red eyes? Check. Puffy face? Check. Great, just great. Well, there was no way to hide from him that she’d been crying but at least she could be calm and collected now. Xairn had been through enough having her name freaking burned into his flesh. He didn’t need to deal with her crazy emotions too.

“Lauren?” he asked again.

“Coming.” Take a deep breath, she opened the door.

Xairn was leaning against the frame, his wide shoulders filling the doorway completely. His shirt was still hanging open and he was so tall that Lauren found she was just about at eye level with the brand.

“Hi,” she said brightly. “I was just looking for some burn gel for you. So I could treat your—you know…” She gestured to the raised black lines on his chest. They were an angry red around the margins and had to be hurting him terribly.

“You were crying,” he said, studying her face intently. “I could hear it though I’m sure you were trying to keep quiet.” Hesitantly, he reached out to brush her cheek with the back of his hand. “Don’t hide your pain from me, Lauren. Please.”

Lauren bit her lip. “I…I didn’t want to bother you. You’ve been through so much already.”

“We both have.” He studied her with those new, piercing sea colored eyes. “But we went through it together, at least.”

“Yes, I guess so.”

Xairn looked troubled. “I…I want to make you feel better but I don’t know how,” he confessed. “I don’t know the correct response or how to ease your suffering.”

“Make me feel better?” Lauren looked at him in disbelief. “What about you?” She gestured at his chest. “What about that? Why did you let them? The Judge wanted to brand me—it should have been me.”

“Are you saying I should have stepped back and allowed you to be hurt—to be burned—without trying to protect you?” His eyes flashed briefly red-on-black. “What kind of male do you think I am? I may not know how to comfort you properly but I would never willingly allow you to come to harm!”

“But look what they did to you!” Lauren protested. “It must hurt horribly! And how will you ever get it off?”

“What makes you think I would wish to remove it?” Xairn asked quietly. “Did I not say I was proud to wear your name on my body?”

“How can you say that? How can you be so calm about this whole thing?” Lauren heard the tremble in her own voice but she couldn’t seem to stop it. “I mean now even after…after you leave, you’ll always have my name on you like…like a stain you can’t get off.”

“It’s not a stain,” he said softly. “It is a brand—a mark of possession. It denotes ownership.”

Lauren shook her head. “I don’t understand. Whatever point you’re trying to make—I don’t get it.”

Xairn looked at her steadily. “I spoke the truth when I told the Judge of the Market that you owned me.”

“What are you talking about?” Lauren protested. “How could I own you?”

“Because I am yours—body and soul.” To her surprise, he sank slowly to his knees and looked up at her earnestly. “I realized something when I nearly lost you the second time to the Spider, Lauren—I cannot leave you.” His deep voice was hoarse with emotion. “It is wrong and selfish and I still fear hurting you—fear it desperately—but I simply don’t have the strength to leave you on Earth and go.” He bowed his head. “You have mastered me without raising a finger—I am yours.”

Lauren could hardly believe it. Her heart started pounding like crazy with a dizzying mixture of hope and fear. “You…you mean it? Xairn do you really mean it? You’ll stay with me on Earth? You won’t leave?” She got on her knees in front of him and cupped his face in both hands. “Look in my eyes and tell me again,” she begged. “Please, I need to hear it again.”

He looked at her, his blue-green eyes filled with pain. “I am completely serious—I will stay with you. But…”

“But what?” Lauren looked at him anxiously. “I thought I owned you—there are conditions?”

“Not conditions so much as requests.” Xairn still looked pained. “I will stay with you for as long as you want me but I would ask that we limit our physical contact. And that there should be nothing…” he swallowed. “Nothing sexual between us.”

“What?” Lauren shook her head. “Xairn, honey, we can’t be in a relationship with no touching. I don’t know if you noticed but I’m a really touchy person.” She ran her hands down the smooth column of his neck and over his broad shoulders to illustrate her point. “I mean, I just can’t help myself—I need contact. And I bet you do too. Don’t you like it when I touch you?”

“I do.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple moving convulsively. “Much more than I should. Please, Lauren, this request is for your own safety.”

“I’m not worried about that,” she said, squeezing his shoulders. “Not a bit. I feel safer with you than I ever have with anyone else in my whole life.”

“Well you shouldn’t.” He looked frustrated. “Don’t you know by now what your touch does to me? How even the lightest brush of your fingertips across my skin makes me react? I can’t trust myself with you, Lauren. And you…you shouldn’t trust me either.”

Lauren let out a surprised burst of laughter. “Xairn, be serious! You don’t honestly think you’re going to snap and rape me, do you?”

He closed his eyes tightly and pulled away from her hands. “That is exactly what I fear,” he whispered.

Lauren was a little taken aback. “Xairn, honey, you would never…”

“How do you know what I would or wouldn’t do?” he demanded, his eyes flashing briefly red-on-black. “When I don’t even know myself? I only know the ways of my people, Lauren, and they are savage and sadistic.” He ran a hand through his thick black hair distractedly. “I don’t even know how to touch you, how to bring you pleasure instead of pain. I don’t know how to let you touch me without wanting to do things…things I do not even wish to think about.”

“Then let me teach you.”

“What?”

Lauren reached out to cup his face again and was relieved when he didn’t pull away. “Of course you don’t know how to touch or be touched,” she said softly, looking into his eyes. “Not after the way you were raised. So I’m going to teach you.” She stroked his cheek. “And I promise you, baby, we can go as slow as you want.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “But what if I lose control? If I hurt you, I could never forgive myself. I would want to die.”

“You’re not going to hurt me,” Lauren insisted. “You keep talking about the ways of your people but you’ve got some of me in you now, too. Look at yourself, Xairn—you don’t have to be afraid. Surely the human DNA you got from me will help control your Scourge impulses—don’t you think?”

He opened his eyes and frowned. “I hadn’t considered that. Maybe…maybe you’re right.” He looked so hopeful and uncertain that Lauren wanted to hug him and hold him close but somehow she restrained herself.

“Of course I’m right,” she said firmly. “For now, lets just get home and everything will be fine.”

“I hope so.” He shook his head. “I truly do, though I’m afraid this will end badly. I know I should have the strength to leave you—”

“Don’t you dare!” Lauren glared at him. “Don’t even think about it.”

A small, sad smile crossed his lips. “Let me finish my thought, please. I was going to say that I know I should leave you but I can’t.” He gave her a piercing look. “I can’t.”

“Good.” Lauren stroked his cheek. “And don’t worry, Xairn, whatever issues you have, we’ll work through them together. I promise.”

Xairn nodded and sighed. Hesitantly, he reached up to brush his hand over her shoulder. “Thank you, Lauren. For accepting me as I am.”

“Thank you for protecting me,” she said quietly. “For taking the pain that should have been mine. For leaving your home and everything you’ve ever known to come with me.” Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth to his in a careful, chaste kiss. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips.

She felt his big frame tremble and then he returned her kiss tentatively, his mouth moving over hers with a shy uncertainty that nearly broke her heart. “I…I love you as well, Lauren.” His voice was hoarse with emotion and she wondered if she was the only woman he had ever said those words to. Almost certainly she was. God how she wanted to pull him close and comfort him, to show him that everything was going to be all right! To prove to him that he could trust himself as she trusted him. But she sensed now wasn’t the time for that.

“Good,” she said lightly, pulling away with a smile. “Then let’s go home.”

Chapter Seventeen

The AllFather tapped his skeletal fingers against the arm of his black metal throne. It was etched in burning lines of poisonous green, made of the same tainted metal he employed in his nutrient slime. Much of his power was derived from this small reminder of his home world but most of it was inside him, gathered in the empty barren wasteland that should have held his heart.

Where can they be? Where will he take her? He frowned. Why, to her home of course—to that insignificant planet of hers, that is where she will wish to go. But how can I find them in their altered genetic states? How? What weakness can I exploit to bring them back?

Then again, why should he bother? His peak was past and would not return again for many years. He couldn’t breed the girl as he had originally intended. The prophesy was voided—all hope for the regeneration of the Scourge race was lost.

May you be damned, my son. I will bring you back if only for revenge.

But when he considered it, he realized that revenge was not the only reason he had to call his errant son back to the Fathership. He had felt…changes in Xairn during their last encounter. His son was maturing—coming into his own sexually as a Scourge male at last. For years the AllFather had doubted it would ever happen, but the human female had acted as a trigger, undoing years of repression and releasing the beast within.

And with the advent of his growing sexual energy, Xairn’s personal power would grow as well. He might even come to rival the AllFather himself, in time. Power like that could not be ignored. It must be dealt with and soon. But how?

The altered DNA would keep him from finding and linking to Xairn—if the alteration held. But Scourge genes were strong—as virulent as weeds in a garden which grew high and fast, choking the other plants and flowers around them. Such genes might be masked for a little while but violent emotions should bring them forth again. But how to evoke those emotions when he didn’t know exactly where his son was and couldn’t get through the Kindred’s security net around the planet to search for him?

For security measures around Earth had been tightened considerably—not even a small transport pod containing an urlich could get through. And only Kindred ships were allowed in and out of the net—a fact that Xairn had no doubt considered when taking one of those, instead of a Scourge ship, when he’d left the home world with Lauren in the first place.

“Even if I found him, I could not get to him,” the AllFather muttered, frowning with his lipless mouth. “I mussst draw him out—bring him to me. But how? How?” Suddenly it came to him—a solution so obvious he began to laugh—a high, hissing sound that made his personal guards turn their heads warily in his direction. “What need have I to draw him out? To evoke emotionsss in him? Ssshe will do it for me,” the AllFather hissed

It was true. The human girl would provoke the change in Xairn—would bring his Scourge DNA to the surface and cause him to mature both sexually and in terms of his personal power. The moment Xairn took her, he would reach his peak, and his mind would be open once more to the AllFather’s manipulations. Then he would coax his son back to him for a final confrontation. And once he had Xairn within his grasp…

“His power ssshall be mine. A sssecond birth. A regeneration.” The crimson eyes blazed with greed.

Of course in order to absorb Xairn’s power, he would have to kill his only son, but the AllFather didn’t let such small details bother him. Xairn had spoiled one plan—the plan to regenerate their race through the female of the prophecy. Very well then, the AllFather would make a new plan—a far deadlier one. What need had he of a newly revived race if he himself could live forever? The girl was now superfluous—the one he needed was Xairn and Xairn alone.

But it would not do for Xairn to know of this new direction in the AllFather’s thinking. He needed to believe that it was still the human girl the AllFather was after. That Lauren was still in danger. Xairn must not learn that he himself was now the target. Unfortunately, there was a possibility he would glean the information from the AllFather’s mind if they established a new link. Unless the AllFather could cloud the issue.

Frowning, the AllFather left his throne and began to pace. “What ssshall I do, how ssshall I draw him to me while keeping him ignorant of my true desiresss?”

When the idea came to him, he began to smile. It was simple—blood simple. And it had the beauty of fulfilling two needs at once. The AllFather licked his lipless mouth with a dry, pointed, papery tongue. He might as well begin the plan at once—it had been too long since he’d received emotional sustenance.

“Alpha,” he said, looking up at his nearest guard, which he had regrown in the vats. “Prepare the molecular transssfer beam. I am hungry…”

Chapter Eighteen

“This is really good—what did you call it again?” Eagerly, Nadiah dug the rounded eating instrument called a spoon into the cold, creamy confection which came in colorful little tubs from Earth.

“Ice cream.” Olivia took another bite as well. “This one is called ‘Chunky Monkey.’”

Nadiah stopped with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “But isn’t a monkey a small chattering Earth creature that lives in trees?” she asked faintly. “Are…are you telling me I’m eating chunks of its flesh?”

“Ugh.” Sophia shivered. “What a thought! The poor monkeys!”

Nadiah felt ill. “Is that why this stuff is called ‘I scream?’ Because the animal screams when they make it into dessert?”

“No, no, no.” Olivia put a hand on her arm. “It’s called ice cream—you know, cream that’s been chilled until it’s icy? And there are no actual monkey chunks in it, I promise. It’s just called that because it’s banana flavored and monkeys love bananas and…” She shook her head. “Oh, never mind. Just eat it.”

The twins’ best friend Kat, snickered. “Good thing we didn’t get any ‘Chubby Hubby.’”

“You!” Olivia reached across the couch they were all sitting on to slap at Kat playfully.

Nadia frowned. “Chubby Hubby? You have ice cream that tastes like a plump male life-mate?”

Kat laughed until she almost choked and Sophie shook her head. “Kat’s just teasing you, Nadiah. And anyway, whatever you think of it, you have to admit this stuff is better than that fleeta pudding you guys eat on Tranq Prime.”

“I’d have to agree with you there.” Nadiah nodded. “I mean, I know it’s our planet’s national dish and everything but I’ve always hated it.”

“Imagine that,” Kat said dryly. “Not wanting to eat pudding made of bug guts.”

“Kat, please!” Olivia, who had been queasier than ever lately, put a hand over her mouth. “Oh God…just the idea! I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Sorry!” Kat jumped up and ran around the couch to her friend. “Come on, let’s go in the kitchen and I’ll get you something fizzy to drink. How about some nice ginger ale?”

“Maybe,” Olivia said faintly. She allowed her friend to help her up and they both went into the large food prep area, leaving Sophia and Nadiah to finish the ice cream.

Nadiah reached for another bite…and then put down her spoon with a sigh.

“Nadiah, are you all right?” Sophia put down her spoon as well and scooted closer.

“Of course I am.” Nadiah tried to smile. “I feel fine—why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, it’s just that you seem kind of down since the wedding—I mean the joining ceremony, you know.” Sophia put a hand on her arm. “I know how excited you were to do the luck kiss with a real Kindred warrior. I’m really sorry things got so screwed up.”

Remembering the luck kiss she’d preformed with the human detective made Nadiah’s cheeks get hot. “That’s all right,” she murmured, looking down at her hands. “It wasn’t so bad.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t been such a jerk, afterwards.” Sophia sighed. “I don’t know what his problem was.”

Nadiah shrugged. “He didn’t approve of my gift. Grandmamam told me there would be people like him when I came into my power. People hate and fear what they don’t understand.”

“Well, he’s not your type, anyway.” Sophia grinned. “But I know plenty of guys who are and a bunch of them are on board. What you need to do is go out to some of the on-board clubs the Blood Kindred hang out in. Sylvan and I can take you to one—that way he can make sure you get a good one.”

Nadiah rolled her eyes. “You mean a male he approves of.”

“Well, you are his baby cousin,” Sophia said. “Which means he feels the need to look out for you. That’s how Kindred are, you know—extremely protective of the ones they love. You’ll have to get used to that if you end up mated to one.” She grabbed Nadiah’s hand and squeezed it. “So what do you say? Want to go out tonight and paint the Mother ship red?”

Nadiah wasn’t sure what changing the color of the ship they were on had to do with having a good time, but regardless, she just didn’t feel like it. “I’m sorry, Sophie.” She shook her head regretfully. “But I don’t want to go out. I think I’d rather stay in my room if you don’t mind.”

A frown creased Sophia’s forehead. “Yes, I do mind! I don’t like the idea of you sitting alone in your room by yourself doing nothing. What’s wrong with you, Nadiah?” Her voice dropped a little and worry filled her clear green eyes. “You’ve changed since the last time I saw you. Back on Tranq Prime you were so bubbly and carefree. And now, well…you’re so quiet and reserved. You seem like…I don’t know, like you have a weight pressing down on you or something.”

“It’s the Sight.” Nadiah sighed. “It’s been weighing on me ever since I came aboard the Mother ship.”

“Do you mean the…the vision you had after the wedding?” Sophia asked hesitantly.

“The al’lei, yes.” Nadiah nodded. “That’s part of it. But I’ve been having dreams too and they don’t feel like normal dreams.”

Sophia’s eyes widened. “You mean like more waking dreams? More visions?”

Nadiah shook her head. “No, these come after I go to sleep. And they don’t feel like visions of things that are happening right when I dream them. It’s more like they’re warnings…portents of things to come.”

“So…the dreams are showing you the future?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Nadiah sighed. “But I don’t know what they’re trying to tell me.”

“Are they about Lauren again?” Kat asked, coming back. “Sorry,” she added, as she and Olivia settled back down on the couch. “We couldn’t help overhearing. So are you dreaming about Lauren?”

“I don’t know if it’s her or not,” Nadiah admitted, frowning. “It certainly looks like her. I keep seeing a girl with light brown skin and black hair but I can’t see her face. All I know is that I get the feeling she’s in terrible danger…and then she’s gone.”

Kat frowned. “Well, I have to tell you, I think Lauren is all right. Deep and Lock and I kind of, uh, checked up on her the other night. From what we could tell, she had been in danger but was safe—at least she was when we checked.”

Olivia let out a long, low whistle. “You guys were able to see all the way out to where Lauren is? I thought you told me that the further the distance, the harder it was to find the person you were looking for?”

Kat’s cheeks grew red. “We, uh, found a way. And anyway, she seemed just fine.” She looked at Nadiah. “Could your dreams be wrong?”

“It’s not usual for the Sight to be incorrect.” Nadiah frowned. “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if I was misinterpreting it. Maybe I’m just anxious for her because of the al’lei I experienced. But the dream is so strange.”

“What’s strange besides there being a girl who looks like Lauren who might be in trouble?” Sophia wanted to know.

“It’s the location.” Nadiah looked down at her hands. “She’s standing beside a couple of…of giants. They’re so big she doesn’t even come up to their knees and they’re kissing each other. Not moving at all—just standing there frozen in a kiss that goes on and on and on. I know that sounds bizarre…”

“Um, it really does, hon.” Olivia reached out to pat her arm kindly. “Maybe it was just a bad dream after all and nothing to do with your gift.”

“Maybe.” Nadiah sighed unhappily. “But I think I won’t be free of this burden until your kin is safely home on Earth again.”

“Let’s hope that’s soon,” Kat said seriously. “Lauren made a big impression on me in the short time I knew her. I hope Xairn brings her home safely.”

“I do too.” Sophia sighed. “I really want to meet her.”

“Me too!” Olivia put in. “To think that for so long after Mom and Dad died we thought we didn’t have any other family! I can’t wait to have a reunion as soon as she comes back.”

“If we don’t hear from her soon I’ll get the guys to do another recon mission with me,” Kat promised. “We can keep checking on her until—” She stopped abruptly, a look of intense concentration on her face.

“Until what?” Olivia asked, frowning.

Kat looked up, her eyes shining. “Guys, you’re not going to believe it but Lauren is home—I mean, she’s back on Earth. Deep just bespoke me. He’s in the viewing room right now talking to Lauren and her mom and Detective Rast.”

“Seriously?” Sophia jumped up at once. “Tell them to hold on—we’ll be right there!”

Kat and Olivia were already off the couch too, looking excited. Nadiah stayed where she was.

“Hey, aren’t you going to come?” Sophia looked back at her expectantly. “Come on—you’ll get to meet her in person. Or on the viewscreen, anyway, but you know what I mean.”

“I don’t know,” Nadiah said uncomfortably. “Maybe…maybe I should just stay here. Didn’t Kat say that the human detective was with them?”

“Who, Rast?” Olivia made a face. “Look, I know what happened with him and the luck kiss was awkward, Nadiah, but don’t let that bother you. Just ignore him and concentrate on Lauren. Come on, we’re all dying to meet her but we want you with us.”

“Yes, come on.” Sophia and Kat both took one of her hands. Together they tugged her to her feet. “You’re one of the group now,” Kat told her, grinning. “So you have to come with.”

Nadiah sighed. “Well, all right. But I really don’t want to see him again.”

“Then pretend that you don’t,” Olivia said. “Don’t let him pee in your Cheerios, Nadiah. Repeat after me, ‘I am too good for Detective Rast.’”

Nadiah laughed. “I am too good for Detective Rast.”

“Good.” Olivia nodded approvingly. “Now just keep that in mind.”

“Come on.” Sophia tugged at her arm impatiently. “I have to see her!”

“Coming.” Despite her misgivings, Nadiah allowed herself to be led out of the suite and down the hall toward the viewing room. I am too good for Detective Rast, she repeated to herself. And I don’t care a bit about seeing him again. He’s not even Kindred!

But if she didn’t care about seeing him, why was her heart pounding so hard and why did her palms feel clammy?

Chapter Nineteen

It was rather overwhelming to see so many eager faces crowding around the viewscreen at once, but it gave Lauren a warm feeling in the center of her chest, just the same.

There were her cousins, Olivia and Sophia and their friend Kat, who she’d already met on the Scourge home world. There was also a slender blonde girl with exotic looking eyes who introduced herself as Nadiah. Apparently she was Sophia’s cousin-in-law or something like that. She seemed nice enough but Lauren couldn’t help noticing that Detective Rast, who her mother had hired to help find her, started looking tense the minute she came into sight on the viewscreen.

“So you’re really okay?” Kat asked anxiously, leaning in toward the viewscreen. “We were so worried about you!”

“You shouldn’t have been.” Lauren smiled at her warmly. “You knew I had Xairn taking care of me, right?”

“We figured he would.” Kat nodded. “I was a little worried about him being a, you know, a Scourge, but Deep and Lock were sure he was one of the good guys. Um…” She peered from Lauren to her mom to the detective. “Where is he, by the way?”

Lauren bit her lip, not wanting to say too much. “He’s someplace safe.”

“If you’re worried that the Kindred will object to his presence, don’t be.” Deep, one of the Kindred warriors Lauren had met on the Scourge home world, came into view. “If he treated you honorably and brought you safely home, we have no quarrel with him.”

“Thank you.” Lauren felt a rush of relief. It had been nerve wracking when they were flying through the protective net the Kindred had placed around Earth. Because Xairn was flying a Kindred ship, they were able to get through, but Lauren had been sure they would be captured if they weren’t careful.

“You are welcome,” Deep said gravely. “And please communicate to him that we are here to help him, should the need arise.”

“Okay.” Lauren smiled and nodded. “I don’t know what help he might need but I’ll tell him you said so.”

“Thank you.” Deep nodded and put an arm around Kat. “My brother and my mate and I are very happy to see you safely home on Earth.”

“Mate?” Lauren looked at Kat questioningly. “But I thought you said…”

“Things changed.” Kat looked up at her man affectionately. “Deep and Lock and I are together now. We haven’t had a joining ceremony yet but it won’t be long.” She brightened. “Hey, maybe you and Xairn can do the luck kiss!”

“Luck kiss?” Lauren frowned. “What’s that?”

The slim blonde girl, Nadiah, spoke up for the first time. “It’s a kiss at the end of the joining ceremony performed by the best man and maid of honor. The intensity and passion displayed during the luck kiss is supposed to be directly related to how lucky the new couple will be in their future lives together.” As she spoke, she looked directly at Detective Rast who turned red and began to cough.

“Oh, well…” Lauren smiled. “That sounds nice. Just let me know when the ceremony is—I’d love to be part of it.”

“We’ll let you know as soon as we plan it,” Kat promised.

“But you shouldn’t wait until then to come up and see us!” Sophia protested. “Liv and I are dying to meet you.”

“Sophie’s right,” Olivia chimed in. “We didn’t even know we had a cousin—or an aunt for that matter—until Aunt Abby called us after you went missing.”

Lauren couldn’t help smiling at their eager faces. “I want to meet you guys in person too. I’ve always wished I had more relatives. But, well, I’ve been through kind of a lot in the past month or so and I feel like I need to get my life back on track before I do anything else. I mean, my store has been standing empty and my apartment is full of dust. There’s nothing edible in the entire fridge—you know what I mean.” Not to mention the fact that I have a very restless Scourge warrior pacing around my postage stamp sized condo. She still wasn’t quite sure how she was going to fit Xairn into her life—she only knew she couldn’t do without him.

“Oh of course, we totally get it.” Sophia nodded quickly. “And don’t worry, we won’t come barging in on you.”

“Though we can’t promise not to come visit your shop once you get it up and running again.” Olivia licked her lips. “Isn’t it a cupcake boutique? I was reading your menu online—your Deep Dark Devil’s food chocolate cupcakes sound absolutely divine.”

Kat laughed. “Don’t mind Liv—she’s pregnant.”

“Oh, are you?” Lauren smiled at her blonde cousin. “Congratulations. Do you know what it is yet?”

“A boy,” Olivia said promptly. “It’s always a boy with Kindred. Well, almost always.”

“Oh, of course.” Lauren nodded. “Well I would love to bake you a whole batch of cupcakes—just let me get everything up and running again. In fact, if you want I could send some to your baby shower. Unless you’ve already had it?”

“Not yet.” Olivia smiled. “I’ve got awhile to go. I’m only just now into my second quadmester.”

“Quadmester?” Lauren said, frowning.

“You heard her right.” Kat grinned. “When you’re carrying a Kindred baby the pregnancy lasts a whole year. Can you imagine?”

“Hey, you’re the one who’s going to have twins—if you ever get around to it,” Olivia pointed out.

Kat made a face. “God, I can’t even imagine. I’ll get a big as a house.”

“You’ll be even more lovely, little Kat.” Deep kissed the top of her head.

Sophia looked wistful. “I know a year is a long time but I don’t think I’d mind so much.”

“Your time will come.” Olivia hugged her twin sister before turning back to the viewscreen. “Sorry, Lauren, we didn’t mean to leave you out. We get started talking and we can’t stop.”

“That’s okay.” Lauren smiled and then stifled a yawn. “Look, it’s really nice to meet you guys but I think I ought to get going. I’ve had a super long day and I have, uh, lots of unfinished business back at my apartment.”

“Oh, of course.” Kat winked. “I get it.” She looked at Lauren’s mom. “It was really nice to talk to you again, Mrs. Jakes.”

Lauren’s mom smiled. “Please, Kat, call me Aunt Abby like Olivia and Sophia do. I’ll never forget that you gave me hope when things looked darkest.”

“She did?” Lauren looked at her mom questioningly.

“Kat and her men are finder/seekers,” Sophia explained. “They have a way of finding missing people.”

“A very interesting way.” Olivia winked and Kat elbowed her gently in the ribs. “Ouch!” she complained, laughing. “Take it easy on the pregnant lady.”

“What Liv is trying to say is that Kat and her guys checked up on you after you and Xairn left,” Sophia explained. “And they checked again recently because we had reason to fear you were in danger.”

“I was, several times,” Lauren admitted, surprised. “But how did you know?”

“I saw you,” Nadiah said quietly.

“You saw me? How?” Lauren frowned. “Are you a finder uh, person like Kat, too?”

“Nadiah has a gift—the Sight. She had a vision about you,” Sophia explained.

“A vision?” Lauren asked, looking at the slim blonde girl. Beside her, Detective Rast coughed and shifted impatiently but she ignored him.

“I know it must sound strange, but it’s true.” Nadiah lifted her chin defiantly. “I saw you walking in a dark alleyway filled with purple shadows. You were wearing an outfit that was all blue with a long red sash and blue shoes with crimson soles.”

“Oh my God!” Lauren put a hand to her mouth. “That happened! You really saw that?”

Nadiah nodded gravely. “I did. And I felt as though you were walking into a trap.”

“I nearly did.” Lauren shivered at the memory. “If Xairn hadn’t come and saved me just in the nick of time I’d still be there—stuck in O’ah.”

“Where the purple mists never recede,” Nadiah whispered. She put a hand to her head and her eyelids fluttered. “Oh, Lauren, I felt such fear for you!”

Beside her, Detective Rast shifted again and cleared his throat. He looked like he wanted to say something but in the end he kept silent.

“Thank you,” Lauren said to Nadiah. “It was pretty awful but I’m okay, thanks to Xairn.”

“Sounds like you owe him a lot,” Olivia murmured.

“I owe him my life,” Lauren said seriously. “Several times over.”

“You may still be in danger,” Nadiah’s big blue eyes widened dramatically. “I’ve had another dream about you. At least, I think it was you.” She frowned. “Um, Lauren, do you have any giants in the town you live in? People of really large stature maybe around, um…I’m trying to work it out in your system of measurement…around twenty feet tall?”

“Twenty foot tall giants? In Sarasota?” Lauren shook her head. “Uh, no, sorry but we don’t. Was that part of the dream?”

“It was.” Nadiah looked frustrated. “You or someone who looked a lot like you was standing beside two giants who were kissing. The male had the female bent over his arm and they were frozen there, not moving. I saw you standing beside them and then suddenly you disappeared. And somehow…somehow I knew you had been taken someplace terrible.” Her voice dropped. “Someplace you might never return from.”

“Do we really have to listen to this?” For some reason Detective Rast was glaring at Nadiah’s image on the viewscreen. “I mean, you had me going for a minute with the whole purple shadows and the blue and red clothes but giants kissing? Come on.”

Nadiah stiffened. “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.”

“I don’t have to understand something to know it sounds crazy,” he shot back.

“No, wait a minute.” Olivia held up a hand. “You said the girl in your dream just disappeared? Like she’d been taken somewhere? Maybe transported by the molecular transfer beam the Scourge have?”

“Oh no.” Lauren felt suddenly sick. “But that’s not possible! Xairn took me to O’ah to have my DNA altered specifically so the AllFather couldn’t kidnap me that way again.” She shivered and her mom wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. “Please tell me it can’t happen again.”

“I know how you feel,” Sophia said sympathetically. “It happened to me too. It’s awful—like somebody put your entire body through a cheese grater.”

“That’s exactly how it is.” Lauren shivered again and pressed her face to her mom’s shoulder. “Ugh, I really don’t want to think about it.”

“I’m sorry.” Nadiah looked regretful. “But I thought I should warn you. Just in case.”

“It sounds like Lauren will be just fine as long as she stays away from kissing giants,” Detective Rast said dryly. “Somehow I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

“Very funny.” Kat’s blue eyes flashed. “Did you ever think that since it’s a dream the giants Nadiah saw might stand for something else? Maybe they’re some kind of symbolism.”

“The symbol of a fraud, maybe,” he growled.

Olivia put a hand on her hip. “Seriously, Detective Rast, does it say ‘professional jerk’ on your business cards or what?”

“No, it says that I find missing persons,” he snapped. “And I don’t need a bunch of psychic mumbo-jumbo to help me do it.”

“I never offered you my help.” Nadiah gave him a look that could freeze a laser beam. “And don’t worry, Detective, I never will.”

His striking green eyes flashed. “I wouldn’t take it if you begged me.”

Nadiah put her hands on her hips. “Begged you? Are you out of your tiny human mind?” She sniffed and her eyes flickered down to his crotch. “Though I’m sure that’s not the only thing that’s tiny about you.”

Detective Rast, who was as big as Xairn or any of the Kindred warriors Lauren had seen, raised an eyebrow at Nadiah. “Are you saying you want to come down and check out my equipment? Because that’s certainly what it sounds like.”

Nadiah’s cheeks went bright red. “Of course not. I have no interest in your…your…in that!”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “They why were you looking south of my belt?”

“I…I was looking at your weapon,” Nadiah protested. “I have no interest in anything else.”

“My weapon, huh?” He smirked. “Well I think I can promise you it’s a larger caliber than you could handle.”

Nadiah looked furious. “Why, you—!”

“Okay now,” Lauren’s mom said, putting out a hand. “Maybe we should all say goodbye. It’s awfully late and I know Lauren is exhausted.”

Lauren, who had been fascinated in the exchange between the detective and Sophie’s cousin-in-law, quickly manufactured a yawn. “Uh, yeah. I really am.”

“We’re sorry for keeping you,” Kat said, smiling warmly.

“And I apologize for disturbing your reunion with your kin,” Nadiah said formally. “Truly, it wasn’t my intent. I simply wanted to warn you to be on your guard.”

“I will be.” Lauren smiled at her. “I promise. But don’t worry—I have protection.”

“We know you’re in good hands.” Kat smiled at her. “Say hi to Xairn for me.”

“I will.” Lauren smiled. “I hope to see you all in person soon.”

“And don’t forget you promised to come for my baby shower and bring cupcakes,” Olivia said quickly. “I think we’ll need at least three dozen.”

“Yeah, but what are the rest of us going to eat, Liv?” Sophie grinned at her sister and gave her a nudge. “You know I’m kidding. Though I think you ought to ask Lauren if she does some of the weird flavor combinations you’ve been craving before you place your order.”

“Somehow I doubt there are any ketchup/sauerkraut/chocolate cupcakes on her menu,” Kat said dryly.

“I can accommodate almost any request,” Lauren said, smiling. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up with a new flavor I can use. I’ll call it ‘pregnancy cravings’ or ‘eating for two’ or something like that.”

“I seriously doubt you’d want to sell some of the things Liv has been eating,” Sophie said, grinning. “But you never can tell.”

“We’ll contact you again when we plan the shower,” Olivia promised. “But now I think we should probably go. All this talk about cupcakes has made me so hungry.”

“Liv, you just ate a whole carton of Chunky Monkey!” Sophia protested.

“Right.” Olivia grinned unrepentantly. “And now I want some real food. Who’s up for pizza?”

“I’ve got the ingredients at my place,” Kat volunteered. “As long as you don’t want anything weird on it.”

“Nothing too strange,” Olivia promised. “Just pepperoni and mushrooms. And…”

“And what?” Sophia demanded.

“Well…” Olivia bit her lip. “Does anybody have any black jellybeans? You know, the licorice ones?”

“Black jelly bean and pepperoni pizza?” Kat rolled her eyes and looked at Lauren. “You see what we have to put up with over here?”

Lauren couldn’t help laughing. “I think it’s hilarious. And listen, Olivia, I promise to make any kind of cupcakes you want. Even sardine and pickle or anything else you can come up with.”

Olivia rubbed her stomach. “Mmm, pickles. Has anybody ever had a pickle pizza?”

“Stop!” Sophia sounded horrified. “Please don’t give her any more ideas,” she begged Lauren.

“Sorry!” Lauren laughed again, delightedly. She could already tell she was going to love her new cousins.

Kat smiled. “I think we’d better go now, Lauren. Got to feed the pregnant lady before she gets mean.”

“Bye.” Lauren gave them all a little wave. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Please do,” Olivia said, suddenly serious. “Sophie and I are so glad you’re home.”

“So am I,” Lauren said. “You have no idea how glad.”

Lauren’s mom nodded at the viewscreen. “Good night, girls. We’ll talk to you later.”

“Call us anytime,” Sophia said. As their images faded slowly to a small glowing dot in the middle of the viewscreen, Lauren could still hear them arguing good naturedly about pizza toppings.

“Aren’t they something?” Lauren’s mom smiled. “I swear your cousin Olivia is just like my little sister.” She turned to Detective Rast. “I think we can go now that we’ve informed the Kindred that Lauren is home safely, don’t you?”

He nodded and shifted uncomfortably. “Of course. And I want to apologize for my, uh, argument with that girl—Nadiah. She just rubs me the wrong way but it wasn’t very professional on my part.”

“You don’t think she’s right, do you? That Lauren is still in danger?” Abby’s voice was tight and she squeezed Lauren’s shoulder hard.

“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Lauren kissed her cheek and tugged her toward the door. “Now could we please get out of the HKR building and get home? I really do need to take care of some things.”

Her mom sighed as they walked out into the balmy Florida night. “You’ve only been home a day, honey. Why don’t you take it easy?”

“My business isn’t going to run itself,” Lauren said, lifting her chin. “It’s been sitting empty, making no money for over a month and you know what rent on the Circle is like.”

“I’ve taken care of the rent so don’t worry about that.” Her mom smiled reassuringly. “Seriously, Lauren, you’ve been through a very traumatic event. You should rest. You might even want to think about getting some therapy.”

“Your mother is right,” Detective Rast said seriously. “I have the name and number of a counselor who works with victims who have been kidnapped and, uh, abused.”

“I know what you’re implying but nothing like that happened to me,” Lauren snapped, frowning. “Xairn protected me and he never laid a finger on me.”

“And I’m going to be forever grateful to him for that,” her mom said softly. “But don’t pretend to yourself that this didn’t happen. It did.”

Lauren sighed. “I’m not trying to pretend it didn’t happen, Mom. But I can’t get over it if I wallow in self pity all day. I need to get on with my life. And as for getting counseling, you know baking is always the best therapy for me. Just let me make a few dozen cupcakes and I’ll feel like my old self again.”

Her mother sighed doubtfully. “All right, if you’re sure…”

“You have my card if you change your mind and want to talk to someone.” Detective Rast gave her a level look. “I really recommend it. But you have to do what you feel is right for you.”

“I’m going to,” Lauren said firmly. She yawned, not faking it this time. “And right now what feels right is going home to bed.”

“I’m sure you’re exhausted.” Detective Rast smiled. “I’m very glad you’re home safely, Lauren. Your mother was terribly worried.”

“Thank you, Detective.” Lauren’s mother smiled. “Just send your bill to my e-mail and I’ll see that you’re paid.”

He shook his head. “No charge.”

“But you spent so much time on finding Lauren,” her mom protested. “Of course I’ll pay you.”

Rast shook his head again. “I didn’t find her and bring her home myself. So no charge. I am very glad she’s home though.” He smiled grimly. “I wish all my missing persons cases turned out so neatly.”

Lauren’s mom started to protest again but he simply shook his head and said, “Good night,” before leaving.

“Wow,” Lauren murmured as they headed to their car, which was parked a few feet away. “Now there goes a guy with issues. Maybe he’s the one that needs therapy.”

“He certainly did seem to have a problem with Sophia’s friend,” her mom agreed, as they got into the car. She looked troubled. “I wish he wasn’t so proud and stubborn! He’s spent all his time and resources on your case for the past month. I really need to compensate him for his trouble.”

“Send him a check,” Lauren suggested. She yawned again. “Look, Mom, I really need to get home. I left Xairn there all alone and this is his first time on Earth.”

Her mother looked at her doubtfully as she started the car. “Are you sure you want him to stay with you, honey? I mean, I could rent him a hotel room…”

“Mom!” Lauren frowned at her. “I’m a grown woman.”

“I know, I know.” Her mother sighed as she made the turn toward Saint Armand’s Circle. Luckily the Sarasota Human/Kindred relations building wasn’t too far from Lauren’s efficiency condo so they didn’t have far to drive. “I mean, he’s very handsome but he’s so big, honey. And he looks so, I don’t know…forbidding.”

Lauren wondered what her mother would say if she could see Xairn in his pre-DNA altered state. Though she kind of missed his striking red-on-black eyes, she was glad he didn’t have them now. “Mom, Xairn would never hurt me,” she said firmly. “And believe me, he’s had plenty of chances. He protected me from the AllFather and saved my life over and over. He left his home and renounced his entire race to come stay with me. I love him.”

“I can see that you do, honey. It’s just that I almost lost you—I did lose you. And I couldn’t bear to lose you again.” Her mom pulled up to the condo and parked beside Lauren’s car. The Kindred Ship Xairn had used to bring them back had turned into a small silver car which was parked around the back.

“You won’t lose me.” Lauren leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I promise you that. I’m staying right here where I belong from now on.”

“I hope so.” Her mom looked troubled. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

Lauren laughed. “Mom, it’s three feet. But okay, if you want to.”

“I do.” They both got out and her mother took her by the arm protectively.

“Fine, Mom.” Lauren was pretty sure she just wanted another chance to check out Xairn, whom she’d only gotten to meet briefly before Detective Rast had called them to the HKR building. But if it made her feel better, Lauren supposed she couldn’t blame her. Her mom was actually showing great restraint considering the circumstances; Lauren didn’t mind showing off Xairn one more time if it put her mind at ease.

“You know, the manger told me unit 12B is empty right now,” her mom said, pressing her arm. “It’s a lot bigger than this little place and it has two bedrooms. I could come by tomorrow and help you move in.”

“Mom.” Lauren gave her mother a look of exasperated affection. “It’s bad enough that I’m mooching off you by living in a complex you own without taking the nicest condo in the place! Besides, I like my little efficiency. It’s cozy.”

“But is it really big enough for two people?”

“It’s fine,” Lauren assured her. “And don’t worry, Xairn packs light. In fact, he literally came with only the clothes on his back. I need to take him shopping tomorrow and get him some Earth clothes.” She smiled at her mom. “You can come too, if you want. It’ll give you a chance to get to know him better and we can do lunch.”

“I’d like that.” Her mother squeezed her arm. “And, honey, don’t be mad at me for saying this but if you ever feel the least bit unsafe, just call me, okay? The place I’m staying is only a few miles down the road and I’ll be here in a heartbeat. I mean, I know you like this guy but let’s not forget he was basically the one who kidnapped you in the first place.”

“No he wasn’t.” Lauren frowned. “His father did. Mom, how many times do I have to tell you Xairn won’t hurt me?”

“I know you think that. But—”

“Your daughter has nothing to fear from me.” Xairn was suddenly standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. He was so big that his shoulders filled the entire doorway. Lit from behind as he was, he looked like a monstrous shadowy figure emerging into the night.

Lauren bit her lip. Her mom was right—he really did look kind of threatening. Not that she felt threatened at all—she had perfect trust in Xairn. But she wished he looked a little less scary for her mom’s sake. She felt her mom stiffen beside her and for a moment she drew Lauren close. “Hello,” she said clearly, looking at Xairn. “I’m sorry if you heard that but I can’t help being worried about my baby. Especially after what she went through.”

“Of course you’re worried, Mom,” Lauren said. “But please try not to be. If anything I’m safer with Xairn in the house. Can you imagine anyone being stupid enough to try anything with him around?”

Her mother took another look at Xairn’s massive shape and gave a shaky laugh. “No, I guess not.”

“There you go, then.” Lauren squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Can I go now?”

“Just one more thing. Come here.” Her mom pulled her into a warm hug and held her close. “Oh sweetheart, I was so worried about you. I know you’re home safe now but just give me a little time to believe it. I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”

“I was afraid of that too.” Lauren was surprised to feel tears pricking at her eyelids. “But I’m back now. Back to stay, I promise.”

Her mom sniffed and Lauren realized she was crying a little too. “I thought about you, Mom,” she admitted in a low voice. “It was all that kept me going until I started to get to know Xairn.”

“I love you, honey.” Lauren’s mom gave her a kiss on the cheek and then on the forehead. “So very, very much. Don’t ever forget it.”

“I won’t.” Lauren sighed as her mom finally let go. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“All right. But I have one more thing to say.” Wiping her eyes, Lauren’s mom straightened her shoulders and marched up to stand toe-to-toe with Xairn. She was a good foot and a half shorter than him so the effect was kind of like a Pomeranian confronting a Pit-bull, but Abby Jakes wasn’t one to back down. “You take good care of my baby girl,” she said clearly, staring him in the eyes. “I appreciate you bringing her home safe but I still don’t know you well enough to trust you completely. Don’t make me regret leaving her here with you tonight.”

“Mom!” Lauren was horrified but to her surprise, Xairn didn’t give back an angry retort. Instead he bowed deeply from the waist. When he straightened up, he looked at her mother seriously.

“Please believe me when I say I would rather die than harm your daughter,” he said in a low voice. “I vow to you that I will protect her with my life.”

“Well!” Lauren’s mom seemed surprised at his response. “Um, thank you very much Mr. Xairn.”

Lauren stifled a smile. “It’s just Xairn, mom. His people don’t have last names.” Walking up the steps, she took Xairn by the arm. His big body was tense—his muscles as tight and hard as iron. Was something wrong? Was he offended by her mom’s lack of trust? “We’ll see you tomorrow,” she told her mother firmly.

“All right.” Reluctantly, her mother nodded. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Lauren smiled at her and nudged Xairn toward the door. “Come on—let’s get inside before the mosquitoes eat us alive.”

He looked around alertly. “You have carnivorous beasts near this residence? Should I get a weapon?”

Lauren laughed. “No, silly—mosquitoes are just bugs. They don’t hurt when they bite but they leave itchy red welts on your skin. So let’s go.”

“Very well.” He nodded once more to her mother. “I bid you goodnight, mother of Lauren.”

Her mother smiled faintly. “You can call me Abby, I suppose.”

“Abby, then,” Xairn said. “Good night. And please don’t have any more fear for your daughter.”

“I’ll try not to.” Lauren’s mom still sounded worried but at least she was headed for her car. “Good night.”

“Good night.” Lauren waved at her. She waited until her mom had started the car and then tugged Xairn back into the condo and closed the door.

She was finally back home but she had a feeling it was going to be a long, long time before things really got back to normal.

Chapter Twenty

“Your mother does not trust me.” Xairn crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the simple white tile flooring.

Lauren’s living space was small but attractively arranged. It had high ceilings and the walls were painted a pale, sunny yellow that made the space seem larger than it was. There was a small living area set off by a short blue couch, as one first stepped in the door. Diagonally across from the couch was a bed that looked to be a little smaller than the one they’d shared in Slk’s guest suite. Facing the bed and separated by a small archway was a tiny food prep area.

The bathroom, which was at the far end of the living area, was the only room separated from the rest of the space by a door. Everything else was contained in one small area. Lauren had told him the arrangement was called an efficiency apartment. It was smaller than the bare metal rooms Xairn had kept aboard the Fathership, but warmer too. In fact, he liked it—or thought he would once he got used to it.

“She’s just worried about me.” Lauren sat down on the side of the bed. As soon as they reached her living space she had changed into much more form fitting clothes than the garment Xairn had bought her in O’ah—jeans and a t-shirt, she called them. All Xairn knew was that the tight bottoms clung to her rounded ass and the soft, thin material of the top stretched across her full breasts in a most distracting way.

“She has a right to be worried,” he murmured, trying not to see how the outlines of her nipples were faintly visible through the shirt.

“She’ll be fine once I’ve been back home awhile.” She patted the spot beside her. “Come here.”

Xairn looked at her warily. “Why?”

Lauren sighed. “Because I want you beside me—near me. I love you, Xairn. People who love each other show it by being close and touching.”

He frowned and settled carefully on the bed beside her. “You mean the way you and your mother were holding each other?”

“Exactly.” Lauren scooted closer to him until she was leaning against his arm. She looked up at him. “You really never had anyone hug you?”

Xairn looked down at his hands. “I…I had a nursemaid for a little while—just until I was able to fend for myself. Then my father took me from her. She used to hold me on her lap when I was very small.” He shook his head. “But there’s been no once since then. Not until you.”

“Oh Xairn honey, how sad.” Lauren pressed closer to him. “Come here and let me hug you.”

Awkwardly, Xairn lifted his arm and let her press against his side. He felt the softness of her body and smelled the warm scent of her skin—the scent that marked her as his. Gods, she felt good! Too good. “Lauren?” he said hesitantly but she only pressed closer.

“Put your arms around me and hold me close,” she directed. Feeling helpless to disobey, Xairn did as she said. When he was holding her soft, warm body against his own Lauren sighed contentedly. “See, isn’t this nice? It’s good to be close. Warm. Comforting.”

There were other words Xairn would have used to describe the sensation of her body pressed against his but ‘nice, warm, and comforting’ were not it. He’d been feeling strangely melancholy as he watched the interaction between Lauren and her mother but now his body came to life in another way. His secondary shaft stiffened in his flight pants and his skin prickled with pleasure and desire at her touch. Strangest of all, for some reason his eyes felt hot—just as they had when he was enraged and defending her back on O’ah.

What’s happening to me? Am I going to lose control? He shifted uncomfortably on the bed and Lauren shifted with him. Somehow they wound up lying on the bed instead of sitting on it, with her draped over his left side.

“Mmm.” Lauren snuggled closer. Her breasts pressed against the side of his chest and her knee brushed casually against the hard ridge of his shaft.

Xairn stiffened but tried not to move. Clearly this was something Lauren wanted—to hold and be held by the one she loved. But Gods, how hard it was to fight his natural impulse to flip her over, tear off her clothes and take her! His fingers itched to cup her breasts and pinch her nipples and his shaft throbbed to be inside her, filling her sweet wet cunt with his cum—marking her, bonding her.

I could tie her hands above her head with my belt—stretch her out to fully appreciate her beautiful body. Could tease her for hours until I finally took her. I want to hear her moaning my name as I fuck her, as I mark her as mine forever…No! He had to get hold of himself! Taking a deep breath, Xairn fought for control.

“Relax,” Lauren murmured, her warm breath tickling his ear. “You’re tight as a wire, baby. Don’t you like snuggling with me?”

“It’s very stimulating, this…snuggling,” Xairn admitted in a strangled voice.

“Well, it’s supposed to be relaxing.” Humming contentedly, she slipped a hand into his shirt to stroke his chest. Her fingertips slid, cool and ticklish, over the raised letters of the brand the Judge of the Market had put on him. Xairn jumped. “I’m sorry.” She looked up at him. “Does this still hurt?”

“No,” he said stiffly. “I am a fast healer.”

“Your eyes…” She bit her lip. “For a minute they went back to their old color.”

“Did they?” He shrugged. His eyes felt hot again in their sockets and he wondered if that had anything to do with it. “Don’t worry,” he told Lauren, who still looked concerned. “It wasn’t because it hurt when you touched me.”

“It was hard for me to watch them do it,” she whispered. “To know you were being hurt for my sake and there was nothing I could do about it.”

Xairn felt some of his tension melting at her soft words. “I didn’t mind,” he assured her softly.

“Well, I did.” Leaning over him, Lauren unfastened his shirt and pulled it open, baring his chest. Her long black hair trailed over his skin, raising chillbumps along his arms and setting his nerves afire with need. “Xairn…” she murmured, looking up at him once more. “I wish I could have done this earlier, to take the pain away.” Gently, she pressed her lips to the brand, kissing the places he was marked with her name.

Xairn felt like he was going to explode. Her mouth was so warm and soft and wet and when she finished kissing the brand, she began to move lower. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides as her lips trailed over his tense abdomen and lower, to the waistband of his black flight pants. When Lauren reached for the fastening of the pants he bolted upright.

“Oh my God, what? Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” She looked up at him anxiously, her amber eyes filled with concern.

“I’m fine. I just needed some…some air.” Xairn sat on the edge of the bed, breathing raggedly, his chest pumping like a bellows. His eyes felt like they were going to burn a hole in his skull they were so hot, and his primary heart was thundering in his ears. In his mind’s eye, a scenario was playing over and over again.

Lauren on her knees, naked. Her hands tied behind her back and a black blindfold covering her eyes. She would be helpless, completely under my control. First I would place the collar on her and then I would pierce her nipples. Two small hoops of silver—the contrast of the bright metal against her dark skin would be beautiful. The piercing would sting but I would kiss the pain away and stroke her body until she was ready for pleasure. Then I would take her over and over, marking her with my cum. Bonding her to me.

The scene was so vivid Xairn couldn’t stop seeing it. Couldn’t stop imagining how it might go. He saw himself pushing down his pants and rubbing his cock against her soft cheek. She would turn her head blindly, unable to see but searching, trying to find his shaft. He would feel her warm, wet mouth closing on him, taking him in, sucking him. But not just his secondary shaft—no. She would suck and stimulate his primary shaft—his bonding shaft.

He would thrust into her mouth, his hands buried in her long, silky black hair and she would moan softly as she sucked him, as he fucked her mouth. And then when both his primary and secondary shafts were hard, he would take her. Fill her completely both front and back and bond her to him until she cried his name out loud and gave herself completely, until she was his forever…

No! Xairn tried to get hold of himself. No I can’t let it go that far. Can’t ever bond her to me. Because he knew if he ever let go of his control enough to do that, he would hurt her, would break her fragile body with his rough fucking and fierce sexual demands.

It’s not safe, he told himself angrily. Damn it to the seven hells, none of this is safe. Her mother is right not to trust me—I can’t even trust myself!

But then he risked a glance to his side and saw Lauren’s lovely, worried face. This was what she wanted—to touch and be touched. She wanted his hands on her almost as much as Xairn wanted to put them there. People who love each other show it by being close and touching, she’d said. But how could he do that without losing control?

“Forgive me,” he said roughly. “I’m just…this is difficult for me.”

“Because it’s new?” Lauren touched his arm anxiously and he flinched away before he could stop himself.

Xairn hated to see the hurt look on her face. “Because I want so much more,” he said, looking down at his hands. “Because…because I’m afraid of what I might do to you.”

Lauren sighed. “You’re not going to hurt me, Xairn. Just touch me—I won’t break.”

His hands clenched into fists again. “I…I don’t know how,” he confessed in a low voice. “You know I have never been with a female, Lauren. I don’t know how to…to bring you pleasure without going too far and hurting you.”

“Then I’ll teach you.” She smiled at him. “Will you let me?”

Xairn closed his eyes tightly. Could he bear this? Would he be able to keep control of himself well enough to give her pleasure without snapping and taking her completely?

“I…want to,” he said slowly. “Maybe…maybe if you allow me to do the touching and don’t try to touch me in return.”

“You wanna be in the driver’s seat, huh?” She gave him a playful smile.

“More like I need to be,” Xairn said truthfully. He looked at her. “I…I think I can control my darker urges if I am the one in control. But if I feel your hands and mouth on me again…” He shook his head. “I just don’t know.”

“All right then.” Lauren nodded thoughtfully. “We can do that.” Gracefully, she got off the bed and knelt on the floor in front of him. “I am yours to command, Master.” Her amber eyes danced playfully. “What would you have me do?”

“Stop it,” Xairn said hoarsely. Seeing her submissive posture brought his Scourge desires to the surface as nothing else could. His shaft throbbed painfully in his pants and he closed his eyes briefly, fighting for control. “I know you’re joking but please…please don’t.”

“I’m sorry.” Lauren rose and came to stand between his legs. She was close enough that Xairn could feel the heat of her body but she was obviously being careful not to make contact. “I…I don’t know why I did that,” she confessed, sounding confused. “So…what do you want to do?”

“I want to touch you,” he said honestly. “Touch you but not hurt you. But first I want…I want to see you.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “You mean…naked?”

“Yes. If you don’t mind.” The times he’d glimpsed her naked body were still burned into his brain. Especially when she’d offered herself to him if he would save her from his father. Now she was offering herself for a different reason—because she loved him. Xairn wanted desperately to return that love without hurting her but he wasn’t sure he could.

“Well, I’m a little shy…” Lauren bit her lip. “I know you’ve seen me before, but…”

Xairn shook his head. “It’s all right if you would rather not.”

“No, I want to. I do.” Lifting her chin, she pulled the t-shirt over her head, baring the lacy undergarment which cupped her breasts. It was white and the contrast of the pale fabric against the creamy light brown of her skin was breathtaking.

“Beautiful,” Xairn breathed, reaching up to stroke the outline of one nipple, visible through the white fabric.

Lauren sucked in a breath and smiled. “How about if I lose the bra?” Before he could answer, she was unfastening the back of the garment and slipping it off her arms. It fluttered to the floor and lay there in a small heap of white lace, baring her breasts to him completely.

Xairn felt his eyes go blazing hot for a moment as he took in the lovely sight. Her breasts were high and full, just the right size to fill his palms. And her nipples were tight—ripe berries at the tips of her breasts. Hesitantly, he reached for her and Lauren thrust forward, pressing her warm mounds into the palms of his hands. She moaned softly, a sound which seemed to go straight to the hard ridge of his cock and make him even harder.

“Lauren…” he murmured, looking into her eyes. “I want…I need to put my mouth on you.”

“You want to kiss me?”

Xairn wanted to do more than that. He longed to strip her completely naked and lick and suck and bite every inch of her skin until she was wholly and utterly his. But he had to be careful—couldn’t risk losing control. “Yes,” he said at last. “But I need you to be still while I do it.” If he felt her moving against him, thrusting her breasts closer to his face, offering herself, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from taking her, hurting her. “Here.” Taking her arms, he folded them securely behind her back. “Keep them like that,” he warned, looking into her lovely amber eyes. “Don’t move and don’t reach for me. Hold perfectly still while I touch you. While I kiss you.”

“All…all right.” Lauren looked puzzled but she did as he asked, holding perfectly still as he leaned forward to press his face to her chest.

The skin between her breasts was softer than anywhere else on her body. Xairn rubbed his cheek against her there, breathing in her scent, trying to keep control of himself. It helped that she was holding perfectly still, not provoking him in any way. If she tried to reach for him or worse, tried to run away, he was certain his predatory Scourge instincts would be so aroused that something disastrous might occur.

Tentatively, he put out his tongue and lapped the inner curve of her right breast. Lauren moaned softly but didn’t move and he felt his shaft harden even more at the delicious, slightly salty taste of her skin. Gods, he wanted to taste her more—to taste her lower! But he knew he couldn’t control himself if he did that. Instead, he pressed his lips to the tight bud of her right nipple. Lauren moaned again.

Xairn looked up. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“No, baby.” Her pupils were dilated and her voice was slightly husky. “You’re just driving me crazy, going so slow.”

“I have to go slow,” he said truthfully. “I need to be sure I don’t lose control.”

“You won’t,” she said softly. “Just do what you want to do.”

Xairn felt his eyes get hot. “I want to suck you,” he admitted, cupping one breast in his hand and rubbing his thumb gently over the tight nipple. “I want to take you into my mouth completely and hear you moan while I taste you.”

Lauren’s breath seemed to catch in her throat. “Do it then,” she whispered. “I told you, do what you want.”

If only you knew everything I really want, you’d run from me. But he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he parted his lips and took the tight bud into his mouth, sucking softly at first and then harder, listening to her soft cries of pleasure as he fought to hold himself back.

* * * * *

Lauren couldn’t stop watching the erotic sight of her tight nipple disappearing between Xairn’s lips.

He sucked her softly at first, as though he was afraid to hurt her. Then he seemed to gain confidence. He opened his mouth, taking as much of her breast between his lips as he could, and sucked fiercely, as though he couldn’t get enough of her.

Lauren longed to run her fingers through his thick black hair, to stroke the broad, muscular shoulders knotted with tension as he pleasured her. She started to reach for him but Xairn must have felt her movement. His arm slid around her waist and one big hand suddenly locked around both her wrists, keeping them in place behind her back. Lauren moaned and wiggled a little in protest and he released her nipple and looked up at her.

“Hold still.” His voice was hoarse. “Please, Lauren. Just don’t…don’t move.”

“All right,” she whispered, nodding. She had no idea why he had to be in such complete control but it was his first time doing anything like this, so she supposed she could cut him some slack.

Still, it was incredibly hard to just stand there and watch as he sucked her other nipple as deeply and fiercely as the first. She wanted to move against him, wanted to press closer and feel his big body, hard against her own. She could feel her pussy getting wet and hot under her tight jeans. Getting ready for him. The long weeks of sexual tension between them were finally coming to a head and she wanted him so badly.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured hoarsely, looking up at last. “I want to see more of you. All of you.”

“We…we can do that,” Lauren said breathlessly. “You’ll have to let me go if you want me to take my jeans off, though.”

His eyes glowed red-on-black briefly. “I’ll undress you.”

Without waiting for an answer, he unfastened her jeans and pulled down the zipper with a low, purring sound. Lauren bit her lip as her pink cotton bikini panties came into view. She’d been so glad to get back into her regular clothes as soon as they came back to Earth. Now she was just as eager to get them off.

Xairn pushed the jeans down until she could step out of them. Then, when she was naked except for her panties, he pressed his cheek against the small pink triangle covering her pussy and inhaled deeply. When he looked up at her, his eyes were red-on-black again. “Your scent…You smell so good.” His voice was hoarse with emotion—with need. One large had slid up her thigh to cup her mound carefully. “I want to see you here. Want to spread open your pussy and explore you.”

Lauren’s breath caught in her throat. “Do it, then,” she whispered. “Go on, Xairn. I…I want you to.”

Slowly, he pushed the little pink panties down, baring her completely. Lauren was glad she’d taken a shower as soon as they got home. She’d taken the opportunity to do a little personal grooming and now the soft patch of black curls that covered the mound of her pussy was neatly trimmed.

“Spread your legs,” Xairn said and it wasn’t a request.

Feeling suddenly shy, Lauren did as he asked. Was she the first woman Xairn had ever seen this way? Was she going to be the standard by which he judged all other women in the future?

“There won’t be any other women,” he murmured hoarsely. “Just you. Only you, now and forever, Lauren.”

Did I say that out loud? Lust was clouding her brain, making it hard to think. She must have said it instead of thinking it though, because there was no way Xairn could read minds. That would make him way too much like the AllFather for comfort.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, running both hands up her thighs until Lauren shivered. His hands came to a stop on her pelvis, his thumbs framing her pussy. “I want to touch you here,” he said, looking up at her. “But I don’t know how.”

“Just be gentle. You’ll do fine…more than fine,” Lauren tried to tell him but he shook his head.

“I want you to show me. Lay on the bed and spread your legs. Show me how you like to be touched.”

Lauren felt her cheeks getting hot. “You’re serious? You want me to…to touch myself in front of you?” It was something she regarded as private—off limits. Something she’d never done with a lover before. But Xairn didn’t seem willing to take no for an answer.

“Show me,” he insisted. His big hands slid up her thighs to her arms and he took her by the shoulders and looked at her intently. “Show me how to touch you, Lauren. Show me how to make you come.”

His eyes flickered red-on-black again and the raw need in his voice made her shiver. “All…all right,” she whispered. “But I’ve never done this before when anyone was watching.” Feeling awkward, she climbed on the bed beside him and then lay back, resting against the pillows.

“Spread your legs,” Xairn commanded. “I want to see you—all of you.” Something about the demanding tone of his voice made her feel wet and hot and swollen between her thighs.

Heart pounding, Lauren, parted her thighs obediently, letting him see.

“Good.” His voice was a soft growl. “Now spread your pussy open for me. Let me see how wet you are.”

Hands trembling, Lauren did as he demanded. Sliding her fingers down, she opened herself for him, spreading her outer pussy lips to reveal her swollen inner folds.

“Gods.” Xairn’s voice was hoarse with need. “You’re drenched, Lauren.”

“Can’t help it.” Lauren was blushing so hard she felt like her cheeks were going to catch fire. “The way you sucked me…sucked my nipples…It made me want you.”

“I want you too, but not yet. Slowly,” he cautioned. “Show me first. Show me what feels good.”

“This…” Feeling hot and cold all over, Lauren slid two fingers into her pussy. Slowly, she stroked the sensitive side of her clit, caressing the little bundle of nerves gently as Xairn watched her give herself pleasure.

He watched intently for a long time as Lauren continued to touch herself. She tried not to moan but she couldn’t quite help it. It wasn’t just the pleasure she was giving herself that turned her on, it was the forbidden act of touching herself while he watched. And even more than that, she liked look on his face, the open desire as he watched her fingertips slide over and around her sensitive button again and again.

But just as she was getting close, the pleasure tightening in her belly like a wire, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Stop.”

“What?” Lauren looked at him uncertainly. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem.” His eyes flashed again and he lifted her hand to his mouth. “Gods, your scent is sweet. Let’s see if you taste as good as you smell.”

Lauren bit back a moan as he slipped her fingers into his mouth and began to suck and lick, cleaning away her juices carefully with his tongue. When he was finished, he looked at her. “I want to try it—try touching you. But I don’t want to kneel over you. I want you against me. Like this.”

He sat beside her, his back to the headboard, and indicated the spot between his spread thighs. “Sit here. Lean back against me so I can touch you.”

Lauren did as he said without hesitation. She was glad he didn’t want to keep his distance while he touched her—she liked the feeling of being surrounded by his big, masculine frame.

“Good.” He arranged her against him so that her back was to his broad, bare chest. Then both of his large, warm hands began to explore. “Forgive me for taking my time,” Xairn whispered, his hot breath in her ear making her shiver. “I need to be careful and I want to enjoy your beautiful body for as long as I can.”

“N-no rush,” Lauren stuttered. She bit back a moan as he stroked her all over, his hands exploring her shoulders, arms, sides, hips, and legs, before finally making their way back to her inner thighs.

“Now open your legs again,” he commanded. “Spread wide for me, Lauren. I need to touch you. Need to make you come.”

Lauren moaned breathlessly as she felt his big hand cupping her pussy mound. By now she was so hot and wet her outer lips were opening of their own accord. God, she needed him! Needed him so badly.

“I need you too,” he whispered hoarsely in her ear. “But I have to take this slowly. Please understand.”

“It’s all right,” Lauren assured him again. And then his big fingers slid into her pussy.

Lauren had expected him to thrust deep in her channel right away. Instead, he was gentle—almost tender as he stroked delicately over her wet folds.

“Like this?” he murmured in her ear, the pad of his index finger tracing the shape of her aching bud. “Gently but firmly, right?”

“That’s perfect,” she gasped as his finger continued to slip slowly over her clit. It felt amazing but it was slow, exquisite torture to lie back against him, her legs spread as he explored her pussy with his fingers. The pleasure which had begun building the moment he sucked her nipple into his mouth, blossomed within her. “God, Xairn,” she whispered. “Oh, God…”

“Do you like this?” he whispered roughly in her ear. “You like it when I pet your pussy, Lauren? When I stroke your soft little cunt?”

Dirty talk wasn’t what she’d expected of him but a quick glance up at his face showed that he was serious. He really wanted to know if she enjoyed the way he was touching her.

“Yes,” she whispered, daring to move her hips a little bit. “God, yes, it feels so good.”

“I want to make you come,” he growled, his finger moving a little faster. “And then I want to put my fingers all the way inside you and fuck you with them. I want to feel you clench around me.”

His deep voice in her ear was making her almost as hot as his fingers in her pussy. “I…I want that too,” she admitted softly.

“Then you like the way I touch you? It brings you pleasure and not pain?”

“Lots of pleasure,” Lauren assured him. “You…you’re doing great for your first time.”

“I am glad you enjoy my touch,” he murmured. “I love spreading you open and exploring your pussy. So hot and wet and soft…so utterly beautiful.”

Again Lauren felt like a wire was tightening in her belly, one that was about to snap at any moment. “I’m close,” she whispered. “God, Xairn, so close.”

“Then do it.” His fingers increased their tempo, sliding over her swollen clit even faster. “Come for me, Lauren. Let me feel you come.”

Lauren gripped handfuls of his black flight pants, hanging on for dear life as she felt herself peaking. “Xairn!” she gasped. “Oh God, Xairn!”

“That’s right—come for me.” He rubbed over he clit firmly once more and then his long, strong fingers slid lower and filled her.

Lauren cried out and arched her back, tilting her pelvis to give him better access to penetrate her. She could feel Xairn behind her. One long arm was locked around her, as though to hold her in place and his hot mouth was on her neck, kissing and sucking fiercely—marking her as his. She bucked against him, her hips moving in rhythm with his thrusting as he fucked deeply into her with his fingers.

“Mine,” he growled in her ear as she moaned and writhed against him. “You’re mine, Lauren. Mine forever.”

“Yes,” she promised breathlessly. “Yes. God, yes, Xairn. Yes.” This is it, she thought hazily as the pleasure poured over her, through her. He’s going to take me now. We’re going to make love. God, I want him inside me so badly…

“No!” Suddenly he withdrew his fingers and pushed her away from him.

“What…?” Lauren stared in surprise as he got off the bed and stalked stiffly to the bathroom.

“I’m sorry.” Xairn’s eyes blazed a steady red-on-black when he looked back at her. “But we can’t. I can’t.”

Then he went into the bathroom and Lauren heard a small clicking sound as he locked the door behind him.

* * * * *

Gods that was close. Too close! Xairn slumped against the bathroom door, one arm over his burning eyes. The feel of Lauren’s soft, naked body writhing against his own as she came in his arms had been almost too much to bear. He’d been right on the verge of snapping, of rolling her over on the bed, covering her slight, soft body with his own, and ramming his cock to the hilt in her pussy. He’d had no choice but to get away from her—to run before his urges overtook him.

Gods, he was dying for relief! He needed to release the tension inside him before he lost control and went back to the bedroom to finish what he’d started.

Xairn grimaced with mingled pain and pleasure as he rubbed a hand roughly over the hard ridge of his secondary shaft. It felt swollen and hot—throbbing for release. Because his sexual urges had been repressed for so long, he’d never had this problem before. Acting on instinct, he unfastened his pants and pushed them down, freeing his shaft.

Though the DNA alteration had changed his skin and eye color, it had left him physically intact. His secondary shaft was hard and long and his primary shaft—his bonding shaft—which forked from the top of its base, was short and inactive. Xairn was grateful that it remained unaffected by what had happened with Lauren. If his bonding shaft had been stimulated, he would have lost control completely. There was no way to deactivate it short of bonding his chosen female to him, and he had already promised himself that he would never do that to Lauren, no matter how much he wanted to.

But Gods, the way she trembled in my arms, the soft, helpless sounds she made, the way she called my name when I touched her. Her soft skin, her scent, her taste… Everything about her conspired to make him want her desperately. So much that he feared what might happen if he went back to her without releasing the burning tension inside him.

Trembling, Xairn took his secondary shaft in one hand. The first stroke was agony—his skin was too sensitized and his body needed a softer, female touch. Scourge didn’t typically relieve their own sexual needs in this way. As soon as they became sexually mature they either took a female, or died fighting to get one. But though Xairn had a willing female waiting for him in the next room, he didn’t dare to go to her. Didn’t dare to touch her until some of his sexual tension had been released.

Gritting his teeth, Xairn stroked again. His hips bucked involuntarily, his body protesting the rough pleasure he was giving himself. Every instinct inside him cried out that he needed a female’s touch—Lauren’s touch—but he forced himself to stay in the small bathroom and not go to her. Forced himself to keep stroking. Gods, it hurt! But not as much as forcing her would. Not as much as seeing the hurt, betrayed look in her eyes after he took her in the fashion of his people.

Lauren, Gods, I love you so much. Want you so much…too much. Xairn raised his other hand to his face—the hand he’d touched her with. Her warm, delicious scent filled his senses, somehow easing the pain of his self pleasuring. Xairn felt his heart fist in his chest—even when she wasn’t with him she helped him.

He pressed his fingers to his mouth, sucking away her sweet juices, taking comfort in her taste. She was so beautiful, so sweet and kind and good. Too good for one such as him. And yet Xairn knew he couldn’t let her go. No matter how wrong or dangerous it was for him to stay with her, he needed her. Needed her badly.

Picturing her in his arms, remembering how she had sobbed his name in pleasure, and tasting her sweet juices finally brought about his own painful climax. Xairn groaned her name and winced as the pearly white cum jetted from the tip of his secondary shaft, calming his need at last.

Panting, he slumped against the bathroom wall. He was grateful that the tension had been released, but touching himself rather than having a female touch him was an agonizing experience. Still, he realized, it was something he would probably have to repeat over and over if he wanted to stay with Lauren without hurting her.

Worth it, he told himself, cleaning up and refastening his flight pants. If it keeps me from taking her, from forcing her, then the pain is worth it a thousand times.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at himself in the mirror. His eyes were normal—well, what was normal after having his DNA altered, anyway. They seemed to be a very peculiar shade of bluish green but Lauren thought them quite beautiful, which was all that mattered to him. It did bother him that they’d gotten so hot while he was touching her—which was when Lauren had said they’d gone back to their original color, too. Slk had warned him that his Scourge DNA might resurface under circumstances of extreme emotional duress. Was that what was happening?

It must not happen, Xairn told himself almost desperately. He sensed that whatever tenuous control he had over his sexual urges was linked to the human DNA he had gotten from Lauren. If he reverted back to his Scourge form completely, he would lose the small edge that allowed him to hold himself back, that kept him from hurting her. Even with the human DNA he was having a difficult time restraining himself. Without it, he would have no chance at all.

He looked at his eyes more closely. They went back to normal after my tension was released, he thought, frowning at his reflection. Perhaps his eyes flickering back to their old color was just a side effect of doing anything sexual. Maybe he had nothing to fear. Xairn hoped so, anyway.

There was one other thing that bothered him, though—he’d been able to hear her thoughts several times as he touched her. That wasn’t right or normal. Though he had wished for it many times, he and Lauren had no mental connection like the Kindred had with their brides because they weren’t bonded. The only other person he knew who could read minds and pluck thoughts from the brains of others was his father—the AllFather.

No, Xairn told himself firmly. No, I’m not like him. I don’t have his abilities or his perversions. I refuse to believe it. I want nothing to do with him, ever again.

It was time to face Lauren and try to explain why he’d run from her. Pushing his father out of his mind and squaring his shoulders, he turned the doorknob and went back into the bedroom.

* * * * *

Lauren heard the bathroom door open and the light shut off but she didn’t turn around to look at him. She didn’t want him to see the disappointment and hurt in her eyes. Didn’t want him to know how painful it had been to lie there on the bed, abandoned, while he took care of himself rather than making love to her.

She lay on top of the covers but she’d put back on her t-shirt and panties, not because she was cold but because she felt exposed without them. It was one thing to let Xairn see her naked while they were being intimate but she still wasn’t comfortable enough in her skin to run around in her birthday suit 24-7. Even back on the Fathership when she’d had no choice about her nudity she had always tried to cover herself, at least until Xairn gave her his cloak.

She’d turned off the lights and she didn’t offer to turn them back on as he made his way to the bed. There was enough illumination coming from the long, high window that ran the entire length of the condo’s west wall for Xairn to see where he was going.

The bed creaked as he sat down beside her. Lauren shifted but didn’t turn over. “You okay?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

“Fine.” Xairn cleared his throat. “Much better now that…much better.”

“You mean you’re better since you took care of yourself?” Lauren rolled over to face him and propped a hand under her head.

“Well…” Xairn cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said at last. “That is what I mean.”

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Lauren touched him lightly on the arm and he twitched, as though he was trying not to pull away. It hurt her feelings but she made an effort not to show it. “I would have helped you at the very least,” she said softly. “I mean, even if you didn’t want to…to make love—”

“I didn’t want your help,” he said stiffly.

“I see.” Lauren withdrew, feeling like he’d slapped her. “Sorry for offering.”

“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I just…” Xairn ran a hand through his hair in obvious frustration. “I was afraid. I had to leave because—”

“Because you didn’t want to hurt me,” she said flatly. “I know. You’re so sure I’m going to break the minute you touch me you have to bolt out of the room as soon as things get a little intense.” She knew she wasn’t exactly being fair but she felt hurt—rejected.

“You don’t understand,” he said in a low voice.

“Yes, I do,” Lauren insisted. “But Xairn honey…” Sitting up, she reached out to caress his cheek. “I’m a big girl. I can handle a little rough sex.”

“A little rough sex?” He turned to her and in the dim lighting she could see that his eyes had gone red-on-black again. His red pupils were glowing like rings of fire, blazing in the darkness like a demon’s. “A little rough sex?” His voice was a low, threatening growl. “Is that all you think I want from you?”

“Well, I—”

Suddenly he was on top of her, his big body pinning her to the bed. “Do you have any idea of the things I want to do to you?” he demanded. “Of the urges I have? The desires I’m fighting every minute, every second I’m with you?”

“Xairn, please…” Lauren tried to struggle but it was useless. He was too big and heavy on top of her. She bit her lip as she felt the hard ridge of his cock dig into her thigh.

“Every time you touch me, I want you,” he growled, looking into her eyes. “I want you like this, Lauren. Under me. Helpless. Your legs spread, your arms tied above your head so you can’t move…can’t get away no matter what I do to you.”

He thrust against her and his shaft found the cleft of her sex. Lauren moaned as he parted her pussy lips through the thin cotton panties and rubbed relentlessly over her throbbing clit.

“Xairn, please…” she gasped breathlessly. The fear inside her was being overtaken by a perverse kind of pleasure now. He’d touched her so gently earlier, had stroked her clit so tenderly until she came, and Lauren had enjoyed it immensely—until he ran away, that was. Now, though she sensed he was still holding back greatly from using all of his immense strength, he was being rough. And strangely, it was turning her on.

“Please, what?” he demanded, grinding against her again. He forced her hands above her head and pinned both wrists to the mattress with one large hand. “I thought you didn’t mind this, Lauren. It’s just ‘a little rough sex.’ Isn’t that what you said?”

Fear and pleasure rolled through her in a confusing mixture of emotions. “I…I didn’t mean I wanted you to rape me!” she protested.

Xairn released her and rolled off immediately. “Yes, and that’s what it amounts to, doesn’t it? Rape.” He sat on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands, his broad shoulders hunched miserably. “An ugly word for an even uglier action. Gods, Lauren…”

“Xairn…” Lauren’s body still throbbed with the intimate contact but she had no time to think about that now. She tried to push aside the strange feelings she’d had while he was pinning her to the bed and just focus on him. “Xairn,” she said again, reaching out to touch him.

Xairn flinched but didn’t pull away. Lauren ignored the involuntary movement and wrapped both arms around him from behind. Pressing her cheek to his shoulder, she held him.

Xairn stiffened in her arms. “Let me go,” he said in a low voice. “Before I hurt you.”

“You’re not going to hurt me,” Lauren insisted. “And I’m not afraid of you—no matter how you try to scare me.”

“I wasn’t trying to scare you,” he said roughly. “I was just showing you a small part of the desires I keep locked inside. Letting the beast out of the cage for just a moment.”

“You’re not a beast.” Lauren hugged him tightly. “You’re my Xairn and I love you.”

“I love you too.” He sighed. “Which is why I ought to go now, before I hurt you. Before I do something we’ll both regret as long as we live.”

“Don’t you dare!” Lauren let go of him and scooted off the bed. Grabbing him by the hand she demanded, “Come with me!”

Xairn stood up and allowed himself to be dragged to the door. “If you want me to leave your living space, you have only to say so,” he protested. “I don’t blame you and I will go at once without being forcibly ejected.”

“I’m not ejecting you.” Lauren was torn between love and exasperation.

“Then where are we going?” Xairn gave her a confused look as she dragged him out of the condo and around back to where the Kindred ship/car was parked.

“You’re going to give me the keys.” Lauren stopped beside the small silver car and held out her hand.

He frowned. “Forgive me, Lauren, but you don’t know how to fly this vehicle.”

“I don’t want to fly it. I just want to make sure you don’t fly away in it. So give me the keys so I can be sure you won’t just up and leave and go someplace I can never find you.”

Xairn shook his head. “Kindred ships don’t work like that. There is no ‘key’ to start the ship.”

“Then give me a piece of the engine. Something small I can hold onto but you can’t get away without it. Like a sparkplug or something.” Lauren held out her hand insistently. “I mean it, Xairn. Now.”

He gave her a long look, then shrugged and lifted the hood of the engine compartment. After rummaging around for a moment, he produced a small silver ring and wiped it on his shirt. “Here.” He held it out to her. “The O-ring from the hydrogen scoop mechanism. The ship will be unable to start without it.”

“Perfect.” Lauren took the ring from him and examined it in the light from the sodium arc lamp overhead. It was very small and surprisingly elegant for an engine part. After a moment’s deliberation, she slid it onto her left ring finger where it fit perfectly. “There.” She looked up at Xairn. “That’s not exactly how I imagined it when I pictured getting a ring from the man I love, but oh well. The important thing is you’re not going anywhere.”

“I don’t think this is a wise idea, Lauren,” he protested as they walked back into the condo. “I think I should go before—”

She held up a hand. “Please don’t start that again. Come on.” She led him across the room and pushed him down to site on the side of the bed. Then she stood in front of him, hands on her hips.

He looked up at her, his eyes filled with dejection, his big shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Lauren,” he said in a low voice. “Sorry that I don’t know how to give you what you need without losing control.”

“Oh, baby…” Lauren shook her head and sat down beside him. “You know what the problem is?” she said, rubbing his back soothingly. “You’re not a monster and you’re not a beast—you just have trouble telling the difference between sexual and non-sexual touching.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean there’s a difference between giving someone a hug and wanting to fuck their brains out,” Lauren said bluntly. She sighed. “I can see why this is a problem for you—you had a really dysfunctional childhood to say the least. But I think with a little work we can move past it.”

“I don’t know.” Xairn shook his head. “And I don’t know understand how there can be different kinds of touching. All I know is that I don’t want to touch anyone but you. And when I do touch you, or you touch me, it makes me feel…” He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat.

“Feel like what?” Lauren encouraged. It was good they were talking about this, getting it out in the open.

“Feel like I want to…to do what I told you earlier.” He looked down at his hands. “Like I want to take you—bond you to me forever.”

“You’re talking about bonding sex? Where your, uh, both your…” Lauren cleared her throat. “Both your pieces of equipment are engaged?”

“Yes.” He looked up at her. “It would tie us together forever—form an unbreakable bond that could never be severed.”

“And you don’t want that with me?” Lauren tried not to feel hurt. “I mean, I know it’s really early in our relationship to be talking about a permanent commitment but I love you, Xairn. The idea of being with you forever doesn’t scare me.”

“It should.” He shook his head. “You have no idea how savage bonding sex with a Scourge can be. You’re a human female and you’re not built to withstand it—I won’t do that to you, Lauren.”

“So what are you saying?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “That we can never be together that way? Never make love?”

“It’s not making love.” His voice dropped to a growl. “It’s fucking rape. I won’t do it to you—I can’t.”

“Xairn…”

“In fact, I think it would be best if we curtailed our sexual activity for the time being.” He looked at her earnestly. “Just to be safe.”

Lauren repressed a sigh. “Okay, honey, I understand that you want to take it slow. How about this—only nonsexual touching for awhile.”

“I don’t think we should touch at all. Every time I touch you feels sexual to me,” Xairn protested.

“Right,” said Lauren firmly. “And if you don’t get used to it—desensitized to it—it always will. You need to be able to hold my hand or kiss my cheek without getting a hard-on. So look…” She stood up and placed herself in front of him again. “Here and here are off limits,” she said, pointing to her breasts and the area between her legs. “Okay?”

Xairn looked unhappy but he nodded. “All right.”

“I won’t touch your erogenous zones either,” Lauren promised. “But I will touch you everywhere else and I want you to touch me to. I want us to hold hands and hug and snuggle. I want to play with your hair and kiss your cheek and be affectionate without being sexual. And I want you to do the same thing with me.”

Xairn frowned. “But—”

“No buts.” Lauren tugged him to his feet. “Now hug me,” she ordered. “Hold me tight and promise me you won’t give up on us.”

Hesitantly, Xairn held out his arms. “All right.”

“Good.” Lauren stepped into his embrace. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Xairn. We’re going to get through this together.”

“I love you too,” he whispered. Suddenly his arms tightened around her and he crushed her to him. “So much, Lauren.” His voice was tight. “Too much, I fear.”

Though his embrace made her ribs creak, Lauren didn’t struggle. Instead she rubbed her cheek against his and relaxed into the hug. “You can’t love someone too much,” she whispered, trying to reassure him. “It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be okay.”

* * * * *

Xairn hoped she was right but he was desperately afraid she wasn’t. Even after his earlier, painful release, holding her fragile, soft body in his arms still made him hard all over again. The warm, sweet scent of her skin and hair, the feeling of her pressed against him, was almost more than he could stand. And she wanted to do this and more every day. Wanted to kiss and hold and hug and touch constantly—Gods, even with the human DNA bonded to his own, how was he going to control himself?

Xairn knew she thought he would get used to it, to having constant physical contact with him, but that wasn’t the way the Scourge physiology was set up. Touching—no matter how minor—meant sex. But of course, nothing about his relationship with Lauren mirrored the traditional Scourge pairing. She wasn’t tied to the bed or kept in a cage all day until he wanted to fuck her, for one thing. And she wasn’t wearing his marks of possession—a fact which shouldn’t have bothered him but did. He didn’t want to hurt her but he did want her wearing something that proved she was his.

His eyes dropped involuntarily to the place where her name was burned into his chest. Lauren’s black hair covered most of the brand but he could still see a few loops of her signature through the silky strands. It doesn’t matter if she wears my name, he told himself. Because I wear hers. I belong to her—heart, body and soul. If this is what she wishes—for me to hold her, touch her—then that is what I will do. What I must do.

He would learn control for her sake. He would touch her and kiss her and receive her caresses without allowing them to push him over the edge. And no matter how many times a day he had to slip into the bathroom and give himself a painful, private release, he would do it. Anything was better than hurting the female he loved.

Anything.

Chapter Twenty-one

Nadiah’s own screams woke her. “No, no! Please let her go! Please! Please!”

“Nadiah?” Sylvan was suddenly in the room with her, his piercing blue eyes scanning the shadows for threats. “What happened?”

Sophia was right behind him. “I think she just had a bad dream.” She sat on the bed beside Nadiah and pulled her into her arms. “Hush, it’s okay. It’s all right now,” she murmured, patting her back.

Nadiah clung to her, sobbing breathlessly. She hadn’t wanted to take the offer of a spare room in their suite for fear of intruding but now she was glad Sophia had pressed her to accept. “He’s torturing her,” she gasped, trying to breathe through her sobs. “He’s hurting her—sucking her dry.”

“Who is torturing who?” Sylvan asked, coming to stand at the foot of the bed.

“The evil one—he was wearing a hood and he had glowing red eyes. That was all I could see of him but he was torturing the girl who looks like Lauren. The one I saw in my last dream.” Nadiah blotted her eyes on a corner of the sheet and tried to catch her breath.

“The AllFather.” Sylvan looked grim.

“And you’re sure it wasn’t Lauren?” Sophia asked anxiously.

Nadiah shook her head. “Definitely not. I got a good look at her face this time.” Just remembering the agonized expression on the poor girl’s face was enough to make her start crying again. Grimly, she tried to hold back the tears.

“Did you see the giants again? The ones you saw in your other dream?” Sophia wanted to know.

“No.” Nadiah blotted her eyes again. “Nothing like that. She wasn’t on Earth. She was inside a ship and there were wires running under her skin. She was attached to some kind of huge viewscreen. Images were flashing across it—terrible images.” She shivered. “I had the feeling they were her memories but twisted somehow. Made false and bitter.”

“It sounds like what he did to Baird,” Sylvan said, frowning. “Projecting the memories and then twisting them into falsehoods.”

“Is there anything we can do for her?” Sophia asked. “Would the council allow anyone to try a rescue attempt?”

Sylvan shook his head. “Even if they would, the Scourge Fathership is all but impenetrable. You’d have to have inside knowledge of the codes and tracking devices to get anywhere near it.”

“But Baird was able to get in when they took Olivia,” Sophia protested.

Sylvan sighed. “He was let in because he was offering a life for a life—a krik-ka-re . The AllFather relishes such agonizing deals.” He looked at Nadiah regretfully. “I’ll speak to the Council but I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do for the girl in your dream.”

“The person you ought to be talking to is that stupid detective,” Sophia burst out. “If he had listened to Nadiah in the first place, this might not have happened. I mean, maybe the police could have prevented it somehow.”

“That’s true.” Sylvan looked thoughtful. “At the very least I should follow up with him. “I’ll place a call to him tomorrow morning—that will be afternoon on his part of Earth.” He looked at Nadiah. “In the mean time, you should try to get some more sleep, daughter of my mother’s sister. You may feel better if you do.”

“I’ll try but…poor girl. Oh Goddess, I can’t stand to think of it but I can’t get it out of my head.” Nadiah looked up at him imploringly. “Sylvan, won’t you please sing me the sleep song? The one you used to sing when I had nightmares as a child?”

Sophia looked at him in obvious surprise. “You used to sing Nadiah to sleep?”

Sylvan looked embarrassed. “Only when she was very young. I used to watch her sometimes when her parents went out to functions.”

“So you were her babysitter,” Sophia said.

Sylvan looked shocked. “I never sat on her! No matter how willful she was.”

Nadiah looked at her with interest. “Is that how you discipline children on Earth when they’re naughty? You sit on them?”

“No, of course not. I just meant…oh, never mind.” Sophia shook her head. “The point is, Sylvan, you were Nadiah’s caretaker.”

“My favorite one. Sylvan always let me get away with just about anything.” Nadiah smiled at the memory.

Sylvan smiled too. “She was always a restless sleeper. Some say that vivid nightmares as a child presage one who will be especially strong in the Sight.”

“I wish I didn’t have the Sight,” Nadiah said, sighing. “I wish I didn’t have to worry about seeing such horrible things every time I close my eyes.”

“Do you usually have more than one prophetic dream in a night?” Sylvan asked.

She shook her head. “No, not usually. But nothing about this is usual for me. I’ve only had the gift for a short time.”

“Let’s trust that one dream a night is your limit.” Sylvan smiled gently and came to sit beside Sophia on the side of Nadiah’s bed. “Come, close your eyes and I’ll sing to you.”

“All right.” Reluctantly, Nadiah lay back on the bed and allowed Sophia to tuck the covers around her again. Sylvan hummed experimentally and then his warm, soft baritone filled the quiet room.

“Sleep my little one,

Close your eyes and rest.

Night has come and the grotto is dark.

Follow your dreams to Hush-a-Bye Mountain.

Climb to the top

And make your best wish.

The stars overhead will speak if you listen

And the moonlight will carry you home.

Sleep little one, sleep little one

And the moonlight will carry you home.”

When he was finished, he leaned over and kissed Nadiah’s forehead exactly as he used to when she was a tiny, frightened girl. It made her smile and she noticed that Sophie was smiling too.

“You have a beautiful voice,” she murmured to Sylvan as he rose to leave. “Why haven’t you ever sung for me before?”

He shrugged. “You never asked.”

“Well you can bet I’ll be asking from now on.” She looked at Nadiah. “Are you all right now? Or would you like me to sit with you until you can get back to sleep?”

“I’m all right.” Nadiah smiled at her. “Although…if you want to stay a little while I don’t mind.”

“I’ll stay.” Sophia looked up at her mate. “You go back to bed, hon. I’ll be there in a bit.”

“All right.” He looked at Nadiah. “Sleep well, my kin. We’re just in the next room if you have another vision.”

Nadiah shivered. “I hope I won’t. But thank you, Sylvan. And thanks for the song.”

“Anytime.” He grinned. “As long as you don’t tell Baird and Deep and Lock about it.”

“I’ll keep it to myself,” Nadiah vowed solemnly. “After all, if they knew what a sweet voice you have, they’d all be wanting a lullaby before bedtime.”

Sophia burst out laughing. “Sorry, I just had this mental image of all three of those huge Kindred warriors tucked into one bed with Sylvan serenading them.”

Nadiah laughed too. “That would be a sight.”

“And on that note, I am leaving.” Sylvan smiled. “No pun intended.”

After he left, Nadiah squeezed Sophia’s hand. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here in your suite. I was afraid I’d get in your way at first but now I’m really glad I took your offer.”

“You’re never in the way,” Sophia said. “And just think, if you hadn’t stayed with us I never would have found out what a gorgeous voice Sylvan has.”

“Yes you would have,” Nadiah protested. “As soon as you have children he’ll be singing them to sleep just like he sang to me when I was young.”

Sophia looked troubled. “I hope you’re right. I really do.”

“Did I say something wrong?” Nadiah asked worriedly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, hon, there’s nothing to be sorry for.” Sophia gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s just that Sylvan and I have been trying for awhile and I still haven’t gotten pregnant. I mean, it’s probably not a big deal. I just wish I was going to have a little boy like Liv is.”

“Of course you do.” Nadiah sat up in bed and looked at her earnestly. “Then they can play together and be like brothers.”

“Exactly.” Sophia smiled. “You understand.”

“I want sons too,” Nadiah said. “Not right away, of course. And certainly not with that horrible Yo-dah my parents picked out for me.” She shivered. “I want my first sex to be special and perfect. And if I wind up with him…Ugh, it would be like making love with a skinny, obnoxious tree.”

Sophia laughed. “Nadiah, you crack me up.”

Nadiah looked at her anxiously. “Are there cracks in your skin? Did I put them there?”

Sophia shook her head. “No, silly—I meant you’re funny. You make me laugh. Sorry—I guess the translation bacteria doesn’t cover everything, huh?”

Nadiah shook her head. “Not everything but I usually manage to get what you mean from the context.” She sighed. “I’m just tired right now.”

“Well go to sleep.” Sophia pushed Nadiah’s hair away from her forehead. Her hand felt cool and soothing. “And try to have good dreams this time.”

“I don’t try to have the visions—they just come to me,” Nadiah said fretfully. “I wish the Goddess had not chosen me for the Sight.”

“She must have done it for a reason,” Sophia said reasonably. She looked troubled. “Maybe…maybe you can stop him before he takes another girl.”

“If I can get anyone to listen to me.” Nadiah shook her head. “But from Detective Rast’s reaction I get the feeling that your law enforcement personal aren’t likely to believe anything I say.”

“Unfortunately not.” Sophia frowned. “But I promise you, Nadiah, if you have another one of these…these visions and it shows someone being taken, we’ll do everything we can to stop it. With or without help from the police or Rast or anybody else.”

“All right.” The idea put Nadiah’s mind at ease. “Thank you, Sophie,” she said, smiling up at the mate of her kin. “You’re going to make a wonderful mother someday. And don’t worry too much about it not happening yet—sometimes it takes awhile with Blood Kindred.”

Sophia smiled. “You would know. You’re the expert on them, right?”

“I’ve done a little research,” Nadiah admitted, smiling. It had been her ambition to be mated to a Kindred warrior—especially a Blood Kindred—from the time she was a little girl. Of course, her parents would be horrified at the thought of her polluting her pure blood lines by joining with a Kindred but Nadiah didn’t care. The huge, virile warriors were her ideal and even if they hadn’t been, anyone would have been better than the skinny, sniveling Yo-dah her parents had promised her to.

“Research, huh?” Sophia grinned. “Well then, go back to sleep and try to dream about your ‘research’ and the perfect Kindred warrior who’s going to sweep you off your feet.”

“All right.” Nadiah snuggled back into bed and sighed. “Good night, Sophie.”

“Good night, sleep tight.” Sophia smiled as she left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Nadiah closed her eyes and tried not to dwell on the disturbing vision that had disrupted her sleep. Please Goddess, she prayed silently. Be with that girl. Protect her or at least let her torment be swiftly over. And please help me to prevent this from happening again. If you have given me this gift for a reason, please help me to use it wisely.

She felt a sense of peace after she prayed, as though the Goddess of All Life was listening. But sleep still eluded her. Turning on her side, she tried to picture the perfect Blood Kindred warrior. He would be tall and strong and he would sweep her off her feet and go with her to Tranq Prime to challenge the blood bond between herself and her betrothed. Then he would take her back with him to the Mother ship and they would live happily ever after in mated bliss just like Sophia and Sylvan.

But somehow, no matter how hard she tried to picture her perfect Kindred, he was always wearing the face of that annoying Detective Rast.

Nadiah fell asleep frowning but at least she had no more dreams.

Chapter Twenty-two

“Good morning.” Nadiah smiled as Sylvan came into the dining area. She and Sophia were already up and enjoying a traditional Earth breakfast. Well, traditional to Sophia’s part of Earth, anyway. Apparently different regions of the planet had different cuisines.

Nadiah wasn’t a big fan of the yellow fluffy stuff the mate of her kin had called scrambled eggs—they had a strange texture. But there were thin crispy slices of something called bacon that were salty and delicious. Also, there was a warm, crunchy kind of bread with sweet, sticky berry spread on it that was wonderful.

But best of all, in Nadiah’s opinion, was the bright orange juice squeezed from a fruit—it tasted like liquid sunshine, tart and sweet and utterly delicious. Sophia had offered her white liquid called ‘milk’ as well, but Nadiah had turned it down. She’d already been warned by Baird that it came from a skin bag between a large Earth animal’s legs. Apparently, the bag was squeezed and the white fluid came jetting out. Ugh! It sounded every bit as disgusting as fleeta pudding to Nadiah, who had never been fond of her native dish.

“Good morning.” Sylvan smiled at them both. He kissed Sophia on the cheek and Nadiah on the top of her head before seating himself at the table. “I see you two are finally up.”

“What do you mean ‘finally up?’” Sophia protested. “I’ve been up for ages making you this yummy breakfast. Where were you, anyway?”

“In the viewing room,” Sylvan said, pouring himself a tall glass of the orange juice. “I had a very interesting call to attend to.”

“Oh, was it that annoying Detective Rast?” Sophia asked eagerly. “Did you give him a piece of your mind?”

Nadiah frowned. “How would you do that? With some kind of telepathy?”

“No, it just means to tell someone off,” Sophia explained. She looked at Sylvan. “So did you? Tell him off?”

“I didn’t get a chance,” Sylvan said mildly. “He wasn’t the one who called.” He looked at Nadiah. “It was your parents. And they were very unhappy. Is it true you left your home on the day you and Yo-dah were to be mated?”

“Well…yes.” Suddenly the orange juice tasted sour and flat. Nadiah put down her glass and sighed. “But Sylvan, if you could see him. He’s just so skinny and scrawny and whiny and…and so not Kindred.”

“You have a blood bond with him though.” Sylvan gave her a stern look. “That is not a commitment to be taken lightly.”

“Surely you’re not telling her to go back home and marry a man she doesn’t love?” Sophia scooted closer to Nadiah and put an arm around her shoulders. “I mean, they betrothed her to this guy when she was a little girl—she didn’t even have any choice in the matter.”

“That is how things are done on my planet,” Sylvan said, frowning. “I was betrothed to Feenah. We didn’t have a blood bond but the engagement between us was sacred. If she had not broken it, I would have mated her.”

“And you would have been miserable the rest of your life,” Sophia shot back.

“Sophia’s right,” Nadiah toyed with the strange silver eating utensil Sophia had called a ‘fork.’ “I don’t see why I should go home and be mated to Yo-dah when you didn’t have to mate with Feenah.”

Sylvan sighed. “I didn’t say you had to go back to Tranq Prime—not right away, anyway. But I did have to promise your parents I was watching out for you. And you will have to go home eventually, you know. The blood bond will compel you.”

“I’m not going until I find a Kindred male capable of challenging the bond,” Nadiah said stubbornly. “If I go back alone they’ll tie me down and force me to say the sacred vows. Then I’ll be stuck on that ball of ice having a bunch of scrawny babies with Yo-dah’s ugly face on them.”

Sophia looked like she was trying not to laugh. “Then let’s hope you find someone who can challenge the bond soon.”

Sylvan sighed. “I give up. Do as you please as long as you stay safe and retain your virtue.”

“Sylvan!” Sophia looked shocked. “You can’t tell her that she has to…to do that. A woman’s body is her own to do with as she pleases.”

“Not on Tranq Prime. And not my kin.” Sylvan glowered. “I won’t have it said I couldn’t protect Nadiah’s virtue.”

“Relax, Sylvan, no one has to protect me,” Nadiah said quickly. “And don’t worry—I have no intention of doing anything rash. I’ll go intact to my mate to be—whoever he is—or I won’t go at all.”

Sophia shook her head. “I had no idea you guys had such primitive ideas on Tranq Prime. But whatever makes you happy.”

“What makes me happy is making sure that Nadiah is safe,” Sylvan said. “And furthermore—”

A small chime from the holo-link cut him off. Sophia hurried to answer it and a small blue dot above the unit quickly expanded to form the shape of a Kindred warrior’s head. “Pardon me, Commander Sylvan,” he said formally, nodding at Sylvan. “But there is another call for you in the viewing room and the caller requests that your kin should come as well.”

Nadiah groaned. “Omigoddess. I knew they wouldn’t leave me alone. Now they’ll be calling all the time, telling me to come back to Tranq Prime.” She looked at the disembodied blue head hovering above the holo-link. “Please inform my parents that I will come home when I am ready and not before. And I don’t wish to speak to them.”

“Forgive me, kin of Commander Sylvan, but the caller is not related to you.” The warrior nodded at her respectfully. “It is a human calling from the HKR building on Earth. He says his name is Detective Rast.”

“Detective Rast?” Sophia frowned. “Why is he calling us?”

“I don’t know.” Sylvan frowned. “But let’s go find out.”

Leaving the half-eaten breakfast on the table, the three of them hurried down the curving metal corridor to the viewing room where all off-ship communication took place.

Nadiah wasn’t a bit surprised to see that the human detective didn’t look any happier than the last time she had spoken to him. If anything he looked angrier. The moment she and Sylvan and Sophia stepped into sight of the big viewscreen mounted on the viewing room wall, he started firing questions at her.

“Is this the girl you saw?” he demanded. A picture flashed up on the viewscreen. The girl has Lauren’s same warm brown skin tones but other than that, she bore little resemblance to Sophia and Olivia’s cousin when viewed face-on. Still, Nadiah recognized her at once.

“Yes,” she said as the picture was replaced by an angry looking Detective Rast. “That’s her.”

“All right. Where were you last night?” he asked, glaring at her with those startling green eyes. “Were you anywhere near Sarasota?”

“Nadiah has been here on the Kindred Mother ship since she came for my joining ceremony, detective,” Sylvan said, frowning.

“I’d like to hear her answer for herself, if you don’t mind,” Rast snapped.

“I have no problem with answering your question.” Nadiah put a hand on her hip. “As Sylvan said, I’ve been here aboard the ship. Why do you ask?”

“Can anyone verify your whereabouts?” he demanded, ignoring her question.

“Sylvan and I both can.” Sophia crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s been staying in our suite with us.”

Rast frowned. “She could have gotten out during the night, when the two of you were sleeping.”

“No, she couldn’t,” Sophia snapped. “She had a nightmare last night and Sylvan and I were up with her.”

Nadiah’s cheeks burned. She knew Sophia was just trying to defend her but the way she talked it sounded like Nadiah was a baby who needed to be protected and coddled.

“A nightmare, huh?” Rast glared at her. “What was it this time? Another vision? A prophesy?”

“I saw the same girl that I saw in my previous vision, if you must know,” Nadiah said coldly. “The one who looks like Lauren. She was…” She swallowed hard, remembering the horrible images the vision had shown her.

“She was what?” Rast sounded almost eager. “What? Where was she? Tell me!”

“Why do you want to know what I saw?” Nadiah demanded. “You don’t believe in my gift.”

“I want to know because a girl matching your description disappeared last night.” Rast poked a finger at her. “And I want to know exactly how you’re involved.”

“Wait a moment, Detective. What are you implying?” Sylvan took a step forward, frowning at the human. “You think Nadiah would have something to do with abducting a helpless girl?”

Rast ran a hand through his thick light brown hair in obvious frustration. “How else would she know the girl was going to be taken?”

“She knows because of her gift—because of the Sight,” Sophia said, putting an arm around Nadiah’s shoulders.

“I don’t believe that,” Rast said stubbornly. “There must be some other reason—some way she knew.” He looked at Nadiah. “Admit it—you had something to do with this.”

“Be careful what you accuse my kin of.” Sylvan’s voice had deepened to a menacing growl. “Nadiah is closely related to me—she is what you would call my cousin. I can vouch for her honor and tell you that she would never be involved in an abduction.”

“And she would certainly never have anything to do with torture!” Sophia put in.

“Torture?” A muscle in Rast’s jaw twitched. “Who said anything about torture?”

“That’s what I saw.” Nadiah felt sick. “In my dream—my vision. He was hurting her…torturing her.”

“He? He who?” Rast demanded.

“The AllFather,” Sylvan said. “The overlord of the Scourge. Tell me, Detective, did you happen to find the girl’s clothing all in a pile as you did in Lauren’s case?”

“We did.” Rast frowned. “But we assumed that whoever had taken her took the time to undress her first.”

“I don’t think so.” Nadiah shook her head. “She was taken the same way Lauren was—with the Scourge molecular transfer beam. That’s how he got her.”

“And why are you so determined that Nadiah had anything to do with it?” Sophia asked. “The last time she talked about her vision, you mocked her because of what she saw.”

Rast looked uncomfortable. “The details she mentioned…they checked out. The girl disappeared from the place she talked about.”

“What place?” Nadiah asked, truly mystified. “I didn’t see anyplace in particular. I just saw giants kissing.”

Rast cleared his throat. “Maybe…maybe you’d better come down here. I’ll show you what I mean.”

For some reason Nadiah’s heart started racing. “Down to Earth? Right now?”

“After the things you accused her of?” Sylvan frowned at Rast. “I don’t think so.”

Rast frowned back. “Look, if you and your wife will vouch for her, I’ll take your word that Nadiah isn’t connected to this. But I need her to look at something. To see the spot where Tabitha disappeared.”

“Tabitha?” Nadiah asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The girl who was taken.” Rast ran a hand through his hair. “Her parents are frantic.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse but at the mention of the girl’s parents, Nadiah felt something loosen inside her. She lifted her chin. “I’ll come. But only if you give your word to treat me with respect. I don’t care if you believe in my gift or not but I won’t be verbally abused by you or anyone.”

“Fair enough.” Rast nodded shortly. “I’ll meet you at the HKR building in half an hour.”

Sylvan frowned. “I have not given my consent for this.”

Sophia shook her head. “Honestly, Sylvan, when did you turn into such a caveman? Nadiah can go if she wants to.”

“Not if she’s heading into danger.” Sylvan leveled a stare at Detective Rast. “See that you treat my kin with the respect and courtesy she deserves, Detective, or you’ll have me to answer to.”

“You can think what you want about me but I’d never harm a woman.” Rast’s voice was harsh. “I’ve devoted my life to finding and protecting them, damn it.”

For a moment Nadiah’s eyes fluttered closed and she saw a picture in her mind’s eye. A boy with light brown hair and truegreen eyes—the same color as Detective Rast’s. The boy was crying, tears streaming down his face as his lips formed a name she couldn’t quite catch. And then he was gone.

The vision came and went so quickly she barely registered it, but somehow Nadiah knew it was important. “It’s all right,” she said, putting a hand on Sylvan’s arm. “He’s telling the truth—he won’t hurt me.” She looked at the viewscreen. “There’s a reason Detective Rast acts the way he does. A personal reason.”

Rast’s face got red. He seemed about to say something but then he shook his head. “I’ll see you in thirty minutes,” he muttered and then his image winked out of sight and the viewscreen went dark.

* * * * *

“I got here as fast as I could. So you’re seriously calling in a psychic? I thought you hated that kind of shit.” Detective Jack Barnes, who had been Rast’s partner before he left the PD, looked at him in amazement.

“I know how it looks.” Rast ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “But she seems to know something about the case. And you know how critical the first twenty-four hours are.”

“Yeah, I know,” Barnes said dryly. “Critical enough for you to leave the PD and set up your own agency.”

Rast nodded. “What else could I do? Just because someone is over eighteen we’re supposed to waste an entire day hoping she just ran off with her friends instead of being snatched by some creep?”

Barnes waved a hand at him. “Don’t start on that again. Besides, I’m totally with you on this one. Most girls don’t take off all their clothes in a public place and suddenly—poof—vanish.”

“Her friends say they saw her one minute and the next it was like she’d disappeared off the face of the Earth.” Rast frowned. Maybe literally if what Commander Sylvan is saying is true.

“Well if anyone can find her it’s you.” Barnes clapped him on the shoulder. “Which is why I’m giving you this evidence.” He handed Rast a sealed plastic bag with the missing girl’s clothes and personal effects. “Just be sure you get it back to me by the end of the day, okay? It just came from the lab—not that I think we’re going to find much of anything on it. Whoever took her was quick and clean. A real professional.”

“You got it.” Rast gave his former partner a nod. “Thanks, Jack. I owe you one.”

“Just find her.” Barnes sighed. “Find her so I don’t have to tell her parents she’s gone for good. God, I hate that part of the job.”

“Not half as much as I do,” Rast muttered. “I—”

Just then the sliding glass door of the HKR building opened and a tall, slim blonde girl walked in. Though he had seen Nadiah just thirty minutes before on the viewscreen, Rast found he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her long waterfall of pale blonde hair brushed her bare shoulders. It was set off with a single streak of dark blue which emphasized her slightly tilted, exotic blue eyes. To cap it all off, she was wearing a long, clinging, pale blue gown that clung to her high, firm breasts and curving hips in a way that made it clear she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it.

The effect was more exotic than erotic—somehow he knew Nadiah wasn’t trying to be provocative. Probably this was just the way people dressed where she was from. But despite the innocent way she carried herself, Rast still felt his shaft spring to attention inside his khakis.

God, he wished he could forget the way she’d felt in his arms! Not to mention the sweet taste of her lips when he’d kissed her, like ripe cherries… Get hold of yourself, he told himself fiercely. She’s a fake. A fraud. Right. He just wished she wasn’t so fucking gorgeous—it was damn distracting. And the way everything shifted so enticingly under her gown when she walked didn’t help either. In fact—

“Hey, is that her?” Barnes nudged him with an elbow, breaking his train of thought. “Wow, you can really pick ‘em, Rast. What a looker.”

“Shut up.” Rast gave him a glare. “She’ll hear you.”

“Hello, Detective.” Nadiah gave him a glacial smile.

Rast opened his mouth to answer but Barnes beat him to it.

“Well, hello pretty lady, I’m Jack Barnes, Detective first class.” Smiling, he took Nadiah’s hand in his and raised it to his lips. “When Rast told me he was having an expert come down from the Kindred ship to help with this case, I didn’t know he was bringing in a model.”

Rast rolled his eyes. He loved Barnes like a brother but his old partner was kind of a dog when it came to women.

“Thank you.” Nadiah smiled politely at Barnes. “But isn’t a model someone who wears clothing the manufacturer hopes other people will buy? I can’t possibly be one of those because my tharp is one of a kind.” She nodded down at her pale blue gown.

“It certainly is,” Barnes murmured, eyeing her appreciatively.

Rast felt a stab of jealousy as his old partner’s eyes crawled over Nadiah’s slender form like greedy spiders. “That’s enough, Barnes,” he said roughly. “She’s here to look at the evidence, not be your girlfriend.”

“I don’t see why she can’t do both.” Barnes was still eyeing Nadiah like a hungry dog with a juicy bone.

“Because you are already mated.” Nadiah withdrew her hand pointedly.

“What?” Barnes frowned. “Oh, you saw my wedding ring, right? Let me tell you, though, we’re separated right now and I’m leaving her. So that shouldn’t pose a problem.”

“What about your children?” Nadiah raised one slim blonde eyebrow disapprovingly. “You have a little boy and a little girl. Won’t they miss their father?”

Barnes frowned. “Hey, how did you know that? You must have done some research on me or something, right?”

“I’ve never seen you or heard of you before this minute,” Nadiah said. “I saw it when you took my hand—saw your family. They’re counting on you, Detective and your wife loves you very much. You should honor that love.”

Barnes drew back, his meaty face suddenly pale. “Wow, Rast she’s spooky! How does she do that?”

“I have no idea and no interest in finding out.” Rast frowned. How the hell had the girl known so much about Barnes and his family? Could it be just a lucky guess? He looked at Nadiah. “Let’s go.”

“Where are you taking me?” She stood her ground, arms crossed over her breasts. “I’m not going until I know.”

“To see some giants,” Rast growled, grabbing her hand. “Come on.”

* * * * *

The ride through downtown Sarasota was charmingly foreign. It was also a little frightening. Nadiah had lived in grottos and enclosed spaces her entire life. Being outside, on the surface of a planet, with such a high, open sky above her in all directions made her feel rather like a tiny bug crawling under a blue bowl. Detective Rast’s vehicle was what he called a “convertible” and the warm wind blew through her hair as they drove through the city.

It was hot and humid—almost oppressively so, especially compared with the frigid climate of Tranq Prime. But Nadiah felt it was worth it to be someplace so completely different and new—someplace so wonderfully foreign. She was glad, however, that she was visiting during the “cool” part of the year—at least according to Sophia. She couldn’t imagine what the temperature might be like during the hot season.

Regardless of the temperature, downtown Sarasota was exciting. There were tall buildings everywhere and the road they were traveling on was lined with a type of vegetation called palm trees. The people all wore light, casual clothes and pants which stopped above the knee. Many of the women had footwear on which exposed their feet—shocking to someone who had grown up on Tranq Prime, but obviously no big deal here on Earth. Clearly the natives were used to the heat and dressed accordingly. Nadiah wished they could stop the car so she could get out and explore—there was so much to see!

“You keeping looking around like that, your eyes are going to pop out of your head and roll down the street.” Rast gave her a sidelong glance as he steered the vehicle.

“Excuse me for being excited,” Nadiah said icily. “This is the first foreign planet I’ve been on. It’s exhilarating to see someplace so completely different from my home world.”

“Too bad you’re not here for a better reason.” He sighed moodily and looked back at the road.

“Yes, I guess you’re right.” Nadiah felt suddenly guilty. What right had she to enjoy the sights and sounds of the foreign city when the whole reason she was here was to find evidence about a missing girl? A girl who was probably still being held and tortured by the AllFather that very minute. Just thinking about it brought a lump to her throat and tears to her eyes.

“Hey.” Rast threw her another glance and then looked at her more fully. “Hey, don’t cry.” He sounded almost panicked. “Look, I’m sorry. I know I’m a bastard sometimes. I just get so wrapped up in the case and I don’t think before I talk.”

“I’m not crying because of you,” Nadiah said with as much dignity as she could muster. “I’m thinking of Tabitha. Of what I saw in my dream last night.”

Rast frowned. “Back to that again, are we?”

“And you’re back to denigrating my gift.” Nadiah was suddenly furious. “I warn you, Detective Rast, I won’t put up with it. Either treat me with respect or turn this vehicle around right now and take me back to the HKR building.”

“Okay, sorry.” He gave her a look of grudging respect. “You sure know how to stand up for yourself.”

“I’ve had to,” Nadiah said grimly. “If I didn’t know how to stand up for myself I’d be back home right now mated to Yo-dah and having ugly babies just like my parents want me to.”

He frowned. “Is that some kind of an arranged marriage thing? They still do that where you’re from?”

“It’s more than that—stronger than that. A blood bond.” Nadiah sighed. “Never mind, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Maybe not completely,” he said, steering the car around a bend. “But I do understand being told to do something by someone in authority that I knew in my gut was wrong.”

“What did you do?” Nadiah asked, interested despite herself.

“I left,” he said shortly. “Struck out on my own.” He gave her a glance. “I’m guessing you did to.”

“I did.” She nodded. “But I’ll have to go back eventually. My problem isn’t one I can run away from completely. Soon I’ll have to face it.”

“Face what, exactly?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“The blood bond. It’s…never mind.” Nadiah shook her head. “It’s complicated.”

“Okay, you don’t want to talk about it. I get it.” He shrugged. “But did you actually say that the guy you were supposed marry is called Yoda?”

“Yo-dah,” Nadiah said, and frowned when he laughed. “What is it? Why does everyone find his name so funny? It’s a very old and well respected family name where I live.”

“Where you live,” he said dryly. “In a galaxy far, far away, right?”

“Well, yes.” Nadiah crossed her arms over her chest. “But so what?”

“Nothing.” But there was a small smile playing around the corner of his mouth. “It’s from a movie. Maybe if you’re here long enough I’ll show it to you.”

Nadiah raised an eyebrow at him. “Why Detective, are you asking me to a social event?’

“You mean like a date? I never said that.” He frowned again. “Forget I said anything. It was a stupid idea.”

“Not necessarily. And anyway I—oh! Oh!” Nadiah popped open the restraining harness that was holding her in place, stood up in the car and pointed. “Look! Look there they are!”

“Hey, stop that! Get back down here!” Rast tugged at her tharp which twitched slightly at the feeling of a strange hand on it. “That’s against the law,” he yelled. “Not to mention damn dangerous. Sit down!”

But Nadiah was far too excited to hear anything he said. “The giants!” she said, still pointing excitedly. “There they are! They’re just exactly like I saw them in my vision.”

Rast pulled the car into a parking space and stopped with a jolt. With a scream, Nadiah toppled over backwards and sideways. Her head hit the steering mechanism and she somehow landed in Rast’s lap.

“Ouch!” she gasped, looking up at the stern look of disapproval on his face. “Why did you do that?”

“To prove a point—you can’t stand up in a car while it’s driving.” He looked anxious. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, though. Is your head all right?”

“I think so.” Nadiah touched her forehead lightly with her fingertips. “Ow.”

Rast swore. “Damn it, you’re bleeding. What am I going to tell your cousin?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell him it was an accident.” Feeling suddenly uncomfortable at the intense way he was staring at her, Nadiah struggled to sit up and put some distance between them.

“Come back here.” Rast grabbed her by the arm. “You’re not getting out of the car until I do something about that.” He reached across her and fumbled around in a small compartment located right above where her knees had been. “Here, I always keep this handy.”

“What is it?” Nadiah asked as he opened a small white box with a red symbol on it.

“First aid kit. Hold still.” Working with surprising gentleness, Rast captured her chin in one hand and proceeded to dab some soothing ointment on the cut above her forehead. For some reason Nadiah’s heart started pounding faster and she found she couldn’t meet his eyes. Goddess, she wished he didn’t smell so good! Warm and spicy and somehow completely male.

“Don’t worry about Sylvan,” she said, looking down at her hands as Rast worked. “He’ll understand. I was always getting into trouble when I was younger. He always said watching me while my parents were away made him more nervous than fighting a hungry vrana. He—” Realizing she was babbling, she made herself stop. “Are…are you almost done?” she asked, daring to look up at him briefly.

“Almost. Just need to put a band aid on it.” He fished a small flat, rectangular packet out of the little white box and opened it. “This is kind old fashioned,” he said, sounding apologetic as he applied the adhesive tab to Nadiah’s cut. “But I don’t have any wound-seal or flesh-glue in my kit. There.” He finished and sat back a little as though to examine his handiwork. “That’ll do for now but you’ll want to have a doctor look at it when you get back to the ship. Or maybe a plastic surgeon.”

Nadiah frowned. “You have a surgeon who deals with inanimate petroleum products? Why should I consult someone like that about my wound?”

His lips twitched and it looked like he was trying not to laugh. “A plastic surgeon is someone who deals with cosmetic damage. You should see one so you don’t get a scar. Wouldn’t want to ruin that gorgeous face of yours.”

Nadiah put a hand to her cheek. “You…you think I’m gorgeous?”

Rast’s face went red and he frowned. “Forget it. Just see one, okay? And don’t try a stunt like that again. Standing up in a moving vehicle is really dangerous—you could have been killed.”

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” Nadiah said contritely. “But I just got so excited. This is exactly what I saw in my dream.” She gestured to the kissing giants. “But they’re not alive, are they? Is it some kind of art?”

“It’s a statue based on a famous picture. After World War II, one of our greatest global conflicts, was over, there was a lot of celebration. A sailor returning from the war grabbed a nurse and kissed her. Someone snapped a picture and a local artist decided to turn it into this.” Rast turned to look at the kissing figures as well. “The piece is called Unconditional Surrender.”

“I can see why,” Nadiah murmured. Hopping out of the convertible, she went to get a closer look at the huge figures.

The male giant was dressed in a blue uniform. He had an arm looped around the neck of the female and was bending her back, forcing her to rely on his strength to hold her up while he kissed her senseless. The female wasn’t fighting his fierce embrace. Rather she almost seemed to welcome it as she clung to him.

What a romantic depiction, Nadiah thought. He’s so focused on her, so fierce in his desire. For some reason her fingers crept to her own lips as she remembered the luck kiss at Sophia and Sylvan’s joining. Detective Rast had come up and was standing right beside her. Nadiah cast him a sidelong glance and saw that he was looking at her. Quickly she dropped her hand and looked away.

“Um, so is this where she—Tabitha—disappeared from?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“You tell me.” Rast walked up to the base the statue was standing on and patted the female giant’s shoe. “You’re the one that saw the abduction, right?”

“I did see it,” Nadiah acknowledged. “But only briefly in my vision.” She turned to face him. “So now that I’ve confirmed it, what do you want from me? Why bring me all the way down here to Earth?”

Rast ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture. “Because…damn it. I hate doing this, but…can you get readings on people from touching things that belonged to them?”

“I don’t know,” Nadiah said honestly. “I haven’t had the Sight for very long. I guess I could try.”

“Okay, wait here.” Rast walked back to the car and she could hear him muttering to himself, “Can’t believe I’m doing this. So stupid…”

When he came back he was holding a clear bag filled with fabric in one hand. “Here.” He thrust the bag at Nadiah. “See what you can get from those.”

“Is this her tharp…er, her clothes?” Nadiah took the bag gingerly.

Rast nodded. “The ones she was wearing when she disappeared.”

“But what do you expect me to learn from these?” Nadiah asked. “I already told you where she was and who has her.”

Rast frowned. “Just get what you can, all right?”

Nadiah narrowed her eyes at him. “If this is some kind of test I don’t see how I can possibly pass it. Why are you asking me to use a power you don’t believe in?”

“Because I’m desperate, all right?” Rast shot back. “The first twenty-four hours are critical. Tabitha was standing right here, by this statue when she disappeared. Her friends said she was there one minute and gone the next. We have the clothes she was wearing and nothing else.”

Nadiah shrugged. “I’ll try. But I won’t promise anything.”

“I’m not asking for a promise. Just do your best.”

“All right. But I’m doing this for Tabitha—not for you.” Opening the clear bag, Nadiah put her hand in and felt the strange material Earth people wore to cover themselves. It was soft but dead, not living like her own tharp. She couldn’t imagine wearing such stuff close to her skin for any length of time.

“Well?” Rast looked at her sharply. “Anything?”

“Sorry.” Nadiah shook her head. “I don’t see anyth—” Suddenly the bright, sunny Sarasota day disappeared from her view and a cloud of blackness replaced it. Nadiah drew in a breath at what she saw.

The girl who looked vaguely like Lauren was lying face up on a bare metal floor. She was naked and stiff, her sightless eyes staring at the metal ceiling above. It was clear from the look on her face that she had died in agony. Her fingers were curled into fists and her lips were frozen in a snarl of pain.

But it’s over now. All over now for her. Oh Tabitha, you poor thing…

“Hey.” Rast’s voice, surprisingly soft, cut through the horrifying vision.

“What?” Nadiah blinked and the dead girl was gone, replaced by the bright Florida sunshine.

“You’re crying again.” Rast cupped her cheek gently and swiped a thumb under one eye. “What did you see? Is she okay?”

“She’s beyond our help.” Sniffing, Nadiah handed him back the bag of clothing. “She’s dead.”

“What?” Rast looked startled. “How can you be sure?”

“Because I saw her, lying naked and dead on the floor.” Nadiah pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, wishing she could push the vision away. “I saw her and now I can’t unsee her. Goddess, I wish I could.”

“Well at least you’re not offering any false hope,” Rast muttered. “Most of you people just keep stringing them along—”

“You people?” Nadiah took her hands away from her eyes and glared at him. “Just what do you mean by that, Detective?”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “You know—psychics. Mediums. Anybody who deals with that spirit world mumbo-jumbo.”

Nadiah put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you dare label me like that! I am a full blooded daughter of Tranq Prime with the Sight and I assure you, you have never met anyone like me before.”

“You got that right, sweetheart.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “But that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

Nadia poked a finger at him. “I am here at your request. I came down to a strange planet and subjected myself to horrible visions all to gratify your curiosity. And this is how you treat me?” Her hand itched to slap him but she curled it into a fist at her side instead.

Rast must have seen the instinctive gesture because a mocking smile curved one side of his mouth. “You want to slap me, is that it? Go ahead, sweetheart—take your best shot.”

Nadiah’s hand shot out before she could stop herself and she did just that. The flat smack of her palm against his cheek seemed inordinately loud.

Rast put a hand to his face where a red mark was already growing, his truegreen eyes filled with surprise. “Ow, that’s quite a punch you’re packing. Didn’t really think you’d do it.”

“Think again before you offer me another free shot, Detective. I won’t hesitate to take it.” Nadiah was breathing hard, still tense with emotion. Her hand stung from slapping him and there was a dull ache around her heart. She blew out a breath, trying to get hold of herself. “Take me back to the HKR building. I’ve had enough of you and your attitude to last me a lifetime.”

He seemed about to say something else but then he simply nodded. “Fine, let’s go.”

Nadiah didn’t speak a word to him on the way back. She kept her eyes closed and let the warm breeze blow through her hair. She tried not to think of the vision she’d had but it was no use. Over and over she saw the wide, sightless eyes, the clenched fists, the agonized expression.

And in the background she seemed to hear low, hissing laughter.

Chapter Twenty-three

Lauren lay in the darkness and tried not to cry. Her whole body felt like it was bunched into a knot but she was afraid to move. Afraid to let herself go the way she wanted to. Beside her Xairn shifted and she held her breath, waiting. Then he turned on his side and his breathing became soft and even again.

Lauren let out a stifled breath of relief. She loved Xairn as much as ever—more if that was possible. But it had been almost a week now and having him here on Earth with her just wasn’t working out the way she’d hoped.

To start with, she shouldn’t have invited her mom to go on their shopping trip. Her mother was a wonderful, caring women but she had very definite ideas on fashion. Whereas Lauren would have taken her new man to Wal Mart or Target to get some sensible clothes, her mother had insisted on taking Xairn on a tour of all the most expensive boutiques and department stores in Sarasota.

That was how Lauren learned that Xairn, while alien in many respects, did share one almost universal characteristic with human males. In other words, he hated to shop. Not that he said as much to her mother, but Lauren could tell by the impatient look in his eyes and the clipped tone of his voice as they went from store to store to store trying on more and more clothes.

He also didn’t like the fact that Abby was footing the bill for his expensive new wardrobe. Lauren had been forced to take him aside and beg him to let her mom pay. She was, after all, only showing her gratitude to him for saving Lauren’s life the only way she could. Xairn had grudgingly agreed but he hadn’t been happy about it.

Lauren had to admit that her mom had good taste—Xairn did look fabulous in his new GQ wardrobe. Fabulous but very unhappy. He asked her several times why they couldn’t simply find a few functional pieces and leave it at that. “I have never owned this much clothing in my life,” he protested near the end of the day when Abby tried to get him to try on just one more Armani suit. “Where will I wear all of it?”

“Mom, he has a point,” Lauren had said wearily. “He’ll probably just be helping me in my shop. That fancy suit won’t look too good once it’s coated in cake flour.”

“Oh, all right.” Abby had thrown up her hands and sighed. “We’ll just take what we’ve already got. You can take that off, Xairn.”

“Good.” Xairn’s voice had been almost a growl. Instead of going back into the dressing room, he’d ripped off the suit jacket and begun unbuttoning the Egyptian cotton shirt. Unfortunately, that put his chest on display. Lauren heard a muted gasp from her mother as the raised black lines of the brand came into view.

“My God,” she whispered to Lauren, her eyes still fixed on Xairn’s muscular chest. “What the hell did you do to him, sweetheart? Why did you tattoo your name across his chest?”

“I didn’t do it,” Lauren protested, feeling embarrassed.

“But honey, that’s your handwriting,” her mother protested. “I’d recognize it anywhere.” She gave Lauren a disapproving look. “He’s a very handsome man and I can understand you wanting to mark your territory, but did you really have to sign him like a Christmas card?”

“I didn’t—”

“Lauren did not do this.” Xairn came to stand in front of them, his bare chest still exposed. Other people in the shop were staring now and Lauren could feel her cheeks getting hot.

“She…she didn’t?” Abby faltered, looking up at him.

“No. Another did it, but I allowed them to do it willingly, so do not blame Lauren.” Xairn frowned. “She is burned into my flesh as she is burned into my heart. I love her.”

“You do?” Abby didn’t sound entirely happy about it.

Xairn’s eyes narrowed but Lauren was relieved to see that they didn’t flash back to their old color scheme this time. “Would I be here, allowing myself to be dressed and undressed like some sort of doll if I didn’t love her? What male needs such a ridiculous array of garments?”

“Xairn!” Lauren said helplessly. “Please, Mom’s just trying to get you the right clothes to blend in.”

“To blend in where?” Xairn looked down at the expensive slacks he had on with a sneer. “A male harem, perhaps?” He shook his head and looked at Abby. “I appreciate your generosity but I am through with this. I am going back to Lauren’s living space.”

And that had been the end of the shopping trip.

Lauren had apologized to both of them separately but the damage had been done. Xairn thought her mother was controlling and officious and her mother thought he was some kind of a nut who was willing to get himself tattooed with her daughter’s name after only knowing her for a short time. The only consolation, as far as Lauren was concerned, was that her mother thought it was a tattoo. If she knew that the signature was a brand, that Lauren’s name had actually been burned into Xairn’s flesh, who knew what she might have thought?

Lauren sighed and rolled over to look at the clock. Five AM. The alarm would be going off soon. If she went back to sleep now, she could get at least another thirty minutes. But her mind wouldn’t shut off. The disastrous shopping trip had been bad enough but it wasn’t the only reason she was upset. Her program of casual, non-sexual touching just wasn’t going very well.

Oh, Xairn allowed her to touch him all she wanted to. He tolerated it when she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his cheek and sat in his lap but for Lauren it was like loving a statue. Because though he tolerated her affection, he never returned it. He never hugged her, never kissed her, never even put an arm around her shoulders unless she prompted him to do it. And the entire time they were close, she could feel the tension coursing through his body. It was as though he was exerting all his will power to hold himself back every second they were together. Worse, it seemed like he was excusing himself all the time to run to the restroom and Lauren knew what he was doing in there. She could tell by the soft, frustrated sounds.

They’re not sounds of pleasure, though, she thought, frowning. Instead, there was a note of pain in the low growls she heard him making when he touched himself. It was as though he was deliberately hurting himself somehow, as though the feel of his own hand on his shaft was painful. But why? Why would he do that? If it hurts, why do it at all? And why is it painful?

Lauren wished desperately that Xairn would let her take care of him. That he would trust himself enough to let her touch him and make him come. To pleasure him as he had pleasured her. But that didn’t seem like a possibility right now—or in the future either. Apparently after his display of dominance the other night, when he’d confessed his desires, he preferred to keep his distance for fear of things getting out of hand.

Is it really that hard for him to be close to me? she wondered, looking at his broad, bare back, bathed in shadows. Is he really fighting the impulse to…to take me every single minute we’re together? She wouldn’t let herself think the word “rape.” And she wished desperately that she had never said it to Xairn, either. It had only made him feel worse about what he wanted. A dark corner of her mind, one she kept hidden even from herself whispered, would it be so bad if he just gave in and did it?

Lauren tried to push the thought out of her head. The idea that she might want Xairn to dominate her was disturbing on all kinds of levels. She’d been raised to be a strong, independent woman who bowed to no man. A woman who took charge of her own life, both in and out of the bedroom, and didn’t take crap off anyone, male or female.

So then why had she felt the urge to kneel before him and call him “Master” that night when he touched her? Xairn had begged her to get up at once, but she’d seen the heat in his eyes when she did it. And hadn’t it touched off a spark inside her as well? Yes, she admitted to herself, for some reason it had.

But what really bothered her was what had happened later. After Xairn had come back from taking care of himself and she’d confronted him about it…He pinned me to the bed, Lauren thought with a shiver that was half fear/half desire. He was so big and hot and hard on top of me. I could feel him—feel his cock pressing against me, wanting to enter me. Wanting to fuck me.

And hadn’t she, just for a moment, wanted it too? Hadn’t the feel of his big body holding her down, making her helpless, turned her on?

It shouldn’t though, Lauren argued with herself. That kind of thing never turned me on before. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t had experience with bondage and dominance play—she had. She’d had a boyfriend in college who was into BDSM. Or who wanted to be into it, anyway. Lauren had been willing to play along but the idea of bowing down to some man and calling him “Master” had never done anything for her. Even worse, when her boyfriend had tried to “discipline” her by putting her over his knee for a spanking, Lauren had burst out laughing. The whole situation had seemed so ridiculous, so utterly fabricated and unreal.

But there was something undeniably real about it when it came to Xairn. The feeling that dominance wasn’t just something he wanted to do—it was actually part of his psychological make-up. Looking at him that night, with his huge, muscular frame and those gorgeous, forbidding eyes, Lauren had known it was something he had been born and bred for. Even if Xairn didn’t want to acknowledge it himself.

If I could only get him to act on those desires, those impulses…no, what am I thinking? She sighed. That would be much too dangerous. Xairn’s afraid of what he might do if he let himself go. Wouldn’t it be smart for me to fear it too?

But despite the promise of danger—or maybe because of it—she couldn’t stop wanting to experience more of his dominant side. Couldn’t help wishing to be pinned to the bed, helpless under his big body just once more…

Lauren sighed. God, I’m a mess! Talk about sexual frustration…I should probably just give in and take care of myself too. But no matter how tense she got, she didn’t want to do that. It felt like surrender, somehow. Like an acknowledgement that Xairn was never going to touch her again and Lauren didn’t want to admit that, no matter how likely it seemed.

I’ll just give him a little more time. Try not to crowd him and maybe he’ll come to me…

The strident beeping of the alarm cut off her thoughts. Lauren sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. She’d been moping around her condo, trying to get things right with Xairn for long enough. Today she was going to put her relationship on hold and get back to work.

“Is everything all right?” Xairn sat up in bed, instantly alert and looking for threats though she would have sworn he was dead asleep just moments before.

“Fine, I’m fine,” she soothed him, putting a hand on his arm. She tried not to feel hurt when he tensed at her touch. “I’m, uh, just getting up a little early for work. I’ve been lazy long enough—time to get back to business.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said instantly, swinging his legs out of bed.

“No.” Lauren shook her head. “I mean thanks but no thanks, Xairn. I just need…I think I need a little alone time. And working always clears my head.”

His face was grave in the dim light from the high windows. “You’re certain about that?”

“Yeah.” Lauren nodded. “I’m sure. And don’t worry—it’s perfectly safe. There are way too many security cameras on the Circle for anyone to try anything.”

“It does seem like a fairly civilized area,” he admitted grudgingly. “But I still don’t like the idea of you going out alone in the dark at this hour.”

Lauren controlled her irritation with difficulty. “I appreciate that, Xairn, but I was going out alone in the dark every morning for work for years before you and I met, okay?”

“Fair enough,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, Lauren. I shouldn’t discount your ability to take care of yourself.”

“Thank you.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry too. You can come with me later but I just need a little me time right now, okay?”

Xairn nodded silently and Lauren was relieved. She needed to go down to the Sweet Spot and at least take inventory. Some of the things she had in the shop, like cake flour, would still be good. But all the eggs and milk and butter she used in her cupcake recipes would be way out of date. She needed to clean out the fridge and make some orders. Then, once the new inventory arrived she could start baking again. She couldn’t accomplish everything in one day but she could at least get started. And the mindless work would give her an opportunity to really think. Besides, it would be easier to get things done if she didn’t have to worry about her huge alien boyfriend wandering around Saint Armand’s Circle in his new designer wardrobe.

“I’ll be fine,” she promised, trying to smile. “Just stay here and take it easy. Why not take a dip in the pool?”

“The pool?” Xairn frowned.

“You know, that big, blue rectangular thing filled with water right beside us?” Lauren raised an eyebrow at him and nodded to the right side of the condo where the gently lapping water was visible from the kitchen window. The proximity to the pool was one thing that had drawn her to the little efficiency even though her mom would have happily put her in a much larger space. The pool was clear and cool and well maintained since people used it year round. It almost never got too cold to swim in Sarasota—even in the winter months.

“I thought it was a holding tank for drinking water.” Xairn shuddered visibly, and a strange look passed over his face. Terror? Horror? Lauren didn’t catch it completely but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. “You mean you willingly submerge yourself in it?”

“Of course, why not?” Lauren shrugged as she pulled on her clothes. “What— you don’t like to swim?”

He shut his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, as though trying to calm some inner turmoil. “I do not swim, no.”

“Well, I don’t either, really,” Lauren admitted, still wondering about his strange reaction. “I mean, I guess I should, being raised in California and all. But I’d never make much of a surfer girl since I can’t swim a lick.” She smiled. “I do like to get out on one of the blow-up rafts and just lay there and relax sometimes. It’s nice with the sun on your skin and the cool water lapping your toes.”

He frowned. “You risk your life in the water and you don’t even know how to swim?”

“Oh please, it’s not that much of a risk,” Lauren protested. “It’s barely eight feet at the deep end and the pool isn’t that big. I’m sure I could get to the side if I had to.”

“The last I looked you are not eight standard Earth feet tall,” Xairn pointed out. “You should refrain from going into this ‘pool’ until you learn how to swim or grow three more feet.”

Lauren laughed as she powdered her face and put on some lip gloss. “Well neither one of those things is going to happen anytime soon. I have too much to do to take swimming lessons and I wouldn’t add three feet to my height even if I could. That would make me taller than you and that’s saying something since you’re over six foot six and broad as a barn door.”

Xairn didn’t join in her amusement. “I would not go into that water for any reason,” he said frowning. “And you shouldn’t either.”

Lauren sighed. “Fine, I don’t have time to go swimming—or floating—today anyway. I need to get things cleaned up and back in working order at the shop.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” There was a wistful note in Xairn’s tone that made her feel bad but Lauren shook her head firmly. “I wouldn’t mind if I was just baking but I work better alone when I’m cleaning. And I need to be able to think without any distractions. I have a lot to get done if I’m going to be up and running again in time for the weekend crowd.”

He nodded. “Very well. I will stay and try to absorb some of your culture through this medium.” He nodded at the battered old flatscreen viewer on the wall across from the couch.

Lauren smiled. “You do that. Just don’t absorb too much. Some of those soaps will rot your brain.” Then seeing his horrified look she added, “Not really. I just meant that daytime television programming is pretty vacuous. Unless you watch the History channel or something like that you probably won’t find anything on with any substance.”

“I’ll try to learn some of your history, then,” he said, settling himself on the couch. “But I don’t like letting you work while I do nothing.”

“I’ll be fine. Working clears my head.” Lauren smiled and gave him a light peck on the cheek before she left.

* * * * *

Xairn watched her go with a sigh of guilty relief. He loved her to distraction but lately the tension between them made him feel like he was going to explode every time she came near. He was sure Lauren sensed it too—he could see it in the way she looked so hurt every time he flinched from her touch, every time he didn’t return one of her loving caresses.

But I can’t, damn it, he thought, curling his hands into fists in frustration. Can’t risk hurting her. Better she should think me cold and unloving than that I should injure her with my unchecked lust.

It was true but it didn’t make him feel any better. If anything, he felt worse. He’d been hoping that the human DNA grafted onto his own would help him control himself. Or else that he would gradually get used to Lauren’s casual touches—but that wasn’t happening. It seemed like every day he had to take himself in hand more and more often but with each painful, self-given orgasm, his desire for Lauren only seemed to increase and become more and more unmanageable.

Xairn wished there was something he could do to work off the tension that was threatening to drown him but this world was woefully short on stress relief—at least his kind of relief. Back aboard the Fathership he could have thrown himself into his work or sparred with one of the vat grown soldiers which outnumbered the true Scourge now by more than a thousand to one. But here there was no work he could do and no one to fight. There was nothing, in fact, but that damn pool of water which Lauren had pointed out before she left.

Standing, Xairn went to look out the kitchen window at the blue water lapping the rectangular edges of the pool. Gods, he didn’t want to remember but the memories came rushing back anyway…

“Sssink or ssswim, my ssson. Only the ssstrong sssurvive.” The AllFather laughed his high, evil cackle as he watched Xairn flail in the deep rectangular tank filled with black slime.

“Please! Please, Father!”

He was only a child of seven or eight and he had yet to get the size and strength he would attain as a mature male. He had never been immersed in the thick, black liquid of the drowning tanks before, though he had watched in horror as the urlich were thrown in one by one during their training.

The modified canines the Scourge used as scouts were forced to swim in the drowning tanks for hours upon hours to prove their stamina and courage. The weaker ones died and sank to the bottom of the black ichor. Their rotting bodies added to the nauseating stench of the tanks and served as a warning for others.

But not for me, Xairn thought wildly. I am no urlich—I am his only son. Why? Why is he doing this?

It was a question he asked himself daily aboard the Fathership as his father perpetuated cruelty upon cruelty on the son he claimed to love. The worst thing was Xairn never knew when the punishment was coming. Most of the time his father ignored him completely but sometimes he would be kind and almost loving for days. He would take Xairn around the ship and talk to him about its inner workings, teach him the history of their people and explain their hatred of the race-killing Kindred who had doomed them to slow extinction after the abortive genetic exchange.

Then, just as Xairn was beginning to trust him, beginning to think that this time his father truly cared, he would do something vicious and cruel, something Xairn could never have expected. This time they had been walking by the urlich kennels while the AllFather lectured him about the proper way to train the modified animals. Then, with no warning at all, his bony, scabrous hands had closed on Xairn’s arms and he had flung him into the deepest tank.

“Father, please!” Xairn flailed wildly at the viscous black ooze that surrounded him. “Please, I can’t swim!”

“I know you cannot, my ssson.” The AllFather could barely stop laughing long enough to speak. “But you ssshall learn. Or like the weakest urlich, you ssshall die. Remember, only the ssstrong are fit to sssurvive.”

“Father, help! I’m scared! I can’t—” He went under, his mouth filled with the noxious slime. Fighting his way to the surface, he spat it out. His arms and legs were getting tired—it was like swimming in glue. But he knew if he didn’t make it out on his own, he would die in the tank. Die and sink to the bottom to join the bones below. Summoning the last of his strength, he somehow made his way to the side of the tank. To his immense relief, the AllFather reached down and offered him a hand.

“Come, my ssson.” His soft, hissing voice was almost soothing. “You have proved yourssself. Well done.”

“Thank you, Father.” Xairn took the offered hand gratefully and allowed himself to be dragged out of the tank. He lay on his side on the cold metal floor, choking and gasping, trying to get his breath. Over, it was over now. He’d proven to his father that he could survive the tanks. Maybe now he would be loved…

And that was when those same, bony, horribly strong hands picked him up and threw him in again.

Xairn forced himself to look away from the window which framed the cool, lapping blue waters of the pool. It was nothing like the slimy black ooze of the drowning tanks aboard the Fathership, but the thought of immersing himself in any kind of deep water still made his flesh crawl.

He’d lost count of how many times his father threw him into the tanks before he finally let Xairn come out for good. True, he had learned to swim, but it had almost cost him his life. He had been ill for days in the small, lying in the small, bare cot he’d claimed for himself in a hidden corner of the vast Fathership. He’d been half delirious with fear and loneliness as he choked the black slime of the tanks from his lungs.

Visions of his mother, she of the beautiful green eyes, had danced in his head. Xairn knew she couldn’t come to him no matter how much he longed for her—but his father could. Just one kind word, one gentle touch would have healed not only his body, but his wounded young soul as well. But though he had cried out for him, the tears sliding down his cheeks and wetting his flat, thin pillow, his father hadn’t come to see him. Not once.

Xairn forced himself to stop remembering. He was surprised at the tightness in his chest and the stinging in his eyes. Why get upset about something that was in the distant past? It’s over, he told himself harshly, turning to pace the rest of the small living space. Why let it affect me now?

Walking back to the living area, he sank down on the small couch and picked up the remote control for Lauren’s flatscreen. The humans used such devices for entertainment—projecting programs about everything from sporting events to cooking techniques to fictional stories with idealized endings. Xairn didn’t have much interest in any of it but there was nothing else to do. He pointed the remote and clicked.

“…local girl disappeared from a famous Sarasota landmark just last week,” a human male with perfectly coiffed hair and brilliantly white teeth was saying.

Xairn frowned as a picture flashed on the flatscreen. A human female who looked to be about Lauren’s age was smiling in the picture. At first, he almost thought she was Lauren. The bone structure of her face was a similar pattern to Lauren’s and she had lovely, creamy brown skin in the exact same shade as Lauren’s too. The eyes were wrong, though. Instead of Lauren’s arresting amber they were a dark brown and her hair was much curlier than Lauren’s long black waterfall. Still, she looked enough like the female he loved for Xairn to find the resemblance disturbing.

He watched the report awhile longer and heard more about the girl’s disappearance. “Found only her clothes,” the human male was saying. “Her friends said she was with them one moment and the next…she mysteriously vanished.”

Xairn jumped to his feet. Could it be? Could his father be taking females that looked like Lauren to send him a message? He ran a hand though his hair. Surely not. He has no idea where we are and no way to link to our location. I would have felt him in my mind. It must be a coincidence. Another human must have taken her and left her clothes behind. Right?

He wasn’t sure if he believed it or not but one thing was certain: he couldn’t sit here idle while Lauren was out by herself in the dim early morning light, alone and unprotected. What if something happened to her? Even if his father wasn’t involved in the other human female’s abduction, it proved that there was danger on this tiny blue planet. Danger that could neither be discounted or ignored.

Xairn had never been to Lauren’s place of work, but he knew where it was located. She had pointed it out to him when they drove through the circular shopping district near her home. It shouldn’t be hard to find—especially with her sweet scent still lingering in the air to guide him.

Quickly he pulled on some of his new clothing and started for the door. He would be damned if he’s sit around the living area doing nothing for one minute more. He was going to protect the female he loved whether she wanted him to or not.

Chapter Twenty-four

“It’s you again.” Detective Rast didn’t seem particularly happy to see her. “What do you want?”

Nadiah took a deep breath. “I came all the way down from the Mother ship to talk to you. The least you can do is act like a civilized male.”

“And I came all the way over to the damn HKR building because they called and told me it was urgent,” he growled, crossing his arms over his broad chest and glaring down at her. “So I repeat—what do you want? I thought you’d had enough of me and my attitude—why are you even here?”

“I’m not here because I wanted to see you,” Nadiah snapped.

“That makes two of us, sweetheart because I’m not interested in seeing you either.” He frowned at her. “Talk fast or I’m leaving.”

All the way down in the shuttle from the Mother ship Nadiah had prepared her speech. It was calm and collected and designed to convince him that what she had to say was true. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out was, “He’s going to take another one.”

“Another one?” Rast raised one eyebrow at her. “Another girl?”

“Yes. The AllFather is going to snatch her from a dark place.”

He nodded. “Uh-huh and what else can you tell me?”

Nadiah frowned and looked down at the scuffed gray carpeting. “That’s all I got this time—I couldn’t even see her face. Sophia woke me up when she heard me, uh, screaming.”

For a moment, Rast’s icy veneer almost seemed to melt. “Screaming, huh?” he said softly. “Must have been some nightmare.”

Nadiah looked up at him earnestly, her anger melting away when she remembered the terror of her dream. “I felt her fear. Her pain. He’s going to take her very soon—I’m sure of it.”

Rast let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head. “Look Nadiah, I believe that you believe what you’re telling me—honestly I do. But I think maybe you should let it go now.”

“Let it go?” Nadiah frowned at him. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that what you claim to be able to do just can’t be done. And the bad dream you had—maybe it was just that—a bad dream. Maybe it was caused by the bump you took on the head.” His warm fingertips brushed over the tiny mark on her forehead, causing Nadiah’s heart to jump. “Thought I told you to get that looked at.”

“Don’t try to change the subject.” Nadiah took a step back and put a hand on her hip. “Are you saying you think I’m crazy? That I made everything that I saw up?”

Rast frowned. “Not on purpose, maybe. But yeah, something like that.”

“How dare you say that to me? How can you refute what I saw so easily?” Nadiah demanded. “You even asked for my help. You asked me to touch her clothes and try to find her.”

Rast threw up his hands. “Call it temporary insanity on my part. I was desperate, all right? And besides, what did you see—that she was dead, right? Anyone could have predicted that.”

Nadiah was getting angrier and angrier. “What about the giants I saw in my vision—the statue? That turned out to be true.”

Rast shrugged. “I don’t know—the statue is a famous local landmark. Maybe you were reading about Sarasota or talking about it with one of your friends. Haven’t Sophia and Olivia both been there at one time or another?”

“I have no idea,” Nadiah said coldly. “And I also have no idea why you’re so anxious to discount what I’m telling you. I saw the first girl taken and she was. I have seen the second girl as well and she’s going to be taken too. Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Fine, I’m listening.” Rast took a step forward, frowning down at her. “Let’s review the facts, shall we? You said the AllFather took the first girl—Tabitha Grady—up to his ship, correct?”

Nadiah nodded. “Yes.”

“He transported her, tortured her, and killed her there—up on the Fathership, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“So she should still be missing, right?”

“Well…yes.” Nadiah frowned. “Why?”

Rast leaned toward her. “Because we found her.” He frowned. “Found her body, anyway. So you see, Nadiah, these fantasies you’re having can’t be true. Tabitha was taken here on Earth and someone here on Earth killed her. They left her body for us to find, right on the same spot where she was snatched. End of story.”

“What?” Nadiah could barely believe what she was hearing. “But…but it still could have been the AllFather. He could have transported the body back to where he took her from using the molecular transport beam.”

He frowned. “I’ve been looking into the whole ‘transport beam’ theory. I thought it could only transport living flesh.”

“I don’t know.” Nadiah threw up her hands. “Maybe he modified it somehow to send nonliving flesh too.”

“Why would he bother?” snapped Rast. “What is he trying to prove? All this time we’ve been at war with the Scourge, they’ve never pulled a stunt like this. Why start now?”

“But Detective—”

“No more!” His words were almost a shout and Nadiah jumped at his angry tone. “Look, I’m sorry.” Rast stepped back and pinched the bridge of his nose, as though trying to drive back a headache. “I’m sorry but I don’t have any more time to indulge your fantasies.”

“My fantasies?” Nadiah stared at him in disbelief. “You think I like seeing the things I’ve seen lately? You think I enjoy knowing that he’s going to kill again and the only male who might possibly be able to help won’t listen to me?”

“You do need help.” Rast gave her a pitying look. “But not the kind I can give you. Go home, Nadiah. Back to the Mother ship or wherever.”

Nadiah crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not leaving until you listen to me.”

“I’ve listened as much as I have time for.” Rast looked suddenly drained. “Now I have to go tell Tabitha’s parents that she’s never coming home. That she’s dead. All right?”

Nadiah wanted to say more but it was clear he wasn’t going to listen. Inside she seethed with impatience and irritation. How could he be so dense? Why was he so set against believing anything she saw with her gift? But as angry as she was, she refused to lower herself any further. Slapping him last time had been a mistake—it only dragged her down to his level. “Fine,” she said tightly. “I’m leaving. Call me when the next girl is taken. Maybe then you’ll believe me.”

Rast gave her a long look and then shook his head. “You’re fucking gorgeous, you know? It’s too damn bad all that pretty has to come with crazy attached to it.”

“Why, you—” Nadiah couldn’t think of anything bad enough to call him—not in English, anyway. She let loose a string of curse words in her native language that made his piercing green eyes widen in surprise.

“I’m guessing that wasn’t a blessing,” he said dryly. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to stick around for the translation. Goodbye, Nadiah. Take care of yourself.”

Filled with helpless rage, Nadiah watched him walk out the door of the HKR building. Damn him, why was he so willfully blind? So determined not to believe?

Her hands curled into fists at her sides. Well, he was gone. Now there was nothing she could do but wait for the prophecy to come true and pray for the AllFather’s next victim.

Chapter Twenty-five

Luckily for Lauren, her condo at Pelican Point was located less than a mile from Saint Armand’s Circle. The weather was nice—in the mid seventies—so Lauren decided to walk.

By the time she got to the Sweet Spot and let herself in, she was almost regretting the decision. Even in the so called “winter” the humidity in Florida was nothing to sneeze at and she was overheated from her short trek from the condo to the shop.

Since it was still fairly early in the morning, the Circle was mostly deserted with only a few shops occupied by their respective salespeople. Despite herself, Lauren shivered as she let herself into the darkened building. It was too much like the day she’d been abducted by the AllFather for her liking. Maybe she shouldn’t have left Xairn behind, after all. But if she’d let him come with her, the day would have been one long endless stretch of sexual frustration for both of them, and Lauren needed a breather from all that tension.

Get over it, girl, she told herself sternly. Just do what you have to do. This shop isn’t going to run itself.

To prove to herself that she wasn’t afraid and everything was all right, she went straight to the employee bathroom. “See?” she told her reflection as she stood in the exact same spot she’d been abducted from. “Everything is just fine.”

Suddenly a face appeared beside her own in the mirror. “Sure it is,” someone growled in her ear and then she was grabbed from behind.

* * * * *

Xairn wished he hadn’t waited so long before deciding to follow her. After learning about the missing girl who looked disturbingly like Lauren, even the quiet, affluent streets leading up to the shopping area where she worked looked dark and menacing. Though she’d left well before him, he could still smell her sweet, fresh scent lingering in the air. He followed it easily, telling himself not to worry, that everything was fine. But still, he couldn’t shake the sense of unease that had settled over him.

“Never should have let her go to work without me in the first place,” he growled to himself, walking a little faster. “It’s the male’s place to provide for his female, not the other way around.” Not that he minded her working, but he ought to help in any way he could. From the moment they’d come to Lauren’s home planet all he had done was take from her. That was wrong. He needed to give back, to repay her generosity. To—

A muffled scream reached his ears.

Lauren! He would know her voice anywhere. But her shop was still far away. Gods, let me get to her in time! Please!

Xairn put his head down and ran.

* * * * *

Lauren went crazy.

Kicking and screaming, she fought for her life, trying her damndest to get away from her assailant. All she could think was that the AllFather had sent someone after her. He might not be able to transport her with his molecular beam because of her altered DNA, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get someone else to grab her and take her back to his horrible ship.

“I’m not going back!” she shouted, flailing wildly. “You hear me? Never!”

As suddenly as they had grabbed her, the arms released her. “Jesus, Lauren, take it easy!” said a vaguely familiar voice. “It’s just me.”

“What…? Who…?” Lauren was panting with exertion, her eyes filled with tears of rage and fear.

“It’s me, babe. Lorenzo.”

She turned to see her old assistant standing there, hands up in a “don’t shoot” gesture. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she’d seen him but he still looked the same. With his sleek blond hair and tan good looks he could easily have been a model. He stood around six foot one and Lauren had used to consider him quite tall before she met Xairn. Now he looked puny by comparison.

“God, Lorenzo!” She blotted her eyes hastily on her sleeve and tried to pull herself together. “Why did you grab me like that? Didn’t you know I was abducted?”

“Yeah, your mom said something like that when she stopped by. The police asked me some questions too.” He shrugged. “It’s a good thing for me I got lucky the night before. The girl I brought home from The Green Iguana was still with me in my apartment when you got snatched. So don’t worry, it’s all good.”

Lauren stared at him in disbelief. “No it is not ‘all good.’ You have no idea what I went though, how frightened I was. You can’t go grabbing someone from behind like that—especially someone who went through what I did.”

“Sorry,” he said, looking completely unrepentant. “But you’re back now, right? So all’s well that ends well and all that shit.”

“Fine.” Lauren ran a hand though her hair. Obviously she wasn’t getting through to him. “I guess so, if you want to look at it that way. Why are you here, though? Did my mom tell you I was back?”

“Nope.” He shrugged. “I’m just here for my regular shift. I’ve been coming in every day, turning on the lights and the AC, making sure everybody knows we’re still open.” He grinned. “Aren’t you glad I was here to hold down the fort while you were gone?”

Lauren nearly groaned. On the way over she’d been thinking about all the bills which had accumulated while she’d been gone. Her one consolation had been that the electric bill at the Sweet Spot—which was always pretty big—should be next to nothing since she’d been gone so long. Now Lorenzo was telling her he’d been running the lights and air conditioners for hours every single day, ensuring that her electric bill would be as big as always without any profits to help pay it.

“Why did you do that?” she asked, shaking her head. “Why open the shop when we had nothing to sell?”

“Well because…” Lorenzo looked hurt. “You didn’t want everyone to think we went out of business, did you?”

“No, but you could have put up a sign saying we were on vacation or something like that,” Lauren pointed out. Sighing she walked briskly back to the kitchen area and flipped on the lights. “I mean, not that I don’t appreciate the effort but the electric bill is going to be sky high and—” She stopped short as the room came into view. “What the hell is this?”

Every available space, including the stainless steel counters and the island in the middle of the kitchen, was covered in trash. Empty beer cans, some still leaking beer, half-empty pizza boxes, bottles, bags, and cigarette butts were everywhere. Even worse, everything was coated in a fine layer of white. It looked like someone had gotten into her bin of cake flour and flung it everywhere. One of her two professional grade convection ovens, which had cost an arm and a leg and which she was still paying off, was standing open. When Lauren walked closer, leaving footprints in the flour, she saw that hardened cheese was dripping from all its racks.

“What happened?” She turned to Lorenzo, feeling bewildered and betrayed. “Were we robbed or…or vandalized or something?”

“Oh this?” He shrugged uncomfortably. “Nah, nothing like that. I just had a few buddies over the other night. They wanted to see where I worked, you know? We had a few beers and one of their girlfriends wanted to see how the ovens worked. So we reheated a pizza in that one.” He pointed to the open convention oven. “Came out real nice too—crispy.”

“And the flour?” Lauren demanded. “What happened there?”

Lorenzo had the grace to look slightly sheepish. “Uh, well that was kind of an accident. Some of the guys had too much to drink and started fooling around. Sorry.”

“Sorry?” Lauren turned on him. “You used my shop as your own personal party pad while I was gone and trashed it and all you can say is ‘sorry?’”

“Hey, don’t get so touchy.” Lorenzo frowned. “I said it was an accident. Besides, I’ll help clean it up in a little while. You get started if you want and I’ll man the front. I’ll help you once the morning rush dies down.”

“There is no ‘morning rush’ when we don’t have anything to sell,” Lauren pointed out through gritted teeth. “And forget ‘helping’ me clean up your mess—I’m sure you’re as good at cleaning as you are at everything else.”

“Hey.” Lorenzo’s blond eyebrows drew low on his forehead. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I want you out. Right now.” Lauren pointed in the direction of the front door. “But first give me your key. You’re fired.”

“Hey now, babe, you don’t really mean that.” Giving her his most ingratiating smile, Lorenzo put an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, we’re a team, aren’t we?”

“Get off me!” Lauren shrugged his arm off and faced him. “I’m not kidding, Lorenzo, I knew you were a flake but I didn’t think you’d do something like this. I want you gone.”

His smile turned into a sulky scowl immediately. “Fine, I’ll go. Just pay me my salary and I’m out of here.”

“Your salary?” Lauren couldn’t believe his nerve.

“Sure, for all the time I worked while you were off.”

Lauren looked at him incredulously. “First of all, stop talking like I took some time off for a cruise or something. I was abducted, Lorenzo. Abducted, got that? I was kept naked in a metal cell and nearly raped several times. I was imprisoned. I was maimed. I was cloned for God’s sake! And after all that I come home and find this.” She pointed at the kitchen. “And you have the nerve to ask me for money? For keeping the shop open when there was no product to sell? Not to mention that you trashed the place while you were at it. I can’t believe you!”

He frowned mulishly. “Facts are facts. You never told me not to come in for my shift. I was just doing my job and I ought to be paid for it.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Lauren shook her head. “Get out. Just get out.”

He took a step forward, looming over her. “I’m not going without my money.”

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him. “I don’t think so, Lorenzo—I’ve dealt with a whole lot scarier than you lately. I don’t give a crap what you say or do, you’re not getting a cent. And if you don’t leave now I’m calling the police and filing charges against you for the damage you did to my shop.”

Lorenzo’s normally handsome but vacuous face turned suddenly ugly. “Listen here, bitch. You’re gonna pay me now and pay me good or I’ll make whatever happened to you when you were snatched look like a walk in the park.” He started toward Lauren, his eyes narrowed menacingly.

She stood her ground, her hands curled into fists. After everything she’d been through, she didn’t intend to let a brainless, arrogant bastard like her former assistant intimidate her. “You can try it,” she said, glaring at him. “But I guarantee you’ll regret it.”

“You certainly will.”

Suddenly Xairn was standing behind her ex-assistant. His eyes were a steady red-on-black and every muscle in his huge body was tight with anger. His hands were balled into fists bigger than Lorenzo’s head and he looked ready to use them.

“What?” Lorenzo turned to see who was speaking. He looked up…and up…and up. “What the hell?” he demanded, staring at Xairn.

“Did he hurt you?” Xairn looked at Lauren, ignoring him. “I heard you scream.”

Lauren shook her head. “He scared me but I’m okay.”

“Hey man, I just threatened her a little,” Lorenzo put in. “I mean, I put in my time—I should get paid, right?”

“Did you do this?” Xairn nodded at the mess.

“Well, yeah. But—”

“Then I will be more than happy to pay you. Both for the damage you’ve done to Lauren’s place of business and for scaring and threatening her.”

“No need to get all upset,” Lorenzo protested. “And who are you, anyway?”

“I am Lauren’s.” Xairn took a step toward him.

Lorenzo, very unwisely Lauren thought, held his ground. “Lauren’s what? Her boyfriend? What?”

“Just Lauren’s. I am hers and she is mine.” Xairn glared down at the smaller man. “And you are leaving, now.”

Still Lorenzo didn’t take the hint. “Dude, what the fuck is wrong with your eyes?” he asked, still staring at Xairn. “I mean, that’s seriously messed up, you know? Are those some kind of contact lenses?”

A low, rumbling sound filled the room and Lauren realized after a moment that it was Xairn—he was growling. There was murder in his red-on-black eyes as he took another step towards Lorenzo.

The small hairs on the back of Lauren’s neck stood up. If she didn’t do something quickly, she was going to have a lot more than flour and beer cans to clean up. “Lorenzo, please just leave,” she pleaded. “Go now while you still can.”

Lorenzo took one more look at Xairn’s large, menacing frame and finally wised up. “Fine, I’ll go,” he said, edging around Xairn and heading for the door. “You can pay me later.” He started to walk out the door.

“Stop,” Xairn roared. The single word seemed to vibrate in the air and Lauren felt her arms break into goosebumps.

Lorenzo froze where he was, one leg raised to take the next step. He looked bizarrely like a kid playing statues.

“Come here,” Xairn ordered in that same, strange voice.

Lorenzo turned stiffly and came to stand in front of the larger man. “What?” he asked, his eyes wide. “What the hell do you want?”

“You and I are going to have a talk.” Xairn beckoned to him. “Come.” He led the way out of the kitchen and Lorenzo followed him, moving in a stiff, jerky fashion as though he was doing something against his will. Something he couldn’t help. Lauren heard the bell on the front door tinkle as the two of them left the shop.

She shook her head. What was going on? Why had Lorenzo obeyed Xairn’s commands like that? Had Xairn compelled him in some way? Or was it simply some kind of machismo—facing off against another male and not backing down because it would hurt his pride?

Whatever the reason, any kind of confrontation didn’t bode well for Lorenzo. Xairn had looked mad enough to kill her ex-assistant or at least maim him. Then again, looking around at the mess in her once pristine kitchen and food prep area, she was inclined to think Lorenzo deserved a little maiming.

Suddenly everything seemed to come down on her at once. In coming back to work, she was trying to get her life back on track—to get back to normal. But nothing was ever going to be normal again. Not really. For the first time she began to wonder if she ought to get some counseling after all. She’d been through a lot—maybe she hadn’t processed it yet. Maybe she never would.

If only things were going better with Xairn, what Lorenzo had done might not bother her so much. But nothing was working and lately she was wondering if he even wanted to be here with her at all. Maybe he would be happier if she just gave him back the silver O-ring she was wearing and let him go. You were supposed to do that, if you loved someone—give them the freedom to leave. But God, just the thought of it, of Xairn leaving, made her feel like her heart was being ripped out.

“God, what a mess,” she whispered, and she wasn’t talking about the trashed kitchen. Putting a hand to her face, she started to cry, low, wrenching sobs that felt like they were being pulled from her gut. Please, she thought. Please, I just want to make things all right. But I don’t know how…

“Lauren?”

Xairn’s deep voice took her by surprise. She did her best to stop crying and blotted her eyes quickly on her sleeve before she turned around. “Hi,” she said brightly, trying to smile. “Where’s Lorenzo? I hope you didn’t break his legs and leave him in the dumpster.” She was only half kidding—from the look on Xairn’s face when he took after her former assistant, broken legs weren’t the worst Lorenzo could expect if he pissed Xairn off.

“I let him go after I extracted a promise that he will never try to see or talk to you again. He’s lucky he didn’t harm you or I would have killed him.” Xairn frowned and came toward her. “Are you injured after all? I heard you crying.”

“Injured? Oh no, no I’m fine.” Lauren sniffed and tried to smile. “Just a little shaken up, that’s all.”

He shook his head. “It’s more than that, I can tell.” He held out his arms and then let them drop, helpless to his sides. “I…I want to comfort you but I’m not sure how to go about it.”

Lauren looked up at him. “Hold me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “If…if you can stand it, I mean. I just…I need your arms around me now. Please, Xairn.”

“Of course I can stand it,” he said roughly. Coming forward, he swept her into his arms and held her tight against his chest. “I love you, Lauren,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry I don’t show it the way I should. I feel like I’m doing everything wrong but please know that I do love you.”

“I love you too.” Putting her arms around him, she buried her face in his broad chest and breathed in the warm, spicy scent of his skin. God, he always smelled so good, so perfectly right, somehow. It was as though the deep, masculine musk he exuded was part of her—just smelling it could make her feel better.

Xairn held her for a long time and she reveled in the feeling of being close to him for the first time in ages. A few more tears leaked down her cheeks but they were more tears of exhaustion than anything else. She’d been up all night analyzing their relationship and now she had a huge mess to clean up. Lauren sighed. Well, no time like the present.

Reluctantly, she disengaged herself from his embrace. “Thanks but I think I’d better get to work now. I’ve got a hell of a mess to clean up before I can even think about making any cupcakes.”

Xairn nodded as he let her go. “I’ll help.”

“You don’t have to,” she protested. “It’s my shop, I can do it.”

“I want to.” He looked around the kitchen. “Besides, it won’t be the first time I’ve cleaned. I helped in the urlich kennels when I was a boy—you should see the mess that fifty untrained animals can make in a night. It’s not pretty, I assure you.”

Lauren gave a little laugh. “Okay, well that does kind of put things in perspective.” She reached for the industrial sized garbage bags she kept in a box on the counter and tore off one for Xairn and one for herself. “I, uh, have a question,” she said, looking at him from the corner of her eye as she shook the bag out.

“Yes?” He copied her motions with his own bag, found the opening, and began to load it with the flour-covered trash.

“You were just, uh, holding me pretty close a minute ago.” Lauren concentrated on filling her own bag as she talked, almost afraid to look at him as she asked what was on her mind.

“Yes, and?”

“Well…” She cleared her throat. “In the past after we’ve been close you had to, uh, excuse yourself.” She risked a quick glance at him. “But you’re not this time. Why?”

“Are you asking me why holding you didn’t arouse me?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess.” Lauren looked at him curiously.

Xairn frowned, his trash bag held open in one hand. “How could I become aroused? You were in pain, crying. My instincts were to protect and comfort you—not fuck you.”

“Oh Xairn…” Lauren shook her head, not sure what to say. “Honey, I know this sounds strange, but that’s one of the sweetest things you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He nodded gravely and then bent to pick up another empty beer can.

“I wonder if the human DNA you got from me is working in this case?” Lauren said carefully. “I mean, from what you’ve told me about your people…”

“Yes.” Xairn sounded thoughtful. “A normal Scourge would have been aroused by your pain. Rather than wishing to alleviate it, he would have tried to increase it. Of course, emotional pain and sexual pain aren’t quite the same thing.”

“Sexual pain?” A shiver ran through Lauren. Part fear and part…something else. “What do you mean?”

“It’s part of the training a female goes through when she is claimed by a Scourge male.” Xairn suddenly seemed very busy with cleaning and wouldn’t look at her. “She is taught to be obedient—to treat her mate as a master to be obeyed at all costs.”

“And if she doesn’t?” Lauren’s heart was racing but she didn’t know why.

“She will be punished,” Xairn said in a low voice. “The punishment takes many forms. Her master might attach weights to the rings piercing her nipples and pussy—so she is reminded of her disobedience with every move she makes. Or he might chain her to the wall and flog her. In severe cases he might employ the torture of a thousand sighs.”

“The what?” Lauren heard the tremble in her own voice but she couldn’t seem to stop it. “What’s that?”

“He puts her over his knee and orders her to spread her thighs.” Xairn’s voice was rough and he still wouldn’t look at her as he spoke. “He spanks her—she’s already naked so he has full access to her ass and pussy, of course.”

“Of course,” Lauren murmured, her heart giving a jump. “Then…then what?”

“He touches her. Pleasures her. Explores her inner pussy with his fingers until she’s moaning and writhing on his lap.” Xairn cleared his throat. “Then he spanks her again. He alternates pain and pleasure—sometimes for hours, never letting her come. Until…”

“Until what?” Lauren’s breath was coming short and she felt wet and hot and swollen between her legs for some reason. God, was Xairn’s description actually turning her on? But I’m not interested in this kind of stuff, she told herself. Apparently she was, though. Or her body was and someone had forgotten to send her brain the memo because what he was saying was definitely making her hot. “Until what?” she asked again, realizing that Xairn was just standing there, silent.

He shook his head. “We shouldn’t be talking about such things.”

“Why not? You can’t leave me hanging like this,” Lauren protested. “Tell me what he does to her next? How does the torture of a thousand sighs end?”

“It ends when she calls him ‘Master’ and begs for his cock deep in her pussy.” Xairn looked at her, his eyes blazing. “It ends when he fucks her and fills her with his cum.”

“God.” Lauren put a hand to her heart to still the racing. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to speak.” He finished filling the trash bag and knotted it closed savagely. “Your face says everything.” He put down the bag. “I’m going to get a broom.”

“Xairn, wait,” she said but he had already stalked out of the room, his broad shoulders stiff with tension.

Lauren was feeling pretty tense herself. Why did his description of the sexual punishment practiced by his people turn her on so much? It was along the same lines of what her boyfriend in college had been interested in but then it had just seemed silly. With Xairn it seemed…primal somehow. Wild. Intense. Lauren could almost see herself spread out over his knee, her panties down around her ankles while he alternately caressed and spanked her with those big hands…Stop it, she told herself sternly. Things are hard enough for him as it is. It’s obvious he’s ashamed of what his people do. I shouldn’t have made him tell me about it.

Then again, maybe what they really needed to do was talk about it—all of it. Maybe if they could just talk things out—

Xairn interrupted her train of thought by coming back into the room with a broom and dustpan. “You should probably wipe off the surfaces first to save time,” he said, nodding at the smears of flour on the stainless steel countertops.

“Um, yeah. Sure.” Lauren got moving. Obviously now wasn’t the time to talk. But she still couldn’t get the image of herself over his knee out of her head.

* * * * *

Xairn cursed himself as they finished cleaning the food prep area. Why had he told Lauren about the torture of a thousand sighs? It was clear from the look on her face how much his descriptions had bothered her. Her breathing had been uneven and her eyes had been wide and uncertain as he talked. It frightens and disgusts her, he thought, mentally kicking himself again. Of course it does. It should. Forcing a female to submit in that way, punishing her—it’s wrong. Cruel. And though it wasn’t nearly as brutal as some of the things the Scourge did to their females, the punishment of a thousand sighs could lead to other things. Worse things. Things he couldn’t control…

“Hey, lunch break.”

Lauren’s voice broke into his litany of self recrimination and Xairn looked up to see her watching him. “All right.” He put down the broom and straightened up. “Is there anything to eat here?”

She made a face. “I doubt it, unless Lorenzo and his stoner friends left some old pizza in the fridge. Let’s go out for lunch—there are tons of little cafes around the Circle. What do you feel like?”

Xairn shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

Lauren rolled her eyes in obvious exasperation. “I try and I try but you never seem to care what you eat.”

“Why should I?” He frowned as they left her shop walked out into the sunshine. “Food is fuel—nothing more. Why should I care what it tastes or looks like as long as it nourishes me?”

“Because.” Lauren locked the door and absently brushed some flour off her blouse. “Just because, okay? Look there’s an Italian place with nice outdoor seating a few doors down. Let’s go there.”

“If you like.” He could tell that it bothered her that he didn’t have a preference for what he ate but he had never had that luxury before. All his life, growing up on the Fathership, he was lucky if he got enough to eat, never mind what it was. He had eaten whatever was put in front of him, no matter how repulsive or bland. Now, though most of the foods she had introduced him to were tasty, it was hard to allow himself to like them—his past held him back. Xairn told himself it was impossible to change the habits of a lifetime in a few weeks, Or maybe ever, whispered a dark part of his brain and he knew he wasn’t simply thinking about his taste in food.

They were seated at a table along the sidewalk outside the café and a human female with long brown hair came up to serve them. Lauren appeared to know her because they chatted for several minutes before Lauren gave the female their orders. Just as the waitress was leaving, a skinny canine with scruffy black fur came bounding up to their table.

“Oh, sorry!” The waitress tried to shoo the dog away. “She’s been hanging around here for the past two weeks begging for scraps. We try to keep her away but she’s really persistent and none of us really has the heart to take her to the pound.”

“Of course you shouldn’t take her to the pound,” Lauren exclaimed. “Here girl.” She took a piece of bread from the basket the waitress had brought and offered it to the dog who took it eagerly. “Poor thing, she looks like she’s starving.”

“We give her as much as we can but she’s always hungry.” The waitress sighed. “We think she has a litter of puppies around here somewhere but none of us can find them. Here girl. Here Lola. That’s what we named her,” she explained a little sheepishly.

“She needs a good home,” Lauren said. “But unless you can find the puppies it would be cruel to take her somewhere.”

“You’re right.” The waitress smiled at the dog fondly. “We’ll probably look for them again tonight.” She shook her head. “Well, let me go put that order in for you and get you a new basket of bread.”

“Thanks.” Lauren smiled at her as she left. “Here Lola,” she said, holding out another piece of bread to the dog. This time the female dog took the bread but didn’t eat it. Instead, she darted away down a back alley between two of the shops and was gone. “Aww, I bet she’s taking it to her babies.” She looked up at Xairn and frowned. “Hey, you’re awfully quiet? Are you okay?”

“Fine. I’m…fine.” He shook his head, trying to clear away the memories that threatened to drown him. Sanja as a puppy, so playful and eager to please. Her big brown eyes, her soft fur, the way she always knew when I was upset. And the look in her eyes when I had to give the last command. When I had to kill her…

Gods, he didn’t need to be thinking about this now. He hadn’t told Lauren about his pet or how he’d been forced by his father to kill her. In fact, he hadn’t told her hardly anything about his past although she seemed to have deduced a great deal on her own. She doesn’t need to know, he thought, looking down at his water glass. Doesn’t need to hear the things I went through. The things I did. It’s bad enough that she knows about my people without knowing the specifics of my sad, twisted life.

“You don’t seem fine.” Lauren sounded doubtful.

“I am though.” Xairn made an effort to straighten up and shake off the black mood that had come over him. He even made favorable comments about the food when it arrived. His approval and enjoyment seemed to please Lauren.

“I’ll make a foodie out of you yet.” She grinned at him. “In fact, let’s stop by the store on the way back to my shop. I’ll get the ingredients to make a batch of cupcakes just for you.”

Xairn smiled at her. “You did promise me some of your signature confection as I recall.”

“That’s right, I did. And I have a new recipe I’ve been dying to try. Chocolate vanilla bean with strawberry jam in the center—kind of a Neapolitan thing. Should be delicious if I can keep the jam part from sinking to the bottom while the cupcakes bake.”

As always, when she spoke about her chosen profession, Lauren’s eyes lit up and she started to smile. It reminded Xairn of how she had looked when she first told him about the miniature cakes and described how they tasted when she was still a prisoner on the Fathership. The passion in her voice and the light in her warm amber eyes had drawn him like a magnet. He thought it was then that he first began to love her, though he hadn’t understood it at the time. It was Lauren who had introduced him to the concept of love in the first place—a concept he feared he was still far from mastering.

Gods, how I care for her, he thought, listening intently as she spoke about the recipe she wanted to try. I wish I could show her how much without hurting her! If only…

But there was no way. No way to express all he felt and still keep control of his darker urges. With a sigh, Xairn pushed the thought away and tried to concentrate on what Lauren was saying instead of his growing desire for her. But it was hard, Gods, so hard when he wanted her so badly. He could still feel her pressed against him from the long hug they had shared back at her shop. Her warm, curvy body, her smooth brown skin, her sweet feminine scent—everything about her was appealing. Like a drug he couldn’t get enough of.

I want her more every day, he thought. Every day it gets harder and harder not to take her, to bond her to me. Gods, I should leave now before I hurt her, before I ruin her life and put out the light in her beautiful eyes forever.

But he couldn’t leave. No matter how much he knew he ought to go, he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

Chapter Twenty-six

Lauren hummed happily to herself as she stirred strawberry puree into a big bowl of homemade butter cream frosting. They were back at the Sweet Spot and the cupcakes were in the oven, filling the air with the warm, delicious scents of chocolate and vanilla. The smells soothed her as nothing else could and for the first time in weeks she felt at peace.

Baking always made Lauren her feel like herself again. Considering all the stress she’d been under lately, she didn’t understand why she hadn’t made anything before now. She’d been concentrating on her relationship with Xairn to the exclusion of almost everything else—leaving little time to try new recipes. Now she admitted to herself that had been a mistake. Some things couldn’t be forced. She needed to be patient—to let the feelings flow naturally between them. Maybe if she just relaxed, things would fall into place. She’d always been optimistic by nature—it was good to feel her natural cheerfulness returning.

“That looks delicious,” Xairn murmured, interrupting her train of thought. He was leaning against one of the counters, watching as she worked at the island in the middle of the kitchen. His deep voice was a low purr and his eyes were hot as he watched her. “You use only fresh ingredients?”

Lauren felt her heart skip a beat at the way he was watching at her. Looking down, she realized that the top two buttons of her cotton Henley blouse had become unbuttoned, showing a generous amount of cleavage. She must have been putting on a show without knowing it. She started to button her blouse…and stopped.

“All fresh everyday. That’s my motto.” She smiled and dipped her finger into the sticky-sweet, ruby red puree. “Fresh organic strawberries and pure cane sugar—that’s all. Want to try some?”

He took a step toward her and then held back. “I…shouldn’t.”

“Sure, you should.” Lauren’s heart began to pound. Let it flow, she reminded herself. Go with your instinct. Stepping toward him, she held her finger, still dripping with the sticky puree, in front of his lips. “Say ahh, baby,” she murmured.

Hesitantly, Xairn parted his lips and then the tip of her finger was engulfed in his hot, wet mouth. Holding her eyes with his own, he sucked the sweet mixture from her finger, cleaning her skin slowly and thoroughly with his tongue. It reminded Lauren of the way he had licked her pussy honey from her fingers after she’d touched herself for him. Just the memory of that made her feel hot and wet between her legs, made her whole body tremble. God, she wanted him, wanted more…

But then, suddenly Xairn was releasing her and it was over. “Delicious,” he said thickly, his eyes half-lidded with lust. “But…I probably shouldn’t have any more.”

“Oh, yes you should!” Lauren’s heart was racing but she wasn’t about to end this now. They were finally getting somewhere and she didn’t want to stop. Reaching into the strawberry puree again, she painted her bottom lip with it and beckoned to Xairn. “Come here.”

She didn’t have to ask twice. A low growl rose in his throat and then he was bending her over his arm, ravaging her mouth with a hunger that left her breathless. He sucked her bottom lip eagerly, lapping away all traces of strawberry before demanding entrance to her mouth.

Lauren opened for him at once, moaning softly as Xairn stroked her tongue with his own. God, he tasted incredible! It wasn’t just the strawberry—his mouth tasted of some hot, exotic spice she couldn’t name. Something intoxicating and immediately addicting at the same time. She gripped his shirt, wishing she could tear it off. She wanted to feel his skin under her fingers, wanted to be naked with him…But then, suddenly, Xairn was ending the kiss, pushing her gently but firmly away.

“I’m sorry, Lauren.” He shook his head as though to clear it. “I…shouldn’t have done that. I’ll go now.”

“No!” she exclaimed, but he was already turning away. “Wait,” Lauren implored him. He paused for a moment, turning his head to see her.

“What?”

“This.” Taking a deep breath, she unbuttoned her blouse and reached for the snap in her front-hook bra.

“Lauren…” Xairn’s deep voice sounded strained but she ignored him.

“Here.” Pealing back the pink lacy cups, she bared her breasts to him. Then, reaching behind her, she dipped into the bowl of sticky-sweet puree. Biting back a gasp as the cool liquid hit her hot skin, she painted it liberally over one tight nipple. “I think you’ll find it tastes even better this way,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Come back and take another taste.”

“Lauren,” he whispered again and there was a warning in his voice she deliberately ignored.

“It’s all right, baby,” she assured him, painting the other nipple with the cool, sticky puree as well. “You’ve done this before, remember?”

“As if I could forget,” he growled. And then he was on her, gathering her into his arms and sucking her right nipple deeply into his mouth.

Lauren gave a breathless moan as he worked on her, lapping and sucking, taking as much of her breast between his lips as he could at one time. She was dying, exploding, drowning in lust, overwhelmed by the need that had been growing between them for so long.

Xairn switched to her other nipple and she buried her fingers in his thick black hair and urged him on, thrusting her breasts up and out, offering herself to him, letting him know that she wanted everything he was giving and more. She vaguely remembered that he hadn’t wanted her to move this way the first time he’d touched her sexually but she no longer cared. She couldn’t be still as a statue when he was sucking and licking her breasts so fiercely. Couldn’t keep herself from moaning and pressing against him when he was finally giving her what she so desperately wanted. Couldn’t—

“No!” Xairn pulled away, breaking her train of thought with his hoarse gasp. “I can’t.” He was almost panting, his big hands curled into fists at his sides. “Cant’ do this. It will lead to more, to other things.”

“That’s what I’m hoping.” Lauren was filled with a mixture of lust, love, and frustration. Her nipples throbbed, swollen and sensitive from his delicious, wild sucking and her pussy was so hot she felt like she was on fire from the waist down. God, she needed him! And she wasn’t about to let him get away. She tugged at Xairn’s hair, trying to pull him close again. “Come on, baby, it’s going to be okay,” she coaxed.

But Xairn shook his head and started backing away. “We should stop now, before things go too far. Before I hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Lauren insisted. “In fact,” she added, with a sudden burst of inspiration, “You can help me.”

“What do you mean?” He frowned at her warily.

“I mean I’m dying over here, Xairn. Not literally,” she added hastily when his eyes widened with concern. “But sexually, you’re killing me. Just look…” Biting her lip, she unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her thighs. It was against her nature to be an exhibitionist but in this case, she didn’t think she had a choice if she wanted to keep him here with her. “Look how hot and wet you’re making me.” She gestured to her pink silk panties which were nearly soaked through with her cunt honey. The outline of her pussy lips was clearly visibly through the thin fabric, swollen with need and desire.

“Lauren…” Xairn’s voice was rough and his eyes had begun to flicker, changing from ocean blue to red-on-black but at least he was still here—for now.

“Just look.” Heart pounding, Lauren slipped her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and pushed them down, baring her pussy completely. God, she felt like some kind of a porn star, coming on to him this way, but if this was what it took to keep him with her she was willing to do it, willing to do anything.

“I’m looking.” Xairn’s red-on-black eyes roamed over her body hungrily. “But I shouldn’t. And I don’t see how I can help you.”

“You can stay with me. Touch me,” Lauren gave him pleading look. “I need you Xairn.”

A low groan was torn from his lips. “Lauren, please, you don’t understand what you’re doing to me. What kind of events you might put into action…”

“Oh, yes I do—I might get you to finally touch me!” Reaching into the bowl of puree one more time, she got a dripping finger full of the sticky-sweet mixture. Then, her hand trembling, she parted her pussy lips and stroked the inside of her sex, coating her inner folds with the strawberry puree. “You made this mess,” she said, popping her finger into her mouth and sucking the rest of the strawberry off. “Come clean it up.”

“Lauren, don’t do this!” The warning was clear in his voice but he was already kneeling on the floor before her and stripping her jeans and panties the rest of the way off.

“I’m not doing anything but giving you what we both want,” she told him breathlessly. “What we both need.”

“What I need is to get away before things go too far.” He seemed frozen on his knees before her, his big hands cupping her hips. It was clear he was fighting the urge to take her, fighting against himself and his natural instincts.

For just a moment Lauren paused. Should she really be doing this? Should she really be pushing him this far? But she told herself firmly she was through being afraid of his Scourge side. How bad could it be when he looked so human? When he held her so sweetly as he had earlier when he was comforting her? Go with the flow, she reminded herself again. Let it happen. No, make it happen.

Slowly she parted her thighs, giving him a good look at her hot, inner pussy still coated with the sticky puree. “Come on, baby, clean me up,” she murmured.

His answer was a low, wordless growl of pure lust and then he was thrusting her thighs apart, spreading her wide to get at her. Lauren moaned and buried her hands in his hair as he parted her swollen pussy lips with one sweep of his tongue, cleaning away the strawberry coating and then licking deeper, as though trying to get past the sweetness to her own hot feminine flavor.

Xairn’s broad shoulders split her wide but it was clear she still wasn’t open enough for him. Reaching down, he grabbed one of her legs and hooked it over his shoulder, spreading her even farther in his quest to taste her thoroughly, to own her completely.

Lauren gasped as he pressed against her, lashing her sensitive clit with his tongue one minute and thrusting it into her tight opening the next. The steel kitchen island she was leaning against was cold on her bare ass but she didn’t care—couldn’t care about anything but what he was doing to her.

She’d never had a man go down on her like this before, with this level of intensity and need. It was as though Xairn was dying of thirst and she was the only source of water for a hundred miles. He lapped and sucked, working her hard, rasping his tongue over her sensitive clit and giving her exactly what she needed. In fact, it was almost frightening the way he tasted her, the single minded ferocity he showed in laving her sensitive folds. But she pushed away her sense of unease and gripped his hair tighter, bucking her hips in time to his rhythm, giving herself completely to his silent demands.

“Yes! Oh God, yes, Xairn. Yes,” she heard herself chanting. She was close…so damn close. “God, please, more! More.”

“I’ll give you more.” His voice was a low, menacing growl. Suddenly she was flipped over and held down, her bare breasts pressed against the hard top of the kitchen island.

She gasped in surprise and scrabbled at the cold steel, uncertain of what was going on. The bowl of homemade butter cream frosting went spinning off the island to crash on the tile floor.

“Down,” Xairn growled when she tried to lift her head and look back at him. A large, cruel hand was suddenly pinning the back of her neck, making it impossible to move.

“Xairn,” she whispered fearfully but he wouldn’t let her go.

“You don’t understand.” He was on her now, as heavy as a mattress, his big, muscular body covering hers as he pressed her painfully into the unyielding stainless steel. “You think what I want, what I need is your love. Your devotion and caring. But that isn’t enough. Not for a Scourge.”

“What…what is it you need, then?” Lauren could hear the fear in her own voice and she tried to control it but she couldn’t—not quite. This was all happening so fast, changing from an incredibly charged erotic moment to a scene out of a nightmare at the speed of light.

“Your submission,” Xairn growled in her ear. “Your complete and unconditional submission. Spread your legs for me—now.”

When she was slow to comply, he kicked her ankles apart, forcing her thighs open, putting her pussy on display.

“Xairn, please!” Lauren struggled but it was like struggling against stone—he wouldn’t let her up, wouldn’t let her budge so much as an inch.

“Beautiful.” He ran one hot, heavy hand down the groove of her spine and then cupped her buttocks. Suddenly he gave her a stinging slap.

Lauren gasped and bucked against his hand. “Xairn!”

“So fucking beautiful,” he repeated. “Now spread your legs wider and arch your back. Let me get a good look at that sweet little cunt. Do it now unless want more punishment.”

Panic had begun to build inside her but now, somehow, it was overtaken by a different emotion. Lauren didn’t know why but that low, purring voice and the hot, possessive way he touched her was doing something strange to her insides. It was as though he owned her—as though he could do anything to her and she was helpless to stop him. A moment ago she’d been fearful. Now…now she didn’t know. She only knew that her nipples had grown hard again and her pussy felt wet and hot and open. He was holding her down, touching her—owning her. And why did that make her feel so strange inside? So hot? Slowly she did as he commanded, arching her back and spreading her legs, opening herself even wider for his inspection.

“Good, very good.” His voice was a low growl of approval. “Gods, you look hot from behind. I love the way your sweet little cunt opens for me this way.”

“Xairn,” she whispered as his big hand traveled down to cup her open pussy. “What…what are you doing?”

“Taking what’s mine.” He was behind her, on top of her again, his breath hot in her ear. Suddenly two thick fingers pierced her folds. Lauren gave a startled cry as he thrust deeply into her, filling her slippery channel. “I’m going to fuck you, Lauren,” he growled, pumping roughly into her, making her moan and writhe helplessly against his invading fingers. “Going to fill you with my cock right here and fuck you long and hard. Isn’t that what you want? What you need?”

“Yes but please…I…I…” She didn’t know what to say. How to explain the conflicting emotions that were filling her. On one hand she was both frightened and outraged—how dare he do this to her? Treat her this way? But another part of her, a newly awakened part, was deeply and undeniably turned on at the feeling of being helpless beneath his big body. “Xairn,” she panted, writhing against his thick fingers. “Please, I don’t know what to say.”

“You’re not required to speak.” She heard a low purring sound and knew that his zipper was coming down. Then something hot and hard and menacingly huge was brushing over her inner folds. Lauren cried out when she felt the blunt tip of his cock slide over her sensitive clit.

“Wait!” she gasped but Xairn had already found her entrance and was beginning to press inside her.

“I’ve waited long enough to fuck your hot little cunt,” he growled, pressing deeper. “Not gonna wait any longer. Hold still.”

Lauren writhed under him, moaning breathlessly as she felt the broad head of his cock breach her channel, stretching her to the limit. God, he was really going to do it, was really going to hold her down and fuck her, whether she wanted him to or not! Her body was responding to his rough treatment but she couldn’t help feeling shocked and appalled that he wouldn’t stop or even pause when she asked him to. What was wrong with him? Where was the sweet, caring man she’d come to love and who was this animal that had taken his place? This beast rutting on top of her wasn’t the real Xairn—it couldn’t be!

“Yes, it is.” Suddenly he stopped, with his shaft only halfway inside her. “This animal—this beast is me, Lauren. The real me.” The cruel hand released her and suddenly he pulled out, leaving her feeling empty inside.

“What?” Lauren turned to face him but he was already tucking himself away and fastening his jeans. When he looked up from his task, his face was a mask of misery.

“I tried to tell you. Tried to warn you.” He pressed a hand to his eyes briefly and spoke in a low, choked voice. “I am Scourge, Lauren. It doesn’t matter how human I look, I’ll never be anything else. And I’ll never be able to love you without hurting you.”

“Xairn honey, wait,” she protested but he was already gone, rushing out of the shop before she could say another word.

Chapter Twenty-seven

The AllFather let out a hissing curse and pounded his clenched fist on the arm of his throne. So close! Xairn had been so close to taking the little human female. He’d been scanning the emotional vibrations coming from the area that she called home—the place he was certain Xairn had taken her—and he had felt it clearly. The build-up of rage and lust, the desire to possess which was the hallmark of a Scourge male coming into his own. If only Xairn had followed though his mind would be open now, able to receive the AllFather’s messages. The images he wanted to send.

“But he cannot ssstop himself forever.” The AllFather spoke aloud. Standing, he swept back the hood of his shadowy cloak to reveal his burning eyes and the grinning skull of his face. “He mussst take her sssoon. And when he doesss, I ssshall be ready.”

He already had the trap prepared—the bait he planned to use would bring Xairn running back to him without delay. As soon as he took the little human fully, his mind would be vulnerable to attack and the AllFather would not hesitate to press his advantage.

In the mean time, he might as well cast a little more doubt and satiate his hunger at the same time.

“Alpha,” he called to the huge guard at his right. “Prepare the beam. It isss time to harvessst another.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Xairn wandered the streets for hours, hating himself. Gods, what was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he love Lauren normally, treat her gently the way she deserved? Why was it that he turned into a monster the moment his sexual urges overtook him?

Because you’re Scourge. And you’re never going to be anything else, anything better. You’re never going to be the male she deserves, whispered the voice of self-hatred in his head. It was true and he knew it.

I should leave, he thought for the hundredth time. Leave her while I still can. Tonight was too close, I almost lost control.

Only the human DNA grafted to his own had saved him—it had allowed him to stop before it was too late. That and Lauren’s thoughts. Xairn knew they had no mental link, knew he shouldn’t have been able to hear what she was thinking. But it had happened again, just as it had the first time they were intimate. Her thoughts came to him clearly, almost as though she was speaking them aloud. And what she had been thinking nearly broke his heart.

She couldn’t believe that I would take her that way. That I would hurt her. She saw me as an animal—as a beast. But even as I was about to force myself inside her she still wanted to believe that I was good, that I wouldn’t do such a thing.

Xairn stopped for a moment, leaning his head against the side of a brick building. What was happening to him? Why was he able to hear Lauren’s thoughts? And why had he been able to command the stupid male who had been her assistant with his words? Only one other being that he knew of could do such things—the AllFather.

No, I am not like him! I refuse to become like him! But if the way he had treated Lauren was any indication, it was already too late—he was becoming like his father. More like him every day. His Scourge impulses were growing stronger—the human DNA he’d gotten from Lauren was holding him back but just barely. And its influence over him couldn’t last forever. Which was all the more reason to get away from Lauren before it was too late.

Xairn shook his head. What had happened today had been too close—he’d almost gone too far. It was time to admit that this was a mistake, that his attempt to love her and have a relationship with her was futile. It was time to ask for the O-ring back, get into the little Kindred ship and leave, never to return.

Just the thought of that, of never seeing her again, made him feel like a cruel fist was squeezing his heart. But if there was no other way to stop himself from hurting her—from forcing her—then it was what he had to do.

“I have to talk to her,” he whispered and his voice sounded low and broken in his own ears. “Tell her I love her but I can’t…can’t stay. Gods…” There was nothing he would rather do less and therefore he needed to get it over with before he lost his nerve.

Sighing, Xairn lifted his head and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. Then he dropped his hands and looked around. Where was he? He had been walking for hours and the streets had grown dark. There were occasional lamps high above to light the way but he was still on unfamiliar territory. Or was he?

Lifting his head, he scented the air. The faint, sweet smells of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry wafted to him on the warm evening breeze. They were barely there and he was sure a human couldn’t have smelled them. But his heightened Scourge senses detected them at once. He had been wandering in circles—Lauren’s shop was somewhere very near.

He turned down an alley between two buildings, following his nose, when a sudden soft cry of distress caught his attention. Xairn stopped, frowning, and looked around. There it was again—a sound like an animal in pain. But he had seen no animals in the immediate vicinity of Lauren’s shop. None but the mangy black canine that had begged at their table during lunch.

I don’t have time for this. I need to speak to Lauren. But he turned toward the sound anyway, following the cries that seemed to be getting weaker and weaker even as he listened.

He found the animal not far from the place they’d had lunch. He couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant but it didn’t matter anyway. There was a large, green metal trash receptacle around back of the building and the black dog was crouched behind it.

Xairn knelt on the grimy pavement, oblivious to the dirt staining the knees of his trousers and the rank odors assaulting his nose. The female dog was crouched in a ball, wedged as far back as she could go behind the trash receptacle. She was curled up around something he couldn’t see and panting harshly, as though in pain. Every time she shifted the high, painful cry he had followed was drawn from her.

“Here girl. It’s all right, I won’t hurt you,” Xairn murmured in a low, coaxing voice. Kneeling lower, he reached for her, trying to draw her out from behind the dirty bin. The dog snapped at him weakly and gave a warning growl. Clearly she didn’t trust him and Xairn didn’t blame her. She was obviously wounded—probably she’d been struck by a passing vehicle—and he was a stranger.

He supposed he could shift the trash receptacle—it looked quite large and heavy but he was much stronger than a human. It would be the work of a moment to get it out of the way. But she was injured and it would be cruel to make her run from her position of safety. Still, he couldn’t just leave her to die—could he?

That’s exactly what I should do, he thought darkly, sitting back on his haunches as he stared at the wounded dog. What am I doing, trying to save an injured animal when I ought to be on my way out of here, away from Lauren forever?

Suddenly the dog let out another cry—a long, liquid howl of pain that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Forgetting his resolve to leave, Xairn put his shoulder to the far side of the green receptacle and pushed. He was careful not to move too quickly—he didn’t want the wounded canine to feel cornered, he just needed a little more room to get to her.

But he needn’t have worried about the dog trying to run. As he exposed her hiding place she gave one last painful whimper and went still. Xairn reached for her anyway but her still-warm body was limp under his hand. He was too late—she was dead.

He sat back again, surprised at the rush of emotion that overcame him. The moment when Sanja had died came back with a painful clarity that took his breath away. The way the light in her beautiful brown eyes had been extinguished, the dead weight of her body in his arms as she obeyed his final command…it was all so fresh and painful. Again he felt his eye stinging, though no tears came. He had none left. Not after that horrible day.

Well, there was nothing more he could do here. He was about to stand up and leave the filthy place when a new movement caught his eye. Was the dog still alive after all? Crouching down, he watched as a small bundle of black fur detached itself from the animal’s side and struggled out onto the pavement.

A tiny black puppy no bigger than the palm of his hand came into view, and Xairn understood. This was the reason the female had snapped at him and also why she’d been curled into a protective ball. She’d been shielding her young, trying to protect her little one from what she perceived as a threat. She had died trying to keep her baby safe—protecting it to the last.

The puppy fell over then staggered to its feet unsteadily. Its eyes were open but it still looked very young to Xairn. It turned and nudged the limp body of its mother, crying pitifully. When the black dog didn’t move, the puppy pawed at it anxiously. The helpless, hopeless gesture seemed to do something to Xairn’s heart.

“She’s gone, little one,” he said roughly. “Gone where you cannot follow. I’m sorry I couldn’t help her.”

The puppy turned to the sound of his voice and wobbled over to him unsteadily. Xairn started to put out a hand to it…and then withdrew. What business did he have with such a tiny, weak thing? He was Scourge through and through—he had proved it himself this afternoon with Lauren. His urges pushed him towards violence, not compassion. Inside his head he seemed to hear the voice of his father hissing, “Only the ssstrong deserve to sssurvive.” He should go now and leave the tiny thing to its fate—that was the Scourge way, was it not?

Then the puppy nudged his knee with its nose and gave a small yip. When Xairn looked down, he saw it staring up at him hopefully with big brown eyes just like Sanja’s. It pawed at him gently and yipped again as if to say, “Well? Aren’t you going to pick me up?”

Somewhere inside his heart a knot that had been tightening suddenly loosened. Reaching down, he scooped up the puppy and held it to his chest.

“It’s all right, little one,” he murmured into the silky black fur as the puppy reached up to nuzzle against his neck. “Your mother is gone but I’ll take care of you.”

* * * * *

Lauren looked up the moment the door to her condo opened. Xairn was standing there with a haggard look on his face and something cradled in his arms.

“It was my fault,” she said, jumping up and running over to him. “All mine. I shouldn’t have pushed you that way, shouldn’t have tempted you. I’m so sorry—”

He took a step backward, his eyes widening with surprise. “You’re not angry with me?”

“No, if anything I’m angry with myself.” Lauren put a hand to her head. “You asked me not to push you but I did it anyway. I’m so sorry, Xairn I just wanted…just wanted to be close to you. But I didn’t mean to make you, uh, lose control.”

“The fault was not yours.” He shook his head, frowning. “It was all mine. I can’t control my Scourge nature, my urges are too dominant even with the human DNA I got from you. I…I came to tell you that, Lauren. That I can’t trust myself with you so I need to go.”

“No, don’t go!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm. The thing he was holding, which had looked at first like a scrap of black fabric in the dim light, shook itself and made a sleepy, inquiring sound. “What’s that?” Lauren asked, almost surprised enough to forget her anxiety.

“A puppy.” He sighed. “I know I’m no good for it—any more than I am for you. But its mother—the black dog you fed at lunch—died after being struck by a car. I’m sorry but I had to take it. I…was unable to leave it behind.”

“Of course you couldn’t leave it!” Lauren tried to take the puppy from his arms but it growled and snapped at her finger with tiny white milk teeth. Then it nuzzled closer to Xairn and leaned up to lick at his cheek. “Oh my.” She laughed. “Looks like this is a one person puppy and I’m not the one. He’s bonded with you already, Xairn.”

“It’s a she,” he said wearily, sitting down on the couch as he cradled the puppy in his arms. “And she does appear to have poor taste in masters.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Laurens sat beside him, careful not to touch, and looked earnestly into his eyes. “Please don’t go, Xairn. We can work through this—I know it.”

“How can I work through what I almost did to you?” he demanded. “I had you pinned to the table, Lauren. I was about to rape you—do you understand that?”

Lauren felt a rush of heat go through her at the memory of being pinned and helpless beneath his big body but she pushed it away. Surely what had almost happened between them shouldn’t turn her on, so she refused to think about it.

“No you didn’t,” she said, shaking his head. “You never would have done that—you stopped yourself just in time. And anyway,” She felt her cheeks grow hot and she had to look down at her hands. “It…it wouldn’t have been rape. Just, uh, really rough sex.”

“You weren’t ready for me. You were frightened.” He looked at her. “Don’t try to deny it, Lauren. I heard it in your thoughts.”

“You…you did?” She put a hand to her throat. “But how…?”

“I don’t know. Just as I don’t know how I was able to make that stupid male you used to employ stop in his tracks and come back to me when he was intent on running away this afternoon.”

“You made Lorenzo do that?” Lauren whispered. “I thought he just didn’t want to lose face. That he came back to prove he wasn’t afraid of you.”

“He was afraid all right,” Xairn said grimly. “I could feel the fear coming off him in waves. But he had to obey my spoken command—he had no choice.”

Lauren shook her head. “But how? Why? I don’t understand. The only other person I know of who can do that is—” She stopped abruptly but Xairn finished for her.

“My father,” he said grimly. “I appear to be growing more like him every day. Just as my dominant urges are growing stronger and stronger every day.” He ran a hand over him face wearily. “I’m changing, Lauren, and not for the better. Which is why I need to leave now, before I hurt you. Before I do something we’ll both regret forever.”

“You’re not going to do that,” she insisted, trying to keep her voice firm, trying to make herself believe. “And besides, you can’t leave—not now.”

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow at her. “And why not?”

“Two reasons.” Lauren ticked them off on her fingers. “First, a local girl was taken not far from here. I saw it on the news tonight.”

Xairn frowned. “I’d forgotten about that but I saw it too, this morning. She looked—”

“An awful lot like me,” Lauren finished for him. “Xairn, what if your father is still searching for me? What if he thought that girl was me?”

He shook his head. “That thought crossed my mind as well but there’s no way he can find you—your DNA has been altered.”

“But what if he’s looking?” she insisted. “Please, Xairn—you can’t leave me with this fear hanging over my head. Who else can protect me? Who else will even believe me when I tell them what’s going on?”

She looked up at him hopefully. She hated to play the ‘please protect me, I’m a helpless girl’ card but there didn’t seem to be much choice if she wanted to keep him. And God, how she wanted to. She couldn’t let him go—just couldn’t.

Xairn sighed deeply. “You’re right. I can’t leave while you may be in danger.”

Lauren felt the knot of anxiety which had been building since he first ran out of the Sweet Spot loosen in her chest. “Thank you,” she said in a trembling voice. “Thank you for giving us another chance. And I swear we can work this out.”

“No.” Xairn shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. I’ll stay here with you and protect you on one condition—no more physical contact between us. At all.”

“None?” Lauren felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under her. “Seriously, not even casual touching?”

“Casual non-sexual touching doesn’t work for me.” Xairn looked away from her. “I can’t help myself, Lauren. If I touch you—in any way—I want you. And, as I think I proved to both of us this afternoon, I can’t be gentle in my desires.” He shook his head. “If I can’t touch you gently then I don’t want to touch you at all. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Lauren’s heart felt like a brick which had sunk to the bottom of a muddy pond. Well, at least he’s staying, she reminded herself. And as long as he’s here with me, there’s still hope. Hope I can change his mind. Hope we can work through this and still be together. “I love you, Xairn,” she said, looking into his eyes earnestly. “If this is what it takes for you to stay with me, I’ll agree. I can’t promise to never touch you again but I’ll try not to, uh, provoke you the way I did this afternoon.”

A look of mingled relief and regret filled his ocean-colored eyes. “Thank you. And thank you for not…not hating me. As I hate myself.”

“You shouldn’t,” Lauren said softly. She wanted to hug him, to take away the pain she saw in his face. But that was forbidden now, so she contented herself with looking into his eyes. “I could never hate you, baby. And you need to be a little easier on yourself. You can’t change what you’ve always been overnight.”

“I’m afraid I’ll never be able to change,” he said darkly. “Though the Gods know I would if I could.” He sighed and shook his head. “You told me there were two reasons I couldn’t go. What is the second?”

Lauren smiled at him. “Because you can’t housebreak a puppy in space.” She pointed at the furry bundle in his arms. “Look, she’s proving my point right now.”

“What? Oh!” he exclaimed, looking down at the spreading wet spot on the front of his shirt. He looked up at Lauren ruefully. “I guess you’re right.”

“I know I’m right.” She nodded. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll see if there’s a Petsmart still open. We need to get some food and a flea collar if this little girl is going to stay.” She looked more closely at the puppy which was still snuggled comfortably in his arms, apparently unaware that she’d just wet all over the one who had saved her. “What are you going to name her, anyway?”

“Little One.” For a moment Xairn’s face lost its look of misery and he almost smiled. “Her name is Little One.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

“You’re sure about this?” Sophia looked at her uncertainly but Nadiah nodded her head firmly.

“This is the only way. I need to see the dream through to its conclusion or that stupid Detective Rast will never believe me.”

“I just hate to leave you to have, well, nightmares.” Sophia twisted her fingers together in obvious agitation. “It seems wrong to leave you alone when I hear you screaming.”

“I’m sorry.” Nadiah laid a hand on her arm. “If it bothers you I can get a guest suite tomorrow. But I feel really strongly that this is what I need to do.”

“No, no—we don’t want you to leave.” Sophia shook her head quickly. “I just…have a hard time letting someone be in any kind of pain if I can stop it.”

“Just think of the pain that poor girl will experience if we can’t get to her in time,” Nadiah said darkly. “My fear is nothing compared to what she’s going to be going through if I can’t stop her abduction.”

Sophia nodded reluctantly. “I suppose you’re right. Well, if you’re really sure…”

“I am,” Nadiah said firmly, even though her heart was drumming behind her ribs. “Truly, Sophia.”

“Okay then. Good night.” With one last uncertain look, Sophia closed the bedroom door, leaving Nadiah in the dark.

She sank back on the warm, comfortable bed and stared up at the shadowy ceiling. She couldn’t explain where her sense of certainty came from—she just knew this was the right thing to do. Even if it meant suffering through horrible nightmares, she needed to see what the Sight was trying to show her. She had to give in to her gift, even if it meant giving herself up to the terrors of the night.

Of course, it was going to be hard on Sophia and Sylvan to hear her yelling in the next room. Nadiah promised herself that she would move into a guest suite as soon as possible. The idea of waking up in a strange place all alone in the dark after a horrible dream was awful but wasn’t fair to ask them to put up with her bloodcurdling screams.

She’d been sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep but before she knew it, Nadiah’s eyelids drifted closed and her breathing became soft and even.

Then she had the dream…

She was flying in the high, blue sky of Earth but not in body—in spirit. She knew because she couldn’t see herself when she looked down. Just lots of green trees and grass and those strange man-made outcroppings the humans lived in called “houses.” Nadiah still thought it must feel strange and exposed to live on the surface of the planet instead of safely underground in a grotto, but she was intrigued by their dwellings just the same.

Soon she found herself hovering over an especially large white house with a neatly trimmed lawn. There were expensive looking cars in the driveway but it was the back yard that drew Nadiah’s attention. There, two children were playing. Or rather, a child and a young woman, she realized after looking more closely.

The young woman had long auburn hair that was blowing in the warm summer breeze. It sparkled like rubies in the sun. She was pushing the little boy—who looked to be eight or nine—high into the air on some kind of play set.

“Higher!” the boy cried, pumping his legs as he soared toward the sky where Nadiah hovered, watching. “Swing me higher, Jessie!” His eyes were bright green in the sunlight and his hair was golden brown and tousled as though he’d been playing hard.

“Any higher and you’ll flip over, kiddo,” she said, laughing. “Mom’ll kill me if you break your neck.”

“Sing the song then. Sing and swing. Sing and swing,” the boy chanted.

“All right.” Jessie took a deep breath and began, singing to the rhythm of the swing.

“Swing me up a little bit higher,

Obadiah, do.

Swing me up a little bit higher,

Say you love me too.

Swing me over the garden wall,

Tie me up so I’ll never fall.

Swing me up a little bit higher,

Obadiah, do!”

Nadiah was enchanted by the quality of the girl’s voice. It was and rich and melodious—utterly enthralling. It was no wonder the little boy liked hearing her sing.

He loved her voice and her long red hair, she thought, watching the two of them together. She smelled like fresh cut flowers. She meant everything to him but she’s gone now. She’s been gone for years. Somehow she knew that the scene she was viewing wasn’t something that was happening now, nor was it something that was yet to come. No, the vision that was coming to her at this moment was of the past of more than twenty Earth years ago.

At last the boy gave a wild yell and jumped off the swing just as it reached its highest arc. Nadiah’s heart leapt up into her throat—she was certain he would break his neck! But he rolled on the neatly trimmed green grass and came up laughing in the bright sunshine.

“You’re crazy! If Mom saw you do that it would give her a heart attack.” But Jessie was laughing as she said it. She slung an arm around her little brother’s skinny shoulders and he looked up at her adoringly.

“Jessie, why can’t I come with you tonight? I went to all your other birthday parties.”

“Yes, but this is a grownup party. I’m eighteen now—you know that.”

“I don’t see what’s so great about being eighteen,” he grumbled. “You’d just rather hang out with your stupid friends than me. Especially that dumb Mark Hains.”

Jessie blushed, her creamy cheeks going pink. “Don’t be a brat. Besides, Mark is nice—I like him. And…and I think he likes me.”

“He likes you all right but he’s not a good guy.” The boy’s mood suddenly turned dark. “Stay away from him, Jessie. I get bad feelings when he looks at you. Really bad.”

“Don’t talk like that.” She frowned. “You know it freaks people out when you talk about your ‘feelings’.”

“You’re the only one I talk to about them,” the boy protested. “And besides, you know I’m right. I’m always right.”

“Not this time.” She ruffled his hair. “C’mon, let’s get something cold to drink. It’s too hot out here.”

“Okay.” The boy leaned against her side and she gave him a squeeze as they walked toward the back door of the big white house. “Just be careful. I love you, Jessie.”

“Love you too, kiddo.” She dropped a kiss on the top of his head and they went into the house disappeared from Nadiah’s line of sight. Suddenly a voice spoke in her ear.

“Remember. Remember and tell him all you have seen. Then he cannot help but believe.”

Then it was gone and Nadiah felt herself drifting deeper, into the darkest reaches of sleep where there are no dreams.

* * * * *

“Do we really have to do this again?” Adam Rast ran a hand through his hair and glared at her. It had been a week since their last encounter and Nadiah hadn’t been sure he would meet her at the HKR building again, but she’d decided to take a chance. To her surprise, he had actually shown up when she called.

“Thank you for coming,” she said coolly, straightening her tharp which had shaped itself into a close approximation of an Earth skirt and blouse today. She wanted to look calm and collected—professional.

“I only came to tell you one thing,” he growled. “Stop bothering me, Nadiah, I have work to do.”

“Because another girl has disappeared, right?” She arched an eyebrow at him and he glared at her.

“Yeah, good for you. Did you read that on the NewsFeed this morning or did you have another vision about the missing girl?”

“I have had a vision.” She gave him a level look. “But not about the girl you’re looking for. Last night in my dreams I saw a girl who’s been missing for the past twenty of your Earth years.”

“What? Now you’re having visions about cold cases?” Rast shook his head. “Seriously, I don’t have time for this! Good bye, Nadiah. Have a nice life and don’t call me again.” He turned away, striding over the grey carpet of the HKR building, heading for the double glass doors.

“Her name was Jessie,” Nadiah said, raising her voice to be heard over the murmuring of the Earth brides and the Kindred warriors who had called them. “She had long, auburn hair.”

Slowly, Rast turned to face her. “What did you say?”

“She smelled like fresh cut flowers,” Nadiah continued. “And she had a beautiful singing voice.”

“What?” He strode over to her and grabbed her by the arm. His face was white with fury. “How dare you? How fucking dare you bring her into this?”

“She meant the world to you, didn’t she?” Nadiah looked at him, realizing that he had been the boy in her vision. “She pushed you on the swing and called you ‘kiddo’ and—”

“Stop right now. Just stop.” Rast dragged her over to one of the dark grey couches and pushed her down. Then he stood there, looming over her with a terrible expression on his face. “I don’t know how you dug up my past and I don’t care. But you stop talking about Jessie right now or—”

“She sang to you when she pushed you on the swing,” Nadiah interrupted. What she was saying was obviously upsetting him deeply and she would have liked to stop but somehow she couldn’t. Her lips went on moving, forming words whether she wanted to speak them or not. “A special song,” she said. “One only the two of you knew.” Suddenly her throat was filled with the dead girl’s voice and she sang.

“Swing me up a little bit higher,

Obadiah, do.

Swing me up a little bit higher,

Say you love me too.

Swing me over the garden wall,

Tie me up so I’ll never fall.

Swing me up a little bit higher,

Obadiah, do!”

“My God!” Rast sank onto the couch beside her, his face suddenly ashen. “How…what…?” He looked at her wonderingly. “I haven’t heard that song in twenty years. And that was her voice—her voice exactly. How did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Nadiah said honestly. “Just as I don’t know why I see the things I see. I only know they’re true.” She touched his arm lightly. “She was your sister, wasn’t she? What happened to her?”

“She was murdered,” he said, his voice grating harshly over the ugly word. “Abducted the night of her eighteenth birthday party and murdered.”

“By Mark Hains?” Nadiah asked.

Rast’s head jerked up. “How did you—never mind. Yes, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who did it. They could never pin anything on him but he was seen leaving with her on the night of the party.”

“You tried to warn her about him,” Nadiah said, remembering her dream. “I saw it—you said you had a bad feeling when he looked at her.”

“Yeah, me and my feelings.” He ran a hand though his hair and let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Used to get me into all kinds of trouble when I was a kid, until Jessie taught me to keep ‘em to myself.”

Nadiah felt a burst of excitement. “So you have a gift too—the gift of discernment. You can see into people, read their true intentions.”

He looked up at her with a frown. “Something like that. I prefer to think of it as trusting my instincts. I can always tell when someone’s telling the truth or not.”

Nadiah frowned. “Then you must have known earlier that I was being truthful about my visions. Why did you keep putting me off?”

“Because…” He stood up and started pacing. “You have to understand. We didn’t find Jessie’s body right away. She was missing for years before it was found. My parents…they went a little crazy. Jessie was always their favorite—I came along later so I was just an afterthought. But Jessie, well, she was so perfect and bright and beautiful you couldn’t help but love her.”

“What did they do?” Nadiah asked softly. “Your parents?”

Rast sighed. “After the case went cold and the police dropped out they hired private detectives—good ones too. Expensive. But my parents both had extremely successful careers—they could afford it.” He continued to pace, looking down at his shoes. “When that didn’t work, they went farther out into left field. My mom found a psychic who said she could feel Jessie’s energy. She told my mom Jessie was still alive, just waiting to be found.” He shrugged angrily. “It gave her hope—until we found the body, that was.”

“The woman was a fraud,” Nadiah said flatly.

“So were all the others my parents hired. They just wanted the money.” Rast sat beside her again, frowning. “And believe me, they got plenty of it. But the worst part was seeing how excited and hopeful my mom would get every time. She was so sure Jessie was out there, just waiting for us to find her.” He shook his head angrilly. “Fucking money grubbing liars, every one of them.”

“That’s why you didn’t want to believe me, to believe I was telling the truth,” Nadiah said. “Because of the people who took advantage of your family during your time of grief.”

“I’ve seen it happen to other people too, when they’re kids go missing.” He gave Nadiah a piercing look. “They’re frantic to find their child. They’d do anything, pay anything. So even though I could tell you were telling the truth, I thought you were just crazy. I could tell you believed what you were saying but I didn’t think anyone could actually see the things you were claiming to see. Not really.”

“But you rely on your own gift,” Nadiah pointed out. “You have to admit that’s out of the ordinary—outside the realm of what’s possible.”

He looked grim. “I didn’t rely on it enough to save Jessie. I knew that bastard Hains was trouble—I knew what he wanted to do to her but she wouldn’t listen.” He shook his head. “I should have kept her from leaving that night. Should have hidden the keys to her car, locked her in her room, something…”

“You were just a child.” Nadiah spoke gently, wanting to comfort him. “You couldn’t help what happened.”

“I should have made someone listen to me. If not Jessie, then my parents, or the police. I tried to tell them, tried to convince them to listen, to look for her right away. But they wouldn’t, you know?”

“Because they didn’t believe you?”

“That and because she was over eighteen—legally an adult. When a minor goes missing you start the case right away. With an adult, you always wait twenty-four hours first.”

“What? Why?” Nadiah demanded. “That’s stupid.”

“I think so too.” Rast nodded. “You know what the forensics guys said when they finally found Jessie’s body?”

“What?” Nadiah whispered, almost afraid to know.

“They said there was evidence of…of torture.” Rast looked fixedly down at his hands and his voice went low and tense. “They were pretty sure she’d been kept alive for at least a day after she was taken. Kept alive so he could have his sick fun with her. Then after he killed her, he dumped her far away.” He looked up at Nadiah, his truegreen eyes bright with unshed tears. “If I could have made someone listen to me—made them start looking for her earlier—they might have gotten to her in time. She might still be alive today.”

“Oh, Detective Rast…” Nadiah didn’t know what to say. She put a hand over his and squeezed.

“Rast.” He sighed. “ Just Rast. Nobody but my mother calls me Adam.”

“Rast, it wasn’t your fault.” Nadiah looked earnestly into his eyes. “You did everything you could. You tried to warn her—I saw it in my dream.”

He shook his head. “Thanks for playing therapist but I don’t think I’ll ever really forgive myself. Jessie’s murder is why I do what I do. I keep thinking if I can just find enough of them before they go missing forever, someday maybe I can make up for what happened.”

Nadiah was touched. “You take your job very seriously.”

“It’s life or death.” He sighed and straightened up. “Speaking of which, I need to try and find the girl who was taken last night.”

Nadiah shifted in her seat. “If she was taken by the AllFather then I’m afraid there isn’t much hope for her.”

Rast shook is head. “I’m still not sure he’s the one who snatched her.”

She raised any eyebrow at him. “Did they find her clothes in a heap, like the other one—Tabitha?”

“Well, yes. But don’t forget, Tabitha’s body was found,” he pointed out with an edge in his voice.

“What was her cause of death?” Nadiah asked. “How did he kill her?”

Rast frowned. “That’s the strange part. No cause of death that anyone could find. The coroner said her heart just stopped for no apparent reason.”

“Were there any marks on her?” Nadiah asked. “In my dream I saw wires being implanted under her skin—it’s a kind of torture the AllFather has. He hooks you up to this machine that projects your worst memories for everyone to see.” She shivered. “Baird had it done to him.”

“He did?” Rast asked in obvious surprise. “Actually, there were little wounds all over her skin but none of them were deep enough to kill anyone. The coroner couldn’t figure it out.” He frowned at Nadiah. “And I still don’t see why he would return the body.”

“Maybe to send a message?” Nadiah said. “The first girl he took looked a lot like Lauren—maybe he’s still searching for her. Does the second girl look anything like her?”

“Not really.” Rast reached into his jacket and pulled out a small holo cube. He flipped the bottom switch and the smiling, life-sized head of a girl with pale creamy skin and long black hair sudden popped into view. “See?” he said. “She’s white and Lauren is African American.”

“I see.” Nadiah studied the holo closely for a moment. There was something about it that bothered her but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. And there was no denying that the second girl who had been taken looked nothing like Lauren.

“So…” Rast clicked off the cube and put it back in his pocket. “I need to see if I can find her.”

“I hope you do,” Nadiah said quietly.

Rast gave her a sharp look. “But you doubt it.”

“If she’s the one I saw in my dream then yes, I’m afraid so.” Nadiah sighed. “Well, I guess I should go and let you work.”

“I have to do everything I can to find her,” Rast said seriously. “Even if…you’re right. I still have to do my job.”

“Of course you do.” She nodded. “Thank you for taking time to talk to me.”

“Anytime,” Rast murmured. Nadiah started to get up but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Nadiah, look at me.”

“What?” She searched his truegreen eyes with her own.

“I mean that. Anytime you have something to tell me, something you saw or you know or whatever—just call me,” Rast told her seriously. “Day or night, doesn’t matter.”

Nadiah’s heart jumped. “You mean it? You’ll listen to what I have to say now?”

Rast sighed. “Yes. From now on I’ll listen.” He looked down. “I’m sorry I treated you like you were crazy earlier. It’s just…it was hard to believe anyone could actually have a talent like your…”

“My gift,” she finished for him. “The Sight.”

“The Sight. Right.” He nodded. “Well, come on.” He rose and held out a hand to her.

Nadiah took it, feeling her heart start to pound as he drew her to her feet. “I’m sorry if I upset you, talking about your sister,” she said softly, looking up at him. “But I needed you to believe me.”

“I understand.” He nodded. “You know I haven’t talked about her to anyone for years.”

“Really? Not even your parents?”

He shook his head. “Especially not them. It’s a forbidden subject in their house.”

“But how sad,” Nadiah protested. “She was such a beautiful girl—so vibrant and full of life. Someone like that shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Rast’s eyes flashed. “I’ve never forgotten her I just…never had anyone I could talk to about her before.”

“You can talk to me about Jessie—if you want, I mean.” Looking down, Nadiah realized her hand was still loosely cupped in his.

Rast seemed to realize it at the same time because he dropped her hand abruptly and cleared his throat. “Well, I’d better go. Call me if you have any more information.”

“I will.” Nadiah nodded, feeling like an idiot. Of course he didn’t want to talk about his dead sister! To dig up such an old and painful memory. Why had she offered such a thing? “Uh, thanks for listening,” she said, feeling foolish.

“You didn’t give me much choice, did you?” Rast said dryly. He sighed. “Well…goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” Nadiah echoed.

Rast nodded and walked out of the HKR building with a swift, businesslike stride. She watched him go, wondering why she wished she was going with him. He’s just a human, she reminded herself. And a cranky, irritating one at that. But she couldn’t get his look out of her mind—the bright sheen of unshed tears in his green eyes when he’d talked about his sister. There was tenderness in Detective Rast—buried somewhere beneath the hard outer shell, she was sure of it. But who or what would ever be able to draw it out?

Nadiah shook her head. “Only the Goddess knows. But not me, that’s for sure,” she murmured to herself. Then she sighed. It was time to be getting back to the Mother ship before anyone found out she was missing. By the time she got back it would be almost time to go to bed.

She shivered at the thought of another night of unrelenting nightmares. Still, at least now she knew that if she saw anything, Adam Rast would listen to her and take her seriously. With a last look at the detective’s broad, retreating back, Nadiah headed back for the shuttle which would return her to the Mothership.

Chapter Thirty

“I can’t believe it’s only been a week—it feels like we’ve had her forever.” Lauren smiled affectionately at the little bundle of black fur curled up on Xairn’s broad chest. He was reclining on the couch watching some sporting event on her battered flatscreen, and Little One was sleeping on him, as usual.

“She found her way into our hearts almost at once.” Xairn stroked the puppy which gave a sleepy yawn and flipped over so he could scratch her belly. Lauren watched as he caressed her glossy fur gently, careful as always with the tiny animal.

It did seem impossible to believe that Little One had been with them only a week. At first Lauren had been a little apprehensive about taking in a stray puppy, especially when it seemed her relationship with Xairn was crumbling apart. But now she could honestly admit that Little One couldn’t have come to them at a better time. Both of them had put aside their worries in order to concentrate on the puppy and as a consequence, their relationship had grown quietly almost without them realizing it.

Xairn’s no touching policy was still in effect but he didn’t flinch anymore when Lauren brushed against him by accident or casually touched his arm when she forgot. It was almost as though the puppy had brought out the best side of his nature and enabled him to find his self-control just by being there. Or maybe he had just buried the Scourge side of himself in order to care for the little canine with the gentleness and warmth he sensed she required.

Whatever the reason, the result had been much less tension between them and for that, Lauren was incredibly grateful. Having a happy and balanced man instead of a self-loathing, tormented one was more than worth a few puddles and “presents” on her tile floor from time to time as they tried to housebreak Little One. Although to Xairn’s credit, he was training her incredibly quickly. She could already sit and stay when told to and was even learning a few tricks. It’s like we had a baby, she thought, watching as Xairn tickled the puppy under her chin and let her gnaw on his finger with her tiny milk teeth. He’s gone from Scourge warrior-mode into daddy-mode. Now if only he could find a happy place somewhere in between…

But she sensed the warrior was still there, lurking just below the surface. Despite the lack of tension between them, she could still feel him watching her with hungry eyes. And she knew he was still relieving his own needs in the bathroom. She wished again that he would let her help, that they could find a way to be together without his instincts taking over and turning any sexual encounter between them into something out of a BDSM porno.

Do you really wish that? whispered a little voice in her head. Do you really? Lauren pushed the thought away uneasily and went to stand in front of the kitchen sink where there were still a few dishes from breakfast to be done. Absently, she stared out at the warm, late afternoon sunlight slanting down into the crystal blue waters of the pool. But though she was staring at the water, her mind was miles away.

The way it felt when he flipped me over, the press of his big body against mine, pinning me down. The sound of his voice when he growled in my ear, when he told me exactly what he was going to do, how he was going to take me…God!

She shivered. She’d been replaying the scene from the Sweet Spot over and over again in her head during the past week and it never failed to fill her with dark excitement. But it shouldn’t excite me, should it? It wouldn’t have been rape—no matter what Xairn thinks. You can’t rape the willing and I was plenty willing. But it would have been rough and I was frightened of him. He gets so scary when he goes all Dom like that. Scary but incredibly hot too.

Lauren was a feminist to the core but every time he started acting that way it seemed to do something, to flip some switch inside her that no one else had ever been able to flip. It made her so damn hot all she wanted to do was submit and let him do anything he wanted. But that wasn’t right—she shouldn’t want to be treated like that. Shouldn’t crave Xairn’s dominance or fantasize about sexual submission to him. Should she?

Unbidden, an image popped into her head. I’d be down on my knees in front of him, kneeling before my master to show my submission. His large hand, stroking my hair, guiding me toward him, toward his hot, hard cock. She could almost taste his warm, salty skin, could almost smell the delicious masculine musk of his big body as he fucked her mouth.

But maybe she wouldn’t suck him just right, the exact way he wanted her to suck him. Maybe he would have to punish her. Lauren imagined him putting her over his knee and pulling down her panties, baring her ass for his big hand. He would spank her, spank her until she writhed and begged for mercy.

Then he would tie her to the bed, her arms and legs spread wide so that she was helpless beneath him. Helpless and unresisting as he fucked her, fucked her so hard and long and deep she wouldn’t be able to help moaning his name, begging him to take her, to never stop, to make her come… Stop it, Lauren scolded herself. Stop thinking like that. You’re only making things hard on yourself.

But the forbidden fantasy had raised such a mixture of desire and shame inside her, she could hardly hold still. Uneasily, she shifted from foot to foot, feeling like her pussy was on fire. God, she had to stop thinking like this. But telling herself to stop was no good—it was all she’d been able to think of ever since their last physical encounter. Why was she so interested in this, anyway? She’d never fantasized about being punished before. Never wanted to let anyone tie her down or spank her.

Lauren bit her lip, frowning. It was frightening to discover this dark corner of her sexuality she had never even begun to explore before. Frightening and more than a little confusing. What the hell was wrong with her, anyway?

“Are you all right?” Xairn’s deep voice broke her train of thought and Lauren whipped around guiltily to see him staring at her with narrowed eyes.

“Fine, I’m fine. Just thinking,” she said brightly, trying to smile.

“Thinking what, exactly?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Lauren shifted nervously. “Nothing. Just that this is probably the last warm day we have before it starts getting cold. Well, cool, anyway. I think I want one more dip in the pool before it’s too late.” Once the words were out of her mouth she knew it was a good idea. Nothing like immersing herself neck deep in the chilly water to douse her unwanted desires.

Xairn frowned. “But you can’t swim—you told me so yourself.”

“I’m just going to splash around in the shallow end,” Laurens said briskly. “And then maybe drift around on one of the floats for awhile. You know, relax. What good is a day off work if we don’t spend it relaxing?” She knew she was babbling but by this point she didn’t care. She just had to get away from Xairn and the strange fantasies that had been tormenting her lately.

“Be careful, then,” he said but she was already on her way into the bathroom to change into her favorite white bikini. If a dip in the pool didn’t cool her down, she didn’t know what would.

* * * * *

Xairn frowned as she came out with a towel modestly draped around her curves and disappeared out the front door. He still didn’t understand the human preoccupation with immersing oneself in deep water. Especially here in Florida where Lauren lived, people seemed to swim constantly—if not in pools then in the ocean which surrounded them. He wished he could persuade Lauren to give it up but since she seemed to like it so much, he didn’t see how he could deny her one of her few pleasures. Especially since he gave her no pleasure himself—no sexual pleasure, anyway.

Gods, she smelled so hot just now. Unable to help himself, Xairn lifted his face and scented the air currents still swirling in the room. For some reason Lauren had been getting more and more aroused lately. Probably, he thought glumly, because he had denied her any kind of sexual satisfaction. He knew perfectly well that the asexual relationship they currently had couldn’t last but he didn’t know how to change that without going too far. Didn’t know how to make love to her without hurting her.

I wonder what she was really thinking about when she was standing there, staring out at the pool? It sure as hell wasn’t the idea of swimming that was making her so hot. He had an idea that if he concentrated he might be able to hear what she was thinking but he didn’t want to do that—it would be an invasion of her privacy. He hadn’t been able to help hearing her when things had gotten sexual between them but at least while they were keeping their respective distances he could stop himself from eavesdropping on her secret thoughts.

Speaking of hearing someone’s innermost thoughts, he was glad Lauren couldn’t hear his. All he seemed able to think about lately was how much he wanted her. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to fantasize what he would do if only he could trust himself…

She would be lying on the bed, wearing nothing but a short skirt and panties, her beautiful breasts bare. I would pin her hands above her head and order her not to move. Tell her she couldn’t stir no matter what I did.

He imagined her full, thrusting breasts, her nipples like dark, succulent berries at their tips. He wanted to tease those nipples, to suck them long and hard in the way that made Lauren hot and slippery between her thighs. She loved it when he sucked her nipples—it never failed to make her pussy wet and ready. Of course, she wouldn’t be able to help squirming with pleasure as he worked on her, disobeying him despite his orders. Such willful misbehavior would call for a punishment, but he could deal with that later, after he finished tasting her.

After teasing her ripe peaks with his tongue, he would move down her body and pull off her white lace panties very, very slowly with his teeth. He could imagine the look on Lauren’s face once her pussy was bare—uncertainty and a little fear mixed with desire. But she would submit to him without question when he told her to spread her legs, he was sure of that. And once she was open to him…

I would get on my knees before her and press my face to her hot, wet slit. Breathe in her warm, feminine fragrance and rub my cheeks against the tender skin of her thighs. Gods, he was achingly hard just thinking of it. But the fantasy didn’t end there.

I would part her pussy lips and lap her cunt, long and slow and hot. I would taste her sweet juices until she moaned and writhed under my tongue, until she bucked her hips up to meet me and called my name, begging me to make her come, to fill her. To fuck her…

A sudden splash and a muffled shriek from the direction of the pool shredded the fantasy to bits. In a flash Xairn was on his feet with Little One deposited safely on the couch. “Stay,” he told the startled puppy and ran out the door as fast as he could.

He rounded the corner and pushed through the white metal fence that surrounded the pool to see Lauren’s slender arms groping just above the surface of the water. The pink inflatable float she’d been resting on had drifted away and she was flailing helplessly right in the middle of the deep end.

Memories of the drowning tanks flashed through Xairn’s head. The scent of corruption and rot heavy in the stagnant air, the thick black slime sliding over his head, filling his mouth as he gasped for breath… The boney hands throwing him back again and again as he struggled to find his way out of the dark waters… The high, evil laughter of his father as he told his only son to sink or swim… Since that moment he had never swum again—had told himself he would rather die than submerse himself in water over his head.

The memories and horror all passed through his mind in a fraction of a second.

And then he dove into the cold water and stroked toward Lauren, pushing himself as hard as he could, praying he would be in time.

* * * * *

Lauren really wasn’t sure what had happened. One minute she was lying peacefully on the pink rubber raft, wearing her favorite white bikini and trying to clear her mind and the next minute she was smack in the middle of the pool, going down like a stone.

Oh my God, swim, float…something! she mentally yelled at herself, trying not to panic. Her mother was an excellent swimmer and had tried to teach her many times but somehow Lauren just never got the hang of it. She couldn’t even learn to tread water, which her mom had sworn would save her life if she could just master it. Should have tried harder, she thought as the chilly water closed over her head. Should have—

And then strong arms were folding around her, pulling her back to the surface in a rush of sunlight and blessed, life giving air. Xairn? she thought dizzily as she was towed across the pool to the side. But he can’t swim, can he? I thought he said he couldn’t. I thought—

“Here.” He pushed her up over the lip of the pool and leapt out of the water to kneel beside her. “Breathe!” he gasped, crouching over her, his eyes wide with fear. “Lauren, breathe!”

“I…I’m okay,” she tried to say but it came out in a low, choking voice that was barely understandable.

“I’ll take you to where all the healers stay. What is it called? The hospital—I’ll take you there.” He swung her up into his arms and Lauren thought she had never seen him looking so wild.

“No, no!” She struggled in his arms as he carried her swiftly from the pool. Spitting out some water, she shook her head. “I’m fine, Xairn. Fine,” she gasped, still catching her breath. “You got…got to me almost before I was in trouble.”

They were in the condo by this time, standing in the middle of the living room floor, both of them dripping. Xairn was still holding her, a look of uncertainty and fear on his face.

“You’re all right? You’re really all right?”

Lauren cleared her throat so her voice came out sounding less like a croak. “I am, honestly.”

“Thank the Gods.” Still holding her tightly, Xairn fell to his knees and buried his face in her neck. “I thought…thought I would be too late. That I would lose you.”

“No, baby, no. Of course not.” Lauren slid out of his lap and somehow found herself standing in front of him. Xairn was still kneeling. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pressed his face to her abdomen. “It’s okay, I’m okay,” she said over and over, stroking the broad, muscular shoulders soothingly. “Honestly, it’s all right.”

“I know,” he whispered in a low, choked voice. “I know.” But still he trembled and his skin, pressed against her bare stomach, felt feverish with heat.

“I don’t understand how you did it though,” she said, stroking the damp black hair away from his forehead. “You told me you couldn’t swim.”

“I choose not to swim. But I can when I have to.” He looked up at her at last and Lauren saw that his eyes had gone a solid red-on-black. “My father taught me,” he whispered and there were depths of unspoken pain in his words that wrung her heart.

The sight of those eyes in a face that had gone suddenly pale and those softly whispered words filled Lauren with concern. “Hey,” she murmured, looking down at him anxiously. “This is about more than me falling overboard, isn’t it?”

Xairn shook his head and looked away. “It’s nothing. I was fearful for your safety, that’s all.”

“No, that’s not all,” Lauren said firmly. “That’s not the whole story by a long shot. And you’re going to tell me all of it. But first we need to get out of these wet clothes. Come on.”

She helped him to his feet and at first it seemed like he could barely move. Lauren’s concern grew as she watched how stiffly he walked, how unsteady he was on his feet. It was almost like he was the one who had nearly drowned. What was going on with him?

She stripped him out of his wet jeans and t-shirt while Little One barked urgently on the couch. “Quiet, Little One,” she ordered, shaking a finger at the puppy. “Settle down now.” For a wonder, the puppy did as she was told, curling up in a corner of the couch and watching the proceedings with wide, worried eyes. “It’s all right,” Lauren told her, though by now she was beginning to be really worried about Xairn herself. “He’s going to be fine. He’s just…just upset.” But upset about what?

Finally she had him completely nude and began rubbing him down with towels. At any other time she would have been admiring his hard, muscular body or maybe even trying to sneak a peek at his equipment—she was still very curious about the whole ‘primary and secondary shaft’ thing he had going on. But at the moment, she was too concerned with his mental state to think about anything physical. She wrapped a towel around her own shoulders as she worked, shivering slightly in the air conditioned condo as her damp bikini stuck to her skin.

At last she had his large body mostly dry. “There.” She sat him down, still naked, in one of the kitchen chairs and pulled up a chair to sit opposite him. “Now tell me, what’s going on. Why are you so upset? And don’t say it was because of me, either—it’s more than that, I can tell.”

Xairn’s eyes were still a burning red-on-black. He closed them briefly, an expression of pain flitting over his face. “I told you that I chose not to swim but I didn’t tell you why,” he began in a low, grating voice. “I…I never told you about the drowning tanks.”

“The what?” Lauren looked at him in horror. “You had tanks on your ship just for drowning people in?”

“Not people—animals. Urlich.” He took a deep breath and went on. “It was my father’s policy to test them in the tanks as part of their final training. The tanks were filled with black slime—it must have been water at one time. But the dead animals were left to rot in it, until it was a stinking, putrid sludge, so foul it made one nauseous just to smell it.”

“Ugh.” Lauren shivered. “That’s terrible.”

“Yes.” Xairn nodded briefly. “They—the mature urlich—had to show their stamina and courage by swimming. Swimming for hours and hours on end in the slime. Some of them…” He swallowed hard. “A lot of them drowned.”

“Oh my God!” Lauren put a hand to her mouth. “Please don’t tell me he threw your pet dog in there and let it…let it die.”

“No.” Xairn looked down at his hands, which still trembled slightly in his lap. “He…he threw me in.” He looked up at her. “Over and over again. It was…how I learned to swim.”

“Oh no! Oh, Xairn!” Lauren was on her feet and cradling his head against her breasts before she could stop herself. “No wonder,” she murmured, stroking his still-damp hair. “No wonder you hate to swim. But you jumped in to save me anyway.”

Slowly his arms crept around her waist and held her tight. Xairn looked up at her, his eyes still burning. “I had no choice,” he said hoarsely. “You are my life, Lauren. If you die there is nothing left for me. Nothing.”

“Oh, baby.” She couldn’t stop the hot tears that rose to her eyes and overflowed onto her cheeks. “I love you,” she whispered. “Love you so much. I’m so sorry he hurt you that way.”

“It’s all right,” He pressed his face to her breasts again and inhaled deeply, as though taking comfort from the scent of her skin. “It doesn’t matter. I survived.”

“Of course it matters.” Lauren caressed him tenderly. “What happens in your childhood sticks with you as an adult. Jumping into that pool must have scared you to death—but you did it anyway. To save me.”

“How could I not?” He shook his head, his damp hair whispering against her bare skin. “I…there are many things about my existence before I met you that I didn’t want you to know. That was one of them.”

“I want you to tell me. You hear me?” Lauren lifted his chin and looked down into those familiar burning eyes. “Tell me anything you want to—anything you need to. Doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll still love you, no matter what.”

He frowned. “You think that but there are things in my past that would make any normal person ill.”

“Try me.” Lauren held his eyes with hers. “Go on.”

Xairn’s face grew grim. “Fine. You’ve seen how quickly Little One bonded herself to me, haven’t you? But I had another pet before her. One I cared for so deeply it nearly drove me mad when she died.”

“Oh, honey…” Lauren was almost afraid to ask but she knew she had to. This was some kind of test Xairn was putting her through—a trial to see if she truly loved him as much as she said. Lauren wanted desperately to pass it. “How…how did she die?” she asked hesitantly.

Xairn drew a deep breath. “I killed her,” he said quietly, still holding Lauren’s eyes with his own. “I had no choice. My father found her and threatened to torture her.”

“Oh, no!” Lauren shook her head, not wanting to believe.

“Oh yes,” Xairn said quietly. “I always knew it might happen one day. I had a poison capsule implanted beneath her skin, one activated by my voice alone. When the time came, I commanded her to die and she did, in…in my arms.”

“Xairn…” Lauren didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“I was taken from my mother as an infant and taken away from the nurse who raised me as a very young child.” Xairn’s voice was steady but his hands trembled slightly as he spoke. “My father was…cruel. I knew he didn’t care for me. Sanja was the only thing I had to love in my whole sterile existence. Killing her…nearly killed me, too. I was dead inside. Emotionally lifeless until…until I met you.”

“Oh baby…” Lauren hugged him hard and his arms around her waist tightened convulsively. “I love you,” she whispered. “I still love you, I don’t care what you had to do to survive in that horrible place. It doesn’t change how I feel about you, how much I care about you.”

“Lauren…” He said her name over and over like a prayer and she felt his mouth move, soft and slow and hot against the bare skin of her chest. A caress…a kiss. “You showed me what love was,” he whispered. “Gave me the strength to leave my old life behind. I owe you so much.” Then his lips moved to one side, trailing hot and wet over the thin, damp bikini top that covered her right breast. Lauren gasped softly as she felt the heat of his breath over her suddenly tight nipple. God, she thought. I want this so much. Want to hold him and comfort him. Want to show him how much I love him…

“I want to show you how I feel, too.” He looked up at her and placed a hot, deliberate kiss over the aching point of her nipple. “But I don’t know how I can.”

“Xairn,” she whispered, her voice tight with pleasure and hope. “Honey…” Reaching up, she pulled the damp triangle of fabric to one side, baring her breast to him. “Do it,” she murmured, stroking his hair. “Let me feel your mouth on me.”

With a low growl, Xairn sucked her nipple into his mouth at once, lapping and sucking eagerly. Lauren moaned and clutched at his thick black hair. “God, yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Xairn, yes.”

He moved to her other breast as well, pushing the bikini top aside himself this time in order to get to her full curves. Lauren thrust toward him, offering herself, breathless with desire. At last he looked up at her.

“I want you,” he whispered in a voice that was dangerously near a growl. “I need you, Lauren—need to be in you. But I don’t…don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid,” Lauren assured him breathlessly.

“But I am. Every time we get close to making love my Scourge instincts take over and I lose myself…lose the ability to be gentle.”

Lauren frowned. “There must be a way. There has to be. I need you too—so much.”

Xairn looked thoughtful. “Yes. A way to subvert my dominant tendencies so I can love you without hurting you.” His eyes roved over the room, as though searching for something, and then stopped at a certain spot on the kitchen table. “There.” He nodded at the long black nylon leash they’d bought for Little One at the pet store.

“What?” Lauren looked at the leash uncertainly. It was thick and very tough. They weren’t certain what kind of dog Little One was but it looked like she had some Black Lab in her and they got to be a pretty good size. Still, she didn’t understand what Xairn wanted her to do with it.

“Get it,” he said, indicating the leash again. “Bring it here.”

Lauren did as she was told. Standing before his chair she looked down at his naked, muscular form, taut with tension. “Now what?” she asked, holding up the black leash.

Xairn took a deep breath. “Now I want you to tie me to the chair and take me.”

Chapter Thirty-one

Far above in the Fathership, the AllFather raised his head. Leaving his current victim in a heap on the metal floor, he began to pace in an ever widening circle. “Sssoon,” he hissed, his lipless mouth moving in eager anticipation. “Sssoon he will take her. Sssoon.”

The Earth girl he had stolen with the transport beam moaned and tried to crawl away. She was a feisty one, all right—twice she’d pulled out the memory wires implanted under her skin and tried to escape. No one would think from her delicate appearance that she had so much fight in her, the AllFather mused. Her diminutive stature along with pale, porcelain skin and long midnight-black hair made her appear almost like a doll. But her small size belied a savage heart and strong spirit.

The AllFather didn’t really care about her temperament. He had chosen her for her hair, as it was the exact color and length as Lauren’s. He was certain that once Xairn saw her image on the local NewsFeed he would know why she had been taken. If that didn’t work, he had planned to take an Earth girl with eyes like Lauren’s. But that unusual shade of amber had proved difficult to find.

“And now it appearsss I will not need to take another after all,” he murmured to himself, still pacing. The huge viewscreen which projected the latest female’s memories was frozen in place, showing the girl standing in a defensive posture with a large Earth male poised to beat her. Truly, the AllFather hadn’t had to twist her recollections much—her past had enough pain to satisfy him without adding much to it. In fact, he was very nearly satiated at the moment. Perhaps he should finish her off another time.

“It ssseems you have a ssshort reprieve, my dear…” What was her name again? Oh yes, Elise. “My dear Elissse.” He leaned over the girl who gasped and pulled back. The AllFather smiled, his eyes glowing. “I mussst concentrate on my errant ssson. I expect him here sssoon. Perhapsss you’ll get to meet him before I end you.”

The girl drew herself into trembling ball and stared at him defiantly with dark eyes. “Go to hell,” she whispered and spat at his feet.

“Ssstill rebelliousss, eh?” The AllFather smiled. “Good. I like the onesss who fight to the end. It makesss their pain ssso much more deliciousss.” Then he turned and swept from the room, leaving the girl naked and shivering in the center of the large room.

He had another prisoner to tend. One who would hold a special interest for Xairn, he was certain.

Chapter Thirty-two

“Take you?” Lauren wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.

Xairn nodded. “If you tie me tightly enough it should help me control my dominant urges. There are no equals in a Scourge sexual relationship—only dominant or submissive. In order to avoid hurting you, I must take the submissive role.”

“Really? You? Submissive?” Lauren could scarcely imagine how this was going to work. But Xairn nodded again.

“I must. It’s the only way.”

“But I don’t…I don’t know how to dominate you.” Lauren bit her lip. “In fact, if we’re taking sides like this I think I’d be more comfortable playing the, uh, other role.”

“You would, would you?” Xairn’s head came up and he gave her a long, level stare that seemed to pierce right through her.

Lauren felt her cheeks getting hot as she tried desperately not to think of her recent fantasies. “Well, I mean, I don’t really know. I—”

“Never mind.” Xairn shook his head. “Tie me quickly. Just the thought of you submitting to me…”

“What?” Lauren’s heart started to pound but he shook his head again.

“Nothing. Tie me and be sure the knots are strong.”

The black leash was stiff and awkward to work with. In the end Lauren had to settle for tying his hands behind his back and making them fast to the back of the kitchen chair he was sitting on. When she was done, Xairn looked up at her with fiery eyes.

“Now slap me.”

“What?” Lauren protested. “I don’t want to do that!”

“Do it,” he grated. “I could shred this little cord that binds me and snap the chair to splinters with no effort at all. You need to assert your dominance, Mistress.”

“But I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he growled. “Damn it, Lauren, do you want this or not?”

Lauren lifted her chin. “You know I do.”

“If you want me, you have to dominate me first.” His eyes flashed. “Or I’ll free myself and dominate you instead. “ Suddenly his voice dropped to an almost pleading tone. “Please, Lauren I don’t…don’t want to do that. Don’t want to hurt you.”

Lauren took a deep breath. This wasn’t how she’d imagined her first time with Xairn. Hell, this wasn’t something she’d imagined doing with anyone. But she loved him and if this was what it took…

“Fine,” she said in a low voice. “I’ll do it. And…and I won’t hold back.”

“Good.” He looked at her hungrily. “Then slap me.”

Lauren shook her head. “I said I’d do it but I’m going to do it my way, you understand?”

He just stared at her, that hungry, animalistic look growing in his eyes. Lauren sensed she was losing him. Have to do something quick!

Threading her fingers through his thick black hair, she grabbed a handful and yanked his head back. Then she leaned over him and looked him in the eye. “I said, do you understand?”

Xairn’s whole body jerked and his eyes widened in obvious surprise. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” Lauren demanded, glaring at him.

“Yes…Mistress,” he murmured.

Lauren nodded and released him. “Good, that’s good.” And strangely enough, it was. She’d never had the urge to dominate anyone before—just as she’d never had the urge to submit before she met Xairn. But the role felt surprisingly right now that she was getting into it. Surprisingly…comfortable.

“You like it, don’t you? The feeling of power.” Xairn watched her, one black eyebrow raised.

“Maybe I do.” Smiling, Lauren ran her fingers through his hair again, more gently this time. “Are you surprised?”

“Everything about you surprises me. It’s one of the things I love about you,” he said softly.

“Enough talk.” Leaning down, Lauren took his mouth in a hot kiss. She was delighted when Xairn returned her kiss with passion. He needs this—needs it as much as I do, she thought as he thoroughly explored her mouth.

“More,” he growled, breaking the kiss to stare into her eyes. “I need it more.”

“Then let’s get to it.” Standing back, Lauren made sure Xairn’s eyes were on her as she untied her bikini top and let it fall to the floor. When she reached for the ties that held the bottom in place, he made a hoarse, hungry noise in the back of his throat. “That’s right,” Lauren murmured as she untied it slowly and let the two little triangles of white fabric drop, baring her pussy for him. “Look at me, baby. Look but don’t touch.” Then she walked toward him. “I, on the other hand, am finally going to touch just as much as I want.”

As she spoke, she ran her hands over his broad, muscular shoulders and chest, tracing the brand of her name with her fingertips. Then she moved lower, stoking her way down his corded abdomen. She could feel the tension coiled like a spring inside him—the barely controlled power thrumming just under the surface of his smooth tan skin. It was like stroking a caged tiger, one that might break the lock that held it and attack at any time.

“Lauren…” Xairn’s voice was thick with warning as her fingers trailed lower, running over his thighs and moving inward. “What are you doing?”

“Exploring.” She gave him a slow, lazy smile. “I’ve been dying to get a look at you down here, you know? Ever since you told me you had two, uh, pieces of equipment.” She took his long, hard cock in her hand, marveling at its size and the softness of his skin. It was hot to the touch and she couldn’t get her fingers all the way around it. So big! “I guess this is what you call your secondary shaft?” she asked, looking up.

Xairn took a ragged breath. “Yes, that is my secondary shaft,” he said, his voice low and strained. “Sitting above it, as you see, is my primary or bonding shaft.”

“Hmm.” Lauren examined what appeared to be a smaller, non-erect phallus forking from the top side of his cock. “It’s not very, uh, big.”

“That’s because it’s dormant at the moment—not aroused.” His eyes flashed. “Don’t touch me there too much. And whatever you do, don’t put your mouth on me.”

“What, like this?” Bending down, Lauren took a long, leisurely lick from the base of his secondary shaft up to the broad, mushroom shaped head. He tasted hot and salty and masculine—delicious.

“Don’t!” Xairn sounded almost panicked and she looked up to see him straining against his bonds. “Don’t,” he repeated. “If you arouse my primary shaft I won’t be able to stop until I’ve taken you. Bonded you.”

Lauren stroked his shaft again, capturing a drop of precum with her thumb and using it to caress the sensitive head. “Would that really be so bad?”

Xairn’s eyes narrowed. “My primary shaft would grow to almost twice the thickness of my secondary shaft and I would have the unstoppable urge to break my bonds, throw you on your back, and penetrate you with both of them for hours, fucking and fucking—filling both your back passage and your pussy with my cum until you were utterly and unquestionably mine forever.” He paused and looked at her. “Are you ready for that, Mistress?”

Lauren’s mouth suddenly went dry as she looked down at the thick club of flesh in her hand. “Twice the size of this one?”

Slowly, he nodded. “Have you ever experienced double penetration before? Are you prepared to spread yourself for me and submit to my fucking?”

“I…I don’t know,” she whispered.

Xairn shook his head. “If you don’t know then you’re not ready,” he said harshly. Then his voice became gentle. “Please, Lauren, I love you. I want to show you how much but not that way. That way lies pain and fear and I don’t want to hurt or scare you.”

“Then how?” she whispered, looking at him uncertainly.

“Mount me.” There was an urgency in his voice that made her pussy throb with need. “Take me,” he begged softly. “Fuck me. Please, Lauren, I want you to. I need you to.”

“Yes.” Suddenly she understood that this was the only way. The only way they could be together without someone getting really hurt. Carefully, she straddled him, putting one leg on either side of his muscular hips, her feet planted firmly on the floor.

Xairn was almost panting now and his eyes were a steady red-on-black. She could feel the heat from his big body, smell the warm, spicy musk that was at once and entirely him. “Do it,” he urged her, his voice a low growl of desire. “Do it now.”

“Yes,” Lauren whispered again. Guiding him with one hand and resting her other hand on his broad shoulder for support, she slowly lowered herself down.

“Gods!” Xairn threw back his head as they made contact but Lauren wasn’t ready to take him just yet.

“Mmm, that feels good.” With a little moan of desire, she rubbed him against her, wetting the broad head of his cock against her open folds, sliding it against her sensitive, swollen clit until she thought she would die of pleasure.

“More!” Xairn looked up at her, his face filled with need. “Give me more—put me in you. Sheathe me to the hilt in your pussy.”

“Like this?” Keeping her eyes locked with his, Lauren lowered herself down slowly. Both of them gasped as his thick shaft breached her entrance. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out as the tight, stretching pleasure began. God, and this was only his secondary shaft! She couldn’t imagine taking his primary one if it was so much bigger, especially if this one was thrusting into her ass at the same time. Xairn was right—she wasn’t ready for that. Honestly, she didn’t know if she ever would be.

But you’ll have to do it eventually, whispered a little voice in her head. If you want to keep him with you. If you want to bond with him. Lauren didn’t have time to think about that right now. It was all she could do to accommodate one thick shaft deep in her body—let alone two.

At last she could feel him all the way inside her, his thickness stretching her to the limit as the wide head of his cock pressed hard against the end of her channel. Never had she felt so filled before, so opened, so owned. And yet with Xairn’s hands tied behind his back to the chair, she had all the power. So maybe I’m the one doing the owning, she thought, looking him in the eyes.

“Yes,” Xairn whispered hoarsely and she knew he was catching her thoughts again. “Yes, Lauren I said it before but it’s still true—you own me, mind, body, and soul. So take me, my love. Take me now.”

He didn’t have to ask her twice. Bracing herself on his shoulders, Lauren raised up, letting at least half of the thick shaft slide out of her before lowering herself again, much faster than she had the first time. Both of them groaned as they came together and then she did it again. The second time Xairn caught her rhythm and began working his hips, thrusting up into her just as she was coming down on him, working with her to give them both what they needed so badly.

“That’s right,” he growled, his eyes never leaving hers. “Gods, you feel so good around me. Fuck yourself on me, Lauren, find your pleasure and let me see it in your eyes when you come.”

“God, baby!” Lauren dug her fingernails into his flesh and increased the pace. More, she needed more of him, more of this—this deep, delicious pleasure that she wished could never end. God, he felt so good, so right inside her. Just as she’d always known he would.

“So tight,” Xairn growled hungrily. He looked between them, watching as his wet shaft slid in and out of her pussy. “So tight and hot inside you, Lauren.”

“Oh, baby…” Lauren couldn’t help it. She wanted to make this last but the sexual need that had been building up inside her almost since she met Xairn was too much, too hard to stop. She felt her pleasure cresting and looked down into his eyes. “So close…I’m so close…”

“Come for me,” he demanded hoarsely. “Let me feel you come on my cock, Lauren. Let me feel your pleasure as I fill you up.”

It was too much. With a low moan, Lauren felt her orgasm sweep over her, the pleasure flowing through her like warm, sensual water. Her inner muscles gripped Xairn’s shaft, squeezing like a velvet glove, demanding that he answer her pleasure with his own. With a low groan, he did.

Lauren moaned again as he felt him spurting, hot and wet, deep inside her. She’d never actually felt this with a human male but then, Xairn was so much more than human. So much more than anything she’d ever expected to find. It occurred to her that this was his first time. She hoped it had been good for him—special in a way he would never forget.

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear as they finally stopped grinding against each other and were still, panting with exertion. “Love you so very, very much.”

“I love you too.” He let out a long, shaky breath. “Thank you for this, Lauren. I know…know it wasn’t exactly how you wanted our lovemaking to be.”

Lauren pulled back and looked at him. “Xairn, honey, you know I don’t care.” She laughed. “Hell, I was getting so desperate I probably would have done it dangling from the top of the Orange Blossom Tower downtown if that’s how you told me it had to be.”

Xairn gave her one of his rare smiles in return. “Nothing that elaborate was required. I just needed you to take the lead. And I think now you understand why.”

“Yes.” She looked at him hesitantly. “Do you think…is this the way we’re always going to do it?”

Xairn looked serious. “Probably. This or some variation of it. I can’t…can’t risk switching roles and being the dominant one, Lauren. Not without hurting you.”

Lauren knew he was telling the truth but deep down she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. Her submissive fantasies, the ones where she was on her knees before him, the ones where he put her over his knee and spanked her, still called to her. But she pushed them aside firmly. That was never going to happen. She should be glad they could be together at all, in any capacity.

“Well, that’s okay with me.” She smiled and kissed the tip of his nose teasingly. “I kind of like it when you call me ‘Mistress.’”

Xairn smiled and thrust slowly up into her again. Though he had come, his cock was still as hard and long as ever. “Then…would my mistress care for another ride?”

Lauren gasped and then moaned softly with pleasure as he filled her. “Yes, I think that’s an excellent idea.” She kissed him on the lips and whispered against his mouth, “Fuck me, Xairn.”

He did.

Chapter Thirty-three

“At last!” The AllFather screeched with unholy glee, his crimson eyes burning in their sockets. Hovering thousands of miles above the surface of the Earth in his ship, he had felt the consummation of Xairn’s love. Now his son would come fully into his own, his power complete. And now was the time to harvest it, while it was still ripe and fresh, before Xairn became too strong to fight the AllFather’s will.

Closing his eyes, he searched. Aided by the new energy signature he gave off, the AllFather found his errant son at once. The connection between them was complete— Xairn’s mind was open and vulnerable. Now to lure him back to the Fathership, the AllFather thought, cackling with unholy glee. And I have just the bait to do it.

“Up here,” he directed, motioning for his Alpha and Beta guards. They were carrying a heavy cage between them, climbing ponderously up the broad steps of his throne room. When they reached the top, he directed them to place the cage and its miserable occupant directly before the green-etched throne.

“Is it as you wish, my master?” The Alpha guard bowed to him, waiting for new directions.

The AllFather patted the thick shoulder approvingly. “It isss.” He should have done this in the first place, he told himself. Instead of having a son naturally he should have simply grown one in the flesh tanks. The vat-grown soldiers that made up his private guard and almost all of the Scourge population now were so much more malleable and tractable than Xairn. Then again, Xairn was his ticket to immortality so he supposed he couldn’t complain too much. All the trouble he’d had raising the boy would be worth it once he absorbed his son’s life force and power into himself. Once he became immortal.

A small movement from the occupant of the cage drew his attention. Stooping, he peered between the metal bars which were etched with the same, twisting green runes that covered his throne. “Well, my dear. How are you feeling thisss fine day?”

A soft, pain filled voice answered him. “Why have you woken me? You wish to torment me again?”

The AllFather tsked disapprovingly. “Why would I wish to torture you? You know the flavor of your pain no longer givesss me pleasure.”

“Then why? There must be a reason. Or will you finally kill me? I am close to death already—I can feel it.” The soft voice broke. “Please…let me die.”

“Not yet.” The AllFather smiled, his lipless mouth stretching into a skeletal grin. “Sssomeone is coming to sssee you. You would not wish to misss his visit, I think.”

“Who? Not—”

“Sssilence,” the AllFather hissed, closing his eyes. “Be sssilent and let me concentrate. You will sssee him in good time, my dear. In good time.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Xairn closed his eyes and let himself drift. Lauren was resting comfortably in his arms and Little One was curled up asleep on one side of his pillow. For the first time in his whole life, he felt completely and totally at peace and it was a wonderful feeling. Wonderful and yet…strange as well. There was something inside him now—some force or power—something he hadn’t felt before they made love. It puzzled Xairn and troubled him a little but whatever it was, it didn’t seem to be hurting him. It was simply there—a soft buzzing in the back of his mind, telling him he was changed.

It’s probably nothing, he told himself. Just the release of tension that was building up for so long. And what a release it had been…

They had made love several times, working themselves to a sweet exhaustion before Lauren had finally untied him and they had collapsed on the bed. Xairn reflected that it was extremely satisfying to finally consummate their love, to give in to the urges that had been tormenting both Lauren and himself for months now. He wondered that he hadn’t thought of taking the submissive role before but it simply hadn’t occurred to him. Male Scourge were always dominant. In fact, he wondered if one of his kind had ever allowed themselves to be subjugated by a female before. Probably not—such an action would have been seen as a sign of weakness in any male. But Xairn didn’t care as long as it allowed him to be with Lauren.

It was ironic in a way—he was one of the last real Scourge and yet he was the first to bow to the dominance of a female. And I will do it again without hesitation, he thought, stroking Lauren’s cheek tenderly. Any male would be proud to call her mistress. Would be lucky to give himself to her during lovemaking.

Of course, though their lovemaking had been amazing, it wasn’t bonding sex. Part of him—the savage, possessive Scourge part of his soul—still demanded that he take her completely, that he make her his beyond the shadow of a doubt. But Xairn found it easier to ignore that part now that the worst of his sexual thirst had been quenched.

Besides, bonding sex with a Scourge meant pain—not just for Lauren but for any female who lay with a Scourge male. There were no full blooded Scourge females left and no other species was equipped to handle that size and thickness of a Scourge male’s primary and secondary shaft. The results of bonding sex with an Earth female would no doubt be severe agony and probably injury—even if he was gentle, which he was certain he couldn’t be. He knew his Scourge instincts well enough by now to know that as soon as the urge to bond took over, he would be incapable of tenderness during the act.

He loved Lauren and didn’t want to hurt her. So though part of him would always feel incomplete, he refused to give in to his instinct to make her completely and totally his. It was better to remain as they were now rather than risk everything to fully possess her.

Putting the idea of bonding to the side, Xairn felt a glow of contentment as he contemplated his future. Despite Slk’s dire predictions that his Scourge DNA would reassert itself, the human strain he had gotten from Lauren seemed to be holding up remarkably well, and Xairn was grateful for it. It was that small restraint which had allowed him to take the submissive rather than the traditional dominant role during their lovemaking. Without it, he knew he would have burst his bonds and taken Lauren to the bed for bonding sex without hesitation. His Scourge instincts were simply too strong to control without help. Help from the tiny bit of humanity he carried within him. His eyes still got hot and changed to their old color when he was under a great deal of stress, but other than that he looked like a human male and that was how he was content to stay.

Lauren shifted, her long black hair whispering over his bare chest, and sighed softly. Xairn thought he saw a soft smile curve her lips and he smiled himself in answer. Now that they had finally found a way to be together without hurting her, he knew he would never leave. He and Lauren and Little One could stay together forever here on Earth, working in Lauren’s shop during the day and basking in the glow of their love at night. Together they were a family—something he had never really had and always longed for.

Still thinking of the warm, perfect future than lay before them, Xairn dropped a final kiss on Lauren’s silky black hair and allowed himself to relax into sleep.

“Ssson…my ssson…”

The familiar voice was calling him, calling from a long way away and yet it was too close. Much closer than Xairn ever wanted to be to the owner of that hissing, evil voice again.

“Xairn…” The voice called his name insistently. “Come to me, my ssson. I have sssomething I think you’ll want to sssee.”

“Leave me alone!” he tried to shout but the words came out in a whisper. Suddenly he was standing in the great, dark throne room of the Fathership. Sitting on the throne, etched in poison green lines, was his father.

The sight was a familiar one to him—something he had seen almost every day from birth. But there was something new this time. The AllFather’s booted feet rested on a large rectangular object which had been covered with a cloth. A box? No, a cage, Xairn was certain. He could hear something rustling around inside it and the cloth covering billowed, outlining the thick bars. For a moment he thought he saw the outline of a hand clasping one of the cruel iron rods, just beneath the cloth, but then it disappeared and he couldn’t be sure if he’d really seen it or not.

“What do you want with me?” he asked his father. “I renounced you and my entire race. How did you even find me?”

“You mean with your altered DNA?” The AllFather sneered derisively at his changed skin and eyes. “Yesss, excellent work, that. You look exactly like a human now…and you act like one too.”

Xairn frowned. “If you called me here to mock me, I don’t care. I like the way I look now and Lauren likes it too. Not to mention the fact that my human DNA allows me to control the Scourge urges to injure and rape I inherited from you.”

The crimson eyes burned. “I cannot believe you sssubverted your natural urgesss for the sssake of that female. A female too weak to withstand you in your true form isss no fit mate for my ssson.”

“Be careful, Father. She is my female and I will hear no word spoken against her,” Xairn growled.

“Your female, eh?” The AllFather laughed. “How dare you call her so when you haven’t placed a single mark of possession on her? Where is her brand? Where are her piercings and collar? Instead, you carry her brand on your chest as though she were the dominant and you the sssubmissive.”

Xairn lifted his chin. “I am submissive to her and I am proud of it. I would rather call her Mistress and bend myself to her will for the rest of my life than dominate and hurt her even once.”

His father made a noise of disgust at the back of his throat. “Truly you have become a weakling, my ssson. You ssswear eternal love for this female—you let her brand you with her name, you even take her DNA inside you. Yet you don’t even have the ssstrength to bond her to you. At any time ssshe could leave you and you could not ssstop her for you have no bond.”

“You know as well as I do what bonding sex entails for our kind,” Xairn growled. “I won’t put Lauren through that. And what’s more, I am through discussing it with you. Goodbye.” He turned to go, although he had no idea how to get out of the strange dream, but the AllFather called him back.

“Wait, my ssson. I didn’t call you here sssimply to ssspeak of your little female. I have sssomething here I think you’ll want to sssee.”

“Whatever you have, I don’t want to see it,” Xairn said, but he couldn’t help turning his head.

“Perhapsss I misspoke. I ssshould have sssaid I have sssomeone you might wish to sssee.” The AllFather leaned forward and patted the cloth-covered cage, his eyes glowing with evil glee. “Sssomeone you have been wishing to sssee for a very long time. Your entire life, in fact.”

Xairn’s heart was suddenly in his throat. He turned back toward the cage, his hands curled into fists at his sides. “What have you done? Who do you have in there?”

“Who do you think?” With a sudden move, the AllFather rose and yanked the black cloth from the cruel metal cage, revealing the occupant shivering within.

Xairn’s legs gave way and he stumbled, coming down on his hands and knees before the cage. “No,” he whispered as the familiar green eyes looked into his own. “No. Oh, no…”

“Oh yesss!” The AllFather began to laugh—a high, evil cackle that filled Xairn’s head like the tolling of a bell. He tried to get away from the sound, from the sight that met his eyes, but he couldn’t. He was trapped…trapped…

* * * * *

Lauren was jolted out of a deep, contented sleep by a shout of pure horror. “Oh my God, what? What is it?” she gasped, looking around wildly. Beside her, Xairn was thrashing wildly, so much so that Little One had retreated to the corner of the couch and was staring at him reproachfully with her big brown eyes.

“No!” he was gasping—moaning really. “No, no, no. Not her. Not her.”

“Not who?” Lauren demanded, grabbing him by the arm. “Xairn, wake up. You’re having a bad dream. Wake up, baby. Wake up!”

At last he sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes wide open. His entire body was tense and he was panting as though he’d just run a marathon. “Gods…” He shook his head and Lauren was both astonished and worried to see that he was crying—something she’d never seen him do before.

“Xairn? Baby?” Tentatively she touched his arm and he grabbed her hand and held on like a drowning man reached for a life preserver.

“I saw her.” He shook his head, the tears still pouring down his cheeks. “I thought she was dead but he has her. I saw her.”

“Saw who, baby? Who?” Lauren rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. Despite everything they’d been through together, she’d never seen Xairn this upset before—he was absolutely distraught.

“He has her locked in a cage.” Xairn covered his face with his other hand, his broad shoulders hunched in misery. “In a fucking cage. The Gods alone know what he’s done to her. What he’s doing right now.”

“Honey, please, you have to work with me here.” Lauren stroked his trembling shoulders and then pulled him close, pillowing his head on her breasts. “Tell me who you’re talking about. Who did you see?”

“My mother.” Xairn pulled away from her, his eyes wild and desolate. “All these years he let me think she was dead. He taunted me with visions of her—showed me how he’d taken me from her when I was still a baby. He showed me the tears in her eyes, the way she reached for me, begged to hold me just one more time. I…” He took a deep, hitching breath and shook his head. “I thought, ‘Well, at least she’s gone and he can’t hurt her anymore. At least she’s beyond his reach.’” He looked at Lauren. “But she’s not. She’s still alive and he is still tormenting her. All these years, I never knew…”

“Oh honey, that’s terrible.” Lauren stroked his hair. “What a terrible dream! I’m so sorry.”

Xairn shook his head grimly. “It was no dream. He has her and if I don’t hurry it will be too late to save her.”

“What?” Lauren had a cold, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “You can’t be serious—you’re going to go back up there? To the Fathership?”

Xairn nodded. “I have no choice.”

“It’s a trap,” she told him. “You know it is, Xairn. A trap to draw us out.”

“Which is why you’re not coming with me.” He was already out of bed and dressing. Lauren couldn’t help noticing that he was ignoring all the human clothes her mother had bought him and pulling on his old black leather flight pants instead.

“But—”

“He wants you, Lauren.” Xairn pointed a finger at her. “He thinks I’ll come back to his side and reveal your location if he uses my…her for bait. Maybe he even hopes I’ll bring you back with me. But that is not going to happen. You’re staying here, safe with Little One while I go take care of this matter.”

“Stay here while you walk into danger? I don’t think so!” Lauren frowned indignantly. “I’m coming with you.”

Xairn shook his head. “That is exactly what he wants. Don’t you see? The girls who have been taken—”

“Girls? As in more than one?”

He nodded rapidly. “Yes, I saw on the flatscreen that another was taken recently and she had hair just like yours. I didn’t want to say anything but those girls both had something that made them similar to you. He’s trying to find you and I can’t let him. I have to save my mother and stop him once and for all.”

“But you’ll be killed!” Lauren protested. “There are hundreds of those horrible vat-grown Frankenstein things up there. Not to mention the fact that your father has all those weird powers—”

“Like the power to get inside a person’s head and read their thoughts? The power to make someone do as he tells them, whether they want to or not?” Xairn said quietly.

“I…yes,” Lauren said in a small voice. “Xairn—”

“I have those abilities now, too,” he reminded her gently. “And they’re growing. I’m not sure but I think being close to you is making them grow. Our lovemaking has caused my power to expand somehow.”

“But baby, your father has had them for years. He knows how to use them. He—”

“I’m going,” he cut her off. Then his voice dropped to a more gentle register. “Lauren, please, try to understand—she’s my mother. I have to save her. You love your own mother very much—you know you’d do the same for her.”

When he put it that way, Lauren knew she had to let him go. But still, she couldn’t help the fear that filled her throat—like a wad of dry cotton that made it impossible to swallow.

“Please.” Xairn held out his hand. “Give me the ring, Lauren. The ship won’t work without it.”

She fingered the slim, silver O-ring which had come to mean so much to her. It said he loved her, that he would stay with her and try to work things out. And we did work things out! We finally found a way to stay together! And now he’s asking for it back—leaving. Oh, it’s not fair. Please, God, so not fair…

“I know it’s not fair.” Xairn drew her suddenly into a desperately tight hug. Holding her close, he pressed his face to her hair and inhaled, as though he wanted to take her scent with him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I love you but I have to go.”

Lauren felt the tears coming but she struggled to hold them back. He was determined to do this and there nothing she could say would stop him. At least she could be as brave as he was about it. “All right,” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. “But…but don’t go alone.”

Xairn pulled back and looked at her, frowning. “And who exactly am I supposed to take with me? I told you, Lauren, I won’t let you put yourself in danger by coming.”

“Not me.” She sniffed. “You’re right—I wouldn’t be much use to you in a fight. But what about Deep and Lock or some of the other Kindred? You helped them when we all escaped from your home world. Don’t they owe you one?”

“Owe me one?” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. We fought on the same side on my home world because we had no choice. But the Scourge and the Kindred are enemies. I can’t ask them to help.”

“Then I will.” Lauren struggled out of his embrace and began getting dressed herself. “I’m going down to the HKR building right now to place a call to the Mother ship. I can’t let you go up there without backup. I don’t care what you say—they owe you some help. And they strike me as the kind of people who always pay their debts.”

Xairn frowned and then sighed. “All right. I don’t expect anything will come of it but I’ll wait a little while if it will make you feel better. Tell them I’ll be in orbit around the dark side of the moon. But if they don’t come soon, I’m going in alone.”

“Don’t do that, please! I’m sure I can convince them.” Lauren pulled on her clothes hastily and stuffed her feet into a pair of shoes. “Please, baby.”

“I told you I’d wait a little while.” He held out his hand again. “The ring?”

Fighting back tears, Lauren worked the silver O-ring off her finger and placed it in the center of his broad palm. Then she lost the battle with her emotions. Throwing herself against his chest, she locked her arms around his neck and sobbed.

“I love you, Xairn. Please be careful. Please come back to me—swear you will.”

He held her tight and she felt his big form tremble and knew he was crying too. “I will,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with sorrow. “I swear it, Lauren, I will come back to you. I will.”

Chapter Thirty-five

“So he’s going up there alone unless someone will help him.” Lauren’s voice was choked with sobs and from what she could see on the viewscreen, it looked to Kat like she’d gotten dressed in the dark. Her blouse was inside out and her hair was wild. But that was to be expected when your man went off on a suicide mission, she supposed.

“Oh Lauren,” she said, wishing the other girl was up on the Mother ship so she could put her arms around her and comfort her. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” Lauren blotted her eyes with her inside out sleeve. “I know this is a horrible thing to ask you but I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

“You did the right thing, calling us.” Deep stepped up behind Kat and Lock joined him. “We will answer the call for help and come to the aid of our brother.”

“What brother? Who are you talking about and why did you call us?” Baird and Sylvan suddenly crowded into the viewing room, followed by Sophia and Liv. “What’s going on?”

“Xairn is going to confront his father—er, the AllFather right now at the Fathership,” Kat explained, feeling numb. “He’s going alone unless he gets some help.”

“He is not going alone,” Deep said. “I’m going with him.”

“As am I.” Lock nodded.

“Going to the Fathership with only a few warriors is a suicide mission,” Baird objected, frowning. “I know you helped each other on the Scourge home world, Deep, but just because this Scourge has chosen to sacrifice himself is no reason for you and Lock to join him.”

Deep shook his head. “You don’t understand. I have to help him—I was ordered to do so.”

“Ordered?” Sylvan raised one blond eyebrow. “By who?”

“By the Goddess.” Deep spoke in a low voice as he met each male’s eyes in turn. “You all know that I was on the brink of death—in fact, I was dead—during the last joining that Kat and Lock and I participated in before we were bonded. But what I haven’t told any of you—not even Kat—was how I was saved.”

“Are you saying the Goddess herself rescued you?” Baird asked, frowning.

Deep nodded. “My spirit was caught in the AllFather’s grip and I knew I would never be able to return to my body. I was ready to die and then…she saved me. While I was in her presence she told me she had a special interest in Xairn. She said a war was coming—a conflict with the AllFather that would make all our battles up until now seem insignificant.”

“And you think this is what she was talking about?” Sylvan asked. “This confrontation that Xairn is going into with the AllFather?”

Deep nodded again. “Her exact words were: ‘I charge you, Warrior, that you give him aid if he asks it of you. That you help him in any way you can. And that you not speak of this until the time is right.’” He lifted his chin. “I think now the time is right. I hope you understand, brothers, why I have to go.”

“I do.” Sylvan nodded. “And I think I must go as well.”

“And me,” Baird said.

“Baird?” Olivia’s face was white as a sheet and she cupped her rounded belly protectively. “Do you…you really have to?”

“Lilenta…” Baird drew his pregnant wife to him and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. “I know this is a frightening thing but I feel it’s meant to be. The Goddess has touched all our lives in one way or another since I first called you as my bride. I think she means for us to take part in this conflict.”

“I feel the same way,” Sylvan said thoughtfully. “She has made herself known to us in ways that most Kindred do not get to experience. We should consider ourselves blessed.”

Sophia’s green eyes overflowed with tears. “I always knew something like this might…might happen,” she whispered, clinging to Sylvan. “I guess it goes with the territory—marrying a warrior and all. But…I didn’t think it would happen this soon.”

“I didn’t either, but it has.” Kat took a deep breath and lifted her chin, trying to be strong. “Girls, I know we hoped it would never come to this but it has. And if our males are brave enough to go face this threat, I think we have to be brave enough to let them. And I think—I hope—that the Goddess will protect them through it.”

“I hope you’re right.” Liv’s silver-gray eyes were shiny with tears too. “I hope you are, Kat, because I don’t know what I’d do if—” But she stopped, unable to say it.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Lauren whispered from the viewscreen. “I feel horrible. I was hoping you could get a whole squadron of Kindred together—like an army or something—not just the four of you.”

Baird shook his head. “Not without involving the Council and that would take far too long.”

“Besides, a smaller force might be more effective.” Sylvan looked thoughtful. “No doubt the AllFather is only expecting Xairn to show up and that’s all he’s prepared for. If we attacked with an army, he’d mobilize all his forces and we’d be locked in a stand-off—unable to get to him. But a single ship with what he believes is only one passenger is no threat.”

“You’re right, Brother.” Deep sounded excited. “He’ll let us in by the front door without suspecting a thing.”

“So you’ll have him outnumbered?” Sophia asked hopefully.

“Except for the thousands of vat-grown soldiers who live only to serve that evil bastard’s will,” Liv said flatly. “Sorry,” she said when her twin gave her a reproachful look. “But aren’t they supposed to be like fighting machines?”

“They’re big but they can also be slow and stupid,” Kat said, trying to comfort Sophie. “Then can’t even work guns—uh, blazers—because they’re too dumb to know how to use them.”

“We’ll use that to our advantage,” Sylvan said, kissing his bride. “Please, Talana, don’t cry. I’ll be coming back to you—I swear it.”

“You’d better.” She clung to him and pressed her face to his neck. “You’d better come back to me, Sylvan. I don’t…don’t think I could live without you.”

“That goes double for me,” Liv said in a trembling voice.

“Lilenta, please try to understand—” Baird began but she held up a hand to stop him.

“Spare me the ‘I could not love thee half so much, loved I not honor more’ speech. I know you’re going and I know why. Just remember your son, Baird.” She patted her belly again.

“I’ll remember and I’ll return to both of you.” He kissed her gently and then leaned down to kiss her belly as well.

“Well…” Kat turned to her own two males who were standing on either side of her, as always. “I guess we’d better get in on the goodbye action too. I…I…” Suddenly hot tears were pouring down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she gasped. “Here I am making speeches about being brave and I can’t…can’t even keep from…from crying myself.”

“It’s all right, my lady,” Lock murmured as he and Deep both embraced her, holding her in the special three-way hug she’d come to love so much.

“Hold on, little Kat.” Deep kissed her deeply and stroked her hair. “The Goddess sent me back to you once—she will not fail to keep Lock and myself safe for you again.”

“I hope you’re right.” Kat sniffed and tried to get hold of herself. “God, I really, really hope you are, Deep.”

“I am,” he said firmly but she couldn’t help thinking that she saw some doubt in his black eyes. Doubt mixed with determination—he was going to do this no matter what she said. All of their males were. The only thing she and Liv and Sophie could do was pray for their safe return.

“I love you,” she said and heard the simple sentiment echoed throughout the viewing room as all the warriors got a last hug and kiss. Then they filed out of the doorway one by one, heads up, shoulders back, the light of battle in their eyes. Though she knew it might be the last time she saw Deep and Lock, Kat couldn’t help the stirrings of pride in her heart. They were males of valor—honor and courage ran in their veins like blood. She had never been more proud—and more unhappy—to be mated to her Kindred males.

As the males left, Nadiah came in the door. “What are you all doing in here and where are Sylvan and the rest of them going? Hello, Lauren.” She nodded at the viewscreen and Lauren nodded back miserably. “What’s wrong?”

Sophia pounced on her. “Nadiah! Xairn has gone to confront the AllFather and Sylvan and Baird and Deep and Lock are going to help him. We’re all scared to death but you—you have the gift—the Sight!”

Olivia’s eyes were wide. “She does, doesn’t she? Quick, Nadiah—can you see anything? Do you feel anything?”

Kat couldn’t help feeling sorry for the poor girl. “Come on, you guys, she can’t just turn it on like a switch.” She looked at Nadiah hopefully. “Uh, can you?”

“Not usually,” Naidah said carefully. “But…I can try.”

“Please do,” begged Sophie. “Please!”

“All right.” Taking a deep breath, Nadiah closed her eyes and appeared to concentrate deeply. But when she looked up, there was a troubled expression on her face. “Nothing,” she said quietly. “I see nothing but darkness. I’m sorry.”

Chapter Thirty-six

Xairn stared fixedly at the controls of the Kindred ship wondering how much longer he should wait. It was stupid, really, expecting warriors who were technically his enemies to come to his aid. He was only waiting because he had promised Lauren he would. But he couldn’t put off the confrontation with the AllFather much longer—not if he hoped to keep his mother alive.

Gods, after all these years, he couldn’t believe that he might actually see her, that she might speak his name in that soft, clear voice he’d heard so often in dreams. When he was a child he used to wish for her constantly, especially after he was taken from his nurse. His father had fed his feelings of yearning and abandonment, deliberately showing him images of his mother over and over again in order to draw sustenance from Xairn’s pain.

Mother, he thought, staring out at the endless black reaches of space being displayed on the viewscreen. For so many years I longed for you. I’ll save you from him even if it kills me. I swear I will.

Suddenly a very strong feeling that someone wanted to talk to him intruded on his thoughts. Surprised, he opened himself to the new feeling. “Is someone there?”

“Forgive me for bespeaking you, Brother, but we wanted you to know we’re on our way,” a voice said in his head.

“Deep?” Xairn could hardly believe it. “Are you and Lock coming?”

“Along with two of our brothers. Together we’ll do what has to be done.” Deep sounded confident. Just the sound of his mind-voice gave Xairn a boost and he realized he really was glad that the Kindred warriors he had met so briefly were willing to help.

“Thank you, he sent. I am deeply in your debt. I know you have no obligation to help one who you consider an enemy.”

“You’re no enemy,” Deep sent back. “Though you are Scourge and we are Kindred, we’re brothers beneath the skin.”

There was a sudden hollow pounding at the door of the Kindred ship and Xairn heard Deep shout, “Open up, it’s us.”

Quickly he went to the airlock and engaged it, making a seal with the other ship. Then he swung the metal door inward, welcoming the Kindred warriors inside. Deep and Lock he knew by sight but there were two more—a Beast Kindred and a Blood Kindred if he was not mistaken, whom Deep introduced as Baird and Sylvan. One had black hair and the other had blond but both of them had grim, battle-ready expressions on their faces.

“Welcome,” Xairn said stiffly. “You have my gratitude.”

“Didn’t I tell you we were brothers beneath the skin?” Deep stepped forward and hugged him, pounding him on the back in a warrior’s embrace. Pulling back he surveyed Xairn. “And speaking of skin, just look at yours! I wondered how you were passing as human down on Earth.”

“I had my DNA altered,” Xairn said. “I believe Lauren finds my appearance much more palatable now.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty all right.” The Beast Kindred called Baird gave him a white grin. “But we don’t give a damn what you look like—it’s how you fight that counts.”

“I am ready to fight,” Xairn told him. “Ready to kill that bastard who raised me in such pain and misery. He has my mother. I don’t know if Lauren told you that but she is the reason I have to do this.”

“We understand,” Sylvan, the blond warrior said. “And we’re ready to help you make the fight. But a little strategy before we go charging in would probably be prudent.”

“I agree.” Xairn nodded. “My father will be expecting me to come alone or with Lauren. He still seeks her to fulfill the prophesy. That’s why he’s trying to lure me back to the Fathership.”

“How many guards around him?” Baird asked.

“Probably four if it’s like last time,” Lock answered for him. “His main guards are huge but slow—except when the AllFather is controlling them.”

“They’re soulless,” Deep added. “He can work them like puppets when he wants to so beware of them.”

“It is my father’s personal power—his ability to get into your mind and control you—that we need to be most concerned with,” Xairn said. “If the rest of you will help me clear a path, I’ll try to engage him.”

“We can’t just let you fight him by yourself,” Deep objected.

Xairn shook his head. “You have to. You see, I have some of the same powers.” He took a deep breath. “I can withstand him as the rest of you cannot. At least, I hope I can.”

“Then we’ll do all we can to see that you have a clear shot at the AllFather,” Sylvan said decisively. “But if we see you struggling and there’s anything we can do, we can’t promise to hold back.”

“True.” Deep nodded. “Kat cares deeply for Lauren—she’d never forgive me if I didn’t do everything I could to be sure the mate of her friend returns safely.”

“That goes double for us,” Baird growled. “Olivia would have my hide if I let the mate of her kin die.”

Xairn felt a surge of gratitude for the strong males beside him, pledging their help and support. Here was the same feeling he’d experienced with Lauren, but in a different form. Family. Brothers. Maybe after this is over I can really become one of them. It was a hope he couldn’t help cherishing. After his lonely, cold existence on the Fathership, the idea of having people to care about, who also cared about him, was certainly tempting. But in order to get to that point, he had to confront his father first.

“I thank you,” he said again, bowing formally. “And if any of you has a weapon I could borrow, I would be grateful for that as well. Mine is completely out of charge.”

“Will this do?” Sylvan produced a black piece of metal that was curved on one end. “It’s a cryo-knife,” he explained as Xairn examined it. “Not as much range as a projectile weapon, obviously, but it’s good for close work. Plunge it to the hilt in your enemy’s chest and you’ll flash-freeze his heart and all his internal organs in a tenth of a second.”

“Intriguing—I’ve never seen a weapon like it before,” Xairn murmured. He thumbed the switch at the bottom and a thin, ice blue blade made of pure energy hummed out of the curved end. “Where did you get it?”

“It’s an ancient weapon developed on my home world,” Sylvan said. “We know a lot about cold on Tranq Prime. This particular cryo-knife was carried by my father until he passed it on to me.”

“Then I am indeed honored to carry it into battle.” Xairn nodded gravely and turned the knife off again. “If you’re all ready, I will to pilot a course for the Fathership.”

“Lead on.” Baird grinned and pounded him on the shoulder. “I’ve been spoiling for a fight for months now. I know it makes our females nervous, but a male needs to go to battle sometimes. It’s in our blood.”

“I agree.” Sylvan smiled and put an arm around Baird’s shoulders. “Let’s go knock some heads.”

“Forget knocking heads.” Deep gave him a bloodthirsty grin. “Let’s kill the bastards.”

His twin brother nodded. “We will spill their blood like water.”

“We’re in agreement then,” Xairn said. “Let’s go!”

The approach to the Fathership didn’t take long and, as Xairn had expected, the docking bay doors slid wide with no trouble at all. His father was welcoming him home—like a spider welcoming a nervous fly. But I’m not nervous, he told himself as a cold cloak of certainty dropped over him. I’m here because I need to be—this confrontation has been a long time coming—maybe my entire life.

He felt the males behind him tense as the small Kindred ship settled in the huge, empty space. Behind them, the docking bay door slid silently shut and then the entry level access irised open revealing…

“Nothing,” Baird said, breaking the tense silence. “There’s nobody there.”

“Where are all the Scourge warriors?” Deep wanted to know.

Xairn opened the ship’s door. “There aren’t many of us left—not true Scourge anyway. We’ve been dying out for years now, as you know, and the only way we have to replenish our race is by growing soldiers in our flesh tanks. They’re like automen—poor copies of a twisted reality. They aren’t smart or fast but there are many of them.”

“Not here, there aren’t,” Baird muttered as they all descended from the ship.

“Or if they’re here, they’re hiding,” Sylvan put in.

“Just wait,” Xairn said grimly. “Now that we’re inside the ship my father will know I’m not alone. We had all better be prepared to fight soon.”

“Where will the AllFather be, do you think?” Lock asked.

“In his throne room.” Xairn nodded down the long, empty corridor. “This way. Come—the closer we can get to him before we’re blocked by the vat grown soldiers he sends, the better.”

“Let’s go,” Deep said. “If we no longer have the element of surprise on our side, at least we can have speed.” He started off at a dead run for the empty hallway and Xairn and the rest followed. They made good progress through the echoing corridors and he was just beginning to think they might actually get all the way to the throne room unmolested, when the first wave of vat grown soldiers appeared.

“Watch out!” Deep kept charging even as he shouted. He had his blazer out and ready and was already carving his way through the silent ranks. The rest of them followed, doing the same, but for every vat grown they cut down, two more rose to take its place.

The vat grown soldiers moved forward, a noiseless, grasping mob, arms outstretched, reaching for anything they could rend or destroy. Some were armed with knives, though none of them had a kusax, Xairn was relieved to see. Though silent and stupid they were big and strong and there were hundreds of them to their small force of five.

“They’re like insects,” Sylvan shouted, batting away a Scourge soldier with a long knife and getting a nasty gouge on the arm for his trouble. “Cut one down and a dozen more pour in to take its place.”

“Just keep going!” Baird roared. He was forcing his way through the corridor now, cutting swaths through the ranks of the vat grown with his blazer and leaving a trail of steaming body parts in his path. Xairn was right beside him, stabbing the ones that got too close with the cryo-knife. Again and again he plunged the glowing blue blade to the hilt in a vat grown’s chest. Again and again he watched as their bodies went stiff, a fine patina of frost covering the muscular torso before they fell to their knees, only to be trampled by their fellow soldiers.

The Kindred were fighting valiantly beside him and Xairn could see the huge double doors which led to the throne room far ahead at the end of the hall. But the narrow metal corridor was getting clogged with bodies, both living and dead, and there were only so many each warrior could fight off at once. Xairn had several freely bleeding wounds on his arms, chest, and back and all around him he could see his new friends receiving similar injuries.

“There are too many of them!” Lock’s voice was a hoarse shout of despair. “They’re everywhere.”

With a feeling of desperation, Xairn realized he was right. Even if the entire lot of silent, deadly soldiers dropped dead that moment, their bodies would still block the way to his father. Why is he doing this? he thought, looking through the seething mass of bodies to the open doors of the throne room. He wants me here—he lured me back himself. This must be some kind of a test.

“How right you are my ssson,” the voice of the AllFather hissed in his head. “The question is, can you passs it? Can you find your way to the foot of my throne before your darling mother isss no more?”

Xairn cursed aloud in his harsh native tongue. His father’s mocking laughter echoed in his head in reply. Clearly the AllFather was enjoying himself immensely. Suddenly Xairn’s eyes grew hot and he felt something swell within him—some power beyond the physical realm. He opened his mouth, uncertain of what might come out.

“Listen to me, soldiers of the Scourge,” he shouted and his words rang with the power that was building up inside him. “Cease fighting and listen.”

As one, the vat grown soldiers stopped fighting and stood motionless, their empty, soulless eyes fixed on Xairn.

“This is not your fight,” he told them, still speaking with the resonance of power. “You are little more than animated corpses—bodies grown from ancient DNA harvested long ago. You are kept alive and breathing by the cruel will of the AllFather, forced to fight in order to serve his whims.”

The ranks of the vat grown swayed toward him and Xairn could feel their silent agreement. They might not have much intelligence but they knew enough to know they led a miserable existence. They never knew kindness or comfort or love—only the endless grind of a daily existence devoid of anything but pain and monotony.

“Go,” he told them, his voice ringing through the metal corridor. “Go from here and do not return.”

“Nicely done, my ssson,” The AllFather laughed in his head. “And most humane—letting them live instead of killing them. It must be the human DNA in you, making you so weak. You could easily have had them turn on each other, you know.”

“I know that but I choose not to. And I’m not done yet,” he sent back grimly. Looking at the silent hordes which were already beginning to disperse, he raised his voice once more. “Go to the flesh tanks, the vats where you were grown,” he told them. “Rip them apart! Make certain that no more like you can ever be made again!”

He heard the hiss of anger in his head but the vat grown soldiers were already on the move and Xairn didn’t think that even the AllFather would be able to stop them all before the damage was done.

Baird let out a breath as the soldiers shuffled away, leaving their dead and dying behind without a backward glance. “Very impressive, Xairn, but how do we know they won’t come back again?”

“They won’t.” Xairn nodded in the direction of the throne room. “There might be more guarding my father, though. If so, leave them to me.”

Deep shook his head as they began to advance again, stepping over the fallen bodies. “How in the seven hells did you do that, anyway?”

“I don’t know.” Xairn shook his head. “It is a power that has been growing inside me. Being with Lauren seems to have…unleashed it somehow.”

Sylvan smiled. “Then she must be an amazing female, Brother.”

“She is,” Xairn said seriously. “As soon as I’m done here, I’m going back to her.”

“As we all will return victorious to our females,” Baird grinned. “Come, brothers, the true fight awaits.”

They charged forward into the throne room but as they passed the threshold of the immense double doors, they were immediately enveloped in a cloud of dread. Xairn had lived with it so long that it barely affected him but he could see the unease on the faces of his companions. The feeling of horror and panic was part of the AllFather’s personal aura—he carried it with him everywhere but it was strongest here, near his seat of power.

“Steady,” he heard Baird tell the others. “You’re not going crazy—this is just the way it feels in here. Ignore it.”

“You ignore my warningsss at your own peril, warrior.” The AllFather’s hissing voice filled the vast, echoing room.

Xairn looked up the vast set of broad black steps leading to the green etched throne and saw his father standing at the top. The AllFather was flanked on both sides by his personal guard—eight foot tall monstrosities of the flesh tanks which stayed with him at all times. Xairn tried to look around them, to see if the cage containing his mother was sitting at the foot of the throne, as it had been in his dream. But there was no seeing anything past their bulk.

“Where is she?” he said, looking up at the skeletal figure in the billowing black cloak. “What have you done to her?”

“Nothing that ssshe did not richly dessserve for giving me sssuch a weak and cowardly ssson.” The AllFather’s eyes blazed crimson and Xairn felt his own eyes growing hot in return.

“If you hurt her—”

“Come and see for yourself.” The AllFather looked at his head guard. “Alpha, you and the othersss engage the Kindred in combat. Allow only my ssson to passs.”

The huge guard seemed to be thinking hard. “But Master…that will leave you unprotected.”

“I need no protection from my ssson,” the AllFather snapped. “The human DNA he carriesss makes him weak. He hasss neither the sssavagery nor the ssstrength to overcome me. Now go!”

Nodding obediently, the Alpha guard and the other three vat grown soldiers that made up the AllFather’s personal bodyguard, came lumbering down the steps.

“Get ready, brothers,” Baird said in a low voice. “They’re coming for us.”

Concentrating, Xairn called the power to him again. “Stop!” he commanded the Alpha guard but the huge soldier kept coming. From the top of the steps, the AllFather laughed.

“Nice try my ssson, but these are no ordinary guardsss. I had each of them grown ssspecially, as you know and I am ssshielding their mindsss with my own. You cannot use your fledgling powersss on them any more than you can ussse them on me.”

“I wasn’t going to use my powers on you.” Xairn held up the cryo-knife, showing the deadly pale blue blade. “I’d rather use this.”

For a moment the crimson eyes of the AllFather widened, then he threw back his skull-like head and laughed. “Do you really expect me to believe you’d try to kill me? I’m your father, Xairn.”

“Yes, you’re my father.” As he spoke, Xairn began to climb the stairs. “Also my torturer, my jailer, and my most constant oppressor. You made my life a misery from the day of my birth.”

“And yet you ssstill come running back the moment I call,” the AllFather taunted.

“I came back for her—for my mother.” Xairn could hear the sounds of battle as the AllFather’s guards clashed with the Kindred warriors but he had eyes only for the foot of the throne. There stood the cage, just as it had in his dream. Also as it had been in his dream, the cage was covered by a black cloth. “And to stop you from ever getting to Lauren,” he added, meeting his father’s burning gaze.

“What makes you think I have any interessst in your little female?” the AllFather hissed.

“You’re still trying to fulfill the prophecy,” Xairn said, still climbing as he spoke. He was nearly to the top step now, nearly to the cage… “You even took girls who looked like her, but they couldn’t fulfill your purpose.”

“On the contrary, my errant ssson, they fulfilled my purpose nicely—sssince my purpose was only to make you think I wasss ssstill interested in Lauren.”

Xairn frowned. “If you don’t want Lauren, then who do you want?”

“You.” The AllFather’s eyes suddenly went pitch black, the red bleeding out of his irises to be replaced by a dark void. “You, my ssson! It is you that I want.”

Xairn was taken aback by the wave of pure evil he felt pouring from his father’s empty eyes. “But…why?”

“You ssshall sssee. But by then it will be too late.”

The AllFather began to laugh and the vast, dark room seemed to swim around Xairn. The green etched throne, glowing with poisonous runes, the black covered cage, the AllFather himself laughing coldly, were suddenly a strange swirl of color and confusion.

Suddenly Xairn felt as though a cold fist was gripping his heart. “No!” he tried to cry out but the word came out as a whisper. He heard Baird and Deep both shouting his name from the foot of the broad staircase but he couldn’t see them—couldn’t see anything but his father’s strange, black-on-black eyes.

And then the draining sensation began.

“I knew ssshe would bring you to the peak of your power,” the AllFather hissed, his arms outstretched as he absorbed Xairn’s life force. “I knew ssshe would caussse you to mature and come into your own. And now your power will be mine—I will live forever when I have drained you, my ssson.”

Xairn tried to answer but he was weak, so very weak… He could feel his will to live, to fight, draining away with every passing second. His fading strength seemed to delight his father.

“You’re ssstronger than I ever dared to dream you would be,” he hissed. “Even with that ridiculousss human DNA grafted to your own, you ssstill have powersss beyond measure. But now the human part of you will be your downfall.”

“What?” Xairn whispered. He was on his knees now, the cryo-knife dangling uselessly from one limp hand. “What…what do you mean?”

“It holdsss you back but ssstill you cherish it.” The AllFather laughed. “Still you cannot let it go.”

Suddenly, Xairn realized his father was right. The human DNA was holding him back—restraining him from using his power completely. In order to defeat the AllFather he would have to release it, would have to allow his Scourge DNA to come to the forefront and supplant it.

But if I do that, I’ll never be able to be with Lauren again. It’s all that keeps my Scourge impulses in check—the only reason I’m able to be with her without hurting her, he thought desperately. Better to keep it, hang on to what little humanity I have, than revert to my former self and come back to her a ravening, lustful monster.

Then he lifted his head and saw that the black cloth covering the cage had blown partially away. A small, feminine hand was clutching one of the bars of the cage and from its depths, he thought he saw a familiar pair of green eyes.

Mother! Determination suddenly surged through him. He hadn’t come here to die, to allow his father to suck him dry and leave a lifeless husk behind. He was here to save her—the female whose face he had only seen in dreams. The one who had given birth to him and had him torn from her arms. The mother he had always longed to know was just a few feet away, being held in the AllFather’s cruel iron cage. He must not let her die!

Summoning all the natural Scourge rage that lay within him, just below the surface of his psyche, Xairn stopped the power flowing out of him. Then, with a strength born of desperation, he snapped the fragile chain of human DNA within himself, allowing the floodgates of his true identity to surge forward.

Immediately his eyes burned and he was flooded with power. With it came cruelty, possessiveness, and a lust he knew he would never be able to control. A monster, he thought as the Scourge impulses rushed through his body like a wildfire, devouring all that was good. I am truly a monster now. He looked down at his hand, holding the cryo-knife. No longer was his skin a smooth, even tan. It had reverted to its natural color of pale, pearlescent gray. Xairn knew without looking that his eyes had gone back to their normal red-on-black as well. He was Scourge again—through and through. There were other things to worry about at the present, however. Such as what to do to his father.

“Xairn?” The AllFather was looking at him uncertainly. “My ssson? How have you changed?”

“I told you before that I am your son no longer.” Xairn heard the coldness in his own voice as he got to his feet. He raised the cryo-knife. “You have only yourself to blame for that.”

“Ssstop!” The AllFather’s voice crackled with authority and Xairn felt him put out a tendril of power, but it had no effect on him. Instinctively, he grabbed the power, reaching out with a part of himself he had never known he possessed until now. The part was like a greedy, hungry hand. It pushed out from the center of his chest and grasped for life—any life—to feed its monstrous appetite. Once it latched on to the power coming from the AllFather, it began to grow, to suck in his energy and life force.

“How do you like it, Father?” Xairn asked coldly, as he felt the force inside him begin to grow, even as his father’s power diminished. “How does it feel to be the one who is drained?”

“No!” The AllFather’s eyes were red-on-black again but instead of crimson, his irises were a pale, rusty red. They looked faded somehow and his already pale skin began to grow ashen.

Because of me, Xairn thought coldly. Because I’m draining him, killing him. The thought didn’t cause any pain or remorse. The more power he drew from his father, the less he felt. The less he cared. And the more he wanted.

“Ssstop!” the AllFather wheezed, sinking to his knees. “It was a test, don’t you sssee? Only a test, my ssson. And you have passed it. You are fit to rule with me, by my ssside. Please…no…” He fell over, onto his side, his mouth open in soundless screams but still Xairn drained him. Still the hungry hand grasped for more…

“My son, stop!”

At first Xairn thought it was some trick his father was playing but the voice he heard now was soft and feminine and there was no hissing in its tone.

“Stop,” the voice cried again. “Do not take any more of his essence into yourself. Inhaling his evil will taint your soul!”

Looking up, he saw a feminine face pressed to the bars of the cage. It was the same face he remembered seeing over and over again in the visions his father had shown him. The sight of it—of her—nearly stopped his heart. It had begun to feel like a fist of solid ice in his chest but now it throbbed painfully inside him, as if to say that it wasn’t quite frozen yet.

“Mother?” he asked, stepping around the fallen body of the AllFather. “Is it you? Really you?”

“Oh Xairn. My baby.” She pressed her face to the bars of the cage and reached out to him with both arms.

Xairn came to her slowly, walking on legs that felt like dry sticks. Mother…my mother… Strangely, she looked exactly as he had seen her in the visions. Her long brownish-black hair wasn’t streaked with grey and her face was unlined—untouched by age.

“Mother,” he whispered again, falling to his knees beside her and taking her outstretched hands. “How…why…I thought you were dead. Why did I never see you? Where did he keep you?”

“Your father held me in stasis—never aging, never changing. He has a stasis tube in one of the emergency life pods—that was where he kept me.” Her eyes were bright with tears. “He wanted my pain to remain fresh—the pain of losing you. Oh Xairn, my baby, to me it was only yesterday that you were torn from my arms. And now you’re a fully grown male. I can hardly believe it.”

“Mother…” Suddenly he could stand to see her caged no longer. “Hold on,” he said, looking for the lock. “I’ll get you out of here. I’ve come to take you home.”

“Oh Xairn…” She let out a half sob as he found the locking mechanism and plunged the cryo-knife into it. The lock froze and shattered into a thousand pieces. Headless of the shrapnel, Xairn dragged open the door to the cage. “Come out.”

“My son. How I have longed to hold you just once more.” Stiffly, she made her way out of the cramped confines and fell into his arms. Xairn pulled her close at once, crushing her to him, pressing his face to her hair and breathing her in.

“Mother,” he whispered. “All my life I have longed for you.”

“I’m sorry. So sorry.” She sobbed against him and Xairn tried to hold her more gently. She felt fragile in his arms, as though she might break into a thousand pieces like the lock had.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm the painful throbbing of his heart. Not frozen now—his mother’s love had melted it completely. “It’s all right now,” he whispered. “I’ll take you someplace safe. You’ll never have to worry about anything again. I’ll provide for you, care for you—”

“No, my son.” Her voice sounded strange in his ears and he pulled back to look at her.

“Why not?”

“I won’t live that long. Look.” She indicated her face and Xairn saw to his horror that her formerly smooth skin was now lined with wrinkles. As he watched, more lines encroached, etching themselves into her lovely features, turning her old and haggard. Streaks of silver grew in her hair and her hands grew withered and gnarled.

“Gods!” he exclaimed, panicked. “What’s wrong? What’s happening to you?”

“The cage I was placed in was a stasis holder.” Her voice sounded scratchy and high, the voice of an old woman. “When I came out of it, my artificial youth was compromised. The years are catching up to me now—three years for every one I was in stasis. It is a deadly process—one I’m not strong enough to withstand, I fear.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Xairn’s felt hot tears spring to his eyes. “Why didn’t you stay in the cage? I never should have broken the lock!”

“I wanted you to.” She raised a withered hand and brushed his cheek. “I wanted to hold you in my arms one more time before I died. I love you, my darling. Love you so much. Please forgive my absence from your life.”

“You couldn’t help it,” Xairn whispered, his voice breaking as the tears came faster. “I could never…never blame you.”

“Thank you, my son. I love you.” She smiled at him and even though her face was withered and old, he thought her smile was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Tell me this at least—do you have someone to love you? Someone to care for you?”

Xairn thought of Lauren. Of how he would never be able to go back to her now that his Scourge nature had reasserted itself. “Yes,” he whispered hoarsely. “There is a girl I love. She’s kind and beautiful. I…I think you would like her.”

“I’m so glad.” His mother sighed tiredly. “So glad that you’re not alone. That you have someone to love you.” She shook her head feebly. “I must go now. Promise not to take any more of your father’s power—it leads only to corruption and evil.”

“I…I promise,” Xairn whispered. “Mother, please don’t go. Don’t…don’t die.”

But it was too late. Slowly her green eyes closed and her chest rose and fell once more. Looking at her, Xairn knew it would never rise again. She was gone.

“Mother!” Throwing back his head, he howled his grief to the universe. Dead, she was dead! He had found her at last only to lose her forever. It seemed so unfair, so wrong. He wanted to kill, wanted to die, wanted to dive into the blackness of space and let the airless vacuum take him so he wouldn’t have to feel the unbearable pain of her loss.

Suddenly he heard a soft sound at his feet.

“Ssso, you have freed her at last.” The AllFather was watching him from faded red eyes but Xairn thought he looked stronger than he had a few minutes ago. Was his power returning?

Doesn’t matter if it is, Xairn thought, turning a murderous gaze on his father. I can fix that. He felt the greedy, grasping fist rise inside him once more, ready to take, ready to inhale his father’s power and leave him a dry, desiccated corpse at the foot of his own throne.

But then he remembered the soft voice of his mother. “Inhaling his evil will taint your soul!” she’d said.

“That’sss right, it will.” The AllFather chuckled weakly, his eyes glowing brighter as he read Xairn’s thoughts. “Ssso you cannot take my life. I know you, my ssson—you will not go against your mother’sss dying wish.”

“No, I won’t.” Tenderly, Xairn laid his mother’s body on the ground and turned to face his father who had somehow gotten to his feet.

“I knew it.” The AllFather’s hissing laughter filled the air. “Knew you were too weak to truly challenge me.”

“I don’t wish to challenge you,” Xairn said, taking a step toward him. “I wish to kill you.”

“What—?” the AllFather began, his crimson eyes wide with surprise.

Xairn plunged the cryo-knife into his chest, skewering the twisted black lump that served as his heart. “Die, Father” he whispered. “Die.”

The AllFather’s body froze in shock and a thin layer of frost formed over his rigid torso. Xairn watched dispassionately as the male who had raised him with such misery and pain fell to his knees and the life left his eyes.

As the AllFather fell, it seemed as though some connection between them was severed. The strange, greedy hand Xairn had felt inside himself was being pulled out, like a tooth being yanked out by the roots. He cried out in sudden pain, one hand clutching his chest. Then he collapsed at the foot of the green etched throne, falling helpless between the bodies of his mother and father.

Mother, he thought, turning his face toward her face, finally peaceful in death. I’m sorry. I couldn’t save you but at least I avenged you. And whatever it was that made me like him is gone. The power, the greed, is gone…

Then the world was eaten by darkness and he knew no more.

Chapter Thirty-seven

He woke in a dim room with someone bending over him. “What…who are you?” he mumbled, trying to make his eyes focus.

“Relax Xairn. It’s me, Sylvan—I’m a healer.”

“Am I sick? Where am I?” He sat up in bed and the room spun around him. With a groan he sank back down onto the pillows.

“Take it easy.” Sylvan sounded worried. “You had many wounds—you lost a lot of blood. I want to give you a transfusion but I’m still running tests to make sure our blood is compatible with yours.”

“Nothing about me is compatible with anyone.” Xairn started to put a hand to his head…and stopped. “Turn up the lights.”

“What?” Sylvan frowned.

“Turn up the lights, damn it! I need to see something.”

“Very well.” Looking up, Sylvan addressed the ceiling. “Lights high.”

Xairn blinked in the sudden brilliance and examined his hand with its pearlescent grey skin. Grey? But it was tan—the human DNA I got from Lauren changed it. How can it possible by grey again? How—?

Suddenly, in a rush of images, everything came back to him. The corridor filled with vat grown soldiers, the high steps leading to the throne, the cage covered in black cloth, the grinning face of his father, the sorrowful, beautiful face of his mother before she aged and died right before his eyes. And the cryo-knife, plunged to the hilt in the AllFather’s chest.

Gone. They’re both gone. I killed them both.

“Your mother’s death was not your fault,” Sylvan murmured and Xairn realized he’d spoken his desolate thoughts aloud. “And your father richly deserved what you gave him.”

Xairn shook his head. “I took her from the cage. If I’d left her in—”

“She still would have died,” Sylvan interrupted him. “The stasis holder can’t last forever. Once a subject is taken from such a long stasis, death is inevitable. There was nothing you could have done to save her, Xairn. I’m sorry.”

“I longed for her all my life and I got to see her for such a short time.” Xairn looked down at his hands. “I do not regret what I did to my father but I will never stop mourning for her. For my mother.”

“I know.” Sylvan put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “At a time like this, it’s best to try and share the pain with someone who cares for you. Lauren is waiting to see you—she just came up from Earth. She’s outside the door right now.”

“No!” Xairn sat bolt upright. “No, I won’t see her. Don’t let her in.”

“Really?” Sylvan looked perplexed. “But, Brother, she loves you.”

“I am not your brother and it doesn’t matter how Lauren feels about me. I won’t see her.” Xairn looked down at the hateful grey hue of his skin. “Send her away.” He wished he could use the power he’d had so briefly to force the other male to do as he asked. But he knew without even trying that it was gone—it had been pulled from him during his father’s death. His Scourge instincts and desires, however, still remained intact.

“Be reasonable,” Sylvan said softly. “She cares for you deeply and I know you care for her. At least speak to her.”

“You’re right.” Xairn looked up at him. “I do care for her. I love her—which is why I must never see her again.”

Sylvan frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Look at me.” Xairn held out his hands. “I am as I was before. The human DNA I had grafted to my own has been broken and replaced by my original Scourge genetic makeup.”

“Lauren won’t care about your appearance,” Sylvan said, shaking his head. “Such things are of no importance where love is concerned.”

“It is because I love her that I cannot see her.” Xairn sighed painfully. “It’s not just the way I look—it’s the way I feel. The way I’ll act if I’m not careful.” He looked at the other male. “You know what Scourge sexual practices are, do you not? The dominance and cruelty that is bred into our very genes?”

Sylvan looked troubled. “I do but I thought you must have found a way to circumvent those traits.”

“I did.” Xairn ran a hand through his hair. “It was the human DNA—that was what allowed me to control myself. Now that it’s gone I cannot trust myself around Lauren anymore. I can’t…can’t trust myself not to harm her.” He looked at his hands. “Surely you can understand.”

“I would simply tell you to get your DNA altered again but a second alteration isn’t possible after the first has failed.” Sylvan raised one pale blond eyebrow at him. “You truly fear you might hurt her?”

“I know I would,” Xairn said heavily. “And I love her too much to risk her safety. Please…have her returned to Earth.”

Sylvan nodded reluctantly. “I will but I’m afraid she won’t go easily. She’s very insistent about seeing you.”

“Do whatever you have to but send her away. I can’t see her.” Xairn shook his head. “In fact, I need to leave myself.”

He started to get up but Sylvan stopped him, pushing back against the pillows with one large hand. “That I cannot allow. You’re still weak and under my care. Until I discharge you from the med unit, you’ll have to stay here.”

“How much longer do I have to stay?” Xairn demanded. “I need to leave—need to get far away from here.”

“Don’t be so eager to leave the ones who care for you,” Sylvan said gently. “It doesn’t matter to us what you look like, we still consider you our brother. Now rest—I’ll try to handle Lauren.”

Xairn wanted to get out of bed, to protest that he was well enough to leave. But the room began spinning around him again and his head dropped back on the pillows. Soon, he told himself, putting a hand over his arm. Soon I’ll leave and go far from here.

Where would he go? He had no idea but it didn’t really matter. He didn’t care where he went as long as he put enough distance between himself and Lauren. Enough that she could never, ever find him.

Chapter Thirty-eight

“Surprise!”

Lauren looked up to see Olivia, Sophia, and Kat walk in the door of the Sweet Spot. She waved at them, trying to smile. “Hi, you guys.”

“It’s not a surprise, Liv,” Sophia said as they came up to the counter. “I told her we were coming.”

“You did?” Olivia demanded. “Why?”

“So I could whip up a special treat for my pregnant cuz,” Lauren said. “Hang on, let me run in the back and get it.”

“Can I come with you?” Kat stepped forward, a curious look on her face. “I’ve always wanted to see what the inside of a bakery looks like.”

“Come on back.” Lauren nodded at her friend and beckoned her around the counter. “Would you two like to come too?” she asked her cousins.

“Uh, I think we’ll stay here and admire your creations.” Sophia nodded at her twin sister. Olivia’s eyes were glued to the glass cases in the front where the cupcakes Lauren had baked that morning were on display.

“Fine, pick some to take home while you’re at it.” Lauren nodded at them and then escorted Kat through the swinging metal door which led to the kitchen.

To her surprise, the moment they were alone, Kat grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes. “I know all about your problem with Xairn and I think I have a solution for you.”

“What?” Lauren looked at her with wide eyes. “If you know all about it then you’re one up on me. All I know is that he refuses to see me no matter…no matter what.” Her voice wavered but she couldn’t seem to help it. “It’s been three weeks now, Kat. I…I’ve about given up hope of changing his mind.”

“Don’t give up hope.” Kat squeezed her arm. “He’s going through a lot right now—he watched his mother die and had to kill his own father. That’s not something you get over right away—even with a crapload of therapy and he still refuses to talk to anyone about it.”

“I know.” Lauren’s eyes filled with tears. “But I want to be there for him—to help him get over what happened. Only he won’t see me, won’t even talk to me on the viewscreen.”

“He’s changed,” Kat said. “A lot. He’s reverted back to how he looked before you guys swapped DNA.”

Lauren shook her head. “I don’t care about that! I just want to be with him. Before he left, he told me he wanted to be with me too. I guess…he changed his mind.”

“Only because he’s afraid he might hurt you. And I have to be honest—I think he might,” Kat said seriously.

“What?” Lauren demanded. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been doing some research on the Scourge and the way they have bonding sex,” Kat. “It sounds like you’re in for a rough ride if Xairn does come back to you.”

“I don’t care,” Lauren said passionately. “I’ve thought about that and you know what I decided? It’s worth it. No matter how much it hurts, I’ll go through with it if it means I’ll have Xairn back in my life for good.”

Kat shook her head. “But he thinks the exact opposite—that nothing is worth hurting you, not even a lasting, bonded relationship. So what you need is a way to have bonding sex with him without getting hurt.”

Lauren bit her lip. “I’m afraid that’s probably not going to happen. I don’t want to be crude but you should see the size of his, uh, equipment. And Scourge have two shafts instead of one so if we did have bonding sex—”

“I know,” Kat interrupted, nodding knowingly. “Didn’t I tell you I did some research?”

“And you found a solution?” Lauren asked, raising an eyebrow. She walked over to the convection oven where Olivia’s cupcakes were baking.

“I found out a lot of things,” Kat said mysteriously. “For instance, did you know the original Scourge women actually liked the way they were treated?”

“What?” Lauren frowned. “Xairn told me they were tied up and tortured. Who would like that?”

“There were some abuses of power,” Kat acknowledged, going over to the counter to look at the bowl of pale green frosting Lauren had prepared. “But in a lot of bonded relationships, the female Scourge seemed to genuinely care for their mates and enjoy their sexual relationship. That’s because while the Scourge males were natural Dominants, the Scourge females were natural submissives—it was hardwired into them to enjoy being dominated.”

“Really?” Lauren looked at her with wide eyes, the tray of chocolate cupcakes she was taking out of the oven forgotten. “They…they really liked it?”

Kat shrugged. “It was in their genes. They couldn’t help liking it.”

Lauren looked down at the cupcakes she’d baked especially for her cousin. “Kat, if I tell you something do you promise not to think I’m weird or sick or something?”

“Word of honor.” Kat raised her right hand solemnly. “Go ahead and spill—I’m not the judgmental type.”

Lauren smiled as she put down the cupcakes. “I didn’t think so. The thing is that ever since Xairn has come to stay with me here on Earth I’ve been having these, well…these fantasies. About things I never would have been interested in before.”

“Mm-hmm.” Kat nodded. “Go on.”

“Well, I felt weird about it and kept thinking it was strange and unnatural. I mean, I was raised to be a feminist and never let any man dominate me. So I kept wondering why I was fantasizing about this kind of…thing.”

“About being submissive, you mean?” Kat raised one dark red eyebrow.

Lauren blushed and nodded. “Essentially, yes.” She began removing the cupcakes from their trays, working carefully as she spoke. “As I said, I didn’t know where all this was coming from. But now I realize I’ve only been having these, uh, feelings since Xairn and I had our DNA altered.”

“That makes sense,” Kat said thoughtfully. “You took some of his DNA and he took some of yours, right?”

Lauren nodded. “And I never could figure out what I got out of the exchange. I mean, with Xairn it was obvious—it changed his skin and eye coloring dramatically. But with me, nothing changed except my scent. And the change was so subtle nobody by Xairn could even tell.”

“Maybe you did get something else from the exchange,” Kat said. “If you’ve got Scourge DNA running around inside you, it’s not surprising that you’re having the same kind of urges a Scourge female would when she wanted to have bonding sex with her male.”

“That’s what I’m beginning to think. Whew…” Lauren let out a shaky laugh. “For awhile there I thought I was going crazy or something. I couldn’t figure out why I wanted…what I wanted,” she ended lamely.

“Well, now you know.” Kat grinned. “And I say you should go with those impulses—let your new DNA be your guide.”

“I’d be happy to,” Lauren said with a sigh. “In fact, I’ve already made some, uh, changes in case he comes home. But now I don’t know…” Her throat felt tight but she forced herself to continue. “I don’t know if he ever will.”

“He’ll come back to you,” Kat said confidently. “I’ll have Deep work on him—they seem to have a special connection. I’ll have him tell Xairn he has to at least come say goodbye to you in person. And the minute he gets here—gotcha! You pounce.”

“That all sounds great,” Lauren said doubtfully as she began to frost the chocolate cupcakes with the pale green frosting. They were still warm so she put on a lot of icing, letting some of it melt into the cake. “But I’m pretty sure he’ll refuse to, uh, do anything. Especially if he thinks he’s going to hurt me.”

“But he won’t hurt you.” Kat snapped her fingers. “Can’t believe I almost forgot to tell you the most important part. I brought you a secret weapon.” She patted the large purse she was carrying over one arm.

“A secret weapon?” Laure looked at the purse doubtfully. “Like some kind of special gun I can hold on him to make him take me?”

Kat laughed. “Of course not! Let’s just say it’s something to get you ready for his visit—something that will allow you to have bonding sex with him without pain or injury.” She winked. “And I promise you, it works.”

Lauren had been working as they talked and now she let out a breath and put down the last cupcake. “Really? You’re sure?”

“I’ve tested it myself extensively.” Kat smiled. “It’s foolproof and delicious. And speaking of delicious…” Reaching out, she snagged one of the chocolate, green-frosted cupcakes off the tray Lauren was holding. “I’m sure Liv won’t miss just one.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lauren said but Kat had already taken a big bite of the cupcake.

“Mmm-mmm…ugh!” She swallowed with difficulty and looked up at Lauren. “I don’t want to be rude but your mint chocolate cupcakes could use some work.”

“My mint chocolate cupcakes are delicious—but those aren’t mint chocolate.” Lauren nodded at the half eaten cupcake in Kat’s hand.

“Not mint chocolate? Then what the hell are they?”

“It’s a new flavor I call ‘pregnant lady surprise.” Lauren grinned. “They’re devil’s food chocolate cake…with dill pickle icing.”

“Oh my God!” Kat made a face and then started laughing. “You know what? Liv is absolutely going to love these.”

“I have some other flavors that I baked this morning I think you’ll love.” Lauren nodded at the door. “Come on, let’s go give her these.”

As they walked through the doorway back into the main room she couldn’t help casting a sidelong glance at Kat and wondering what her friend meant by a ‘secret weapon’ and if she would ever get a chance to use it.

* * * * *

“So you’re just going to run away without a backward glance.” Deep’s voice rang out, echoing in the vast docking bay.

“What?” Xairn turned from the small space cruiser he’d been given as a gift from the Kindred High Council. It was a token of their appreciation. In effect, he and the warriors who had helped him had ended the Scourge threat—the war was over. The Council had offered him much more than the small ship but he had declined. He didn’t want riches or fame—he just wanted to go.

“I said, you’re running away.” Deep came up beside him and patted the little ship’s sleek silver side.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Xairn said stiffly. “I have fulfilled my obligations here. I have buried my mother in your sacred grove and seen my father’s body jettisoned into space. I have spoken to your Council and given them the codes to the Fathership so that they can do as they see fit with the rest of the vat grown and the urlich that remain. What else is there to do?”

“What else is there to do?” Deep raised an eyebrow at him. “Come on, Brother, you know very well what else there is to do. Don’t play the fool with me.”

Xairn frowned. “I am no fool. And I am not your brother so do not refer to me as such.”

“You’re right.” Xairn crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d be ashamed to have a brother who was such a coward.”

“First you call me a fool and then you call me a coward?” Xairn glared at him. “Have a care, Kindred. My patience has limits.”

“The humans have a saying, you know,” Deep continued, ignoring his threat. “They say, ‘it takes one to know one.’ I’m calling you a coward because you’re acting the same way I did and you’re making the same mistake I made.”

“Oh? And what was that?” Xairn demanded.

“You’re running away from the one female in the universe who was made for you—the one being who makes your life meaningful.” Deep sighed. “Remember how when we met back on the Scourge home world, I actually wanted you to use the psychic knife on Kat and Lock and myself?”

Xairn nodded. “I thought at the time that it was a strange request.”

“A stupid request, more like,” Deep said savagely. “I was taking the coward’s way out—running from Kat. I had convinced myself we didn’t belong together—that she would be better off without me. But that wasn’t true.”

“If you’re making a reference to my relationship with Lauren, the truth is she would be better off without me,” Xairn said. “I’m leaving to avoid causing her pain—both emotional and physical.”

“Physical? You really think you can’t trust yourself with the woman you love?” Deep demanded.

“You said it yourself when we met—Scourge are depraved. We’re sexual beasts—natural dominants. So no, I can’t trust myself.” Xairn fitted his hand to the side of the ship and watched as the smart metal melted around his palm and the hatch opened. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”

“What if I told you there was a way for you to have bonding sex with your female without hurting her?”

Deep’s words stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned to face the other male. “What are you talking about?”

“I said, there’s a way you can bond her to you without hurting her. Kat has already talked to her about it.”

Xairn frowned. “You have such a thing?”

“Think about it,” Deep said. “We Twin Kindred always share a female and we’re all much better endowed than any human male our females might have been with before. If we didn’t have a way to have bonding sex without causing injury, our branch of the Kindred would have died off long before.”

For a long moment Xairn considered it. Then he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. My issue isn’t just about hurting her—it’s the shame and humiliation that go along being dominated. I don’t…don’t want to subject her to the kinds of degradations my Scourge instincts urge me to perform.”

“Maybe you should ask her how she feels about being submissive before you decide it’s not what she wants,” Deep said. “Some females enjoy sexual role playing—many Kindred brides included. We even have a Law of Conduct which allows each Kindred male to ‘punish’ his bride for infractions.” He smiled. “I promise you, it leads to some interesting scenarios.”

Xairn shook his head. “You truly do not understand. What my nature urges me to do is not role playing or any kind of scenario. It’s a constant, never ending state of sexual domination. And I wouldn’t dominate Lauren for ‘fun,’ I’d do it because I couldn’t help myself. Even if…even if she didn’t want me to.” He sighed. “No, it’s better just to leave.” He turned to swing into the cockpit but once again Deep’s voice stopped him.

“Without even saying goodbye?”

Xairn turned back again. “I said my goodbyes to her the night I left to confront my father.”

“But not your final goodbyes.” Deep frowned. “I’d stake my life you swore you would come back to her. Well, didn’t you?”

Xairn shifted uncomfortably. “That was…before. Before I reverted to my true nature.”

Deep raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you really going to stand there and tell me that you don’t think you can trust yourself enough to at least say goodbye in person? Because I don’t believe that, Xairn. You’re no ravening beast, no matter what you may believe about yourself.” He put a hand on Xairn’s shoulder. “At least see her once more and tell her why you must go. You owe her that much.”

Xairn had been ready to shake off the Kindred’s hand and leave but now he felt his shoulder’s slump as Deep’s words hit home. “You are right,” he said heavily. “Lauren and I have been through a lot together. I do owe it to her to say goodbye in person.”

“Go then…Brother.” Deep stepped back and nodded. “The Goddess go with you and grant you wisdom.”

“Thank you.” Xairn sighed and climbed into the ship. He saw Deep still watching him as the cockpit sealed itself behind him. It should be evening on Earth right now—he could make a quick side trip to see Lauren at her home and then plot a course for a far distant star—one where she would never find him.

Gods Lauren, he thought as he guided the small silver ship out of the docking bay and into the blackness of space. I love you so much. I wish things could be different.

But he knew in his heart that nothing could change his nature and nothing could keep him from acting on his natural impulses. He had to leave her, even though it felt like he was leaving his heart behind on her small blue planet instead.

For the last time, he turned his ship toward the Earth. It was time to say goodbye.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Lauren was sitting at home, absently stroking Little One when she got a strong feeling that someone wanted to talk to her. “Hello?” she said out loud, looking around and feeling kind of creeped out. “Is anybody there?”

“It’s me, Kat,” said a voice that was very definitely coming from inside Lauren’s head. “Sorry to freak you out but I’m calling you on a Think-me—kind of a Kindred telepathic cell phone. I hope you don’t mind but it’s the fastest way to communicate—so much easier than schlepping down to the HKR building to talk on the viewscreen all the time.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Lauren said aloud. “Or should I just think back to you?” she thought.

“Either way works but the thinking is better if you’re not alone. Otherwise people are going to think you’re crazy and talking to yourself.” Kat sounded amused.

“I’m alone,” Lauren thought back, beginning to get the hang of the mental communication. “I’m hanging around my condo, about to turn in for the night.”

“Good! Perfect!” Kat sounded excited. “Then you might have a little time to get ready.”

“Get ready for what?”

“Xairn’s coming—Deep talked him into it.”

“He is? Oh my God!” Lauren’s heart started pounding. “Oh, I have so much to do!”

“Don’t get too excited yet,” Kat cautioned. “He told Deep he’s just coming to say goodbye.”

“What? But didn’t Deep tell him about your ‘secret weapon?’”

“He did.” Kat sounded sober. “But apparently it isn’t just the pain he might cause you during bonding sex that has him worried.”

“What? What else is he worried about?” Lauren asked, exasperated.

“The whole dominant/submissive thing.” Kat sounded as though she was trying to choose her words with care. “His, uh, natural urges seem to have him all tied up in knots.”

“It’s not really surprising, considering the things he saw the AllFather do to women,” Lauren sent thoughtuflly. “I think part of the problem is that he thinks he can’t be dominant without turning into his father.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Kat agreed. “But I also think he has the idea that you don’t want to be dominated.”

“But that’s not how I feel at all!” Lauren protested. “I mean, I wasn’t sure at first. It felt…strange to want those kinds of things. But now—”

“Now you’re going to have one chance to show him that you’ve changed your mind,” Kat interrupted. “So we shouldn’t waste time talking. Have you been eating the fruit I gave you?”

Lauren nodded and then remembered her friend couldn’t see her. “Yup. I started last night. And to be honest today I’m feeling kind of…strange.”

“You mean horny?” Kat’s mental voice sounded amused. “Yeah, bonding fruit will do that to you—remember I warned you there could be side effects. In a little while it’s going to really kick in. And listen, hon, you’re going to need Xairn to help you scratch that itch—don’t try to do it on your own. It doesn’t work—believe me, I tried.”

“So you’re saying that if I don’t convince him to stay and, uh, bond with me or at least make love with me—”

“You’re going to be in a world of hurt,” Kat finished for her matter-of-factly. “But don’t worry about that, Lauren. Think positive. You can do this, I know you can.”

“I hope you’re right.” Lauren took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare herself.

“I know I am,” Kat said confidently. “Now go get ready! He should be there at any minute.”

“Okay. Kat?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.” Lauren wished she could give her a hug. “Thanks so much for helping me.”

“That’s all right,” Kat said cheerfully. “You can pay me back in cupcakes. Talk to you later!”

And with that, the connection was broken as suddenly at it had been established.

“God, I don’t have much time,” Lauren muttered, hurrying to change. She had told Kat earlier that she’d made certain arrangements in case Xairn ever did come home and buying just the right outfit was one of them. She hadn’t been sure when she was shopping for it that she’d ever have the chance to wear it. Now she couldn’t wait to put it on.

She stripped and then grabbed the red see-through outfit from the top drawer of her small dresser. She pulled it on quickly and then went into the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.

When she was looking for just the right ‘welcome home’ outfit, Lauren had considered many different styles. She’d tried on a lot of black leather and white lace but neither seemed to fit the bill. Finally she’d found the gauzy red top and pants combo at an upscale costume shop in downtown Sarasota. It was meant to be a harem costume straight out of the Arabian Nights and it suited her perfectly.

The blouse had long sleeves and a low cut, scooping neckline which stopped just above her nipples. A red bikini-type top was supposed to go under the silky material but Lauren didn’t even consider wearing it. She had one chance to get Xairn back—she wasn’t about to play hard to get. Her bare breasts could be seen through the translucent red material, clearly displaying one of the changes she’d made in preparation for his homecoming. She hoped he would be pleased by what she’d done but at the very least she knew he would be surprised.

The bottom of the outfit was a pair of loose, blousy pants made of the same silky see-through crimson material and gathered into cuffs at the ankles. They had come with a tiny red thong to wear underneath but Lauren had left it in the drawer along with the bikini top that was supposed to go under the blouse. She was going to be completely bare beneath the naughty outfit. Completely bare and completely irresistible—she hoped.

Instead of a button and zipper, the pants had a long slit down the center of the crotch and a silk cord tie at the waist. When tied in a bow, the cord kept the pants closed but the unfastened slit in the crotch offered easy access to a seeking hand.

And God, Lauren certainly hoped that Xairn’s hands would be seeking! Seeking, touching, feeling and exploring every part of her body. Already she was feeling hot and bothered, her nipples hard and her pussy throbbing with need. The fruit that Kat had given her to eat was really working on her! Not to mention the fact that she loved Xairn and couldn’t wait to see him again.

Suddenly, she had a spasm of anxiety. If he won’t make love to me I’m really going to be in trouble! Then again, if he left her for good, never to return, she was going to have a lot worse problems to deal with than just a terminal case of horniness.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren went to the bowl on the kitchen counter and took out the last, triangular fruit. Kat had given her several of them, telling her that they were usually reserved for brides called by the Twin Kindred. She’s also warned about eating too many of them—something she herself had apparently done on at least one very memorable occasion. Still, Lauren had wanted to be prepared so she’d eaten all but one. Now she looked at the last fruit, clutched in the palm of her hand.

“Oh, what the hell,” she murmured and took a big bite.

The juicy, sweet fruit had barely hit her tongue before the doorbell rang. Little One started barking immediately but Lauren shushed her. “Stay,” she told the puppy in a shaking voice. Could it really be Xairn already? There was only one way to find out.

Clutching the fruit in one hand, her heart beating so hard she was sure it was shaking her entire body, Lauren went to the door.

* * * * *

Xairn sucked in a sharp breath when he saw her. Her long black hair flowed loose over her shoulders and she was wearing silky, sheer clothing which clearly showed her bare flesh beneath.

“Xairn?” she whispered, her amber eyes wide and hopeful. “I’m so glad you’re here. I…I’ve missed you so much.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he had missed her too but just then Little One jumped off the couch and came running up to him. Barking joyfully, she jumped into his arms and licked his face.

Lauren laughed. “It looks like I’m not the only one who missed you. Look at her—she knows her master is home.”

Xairn frowned, the words of love dying on his lips. “I am not fit to be anyone’s master. Not even a dog’s. I’ve changed, Lauren.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she said quietly. “You look the same way you did when I first fell in love with you.”

“Lauren—”

“It’s true. You know the color of your skin and eyes doesn’t matter to me.” She crossed her arms over her breasts. “I…heard about what happened on the ship. To your mother. I’m very sorry, Xairn.”

“I was unable to save her,” he said stiffly. “Though I did get to speak to her briefly—very briefly—before she died.”

“Oh, baby,” Lauren whispered. “I wish so much I could have been there with you—to help you through it.” Little One whined softly at her mournful tone and licked Xairn’s face again.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over now.”

“That doesn’t make the pain less,” she said. “If I could have come with you…but I know that would have played right into your father’s plans.”

“Actually, it was me he was trying to lure to the Fathership. Me he wanted.” Xairn stroked the puppy gently. “He wanted to absorb my power—I suppose it would have given him a kind of immortality.”

“Oh my God, I didn’t know that.” Lauren put a hand to her mouth. “What happened?”

Xairn shrugged. “I absorbed his power instead. Or rather, I started too. But my mother…” He had to clear his throat before continuing. “She…she begged me with her dying breath not to take his essence into myself. She said it would corrupt my soul. So I let it go instead.” He sighed. “When it did, my own power went with it. I can no longer read minds or compel anyone to do my bidding.”

Lauren looked at him hopefully. “So…you let that part of yourself go?”

“Only the power left,” Xairn said flatly. “My Scourge instincts and urges remain. And now that the small strand of human DNA which I got from you has been broken and overwhelmed by my own genetic material, I am worse than I was before.”

“I never thought you were so bad,” Lauren said softly.

“That is because you don’t know what is in my heart,” he said grimly.

“I want to, though. I want to know it all.” Scooping the wriggling puppy out of his arms, she set Little One down in the small patch of fenced in grass that served the condo as a front yard. “Stay,” she told the puppy. Then she motioned to Xairn. “Come in?”

“I shouldn’t.” He tried to look anywhere but at her beautiful body. “I…I only came to say goodbye.”

Lauren took a deep breath and he had the feeling she was fighting back tears. Then she lifted her chin. “You can’t say goodbye without talking to me one last time and I can’t keep standing out here like this.” She indicated the sheer red costume. “If the neighbors see me—”

“All right.” Reluctantly, Xairn went with her into the condo and shut the door behind them. He could hear Little One whining fretfully on the other side of the door but he knew the puppy would be safe in the tiny front yard. “Let’s talk.”

“Fine.” Lauren led the way into the kitchen and put a strange piece of fruit she’d been holding down on a plate. Then she turned to face him. “So you came just to say goodbye? You’re leaving because you don’t…don’t love me anymore?” Her voice trembled slightly but she kept her head high and looked him in the eyes as she spoke.

Xairn sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “You know that isn’t true. I still love you as much as I ever did—more. That is why I feel compelled to leave.”

“Because you’re afraid you’ll hurt me.”

“Because I know I’ll hurt you,” he corrected. He shifted, his secondary shaft throbbing behind his tight flight pants. “Even now seeing you as you are makes me long to throw you down and fuck you.”

“Do it then.” Boldly, she stepped forward, throwing out her chest. “I’m not afraid of a little pain, Xairn.”

At her motion, a flash of silver caught his gaze. “Not afraid of…Gods!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and studied her full breasts beneath the gauzy red top intently. “What have you done to yourself?”

“I had my nipples pierced.” She pulled the top down, baring her breasts completely so that he could see better. “It’s one of the Scourge marks of possession, isn’t it?”

Xairn tightened his grip on her shoulders and swallowed hard. Somehow he couldn’t tear his eyes from the erotic sight of her full, creamy brown breasts, naked and on display, with the lovely silver hoops piercing her tight nipples. “Yes,” he said at last, having difficulty forcing the words out. “It is.”

“I had them done soon after you left. They don’t hurt anymore. See?” Reaching up, she took his right hand and brought it down to cup one of her breasts. “Go on,” she murmured breathlessly. “Touch it. Touch me.”

Xairn couldn’t help himself. Gently he cupped the full undercurve of her breast and thumbed the nipple pierced with the slender silver hoop. Lauren moaned softly and pressed her breast more fully into his hand. The soft sound went straight to his cock, making him harder than ever.

“Do you know why we—why the Scourge—pierce our females’ nipples?” he asked, his voice low and harsh.

She shook her head, her breath coming short as he continued to stroke her tight little nub. “I thought it was just something you did. Is there a…a practical application?”

He nodded. “We do it so we can run a fine gold or sliver chain through the rings. Here and here.” Xairn cupped her other breast and tugged on both of the silver hoops gently, making her moan again. “Using the chain, we tether the female to the bed on her hands and knees. By tightening the chain and tugging on her nipples, we can force her to come further down. This raises her ass high in the air and gives the male better access to her pussy.”

“God.” Lauren whispered. “I…I didn’t know.”

“Now you do.” He looked up at her face at last. “You should not have done this just for me.”

“How could I not?” Lauren asked softly. “After all you’ve done for me.” Slowly she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open to expose the brand that spelled her name. “You were marked for me,” she murmured. “You let them write my name on your heart. I thought…I hope it’s still there.”

Xairn knew she was talking about more than just the brand that marked his skin. “You know it is,” he said roughly, dropping his hands from her bare breasts. “But it changes nothing.”

“Nothing at all?” She traced her name on his chest and her touch was at once cool and inflammatory. Xairn felt like he was being burned all over again, as though her slender finger was tipped with fire.

“Stop it,” he said, shaking his head. “I still have to leave. I only hope…hope that you didn’t take it upon yourself to incur any of the other marks of possession.”

Lauren raised an eyebrow. “As a matter of fact, I did. Would you like to know which I chose to have done?”

Xairn let his eyes rove over her body, drinking in her beauty. “You’re not wearing a collar so you must have had yourself pierced below or branded with my name. I can’t tell which.”

“Then maybe you should examine me and find out.” Her voice was light and teasing but there was a deep, unspoken need running beneath the soft banter. Xairn heard it and it made his secondary shaft throb with need. But he repressed his hunger for her fiercely.

“I cannot,” he said, stepping away. “I…should not.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Can you really walk away from me that easily? Can you leave without knowing? You’ll wonder all your life if you don’t at least look just once.”

Xairn felt a force rising within him—a desire that threatened to burn his self control to ashes, to demolish the cage he’d built around his true nature and let it out like a ravening beast seeking to devour. I must not let that happen! he told himself sternly. And yet…could it really hurt just to look? Lauren was right—he would wonder all his life what other mark she had taken if he didn’t find out.

“Fine,” he heard himself saying. “Go over to the bed and lay on your back with your calves hanging over the side and your arms over your head.”

Lauren went to the bed at once and arranged herself exactly as he had demanded. It gave him a strange thrill to see how willingly she obeyed but Xairn forced himself not to think about it.

“Good,” he said. Walking over, he knelt on the floor in front of her. “Now spread your legs for me.”

“All right.” She was shivering a little—with fear or excitement, he couldn’t tell which—but again she didn’t hesitate. Spreading her legs, she opened herself to him, mutely offering to give him whatever he wanted.

“Good.” Xairn heard the harsh tone of command in his voice but he couldn’t control it. He placed his hands on her knees. “Now hold still while I look at you. No matter what I say or do, you’re not to move. Do you understand?”

Her breath hissed out from between her teeth and she trembled under his touch but she spoke only one word. “Yes.”

“Yes, Master,” Xairn corrected her sternly.

“Yes, Master,” she repeated and as she spoke the word, he felt her shiver even more violently. At the same moment, the warm, feminine scent of her arousal hit him. Could it be that this was turning her on? That submitting to him was actually making her aroused? Xairn didn’t know if he could let himself believe it. Instead of trying to decipher her thoughts, he concentrated on her body.

Gods, but she smelled so damn good. Looking at her soft pussy, barely visible behind the silky red material, he could see that her little cunt lips were swollen and wet. Clearly she was aching with desire. Just as he was.

But I can’t give in. I’ll just look at her, just see what other marking she’s taken, and then I’ll leave, he told himself sternly. Slowly he untied the silk cord at her waist and slid the gauzy red pants down her long, smooth legs. Lauren moaned softly as he bared her, but made no move to cover herself or close her legs. Her unquestioning obedience stirred something in Xairn—a primal instinct he’d tried to bury for years. Take her! demanded a voice in his head. She is your female—claim her! Bond her! Grimly, he ignored it and continued with the business at hand.

“Are you all right?” He watched her face as he stroked gently up and down her thighs.

She nodded. “Y-yes. I thought you were going to…going to examine me. To look for the other mark.”

“I am.” Xairn stopped stroking and leaned forward, parting her thighs even wider with his broad shoulders. She still made no move to resist him, even when he framed her cunt with his hands and placed his thumbs on her outer pussy lips. “I’m going to open you now, Lauren,” he told her, watching her face as he spoke. “Going to spread open your tight little pussy and see if you’re marked. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master,” she whispered. “Go ahead. I…I want you to.”

“I am not asking for your permission,” Xairn said harshly. “I’m telling you what I am going to do to you. You have no choice in the matter.”

She nodded. “I know. I…I don’t want a choice. I just want you.”

Her words touched that part inside him again—the dominant part begging to get out. Xairn pushed it aside and leaned over her spread thighs. Slowly, he opened her swollen cunt lips, revealing her slick, inner pussy, glossy with cunt honey. The sight made him catch his breath. Gods, she was beautiful! He had never seen anything so perfectly formed.

Forgetting that he was looking for a piercing, Xairn simply admired her. Last time he’d gone down on her, he had been rushed, almost desperate to taste her. This time he took his time, drinking in the sight of her lovely little cunt, breathing in her sweet, feminine aroma until he couldn’t stand it any more. Suddenly he had to taste her again—he couldn’t help it, the urge was too strong. He could leave, he told himself, leave and never see her again but not before he tasted her sweet, wet pussy just once more.

“I’m going to lick you now, Lauren,” he told her, his voice sounding hoarse with desire in his own ears. “Going to taste your sweet, creamy little cunt for as long as I want to and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Her breath seemed to catch in her throat. “Yes, Master,” she whispered. “I…I’ll try to hold still and let you.”

“You’d better,” he said sharply. “If you move so much as a muscle I’ll be forced to punish you.”

Lauren caught her full lip between her little white teeth, her eyes going wide. “Yes, Master,” she murmured at last. “Any…any punishment you wish to give me, I would be happy to receive.”

Xairn growled low in his throat. Her willing submission was doing something to him—affecting him in a way that was hard to understand. If she’d been defiant or refused to obey his orders, he might have been able to turn away from her. But the way she gave herself so completely—to either pleasure or pain, whichever he saw fit to inflict—was pushing him forward. Forcing him to act more and more on his true nature. His Scourge nature.

Unable to hold back any longer, he leaned down and flattened his tongue against her open pussy. Then, savoring her unique salty-sweet flavor, he dragged his tongue upward, lapping her cunt long and slow.

Lauren moaned and bucked up against him, her hips moving involuntarily with the pleasure he gave her. Xairn felt his cock surge hard against the fastening of his flight pants at her reaction. Lowering his head, he did it again. And again. Gods, but she tasted delicious—as salty and rich as the sea. And the way she moaned and thrust her hips in time to his lapping made him so hard he felt like he could fuck his way through a stone wall. She was disobeying his orders by moving at all, but he would deal with that later. For now he just wanted to keep going down on her, wanted to press his tongue deep in her cunt and taste her until she came all over his face.

“Xairn! Master!” Lauren moaned and he felt her soft, slender fingers twining themselves in his hair. The feel of her touching him, holding onto him as he lapped her cunt, was almost too much to bear. A greedy lust came over him and he hooked his arms under her thighs, splitting her even wider for his assault.

Lauren gasped and her fingers tightened in his hair as he lapped and sucked her, running his tongue over her swollen, sensitive little clit and then thrusting it deep in her channel. She was close—he could sense it—and he wanted desperately to push her over the edge. Releasing one of her thighs, he positioned two fingers at the entrance to her pussy and thrust in deep.

“Yes! Oh God, Xairn!” She stiffened, her spine arching, and Xairn tasted fresh wetness as her pussy spasmed around his invading fingers. Knowing that she was coming, that he had pushed her over the edge, nearly brought about an orgasm for him as well. He held onto his self control tightly, forcing himself to ignore his own desire even as he continued to suck and lap her clit and fingerfuck her pussy.

Lauren, for her part, was still moaning his name, still pressing against him with all her might as the waves of pleasure carried her out to sea. At last, however, she started to relax and he knew the peak had passed. Slowly he withdrew his fingers and looked up at her.

“Wow.” She smiled, the expression lighting up her whole face. “That was…amazing.”

Xairn agreed but he couldn’t let her know that. “You moved,” he growled, deciding to test the limits of her submission. “Now I’ll have to punish you.”

Her eyes went wide and then, slowly, she nodded. “Yes…punish me, Master. I…I’ve been bad. Punish me.”

Xairn’s secondary shaft throbbed with her soft pleas. Gods, if she only knew what her submission did to him, how hard it made him, how much it made him want her! Careful, he warned himself. Don’t go too far.

But he feared he was already past the point of no return.

* * * * *

Lauren gasped as he sat on the bed beside her and pulled her to him. For a split second she hoped he wanted to cuddle for a minute, but the thought had barely crossed her mind when she found herself flipped over across his knee. The submissive posture she had been placed in seemed to set her on fire and she couldn’t help writhing against his lap. She could feel the hard lump of his shaft pressing against her pelvis and she had the satisfaction of knowing that she was stimulating his cock with every move she made.

“Hold still!” Xairn gave her a stinging slap on her bare bottom which sent a bolt of pleasure/pain straight to her pussy. God, who knew getting spanked could make her so hot?

It never would have before, she told herself, trying to hold still. Not before I exchanged DNA with him. It’s too bad mine wasn’t strong enough to hold him. But in a way she was glad. She liked this new Xairn. Liked the way he demanded her submission in that deep, harsh voice. When he’d ordered her to lie still while he licked her pussy, she’d been lightheaded with desire. And now he was fulfilling the other fantasy she kept having—he was going to spank her!

But not yet apparently. Xairn was quiet and she felt his large, warm hands moving over her skin, tracing a spot on her upper right buttock. Suddenly Lauren knew what he was seeing.

“So,” he murmured at last. “This is the other mark you took.”

“It’s a tattoo,” she confessed, her breath coming short as he continued to trace the elaborate capital X she’d had inked into her skin. “I couldn’t find anyone who would brand me. They, uh, sort of thought I was crazy for even asking.”

“I’m glad you weren’t branded.” He stroked the spot gently. “I wouldn’t like to think of the pain you would endure from having my name burned into your flesh.”

“You endured it for me,” she pointed out.

“And I would do it again. But I don’t want you to do the same. This…this is enough.”

Lauren twisted her head to try and get a look at his face. “Then…you like it?”

“More than you know.” Xairn’s voice was a hoarse whisper. Then he straightened up. “But I still have to punish you. For moving when I told you not to, I’m going to give you ten slaps. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master,” Lauren murmured. God, it gave her such a thrill to call him that! Playing the submissive was really getting her off. Despite her recent orgasm, she could already feel her pussy getting hot and swollen again, ready for his touch.

But the next time he touched her, it wasn’t to stroke her pussy. Instead, she received another hard, stinging slap to the buttocks. “One,” Xairn said in a low voice as she moaned and writhed in his lap. “Hold still, Lauren,” he continued. “Don’t make me add to your punishment.”

Lauren stilled in his lap at once, though her natural impulse was to try and get free. “Yes, Master,” she whispered again.

“Very good.” He delivered another stinging slap. “Two,” he continued as she bit her lip and tried not to cry out.

He went on and on and as each blow fell, Lauren felt herself getting wetter and wetter. She could scarcely believe it, but it seemed that the sexual punishment she was receiving was making her as hot or hotter than the sexual pleasure he had given her earlier. From the feel of his rock-hard cock throbbing against her, it was turning Xairn on as well.

At last he reached ten, and Lauren started to slide off his lap. “Wait.” He held her in place with one arm wrapped around her waist. “Spread your legs,” he commanded.

Lauren did as she was told at once and gasped when she felt his warm fingers exploring the wet folds of her pussy.

“Gods,” he murmured, slipping his fingers deep into her slippery channel and pumping into her several times. “You’re even wetter now than you were when I tasted you.”

“That’s because I…I liked it. Liked being punished by you,” Lauren admitted in a low voice. She could feel her cheeks heating at the shameful admission but she couldn’t help herself—what he had done had made her incredibly hot.

Xairn pulled her up and made her stand between his legs. Though she was standing and he was sitting, they were still eye-to-eye. “Tell me that again,” he said in a low voice.

“I said…” Lauren bit her lip and looked down. “I said it turned me on. Having you spank me like that.”

“You like when I dominate you? When I force you to behave?”

“Yes,” she whispered, raising her eyes to his. “I can’t help it. I do.” Daringly, she reached out to cup his cheek. “Don’t you see, Xairn? This is what I want—what I’ll always want.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” He shook his head. “You couldn’t live like this—giving me your perfect and unconditional obedience always.”

“In the bedroom, I could.” She lifted her chin, determined to overcome her embarrassment. “I have no problem submitting to you, Xairn. No matter what you might think.”

“I don’t know what to think.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can allow myself to believe it.”

“Give me a chance to prove it then,” she whispered. “I know I can if you’ll only let me.”

“What do you want to do? How will you prove it?”

Lauren had a sudden inspiration. “Let me touch you. Massage you. You’ve had a long, weary time since I last saw you. Let me ease your tension…Master,” she whispered. She could see he was wavering and she stroked his cheek and murmured, “Please?”

At last he sighed. “Very well. But I have to warn you that my control is nearly gone. If you do this, if you continue to touch me, I can’t promise that I won’t pin you to the bed and fuck you, hard and long and deep.”

Lauren caught her breath at his rough words. Then she looked into his eyes. “Nothing would give me more pleasure than to submit to your fucking, Master,” she said softly. “Now please, take off your clothes so I can massage you.”

He shook his head as he disrobed. “I’m afraid we’re both going to regret this but I cannot seem to say no to you.”

“The only thing I’d regret is never touching you again,” she assured him. “Now lie on your stomach and relax.”

Clearly it was easier said than done. His secondary shaft was completely hard and lying on it would have caused him too much discomfort. Lauren decided to have him lay face up instead. She wouldn’t be able to reach his back but she could still work on his shoulders and chest. And…other things, she thought, eying the thick club of flesh thrusting up from between his thighs. His primary shaft was still deactivated, however, for want of better word. And that’s the shaft I need to get interested if I’m going to get him to bond me.

The idea of bonding sex made her shiver with equal parts trepidation and desire. She knew that the fruit Kat had given her was active in her system and that she ought to be able to withstand Xairn’s double penetration with no problem. Still, seeing how thick and hard his secondary shaft was and knowing that his primary shaft would get even bigger and harder—knowing that both of them would be in her at once—was enough to make her nervous, fruit or no fruit.

Still, she tried to calm her nerves as she reached for the massage oil she kept in her top dresser drawer. Pouring a little into her palm, she rubbed her hands together to warm them and then began to work on the thick muscles of Xairn’s neck and shoulders. She loved the feel of him under her hands, reveled in being able to touch him again. It truly didn’t matter to her that his skin and eyes had reverted to their natural color. In fact, she thought she rather preferred him this way. He was so much more wild—so much more forbidding.

Xairn was tense at first but gradually, under her soothing ministrations, he began to relax. Lauren smiled as she heard him sigh and felt the tension leaking away under her fingertips. For the first time it came home to her how hard this was for him—how difficult it was for him to hold himself back, to reign in his true nature. He really was holding onto his self control with both hands when it came to her, and the fact that he hadn’t ravaged her yet proved how much he loved her, how desperately he wanted to avoid hurting her.

But Lauren had had enough of his self control. It was time to end that now, to push him to the edge and then over. To force him to take her, if necessary. Bonding sex was the only way to keep him with her and prove to him that she really did want to submit sexually to him. So she had to get him to take her—to bond her to him and forge a link between them that could never be broken.

Keeping that goal in mind, she slowly worked her way down his heavily muscled chest and torso, kneading gently as though she was simply trying to relieve his tension. Xairn’s entire body stiffened when she got to the junction of his thighs but Lauren skipped over his shaft and went down to the foot of the bed to resume her massage on his feet and legs instead. Slowly, he relaxed again. By the time she worked her way back up his calves and thighs, he was almost totally calm.

And that was when Lauren took his thick, secondary shaft in one hand and began a slow, up and down pumping motion. She loved the feel of him in her palm, hot and hard and velvety all at once. Loved the way the clear precum beaded on the broad head in response to her intimate massage and his shaft got even harder in response to her touch.

“Lauren, Gods!” Xairn nearly jumped off the bed but she refused to stop. “What are you doing?” he demanded, his breathing becoming erratic.

“Massaging you, Master.” She looked at him innocently. “Doesn’t it please you?”

“You know damn well it does,” he groaned. “Too much. Stop now using your hands on me right now.”

Lauren smiled. “As my master wishes.” Then, before he could say or do anything, she leaned down and took as much of his long, thick shaft in her mouth as she could. He was salty and hot and bitter on her tongue—utterly delicious. And his reaction was almost as good as his taste.

“Lauren!” Xairn gasped and bucked up against her in protest at the sudden pleasure.

Lauren took her time, lapping and sucking the broad head of his cock before releasing it to look up at him. “Yes, Master?”

“You shouldn’t,” he muttered hoarsely. “This…this is not safe. Your mouth is too close to…”

“To this?” Deliberately, Lauren leaned down and ran her tongue over the dormant primary shaft which sat atop his secondary shaft. At once she felt it begin to grow. Encouraged, she licked it again and then sucked it into her mouth, laving it with her tongue and coaxing it to grow harder, faster.

Xairn groaned and fisted his big hands in the bedspread. “Lauren, don’t! I won’t be able to stop myself from taking you if you keep this up!”

“I don’t want you to stop yourself.” She sucked his rapidly hardening primary shaft some more. God, he was right—it was definitely going to be longer and thicker than the secondary one. “I want you to take me,” she told him, looking him in the eyes.

“I’m not fit to be with you,” he protested. “You should just let me leave. I’m a monster.”

Lauren smiled. “Well then, you’re my monster. And I love you.” Lowering her head, she delivered a last, sucking kiss to the broad head of his primary cock. It was incredibly long and thicker than her wrist—it should have scared her to death. Instead, she couldn’t wait to have it inside her.

Raising up, Lauren crawled on her hands and knees to the center of the bed. Then, looking Xairn in the eyes, she spread her legs and lowered herself until her head was resting on her crossed arms and her ass was high in the air. The submissive position put her pussy on display and made her feel more naked and vulnerable than she ever had before. But despite the shiver of fear than ran through her, she loved it.

“What are you doing?” Xairn’s red-on-black eyes were narrowed as he watched her position herself.

Lauren raised an eyebrow at him. “Submitting…Master.”

“No!” His voice was a low growl and for a moment Lauren was afraid he was going to get up and leave her there. Instead, he flipped her over on her back and looked down at her, his eyes blazing.

“What…what are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

“You truly want me to do this? You wish to submit to my shafts—both of them—piercing your cunt and ass at the same time?”

Lauren swallowed hard. When he put it that way it sounded so scary…but there was no way she was backing down now. “Yes,” she said, lifting her chin. “I do. I want to submit to you, Master, and have you bond me to you. I want to be yours forever.”

“Very well, then.” He nodded slowly. “You can start by lying on your back with your hands over your head.”

Lauren scrambled to obey. She was still wearing the gauzy red top, though it was pulled down to show her breasts, but Xairn had removed the pants that went with it completely. She felt strangely vulnerable as she lay on her back, her arms raised over her head. But if this was how Xairn wanted her, she was more than willing to comply.

“I’m ready, Master,” she murmured, looking up at him. “Ready for you to take me.”

“Not yet, you’re not.” Leaning down, he picked up something from the floor. Lauren bit her bottom lip nervously when she saw it was his thick black belt.

“What…” Her voice wavered. “What are you going to do with that?”

“Don’t worry.” His voice was suddenly soft. “No matter what depravities my Scourge nature urges me to commit, I would never hit or beat you.” He stroked her cheek with surprising tenderness. “This is simply to fasten you to the headboard of the bed.”

“You’re going to tie me down?” Lauren whispered. She’d fantasized such scenarios before but somehow they had been a lot less frightening in her imagination.

Xairn raised an eyebrow at her. “Didn’t I tell you a female is always restrained during traditional Scourge bonding sex?”

“Yes.” Lauren licked her hips. “You…you did say that. I remember now.”

Leaning close, he looked into her eyes. “This is part of it, Lauren—part of what I want to do to you. I want you helpless and restrained, unable to do anything but surrender completely. But I understand if you feel uncomfortable. We don’t have to—”

“Yes we do!” she said quickly. She returned his gaze boldly. “If this is part of it, I want to do it. Want you to do it to me.”

He frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Very sure. Please, Master.” Holding his eyes, she reached above her head and grasped the thick wooden support in the center of the headboard. “Restrain me,” she whispered. “Do what you need to do to me. But please, don’t leave.”

Xairn’s breathing was ragged but he did as she said. Leaning over her, he wrapped the thick black belt around both her wrists and passed it around the wooded support before buckling it firmly. “There.” He sat back at last, his burning gaze sweeping over her body. “Gods, Lauren, you’re so beautiful stretched out like this. So beautiful submitting to me.”

Lauren’s breath caught in her throat. “I want to submit,” she told him softly. “I want…want you to take me. Please, Xairn…Master, I need you in me.”

“And I need to be in you.” Reaching out, he stroked her cheek tenderly. “But we must take things slowly. Though my nature urges me to take you hard and fast, I want to savor this moment, to burn your sweet submission into my memory forever.”

“Slow is good,” Lauren murmured. “Very good, Master.”

“I know.” He ran his hand over her body, stroking her bare breasts and tugging gently at the silver rings which pierced her nipples. Lauren gasped softly at the hot sensations that flashed through her body at his light touch.

“Master,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “Please, Master, please fuck me.”

“As you wish. Open yourself for me.” It was a command, not a request and Lauren eagerly complied. But instead of feeling the two broad heads rubbing against both her pussy and her rosebud, as she had expected, she felt slippery fingers pressing against her back entrance.

“What…?” Her eyes flew open to find that he was watching her intently as he massaged her rosebud.

“You need to be oiled and stretched,” he explained, adding another finger as she gasped at the sudden invasion. “I may not be able to stop myself from taking you, but I can at least try not to wound you in the process.”

Lauren was touched. Having felt the tension in his big body, she knew how hard it was for him to delay his instinct to bond her to him. The fact that he could put off his own needs in order to tend to her made her love him even more.

“It’s all right. I’m all right,” she whispered and was surprised to find that it was true. The fruit Kat had given her was really doing its job. Though he had three thick fingers stretching her back entrance, she felt no pain.

Xairn looked at her wonderingly. “It was true then—what Deep told me about the substance they use to make bonding sex possible.”

“It’s a fruit,” Lauren told him breathlessly. “And it makes you very, very, uh, needy.”

“Is that right?” He stroked his other hand down her body, teasing her nipples and brushing lightly over her neat thatch of curls. “So it makes your pussy hot and wet and ready? Is that what you mean?”

“Yes,” Lauren whispered. Her cheeks were hot as she admitted her need and desire but she had no wish to lie to him. “Yes, Master.”

“Ready to open for me?” His thick fingers slid between her legs, caressing her wet slit, delving inward to find her swollen clit and tease it unmercifully. “Ready to spread your legs and let me fuck you?”

Wordlessly, Lauren nodded. God, he was killing her with pleasure! She felt so empty inside, so needy. Please…please let him hurry!

“Then open for me,” Xairn commanded roughly. “Spread your legs and let me in.”

Lauren bit her lip and did as he said. Tied to the bed as she was, the position left her wide open, her naked pussy and ass on display for his pleasure and penetration. She thought she had never felt more vulnerable…or more hot. Deep inside her the bonding fruit was doing its job, making her ache to be opened, to be filled. She thought if she didn’t have him in her soon she would die.

“Please, Master,” she moaned. “I can’t wait anymore. I want you in me.”

“You’re sure you’re ready?” Xairn positioned himself between her legs and cupped her cheek, looking down into her eyes anxiously. She could feel his hot, hard body poised above hers, could smell the warm, spicy, masculine scent of his skin as he prepared to take her. His red-on-black eyes blazed and he looked like he was hanging onto his self control by a thread. But Lauren knew if she said no he would still hold off. Loving him even more, she nodded.

“I’m ready. More than ready. Please, I need you!”

“I need you too, my sweet Lauren,” he admitted, his voice a low growl. “Gods, how I need you.” Reaching between them, he guided both shafts into position.

Lauren moaned softly as she felt two broad heads brushing against her, one poised at the entrance to her pussy and the other nudging against her rosebud. Then Xairn gazed intently into her eyes.

“Look at me,” he commanded, beginning to press both thick shafts into her body. “Watch me while I take you. Open your soul to me as you open your body. If we’re going to do this, I need all of you.”

“Yes, Master,” Lauren gasped and bit her lip at the intensity of his gaze. She held his eyes as he entered her, the broad heads of his primary and secondary cocks breaching both her pussy and her rosebud at the same time. God, he was huge. She could feel her body stretching to accommodate him as he slid slowly deeper and she knew without the bonding fruit Kat had given her she wouldn’t have been able to take him. Both of his shafts were simply too large and the fact that they had to be in her at the same time was too much for any human girl to bear.

Thanks to the effects of the fruit there was no pain but she felt tight, completely penetrated in a way she had never been before. Looking into Xairn’s red-on-black eyes, feeling the deep connection to the man she loved, she relished the feeling, moaning softly as he pressed deeper and deeper into her, taking her completely.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, his eyes burning into his. “Tell me now if I am, Lauren. “Once I get all the way inside you, once I penetrate you completely, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll have to fuck you until I fill you with my cum.”

“It’s all right,” she whispered, wishing she could reach up to stroke his cheek. “I’m okay. You’re just…so big. But don’t stop—I can handle it.”

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” His gaze softened somewhat as he looked at her. “I love this, love having you spread out under me. Love to feel your sweet little pussy and ass stretching to take me in as I penetrate you.”

God, but his hot, dirty words turned her on! “Go deeper,” Lauren urged him, her heart pounding. “Take me all the way, Master. Please, I want to feel you all the way inside me.”

“As you wish.” With a last, slow, deliberate thrust, he did as she requested.

Lauren moaned as she felt him hit home inside her and knew he was buried to the hilt in both her pussy and her ass. There was no going back now. No asking him to stop. She was pinned beneath him, helpless, both her cunt and her rosebud filled with his thick shafts. There was nothing she could do now but spread her legs wider and submit to him. Submit to his fucking.

She expected him to start at once but for a long moment he held perfectly still, looking into her eyes.

“Gods, you’re tight,” he whispered. “So tight and so beautiful, opening yourself for me this way.”

“I love to be open for you.” Leaning up, she gave him a soft but intense kiss on the mouth. “Love feeling you inside me, making me yours, taking me. Bonding me to you.”

“And this is truly what you want? For the rest of your life?” he demanded, his voice hoarse and hopeful. “To be tied to me this way?”

“It’s all I want.” Tilting her hips, Lauren nudged him even deeper into her body. Both of them groaned as the move caused a bolt of pleasure. “Please Xairn…Master,” she whispered. “Fuck me.”

She didn’t have to ask again. With a low roar, he pulled almost all the way out of her and slammed back in, filling her pussy and ass to the hilt with his shafts, making her cry out and buck against him. God, so good, so deep, she thought incoherently. Can’t believe it…feels incredible! The intense pleasure was tinged with pain now, but in a good way. The way he pounded into her let Lauren know she would be aching later but she didn’t care—didn’t care about anything but submitting to her man. Never had she felt so opened, so owned. And somehow the sensation was incredibly right. Slowly the wire began to tighten in her belly—the feeling of him inside her, mastering her so completely, was almost more than she could bear. And God, when she came, she was going to come so hard, she just knew it.

She expected things to degenerate into a fast, hard fucking at that point but Xairn surprised her by slowing things down. Leaning closer, he looked into her eyes as he pulled out and pushed back in again, plowing her thoroughly with both shafts. “Watch me,” he murmured as he began a long, slow, hard rhythm which seemed designed to drive her crazy. “Watch me while I fuck you, Lauren. While I bond you to me forever.”

“Forever,” she echoed breathlessly, trying to catch his rhythm and join the carnal dance they were engaged in. “Forever, Xairn—yes.”

She didn’t know how long it lasted. How long he spent looking into her eyes while he slowly filled her. It seemed to go on for an eternity, the deep, hard push and pull in her cleft and ass as he used her thoroughly, opened her completely, and yet she never wanted it to end. But slowly the wire in her belly tightened toward the breaking point and she knew she couldn’t hold off her orgasm forever. It was simply too much—she was going to come.

“Xairn,” she whispered. “God, I can’t help it. I’m going to…going to…”

“Come for me,” he growled, staring into her eyes as he thrust inside her. “Come with me buried inside you. Let me fill you with my seed—milk me dry with your tight little pussy and ass.”

Lauren couldn’t have said no if she wanted to. Again she could felt the wire tighten. This was no gentle wave set to wash over her as her first orgasm under his tongue had been. This was a tidal wave—a tsunami of pleasure which was about to engulf her completely. And when she surfaced from its depths, she would be changed forever.

She wanted that—wanted it badly. And she worked for it, too. Pumping her hips in time to Xairn’s rhythm, she tried to be open enough, tried to give herself completely to his rough, delicious fucking as he pressed her toward the edge of pleasure…and then pushed her over.

“God, Xairn…Xairn,” she cried breathlessly. “Master! Love you…love you so much!”

“I love you, too, Lauren.” His voice was a raw whisper and then she felt him surge inside her once more, pressing as deep into her ass and pussy as he could possibly get. Both thick shafts throbbed within her and she felt herself clenching around him, urging him to come. He held rock solid and steady within her and then she felt the hot gush that told her he had allowed her orgasm to trigger his own and he was coming, filling her completely with his essence, bonding her to him, making her his forever.

The orgasm was so intense she actually saw stars and for a moment she was afraid she might black out. God, so good, she thought, her mind jumbled with pleasure. Love you, baby, want you. Never want to leave you…

“You won’t. We’ll never be parted again.”

Lauren’s eyes had been shut tight in pleasure but now they flew open and she looked at Xairn in surprise. “I thought you lost your powers, that you couldn’t read minds anymore.”

“I can’t.” He smiled. “Or rather, I can only read your mind. We’re bonded now and apparently I have enough Kindred blood in my ancestry to form a mental bond with you as well as a physical bond.”

“So…you can read my thoughts?”

“When you’re thinking directly at me like you were a minute ago.” He kissed her. “It should work both ways. You should be able to read my thoughts too.”

“Hey!” Lauren put a hand to her head. “I heard you in here. Amazing.” She grinned. “Not to mention convenient. Will this last?”

Xairn looked into her eyes. “For as long as our bond lasts. For the rest of our lives.”

“Forever, then.” Reaching up, Lauren drew him down and kissed him deeply.

It had been a long, hard road they had traveled from the first minute she saw him aboard the Fathership and sometimes she had wondered if they would ever find their way. But they had finally come full circle and ended exactly where they were supposed to—in each other’s arms.

“Forever,” Xairn echoed in her head and she knew she would never be alone again.

Chapter Forty

“I’m so glad Lauren and Xairn are moving up to the Mother ship.” Olivia sighed happily as she started on her last pregnant lady surprise cupcake. They were all relaxing in her suite and sharing out the latest gift from the Sweet Spot which Lauren had sent up that morning. “This is where they belong—up here with us.”

“Well, they couldn’t stay down on Earth now that Xairn has gone back to looking Scourge,” Sophia said practically. “It causes too many questions.”

“Besides,” Kat added, “she needs to be close to a constant source of bonding fruit. There’s no way they can do the nasty without it. You know, I thought I had it bad being with Twin Kindred but the Scourge have got a double whammy—two for the price of one equipment and the whole D/s thing going on.” She shook her head and laughed. “It’s crazy but apparently Lauren loves it.”

“So you’ve gotten yet another poor soul hooked on ‘the fruit.’” Liv raised an eyebrow in mock disapproval. “Honestly Kat, you’re such an enabler.”

“You mean the way you’re hooked on Lauren’s cupcakes?” Kat shot back, grinning. “I swear you must be eating for more than two the way you suck them down.”

“Uh-uh, you’re the one who’s going to be having twins, remember?” Liv smiled sweetly and finished off the last bite of cupcake.

“Not for a long time yet, I hope.” Kat shivered. “I’ll leave the pregnancy thing to you two.” She looked at Sophia. “You and Sylvan are still trying, right?”

Sophia nodded and looked down at her hands. “Yeah. I was hoping to surprise Sylvan for Christmas but so far…nothing.”

“It’ll happen, womb-mate.” Olivia patted her twin’s arm comfortingly. “Don’t worry. Just keep trying.”

Sophia gave her a small smile. “Trying is half the fun.”

“More than half.” Kat grinned and picked up a normal, strawberry and cream cheese frosted cupcake. “Hey, where’s Nadiah? I thought she was coming.”

“She went down to the HKR building in Sarastota to meet with Detective Rast again. He has some clothes from the AllFather’s last victim and he wants her to touch them and see if she can get anything on her location.” Sophia shook her head. “It’s so sad that she’s still missing. I can’t believe they didn’t find her when they searched the Fathership.”

“Baird went looking for her personally,” Liv said. “He found the wires she was hooked up to and saw some of her memories the AllFather had recorded on that huge viewscreen thing he used to torture people.” She shivered. “But no Elise.”

“Elise? That was her name?” Kat asked.

Liv nodded. “Elise Darden. She was a tiny little thing with long black hair, just like Lauren’s. And according to Baird, she’s had it rough even before the AllFather snatched her. He said watching her memories nearly broke his heart.”

“But it doesn’t make sense.” Sophie frowned. “If he took her and never sent back her body like he did the first one, then she has to be on the Fathership somewhere. Maybe she’s hiding and she’s afraid to come out.”

“They searched everywhere,” Liv said. “They even checked the life pods. One of them had been deployed so they scanned it to see if any of the Scourge were trying to escape.”

“Were they?” Sophia asked.

Olivia shook her head. “Nope. There weren’t any life forms aboard, just some old equipment. So the officer in charge let it go on out into deep space.”

“That poor girl. Maybe she is still on board. Maybe the AllFather disposed of her body some way instead of sending it back to Earth,” Kat said softly. “Deep and Lock told me while they were searching they came across these horrible tanks, filled with black slime. They found bones and…and body parts in them. So far it’s only been animal parts but—”

“Oh my God, Kat! Stop right now unless you want me to lose every single cupcake I just ate right in your lap.” Liv looked green. “And I ate a lot of them,” she added.

“Sorry.” Kat shook her head. “I’m just saying we may never find her. It’s sad but what can you do?”

“Keep looking according to Detective Rast,” Sophia said. “Nadiah says he never gives up until he finds his man. Or woman, in this case.”

“Hmm, Detective Rast, huh?” Kat looked thoughtful. “You know, he seemed like a real jerk at first but it seems like Nadiah’s warming up to him some.”

“She saw something in one of her visions that finally brought him around,” Sophia said mysteriously. “Don’t ask me what, though—she’s become really closed mouth on the subject. And on anything to do with him, really.”

Olivia smiled. “You think she might be falling for him?”

“It wouldn’t do her any good, even if she did.” Sophia looked sad. “She has to go back home soon to that awful guy her parents picked for her to marry. That Yo-dah…ugh!’

“He might not be so bad,” Kat said, taking a bite of her cupcake. “Lots of arranged marriages work out well.”

“Not this one,” Sophie said. “I saw a holo of him and I don’t blame Nadiah for not wanting to marry him. He’s all tall and skinny and pale with these weird eyes that stick out too far. Looks like a cross between a frog and a hairless cat.”

“Well maybe he has a nice personality,” Liv offered, but Sophie shook her head again.

“Unfortunately, not. According to Nadiah he’s from one of the top aristocratic families on Tranq Prime and he’s unbearably snobby about it.”

“Ugly and snooty.” Kat shook her head. “A bad combination.”

“You’re telling me.” Sophia reached for a blueberry and almond crumble cupcake and took a tiny nibble. “Of course, his family is the only reason Nadiah’s parents want her to marry him. They don’t care if she’s happy or not as long as she doesn’t pollute their family’s perfect bloodlines.”

“Poor Nadiah!” Liv sighed. “It’s too bad she can’t just refuse to go back.”

“She can’t though—the blood bond between her and Yo-dah will start pulling her back whether she wants to go or not.” Sophia too another bite. “In fact, I think it might have already started. She’s been really quiet and to herself and lately I keep seeing this strained look on her face—it’s like she has a pain inside but she doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“Are you sure it’s not something we can fix with the right meds?” Liv asked. “Have her come down to the medstation and we’ll take a look.”

Sophia shook her head. “Sylvan already gave her a head-to-toe exam. He says she’s fine and there’s nothing he can do. Only going back home and fulfilling the blood bond will help.”

“But that’s ridiculous—her parents made that engagement for her when she was a little kid, too young to protest,” Kat said indignantly. “Can’t the bond be broken somehow?”

“It can be challenged by another male,” Sophia said. “But no one but a Kindred warrior is going to be strong enough to actually break it. Apparently that’s one reason the natives of Tranq Prime dislike the Kindred so much. They broke a number of blood bonds back when they first came to the planet and claimed the girls who were promised to Tranq Prime males as brides.”

“But they did it to save them from Blood Fever, didn’t they?” Liv pointed out. “Would their parents really rather have seen them dead than mated to a Kindred?”

Sophia shrugged. “Apparently. Hey, I told you it was a messed up place.”

“I guess so.” Kat shook her head. “Of course anyplace they eat pudding made of bug guts—”

“Kat!” Liv looked green again. “I swear I’m going to get you back the minute you get preggers.”

“Sorry!” Kat looked contrite. “I was just thinking of Nadiah. I feel so bad for her, having to go back and live in that awful place with a husband she doesn’t love.”

“I know.” Sophia was suddenly tearful. “I feel like she’s my little sister and there’s nothing I can do to help her. We were hoping that she’d find a Kindred to connect to—one who would be willing to challenge the bond for her. But somehow it just never happened and now it’s almost too late.”

“Well maybe something will happen soon,” Kat said, putting down her cupcake to give her friend a comforting squeeze. “You never can tell—she might go to sleep and start dream sharing with someone tonight.”

Sophia blotted a tear from her eye. “I hope you’re right but I just don’t know how much longer she can hold out. She looks terrible, the poor thing. I just wish there was someone who could help her.” She put down her own cupcake and ran a hand through her hair. “Sorry for getting emotional, I’m just stretched thin right now. It looks like the minute Nadiah leaves, we’ll be getting another guest.”

“You will?” Liv frowned. “Who?”

“You remember Sylvan’s friend—the one who was supposed to show up for the joining ceremony and perform the luck kiss and didn’t?” Sophia picked up her cupcake again and took another nibble. “Well apparently he’s finally on his way.”

“He is? Now?” Liv shook her head. “Kind of rude to miss the wedding and still expect you to put him up, isn’t it?”

Sophie sighed. “I think so too, but he has a good excuse.”

“What kind of Kindred is he?” Kat asked. “He can’t be a Twin or he’d be bringing his brother with him.”

“That’s the weird thing about him,” Sophia said. “Apparently he’s some kind of hybrid.”

“A hybrid?” Olivia raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. How is it even possible?”

“Well Sylvan says his mother was one of those really rare female Kindred—her mother was a Tranq Prime native and her father was a Blood Kindred.”

“I thought the female Kindred almost always became priestesses of the Goddess,” Kat said.

“Well this one didn’t.” Sophia picked a blueberry out of her cupcake and popped it in her mouth. “She grew up on Tranq Prime and then left and met a Beast Kindred from Rageron. They got mated and had Merrik.”

“Merrik being Sylvan’s long lost friend?” Liv asked.

Sophie nodded. “Yup. Anyway, apparently there’s a reason there aren’t many Kindred Hybrids—they have a really hard time reconciling the two different parts of their personality. Merrik was away on some spiritual retreat trying to do just that when he got captured.”

“Captured?” Kat and Liv said together.

“I told you he had a good excuse.” Sophia shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly who captured him—I got the idea from Sylvan that he was too upset to speak about it. Anyway, he got loose and he’s on his way now to convey his belated congratulations.” She sighed. “He was one of Sylvan’s best friends growing up on Tranq Prime so it’s not like we can say no.”

“Of course.” Kat nodded. “Well, I guess you’re going to be busy for a while. Maybe I’ll get Lauren to help plan my wedding.”

“What?” Sophie and Liv shrieked at the same time.

“You mean you three are finally tying the knot?” Liv demanded.

“Yeah, well…” Kat laughed. “Deep and Lock have been bugging me to do it for some time. It had to happen eventually.”

Olivia grinned. “It’s about time you three stopped ‘living in sin.’ Have you told your grandma yet?”

“That I’m going to get married to not one but two hot alien studs?” Kat said dryly. “Not yet. She’s got a pacemaker, you know. I’m not sure her heart can take it.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy for you once she knows you’re happy.” Sophia patted her arm. “But you better tell her before the big day. It really might give her a heart attack to watch you walk down the aisle with a guy on either arm.”

“And hear you guys say ‘I do, I do, I do,” Liv added, cracking up again.

“Very funny.” But Kat was smiling too. “Well, let’s wait until Lauren moves up and then we can all plan it together. What do you say?’

“Sounds perfect to me. I’ve always wanted to make a wedding cake.”

They all looked up to see Lauren standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.

“Lauren!” The three of them jumped up to give her a group hug which she returned, laughing.

“I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in. Xairn is up here supervising moving my equipment from the shop on Earth to my new Sweet Spot here on the ship and I thought I’d come say hello.”

“We’re so glad you’re coming up to stay.” Sophie gave her cousin another squeeze. “I’m sure you heard but Kat is finally going to plan her big day.”

“I heard.” Lauren gave her friend a smile. “And I’ll be happy to help.”

“So you’re really make me a cake?” Kat asked anxiously. “One without dill pickle frosting?”

Lauren laughed. “No dill pickle frosting, I promise. And yes, I’d be honored to make your cake. Without your help I’d still be stuck back on Earth feeling miserable without my man.”

“It was nothing,” Kat said modestly. “All I did was give you a little bonding fruit.” She snapped her fingers. “Come to think of it, that would be the perfect flavor for the cake. Vanilla cake with a bonding fruit jam filling in between the layers.”

“Kat, shame on you,” Sophie scolded. “If what you’ve told us about that fruit is true, you’ll make everyone at your wedding unbearably horny!”

Kat and Lauren laughed and exchanged a look. “Well, a wedding is supposed to be a celebration of love,” Lauren pointed out. “Just be sure you only invite couples.”

Olivia shook her head. “The two of you can give the whole Mother ship a case of the me-so-hornies if you want, but first Lauren has to cater my baby shower.” Smiling at her cousin, she gave Lauren another hug. “I’m going to need some more of those pregnant lady cupcakes STAT. And this time I want extra dill pickle icing. Okay?”

“You got it, cuz.” Lauren gave her a hug and the four of them laughed together.

“I swear, Liv, you just—” Sophia broke off abruptly, her face going pale.

“What?” Olivia looked at her anxiously. “What is it, Sophie?”

“It’s Nadiah.” Sophia put a hand to her throat. “Sylvan just bespoke me. He said he got an urgent message from the HKR building in Sarasota.”

“An urgent message?” Kat grabbed her hand. “About what? Is she okay?”

“I don’t think so.” Sophia’s eyes were huge with fear. “He says Detective Rast told him she fainted. And now…now she won’t wake up.”

The End

Want More Kindred? Check out Book 5, Revealed, Rast and Nadiah’s story

Nadia has the sight—the ability to see into the future. But the one thing she can’t see is how she’s ever going to be free of the blood bond her parents forced her into when she was only six. Her fiancée is an evil bastard who delights in torturing her and her only way out of a loveless marriage is for a Kindred warrior to challenge the hated bond. But Nadiah has no warrior to challenge for her—she just has Rast.

Adam Rast doesn’t know why he feels so protective and possessive of Nadiah, only that he’s willing to kill or die to protect her. When the chance to set her free arises, he takes it without hesitation, even though his lack of Kindred blood could mean his defeat or even his death. But Rast has a secret, one even he doesn’t know he possesses. When he undertakes Nadiah’s quest, the truth comes out in a strange and provocative way. Can Nadiah and Rast live through their ordeal? Will the truth about Rast set them free…or kill them? You’ll have to read Revealed, Brides of the Kindred 5, to find out.

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.

Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.

Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.

Blood Bond—a bond formed by the exchange of blood between a female and the male her parents choose for her in childhood. This tradition is native to Tranq Prime and the bond created from the exchange is both legally and physically binding. Only a very strong male, such as a Kindred warrior, can hope to break the bond between the Tranq Prime female and her intended mate.

Blood Fever—a condition suffered by unmated females on Tranq Prime, the home world of the Blood Kindred. Blood Fever or Burning Blood as it is often called, is caused by a parasite living on the icy world that affects only women. The parasite—found in the fleeta or blood beetle—reacts with a compound in the Tranq Prime water supply to cause the fever. Symptoms include chills, increased sexual need and the feeling of the blood heating in the veins as well as increased coloration of the nipples and sex. If the fever is not treated in forty-eight hours, it will result in death.

Once a Kindred male has had a female’s blood, he forms a natural antidote to Blood Fever which he can pass on by sharing body fluids with her. The most effective way to get the antidote into the female’s system is for a Blood Kindred to bite her, thereby injecting it along with his essence. However, it is also possible to pass along the healing fluid through sex.

Blood Fever used to be very common on Tranq Prime which is what prompted the cold, proud natives to initiate a genetic exchange with the Kindred in the first place. A recent vaccine has nearly eradicated the disease, however, and the original inhabitants of the ice bound planet have little reason to continue the trade. A faction calling themselves Purists are against any further trade with the Kindred.

Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.

Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.

Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means sex during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.

Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.

Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.

Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:

The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.

The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.

The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.

The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)

The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.

Convo-pillar—A half inch long insect which resembles a brightly colored caterpillar. Convo-pillars were genetically engineered by traders on the fringe colonies around Rageron to translate alien languages by communicating via thought waves to their wearer’s brain. They have been outlawed by the Kindred High Council because their notoriously unreliable translations cause more conflicts than they solve.

Dream Sharing—occurs when a Kindred warrior’s mind aligns with that of his bride and they begin to see each other’s day to day activities and memories in their sleep. However, the alignment of the two (or three in the case of the Twin Kindred) minds can take several forms and is not limited to sleep.

Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.

Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.

The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.

Krik-ka-re—a Scourge tradition in which the mind life of one being may be traded for or ransomed by another.

Kusax—a special knife made from the tainted metal at the core of the Scourge home planet. One scratch can be deadly as it infects the wounded person with a soul poison which ensures a slow, agonizing death.

Law of Conduct—the Kindred law which says every warrior is responsible for the good behavior of his bride and gives him the right to punish her—within reason. Often the “punishment” is sexual in nature and some brides become serial offenders simply to experience their Kindred warrior’s particular form of discipline. ; )

Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.

Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.

Marks of Possession—the Scourge way of marking a female as their mate. The Marks of Possession include a close-fitting collar, piercings in the nipples and clitoral hood, and a brand on the inner hip or the top of the buttocks. Scourge with Kindred blood also desire to scent-mark their mates but they require the traditional marks of their kind to really feel bonded to the female of their choice.

Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.

Numala—a Blood Kindred name which means “liquid pussy.” It refers to a female who produces more than the regular amount of lubrication when aroused. Numalas are much prized by the Blood Kindred and sought after as mates because they are more likely to be able to accommodate a Blood Kindred warrior’s larger than average cock.

Psychic-Knife—a torture device developed by the Scourge which is able to break the mental and emotional bond between a Kindred and his bride.

Rage—also Protective Rage or Berserker Rage—a state of altered consciousness that comes over a Kindred warrior when his bride is threatened. It floods the bloodstream with endorphins and causes such intense anger and aggression that a Kindred in this state becomes a killing machine who will die to protect the woman he has claimed.

Sacred Grove—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these holy trees to grow and flourish.

Scourge—a genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.

Scourge Prophesy—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are a dying race, forced to create new members in artificial wombs called flesh tanks or vats because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the same genetic characteristics as the Kindred, they are able to create only male children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.

Take-me—an animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me has green fur and two heads, one on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything except banana peels which they are allergic to.

Tharp—an animal that looks very much like a thin fur blanket which can be worn as a garment. Tharps are cultivated on Tranq Prime and prized for their ability to multiply their host’s body heat and keep them warm in even the most frigid conditions. A tharp can be worn by only one person— as a neophyte or youngster it imprints upon a host and will slowly starve if parted from them. Tharps are intelligent and capable of limited movement. They live as long as their host and subsist only on body heat, needing no other form of sustenance to survive.

Think-Me—a thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication between people who already have an intimate connection.

Touch-U—a flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.

Twin Kindred—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.

Urlich—a type of dog bred by the Scourge. At maturity they are modified with machinery to heighten their sense of smell and intelligence which results in a cyborg-type animal. Once in pursuit of whatever scent has been programmed into their brains, the urlich are utterly single minded and incapable of stopping until their prey has been cornered and captured.

Wave—a Kindred cooking appliance which emits thousands of finely collimated beams of heat to cook food in under a minute.

Zichther—an animal native to the jungles of Rageron, the zichther resembles a small bright blue teddy bear in appearance until it opens its mouth and reveals three rows of incredibly sharp, shark-like teeth.

About the Author:

Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com Come visit for some free reads and to find out what’s coming soon.

You can also connect with her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=745272455

Or Twitter http://twitter.com/EvangelineA

Table of Contents

Author’s Note:

Brides of the Kindred Book 1: Claimed

- Prologue
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-one
- Chapter Twenty-two
- Chapter Twenty-three
- Epilogue

- Read on to find out about Brides of the Kindred Book 2— Hunted

- Brides of the Kindred Glossary

- About the Author

Brides of the Kindred Book 2: Hunted

- Prologue
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-one
- Chapter Twenty-two
- Chapter Twenty-three
- Chapter Twenty-four
- Chapter Twenty-five
- Chapter Twenty-six
- Chapter Twenty-seven
- Chapter Twenty-eight
- Chapter Twenty-nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Chapter Thirty-one
- Chapter Thirty-two
- Chapter Thirty-three
- Chapter Thirty-four
- Chapter Thirty-five
- Chapter Thirty-six
- Chapter Thirty-seven
- Chapter Thirty-eight

- Read on to find out about Brides of the Kindred 3— Sought

- Brides of the Kindred Glossary

- About the Author

Brides of the Kindred Book 3: Sought

- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-one
- Chapter Twenty-two
- Chapter Twenty-three
- Chapter Twenty-four
- Chapter Twenty-five
- Chapter Twenty-six
- Chapter Twenty-seven
- Chapter Twenty-eight
- Chapter Twenty-nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Chapter Thirty-one
- Chapter Thirty-two
- Chapter Thirty-three
- Chapter Thirty-four
- Chapter Thirty-five
- Chapter Thirty-six
- Chapter Thirty-seven
- Chapter Thirty-eight
- Chapter Thirty-nine
- Chapter Forty
- Chapter Forty-one
- Chapter Forty-two
- Chapter Forty-three
- Epilogue
- Can’t get enough Kindred…?
- Brides of the Kindred Glossary
- About the Author:

Brides of the Kindred Book 4: Found

- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-one
- Chapter Twenty-two
- Chapter Twenty-three
- Chapter Twenty-four
- Chapter Twenty-five
- Chapter Twenty-six
- Chapter Twenty-seven
- Chapter Twenty-eight
- Chapter Twenty-nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Chapter Thirty-one
- Chapter Thirty-two
- Chapter Thirty-three
- Chapter Thirty-four
- Chapter Thirty-five
- Chapter Thirty-six
- Chapter Thirty-seven
- Chapter Thirty-eight
- Chapter Thirty-nine
- Chapter Forty

- Want More Kindred? Check out Book 5, Revealed, Rast and Nadiah’s story

- Brides of the Kindred Glossary

- About the Author: