Forgotten
Date: 2015-11-27 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Romance; Aliens; Paranormal; Science Fiction; Erotica; Science Fiction Romance; Fantasy; Paranormal Romance; Erotic Romance; Fiction
Description: Kate McMillan has a good life and a decent job working at a jewelry store but there’s something wrong. She also has a hole in her memory—a three year gap where she can’t remember a thing. Kate tries to tell herself she’s okay but she knows it isn’t true. Someone is hunting her—a huge man with glowing blue eyes is lingering on the edges of her vision. Every time Kate sees him her pulse races and fear grips her. Rone is a Wulven Kindred—feared and shunned even by others of the Kindred race. For the Wulven carry a Beast inside them that will kill anyone unlucky enough to be near when it emerges.

Brides of the Kindred

Book 16: Forgotten

Evangeline Anderson

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson Books

Brides of the Kindred

Book 16: Forgotten

Copyright © 2015 by Evangeline Anderson

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Author’s Note #1: To be the first to hear about new e-book releases, join my new newsletter. I promise no spam—you will only get email from me when a new book is out for either preorder or for sale.

Author’s Note #2: I'm happy to let you all know that I am going into Audio in a big way. I put both Claimed , Hunted, and Sought into the audio format and I had such a great response from readers and listeners, that I have decided to put ALL the Kindred books, plus all my Born to Darkness series into audio as well as my standalone book, Purity. If you have a long commute or you'd like something new to listen at the gym or just working around the house, give them a try.

Author's Note 3# I'm trying to find out which of my readers are also listeners. For a chance to win a free audio book, sign up for my new Audio book newsletter. It's the same as my e-book newsletter, but only for audio. And as always, I promise not to bother you unless I have a new audio book out or I'm running a contest with an audio book as one of the prizes.

Hugs and Happy Reading and Listening to you all,

Evangeline Anderson November, 2015

Also by Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred books (in order)

Claimed (also available in print and as an audio book)

Hunted (also available in print and as an audio book)

Sought (coming soon in audio)

Found (coming soon in audio)

Revealed

Pursued

Exiled

Shadowed

Chained

Divided

Devoured (also available in print)

Enhanced

Cursed

Enslaved

Targeted

Forgotten

Switched (coming early 2016)

Mastering the Mistress (A Brides of the Kindred novella)

Stand Alone Novels

Purity (Also Available in Audio)

The Institute: Daddy Issues (Coming Valentine's Day 2016)

The Academy (YA novel)

Born to Darkness Paranormal series

Crimson Debt (Also Available in Audio)

Scarlet Heat (Also Available in Audio)

Ruby Shadows (Also Available in Audio)

Cardinal Sins (coming soon)

***The above books are just a small sample of Evangeline's work. For a complete list of books from all publishers, please visit her website***

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Epilogue #1

Epilogue #2

Kindred 17 Switched excerpt

The Institute: Daddy Issues Blurb and preorder link

Also by Evangeline Anderson

About the Author

Prologue

“You fool! You’ve taken the wrong female!”

Y winced as his Master bellowed inside his head. Master Two might be nothing but a chip implanted just under Y’s left ear, but he ruled Y with an iron fist, despite his lack of a physical body.

“I took the one that sniffed the blossoms, Master, just as you requested,” he pointed out.

“But look at her—this is not the Khalla at all—it’s the mate of that damn tracker.”

“I can see that.” Y strove to keep his voice level. It would be wrong to raise his voice to the Master…no matter how much he might want to.

On the cold steel floor of the Scourge Fathership, the naked girl with the long, coppery curls moaned and stirred. She had been taken by a molecular transfer beam, a Scourge invention Y had traveled to the abandoned ship to get. It had been set to take whoever inhaled the fragrance of the Dream Blooms, exactly as Master Two had ordered. Y didn’t see how it was his fault the wrong female had been taken.

But so it had happened. This female—Kate, Y thought she was called—had apparently unwittingly sprung the trap set for Emily, the new Khalla back on Rageron. Indeed, she still had one of the deep blue blossoms clutched in one hand.

Y wondered how it had come through the transfer beam with her—it was his understanding that only living things were transportable. But maybe the freshly cut flower still had enough vitality to make it through the transfer…or maybe it was the spell the old hag from the Wulven home planet had placed on the blossoms that allowed it to come, clutched in Kate’s small fist. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, lying unconscious on the hard metal floor that Y felt his heart twist with pity. He immediately tried to suppress the emotion—doubtless his Master would see it as nothing but weakness.

“She’s here now,” he said, stolidly. “What shall we do with her? Do you want me to kill her?” He hoped not—he did not enjoy violence, especially towards females. But the Master was not to be denied and anyway, death would be a kinder fate than any of the horrible, twisted tortures the soulless bastard that lived in Y’s brain might devise.

“I would kill her myself, if I had a body!” Master Two hissed, his mental voice filled with frustration. “But no…let me think.”

There was a long silence—so long that Y wondered if the Master had gone to sleep. He did that at times—became inactive during a recharging period. Y had come to look forward to such periods of inactivity—they were the only rest he got from the relentless dictator that lived in his skull.

On the cold floor, Kate stirred again and moaned softly.

“Master,” Y sub-vocalized in case she could hear him. “She is waking.”

“Hush, you fool! Ah—I have it now. We must send her back.”

“You mean back to Rageron? And try to take the Khalla instead?” Y asked doubtfully. “That won’t be easy—they’ll know she was the true target. Doubtless they’ve taken her someplace shielded.”

“No, you idiot! Not back to Rageron—back home. Her home.”

“I don’t understand. Do you mean her home world of Earth?” Y shook his head in confusion. “But why?”

“Two reasons,” Two hissed in his head. “First because we must send her somewhere—we cannot take her with us. Her mate is a Wulven Kindred and they are absolutely deadly in their fur-form—we cannot risk it. Second, because home is the last place the Kindred will expect her to be. They’ll search the entire universe before they think to look back on Earth—which is just how we want it.”

“We do? But why? Are you hoping to distract them in some way?” Y asked.

“Finally, you’re learning! Yes—a distraction. That’s exactly what this girl will be. And while the Kindred are busy hunting for her, they won’t even give a thought to what we might be up to.”

“What do mean?” Y asked. “I thought your entire plan hinged on forcing the Khalla to forget and fear her mate and then transporting her here to the Father Ship for execution, after letting him see that she no longer knew him.”

It was another one of his Master’s convoluted plans which he didn’t agree with. Why take the time and trouble to bewitch the flowers in order to make the Khalla react in horror and aversion to the Beast Kindred assassin who had claimed her? Why not just snatch her away and execute her?

But his Master had declared that he wanted the assassin to suffer. He had refused to carry out the contract Two had placed on the Khalla’s head and Master Two wanted his last memory of his bride to be a painful one.

Let him know that she feared and loathed him at the last. It is a fitting punishment, he had said. And so the whole elaborate scheme had been carried out exactly as he had ordered…only to fail at the last minute. It made Y wonder if there had been something wrong with his Master’s mind when he recorded the personality chip which was currently embedded under Y’s ear. He vaguely remembered seeing the corpse of his Master when he first awoke back on Z4, the Dark Kindred home world. It seemed to him there had been dark spots on Master Two’s brain…areas of stinking, oozing rot which would not seem to be conducive to logical reasoning…

“I have been so focused on the Seeing that B’Rugh did for me—so focused on the future of the Kindred race,” Master Two said, interrupting his treasonous thoughts. “But why settle for destroying their future when I can destroy their present?”

“And how do you plan to do that, Master?” Y asked, careful to keep his voice level and respectful rather that doubtful.

“Have you not noticed, Y, all the lovely toys the Scourge left lying around when they died?” His Master’s voice sounded greedy. “This molecular transfer beam is only one of them. Think of everything else they left! The flesh tanks…the sniffer kennels…there are so many tools here, just waiting for the right set of hands to pick them up.”

My hands, you mean, Y thought resentfully but did not say aloud. Since the Master rode inside his head but had no direct access to his body, he was forced to do any physical labor involved in Master Two’s schemes.

“I see,” he said. “So you wish to explore the Father Ship further?”

“Not the Father Ship, no. I think we have found everything we need here. But what of Zlicth?”

“The Scourge home world?” Y shook his head. “But I thought that was a dead world—poisoned beyond repair.”

“Fool—we don’t wish to herd cattle or grow crops! I’m just interested in seeing what other toys the AllFather might have left lying around. I want to know his secrets…to see through his eyes.”

“You’re seeing through my eyes already,” Y pointed out.

“Yes, and what good does it do me? I need eyes of my own…hands…a body.” Master Two cackled gleefully inside his head. “I think our friend the AllFather can help me there.”

“How?” Y asked, honestly mystified.

“You’ll see, my dear Y. For now, just send the girl you erroneously took back to Earth.”

“Which part of Earth?”

“I don’t know—nor do I care. Use a set of the Earth coordinates programmed into the molecular transfer beam if you like. There should be several to pick from—I know the Scourge stole females from there regularly.”

“Very well.” Y obeyed as he always did, although he was becoming increasingly resentful. He punched in the coordinate log and picked a likely one before pointing the needle-like nose of the matter transference beam at the girl who was now moving and moaning regularly. Then he pressed the transfer control.

As she disappeared in a blinding flash of light, Y reflected that at least Two hadn’t made him kill or torture her. But he wondered how she would manage back on Earth with no memory of her mate or idea of where she was or how she had gotten there.

“Transfer complete,” he said.

“Very good.” Master Two sounded at least marginally pleased. “Now let’s get back to our own ship and set a course for Zlicth at once. I want to see those wonderful toys…”

Y turned at once, leaving the control room of the Father Ship without a second glance. He was glad to be getting away from the huge, haunted-feeling ship. He only wished their destination wasn’t more of the same. What could Master Two be planning?

Neither he nor his ever vigilant Master noticed the crumpled blue Dream Blossom flower left lying on the floor where Kate had been.

Chapter One

Six Months Later…

“So how’s work?” Mimi asked as she forked into her steaming pile of noodles from Sarku Japanese Bistro—one of the many fast food joints in the International Mall food court.

“Not bad.” Kate took a sip of her Jamba Juice Veggie Vitality smoothie. “Same old, same old mostly. I had a woman come in wanting to return an ankle bracelet she said she’d only bought a week ago.”

“And?” Mimi raised one skinny eyebrow. Everything about Mimi was skinny from her eyebrows to her elbows to her long, graceful neck. She was built like a giraffe which meant she and Kate looked funny together, especially standing side by side. Kate didn’t mind though—at 4’9 she was used to being the shortest kid on the block. Still, sometimes the extreme height difference between herself and her friend bothered her. Not because she thought people were looking and laughing but because it seemed to bring back memories. Memories of someone even taller than Mimi…

No, don’t think about it. Kate pushed the half-formed thought resolutely away.

“So this anklet—the bracelet was tarnished, the clasp was broken, and it was missing a stone,” she said, grinning wryly at Mimi. “I mean, really? I wanted to ask if she’d been in a triathlon while she was wearing it. How else could it get into such bad shape in a week?”

“Customers…” Mimi shook her head. She worked across the mall at the Godiva store so she knew some of what Kate went through. Although selling high end chocolates was a little different than selling extremely expensive jewelry.

Kate shrugged. “Could be worse. Like the lady yesterday who had a fit because we didn’t have the Pandora bead she’d dreamed up in her head. A monkey sitting in a palm tree with a banana dangling from its hand.”

“Weird. Why would she want that?” Mimi took another bite of noodles. She could eat absolutely anything and it would never show on her long, gangly body. Kate wasn’t nearly so lucky. As short as she was, she really had to watch her weight.

“Dunno,” she said, shrugging. “But she got twice as upset when I told her that no, we didn’t have someone in the back who could make anything she wanted to her specification. She actually thought I could just go to the back room and magically make the bead she imagined and get it back to her in under an hour. I mean, what do I look like—a witch?”

Mimi jumped as though Kate had poked her with a pin.

“Uh, well you do have that one thing, you know,” she pointed out in a whisper.

“You mean the Knowing?” Kate sighed. She really wished she hadn’t had to tell her friend and roommate about her peculiar little talent for finding out private details about people when she touched them. It was a gift that had run in her family for generations—her mother and grandmother, both deceased—had both had it.

It was supposed to be a family secret but when Kate had woken naked and alone in the middle of a park in Sarasota six months ago with Mimi standing over her, she had reached out to the other girl in blind panic. Mimi had taken her hand to help her up and Kate had blurted out, “Your name is Marjorie but you hate that name so you go by Mimi. Your mother died of breast cancer exactly one year ago and you own twelve cats even though you told your apartment complex you only have six.”

Mimi had drawn back, aghast. But thank goodness for Kate, the outpouring about her personal life had fascinated her rather than repelling her, as it did many people. She’d wanted to know more about this strange, naked girl who’d appeared out of nowhere and seemed to know everything somehow. So instead of driving Kate to the Salvation Army or some other charity shelter, she’d taken her home to her apartment in Tampa and let her stay.

Kate was beyond grateful to her new friend—especially since she had no idea how she’d gotten to Sarasota or what had been happening to her the past three years. She had a serious gap in her memory that bothered her terribly. Mimi, however, had a kind heart and a patient spirit—she was a collector of hurt people as well as animals. She’d told Kate everything would come back in time. In the mean-time, she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted to.

Though she appreciated the sentiment, Kate wasn’t sure she wanted everything to come back. After all—what if something really terrible had happened to her and she’d blocked it out? Maybe she had a traumatic past that her mind was hiding from her. It was just blind luck that she’d been found by someone like Mimi. Her new friend had given her a place to stay and even let her have her pick of the clothes her last roommate had left in the closet.

The roommate had been 5’4—substantially taller than Kate. But they’d had the same proportions—generous bust and hips with a small waist. So with a little hemming, most of the clothes were wearable. She’d had good taste too so Kate had looked nice enough to get a job at International Mall, the swankiest and most expensive mall in the Tampa Bay area. It was right by the airport and had lots of international customers so Kate’s knowledge of languages came in handy too.

The language thing was…weird. She could somehow instantly understand and speak any language she heard whether she knew it or not. It wasn’t like the Knowing, a gift handed down from generation to generation. That was just part of her DNA. The language thing hadn’t been there before the gap in her memory—Kate knew for a fact because she could remember failing high school French. She’d had what her teacher called a “dead ear,” meaning she couldn’t hear or master the necessary accent to make her spoken French sound anything but atrocious. Yet now she spoke French like a native Parisian—she’d spoken it just yesterday to a client at her store. And she could speak any other language as well, even if she’d never heard it before.

Kate had no idea how she’d acquired her gift with languages but it certainly came in handy at work. In fact, it was the way she’d gotten the job in the first place…

She’d been walking through the mall a few weeks after her sudden appearance in Sarasota, looking for work after Mimi had started her shift at Godiva. Since she didn’t own a car, it made sense to try to find a job in the same place her new friend worked. Unfortunately, it seemed like no one was hiring. Kate was just about to give up on the nicer shops and go try the food court when she’d passed by a high end jewelry store on the top floor of the mall. Official purveyor of Rolex watches, proclaimed an elegantly scripted sign out front. Inside, a customer was trying to make himself understood in Farsi.

Of course, Kate didn’t know it was Farsi—she only knew that he was speaking in a foreign tongue but she could somehow understand it. For a moment she just stood there, stunned. How in the Hell could she understand everything the customer was saying when she didn’t know any language but English? She froze—staring into the jewelry store, unable to drag herself away.

“No, this is not the one I am looking for,” the customer was saying, pointing at something in the jewelry case. “I want one with rubies—those are my wife’s favorite stone.”

“I’m sorry…” The saleslady said. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Do you speak English?”

“What?” Plainly the customer was getting more and more irritated.

“What about Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?” the sales lady asked, switching to Spanish.

Kate’s mouth dropped. This she recognized—she’d heard Spanish spoken often enough to know what it sounded like. Only, she’d never understood it before. Now it was perfectly clear.

“What are you saying?” the customer demanded in Farsi.

“I’m sorry,” the saleslady said, shaking her head hopelessly. “I only speak Spanish and English.”

“Forget it!” The customer threw up his hands in disgust.

It was at this moment that Kate had an epiphany. She didn’t know how she was understanding these languages but clearly she was. Behind her in the mall, she heard two women walking by, speaking in Vietnamese. Kate understood every word. Apparently this was a new gift she somehow had.

Being suddenly multi-lingual probably would have freaked out most people but Kate was used to being unusual. She’d grown up knowing she was different from everyone else and the kids in her small town high school had never let her forget it for an instant. You either hid your differences away and let them make you a freak…or you used them to your advantage to make you stronger. Kate preferred the latter.

But just because she understood all these languages, did it mean she could speak them too?

Only one way to find out!

Lifting her chin, Kate stepped into the jewelry shop.

“Excuse me, but I think I know what he’s saying,” she told the saleslady, pointing to the disgusted customer who was preparing to leave. “I think I can help.”

“If you can, please!” She was an older lady with an elegant coif of gray hair swept up in the back and a simple strand of pearls around her neck. “I’d love to help him but I can’t understand a word.”

“Hello,” Kate said to the disgusted customer in perfect Farsi. “Can I help translate? I know your language.”

“Oh, at last! Finally someone who can help—thank you, yes!” He nodded eagerly. “I cannot go home without procuring something for my wife. I see a piece I like very much but I need it with rubies, not emeralds.”

“Show me,” Kate said and he pointed at the case. Kate translated rapidly between him and the saleslady, amazed to hear the words pouring out of her own mouth. Words she shouldn’t have been able to understand or pronounce at all and yet they came flowing as easily as if the customer’s language was her native tongue.

The saleslady happened to have exactly what the customer wanted in another case. Before long, the sale was made and everyone was happy. Kate was about to leave and see what other languages she could understand when the manager of the store stepped out from the back.

“I saw that—a very impressive display, young lady,” he said, nodding at Kate.

“Oh yes, Mr. Myers, she was wonderful, wasn’t she?” The older saleslady beamed at Kate. “Thank you so much—I couldn’t have made that sale without you to translate.”

“So do you speak other languages?” the manager asked. “We get quite a lot of international customers here and we’re always on the lookout for sales staff with multilingual capabilities.”

Kate had decided to take a chance. “I can speak and understand just about any language there is,” she’d said quietly, keeping her voice level and calm so it didn’t seem like she was bragging. She wasn’t completely certain it was true but it seemed like a pretty safe bet.

“Is that right?” The manager looked even more interested. “You have a gift for languages, do you?”

“You could say that,” Kate said.

“And are you looking for employment?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Kate had stepped up and held out her hand. “Kate McMillan.”

“Arthur Myers,” he’d said, taking her offered hand. The minute she touched his hand, Kate had known this was a good situation for her. But she needed to take things carefully.

“Come back to my office and we’ll talk,” Mr. Myers had said. Kate had allowed him to usher her into the back, knowing from the single touch of his hand that he wouldn’t hurt or assault her. Besides, even if he tried, she had her Glock 42 concealed under her dressy business suit jacket.

The 42 was one of the smallest guns Glock had ever made, which made it ideal both for Kate’s small hands and a concealed carry. She’d found it along with a few small pieces of her past and she wasn’t willing to give it up.

After a few weeks of living with Mimi, more of Kate’s memory had come back and she’d been able to get some of her personal effects, which had been stored in her mom’s house back in Mississippi. Mimi had driven her there—happy to go on a road trip—and though Kate didn’t have the keys, she knew just how to jiggle the handle of the back door to get in.

Inside, stored in the attic, she’d found her driver’s license, birth certificate, social security card—and of course the gun. It had cost her some time and trouble to get the concealed weapons carry permit here in Florida but Kate considered it money well spent. She had a feeling there was something else hiding in that three year time gap—another memory not nearly as useful as her sudden ability with languages. A dark memory—one she might need protection from.

So she carried the 42 with her everywhere she went and even slept with it under her pillow at night. It made her feel better—as though she was somehow in control. As though she hadn’t lost three whole years of her life somehow and wound up naked and alone in a Sarasota park with no knowledge of how she’d gotten there.

“Have a seat, please.” The manager had indicated a plush, leather chair across from his own.

“Thank you.” Kate took the seat and smiled sedately. “Tell me why you want me to work here.”

Mr. Meyers looked rather flustered.

“Oh, well that’s usually my line. You tell me why you want to work here.”

“Well, I need a job. Right now I’m living with my good friend Mimi and I want to be able to help out—pay half the rent and groceries.”

“That sounds responsible of you.” Mr. Meyers looked sympathetic. “So are you having a hard time finding something in today’s market? Maybe your degree isn’t very useful? Lourdes, the nice woman you helped make that sale, has a Masters degree in Sixteenth Century Spanish poetry. Not very practical I’m afraid.”

“Actually, I have a degree in Communications. Not terribly useful but not a complete waste of time either,” Kate said pleasantly. “The reason I can’t find a job is that I have a three year gap in my résumé—most employers don’t like that.”

“Hmm, as an employer myself I can see why.” Myers had frowned. “Can you tell me why you have this gap?”

This was something Kate had struggled with over and over in other job interviews. She didn’t like to lie but it sounded both crazy and dramatic to explain that she’d been abducted, had three years of her memory wiped, and been dumped naked in a park in Sarasota. She supposed she could say she had been working for the government on some kind of black ops mission but she didn’t exactly look like a spy. Also, she had no Army record of any kind and it would be easy enough to trace the falsehood.

The only lie that fit the situation made her very uncomfortable to use but what else could she do? She really needed this job and just one little falsehood wouldn’t hurt—she hoped.

“The Kindred,” she said, the words tasting like dust on her lips. “I…I was called as a bride. Went up to the Mother Ship and stayed for the past three years.” Since the Kindred didn’t make their claiming files available to the public, this would be very difficult to confirm or deny. It was the perfect excuse—she just wished it didn’t give her that itchy, uncomfortable feeling between her shoulder blades, like someone was watching her.

“A Kindred bride, eh?” Myers raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Forgive me but it was my understanding that the Kindred took wives for life. Almost no one ever comes back after being mated to one.”

“It doesn’t always work out,” Kate said tightly. “I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind.” She straightened up in her chair. “I think it would be a better idea if I told you why you want to hire me.”

“All right.” Myers steepled his fingers under his chubby chin and gave her an interested look. “Tell me.”

“Aside from my multilingual capabilities, you want me working here for you because I would be a great saleswoman. I know things about people the minute I meet them and shake their hand.”

“You do? Go on.” Mr. Myers looked more intrigued than ever and Kate mentally breathed a sigh of relief. She’d gotten an impression when she shook his hand that he would be open to her gift, just as Mimi was. But it was always a risk telling someone about the Knowing.

“I know that you’ve been married to a lovely woman named Melinda for the past twenty-two years, that you have two daughters named Jessie and Dawn, and that you live in South Tampa,” Kate began, getting the easy stuff out of the way first.

Myers frowned. “Anyone could find that out just by doing an internet search on me.”

“Yes, but could they also know that you have never—not once—cheated on your wife? Even that time in Vegas at the jewelers’ convention. That girl at the bar was so pretty! She had red hair and green eyes like mine. She bought you a drink and you talked half the night. She wanted you to come up to her room and you were halfway there…then you thought about Melinda and Jessie and Dawn—how much you loved them. How you didn’t want to betray them. And you resisted temptation.”

As she spoke her piece, Myers’ face went first red, then white. But he didn’t start shouting at her or ordering her out of his office, which was a good sign. Some people didn’t take their most private moments being exposed very well.

Kate knew that she was lucky that particular memory had been at the top of his mind when he shook her hand—probably because she reminded him of that long ago girl that got away. It was a good memory too—one he could be proud of. So much better than if she’d caught a flash of him kicking a stray dog when he thought no one was watching or binge eating Chunky Monkey ice cream straight from the carton at three o’clock in the morning when no one else was up.

Myers drew a deep breath.

“Well,” he said at last. “You’re right. That’s certainly something unique that no one else should know. I thought I’d take that memory to the grave. Can you read everyone’s mind or just mine?”

“It’s not mind reading—I just know things about people when I touch them sometimes. It’s a family gift,” Kate said, trying to downplay it a bit. “You can imagine how useful it would be here on your sales floor. As I greet each customer and shake their hand, I’ll be able to tell if they’re really intending to buy and what exactly they’re looking for. I’ll be able to steer them in the right direction.”

“Yes…” Myers rubbed his balding head thoughtfully. “Yes, I can see how that would come in handy.”

“I can also tell if they have…dishonest intentions.”

“That could be useful,” he said thoughtfully. “We had some trouble here a few years ago. Maybe you heard about it?”

Kate shook her head.

“Well some gentlemen came in here… Ha! I say gentlemen but they were basically thugs. Anyway, they used sledgehammers to break into our Rolex cases and made off with half a million dollars worth of merchandise.” He frowned. “Insurance covered our losses, of course, but it was still a bad situation. The sound the sledge hammers made was very like a shotgun blast. People assumed there was some kind of terrorist attack. The whole mall was evacuated and shut down…just a mess.” He shook his head.

“That won’t happen on my watch.” Kate lifted her chin. “Someone intending to shoplift or rob the store will have to get through me first.”

“Oh, well…” Mr. Myers smothered a laugh. “Of course I would ask you to keep an eye on anyone you had reason to suspect but I would never expect someone of your, er, stature to get involved in any kind of altercation.”

“You think a tiny, petite little thing like me can’t defend herself, let alone defend your store?” Kate raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well…I mean, you are rather…uh, small.” He cleared his throat. “You must admit that.”

“I admit it, all right. I know it to my bones—I am always going to be the smallest one in any given situation,” Kate said. “That’s why I make sure I’m always prepared.”

Opening the left side of her suit jacket, she exposed the butt of the dainty Glock 42.

“Oh my!” Mr. Myers scrambled backwards quickly, nearly losing his balance in his swivel chair.

“It’s all right.” Kate let her jacket fall closed. “I’ve got a permit to carry concealed. “I’ll show it to you if you want.”

“Yes, well…that would be necessary if I hired you.”

Good—he was still talking about hiring her. Kate blessed her gift again. She’d been pretty sure he would be receptive to her little show of force but it was impossible to know for sure until you tried.

“All right,” she said quietly.

“But…do you even know how to use it?” Myers nodded at her hidden gun again.

“Let me tell you, Mr. Myers, I grew up in Mississippi without a daddy or any male protection. One of the first things my mother taught me was how to shoot. The second was the right way to clean house—she was picky that way.” Kate smiled and got an answering smile in return which encouraged her to continue. “I can promise you I’d never draw my gun unless somebody else drew a gun on me or one of the other employees first.”

“What if I asked you to leave it at home?” he’d asked, frowning a little.

Kate sighed. “I can’t do that. I need it for protection.”

“From your ex-husband?” His frown deepened. “Is he going to come here hunting you and want to shoot up the place?”

“No, no—nothing like that,” Kate assured him. “It’s just I’m a woman alone—a small woman alone. And Tampa is a pretty big city with a high crime rate. If you want me to work evening shifts and lock up for you some nights, I’ll need to feel protected. And in my experience, I can’t rely on anyone but myself for that protection.”

She felt a twinge as she said it and a little voice whispered in her head that once she’d had someone else to protect her—someone to get her back. But Kate pushed it away. It was all foolishness—she was all she had and she had to stick to her guns. Literally.

“Well…having an armed sales person on the floor is highly unusual. In fact, I don’t think I know of a single other manager who would allow it. If you actually did ever shoot anyone I would have to disavow any knowledge of your…er…armed state. I’d have to be crazy to even consider it. Still…”

Kate could see that Myers was wavering.

“Just think of me as an extra security guard,” she said, smiling at him comfortingly. “An undercover one no one knows about. And you don’t have to pay me any extra—I’ll work on commission the same as everyone else.”

“Yes…and if your gift is everything you say it is, I dare say you’ll be making more commission and more sales than any of my other sales people inside a month.” Mr. Myers had smiled at her. “All right, Ms. McMillan, you’ve convinced me. We’ll have to do a background check of course.”

“Of course.” Kate nodded easily, her heart pounding. Was she really getting the job?

“If that all comes back clean, shall we give it a one week trial period to start? And then if we’re a good fit, we can take it from there.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity.” Kate held out her hand again. Myers had hesitated briefly but then took it and gave it a firm shake.

“Nice to have you aboard. Now let’s just get you set up with the right paperwork…”

“So what time do you get off tonight?” Mimi asked, breaking Kate’s train of thought. She was almost finished with her huge pile of noodles, Kate saw a bit enviously. If she’d eaten a pile of carbs like that, her pants wouldn’t button for a month but Mimi would stay slim and gangly forever—she had the metabolism of a racehorse.

“I have to close.” She sighed and then brightened. “But I have a customer coming back that I think might really pan out. He’s interested in buying one of the Rolexes. A Yacht-Master edition I think.”

“Ooo…” Mimi leaned forward, her kindly face lighting up with interest. “And how much do those run?”

“He’s looking at one in the 70,000 dollar range.” Kate smiled. “Which means I can finally pay you all the back rent I owe.”

“Oh please…” Mimi made a shooing gesture. “You know I don’t care about that!”

“Yes, but I do,” Kate said stubbornly. “You’ve been so good to me, taking me home and letting me stay with you, even after I remembered about my mom’s house.”

“I’m glad you decided to come back to Tampa even after our little road trip.” Mimi smiled. “The apartment would have felt so lonely without you.”

“Well, there’s nothing for me in Mississippi.” Kate smiled back. “And a really good friend here in Tampa. My only friend.”

“Hey—you’ll meet new people. If you ever come out of your shell.” Mimi patted her hand gently. “I wish you could come to Pat’s party tonight. It’s going to be a hoot.”

“I bet.” Kate tried to paste a regretful look on her face but the truth was, she was more than glad to be missing the party Mimi was talking about. The good thing about Mimi was, she loved everybody. By the same token, the bad thing about Mimi was, she loved everybody.

Pat, who was throwing the party, had been over to their apartment once before. He was tall, balding, somewhere in his mid-thirties and seemed to be stuck in perpetual hippie mode. His entire wardrobe consisted of baggy, torn jeans and big tie-dyed t-shirts that couldn’t quite hide his hairy gut. He also had long, dirty fingernails and smoked pot that he grew himself in his own hydroponic garden. Kate would rather watch paint dry than go to a party at his house.

“Pat’s going to be upset you’re not there,” Mimi remarked, finishing the last of her noodles. “I think he likes you. Like, really likes you?”

“Oh, really?” Kate tried to keep her voice neutral but inside she was cringing. Now she was doubly glad she was working late tonight. Just the thought of Pat pawing at her with those big, hairy mitts and long, dirty fingernails made her feel queasy.

“Really.” Clearly Mimi wasn’t aware of the reaction she’d caused by mentioning Pat’s feelings, which was just as well.

“You know, Mimi…” Kate tried to find a nice way to say what had to be said. “When it comes to Pat, well…I really don’t feel ready to date anybody just yet.”

“Oh, of course.” Mimi put a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Kate—I swear I won’t say anything to encourage him. Are you…” Her voice dropped. “Are you still having those bad dreams?”

Kate took a last sip of her juice, trying to hide her confusion. She wished she hadn’t told Mimi about the dreams—the ones where a huge, muscular stranger with burning blue eyes was stalking her. But she’d apparently been thrashing around and crying out one night and Mimi had woken her up. The whole bad dream had come pouring out and now her friend knew everything.

Well, not quite everything. She only knew about the man Kate saw in her dreams. She didn’t know about the other thing—the Beast—as Kate had come to call it. It was somehow attached to the man but she didn’t know how. It snarled and snapped at her, its burning, silver eyes narrowed in menace and its knife-like teeth hungry for her blood.

It’s the Beast you really have to watch out for, whispered a little voice in her head. The man you could take down with a couple of well-placed shots. But the Beast…nothing’s bringing that monster down. Not once it sets its sights on you and decides you’re dinner. If that happens, you’re toast, Kate—as good as dead.

“Sometimes,” she admitted, feeling a cold chill run down her back at the thought. “But I’ll be okay. I’m just…not ready to date right now.”

“Of course not. And you don’t have to until you’re ready.” Mimi patted her arm comfortingly.

“Thanks Mimi. Did I ever tell you how sweet you are?” Kate grinned at her with genuine affection. “You’re like my guardian angel, you know that, girlfriend?”

“Aww…” Mimi’s narrow cheeks grew red. “Stop it.”

“I will not,” Kate said. “If you hadn’t found me when you did, I—”

Her voice died in her throat and a feeling of dread clutched at her heart like an icy fist.

“You what? Kate? Are you okay?” Mimi looked at her anxiously.

“I…I just…” Kate couldn’t form anything coherent to say. Across the busy, crowded food court a tall figure was standing, watching her. A tall, muscular man with dark hair and burning blue eyes.

The man from her dreams.

Kate felt like her heart was about to stop. Cold sweat broke out all over her body and suddenly she couldn’t get a deep enough breath to fill her lungs, even though she was gasping for air.

Him—it’s him! He’s coming to get me!

Her hands clenched into trembling fists and she started to see spots dancing in front of her eyes. God, was she going to black out?

No, can’t do that! Have to take control. Have to breathe!

“Kate? What is it? What are you staring at?” Mimi looked to see what had put the expression of horror on her friend’s face. But just as she turned her head, the tall man, who was head and shoulders above anyone else in the food court, somehow melted into the crowd and disappeared.

As soon as he left, Kate’s heart gave a little skip and started beating normally again. Her breathing slowed and her tense muscles began to relax.

“Nothing,” she said in a voice that trembled only a little. “It’s nothing. For a minute I thought I saw—”

“Saw what?” Mimi looked at her with genuine concern on her long face. “Seriously Kate—what? You looked white as a sheet. For a minute I thought you were going to faint or have a panic attack!”

“It was nothing.” Kate waved a hand, trying to dismiss the dark figure. “A figment of my imagination, that’s all.”

“Well…if you’re sure.” Mimi was clearly reluctant to let it go.

“I’m sure,” Kate said briskly. Standing, she grabbed her empty cup and Mimi’s tray. “Come on—break’s over. Time to get back to work. I have expensive watches to sell.”

“But—”

“And if I sell that Yacht-Master, we’ll have our own party!” Kate promised recklessly. “It’ll be amazing.”

“That sounds like fun.” Mimi seemed willing to let herself be distracted, at least for now. Kate breathed a sigh of relief. She dumped their trash in the can and they chatted lightly about possible party themes as they left the food court together. Of the tall, dark-haired man with blue eyes, there was no sign. Kate tried to tell herself he was just a figment of her imagination, brought on by Mimi’s mention of her dreams. But he’d seemed so real standing there, staring at her.

So real and so very, very dangerous.

Chapter Two

Rone watched her from the shadows of a nearby shop as she walked down the long, winding mall hallway. The shop was a purveyor of trendy Earth clothing with dim lighting and loud music blasting from its darkened interior. The harsh noise hurt his ears but Rone barely even noticed it. All of his attention was focused on the petite female with a riot of coppery curls. That was Kate all right—his sensitive Wulven nose confirmed what his heart had already known. His breath caught in his chest—Lalli! Gods, been looking for you for so long! Thought I’d lost you forever!

She’d disappeared right under his nose from the Holy Mountains on Rageron—leaving nothing but the white robe she’d been wearing. He’d searched everywhere, frantic with fear for her safety and had run himself ragged, unable to sleep at night as he imagined horrible things being done to her.

Rone’s mind kept showing him pictures of his beloved mate being tortured or raped and he couldn’t force the images away long enough to get a moment’s rest. What right had he to rest when his mate was missing? Every minute must be spent searching for her but he had searched entirely in vain, until a trip back to the Mother Ship and a meeting with Commander Sylvan had given him a clue of where she might have been taken…

“So she disappeared and left behind only the clothing she was wearing?” the Kindred leader had asked. He was the head of the Kindred Council and a very busy male but he was sympathetic to Rone’s plight, having apparently gone through something like it in the past.

“Yes, there was a strange humming sound and a flicker of light and then…then she was just…gone.” Rone had barely been able to swallow past the lump in his throat. He hadn’t allowed himself to weep after Kate disappeared and he wasn’t about to start now. He had no time for grieving—she was out there somewhere and he had to find her. Only then could he give in to emotion.

“The humming sound…the light flashing…It sounds exactly the way Sophia was taken back before we were joined,” Commander Sylvan had said, frowning.

“Oh?” Rone’s heart had leaped in his chest. “Are you certain? Do you think what happened to your mate might have happened to Kate as well?”

“The circumstances are similar but I don’t see how,” Sylvan said. “Sophia was taken by the Scourge using a molecular transfer beam they perfected.” His eyes had widened and he had snapped his fingers. “A beam I would wager is still aboard their FatherShip!”

“It still exists?” Rone asked. “But why wasn’t it destroyed after the Kindred finally defeated the AllFather?”

“It was not ours to destroy,” Sylvan had said gravely. “There is an heir—Xairn, the son of the AllFather, though he does not claim his race and has renounced his parentage. He wanted nothing to do with the Fathership but it was thought best to give him time to grieve and think before making any final decisions about it. So the Council ordered it to be towed out into deep orbit, which we did. It has been abandoned ever since. Its weapon systems were disabled, of course, but the equipment was left alone. It never occurred to me—to any of us—that someone might infiltrate it and try to use some of its resources. But maybe that is what happened to your mate.”

“Yes—yes!” Rone had clutched at the hope desperately. “Maybe someone stole Kate using this beam you were talking about—maybe she’s being held there, even now, waiting for me to rescue her!”

Sylvan had frowned again. “Gently, my friend—I do not wish to get your hopes up too high. And are you certain that Kate is waiting for you? Forgive me but didn’t you say that she seemed to have forgotten you somehow just before she disappeared?”

Rone had shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“The blossoms she inhaled were Dream Blooms which cause a kind of temporary amnesia. But it will have worn off by now.”

“Very well. We will send a squadron of warriors with you this very day to the Fathership,” Sylvan had decided.

“We don’t have time to get a squad—we need to go now!” Rone had insisted. “Kate may be hurt…she might have been…been tortured or…” He shook his head, unable to go on.

Sympathy flashed in Sylvan’s pale blue eyes.

“My Brother, I know so very well the doubt and fear you are going through now. I too, have walked through that shadow and I would not wish it on anyone. But if someone is on the Fathership, using its abandoned equipment for nefarious purposes, it might not be safe to go alone. Come, I’ll call a squad right now and they can meet us at the Docking Bay. We will be there before you know it.”

So they had gathered a full squadron of heavily armed warriors and gone to the Fathership…only to find it abandoned.

“There is nothing here,” Sylvan said, when they had made a thorough search of the ship and ended back in the control area. “I am so sorry, my Brother.”

“Don’t be.” As they walked further into the navigation room, which was filled with delicate looking equipment, his Wulven senses had detected a familiar scent. Warm and fresh and incredibly faint yet he could smell it, still lingering like a ghost in the air. “Kate isn’t here,” he’d told Sylvan. “But she was. And look!”

Lying on the dirty metal floor was something blue—a tiny flower so crushed and withered Rone almost mistook it for a piece of discarded trash—something left behind by the now almost completely extinct Scourge. But there was another familiar scent coming from it—the sickly, sweet stench of the Dream Blooms—the ones Kate had been smelling just before she’d disappeared.

Stooping, he picked it up carefully.

“What is it? A flower?” Sylvan had bent forward to sniff the withered blossom but Rone yanked it out of reach.

“Careful! This is what stole Kate’s memory—it’s not safe to breathe its fragrance—not even in this state.”

“Then you’re right—your mate was here!” Sylvan exclaimed. “But where did she go from here? And who took her?”

“We believe it was Two, the Dark Kindred who wanted Emily dead,” Rone said in a low voice. “The trap Kate fell into was set for her in the first place—the priestess who was complicit in setting it up admitted as much, though she didn’t know who she was dealing with, only that he offered her vengeance.”

“So Kate sprang it by accident,” Sylvan remarked. “And was instantly transported here via the molecular transport beam.”

“Yes, but where is she now? And what’s being done to her?” Rone ground his teeth in frustration. “Gods, I’m going to go crazy if I can’t find her!”

“You’ll find her, my friend.” Sylvan had looked thoughtful. “I believe she may be even closer than you think. Come, let’s look at the coordinates the beam is set to.”

Rone’s eyes had widened. “You think they might have sent her back to Earth—back to her home planet?”

Sylvan looked troubled. “It’s possible. I think it depends on how much Two knows about you. If he knows you’re a Wulven…well, let us just say I wouldn’t want one of your kind tracking me and looking for vengeance. If I were Two and I took the wrong female—the bonded mate of a Wulven Kindred—by mistake, I would get rid of her. I would put her as far from me as I could because I wouldn’t want her trail leading back to me.”

Rone had gone to look at the molecular transfer beam’s settings.

“Sarasota, Florida, USA,” he read, frowning. “Do you think Kate could be there somewhere?”

“It’s worth a try,” Sylvan had said gravely. “It’s either that or try to track Two himself and I believe you have been unable to find a trace of him, correct?”

Rone had nodded heavily. The Dark Kindred who had been trying to kill Emily, the new Khalla who was also the daughter of the Kindred Goddess, had been uncannily good at covering his tracks. Rone hadn’t been able to get anywhere near him though he knew he must be out there somewhere…

“I’ll go to these coordinates and make a thorough search,” he had decided. “But the Goddess help me if she isn’t there, Sylvan. I don’t know what I’ll do…”

As it turned out, Kate wasn’t in Sarasota at the coordinates the transport beam had been set for, but the faintest possible trace of her scent had been. It hadn’t been easy but Rone had finally been able to follow her faint trail an hour north to Tampa, which was where she was living now. Living with a female roommate and working a job in this Earth establishment called a “mall” though Rone had no idea why.

He stared at her, as she moved purposefully past him, her head held high, her gaze watchful but confident. Her petite body was well covered—she wearing a long-sleeved blouse of plain black with a tan skirt that fell modestly to her knees. A tan, professional looking jacket that matched the skirt completed her look. Kate had never been one to bare her body—she was self-conscious for various reasons. Or she had been before they’d been mated and Rone had made her understand how beautiful and perfect she was to him.

After they’d been together a while, she’d begun to wear clothing that was a bit more revealing and even enjoyed teasing him which Rone fucking loved. The flash of her thigh…the creamy inner curves of her breasts…all those sights meant for his eyes alone drove him to the edge. It had been a kind of game with them—a naughty little pastime that never got old.

Now, however, it appeared that Kate had reverted back to her modest pre-mated self. Her blouse was buttoned up showing not even a hint of cleavage and her skirt covered her completely without being too tight. Even so, Rone could see her lush curves through the concealing garments. A low groan rose in his throat but he swallowed it down. It had been so long and the hunger was rising in him—the intense desire that affected all mated Kindred but was especially strong in Wulvens. She was his mate—he needed her. But he couldn’t just go rushing in—not yet.

Wearily, he rubbed a hand over his unshaved jaw, feeling the scratch of stubble against his palm. He had to take this slow—had to figure out what was going on here before he talked to her.

Why was Kate here? And how could she just go back to her life here on Earth as if nothing had happened? As if they’d never met or been mated or loved each other so deeply it felt like every moment apart was an eternity? It couldn’t be that she still didn’t remember him—one of the priestesses who specialized in botany back on Rageron had assured him that the effects of the Dream Blooms would wear off in twenty-four to forty-eight hours. So what was going on?

“Kate? Lalli?” he sent tentatively through the link all Kindred males share with their mates but she seemed not to hear him.

Rone frowned. Their link had felt strange to him for the past six months—subtly wrong in a way he couldn’t put his finger on but which was undeniably there. He’d been calling and calling his mate and getting nothing in return but he’d simply assumed they were out of range. Well, maybe the building material this mall was made of was blocking them somehow—he had heard of such things and it would certainly explain why Kate hadn’t heard his mental call.

Something else occurred to Rone—maybe she was still being watched. Maybe Two had put her here as a kind of bait and she knew she was being monitored. Could that be possible? He wasn’t sure and he hadn’t sensed any menacing presence around her but maybe it was so. At any rate, it was easier to believe than thinking that she had forgotten him completely.

He would have to proceed with caution—try to get her alone so they could speak in private. And he would be on the alert. If anyone was watching…if they threatened her at all…Rone felt his hands curl into fists and inside him, his Beast woke and growled menacingly. It didn’t really understand what was happening—it only knew that Rone was upset which upset it as well.

Rone sighed. If only he could make the other half of himself understand what was going on—if only he could enlist its help! But that was impossible because his Beast had never truly been tamed by Kate. Despite her protests to the contrary, Rone had judged her too frail and tiny to withstand that particular trial-by-fire. She had never seen him in his fur-form…or mated with him when his Beast was out.

That was how Rone wanted it—she was his Lalli, his little one, and she must be protected, even from him—especially from him. Instead, they had been able to use her gift—her Knowing—to allow her to meet his Beast in a round-about way. The result was though it liked Kate well enough, the Beast had never really adopted her into the pack or acknowledged her as its Mistress. It was not truly tamed to her hand, which Rone now regretted.

If someone really was menacing Kate and it came to a fight, he would be unable to unleash the most powerful weapon he had. Due to their incomplete bonding, his Beast could not be trusted around her. When filled with the Blood Lust, it might kill her as well as whatever enemy was attacking. He could do a partial change but it wasn’t nearly as effective as a full shift.

Rone squared his shoulders. Whatever came, he would just have to be ready. He would rescue Kate and take her away from here, back to their ship where he could examine her and make certain she was all right. After that, he wanted to hold her—to feel her small body safe in his arms and know that she was really and truly well and whole and his again.

He would love her so tenderly, he promised himself—he would spend hours between her thighs tasting her just the way she loved it—drinking her juices and lapping her sweet pussy until she moaned and cried and called his name. Within him, the hunger stirred again. Gods, how he needed her!

He swore to the Goddess, as he ducked out of the dark shop and began to trail her from a distance, that once he got her back, he would never let her go.

Chapter Three

Kate was almost to Mayors, the jewelry store where she worked, when the sudden urge to pee hit her. Damn it—she should know better than to drink those freaking shakes on her break! But they were pretty filling and a lot less empty calories than grabbing a corn dog or a big plate of noodles which Mimi preferred.

The main restrooms were back in the food court but luckily, there was a small, winding hallway—more of a service corridor, really—down at her end of the mall, just past the jewelry store where she worked. It was mostly storage areas and closets filled with janitorial equipment but there was also a tiny employee bathroom at the very end of it. Kate didn’t really like going down there—it was kind of creepy, especially in the evening if the mall wasn’t very busy—like tonight. But it did come in handy in a pinch.

She cast a glance to her left, looking over the waist-high railing that ran around the top floor. It was a long drop down to the first level. She didn’t like heights—it made her wish that her store was located at the ground floor instead. The top floor of the mall, where she was walking, was nearly deserted. There was more activity down below, however.

She could see the play area from here with some scattered moms sitting around the perimeter chatting while their kids ran around like crazy things playing tag in the enclosed area. The indoor playground had been sponsored by Busch Gardens and had been decorated to look like a giant zoo with an immense plastic elephant, a kangaroo with a pouch big enough to climb in, a lion that roared when you pulled his tail, and a zebra to crawl on and “ride.”

Kate watched the kids playing for a moment, imaging how it would be to have children of her own. Of course, that would never be unless she found Mr. Right and settled down. Ha—as if that was ever going to happen! Long term relationships never lasted for her. She was too weird—the Knowing made her different and even guys who didn’t have the slightest bit of sensitivity to unseen things seemed to sense it. Plus, when they found out she could read them by touching their skin, they became a whole lot less interested in touching her. And even if she could have found a guy who didn’t mind having his secrets revealed every time they made skin-to-skin contact, there was the little matter of her scars…

Kate shrugged her shoulders irritably. The scars in question ran the length of her spine, just between her shoulder blades. The tissue there was tight and unyielding, making her itch sometimes.

The itch made her self-conscious—as though everyone could see the ugly scars beneath her clothes. Which was silly. She ought to be over it by now—her scars were part of her, like her red hair and green eyes—like the Knowing. Besides, she was always careful to dress appropriately and keep her back covered. Nobody would ever catch her out on the beach in a bikini, even if she did live in Florida now.

She came to the long, narrow corridor, started to go down it …and stopped. Was it her imagination or was it darker down here than usual? Were some of the overhead lights burned out or was management just cutting them back to save money? It seemed like a ridiculous gesture in such a huge, expensive mall but Kate had known them to do stupid, petty things in the hope of saving a few pennies before. For whatever the reason, the service corridor certainly seemed dimmer and spookier than usual.

For a moment she debated going back to the main restroom but she only had ten minutes left on her break and it was a long walk back to the food court. Besides—what was there to be afraid of? A lot, whispered a voice in her head and she flashed on the tall man with glowing blue eyes.

But that had probably been just her imagination working. She hadn’t slept well last night—mostly because of the damn dreams she kept having. Probably her subconscious mind had just turned some random guy into her own personal boogieman and played a little trick on her because she was so tried. She was armed, after all. The comforting weight of the Glock under her arm made her lift her chin and step confidently down the dim hallway.

She used the bathroom and washed her hands without incident and in plenty of time to get back to work.

“See?” she muttered to herself as she swung open the door. “You were scared for nothing. There’s nobody he—”

The words died in her throat as a huge, menacing man stepped out from the shadows where he had plainly been waiting for her. He was wearing tight black leather trousers, a wife beater t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. She recognized him from the brief glimpse she’d had in the food court. It was the man from her dreams again. So her subconscious hadn’t been making him up.

He was real and he was more frightening than any nightmare could ever be.

Kate looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. He was massive—6’8 at least—with shoulders fully twice broad as hers. Either one of his muscular thighs was as big around as her waist. His hand, when he held it out to her, was a big as a catcher’s mitt.

“Kate,” he growled, in an inhumanly deep voice. “I’m here for you. I finally found you.”

Kate stumbled backwards, trying to get away from him but he was blocking her only exit from the narrow hall, his muscular shoulders filling the tight space.

“No!” she gasped. Just as it had when she saw him in the food court, her pulse started racing and she suddenly couldn’t get a deep enough breath. She took another stumbling step, tripped over her sensible work heels, and fell flat on her back.

Trapped! I’m trapped! her mind screamed. He’s come for me and now I’ll never get away!

“No!” she moaned again when he reached for her. She tried to roll away but he was too quick. One big, hot hand closed over her wrist and pulled her to her feet.

His touch had an immediate effect on her and not a good one. Had her heart been racing before? It was beating triple time now—pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to beat its way right out of her chest. Her breath got shallower and shallower until she felt like she was sipping air through a straw. Bright stars started to dance in front of her vision.

Panic attack—I’m having a panic attack! She’d never had one before but her aunt had been subject to them. Kate had always prided herself on being too strong for that kind of weakness but here she was, following in her relative’s footsteps in the worst way possible.

“Kate?” he asked, looming over her, still holding her hand firmly. His piercing blue eyes were actually glowing in the dim hallway, Kate saw. “Lalli?” he rumbled in that deep voice. “What’s wrong? Don’t you know me?”

“I…I know you…” Kate’s voice shook and she felt like her heart might burst. But suddenly the Knowing was on her and she couldn’t stop the words from coming. “The Beast…you’re the Beast,” she whispered. “Oh God, the Beast has come to devour me!”

“What in the Seven Hells?” He dropped her hand abruptly and took a step back. “Baby, no—what are you talking about?”

The minute he wasn’t touching her anymore, some of the panic eased. Not much—Kate still feared for her life. But at least the stars stopped exploding in her field of vision and she no longer felt like she was going to pass out.

She took a deep, shaky breath and another measured step away from him. Somehow she had to get around him—somehow she had to get free.

“Kate?” he said again and was there hurt and confusion in those glowing blue eyes? Kate didn’t know and she didn’t care.

“Look,” she said evenly. “I don’t know who you are or how you know my name but you’d better get out of my way now if you don’t want a hole blown in your guts!”

She’d been too panicked and too close to passing out earlier to think of it but now she gripped the Glock and pulled it out from under her arm in one smooth motion. She pointed it at the huge man and made a shooing motion with it.

“Go on—get out of my way.”

He looked at her incredulously.

“You’re not serious. You won’t shoot me.”

“I’d shoot anybody who attacked me in a dark hallway and you’re no exception, buddy,” she snapped. “You might be too big to take down with one bullet but that’s okay—I’ve got a full clip. And I’m going to empty it into your stupid head if you don’t back up nice and slow and let me out of here.”

“All right…all right.” Still looking at her like she was the crazy one, the big man raised his hands and began backing down the long, narrow hallway. Kate advanced on him steadily, making sure to keep well away from him. He was freaking huge and those muscular arms of his promised he had a long reach. She didn’t want to give him a chance to get his hands on her again.

“Kate,” he said again but she shook her head.

“Zip it, buddy. Not interested.”

“But if you would just listen to me for a minute…”

“What part of ‘not interested’ do you not understand?” They were almost to the end of the hallway now—Kate could see her freedom in sight. She motioned with the gun again when it seemed like he might be slowing down. “Keep moving. And once we’re out of this freaking hallway, you’re going to take a right and walk away from me nice and slow. You do anything else and I’ll shoot first and ask questions afterwards, you got it?”

He was still backing away but now he shook his head.

“I don’t believe you—you won’t shoot your own mate.”

“My what?” They were finally out of the hall but instead of turning to go, he was just standing there, staring down at her.

“Your mate,” he said quietly. “Lalli, I’m your mate. What you humans call a husband. I’m a Wulven Kindred and you’re my bride—my wife.”

“You’re crazy,” Kate said flatly. And he certainly looked it. His black hair was long and shaggy and his face was badly in need of a shave. Now that she saw him in the light, she could tell the piercing blue eyes were red-rimmed, as though he hadn’t slept in weeks.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said softly. “For so long. I was so afraid…”

“Tell you what,” Kate said evenly. “I don’t know where you saw me or why you fixated on me but you need to take your crazy and move along. You go away and forget about me and we’ll pretend this never happened. But you mess with me again and I’ll blow your head off!”

He shook his head in despair.

“Kate,” he whispered hoarsely. “Baby, do you really not know me?”

“I’ve never seen you before in my life,” Kate said, glaring down the barrel of her Glock. Except in your dreams, whispered a little voice in her head but she pushed it away. “And I better never see you again if you want to keep breathing,” she continued. “I mean it, buddy—back off.”

“All right,” he said quietly. “I’ll leave you alone.” He gave her one last, despairing look and turned away.

Kate watched him go down the deserted upper deck of the mall with a strange feeling in her gut. Of course the big guy’s assertion that she was his wife was insane but she couldn’t help feeling just a little sorry for him. Probably she looked like someone he had lost. Maybe he had PTSD or some other condition which was sad…but it didn’t make him any less dangerous, she reminded herself.

She debated on calling the security office and reluctantly decided against it. There would be all kinds of questions about how such a petite woman had gotten away from such a huge, menacing attacker without a scratch. And no doubt her gun would come up—she didn’t want that. Speaking of which, she realized she was still holding the Glock openly in the middle of the mall. Quickly, she holstered it, glad for once that the upper gallery was so deserted.

“Well, I’d better get to work,” she said to herself in a low voice and was glad to hear that it didn’t tremble. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that her break wasn’t quite up. The whole incident in the hallway had barely taken two minutes—she wasn’t even going to be late if she hurried.

Lifting her chin, Kate walked briskly down the hall, her heart pounding to the beat of her clacking heels. It was all right—everything was going to be all right. The guy from her dreams had come after her but she had confronted him and driven him away. And come to think of it, that was probably what the dreams had been about all along. It was just the Knowing trying to warn her she was going to be in danger.

But I’m fine now, Kate thought as her store came into sight. Just fine. Danger over. Crisis averted.

She had never been more wrong in her life.

Chapter Four

“Hmm…I don’t know. It is a lovely piece.” The customer looked at his wrist where the gleaming Yacht-Master Rolex was nestled in a wiry growth of black arm hair.

“It certainly is,” Kate remarked, trying not to stare at the way the black strands curled around the gleaming gold links of the watch. Her customer was completely bald but he made up for it by being the hairiest man she’d ever seen in her life.

This being Florida, he was dressed for the weather outside, in shorts, a t-shirt and a very regrettable pair of sandals. His arms and legs looked like they belonged to a chimpanzee and curly black tufts stuck out of both the front of his t-shirt and the back, proving he was every bit as hirsute under his clothes.

Even his toes were hairy like he was a freaking hobbit. Kate could tell because of the sandals—man-dals her mom would have called them with a sniff—she hadn’t approved of men wearing open toed shoes. It had never bothered Kate much before, but in this case, she would have had to agree with her mom’s opinion—the sight was pretty gross. Still, she had to control her personal revulsion and just humor the customer.

The thing was, he was going to buy the watch. Kate had seen it the moment she shook his hairy hand when he came back into the shop. He was rich enough that seventy thousand was a minor splurge—he would buy it as a treat to himself—the way Kate herself might have stopped by Haagen-Daz and bought an ice cream cone if she’d been especially good that day and gone to the gym. But he wanted to be sold on it—wanted to admire it and be admired wearing it. So, even though her nerves were still jangling from the strange encounter with the big Kindred, Kate accommodated him…as well as she could.

“Did you know,” she said, “That every Rolex is subjected to numerous strenuous tests to be certain they’re up to the high standards set by the company?”

“Is that right?” The customer looked up from admiring the watch nestled in his arm hair.

“Un-huh.” Kate nodded. “They go through over twenty drop tests where they drop the watch from much higher than it would ever normally fall. And then there’s the ram—it’s a kind of metal arm that shoots out and slams into the watch face at the equivalent of five thousand Gs—hundreds of times what it would be subjected to, even in the worst car crash.”

“Truly?” He looked impressed.

“Oh, yes.” Kate nodded again. “And tell me this, Mr. Denrek—do you do any swimming?”

“Well…” He puffed his hairy chest out importantly. “I’ve been known to do a triathlon from time to time. I really enjoy competing in the Ironman competition—there’s a swimming section in that.”

Kate knew none of this was true—the customer had run a half marathon once and hadn’t been able to finish it—she’d picked it up when she touched him. But she widened her eyes anyway, as though she was awed.

“Wow—isn’t that supposed to be really hard?”

“It can be.” He shrugged. “If you haven’t trained enough. That’s why I try to spend at least an hour a day at the gym.”

Sure you do. Kate looked at the considerable paunch stretching his t-shirt. She didn’t need the Knowing to know this was a fib. But the customer wanted to be flattered and she needed to sell this watch so of course she would go along with it.

For a moment she felt a rush of despair. What was she doing here? She could have been using her gift for something that mattered instead of picking some hairy rich guy’s brain to sell him an overpriced watch. In fact, she had a feeling she had done something like that in the past but she couldn’t be sure. There were holes in her memory—the three year gap was the biggest but it wasn’t the only one—not by a long shot.

“I can see you work out,” Kate said, getting back to business. She tapped the watch face gently with one fingernail. “Which is why this is the watch for you—it would suit your, uh, your active lifestyle.” She cleared her throat. “You know that every Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master Rolex is subjected to stringent waterproofness testing? Before being shipped every single one is tested at a depth 10 percent more than it’s guaranteed for. Which means that—”

“Which means you’re going to hand it over or this pretty little bitch is going to be wearing your brains on her blouse.”

Kate gasped and looked up. The customer was frozen in place and there was a tall guy in a gray hoody standing right behind him. He had a small but deadly looking gun pressed to the side of the hairy customer’s head and he was looking grimly at Kate.

How had she missed him? Kate couldn’t understand it—why hadn’t her Knowing kicked in? Or failing that, why hadn’t she at least seen him walk into the store?

I was too focused on trying to sell this damn watch, she thought to herself numbly. Too busy using my gift for stupid, trivial things to notice when something really important was happening until it was too late.

But was it too late? She had her own gun, of course, but the Glock was tucked under her arm in the holster she wore beneath her jacket. How could she get to it without causing suspicion or getting her customer’s head blown off? Well, the first thing was to get the assailant away from Mr. Denrek, who was shaking like a leaf.

She looked around for help but there was no one there. Store policy stated that there should be two employees behind the cases at all times but Rosalie, the other clerk who was working that night, had asked if Kate minded if she ran to the bathroom. That had been five minutes ago, just before Mr. Denrek walked in to look at the watch and she still wasn’t back. There were no other customers either—she would have to handle this on her own.

Kate took a deep breath.

“Let’s just take it easy,” she said in a low voice. “If you’ll just leave Mr. Denrek alone I’m sure we can get you what you want.”

“What I want is that watch he’s wearing and every one like it you’ve got in the store,” the guy in the hoody snarled. “Now.”

“Take it! You can have it!” The customer suddenly unfroze and started fumbling desperately with the clasp on the Rolex. He got it unsnapped but unfortunately, a great deal of his arm hair was caught in the microfine links. He howled in pain as he ripped it off and dropped it onto the glass jewel case with a clunk.

“That’s a start.” The guy in the hoody snatched up the watch and looked at it eagerly. Then the expression on his face turned to one of disgust. “Ugh—there’s hair all up in it—fucking nasty!” He looked at the customer. “You know, they have like, hair removal laser surgery you can get. If you’re rich enough to afford a watch like this, you sure as hell could get some of that done.”

“I…uh…” Mr. Denrek looked offended but also still scared to death.

“Shut up you fat furry fuck—nobody cares,” the assailant snapped. He shoved Mr. Denrek to the ground and pointed his gun directly at Kate’s face. “Okay now, pretty lady, you’re gonna open the case and give me every single watch in this place and you’re gonna do it fast.”

“All right.” Kate was tense but despite the explosive situation, she still felt in control of herself. “Just please stop pointing the gun at me and I’ll give you anything you want,” she whispered, letting her voice tremble appealingly. “Please.”

She doubted her soft plea would have worked if she’d been a man or even a larger woman but her diminutive size worked in her favor this time.

“All right, cutie.” The guy in the hoody smirked and lowered the gun just a little so that it was pointed at the jewelry case rather than her. “I’m not gonna hurt you if you give me what I want,” he told her.

“Anything,” Kate whispered, still letting her voice tremble and pasting a look of abject terror on her face. In reality, she felt calm and collected inside. I can take this guy—all I need is just one good shot.

It was strange that she should have had a panic attack earlier when confronted by the man from her dreams and yet now, faced with a gun-wielding robber, she felt as cool as a cucumber. But she’d never been the type to cry or faint—unlike her customer, Mr. Denrek who was huddled in a ball on the floor whimpering.

No help there, Kate thought grimly. But she didn’t need any help. All she needed was a split second and a little luck.

“I’m going to reach into my inside pocket,” she told the assailant, moving her right hand carefully up to the left side of her jacket. “That’s where I keep the keys to the cases. Okay?”

“Yeah, all right.” Clearly he still suspected nothing. After all, how could such a tiny little girl hurt him?

Oh, I’ll hurt you plenty, asshole, Kate thought grimly, though she was careful to keep the look of fear on her face. I’ll blow a hole in you big enough to read the newspaper through. You’re going to be damn sorry you picked my night to rob this place.

She already had her hand on the Glock when the guy in the hoody started getting antsy.

“Hurry up! And you better not press no silent alarm!”

“We don’t have any of those,” Kate lied. Actually, they had one by every case but she couldn’t reach the closest one without causing suspicion. Her gun, however, was now firmly in hand. “I’m going to pull out the keys now,” she said and with one smooth tug, she brought the Glock out and pointed at his face.

Or that was what should have happened. Instead, the small gun somehow got snagged on her jacket. There was a small part of the lining that was coming unraveled—Kate had been meaning to sew it but she’d just never gotten around to it. Now it caught on part of the Glock—the rear sight maybe. Suddenly she found herself stuck with the gun only halfway out of her jacket but clearly visible.

“What the fuck?” The robber’s eyes widened. “What the hell are you trying to pull, lady?” He lifted his own gun, pointing it at her head. “I’ll fucking blow your head off you little—”

At that point, several things happened at once. There was a blur at the front of the store and then the big Kindred, the man from her dreams who had confronted her in the hallway, was just suddenly there, standing behind the assailant. Kate thought numbly that he must have moved with supernatural speed—how else could he just appear like that?

At the same moment, Rosalie walked back into the store, trilling, “I’m back!” Of course the robber’s back was to her so she didn’t see the gun. Instead she noticed Mr. Denrek, who was still huddled on the floor. “Oh my God—are you all right? Did you fall?” she gasped, and ran over to help him.

“Rosalie, get back!” Kate snapped, still yanking at her own gun. Damn, it was really caught! Her heart was starting to pound and her breath was coming short—it must be because the big Kindred with the burning blue eyes was standing near again—but she fought the panic grimly.

Can’t freak out! I have to deal with this!

The robber, who had been momentarily distracted by Rosalie’s entrance, still hadn’t noticed there was someone behind him—maybe because the Kindred wasn’t touching him and the hoody blocked his view. He turned his attention back to Kate and started to point the gun at her head.

“You dare,” snarled the big Kindred in his ear. “You dare to threaten my mate?”

“What the—” The guy in the hoody started to turn but the huge Kindred already had him in a bear hug from behind. He forced the hand holding the gun down and pinned it to the other man’s body. He was so tall that his head and shoulders stuck up above the assailant, making it look like he was holding a child even though the man in the hoody was quite tall himself—for a human.

Kate finally managed to get her own gun free. With a low purring sound, the lining of her jacket ripped and she whipped the Glock out and pointed it at the two men in front of her.

“Step back,” she told the big Kindred. “I’ve got this. He…”

But the words died in her throat. Before her eyes, something strange was happening to the huge Kindred’s features. Something wrong.

His eyes, which had been glowing blue before, had suddenly turned a savage, pure silver. They were wild—filled with a hungry lust she’d never seen before. A lust that wasn’t human.

Oh my God—the Beast…it’s the Beast! cried a frightened voice in the back of her head.

Suddenly the panic was back and this time there was no way to keep it in check. Cold sweat broke out all over her body and her hands started to shake so badly it was difficult to hold the Glock. Her airway narrowed to a pinhole and she couldn’t get enough oxygen into her starved lungs.

“It’s all right, Lalli,” the Beast growled. “I’ve got him. He can’t hurt you.”

“Leave me alone” Kate gasped. Suddenly nothing mattered but getting away—putting distance between herself and the Beast that big Kindred had somehow become. She ran out from around the counter and sprinted for the front of the store.

Rosalie and Mr. Denrek had gotten behind one of the counters which gave them shelter but Kate didn’t think she could have stopped to help them even if they were right in the line of fire. She was gripped with a blind panic—a fight or flight response that was completely beyond her ability to control.

Have to get out—have to get away! Can’t let him get me! the voice of panic yammered in her head. Go! Go, go, GO! Then, to her horror, she heard the big Kindred’s voice behind her.

“Kate no! Kate, stop—I won’t hurt you!”

Risking a glance over her shoulder, Kate saw that he had let the guy in the hoody go and was chasing her instead. His eyes had shifted back to normal but that didn’t calm her down. She still felt the blinding urge to get away from him—to get as far from him as she could.

“Come back—I said I won’t hurt you!” he yelled at her in that deep voice. He was reaching for her now, one long-fingered hand snagged the back of her tan jacket and began reeling her in.

Kate acted on instinct. She pointed her Glock at his face and fired.

Running and looking over your shoulder and shooting are all things that almost never go together except in action movies. The shot missed. Instead of plowing right between those glowing blue eyes as Kate had intended, the bullet went through his broad shoulder instead. The big Kindred gasped and let go of her jacket to grab his bleeding right arm.

Kate kept right on running. The shot had only incapacitated him—not killed him. Therefore, she wasn’t safe yet—she had to get away. She was still looking over her shoulder, making sure he wasn’t following her, as her heels clattered over the slick tiles of the upper deck.

“Kate, no!” She saw his blue eyes widen. “Kate, stop—watch where you’re going!”

But Kate wasn’t stopping for anything. She would have kept running forever if something hadn’t stopped her—the waist high railing that ran around the top floor suddenly hit her in the midsection, knocking the air out of her lungs. It should have sent her sprawling but instead, her forward motion carried her over. She felt her feet leave the ground and then she was flipping down and over the banister, headed head-first for the ground floor far below.

A scream rose in her throat but somehow, she managed to grab one of the skinny rails that ran between the support struts of the railing with her free hand and stop with a jerk. A heavier person would have fallen to their death but Kate was light. She gripped the thin rail tightly, hanging by one hand, her legs dangling into empty space.

One of her sensible heels came off and fell into the kids play area below. People who had probably heard the echoing gunshot were beginning to look up and point and gasp.

Suddenly the big Kindred was there, leaning over the railing.

“Kate, oh Goddess!” he gasped raggedly. “Hold on, baby—I’ll get you.”

He started to reach for her with his unwounded arm but just then the guy in the gray hoody came up behind him.

“You son of a bitch!” the robber growled, wrapping his hands around the Kindred’s neck. “I’ll fucking kill you for messing with me!”

Caught off guard, the big Kindred choked and reached up to try and fend the other man off. He pressed his hand into the robber’s face, pushing him away, struggling to get rid of him, presumably so he could get back to Kate.

Kate, meanwhile, could feel her left hand slipping. She still held the gun in her right hand and she knew she ought to drop it and use both hands to pull herself up. But somehow the fingers curled around the Glock refused to loosen their grip. She gave a terrified gasp as she felt the thin metal strut sliding between her sweaty fingers.

It seemed impossible that the big Kindred could pay attention to anything else while he was grappling with the robber but he seemed to hear Kate’s gasp. He was still using his left hand to fight off the other man but he managed to reach down with his right arm—the one she’d shot him in—and grasp her wrist.

At his touch, Kate immediately went into panic mode.

“No—no!” She struggled to get away, fighting even though the alternative to his hand on hers was a fifty foot drop to the first floor below.

“Kate—hold still! This arm is wounded—I can’t hold you if you struggle!”

His blue eyes were fierce with effort as they looked into hers. Kate felt something warm and wet dripping over her wrist. With a start, she realized it was his blood. He was holding her with the arm she had shot him in. God only knew how he was managing to support her weight with a wounded arm.

The Beast! It’s the Beast! screamed the panicky little voice in her brain. But if the big Kindred really did want to kill or hurt her, they why was he trying to save her? Especially after she had wounded him?

“You asshole!” the guy in the hoody growled. He was still fighting to get closer to the Kindred and now he raised his gun, which he must have tucked into his pocket, and pressed it to the Kindred’s head. Kate had no idea why he hadn’t used the gun earlier but it didn’t matter—now he had it out and there was a deadly look in his eyes that said he wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

Inside her, the panic warred with the rational side of her brain. Part of her was screaming that she had to get away from the big Kindred at all costs but the other part was yelling that he was trying to save her—that this fear she felt wasn’t rational or right.

Not knowing what she was going to do, Kate raised her own gun which was still firmly gripped in her right hand.

“Kate,” the big Kindred said and there was despair in his deep voice. “Kate, baby…please, no.”

Kate didn’t answer. She just took aim and pulled the trigger.

Chapter Five

“Gah!” The guy in the hoody stumbled backwards, grabbing his throat. Blood seeped between his fingers and then he lost his grip on the big Kindred and fell over.

Got him, Kate thought and then huge black blossoms began to explode in her field of vision. She felt her fingers slipping again and knew she was losing her grip on the skinny support strut. Her other shoe fell. Dimly, she heard someone scream from far below.

Gonna fall, she thought woozily as the world swayed around her. Gonna fall…gonna die. Well, at least this way the Beast can’t get me.

Then strong hands were gripping her under her arms and dragging her up. Kate felt herself pulled up and over the railing. Her eyes closed for a moment and when they opened, she found she was being cradled against the big Kindred’s broad chest.

“Kate?” he asked hoarsely. “Lalli? Are you all right?”

No, whispered the panicky little voice in her brain. No, I’m being held in the arms of the Beast. I’ll never be all right again.

Then blackness ate the world and she knew no more.

* * * * *

“Gods! Lalli? Please be all right!” Rone cradled her to him, staring down into the delicate, familiar features. Kate was completely out—hanging limp in his arms like a doll. Her breathing was still rapid and light but she didn’t seem to be injured—at least not in any way that he could see.

He couldn’t understand what was going on. Why didn’t Kate remember him? And why was she so afraid of him? It wasn’t just the normal fear of a small woman confronted by a big male either—he could actually see panic in her big green eyes when she looked at him. And being Wulven, he could smell her fear—it hung around her like a curtain and intensified every time he got near her. Why?

It was as though all she could see when she looked at him was the Beast. What had she said earlier? That he was the Beast coming to eat her up? Something like that. Which was crazy—Rone would never let his Beast hurt her. He knew she could sense it inside him but it had never frightened her so much before—not even back when they were first getting to know each other.

But now it’s like she doesn’t know me at all. When will her memory come back? Will it ever come back?

The sound of shouting from the other end of the long hallway pulled him out of his dismal thoughts. He realized that men in uniform were running towards him—guards of some kind, no doubt. And if they got to him before he could get away, they would take Kate from him and he might never get to see her again.

Have to get her out of here! Take her someplace I can reason with her—try to make her remember.

“Hey—hey, you!” one of the guards yelled.

Rone didn’t hesitate any longer. He turned and ran, sprinting with Kate cradled in his arms, as fast as he could go. Thanks to his Wulven speed and strength, that was pretty damn fast. The security guards behind him probably saw only a blur before he was gone from their line of sight. In just a few seconds more, he was out of the mall completely and back to the little Kindred shuttle which doubled as a car when he and Kate were on Earth.

Gently he put her into the passenger seat and buckled her in, using the harness which he had modified specially to fit her small size. Then he got in the driver’s seat and gunned the engine.

The mall wasn’t a safe place anymore—he had to get Kate out of here although where he should take her wasn’t exactly clear. Someplace he could talk to her and get his arm fixed up. It was really beginning to throb by now and he knew even with his healing abilities he needed to get it dressed and cleaned before the flesh and tendons could start to knit together again.

I could take her to the Mother Ship but she might wake up along the way and begin to panic again. It would probably be even worse if he took her to The Finder, the ship they shared as their home, presently in orbit around Earth’s moon. If she woke up in unfamiliar surroundings and thought he was kidnapping her it wasn’t going to help her trust him.

So then, where could he go? Rone didn’t know—he only knew they had to get out of here and fast—before the sirens he heard blaring in the distance caught up with them.

* * * * *

Kate woke up with a quiet humming sound in her ears and the feeling that she was moving. She looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing some kind of strap across her chest and lap—a seatbelt? Was she in a car?

Looking to her right, she saw street lights and houses whizzing by in the deepening gloom. So she was in a car. But who was driving? She felt like she ought to know but she didn’t know why. There was a scent in the air that tickled her nose and filled her senses—a warm, masculine spice that was somehow familiar and yet unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. There was another smell too—a coppery odor that bothered her.

Blood. It’s blood, she thought drowsily. But who was bleeding?

She turned her head and saw that the huge Kindred was driving. Immediately the drowsiness vanished and her heart kicked into overdrive.

“Who are you? Where are you taking me? Let me go!” she blurted, struggling to sit up straighter in the seat.

He glanced at her, a worried look in his glowing blue eyes.

“Thank the Goddess you’re awake. Do you feel all right?” he asked in that deep, growling voice.

“I’ll be fine as soon as I get out of here.” She began fumbling with one hand for the release on the unfamiliar seat harness and feeling for the door handle with the other.

“That won’t do you any good,” he said quietly. “The doors are voice locked to my voice only.”

“What? Why? Let me out of here!”

“I’m sorry, Lalli.” He shot her an apologetic look. “I can’t do that. I have to talk to you…try to make you remember.”

“If you think I’m going to suddenly remember that we’re married you’re crazy,” Kate spat. “Now let me go you big asshole!”

“Kate, please…” He pulled the car to the side of the road and turned to face her. “I can tell you’re frightened of me although I don’t know why—”

“After what I saw you do with your eyes back at the store?” she interrupted him. “What the hell was that, anyway?”

“A partial shift.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I saw that you were in danger and the Beast came out a little bit. I was feeling…very protective…very upset. It happens sometimes when I have strong emotions but I would never let it all the way out. Not around you, baby.”

Kate shrank back in her seat, trying to get as far from him as possible.

“So you admit you have a Beast inside you?”

His eyes blazed. “Hell, yes I admit it! What good would it do to deny it? I know you can sense it—you have from the first minute I met you.”

Kate stared at him in disbelief. She’d thought it was something he wasn’t aware of—or maybe a warning her Knowing was trying to give her that he was bad inside somehow. Sometimes it spoke in metaphorical terms but apparently in this case it was being literal. There really was another creature inside the huge Kindred and he acknowledged it.

“Let me just show you something,” he said and started to reach inside his jacket pocket.

Instinctively, Kate reached for her Glock—only to find it was gone.

“It’s someplace safe,” he told her, plainly seeing her gesture. “You’ll get it back when I’m sure you won’t shoot me with it again.”

“You were grabbing for me,” Kate reminded him tightly. “Of course I shot you.”

“I was trying to keep you from going over that damn railing,” he growled, still digging in the inside pocket of his jacket. “Which you did anyway. And then you nearly shot me again.”

“I didn’t though,” Kate pointed out, although she had no idea why she hadn’t. She’d had every intention of shooting the big Kindred point blank between the eyes but at the last minute, her hand had jerked and she’d targeted the robber instead. Why? She didn’t know. She had no answers when it came to this strange male who now had her in his power. She only knew that being near him made her heart pound and her breath come in short, panicky gasps.

Grimly, she struggled to control the panic. He hasn’t killed me or hurt me yet, she reminded herself. He thinks I’m his wife. Maybe I can use that to lull him into trusting me. And as soon as he does I can get away. I can—

“Look.” His deep voice cut into her frantic thoughts. Kate looked up to see he was holding a small, flat disk the size of a quarter in one broad palm.

“What is it? Some kind of coin?” she asked blankly.

“No—it’s us. Our memories, Lalli. Memories from the last three cycles.”

He pressed something on the small disk with his thumb and it hummed to life. Suddenly a holographic image appeared above it—an image of a couple with their arms around each other looking into each other’s eyes.

The male was huge—tall and broad shouldered and muscular. He was wearing a tux and gazing down lovingly at the red haired woman in his arms who was wearing a wedding dress. She was tiny and petite—her head barely came up past his elbow, yet he was holding her so gently and the look in his burning blue eyes was one of complete adoration. She was looking up at him, an expression of bliss shining in her pale green eyes. Clearly they were deeply in love.

Kate stared at it, trying to make sense of what her eyes were telling her.

“Oh my God,” she said at last. “That’s…me.”

“It’s us,” the big Kindred corrected gently. “This was taken at our Joining Ceremony—on our Wedding Day as you humans call it.” He looked at her hopefully. “Does it help you remember anything? Anything at all?”

“How did you do this?” Kate looked up at him mistrustfully. “How long have I been out? Did you somehow get me all dressed up in a wedding dress and drug me or—”

“Of course not!” There was a growl of pure frustration in his deep voice. “Look.”

He pressed the button on the small disk again and another picture appeared. It was the two of them once more, only this time wearing more casual clothing. They were standing in front of the Grand Canyon—or what looked like it anyway. The big Kindred was holding Kate on his back piggyback style and she was laughing happily and pointing over his broad shoulder at the canyon.

“What’s that?” she said blankly. “The Grand Canyon? Because that’s what it looks like.”

“We went there on our honeymoon,” he told her. “You agreed to come live with me and travel the universe as a tracking team. But first you said you wanted to see some of your own world you’d never had a chance to explore before.”

Kate shook her head. “I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon in my life.”

“Yes, you have,” he insisted. “Look—see how you’re pointing and laughing? You were making a joke. They have those pack animals—those mules—that take people down the side of the canyon on tours. But none of them could carry me—I was too big. So you were teasing me that I would have to be your mule and carry you down the canyon myself. I…” He shook his head, seeing the blank look on her face. “Is any of this helping you remember?”

Kate frowned. “I’m sorry but I’ve honestly never seen you before today.”

“That’s not true. Look…” He scrolled through more holographic pictures—too many to count. Kate saw herself with him in so many poses, so many different outfits and locations, there was no way he could have faked them. Especially since a surreptitious look at the watch on her arm told her it had only been an hour since she’d been at work in the jewelry store.

But none of the pictures made sense—it was like gazing at a girl who looked just like her doing things she couldn’t remember. And it didn’t help that just being near the big Kindred made her feel panicky and unsettled.

Finally she put out a hand to stop him, though she was careful not to touch his skin.

“Please,” she said quietly. “I…I’m really sorry. Maybe what you’re saying is true but I can’t remember any of it. And being around you…being near you…is really scary. Please, can’t you just let me go?”

He took a deep breath and seemed to be trying to master himself. Clearly this was incredibly frustrating for him but he didn’t shout. Instead he said in a low, quiet voice, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Lalli. But you have to promise to talk to me once we get there.”

“Stop calling me that.” Kate frowned. “What does that even mean, anyway?”

He shook his head tiredly. “It doesn’t matter. Where do you want to go? The domicile you share with your roommate?”

“What? You know where I live?” Kate felt violated. “How long have you been stalking me?”

He gave her an exasperated look.

“I only found you today. But I’ve been searching for you for the past six solar months—ever since you disappeared.” He raked a hand through his shaggy black hair. “Kate…baby…you don’t know how scared I was. The awful things I imaged might be happening to you—”

He started to reach for her but Kate flinched away, her heart pounding and her breath coming short.

“Don’t…don’t touch me,” she managed to gasp. “Don’t.”

“All right.” There was a pained look in his eyes but he withdrew his hand, wincing as he did so. He clutched his right shoulder. “Damn—that hurts. Do you have a med kit in your domicile?”

Kate remembered all over again that he was wounded—and she was the one who had wounded him. It was self-defense, she reminded herself. Not my fault—I was fighting for my life! But she still felt guilty. If what he was saying was true, she had shot her own husband. Don’t be stupid, she told herself fiercely. He’s crazy—I’m not married to him or anyone else! Why would I marry somebody who makes me have a panic attack every time he touches me?

She didn’t know the answer but somewhere in the back of her mind a seed of doubt had been planted. How could he have so many pictures of the two of them together if he was lying? Could it be that she’d had a whole other life she couldn’t remember? Was that what had happened during the three year gap in her memory?

But if he’s my husband, why does he scare me so much? Even now, being close to him in the car was difficult. Kate knew the panic that wanted to take her was irrational but that didn’t stop her from breaking into a cold sweat if he got too close to her. Why did she fear him so?

Before she could answer, the car pulled into the driveway of the apartment she shared with Mimi. The big Kindred parked and turned to face her again.

“I’m going to unlock your door now, Kate. Will you promise not to run?”

“I…” Her throat got tight. “I’ll try not to. But this still just doesn’t make any sense.”

“To me either,” he said grimly. “The priestess I spoke to told me the effects of the Dream Blooms should wear off in a solar day or so.” He leaned over her to unbuckle the unfamiliar seat harness and Kate stiffened, fighting the panic that tried to take her at his proximity. The Kindred’s nose wrinkled and he pulled back abruptly, giving her space. “And she said nothing about you fearing me like this,” he finished in a harsh voice.

“Of course I’m afraid of you—you’re huge,” Kate protested, trying to catch her breath. Why did she feel like she was having a panic attack whenever he got too near? Was it just that he was a stranger—a really big stranger—invading her personal space? But she’d been the smallest person in any given situation all her life—she wasn’t afraid of big men. So why—

“There’s more to it than just my size, I think,” the Kindred said, breaking her frantic train of thought. “I do not know what’s going on but we need to get to the bottom of it. We can’t do that if you run from me the minute you get a chance.” He ducked his head, looking into her eyes with an intensity that made Kate’s stomach flutter. “Will you swear not to run, Kate? Will you at least talk to me some more?”

Reluctantly, Kate nodded. Though she didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, clearly there was something to his claims. He wouldn’t have all those pictures, otherwise.

“All right,” she said. “Let me out and we’ll talk—but on my turf.”

“That’s fine with me.” He nodded gravely and spoke in a different language. “Doors open.”

Kate knew it wasn’t English but she understood it anyway.

“What was that?” she asked. “That language? Why did I understand it?”

“It’s the Kindred standard language,” he said patiently. “You understand it because you had a shot of translation bacteria—all Kindred brides get it so that they can understand the language of the natives anywhere they might travel with their Kindred mates.”

“Oh…” Kate felt another little piece of her doubt chip away. “So that’s why I can understand and speak all different languages!”

He nodded briefly and reached for the door latch…then winced.

“Forgive me but you never answered my question—do you have a med kit in your domicile?”

“I have a first aid kit,” Kate said, making a decision. “Come on inside—let’s see what we can do for you, uh…” She cleared her throat. “I just realized I don’t even know your name.”

He winced again and this time she was sure his pain wasn’t physical. But he only said, “Rone. My name is Rone,” in that quiet, deep voice of his.

Kate felt a stab of guilt, as though she should have known his name already. But how could she? No matter how many pictures he showed her or how many facts he told her about this supposed former life they’d shared, she still couldn’t remember a bit of it.

She didn’t know if she ever would.

Chapter Six

Rone followed her to the domicile, wishing he could touch her in some way. The physical bond between a Wulven and his mate was especially strong—even stronger than the regular Kindred bond, because of the hunger. He longed to gather her into his arms and press her to his chest, to cradle her like a child as he had so many times before.

Kate had always loved curling up in his lap and feeling protected and loved. She would press against him, rubbing her cheek against his throat and her full breasts against his chest. Rone would hold her that way for hours sometimes, both of them just relaxing into each other, loving the feeling of being close.

And now the minute I get anywhere near her, she starts to panic.

Why was that? Could it be that the Dream Blooms she’d been subjected to had other effects besides amnesia? Had they somehow turned the female he loved against him? Made her fear him? Why? And how?

For whatever reason, she did fear him, and so he gave her plenty of space, even though it went against every instinct he had. He stood back as she found the spare key, hidden under a plastic rock, and opened the door with trembling hands. He waited until she was well inside before following her in.

“All right, don’t mind the cats,” she told him as he stepped inside at last. “My roommate, Mimi, kind of collects them and they’re always underfoot. They—”

But her words were interrupted by a chorus of hissing and spitting. Rone looked up to see that six or seven of the small, furry creatures many Earthlings kept as pets were glaring at him angrily.

“Oh my!” Kate put a hand to her chest. “What in the world?”

“Cats don’t like me,” Rone said flatly. “Dogs don’t mind but cats sense the Beast inside me and they don’t like it.”

“They…they don’t?” Kate still had a hand pressed to her heart.

“You used to think it was funny,” Rone told her, before he could stop himself. “It was a joke with us. The cat your mother used to have—Mr. Sissykins—hated me with the fire of a thousand suns. Every time I went in that damn house he would find a way to ambush me and attack me.”

“Mr. Sissykins…you know about Mr. Sissykins?” Her voice was faint.

Rone nodded. “He died not long after…” He cleared his throat. “Not long after your mother did, actually. I helped you bury him, out in the back yard of the domicile in Mississippi. I never saw you cry so hard, Lalli. I think because you held it in so hard during your mom’s funeral. And then when her cat died too, it was like you’d lost your last little piece of her.”

But Kate was backing away from him and shaking her head.

“No, stop it! Stop talking like that!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you.” Rone reached for her and then remembered he couldn’t touch her and drew back. “I’m sorry,” he said again, roughly. “I didn’t mean…I shouldn’t have said that. Any of it.”

“I just…I don’t remember my mom’s funeral. I know she’s gone but I don’t…don’t remember burying her or…” Her throat worked convulsively. “Or anything else like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Rone said again, helplessly. He ran both hands through his hair. “Damn it to the Seven Hells, I’m making such a fucking mess of this!”

“Let me just…let me get these guys settled.” Kate turned to herding the cats to another part of the house. Most of them seemed glad to go—the minute she opened a door in the back of the apartment they scampered into the room. “There,” she said, shutting the door and coming back. “Mimi doesn’t want them in the bedrooms but we’ll have to make an exception.”

“I am sorry I spoke about your mother’s death,” Rone said in a low voice. “I should not have said such things.”

“It’s all right.” She took a deep, trembling breath. “Look, come into the kitchen and let me look at that gunshot wound.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Can you? Stand to be near enough to me to treat me, that is?”

“I…I think so.” She swallowed convulsively. “If…as long as you don’t reach for me or try to touch me. I…I don’t know why that bothers me but it does. It really does.”

“I can tell.” Rone wrinkled his nose, scenting the sharp smell of her fear again. Have to move slowly and take it easy, he cautioned himself. He didn’t want to scare her into flight again—the results had been disastrous last time.

Taking a deep breath, he followed her into the kitchen. They would just have to take this slowly. Very…very slowly.

* * * * *

“Sit here.” Kate pulled out one of the mismatched kitchen chairs, picking what she thought was the sturdiest one. It was heavy and made of solid wood—Mimi’s grandfather had made it for her. Kate was glad they had it now. The Kindred—no, Rone, he’d said his name was Rone—was so big she didn’t think a weaker one could have taken his weight.

Wincing, he stripped off his jacket and the black wife-beater t-shirt to bare his shoulder before sitting down. Kate watched him, wide-eyed, as he settled into the chair, looking more like a mountain of muscle than a man. Around his neck he wore a long, fine-link, rose-gold chain. There were two rings strung on it—one was a delicate gold band and the other had a pale green stone with gold flecks at its heart. It was perfectly round and seemed to glow against his olive skin like a small moon.

“What are those?” She gestured at the rings. “I mean that stone—I work in a jewelry store but I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He looked up at her, his piercing blue eyes troubled.

“You really don’t know?” Before she could answer he sighed. “Of course you don’t. These are your wedding band and the engagement ring I gave you when I first asked you to be my bride. The stone is a Rigellian Emerald. Very rare and expensive but it reminded me of your eyes. You loved it. You said…” He looked down at his big hands, lying open in his lap. “You said, ‘Any girl can have a diamond. But who else has a stone that exactly matches their eyes?’”

“Look, I’m sorry…” Kate shifted uneasily. “Really sorry that I can’t remember any of that. But I just can’t, okay? I’m not doing it on purpose to hurt you—I really just don’t remember.”

“It’s all right. Forgive me—I should not have spoken of it.” He sighed. “Do you have any antiseptic wash? This wound must be cleaned before my body can heal it.” He nodded down at the bullet hole, still oozing blood, which had gone through his outer triceps area.

“I have some hydrogen peroxide here.” Kate held up the brown bottle. “It might sting a little but it should do the trick.”

“All right.” He held perfectly still and let her pour the liquid on the bullet wound. It was small and neat at the front of his arm where the bullet had entered, but much larger where it had exited. Still, it didn’t seem to have hit any bones or tendons or blood vessels. Kate thought that all in all the big Kindred had been really lucky she was panicking when she pulled the trigger. She was usually a much better shot than this.

Speaking of panic, she still felt the overwhelming fear wanting to rise in her throat when she got close to him. But she gave herself a stern talking-to, reminding herself that Rone wasn’t here to hurt her, and managed to damp it down. It helped that he held as still as a statue while she treated him and didn’t try to touch her in any way—Kate was grateful for that.

“All right,” she said at last, when the peroxide stopped foaming. “I think that’s it. I’ll just clean this up…” She took a pad of paper towels and blotted gently at the ragged wound. It seemed to have stopped bleeding, she saw with satisfaction. “Looking good,” she told him. “Let me just get a few of these gauze bandages…”

“No need.” He looked down at his arm and Kate did the same. What she saw, made her gasp. Before her eyes, the wounded flesh was growing together—healing at an amazing rate. The bullet hole in his arm got smaller and smaller until there was nothing left on either side but a small, white scar on his smooth, olive skin.

“Wow!” Kate murmured in wonder. Without thinking, she reached out to touch the place where the bullet wound had so recently been.

But the minute her fingertips touched his bare skin, she felt the panic set in. Her pulse started to race and her throat closed up until she couldn’t breathe.

With a ragged gasp, she jumped away, curling her fingers into a fist as though she’d been shocked or burned.

“What is it?” Rone looked at her with obvious concern. Kate could see the wish in his eyes to go to her but to his credit, he must have realized that would only make things worse so he stayed where he was.

“I…I touched you.” Kate put a hand to her heart, trying to still the drumming. “I…I don’t know why I feel like that when I touch you. Like…like I’m having a freaking panic attack.”

“I don’t know either.” He shook his head somberly. “Maybe someone on the Mother Ship will, though.”

“The Mother Ship?” She frowned. “As in, the Kindred Mother Ship that orbits the moon? Why would I go there?”

“To find out why your amnesia is lasting so much longer than it should,” Rone said patiently. “The Dream Blooms—”

“Back up.” Kate made a motion with one hand. “You said something about that back in your car but I didn’t understand it. What are Dream Blooms and what do they have to do with what happened to me?”

Rone took a deep breath. “It’s a very long story but the gist of it is you fell into a trap meant for another. You breathed in the fragrance of the Dream Blooms, which were planted in the wedding bouquet of a friend of yours, and you immediately seemed to forget me. At least, when I reached for you, you drew away. Then you were taken—abducted in a split second by a molecular transfer beam. It takes only living tissue and leaves everything else behind. All that remained was the clothing you’d been wearing and these…” He lifted the two rings which lay against his chest and gripped them tight in one big fist. “I’ve been searching for you ever since, certain you were dead or being tortured somewhere…”

“I’m so sorry.” Kate shrugged helplessly. “But six months is about how long I’ve been here in Florida. My friend Mimi found me naked in a park in Sarasota—about an hour south of here. She let me move in with her and then I got a job and things just began to seem…well, normal I guess.”

“Normal.” He gave a hollow laugh and scrubbed one big hand over his face. His palm made a whispering sound over his whiskers. “Gods, how can this be normal? You not knowing me…not remembering anything about our life together…”

“I can’t help that. I told you,” Kate said sharply. “And I wish you’d stop talking about all these memories we made and things we did—it makes me uncomfortable. It’s weird to hear about when I feel like I just met you for the first time when you jumped me in that hallway at the mall two hours ago.”

“I did not ‘jump you’,” the big Kindred said with dignity. “I wanted to find a quiet place to speak to you alone. I thought you might be being watched—thought the ones who had stolen you away were using you to bait a trap of some kind. I tried to speak to you through our mind link but you didn’t hear me—maybe because of the building materials the mall is made from. So I had no choice but to try and speak to you privately.”

“Wait a minute…” Kate couldn’t let some of this pass. “Okay, I understand you thought I might be in danger or there some kind of trap but what was that other thing you said? You tried to talk to me through what kind of link?”

“The mental link that all bonded Kindred share with their mates,” Rone said patiently. “Listen…” He closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes, obviously concentrating hard as he stared at her. Clearly he was trying to communicate to her and just as clearly, nothing was happening.

After a long moment of this Kate shook her head.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to do but if it’s some kind of telepathy thing, it’s not working. I don’t hear a thing.”

For the first time since she’d met him and began to believe his story, Rone looked completely stricken.

“Truly?” he asked hoarsely, staring at her. “You heard nothing?”

Kate shook her head. “Was I supposed to?”

“Yes! Yes, of course…” He took a deep breath. “You try. Think something at me as hard as you can—don’t hold back.”

Kate did as he commanded, though it seemed sort of foolish to her. Looking straight at him, she thought, “This is weird. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be thinking. But anyway, hi, I guess.”

After a moment, the big Kindred shook his head and a look of despair came into his blue eyes.

“Gods,” he muttered hoarsely. “Our bond—it’s gone. Broken. Or else buried so deeply it might as well be broken. How could this happen?”

“Um…I don’t understand,” Kate said. “What bond?”

“Every Kindred male forms a mental and emotional connection with his bride when he bonds her to him. Ours was very strong, even if it was incomplete. I would have sworn that nothing but death could break it.”

Kate was tired of apologizing for something she could do nothing about.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said. “Um, would you like some coffee or tea?”

He shook his head. “No. I want nothing. Nothing except you, Lalli.”

There it was—that word again. The nickname that made her so uncomfortable for some reason. As if the intense way he was looking at her wasn’t making her uncomfortable enough. His piercing blue eyes looked like they could burn a hole right through her.

“Well, I…” Kate shifted uneasily.

Just then the apartment door bust open and she heard Mimi rush in, shouting her name.

“Kate—Kate? Are you here?”

Kate ran out of the kitchen to meet her roommate. “I’m here. I’m fine,” she said, putting her hands on the other woman’s arms. She didn’t want Mimi to see Rone just yet.

“Oh, Kate!” Mimi hugged her tightly, her tall, gangly frame trembling against Kate’s much smaller one. “The police said there was an attempted robbery and you’d been abducted! By this huge man with dark hair and blue eyes and they said there was no way he would take you back home but something just seemed to tell me I should look here and…Oh, Kate, I’m so glad you’re all right!”

“I’m fine,” Kate tried to reassure her. “Really, I am.”

“But they said the man that took you was really dangerous. How did you get away?”

“Well…” Kate began, trying to think how to explain.

“Hello.” Rone came around the corner suddenly and Kate felt her friend stiffen in her arms.

“Oh my God,” Mimi said faintly. “It’s him—it has to be! He matches all the descriptions.”

“It’s all right,” Kate tried to reassure her. “I mean, he’s all right. And he didn’t exactly abduct me. He just sort of…took me out of the mall. While I was unconscious.” She sighed. “Okay, he kind of abducted me. But he seems to have a good reason for it.”

“I am Kate’s mate—her husband,” the big Kindred said quietly, looking intently at Mimi, who was still clutching Kate tightly.

“Her what?” Mimi eyed him skeptically.

“I can see you need proof for which I don’t blame you.” Rone dug the small coin-sized projector out of the pocket of his tight leather trousers and pressed the tiny button. At once, the holo of him and Kate in their wedding clothes popped up.

“Oh my God—that’s you!” Mimi exclaimed, looking at Kate. “And look at that gorgeous gown!”

“It was Vera’s Wang,” Rone said seriously.

“It was what?” Mimi giggled. “Do you mean a Vera Wang? It was a Vera Wang gown?”

“Yes, forgive me. Apparently it’s a very famous Earth designer. Kate thought it was too expensive but I wanted her to have her Joining Ceremony exactly as she had always imagined it.”

“Oh…” Mimi pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s so romantic.”

“It was a beautiful day. The happiest of my life,” Rone said quietly. “And here’s one from our honeymoon…” He flipped through the images, showing them to Mimi who exclaimed over them eagerly. He was keeping half an eye on Kate—she could feel him watching her—as he showed the images. She wondered if he was hoping that seeing them again would jog something loose but it was no good—she still couldn’t remember a thing.

At last Rone put the small projector away and looked at Mimi.

“I have been searching for Kate for these past six solar months,
he said seriously. “I understand you found her and sheltered her all this time—for that I am beyond grateful.”

“Oh, well…” Mimi smiled shyly at Rone. “I was just doing what any decent person would do.”

“That’s not true, Mimi,” Kate said. “Anyone else would have probably had the crazy naked girl locked up in the funny farm or at least just dropped me off at the Salvation Army as somebody else’s problem.”

“Stop it…” Mimi was blushing now.

“You protected my mate and gave her shelter and clothing and food when another might have turned her away or taken advantage of her,” Rone said seriously. “For that, I am deeply in your debt. Kate is everything to me—she is my heart.” He thumped his broad, bare chest. “I’ve been half out of my mind with worry and fear. Thank you for all you did for her.” He held out his arms to Mimi who stepped forward uncertainly.

“Oh, uh…”

“Thank you,” Rone said again and his deep voice throbbed with sincerity. He took Mimi in his arms and gave her a hug, then kissed her solemnly on each cheek.

“Oh my…” Mimi was blushing scarlet. Kate couldn’t help noticing that her tall friend looked almost petite in the big Kindred’s arms and she felt a stab of something like jealousy at the sight of him embracing her.

“You can do that?” she blurted before she thought about it. “I mean, you can…can touch him without feeling like you’re going to have a panic attack?”

“Why would I have a panic attack?” Mimi asked, clearly confused as Rone released her.

“I don’t know.” Kate looked away. “Never mind. It’s complicated.”

“Kate does not remember me. And…she fears me,” Rone said. There was a sorrow in his voice so deep it made Kate ache. “I believe it has something to do with the agent which caused her to lose her memory in the first place but I cannot be sure until I take her up to the Mother Ship to be examined by the doctors there.”

“The Mother Ship?” Mimi’s mild brown eyes widened. “You’re going to the Mother Ship?”

“I haven’t…exactly decided yet,” Kate muttered.

“You haven’t? But Kate—he’s your husband. And just look at him.” Mimi gestured at Rone’s muscular, bare chest. “I mean, come on—it’s like you won the husband lottery. He’s gorgeous.” She looked hastily at Rone. “Uh, no offense. I just meant…”

“None taken.” Rone cleared his throat. “I think I will go back to the kitchen for a moment. May I help myself to some refreshment?”

“Oh, sure.” Mimi still seemed a little dazzled. “I mean, anything you want in the fridge. Just go for it.”

“Thank you.” The big Kindred nodded and disappeared back around the corner. Clearly he was trying to be tactful and give them some time and privacy. And just as clearly, Mimi was going to take this opportunity to dish the dirt with Kate—not that there was much dirt to dish since she couldn’t remember anything. Still, there was a gleam in her roommate’s brown eyes that said she couldn’t wait to get Kate alone.

Chapter Seven

“Okay now, come on, let’s talk.” The minute the big Kindred disappeared, and before Kate could protest, Mimi was dragging her back to the master bedroom. When she opened the door, some of the cats were lying on the bed while others paced around the room restlessly.

“Oh! What is everybody doing in here?” Mimi stared at them blankly.

“Sorry. They don’t like Rone.” Kate sighed and plopped down on the side of the bed. Immediately, St. John, a huge, black Persian-mix came and settled on her lap. She stroked him absently as she talked. “They all hissed at him when we came in the door.”

“They did?” Mimi sat beside her and immediately gained two cats of her own, which came to see if there was any food and decided to stay and be petted.

“Uh-huh.” Kate nodded. “He says cats never like him. He even told me my mom’s cat, Mr. Sissykins, hated him. And then…then he told me that when the cat died he helped me bury it and that I cried because it was right after my…my mom passed away and…”

“Wait.” Mimi stopped stroking one of the cats in her lap and put a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “I thought you told me you didn’t remember how your mom died.”

“I don’t. And I don’t remember her funeral, either. Or losing Mr. Sissykins—it’s all part of that three year memory gap I told you about. But this guy…he seems to know everything. Seems to know all about me!” She shook her head. “It’s just…weird.”

“It’s normal if he’s your husband.” Mimi looked at her seriously. “Is he? I mean, is he telling you the truth, do you think?”

“I don’t see how he could be lying. You saw all those pictures he has—pictures of our wedding and honeymoon and all these places we’ve traveled around the universe. God, Mimi…” Kate ran a hand through her hair. “It’s like…like he knew some other girl. Some girl who looks just like me and who had an amazing, adventurous life. But I don’t know her—and I don’t know this life he’s talking about. It’s so strange.”

“But if it’s true it sounds like it might be wonderful.” Mimi leaned forward, beaming. “Maybe you should give him a chance.”

“What—just leave and go with him up to the Mother Ship? If that’s really where he’s planning on taking me?” Kate demanded.

“Kate, come on…” Mimi took her hand and squeezed. “Use your gift. What does it tell you? Does this guy mean you any harm?”

“Well…” Kate frowned. On one hand, the Knowing had warned her that Rone had a Beast inside. On the other hand, he seemed to have it completely under control—he had even said he would never let it all the way out around her. And if she had really lived with him for three years it must not be a danger to her. “I don’t think he wants to hurt me,” she said slowly. “He could if he wanted to but he won’t. That’s my gut feeling.”

“Then you should go with your gut,” Mimi said decisively. “Look, Kate—the whole time you’ve been with me, you’ve been wondering what happened to you. Where you came from. What happened during those three years you can’t remember. Now this gorgeous guy shows up, telling you that he’s your husband and shows you all kinds of un-fakeable pictures to prove it. It’s clear he’s in love with you and he’s been out of his mind with worry for you. So what’s the problem? Why aren’t you jumping to go with him?”

“Because…” Kate shifted uncomfortably. “Because of the way I feel when I’m near him—especially when I touch him. I mean, my heart starts pounding, my hands start sweating, I feel like I can’t get a deep enough breath—like someone is squeezing my lungs closed. It’s awful.”

Mimi frowned. “That is strange. I didn’t feel anything like that when he…uh, when he hugged me.” She blushed rosy red again. “Look, I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to take your man but did you notice he smells amazing?”

“No, I didn’t,” Kate said shortly. “Every time I get close enough to smell him I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin with panic. You know I actually shot him at the mall? That’s how freaked out he makes me.”

“You what?” Mimi stared at her. “You shot at your own husband?”

“I didn’t know he was my husband at the time!” Kate protested. “Anyway, that’s why he has his shirt off. I was treating the bullet wound—from a safe distance, that is.”

Mimi’s brown eyes widened. “Bullet wound? You mean you actually hit him? I thought maybe he was half undressed because you guys were, uh… She cleared her throat in obvious embarrassment. “Having a little reunion.”

“No, absolutely not,” Kate said flatly. “I was treating his wound—not that there is one, anymore. He healed right up as soon as I cleaned it out with hydrogen peroxide.”

“Wow—that’s amazing!”

“It was pretty cool to watch,” Kate conceded. “It healed up right in front of my eyes.” She sighed. “Then I touched him to see if it was really healed and the skin-to-skin contact flipped me out. I jumped across the room so fast it probably looked like my hair was on fire and my ass was catching.”

Mimi giggled. “Kate, you crack me up. But is it really that bad?”

“It’s really that bad,” Kate said grimly. “Of course, Rone—that’s his name in case you didn’t catch it—thinks it has something to do with the thing that made me forget everything in the first place. That’s why he’s wanting to take me up to the Mother Ship.”

“Well,” Mimi said thoughtfully. “I can certainly understand why it would be hard to go with him when just being near him gives you a panic attack. But if they can cure that on the Mother Ship and maybe give you back your memory too, well, wouldn’t it be worth a little discomfort just until you got there?”

“I guess so,” Kate said reluctantly. “But what about my job? I’m supposed to work tomorrow.”

“Kate…” Mimi gave her a level look. “Will you listen to yourself? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life working at a jewelry store? I mean, with a gift like yours, you could be doing so much more.”

Kate couldn’t help remembering that she’d been thinking the exact same thing herself earlier that night, while she was trying to sell the extremely hairy customer his Rolex. Thinking of that, made her wonder if everyone else in the store was all right…and what the authorities must think.

“What about the police? They’re going to want to know what happened. And I want to know if everyone else is okay. Rosalie and my customer…”

“The other clerk and the customer are fine—not a scratch on them,” Mimi said firmly. “I gathered that much before I heard you’d been abducted. The guy robbing your store got shot in the neck but the police think the guy who abducted you—er, your husband, I mean—they think he did it.”

Kate sighed. “Of course. Because why would a sweet-looking little thing like me have a gun or know how to use it?”

“You’re lucky that’s what they think,” Mimi said. “And anyway, forget about them. If they come looking for you, I’ll tell them you’re a Kindred bride and your husband came for you. He thought the robber was attacking you so he retaliated.”

“Well, that’s pretty much what happened aside from the fact that I was the one with the gun,” Kate said grudgingly.

“See? So it’s going to be fine. And you know they don’t mess with the Kindred—those guys have diplomatic immunity in every freaking country in the world,” Mimi pointed out. “So there’s no reason for you not to go.”

“Except one…” Kate squeezed her friend’s hand. “I don’t like to admit it but Mimi, I’m scared. Not just because of the panic feelings I get when I’m with him. I’m scared of losing this…of losing you and this whole life. It’s all begun to seem so normal to me. It’s hard to give that up and go flying off into the unknown with some guy I’ve never met before—even if he is my husband, you know?”

“Of course it’s scary,” Mimi said gently. “But you’re brave, Kate—one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. I know you won’t let fear stand in the way of finding your happiness. You don’t belong here—not really. I’ve known it from the moment I found you.”

“I guess not,” Kate admitted. As much as she loved Mimi and felt grateful to her, she had to admit that the past six months she’d been in a kind of holding pattern. It was like she was waiting for something or for someone. Like she was waiting for Rone? She didn’t know.

“You need to go out and find yourself—find out about your past so you can plan your future. And you know…” Mimi gave Kate a reassuring smile. “If you don’t like what you find, you can come back here anytime you want. You’ll always have a place with me—you know that, right?”

“I know.” Kate felt tears stinging her eyes. She leaned forward and gave her friend a big hug which dislodged all the cats from both their laps. They jumped to the floor, hissing indignantly, but neither girl paid them any attention. “You’re an amazing friend, you know that?” Kate whispered.

“I know.” Mimi gave a sobbing little laugh. “I should know—you tell me all the time.”

“Because it’s true.” Kate pulled back with a sigh and swiped at her eyes. “All right,” she said, lifting her chin. “I’ll do it. I’ll go to the Mother Ship.”

“Be sure you call me as soon as you get there,” Mimi said anxiously. “I want to know you’re okay.”

“I promise,” Kate said, smiling. “Okay, help me pack.”

Chapter Eight

“I’m glad you decided to come with me.” Rone cast her a sidelong glance as he angled his shuttle in towards the docking bay of the huge Kindred Mother Ship.

“Mmm-hmm,” Kate murmured noncommittally. She had been mostly silent through their trip from Earth to the Kindred vessel and Rone had decided not to press her to talk. Thanks to his heightened Wulven senses, he’d heard much of her conversation with her friend and knew that he owned Mimi more than one debt of gratitude. In addition to sheltering Kate all this time, she’d also convinced his very reluctant mate to take a chance and come with him.

I’ll have to send her flowers, he thought. Once I get things settled with Kate.

If he got things settled. The longer his mate went without remembering her former life and the more she flinched away from him if he got even a millimeter too close, the more worried Rone became.

This is fixable, he told himself firmly. Stop obsessing over it and do something about it.

He fully intended to. He had notified Commander Sylvan, who in addition to being the Kindred High Chancellor, was also the best doctor aboard the Mother Ship. Sylvan had graciously agreed to meet them and examine Kate on the spot as soon as they docked.

Rone just hoped the problem could be found and fixed quickly. The hunger inside him was building…but maybe that was a good thing. It proved that their bond wasn’t completely dissolved—only buried or blurred—didn’t it? Rone certainly hoped so. It had been over six solar months since he had last touched or tasted his mate and he was in desperate need of contact with her.

He wondered if Kate felt the same. It was true that the hunger mostly affected Wulven males but sometimes their mates could experience it too, especially if the bond between them was strong.

Kate had experienced it in the past, when they’d been separated for a few days on a case. Rone could still remember how desperately she’d thrown herself into his arms when they finally came back together.

“Oh, God, Rone,” she’d moaned in his ear as he held her. “I need you in me—need you so bad.”

They had stripped as soon as they got back to the privacy of their own ship, The Finder, and had spent hours touching and tasting each other and making love before the hunger finally abated.

Now, Rone had no such outlet. He was burning for his mate but Kate wanted nothing to do with him. For that, though, he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t know why she had a panic response every time he got near her but he hoped that problem, as well as her faulty memory, could be corrected by Kindred medicine.

“Well, here we are—the Mother Ship,” he said as they descended into the docking bay. “Commander Sylvan—the doctor I told you about—will be here to meet us and examine you. After that, they’ve promised to have our regular suite ready for us.”

“Our regular suite? As in, we’ll be sharing a room…and a bed?” Kate shot him a look which was more than a little fearful.

Rone felt his heart twist at her fear but he tried to speak casually.

“That is usually what it means. But don’t worry, Kate—I’d never ask you to give anything you weren’t willing or ready to give. We don’t have to share the bed.”

She nodded, looking relieved.

“So, if we have a regular suite does it mean that we, uh, come here often?”

“Not until recently,” Rone told her as he completed the landing sequence. “We were working on a case—trying to track an Earth girl who had been abducted by a Beast Kindred. We did find her but it turned out she was in no danger—in fact, she got Joined to the one who had taken her. It was the trap which was set for her that you fell into when you sniffed those damn Dream Blooms.” His hands clenched tight around the steering yoke. “If only I’d been faster—if only I’d been able to stop you—”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Kate extended one small hand as though to pat his thigh, then drew back abruptly. “I mean…” She shifted nervously. “I’m fine and you found me and maybe this Commander Sylvan guy can help. Right?”

“I pray to the Goddess he can,” Rone said seriously. “Look—there he is now.” He gestured at the viewscreen which showed a tall Kindred warrior with spiky blond hair and ice blue eyes coming towards their little shuttle. He was wearing the tight black leather flight trousers all Kindred males wore as well as a light blue uniform shirt made of heavy, satin-like material which denoted him as a Blood Kindred. Beside him was a pleasant-looking Earth female with long brown hair and green eyes.

Both of them were smiling when Rone popped the hatch and got out. He stood aside to allow Kate to disembark.

It was a long jump from the side of the shuttle to the metal floor below and he saw Kate eyeing it uncertainly. In the past, he had always lifted her down, making a joke about her diminutive height as he did and earning either a kiss or a playful slap on his chest, depending on what mood Kate was in. She was actually quite sensitive about her tiny stature and tended to take offense if anyone else suggested she was too small or fragile to do something. But with Rone, it was different. She loved their size difference, loved cuddling in his arms and allowing him to sweet talk her and baby her…

No more though, Rone saw with sorrow. He wanted to lift her up and swing her down to the metal floor of the docking bay as he always did but this time he didn’t dare. Instead, he extended a hand.

“Kate,” he said in a low voice. “I know this is hard for you but if you need a little help getting down…”

She recoiled from his hand ever so slightly.

“Thanks, but I think I can manage.” Her voice was tight and her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Rone stepped back, giving her space and watched her scramble down on her own. Seeing the fear on her face when he got too close just about gutted him. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to master himself before he could turn to the approaching Kindred commander.

“Commander Sylvan,” he said formally, nodding at the other male. “Allow me to present my mate. You, er, already know her but I’m afraid she doesn’t remember you. Or me either, for that matter.”

“So you told me when you called.” Sylvan came forward and offered a hand to Kate. She shook it firmly, as was the Earth custom, and tried to smile.

“Hi there, I’m Kate. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry I don’t remember you.”

“That’s quite all right,” Sylvan said gravely. “Hopefully we can remedy your memory problem. And may I present my mate, Sophia.”

Kate turned to the other woman with a tentative smile.

“Nice to meet you. Am, uh, I supposed to know you too?”

Sylvan’s mate laughed, a warm, comforting sound that Rone found soothing.

“No, don’t worry about that! I never got to meet you because my twins keep me so busy. But they’re in day care right now and Sylvan thought it would be nice for you to see another female face. All these Kindred guys can be so big and imposing.”

“Thank you for coming.” Kate looked grateful. “They can be a bit much.”

“Don’t I know it! I was scared to death of Sylvan when I first met him…but he grew on me after a while.” Sophia gave her mate a smile which he returned with one of his own.

Seeing their easy affection made Rone’s heart ache.

“You said you would examine Kate as soon as we got to the Mother Ship,” he reminded Sylvan abruptly, his voice coming out harsher than he had intended. “Please, Commander, if you wouldn’t mind…”

“Of course not. Come right this way.” Sylvan nodded at Kate who was eyeing him uncertainly.

“Uh…what exactly are you planning to do to me? I’m not really wild about medical procedures. I had enough of them when I was younger to last me a lifetime.”

“Nothing painful or invasive, I promise you,” Sylvan said gently. He gave his mate a meaningful look and Sophia came forward quickly.

“Have you ever had an MRI?” she asked genially, hooking her arm through Kate’s.

Kate sighed. “Many times. I had a, uh, medical condition when I was a kid. A problem with my spine—I’ve been in too many MRI machines to count.”

“Okay, well Sylvan has a machine that’s kind of like the MRI scanner,” Sophia told her. “Only it’s way more comfortable and it gives a lot more information. But it won’t hurt a bit—I swear.”

She and Kate walked ahead, their heads together as they talked. Rone hung back a bit, giving them room as he and Commander Sylvan followed. When he was sure his mate was out of earshot, he turned to the other male.

“Sylvan, please tell me you can help us. Kate doesn’t remember anything. Even showing her holo-images of our past did nothing to jog her memory. And, she…she…” His throat worked and he had a hard time getting the words out. “She fears me. Any time I get too close to her, it seems to cause a panic response.”

“Hmm…I suppose that could be a side-effect of the Dream Blooms,” Commander Sylvan mused. “Though the expert I consulted said nothing about it. Still, we’ll know soon enough.”

“You think you’ll be able to tell from the scans you’re running on Kate?” Rone asked.

“Possibly but I think it’s far more likely that we’ll find out when we test the flowers from the bouquet your mate sniffed.”

“You have the Dream Blooms?” Rone was surprised. “Here? On the Mother Ship?”

Sylvan nodded gravely. “I contacted the temple on Rageron a little while back and asked that they be put in stasis and sent here. They just arrived a bit before you did—they’re in the lab right now being analyzed.”

Rone was impressed. “I can’t thank you enough for thinking of that.”

“I was not acting only for your benefit,” Sylvan said. “I felt that we needed to know as much as possible about the Dark Kindred, Two, and the way he works. In setting this trap for the female who will be, according to the Seeing, the mother of a new race of Kindred, he has proven that he is willing to go to great lengths to harm us. I do not believe we can ignore the threat he poses.”

“Very true,” Rone said. “But I’m still glad you have the blossoms. Maybe the lab analysis will show some answers as to why Kate is so frightened of me—why I can’t touch her.” He clenched his hands into fists. “Even the most minor skin-to-skin contact makes her panic.”

“So you cannot touch her at all?” Sylvan frowned. “That’s very serious for a Wulven Kindred and his mate. How is your hunger?” He nodded, when he saw the look of surprise on Rone’s face. “Oh yes, I know all about it. I make it my business to know everything I possibly can about my patients before I treat them.”

“Well, technically Kate is the patient, not me,” Rone pointed out uncomfortably. The hunger was a very personal issue—one a Wulven would normally only discuss with his mate.

“She won’t be the only patient soon if we are unable to restore her memory and lessen her fear of you,” Sylvan said sternly. “Her problems directly affect you. It has already been six solar months since you last touched your mate so I ask you again, Brother—how is your hunger? You need have no shame in telling me—I have only your welfare at heart.”

Rone sighed heavily. “I’m burning,” he admitted in a low voice. “It’s not very fucking pleasant but I’ll be all right for a little while longer.”

Sylvan nodded. “And your Beast?”

“In control,” Rone said tightly. “I would not come aboard the Mother Ship or allow myself to be in such close proximity to the female I love otherwise.”

“Of course not. Forgive me.”

Rone shook his head. “Nothing to forgive. I don’t blame you for asking—I know how many of the other Kindred look at Wulvens. You’re very tolerant to even allow me to board the ship in this condition.”

“I’m trusting you,” Sylvan said evenly. “I know that the hunger makes your Beast restless but I trust you to control it.”

Rone lifted his head. “I have never once had an uncontrolled change,” he said. “And I don’t plan to start now.”

“Good, I believe you,” Sylvan said. “Is there anything else you want to tell me before I begin my examination of Kate?”

“Only that our bond…” Rone pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think how to put it. “Our bond,” he tried again. “It seems to be broken. Or if not broken, then almost completely buried somehow. At any rate, it’s totally inaccessible. I can’t bespeak Kate and she cannot bespeak me. It’s almost as if we were never bonded in the first place.”

“That is very strange and troubling,” Sylvan said, looking worried. “I can only imagine how painful it must be to have your mate right in front of you and be unable to touch her either mentally or physically.”

“Very fucking painful,” Rone assured him in a low growl. “Which is why I really hope you can give me some answers soon.”

“I hope so too,” Sylvan said quietly. “And I assure you we will do everything in our power. But in the meantime, you might consider a trip to the Sacred Grove. One of the priestesses there may be able to cool your blood.”

“I will…consider it.” Rone nodded grudgingly. He didn’t like to ask for help of the priestesses—they often wanted to “see into” a male before agreeing to help. It was a painful, invasive process not unlike mental exploratory surgery. But if there was no other way to cool his blood and ease the growing hunger, he might have to resort to it.

Sylvan seemed to understand his reluctance.

“It’s not a pleasant experience but sometimes it is necessary,” he said quietly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get Kate’s scan started.”

* * * * *

“Well…the good news is we didn’t find any tumors or masses or abnormalities of any kind,” the blond Kindred doctor said.

“I think I hear a ‘but’ coming up,” Kate said. She was sitting on the gurney attached to the complex scanning machine which seemed to consist of a vast, round glass bubble filled with swirling colored vapors. Sylvan had explained that the vapors “read” the brain waves and formed pictures of the anatomy at the same time.

Even more interesting, he had told her the colored vapors were sentient creatures the Kindred had discovered on one of their many missions to find new genetic trade partners. Of course, they couldn’t form a trade with beings so very unlike themselves, but the sentient vaporous gasses were intelligent and extremely curious. Many had agreed to come with the Kindred in exchange for a constant flow of new information and stimulation. It was a symbiotic relationship on both sides and it made for a much more comfortable scan than the ones she’d endured back on Earth.

Kate vividly remembered the grinding and clanking of the MRI machines she’d been subjected to when she was younger, as well as the tight, confined space she’d been shoved into. It was a claustrophobic’s worst nightmare—being shut up in a tight, dark tube while your ears were assaulted by a noise as loud as a freight train bearing down on you.

The Kindred’s scanner was nothing like that—the sentient vapors made a soft, musical humming that was very soothing and the space inside the scanner was light and airy. All Kate had to do was lie still inside the vast glass ball, watch the swirling colors go by, and listen to their gentle music. It was so relaxing she had almost fallen asleep and she was rather sorry when it was over.

In fact, the only thing she didn’t like about the whole experience was that the hospital gown she had to wear opened at the back. She was always self-conscious when she had to wear anything that showed her scars so she’d done her best to wrap the gown around herself, hiding almost everything.

Now she was sitting alertly on the edge of the gurney, waiting to hear what was wrong with her. But according to Doctor Sylvan the answer was…nothing.

“So?” she said again when he didn’t answer immediately. “You didn’t find any tumors but what’s the bad news?”

“Well, that’s both the good news and the bad news. Believe it or not, a brain tumor isn’t a bad thing to us—we have very advanced surgical techniques to treat even the most stubborn growth.” Sylvan sighed. “Finding a mass in your brain would have explained everything and it would have been an easy fix—for us, anyway.” He shrugged. “We knew it was a long shot but it was necessary to rule out even the possibility of a physical abnormality before looking for other answers.”

“So if there’s no physical problem wrong with my brain, what’s causing my memory loss? And the way…” Kate cleared her throat uneasily, glad that Rone was in the other room, outside the glass wall between the scanner and the control area. “And the way I feel when I get too close to Rone?” she finished, in a low voice. “Is it those, flowers he says I sniffed?”

Sylvan spread his hands. “We don’t know. We’re analyzing the Dream Blooms you smelled which started this in the first place. Hopefully we’ll find some answers there. In the meantime, you don’t have to hang around here. You’re free to get dressed and go back to your suite to wait.”

“Um…okay, but I don’t know where that is,” Kate pointed out.

“Of course you don’t—I’m sorry.” Sylvan shook his head. “Forgive me for forgetting you don’t know your way around the Mother Ship anymore.”

“Is Sophia still around?” Kate asked hopefully. “Maybe she could show me.”

“I’m afraid she had to go pick up our twins from the day care,” Sylvan said gently. “But Rone can show you the way, I’m sure.”

“Right, of course,” Kate said tightly. She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed, trying to calm her nerves. Although she knew the big Kindred was supposed to be her husband, she still didn’t want to spend any more time alone with him than she had to. That panicky feeling she got when he was too close was so uncomfortable.

Sylvan seemed to know what she was thinking because he leaned down and looked at her directly.

“I don’t understand the reason you feel the way you do when you’re around Rone, Kate, but I do know that he loves you with his whole heart. He would die before he would hurt you.”

“I know that.” Kate shifted again. Of course she knew cognitively he wouldn’t hurt her. But when every nerve in her body was on high alert and every instinct was shouting that she was in danger, that she had to run, it was hard to remember that she was actually okay.

“You’ll be all right.” Sylvan patted her shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll get to the bottom of this—I promise.”

“Okay. Thanks, I guess. Um…how is Rone taking it?” She looked at the tall figure of the Kindred warrior on the other side of the glass again. To her discomfort, she saw that he was looking back at her. Hastily, Kate dropped her eyes.

“He’s worried,” Sylvan said candidly. “But I think it’s better if you speak to him directly. I’ll send him in and blank the window so you can dress.”

“Oh, uh…” Kate wanted to tell him not to but then she realized it would look like she was avoiding the big Kindred. “Okay,” she ended weakly.

Sylvan nodded and walked out the door of the scan room. For a moment Kate could see him speaking to Rone and then the glass connecting window went black and the tall Kindred with the piercing blue eyes came in.

“Hello. How was the scan?” He was holding the bundle of clothing she’d taken off earlier, when she was getting into the hospital gown. He started to hand it to her, then placed it on the gurney beside her instead.

“Fine. Not bad at all.” Kate could feel her gut twisting at his proximity but she tried to keep her face impassive. “Nothing like the MRIs I had when I was a kid.”

“I’m glad it didn’t bother you.” He looked at her legs, dangling far above the ground as she sat perched on the side of the gurney. “Would you like some help to get down?”

Kate thought of the way her heart had nearly burst when his big, warm hand covered hers back at the mall.

“No, thank you,” she said quickly. “I can manage myself—I’m used to being short.”

“But—”

Before he could finish, she had hopped off the table on her own. The action caused her gown to gape open in the back and she snatched it quickly closed again. When she looked up, she saw that Rone had his hand on a step-stool with a long silver handle on one side.

“I was going to offer you this,” he said. “I know you don’t want to take my hand.”

“Sorry.” Kate bit her lip. “I just…I know you’re not, uh, going to hurt me but this feeling I get whenever you’re close…”

“I understand.” His face was a stony mask but she thought she could see the hurt beneath it.

Kate sighed. “Crap. I’m really sorry, honestly.” She looked at her pile of clothes. “And I hate to say this but would you mind turning around while I change? I’m a really private person and I don’t think…I mean, even if we were married I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have let you see me naked. At least, not all the way.”

“Why? Because of your scars?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Kate flushed and her hand went instinctively to her back.

“What do you know about that? I don’t…”

“I’ve seen them, Kate. They’re beautiful,” he said quietly. “Everything about you is beautiful to me.”

“Not…not those. The surgery…”

She’d had scoliosis as a child—a curvature of the spine so severe it would have been life threatening without treatment. The problem had eventually been corrected but the multiple spinal surgeries she’d gone through as a girl had left their mark on her.

The twisted white scars that ran from the nape of her neck down to the small of her back made her feel vulnerable and ugly so Kate was always careful to keep them covered. She didn’t care if she had been married to the big Kindred—she was certain she would never have voluntarily shown him her scars—would never have allowed herself to be that vulnerable with anyone.

“I don’t believe you,” she said flatly, staring into his piercing blue eyes. “I would never let you see those—even if we were married for three years.”

“I have seen them,” he rumbled softly. “Touched them…kissed them.”

“You…you wouldn’t.” The thought of him putting his mouth to that part of her was slightly horrifying. “Why would you want to—”

“To show you how beautiful you are, Lalli. And I used to lick you there—to soften the tightness and ease the ache. The compounds in my saliva are healing to my mate. You always said it made you feel better…looser.” There was a pleading in his eyes that was hard to look at.

“No!” Kate recoiled from him involuntarily. “I can’t…can’t believe I would ever let you do that!”

He sighed. “It took me years to convince you I wanted to. Years to teach you how truly beautiful you are.”

“I don’t…I can’t…” Kate shook her head. “Stop talking to me about the past…about a past I don’t even remember!”

He looked stricken. “I’m sorry. I just thought—”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Kate snapped. “Look, could you please just turn around so I can dress? You may have seen me naked but I don’t remember that either and it makes me really uncomfortable to have some guy I don’t know watch me change.”

The hurt in his eyes was unmistakable this time but he turned silently, giving her his broad, muscular back. Kate changed as quickly as possible, putting back on the jeans and long-sleeved blouse she’d changed into before going with him to the Mother Ship. She had packed a change in a bag too but she wasn’t sure where it was—maybe still back in the small car-shuttle he’d brought her in.

“I’m finished,” she said at last, smoothing the long, curly tendrils of her hair away from her face.

Rone didn’t turn around. “Fine. Then let’s go to the suite.” He strode out of the scan area, his long legs eating up the ground quickly. Kate had to scramble to keep up with him.

“Are we going to sleep? I mean, it is pretty late.” Kate looked up at him anxiously as she trotted to keep up with his long strides. They were walking down what seemed like a maze of interconnecting metal corridors. She usually had a good sense of direction but this was really confusing—she wondered if she’d really known her way around the big ship back before she lost her memory.

“Don’t worry.” Rone spared her a glance. “I will take the couch and you can have the sleeping platform to yourself. In fact, you can have the whole suite to yourself for a while. I need to run an…” He sighed deeply. “An errand at the center of the ship before I can rest.”

“What kind of errand?” Kate asked, wondering why she cared. Maybe it was the way he said it. The inflection in his deep voice made it sound like something he had to do, but was dreading greatly.

“I need to speak to a priestess in the Sacred Grove,” he said shortly.

“But—” Before Kate could ask anything else, they turned into a new corridor and he stopped in front of a plain metal sliding door.

“Here we are.” He passed his palm over a flat black panel before the door and it whooshed open silently. Rone nodded her inside. “Go on—everything you need is in the suite. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Before Kate could protest further, he turned his back and strode off down the metal corridor, not looking back once.

Chapter Nine

“Tell me why you are here, Warrior.” The priestess who was attending him had the green streaked hair and green-within-green eyes of her kind. She was younger than most and had a compassionate way about her, for which Rone was grateful. Some of the older priestesses could be stern and unsympathetic. He supposed most of them had seen much too deeply into the hearts and minds of too many males. Doubtless that would make anyone cynical, after a while.

“My mate has forgotten me,” he said, deciding to cut to the heart of the issue. “Our bond is broken—or if not broken, then completely buried. I am nothing to her now—less than nothing for she fears and shuns me.”

The priestess frowned. “This is a very strange statement. Explain.”

Rone opened his mouth but she shook her head.

“No, wait—better that I simply Look Into you. I will understand more completely that way.”

Rone didn’t like this but he had been expecting it. He sank to his knees before the priestess without complaint and looked up into her green-on-green eyes.

“Now, Warrior, open your mind and let me in.”

Lightly, she placed her fingertips against his temples and then he was flooded with the strange sensation of someone else rifling through the contents of his brain.

The priestess had a light touch—he would give her that. But it was still very uncomfortable to have someone else sifting through his memories like sand, as though they were looking for shells at the seaside. The process seemed to go on forever but at last the priestess pulled away.

“Ah, the pain,” she moaned softly, putting a hand to her heart. “First the agony of losing the one you loved more than your own life and not knowing if she was alive or dead. Then the anguish of finding her only to discover that she has lost her memory and her love for you. It overwhelming.”

“I’m sorry!” Rone looked up at her anxiously. “I fear my sorrow has been too much for you to bear.”

“No—no. Give me a moment. I will be all right.” The priestess steadied herself and took a deep breath. “The experience was just…intense.”

“It’s almost more than I can bear myself,” Rone admitted in a low voice. “I love her so much, your holiness. And she…she doesn’t even know me. Nor does she wish to. She fears me.”

“She fears the Beast within you,” the priestess said. “She senses the threat it poses for it was never tamed to her hand.”

“That’s true,” Rone acknowledged heavily. “I thought she was too small and fragile and…and I was afraid I would hurt her in my fur-form.” He looked at the priestess earnestly. “You have to understand, I would rather cut off my right hand than hurt or frighten her. I…could not bear the thought of my Beast savaging her.”

“She is stronger than you think,” the priestess said. “If you are granted the chance to renew your bond, you must not hold back again. She must tame your Beast.”

“No!” Rone shook his head. “Never—I can’t risk that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Not that it looks likely I’ll get a chance. I told you, she wants nothing to do with me.”

“You must have patience,” the priestess told him. “The Goddess is working in this situation, Warrior. I swear to you that her hand is on both you and your mate.”

“I will try to be patient, even though I don’t understand why this is happening,” Rone said. “But council isn’t the only reason I came to you. There’s also the problem of my…my…”

“Go on.” The priestess looked at him serenely. “You may speak anything you wish to me, Warrior. I will not be offended.”

“My hunger, all right?” Rone burst out. “I haven’t touched my mate in six solar months and even now that I’ve found her, I still can’t touch her. I ache every time I see her—her soft, pink lips…her long, beautiful hair…her curvy body… I need to hold her and touch her and taste her so badly but I can’t.” He put his head down, embarrassed at his outburst. But he hadn’t been able to help it—everything had just come rushing out. “Please,” he begged in a low, ragged voice. “Can you… will you cool my blood, your holiness?”

“I feel your pain deeply, Warrior,” she said quietly. “And yet the hunger of a Wulven runs deeper and stronger than the ordinary lust of any other Kindred male. Still, I will do what I can to damp the fire that burns you, body and soul. I pray it will be enough.”

“It will have to be,” Rone muttered, thinking again of the way Kate flinched away from him every time he came near her. “I don’t know what else to do…what else to try.”

“Simply talk to her. Woo her as you did when you first met her,” the priestess suggested.

Rone sighed raggedly. “Yes, but when I first met her, she didn’t fear me. She sensed my Beast and she knew it was dangerous, but she wasn’t afraid of me—in fact, she was one of the only people I’d met on Earth who wasn’t. She was fearless and she wouldn’t leave me alone until she found out what I was. In the process…we fell in love.”

“You will have that love again,” the priestess promised. “Although you may have to sacrifice much to find it.”

“Anything,” Rone promised hoarsely. “I would give anything to hold Kate in my arms again. To kiss her…to touch and taste and love her. To worship her as she deserves to be worshiped.”

“A very strong vow and one you will certainly be called upon to keep,” the priestess murmured. “Now calm yourself and let me do what I can to ease your ache.” She pressed cool fingertips to his temples once more and prayed softly.

“Oh, Goddess, we do not know why this warrior must endure the pain and sorrow that have been given to him to bear. But we know that you love all of your children and that you are close to the broken in spirit. Please, guide this warrior towards the path of understanding and heal him. Cool his blood and allow him to endure whatever may come.”

Rone felt a soothing calm wash over his soul—as though someone had poured cool water over his aching brain and quenched some of the fire around his burning heart.

“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely as the priestess withdrew her fingertips. “Thank you for your help.”

She looked at him, obviously troubled.

“I fear it will not last for long. But I hope that it will be long enough for you to break at least some of the barriers that stand between you and your mate. Go in peace, Warrior.”

She backed away, disappearing with a rustle into the purple and green branches of the sacred trees that filled the grove. Rone watched her go, grateful for her intervention.

Just then, he thought he heard another rustling behind him but when he turned his head, there was no one there. Well, it was probably just another priestess, helping someone else. It was time he got back to the suite he shared with Kate and tried to get some sleep. As if he could sleep knowing she was in the same suite with him while he was unable to hold or touch her.

Oh Kate, he thought sadly, getting to his feet. Oh, Lalli—miss you so much. Need to hold you in my arms and feel your soft little body curled against mine. Need to love you and protect you and taste your sweet honey until you moan and cry for more, until you beg for my tongue inside you as you used to do…

But there was no use thinking such things. For now, at least, he and Kate were estranged. Maybe tomorrow when the lab analysis of the Dream Blooms was complete they would have some answers. In the meantime, he needed to be patient, as the priestess had said and just bide his time.

He just hoped the burning in his blood didn’t return before they solved this problem. If the hunger returned before he and Kate were reconciled, he didn’t know what he would do.

* * * * *

Kate turned over on her side and stared out into the darkened room. She was alone in the big bed—Rone had insisted on taking the couch in the living area, even though Kate had pointed out she would fit on it much better than he would. But he had absolutely refused, saying she should have the bedroom to herself.

Maybe he thought it would be too painful to sleep alone in a bed he remembers sharing with me. Of course, she had no such memories. So here she was, feeling tiny and alone in the huge bed while he was sleeping in the other room.

As if I’d want him in bed with me! Kate told herself. The panic reaction would probably be so bad she wouldn’t get a minute of sleep. And yet…somehow she wished it wasn’t so. Wished she didn’t feel too frightened of him to at least be near him.

She turned over restlessly, pressing her face into the pillow. There was a warm scent on the case—a dark, masculine spice that reminded her of fur and leather and some kind of fresh cut wood—cedar maybe. What was that? Was it Rone’s scent? He’d said something about how they had forgotten to change the sheets the last time they were in the Mother Ship together. But that had apparently been more than six months ago. Could his scent linger that long? Or was she specially attuned to it somehow?

Kate didn’t have any answers. She turned over again, her mind going back to the scene she’d watched in the Sacred Grove that evening. After Rone had left, she had felt compelled to follow him—at a safe distance, of course. She’d been a little afraid of losing her way but though her memory of the ship was still nonexistent, her sense of direction had finally kicked in. She’d gotten to the center of the ship where the holy green and purple trees grew and had hidden herself among them and watched as Rone consulted with one of the priestesses.

Kate had been shocked and concerned by what she had seen. Clearly when the priestess “Looked Into” him, it had been a very invasive and uncomfortable experience. Yet Rone had been willing to endure it, for her. And it wasn’t just what he had gone through…some of his words still rang in her head and wouldn’t leave her alone.

“I would give anything to hold Kate in my arms again. To kiss her…to touch and taste and love her. To worship her as she deserves to be worshiped,” he had told the priestess and Kate had heard the sincerity in his deep voice.

He loves me, she thought, tossing restlessly again. Really loves me. And I can’t even stand to be near him.

It made her feel so guilty she could hardly lie still and the guilt, in turn, made her feel defensive and angry. She hadn’t asked to lose her memory or be stolen away from the man she supposedly loved. Just as she hadn’t asked to have a huge, handsome Kindred husband she couldn’t remember show up out of the blue, wanting to resume their relationship where they’d left off even though she couldn’t recall ever seeing him before. A husband she couldn’t even bear to touch because of the panic she felt when she was near him. It was all like some cruel, elaborate prank someone was pulling on her and there was nothing she could do about it.

But that wasn’t the only thing that was bothering her. She wondered about something else Rone had said too. About his Beast…and about the hunger. What was he talking about when he asked the priestess to cool his blood? And what was the hunger anyway? What was he hungry for?

You, whispered a little voice in her head that sounded like the Knowing. He’s hungry for you, Kate. The Beast is always hungry.

Kate shivered and curled up in a ball in the center of the bed. What did it all mean? And would she ever feel safe enough around the big Kindred to find out?

She didn’t know but she pressed her face to the pillow again and breathed in his scent. For some reason, that helped.

Lulled by the warm smells of fur and leather and fresh cut cedar, Kate finally drifted to sleep.

Chapter Ten

“I’m afraid I don’t have very good news for you regarding the lab analysis,” Sylvan said.

Rone felt his heart sink.

“What did you find? Anything at all?” He strove to keep his voice steady but inside he felt like dying. Would he never get his mate back?

Sylvan sighed. “The better question might be what didn’t we find. Honestly, I have never seen anything like it. The Dream Blooms were coated in a witch’s brew of memory blockers and fear toxins so intricate and entwined it made analysis very difficult.”

“Entwined how? What do you mean?” Kate asked. She was sitting beside Rone—but not too close—on the other side of the couch in Sylvan’s office.

“I mean that the chemicals seemed to trigger each other and feed off one another. The memory blockers were set to erase all traces of the one you love the most and at the same time, the fear toxins triggered an irrational terror of that same individual.”

“All right,” Rone said. “So what’s the antidote? How do we cure it?”

“I’m afraid we can’t,” Sylvan shook his head unhappily. “Not through medical means, anyway.”

“So there’s no hope? None?” Rone demanded raggedly. Gods, he felt like he was being pulled inside out! He couldn’t even look at Kate. Instead he put his head in his hands and just tried to breathe.

“I didn’t say there was no hope,” Sylvan said quietly. “I just said we couldn’t cure Kate’s amnesia and fear through the medical means at our disposal on the Mother Ship. The chemical compound is too complex—and it’s invaded her system too thoroughly to be eradicated by conventional means.”

“But that’s…horrible,” Kate whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Who would do something like this? Who would want to make someone forget and fear the person…” She cast a sidelong glance at Rone. “The person they cared for most in the world?”

“Two—a Dark Kindred who is also the enemy of the entire Kindred race,” Rone said grimly. “We thought for a while that he was dead but apparently he’s still out there. He was the one that set this trap you fell into.”

“But this trap was not meant for you, Kate,” Sylvan said. “It was set for Emily, the new Khalla of the Temple of Becoming in the Holy Mountains of Rageron.”

“We had tracked her there and we attended her joining ceremony,” Rone told Kate, who looked confused. “You became friends with her—you helped her plan the ceremony. Afterwards, you sniffed the bouquet of flowers meant for her and that was when you…” His voice faltered but he made himself go on. “When you stopped knowing me. Right before you disappeared.”

“Okay,” Kate said slowly. “I can see all that. But why was this Two guy after Emily in the first place?”

“We think that Two wanted to keep Emily from mating with Tragar and thus stop her from becoming the mother of the new race of Kindred that have been foretold,” Sylvan said. “What better way than to make her forget and fear him?”

“But then why snatch her away as soon as she sniffed the infected blossoms?” Rone objected. “And why do it after their joining ceremony when they had already bonded?”

Sylvan shrugged. “Maybe just for spite. Or maybe from impaired judgment. The more I study Two’s actions, the more convinced I am that he is almost certainly clinically insane. Which is why we have a vested interest in tracking him and finding out exactly what his next move may be.”

“I’d like to find him too—and tear him limb from limb,” Rone growled. “Unfortunately, I’m just a tracker now. A good one, but unless I can catch his scent somehow, that won’t be enough. Knowing where to start…that was always Kate’s department.”

“It…it was?” Kate asked softly, looking at him.

Rone nodded. “We were a team. Your gift—your Knowing—let us know where to start looking. Once we found the scent, I was able to take over. We’ve recovered dozens of lost or kidnapped people in the three years we’ve been together.”

“Really?” Kate looked surprised but not upset which was good. She didn’t seem to like him talking about the past and yet, Rone couldn’t help it. It was the only way he could still feel connected to her—talking about the way things used to be.

“Yes, really,” he said softly. “You were amazing, baby. You always knew which direction to point me in.”

“I…I never thought of using the Knowing like that,” she murmured.

Rone frowned. “Yes, you did. That’s how I met you in the first place—you were helping the police find a missing Kindred bride. I was called in to consult too and that was where we met—in the downtown PD in Jacksonville, Mississippi.”

“I was?” She put a hand to her forehead. “I don’t remember that at all. I…there are a lot of things I don’t remember,” she confessed, looking at Sylvan.

“That’s not surprising considering the toxic mixture you inhaled,” he said gently. “There are bound to be holes in your memory—I would not be surprised if more than just your time with Rone was erased.”

“I…think it has been,” Kate admitted. “There are whole gaps of time I just…don’t remember.”

“Kate losing her memory is a terrible blow,” Rone said tensely. “However, new memories may be made. But not if Kate fears me. Not if she panics at my touch.”

“I don’t do it on purpose,” Kate protested, crossing her arms over her breasts protectively. “I just…can’t help it.”

“Because of the fear toxins that have invaded your entire system,” Sylvan said. “No one is blaming you for that, Kate.”

“Oh, no?” She shot a glance at Rone which felt like a knife in his heart.

“No, baby,” he said quietly. “I know it’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this.” Kate looked down at her feet. “I’m completely lost here.”

“Which is why the two of you need to find each other again,” Sylvan said. “Because until you can reconcile, you’ll be unable to act as an effective tracking team. Which is why the Kindred High Council has agreed to pay for some very special and very expensive therapy for the both of you.”

“What—like couples therapy? What good is that going to do?” Kate objected. “I don’t even remember being part of a couple.”

“This isn’t traditional therapy, per se,” Sylvan said. “It’s a resort located in the B’rrin system on Tegova’s second moon. It’s called—”

“Flame and Frost.” Rone raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re talking about, Flame and Frost, right? You want to send us there?”

“Why? What’s there? What’s wrong with it?” Kate was instantly alert and looking nervous.

“It’s very expensive for one thing,” Rone said. “A place for the galaxy’s elite. And some of the methods there are considered…controversial.”

“Controversial how? What do you mean?” Kate didn’t look a bit reassured. Rone couldn’t say that he blamed her—he wasn’t too keen on the idea himself. The resort had a very strange reputation. Depending on who you talked to, it could be either the most wonderful place in the universe or worse than the seventh level of the Hells.

“It’s not necessarily the therapeutic aspects we’re sending you for, although I do believe you could benefit from a few sessions,” Sylvan remarked. “But Flame and Frost also has a bio-chelation pool which is renowned for its detoxifying properties.” He looked at Kate. “I believe that if the two of you go there and receive the proper treatment, you may be able to rid your system of the fear toxins.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “So you want to send me to soak in a special pool and hope it can suck all the bad ju-ju out of me, I get that. But, uh…” She looked at Rone from the corner of her eye. “But why send Rone too? I mean, if I’m the only one affected—”

“You think I’d let you go to a place like that on your own?” Rone demanded, turning to her. “Never!”

“Why not? What’s so bad about it?” she demanded. “You’re making me think I shouldn’t go there at all.”

“If you don’t, I fear you’ll never get your memory back,” Sylvan said softly. “I’m sorry, Kate, but in my professional opinion, this is your only hope. And you do want back the years you lost, don’t you?”

Kate bit her lush lower lip and Rone had to look away. He was trying not to think of all the times he had nibbled or kissed her soft mouth. Trying not to think of all the times he had licked and kissed her lower too…

“Yes,” she said at last. “Yes, of course I want back my lost time. But you’re scaring me. What’s the deal with this place, anyway?”

“Flame and Frost has…a very mixed reputation,” Sylvan said carefully. “But I wouldn’t send you if I didn’t believe it to be safe. Having said that, however, you have to have Rone with you. It is mainly for couples and triads. Single participants are not welcome there. And besides, I have already spoken to Mistress Light about the two of you. She knows your entire history and why you are coming to see her.”

“Mistress Light, huh?” Rone frowned. “Is she the director of the resort?”

“One of them,” Sylvan nodded.

“So…we’ll go there, I’ll take a dip in the pool, and we’re back here lickety-split?” Kate looked at Sylvan hopefully. “That doesn’t sound so hard.”

He looked troubled. “There may be a bit more to it than that, although I hope not. We need the two of you working as a team again to track down Two. We don’t know where he went when he left the Scourge Fathership—he could be anywhere. And if he truly is insane, his actions will be completely unpredictable. I need both of you together to find him. Will you help us?” He looked at Kate first.

“Fine.” She nodded decisively. “But only because I don’t like having huge gaps in my memory. And I’d like to find the bastard that did this to me and see him punished.”

“Rone?” Sylvan looked at him.

“You know my answer already,” Rone said hoarsely. “I’ll go anywhere and do anything that’s necessary.” He cast a sidelong look at Kate but she was staring down at the floor, studiously not looking at him.

“Very good.” Sylvan clapped his hands. “Then we’ll have your ship outfitted and ready to go by this afternoon. As soon as you’re aboard, we can fold space for you. Mistress Light is expecting you.”

“Thank you. Thank you for doing everything in your power for us.” Rone rose and offered him his hand. Sylvan took it in a warrior’s clasp and squeezed his forearm tight.

“Be well, Brother,” he said softly. “You and your bride, both. We need you—both of you.”

“You’ll have us,” Rone swore. He looked at Kate who was staring at him and Sylvan uncertainly. “I swear by the Goddess. If it be her will, Kate and I will be back and tracking Two within a solar week.”

“Let us hope she wills it shall be so,” the Kindred commander said. “I know she does not lightly see the sacred bonds between the ones she has brought together broken. I will be praying for the both of you.”

“Thank you.” Kate smiled though Rone thought the expression didn’t quite reach her big, green eyes which were still shadowed with worry and fear. “That’s very sweet of you, Commander Sylvan.”

“I am not expressing an empty sentiment, Kate,” Sylvan returned quietly. “The Goddess is as real as you or me and she does care for her children—she cares for you. I believe she will see this situation rectified one way or another.”

“I hope you’re right,” Rone said. “But now we must get ready to go.”

“I’d better go see if I can find out what happened to my bag,” Kate stood also, smoothing down her blouse.

“Before you pack, Kate, there is someone here to see you.” Sylvan smiled at her. “Someone who has come a very long way just for you.”

“Really?” Kate looked at him doubtfully. “Who?”

“Come with me.” Sylvan nodded to her. “And you’ll find out.”

* * * * *

“Oh, Kate! I’m so glad to see you again!”

A tall girl with golden eyes and curly, black hair ran up and gave her a hug as soon as Sylvan ushered her into the conference room. There was a tall Kindred male standing behind her with his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. He, too, had long black hair and golden eyes.

Kate couldn’t remember ever seeing either one of them in her life.

“Um…hi,” she said, tentatively returning the hug. “It’s…uh, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet me?” The tall girl drew back and frowned down at her. “It’s me, Kate—it’s Emily. You and Rone helped Tragar and I get together. You even helped me plan my wedding! My Joining Ceremony, I mean. We’re friends—really good friends. Do you honestly not remember me at all?”

“Um…well…” Kate hated to disappoint her but she couldn’t lie either. “Not really,” she admitted. “Sorry.”

“Take it easy on her, my Khalla,” the big Kindred behind her rumbled. “Commander Sylvan did tell us that her memory had been wiped clean by the substance on the Dream Blooms. She cannot even remember her mate and he knew her longer and much more intimately than she knew either of us.”

“Is that true?” Emily peered down at her anxiously. “Have you really forgotten Rone?”

“I’m afraid so,” Kate said uncomfortably. She was glad that the male in question was back at their suite packing up. She didn’t think she could bear to see the hurt in his eyes when he heard her admit yet again that she had no memory of him.

“Oh, no…” Emily’s golden eyes filled with tears. “I feel so bad about this, Kate! That poison bouquet was meant for me. And you never would have sniffed the flowers if I hadn’t told you to.”

“You didn’t know the blossoms were a trap,” Tragar pointed out.

“That doesn’t change the fact that she’s in this mess because of me.” The tears overflowed down her smooth cheeks. Kate felt bad for her, even though she still didn’t really know her.

“Hey, now, don’t cry,” she said, patting Emily’s arm. “I’m fine as frog’s hair.”

“You’re what?” Emily choked and half-laughed through her tears.

Kate smiled. “It’s just a saying. But really, I’m okay. And we’re going to get this whole mess straightened out. Commander Sylvan is sending me and Rone to some resort called Flame and Frost.”

“Flame and Frost?” Tragar’s black eyebrows shot up in apparent surprise. “He’s sending you there?”

“Why? What have you heard about it?” Kate frowned. “Commander Sylvan says it’s my only chance to get back my memory.”

“If he said it then I’m sure it must be true,” Emily said reassuringly. “We haven’t known him long but he has a sterling reputation as a doctor. I’m so glad he’s helping you. So when are you going?”

“Well…this afternoon, I think.” Kate tried to smile. “Apparently it’s going to help us, uh reconnect.”

Emily gave her a worried frown.

“You don’t sound very happy about that. Want to talk about it?”

“Uh…” It was strange—Kate wasn’t normally one to open up to strangers. But somehow, even though she didn’t remember Emily, she felt as though she knew her. You can trust her, the Knowing whispered inside her head. She’s all right.

“Come on…” Emily was already pulling her over to a couch in the corner of the large conference room. “Let’s have some girl talk.”

“I will go find Rone and see if he needs help preparing his ship,” Tragar murmured tactfully. “I will see you later in our guest suite, all right, my Khalla?”

“Of course.” Emily gave him a loving smile and then turned her focus back on Kate. “Okay now, tell me what’s wrong. Why don’t you want to get back with Rone?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to get back with him—it’s that I don’t know him.” Kate sighed and raked a hand through her curly hair. “I feel like he just dropped into my life with all these demands and expectations and he keeps talking about this life we had and all the things we did together and I can’t remember any of it. I feel like…like my former self was this impossibly wonderful wife. How can I live up to that? How can I be the person he wants me to be for him when I don’t even know him?”

“Oh, sweetie…” Emily grabbed both her hands and squeezed tight. “I understand completely—it’s terrible when everyone expects you to be something or someone you have no idea how to be.”

“You understand? You’ve had…a similar experience?”

Emily laughed. “Have I ever! Look, it’s a long story but I didn’t always look like this.” She gestured at herself. “I wasn’t too much taller than you and I had pale blue eyes and dishwater blonde hair and then I changed.”

“Uh, you did? You grew a foot and your eyes and hair changed color?” Kate couldn’t quite keep the skepticism from her voice. It seemed impossible even though the Knowing told her it was true. Also, she could feel the truth of Emily’s words through their clasped hands. But still…it was weird.

Emily laughed. “You sound like my older sister, Anna, when I had to convince her. But yes, I changed that much. Because I’m a Khalla—a female Beast Kindred. We’re really rare and if Tragar hadn’t found me and recognized what I was, the change would have killed me. Anyway…” She sat up a little straighter. “Everyone around me kept telling me I was this marvelous, rare thing—this fabulous Khalla and they had all these expectations of me that I didn’t know how to fulfill. It was making me crazy for a while. So yes, I understand what you’re going through—at least in part. It’s hard and confusing and really upsetting.”

“Yes, exactly!” Kate nodded. “And it doesn’t help that every time I get too near Rone or accidentally touch him I have a panic attack,” she added.

“You do? You can’t even touch him?” Emily’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Oh Kate, I’m so sorry! Nobody told me that. And after the way the two of you used to be together…”

“How did we used to be together?” Kate couldn’t help asking. “I mean, I know what Rone thinks but I’d really like an outsider’s opinion.”

“Honey, the two of you were so in love,” Emily said softly. “I mean, seriously, Tragar and I are newlyweds but you guys really gave us a run for our money.”

“You mean we were always…” Kate’s throat felt tight and she couldn’t finish her sentence.

“Always sneaking off for some ‘alone time’,” Emily finished for her. “And sometimes you didn’t even make it to your rooms! I remember one time we caught the two of you out under the full moon making love in the middle of the temple gardens.”

“Um…having sex in a public place? That doesn’t sound like me at all.” Kate frowned.

“Well, you said something like that when you apologized for it the next day,” Emily remarked. “But you told me it had to do with the moon and something Rone had called the, uh, the hunger I think it was. Something about how he needed you more at certain times or something.”

“The hunger?” Kate frowned. “What is that, anyway? I heard a little bit about it but I don’t understand it at all.”

“I don’t really understand it either,” Emily confessed. “I think it might have something to do with how Wulven Kindred have bonding sex with their mates.”

“Bonding sex? What’s that?” Kate demanded.

“It’s making love in a way that ties the two of you together permanently and forms the mental bond between you,” Emily said. “It’s different for every kind of Kindred.”

“Well what is it like for Wulven Kindred?” Kate couldn’t help the uneasy feeling that rose in her at the idea of making love with the big Kindred who was supposed to be her husband.

“I don’t honestly know. All I know is that Wulvens are supposed to be incredibly dangerous to everyone but their mate. Lots of the other Kindred won’t even associate with them because of it.”

“Really?” Kate was feeling more and more uneasy. “And what happens when the bond between a Wulven and his mate gets broken?”

“Oh, it can’t get broken,” Emily said confidently. “That’s impossible.”

“It happened to us—to Rone and me,” Kate said quietly. “Or if it’s not broken, it’s buried so deep we can’t access it. That’s what Rone says, anyway.”

“Oh, no…” Emily put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Kate, I’m so sorry. Tragar was afraid something like that might happen—he said the two of you had an incomplete bond.”

Kate frowned. Hadn’t the priestess in the Sacred Grove said something like that as well to Rone the night before? And she’d said that Kate would have to tame Rone’s Beast too—an idea he had been adamantly opposed to. But what did it all mean?

“Well, I don’t know what we can do about it now except try to get it fixed,” she said at last. “Which we’re going to do, so…”

“Still…I just…I still feel terrible.” Emily sighed and pressed her hands. “About your memory…your broken bond…and especially about the touching thing. You say that just being near him freaks you out?”

“Something like that.” Kate shifted uncomfortably. “Commander Sylvan says it’s the fear toxins in my system. “Were…” She cleared her throat. “Were Rone and I really that close?”

“You were all over each other. Not just for sex though,” Emily told her. “It was more than that. It was like you couldn’t keep your hands off each other. Rone was always holding you in his lap and carrying you around…”

“Really?” Kate frowned. “Now that really doesn’t sound like me. I mean, I know with my size a lot of guys would like to pick me up like I’m a doll but I don’t go for that. I’ve always been one to stand on my own two feet.”

“I don’t know…” Emily shrugged helplessly. “All I can tell you is what I saw before you got snatched away. And you guys were literally always touching each other.”

“I see.” Kate bit her lip. At least this explained some of why Rone was so upset that she couldn’t touch him. Apparently they had been a very affectionate couple. Actually, he was extremely handsome…so big and strong and muscular with that thick, black hair and those piercing blue eyes…she could see how touching him would be nice. If it didn’t give her a panic attack, that was.

“He loves you, Kate,” Emily said earnestly. “And deep down, I believe you still love him too. Maybe this resort—this Flame and Frost place—can help you remember it.”

“Maybe,” Kate murmured. “It would be nice not to freak out every time I got near him. And he seems really sweet and caring, I just…I don’t know him, Emily. And it’s really hard to trust that—”

“Kate?” Just then Rone and Tragar came back into the conference room.

Kate jumped guiltily, wondering if the big Kindred had heard her.

“Right here,” she said, a little too brightly. “What’s going on?”

“We are ready to go.” Rone nodded at her. “I have your bag packed and loaded in the shuttle.”

“Oh—okay. I thought we weren’t leaving until this afternoon.”

“We weren’t.” He sighed. “But I thought, the sooner we get there…”

“The sooner we can get this whole mess cleared up. Right.” Kate nodded, feeling a flutter in her stomach. She couldn’t believe she was really going to do this—couldn’t believe she’d agreed to go to a couples resort in a whole other solar system light years from Earth with a husband she didn’t remember and was scared to death to touch.

But how else am I going to get my memory back? How else am I going to get my life back on track?

There was no other way. She was going.

“All right then. We’d better go.” Rone reached out a hand to help her up, apparently by reflex, and then drew back quickly. Emily saw his hand clench into a fist at his side and a look of frustration passed over his face. “Come on,” he said shortly.

“Coming.” She got up on her own, trying not to be too obvious about the fact that she was keeping some distance between them. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Emily jumped up as well and pulled her into a tight hug. “You’re going to be okay, I know you are,” she whispered in Kate’s ear. “And as soon as you get your memory back, come visit me on Rageron—okay?”

“I will,” Kate promised, hugging her back. She still didn’t remember the girl but knowing she had a friend who cared and who had known her back before her memory wipe gave her a warm feeling inside. “Thanks, girlfriend.” She pressed a quick kiss to the other girl’s high cheekbones.

When they pulled apart, Emily had tears in her eyes again.

“Oh…that’s what you used to call me back before…at the temple,” she sniffed, wiping moisture from her golden eyes.

“Aww…” Kate didn’t know what to say. She pressed the other girl’s hand quickly and turned to follow Rone out of the room. As she focused on his broad back, she thought about the few crumbs of information Emily had dropped for her. Who and what exactly was her husband? What was the hunger and why would it make him ‘need’ her more at certain times? Need her for what? Did she need to be wary of Rone, even after the toxins were removed from her system in the bio-chelation pool?

Kate didn’t know but she was afraid that she would find out in the very near future.

Chapter Eleven

“My Khalla, you have to let go of this guilt—it is not your fault what happened to Kate.”

“You don’t think so? Because it sure feels like my fault. That trap was set for me.” Emily swiped at her eyes again. She’d been crying since they got back to the guest suite they had been assigned for their visit here aboard the Mother Ship.

“Emily…come here.” Tragar was sitting on the couch, watching her pace. Now he beckoned to her with one big hand.

Emily went to him reluctantly and sat beside him.

“No.” Tragar shook his head and patted his lap. “Face me, Emily. I want you close.”

Emily did as he said, straddling his lean hips so that they were face to face. She wanted the comfort of her man’s hands on her but in some ways she didn’t feel like she deserved it. Poor Kate! Everything that happened to her was my fault. If only I hadn’t told her to sniff that bouquet…

“You had no idea the bouquet was poisoned,” Tragar sent and she knew he had heard her guilty thoughts through their mental link. “How could you?”

“I should have suspected. I should have—”

“What’s done is done.” He stroked her cheek gently. “And it’s time for you to stop punishing yourself for it.”

“Punishing myself—what do you mean?” Emily asked uneasily.

“I mean, this…” Tragar cupped the curves of her full breasts which were straining under the loose blouse she was wearing. “Your breasts are full of nectar, my Khalla, enough that they must ache and yet you have not yet asked me to help ease your pain.”

“I…” Emily bit her lip. It was true that her breasts were very full right now—and had been for a while. But with everything that had happened to Kate, she hadn’t been thinking about herself. And besides, maybe she deserved the pain. Maybe it was right to let herself hurt for a while…as penance for what had happened to her friend.

“You cannot really mean to let yourself be in pain for something that is not your fault,” Tragar objected through their link. Clearly he had heard her self-recrimination.

“Maybe I should.” Emily lifted her chin defiantly. “After all, if it wasn’t for me, Kate wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“No. Instead you would be under the Dark Kindred’s power and quite possibly dead,” Tragar said harshly. “Is that what you wish for, Emily?”

“No! No, of course not!” Emily was shocked at his words.

“Two set Kate free because she was the wrong female and most likely because he knew her mate was Wulven and completely deadly to any who threatened his bride,” Tragar pointed out. “Her situation may be remedied. If you had been taken on the other hand, I would be seeking to avenge you right now. And then, when I had done it, I would take my own life. Don’t you know that?” His golden eyes blazed into hers. “Don’t you know that I cannot live without you, my Khalla?”

“Oh, Tragar…” Emily felt a rush of love for the big Kindred who was her mate. Her lover and protector. The Goddess, her mother, had been so wise when she put the two of them together. Tragar was exactly who she needed in her life and she liked to think that she was the one he needed too.

“You are the one I need, my Khalla,” he murmured hoarsely. “The only one. Which is why I cannot bear to see you in pain.” He traced the point of one hard nipple gently and Emily gasped as the light caress sent a hot shiver of desire through her entire body. She could feel her nectar beginning to flow in reaction to his touch. “Come, Emily,” he said softly. “Let me ease you.”

“All…all right,” she whispered breathlessly. “I guess…”

But before she could finish, Tragar was already unbuttoning her blouse and spreading it wide to bare her thrusting breasts, now swollen and aching with need.

“Gods, you’re lovely,” he said softly, cupping her full breasts again.

Emily bit her lip. She hadn’t realized how very full her breasts had gotten. When they filled with the nectar that all Khallas produced, they could become extremely tight and achy.

“Please, Tragar…they hurt so much,” she whispered.

“It is my pleasure and my privilege to ease you, my Khalla.” He stroked her cheek lovingly and then drew one of her ripe nipples between his lips and began to suck.

Emily moaned with mingled relief and pleasure as he drew the nectar from her breast and swallowed it eagerly. Not so long ago, he had believed this particular act was a sin—one bad enough to send him straight to the Seven Hells. Yet he had performed it for her—had suckled her breasts to ease the pressure and pain—even before he knew it was all right. It was one of the things she loved about him—that he was willing to do anything to protect her and show her his love.

“This is true,” he sent, finishing with the first breast and starting on the second. “I would do anything to keep you from harm’s way…to keep you from pain, my Khalla.”

“Oh God, Tragar…love you so much!”

Her nectar was flowing freely now but as the pressure in her breasts eased, she felt a new ache beginning. With it, came a hot wetness between her legs which couldn’t be denied. This often happened when Tragar sucked her breasts, the sensation of her nectar being drawn out triggered a different type of flow—a flow of honey from between her thighs.

Moaning, Emily shifted against the hard bulge she could feel in Tragar’s flight leathers. Rubbing helped ease the ache some but nothing really worked as well as his mouth. But after only six months of marriage, she was still a little shy to ask him for what she needed.

Tragar released her breast, allowing the ripe nipple to slide from between his lips.

“Ask Emily,” he growled hoarsely. “You know I love to hear you ask.”

“Tragar, please, I need…” she began and then had to break off, blushing.

He shook his head and growled again,

“Ask.” Clearly he wanted to hear her say the words. “Ask me for what you need, my Khalla.”

“All right…” Emily took a deep breath, trying not to be embarrassed. “I need…uh, the way you’ve been sucking my nipples has made my…my honey come down. And I need you to…” She cleared her throat as he watched her intently. “God, are you really going to make me say it?”

“Yes,” he rumbled, his eyes half-lidded with desire. “Because I love to hear you beg for what you need. And then I love to give it to you.”

Emily bit her lip but another hot twinge in her swollen pussy forced her to say the words he was waiting to hear.

“Please,” she begged desperately. “Please I need…need your mouth on me.”

“Where?” He raised an eyebrow at her, a little smile playing around the corner of his lips.

“I need you to…to lick me. To lick my…my pussy.” The last word was almost a whisper and she could feel her cheeks getting hot with a blush but Tragar seemed to love it.

“With pleasure, my Khalla,” he growled.

In one swift move, he had flipped their positions so that now Emily was lying on the couch with her legs spread and her skirt pushed up.

“Mmmm…” Tragar growled, kneeling on the carpeted floor in front of her, his upper body on the couch in front of her. Pushing her skirt even higher, he exposed the thin gold panties she was wearing. Emily didn’t know what they were made of—some Kindred fabric she guessed. But for whatever reason they were both comfortable and sexy…and thin as a gossamer spider’s web.

To her further embarrassment, she saw the gold panties were soaked with her honey. Already she could see the outline of her swollen pussy lips beneath the fragile material and when Tragar spread her thighs wider, the little bump of her clit came into view.

“Gods, Emily,” he groaned when he took in the sight between her thighs. “Look how wet you are.”

“I…I can’t help it,” Emily whispered breathlessly, shifting under his half-lidded gaze. “I…I need you, Tragar. And you know when you suck my breasts it always makes my pussy wet.”

“So it does.” He looked up at her, his eyes blazing. “And I see that my Khalla is in need. May I service you and ease your ache?”

“Pl-please,” Emily stuttered, her heart pounding. “Yes, please do.”

“With pleasure.” Tragar rubbed his rough cheek against the thin panel of her panties, making her moan as he bathed in her scent. “Gods, you smell so good,” he groaned, rubbing the other cheek as well. “I want to wear your scent all over my mouth and face and throat. I want anyone who comes near me to know that I’ve spent the last hour between your thighs, my Khalla.”

“The last hour? You’re going to spend an hour?” Emily squeaked. She knew that Tragar loved going down on her and he had made it a game in the past, seeing how long he could delay her orgasm. But a whole hour?

His only response was a low tearing sound. Emily felt a rush of cool air on her exposed pussy and realized he had ripped the thin gold panties away with his teeth.

“Tragar!” she exclaimed. “I don’t—” But her words were lost in a moan as he pressed forward and buried his face between her thighs, licking and sucking her tender, open pussy until she could do nothing but cry and grasp his thick black hair and beg for more.

Emily didn’t know how long it lasted. Tragar drew it out…lapping the golden honey that flowed from between her thighs one minute and circling her clit the next with his tongue. He brought her to the edge more times than she could count…but refused to push her over. Finally, she had both hands tangled in his hair and her thighs clenched hard around his head.

“Please,” she moaned, bucking her hips up shamelessly to meet his oral assault. “Please, Tragar, please make me come!”

“Well, well…” He looked up at her, his golden eyes hot, his mouth and chin shiny with her juices. “It seems you lose some of your embarrassment when you’re in need, my Khalla.”

“I can’t help it,” Emily moaned. “You’re driving me crazy. Now would you please let me come?”

“On one condition…” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Stop blaming yourself and taking guilt for something that was not your fault.”

Emily bit her lip. “I…I’ll try.”

“All right.” He seemed satisfied. “That promise will do—for now. But if you start to punish yourself again, just remember that I can do a much more effective job of punishment than you. And I will if I have to.”

“All right,” Emily whispered.

“Good,” Tragar growled. “Now tell me exactly what you want me to do. Say it out loud—let me hear it.”

“I…” Emily’s cheeks were hot but she was too deep in need—she had no shame left. And anyway, there was a pleasurable kind of feeling in being made to speak this way—in Tragar making her talk dirty to him. “I want…I want you to lick my pussy until I come,” she whispered, looking at him.

“And then?” He held her gaze with his own, not allowing her to drop her eyes.

“And then I need you to make love to me—to bond me to you all over again,” Emily whispered breathlessly. “Please, Tragar, I need you in me.”

“And I need to be in you, my Khalla,” he growled. “But first I need to finish tasting your sweet honey and feel you coming all over my face.” Dipping his head again, he sucked her swollen clit between his lips and began to lash it mercilessly with the tip of his tongue.

The direct stimulation was exactly what Emily needed. With a low wail, she bucked up her hips to meet him and finally felt herself sliding over the edge.

Tragar rode out her orgasm until the last shudders of pleasure had finished. Then he popped open the magno tab that held his flight leathers in place and released his long, hard shaft.

Emily moaned as he put her arms over her head and held her wrists with one large hand. She loved feeling this way—so open and helpless under her man. Loved the feeling of being completely owned and opened by him when he held her down and took her.

“And I love to take you and make you mine, my Khalla,” she heard Tragar growl in her head. Then he fitted the broad head of his cock to the entrance of her pussy and with one long, slow stroke, thrust home inside her.

Both of them gasped as Emily felt her body open to receive him—even the broad bulge of his mating fist. She knew that once the hard ridge swelled inside her, it would lock them together, making for a long, leisurely lovemaking session that wouldn’t end for hours.

“Good—because I don’t want it to end. Want to be inside you all night, bonding you, my Khalla,” she heard Tragar say.

“I…I want that too.” Even her mental voice sounded breathless.

But even as she lost herself in the pleasure of her man bonding her to him all over again, Emily couldn’t help sending a silent prayer to the Goddess.

Please, let Kate and Rone be okay. Let them find the love that they lost. Please.

Chapter Twelve

“So…this is where we live? Most of the time, I mean?” Kate looked around The Finder curiously.

“We do,” Rone said shortly. He watched for her reaction from the corner of his eye as he sealed the airlock. They had docked the shuttle and entered at the center of the ship. The short metal hallway they were currently in led to the piloting and navcon equipment on the right and the living quarters on the left.

“But I thought the other ship we were in was it.”

“The shuttle? No, that’s just for when we need to go planetside. The Finder is our home.”

“You know, I always wanted to live in a house boat when I was a kid,” she mused, turning to the left and making her way to the small but well-appointed food prep area. “But I never imagined I might end up someplace like this.”

“Don’t blame me if you don’t like the way it’s decorated,” Rone said, following her but making sure to keep some space between them. “I had it before I knew you but you said it needed a ‘woman’s touch’ and completely overhauled it once we were joined.”

“I did? Oh look—my grandmother’s knives!” Kate went to the magnetic knife plate mounted on one wall over the fold out cutting board.

“We have more efficient ways of cutting—the laser slicer I mean,” Rone said. “But you always say that food doesn’t taste as good if it’s not prepared by hand so you can taste the ‘love’ in it.” He sighed. “We’ve made so many meals here together. You taught me how to make shrimp and grits and I taught you charnoth stew.”

“Wow, that’s…interesting.” Kate threw him an oblique look and he couldn’t tell if she was tired of hearing about the past or genuinely interested.

She passed out of the living area and into the entertainment room—really just a tiny space with a large viewscreen and a worn but comfortable loveseat positioned in front of it.

“This is cozy,” she remarked. “And, oh look—my old loveseat!”

“You said it was the most comfortable way to watch movie marathons,” Rone said. “I made a special trip just to bring it up here.”

“I guess we would have plenty of time to watch movies if we’re traveling from place to place in space. How do we manage that, anyway?” Kate asked.

Rone was encouraged that she had said “we.” He smiled at her.

“Well, we aren’t able to fold space like the Kindred Mother ship will be doing for us shortly, but the Finder does have an ultra-lite hydrogen scoop engine which makes interstellar travel possible. We mainly use stable wormholes to get from place to place in the universe—try to find ones that dump out a few parsecs from our destination—and then use the scoop to get there.”

“Okay. That makes sense, I guess.” Kate nodded and continued through the entertainment room and into the sleeping area. “Oh…” She stopped abruptly at the foot of the large sleeping platform. “This must be…our bed.”

“It is,” Rone acknowledged quietly. “You sleep on the right side and I take the left,” he added.

“And what’s this?” Kate moved away from the bed and went to the specially modified chair in one corner of the room. It was large enough to seat someone Rone’s size comfortably with a padded back and seat but it had no arms. “A rocking chair?” Kate asked, setting it in motion. “Oh—it glides! Kind of like the kind you see in nurseries for soothing babies. But why doesn’t it have arms?”

Rone cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“It’s not exactly a rocking chair,” he said in a low voice.

“It’s not? Do your people call it something else?” She looked up at him.

“It’s…” He sighed. She probably wasn’t going to like this. “It’s a breeding chair.

“A what?” Kate shook her head. “What did you say? I think I misunderstood you.”

“A breeding chair,” he repeated, a little louder. “We…we were trying to make a baby.”

“We were?” Kate looked at him as though he was crazy. “Okay, all right…” She took a deep breath and seemed to get hold of her emotions. “We were married, bonded…whatever so I guess that makes sense. But why do you need a special chair for it?”

“For a female to get pregnant with a Wulven’s child, their breeding needs to be long and drawn out. Almost what you humans call ‘Tantric’,” Rone explained. “The breeding chair makes that easier. It’s built for comfort and for long, slow, leisurely love-making sessions.”

“Um…okay.” Her cheeks were definitely pink now but she wasn’t asking him to stop talking, which was encouraging. “So the guy—the Wulven—sits on the chair and the girl—his mate, I mean…”

“Straddles him and sits on his lap, facing him with her legs spread to either side. The chair has adjustable footrests for her comfort—see?” He stepped forward and folded out one of the rests in question from the back of the chair.

“Wow…” Kate murmured. So we—I mean they—just sit there and, uh rock like that with him, um, inside her?”

“Yes,” Rone said simply. He tried not to remember all the times he’d held Kate in his arms in that very chair, her petite, naked body pressed against his chest, her thighs spread wide to accommodate his shaft within her. Gods, it was beautiful to hold her that way, feeling so intimately connected as they swayed slowly to their own rhythm, his cock thrusting deep inside her warm, welcoming pussy. How he missed that sweet intimacy! The feeling of being so completely connected to her in every way.

He cast a glance at her, wondering what Kate was thinking now. How she felt about what he had told her. Once he would have been able to read her thoughts through their shared mental link but no more—now he had to guess, just as he had when they were first dating.

“So this lasts for a long time?” she managed at last, her voice coming out a little strangled.

“Hours sometimes,” Rone told her.

“Isn’t there…” She cleared her throat. “Isn’t there chafing after a while?”

He shook his head. “There’s a compound in my—in a Wulven’s precum which stimulates his mate’s body to keep lubricating. It’s actually the same compound that helps her open enough to take him in the first place. We tend to be…uh, quite large.”

“I bet,” Kate muttered, her eyes flickering down to the crotch of his flight trousers. “Sorry, I’m sure this is all normal to you but it just seems…strange to me. I mean…this whole, uh, breeding chair thing.”

“Making love in the breeding chair can be very gentle and slow and intimate,” Rone assured her. “Even relaxing.”

“Intimate I can see but relaxing?” Kate let out a short laugh.

“Compared with other breeding methods, yes,” Rone said shortly. “There are other ways for a Wulven and his mate to conceive but I refused to use them—to use you in that way.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Kate bit her lip. “What are you talking about?”

“Never mind.” Rone shook his head. Better not to get into that now—clearly she was already apprehensive. He didn’t want to make her fear him even more. “I need to go up front and set the course,” he said. “The Mother Ship will be folding space for us shortly.”

“I’ll come with you,” Kate said, surprising him. “I want to see how the ship works. Do I…I mean, did I know how to fly it?”

Rone shook his head as he led the way to the front of the ship where the controls and navcom were. “No, but I was teaching you. Mainly, you were my navigator.”

“I was?” Kate looked surprised and pleased. “I always have had a good sense of direction.”

“That you do,” Rone acknowledged. He settled into the pilot’s seat and indicated the co-pilot’s seat next to it. “There’s your chair. The navcom is located in the control panel right in front of it.”

Kate sat down and strapped herself in eagerly. As with the shuttle, Rone had modified the chair and the safety harness to fit her diminutive size so she had no trouble. But when she looked at the complicated array of controls on the panel in front of her, her face fell.

“Oh…I better not touch any of this. I don’t remember any of it.”

“That’s all right,” Rone said. “It will come back to you…in time.” He just hoped Kate would be willing to give him that time to reconnect with her. At least she hadn’t shied away from him at all since they’d come aboard The Finder. Then again, he was making damn sure to give her plenty of space to avoid triggering her panic response. Still, she seemed to be getting more comfortable in his presence. He told himself that was a start.

The viewscreen crackled and then a Blood Kindred’s face appeared on it.

“Finder, be advised that the rift is open. Please proceed at your convenience.”

“Thank you. On our way,” Rone said.

“The rift?” Kate raised an eyebrow at him.

“The fold in the space-time continuum. Look—there it is.” He pressed a button and the Blood Kindred disappeared to be replaced by a view of space outside their ship. There, looking like a long, bloody gash in the blackness of space, was the rift—often also known as the “fold.”

“Oh…” Kate breathed. “Are we going into that?”

Rone reminded himself that even though she’d folded space with him many, many times, she didn’t remember any of them.

“It’s all right—it’s completely safe,” he reassured her—then he thought of something. “Uh, with the exception of expectant mothers. They should not fold space.” He looked at Kate. “Is there any chance that you might be…”

“Pregnant?” she finished for him, bluntly. “No. Even though I didn’t have any idea I had a husband, I haven’t been feeling ready to jump back into the dating scene these last six months. It kind of puts a damper on your first date when you admit you lost three years of your memory and woke up naked in a park in Sarasota.”

“All right. That’s fine.” Rone kept his tone light and impersonal but inside he felt a stone lift off his heart. He was certain he would have smelled another male on her if she’d been with one and he hadn’t—but it was nice to have it confirmed by Kate herself.

“What about you?” she threw at him, frowning. “Any other women these past six months?”

“Kate,” he said quietly, looking her in the eyes. “I would never. From the moment I saw you, there’s never been any other female for me. Besides…” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been too busy desperately searching the universe for any trace of you to think of anything else. Finding you has literally consumed me, body and soul, these past six solar months.”

“Of course.” She looked chastened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply—”

“It’s all right,” Rone muttered, working the controls. “I started it—I asked first.”

“But I shouldn’t have—”

“Prepare yourself,” he interrupted. “We’re about to fold space.”

* * * * *

Flying into the red gash in space was one of the more frightening things Kate had ever been through. But she gritted her teeth and reminded herself that she had done it before—lots of times. True, she couldn’t remember them but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was still here in one piece, so it must be safe.

She felt bad about her remarks to Rone—asking if he’d been with another woman when he’d clearly been going crazy trying to find her. But she felt so put on the defensive when she was around him!

And it wasn’t just Rone—there were other things that bothered her too. It was strange to walk around the ship she apparently called home and see all the little touches she knew must be her own and only remember a few of them. There were probably clothes in the closet she would adore—but she wouldn’t remember picking any of them out.

Kate sighed to herself. It wasn’t all bad. By the same token, there were probably movies she’d want to watch—books she would want to read—strange foods Rone had introduced her to she would love to eat…

Chairs you’d want to sit on, whispered a little voice in the back of her head but Kate pushed it away quickly. What was the deal with that weird breeding chair anyway? She couldn’t imagine sitting there, impaled on his no-doubt sizable shaft for hours and hours just rocking and fucking…it was too weird. Yet the mental image of being spread out on the big Kindred’s lap while he held her and slowly thrust up into her wouldn’t quite leave her head. It gave her a shiver that ran up and down her spine, making her feel hot and cold at the same time.

“All right, we’re through the fold and only a few parsecs from Flame and Frost.”

Rone’s deep voice pulled her out of her forbidden thoughts and made her jump.

“Oh, um…okay. How long until we get there, then?”

“Not too long.” He was doing something with the controls. “We’ll be within hailing distance soon. I’ll send out a signal.”

“Tell me about us,” Kate said, surprising both herself, and Rone, from the look he shot us.

“Um…” He cleared his throat. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“You know…” She made a motion with one hand. “How we are together. What’s the, uh, dynamic of our relationship?”

“Hmm…” Rone appeared to be thinking about it deeply. At last he looked at her. “We have a lot of fun together. We’re playful…adventurous. I was much more serious before I met you—you taught me to see the lighter side of things.”

“I did?” Kate raised an eyebrow at him.

He nodded. “You did.”

“Well, but…” Though his statement was well worth considering, it wasn’t exactly the information she was looking for.

“But what, Lalli?” There it was again—that little pet nickname—at least, Kate assumed it was a nickname—slipping out. She reminded herself to find out about it at some point, but not now.

“Well…you said we’re playful,” Kate said. “So what do we play?”

“There is one game that’s your favorite,” he started. “It…” Then he shook his head. “No, never mind.”

“What? Tell me!” Kate demanded. “I want to know!”

“No, I don’t think you do,” Rone murmured. “Not after seeing your reaction to the breeding chair—I don’t think you want to know at all.”

“I do,” she insisted. “I get it—we were married and we had…had sex.” Her heart beat faster as she said it but she made herself keep talking anyway. “We’re both adults here—come on and tell me, Rone—how bad could it be?”

“It wasn’t bad at all.” He sighed. “All right—it was actually a game you came up with. You called it ‘Hide and Suck.’”

“What?” Kate frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean. Do you mean hide and seek?”

The big Kindred shook his head. “No. Look, are you sure you want me to tell you this?”

“Of course I am,” Kate said, although she was beginning to wonder. What kind of perverted games had they played together to while away the time on the ship she now found herself on?

“Very well.” Rone sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. “It started when you were asking me how sensitive my sense of smell is.”

“Oh? How sensitive is it?” Kate asked, interested despite herself.

“About a thousand times more sensitive than the Earth animal you call a bloodhound,” Rone said matter of factly. “And I was telling you that I could pick out any particular scent—and that I was especially attuned to your scent.”

“You mean like the smell of my perfume or what shampoo I use or something?” Kate asked. But he shook his head.

“Not that scent. The scent of your sex. Your pussy.” He nodded at the juncture between her thighs and Kate felt her cheeks getting hot.

“I…I don’t smell,” she protested angrily. “I take regular showers and baths and—”

“It’s a good smell—my favorite scent in the universe. So warm and sweet and fresh…so you, Kate.” Rone closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Kate wondered if he was smelling her now and quickly crossed her legs.

“Anyway,” Rone continued, ignoring her protective gesture. “I was telling you that I could find you by your scent—especially the scent of your desire.”

“You…you can?” Kate squeezed her thighs together even tighter.

He nodded, his piercing blue eyes half-lidded when he looked at her. “When your pussy gets especially hot and wet it calls to me—your scent calls to me, anyway. I was telling you that, telling you I could find you anywhere, especially when you were aroused, and you challenged me to a contest.”

“What kind of contest?” Kate wasn’t sure she wanted to know but she’d come too far and insisted she wanted the information too vehemently to back down now.

“You would go and hide yourself someplace on the ship—and believe me, there are more hiding places than you’d imagine because The Finder was originally a smuggler’s ship—and then…”

“And then what?” Kate asked, almost in a whisper.

“And then you’d start to touch yourself.” He cast her a sidelong glance. “To pet and stroke your pussy. And I would try to find you, by scent alone.”

“And if you did? What did you do?” Kate’s breath was coming short for some reason and her heart was pounding but she told herself it didn’t mean anything. That his story wasn’t affecting her at all.

Rone cast her another burning look.

“If I wasn’t able to find you before you made yourself come, you would, ah, give me oral gratification.”

“A blow job,” Kate said bluntly. “Okay, that sounds like something a married couple with a lot of time on their hands might do, I guess.” Kind of a kinky couple, making a naughty little game of it, but still, she guessed she could see it. “But what if…” She cleared her throat. “What if you found me before I could, uh, get off?”

“Then I was allowed to finish you off with my tongue,” Rone said in a low voice.

Kate felt as though a bucket of cold water had suddenly been dumped over her head. She sat up straight in her chair and the warm feeling that had been slowly building in the pit of her stomach abruptly dissipated.

“I don’t believe that,” she said, her voice sounding strangled in her own ears. “I don’t…don’t do that.”

“You didn’t used to,” Rone said carefully. “In fact, it was one of the reasons we almost didn’t get bonded—you were so against it. And I—”

“You what? You wanted it anyway?” Kate demanded.

“I needed it,” he murmured, looking at her directly. “It’s a Kindred thing to want to please your mate with your tongue—to lick between her thighs and taste her honey right from the well of her sweet, wet pussy. But with Wulvens…” He shook his head. “With us, it’s a whole different thing—it’s a biological drive. An imperative. We don’t just want to taste our mates—we fucking have to.”

“And you told me we couldn’t be together unless I let you do that? And I bought it?” Kate demanded. “How stupid could I be?”

“Not stupid at all,” he said softly. “I know why it bothers you—or why it did back then, anyway. I know that you had a bad experience back in school and you decided you never wanted to try it again.”

“You do?” Kate felt violated all over again. “I’ve never told anyone about that.”

“You never told me the details, if that makes you feel any better. You just said you didn’t like it because of a bad experience.” Rone sounded tired and miserable.

Kate couldn’t help thinking “bad experience” was the worst understatement she’d ever heard. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the look of disgust on Greg Compton’s face, could still hear the note of revulsion in his drunken voice when he said—But no. Kate pushed the awful memory away.

“I still don’t believe I’d do that with you. Um, let you do it to me, I mean,” she said shortly.

“I didn’t think you would either,” Rone said quietly. “But when I explained about the Wulven drive to taste their mates, you agreed to let me try it—to see if you could let go of the past and if I could make it good for you.”

“And…and could you? Did you?” Kate’s mouth felt so dry she could barely get the words out.

“I was very slow and gentle. I spent a long, long time just kissing and licking your thighs…rubbing my cheek against your mound.” There was a faraway look in the big Kindred’s eyes, as though he was remembering one of the best things that had ever happened to him. “You were shy at first—didn’t want to let me take off your panties.”

“What…what did you do?” Kate’s heart was beating hard again but she didn’t know why.

Rone gave her a lazy smile. “I kissed you with them on. Petted and stroked and rubbed you until your hot little pussy was so wet I could see right through them because your cunt honey made them transparent.”

“You…I…” Kate didn’t know what to say. “Did you ever…did I let you…you know, take them off?”

“After a long, long time, you finally trusted me enough.” His eyes were half-lidded with lust as he looked at her. “Then I was able to really lick you—to spread your sweet little pussy wide open and lap and suck and taste your honey right from the source. Gods, I love the feel of you trembling all around me, moaning and calling my name…the taste of your honey…the warm, sweet scent of your pussy…”

“Okay, that’s enough” Kate protested uneasily. “I take it you were successful in ‘making it good for me.’”

“To judge by your reaction, yes. You came all over my face,” Rone told her, his voice deepening to a soft growl. “Came so hard for me, baby. After that, I knew we’d be able to be together. And we worked out a kind of schedule.”

“A schedule? We had a schedule for this?” Kate absolutely couldn’t believe it. But Rone was nodding.

“I was allowed to kiss you awake in the morning and kiss you to sleep at night. And then sometimes in the middle of the day if we weren’t working on a case, we’d go to the tasting swing.”

“The what now?” Kate could barely believe they were having this conversation. “Is there some kind of a sex swing in the bedroom I didn’t see? Right beside the breeding chair, maybe?”

“It’s a specially made swing you can lie in which supports your weight evenly all over,” Rone explained. “It hangs from a hook in the ceiling of our bedchamber. It’s…folded away right now. I couldn’t bear to have it out, to have it remind me of you when you were gone. When you were lost…”

The sorrow and loss in his voice made Kate ache for some reason.

“I’m sorry,” she said awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to…to sound so skeptical. It’s just…I find all this kind of hard to believe. Feeling the way I do about…some of the things you’ve been describing.”

“I know how you feel,” he said quietly. “You feel the same way you did before you met me—before I earned your trust and you let me in.”

“Yes, I guess that’s probably true,” Kate said, feeling self-conscious all over again. “Um…but this need to…to taste your mate. Does it have anything to do with the hunger I keep hearing about?”

His eyes flashed. “Where did you hear that?”

“Well, Emily said something about it, but she didn’t really know what it meant. And…” Kate took a deep breath. “And I heard you discussing it with the priestess you went to visit last night.”

His eyebrows lifted. “You followed me to the Sacred Grove?”

Kate flushed. “I know I shouldn’t have eavesdropped but I wanted to know what was going on. But I still don’t. So what is the hunger?”

“The hunger is nothing you need to be worried about,” Rone said in a low voice. “I have it under control. It doesn’t concern you.”

“Except I think it does. If I’m really supposed to be your wife, that is.”

“You’re not supposed to be—you are.” His eyes flashed. “And you followed me because you do not trust me.”

“I don’t know you,” she pointed out. “And I still can’t even touch you without having a panic attack. So I need to know—”

“Greetings, pilgrims,” said a sweet voice.

Kate’s eyes jerked up to the viewscreen where a woman with pure white hair and angelic features had suddenly appeared. She was plump and smiling with long white eyelashes and white brows to go with her hair. Her eyes were a pure, pale purple unlike anything Kate had ever seen before.

In fact, the more she looked at her, the more Kate thought she looked completely unearthly—somehow angelic. She halfway expected to see a pair of fluffy white wings sprouting out of the woman’s back or a harp appear in her hands.

“Greetings,” said the angel-lady again. “Am I correct in assuming that you two are the couple being sent from the Kindred Mother Ship? Rone and Kate—isn’t it?”

“It is.” Rone cleared his throat. “And you would be…”

“Mistress Light.” The angel-lady smiled benevolently. “I will be one of your instructresses while you stay with us here at Flame and Frost.”

“We’re very glad to meet you but we’re not really here for traditional counseling,” Kate said, speaking up. “I just need a dip in your bio-chelation pool to uh, rid myself of a bunch of toxins.”

“We shall see about that, Kate my dear.” The angel-lady smiled sweetly. “But in the meantime, please feel free to dock on our landing pad. We look forward to working with you both.”

“Thank you, Mistress Light,” Rone said and then the viewscreen went blank. After a moment, it showed the curvature of a small moon which seemed to be completely covered in some kind of colorful growth.

A large complex of interconnecting buildings took up much of the surface. At least, Kate thought they were buildings. Actually, they looked more like giant bubbles growing out of the surface of the rainbow-colored ground than anything else. Weird.

“That’s it?” she asked. “That’s Flame and Frost?”

“Part of it, anyway,” Rone muttered. “I understand that half the complex is located underground though I don’t know why. The surface of the moon is habitable and has a breathable atmosphere.”

“Not to mention it’s covered in rainbow colored flowers,” Kate remarked. “It’s really pretty in a kindergartener-doing-a-painting kind of way.”

Rone did something else to the controls and cast a sidelong look at Kate. “Beginning our landing sequence. Here we go.”

“Yes, I guess so.” Kate nodded. But for some reason, even though the viewscreen was taken up with the vivid vegetation and the bubble complex, her mind’s eye kept lingering on Mistress Light, the angel-lady who had spoken to them.

There’s more to her than meets the eye. Depend on it, the Knowing whispered in her head. Kate tried to shrug off the bad feeling that was growing in the pit of her stomach but she couldn’t help herself. Her sixth sense was sending her a warning and she didn’t know how to interpret it.

What’s going to happen to us down there? Will we be all right?

She didn’t have any answers but she did know she couldn’t refuse to go. This was her only chance to regain her memory…and lose the pervading fear she felt anytime Rone got too close and touched her. Kate didn’t know how she felt about all the things he’d been telling her regarding their life together, but she did know she was tired of freaking out around the big Kindred.

This is the only way, she told herself. Just keep alert—a warning doesn’t always mean trouble ahead. Which was true—sometimes the warnings the Knowing sent allowed her to avoid trouble. This was going to be one of those times, Kate decided. She would simply keep her eyes and ears open and be very, very careful while she and Rone were here at Flame and Frost. And as soon as she took a swim in their pool and got all the damn fear toxins sucked out of her, they would be out of here and on their way to a normal life.

She hoped.

Chapter Thirteen

“This way. Mistress Light awaits your coming.”

A being with pale blue skin and long blue hair was waiting for them when they descended from the ship. Rone made sure to keep between the person—he couldn’t tell if it was male or female—and Kate. He knew his mate liked to look out for herself and might get mad if she thought he was being overly protective, but he couldn’t help it. The contrasting rumors he’d heard about Flame and Frost made him nervous. And he’d so recently found Kate—he was damned if he’d take a chance on losing her again or letting her be hurt in any way.

“We’re really just here to use your bio-chelation pool,” Kate said, stepping forward. The landing area around the complex was in a large, clear bubble made of some kind of transparent yellowish material. The sunlight that filtered down through this barrier cast Kate in a golden light and turned her long, curly red hair into a flaming corona around her face. Rone thought he had never seen her look more beautiful, but then, he had often had that thought about his mate. He longed to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder or just touch her hair but he knew he couldn’t. He curled his hand into a fist at his side, resisting the urge.

“The Pool of Purification is on the Frost side of the complex,” the blue-haired being said in a soft, androgynous voice. “This one may not venture there—this one has not been touched by the Shadow.”

“This one what?” Kate asked blankly. “I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?”

“I think he…er she is referring to herself. Or himself. Sorry,” Rone apologized. “I don’t know your people or species.”

“All is well,” the blue-haired being nodded, indicating that he—or she—wasn’t offended. “This one is a Celestial. This one’s people do not claim to be either male or female as this one’s kind may be either in time of need.”

“So you can switch sexes at will?” Rone raised an eyebrow. “That’s convenient, I guess.”

“It is very helpful during some of the therapies.” The Celestial inclined his/her head gracefully.

“Well, we’re not here to have that kind of therapy,” Kate said quickly. “Like I said, we’re just here to use the pool. But it is very nice to meet you.” She held out a hand but the Celestial backed away, looking startled and a bit fearful.

“Forgive this one, but you have yet to be purified and it was this one’s understanding that your flesh has been defiled and polluted by poisons.”

“Those are some very strong words,” Rone growled, feeling a surge of protective anger shoot through him. “None of what happened to Kate is her fault. And she’s not ‘polluted or defiled’ in any way. She just needs—”

“She needs to visit Mistress Light who awaits your coming,” the Celestial interrupted smoothly. “Please, may this one bring you to her? It is better to be timely lest you meet the Madam of Shadows instead.”

“Is she another one of the directors here?” Kate asked as they followed the blue—haired being out of the landing area and into another, smaller bubble. This bubble was made of the same transparent material but it was tinged with orange instead of yellow. As before, the sunlight flooded through, filling the round space like water in a bowl.

“She is,” the Celestial nodded and smiled as he/she led them through the orange bubble into another. This one was crystal clear and in the very center of it stood the being they had seen on their viewscreen—the female with pure white hair, eyelashes, and brows. It must be Mistress Light. She was wearing a pure white gown and her mouth widened into a benevolent smile as they approached her.

“Ah, Kate and Rone,” she said, holding out plump, pale hands to them, her violet eyes sparkling. “So very good to see you, my dears. I have heard much of your tragedy already from Commander Sylvan.” She looked at the Celestial. “And thank you for bringing them in, Azure my dear.”

The Celestial nodded. “This one lives but to serve you, Mistress Light.”

“Yes, I know. You’re such a darling. But come—I must greet you!” she said, smiling at Kate and Rone.

Rone came forward first, again putting himself between Kate and the perceived threat. Mistress Light seemed all right but there was something different about her—something strange that had his Wulven senses on high alert.

She smelled…strange. His nose detected crisp, clean notes that reminded him of an ocean wind and warm comforting notes that reminded him of the apple pie recipe Kate had gotten from her grandmother. But there were other scents too—some so hidden that no one without his special talents could have detected them.

Along with the pleasant, comforting, clean smells, there was a whiff of burning and the spice of peppers—the kind so hot it would make your eyes water and sting just to be near their fumes. The kind that would burn your mouth like the Seven Hells if you dared to taste one. There was something else too, something even darker but it was so faint and buried that even Rone could barely detect it. Still, it troubled him.

“It’s very good to make your acquaintance, Mistress Light,” he said, holding out a hand to her since she was also holding out both her hands to himself and Kate.

“I’m pleased to meet you as well, my dear but I must touch both of you at once to assess your problems.” Mistress Light nodded at Kate. “Come dear heart, don’t be shy.”

Rone didn’t like that he couldn’t touch Mistress Light first and better assess the threat but he knew how angry Kate would get if he tried to block her from touching the resort director. Besides, it was probably a good thing to let Kate touch her—the Knowing always gave her a better sense of what a person’s true intentions were when she made skin-to-skin contact with them.

Together, they reached out to take the plump, pale hands of Mistress Light. As they made contact, Rone saw Kate’s green eyes widen but she said nothing. He wished they still had their link so she could tell him what she’d seen but as it was, there was nothing he could do but smile genially and shake hands with the director of Flame and Frost.

“Ah, yes.” Mistress Light closed her brilliant purple eyes and a troubled look came over her face. “Oh my dears—such torment as you are both going through!” she exclaimed when she opened them again and finally released their hands. “I vow to you here and now that I will do everything—everything—in my power to restore your relationship to its former harmony.”

“That’s really sweet of you but we’re honestly just here so I can have a dip in your pool.” Kate’s voice sounded strained. “So if you don’t mind, that’s what I’d like to do.”

“In time…all in good time, Kate my dear.” Mistress Light nodded serenely. “But first, we must get you installed in a room and get a meal into you. I assume you must be hungry?”

“A little, I guess,” Kate said looking unhappy. “But…we have to stay the night? Not that your resort doesn’t seem like a lovely place but—”

“But we’ve heard very conflicting reports of it which makes us damn nervous,” Rone finished for her, frowning.

“I see.” Mistress Light half-closed her eyes as she regarded them. An expression that made her look rather like a sleepy cat, Rone thought. “Well, let me assure you, my dears, that you have nothing to fear if you have come here fully committed to rebuilding your relationship.”

“But—” Kate started but the director kept talking.

“For those who come with the right intentions and purposes, Flame and Frost can be exactly what they need. But if their intentions are not pure and their hearts are not given wholly to healing, well…” Mistress Light frowned. “Then only pain awaits them here.”

“We don’t want any pain,” Kate said quickly.

“And I won’t have my mate put into danger,” Rone growled.

“You have nothing to fear,” Mistress Light said calmly. “For I perceive that your intentions are pure. So…contracts.”

She clapped her hands and Azure, the Celestial who had brought them in the first place, came forward holding two large, circular pieces of vellum covered in densely written script. The script started along the outer edges and spiraled inward with the words and letters gradually growing smaller and smaller until by the time they got to the center, they were completely unreadable.

“What does this say?” Kate asked, frowning at the wide, round contract which Mistress Light handed to her. “It’s as big as a large pizza,” she remarked to Rone, who had taken a contract from the director as well.

“It’s a standard non-disclosure agreement,” Mistress Light explained. “We’re very proprietary about our methods and treatments here. We just ask that you don’t share our secrets beyond these walls.”

“Well, if that’s all it is…” Kate murmured. She was turning the contract around and around in circles, attempting to read the fine print. “Though I really don’t like sighing something I can’t read all of.”

“The last part in the center is simply legal jargon,” Mistress Light said airily. “It’s really just a formality but I’m afraid that I cannot allow you access to our bio-chelation pool until you sign it.”

“If that’s the case, I guess we have no choice.” Kate still didn’t look happy about it. “Where do I sign?” she asked Mistress Light. “Do you have a pen?”

“No writing instrument is needed, my dear. Simply press your right thumb to the very center of the contract. Your print is signature enough.”

“Okay.” Shrugging, Kate did as she said. Holding the large contract flat in the palm of one hand, she lowered her right thumb down to the center of the densely written script.

At the last minute, Rone wanted to stop her. He had a bad feeling about this somehow. A feeling that they were making a very dangerous decision.

“Kate, don—” he began but before he could finish his words, she was pressing her thumb to the center of her contract…and almost immediately yanking it away.

“Ouch!” she gasped, shaking her right hand as though she’d been stung. “What the hell?”

“Are you all right? What happened?” Rone demanded, feeling a stab of fear. He wanted to grab Kate’s hand and examine it but he remembered at the last minute that he couldn’t touch her and held back.

“I don’t know what happened. The damn thing bit me.” Kate was clenching her thumb inside her fingers. “That really hurt!”

“Nonsense, my dear.” Mistress light bent down and picked up the contract which Kate had dropped in her distress. “Simply a little prick to get the necessary blood for the print. See?” She lifted the contract and showed it to them. Now, in the very center of the spiraling script, was a small bloody thumbprint—Kate’s.

“You dared to wound my mate?” Rone felt protective fury rising inside him and the Beast within tried to rise with it.

“Peace, Warrior…” Mistress Light put out her hand to him. “With this small wounding, much may be accomplished. Now that she has signed the contract, I can allow your beloved mate access to our bio-chelation pool. Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yes, but not at the price of pain,” Rone growled.

“Ah, then I fear you are in the wrong place.” Mistress Light looked sorrowful. “There is always a price to be paid to restore that which has been lost. Pain is often part of it.”

“We told you, we’re not here for pain or therapy or anything else like that,” Kate said, sounding irritated and a little frightened. “We just want to get the toxins out of my system so I can remember what I’ve been up to for the past three years.”

“Yes, indeed. And so you shall—as soon as your mate signs his contract.” Mistress Light smiled at Rone who stared stonily back at her. “Of course, if you do not, you cannot accompany her to the pool.”

“You don’t have to,” Kate told him, still clutching her wounded digit. “It really hurts—like someone ripping all the skin off your thumb at once. So maybe you should just stay here and I’ll come back after I have a swim in the pool.”

“Like hell I will,” Rone growled. “I’d never leave you alone in a place like this, Lalli. You know that.” Or she would know it after she got her memories back.

“Okay, well…” Kate shrugged uneasily. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll be fine.” Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he pressed his thumb to the center of his own contract. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a searing pain like someone ripping into his skin and peeling it down to the bare bone shot through him. Rone gritted his teeth but kept his face absolutely impassive. His gaze flicked to Mistress Light who was studying his reaction attentively.

She wants to see this—wants to see how I’ll react, he understood suddenly. Wants to know if I’ll stand by Kate no matter what. This is some kind of a test.

It was a test he intended to pass. After a moment, the pain faded to a dull throbbing and he withdrew his thumb leaving a bloody print just as Kate had—albeit a much larger one.

“Very good!” Mistress Light trilled. “Well, now I think we are all ready to go. If you’ll follow my darling Azure here, you will be led to the area where you both belong.”

Rone exchanged glances with Kate, wishing again that they still had their link. But he could tell well enough what she was thinking, even without it—because he was thinking the same thing. What choice did they have? Apparently, at least for the immediate future, they were stuck here at Flame and Frost. Shrugging, he turned to follow the blue-skinned, blue-haired Celestial and Kate did the same.

As they walked, Rone watched his mate and hoped they could get Kate into the damned pool and out again as soon as possible. He was eager to have his Lalli back—eager to hold her in his arms and touch her and taste her. Even with the cooling the priestess had performed on his blood the night before, he could already feel the hunger rising in him again, demanding that he take what he needed…before it was too late.

* * * * *

Kate didn’t like this situation one bit. She’d had the strangest experience when she touched Mistress Light’s hand. The angel-lady, as Kate had been calling her in her head, appeared to be so sweet that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, but there was something going on with her. Something weird that put Kate on edge.

Usually when she touched someone else skin-to-skin, she got a flash of their memories or their past or some kind of personal information. With Mistress Light, she’d gotten nothing like that. At first, all she’d seen were white, puffy clouds floating in a pale blue sky. Then there was a flash—like lightning ripping the gorgeous sky and innocent clouds to shreds. And for an instant—only an instant—Kate had seen something else. A pair of dark purple eyes staring back at her. And far down in the depths of those eyes she’d seen…what had she seen? Kate still didn’t know. Scenes of torture…pain…and dark pleasure too frightening to contemplate.

Be careful! the Knowing had screamed at her. The absence of light is Shadow. Stay in the light, Kate—stay in the light!

Kate still didn’t know what it meant but it was one of the strongest warnings she’d ever gotten and it scared the shinola out of her. The only thing that had kept her from bolting from the door was the fact that the warning hadn’t been about something that was absolutely going to happen—but about something that could be avoided. That and the fact that she really wanted her memory back.

As long as we’re careful, she told herself uneasily as she and Rone followed Azure out of the clear bubble dome which appeared to serve as Mistress Light’s office. As long as we’re cautious we should be all right.

She hoped, anyway.

The clear bubble dome led into a smaller purple one which appeared to lead out to a lot of other areas. There were seven doors, arranged in a semicircle around half of the dome—Kate wondered where they all went but she hoped she wouldn’t have to find out. She just wanted to take a dip in their pool and get out of this place as soon as possible.

They came to the door in the very center of the seven that ringed half the purple dome and their guide stopped in front of it.

“This is the true entrance to Flame and Frost. From here you will begin your personal journey of reconciliation and redemption,” the Celestial said in a clear, soft voice. “Therefore, the way in which you enter is very important.”

“The way in which we enter?” Rone repeated, frowning. “How many ways can you enter a damn door? You just open it up and walk through it, right?”

Azure only shook his/her head. Placing seven long blue fingers against the door, the Celestial murmured,

“Seven seals for Seven Doors

Seven rooms and Seven Floors

Some lead to bliss and priceless treasure

Some to darker kinds of pleasure

Choose the one your heart desires

Choose the ice or choose the fire

Both will change you, time will tell

If chose you ill or chose you well

Now take your choice, for twain or cleft

Will life be chosen, or will death?”

After finishing this cryptic verse, the Celestial stood back from the still-closed door and motioned for Kate and Rone to come forward.

“Come,” he/she said in that soft, neutral voice. “It is not for this one to open this door for you. You must do it yourselves.”

“We must?” Kate frowned up at the tall being. “But what if we choose wrong? What did that weird poem you just recited mean?”

Azure only shook his/her head.

“This one cannot say for you will find out soon enough. All this one may tell you is that you must both place your right palms against the door at once.”

“Are we going to get stabbed again?” Rone demanded, glowering at the Celestial. “I won’t have my mate hurt like that for a second time.”

Kate didn’t really want the feeling of having her skin peeled off again either, although when she examined her thumb, it looked perfectly fine. There didn’t even seem to be a pin-prick or any sign that she’d bled at all.

“Fear not. This door is painless,” Azure assured them. “But it must be chosen by both of you.”

“I don’t like this,” Rone growled.

Kate sighed. “Neither do I but what choice do we have? I’m guessing we have to do this before I’m allowed in the pool?”

“All who come must choose,” the Celestial said, nodding. “None may abstain. For how else may Mistress Light and Madam Shadow know the true desires of your heart and how best to treat you?”

“Well, they could just let me take a dip in the damn pool which is all I’ve been trying to do from the minute I got here,” Kate said testily.

“I’m afraid they’re going to make us do things in what they consider the correct order before we’re allowed to use the bio-chelation pool,” Rone rumbled.

“In this, you are correct. Proper protocol must be followed at all times,” Azure murmured. “Simply open the door and enter. You will find yourselves where you are supposed to be.”

“All right then, if you say so. Are we ready?” Rone raised one large hand and looked at Kate.

“Wait,” she said, frowning. “Before we do this I have to tell you…”

“Tell me what?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Just…” She hesitated. Years of living with the Knowing had made her reluctant to talk about it, even when it had given her a very clear warning. Some people laughed or scoffed when she tried to pass on what she knew and others just thought she was crazy. But Rone knew about her gift, she reminded herself. He wouldn’t think she was weird or nuts if she tried to tell him something related to it—would he?

“Yes?” he asked. “What do you need to tell me, Kate?”

Kate took a deep breath. “Just that we need to be careful. And when we touch this door, both of us need to be concentrating on the light—on staying in the light.”

Even knowing that he knew about her gift, she half expected him to think she was crazy. But he only nodded.

“That’s something you got from your Knowing?” he murmured in a low voice. “A warning?”

Kate nodded, relieved that he believed her.

“Are we in danger?” Rone asked. “Are we headed into a storm, baby?”

“I don’t think so,” Kate said cautiously. “Not as long as we’re careful to stay in the light. I don’t know what that means—but it’s what I got just now when we touched Mistress Light.”

“All right.” He nodded gravely. “Let’s concentrate then, just like you said. Ready?” He held his big hand in front of the door again. “On three—you count.”

“One…two…three,” Kate counted aloud. They made contact with the door at the same time and it whooshed silently open, revealing a long hallway. The right half of the hallway was bathed in pure, brilliant sunlight. The left half was gloomy with shadows. And somehow, though the two halves were in the same hallway, the light and shadows didn’t mix. There was a very clear demarcation between them.

Rone barked an uneasy laugh.

“Guess we know which side of the hall to walk down.”

“I guess we do.” Kate started to step into the hallway but he put out a hand to stop her.

“Let me go first.”

“I can take care of myself,” Kate protested, feeling irritated. “Just because you’re so much bigger, doesn’t mean—”

“I know you can, baby,” he murmured. “But please, let me go first. I just got you back—I don’t want to take a chance on losing you again.”

The pleading in his deep voice and the raw look in those brilliant blue eyes made Kate bite her tongue. It was true she was usually extremely independent and unwilling to let anyone try to protect her. But the big Kindred looked at her as though she was the most precious thing in the world—as though he would die if he lost her again.

Reluctantly, she nodded.

“All right—you go first. Just stay in the light.”

“Of course.” He nodded and took a cautious step into the lighted side of the hallway. When nothing happened, he continued down the hallway a few steps before turning back to look at Kate. “Seems fine. Come on.”

“Coming.” Kate took a step but it was as though there was something there in the doorway—some invisible barrier she couldn’t see but also couldn’t avoid. Though she tried to step into the lighted side of the hallway, she found herself on the dark side instead.

Rone, who was watching her anxiously, frowned.

“Hey—what are you doing? I thought you said we had to stay in the light?”

“I’m…trying.” Kate tried to step over into the right side where the light was pouring down but the invisible barrier kept her out—kept her in the shadows. It was like there was a wall between her and the light—an obstruction keeping her in the dark and the shadows no matter how hard she tried to push through it.

Deciding that she should go back and try again, Kate turned and tried to get back into the purple dome with all the doors. But though she could see the Celestial, Azure, standing there, she couldn’t get out of the long hallway. She was trapped there, in the darkness, unable to go back or get into the light.

“Kate?” Rone frowned at her again. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. There seems to be some kind of invisible barrier keeping me from getting over to the light side or from going back into the other room to try again.” Kate tried to keep the rising panic she felt out of her voice but this was really freaking her out. “I don’t like this,” she whispered, her voice tight. “Don’t like it at all.”

“I don’t either. Hey!” Rone shouted at Azure, who was still standing there, just outside the doorway. “What in the Seven Hells is going on here? Why can’t Kate get out of this hallway or into the light?”

“You must take the fate you are dealt,” the Celestial said obliquely, raising his/her slender, pale blue shoulders. “Perhaps your mate is unable to enter the light because of the darkness residing within her which yet needs to be purged. I cannot say—I can only advise you to stay on the lighted half of the hall yourself. You may escape whatever torment lies in wait for her that way.”

“Torment? What the fuck are you talking about?” Rone looked really upset now. In fact, his tone was verging on enraged.

“I’m okay,” Kate told him, trying to make herself believe it was true. “I mean, it’s just a little dark, that’s all.” Although it was strange how the shadows seemed to blur her vision and make it difficult to see over into the lighted side. What was going on?

“You’re not all right.” Rone put up his big hands, searching for the invisible barrier that Kate had encountered. But his fingers passed right through, sliding easily into the shadowed part of the hallway.

“Do not!” Azure sounded so upset that Kate looked back. The Celestial was standing there, wringing his/her seven-fingered hands. “If you have been granted the safety of the light, you must not go into the shadows,” he/she said, sounding extremely anxious.

“Why not?” Rone growled. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t be with my mate.”

“It is not safe! The darkness…it grows within you. It eats your soul and then Madam Shadow has no choice but to punish you to release it. It is so much easier…so much better to stay in the light.”

“Fuck that.” In one swift move, Rone stepped into the shadowed side of the hallway and came to stand beside Kate. He wasn’t close enough to trigger the panic response and freak her out but he was close enough that she no longer felt alone in the darkness. It was nice and Kate felt the knot of panic that had been growing in her chest begin to loosen. Still, she felt she had to say something to him.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she murmured as he came to stand beside her. “If this side is so dangerous maybe you should have stayed in the light.”

“No.” Rone’s piercing blue eyes flashed. “My place is with you. Always.”

At the end of the hallway, they heard Azure make a sad sound. When she looked into the Celestial’s face, Kate saw that he/she was almost crying.

“Two more for the shadows,” he said mournfully. “Very well—I will inform Mistress Light…and Madam Shadow. Good bye—this one wishes you well.”

“Wait!” Kate called. “Where do we go from here?”

But the Celestial was already gliding away noiselessly on pale blue feet.

Rone shrugged. “I guess we just continue down the hallway.”

“Yeah, but what are we going to find when we get to the end?” Kate couldn’t keep the apprehension out of her voice.

“Whatever we find, we find it together,” the big Kindred said firmly. “Come on.”

He led the way forward, forging through the shadows like a tall man wading through high water. Kate was happy to follow him this time. Happy to let him go first and grateful that he had come to join her in the darkness, although she felt a little guilty about it. Now Rone was going to get a heaping helping of whatever she herself was slated to take—it hardly seemed fair. But it was nice that he was so loyal and brave.

For the first time since she’d seen him in the shopping mall, Kate began to feel something stirring in her heart for him. Not love—she didn’t know him well enough to love him. But admiration.

He’s tall and handsome and devoted and courageous—what’s not to admire? It sounded like Mimi’s voice in her brain—like something her roommate and friend would say. She almost felt that if the big Kindred hadn’t come to her with such high expectations and all those stories of a past she couldn’t remember, she might have been interested in him. Well, and if touching him hadn’t caused her to have panic attacks…there was that to consider too. And—

Her thoughts were cut off as they reached the end of the long corridor. When she’d been standing at the other end of it, Kate had been certain there was only one door at the end—now she saw two. One for the light side and one in the shadows.

“Try the light door,” she said quickly. “Let’s see if we can get through it somehow.”

Rone reached for the knob but his big hand wouldn’t pass through from the shadows into the light. He tried again but with the same result—he was feeling the effects of the invisible barrier that had kept Kate from passing into the light earlier.

“Hey,” he growled, frowning. “What in the Seven Hells?”

“I’m afraid you’re stuck over here with me now.” Kate felt guilty all over again. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, baby.” Rone sighed and reached for the knob on the dark side of the hallway. “I suppose we’ll just have to go through this one instead.” He looked at her. “Do you feel anything? Are you getting any danger signals?”

Kate took a deep breath, waiting to see if her Knowing would tell her anything—give her any kind of warning. But her sixth sense was silent.

“Nothing so far,” she said. “Let’s go for it.”

“Agreed.” Rone twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door.

Chapter Fourteen

They stepped out of the shadowed half of the hallway into a vast, dimly lit chamber. Rone looked around warily, sniffing for any sign of danger. But the only thing his sensitive nose picked up was the faint hint of spicy peppers. Weird…

“What is this place?” Kate asked, coming up behind him. Rone noticed that while she was being careful not to touch him, she was also staying a little closer than she had before. Good, he was glad she was staying near—it would make it easier to protect her if the need arose.

“This place is the entrance to the lower levels of Frost and Flame,” a new voice murmured from the far side of the room. “To enter here, one must have been touched by the Shadow.”

“Who are you?” Rone immediately put himself between Kate and the possible threat. “And what do you want?”

“This one is only here to guide you.”

A long, thin shape detached itself from the shadows at the far side of the room and Rone saw that the being must be another Celestial, like Azure. Only this one had much darker coloring—deep blue skin and long blue hair that was difficult to see in the shadowed room.

“This one is named Cerulean,” said their new guide, coming forward. “Come —this one has been sent to lead you to the Pool of Purification.”

“Really? Finally!” Kate stepped out of Rone’s shadow, looking relieved.

“Wait.” Rone frowned. “Can you promise us that Kate will come to no harm if she goes into this pool?” he demanded. “Can you promise that it’s absolutely safe? I won’t risk her in any way.”

The Celestial raised one deep blue eyebrow at him.

“Even to allow her to regain her memory of you and your life together? Even to have her back as your mate?”

Rone took a deep breath. “No. Not even for that.”

“Hmm.” Cerulean nodded. “This is good to know. This one will inform the Mistress of Shadows as to the purity of your motives.”

“You still haven’t answered the question,” Rone pointed out. But the tall, thin alien had already turned and was gliding ahead of them, disappearing into the shadows at the far end of the room.

“Come on.” Kate gave him an impatient look. “We’re going to lose him! Or her—or whatever. We have to go. I have to get into that pool!”

“Even if it’s dangerous?” Rone asked, as they followed Cerulean out of the room and into another long, shadowy corridor.

“Even if it’s dangerous,” Kate said grimly.

Rone looked at her closely. He wished he could be sure that her intense determination to get into the bio-chelation pool had to do with her wanting to come back to him—to get back to their normal life. But somehow he doubted it. Kate was the type of female who didn’t like to be uncertain or out of control of her life or circumstances. Doubtless having a three year gap in her memory made her feel extremely out of control and she didn’t like that feeling.

He thought it was more probable that her need to regain order and certainty, rather than any wish to resume her life with him, was driving her now. Still, he felt uneasy about letting her take a risk—no matter how small—with her life.

“What if it’s really not safe?” he asked, frowning down at her. “Kate, I just don’t know about this. Now that we’re here I keep getting bad feelings about this place.”

“Look, Commander Sylvan sent us here specifically to use this pool,” she pointed out. “So it must be safe.” She threw Rone a glace. “I just want my memory back,” she said in a low voice. “I just want to know what the hell I’ve been doing for the past three years. I don’t even know how my mother died, Rone. And no—” She held up a hand. “I don’t want you to tell me. I need to find out on my own.”

He shrugged helplessly. “All right, I understand.” He did, too. Kate was a very independent female—one who liked to do things for herself. Which was why it had been so special to him when she’d allowed herself to relax and let him do little things for her—like helping her down from a high spacecraft doorway or reaching things on a tall shelf for her. Or cradling her in his arms like a little girl when she needed to feel close to him…

A wave of longing so strong it nearly brought him to his knees passed over Rone. Gods, how he missed her—his beautiful mate! She was right here beside him and yet he couldn’t touch her—couldn’t take her in his arms and kiss and caress her the way he longed to do so desperately. Would a swim in the bio-chelation pool cure that? Or would she come out of it cleansed of the fear toxins and with a restored memory but with still no interest in him? Maybe she would decide to start fresh—to put him out of her life. Maybe he was never destined to hold her again…

The hunger stirred inside him at the thought and his Beast gave a low, warning growl.

“Here we are at last—the Chamber of Purification. And this is the Pool of Purification.” The Celestial’s soft voice cut into his troubled thoughts and the calling of the hunger.

Looking up, Rone saw that they had come out of the narrow hallway into another large, stone chamber which appeared to be underground. There were no windows but a diffuse, bluish light seemed to be coming from the walls. It did little to dispel the shadows. However, there was one brighter source of illumination—a harsh white spotlight of sorts came down from the ceiling to light up a rectangular hole in the floor. It was about seven feet deep by ten feet across and lined with the same gray flagstones that made up the rest of the floor, walls, and ceiling. But when Rone looked into it, it was completely empty.

“Behold,” murmured the Celestial, gesturing with his/her seven fingered hands. “The Pool of Purification.”

“It’s not much to look at, is it?” Kate sounded skeptical. “And where’s the water?”

“The bio-chelation chemicals do not flow into the pool until they sense there is one within in it who is in need of cleansing,” Cerulean explained in a soft voice. “You must therefore strip and climb into it in order to be immersed in its purifying waters.”

“Strip? I have to strip?” Kate looked at the dark hole in the floor mistrustfully and crossed her arms over her breasts. “Uh, can’t I have a bathing suit to wear or something?”

“This one is afraid that may not be,” Cerulean said regretfully. “Every inch of your skin must be bathed in the waters of Purification in order for the treatment to be effective.”

“Okay, well…Can I at least have some privacy? I mean, I don’t need you guys watching me while I do this for it to work, right?” Kate cast a glance at Rone and he knew what she was thinking—she didn’t want him seeing her naked. Never mind that he had seen and touched and tasted every inch of her sweet, luscious body in the past, she couldn’t remember a bit of it and so she was shy, all over again, just as she had been when they first met.

He would have been happy to give her the privacy she asked for, although it hurt his heart to do it, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone to get into that strangely ominous stone hole all by herself. The thing reminded him of an empty, toothless mouth, just waiting to be fed and there was an odd, chemical tang in the air around it that burned his sensitive nose.

The Celestial, however, appeared to have no such misgivings.

“This one will be pleased to grant you privacy,” he/she said bowing obsequiously. When you have stripped, simply climb into the pool. It will sense your presence and begin to fill. Remember, though…” He/she leaned forward and pointed two long fingers for emphasis. “Whatever you do, you must not leave the pool until every inch of your skin has been bathed and the water has drained, taking the fear toxins it leaches from your body with it. Do you understand?”

“I think so.” Kate nodded. “Take off my clothes, get in the pool, and don’t get out until it drains. I can do that—I’m a strong swimmer.”

“Perhaps in water, you may be.” Cerulean gave her a pitying look. “However the Purification chemicals are something else entirely. But keep calm and do not let fear get the better of you and all will be well.”

That sounded ominous to Rone but Kate was nodding again, clearly eager to get into the pool and get on with the process.

“Got it,” she said confidently.

“Very well. Then this one will leave you alone. I will come again later to see how your Purification went.” Cerulean steepled his/her long blue fingers together and made a deep bow. Then the Celestial turned and flowed smoothly out of the Purification Chamber, disappearing through a small wooden door on the far wall.

“Well?” Kate looked at Rone who was standing there. She had her hands on her blouse, clearly ready to take it off. “Aren’t you going to go too?”

“I don’t think so,” Rone growled, frowning. “I’m sorry if you’re feeling shy, Kate, but there’s no way I’m leaving you alone to crawl into a strange hole and be covered with the Goddess alone knows what kind of chemicals.”

“I don’t want to take off my clothes in front of you!” she exclaimed, crossing her arms protectively over her breasts. “And don’t tell me again how you’ve seen me naked before—I know you have but I can’t remember it so it still just makes me really uncomfortable.”

Rone felt the hunger stir in him again.

“I haven’t just seen you naked, baby—I’ve licked and kissed and caressed every inch of your body,” he growled. “From the crown of your head to the tips of your toes, there’s no place on you that I haven’t tasted and stroked. But fine—I’ll turn around. Will that make you happy?”

“I guess it’s better than nothing.” Kate glared at him, her cheeks flushed.

For a little while there, when he’d joined her in the shadowed part of the hall, Rone had almost felt like they were growing closer. Now he felt the distance open between them again and sighed inwardly.

She doesn’t trust me, he thought. Doesn’t trust me because she doesn’t know me—not anymore.

But there was nothing he could do about it right now. Nothing but try and keep her safe and hope that the treatment of the pool worked and his mate would remember him soon. He turned silently, giving her his back, and waited.

* * * * *

Kate waited until he had turned around, showing his broad back and shoulders, before she started undressing. God, this was awkward! She kept hearing his words ringing in her ears— I’ve licked and kissed and caressed every inch of your body, he’d said. Had he really? She supposed that since they were married he must be telling the truth. But still, it set her nerves on edge and made her heart pound uneasily to hear him saying it out loud.

We must have been a really kinky couple, she thought to herself as she shed her clothing. I wonder what other things I let him do to me… Then she decided that didn’t bear thinking about.

When she was down to nothing but her birthday suit, she walked over to the lip of the pool. She stood there for a moment shivering—it really was cold in here without clothes—and wondering how she was going to get down into it. There was no ladder that she could see—no way to climb in or out of the deep stone hole. She had no wish to jump—it looked like a long way down and she could just see herself twisting an ankle. She supposed she could scramble around until she was holding onto the lip of the pool and then just let herself drop but it was still going to be a three foot drop to the stony floor of the pool below—she wasn’t looking forward to that.

As if he was reading her mind, she heard Rone’s deep voice behind her.

“Do you need help getting in?”

“No. No, of course not,” Kate said hastily. She turned her head and saw that he still had his broad back to her but his head was half-turned to speak. She wished she had something to cover her back—she hated having her scars exposed like this!

“Are you certain? Don’t hurt yourself just because you’re too proud to ask for help, Kate.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said defensively, sitting down on the lip of the pool—damn, the stones were cold on her bare behind! “I can get down all by myself, just fine. And besides, I couldn’t touch you anyway even if I did need your help—which I don’t. That’s the whole reason I need the fear toxins leached out—remember?”

He sighed deeply. “I just thought I could wrap my sleeve around my hand so that our skin didn’t touch and lower you down that way.”

Kate thought about it for a moment but then she imagined herself dangling from his hand, naked and with everything on display, as he lowered her into the pool. No—she had no wish to do that. It would be better just to scramble down herself somehow.

“No thanks,” she said, trying to keep her voice light even as she was turning to grasp the lip of the pool and trying to inch down slowly. “I’ll…be…fine.” Her voice sounded a little strained since she was trying to get down into the vast stone hole but she thought she managed it all right. Finally she was hanging from the edge of the pool with her toes dangling several feet above the bottom.

Well—here goes. Letting go of the edge, she let herself fall, trying to land lightly on her feet.

She did land but not exactly lightly. She stumbled on the rough stones and went to her knees, scraping them both raw.

“Ow!” she gasped involuntarily.

Immediately, Rone was at the lip of the pool, looking down anxiously.

“Kate? Lalli? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Kate stood quickly and did her best to cover herself with her hands. “Look, do you mind? I’m still naked here, you know.”

“You’re not fine.” His nose wrinkled. “I smell blood—where are you bleeding?”

“I’m not—” Kate looked down at her knees. Sure enough, there were trickles of blood running down her shins—she must have hit the stone floor even harder than she’d thought.

“Come back up,” Rone said, frowning. “I need to heal you.”

“Heal me? What are you talking about?” Kate demanded. “Do you have a first aid kit with you or something that I don’t know about?”

“No, with my tongue,” he said impatiently. “I know you don’t want me touching you but it will only take a few licks to seal those wounds. At least let me do that.”

Kate frowned. “So you can heal me just by licking me?”

“Of course. I always have—you’re my mate. It’s one of a Wulven Kindred’s abilities.” He looked really upset and agitated. “Please, Kate— I can’t bear to see you injured.”

“I’m fine—it’s just a couple of scrapes on my knees.” Kate was still trying to cover her breasts and sex with her arms. “And besides, I have to stay down here until the bio-chelation chemicals come up and bathe every inch of me—remember?” She looked down at her feet. “If they ever come at all…”

“I don’t like the idea of you going through that process with open wounds,” Rone said stubbornly. “You don’t know what might happen if those chemicals get into your bloodstream.” He knelt by the lip of the pool and extended one hand to her. “Come on, Kate—let me pull you out and heal you first. Please.”

The worry in his piercing blue eyes was so intense that Kate almost did as he asked. But then she thought of taking his hand—touching his skin—and remembered the panicked fear that had rushed through her when he grabbed her at the mall. Her heart started pounding and she hung back, not wanting to go through that awful feeling of being trapped and helpless again.

“I don’t know—” she began but just then there was a rushing noise and the stone blocks below her feet began to bleed water.

At least Kate thought it was water. It was clear and it bubbled and gushed up from the cracks between the stones as though some hidden jet was forcing it upwards. It was cold against her feet and before she knew it, it had surged up to her ankles.

“Kate, come out of there—that stuff smells fucking toxic!” Rone was looking even more anxious than before.

“I don’t smell anything,” Kate said stubbornly. “Look, I have to do this—it’s the only way to get back my memory. Don’t you want that?”

“Not at the price of your life. I have a bad feeling about this!” Rone raked a hand through his hair in agitation. “Lalli, please!”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him again. “It’s just a little cold, that’s all.”

Cold was an understatement. The clear liquid which was now up to her shins, felt like liquid ice. Kate wrapped her arms even more firmly around herself and tried to keep from shivering. She noticed with some concern that when the chelation chemical liquid touched the rivulets of blood running down the front of her legs, it bubbled and foamed, like hydrogen peroxide.

What if Rone’s right? she thought uneasily. What if it does something to me? What if—

Just then the clear liquid reached her scraped knees—it stung like fire.

Kate inhaled sharply and clenched her hands into fists. She clamped her jaw shut to keep from screaming. Her knees felt like she’d dipped them in acid!

“You’re in pain.” Rone was still watching her with worry in his eyes. “I can tell it!”

“It just…stings a little. That’s all,” Kate grated out, trying not to show how much agony she was in. God—it was like rubbing alcohol times ten! She could see the chemicals bubbling like crazy around her wounded knees, the bloody foam rising as the liquid level rose as well. And then, alarmingly, the crimson color of the foam began to spread. Thin, bloody rivulets began to spiral through the clear liquid, swirling in strange patterns over the surface of the bio-chelation chemicals.

“What in the Seven Hells is going on?” Rone demanded, clearly noticing as well. “Why is it turning red?”

“I…I don’t know.” Kate shivered as the bloody-red liquid reached her upper thighs.

“I don’t like it!” Rone growled. “Come out!”

Kate didn’t like it either, to be honest. The liquid in the pool was now completely red—it was like taking a bath in ice-cold blood. But by now, it was up to her waist and still rising fast.

Maybe Rone is right—maybe I ought to get out of here.

But if she did, how would she ever get her memory back? Sure it was unpleasant being covered in the bloody-looking liquid but if she could stand it just a little while longer, she would be rewarded—she would get back the years she had lost. She would finally understand what had happened to her mother and to Rone and—

Her thoughts cut off abruptly as the red liquid climbed to her breasts and turned dead black.

“Oh my God,” Kate whispered uncertainly, looking down at herself. Tar—it looks like tar! It felt like tar too—the formerly clear liquid was now sticky and dense. When Kate raised one hand from it, the stuff hung down from her arm in gluey strings.

“What the fuck is going on down there?” Rone roared.

“I don’t know!” Kate tried to move her legs but it was hard—the black, tarry liquid was so thick it was like moving through glue. It was up past her shoulders now—up to her neck.

Oh my God, it’s going to cover me! It’s going to go over my head in a minute!

Her determination to stay in the pool until her memory came back wavered abruptly. She could have stood having the plain, clear liquid flowing over her head. She loved to swim after all and had no fear of the water. But this…stuff…this black oozing ichor the clear liquid had become was something else entirely. Kate didn’t want the gooey black tar coming up to cover her face and head. She could barely move in it, let alone tread water. She would drown!

“Rone!” she gasped, forgetting her fear of touching him as the terror of being drowned in the weird tar-pit the pool had become overcame her. “I…I don’t like this!”

“Come here.” He stretched out a hand for her again, trying to reach her.

The black slime was up to Kate’s jaw now. She could feel it seeping into her ears and soon it would cover her mouth and then her nose. Panicked, she began trying to get to the big Kindred’s hand. But moving through the tarry liquid was like trying to move through quicksand or mud. Kate felt like she was stuck in a bad dream—the kind where you’re trying desperately to run away from the evil monster pursuing you but you can only move in slow motion.

“I…I can’t—” she gasped and then some of the foul, tarry liquid rushed into her mouth making her choke and gasp. It was bitter—so bitter and foul she started to gag. But she knew if she opened her mouth again, it would fill with even more of the disgusting, sludgy liquid. Lifting her chin high, she stood on her tip-toes, trying to keep the ever-rising black slime away from her face as long as possible.

It was a temporary measure at best. Kate knew what was going to happen—the tarry liquid was going to cover her and then, when she couldn’t hold her breath any more, it would rush into her mouth and nose and drown her.

Rone was right, she thought as the stuff surged up past her grimly shut mouth and seeped into her hair. I shouldn’t have done this. Should have listened to him. Should have—

“Fuck this,” she heard Rone say. And then there was a flat splash in the gooey liquid beside her and he was at her side.

Kate wanted to ask what he was doing but she knew if she opened her mouth she would choke on the filthy slime. Besides, it became apparent what he wanted the minute he reached her.

“Here.” He grabbed her, putting both big hands around her waist. He was so much taller that the black slime wasn’t even halfway up his broad chest. Lifting Kate as though she weighed no more than a kitten, he boosted her towards the side of the pool.

“Rone?” she managed to gasp and he pushed her up. “What—”

“Grab the side,” he ordered grimly. “You’re getting the fuck out of here.”

Kate wasn’t in any position to protest. She grabbed for the lip of the stone pool and dragged herself out. Rone helped by boosting her up, his large hands fitting neatly under her bottom to give her a shove. Then he reached for the edge and lifted himself clear of the liquid too, his massive shoulders and arms working and the muscles bunching as though he was doing a push-up.

Kate lay on her side, shivering and covered in slime. Her hair was a sodden mess. The only parts of her that weren’t completely drenched in the oily black liquid were her nose, eyes and forehead. Everything else felt like she’d been dipped in a mixture of motor oil and mucus.

“Kate, baby—are you okay?” Rone knelt beside her anxiously. He was pretty messy too but he’d only had time to take off his shirt before he jumped in to save her so at least his trousers had protected his legs.

“F-f-fine,” she stuttered out and then burst into tears.

“Kate…Lalli…” Rone hovered over her uncertainly. It was clear he was dying to gather her into his arms and comfort her and just as clear that he didn’t dare to touch her.

Kate wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, she was shivering and cold and wet and miserable—she could have used some comfort. On the other hand, she still didn’t know him—not like he knew her, anyway—and she wasn’t sure if his touch would still cause a panic response or not. She’d already been panicking when he lifted her out of the pool and it was hard to say what had caused it—his touch or the fact that she’d been sure she was about to drown in the inky black stuff.

Also there was a little voice inside her—a voice that had been there since early childhood—telling her that Rone wasn’t to be trusted. That no man was. Growing up without a father, she’d learned that quickly enough. Encounters with men in high school and college had driven the lesson home. She balled herself tighter and hid her face.

“Kate…”

“Just go away,” she whispered. “Just…just leave me alone.”

“But—”

“No, no, NO!” The escalating shout came from across the room, on the other side of the pool. It shocked Kate out of her tears and made her sit up, trying frantically to cover herself although she doubted anyone could see anything through the black slime that covered her.

Striding toward them was a tall person—Kate thought it was a woman—dressed all in black. A tight black skirt, high black boots, and a low cut black blouse which showed a fair amount of pale cleavage was Kate’s initial impression. Then the woman came closer and she saw that she also had midnight black hair which was pulled severely back in a tight bun at the back of her neck, showing her pale, angular face. Aside from her paper-pale skin, the only thing about her that wasn’t black was her eyes, which were a deep, vivid violet. Even her lips were painted in black lipstick—at least Kate thought it was lipstick. She supposed it could just be their natural color.

“Who are you?” Rone had taken a protective stance in front of her, his feet spread, keeping himself between Kate and the newcomer.

“I am the Madam of Shadows as you will soon learn to your very great regret.” The woman cocked her head to look at him though she was so tall Rone only had an inch or two in height on her. Of course, part of that was probably her boots which had six inch heels on them. Kate was in a unique position to study them since she was still crouching naked on the ground behind the big Kindred.

“Madam Shadow,” Rone growled angrily. “I’m glad you’re here. Kate nearly drowned in your pool just now.”

“Why didn’t you let her?” the tall woman asked coolly.

“What?” Rone demanded. “What in the Seven Hells are you talking about?”

“I said you should have let her drown.” Madam Shadow gave Kate a look that was colder than the slime she’d just been in. “That is, after all, the purpose of the pool.”

“What?” Rone’s piercing blue eyes blazed. “Are you saying what just happened was intentional? That you knowingly tried to drown my mate? Because if that’s the case—”

“Calm yourself, Warrior,” she snapped. “That is the way the pool works. Unfortunately, it was unable to do its job you dragged your mate out before the process was complete.”

“He dragged me out because I was about to drown,” Kate said, getting shakily to her feet.

“You were meant to drown, little female,” Madam Shadow said. “How else could the impure part of you die and the wholesome part be reborn? Those who immerse themselves in the Pool of Purification must meet death and be revived for the treatment to work.”

“So…you put me in there knowing I was supposed to die?” Kate could hardly believe it. “And all that—the way the water turned red and then black—that was all meant to happen?”

“Of course. The change in the chemicals’ consistency and composition is in direct response to the amount and type of toxins they are leaching from the body.” Madam Shadow made a disgusted face. “I was told that you were completely filled with fear toxins and memory blockers but I have never seen the pool turn quite that color before.”

“So you actually planned to allow my wife to drown and then you would attempt to revive her?” Rone sounded like he couldn’t believe it. “What if you couldn’t? What if she didn’t come back?”

“Actually, it’s the Pool of Purification itself which does the drowning and reviving,” Madam Shadow said. “It almost always brings the subject it is purifying back…well, unless they are too polluted for it to cleanse properly. In which case, it will often deem the revival to be unnecessary.” She looked Kate up and down. “I have my doubts that it might have chosen to revive you, my dear. You were most terribly polluted.”

“That isn’t her fault,” Rone said angrily. “She was infected with fear toxins, as you said earlier. That doesn’t make her a bad person or someone unworthy to live. Goddess, what is wrong with you fucking people?”

“The only thing wrong here is that you stopped the treatment too soon,” Madam Shadow snapped.

“But you just said it would have killed me—and probably not even tried to bring me back!” Kate eyed the oily black surface of the pool mistrustfully.

“Yes, well—at least the treatment would have been complete and the pool could have emptied and purified itself,” the tall woman sniffed, as though Kate’s life meant nothing. “As it stands, it will be unable to self-cleanse unless you get back in and let it finish the process.”

“Like Hell she will,” Rone growled, his big hands balling into fists. “If you even think—”

“No, no—I can see how protective you are of her, Warrior. I will not demand such a thing.” Her violet eyes flashed. “What I will demand however is that the two of you finish what the pool started in a more traditional way. We have an excellent success rate here at Frost and Flame and I don’t intend to let the two of you ruin it.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Kate demanded. “Finish what it started? It didn’t do any good at all! I don’t recall a damn thing more than I could when I got into it. The past three years are still gone—I can’t remember anything.”

“Nothing at all?” Rone looked at her, and the need in his blue eyes was so great Kate had to look away.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “Maybe you should have just left me in there.”

“Of course I couldn’t do that,” Rone growled. “I just thought maybe…”

“The reason your memory is not restored is because you didn’t allow the Pool to finish its job,” Madam Shadow said briskly. “However, though it was unable to bring back your memory, you may take comfort in knowing that most of the fear toxins have been leached out of your system.”

“They have?” Kate looked at her mistrustfully. The woman had just admitted that she’d planned to have Kate drowned on purpose—it was kind of hard to trust anything she said after hearing that.

“Of course they have. Go on—try it.” From somewhere in the folds of her tight black skirt, Madam Shadow produced a long, thin black stick which she slipped between her lush black lips. She snapped her fingers and a small flame appeared, igniting the end of it. It was only when Kate saw her take a deep drag on the flaming thing that she understood Madam Shadow was smoking—smoking what looked like a foot-long, skinny black cigarette.

“Try what?” she asked, uncertainly.

“Try to touch him, of course.” Madam Shadow blew a cloud of blue smoke which smelled like burnt rose petals at her head. Kate waved it away, coughing and choking. “Go on—I don’t have all day.”

Hesitantly, Kate turned to the big Kindred. She still had one arm wrapped firmly around her breasts and her legs tightly closed to conceal her sex but she lifted her free hand and reached out to touch him.

Rone stood perfectly still for the operation, as though she was a skiddish horse that might spook at his least movement. Kate could see he was trying to conceal his hope but when she caught a glimpse of his eyes it was there—blazing in their glowing blue depths.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed her fingertips to brush over the skin of his forearm. Of course, they were both still coated in the black slime of the pool but she could feel his skin beneath hers well enough. She waited for the panic response to begin—the feeling that her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest and that her lungs were paper bags that wouldn’t inflate properly. But though she felt a slight tremble of nerves—the panic was gone.

Just to be sure, she gripped his muscular forearm in her hand and held it there. Still nothing except the awkwardness of touching a man she didn’t know—or didn’t know intimately, anyway.

“Well?” Rone’s deep voice was tense.

“She’s right.” Kate looked up at him. “I can touch you now without freaking out—without feeling like I’m going to pass out from fear.”

“Thank the Goddess.” He blew out a breath and wiped a hand over his face, putting a smudge of black slime on his cheek.

“This doesn’t mean I want to immediately jump in bed with you, though,” Kate felt compelled to tell him. “I mean, I still don’t remember you—don’t know you the way you know me. So I’m really sorry but—”

“No, no—I understand.” He nodded. “I would never ask you to do something you weren’t comfortable with. I’m just so damn glad that being near me doesn’t scare you to death anymore, baby.”

Kate thought about pointing out that he was still a pretty huge and scary guy but decided not to. Rone had gone out of his way to protect her again and again since the first moment they met in the mall. She knew by now that he wouldn’t hurt her—at least, not physically. Emotionally might be another matter but she would have to cope with her own wariness later. For now, at least the Pool had done half of what they had come for.

“I still wish I could remember the last three years,” she said with a sigh.

“You will…eventually. But first you and your mate have much work to do,” Madam Shadow said. “Come.”

Still smoking her long, black cigarette, she turned on her six inch heels and walked briskly out of the room that held the Pool of Purification.

“Wait—I need to wash off and get dressed!” Kate was gathering up her clothes, trying not to get too much slime on them. She didn’t have a change with her since they hadn’t expected to have to stay at Flame and Frost very long.

“You will have an opportunity to do that later,” Madam Shadow called over her shoulder. She was walking so quickly that Kate had to half-run to keep up with her. Clutching her clothes to her, despite the slime, she tried to hide her nakedness. She hoped desperately that they didn’t run into any other couples who were here at the resort for therapy. She’d never felt more dirty or naked or gross in her entire life and she didn’t want anyone else to see her this way.

Rone strode along beside her, having no trouble at all keeping up with the Madam’s long strides, Kate saw enviously. He, too, was covered in the black slime of the pool but it ended on mid chest for him, leaving his shoulders and neck and hair clear of the stuff.

Though she felt incredibly grimy herself, Kate thought the big Kindred didn’t look half bad. The black stuff outlined his washboard abs, making him look like a commercial for some kind of rough, manly sport played in the mud. She wondered if the black goop had seeped into the tight leather flight trousers he wore and found herself eyeing them—the crotch especially for some reason.

Rone caught the direction of her stare and looked down at himself, then back up at her quizzically as if to say, What? Kate looked away hastily, her cheeks flaming.

We both need a shower, she told herself firmly. And that’s all that needs to be said about that. She concentrated on following Madam Shadow through the twisting maze of stone corridors they were traversing and kept her eyes strictly to herself.

At last they arrived at the entrance to a large deep purple bubble like the ones in the upper part of the building. Kate could see in because there was a rounded archway in the hall leading into it with no door in the way.

“Here we are,” Madam Shadow said, making a gesture with her cigarette which was still burning. “Go in.”

Kate went through the rounded doorway quickly, glad to be out of the very public hallway and Rone followed her.

“Very good,” the Madam nodded in apparent approval—the first they had gotten from her—as soon as both of them were inside the purple bubble. She didn’t follow them in, though. Instead, she stood on the threshold and spoke through the archway. “Are you comfortable?”

“Um…I guess so.” Looking around, Kate saw that the bubble was furnished as a kind of efficiency apartment—in fact, it reminded her of the one she’d lived in while in college. In one corner—if a bubble could be said to have a corner— was a kitchen area complete with a stove, countertop, sink, and refrigerator. In another was a bed that looked to be somewhere between queen-sized and full. A third corner was a sort of living area with a small loveseat, some bookshelves, and a vidscreen. The fourth corner was closed off—presumably it was a bathroom. At least, Kate hoped it was.

“What is this place?” Rone demanded. He was also looking around and frowning.

“Is this where we’re supposed to take a shower?” Kate asked.

“This, my dear Warrior, is where the two of you will be staying for the foreseeable future,” Madam Shadow answered crisply. She looked at Kate. “And yes, there are shower facilities, although I am afraid you will be unable to use them unless you cooperate with your mate, there.”

“What? What are you talking about? We’re not staying here,” Rone growled.

“And what do you mean, cooperate?” Kate asked. She could feel a lump of anxiety growing in her stomach like a cube made of ice.

“You are staying here,” Madam Shadow insisted coolly. “You will not be able to leave until you have found the harmony you lost.”

“What? What does that even mean?” The lump of ice in Kate’s stomach had turned from a cube into a block and it threatened to freeze her with uncertainty and fear.

“It means exactly what I said.” The Madam gave them a level stare. “Now listen to me because I do not have any more time to waste on you and I will only say this once—this is a bubble of cooperation and harmony. Each item within it will work only if you are cooperating with each other.”

“Cooperating? How? In what way?” Kate demanded, feeling more panicked every minute.

“In every way, my dear.” The Madam blew another puff of smoke. “You will remain thirsty unless you drink from your lover’s hands. You will remain hungry unless you take the food from his fingers. You will not be able to sit upon the couch unless you are touching him—the bed will not support you unless your bodies are entwined. Oh, and one more thing…” She looked Kate up and down and sniffed distastefully. “No hand but his may wash that dreadful slime from your skin. Likewise, no hand but yours may cleanse him as well. And now, if there are no more questions, I must go.” And she turned on her heel and left.

“Wait! Who said there were no more questions?” Kate rushed forward, meaning to go out of the bubble and follow the Madam of Shadows, who was already retreating, down the stone hall. But when she got to the archway, she found she couldn’t pass through it. “What is this?” she asked out loud, putting her hands out and pushing to no avail. “It’s another invisible barrier. How do they do that?”

“What?” Rone came up behind her and pressed too, pushing with all his might. But they might as well have been pushing against a wall of invisible bricks—there was no way to get out of the bubble and back into the corridor outside.

They were trapped.

Chapter Fifteen

“Oh my God,” Kate whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Oh my God—I can’t believe this!”

Rone found it pretty unbelievable himself. It wasn’t that he minded being someplace where he had to spend time with his mate—in fact, there was nothing he would rather do. But he objected to being forced into it and he didn’t like anything that made Kate feel uncomfortable—which she clearly was.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, looking up at him. “This is crazy, Rone! She didn’t even tell us how long we’d be stuck here.”

“Yes, she did,” he growled. “She said we’d stay here until we regained our lost harmony—whatever that means.”

“It means we’re trapped,” Kate said softly. “For now, at least. So what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know about you, but I want to get cleaned up.” Rone looked down at himself distastefully. He wasn’t as completely coated in the black slime as Kate was, but he still had enough of it on him that he was making black boot prints on the floor. He took a moment to pull the boots off and leave them by the door and then padded barefoot into the closed area of the bubble which he hoped was the bathing and fresher area.

Sure enough, there was a freestanding tub, a large shower, and a sink and toilet in this area. Good.

Rone turned the tap on the sink, half expecting there to be no water since he wasn’t “cooperating” with Kate to turn it on. But to his surprise and pleasure, a clear stream of water came rushing out of the faucet and into the basin. He stuck his large hands under the flow but though he felt the clear water rushing over his skin, nothing happened. Frowning, he rubbed at the slime with no result. He could feel the water but it wasn’t doing him any good.

Thinking that he needed hotter water to get the job done, Rone twisted the hot tap until clouds of steam were rising from the sink. But though he got the water hot enough to feel like it was peeling the flesh off his bones, it didn’t melt even the tiniest bit of the slime off his skin. Using soap didn’t help either. Nothing he did removed even a fraction of the gooey black stuff.

Desperately, Rone grabbed for one of the hand towels on a rack by the sink and rubbed—with no result. His hands seemed to be permanently stained.

“Damn it!” he heard Kate’s voice say from the other room, as he turned off the taps in defeat. He walked out to see her standing at the kitchen sink, scrubbing her hands with a brush that was clearly meant for cleaning pots and pans.

“Kate, be careful.” He went to her quickly. “You’ll hurt yourself—the bristles on that damn thing aren’t for using on your skin. You’ll scrape yourself raw!”

She looked up at him and he saw tears of frustration standing in her clear green eyes.

“It won’t come off. No matter what I do. It won’t come off.”

Rone sighed. “I know what you mean—I had the same problem.” He held out his hands, still covered in the thick black slime.

“I hate this—I hate to be dirty like this,” she exploded. “I feel so…so disgusting.”

Rone thought she had never looked lovelier. Though she was coated from head to foot in the black stuff, she was naked under it. She was still clutching her discarded clothes against her chest but he could still see most of her. Her petite body had full curves he longed to caress again but he knew she wouldn’t be comfortable with letting him touch her that way. Still, maybe there was something he could do since she no longer feared his hands on her.

“Let me try,” he said gently, stepping up beside her at the sink and holding out his hands.

“Try what?” She drew away from him mistrustfully.

“Just washing your hands,” Rone said, trying to make his voice soft and non-threatening. “That’s all, baby, I swear. Remember, Madam Shadow said no hand but mine would get you clean.”

“I…guess it’s worth a try.” Hesitantly, she put down the scrub brush she’d been using and stretched out her hands to him.

Rone took her small hands in his and brought them under the water rushing into the kitchen sink. At first nothing happened but then, when he began to rub her hands, the slime slowly began to wash away.

“Look—it’s working!” Kate sounded excited. “Keep going!”

“I’m not stopping until you’re all clean,” Rone promised. “Look—it’s coming off my hands too wherever you’re touching me.”

“Here—let’s use some soap.” Kate squirted a dollop of dish soap from the bottle that stood on the edge of the sink and began rubbing it in. Rone used some on her as well and before they knew it, their hands were a soapy tangle—a clean tangle, Rone saw, smiling a little at the sight. It was good to have some of the black slime off of him—and even better to touch his mate again.

“That’s better—a little bit, anyway,” Kate said when they finally turned off the water and dried their hands with some paper towels which hung in a roll over the sink. “At least I can touch my face without feeling like I’m spreading it all over.” She pushed some of her red, springy curls—the few that had escaped the gooey slime of the pool—off her forehead. “Now maybe I can get a glass and wash this taste out of my mouth.”

She began searching the cabinets and soon enough, found a few plain glass cups. Going back to the kitchen sink, she filled one with cold water and attempted to take a drink.

The water ran down her chin.

“What the—?” Kate frowned and tried again with the same result. Though she tried and tried from all different angles, she couldn’t get any of the water to go into her mouth.

“Kate…” Rone was trying not to laugh but she really did look ridiculous.

“It’s not funny!” she exclaimed. “That stuff from the pool got in my mouth and it tastes horrible.”

Rone was instantly contrite. “I’m sorry—here, let me try. She said we wouldn’t be able to drink except from each other’s hands, remember?” Taking the glass from her, he dumped out the water she had drawn and got a fresh glass. Then he held it out to her. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Kate took it from him and prepared to take a big drink…but again the water ran down her chin. “What’s wrong this time?” She exclaimed in irritation. “I took the glass from your hand, didn’t I?”

“Maybe I have to be holding it for you to drink from it?” Rone guessed. “Here—let me hold it for you.”

He took the glass from her again and placed it against her lips. Kate tried again to get a mouthful of water…and yet again, the water ran right down her chin. She was still clutching her bundle of discarded clothes to her chest but by now they were soaking wet.

“What’s going on?” Kate looked ready to cry. “I’m so thirsty and who knows when that horrible Shadow Madam is coming back. She made some kind of mistake and we’re going to die of thirst in this stupid place!”

“I don’t think there’s any mistake,” Rone said, frowning. “This is on purpose—all of it. We just have to figure it out, that’s all.”

Kate sighed and leaned against the sink. “Can we figure it out before I become completely dehydrated? God, why did we come here in the first place?”

“To get the fear toxins out of you for one thing,” Rone pointed out. “The pool did that, at least. Even if it was about to drown you to accomplish the rest of its mission.”

“About that…” Kate looked down at her freshly washed hands. They looked like white gloves on the ends of her arms, which were still coated in the black slime. “I never said thank you—for saving my life, I mean. So, well…thanks.” She looked up at him. “Thanks for jumping into that awful gook and saving me, Rone. I really would have died if you hadn’t.”

His heart swelled and he longed to take her in his arms but he knew he couldn’t do that—not yet.

“Of course, Lalli,” he said gently. “I’ll always be there for you, to protect you and save you. You know that.”

“Actually, I don’t.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “But…I’m beginning to.”

“A beginning is better than nothing,” Rone said. “And I think I have an idea about your drinking problem.”

A surprised laugh burst from her lips.

“My drinking problem? It’s not like I’m dying to hit the bottle—I just want some water.”

“And I think I know how you can get some.”

Rone turned the cold tap again. When the water rushed out, he cupped his hands together and caught as much as he could in his palms. Then he nodded at Kate. “Go ahead—drink.”

“What? From your hands?” She looked at him uncertainly.

“Well, Madam Shadow did say we wouldn’t be able to drink unless from our…” Rone cleared his throat. “From our lover’s hands. Maybe she was being literal.”

“That is pretty literal.” Kate looked somewhat uncomfortable but Rone thought she might be just thirsty enough to try it. “All right,” she said at last. “Um…here goes.”

She leaned over the sink and Rone brought his hands up to her mouth. It was a little awkward but she managed to reach the water and take a deep sip.

Rone saw her eyes widen and she looked up at him excitedly.

“It works—it really works! Quick—get some more!”

Rone obliged her, catching more water from the faucet in his cupped palms. Kate drank thirstily and he filled his hands for her again and again until she stood back with a sigh.

“Ah…that was so good. I don’t remember the last time I was that thirsty. Thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome, baby.” Rone smiled at her. God, it felt so good to be close to her again without her jumping away. Even touching her in such a small way made him feel better—fed a small part of the hunger that was growing inside him. Of course, in order to truly satiate that ever burgeoning appetite, much more intimate touching would be required, but he tried to put that out of his mind. For now, he was just glad to be here with Kate.

“Um…” She looked at him uncertainly. “Are you thirsty too? Would you…would you like a drink? I mean, my hands aren’t as big as yours but…”

“I’d love one,” Rone said softly, looking into her eyes. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Um…” She shuffled the clothing in her arms uncertainly, trying to find a way to hold it without exposing herself and still get her hands to the sink so he could drink.

“Just put it down,” Rone advised, nodding at the bundle of soaked and stained clothes.

Kate bit her lip.

“But I’m naked.”

“I know but I really can’t see anything past all that black slime we’re both still covered in,” Rone lied. Actually, her lovely, curvy shape was quite apparent but it wouldn’t do to tell her that. “And I won’t be looking anyway—I’m going to be bent over the sink drinking from your hands, remember?”

“Well…” He could see Kate deliberating. She always had been shy and self-conscious about her body, he remembered, especially the scars on her back. After they’d been together a few years and he had showed her over and over how lovely every part of her was to him, she had finally begun to loosen up. But now they were back to the beginning and he would just have to be patient with her about it.

“It’s okay, baby,” he said softly. “Look—would it make you feel better if I promised not to look at you?”

Kate nodded. “I guess, maybe it would.”

“Okay then—not looking. Absolutely not looking.” Rone closed his eyes tightly though he really wanted to see her. At least he was close enough to smell her sweet scent, under the bitter odor of the black slime. He heard water rushing into Kate’s small hands and then she said,

“All right. I’m ready.”

Rone kept his eyes closed and moved towards the sound of her voice. He had to duck low to get down to her small hands and he missed several times, making Kate giggle.

“No, down here,” she said, sounding happy for the first time in ages, Rone thought. “Further down—way down.”

“I’m trying to find you,” he said, laughing himself. At last he managed to press his mouth to her cupped hands. Her little palms held barely a mouthful for him so she had to refill them again and again.

Rone drank thirstily but more than the cold water, he felt refreshed by the feel of his mate’s skin touching his, even just a little bit. At last he finished and looked up at her, daring to open his eyes.

“Thank you, Kate,” he said softly. “That was perfect.”

“Oh…” She looked at him uncertainly, her small hands still held out, dripping with water.

Taking a chance, Rone leaned over her one more time and placed a gentle kiss to the center of her right palm. “Perfect,” he whispered again.

“You…you’re welcome.” She pulled her hands back and he noticed that she squeezed the right one into a tight fist. “Well…” She picked up her pile of wet clothes and took a step back, holding them to her chest. “Now that we’ve solved one problem, I guess we need to solve another.”

“Which is?” Rone raised an eyebrow at her.

Kate took a deep breath. “How to get all this slime off the rest of us.”

* * * * *

Kate couldn’t believe she was saying this—couldn’t believe she was addressing this problem when she knew perfectly well the only solution was to let the big Kindred wash her. But she couldn’t stand being dirty—she’d never liked to feel even the least bit grimy or sweaty and here she was, covered in black slime. It was awful.

“Kate…” Rone was looking at her as she clutched her clothing to her chest. “I think we both know the only way we’re going to get the slime off,” he said softly. “We’re going to have to take a shower and you’re going to have to let me scrub you—scrub you everywhere. Are you ready for that?”

“I don’t know,” Kate admitted. “I mean, I don’t panic when we touch anymore but to me it still feels like I just met you a couple of days ago. And I’m not the kind of girl who just hops in the shower with a guy I just met. Sorry.”

“I know how modest you are,” Rone said gently. “Even after we were Joined, it took you at least a year to let me see you completely naked.”

“It did?” Kate felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “Uh, that sounds about right, I guess.”

“You’re always so unsure of your own beauty,” the big Kindred said softly. “It’s one of the things that makes you so devastatingly beautiful, Kate.”

“Um…” She looked down at her hands—almost the only clean part of her body—uncertain of what to say.

The big Kindred sighed. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It’s just—we’ve had this conversation before. You never believe how gorgeous you are even though I’ve tried to show you over and over.”

“Maybe I was comparing myself to you,” Kate said candidly. “I mean, look at you. You’re all big and rugged and muscular and you have those amazing eyes. They’re so blue they almost glow.”

“They do glow,” Rone said smiling. “It’s a Wulven trait. We have excellent vision. In fact, all of our senses are more finely tuned than those of a human. Which only allows me to see your beauty more clearly.”

“See—you’re like superhuman,” Kate said, ignoring his compliment because it made her want to blush again. “Or superKindred or whatever. What made you want to…to be with me in the first place?”

“Your beauty…your persistence…your courage.” Rone shrugged. “I could go on but that’s what comes to mind first.”

Kate gave a dry little laugh.

“Ha—well I’m sure you’re disappointed in the courage part this time around since I’ve done nothing but run from you from the first minute I saw you.”

“Not true,” Rone said seriously. “You came with me to the Mother Ship even though you were so full of fear toxins the least brush of my hand sent you into a panic attack. That takes a vast amount of courage, Kate.”

“I don’t feel very brave around you,” she admitted. “I feel little and weird and I just don’t understand how we got together in the first place. It’s like some kind of joke, we’re so mismatched.”

“It’s no joke to me, baby,” he said softly. “We may look mismatched on the outside—mainly because I’m so big and you’re so tiny—but inside we’re the perfect fit.” He sighed. “I know you don’t see that right now but I hope you will in time.”

“Well…” There was an awkward pause in the conversation and Kate looked down at her hands again. They looked so white against the goopy black slime that still clung to her arms and the rest of her body. Suddenly she realized how horribly uncomfortable she was and it wasn’t just the intimate talk she’d been having with the big Kindred.

“Kate,” he began.

“I’m sorry.” She held up a hand to stop him. “I know you probably want to discuss our, uh, past relationship more but can we please get cleaned up first? Being coated in this gook is just killing me.”

“Of course.” He smiled. “You always were what you call a ‘neat-freak.’ I know how much you hate being dirty.”

Which is the only reason I’m willing to let a guy who still feels like a casual acquaintance run his hands all over my naked body in the shower, Kate thought. But she didn’t want to hurt Rone’s feelings so aloud she said, “I do hate it. So how are we going to fix this?”

He spread his hands. “How do you want to fix it? I think a shower would be the easiest way. I’ve seen the fresher and the shower stall is big enough for two.”

“Even if one of them is as big as you?” Kate asked before she could stop herself.

Rone smiled, clearly not offended. “As long as the other is as little as you, sure.”

“Well then…” Kate took a deep breath. “Let’s do it. We’re not getting any younger and this slime isn’t going to wash itself off.”

“True.” He nodded. “All right—come on.”

Kate followed him into the fresher, still clutching her discarded clothes to her chest. She doubted if they would be wearable after she got out of the shower. For one thing they were spotted with the black slime which seemed to spread all over the place, even if it never actually came off her skin. And for another, they were soaking wet from her “drinking problem” earlier. Still, it made her feel more comfortable to be at least marginally covered around the big Kindred.

Well you’d going to have to get comfortable with the idea of being uncovered in a minute, whispered a snarky little voice in her brain. Not to mention comfortable with the idea of letting Rone run those big hands of his all over your naked body.

Stop it! Kate tried to push the voice out of her head but it was true and she knew it. By the time Rone had gotten the shower spray nice and hot she was feeling almost panicky again at the thought of him seeing her and touching her everywhere. Not to mention the fact that you have to see and touch him too, whispered the little voice which she seemed unable to banish.

“All right—the water’s ready. If you want to—”

Rone turned to face her as he spoke. Some of the trepidation she was feeling must have shown on her face because he stopped talking and frowned.

“Hey, you don’t really want to do this, do you?”

“Of…of course I do,” Kate lied bravely. “I’m fine. I just—”

“You’re just really damn uncomfortable and you’re trying not to show it. Don’t lie to me Kate—I know you.”

“Well I don’t know you,” Kate burst out before she could stop herself. “And I can’t help it—I’m shy. I mean, you’re going to be…be looking at me and touching me…and…and…” She trailed off, feeling miserable.

“Well, I can’t do anything about the touching part,” Rone said thoughtfully. “We already found out the hard way that’s the only way to get the slime off. But I can keep from looking.”

“You’re going to keep your eyes closed the entire time we’re in the shower?” Kate asked skeptically. “Don’t you think that’s going to be a little hard to manage? Especially in a strange place where you don’t know where anything is? I mean, you’ll bump into something and open your eyes on reflex—you won’t be able to help it.”

“You have a point,” he acknowledged. “Let me see…” He left the fresher for a moment and then came back with a long black strip of cloth.

Kate frowned. “What’s that and where did you get it?”

“The belt to a robe. It was hanging in a closet by the sleeping platform along with several other pieces of clothing. It looks like they intend for us to stay for a while. Anyway, I thought it would make a good blindfold.” He held it up to his eyes to show her.

“Um…really?” Kate was still surprised he would do this for her.

“Sure.” He nodded gravely. “Whatever makes you more comfortable, Kate. Do you think this will help?”

“I do actually.” She still wasn’t looking forward to letting him touch her all over—it made her feel strange and scared and uncomfortable. But a big part of her insecurity about herself had always been how her body looked—especially the ugly scars on her back. Knowing that the big Kindred couldn’t see her would go a long way towards making her feel more comfortable.

“Good.” He held it out to her. “Do you want to put it on me so you can be certain it’s tight enough?”

“No. No—I trust you.” Kate gave him a small smile. “Um, thank you for doing this for me. I know it must seem silly to you since we’ve been together already for three years.”

“Three years you don’t remember,” he said gravely, wrapping the black belt around his eyes and tying it firmly in the back of his head. “I do remember, though, how long it took you to feel comfortable with letting me see you and touch you.”

“And now you’re back to square one.” She shook her head even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “I’m sorry—that must be so frustrating for you.”

It’s okay, baby,” he said softly. “I can be patient—you’re worth waiting for.”

Kate felt a flutter in her stomach at his deep, quiet words. For the first time since she’d met the big Kindred, she felt a strange certainty about him. This man loves me. How or why he had come to feel so much for her, she didn’t know but she was certain of it and for a moment her heart ached because she couldn’t return the emotion.

Can’t or won’t? whispered that voice in her head. Why are you so afraid, Kate? Why can’t you trust?

It was a question she’d been asking herself all her life. Had she somehow answered it and overcome her issues in the three years she and Rone had been together? Kate wished she could remember but her past was still shrouded—maybe never to be revealed.

What needs to be revealed is your skin—you need to let go of that bundle of clothes, get naked and get in the shower, she told herself practically. And now that she knew the big Kindred couldn’t see her, she found it much easier to do that.

“Okay,” she told him, putting her bundle of clothes on top of the counter by the sink. “I’m ready.”

“Well, I’m not.” He shifted a little. “I mean, I need to get the rest of my clothes off before I get in.”

“Oh, you do? I mean…of course you do.” Kate cleared her throat. “I was, uh, wondering earlier if the pool goop got into your, uh, britches.”

“So that’s why you were looking at me earlier.” He laughed softly. “I wondered about that. But yes, unfortunately, it did. So…do you mind?” He stood there waiting and Kate realized he was asking her permission to strip.

“Oh. Of course, please—go ahead,” she said, trying to be polite.

“Thanks.” Without further ceremony, Rone unfastened his black leather trousers and shucked them down along with the black underbriefs he’d been wearing.

Kate sucked in a breath at the sight of him naked. He’d been right when he said the goop had gotten everywhere—it didn’t coat the bottom half of him as thoroughly as the top half but streaks of black still ran down the flat planes of his belly and the long length of his muscular thighs. Some of it had also gotten on his crotch, she couldn’t help noticing. Most noticeably, there were streaks of black running down his very impressive shaft.

At least he’s not hard, she thought, feeling uncomfortable all over again. But if he’s this big soft, I’d hate to see what happens when he does get hard!

“Kate?” he asked and she realized he was just standing there, waiting.

“Uh—yes?” Her voice came out in a squeak and she had to try again. “Yes?” she asked.

“Could you lead me into the shower?” he asked, holding out a hand. “I really can’t see a damn thing.”

“Oh—sure.” She took him by the hand and led him into the shower stall, which was a large one, enclosed with glass walls and a frosted glass door. As she closed it behind her, Kate lifted her chin.

Well—here we go. No turning back now!

Chapter Sixteen

It felt strange to be in the shower, naked with the big Kindred but once the warm water hit her skin, Kate found herself relaxing, at least a little. The heated spray against her skin was soothing, even if it didn’t do anything to remove the slime. She wondered if Rone was enjoying it too but when she looked at him, he was just standing there, obviously waiting for her to make the first move.

The first move—oh my God, I have to do something. We can’t just stand here all night not getting anything done and he’s clearly too much of a gentleman to start it himself.

The thought made her feel nervous all over again and she cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably.

“Kate?” Rone’s voice was soft, as though he was trying not to frighten her. “How exactly do you want to do this? Do you want to wash me first or let me wash you?”

“Um…” God, she really couldn’t deal with this… Then her eye was caught by a bright blue bath puff hanging from a hook on the shower’s tiled back wall. It looked almost exactly like the one she had back home at Mimi’s apartment.

Oh, thank goodness! She felt a rush of relief. She could just use the puff between her hand and his skin and have him do the same. That should work, right? Because it was still going to be her hand doing the scrubbing and the Madam of Shadows had said no hand but hers would get him clean and vice versa.

“Kate?” he asked again. “You are still in here, right?”

“Oh, right—sorry.” She gave a nervous little laugh. “I was just…thinking. Anyway, I think I’ll do you first, if you don’t mind.”

“Not a bit, baby.” He spread his arms as if presenting himself to her. “Do what you want, however you want to do it.”

“Okay, I will.”

Reaching up, Kate snagged the bright blue bath puff from its hook. There was a bottle of body wash on a little ledge beside it and she saw with surprise, it was the same kind she used at home.

“This is weird,” she said as she squirted a generous dollop of the floral-smelling body wash onto the puff.

“Actually, we wash each other in the bathing pool all the time—or we did, anyway.” Rone sounded wistful.

“No, I meant, this bubble-apartment thing they’ve got us in.” Kate grabbed one of his hands and began to scrub his long, muscular arm industriously with the puff.

“What about it?” Rone asked. He stood perfectly still, submitting to her scrubbing.

“It’s set up a lot like the apartment I had in college,” Kate said. “I mean, it looks almost exactly like it except for this bathroom which is way nicer. But they even have a bath puff just like the one I left back home. And my favorite brand of body wash.” She shook her head. “That shouldn’t be possible. This place is light years from Earth and I’d bet anything no one else from Earth has been here. How did they know exactly how to set up a place that would make someone from my planet feel at home?”

“I suppose Commander Sylvan could have given them specifications.” Rone sounded thoughtful. “After all, I know the Kindred Mother ship is set up to make the Earth brides feel more comfortable so he would know exactly what to tell them.”

“I could see that with the furniture and the bathing and cooking facilities.” Kate frowned as she spoke, still scrubbing hard. Nothing was coming off so far but she was sure it was just a matter of time. Rone was a big guy—it was going to take some serious elbow grease to get him all clean. “But right down to my favorite brand of body wash? It’s just weird,” she said.

“Maybe they pulled this setup from your mind,” Rone suggested. “Maybe they scanned us in some way.”

“Then why not have some things from your home world too?” Kate asked. “I mean, unless there is something here like that? It all looks like Earth stuff to me.”

“It is.” Rone frowned. “Maybe it has something to do with that damn pool. Maybe it read you in some way while it was trying to drown you.”

“Ugh!” Kate shivered. “Now there’s a pleasant idea.”

“Sorry, just speculating. Uh…” He shifted uncomfortably. “Are you almost done with that arm, Kate? The skin is beginning to feel kind of raw.”

Kate stopped scrubbing and looked down at his right arm, which she had been working on with the puff for several minutes now. To her dismay, it was clear she hadn’t gotten even the tiniest bit of slime off of him. His arm was still coated from wrist to shoulder in the black stuff.

“It’s not working, is it? The scrubbing implement,” Rone said in a low voice.

“The puff,” Kate corrected him. “And no.” She sighed. “No, it’s not—not a bit.”

“Again, I think we’re dealing with a very literal command,” he said. “Didn’t Madam Shadow say that no hand but your lover’s would get the slime off?”

“Yes, something like that,” Kate mumbled.

“So I’m sorry—I think we’re going to have to use our hands.”

“You’re probably right.” Well, there went the comfortable distance she’d planned to put between herself and the big Kindred. Hanging the bright blue puff back on its hook, Kate took a deep breath and began rubbing her hands up and down his arm.

At once the slime began to come off. It melted away, just as it had when they washed each others’ hands in the kitchen sink. Kate tried to rub briskly and ignore the feeling of Rone’s hard muscles under her palms and fingers but it was nearly impossible not to notice how incredibly fit he was. He must have less than 2% body fat, she thought, wishing she could say the same. God, he’s so huge and muscular—how am I going to get all of him?

She did his other arm next and then his back. He had some streaks of the black stuff leading from the small of his back down his firm ass but she decided to leave that for later. Going around the front again, she scrubbed at his washboard abs and couldn’t help liking the feeling of his hard flesh under her hands.

Rone held perfectly still for the operation and didn’t say a word. But though Kate was careful not to touch him anywhere below the waist—not yet, anyway, she was working up the nerve to go there—she still noticed that his long, thick shaft was now half hard.

God, he’s huge! No—don’t look, she told herself quickly. But it was really difficult not to—especially since he kept on getting bigger as she continued to wash him.

Trying to put the disturbing sight out of her mind, she went around to the back again and squirted more body wash into her hands. Time to tackle that ass and his thighs and legs. Maybe by the time she was finished he would have gone down again.

Right, and then he’s going to go right back up again the minute you wash him in front, whispered that little voice in her head. Face it, Kate, there’s no getting away from that thing.

Trying not to think about it, she went to work, washing the big Kindred as briskly as she could. But since she had to use her hands and not the puff, she couldn’t help the fact that she was basically stroking and rubbing her hands up and down his ass and thighs. And damn, he felt good, even though she tried not to notice.

Finally, she’d done his torso, arms, legs, behind, and even his feet. There was no way to put off the inevitable any longer. Take a deep breath, Kate went back to the front.

She sucked in a breath in dismay. His long, hard shaft was now completely erect. It jutted from between his thighs, the broad, plum-shaped head pointed right at her. And though she had been hoping against hope that the black streaks of grime from the pool might have somehow dissipated or melted away on their own, she saw that they were still very much there, right on the shaft of his cock.

Rone must have heard her strangled gasp because he shifted from foot to foot.

“Forgive me,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not doing it on purpose. It’s just been so long since I felt your soft hands on me, Kate.”

“Oh, uh…” She tried to laugh but it came out sounding forced and nervous. “I’m, uh, afraid you’re about to feel them a lot more. Your uh—you have the stuff from the pool on your…on your…”

“On my shaft?” he finished for her softly.

“Uh-huh.” God, she was blushing and stuttering like a kid in elementary school. What was wrong with her? “So if you don’t mind I, uh, need to wash you there. Sorry,” she babbled.

“Don’t be sorry.” Rone planted his feet apart and put his hands behind his back like a soldier standing at ease. “I’ll stay perfectly still, I promise.”

“Okay. Here goes nothing.” Feeling like she was taking part in a live action porno with a particularly unbelievable plot, she squirted yet more body wash into her hands and tried to grip his shaft gently.

A low groan broke from his lips as she stroked him firmly up and down.

“Sorry!” Kate pulled her hands away at once. “I…uh…I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Forgive me,” he said again in a strangled voice. “No, you didn’t hurt me. Quite the opposite, in fact. I just…I’m just having a hard time not reacting to your touch. I keep…keep thinking about the past, about the other things we’ve done. The way you touched me…the way I touched you…tasted you…”

“I…I’d really rather not hear about that right now,” Kate said in a trembling voice. She thought of the way he’d described going down on her, kissing her over her panties until she was so wet she begged him to take them off and lick and suck and taste her…

Which was ridiculous of course. After what had happened to her in college, she was never going down that road again. But still, why did the thought cause that strange little quiver in her belly? Why did she feel hot and cold all over when she got near him? Could it be that she still had some fear toxins in her? But no, touching him didn’t make her panic any more—well, not the way it had, anyway…

“I’m sorry,” Rone rumbled. “I’ll try to keep quiet if you want to continue.”

“Okay.” Kate eyed his cock. There were still streaks of the black goop from the pool on him so she clearly wasn’t done cleaning him yet. She squirted even more soap on her hands, determined to do this job quickly and get it over with. “Here goes,” she said, trying to warn him.

“I’m ready,” Rone said in a low voice.

Kate clasped him again, having to use both hands because he was so long and thick. God, she knew they’d been married but how in the world had he ever fit this thing inside her? He was the size of a porn star and she was not up to taking that kind of girth. In fact, she’d always been extra small and tight in that area—how had she ever accommodated him?

Rone made a muffled sound and she looked up to see that he was standing there with his arms locked behind his back and his jaw clenched, obviously trying to keep from moving or saying anything.

God, this must be some kind of torture for him! I have to hurry up and get him clean!

But though the grime from the pool had melted readily enough at her touch on every other part of his body, here it remained stubbornly in place. No matter how Kate rubbed and stroked, the black streaks remained.

What is wrong with this stuff? Why won’t it come off? She rubbed even harder, encircling his thick shaft with both hands and sliding them up and down, trying desperately to remove the black stains.

“Kate…Kate,” Rone gasped in a strangled voice.

“What?” Still working, she looked up at him. There was an expression of pleasurable agony on his strong features.

“Please,” he groaned. “I don’t know if…if I’m clean yet or not. But if you don’t stop I’m going to…to…”

Suddenly Kate realized how tense he’d become. How his long, thick shaft had swelled even bigger in her hands. From its broad tip ran a river of clear precum. She hadn’t noticed before because of the water from the shower but now she saw it was flowing freely over his shaft and dripping to the tiled floor.

Oh my God, she realized suddenly. He’s going to come—I’m making him come!

She was about to pull her hands away when the inevitable happened. With a low groan, Rone’s hips jerked and his cock twitched in her hands. Then he was coming, his shaft overflowing like a fountain as jets of white erupted from its tip.

Kate wanted to pull away but somehow she felt frozen to the spot. She watched, mesmerized as the big Kindred came and came—God would he ever stop? She’d read somewhere that the average human male made about a teaspoon of ejaculate when he came. Rone had that beat by a mile. She felt like he must have made a cup of the stuff and he still wasn’t finished.

At last he seemed to wind down and his long, hard shaft stopped twitching in her hands. Only when he’d finally stopped spurting—even though he was still hard—was she somehow able to let go of him.

When she released him, Rone gave a low groan and sank slowly to his knees on the tiled floor of the shower. He was still hard, Kate noticed with amazement. His tumescent state did at least allow her to see that he was finally cleaned of all the pool goop.

Talk about a job well done, jeered the little voice in her head.

Shut up, Kate told it, her cheeks burning. God, she couldn’t believe she’d just done that.

Rone’s head was bowed and he was taking deep, hoarse breaths, his broad chest heaving. With his hands still behind his back and the blindfold still in place, he looked like some kind of political prisoner—well, except for the fact that he was naked and still hard.

“Sorry,” he managed at last. “I didn’t…didn’t mean to do that.”

“I didn’t either,” Kate said quickly. “It just…I couldn’t get you off. It, I mean—I couldn’t get it—the black goop—off. Oh, God…”

“Do you want to stop now? Get out of the shower?” he asked hoarsely. “I’d understand if you did.”

“I…” Kate bit her lip. Her hands were covered in bubbles and cum and she had basically just jerked the big Kindred off. She felt mortified and yet…was there also a flutter in her stomach? A feeling of power at having brought such a huge male literally to his knees? “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I don’t think so. I mean, I’m still all dirty and what just happened, well, it was an accident. For both of us.”

“I swear I tried to hold back.” Rone’s voice was still a hoarse growl. “I just couldn’t help it—your soft little hands all over me and it’s been so long…”

“It’s all right,” Kate said quickly. “We don’t have to uh, talk about it.”

“All right.” He sighed deeply and got to his feet. “Do you want me to wash you now?”

“No,” Kate whispered, feeling her stomach quiver again. “But…but I guess you’d better.”

“Why don’t I start with your hair, baby?” he asked softly. “You always love to let me wash your hair and I know you got a lot of that stuff in it.”

“Huh?” Kate looked reflexively down at her hands which were still coated with the bubbly cum mixture. “I got it in my hair?”

“The stuff from the pool,” Rone said. “You did, right?”

“Oh—of course.” Hastily, she washed off her hands. “Right of course. But…” His words finally sank in. “I…uh, I used to let you wash my hair?”

He nodded. “Of course. When you’re in the mood to be taken care of…when you just want to be my Lalli.”

Kate wasn’t sure what to think about that and she was kind of afraid to ask. But she did think that letting him start with her hair was a good idea. It was s safe, non-sexual area. She just hoped the freaking goop from the pool would come out of it.

“All right,” she said at last. “But I didn’t see any shampoo so…oh.”

“What is it?” Rone asked, clearly attuned to the surprise in her voice.

“It’s just…I was saying I didn’t see any shampoo but when I looked back up to where I got the body wash, there it was.” Kate reached for the familiar blue bottle. “It just somehow appeared. And it’s my favorite brand again, too.”

“The one that makes your hair smell like honey and flowers?” Rone asked hopefully. “Gods, I love that one.”

“Um, I guess. Here…hold out your hands.”

He was still blindfolded but he held out his hands blindly and Kate poured a generous dollop of the shampoo into his palms. Then she stood in front of him with her back to him. Normally, she wouldn’t have put her naked back to anyone, not with her scars clearly visible. But Rone was still blindfolded so she felt safe.

“Go ahead,” she said. “I’m right in front of you.”

The big Kindred fumbled for just a moment but then she felt his long, strong fingers rubbing the shampoo into her hair and scalp.

Oh God, that feels good! She couldn’t help the little moan of pleasure that escaped her at his firm yet gentle caress. He seemed to know just how to touch her. Well, he should—he’s had years of practice, whispered the little voice in the back of her head. But Kate felt too good to care what it said.

Rone finished with her hair and helped her rinse. Then his hands came back, using the remains of the shampoo to start on her shoulders. He was rubbing and kneading in just the right way, finding the knots of tension that had been there for what felt like days and melting them away. This felt even better than having her hair washed and it was a moment before Kate could make herself protest.

“Hey,” she managed to say at last. “I thought…thought you were supposed to be washing me, not giving me a massage.”

“You seemed so tense, I thought it would help,” Rone rumbled. “Do you want me to stop?”

Kate bit her lip. “No…no, I guess not.”

“Good,” he said simply and kept massaging.

“Um…did the gook come out of my hair?” Kate asked, trying not to melt under his touch. She grabbed a strand of her long hair which looked very dark red since it was wet. It seemed clean enough and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, I think it did.”

“Good,” he rumbled. “I love your hair, baby. Would be a shame if you had to cut it because of that stuff.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Kate said, rather breathlessly.

His hands were gliding down her arms now and everywhere he touched her, the black slime was melting away. It felt so good to be getting clean again—almost as though his touch was purifying her in some way.

“Mmm…” Kate couldn’t help herself. “That feels so good.”

“Glad you’re enjoying it,” Rone murmured. He was finished with her hair and shoulders and arms now and Kate expected him to turn his attention to other, more sensitive areas. She tensed again. She wasn’t sure which was going to be worse—having him run his hands all over her naked breasts and belly and sex…or letting him touch the shameful scars on her back.

But to her surprise, Rone sank to his knees behind her and began washing her hips and legs instead. He rubbed her ass too—his big hands cupping her cheeks briefly before moving on, obviously trying not to linger too long in any one place. Then he came around to her front and began rubbing the front of her legs and thighs.

Kate felt her breath catch in her throat. His face was very close to an extremely sensitive area. It made her feel nervous and uncertain and yet it gave her that strange quiver in her stomach too, at the same time.

“Rone?” she asked uncertainly.

He looked up, blindly. “Is this working? I can’t see but your skin feels clean as I’m rubbing it.”

“Uh, yeah…Yeah, I think so.” She decided not to say anything about the proximity of his face to her sex. After all, he was going to have to touch her there in a minute. Since she’d been naked, the goop from the pool had gotten all over her. In fact, she was terribly afraid that some of it might even have gotten inside her. But she didn’t want to think about that now—not until she had to.

“Give me some more soap,” he said, holding up one hand. “I want to do your feet.”

“Okay.” Kate squirted some into his searching palm. “But be careful. My feet are really—”

“Ticklish. Yeah, I know.” He sounded like he might be smiling but his head was bowed so it was hard to tell.

He started to lift one of her feet and Kate gave a little squeak of surprise and almost overbalanced.

“Oh!”

“Sorry—hang on to my shoulder,” Rone said. “You got this stuff all over you, baby—I need to do the soles of your feet too. And between your little toes.”

Feeling awkward, Kate leaned over him and grabbed his muscular shoulder and back as he lifted first one foot and then the other. She couldn’t help noticing that from palm to fingers his hands were larger than her feet were from heel to toes.

Rone scrubbed gently, giving her another mini massage as he tended to her feet. He was very careful not to tickle her which Kate appreciated since her feet were extremely sensitive. She had to bite back another moan as she felt herself melting against him while he worked on her—God, he was good at this! She caught herself wondering if he’d massaged her often when they were together and if so, where else she’d let him massage…

She tried to push the thought away but it didn’t want to go. However, at last the big Kindred stood, facing her again though his eyes were still blindfolded.

Kate looked down at herself—her legs and feet and thighs and arms and head and shoulders were squeaky clean. But her torso—her breasts and belly and sex and her back where the ugly scars showed, were all still coated in a layer of black slime.

“Uh…Rone?” she asked uncertainly. “I know you can’t see but I’m not really, you know, all clean yet.”

“I know that, baby,” he said softly. “But I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I think for the next part, you need to guide me.”

“Guide you?” Her voice came out squeaky and high and Kate had to clear her throat and continue. “Guide you how? What do you mean?”

“I mean put my hands where you need them,” he said softly. “Show me where you still need to be cleaned and I’ll wash you there, but only as long as you keep my hand on you. When you’re clean and ready to move on, just move my hand. That way you don’t feel like I’m, uh, taking advantage.”

Kate was touched by this consideration on his part. She knew a lot of guys—most guys actually—would definitely have taken advantage of this situation to grope and squeeze and pry into every orifice they could. Rone clearly wasn’t like that—he wanted her comfort over his own pleasure. That was nice—really nice.

“All right,” she said softly. “I think…I think that’s an excellent idea. Um, just let me give you some more soap.”

Wordlessly, he held out his big palms and she noticed how well formed his hands were. His fingers were long and artistic and elegantly shaped with short, clean nails. Okay, that was a definite turn on—she liked nice hands on a man—liked it a lot.

But she tried to put the thought out of her head as she put down the body wash bottle and took him by the wrists.

Okay, here goes. Might as well get this over with, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, she put his big palms firmly on her breasts, letting him cup them in his hands.

Rone made a low, indistinct noise in the back of his throat but he said nothing aloud. Instead, he began caressing her gently, rubbing and massaging just as he’d done with the rest of her body.

Kate had to bite back a moan of pleasure as his palms brushed over her tight nipples. God, that felt incredible. She’d been so nervous about this she had been sure she wouldn’t get a bit of pleasure out of it. But having the big Kindred’s hands all over her bare, soapy breasts was incredibly arousing.

Should stop…should have him move on. You’re clean there, whispered a judgmental little voice in her head. But Kate didn’t want him to move on—it felt too good. Her body seemed to be coming alive in some way she hadn’t even understood was possible and she didn’t want it to stop.

Feels good, doesn’t it? You need more, don’t you?

Kate frowned—where had that thought come from? It didn’t sound like her own inner voice or even the snarky, judgmental voice of her guilt. It just seemed to pop into her head from nowhere.

“Um…” Rone cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. “Are you clean yet, Kate? I can’t see, remember?”

“Not…not quite,” Kate heard herself saying. “There are…just a few spots where it doesn’t…doesn’t want to come off.”

In fact, she was telling the truth. Looking down she saw that black smudges from the pool were still clinging to her sensitive nipples and areolas. What was the deal with that stuff anyway? Was it a magnet for the more sensitive areas of the body? For whatever reason, it was stuck and the gentle rubbing he was doing with his palms, while very stimulating, wasn’t getting it off.

“Show me,” Rone said in a low voice. “Put my hands where you need them to be, Kate and show me what to do.”

“Okay. Um…” Hesitantly, she cupped her hand around his much larger one and brought his fingertips to one of her sensitive nipples. “Here,” she whispered. “It just…it won’t come off of this…of this area.”

“Maybe I should rub a little harder then?” His voice was a soft growl as he pinched her nipple gently between his thumb and fingers.

“Yes…yes I think so.” Kate wished her voice wasn’t so breathless. “And…and on the other side too.”

“All right.” His left hand found her right nipple and then he began to pinch and tug gently, rubbing her sensitive peaks between his soapy fingers until Kate could barely hold still, it felt so good. She knew they were just trying to get each other clean and she shouldn’t be getting pleasure from this but she just couldn’t help it. It felt like there was a direct line between her nipples and her pussy. The more Rone touched her—the more he rubbed and twisted and gently tugged her stiff peaks—the hotter and wetter she got between her legs.

Shouldn’t be doing this. Oh, God, we should really stop, this isn’t like me at all… It really wasn’t—she’d always been shy and modest when it came to sex or anything approaching sex. Yet somehow, she didn’t feel completely in control of herself. Then you need to get control, Kate, she told herself sternly.

Looking down, she saw that her nipples were finally clean. Still, it took another minute for her to bring her hands up to his.

At her light touch, Rone stopped at once, though she was pretty sure he’d been enjoying the intimate contact as much as she had.

“I…I think I’m clean now,” she said in a voice that shook only a little. “Time to…to move on.”

“Just put my hands where you need to be washed, baby,” he murmured. “Just show me where you want me.”

“Here.” Kate slid his hands down so that he could wash her torso and belly, which he did. The black stuff came off easily and now she found herself faced with a choice…should she let him wash her back first? Or her pussy?

Rone seemed to know what she was thinking. Though he was blindfolded, he had clearly been keeping track of what was going on and what still needed to be washed.

“Well?” he murmured when she put her hands on his, stopping his motion. “What’s next, baby? You’ve only got two places left you could need me.”

“I…” Kate bit her lip. She didn’t want him touching the ugly scars on her back but even more than that, she felt shy about letting him put his big hands and long fingers on her pussy. Or inside it because the damn black goop had gotten everywhere.

“Kate?” Rone murmured again.

“My back,” she blurted. “Do my back. Here—I’ll turn around.”

She turned, putting her back to him, and waited, feeling tense and uncomfortable all over again. But instead of washing her right away, Rone put his hands on her shoulders.

“I know you don’t like this, Kate,” he said softly, in her ear. “I remember how long it took you to let me see you or touch you here.”

“Yeah, well…” She shifted uncomfortably.

“I just want you to know that you’re beautiful,” he told her. “Every part of you.”

Before Kate could respond, he was washing her, rubbing his big hands in long, slow strokes over her shoulder blades and back and spine. He didn’t give the scars any extra attention but he didn’t avoid them either. He just washed her, rubbing her thoroughly until every last speck of the black slime was gone from her back.

Kate looked down at herself. She was almost completely clean. Almost.

Rone finished washing her and put his hands back on her shoulders.

“Well?” he asked softly. “Is there any place else?”

Kate bit her lip. “You know there is.”

“I had an idea,” he admitted. “But I wasn’t sure how much, uh, slime you got on you there.”

“A lot,” Kate said unhappily. “I mean, I was naked, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. So…you want to put me where you need me?” He was still standing behind her but he held out his right hand, offering it to her.

“Better get some more soap first.” Kate wished she could sound more bored and businesslike but she couldn’t manage it. She was about to let a man she barely knew (at least to her recollection) touch her in the most intimate place possible and it made her nervous as hell.

Trying to get hold of herself, she squirted a little more of the body wash onto his fingers and then grasped his wrist tightly. There was no point in putting this off—it had to get done. She couldn’t stand to go around with the horrible black slime all over the most sensitive and delicate area on her body. She wanted to feel clean inside and out.

Taking his big hand, she placed it firmly on the mound of her pussy.

“Right…right there,” she said, trying to sound sure of herself. “That’s where I need you…need you to clean me, I mean.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll be gentle—I swear,” Rone murmured.

He began to rub her, just up and down at first, not trying to spread her or finger her, just sliding his soapy fingers and palm up and down over her outer lips and the small patch of deep red curls on her mound. It felt really good, but Kate knew it could feel better.

No, you mean you could be cleaner—and you want to be clean, don’t you? Once more, the little voice didn’t sound like her own internal monologue but Kate found herself agreeing with it anyway. Yes, that was what she had meant. She needed to let the big Kindred get her clean—clean everywhere.

Hardly knowing what she was doing, she spread her legs, taking a wider stance. The motion opened her pussy lips and before she knew it, she could feel Rone’s long middle finger sliding up and down the cleft of her pussy. Spread open, as she was, she could feel her clit swelling at the light friction, making her squirm in his arms and give a soft moan.

Rone stopped his motion though he kept his hand curled around her mound.

“Baby?” he murmured. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything, except…” Now they came to the moment of truth and Kate was simultaneously so embarrassed and so turned on she hardly knew what to do.

Do what you have to in order to get clean, ordered the little voice that had been bugging her. The one that sounded like it was coming from outside her head somehow. Do whatever it takes. You know you can’t stand to feel dirty—especially there.

Well, that was certainly true. Kate told herself she was being foolish—the little voice was just saying what she wanted to hear—it was probably the voice of her own wishful thinking.

She took a deep breath. “Everything is okay except I think some of that stuff—the pool stuff—got up…up inside me.” God, she could feel her cheeks burning and her breath was coming short, admitting this to him.

“Do you need me to wash inside you?” Rone asked in a low voice.

“Y-yes,” she whispered, wishing she could make her voice steadier.

“How far inside?” he murmured. “Just your inner pussy? Or deep inside you?”

“I…I don’t know. Maybe both,” Kate confessed. She hadn’t exactly had a chance to examine herself—she just knew what she felt like and it wasn’t good.

“How about I start with your inner pussy?” he asked softly. “And then if you need me to go deeper you can tell me.”

“All…all right,” Kate whispered. God, she just couldn’t believe she was doing this—or rather, letting him do this. But how else could she get clean?

There’s no other way—this is it, the voice whispered. So let him do it—go on, you know you want to.

“Okay,” Rone breathed softly. “And do you want to spread your pussy lips open so I can really get to you? Or do you want me to do it for you?”

“I…um…” Kate could barely think. He was still standing there with her pussy cupped in his big hand. “You…you do it,” she decided in a low voice.

“All right. And I want you to know something, baby—I’m going to be very, very gentle. I know how sensitive your pussy is.”

“Thank you,” Kate whispered, having a hard time getting the words out.

“No—thank you for trusting me to help you.” He reached around her with his other hand and parted her pussy lips wide with his left hand. Then, with his right, he began to stroke and caress her inner folds.

Kate let out a low, trembling moan as he found the sensitive bud of her clit effortlessly. He bracketed it with two long fingers and began sliding up and down, caressing around the tender little bundle of nerves in just the right way.

“Oh…oh,” she gasped as he stroked her over and over. His hands were so big but his touch was light and gentle. He seemed to know exactly how to touch her to give her maximum pleasure.

“Does that feel all right, baby?” he murmured in her ear. “Are you clean yet?”

“It feels amazing,” Kate admitted breathlessly. “I just…” She looked down at herself and nearly moaned again at the erotic sight. He was holding her open—wide open—with one hand, as he stroked and teased her inner pussy with the other. As she watched, the pad of his middle finger made a slow circle around the throbbing pink bud of her clit. God, it was hot.

“Are you clean yet?” he asked again. “Or do you need me to keep it up? Or move someplace else?”

Should tell him to stop, Kate told herself. But there was still black stuff from the pool on her. Well, if not on her exactly then in her.

You can’t stop now, the other voice told her. You have to let him keep going.

“Keep going,” she heard herself say. “Please, don’t…don’t stop yet.”

“Of course, baby.” He continued the soft, tender massage that was driving her crazy. “I’ll keep going until you say to stop. Until you’re all, uh, clean.”

“Thank you,” Kate whispered, pressing her hips up to meet his fingers. She was feeling and looking much cleaner. Still, there was one place he hadn’t washed yet… “Rone?” she whispered.

“Mm-hmm?” His voice was a deep rumble in her ear.

“Remember how you asked if I needed you to wash…wash inside me?” Kate asked softly.

“Of course,” he acknowledged. “Do you need me to?”

“I think…I think I do,” Kate admitted, her cheeks flaming. “Do…do you mind?”

“Hell no, baby. It’ll be my pleasure,” he assured her in that deep, soft voice of his. “Just tell me when you want me to stop and I will.”

“Okay, I—” But Kate couldn’t finish her sentence. Before she could, two long, strong fingers were slipping through her inner folds and finding the entrance to her pussy. She moaned and gasped as she felt him slide up inside her. God, even his fingers were big! But they felt so good, fucking slowly in and out of her and hitting bottom with each stroke.

As he stroked in and out of her with his fingers, Rone used his other hand to continue circling her clit. Soon he had a rhythm going with his long fingers sliding in and out of her while his other fingertips glided over her tender button.

Kate couldn’t help herself—she knew he was only supposed to be cleaning her but again, she had that feeling of her body opening and responding in a way it never had before. Of course, she’d had orgasms and sexual pleasure in the past—she was quite good at giving that to herself, thank you very much. But the feeling of being so expertly and gently touched by another person who knew her body as well as she did was completely new. She felt her orgasm building and knew she couldn’t stop it—didn’t even want to stop it.

“Oh,” she gasped, unable to help herself. “Oh, Rone…that feels so…so…good.”

“That’s right, baby. Love to make you feel good,” he growled softly in her ear. “Love to touch your sweet body and make you come.”

At his words, Kate felt something—some surge of power that seemed to move through her like an electrical shock.

Yes, let him make you come! the strange voice muttered in her ear. Let him do it and then give yourself to him—here and now.

Suddenly her mind was filled with a vivid picture—the big Kindred taking her against the glass wall of the shower stall, spreading her thighs wide and thrusting that huge, thick shaft of his deep into her tight, unprotected pussy. In the image, Kate was moaning and crying and scratching his back. Her legs wrapped around his lean hips as she rode him frantically, impaling herself on his long cock, like a woman who had suddenly gone crazy.

Oh my God, where is this coming from? This isn’t me! I’m not acting like myself and this weird voice…these thoughts and images…what the Hell is going on?

The thought seemed to wake something up inside her and suddenly her sixth sense—the Knowing—came abruptly to life.

Danger! it whispered in Kate’s ear. This is dangerous Kate! Be careful!

With a gasp, Kate pushed the big Kindred’s fingers out of herself and tore away, trying to put some distance between them.

“Kate? Kate, what’s going on?” Rone was left standing there, looking completely confused.

“I…I don’t know.” Kate bit her lip, not sure how to explain it without sounding crazy. How could she say that she felt she’d been manipulated by some outside force into doing something she wouldn’t normally have done?

“Why did you stop?” Rone asked in a low, harsh voice. He was breathing hard and his shaft was standing at full attention. “You were about to come, I could tell. You were trembling just the way you always do right before it hits you.”

“I…I just couldn’t.” Kate raked a hand through her dripping hair. “This isn’t me. I don’t…don’t know why I was acting like that when I feel like I barely know you. I would never let some guy I hardly know do that…let him touch me and make me come. I don’t…don’t know what came over me.”

She expected the big Kindred to be angry. And Rone did take a few deep breaths that sounded rough and frustrated. But then, to her surprise, he nodded.

“Yeah, that’s true,” he growled. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to take advantage. I guess I thought…I hoped…that maybe your memory was coming back and that’s why you were letting me touch you that way even after the stuff from the pool was gone.”

“Sorry—I still don’t remember anything.” Kate shivered. She was standing clear of the warm spray of water now and she was beginning to feel cold. She still didn’t understand what had happened to her and she felt weird and uncertain about it.

“You sound like your teeth are chattering,” Rone said. He ran a hand through his wet hair. “Look—let’s get out of here and dry off. Okay?”

“Sure. I think we’ve been in here about an hour.” Kate tried to laugh but it came out sounding forced.

“Yeah, something like that,” he muttered. “Uh, could you tell me when you’re covered so I can take this damn blindfold off?”

“Oh—of course.” Kate got out of the shower stall quickly and wrapped herself in a thick, puffy white towel—noting as she did so that she was completely clean and free of the awful black slime. Good. “I’m decent now,” she said to the big Kindred who had turned off the water and was standing there waiting.

“Okay, thanks,” he said shortly, taking off the blindfold. There was an air of coiled tension about him that made Kate feel jumpy. Was he still on edge because she hadn’t let him finish her off? But he’d had an orgasm himself—so why would he be tense that she hadn’t had one?

“Here—so you can dry off.” Kate held out a towel

“Thanks.” He looked at her briefly before taking the towel and rubbing himself down briskly. “All clean?” he asked.

“Yes. Um…thank you.” Kate could feel her cheeks heating as she considered the way he had cleaned her so thoroughly. Her body was still throbbing with need almost as though she was still right on the edge of coming. It was an uncomfortable sensation.

Rone sighed deeply. “No problem, baby.”

But there was a slight growl in his voice that made Kate wonder if everything was all right with him. And his eyes seemed to be glowing even more brightly than usual. What was going on? She opened her mouth to ask…and then stopped. What if it had something to do with the hunger—that mysterious problem he had refused to talk to her about when they were aboard the ship? He’d gotten really defensive when she asked about it and things were already awkward enough between them as it was. Reluctantly, she decided just to leave things as they were and hope the awkwardness would pass.

Yeah, right—like that’s a possibility after you just jerked him off in the shower and nearly let him do the same to you, whispered the sarcastic little voice in her head. Well, at least the voice sounded like her own internal monologue. Kate still didn’t know where the outside voice had been coming from, the one that had been urging her to give in and do what she wanted with the big Kindred. She only knew it felt wrong somehow.

Deep inside, the Knowing warned her to be wary—something was going on. Something to do with Rone and the little voice that had spoken to her when he touched her. Until she found out what it was and what it wanted, she was in danger.

Chapter Seventeen

Rone sighed again as he toweled off. Despite the amazing orgasm Kate had given him in the shower—which wasn’t on purpose, he reminded himself—his entire body still ached with need. That was because of the hunger growing steadily inside him again, he was sure. Though the feel of her soft little hands on him fed it some, it had also awakened his Beast. And it wasn’t the pleasure that she could give to him that he needed to quell the fierce, driving force inside him.

It was the pleasure that he could give to her.

All Wulven Kindred had a very special bond with their mates—a relationship which helped them control the Beast that lived within. For the Beast thrived on sexual pleasure—the pleasure of the Wulven’s female. In order to keep the wild being inside him in check, a Wulven needed to make his mate come often and hard.

If only she would have let me finish her—oh, Kate! Need to feel you coming in my arms so fucking bad, baby!

But that wasn’t all he needed, Rone had to admit to himself. Giving Kate an orgasm with his hands and fingers might quench the hunger momentarily but the effects wouldn’t last for long. What he truly needed was to taste her. The sweet taste of her pussy honey, straight from the source, was the only thing that would help to keep his Beast from coming out.

And if the Beast came out, it would want to do much more than just taste Kate—it would either kill her or breed her with the rough lust of the animal it was. And there would be nothing Rone could do to stop it.

Rone shivered when he thought about it. He hadn’t had an uncontrolled change in years—not since before he’d met and joined with Kate. How well he remembered the early days they’d been together! When he had finally stopped resisting his attraction to her, they’d had an open and frank discussion of his needs, the Beast within him, and the only way he could control it. Kate had been uncertain at first but by then they had been dating for months and she’d been willing to try and give him what he needed—to be the kind of mate a Wulven had to have in order to keep the raging Beast within in check.

Now, of course, she had forgotten all of that. She had no idea how precarious their situation was. After being helped by the priestess in the Sacred Grove, Rone had felt more or less in control of himself. But now, following their intensely sexual experience in the shower, he could feel the hunger growing exponentially and the Beast moving restlessly inside him. It needed to feed…needed to taste the sweet nectar that flowed between Kate’s thighs. Or rather, Rone needed to if he wanted to keep it in check.

But I can’t, he reminded himself. It took months to convince her to let me taste her before—months before I knew we could be together because she was willing to spread her thighs for me and let me lap her sweet pussy whenever and wherever I needed to. But that’s all gone now—we’re back to square one as she puts it.

He didn’t have time to start at square one, though. Not if he wanted to keep Kate safe from his Beast. He could feel the hunger growing every minute and the closer he got to her without being able to satiate that burning drive to pleasure and taste her, the more danger she was in.

Have to try and stay away from her. Get away to keep her safe, he thought. But how? They were locked into this damn bubble together and there didn’t seem to be a way out. What in the Seven Hells was he going to do?

Calm. Be calm. He took a deep breath and tried to send calming messages to his Beast. Relax. Be at ease. Be at peace.

Within himself, he felt the Beast growl once more and then subside…for now. He wondered how long the slight reprieve would last…

“Rone?” He’d been studying the tiled floor of the fresher area as he tried to get hold of himself. Kate’s soft, high voice made him look up.

“Uh-huh?” He tried to keep his voice sounding relaxed and normal but he could hear a hint of the Beast’s growl deep in his chest as he spoke. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?” She was looking at him with a worried expression on her lovely face. “You seem…upset about something.”

For a split second Rone considered telling her the truth. Considered telling her about his Beast and what it needed—telling her how much danger she would shortly be in if she didn’t allow him to taste and pleasure her.

But he didn’t want to do that. Didn’t want Kate to feel pressured into doing anything. He loved her, damn it! He didn’t want to scare or coerce her. Just as he had in the beginning of their relationship, he wanted to woo her. To bring her to him and let her open herself to him slowly.

But back when they’d first met, they hadn’t been mated. His Beast had never tasted her honey and developed a craving for it. An addiction—that was what it amounted to. And like a hungry junky too long without a fix, the Beast was craving Kate. It had been over six solar months since Rone had held her in his arms…since he had tasted her and made her come.

It had also been six months since they had held each other and joined together in the Breeding Chair. Rone missed that too—missed it desperately—but it wasn’t as necessary as tasting Kate to keep the Beast in check. Damn it, if only she hadn’t had that bad experience in college that had turned her off being tasted! He wondered, not for the first time, exactly what had happened to her and why it had made her so shy of spreading her thighs for a male’s tongue…

“Rone?” she said again and he realized he was taking too long to answer her question.

“I’m fine,” he said shortly. “Just fine, baby. Come on—let’s see if we can find some clothes to wear. I don’t want to run around in a damp towel the whole time we’re stuck here.” Which wouldn’t be long, he hoped.

They went to the closet area Rone had found beside the sleeping platform and looked through the clothing that was hanging on the old-fashioned Earth type wire hangers.

“This really is like my apartment in college,” Kate remarked. “We had a closet just like this but it was jammed with all kinds of things because it was basically our only storage. And…” her voice trailed off as she lifted one of the hangers. “Okay, this isn’t the same,” she remarked flatly.

Rone had a look at the garment hanging from the wire hanger and had to bite back a groan when he imagined Kate in it. It was a tiny little black lace body suit with holes cut in the front where her breasts would go and a long slit down the center of the crotch. Rone could picture his mate wearing it, her plump, pink nipples poking out of the front and the soft, swollen lips of her pussy on display down below…No—can’t think like that! Have to keep control of yourself, he told himself sternly, striving to banish the image.

“Okay, not wearing that.” Kate muttered, putting the black lace body suit back quickly. She reached for another hanger and pulled out a red see-through bikini that looked to be just her size.

“What the hell?” she muttered, shoving it back into the closet too. “Who picked the stuff in here—a clerk from an X-rated lingerie shop?”

Rone cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m sure there must be something else for you, baby. When I grabbed the belt off the robe in here, I saw lots of things that looked like they were your size.”

“Well, there doesn’t seem to be much now—for either of us,” Kate pointed out. “I don’t even see the robe you were talking about.”

Actually, Rone didn’t either. In fact, the only thing hanging in the closet that seemed to be his size was a pair of long black satin sleep trousers.

“Huh,” Kate muttered as he pulled them on. “Well, they fit you all right and at least there’s no hole in the crotch. How come you get something normal to wear while everything in here for me looks like the wardrobe department for a porno?”

“I don’t know.” Rone shrugged. “Look again—there has to be something you can wear.”

“There’s this, I guess.” Kate was looking at another outfit doubtfully. It appeared to be a short, silky white nightdress with a lacy hem. It had spaghetti straps and the material was extremely sheer but it also had a white silk robe to go with it as well as a pair of white lace panties.

“That seems nice.” Rone tried to keep his voice neutral. He hoped Kate couldn’t guess that he was imagining her in all of the sexy outfits she kept holding up. He was trying not to but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

Kate sighed. “Well, there doesn’t seem to be much of anything else that isn’t completely indecent. So I guess this is it.”

She took the outfit back into the fresher and in a moment she reemerged wearing the silky white gown and robe.

Again, Rone had to hold back a groan. The white silk of the fabric molded itself to her breasts and the material was so thin he could clearly see outlines of her pink nipples, pressing against the fabric. The white lace hem fell at her upper thighs and barely covered the little panties that went with it. The white robe covered her shoulders but when Kate tugged at it, it somehow refused to meet over her full breasts.

“Well, here I am.” She gave him a nervous smile. “It’s not as good as your basic black but I guess it’ll have to do.”

“It’s beautiful—you’re beautiful,” Rone said hoarsely. She looked so like she had on their Joining night it took his breath away. She’d been wearing an outfit very like the white lace one she had on but that one had been emerald green.

“Oh, well…” She gave a self-conscious little laugh and touched her hair which was a riot of golden red curls around her head. “I did find a blow dryer where there wasn’t one before so at least I don’t look like a drowned rat.” She frowned. “And my clothes—you know the ones I wore here? Are gone. It seems like things appear and disappear around here without warning.”

“I suppose so,” Rone murmured. Despite his promise to himself to leave her alone and keep his distance from her, he couldn’t help stepping forward to take her by the shoulders.

“What?” Kate asked, a bit defensively when he looked her up and down.

“Nothing.” Rone sighed. “It’s just…this little outfit reminds me a lot of what you wore on our Joining night.”

“It does?” Kate bit her lip. “I’m sorry—does it bother you? I guess I could change only…I’m not exactly sure what I could wear…”

“No, it’s fine. It’s lovely and you look gorgeous in it, baby,” he assured her. Letting her go, he took a step back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay.” Kate smiled, obviously trying to keep things light. “You know what? I’m starving. I think I’ll see what’s in the fridge. You want something?”

“I’m not hungry.” Except for the taste of her. But he couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, he went to the small couch and sat down, intending to watch something on the viewscreen.

Or he tried to sit down, anyway. Instead, he fell right through the solid-seeming piece of furniture.

“What the—?” He landed with a thump on his ass on the carpeted floor in front of the couch. “Ow! What in the Seven Hells?” He swore loudly and Kate came rushing over.

“What happened? Did you hurt yourself?”

“No. I tried to sit down and I couldn’t,” Rone growled.

“You couldn’t? What do you mean you couldn’t?”

“I mean I fell right through it somehow. Like it was a hologram.”

“You fell through it?” Kate patted the back of the couch. “It seems solid enough to me.”

“You try sitting on it then,” Rone challenged her. “I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with the damn thing.”

“Okay.” Kate came to stand in front of the couch with the backs of her legs pressed against the edge of one broad, blue cushion. She lowered herself gingerly until her bottom was just touching the top of the cushion. For a moment Rone thought it would hold her with no problem. But then, just as he had done, Kate sank right through the couch and landed with a thump on the floor in front of it.

“Be careful!” He tried to grab her but couldn’t reach her in time.

“Ouch!” Kate glared mistrustfully at the innocent looking couch. “What the hell is wrong with that thing? It feels fine until you try to put your weight on it and then it dumps you!”

“Wait a minute…” Rone ran a hand through his hair. “I think we’re forgetting what Madam Shadow said again.”

“Oh, right.” Kate’s eyes widened. “She said we wouldn’t be able to sit unless we were touching.”

“Want to try it again?” Rone held out a hand to her.

“Sure, I guess.” Shyly, she took his hand and Rone interlaced their fingers. They went to stand in front of the couch again and looked at each other.

“On three,” Rone told her. “One…two…”

“Three,” Kate said with him.

This time, Rone sat down with much more confidence, certain they had solved their problematic seating arrangements.

But once more, he fell through the couch and Kate fell with him, uttering a little scream as she did so.

“Here!” Rone grabbed for her and managed to catch her in his lap at the last minute, keeping her from hitting the ground a second time. “Are you okay, baby?” he asked anxiously, looking at her flushed face and tousled hair.

“I think so,” she said cautiously. “I think…oh! Oh, Rone, I’m stuck—look!”

Once again they had landed in front of the couch only this time Kate was in his lap instead of on the ground. But when he looked to where she was pointing, Rone saw that her left leg was caught in the couch. Not just wedged between the cushions though—actually, physically caught in the frame of the couch as though she was growing out of the dark blue fabric of the small piece of furniture.

“Gods!” he exclaimed. “What…how…?”

“I don’t know but I’m completely stuck—I can’t move an inch. Quick—put me off your lap!”

Rone did as she asked. As soon as they stopped touching, Kate was able to pull her leg free.

“Whew!” She breathed a sigh of relief. “That is so weird.”

“It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen and I’ve been all over the universe,” Rone admitted.

“Well…” She shifted uncomfortably. “I, uh, guess we know what we’ll have to do if we want to sit here and watch anything.”

“We do?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Uh-huh. Clearly holding hands isn’t enough. I guess I have to be literally sitting on your lap for this stupid thing to support us.”

Rone frowned. “You could be right. Do you want to try one more time?”

Kate shrugged. “Why not? We’ve already landed on our asses twice. Might as well go for three.”

“No, you only landed on your ass once—the other time you landed on me,” Rone pointed out, smiling at her.

She giggled. “Sorry if I crushed you.”

“As tiny as you are? You couldn’t crush me with your sweet, curvy body if you tried.” Grinning he stood and swung her up into his arms. He loved holding her like this, cradling her close to his chest.

“Oh—Rone!” she gasped. “Put me down!”

“Not until we figure this out,” he said firmly. “Just relax, Lalli. You know even if we fall, I’ll catch you.”

“You…you will?” Suddenly they were looking into each other’s eyes and Rone realized that she was close enough to kiss. Gods, how he wanted to taste her lush, sweet mouth again! He couldn’t help remembering the long, slow, passionate kisses they’d shared while they were joined together in the Breeding Chair. When his cock slid slowly in and out of her wet, willing pussy and her sweet little tongue explored his mouth at the same time. Penetrating and being penetrated…joined together as one…

“You know I will. I’ll always catch you,” he murmured. Kate’s mouth came even closer and for a moment he was certain they were going to kiss. He could almost taste her sweet lips when she suddenly turned her face away.

“Come on—let’s see if we can figure this out,” she said with a forced sounding laugh. “And then I want to check out the fridge again—I really am starving, you know.”

“Okay.” With an inward sigh, Rone sank down to the couch.

He was waiting to fall through at any minute but, to his surprise, as long as he was holding Kate, the blue cushions supported him firmly. In fact, he thought he’d never felt a more sturdy piece of furniture—it barely even creaked when he lowered his full weight onto it. Which was saying something considering he was even bigger than most Kindred were.

“Oh…” Kate looked down in surprise. “It worked!”

“It worked,” Rone echoed but he had eyes only for her. He loved having her on his lap but it was a kind of sweet torture. He could feel her little panty-clad bottom resting right against his aching shaft through the thin material of his sleep trousers and it felt so damn good. Her sweet, fresh scent filled his senses and his mouth watered to taste her. Though his erection had gone down after the pratfalls they’d taken while trying to get seated on the couch, he could feel it swelling now in response to her nearness. Gods, how he wanted her back—all the way back the way they used to be…

“Um…” Clearly Kate could feel his shaft swelling as well because she shifted uncomfortably in his lap, which only made the situation worse.

“Yeah, baby?” Rone’s voice was a soft growl and he couldn’t help the need in it.

“Well, I guess now we know what works,” she said weakly. “Maybe…maybe I should go check the fridge now and see if I can make us some supper.”

“Maybe.” Rone said, but he didn’t release his hold on her. She felt too good in his arms—he wanted to keep her close just a little while longer.

“I…um…” Kate’s hands were resting lightly on his shoulders and she was looking into his eyes, seemingly unable to look away.

“Kate,” he murmured softly and pulled her gently down for the kiss he needed so desperately.

“Oh,” she said softly but she didn’t resist when he took her mouth with his.

Rone was gentle at first, not wanting to scare her. He pressed his lips to hers with infinite tenderness, tilting his head so that their mouths met at just the right angle. Then he felt Kate wind her arms around his neck and he deepened the kiss, parting his lips and pulling her closer, wanting so damn badly to taste her again he could barely breathe.

Kate seemed hesitant at first but then she kissed him back, pressing even closer so that he could feel the warm crush of her full breasts and tight pink nipples against his bare chest.

Rone groaned and ran his hands up and down her sides. He could feel her curves beneath the thin white gown, could feel the rapid beat of her heart as she pressed herself against him.

Then Kate shifted on his lap. She’d been sitting with both legs to one side and leaning in to kiss him. Now she readjusted so that she was straddling his hips, the better to face him and kiss him more deeply.

Rone heard a strangled sound rise in his throat when he felt the press of her warm, soft pussy against his aching shaft. Deep inside, he felt his Beast stir restlessly.

Mine, it growled. She should be mine! Now!

Rone felt it stretching, trying to get free. It wanted Kate—wanted to taste her sweet pussy, wanted to push the thin, barely-there strip of fabric away from her luscious mound and sink deep inside her tight little cunt. Wanted to—

This isn’t safe, he told himself, feeling the Beast rise even more. We need to stop—this isn’t safe!

Mine…MINE!

No! Though it hurt to do it, he somehow managed to break the kiss and push Kate gently but firmly off his lap.

“Rone? What—?” She began but the moment they stopped making physical contact, the couch gave way again and Rone felt himself falling.

Kate overbalanced and fell too, giving a little scream as they both hit the floor.

“Ouch!” She gave him a look that was wounded and uncertain. “Why did you do that?”

“I’m sorry.” Rone put his head in his hands, trying to calm the Beast raging inside him. “So sorry, I just…I couldn’t anymore.”

“Couldn’t what? I thought you wanted to…to kiss me.” She was panting. “I mean, you started it.”

“I know,” Rone said harshly. “But I shouldn’t have.”

Still trying to get control of himself, he rose and shook his head. Calm, he had to be calm and controlled and centered. He had to put the Beast back in its box and not let it out again…

“I guess I shouldn’t have either. I’m sorry,” Kate said softly.

Looking down, he saw the hurt expression on her face.

“Kate, it’s not what you think,” he said, feeling horrible. “It’s just that…that…”

But how could he explain to her? How could he let her know she was in danger every time they got too close, too sexual? It wouldn’t have been a problem if her memory had come back and they were truly together again. He’d had these times in the past when the Beast tried to force its way out—usually during the time of the full moons’ convergence back on his home planet.

For some reason the lunar cycle affected his Beast, increasing its power greatly. But all he had to do was tell Kate that the hunger was growing and affecting him strongly and she would stop what she was doing and find a place for them to be alone. Only when he had his face buried between her thighs and was lapping her sweet cunt, driving her towards orgasm would Rone feel the Beast retreat, satiated by the pleasure of his mate.

But now he had no way to tame it—no way to slake the hunger that grew and grew. No way to leash the Beast that roared and raged inside him.

“Just that what?” Kate demanded, looking up at him.

“Just that I’m sorry.” Rone shook his head. “So sorry, baby.”

Then he turned away. Maybe some time spent alone in the fresher would help calm him down. But how much longer could they go on this way? How much longer could he let the hunger build before the Beast broke free of its prison and did something Rone would regret forever?

* * * * *

Kate watched him go, not certain what to think. What had happened just now? She’d been doing something she probably shouldn’t—letting herself kiss him. But it wasn’t the same as letting him touch her in the shower, she argued with herself. And she hadn’t heard that strange voice in her head, urging her on. It had just been an impulse to give in to the kiss and it had been one of the most amazing kisses she’d ever had. It seemed Rone was into it too—so why had the big Kindred pushed her away?

It’s just as well, she told herself. The Knowing had given her a clear warning earlier that she was in danger so it was better to stay alert. But in danger from what? Surely not from Rone himself. He’d saved her life over and over and searched the universe for her obsessively until he found her when she’d been taken from him. Surely he wouldn’t hurt her. Would he?

Then where was the danger coming from? Was it because they had gone into the shadow instead of staying in the light as the Knowing had warned her to do? Did the danger have something to do with Flame and Frost? Or was it some outside influence that was being exerted over both of them? Kate had no idea. She only knew she was achy and unfulfilled and very, very unhappy.

I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this!

She got off the floor and dusted herself off. She wasn’t very hungry anymore and would have liked to roll into a ball on the couch and just watch something mindless on the viewscreen but she couldn’t. Couldn’t do anything without Rone in this stupid bubble apartment, apparently. And now it seemed like he didn’t want anything to do with her.

For lack of anything better to do, she went to the kitchen area anyway and started looking through the fridge. It was stocked with all kinds of things but Kate didn’t really feel like cooking something elaborate. What she was really in the mood for was comfort food.

“Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches it is,” she muttered, pulling out some lunch meat, butter, and sliced cheese. “Now if there was only some bread…” Turning around she saw a loaf of bread sitting on the kitchen counter where there had been nothing before. Kate frowned. “Huh.” Experimentally, she said aloud, “Now if only I could have a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and a bra…”

Nothing happened. Kate even went to look in the closet, thinking that what she wished for might pop up there instead. But there was nothing but the other two outfits she’d rejected for being too sexy to wear.

Sighing, she went back to the kitchen area and found a frying pan. Rone had said he wasn’t hungry but she made him a sandwich anyway. Maybe when he cooled down some, he would feel more like eating.

In no time the sandwiches were toasty and the cheese was melted. Kate dished them onto plates with a blue flower pattern just like the ones she and Mimi used back in their Tampa apartment and sliced each one on the diagonal.

Though she’d lost her appetite earlier, the warm scent of the buttered bread and melted cheese made Kate’s mouth water. She was about to lift one diagonal of sandwich to her mouth when she remembered Madam Shadows words about not being able to eat unless she was fed by her lover’s hand. Had that been it? Something like that, anyway. She didn’t want to try to take a bite and have the sandwich jump out of her hand and land on the floor.

Sighing, she put the sandwich down and went to knock on the bathroom door. But just as she was lifting her hand, the door swung open to reveal Rone standing there with a slightly calmer look on his face.

“Oh!” Kate put a hand to her heart. “You startled me popping out like that! Would you like to come eat something?”

He shook his head. “I’m honestly not very hungry. Sorry.”

“Well, you’re coming anyway.” Kate grabbed him by the hand and towed him towards the kitchen. “Because I’m hungry and I can’t eat unless you feed me.”

“Oh, that’s right. Forgive me.” He came with her willingly enough and Kate led him to the counter and showed him the sandwiches. His eyes lit up—which was saying something since they were already glowing. “Oh—you made grilled cheese sandwiches! My favorite!”

“It is?” Kate asked. “I, uh, didn’t know.”

“You made it for me the first time I came back to your domicile.” Rone’s eyes went misty with memory. “We were caught out in a rain storm and we were both soaking wet. It was only our third date, I think. When we got back inside your place, we were soaked to the skin. You changed clothes but you didn’t have anything big enough for me to wear. So you wrapped me in your grandmother’s quilt—the pink and gold and green one she made for you—and fixed me this.” He gestured at the plate. “You called it ‘comfort food.’ Told me your mother used to make it for you on rainy days when you were little.”

“Wow…that’s so sweet.” Despite herself, Kate was charmed by the story. She could just see it in her mind’s eye—the big Kindred wrapped in her favorite quilt and munching on the gooey, crunchy sandwich, trying grilled cheese for the first time and loving it.

“It was then that I knew,” Rone said quietly, picking up a slice of the sandwich.

“Knew what?” Kate asked, opening her mouth as he held it to her lips.

“Knew that I was falling in love with you.” His voice was soft but his eyes blazed. “I’d been trying not to, you see. You were so small, baby—so delicate. I was afraid I’d hurt you—afraid we wouldn’t be right for each other. But at that moment I knew I was falling and I couldn’t help it. Didn’t want to help it anymore.”

“Oh, Rone…” Kate pushed the sandwich gently away and looked at him. “What’s going on?” she asked softly. “What just happened back on the couch? Why…why did you stop?”

He shook his head and looked away. “Please don’t ask. I can’t tell you…not now.”

“It’s just…” She looked down at her hands. “I thought you wanted me close.”

“I do, baby. The problem is, I want you a lot closer than you want to get right now.” There was a soft growl in his voice that sent a shiver through her.

“So what…if I won’t give myself completely and go back to the way…the way you remember us being before, then you don’t want me?” Kate asked, challenging him.

“No—it’s not like that. It’s…” He shook his head. “I can’t explain it. But I do want you. Kate. Please, look at me.” He lifted her chin gently when she wouldn’t and Kate looked unwillingly into his eyes. “I don’t just want you—I need you,” he breathed, holding her gaze with his. “And that’s all I can say right now. So please, can we just eat? Before your delicious sandwiches get cold?”

Kate sighed. There was sincerity in his piercing blue eyes. Clearly something was going on with him but he didn’t feel comfortable discussing it yet. Well, she supposed she could wait. After all, he wasn’t the only one sending mixed messages. She felt like she’d never been so mixed up and confused about a man in her life and yet she still felt drawn to the big Kindred. Drawn in a way she couldn’t remember being drawn to anyone else.

“Okay,” she said lightly, picking up half of a sandwich. “Open wide.”

Rone opened his mouth obligingly and ate half the sandwich in a single bite.

“Mmm…” His eyes rolled up in his head as he chewed and swallowed. “Just as good as I remembered. Gods, I’ve missed your cooking.”

“And you said you weren’t hungry.” Kate eyed the decimated sandwich skeptically. “Also, I thought you said we shared the cooking.”

“We do. But there are some things you make I just can’t seem to get right. This is one of them.” He took another bite from the sandwich she held. “I always burn them for some reason.”

“You have to watch them,” Kate said, taking a dainty nibble from the half he was holding out to her. “The second side gets done way faster—”

“Than the first side. I know.” He grinned. “You’ve told me that again and again but I somehow always forget and end up with a half burned sandwich.”

“No burning the sandwiches on my watch.” Kate popped the rest of the first half into his mouth. “This is my specialty.”

“I know. I’ve missed it so much. Missed you so much, baby.”

His gaze was so intense, Kate had to drop her eyes. Forgetting herself, she picked up the second half of her sandwich and tried to take a bite without having him feed it to her. Her teeth clicked together hard and she gasped as she bit her tongue.

“Ouch!”

“Are you okay?” Rone looked down at her anxiously.

“Fine.” Kate put a hand to her mouth for a moment but she wasn’t bleeding. “Just bit myself when I tried to take a bite.” She shrugged ruefully. “I forgot I couldn’t manage without you.”

“I never forgot I couldn’t manage without you,” Rone said softly and she knew he was talking about more than just the meal they were sharing.

“Well…” Kate gave him a shy smile. More and more she was feeling drawn to him, despite their weird circumstances and the warning her Knowing had given her. Now that the fear toxins were gone, she could understand what her past self must have seen in the big Kindred.

“Here.” Rone held out the sandwich to her. “No need to go biting yourself when you made such delicious sandwiches for us to eat.”

Kate smiled at him and took a cautious bite. This time her teeth bit into the crisp bread and melted cheese with no problem. As she chewed, words suddenly rose to her mind.

“All that I have, I take from your hands. All that you take, I give from my heart,” she murmured.

“What?” Rone looked at her, his eyes widening. “What did you say?”

“I don’t know.” Kate shook her head. “Just something that came to me. Why—do you know it?”

“Do I know it?” He put down the sandwich and looked away for a moment, blinking his eyes fiercely.

“Rone…?” Kate looked at him anxiously. “Are you okay? Do those words mean something to you?”

“They’re from our vows—they’re what you said to me at our Joining ceremony.” His deep voice was slightly choked but then he took a deep breath and looked at her. “Do you remember any more?”

“Sorry but no.” Kate shook her head. “I’m really sorry I said them if it upset you so much.”

“No—don’t you see? It proves that your memories are still down there somewhere,” he said earnestly. “Just waiting to be brought back.”

“But brought back how?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said in a low voice. “Maybe just like this…doing things together that we used to do. Sharing a meal…me telling you about our past.”

“Maybe.” Kate gave him a shy smile. “I do enjoy it. I mean—this is nice, you know?”

“I love spending time with you too,” Rone murmured. “There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you now, Lalli.”

Kate opened her mouth to ask once and for all what “Lalli” meant but just then a bored sounding voice echoed through the little apartment bubble.

“Attention: this is your pre-sleep warning. You have two solar minutes to attend to your night time rituals. After that, Lights Out will be in effect. Thank you.”

“Oh!” Kate looked around, as though she could find the source of the voice just by listening. “Lights out?”

“Apparently it’s almost bedtime here.” Rone yawned. “Actually, it has been one long damn day.”

“It certainly has,” Kate agreed. “But, um, what about sleeping arrangements?”

“Well…” He frowned. “I guess we’re meant to share the bed. But if you’re uncomfortable with that…”

“No,” Kate said thoughtfully. “No, it’s okay with me.” Even a day ago she would have been made uncomfortable with the idea—horribly so. But she was beginning to know Rone now and she found she didn’t mind touching him—in fact, she liked it. As long as he felt the same way. Which made her wonder exactly how much touching was going to be involved in sleeping together on the bed. “But…um…” She cleared her throat.

“Yeah, baby? What is it?” Rone raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m just thinking…wondering…” Kate could feel her cheeks getting hot. “I mean, how much do you think we’ll have to be, you know, touching, for the bed to support us?”

“I don’t know.” Rone frowned. Just then the lights flickered and went out, plunging them into complete blackness. “But I have a feeling we’re going to find out,” he finished dryly.

“Oh!” Kate looked around uncertainly. “I can’t believe this! They barely gave us any time to get ready for bed and now I can’t see a thing.”

“Well, I can. Here.” Rone picked her up again and she gave a little gasp of surprise and clung to him.

“Don’t do that without warning me!” she exclaimed.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He sounded contrite and in the darkness, Kate could see that his eyes were glowing a faint blue.

“You just startled me—that’s all. I’m not used to being picked up and carried all around,” Kate said.

“Yes you are—you just don’t remember it.” He moved confidently in the utter blackness, not bumping into anything though Kate was sure if she’d tried to go anywhere herself she would have been running into everything.

“My, uh, friend, Emily said something like that. She said you were always helping me down from high places and carrying me all around.” She shrugged. “I didn’t think it sounded like me but maybe I got used to it.”

“You didn’t just get used to it,” he murmured, his deep voice rumbling in the darkness. “You enjoyed it. Enjoyed being my Lalli.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Kate said. “What exactly does that word mean—‘lalli’? Is it some kind of pet name you had for me?”

“Well…” He shifted a little and she had the feeling he might be uncomfortable or uncertain as to how she’d react to his answer.

“Go on,” she urged him. “I won’t get mad—just tell me.”

“Lalli means little girl—little sweetheart—in my native language. It’s an ancient term of affection, so old even the translation bacteria has trouble translating it.”

“Little girl?” Kate frowned. “How in the world did you start calling me that? I’m a grown woman.”

He shifted again. “That’s exactly what you said the first time I called you lalli. But remember, you promised you wouldn’t get angry if I told you about this.”

Kate sighed. “Yes, I remember. Okay, sorry—go on.”

“I started calling you that because you’re so tiny—you reminded me of a little girl when I first met you. It just kind of…slipped out. And by the time I finally told you what it meant, it had already stuck.”

Kate frowned. “Was I angry with you for calling me that when you explained what it meant the first time?”

“At first,” he admitted cautiously. “You’ve always been fiercely independent—it’s one of the things I love about you. You don’t let your petite stature keep you from doing what you want.”

“I can’t afford to,” Kate remarked. “Or I’d never get to do anything.”

He made a noise of agreement. “Anyway, you were angry with me at first and you didn’t want me to call you that or treat you…the way I treated you. But after a while you liked it—we both did.”

“What?” Kate was mystified and concerned. “How exactly did you treat me?”

“I, um…” He sighed. “Look, we’re at the bed now. Do you mind if I try sitting down before we go on?”

“No, I guess not. But I hope we’re not going to fall right through it.”

“That’s what I’m hoping too. Hang on, baby. And don’t worry, if we fall, you’ll land on me,” he said reassuringly.

Kate tried to brace herself as the big Kindred lowered himself to sit on the bed. She could feel all of the muscles in his big body tensing and for a moment she was certain they were going to fall. But after a moment, he seemed to relax.

“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s holding us—seems to work on the same principle as the couch.”

“Oh, good.” Kate had been leaning into him with her arms wrapped around his neck as she held on for dear life. Now she relaxed and sat up so that only her bottom half was pressed against him where she sat on his lap.

Immediately, they began to sink through the bed. It was a slower process than it had been with the couch, which had dumped them immediately, but it was definitely happening. Rone cursed in a low voice and she felt his body tense again under hers as they tilted downward.

“Oh! Oh, my God!” Kate gasped. She leaned forward and grabbed for Rone blindly, wrapping her arms around him again in her panic.

At once, they began to rise until they were in a stable position once more.

“Well that was really fucking strange,” Rone muttered. “I could feel myself sliding down into the bed for a minute there when you sat up. Then something pushed us back up to the surface of the mattress when you grabbed onto my neck.”

“Whew.” Kate gave a shaky laugh. “Apparently we need more, uh, contact for the bed to keep supporting us than we did on the couch.”

“At least it didn’t just dump us,” Rone remarked. “Imagine if we were sleeping and lost contact with each other—we could get seriously injured if we fell straight through to the floor with no warning.”

“Not that it would be much more pleasant to wake up sleeping with the dust bunnies under the bed,” Kate remarked. She shivered. “Ugh—what a thought! I used to be scared to death there was a monster hiding under my bed at night. I always wished I had a daddy just for that reason—to check and make sure there was nothing there. To make me feel safe.”

“And you never asked your mother to check because you were afraid she’d get eaten by the monsters too, right?” he asked in a low voice.

“Oh, I must have told you this story before. I’m sorry.”

“Only once,” he murmured. “You told me you were afraid that if a monster jumped out it would eat you and your mother both. So you just went to bed frightened every night for years, didn’t you?”

Kate gave a little laugh. “Yeah, in retrospect, it was pretty sexist of me to think that women couldn’t fight monsters as well as men. But I was a kid so what did I know?” She sighed. “Mostly I think I just wanted a father—somebody to protect me and cuddle me and just be there for me. Like the other kids in my class had.”

“Uh-huh.” Rone’s big hand had somehow found her back and he was rubbing her up and down, caressing from the nape of her neck to the small of her back in long, gentle strokes that made Kate feel contented and soothed at the same time.

“Mmm, that’s nice.” She leaned into him a little more, relaxing against his big frame. His warm, spicy scent seemed to fill her senses and she felt strangely at ease in his arms. Being held like this made her feel protected, cared for…loved.

Kate frowned at the thought—the “loved” part made her a little uncomfortable. There was no doubt how Rone felt for her. The question was, how did she feel for him? It was true she was definitely drawn to him but she still didn’t feel like she knew him well enough to be head-over-heels. It just wasn’t her way to let her emotions run away with her like that. She was cautious about giving her heart, especially after what had happened in college…

Kate pushed the bad memory away. She really didn’t want to think about that right now. She just wanted to relax and enjoy being held in a way she hadn’t been since she was a small child.

“Kate?” he murmured in the darkness. His deep voice seemed to vibrate through her, since she had her cheek pressed to his chest.

“Mmm-hmm?” Kate sighed contentedly.

“Remember I told you that I treated you a certain way? When you were being my Lalli, I mean.”

“Yes?” She perked up a little bit, interested.

“Well…” He cleared his throat. “This is it.”

“What? You held me in your lap?” Kate was mystified. “Why wouldn’t I like that?”

“It wasn’t just this—it was everything.” He made a motion which she could feel even though she couldn’t see it. “You let me pick you up and carry you and cuddle you. Let me help you down out of high places like our shuttle. You even let me give you baths and wash your hair.”

“I did?” Kate was caught by surprise all over again. “I mean, you did—really?”

“Of course.” He sounded like he was smiling. “Sometimes when you were feeling tired and just wanted to be my Lalli, I would bathe you and massage you and get you ready for bed…” His voice dipped down into an even deeper register. “Before I kissed you good night.”

Kate shifted uncertainly on his lap, remembering exactly which part of her the big Kindred had told her he most liked to kiss. She crossed her legs nervously and started to pull away from him but the minute she did, they started to sink through the bed again.

“Oh!” Quickly, Kate leaned back against him and they resumed their normal position.

“I guess I can tell how you feel about all of this.” Rone didn’t sound very happy.

“I’m just…nervous, that’s all.” Kate gave a frustrated sigh. “And I don’t really understand what you’re saying. That I let you treat me like a child?”

“In a way, I suppose. You told me before that you grew up without a father and always wished you had one, so…”

“Eww.” Kate made a face. “Please don’t tell me I called you ‘Daddy’ and we pretended I was your little princess or something weird like that.”

“No, it wasn’t like that.” Rone sighed. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have told you.”

“I’m sorry.” Kate took a deep breath. “I guess I just get defensive when I feel uncomfortable and what you’re telling me makes me feel kind of, well…weird.”

“It wasn’t though—it was wonderful.” He sounded so wistful it made Kate’s heart throb. “I’m just trying to tell you that you let me tend to you—in every way. Physically, emotionally, sexually…you gave yourself to me. And I took such good care of you, baby…until I let you get taken.”

His words sent a painful wave of emotion through her which Kate didn’t understand. She caught her breath and felt tears stinging her eyes though if someone had asked her why she was crying, she wouldn’t have known how to answer. She didn’t know why herself.

“It wasn’t your fault I was taken,” she told him, brushing at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“It was.” He pulled her closer, wrapping her tightly in his arms. “I should have stopped it somehow—should have protected you. You trusted yourself to me and I failed you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Kate protested. “I’m the one who’s failing. I don’t know how I got to be that trusting—how I became your…your Lalli, but I’m not anymore. I’m not the person you fell in love with.”

“Yes, you are.” He stroked her back again, with that warm, caressing touch that made her want to purr like a cat. “Deep down I believe you still have those memories. They just have to be released somehow—brought to the surface.”

“Well, I have no idea how that’s ever going to happen,” Kate admitted. “But I guess this will have to do for now.”

“You’re right. This will have to do for now. And in time, we’ll get back what we lost. I know we will.” He sounded almost as though he was trying to convince or reassure himself of that fact.

“I…hope you’re right,” Kate said awkwardly. “I’m sorry I can’t just…jump in feet first. That’s not the way I’m built.”

“It’s all right, baby,” he said softly. “I know you’ve been hurt before. I know your past makes you cautious.”

“You do?” Kate asked carefully. “Uh…how much do you know about my past, exactly?”

“Not a lot of details—about what made you so careful,” he admitted. “But I know it made you not want anything to do with males for a good long while.”

“Okay.” Kate felt better, knowing he didn’t have all the dirty details. “Well…” She yawned. “Maybe it’s time to be getting to sleep. So how do we do that?”

“Very carefully, I’d imagine,” Rone said dryly. “If we don’t want to end up on the floor under the bed.”

Kate shivered. “I certainly don’t. Do you think just pressing close together while we sleep will keep us up on the mattress?”

“I don’t know—let’s experiment.”

Still holding her close, Rone scooted to the head of the bed.

They tried lying side by side with their shoulders and thighs touching but they started sinking through the mattress almost immediately. To Kate, it felt like being swallowed by a giant marshmallow—not a pleasant sensation.

“Oh!” she gasped and scrambled to get more contact between herself and the big Kindred. She wound up climbing on top of him, like a woman climbing onto a raft to keep from drowning in the river.

“Oof!” Rone grabbed for her, bracing her against him when she accidentally kneed him in the stomach. “It’s okay, baby—I’ve got you. You can stop struggling now.”

“Sorry.” Kate felt bad but she really didn’t want to sink through the mattress and wind up in the dark space under the bed. It wasn’t just her childhood fears freaking her out, she told herself defensively. It was the fact that they were in an alien resort and who knew what might be down there? What if the Flame and Frost version of mice or cockroaches lived in the cracks between the floorboards? Of course, there might be nothing but Kate did not want to take a chance.

“It’s okay—just stop wiggling and we’ll be fine.”

“All right.” Kate stopped struggling and let herself relax, using the big Kindred as a mattress as she lay on her side. It was a measure of their vast size difference that she was able to fit neatly on his chest and torso with no problem at all.

“Actually, this works pretty well,” Rone remarked, after they’d been lying silently for a moment. “Are you comfortable?”

“Well, I mean, I guess…” Actually, the big Kindred’s muscular form was surprisingly comfy. “But what about you? It can’t be great for you to have me, uh, smushing you.”

He gave a deep laugh which vibrated her entire body. “Smushing me, huh? Don’t worry about that, baby—you’re light—I don’t feel a bit ‘smushed.’”

“You don’t? You swear?” Kate asked.

“Swear.” He sounded like he was smiling. “And anyway, I like having you on me—like having you so close. I’ve been waiting for six months to touch you again.”

“Oh, uh…” Kate shifted nervously.

“I don’t mean sexually,” Rone said, correctly interpreting her anxiety. “I mean just holding you in my arms again.” He put his arms around her and stroked her hair. “Just feeling you close to me.”

“It is kind of nice,” Kate admitted. “You know what this makes me think of? I had a poster when I was a little girl of a tiny kitten sleeping on top of a big ol’ dog—a mastiff, I think.”

He rumbled laughter. “I’d say that about fits.”

“Uh-huh.” Kate sighed and snuggled closer. “Hey, I’m kind of chilly. Not where I’m touching you—you’re like a furnace. But my other side.”

“Let’s see, I thought I saw a blanket folded up around here somewhere…” Rone fumbled around for a moment and then spread a warm, soft blanket over the two of them. “Better?” he asked.

“Mmm…perfect.” Kate sighed in contentment and felt her eyelids grow heavy. “Thank…” She yawned deeply. “Thank you, Rone.”

“You’re welcome, Lalli,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “Good night.”

“Good…” Kate yawned again. “Good night,” she finally managed to reply. Then, although even a day ago she would have sworn it would be impossible, she relaxed completely against the big Kindred and let herself drift off to sleep.

Chapter Eighteen

Kate was having an incredibly sexy dream. She was lying on top of her lover, face to face with her bare breasts pressed to his muscular chest. The contact made her nipples feel tight and achy and his warm scent was driving her crazy. He smelled like some kind of dark musk—a masculine spice that called to everything in her that was feminine and made her want to open herself to him completely.

In fact, she already was opening. Down below, she could feel the thick length of his shaft rubbing against her naked cleft. Mmm—that felt good. She could feel the delicious pressure of his cock against her outer pussy lips. It occurred to Kate that if she spread her legs just a little, her pussy would open and she would be able to feel his hot, hard cock sliding against her inner folds and throbbing clit. That would feel even better.

Yes, rub against him. Feels nice, doesn’t it? He’s so big and strong…so HARD, murmured a voice in her head.

Kate frowned, where had she heard that voice before? Maybe in some other dream—one that was almost as sexy as this one. But in that dream, she’d been in the shower with her lover and they had been washing each other—washing each other everywhere.

Of course, Kate knew it had been a dream, just like this one was, because it couldn’t be real. She didn’t even have a lover—hadn’t had one in years. So it was completely ridiculous to think what was happening was real.

Still, for a dream, it felt extremely real. She could feel the hard press of his hot shaft slipping between her pussy lips and sliding against the swollen bud of her clit, sending sparks of pleasure through her entire body. Enjoying the delicious sensations, she spread her thighs even wider and rocked her pelvis, letting the length of his shaft press even deeper into her wet inner folds.

She could feel the broad, plum-shaped head of his cock pressing hard against her belly, branding her with his heat and she couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like inside her—not just sliding against her inner cunt but actually entering her channel and thrusting deep inside to fill her pussy to the hilt.

Yes, do that—that would feel good, wouldn’t it? Let him slide his thick cock deep in your hungry little cunt…let him fill you up, the strange voice urged.

Kate frowned. She didn’t like this part of the dream. The voice in her head felt…wrong. Felt like it didn’t belong to her. But the sensations of the big male body beneath hers felt right—utterly and completely right. God, her pussy was so wet and hot and the silky skin of his thick shaft sliding against her sensitive clit felt so good.

This must be the best dream I’ve ever had, she thought deliriously. What is it when you know you’re dreaming? She was sure she’d read an article about it somewhere—oh right—Lucid Dreaming. That’s what it was called when the dreamer realized he or she was having a dream and was able to control the outcome.

I’m having a Lucid Dream, Kate thought. Which means I can do anything I want.

The thought brought a giddy sense of power along with the pleasure she was feeling at rubbing against her lover so intimately.

And it seemed that all the naughty, intimate friction was having an effect on the man beneath her too. With a low growl of desire, he clamped big, warm hands over her hips and ass, pressing her against him, joining her rhythm with long, slow strokes of his own.

“Oh, God!” Kate heard herself moaning. Rubbing against him had felt good but having him rub and thrust against her at the same time intensified the sensations immeasurably.

“Gods, baby—you’re pussy is so fucking wet,” she heard him groan as he bucked up to meet her. His big hands spread her wider, gripping her ass hard, pulling her down so that the friction got even hotter. “Can feel you rubbing so hard against my cock with your sweet little cunt,” her lover growled. “That’s right—ride me baby. Open your hot little pussy and rub against me until you come…come so hard on my cock.”

His hot dirty words turned Kate on even more. This was definitely the best dream she’d ever had. Her only regret was that she couldn’t see her lover’s face—she wanted to see him, wanted to kiss him as they raced to the finish line together. But it was pitch black in the room. In fact, the only thing she could see were two glowing blue points, almost like eyes right in front of her…

Eyes…glowing blue eyes! Suddenly Kate began to get a bad feeling. Didn’t she know someone who had glowing blue eyes? It was man—a male—and he wasn’t just someone in a dream. She actually knew him.

Rone! she realized suddenly. Oh my God, it’s Rone! And I’m not just dreaming this—I’m actually doing it. What the hell is wrong with me? Where are my clothes? Why am I acting like this?

Because you want to—because you want HIM. Give yourself to him—open yourself and let him slide deep into your cunt.

It was that voice again—the one that didn’t belong inside her head but was somehow there anyway. Kate began to feel afraid but at the same time, the cycle of friction and pleasure she and the big Kindred had built between them was rising higher and higher. Though she didn’t want to, she could feel herself getting ready to come.

No, I can’t! I have to stop—this isn’t me! I’m being manipulated somehow—I would never act this way on my own!

“No!” she gasped and began to struggle, trying to get away.

“Kate?” Suddenly the lights came on, the whole apartment filling with a dim, golden glow that nearly blinded her at first. When Kate’s eyes got used to the illumination, she saw that Rone was beneath her, a hungry look in his blue eyes.

“Please!” She struggled against him but her writhing only pressed his thick shaft deeper between her folds. “I thought it was a dream,” she gasped. “I never would have…I can’t…”

“I thought it was a dream too,” he rasped. “But we can’t stop now—we can’t. Please, baby, I have to make you come.”

“You what? No!” Kate struggled against him but his hold on her hips was absolutely unbreakable. “You already came earlier, in the shower,” she protested desperately. “Wasn’t that enough for you?”

“I didn’t say I needed to come—I said I need to make you come,” he growled. “Please, baby—just let me make you come.”

Kate tried to take stock of herself. She was completely open, her pussy spread wide as he thrust against her, riding her throbbing clit with the hard length of his cock, and there was nothing she could do about it. Nowhere to run to get away from the frightening sensation of pleasure and the feeling of being completely out of control.

“Rone!” she gasped, trying to get away. “No—I don’t want this!”

“I’m sorry.” His voice was agonized and his…his eyes were changing, Kate saw. From glowing blue, they were melting into a burning silver—the same color they’d turned back in the jewelry store. “I’m sorry, Lalli,” he rasped and had his voice deepened too? It had an almost animalistic edge to it now. “I’m sorry but I need to make you come. Please…please understand.”

For a moment Kate wanted to scream and struggle. No means no—even with your husband, she told herself. Not that she could remember him being her husband but still—the principle was the same.

But then she looked at his face again. The look in his silver eyes was so desperate…so hungry that Kate almost thought she could feel his need gnawing at her too. It was as though she could almost feel his desire, an insatiable craving pouring into her like water filling a clear glass.

He needs this, she realized and knew it was true, though she didn’t know why. Needs to make me come. I don’t know why but he needs it desperately.

“All…all right,” she whispered at last, nodding. “But not inside me. You can’t…can’t do that. Just…just rub against me. All right?”

“Yes.” Relief filled his eyes which were glowing so brightly now it looked like he had silver flames behind his pupils. “Yes, and I swear, baby, I won’t fill you tonight. I just need to feel you coming hard against me.”

And with that, he flipped their positions. Kate gasped as she found herself suddenly beneath him with her legs spread wide around his lean hips. Rone hooked his arms under her thighs, the better to open her, and found a new angle to press against her.

Kate felt a moan pulled from her lips as he ground against her, pressing her into the mattress, rubbing hard to increase the delicious friction that had been building between them.

“Oh…oh!” she gasped as he pressed deep, sliding the hot length of his shaft against her tender clit and wet, slippery pussy. She had never felt so open before—so owned. And though the sensation was frightening, she found it also turned her on. “Rone!” she cried. “Oh, God…Rone.”

“That’s right, baby,” he growled. “That’s right—open your sweet pussy for me. Just relax and let me make you come.”

Kate didn’t know about relaxing but she couldn’t help coming. He was pushing her to the edge with his hard thrusts, sliding his cock against her throbbing clit mercilessly until she felt like she was on fire. His big body on top of hers, pressing her into the mattress made her feel small and helpless and very, very hot.

Before she knew it, she was coming.

“Oh! Oh…Please…please!” she begged, almost unable to stand the intensity of the pleasure. Her back arched and her toes curled as her heart pounded and her breath came in short, staccato pants. “Oh…Oh!” she cried.

“God baby—yes. Yes,” Rone murmured in that low, growling voice.

His eyes gleamed silver above her then, slowly, Kate saw them turn back to blue. For some reason she had a relieved feeling—as though some great danger had been within a hairsbreadth of her and had suddenly turned back at the last moment, leaving her untouched.

But that was crazy, wasn’t it? What danger could she possibly have averted, just by letting him make her come?

As the pleasure ebbed slowly away, that was exactly what Kate wanted to ask. But before she could demand an explanation, the big Kindred had lifted her and set her down on wobbly legs by the side of the bed.

“Hey, what—?” Kate began but he only shook his head and disappeared into the bathroom. Kate was left standing there, throbbing, confused, and naked by the foot of the bed, uncertain of what was going on and what exactly had just happened.

* * * * *

Too close. That had been too fucking close! Rone paced in the limited area of the fresher, running his hands through his hair. His cock was still painfully hard but that wasn’t what bothered him now—no, it was the Beast still roaring within him, seeking to get out, which was his main concern.

Though making Kate come had helped a little, the hunger had been growing too long to satiate it completely with such a simple orgasm—one which didn’t involve any tasting.

Need to taste her…need to breed her! roared the Beast.

No! Rone took a deep breath and tried to calm the creature inside him. No, we can’t do that. She’s not ready. She needs time.

But the Beast didn’t care about that. It roared and raved, demanding its due.

We have to get out of here, Rone thought with desperation. It’s not safe anymore. Not safe for Kate. The hunger inside him was simply too strong and the Beast was too restless.

He’d been long due for a change. In fact, he and Kate had been planning a trip back to his home planet of G’nera before she was taken. There he could change in the Howlund—the special lands devoted to Wulven males in their fur-forms—and allow his Beast free reign on the night of the convergence of the full double moons. Kate, of course, would have been locked away safely, far from him when he finally set the creature inside him free.

But the trip had never happened since she had been taken and he’d spent so much time searching for her. Now the pressure inside him was reaching crisis proportions and Rone was afraid of what might occur if he couldn’t get hold of himself.

If he continued to provoke his Beast by denying it the sweet taste of Kate’s honey, it would eventually, inevitably break free, taking over his body and mind and doing whatever it wanted to Kate. And what it wanted was to ravage her—to not just fuck her but to breed her and make certain she was filled with his seed. It was a savage act—one that was almost certain to impregnate the female a Beast rutted with but Rone had always rejected it, even when he and Kate had despaired of having a baby after trying for three long years with no results.

“I’d rather just have you, Lalli,” he’d told her earnestly when she asked him about it. “I don’t want to risk you getting hurt. As much as I want a son, I don’t want one badly enough to put you in danger.”

Kate had protested that she was strong enough—that she could stand the Beast’s advances—but Rone rejected the idea. He wouldn’t risk her—she was too small, too precious. Now, if they didn’t get out of here soon, she might have to find out just how strong she really was. If the Beast broke free…

Rone shook his head. No—no I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.

He would rather die than hurt Kate—would rather die than let her meet him in his fur-form—that of the ravening Beast who wanted only to devour and despoil.

He took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. Calm, he had to be calm…

It was a long, long time before Rone could get the Beast under control and even longer before he dared to leave the fresher. But finally he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He wrapped a white towel around his waist, since his black sleep trousers had somehow disappeared, and stepped out into the main part of the bubble apartment.

When he came out, he saw Kate standing there with a sheet wrapped around her and a frown on her face.

“Okay,” she said, glaring at him. “Do you want to tell me exactly what just happened?”

Rone spread his hands, trying to play it off. “You’re the one who woke me up, rubbing against me naked in the middle of the night. You tell me.”

“You know that’s not what I meant!” she snapped. “But speaking of that, how did we get naked in the first place?”

He shrugged. “You said yourself things appear and disappear at will around here.”

“Yes, but objects you’re using—not clothes right off your body!” Kate protested.

“I don’t know any more than you do.” Rone said shortly. “I don’t know what to tell you,”

“Yes, you do.” She lifted her chin determinedly. “And what you can tell me is why it was so important to you to…to make me come.” There were two spots of color high on her cheekbones but she refused to drop her gaze, even though she was clearly embarrassed.

Rone sighed and sank back onto the bed…and kept sinking—he’d forgotten that none of the furniture in this fucked up place would support him unless he was touching Kate. And from the look on her face, she wasn’t going to want him touching her for a long, long time to come.

Swearing, he extracted himself from the soft, pillowy bed which was sucking him down and went to stand in the kitchen area where he could at least lean against the counter. Kate followed him—clearly she wasn’t going anywhere until she got some kind of explanation. Which was going to be a problem since he couldn’t explain his hunger without frightening her or making her feel coerced.

“I can’t talk about it,” he said shortly. “I’m sorry, Kate but you wouldn’t understand.”

“Wouldn’t understand?” She raised an eyebrow at him incredulously. “What wouldn’t I understand?”

“Any of this.” Rone made a gesture with one hand, indicating himself and the whole situation.

“Why not?” Kate demanded. “I must have understood it—understood you—before my memory got wiped. I mean, we were married for three years. So why can’t you just tell me?”

“Because I don’t want to scare you, all right?” His voice came out in a muted roar and Kate flinched back, a look of uncertainty on her face.

“You’re doing a pretty good job of that without explaining anything,” she remarked in a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry. Baby, I’m so sorry.” Rone sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Please believe me, if I could explain things to you, I would. But I can’t—I just can’t. Okay?”

Kate just looked at him for a moment. Then she went over to the living area and turned on the viewscreen. She sat down in front of the couch and started to watch whatever was on—some kind of mindless drivel as far as Rone could see.

“Kate…baby…” He came to sit beside her but she scooted away from him.

“We’re in danger here, you know,” she said in a low voice, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“Yeah, no shit,” Rone growled, putting his head in his hands. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Here’s something you don’t know—I keep hearing a voice in my head. Whenever we’re being…being intimate.”

“What?” Rone looked over at her. Her cheeks were flaming and she still wasn’t looking at him.

“A voice. It’s not mine—not my internal monologue, I mean. It keeps telling me to…to do things with you. Keeps urging me to go further and further.”

“What kinds of things?” Rone asked, fascinated despite himself.

“What kinds of things do you think?” Kate snapped. “Sexual things. I heard it when we were in the shower together and again just now in bed.”

He frowned. “Is that the only reason you touched me…and let me touch you?”

“No.” Kate shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t like hearing it. Both times I tried to resist it. It feels strange…invasive. And it wants me to do things I…I’m not ready to do.” She looked up at him at last. “Rone, I feel like we’re being manipulated here, by an outside entity.”

“Who? The Madam of Shadows?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. But whoever it is, I don’t like it. I want to get away from this place—I feel like we’ve gotten as much out of it as we can. You know?”

“I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Rone said grimly. “It’s not safe here anymore. I know Commander Sylvan sent us here but I don’t think he knew anything about this part of the resort. There’s something wrong here…something dark.”

“Exactly. But how can we get out?” She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. “Because we really need to, Rone—need to get out of here.”

“I know, baby.” Without thinking about it, he put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close for comfort, just as he’d done so many times in their years together.

At first, Kate stiffened against him. Then, slowly, she began to relax and let herself melt against him.

“Hey,” she murmured after a moment. “The couch is actually supporting us.”

It was. They were leaning against the front of it and it was holding their weight—probably because they were touching. It gave Rone an idea.

“Why don’t we finish sleeping here?” he suggested. “It doesn’t require as much physical contact.”

“It’s so small though,” Kate objected. “We’d never be able to stretch out—well, you wouldn’t anyway.”

“That’s the idea,” Rone pointed out. “We can’t get into too much trouble if we’re all cramped up.” He hoped not, anyway.

“Well…” Kate looked at him doubtfully. “I guess it’s worth a try.”

Rone got the spread from the bed and draped it over the small couch. Then, with a little maneuvering, he managed to get on the couch with one foot on the floor and Kate between his legs, leaning against his chest. It wasn’t very comfortable and he hung off on both ends but after propping a pillow under his neck, he was able to find a position he thought he could sleep in.

Kate seemed a little more doubtful, though.

“Remind me again how this is any better than the bed?” she asked, leaning against his chest while trying to avoid his crotch. He was still only wearing a towel since there was no other clothing to be found anywhere in the apartment. At least his shaft had gone down but Rone had to admit he could feel it twitching, threatening to get hard again now that he had Kate in such close proximity.

“It’ll be okay,” he tried to reassure her. “I won’t hurt you, baby. You’re safe here with me.” He hoped.

“All right.” She looked down at the growing bulge under his towel. “Um, is that going to be a problem?”

“Not a bit,” Rone promised her, even though he could feel the Beast stirring uneasily inside him. “It’s just a natural reaction to having you so close, that’s all.”

“So…just having me near you, having me touch you, even in a non-sexual way, makes you, uh, hard?” She looked at him, her cheeks pink with a blush.

He shrugged. “Sorry, can’t help it.”

“But, is that the way it always is? The way it always was, between us, I mean?”

“Probably at least ninety percent of the time.” He shrugged. “What can I say? You turn me on.”

“So, let me get this straight—you walked around with blue balls for ninety percent of your life since you met me?” she demanded.

“Well, not exactly…” Rone shifted uncomfortably.

“Why? Were we constantly making love?” Kate wanted to know. “I mean like, five or six or seven times a day or something?”

“We usually made love at least once a day,” Rone said reluctantly. He was uncomfortable discussing this with her, knowing how she would feel about hearing the truth.

“Okay, but what about the rest of the time?” she asked. “I mean, I’ve seen how you…how you don’t, uh, go down even after you come. I mean your…your shaft doesn’t.” She motioned again at the white towel covering his crotch. “I can’t believe that once a day was doing it for you. Unless you were constantly sneaking off to the bathroom to, uh, take care of yourself?”

“No…” Rone sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He would have to tell her—at least a little. “The rest of the time you let me taste you. Remember I told you we had a kind of schedule we followed?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yes, but that would be you taking care of me.”

“No—that was me taking care of both of us.” Or all three of us if you count my Beast. But he wasn’t about to bring the unquiet third party into the conversation. It would cause more questions than he could answer.

Kate frowned. “I don’t understand. How could you, uh, going down on me help you with your problem?”

“I almost always come when you come,” Rone said simply. “When I’m tasting you, I mean.”

“What?” Her eyes widened. “Without any other, uh, stimulation?”

“What other stimulation do I need besides being on my knees before you with my face buried between your legs, lapping your sweet cunt?” Rone murmured, looking at her. “What could possibly be more stimulating than hearing you moan my name while you pull my hair as I taste your honey?”

“Rone!” Her eyes got even wider and he could feel her breathing quicken. “You know I don’t…don’t want to do that.”

“I know.” He sighed tiredly. “I wish I knew why.”

Her face got a guarded expression.

“That’s private. Very private. I really don’t want to discuss it.”

“You never did in the past either,” he murmured, stroking a long red curl out of her eyes. “But I always wanted to know. Wished I knew what made you so wary of letting a male taste your pussy.”

“I think we should try to get some sleep.” Kate turned over carefully, so that his shaft, still covered by the towel, was at her back. This meant her head was resting on Rone’s lower belly which didn’t help the situation developing under the towel any. Still, he took a deep breath and told himself to just deal with it. Kate would come around in time.

Probably.

The lights went out again with absolutely no warning and they were plunged into darkness. Apparently their middle of the night adventure was over—it was time to sleep once more.

Chapter Nineteen

“Up and on your feet, you pathetic maggots.”

The ringing voice in her ear made Kate jump up in a blind panic, pulling the sheet tight around her. She heard a shout and a thump from behind her and realized, too late, that Rone had fallen through the couch they had been sleeping on the minute she jumped up. Looking over, she saw him sitting in front of the couch and rubbing his head.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically. “I just—that voice—it startled me.”

“Yeah, I heard it too.” He craned his neck, peering around. “Where did it come from, anyway?”

“I am speaking to you from everywhere and nowhere,” the disembodied voice said, loudly enough to make Kate jump again.

“Madam Shadow?” she asked, frowning.

“Yes, you have the pleasure of addressing the Madam of Shadows,” the sneering, haughty voice replied. “Now listen—putting you together has not had the desired effect. You are still out of harmony with each other.”

“If you think that just forcing us to…to touch each other all the time will solve all our problems you’ve got a lot of wrong ideas in your head,” Kate snapped.

“On the contrary, my dear, that is exactly what will solve your problems and bring the two of you back into harmony,” the Madam of Shadows said. “But clearly you cannot be trusted to do what needs to be done yourselves.”

“All we want to do is get out of here,” Rone said, looking up at the domed ceiling. “You’ve rid Kate of the fear toxins and we’re very grateful for that but we can take it from here.”

“Rone is right—we think it’s time to leave,” Kate chimed in.

Soft, malevolent laughter filled the air around them.

“Do you think it is that easy, my darlings? Do you think that once you have committed yourselves to the Shadow you can simply leave at any time you wish to? I think not.”

“You can’t hold us here against our will,” Rone growled.

“Oh no?” She laughed again. “Read the contract the two of you signed in your own blood. I can hold the two of you here until I consider your relationship healed—and it most certainly is not healed yet.”

“We’re paying customers,” Kate insisted. “Or anyway, the Kindred High Council is paying and we want to go now.”

“Exactly—they are paying for Flame and Frost to restore the two of you to your previous harmonious relationship,” Madam Shadow snapped. “Which has not yet been done. I intend to see that you are restored no matter what it takes.”

“But—” Kate began.

“So after you have had your breakfast and put on the clothing provided for you, I will be coming to escort you to our exercise suite,” Madam Shadow went on, ignoring her.

“Exercise? What kind of exercise?” Rone asked suspiciously.

“Just some harmony building exercises, my dear Warrior, nothing to be concerned about,” the Madam said breezily. “Now hurry up! I will be coming to collect the two of you very soon.” There was a soft clicking noise and the voice fell silent.

Kate looked at Rone.

“What should we do? Should we go with her?” she asked in a low voice.

He frowned. “Come closer—I wish we still had our link so we could communicate without speaking out loud.”

“You think she’s listening?” Kate murmured, taking a step towards him.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Let’s just keep our voices down.”

“So what are we going to do?” Kate breathed. “I vote for trying to get out of here.”

“I suppose we could just run like the Seven Hells the minute she opens the door to this damned place,” Rone murmured.

“They’re probably prepared for that, though,” Kate pointed out. “I bet a lot of people want to get out of here once they find out what they’ve gotten themselves into.”

“True.” He nodded. “Okay, I say we go with her—for now. But if we see a chance to make a break for it, we take it. And once we’re out of this room, I don’t want to be forced back inside it.”

“I agree.” Kate shivered. “I don’t want to spend another night here. I want to go back to our ship.”

For some reason, Rone smiled at her.

“What?” she asked, putting a hand on her hip. “Did I say something funny?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I just like how you said ‘our’ ship. It’s nice to hear you talking about it like you belong there—because you do.”

Kate sighed and took a step back from him. “Honestly right now, I don’t know where I belong. I only know it isn’t here.”

“I’ll second that. Come on—let’s go get dressed.”

“You want some breakfast first?” Kate asked, speaking in a normal tone now. “Personally, I never want anything before eleven AM but—”

“Green tea. I know—I think I saw some in the cabinet,” Rone said.

“Oh—where?” Kate was already digging through the cabinets and soon enough she saw it—the Green Genmaicha tea that was her favorite breakfast. It had roasted rice kernels in it that made it taste nutty and rich—almost like the Cream of Wheat hot breakfast cereal her mom had made her growing up. That was probably why she liked it so much—but unfortunately, just now it was out of reach. The familiar round tin sat on the highest shelf, about a foot higher than her seeking fingertips.

“Here, let me.” Rone came and stood right behind her, reaching up to get the round tea tin with ease. “Here, you go,” he rumbled, holding it out to her.

“Oh…thank you.” Kate turned around to take it and found they were face to face or rather face to chest, since he was so much taller than her. But he was leaning down to look at her and his mouth was in easy reach—close enough to kiss.

“No problem, Lalli,” he murmured.

Despite all the intimate situations they’d been put in during their brief visit to Flame and Frost, Kate still felt her cheeks getting hot and her breath coming short. Damn it, why did the big Kindred have such an immediate and intense effect on her?

“Uh…” She tried to laugh in order to lighten the tension. “So is this our normal morning routine at home? I mean, literally falling out of bed and then me making tea?”

“No. Normally I wake you up with my tongue buried between your thighs,” he said softly, his eyes flashing. “After that, we get up and have breakfast and start our day.”

“Rone…” Her heart started slamming against her chest again. I don’t like that. I don’t want to do that, she told herself. Not after what happened in college… But if that was the truth why were her nipples so hard under the sheet she was still wearing wrapped around her? And why did her pussy suddenly feel so hot and sensitive?

“Sorry.” He shrugged and gave her a lazy grin. “You asked what our morning routine was. I always kissed you awake—the same way I kissed you to sleep at night.”

“I…I don’t see how I could possibly go to sleep if you were, uh, kissing me there.” Kate clutched the tea tin to her chest protectively, feeling her cheeks get even hotter.

“Well, you wouldn’t be sleepy at first,” he murmured. “But after I made you come two or three times with my mouth, you’d start to relax and your eyelids would get heavy.” He sighed. “Gods, I miss that—lying there between your legs, cleaning away all your honey with long, slow licks of my tongue as you drifted off to sleep.”

Kate tried to imagine feeling comfortable enough to just lie there in bed and let him lick her while she went to sleep and couldn’t. Just the thought of having him there, between her thighs, made her feel so tense she could barely breathe.

“I…I just d-don’t know,” she stuttered.

“Don’t believe me? Here.” Rone took her hand and brought it up to the side of his face. She could feel the rough scratch of his whiskers against her palm and the softness of his black hair. “Read me. Use your Knowing to see the truth of what I’m telling you,” he urged.

“I…I shouldn’t.” But Kate found she couldn’t move her hand.

Suddenly an image filled her mind…

She was back in the bedroom of the ship they shared, watching a vision of herself in the past. The past Kate was sitting at the head of the bed, wearing a short white lace nighty and reading a book. Just then, Rone came into the room wearing a pair of sleep trousers and nothing else. His broad, muscular chest looked smooth and hard and inviting. Kate immediately wanted to run her hands all over him—to touch him and feel connected to him.

No, she told herself uneasily. That may be how I felt then but I don’t feel that way now. Do I?

“Bedtime, Lalli,” Rone murmured, smiling down at the past Kate. “Are you ready for your goodnight kiss?”

“Of course.” To her surprise, Kate saw her past self raise the lace hem of the nighty to well above her belly button and spread her legs with absolutely no shame at all. She wasn’t wearing panties so her pussy was fully on display with its little mound of red curls. And when she spread her thighs wider, the pink outer lips opened, showing her slippery interior, already glistening with her juices.

“Mmm…just look at that soft little pussy, all ready for a goodnight kiss.” Rone’s deep voice was a low, lustful growl. “And already so hot and wet, baby.”

“Just for you,” Past Kate agreed with a naughty little smile. “Come and get it, sugar.”

She didn’t have to ask Rone twice. He lay full-length on the bed in front of her and buried his face between her legs. He was gentle at first, kissing her outer lips softly and lapping at her inner thighs. Then the Kate in the vision put a hand on his head and pushed him down, shamelessly demanding more.

The big Kindred wasn’t shy about giving her what she wanted. He redoubled his efforts, sucking her outer pussy lips into his mouth in a slow, teasing way first and then, when she moaned softly, spreading her with his thumbs to lap the sensitive inside of her pussy and bathe her clit with his tongue.

Kate watched, both horrified and intrigued as Past Kate moaned and bucked her hips up, her hands tightening in the big Kindred’s hair.

“Oh God, Rone, yes,” she gasped. “Right there—keep it right there. I’m so close!”

Kate shook her head. It was clear her past self wasn’t just tolerating this—she was eager for it and completely enjoying it. And Rone was loving it too. He went down on her, tasting her pussy as though he couldn’t get enough of her. His broad shoulders split her thighs wide and Past Kate writhed under him, pulling his hair and calling his name like she just couldn’t get enough.

Just look at him, Kate thought, watching the scene with awe and uncertainty as the Rone in the vision lapped and sucked her past self. He’s licking me like I’m his favorite flavor in the whole world! But how could that be? After what Greg Compton had said back in college…

“Your pussy is my favorite flavor.” Rone’s deep, rumbling voice pulled Kate out of the vision and she opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her, his eyes half lidded with lust.

“Oh!” She jerked her hand away from the side of his face. “How did you—did you read my thoughts?”

He shook his head. “I wish. That isn’t possible until our bond is restored. You said it out loud.”

“I did?” Kate felt incredibly vulnerable. “I, uh, didn’t mean to.”

“Do you believe me now?” he asked, looking at her earnestly. “You know the Knowing doesn’t lie to you. I’m telling the truth, baby.”

“I know.” She couldn’t look at him anymore. Her heart was pounding and she needed to get some space…some air so she could breathe properly. “Excuse me,” she said, pushing past him. “I…I really want some tea.”

“Sure, baby.” He sighed again. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just wanted you to know I wasn’t making all this up. I know it probably sounds kind of strange to you.”

“No, it’s fine,” Kate lied. “I asked about our routine. It’s just, uh, hard to imagine I was so comfortable letting you do that to me.” But she had been—in the vision she’d been positively eager to let him taste her. How had she gotten to that point?

“It took a long time to build up to it,” he admitted. “But it was worth waiting for—you’re worth waiting for, Kate.”

Kate forced a laugh. “That’s sweet but I have a feeling the Madam of Shadows won’t agree with you. We’d better get going—she’ll probably be here any minute and if we’re not dressed and ready to go she might make us wear our sheet and towel outfits to this weird exercise class she has planned for us.”

He sighed. “You’re probably right. Okay, let’s see what the magic closet has to offer us this morning. If it even is morning on this benighted planet.”

While Kate brewed her tea, he walked over to the closet by the bed and opened it.

“Looks like exercise clothes all right,” he murmured. “They’re tight and stretchy at least. Well—in some places more than others.”

“What do you mean?” Kate turned from the counter and saw that he was wearing some extremely form fitting clothes. At least, the shirt was form fitting—it was a sleeveless black t-shirt looking thing that left his muscular arms bare and clung lovingly to every hard line of his broad chest. The pants were somewhat looser—something like black sweats or maybe black karate pants. Except for the crotch which was made of some thin, shiny silver material that was stretched tight across the bulge of his shaft.

“See?” Rone looked down at himself. “Weird.”

“Uh…wow.” Kate managed an unsteady laugh. His thick shaft was clearly outlined in the thin silver material which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. “They’re not very subtle around here, are they?” she said, trying not to look and failing.

“Not a hell of a lot, no.” Rone shrugged. “I guess it beats a towel though.”

“What do they have in there for me?” A wave of unease flowed over her. If they expected Rone to wear the weird, show-everything pants, what in the world might the closet hold for her?

“Looks like exercise clothes for you too.” Rone pulled out a hanger with a t-shirt and a pair of tights and handed it to her.

“I’ll put them on in the bathroom,” Kate said.

“Or I can just turn around if you feel uncomfortable.”

Before she could answer, he turned, putting his broad back to her, considerately giving her privacy.

Quickly, Kate stripped off the sheet she’d been wearing since the night before and slipped into the outfit the closet had provided. At first she thought it wasn’t that bad. True, there were no panties or bra to go with it but at least there were no slits or holes anywhere in the fabric to show off her more sensitive areas.

But once she had the clothing on, she realized there was a problem. Her clothes were white instead of black but they had something in common with Rone’s outfit. On her chest, were two patches of thin, silver material that molded to her breasts so tightly it looked almost as if she had on silver body paint. Both nipples were clearly outlined and even the outer rings of her areolas were visible.

Even worse, she also had a silver patch in the crotch of her tights and the thin material seemed to cling to every curve of her pussy. Looking down, Kate could actually see the outline of her clit, peeping out from between her inner folds.

“Oh my God,” she muttered. “This is obscene.”

“What is?” Rone asked, his back still turned. “Can I see how you look?”

“Not yet.” Kate tried frantically to pull the clinging, silver material away from her private areas but the more she tried, the tighter it clung to her. At last she gave up. “Oh, hell,” she muttered furiously. “Freaking perverts!”

“Problems?” Rone asked.

“No—not if I want to be in some kind of exercise themed porno.” Kate said, frowning savagely down at her new clothes.

“Can I look?”

“I don’t know. It’s embarrassing.”

“I saw you naked last night,” he reminded her gently. “Saw you and touched you, baby. Come on—don’t be shy.” He turned around slowly.

“I can’t help it. This is worse than naked.” Kate crossed her arms over her chest protectively and pressed her thighs tightly together. “This is like…like I’m framing all my girly parts on purpose.”

“You’re not doing it on purpose.” Rone’s blue eyes flickered over her. “We have to wear what they give us.”

“No, we don’t. The sheet was better than this!” Kate reached for her discarded sheet—only to have it vanish out of her hands. “Hey!”

“I think that’s a not too subtle clue that you’re going to have to keep the outfit on,” Rone remarked. “Come on—your tea is probably getting cold and Madam Shadow might be here at any minute.”

“All right. You’re right I guess.” Still irritated and embarrassed, Kate walked back to the kitchen counter. She tried not to notice how the stretchy silver material seemed to grow warmer and even clingier as she moved. Snatching up the steaming tea cup, she breathed in the Sencha’s nutty aroma, trying to calm her nerves. All right. Everything was going to be all right. She hoped.

Rone gestured at her tea cup which she had unthinkingly lifted to her lips. “You want some help drinking that or would you rather just pour it all over yourself?”

“Oh!” Kate hastily pulled the cup away from her lips aware that he had probably just saved her some nasty burns. Knowing how the bubble apartment worked, she was certain she would have been pouring tea down the front of herself in the next minute when she tried to take a sip by herself. “Do you think I have to drink it out of your hand, though?” she asked as Rone took the cup from her. “Because it’s really hot.”

“Hopefully the apartment will take that into consideration. Here—let’s stand over the sink just in case.” They stood over the kitchen sink and Rone carefully put the steaming cup to her lips. “Go ahead, baby—have some,” he murmured.

Kate sipped obediently, and to her relief, she was able to drink the tea without the hot liquid scalding her front. She took another, deeper drink, feeling the warming liquid run down her throat. As it always did, the hot tea made her feel calm and centered.

“Mmm…thank you,” she murmured when Rone pulled the cup away. “Tea always makes me feel better.”

“I know.” He smiled at her. “It’s going to be okay, you know? As long as we stick together everything is going to be fine.”

“I hope you’re right.” Kate tried to smile at him and couldn’t quite manage it.

“I know I am,” he said firmly. “You want another sip?”

“Sure.”

Kate leaned over to take a sip from the proffered cup but just then Madam Shadow walked through the door.

“Hello my darlings.” She smirked at them. “Come. We have much to do.”

Kate exchanged a look with Rone.

“And what exactly are we going to be doing?” the big Kindred demanded.

“As I said—some exercises.” She glowered at him. Today instead of a cigarette, she held a long, flexible black cane in one hand. She swung it idly through the air, making a menacing swooshing noise. “Unless you’d rather stay in here?”

“No! No, we’re coming,” Kate said quickly. Who knew when their next chance to get out of here might come?

“Good. Then follow me.” The Madam of Shadows turned on the heel of her black leather boot and strolled out the door. Kate followed her and Rone put down the tea cup and went as well.

As they paced down the long, dark stone corridors, making several twists and turns, Kate wondered where they were in the complex. Would they be able to find their way out, even if they could make a break for it and escape?

They seemed to walk forever and Kate was wishing she had shoes on—the stone floor was hard and cold—when Madam Shadow came to an abrupt halt in front of a large black door. With a wave of her black-gloved hand, the door swung silently inward revealing a large room with stark white walls and a gray floor.

“What is this place?” Rone growled. Clearly, he was reluctant to enter and get trapped inside another area they couldn’t easily exit. Kate didn’t blame him. She hung back on the threshold too, not willing to go past the heavy black door.

“A gymnasium…of sorts.” Madam Shadow cocked one perfectly shaped black eyebrow at them. “You’ll enter, my darlings—if you want to win your freedom from the Shadow.”

“So you’ll let us go if we do a few exercises?” Rone was clearly skeptical.

“Exactly.” Madam Shadow smiled and tapped her long, black cane against the doorway. “And don’t think you’ll get free on your own. Even if you run from me now, you’ll never find your way out. Frost is configured to my commands. Observe.” She snapped her fingers and the corridor ahead of them, which had appeared long and straight just a moment before, shimmered. When it solidified again, there were three paths to pick from, not just one.

Kate gave a little gasp. “How…how did you do that?”

“As I said—this part of our little resort is configured to my mind and mine alone. It obeys my commands—and you should too, if you ever want to get out of here, my sweet little maggots.”

The Madam of Shadows gave them a cruel smile and Kate saw malice in her purple eyes.

She’s telling the truth, she realized. We’ll never get out of here on our own—not if she can snap her fingers and keep changing the configuration of the tunnels! We’re trapped—we have to do as she says.

Rone seemed to realize it as well because, with a final angry growl, he stepped into the gymnasium. Kate followed and watched, with a sinking heart, as the heavy black door swung shut behind them with a booming clang.

* * * * *

“All right—here we are. Now what are we supposed to do?” Rone demanded, turning to the Madam of Shadows. “Run laps? Do sit-ups?” There didn’t seem to be much else they could do in the large empty space. There was no equipment anywhere to be seen.

“Not exactly.” That cruel smile curved her perfect lips again. “The exercises I have in mind for the two of you are a bit more…intimate than that.”

That sounded bad. Rone hoped like hell whatever exercises she had planned for them weren’t too sexual in nature. He’d had a hard enough time calming his Beast the night before. He didn’t need anything to rile it up again.

“Let’s start with some stretching exercises,” Madam Shadow proclaimed. “Both of you on your hands and knees now.”

Very unwillingly, Rone got to his hands and knees on the soft, spongy gray floor. The gray color came from some short, silky fibers that seemed to be a cross between a carpet and a kind of grass. It was surprisingly comfortable to kneel on.

“Very good,” the Madam said when Kate was kneeling beside him. “Now, Kate, lower your head to the floor and raise your bottom high in the air.”

“Why?” Kate asked flatly, not moving.

“Because I said so,” the Madam of Shadows hissed. “But if you won’t comply on your own…” She made a gesture in the air and suddenly Kate gave a little cry and dropped her head to her folded arms. Her rounded ass rose high in the air and her legs spread wide, revealing the patch of clinging silver material between her thighs which had molded itself to her pussy in a very distracting way.

“What did you do?” Rone demanded, rounding on the Madam of Shadows because it was clear that Kate hadn’t acted on her own. “Let her go—now.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Warrior.” She smiled again with those black painted lips.

“You—” Rone started to surge towards her, only to find himself held in place by invisible bands. “What the—?” He struggled against them but it was no good. Though he couldn’t see them, it felt like iron manacles were locked around his wrists and chest, holding him in place. He couldn’t reach the Madam no matter what he did, even though she was less than two feet away from him.

“I trust you see why my orders must be obeyed? Now, then…” Her purple eyes gleamed. “Let’s have you right behind your mate there. Go on—get up close and press against her. Let her feel that thick cock of yours against her sweet little cunt.”

To his horror, Rone found that he was doing as she said, though he didn’t want to. Though he fought the invisible iron bands with all his might, he was forced to get into position behind Kate as though he was taking her from behind. Worse, he was forced to press the throbbing ridge of his cock against the vulnerable slit of her pussy. He felt her stiffen beneath him and she gave a little gasp of protest when the head of his cock rubbed over her folds.

“Sorry, baby,” he breathed in her ear. “I don’t want to—she’s making me somehow.”

“Me too,” Kate whispered back and he could feel her breathing, light and frightened, beneath him.

“Cup her breasts,” the Madam of Shadows commanded him. “Tug her nipples a little, Warrior. Let’s see if we can’t warm her up.”

Though he didn’t want to, Rone found he was forced to do as she commanded. Reaching around Kate, he let her full breasts fill his hands, the hard little points of her nipples rubbing against his palms. Doing as he had been commanded, he captured the tight little peaks between his thumbs and fingers and tugged gently, twisting in just the way he knew Kate loved. She let out a low moan and arched under him, pressing her ass against his cock.

Rone bit back a groan. Gods, it felt incredible even though he knew it shouldn’t. He couldn’t help remembering the many times he’d taken her this way, the way she used to moan and buck against him, begging her to fuck her harder, to get deeper into her sweet little cunt…

As though reading his mind, the Madam of Shadows gave another command.

“And now—let’s have a little friction,” she said, smirking at them. “Come on, Warrior, slide against her—let your mate feel how much you want her. How much you need her.”

Again, Rone was forced to act. Though he didn’t want to, he could feel his cock rubbing hard against Kate’s open, vulnerable pussy. The thin, silky fabric between them seemed almost to melt away. Even though it looked like it was still in place, he swore he could feel the hot, wet folds of her sweet little cunt enfolding him as he slid against her.

“Oh…oh!” Kate gasped and writhed helplessly beneath him.

Rone groaned as the unwanted contact had what was clearly the desired effect—his cock was now rock hard as he rubbed against Kate—even though he didn’t want it to be. Even worse, the Beast inside him was waking up and demanding to be set free—demanding to take its due and breed Kate, to bond her to him completely.

No, I can’t let that happen! Have to stay in control!

“Please,” he begged, though the words tasted like ashes in his mouth. “Please, Madam Shadow, don’t make me do this to Kate. She’s not ready for this yet. I don’t want to hurt or force her to do something she doesn’t want—please.”

“Oh, you’re afraid you’re forcing her, hmm? Well what if we turn the tables?” With a flick of her wrist, Rone felt himself released from the invisible bands her will had somehow trapped him in. He fell back with a cry, his cock aching with need. Right now, though, he just wanted to get away and give Kate some space. She would never trust him again if he hurt her this way—not even if he was forced into doing it.

But the Madam of Shadows wasn’t through with them yet.

“Right—on your back, Warrior,” she snapped and Rone found that he was flat on his back with no way to rise. Well, except for his cock. Despite their situation, it stayed stubbornly erect, begging for Kate’s touch.

And unfortunately, that was what it was about to get.

“Now you, my dear,” the Madam said, turning to Kate. “Straddle him.”

“I…I don’t want to.” Kate’s voice trembled but despite her words, she threw a leg over Rone’s supine form and did as the Madam commanded.

“No, but you need to. And your mate needs you to—if the two of you are ever to be in harmony again,” Madam Shadow snapped. “Now come, my dear, don’t be shy. Get a little closer. Rub that little pussy against your warrior’s cock.”

Kate bit her lip and Rone could see the indecision in her face. Yet she came forward and lowered herself down onto him anyway, pressing the sweet, warm folds of her pussy against the hard length of his rigid shaft.

He tried to bite back a groan and couldn’t. Gods, she felt so good against him—so right. And yet this whole situation was wrong. He didn’t want Kate doing something she wasn’t ready to do—something she didn’t want to do. He didn’t want her to fear him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered hoarsely but she shook her head.

“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry too. I don’t…don’t mean to be doing this.”

“You can’t help it,” he tried to reassure her. He was trying to hold completely still. But though the iron bands wrapped tightly around his chest and wrists, pinning his hands to his sides, his pelvis was free to move. He couldn’t help rocking his hips up in time to Kate’s strokes as she pressed against him and slid up and down the length of his shaft. Gods, he couldn’t feel the material between them at all. Having her ride him was an exquisite torture because he could feel exactly how silky and wet she was, how hot and swollen and ready.

But was she really? Or was that just the Beast inside him, insisting that Kate was ready to be taken, that she needed to be bred and claimed?

“Oh…oh,” Kate moaned softly as she continued to slide against him. Rone wondered if she was getting close—the Beast in him longed to feel her coming but he was afraid if she did, it would demand to taste her honey. His mouth watered for the taste of her, the warm, secret feminine flavor that was uniquely Kate. If she came against his cock as she had the night before, would he be able to hold back a second time? Rone wasn’t sure.

“That’s right…” The look in the Madam’s purple eyes as she watched his mate was one of greedy lust. “That’s right, my dear. You can cry and beg and say you don’t want to but I know the truth—I know how wet you are for him.” She smirked at Kate. “You are, aren’t you? Your little pussy is so wet and hot he could slip inside you right now and fill you up without a bit of trouble.”

“I…” Kate bit her lip, a blush of shame creeping into her pale cheeks. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, I…I’m not ready for this. I care for Rone but I don’t…I can’t…”

“Well, if you’re not ready to fuck yet, maybe we can try something else. Lean over your lover, my dear. Let him get you a little more ready.”

“What?” Kate looked at her with wide, fearful eyes. “I don’t…don’t understand.”

“You will.” The Madam looked at Rone. “Come now, Warrior, reach up to meet her. Why don’t you suck those sweet, ripe nipples for a little while and get your little mate ready to fuck?”

“I don’t think Kate wants me to,” Rone growled. But somehow he was leaning up and Kate was leaning over him, pressing her full, beautiful breasts to his face. He gave a low groan as he looked into Kate’s troubled green eyes. “I’m sorry, baby…so sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s…it’s all right.” Kate’s voice was breathless and her cheeks were still flushed. “I…I know you can’t help it.” She pressed one of her ripe nipples to his lips. “Go ahead…I won’t…won’t be upset with you.”

Taking her at her word, Rone drew the sweet, ripe peak between his lips and lapped at it tenderly. Gods, she tasted so good. He wanted to lick all of her—not just her breast. Wanted to give her entire, sweet body a long, leisurely tongue bath until she moaned and writhed and opened for him completely. Even though the silver material was still between his mouth and her breast, he couldn’t feel it at all. He could taste the salty-sweet flavor of her skin, could feel the tight pink peak between his lips getting even harder and more sensitive as he sucked and tongued it.

Of course, he couldn’t help remembering all the times he’d done this in the past. After he’d finally convinced her of how beautiful she was, Kate had taken great pleasure in teasing and taunting him by wearing low-cut blouses and sweaters that showed a lot of cleavage.

Sometimes they would make a game of it, with her teasing him until Rone chased her around the ship. When he caught her, he would pin her down and pull open her blouse to suck and lap her tight nipples until she moaned and writhed under him. That usually led to him tasting her elsewhere—most often with her riding his face as he lapped and sucked her sweet pussy until she came for him, long and hard…

God, he missed it! Missed it so much but he knew Kate couldn’t remember any of it, so what they were doing right now was probably making her incredibly uncomfortable.

He wished he could stop if only to make her feel better but he was powerless to do anything but lick and suck her nipples until the Madam of Shadows released him from this particular compulsion. It wasn’t just that the invisible iron bands were holding him down, it was as though she was actually controlling his body, making him do exactly what she wanted even though he didn’t want to do it.

At last, however, the Madam seemed to tire of this particular activity.

“Enough.” She gestured at Rone who was finally able to release Kate’s nipple from his mouth and lean his head back.

“Are…are you going to let us go now?” Kate was panting, her cheeks still flushed.

“Hardly.” The Madam laughed evilly. “We must restore your harmony. And we must satiate the Shadow before we let you leave Flame and Frost.”

“Satiate the Shadow? What in the Seven Hells does that mean?” Rone demanded.

“It means that no one who enters the Shadow as the two of you have done may leave without offering a sacrifice of either pleasure or pain.” Her lip twisted in a sneer. “Most choose pleasure but a few enjoy the finer aspects of physical pain.”

“We don’t,” Kate said quickly. “So what do we have to do to get out of here?”

“Fuck your mate,” Madam Shadow said bluntly. “That should cover the pleasure sacrifice nicely.”

“No,” Rone said harshly. “Kate will never forgive me if I force myself on her—even if you’re making me to do it. You think you’re pushing us together? If you make us do that—make us make love before my mate is ready—you’ll drive a wedge between us we’ll never be able to overcome.”

“Hmm…” The Madam of Shadows didn’t look pleased but Rone thought she was at least beginning to believe him. All it took was one look at Kate’s pale face to know he was telling the truth. “All right, then,” she said at last. “Something different. I know…” She snapped her fingers. “You, my dear,” she said to Kate. “Come further up your mate’s body until you’re straddling his face.”

“What? Why?” Kate asked in a shaking voice even as she was assuming the position the Madam had demanded. Rone knew she couldn’t do anything else—she was under the same compulsion he was—caught in the Madam’s power. Looking up, he could see that the silver material covering Kate’s tender pussy was just inches from his face. He could smell her sweet, feminine scent, could almost taste her rich honey…Gods, how he wanted to taste her! But he could tell Kate didn’t want him to. She was trembling visibly above him, almost as if she was straining to get away. But she was trapped.

“Very nice,” Madam Shadow purred. “Now, Kate, my dear—just lower yourself down until you feel your warrior’s mouth against your pussy.”

Kate’s face went red, then white and she began to shake in earnest. Obviously she was somehow resisting the compulsion to do as the Madam ordered though Rone had no idea how she was managing it. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, I…I can’t.”

“Of course you can. You’re joined to a Wulven Kindred, aren’t you?” the Madam demanded impatiently. “One cannot be bonded to that kind of male without learning to spread for his tongue on a regular basis.”

“I…I don’t want to.” Kate’s voice was a low cry of anguish that tore at Rone’s heart.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he growled at the Madam. “This is dangerous. If you know anything about my kind, you know what I carry inside me. Taunting it in this way is the quickest way to release it—especially when I am already having difficulty holding it back.”

“Yes…I imagine after months of unrequited hunger, your Beast must be close to the surface,” Madam Shadow mused.

“It fucking well is,” Rone snarled. “And you may be able to hold me down with the force of your will in this form but I doubt you’ll have a chance of controlling my Beast if it comes out.”

Kate was watching their exchange with wide eyes and he could see the fear on her face.

“Please—can’t you just let us go?” she asked the Madam in a low, trembling voice. Her thighs were shaking now, her small body vibrating with the effort to disobey the Madam’s direct order.

The Madam frowned. “I have told you, one cannot leave the Shadow without a sacrifice of either pain or pleasure.”

“Then I chose pain,” Kate said instantly. “Go ahead—punish me or do whatever it is you have to do. Just let us go afterwards.”

“Kate, no!” Rone protested, looking up at her. “Baby—”

“I can’t.” She looked down at him with tears in her eyes. “I can’t do this. Not like this. Not now. I’m sorry, Rone but…I’d rather have the pain.”

“Maybe you should ask what the ‘pain’ is before you so rashly consent to let me punish you,” Madam Shadow hissed. Then she shimmered and seemed to change form. To Rone’s surprise, it was suddenly Mistress Light standing before them.

“Mistress Light?” Kate asked in a shocked voice. “What…what are you doing here?”

“I am but the other aspect of Madam Shadow,” the Mistress replied. Her white hair and gown radiated purity and light and her purple eyes, so like the Madam of Shadow’s, glowed with sympathy and sincerity.

“So…you’re the same person?” he asked, frowning.

“I am.” The glowing being nodded. “For my people are able to divide themselves into their most basic parts. I am all that is good and sweet while my other half—my dark sister as I think of her—is all that is cruel and harsh.”

“Thank God you came then,” Kate whispered, her brimming eyes overflowing. “Please, let us go. We need to get back to our ship and get out of here.”

“Yes, those that choose the Shadow often feel the need to leave before their treatment is complete.” Mistress Light shook her head. “It is most distressing.”

“What’s distressing is the things your ‘other half’ has been forcing us to do against our will,” Rone growled. “Now let us out of here!”

“I am afraid I cannot—not until a sacrifice is made to the Shadow.” The Mistress sighed sorrowfully. “And consider, my dears—you are so close to reconciling. My dark sister may be cruel, but she is also quite adept at reading the needs of our clients. The two of you must come together—until you do, your harmony cannot be restored.”

“That may be true,” Kate said in a shaky voice. “But you can’t force us to have sex and expect it to fix everything. I know that Rone loves and remembers me but I still feel like I’m just getting to know him. I don’t…I’m not ready for this. Not now. I just…I just want to go home.” Her eyes brimmed again and she blinked away the tears.

Rone felt his heart swell. He wanted so badly to protect her, to cradle and shield her from anything that might hurt her, either emotionally or physically. And knowing that he might be the instrument of her harm—if the crazy Mistress of Light and Madam of Shadows had anything to say about it—nearly made him insane with anger and frustration.

“Let us go now,” he growled at Mistress Light. “We’ll find our own way to each other. One that doesn’t involve having me force myself on the only female I’ve ever loved.”

“Very well, then. But know this, Warrior…” The Mistress pointed her finger at him. “You are running out of time. I know our methods here have seemed heavy-handed but it is only because we sense the time-bomb that you carry within you.”

“Heavy-handed?” Kate gave an angry little laugh that was more than half sob. “Is that what you call it when you force us into highly sexual situations against our will? Or when you start speaking into my mind to try and make me to do things I’m not ready to do?”

Mistress Light frowned. “Well, I cannot deny your first accusation but as for the second, no one here has the power to speak directly into the mind of another. So I am afraid I don’t know what you are talking about, my dear.”

“Yeah, right.” Clearly Kate didn’t believe her. Honestly, neither did Rone—the proprietors of Flame and Frost had been manipulating them from the first. At this point, he didn’t know what to believe any more. He just wanted to get out of here and take some time to calm his Beast before it erupted from him and caused a scene of unspeakable carnage and lust.

Mistress Light shrugged, her white robes rippling with the movement.

“Believe what you will. But if you wish to leave, you still must pay the price.”

“Fine, I’ll pay it. Just let me go,” Kate said, glaring at her. “Let me go now.”

“As you wish.” Mistress Light shimmered and Madam Shadow took her place. “Well, I see that my simpering, do-gooder sister could make no headway with you,” she sneered. “Still determined to leave, are you?”

“Yes, we are.” Kate lifted her chin defiantly. “And I’m ready to pay the price—whatever it is.”

“Kate—” Rone didn’t like her making such rash promises. But it was too late—the Madam of Shadows was already crooking a finger at his mate.

“Very well, little female. Then come here and take your punishment.”

“Kate!” he said again, his concern growing but Kate was already rising and walking towards the evil Madam who was smiling cruelly. Rone tried to follow but he was still restrained by the invisible bands. No matter how he fought them, he couldn’t move from his supine position on the floor. All he could do was watch.

“What…what are you going to do to me?” Kate asked in a voice that trembled only a little.

“Why, cane you, of course. Why do you think I brought my best cane with me today?” The Madam tapped the long, narrow black cane into her palm, with an ominous slapping sound. “I had a feeling I might have a use for it.”

“What? No!” Rone struggled harder with the bands. He had an idea he might be able to snap them—but only if he allowed his Beast to come out and lend him its strength. He couldn’t risk that—it was the very thing he’d been trying to avoid all this time. “Leave Kate alone,” he growled at the Madam. “You want to cane somebody, you can cane me.”

“Ah, what a sweet and touching offer.” The Madam of Shadows mimed wiping a tear from her purple eyes, which were lined in thick black makeup. “But I am afraid that will not satisfy the Shadow. You see, it chose your sweet little Kate when she came to us—you, my dear warrior, were chosen by the Light. You may have come into the Shadow to be with your mate but she is the one it truly wants—and the only one whose pain can satisfy its hunger.”

“No!” Rone struggled harder. “No—don’t you fucking touch her!”

“Oh, I’ll do more than touch her, Warrior. I’ll cane her until she bleeds.” She gave him another evil smile. “And then, of course, the two of you will be free to go.”

“Do you swear that?” Kate asked, her voice shaking. “You swear that the minute you finish…finish caning me, Rone and I are free to go back to our ship and leave?”

“I swear. Also, it’s in your contract. You know—the one you signed without reading the fine print?” Madam Shadow smirked at her.

“All right then.” There was a grim determination in Kate’s green eyes. “Do it. Just get it over with quickly is all I ask.”

“Very well. Turn and placed your hands against the wall,” the Madam directed.

“Kate—Lalli—no! You can’t let her do this!” Rone thrashed against his invisible bonds but Kate was already turning around and bracing her hands against the wall. Before he could protest further, the Madam of Shadows grabbed the back of Kate’s shirt in one black-taloned claw and ripped it neatly down the middle.

Kate gasped and shivered as her bare back was revealed. Rone looked at the familiar white scars from her past surgeries with a sinking feeling in his chest. How often had he kissed Kate there? How often had he traced the lines of scar tissue to ease her pain with the healing warmth of his tongue? The twisted scars made the pale skin of her back seem even more delicate and frail. They made him long to caress her and take away her pain. And now this evil bitch was planning to make it worse.

“Don’t hit her there!” he snarled, still writhing against the invisible bonds. “Can’t you see she’s been wounded in the past? Her scars already give her pain—if you add to the trauma…”

“I’ll cane her where I see fit,” the Madam snapped back. To prove her point, she drew back her arm and let the cane fall against Kate’s bird-like shoulder blades.

Kate jumped and her breath hitched in her chest but she made no protest and didn’t take her hands away from the wall. Rone saw her fingers clench but she stayed steady even when the Madam drew back her arm and let another blow fall. And then another and another.

Rone shouted and threatened to no avail as the beating went on and on. The cane raised ugly red welts on Kate’s pale skin and then, as the blows continued to fall, some of the welts became wounds until trickles of crimson were sliding down Kate’s bare back.

“Stop it! Fucking stop it—she’s bleeding!” Rone roared. The sight of his mate being hurt and tortured when he could do nothing to help her was a special kind of Hell—one he thought he might never recover from. He wanted to die. Wanted to tear loose of the invisible bonds and rip the fucking sadistic Madam of Shadows limb from limb.

We could do it, whispered the Beast in his head. We could kill and rend and maim. We could bathe in her blood…

But where would it end if he let the Beast out with such murderous intent? Rone knew he had to keep hold of it but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could do that. Not if he had to keep watching Kate being beaten.

At last, with one final, flat crack, the cane fell for the last time. The Madam of Shadows withdrew the long, evil instrument and actually licked it—her long pink tongue coming out to caress the black surface.

“Mmm,” she murmured, as though savoring the taste of Kate’s blood and pain. “Well, there you are my dear. It appears that the Shadow is finally satiated. You and your mate are free to go.”

Kate tried to nod but she sank down the wall instead, her cheek pressed to its red-flecked surface. To Rone, she looked as though she’d lost a lot of blood—maybe too much for her to keep going.

“Gods, Kate! Let me free! Let me go to her!” he rasped, his throat raw from shouting.

“As you wish.” With a negligent wave of her hand, the Madam somehow freed him. The moment he felt the invisible shackles melt away, Rone jumped up and ran to Kate. She lay in a crumpled, bloody heap on the floor, the white wall in front of her flecked with crimson.

“Baby? Kate?” Rone lifted her carefully, trying not to touch her wounded back.

Kate moaned, her head rolling back on her neck. There was a smear of blood on her chin too. Rone’s heart clenched in his chest when he realized she’d bitten her lip until it bled to keep from crying out during the brutal beating.

“You bitch,” he said thickly, glaring with hatred at the Madam of Shadows who was lounging against the wall and examining her long black fingernails. “I’ll kill you for what you’ve done to my mate.”

“Hadn’t you best think of getting her back to your ship and treating her injuries before you start threatening me?” she purred, arching an eyebrow at him. “Those wounds need to be cleaned and tended unless you want them to leave permanent scars. And your mate already has enough of those, doesn’t she?”

Rone knew she was right but it nearly killed him to leave with Kate unavenged.

“There will be a reckoning for what you’ve done,” he swore, his voice dipping down to the Beast’s growl. “I swear it by the Goddess.”

“Before you go making any oaths or promises, you need to remember that your mate asked for this punishment,” the Madam pointed out. “She chose it over letting you taste her. You might want to ask yourself why before you come after me.”

Her words cut deep because Rone had to admit they were true. Kate had chosen being caned over him. Why? Did she find him that repulsive? But no…she’d responded to his touch several times when they were together in the apartment bubble. So then why was she so reluctant to let him taste her?

Another low moan from Kate made him remember that his first priority now had to be getting her back to the ship and tending to her wounds. After that, maybe they could talk.

With a final glare at the Madam of Shadows, he cradled his wounded mate to his chest and left the room.

Outside, to his surprise, there was now a short, steep tunnel that led to a lighted archway. Making his way up it, Rone found himself back at the landing area. Standing in front of him was their ship, The Finder, just waiting to be boarded.

He turned to glance back at the dark hallway behind him only to see the Madam of Shadows standing there with a smirk on her face.

“Farewell, Warrior,” she said. “I would wish you a safe journey. But as you well know, nothing and no one around you will be safe for long if you don’t take care of your hunger soon.”

“I had it well in control before you started pushing,” Rone snarled. “And I can still control it—so stay the fuck away from us!”

The Madam’s dark shape shimmered and Mistress Light appeared.

“Do not lie to yourself, Warrior,” she said gently. “You need to feed your hunger very soon or your mate will be in grave danger. You know this.”

“You—” Rone began but just then Kate stirred in his arms.

“Rone?” she whispered and then cried out weakly when her movements hurt the wounds on her back.

“It’s all right, baby,” he murmured reassuringly. “We’re going now. Going to get you all treated and healed up, I promise.”

“Farewell, Warrior,” Mistress Light said, just as her other half had.

Rone didn’t bother to answer. Someday he would come back and avenge the pain that had been inflicted on his mate. Right now, he had to tend to her.

He took Kate inside the ship and shut the door firmly behind him. They were getting the Seven Hells out of this damn place and then he was going to heal Kate…and get some answers from her.

Chapter Twenty

“Well? What are they doing now?” Two demanded from the chip implanted under Y’s ear. He had been silent for a long time—long enough that it made Y jump to suddenly hear his Master’s voice in his head again.

“They are back aboard their own ship,” Y reported. “But they haven’t set a course as far as I can tell. They appear to be simply orbiting the moon which hosts the Flame and Frost complex.”

Two swore nastily. “I cannot manipulate them or enter their thoughts in the ship as I could while they were still in the compound. The metal of their hull impedes my new mental skills.”

Y wondered uneasily what other “skills” his Master had picked up from their time on the Scourge home world. Two was growing himself a new body in the vats the ancient alien race had used to replenish their stock of warriors, but Y had not seen it yet.

The body, along with a new chip with Master Two’s personality implanted in it, had been sequestered for days as it grew in the deep troughs filled with growth hormones and chemicals. During that time, Two had been mostly silent, concentrating on implanting himself thoroughly into his new form.

Y had stayed away from the new body and worked on the various projects he had been assigned. The Master had commanded him to especially concentrate on watching the Kindred tracker and his mate—the same girl they had taken by mistake and put back on Earth some months before.

As always, his Master’s motivations were a mystery to Y. Two had learned, through the spies he had planted everywhere, even on the Kindred Mother Ship, that the Wulven Kindred and his mate would be assigned to track him once they healed their wounded relationship. For some reason, this had enraged Two and he had vowed to hurt them in any way he could. Y had asked several times why they didn’t just blast the Wulven’s ship out of the sky but Two appeared to think that was too easy.

“I want them to have a slow death,” he’d told Y. “And I want them to hate each other before they die—hate each other and themselves.”

Y couldn’t fathom such reasoning but then, almost none of what the Master said and did made sense to him. More and more, he dreamed of a life without the constant presence in his head. Without the chip implanted beneath his ear…

“Well?”

The booming voice behind him made Y whirl around. His eyes grew large as he looked up…and up and up. Standing in the doorway of the ancient Scourge command complex was a behemoth of a warrior—nine feet tall and massively muscular.

“M-master?” he somehow managed to get out.

“What do you think?” The massive warrior did a surprisingly graceful turn, letting Y admire him from all sides. “I thought of simply regrowing my old body but though I miss my lovely metal teeth, this one has such a wonderful intimidation factor. Don’t you think?” he asked Y.

Y had to agree that his master was right. The muscular hulk of a male before him was nothing if not intimidating. “You are… certainly a sight to behold, Master,” he admitted.

“As I intended to be.” The Master preened, his new eyes glowing a contented red in their deep black sockets. His skin was the pearlescent gray of the Scourge and he was clothed in black battle armor and thick boots he must have found somewhere in the storage lockers.

“You must be quite relieved to have your own body again,” Y said cautiously. “In fact, now that your personality and consciousness resides inside this new and much worthier vessel, you will no doubt want me to remove the chip you had implanted in me.” He touched the bulge under his ear and looked up at his Master hopefully.

Master Two laughed—a strange, booming sound that seemed to echo inside Y’s head since it was coming both from the behemoth before him and the chip beneath his ear.

“Oh, I think not, Y. I rather like being able to keep such a close eye on you. I will remain watchful and you will retain my personality inside yourself.”

Y felt his heart sink. He hadn’t realized how desperately he wanted to be alone in his own skull until that moment.

“But…” he began.

“What is it, Y?” The huge creature before him peered down to gaze significantly into his face. “Please don’t tell me you’re tiring of my company. That would hurt my feelings. And you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“Of course not, Master,” Y said dully. “It is a pleasure and a privilege to host you.”

“Of course it is.” The huge face broke into a broad grin, showing sharp, yellow teeth. “I am delightful company. Now then…” Master Two clapped his massive palms together. “Have you readied the ship as I commanded?”

“Of course, Master,” Y answered stolidly. “I have one of the best flagships fitted with all the equipment you ordered.”

“Excellent. I’m glad that you’ve been busy while I grew into my new form.” The Master smiled again. “Now then, let’s be off, shall we? I want to be certain we’re in position when the Wulven and his female begin to move. We have to take them at just the right time and not before.”

“Take them and do what with them?” Y dared to ask.

“Why, torture them of course,” Two shot back. “Or let them torture each other, which is so much more entertaining. Don’t you think, Y?”

“Of course, Master,” Y answered dutifully. He must do as the Master willed, always. But inside he wondered if he would ever be free…

* * * * *

Kate woke to the feeling of something cool and wet being applied to the torn flesh of her back. Though whoever was doing it was clearly trying to be careful, it still stung like fire to have the ragged wounds touched.

“Ah!” she gasped weakly, trying to twist away from the cold wetness. The sudden movement brought tears to her eyes and she gave a low moan of pain.

“Hold still, Lalli,” a deep, familiar voice commanded. “I’m almost done washing your back. Then I can heal you.”

“You can what?” Kate twisted her head around to look at Rone, even though it hurt to do so. She was lying on her side on their bed in the ship and he was kneeling beside her, pressing a damp rag to her back. Well at least they were out of the horrible Flame and Frost resort but she still felt uneasy and her back ached and throbbed. “What are you going to do to me?” she asked again.

“Heal you,” he said patiently. “But I need to finish cleaning the wounds first. I swear I’m almost done.”

“How…how exactly are you going to heal me?” Kate demanded.

“With my tongue, of course,” he said as though it was the most reasonable idea in the world.

Kate thought she remembered saying something like this before—that he could heal her by licking her—but she didn’t know how she felt about it.

“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly. “Wouldn’t it be better to use some antibiotic ointment and some bandages? Maybe some strips of gauze?”

Rone went perfectly still for a moment and a look of sorrow passed over his strong features.

“Are you really that unwilling to let me taste you? Even in order to heal your wounds?”

“It’s not that…” Kate shifted uncomfortably and then winced at the bolt of pain the movement shot through her torn back.

“What is it, then?” Rone demanded. “What reason can you give for submitting yourself to such a brutal and vicious beating rather than letting me pleasure you with my tongue?”

“It’s a long story,” Kate snapped. “And anyway, I thought we were talking about you healing my back.”

“Which I would not need to do if you had been able to trust me enough to let me taste you when the Madam of Shadows demanded it,” he pointed out.

“That’s it. I’m leaving.” Kate tried to get off the bed but she was weak from blood loss and the sudden movements made her back feel like someone had poured liquid fire over her wounds. “Ah!” she gasped and sank back to her hands and knees, trembling with pain.

“Come here.” Rone pulled her to him with rough tenderness, being careful not to touch her anywhere she’d been caned. “Relax,” he ordered her when Kate struggled weakly in his grip. “I’m going to heal you now and I don’t want to hear any more about it.”

“But it’s unsanitary,” Kate protested. “I mean bacteria and germs and—”

“My body produces antibacterial chemicals and healing agents specifically tailored to you because you’re my mate,” he explained, speaking into her ear since he was holding her from behind. “I can heal you more quickly and cleanly than any outside source or medicine.”

“But…but it’s gross. For you, I mean,” she said desperately. “I don’t want you to have to lick all over my bloody back—that’s disgusting.”

“Kate…” He sighed deeply. “How many times do I have to tell you that every part of you is beautiful to me?”

“But my scars…” she whispered. That was the crux of the matter—the real reason she didn’t want him licking her back. They were so ugly. So twisted and deformed. How could Rone want to touch her there? Let alone put his mouth… she shivered, unable to finish the thought.

“Your scars are part of you, Lalli,” he murmured in her ear. “Which makes them beautiful to me too.”

“How can you say that?” Kate whispered.

“I say it because it’s true,” he said simply. Then Kate felt something warm and wet and incredibly soothing dragging lightly over one wounded shoulder blade.

“Ahh…” she gasped, jumping a little.

He stopped at once. “Did I hurt you?”

“No…” Kate took a moment to take stock of herself. “Actually, it feels…it feels better, I think.”

“It should. The part I licked is already beginning to heal.”

“It is?” Kate tried to turn her head but of course, she couldn’t see her own shoulder blade and the motion just made her groan with pain.

“Hold still.” Rone’s deep voice was stern. “Let me heal you before you go twisting all around.”

There didn’t seem to be much choice. Kate held rigidly still as he continued licking her, tracing each long, vicious wound on her back with his tongue.

The big Kindred’s gentle caress seemed to send a warm tingling healing through her entire body. Soon, Kate found that the stinging, burning pain was turning to pleasure—a pleasure that wasn’t only confined to her back. For some reason her nipples felt tight and achy and the tender V between her thighs was throbbing as Rone continued to bathe her back with long, tender licks of his tongue. The pleasurable sensations grew until she didn’t think she could stand any more.

“Um…” She shifted restlessly. “Do you…don’t you want a break to get a drink of water or something? To wash the taste out of your mouth?”

“Why would I ever want to wash away your taste?” he growled softly. “I crave it, Kate. Crave it like I crave air to breathe.”

Somehow she knew they were no longer talking about the taste he got while healing her back.

“Why?” she whispered. “And how can I possibly believe that after what happened back when…” She trailed off but Rone had picked up on her unspoken thought.

“Is that what this is about?” he growled softly. “Something some other male said or did in the past?”

Kate squirmed. “Yes,” she said shortly.

“What happened?” Rone was still behind her so Kate couldn’t see him without turning her head but she could almost feel his piercing blue eyes boring into her. “You never would tell me before but now I need to know,” he said. “Need to understand how you could pick a vicious beating over any pleasure I might be able to give you with my mouth.”

Kate really, really didn’t want to talk about it—or even think about it for that matter. It was an old, bad memory she’d spent years trying to forget. But apparently, her former self had somehow managed to do just that—or else to get past it enough to enjoy letting Rone go down on her. How that had happened, Kate had no idea. But she didn’t want to get into this now with the big Kindred.

Still, there was a waiting silence in the air between them—a feeling that Rone wasn’t going to back down from this. He wanted answers and Kate guessed she couldn’t blame him. She had allowed the Madam of Shadows to cane her back bloody rather than allowing the big Kindred to taste her—anyone would want to know why she would pick the pain over the pleasure.

“Kate?” he growled softly, and she knew she was right. He wasn’t going to quit until she spilled the beans.

“Fine,” she said, having a sudden inspiration. “I’ll tell you what—I’ll explain what happened to make me not want to let you, uh, taste me if you’ll tell me about the hunger.”

He sighed harshly and she had a feeling she’d hit a nerve. Well maybe that was a good thing. Maybe he would be so unwilling to talk about his strange secret that he would let Kate keep hers. But after a moment he spoke, dashing her hopes of keeping her past hidden.

“Fine—I’ll tell you,” he growled. “But you go first—I need to finish healing your back.”

“All right.” He had her and Kate knew it—she had to tell, had to dredge up the awful old memory like a dead body that had been buried and rotting for years. Taking a deep breath, she tried to speak in a cold, emotionless voice, willing herself not to feel as she told Rone her past.

“I was a freshman in college before I ever really dated,” she began, looking down at the quilt as Rone continued to heal her back. “Part of that was because of the Knowing—some of the kids could sense it, I think. They knew somehow that I was different, even though they couldn’t put their finger on how or why.”

“It’s the same with me,” Rone murmured. “Some people can sense the Beast in me. We used to call them ‘Sensitives’. Most of them picked up my differences before they were bothered by you, though.”

“Really?” Kate glanced back at him.

He nodded. “Uh-huh. My Beast really bothers the ones that can sense it.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “You always say I scare the ‘shinola’ out of them.”

“That sounds like me.” She gave him a little smile in return. “Anyway, enough people were bothered in my home town that I got the reputation as being the ‘weird’ kid.’ And it didn’t help that I had to wear this huge, hard back brace for years after my surgeries either. Looked like a freaking turtle shell but it went all the way around me.” She sighed. “So anyway, between that and the Knowing, none of the guys were exactly knocking down the door to get to me.”

Rone was silent but it was a listening silence. He’d mostly finished with her back now, but Kate could still feel him behind her, the warmth of his big body radiating against her bare skin.

“When I got to college, I thought everything was going to be different,” she went on. “I was out of the brace and even though I still had the Knowing, I was able to, I don’t know, shield myself a little better. Or maybe it was just that everyone was new and different and I didn’t stick out so much. Anyway…” she took a deep breath. “There was this guy in my French Literature class named Greg Compton.”

The name tasted like dust in her mouth—like fear and sour wine and a past best left forgotten. But Kate knew that now she had started, she had to continue—there was no other way.

“Greg Compton,” she made herself say again. “He was at least five years older than me and I thought he was amazing. He was tall—well, everyone is tall compared to me, but you know what I mean—and he had these big, soulful brown eyes. I think I was in love with him for a whole semester before he ever noticed me. But then…then we were assigned to analyze some poetry together.”

“And what happened once he took notice of you?” Rone asked. He spoke quietly but there was a soft growl in his voice that sent a little shiver down Kate’s spine.

“He…he invited me back to his dorm room to do the assignment together,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “And then he asked me if I wanted some wine. You know—well, you probably know—I’ve never been much of a drinker. I just don’t have much tolerance. Beer I would have said no to, but here was this sophisticated older man offering me wine and I didn’t want to seem like some stupid little freshman who didn’t know which end was up so I said yes, of course, I’d like some wine.”

She paused for a moment, having a hard time going on.

“And?” Rone asked softly after a long pause.

“And…and I think he put something in it.” Kate sighed. “In fact, I’m sure he did. Not enough to knock me completely out, but enough to make me feel all warm and dizzy. The next thing I knew he was…” She swallowed, hearing a dry click in the back of her throat. “He was pushing up my dress.”

“What?” There was definitely more of a growl in Rone’s voice now. “He dared to take advantage of you?”

“Oh, he dared all right,” Kate said grimly. “I should have known better than to drink that wine or to go with him in the first place, you know? The Knowing tried to warn me but I…I wanted so badly to be noticed, to feel pretty and desired that I ignored it—pushed it to the back of my mind. It was my own fault, really…”

“It was not your fault. Then what happened?” Rone asked in a low, intense voice. “How did you get away from him?”

“I didn’t—not completely, anyway.” Kate winced at the memory. It was old but it still had sharp edges that cut her when she took it out to examine it—like an ancient shard of broken glass half buried in the sand of her past. “I…I started to panic but it was like everything was in slow motion. I tried to push him off me, but he said…said I should just…just let it happen. He said, ‘You’re going to love this, Katie. You’ll see.’”

Kate swallowed hard and for a moment, she was back there, back in the dorm room that smelled of stale beer and dirty laundry on Greg’s crumpled, half-made bed. She could still feel his ice-cold hands groping between her thighs as he fumbled with her panties, yanking them roughly down in his eagerness to get to her.

“He…he put his fingers in me first but I was scared and horrified so of course I wasn’t in any way ready for any kind of…of anything. So he said something about getting me ‘all hot and bothered’ and then…then he put his face between my legs,” she said, her voice coming out high and tight.

“The bastard! You were too drugged to get away?” Rone sounded infuriated.

Kate nodded. “I tried to sit up but he pushed me back down. I started to shout for help and then he said something like—‘Just shut up and enjoy it.’ And he put…put a pillow over my face.” She put a hand to her throat, her voice closing off to a whisper. “It was so awful—I felt like I was smothering. I couldn’t breathe.”

The memory washed over her, the awful sensation of helplessness, of being unable to move, her ankles tangled in her panties as she kicked weakly but to no avail, the drug he’d given her holding her down as much as his hand on the pillow. It sent a shudder through her and she gulped in a breath, trying to get air in to her lungs, exactly as she had that night in the dorm room…

A low growl from Rone brought her back to the present and somehow she was able to go on.

“He was…so much bigger than me. And he was…I think he was coming at me sideways. Like, bending over me from above so he could hold me down with the pillow using one hand and force…force my legs open with the other.” Kate drew in another trembling breath and the words came out in a rush.

“Then he started trying to…to get his tongue in me, I guess. It was cold too, just like his fingers. I remember that vividly, I don’t know why—maybe it was cold from the chilled wine. Anyway, it felt like he’d been sucking on ice cubes or something. It was weird and really awful—like a cold fish trying to worm its way inside me.”

She pressed her thighs tightly together, the memory so deep and visceral it nearly made her sick.

“And the whole time I couldn’t get a deep enough breath because of the pillow and I was wondering…wondering if I was going to die because I couldn’t breathe. I was seeing spots in front of my eyes and I remember telling myself, don’t pass out. You can’t pass out or you’ll never wake up!”

She clenched her fists in the quilt, trying not to let the memory sweep her completely away, trying to anchor herself in reality. But it was hard…so hard not to let it take over her completely, not to get washed away in the tide of nightmares letting herself remember brought with it.

“Kate…if you can’t go on…” Rone murmured behind her.

“No,” Kate surprised herself by saying. “No, I started this. I…have to finish. Unless…unless you’d rather not hear it?”

“I’ll hear anything you have to tell,” he reassured her. “Although the hearing makes me want to kill the one who hurt you.”

Kate gave a shaky laugh that was more than half sob. “I wanted to kill him too. But mostly I just wanted to be able to breathe. I think he put the pillow on my face mostly to muffle my screams but he was pressing down really hard. I finally managed to turn my head but I could still only get little sips of air. I was panicking but the drug still made it feel like everything was in slow motion—like drowning in a dream.

“It seemed to go on forever—that cold tongue poking and probing inside me and the feeling that I was going to smother, that I was going to suffocate at any minute…” She shook her head. “It was awful. But finally…finally he seemed like he’d had enough of…of that anyway.”

“He let you up?” Rone’s voice was still angry and tense but Kate knew the anger wasn’t directed at her.

“He did.” She nodded. “I think he thought he’d been doing me a favor and that I’d be all warmed up and…and ready for anything else he wanted to do. He said, ‘Now wasn’t that good, Katie? Didn’t I tell you I’d make you feel good?’” She fisted her hands tighter in the quilt, the memory of his condescending words bringing tears of fury to her eyes. “Fucking pig,” she spat. The rage was still there, just under the surface. It made her wonder how she’d ever managed to push this memory under the rug in the first place.

“Did you get away from him then?” Rone asked in a low voice.

“I tried. He started to climb on top of me and this time…” Kate swallowed hard. “He had his dick out. And I knew what was coming next. I was still disoriented from whatever he’d put in my wine but I kicked out at him. I was aiming for his balls but I got him in the stomach instead.”

She could still remember the look of shock and anger that had come over Greg’s handsome face when her foot connected with his toned midsection.

“Hey, you little bitch,” he’d growled. “What the hell is wrong with you? I just went down on you for like, thirty fucking minutes. You owe me something in return!”

“I don’t owe you a Goddamn thing! Get off me,” Kate remembered gasping, twisting and kicking, fighting to get up—to get away—to get anywhere but where she was, pinned to the dirty bed and about to be raped.

“I managed to twist around,” she told Rone, closing her eyes. “I was scrambling off the bed but he grabbed the back of my dress and tried to yank me back.”

Rone made a low, menacing sound but said nothing, though Kate could feel the tension in the big body behind hers.

“It was my scars that saved me,” she said, trying to laugh. But the laugh came out sounding more like a sob.

“How?” he asked in a low voice.

“My dress ripped.” Kate swallowed hard, remembering the choking feeling of the material pulling tight against her throat and then the low, purring sound of fabric ripping down the back seam of the dress she’d been wearing. “It ripped,” she said again. “And when he saw the scars from all my surgeries, he gagged—actually gagged.” She took a trembling breath. “And he said…he said, ‘God, no wonder your pussy tasted so fucking weird. What are you, some kind of a circus freak?’”

“The bastard,” Rone growled angrily. “How dare he try to force himself on you and then play on your worst insecurity?”

“Well, as it turned out, playing on insecurities was what ol’ Greg was all about.” Kate gave another sobbing laugh and found that her eyes were stinging. “I got away from him that night and I wanted to report him. But he sent me an e-mail…”

“He threatened you?” Rone asked when she paused.

“Yeah, but not how you’d think. See, it turns out he and his roommate did this kind of thing a lot and they had a camera set up to film it. Sick fucks.” Just the memory turned her stomach.

“The images should have been enough to show what kind of male he was and convict him!” Rone exclaimed. “Why didn’t you bring them to the authorities?”

“Because the part he sent was just…just pictures of my back. After my dress ripped, I mean.” Kate licked her lip, which still stung from the way she’d bitten it earlier during the caning. “He said…he told me in the e-mail that it was my fault I hadn’t enjoyed what he did to me. And he said he’d circulate the pictures and let everyone know…know what a ‘frigid freak’ I was. I…I didn’t want that. Didn’t want anyone seeing my back—my scars.”

“Kate…”

She hugged herself tightly, unable to stop talking.

“I know I should have spoken up—I wanted to. I was getting up the nerve to do it when another girl did. And some others came forward and backed her up. And then…then I felt like I couldn’t. I mean, Greg and his roommate, they actually raped, those other girls. I guess…guess I felt like I’d gotten off light and I couldn’t…I mean, I didn’t have it as bad as they did so I couldn’t complain.” She sighed and wiped tears from her eyes. “Or maybe that was just an excuse I used so I didn’t have to admit what had happened, so I didn’t have to let everyone know what a freak I was…what a freak I still am.”

“You’re not a freak,” Rone said roughly. “Kate, look at me…” He turned her to face him and looked at her earnestly. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured, brushing away a tear from her flushed cheek. “Always so beautiful and brave and perfect to me, baby.”

Kate gave another jagged laugh. “Yeah? Well, I don’t think I acted very bravely at the time. And it’s not like I had it as bad as the other girls Greg and his roommate got to.”

“You fought him,” Rone said fiercely, his blue eyes burning. “Even with the drug in your system you fought! And you say he didn’t hurt you—didn’t rape you as he did the other females. But Kate, he still penetrated you against your will. And nearly suffocated you at the same time!” A look of deep sorrow came over his face. “Now I understand why you’re so reluctant to let me taste you. How can I blame you after what that bastard did?”

“I…” Kate didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before. It’s just…I’ve spent so long trying to forget it. It’s hard…hard to talk about.”

“Of course it is,” he said gently. His big hands curled into fists. “Where is the son of a bitch who did that to you now? I want to find him the next time we go to Earth and kill him.” His voice was a low, menacing growl. “I’ll rip his fucking head off and bathe in his blood!”

Kate shook her head. “You can’t do that, Rone! And anyway, I don’t know where he is now.”

“Was he at least punished by the authorities for what he did?” Rone demanded.

Kate sighed. “I think he cut some kind of deal, if I’m remembering right. He turned on his roommate and somehow just got community service or something.”

“What?” Rone sounded really incensed. “How could they just let him go free when all the evidence was caught on film?”

Kate shrugged. “Well, someone tipped them off and they destroyed most of it. And for the footage that was left, apparently they were careful to keep their backs to the camera while they were filming so it was impossible to identify them.”

“Then he hasn’t been properly punished.” Rone was glowering now, obviously really angry. “I’ll see to that the next time we go to Earth—I swear it. I just wish you could tell me where he’s living now.”

“I have no idea. It’s not like I would ever want to keep track of him. I just wanted to get on with my life and try to forget.” Kate took a deep, trembling breath. “And for the most part, I did. I tried to forget about Greg, though I didn’t forget what he’d taught me—I was a lot more careful after that. I think…” She coughed. “I think it took me two years after that to go on another date and I never let myself be alone with a guy in his room or apartment again. But I recovered…I had other relationships.”

“Never any lasting ones if what you told me was true,” Rone said in a low voice.

“No,” Kate admitted uneasily. “It was…really hard to trust guys after that. Human guys, anyway. Maybe…maybe the reason I was able to trust you is because you’re not human—not like them. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I wish I could remember.”

“You did say something like that to me, early in our relationship.” Rone sounded thoughtful. “And it did take you a long time to let me see your scars…or to let me taste you. Now I understand why.”

“Yup. Now you know the whole, ugly story.” Kate tried to say it lightly but her words fell flat.

“Yes, now I know,” Rone said softly, breaking the awkward pause that had fallen between them. “And it makes me marvel even more at your bravery—that you were ever able to overcome what was done to you and trust me.”

“I wish I could remember that—remember trusting you.” Kate heard the wistfulness in her voice but couldn’t seem to help it. “I must have felt really comfortable about you to let you see my scars and…do everything else we apparently did.”

“It took months,” he admitted, stroking her hair. “Months of talking and spending time together—I poured my whole self into the effort. I wanted you so badly, wanted you to trust me…to open up to me.”

Kate sighed. “You must feel like all that effort was wasted now.”

“Of course not. In fact, I want to thank you for trusting me again,” Rone said gravely. “Trusting me enough to tell me your story. You didn’t in the past, you know. It never came between us but I always felt there was something…some shadow on your heart and I wanted desperately to know what it was. So thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Kate found she couldn’t meet the burning intensity of his eyes for long. They were still lying on the bed together, face to face, and the intimacy of the moment was almost too much to bear. “Um…” She cleared her throat, casting about for something to say, some way to break the tension that had somehow grown between them. “Okay, so I showed you mine, now it’s time for you to show me yours.”

“What?” Rone frowned at her, clearly not understanding.

Kate felt stupid. God, what was wrong with her? Well, other than the fact that she’d just endured a brutal beating and shared the most private and painful experience of her life with a man she still couldn’t remember loving. She took a breath and tried again.

“I mean, I told you my story. About why…why I didn’t want you, uh, tasting me.” Her cheeks felt warm but she made herself go on. “Now you have to tell me about the hunger.”

Rone looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“Ah, well…perhaps…perhaps we should keep it for another time.”

“What?” Kate frowned at him. “Listen, Mister, I just spilled my guts to you and it was not easy. Now it’s your turn. Don’t tell me you’re backing down.”

“All right.” Rone made a face. “No need to question my honor. I’ll tell you but I don’t want you to feel…to feel…”

“To feel what?” Kate looked at him, honestly confused. “What is it? Are you afraid it’s going to make me feel bad?”

“It shouldn’t,” he said, looking at her earnestly. “Truly, Kate, I don’t want it to. That’s why I’d rather not tell you.”

For a moment Kate almost relented. But then she remembered how hard—how agonizing—it had been to dredge up the memory of her assault. Whatever Rone had to tell her, it couldn’t make her feel worse than that.

“Just tell me,” she said evenly, looking him in the eyes. “What is the hunger?”

He sighed, clearly defeated.

“The hunger is the name we Wulven give to the desire we feel for our mates. Only…” He shook his head. “It’s not really just a desire. It’s more like…like an addiction.”

“You’re addicted to your mate? To me, I mean?” Kate looked at him in surprise. “You mean…sexually?”

“Yes, in a way,” he admitted in a low voice. “You know I have a Beast inside me—a feral creature that thinks only of feeding and breeding.”

“I…I know,” Kate said, hearing the little catch in her voice. “The Knowing told me—warned me the first time I saw you. Or back at the mall, anyway.”

Rone nodded. “It warned you when we first met as well. Yet, you still pursued me. I think it fascinated you—that and the fact that I wasn’t human.”

“That sounds about right,” Kate said. “I love to get to know new people and other cultures have always interested me.”

“I know.” He gave her a small smile. “That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about you.”

“Okay, but getting back to the Beast…?” Kate prompted gently. “Do all Wulven males have them?”

Rone nodded. “Before a Wulven male is mated, we have to allow the Beast time to come out and roam every month. At the convergence of the full moons, we go to the Howlund—a special area set aside for males, especially unmated ones—and let the Beast come out.”

“What happens after you’re mated?” Kate asked.

“Well, then we have another way to control it. To keep the Beast quiet.”

“What way?” Kate prompted.

Rone sighed reluctantly.

“The Beast is a creature of pure emotion and appetite. It feeds on pleasure…sexual pleasure.”

“So…because we’ve been separated for so long and we haven’t, uh…haven’t had sex…” Kate coughed. “I mean, are you telling me you need to get your rocks off? Is that it?”

“The hunger isn’t fed by making love—or not only by making love,” Rone said softly.

Kate felt a surge of relief. “Okay, so we could get you off another way? Maybe a, uh, hand-job? Or a blow-job?”

Her cheeks got hot but she spoke the words anyway. After all, in the past several days, they’d touched each other very intimately and though she still couldn’t remember the past and Rone being her husband, she had to admit she was definitely attracted to the big Kindred. She could see her way clear to helping him out if he needed her to.

But he was shaking his head.

“I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding me. It isn’t my pleasure the Beast feeds on—it’s yours, Lalli. It’s the pleasure of a male’s mate that satiates it and keeps it quiet and contented.”

“But…how can that be?” Kate asked blankly. “It can feel my pleasure?”

“It can,” he admitted in a low voice. “But it isn’t just your pleasure that the Beast hungers for.”

“What then?” Kate felt her breath catch in her throat. She thought she knew what he was going to say but…

“Your honey.” He looked away and she saw that his big hands were clenched into fists. “The Beast—my Beast—is addicted to your honey. It craves it desperately, Kate.”

“My honey? You mean my…” Kate nodded down at herself, to the V between her legs.

Rone nodded. “Your juices. The sweet nectar your pussy makes when you’re aroused.”

Kate felt herself go hot and cold all over.

“And when it doesn’t get to…to taste my, uh, honey it becomes…what—dangerous?”

She vaguely remembered hearing both Madam Shadow and Mistress Light warning the big Kindred that his hunger was getting out of control and there would be trouble soon if he couldn’t get it taken care of. But she’d been so out of it with pain the words hadn’t made sense. Now she understood.

“My God,” she whispered. “I finally get it—why you told me you always had to, uh, ‘kiss’ me awake and ‘kiss’ me goodnight and the reason we had a freaking schedule for you to…to taste me. And now it’s been over six months so your Beast is probably starving.”

Rone nodded, looking miserable.

“Do you see why I didn’t want to tell you? Especially after what you told me?”

“I guess so…” Kate bit her lip and then squeaked in pain. “Ouch!”

“Are you all right?” He looked at her anxiously. “What happened? Is your back still hurting? I thought I healed all of it but…”

“No, no,” Kate hastily reassured him. “My back feels fine—better than fine, actually. It’s my lip.” She touched one fingertip to it delicately and hissed in pain. “I practically gnawed through it when I was trying not to yell while Madam Shadow was whipping me.”

“I know.” His eyes were shadowed. “I thought my heart would burst when I saw that. It nearly killed me to watch you take that beating and not be able to get lose and help you.”

“It was no fun for me either,” Kate said grimly. “But you healed me up. And maybe something good came of it. Now we understand each other a lot more than we did before.”

“Much good it does us.” Rone sighed. “What I still don’t understand is how you ever opened yourself to me in the first place after having such a horrible experience.”

“I must have trusted you,” Kate whispered. Somehow, she couldn’t stop looking at him—his strong features…the way his eyes glowed with concern for her. And he smelled so good—it made her want to reach out and touch him. She put her fingers to her sore lip again.” Could…do you think you could heal this too? My lip, I mean? It really stings.”

Rone’s piercing blue eyes were intent as he looked at her.

“If you trust me,” he said quietly.

“I do,” Kate whispered and she was no longer certain she was just talking about her lip.

“Then I’ll heal you,” he murmured. Cupping her cheek, he lifted her jaw and leaned towards her. Kate’s heart was pounding as she felt his warm breath against her face. God, what was she doing? Just letting him heal me—that’s all, she insisted to herself. Then his hot tongue was bathing her wounded bottom lip, tracing delicately along her hurt flesh and taking away her pain.

As she had before, Kate felt a tingling running through her, a healing warmth that spread to all parts of her body—especially the more sensitive areas. She moaned softly as she felt her nipples go tight and between her legs her pussy began to feel swollen and hot. God, how could he affect her so much with just a kiss? Because that was what it had turned into—her lip was healed now but the big Kindred hadn’t withdrawn. Instead, he leaned closer and ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips, asking for entry.

Kate couldn’t deny him. She parted willingly, inviting him in but to her surprise, Rone didn’t immediately slide his tongue into her mouth. Instead, he sucked gently on hers, inviting her to invade him, offering himself and asking her to explore him with her own tongue, to know him more deeply and intimately than she ever had before.

With another low moan, Kate took his offer eagerly. She pressed her tongue into his mouth, tasting him, enjoying the warm, spicy flavor that was foreign and yet somehow completely familiar. The taste that was Rone. God, she shouldn’t be doing this—shouldn’t want to do this. She’d just re-lived the worst memory of her life—she shouldn’t want anything to do with any male anywhere right now.

But there was something about the big Kindred. Despite the Beast he kept chained inside him and the incredible danger he posed, he made her feel safe…made her trust him. Maybe because he was letting her take the lead.

With a soft little growl of effort, Kate pushed the big Kindred over onto his back. Rone went willingly, letting her do what she wanted to him. Even when Kate straddled his chest and put her hand to his throat, he made no effort to stop her.

“Lalli,” he murmured as her fingers tightened around his neck. Of course her hand was too small to really do any damage but that didn’t stop the surge of power Kate felt. The feeling of being in control was intoxicating—exhilarating. She squeezed as she leaned down to kiss him again—not to choke him or hurt him, but to hold him in place, to let him know she was on top and in charge.

Rone made not a murmur of protest. He only opened for her, eagerly accepting her tongue in his mouth again as she kissed him ruthlessly. Kate ravaged his mouth, nipping sharply at his sensuous lips and pressing her tongue deep inside him, exploring him as though she owned him, as though she had every right.

Rone’s eyes flickered from piercing blue to bright silver and she felt his big body shiver beneath her as she continued to kiss him. She could feel his muscles trembling beneath hers, like an engine running hot and hard, going into overdrive. But still he made no move to stop her or push her away—he just submitted to her kiss and let her do as she pleased with him.

Deep in the darkest part of her mind Kate understood that what she was doing—the way she was pushing him—was dangerous. But somehow she couldn’t stop. She didn’t know what had gotten into her but she wanted this—wanted to be on top of him, kissing him, tasting him—wanted to push him and know he wouldn’t push back. Wouldn’t hurt her no matter what she did.

“Gods, baby, please,” he groaned, when she at last came up for air. His eyes were pure, piercing silver and there was a look of desperate hunger on his face. “Please,” he begged in a deep, hoarse voice. “We can’t go on like this. I can’t…the Beast, we’re teasing it, riling it up. And I need to keep it down, keep it inside.”

“You need to feed your hunger don’t you?” Kate released his throat but still sat on his chest, looking down at him.

Rone looked away. “I don’t…I’ve managed this far. If we can just set a course to my home planet—to G’nera and I can get to the Howlund to let it out…”

“How far away is that?” Kate demanded.

“The nearest stable wormhole is at least a day away even with our hyperdrive going full speed,” he admitted. “And after that, at least another day’s travel at full speed.”

“Can you wait that long?” she asked directly.

His jaw clenched. “I’ll have to. I understand how you feel now, baby. I’d never ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

“I’ll tell you what would make me ‘uncomfortable’ Kate said sharply. “Having your Beast come out and rip me to shreds. Now that would be really uncomfortable.”

A look she couldn’t read passed over his face. “Actually, I used to be worried about that but I don’t think it would do that to you—not now.”

“What then?” Kate demanded. “I’m sure it won’t just shake hands and agree to stay for tea if you lose control of it.”

Rone looked away from her. “I think it’s safe to say the Beast…is more interested in breeding than feeding. At least when it comes to you.”

Kate felt a shiver of fear run through her entire body but she tried not to show it.

“So you’re telling me you might turn into a huge, hairy Beast at any minute but don’t worry, you can probably control it?”

“I can control it,” he insisted, looking back at her. “I have for this long—I can stand the hunger a little longer.”

“It’s been six months, Rone,” she pointed out. “Six months since we made love…since you…you tasted my, uh, honey.” Her cheeks were burning and she didn’t know why she was doing this—she only knew she couldn’t seem to stop pushing.

“I’ll be fine.” He pushed her gently off him and sat up, putting his head in his hands. “I have to be.”

“That’s not what Mistress Light and Madam Shadow said,” Kate pointed out.

“What do they know?” he demanded, jerking his head up to glare at her.

“Rone…your eyes are silver.” She gestured at his face. “What does that mean? Doesn’t it mean your Beast is close? Close to the surface?” She didn’t know how she knew that but something inside her whispered it was so. Maybe a buried memory that wanted to come out.

Before, whenever his eyes went silver you knew it was time to take him someplace private, whispered a little voice in her head. Take him someplace quickly and raise your skirt and push his head between your legs. Then and only then when his tongue was buried in your pussy, tasting you, did you know he was safe…

Kate reached for the memory eagerly—was she finally coming back to herself and regaining the time she had lost? But it slipped away like sand between her fingers, dissolving like a dream the moment one wakes up.

“Gods…” The big Kindred ran a hand through his hair and let out a harsh sigh. “Kate, I think it’s time to hide you away,” he said. “We need to get you into one of the smuggling compartments on the far end of the ship and lock it up tight.”

“What? No!” Kate shook her head. “Besides, what good would it do to try to hide from your Beast? You told me before that we used to play that game—that ‘Hide and Suck’—and you always found me by my scent. And aren’t your senses a thousand times stronger when you’re in your Beast form? Your senses and your physical strength too—whatever lock we use, you’ll just tear it right off and come for me anyway, won’t you?”

“Well, we have to do something.” Rone ran both hands through his hair this time in obvious agitation. “I don’t want to hurt you, baby! We have to do something to hold back my Beast.”

“We will.” Kate felt strangely calm and centered as she spoke. “We’re going to give it what it wants—what it needs—so desperately.”

“What do you mean?” His blazing silver eyes narrowed.

“It means,” Kate said evenly. “You’re going to taste me. Now.”

Rone shook his head.

“No. Not after what you told me. Not after what you went through at the hands of that bastard—who I’m still going to kill, by the way, as soon as we get back to Earth.”

“Forget about him,” Kate said evenly. “I have. Or I was able to enough to trust you before.”

“It took us months to get to that point,” Rone pointed out. “Months of me proving myself to you, showing you I would never hurt you, that I would always be gentle and careful of you, Lalli. It’s only been days since I found you again and you still don’t have your memories back. And for most of the time we’ve been together, your system was so loaded with fear toxins you couldn’t even bear to let me touch you—let alone do anything else.”

“The fear toxins are gone now, you know that,” Kate said. “And as for it taking months and months, well…even in the few short days I’ve known you, you proved yourself over and over again to me, Rone.” She ticked the ways off on her fingers. “You saved me in the mall, even when I shot you—you hung on and pulled me up when I would have fallen. You came with me to Flame and Frost and refused to abandon me when I went into the Shadow and couldn’t get out. You saved me from that damn swimming pool filled with toxic gunk and you offered to take my beating from Madam Shadow…”

A look of anger and sorrow passed over his face.

“I’m not proud of that. I shouldn’t have let her touch you—should have been strong enough to break free and keep you safe.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Kate said softly. “What happened was a good thing—it got us talking. Now we know where we stand. And I…” She took a deep breath. “I know what you need.”

“But how can you even think of giving it to me—of giving yourself to me that way, after what you just told me?” Rone demanded, his voice ragged. “Dredging up that memory had to be horribly painful, baby—I don’t want to put you through any more.”

“It was hard,” Kate admitted, putting her arms around herself. “But I think it was good in a way—to talk about it. It was…cathartic. You know I’ve never told anyone about it before? Not my roommates…not my Mom—nobody.”

“Not even me,” Rone said softly, nodding. “But do you really think you could trust me—trust any male—after letting yourself remember it again?”

“I think I can—I did before, didn’t I?” Kate frowned. “Tell me about it—you talked about it on the way to Flame and Frost but I was still so freaked out I didn’t really absorb it. How did we do it? How did you taste me that first time?”

“Very slowly and very gently.” Rone’s silver eyes went soft and he stroked her cheek tenderly. “I think I told you—we started with your panties on and just went from there.”

Kate bit her newly healed lip.

“I think…I think I can do that,” she whispered, looking up at him. “I think if you’re very slow and patient with me…”

“I swear I will be.” His eyes were half-lidded with desire now. “Gods, baby, if I could just taste you, even a little…even a few licks of your sweet honey would hold back the Beast—at least long enough to reach G’nera.”

Kate’s heart was pounding and her face felt flushed but she nodded as calmly as she could.

“Then we’ll do it. We have to—have to hold back your Beast and feed your hunger.” She looked down at herself. “Uh…but I’d kind of like a quick shower and a change of clothes first. Can you wait long enough for that?”

He nodded slowly. “I think so—if you hurry. I’m going to set a course for G’nera while you do. If we can just hold off the Beast until we get there, then I can go to the Howlund and let it out to roam safely.”

“All right.” Kate nodded and would have gone towards the small bathroom but Rone caught her in his arms and drew her close for a moment. Leaning down, he took her mouth in a soft, searing kiss that seemed to make every nerve in her body tingle.

“Thank you,” he murmured when they finally pulled apart. “Thank you for trusting me, Kate. Even though you still don’t remember me.”

“I may not remember you but I still…still like you. Like you a lot,” Kate whispered back. “I know it’s not love—not yet—but I’m trying, Rone. I’m trying to be open.”

“I know.” He stroked her hair, his silver eyes bright. “And that’s all I ask.”

Kate couldn’t take the intensity of his gaze anymore. She pulled away from his gentle embrace and headed for the bathroom. She still had on the ragged, bloodstained “exercise” clothes they’d been forced to wear at Flame and Frost and she couldn’t wait to get out of them and get a shower. And then…

And then I’ll deal with what comes next, she told herself firmly, her heart pounding. I have to.

Chapter Twenty-one

After a short but refreshing hot shower, Kate stood, wrapped in a towel, in front of her small dresser and looked over the selection of lingerie her past self had acquired.

“Wow, I certainly wasn’t shy,” she murmured, running her fingers over the variety of silky gowns and panties that filled her lingerie drawer to overflowing. She must have loved dressing to show her body off—which was still hard to believe, given how she felt about her scars.

Speaking of scars…she flexed her shoulder blades and frowned. The familiar tightness she always felt in the scar tissue, especially when she was under stress, wasn’t there right now. Given how nervous she felt about what she was about to do—to let Rone do to her—she was really surprised not to feel it. Then she remembered what he’d told her—that he used to lick her scars to make her feel looser and more supple. He’d spent a long time healing the wounds on her back—that must have been what helped her feel so much better.

Kate sighed. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about her scars. She needed to find a good outfit to wear—something sexy that would make her feel pretty and relaxed. As if she could relax when just the thought of the big Kindred getting between her thighs made her feel hot and cold all over.

She still wasn’t completely sure why she’d told Rone that she wanted to let him taste her. Well, aside from controlling his Beast, that was. But the Beast wasn’t the only reason she’d agreed to this. Maybe because he was so gentle—so patient and willing to go slowly. Kate knew he would never hurt her or hold her down in any way. He wasn’t that kind of male.

And maybe because you know he loves you…and you’re beginning to love him back, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. But was she? As Rone had pointed out, it had been less than a week since he’d found her at the International Mall and she still couldn’t remember their past life together.

But Kate couldn’t deny that when she thought of him, she felt a warm glow that filled her whole body. Somehow during the time they had spent together after the fear toxins had been leeched out of her, she’d begun to trust the big Kindred…and to care for him and crave his touch. And since she’d been able to share the story of her attack with him, she felt even closer to him—that was probably why she was willing to let him try tasting her even though she hadn’t been able to back at Flame and Frost.

Of course there, they’d had the sadistic Madam of Shadows demanding that they do sexual things to each other. Kate didn’t like performing for an audience—especially not a cruel Madam standing over her with a cane. The whole experience had been fraught with tension although she had to admit the feeling of Rone’s big body behind her, his thick shaft rubbing against her and spreading her pussy lips had made her feel incredibly hot, not to mention the way he’d tugged and twisted her nipples…

Kate could feel her cheeks heating at the thought. Then she realized she was just standing there, staring at the drawer full of silky lingerie without choosing anything. She could hear Rone moving around in the other part of the ship—soon he would be back and she was still shy about letting him see her naked. As if her thoughts had called to him, she heard his voice coming down the hallway.

“Baby? Are you almost ready? I’ve got the course logged into the autopilot.”

“Almost. Give me just one more minute!” Kate called back.

Quickly, she grabbed an outfit at random and pulled it out of the drawer. Dropping her towel, she scrambled into it and pulled up the matching panties just before he walked in the bedroom door. She stood quickly, smoothing down the soft material of the short nighty she’d picked as his silver eyes roamed over her.

“Mmm, baby,” he murmured. “You look beautiful.”

“Do I?” Kate looked down at herself, taking in the details of her outfit. It was a jade-green silk top with spaghetti straps and it had a border of white lace that ended just below her belly button. It also had soft, lacy white cups that held her breasts and displayed her pink nipples perfectly. The panties were matching jade green silk with a white lace crotch that did little to hide her pussy lips. Kate had to admit it was a pretty outfit—although much more revealing than anything she’d meant to wear.

Oh God—look at me! I can’t believe I’m putting this much skin on display! Her heart started pounding faster and she had to fight the urge to cross her arms over her breasts.

“Are you all right?” Rone asked, a look of concern in his silver eyes.

Kate lifted her chin. “Sure I am. Why do you ask?” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

“Because you’re trembling, Lalli.”

Rone crossed the room to her and took her in his arms. At first Kate held herself stiff but then his warm, masculine scent filled her senses and she felt herself melting against him.

Safe, the scent told her. Good, right…home. It seemed to tease at the corners of her mind, whispering about memories—things she’d forgotten. But when Kate reached for them, they melted away. That was all right, though. The main thing was that she felt safe with the big Kindred—safe enough to let him do what needed to be done.

“Gods, baby, it’s so good just to hold you again and feel you hold me,” he murmured into her hair. “I love the feel of your soft little body against mine…your sweet scent calling to me…”

Kate gave a shaky laugh. “I was just thinking the same thing about you—that you smell really good.”

“You’re probably smelling my Mating Scent,” he said seriously, looking down at her. “I think my body knows our bond was twisted or buried—the scent is an effort to bring you back, to try and get us to reconnect.”

“You mean by having uh, bonding sex?” Kate had heard several of the Kindred wives talking about that in their time aboard the Mother Ship and as far as she could pick up, it was a kind of sex that tied a female to her chosen Kindred for life. “Because I’m not quite sure I’m ready for that, yet,” she told Rone. “Sorry.”

“No, baby—that’s okay. We won’t do anything like that tonight, I swear it,” he murmured, stroking her cheek. “It’s enough for you to let me just taste you a little bit. Like I said, just a few licks of your honey will help hold back the Beast.”

“Well then…” Kate straightened her shoulders. “I guess we’d better, uh, get started.”

“We can. If you feel ready.” He looked down at her, searching her eyes with his own.

“I think so,” Kate said, trying to be honest. “I’m still a little nervous but I think I’ll be okay.”

“All right.”

He led her to the edge of the bed and got her situated, sitting at the foot of it. Then, to Kate’s surprise, he went to the closet and brought out a large, wedge shaped pillow covered in dark blue cloth.

“What’s that?” she asked as he arranged it behind her back.

“We used to use it a lot,” Rone explained, making sure she was comfortable, half-reclining against the blue pillow. “It’s so you can watch while I taste you.”

“You want me to…to watch?” Kate bit her lip uncertainly. “Really?”

“Really,” Rone said firmly. “You need to see what I’m doing. It will help you feel in control. Because make no mistake, Kate—you are in control. If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop—I swear it.”

“But…what about your Beast?” she asked.

“You let me worry about that,” he said firmly. “The most important thing right now is for you to feel comfortable. And for you to understand that I would never, ever hurt you.”

“I…I think I’m beginning to get that,” Kate said softly. He was kneeling at her feet and she reached down tentatively and cupped his cheek. It felt slightly scratchy and his skin was warm against her hand.

Rone turned his head and kissed her palm. His silver eyes were so full of need and love and desire, Kate caught her breath. What had she done to inspire this level of emotion in such a man? The big Kindred looked at her as though she was the most precious thing in the world to him.

“Lallie,” he murmured, and placed another kiss further up, on the pulse point of her wrist. Kate felt her heart begin to race as his warm lips caressed her gently. And then he was kissing even higher, placing his lips on the inner bend of her elbow…and then her shoulder…and then the sensitive side of her throat.

“Hey,” she whispered breathlessly as her pulse fluttered against his warm mouth. “I thought…thought you wanted, uh needed, to kiss me lower.”

“I do but there’s no harm in working our way up to it,” he murmured, giving her a little grin. “Besides, I want to taste your sweet lips again…before I taste your pussy.”

Kate felt her breath catch in her throat at his soft words and the way he was looking at her with those half-lidded eyes so filled with lust and need. And then he was kissing her again, taking her mouth but so gently it felt almost like a butterfly’s wings brushing against her lips.

He’s showing me, she thought, hear heart pounding in her chest. Showing me exactly how he’s going to taste me—proving how gentle he can be.

She kissed him back, surprising herself with her eagerness. Rone was still kneeling on the floor before her and it put their faces almost on the same level. She found she liked that—liked the intimacy of being so close to him without having to reach up.

Then Rone was kissing his way down her throat again. He stopped when he got to her chest and rubbed his cheeks against the inner slopes of her breasts, almost as if he was marking her in some way. Kate shivered when she felt his hot breath against her skin through the open-weave lace.

“Mmm…I love your breasts. So ripe and full…” His voice was a soft growl as he reached up to cup her gently. “Love how tight your nipples get for me when I touch you.” One long finger traced her right peak through the lace and Kate had to bite back a moan. “Love how sensitive you are and how you like having your nipples sucked,” he went on, looking up at her. “Can I suck them now, baby? I think it would help to get you warmed up for being tasted.”

“I…um…” Kate wanted to say yes but she still felt a little nervous, a little uncertain. She remembered how good his tongue had felt on her while they were in the exercise room at Flame and Frost but then she’d had a layer of fabric between her skin and his mouth.

“Just through the lace,” Rone said, as if reading her mind. “Would that be all right?”

“Yes, I…I guess so,” she whispered breathlessly. “I mean…if you want to.”

“Always want to taste you, baby,” he murmured. “Anywhere and everywhere—I love putting my mouth all over your sweet little body.”

Kate tried to bite back a moan as he covered one taut peak with his mouth. She expected him to suck or lick but for a long moment, Rone just held her, bathing her nipple in his hot breath without using his tongue at all.

Kate squirmed in frustrated anticipation. When was he going to do it?

“Rone?” she asked at last, wishing her voice wouldn’t come out so high and breathy.

He didn’t answer but arched an eyebrow at her and she knew he was teasing her, building her anticipation to get her ready for what he was going to do. Then something hot and wet caressed the tip of her nipple, sliding around the open-weave lace to bathe her bud with heat.

“Ohhh…” Kate breathed as her nipple came immediately to attention. Rone had mentioned that she loved having her nipples sucked and played with but honestly, she had no memory of that. She could only remember the relationships she’d had before him and none of the men she’d briefly dated had been much good at this—or any kind of sex for that matter. Now she was beginning to see that she did like having her breasts touched and tasted—if the person doing the touching and tasting knew what they were doing.

If the person is Rone, whispered a little voice in her head. If—

But her train of thought was cut off when the big Kindred suddenly stopped licking her and sucked hard instead, taking as much of her breast into his mouth as he could.

Kate moaned and thrust her chest out involuntarily, giving him greater access to her breasts.

Rone made a hungry sound at the back of his throat and sucked harder. At the same time, one large hand had found her other breast and he began tracing her left nipple in a slow, teasing way that was the exact opposite of what he was doing to the right.

Kate moaned again at the double sensation—the ticklish, barely-there touch on one side and the deep, hard suction on the other. God, he was driving her crazy. Was this the way they always were together? Was he always able to turn her on so fast?

Because there was no denying that what he was doing was having a definite effect on her. Between her legs, Kate was beginning to feel swollen and hot. Her clit throbbed as she pressed her thighs together, trying to quell the rising tide of desire.

At last Rone released the nipple he was sucking although he didn’t stop tracing the other with his fingers.

“Gods, baby, look at how tight and pink your sweet nipple is,” he murmured, examining the peak he had been sucking, which was extremely visible through the wet lace. “I wonder if your clit is looking the same way.”

“Uh…I don’t…I’m not sure,” Kate whispered uncertainly.

“It’s something I’ve always noticed with you,” he told her. “When your nipples start getting all tight and pink, your little clit does too. “Are you ready to let me see?” he murmured. One big hand brushed the top of her thigh and Kate jumped a little and let out a low gasp. She still had her legs closed and Rone was kneeling at her side. But she knew he was asking if she was ready to part for him and let him in.

“I…I guess so,” she said in a low, trembling voice. “I mean, if you want to.”

“I’ll just look at first,” Rone promised her gently. “And I won’t touch or taste until you’re ready to let me.”

His reassurance that he would take things slowly did a lot to calm Kate’s nerves.

“All right,” she said softly. “I…I guess that would be okay.”

Taking a deep breath, she parted her legs, letting the big Kindred in at last.

But Rone didn’t crowd her or try to shove his way between her thighs just yet. Instead, he continued kneeling before her, his big hands on her knees as he took her in.

“Gods, baby, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured hoarsely, his eyes fixed on the spot between her thighs.

Kate looked down as well and made a muffled sound of embarrassment. Through the lace of the panties, she could clearly see how swollen and wet her pussy had gotten. Her outer lips were dark pink with need and spreading under the lace, revealing her glistening inner folds. Even her clit was visible, throbbing like a pink pearl and begging for attention.

“God,” she whispered in a strangled voice and had to fight not to close her legs.

“So beautiful,” Rone said again. He had begun caressing her inner thighs, running his big, warm hands up and down her bare skin, sending shivers down her spine with his gentle caress. Kate thought that soft, soothing touch was the only reason she didn’t close her legs and run. She felt incredibly vulnerable all spread out like this, even with her panties on.

Rone dragged his gaze from the V between her legs up to her face and seemed to sense her embarrassment and uncertainty.

“It’s all right, baby,” he reassured her gently. “You always get hot and wet from letting me suck your nipples.”

“I…I do?” Kate whispered.

“Mm-hm. It’s one reason I wanted to taste your breasts before I tasted your pussy,” he murmured. “To get you warmed up.” He gave her a little smile. “I remember how embarrassed you got the first time I tasted you. You thought you were getting too wet.”

“Well, aren’t I?” Kate looked at herself doubtfully, feeling a fresh surge of embarrassment.

“There’s no such thing,” Rone assured her. “And anyway, it’s not all your doing. Your body is responding to mine—responding to my scent. It makes you produce a lot more honey than you normally would because that helps feed the hunger.”

“Oh, I…I didn’t know.”

“Now you do.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her knee. “Do you think you can let me come a little closer now and touch you?”

“Touch me how?” Kate asked. Her heart was pounding a rapid rhythm against her ribs that was half excitement and half fear.

“Just want to rub my cheek against you, that’s all,” Rone reassured her. “It’s a Kindred thing—we have scent glands around our mouths that help us mark our mates. I won’t go further than you want me to—I promise. Not until you’re ready.”

“Well…I guess that would be all right,” Kate said. “If…as long as you don’t pull down my panties.”

“Not until you’re ready.” He kissed her knee again and then scooted forward and pressed one scratchy cheek against the tender flesh of her inner thigh.

Kate bit back a moan, enjoying the rough feel of his face against her sensitive skin.

Rone nuzzled against her, rubbing against her inner thighs a long time before he finally pressed his cheek to the lace of her panties.

Kate felt her hands clench into fists of tension in the quilt on either side of her as his hot breath bathed her pussy through the thin material. Part of her was incredibly nervous having him here, between her legs—having any man there, really, after what that bastard Greg Compton had done.

But that was completely different, she reminded herself. I’m willing this time and I haven’t been drugged or pushed down on the bed. I’m safe and I’m in charge—Rone said so. He said he wouldn’t hurt me—he promised. He promised and I believe him. Besides, he’s being so gentle…

Looking down, she watched as Rone rubbed his cheek against her pussy mound and inhaled deeply, as though drinking in her scent.

“Gods, baby,” he growled hoarsely. “You smell so damn good. I’ve missed your scent so much, missed pressing my face between your legs to breathe you in.”

Kate tried to laugh. “You…you have?”

“Hell yes.” He looked up at her, his silver eyes drowning deep. “Your scent is like a drug for me—completely fucking intoxicating. I could breathe you in all day and go down on you all night.”

“But…but not quite yet, all right?” Kate’s heart was still racing and her mind was still fighting to push away the past, to forget the bad experience she’d had.

“Not yet. Not until you’re ready,” Rone promised again. “But do you think you could at least let me kiss you? Through your panties, of course,” he added quickly. “That way I wouldn’t be touching your bare flesh—just kissing you here…” One long finger traced lightly over the white lace. “With your panties between us.”

“Well…all right,” Kate heard herself agreeing. “I guess that…that would be all right.”

“Thank you, Lalli. You honor me with your trust.”

Holding her eyes with his, Rone leaned forward and laid a soft, open-mouthed kiss over the crotch of her panties.

Kate bit back a moan as she felt his hot breath against her enflamed flesh, separated from him only by the thin lace. God, she could feel herself getting hotter and wetter all the time! In fact, she was afraid of what she might see if she looked down. Even now, she could feel how wet the lace of her panties was getting—could that really be because her body was reacting to his? Was she really going to make a lot more…honey just because he was near her?

It seemed entirely possible—especially since she could feel all the rest of herself reacting to the big Kindred’s touch too. Her nipples were so tight they ached and her pulse was pounding, the blood rushing in her veins, making her feel hot and breathless and needy all over.

“Such a sweet, soft little pussy,” Rone murmured, placing another soft kiss on her panty-covered slit, right over her throbbing clit. “Gods, I’ve missed this part of you so much, baby…missed being between your thighs and giving you pleasure…”

“But don’t…don’t you only want to do this because it feeds the Beast?” she protested breathlessly. “I mean, you don’t have a choice with the hunger do you? You have to do it.”

“I have to? Yes, I suppose in a way.” He shrugged. “But it’s more than that, baby—I want to. I need to.” He kissed her again, this time placing his mouth right over her clit, which was throbbing under the thin lace and then looked up at her. “I crave you so damn much…crave the feeling of your thighs wrapped around my head, your little hands pulling my hair, the sound of your sweet voice moaning my name when I bring you to the edge with my tongue…” He shook his head. “I can’t explain it any better than that. I just need to taste you.”

“I…I think I’m beginning to understand,” Kate whispered, daring to reach out to him and run a hand through his thick, black hair. Rone made a soft growl of pleasure in the back of his throat and for a moment she almost felt like she was stroking a tiger or a panther—some animal that would be completely deadly to anyone else but which was safe for her. Considering the Beast the big Kindred kept within, she supposed the analogy wasn’t that far off although she still wasn’t sure what might happen if the Beast came out. She stroked Rone again, trying not to consider that possibility.

Though she’d been trying not to remember the past, she couldn’t help thinking that this experience was the exact opposite of what had happened to her in college. Not just in terms of being forced or being willing—it was Rone’s whole attitude towards what they were doing.

Back in college, her attacker had actually acted like he was doing her a favor. He’d believed that licking between her legs for a few minutes would make her instantly horny—grateful and ready to have sex with him—which was, of course, the ultimate goal.

For Rone, this was the ultimate goal—just being able to taste her and give her pleasure. He clearly loved everything about it from the feeling of her thighs against the sides of his face to the scent and taste of her pussy—which was something Kate had been self-conscious about ever since that awful night in college.

But watching the way he breathed her in and feeling the soft, hot kisses he gave her through the white lace of the panties made Kate feel completely confident that he liked this. No, more than liked it—he loved it. Needed it. He made her feel beautiful…precious and desired and perfect despite all the imperfections she saw in herself. Kate liked that feeling—liked it a lot. It made her feel more relaxed and open—less fearful of what was happening between them.

She wondered if Rone could somehow sense the shift in her mood because he looked up at her, his eyes half-lidded with desire.

“Lalli,” he murmured hoarsely. “Do you think you could let me kiss you without your panties now?”

Kate’s heart began jack-hammering in her chest again. She was feeling more and more comfortable with this act but letting go of the final barrier between them was still difficult.

“Just…just kiss me?” she managed to say.

“I promise.” He stroked her thighs soothingly. “I won’t spread open your pussy and taste you until you tell me you’re ready. Okay?”

Kate bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. But the sincerity and desire in his silver eyes decided her.

“All right,” she said, lifting her hips so he could slide the jade green and white lace panties down her legs. “I guess…oh!”

The little gasp of embarrassment was drawn from her when she looked down at herself and saw what the panties had been apparently keeping in check. She wasn’t just wet—she was soaked. Under the neatly trimmed thatch of red curls at the top of her mound, her pussy lips were shiny with her juices. Not only that, but they were spreading open to show her inner folds, especially her clit which was clearly on display and begging for attention.

Attention Rone was obviously eager to give. A soft, hungry growl came from his throat and his fingers tightened ever so slightly on her thighs as he gazed at her.

Mortified, Kate desperately wanted to shut her legs. She knew he’d told her that she would get extra wet but this was ridiculous—she was overflowing everywhere.

“I…um…” She shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe I should…should clean up some.”

Rone looked up at her, a little smile playing around the corner of his mouth.

“That’s exactly what you said the first time you let me go down on you. Listen baby, please don’t worry—this is beautiful.” He gestured at her glistening pussy and inner thighs. “You’re beautiful. Can I give you that kiss now?”

“I guess…” Kate was still squirming uncomfortably. She fully expected him to dive right in now that she had given him the go-ahead and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

But Rone surprised her again by leaning forward and simply placing a soft, chaste kiss on her springy patch of curls. He grinned when he looked up and saw the look on her face.

“Surprised you, huh?”

“I guess so,” Kate admitted. “The way you were talking earlier I thought you were going to just…you know, go for it.”

“There’s nothing I want more right now than to spread open your sweet pussy lips and taste your honey right from the source,” he murmured, his eyes going half-lidded again. “But I won’t do that until I know you’re ready.” He stroked her thigh gently. “I could clean you up a little though.”

“Clean…clean me up?” Kate asked breathlessly.

“Sure.” He gave her a lazy smile. “You know, just lick up the juices around your thighs and maybe your outer pussy lips?”

“Just…you mean you wouldn’t go inside?” Kate whispered.

“Not until you’re ready,” he murmured. “Not until you tell me you want me to.”

“All right. I…I guess that would be okay.” Kate nodded. The thought of his tongue lapping over her inner thighs and the outside of her pussy didn’t make her nearly as nervous as the idea of letting him spread her open and lap her inner cunt.

“Thank you,” Rone murmured and then he was leaning forward again, an intent look on his face as he pressed between her legs.

Kate had to bite back a moan as she felt his hot, wet tongue dragging over her inner thighs. He’d nuzzled her here earlier but this was the first time she’d felt his tongue on her in such a sensitive area—well, the first time she could remember—and it felt amazing.

To her embarrassment, the sensation caused her pussy to make even more honey. She could feel it wetting her outer lips and thighs almost as fast as Rone could lap it up but the big Kindred didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he appeared to love it.

With a low growl, he lapped gently at her outer pussy lips—first the right and then the left. Then, gently, he sucked the right into his mouth, tugging gently in a way that made Kate moan and shift restlessly. He repeated the action on the left side and then cleaned away her juices with his tongue, obviously relishing her flavor.

Kate felt like she could hardly sit still as the big Kindred continued to lick and suck all around her outer pussy and thighs without actually tasting her inner folds. God, she hadn’t thought she would ever want anyone to do this to her again and yet now she didn’t want Rone to stop! In fact, she wanted him to do more—to go further…deeper.

“Rone…” she whispered, tugging restlessly at his hair.

“Mmm?” He looked up at her, his eyes half-lidded and hazy with pleasure. “Gods, baby, you taste so good. I’ve missed your sweet honey so damn much.”

“There’s more, uh, honey, inside,” Kate said, giving him a nervous little smile. She was trying to be more daring, to let him know that she wanted more without actually saying it outright. Luckily, Rone seemed to know exactly what she wanted.

“You mean inside your pussy, baby?” he murmured, his deep voice a soft growl of desire.

“Mmm-hmm.” Kate bit her lip. “A lot more. If…if you want it.”

His eyes flashed pure silver.

“You know I do. Are you telling me you’re ready to let me spread open your pussy and lick inside you? Are you ready to let me lick your inner pussy?”

Kate bit her lip. “I…I think so,” she whispered. “At least, I want to be. And the way you keep licking all around me without going any deeper makes me feel like I’m about to go crazy.”

He gave her a lazy smile.

“You’re feeling it too—the hunger. Not as badly as I am but it’s affecting you at least a little.”

“What?” Kate was shocked. “But how can I feel the hunger? I don’t have a Beast inside me like you do.”

“It happens sometimes when the connection between a Wulven and his mate or his intended mate is strong,” Rone said. “The hunger jumps from one to the other almost like a flame. It affected you once before, when we were apart for a mission.”

“It did?” Kate raised an eyebrow at him. “And what did we do about it?”

“Went back to the ship and spent the night in the Breeding Chair,” Rone murmured. “You sat in my lap all night with my cock buried inside you to the hilt, baby. I had to fill you with my cum over and over again until you finally felt better.”

“Oh…” His words brought a fresh rush of wetness to the tender area between her thighs and Kate could feel her cheeks heating as she pictured the two of them doing what he had described. For a moment she allowed herself to imagine sitting in the Breeding Chair, straddling his hips with his thick shaft deep inside her… But the image was too much, too intense. It made her feel so hot…so needy.

“Rone…” she whispered, tugging at his hair again. “Do you think you could…could kiss me inside this time?”

“Of course, baby.” He gave her that lazy smile again. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure.” He framed her pussy with his big hands and placed his thumbs on her outer lips before looking up at her. “I’m going to spread you slowly, okay? If at any point you want me to stop, just say so.”

Again, Kate was touched by his care and consideration. He really was going out of his way to make sure she was comfortable.

“Okay. Thank you,” she whispered and watched as he opened her, baring her wet, pink, inner folds completely.

“Ah, Gods…so beautiful. So perfect. Your sweet little clit…I’ve missed it so much.” He leaned forward and placed a soft, sucking kiss on the tight little bud, making Kate moan and jump. Rone looked up at her, his eyes filled with desire. “That’s right, you like that don’t you? Like having your clit sucked.”

“I…I guess. I don’t know,” Kate admitted.

“Trust me—you do,” Rone promised her. “And you loved to be licked there—especially along the right side. You’re more sensitive there.”

Kate had to admit he was right. When she touched herself, that was always the favorite side but it wasn’t something she’d have expected a man to remember.

“I am,” she admitted.

“I know.” One side of his sensuous mouth quirked up. “You know, most of the time when we were together, I liked to take my time with you and lick you for a long, long time and give you a nice, slow come. But sometimes we didn’t have much time—when we were off the ship and someplace where we didn’t know how long we’d have privacy. So I got to be an expert at making you come hard and fast too.”

“You…you did?” Kate felt a warm throbbing ache beginning to build between her legs. God, was this the hunger he was talking about or were his words just turning her on so much she could barely hold still? And was Rone really an expert at making her come?

Looking at that knowing expression on his face, she was sure he was. If Rone had spent as much time between her thighs as he’d told her, he ought to know exactly how to please her by now.

“Do you want me to show you?” he murmured, caressing her inner thigh with one large hand.

Kate opened her mouth, uncertain what would come out.

“Yes,” she heard herself say. “Yes, show me. Please, Rone—I…I want you to.”

“Good. Because I want to—need to make you come so damn badly, baby.”

He knelt back between her legs, his broad shoulders splitting her wide, and pressed his hot mouth to her open pussy.

Kate moaned as the tip of his tongue began tracing circles around her throbbing clit. Then he began licking up and down, just the right side as he had said she liked. He had been telling the truth, Kate thought deliriously—having his talented tongue caressing the right side of her hot little button made her nearly delirious with lust. In fact, she found she was moaning out loud and tugging at his hair again.

When she realized what she was doing, she made herself stop, putting her hands to her sides to grip the quilt that covered the bed instead. But Rone stopped licking and looked up at her.

“No, Lalli,” he muttered hoarsely when he saw where her hands had gone. “No, don’t be afraid to hold on to me. I love that—it’s part of it. Feeling your hands in my hair, pulling me closer, putting me exactly where you want me.”

“You…you don’t mind?” Kate dared to thread her fingers through his thick black hair again. “Even if I hurt you?”

“Baby, pain from you is better than pleasure from anybody else,” Rone growled softly. “So go ahead and pull my hair if you need to—scratch my shoulders…do whatever you need to do. I love it. I love you and I want to know you’re feeling good—that I’m giving you what you need.”

“All right.” Kate tugged lightly on his hair. “Are you, uh, going to taste me some more?”

He gave her a feral grin. “Baby, I haven’t even gotten started yet. I have six months to make up for—I could feed on your sweet pussy all night long and not feel ready to stop.”

He leaned forward again and this time Kate felt his long, hot tongue sliding deep into her entrance, filling her up.

“Oh!” she gasped, her hands tightening in his hair. Rone made a hungry sound at the back of his throat and went deeper, thrusting his tongue further than she would have believed possible. Kate felt him lapping up her juices eagerly and then pressing deeper again, as though trying to get more.

“Rone…Rone,” she cried as he moved up to tease her clit with the tip of his tongue. His mouth was deliciously hot as he tasted her and at the same time, he was reaching up to stroke and pinch her nipples, sending sparks of pleasure through her body and straight back down to her open pussy.

“Ah…God…” Kate moaned as her pleasure began to build. She was close…so close…and for the first time in a long time, she found she actually wanted to come.

She’d been holding her sex drive in check ever since Mimi had found her naked in the park in Sarasota—not that she’d had much to hold in check. Mostly it had been completely absent. Kate had an idea the fear toxins that had filled her system had had something to do with that. But now that the toxins were gone and she was with a man who really cared for her, she felt like six months of desire was crashing down on her at once. Suddenly, she was right on the edge, feeling like the least little thing could tip her over.

Rone looked up at her, his eyes glowing with need and desire.

“You’re close, aren’t you baby? I can feel you trembling the way you always do when you’re about to come.”

“I…I think so,” Kate admitted, bucking her hips a little.

“Good.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her inner thigh again. “Then just relax, baby. Relax and let me give you a nice…hard…come.”

The he hooked his arms under her thighs, splitting her even wider, and pulled her into a new, even more open position.

Kate gave a soft, surprised gasp and then he was licking her again, tracing her swollen clit with his tongue and lapping up her honey as though it was the most delicious taste in the world—and to him, maybe it was.

Suddenly the orgasm washed over her like a warm tidal wave, making her gasp and moan, making her shake and tremble as her fingers tightened in his hair and her thighs squeezed hard around the sides of his scratchy cheeks.

“Oh, Rone…Rone!” she heard herself calling. And then, suddenly, he slipped two long fingers into her entrance and fucked up into her, filling her with them as he continued to suck and lave her clit, pressing deep to find the end of her channel and make her moan his name even louder.

Kate moaned and arched her back, her vision going cloudy for a moment. God, she couldn’t believe this—couldn’t believe she was spread open with the big Kindred between her legs making her come with just his tongue and fingers. For a brief moment she thought she glimpsed the life she and Rone had shared together—the lovely, long days and the deep, dark nights, holding each other, loving each other, and never wanting to be apart.

Then the brief vision faded and Kate was coming again as Rone did something new with his tongue. She gasped, bucking her hips up to meet him, giving herself completely in a way she hadn’t even known was possible. She was losing control—losing herself and yet she didn’t care a bit…didn’t care about anything but the pleasure washing over her…

Chapter Twenty-two

Later…much later, it was finally over. Kate didn’t know how long they’d been at it—how long she’d spent with the big Kindred on his knees between her thighs—but she was sure it had been hours.

At the start of it, she wouldn’t have believed it was possible to come so many times. But Rone seemed to know exactly how long to wait between each orgasm to start building her up again. He also seemed to know about a million ways and techniques to make her come. After using his hands and mouth for a while, he showed her an array of kinky looking sex toys. Some he had chosen for her, he explained, and some Kate had found and ordered herself.

Kate was amazed at the variety but Rone explained that they liked to try new things together, to keep their relationshiop fresh. And of course, no matter how often she came, he always wanted to make her come again, to bring her more pleasure and more and more…

At last Kate couldn’t take it anymore. She was exhausted and was amazed that Rone wasn’t also worn out. But the big Kindred seemed to be tireless when it came to giving her pleasure.

“Rone,” she whispered, stroking his hair as he kissed and licked her thighs, cleaning away the honey she’d spilled for him during her latest orgasm. “Please, I…I’m getting really tired. Are you…do you think you’ve had enough? At least for now?” She had to ask because his eyes were still more silver than blue—a fact that worried her.

Rone gave her one final lick and looked up.

“I think so. Sorry, baby—I’ve just missed you so damn much.”

“I got that,” Kate said dryly, giving him a little smile. “And that was…amazing. I didn’t…didn’t know I could come that many times in a row.”

He gave her a lazy grin.

“That’s not even our record.”

“It’s not?” Kate looked at him, surprised. “But how…how could we possibly…?”

“On nights when the hunger is really bad we usually start like this—with me tasting you and making you come over and over with my mouth—giving you clitoral orgasms,” he explained. “Then we move to the Breeding Chair and spend the rest of the night there. Once I’m inside you and the precum and cum from my cock is working on you, then I can give you vaginal orgasms—much deeper and harder and longer than the ones you just had.”

“Really?” Kate felt her mouth go dry. “But I thought…thought all that about clitoral or vaginal orgasms was a myth.”

“It might be if you’re with a human male,” Rone told her. “But with a Wulven Kindred, it’s completely different. The compounds my body makes begin acting on you the minute I slide inside you. And the first time I come, it spreads throughout your system and stimulates your G-spot and makes you multi-multi-orgasmic.”

Kate frowned. “I’ve heard of multi-orgasmic. But what does multi-multi-orgasmic mean?”

“It’s a long chain of orgasms that melt into one another until it feels like one, long, single come that lasts for hours.” Rone gave her a lazy grin. “It’s only possible with a Wulven Kindred because of the compounds our bodies secrete to pleasure our mates.”

“Wow.” Kate gave a shaky laugh. “That sounds amazing but…I don’t know if I’m ready for it quite yet.”

“Of course not, baby,” he said at once. “I understand—you’re still getting to know me all over again. In fact, I think it would probably be better to hold off on making love until your memories return.”

Kate bit her lip. “But what if they don’t? What if I never fully remember…the way we were?”

He stroked her cheek lightly. “I think they will, in time. But if not, I’ll just have to try to make you fall in love with me all over again.”

Kate felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the intent expression in his silver-blue eyes.

“I wish…wish I could remember now,” she said in a low voice. “Wish I could feel for you what you feel for me, Rone.”

“You will, in time. At least, I hope and pray to the Goddess you will,” he said seriously. “What we had was so precious and perfect, Lalli. But if we have to build it again from the ground up, then I’m willing to do that. Like I said before, you’re worth waiting for—and working for.”

“Thank you.” Kate gave him a shy smile. She had to admit, if making her love him was his goal, the big Kindred was certainly getting there. Despite how much bigger he was than her, he had never been anything but sweet and kind and gentle. And if the way he had just spent hours between her legs, making her come over and over while asking for nothing in return was any indication, Kate thought he must be the most sensitive and giving lover she’d ever had.

Thinking of that made her realize that while Rone had been literally pleasuring her for hours, she had never once offered to return the favor.

“Um, Rone?” she asked, looking at him uncertainly. “You’ve been doing so much for me—I mean, tasting me for so long—but I haven’t done, er, anything for you.”

He looked surprised. “What do you mean you haven’t done anything for me? You let me taste you, baby—that’s the greatest gift of pleasure you could give me.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say,” Kate said, smiling. “But you made me come over and over and you never got to come yourself. Do you want…do you need some help to, you know, get off?”

He laughed, a deep rumbling sound she was growing to love.

“Don’t you remember me telling you that I almost always come when I go down on you?”

“Oh…that’s right.” Kate had forgotten it. “It, uh, really turns you on that much?” she asked doubtfully.

“Hell yes, baby,” he growled softly. “Tasting your honey and hearing you call my name…feeling your sweet pussy tightening all around my tongue or fingers—it’s incredibly erotic. I’ve probably come as many times as you did tonight—if not more. In fact…” He grimaced as he stood. “I really need to go clean up. I don’t produce as much cum when you’re not physically touching my shaft, but I’m still pretty sticky.”

“So…are Wulven Kindred multi-orgasmic too?” Kate asked him as he went into the small bathroom and started to run some water.

“All Kindred males are,” Rone called back over the sound of the splashing. He came out of the bathroom naked, with just a towel wrapped around his lean hips. “The Goddess created us that way. Coming inside your mate helps bond her to you and strengthens the bond once it’s formed. The more often we can bring our mate to orgasm and orgasm ourselves, the stronger and more closely we are bound to her.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Kate said. “Since Kindred bond for life.”

“We do,” Rone said seriously. “I know that humans often divorce and go their separate ways but that…” He shook his head. “It’s unthinkable for a Kindred. The idea of leaving your mate once you have found her is unimaginable. Why would you leave the one perfect female the Goddess created just for you to look for another?”

“But what if a Kindred’s mate dies?” Kate asked curiously. “Can he form a new bond with someone else?”

“Some can. But most…” Rone shook his head. “Well, most Kindred males won’t survive the death of their mate.” He looked at her seriously. “That’s how I knew, deep down, that you were still alive—even after you’d been taken, Lalli. Because I was still alive. If you died…if I’d lost you…” His voice grew hoarse and he looked away for a moment.

“Oh, Rone…” Kate went to him and put a hand on his arm. Rone turned to her and pulled her close, wrapping her in arms that felt like warm, flexible steel. Kate went to him willingly and pressed her face to his broad chest, breathing in that warm, spicy aroma he’d called his Bonding Scent. It made her want to wrap herself around him and never let go.

“I’m just so grateful I found you, Lalli,” Rone murmured, kissing her hair. “So thankful to the Goddess to have you in my arms again.”

“You really believe in that?” Kate asked, looking up at him. “I mean, you believe in the Kindred Goddess?”

“You do too—you just don’t remember it,” Rone told her softly. “She is real and she cares about her children. We met her, you know—or saw her in action, anyway. At the joining ceremony of your friend Emily and her Beast Kindred warrior, Tragar.”

Kate stared at him. “We did? She actually came to the wedding? To bless the union or what?”

“There was a bit more to it than that.” A little smile played around the corners of Rone’s mouth. “But let’s just say that anyone who was at the ceremony that day is a true believer—even if they were an atheist before.”

“I wish I could remember,” Kate said wistfully. “Before we came to Flame and Frost I just wanted to regain my last memories of my Mom and find out what I’d been doing for the last three years. But now, well…” She sighed. “I wish I could remember us too.”

“You will.” Rone stroked her hair. “Maybe going back to G’nera will help jog your memory.”

“Where will I go while you…while you change?” Kate couldn’t help the small shiver that ran through her at the thought of the big Kindred morphing into a huge, hairy beast. What would he look like, anyway? Some kind of werewolf? Kate didn’t know and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

“I have a relative—the sister of my mother—what you would call my ‘aunt’ I believe,” Rone said. “Tante Corii. She always liked you—you can stay with her while I go to the Howlund and let my Beast free for the night of the full moons’ convergence.”

Kate shifted. “That might be kind of awkward—me staying with her when I don’t know her at all.”

He laughed, that deep rumbling sound again that seemed to shake her entire body.

“That’s what you said the first time we went to G’nera to let my Beast roam free. But believe me, Tante Corii loves you—and you really like her too. You’ll get along just fine, don’t worry.”

“And what about you? Will you be all right out there in the, uh, the Howlund place?” Kate asked. “Are you sure I shouldn’t come with you?” Not that she really wanted to but it seemed like she ought to offer.

“No—no, I don’t want you anywhere near me when I change.” For the first time Rone’s voice turned harsh and his eyes flashed dangerously.

“I’m sorry,” Kate said quickly, taking a step back from him. “I just thought… She frowned as a memory tried to surface. “Don’t the other girls, uh, females go there with their mates sometimes?”

“They do,” he admitted heavily. “Usually during the first change after their joining, a female will accompany her mate to the Howlund to try and tame his Beast.”

“And what happens when he changes…when he lets his Beast come out around her?” Kate’s mouth felt dry but she made herself ask anyway.

“Then she either tames his Beast and it breeds her or…” Rone took a deep breath. “Or she fails to tame it and she dies.”

“She…dies?” Kate asked faintly. “Does he kill her?”

Rone nodded tersely. “If the Beast won’t accept her as its mate, it will rip her limb from limb.”

“But…I thought you said that wouldn’t be a problem for us?” Kate asked. “I thought you said your Beast would be more interested in, uh, breeding than feeding.”

“So I believe it would,” Rone growled. “But I won’t do that to you, Lalli—I won’t take you that way. It’s too rough—too harsh. The Beast has no gentleness in him and you’re so small…so delicate.” He looked away. “It would be too much like…”

“Like what?” Kate prompted when he broke off.

“Like rape,” Rone said harshly, looking at her directly. “That’s what breeding with the Beast is. It’s rape. And I won’t do that to you—especially now that I know what you went through in college.”

“I’m sorry.” Kate put a hand to her mouth. “I…I didn’t know.”

He sighed. “You don’t remember but we’ve had this discussion before. You actually tried to convince me to do it—to take you in my Beast form, but of course, I refused.” He shook his head. “It was one of the worst arguments we’ve ever had.”

“It was? But why? Why would I want that?” Kate asked, shaking her head. Why would she ask to be manhandled and forced into rough sex with his Beast? Had she been extra kinky or something? It didn’t sound like something she would want—or even something she could stand. So why…?

“Because you wanted a baby so badly,” Rone said softly. “And breeding with the Beast is an almost certain way to get a female pregnant.”

“But…but I thought that’s what the Breeding Chair was for,” Kate protested, her eyes sliding to the strange, rocking-chair thing in one corner of the room.

“The Breeding Chair takes longer—sometimes years—to accomplish what a single night of intensive breeding with the Beast can do,” Rone told her. “You see, a female’s body has to be prepared for a Wulven’s seed to take root. That can be accomplished by many long, slow, gentle sessions in the Breeding Chair or one rough night of fucking with the Beast. You were tired of waiting—you said you wanted to start a family and you weren’t afraid my Beast would hurt you. So…”

He let the sentence trail off.

“I see.” Kate nodded. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me wanting that right now, anyway. I’m nowhere near ready to start a family.”

“Which is why you’re going to stay with Tante Corii while I change at the Howlund.” Rone smiled at her. “Wait until you meet her again—you’re really going to like her.”

* * * * *

“Well now, well now, if it isn’t my favorite sister’s son’s mate in the whole universe.” Tante Corri welcomed Kate with open arms, just as Rone had known she would. He had taken the precaution of calling ahead and letting her know exactly what had happened and what to expect and she had taken it in stride—all but one part…

“So you’re still not going to let her tame your Beast?” she’d asked when Rone had explained that he needed a place for Kate to stay while he went to the Howlund.

“Tante Corii, we’ve been over this before,” Rone had told her patiently as they spoke over the viewscreen. “Kate’s too delicate and precious to me to risk her around my Beast.”

The old lady shook her gray hair and made a tsking sound.

“I know she’s petite, Rone, but there are girls here on G’nera nearly as small who tame their mate’s Beast. I’m telling you, the two of you won’t have a true bond until she does.”

“We managed just fine before and she’d never tamed it,” Rone had pointed out. “And she’s from Earth, Tante. The females there are more delicate.”

“Delicate or not, you’re going against the natural order of things and the will of the Goddess by not letting her tame your Beast.”

“I love her too much—I just got her back and I won’t risk losing her again.” Rone had run a hand through his hair in agitation. “Please, Tante Corii, just let her stay with you while I take my fur-form.”

“Well…” She sighed. “All right. Your business is your business, Rone. But I can’t help feeling like you’re going to be sorry if you won’t at least let her meet your Beast at some point.”

“There’s nothing to meet,” Rone said darkly. “We all know that the Beast is nothing but carnal appetite. It’s the worst part of a male. Why would I let Kate see the worst part of me? Even if it was safe, I wouldn’t want that.”

“If she loves you, Rone, she’ll take the good with the bad,” Tante Corii had said gently.

“But that’s the thing—she doesn’t love me—not yet. She’s forgotten everything we had, everything we shared and I don’t know when she’ll ever remember. I’m trying to bring her to me all over again, Tante. I don’t want to scare her away or make her hate me.”

“All right.” She’d nodded. “She can stay with me. But mind you think about letting her tame your Beast some time in the future—when she’s regained her feelings for you again.”

“I hope that will be soon.” Rone had sighed. “I’m so in love with her, Tante—I never stopped. But I’m having to build her trust in me from the very beginning. It’s a very delicate time right now. So please…just keep things light between you while she stays with you. All right?”

“All right, all right,” the old woman had said. “I won’t put my nose where it doesn’t belong. You bring Kate here to me and I’ll watch over her while you change.”

“Thank you.” Rone had felt a surge of relief. He loved his Tante Corii—she was his only living relative. But she could be really stubborn at times…

Now as he introduced her to Kate, he hoped she would remember her promise. So far, at least, she seemed to be on her best behavior…

“It’s so good to see you again!” she told Kate, giving her a big hug.

Kate hugged back, an uncertain look on her face.

“I, uh, know that I knew you in the past but I’m afraid I don’t remember you right now. My memories…”

“I know all about that, never you mind.” Tante Corii smiled at her. “Why don’t you just come along into the domicile and we can all have a nice hot cup of chuurah tea before Rone goes off to the Howlund to change?”

“Actually…” Rone shifted from foot to foot, looking in the direction of the forest which was filled with silvery green and blue trees. “I’d really like to go now. I’m sorry, Tante but can I visit with you after?”

“Of course. A male’s got to do what a male’s got to do.” Tante patted his arm and smiled. “Just you go on and don’t worry about a thing. Kate and I are going to get to know each other all over again.”

“Thank you.” Rone gave her a grateful smile and a peck on the cheek. Already he could feel his Beast rumbling inside him, demanding to be let out, to roam free, to hunt and kill or breed—whichever he permitted. It had been too long since he took his fur-form—too long since he’d allowed the other half of himself room to breathe. But he took a moment to kiss Kate as well—gently on the lips.

“I love you,” he murmured, looking into her eyes. “I swear I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Just promise me you’ll stay here, safe inside with Tante Corii.”

“I promise.” Kate looked up at him, an anxious expression in her pale green eyes. “But…will it be safe for you?”

Tante Corii gave an amused laugh.

“My goodness child—he’ll be in his fur-form! There’s nothing on the Goddess’s green planet that can hurt him in that form.”

“Well that’s good to know, anyway.” Kate smiled at him and Rone was warmed to see the concern she felt for him in her lovely eyes.

She’s coming back to me, little by little, he thought. Soon I’ll win her love again and we can be like we were before. And even if she never gets her memories back, we can make new ones together. We’ll have another joining ceremony—another wedding—whatever she wants. We’ll be a team again and the first thing we’re going to do is hunt down that son-of-a-bitch Dark Kindred, Two and make him pay for wiping Kate’s memories in the first place. After that, we’ll be free to do as we want…living our lives on the Finder, traveling the universe and loving each other every day, rebuilding the perfect life we lost…

It was a wonderful thought—a perfect plan for their future together. Rone was certain they had turned the corner and were on the right track—nothing could pull them apart now.

Nothing.

* * * * *

“What does it mean, his ‘fur-form’?” Kate asked, when she and the old lady were inside the little hut which was covered in some kind of flowering blue vine. They were seated at a table which appeared to have been grown rather than made—at least, all four of its legs seemed to be rooted in the floor which was carpeted by some kind of dense, purple moss that felt heavenly on her feet when she took of her shoes.

“Well that’s just what Wulvan males call it when their Beast comes out.” Tante Corii poured her a steaming cup of aromatic tea into a long, thin drinking vessel that looked like a champagne flute and a coffee mug had mated and produced a baby.

“So…they don’t actually turn into an animal? Or some kind of hairy werewolf-type creature?” Kate wanted to know.

“Oh gracious, child—no!” Tante Corii laughed good naturedly. “Now mind you, they used to before the Kindred came along and started intermarrying with the Wulven. They used to turn into a ravening, wild, four-legged creature with huge lamp-like eyes and fangs as long as your finger. But the Kindred genes are strong and they bred most of that out in a few generations. Now when a Wulven male takes his ‘fur-form’ he mostly just gets a little harrier and his eyes turn silver.”

“Really? That’s it?” Kate was slightly disappointed. After all Rone’s dire talk about his big, bad Beast, she’d been imagining at the very least, a character out of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale and at worse, some kind of wolfman.

Tante Corii gave her a level look.

“Believe me, child—that’s enough. For when the Beast comes out, a male Wulven doesn’t just change outwardly—he changes inwardly as well. The good and decent and civilized part of him is gone—just gone. And all that’s left is a monster in male form—one who has only two interests.”

“Breeding or feeding, right?” Kate said in a low voice.

“That’s right, I’m afraid.” Tante Corii sighed. “But you know, that isn’t to say the Beast is evil or worthless—it’s just a personification of the most simple and direct drives that live in all of us. They’re just especially strong in males, that’s all.”

“Rone told me that before I lost my memories I wanted to…wanted to try and tame his Beast,” Kate said, looking down at her tea-flute or whatever the weird drinking vessel was called.

“That you did, child. You confided as much to me the last time the two of you were here.” The old woman got up from the table for a moment. When she came back, she had an ancient, worn volume in one hand, bound in blue leather. “Here.” She slid the text in front of Kate. “You asked me to get you that.”

“What is it?” Kate stroked a finger over the leather spine of the book curiously. It was strangely smooth, as though hundreds of hands had touched it over the generations.

“The Landii-Katrum—the Volume of Submission.” Tante Corii tapped the blue leather with one crooked finger. “In there are explicit instructions on how to get your male’s Beast to breed you rather than feeding on you.”

“My God. Is that really a problem? I mean, does it happen often that the girl gets eaten instead of, uh, bred?”

The old woman shrugged. “It happens from time to time but mostly when the match is wrong for some reason or the female doesn’t truly love the male she’s trying to tame. The Beast can sense things—it sniffs out true intentions and if true love and caring aren’t present in the female’s heart, it can smell that in her scent. That’s when things tend to turn, well…bloody.”

Kate shivered. “Ugh! Well I guess you don’t have many gold-diggers on G’nera, huh?” Then, seeing the confused expression on Tante Corii’s face she explained. “Someone who only wants to get married—uh, joined—for wealth or power.”

The old lady’s face cleared. “Oh. Well no, we don’t. Any male’s Beast would smell such duplicity. And usually, it isn’t a problem—almost all Beasts are more interested in breeding than feeding when they catch their chosen female’s scent.”

“I would think it would never be a problem at all, if you only marry for love here,” Kate said thoughtfully.

“Well, there have been a few tragic instances where a female was forced into a joining by her family…we even have an old legend about it. The story of Trane and Jalla.”

“Trane and Jalla? Who were they?”

“It is an ancient tale—one that took place before the Kindred came to G’nera and tempered the Beasts of the Wulven males somewhat. Trane was a male who was deeply in love with a female, Jalla. However, she was in love with another,” Tante Corii explained. “But their parents decided it was an advantageous match and decreed they would join Jalla to Trane whether she wanted to or no.”

“Weren’t they worried she’d be killed by his Beast?” Kate asked.

The old woman shook her head.

“They dismissed her other love as a passing infatuation. They were certain that by the time she was joined to Trane she would learn to love him. And so they were joined.” She sighed. “Soon after that, Trane came to realize that the love Jalla had for the other male was no passing fancy—he was the one she ought to have been joined to. Trane went to his parents and asked to have the joining dissolved but they decreed there was too much at stake to make such a costly decision and denied his request.”

“So what could he do?” Kate asked, taking a sip of her tea, which had cooled considerably.

“Well, Trane was truly in love with Jalla. And even though she didn’t return that love, he didn’t want her to be hurt or killed. So he refused to let her try to tame his Beast because he feared for her. But his parents and hers caught him in a trap, the next time he went to the Howlund. They forced the two of them together and, well…his Beast killed her.” Tante Corii shook her gray head sadly.

“Oh, no!” Kate put a hand to her mouth. “That’s so sad! And then he had to live with the guilt the rest of his life?”

“Oh no, child, he did not live with guilt.”

“He didn’t? Why?” Kate asked. She could only imagine how horrible it would be to wake up from some kind of bestial fugue state and realize you’d hurt or killed the one you loved. Did he…did he kill himself?” she asked, thinking it was like G’nera’s version of a Romeo and Juliette story.

“In a way. He gave himself to the Ei’wani—the living death,” Tante Corii said.

“Living death?” Kate shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s when a Wulven male goes to the wilderness—not just the Howlund, mind you but the wastes at the edge of Corith al Cruthe—the Desert of Death. There he gives up his consciousness for good and lets his Beast take over completely so that he need never think of the horrible thing he has done again.”

“Oh, that’s awful!” Kate exclaimed.

“Yet some males do it—usually when they have done some terrible thing or suffered a loss so great their mind cannot bear it,” Tante Corii said. “Honestly, I was afraid that Rone might go to the Desert of Death himself when you went missing. And if he hadn’t found you, he might have.”

“Please don’t talk like that—I can’t stand it,” Kate whispered. “I…I don’t even want to think of such a thing.”

The look in Tante Corii’s faded blue eyes softened somewhat. “You really care for him, don’t you child?”

“I do,” Kate admitted. “Or I’m beginning to. Since I lost all the memories of how we first met and fell in love, it’s kind of like we’re starting from scratch. But Rone is so kind and gentle and patient—I can see why I fell for him the first time.”

“And you’re beginning to fall again.” Tante Corii smiled at her. “I knew you were the right female for my sister’s son the first moment I laid eyes on you, Kate. This is a terrible setback the two of you are going through but I know with the Goddess’s help, you’ll be back together and stronger than ever soon. And then maybe you’ll have a use for this.” She tapped the blue leather binding of the Landii-Katrum knowingly.

“May I keep it? To study?” Kate asked. “I mean, I can tell it’s very old but I promise I’ll be careful with it.”

“It’s been passed down in our family for generations,” the old woman told her. “So it’s rightfully yours now. Just mind you don’t let Rone see you with it—he didn’t want you to have it.”

“Because he’s afraid he’ll hurt me if I…if I try to tame his Beast,” Kate said. “He said it was like, uh…well, like rape.” Her cheeks burned as she said it but Rone’s aunt seemed to take her words in stride.

“Well, it’s a rough coupling and make no mistake about that,” she said frankly. “But you don’t go to tame a male’s Beast expecting tender kisses and gentle love-making. You have to be ready and willing to submit and understand that when he takes you it won’t be pretty or sweet. It will be harsh and raw and long and hard. But if you’re ready for that—if you can take pleasure in submitting to the Beast and just open yourself to him, well, then it needn’t be a rape.”

“I see.” Kate’s cheeks were still burning at the old woman’s frank description but she thought she could understand. Mating with the Beast would require a certain mindset—a willingness to open yourself to his savage lovemaking and submit to his carnal lusts. Which was doubtless why the book Tante Corii had given her was called The Volume of Submission.

“I’m glad you understand,” Tante Corii said. “It’s not a pretty thing—but it can be good just the same. Especially when you wake in your male’s arms and feel the bond between you and know nothing can ever separate you again.”

Kate frowned. “But if everyone else here does that—if all females do when they mate with a Wulven male—then why is Rone so reluctant to let me do it?”

“Well…” Tante Corii sighed. “I think he’s afraid he’ll hurt you. Because of you being so tiny, you know.”

“Yes, I know that,” Kate said. “He told me that. But is there some other reason—some underlying problem that makes him so reluctant to do what every other male on his planet does?”

“Ah, you’re very wise.” Tante Corii nodded. “There is, actually. Rone had a female relative—I’m not sure what you would call her—the daughter of my brother.”

“A cousin, I think,” Kate said.

“All right then—a cousin. Anyway, she was older than Rone but he loved her like an older sibling. Le’la, she was called.” Tante Corii looked sad. “She’s gone now—the Blue Fever took her when it swept through our region, years ago, before we had a cure. But before she died…”

“Did something happen to her?” Kate asked gently. “Did she have…trouble when she tried to tame her male’s Beast?”

“It was…an especially rough mating,” Tante Corii said heavily. “The male she loved wasn’t overly gentle even when he didn’t let his Beast out. And when she went to tame him, well…he scarred her.”

“Scarred her?” Kate frowned. “But I thought a Wulven male was able to heal his mate’s wounds. Rone, uh, healed some for me.” She thought of the way he had licked her back and shivered.

“And so they can—fresh wounds are easy to heal. As long as they aren’t inflicted by the male’s Beast during breeding. Those wounds—wounds made with the teeth or claws—can never be healed and they scar badly.” Tante Corii sighed. “It’s to do with the Wulven biology, you see—the Beast wants to mark his partner, so no other male will come near her. And so he produces special compounds during mating that causes scars form wherever he wounds her.”

“And where…where was Le’la wounded?” Kate asked.

“From here…to here.” The old lady drew a line with her finger from her forehead down to her cheek bone. “He blinded her in her right eye as well. Poor girl—she never looked the same. And she was so beautiful before.”

“Oh my God, that’s awful.” Kate shivered, glad that she wasn’t going to the Howlund to try and tame Rone’s Beast.

“It’s rare that something that bad happens,” Tante Corii told her. “Most mating scars are small and inconspicuous. But seeing his beloved Le’la scarred like that had quite an effect on Rone—he was only young, you see. And it wasn’t just her face that got torn up.”

“It…it wasn’t?” Kate was almost afraid to ask where else Rone’s beloved cousin had been wounded.

“I’m afraid not. As I said, the one who mated her wasn’t known for his gentleness. And in Beast form, well…” Tante Corii shook her head. “The healer had to come and examine her—you know, between her legs? She was that badly injured.”

“Uh…” Kate didn’t know what to say.

“Anyway, we thought Rone was out playing but it turned out later that he had been hiding in the closet, listening to everything that went on. Poor Le’la crying out in pain and the healer saying how rough she’d had it, how he’d bruised her inside…” She shook her head. “Rone didn’t admit to me he’d heard all that for years, you know but when he did, he swore he would never hurt a female he loved in such a way. And that’s why he doesn’t want you to try and tame his Beast—even though it’s the Wulven way and the way the Goddess has ordained for us.”

“How did we manage before if I couldn’t tame his Beast?” Kate asked.

“You found a way around it somehow.” Tante Corii looked disapproving. “But it meant you had an incomplete bond. And I truly believe that your memories would not have been so thoroughly and easily wiped if you’d had a full bond to hold you together. Being incompletely bonded makes you vulnerable to outside attacks—keeps you from giving yourselves to each other completely.”

“I see,” Kate said uneasily.

“So you just think about that and study that copy of the Landii-Katrum.” She tapped the book again. “And if you don’t use it yourself, keep it for your son or daughter when they come of age. Because I just know you and Rone are going to start a family soon—probably the very next time he takes you to the Breeding Chair.”

“Oh…uh…” Kate could feel her cheeks getting hot. “I guess so.”

“I know so,” Tante Corii said firmly. “Now, I know the two of you have had a rough time lately—Rone told me how you barely escaped from that crazy Fire and Snow place.”

“It was called Flame and Frost,” Kate corrected gently. “But yes, it was weird and we were lucky to get out when we did.”

“Exactly. So I’m just going to show you to your room and let you relax. Would that be all right?”

“That would be…” Kate yawned. “Oh, excuse me! That would be wonderful, actually. I’m really very tired,” she admitted.

“Of course you are. So you’re to have my best guest room right by the flower garden where you can smell lovely scents all night long.”

Tante Corri led her through the small cottage to a back room. It was small but it had a soft, low bed covered in a blanket of little red flowers that Kate loved at once. In one corner of the room was a door that led out into a garden filled with so many different types of flowers she was amazed.

“Oh, these are gorgeous,” she exclaimed, examining the riot of color when the old woman threw open the door to show her. “And they smell so good.” A mixture of aromas, some delicate and some rich and heady was carried into the small room by a soft breeze.

“Ah yes, I love to watch them grow.” Tante Corii looked at the garden proudly. “Just you leave the door cracked a bit while you sleep and their scents will bring you sweet dreams. Don’t worry—it’s perfectly safe.”

“Is it? But what about all the males at the Howlund?” Kate looked towards the forest uncertainly.

“Never you mind about that, child. See these?” Tante Corii walked to the edge of the little garden and pointed to a border of tall purple flowers that looked a little bit like lilies. “These are purple gloved staybacks. A male in his Beast form can’t stand the scent of them.”

“Even when the moons, uh, converge?” Kate shivered and looked up at the two silvery disks in the sky. As the sunlight faded, they were becoming clearer and obviously coming closer together. She wondered if all the males at the Howlund would change at the same time once the moons overlapped or if they were already mindless Beasts.

Rone’s aunt laughed. “Yes, child, even at the convergence when all males with Beasts within must turn, whether they want to or no. The purple gloved staybacks will keep you safe as long as you stay within the borders of the garden.”

Kate smiled. “I’m staying right here—I promise. I just want to snuggle down under that gorgeous blanket and get some sleep. Is it really made of living flowers?”

“That it is, my child.” Tante Corii smiled rather sadly. “You admired it the first time you came to meet me, too. And you wanted me to teach you the technique to grow your own living blanket.”

“Maybe this time you really can teach me,” Kate said, smiling back. “I would love to learn.”

“We’ll talk about it on the morrow,” Tante Corii promised. “For now, I’ll leave a glow on for you.” She pointed to a small lamp on a low table by the bed. “You can just blow it out when you’re ready to sleep. Oh—and before I forget—I put your favorite petal gown in the fresher for you.” She nodded at a small doorway in the corner of the room. But instead of a door, it had a long curtain which appeared to be made of flowering vines. “You always told me wearing it when you sleep under the living blanket gives you the best dreams.”

“I did?” Kate shrugged. “Okay, that sounds really nice. Thank you so much, Tante Corii.”

“You’re welcome, child. Now do try and get some sleep.”

“I will,” Kate promised and smiled as the old lady let herself out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Chapter Twenty-three

As soon as she had the room to herself, Kate went into the small fresher and examined the “petal gown” that Tante Corii had left out for her. It did indeed appear to be a long, flowing nightgown made entirely out of green and white flower petals. The color started off white and light at the shoulders and then gradually darkened to a deep emerald green at the hem, which swirled around her ankles when she put it on.

“Oh my God, this is gorgeous,” Kate murmured looking down at herself appreciatively. The petal gown had a high back and a low—a very low—front which scooped down to show the tops of her breasts in a way that was sensual without being slutty. The bodice of the gown fit nicely too—molding itself to her curves in a flattering way that made her feel like some kind of nymph or dryad. Maybe a flower spirit, wandering barefoot through the moonlit garden at night…

Kate stepped out of the bathroom—or fresher—and gazed through the open door that led to the garden. The hem seemed to float, lighter than air, around her ankles and she found herself looking longingly at the flowers under the light of G’nera’s full moons. The multicolored blooms were painted in silver and shadows and a soft breeze brought their rich, heady scents to her nose.

It was such a beautiful scene and, in the lovely petal gown, she felt like she was part of it. The cool, waxy petals slipped over her bare skin sensuously, sending a shiver of delight down her spine. It was like wearing living silk—like being a flower herself.

I should be in the garden, she thought and the conviction felt very real and certain in her head. I should be out among the flowers… I should—

A long, guttural cry that was almost a howl cut the silence. Kate, who was already halfway out the door and into the garden, stiffened suddenly. What was she doing? And why had she suddenly felt such a strong urge to go outside?

Danger, whispered the Knowing in her head. Be careful, Kate—something here isn’t right.

Stepping back, Kate quickly shut the door. She didn’t know what was going on but she refused to take any chances. Going quickly back to the bed, she got under the living quilt of small red flowers and snuggled down, trying to get comfortable and get rid of the uneasy feeling that was creeping up her spine. But as she turned on her side, something hard poked her in the back.

“Ouch!” Kate reached under the cover to find what it was and drew out the blue leather-bound Volume of Submission that Tante Corii had given her. She frowned. That was strange—she could have sworn she’d left it lying on the kitchen table.

Curiously, she flipped to the front page. The title of the book was written in an alien script she had never seen before. But thanks to the translation bacteria in her bloodstream, she was able to read it easily.

“The Volume of Submission,” Kate read aloud to herself. “Being the way in which to seduce and submit to the Beast in order to tame it for the safety and benefit of she who wishes such a thing.”

Hmm…interesting.

She flipped the page and was at once greeted with a picture of a girl with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. The girl was wearing a gown that looked almost exactly like Kate’s own, except it was made with white and blue petals instead of white and green. “The gown of petals is traditional garb and will aid in intensifying the scent of she who wishes to tame the Beast,” read the caption.

“Huh.” Kate looked down at her own gown suspiciously. Was there more to this gown than she’d thought? Had Tante Corii, who clearly believed that Kate should be allowed to tame Rone’s Beast, been giving a not-so-subtle hint when she gave Kate the petal gown as a present?

She turned the page and found an illustration of a tall, muscular man. He was standing naked in a moonlit glade and his eyes were pure silver so deep that even the pupils were no longer black—they had been swallowed by the other color, giving him a mindless, bestial expression. His chest and arms were covered in a dense mat of hair almost more like fur, and the hair on his head was shaggy and wild.

“The male as a Beast,” Kate read, looking at the caption. “Though he is most fearsome, it should be noted that a male in fur-form used to be considerably more terrifying.”

The next page showed a huge, furry animal that looked like a cross between a bear and a wolf. It had staring silver eyes and a slavering mouth filled with long, sharp teeth that made Kate shiver. So that was what the Wulvens’ Beast had looked like before the Kindred had come to interbreed with them! Thank goodness she didn’t have to worry about Rone turning into something like that.

Not that it matters what he turns into. It’s not like I’m going to see him, she told herself. But she still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach when she turned the page.

This illustration showed the girl in the petal gown stepping into the moonlit glade to meet the male with silver eyes. She held her hands at her sides, palms up in a non-threatening manner. Her head was lowered submissively, looking down at her bare feet and the carpet of grass she was standing on.

“She who would tame the Beast must not look into his eyes—for that is a sign of aggression,” read the caption. “Only stand quietly and allow the Beast to approach.”

So just stand there and wait to be taken?

Fascinated, Kate flipped to the next page and saw the Beast sniffing the girl. He had his face pressed to the vulnerable column of her throat and the artist had done an excellent job of showing a look of mingled fear and longing on her face.

“She who would tame him must allow the Beast to smell of her scent and must submit to all he wishes to do to her,” read the caption.

Kate read it and then studied the girl’s face some more. She doesn’t know if he’s going to breed her or rip out her throat. How awful!

But also, how intriguing! Unable to stop now, she flipped to the next page and saw that the Beast had apparently decided not to kill the girl—at least, not yet. In this picture, she had pulled down the front of her flower petal dress and was offering her breasts. They looked full and almost luminous in the moonlight, capped with berry-dark nipples. But Kate could only see one, for the other was hidden from view as the Beast crushed the girl to him and sucked the tender peak deep into his mouth.

“The Beast will suckle at the breasts of she who would tame it. This must be allowed without complaint,” read the caption.

Kate shifted on the bed, pressing her thighs together under the red flower coverlet. She could imagine doing that with Rone…pulling down the front of her gown and offering him her breasts…

Stop it, she told herself uneasily. It’s not like you’d have to do that—Rone doesn’t want that. But still, the girl’s abject submission sent a little shiver through her, though she didn’t know why.

Still thoroughly intrigued, Kate kept flipping pages. The next showed the girl naked with the gown around her feet. Clearly she had stepped out of it voluntarily to give easier access. The page after that showed her lying on her back with her knees bent and her legs spread. The Beast was kneeling between her thighs and Kate saw that his long, red tongue was lapping at the girl’s open pussy.

“The Beast will taste of she who would tame it,” Kate half whispered as she read to herself. “And this she must allow with no complaint. If her flavor is agreeable to him, then he may proceed to breed her if she shows the proper form of submission.”

Kate flipped the page and bit her lip. In this picture, the girl with long dark hair was on her knees before the Beast, eagerly licking the long, hard shaft that rose from between his muscular thighs. Was this the “proper form of submission?” Once again, she couldn’t help imagining herself doing this to Rone. She loved the hot, spicy scent of his skin—she could well imagine licking and sucking him.

“She who would have the Beast breed her must offer the sacrifice of pleasure and taste of his seed before she may feel it spurting within her womb,” read the words under the picture.

“Geeze,” Kate muttered to herself. “It’s like porn.” Porn that was making her extremely hot. She squeezed her thighs together again under the red flower quilt. God, maybe it was time to stop looking at this book!

But somehow she couldn’t put it down. Instead, she turned the page and saw a picture of the girl, now on her hands and knees. Or rather, her hands and forearms. Her thighs were spread wide and her pussy was fully on display. The Beast was behind her, also on his knees. There was a hungry look in his solid silver eyes and he was thrusting his long, thick shaft deep into the dark-haired girl’s vulnerable pussy.

“She who would tame the Beast must offer herself for penetration without complaint or reservation,” Kate read, her own voice sounding hoarse in her ears. “She must take his shaft and his seed deep within herself many times in order to tame him and bind him to her.”

Kate looked at the book, her pulse racing. She couldn’t imagine a more abject scene of domination and submission. Kneeling naked in the cool grass and waiting for a man you loved—a man who had become a mindless Beast—to fill you and fuck you. Opening yourself to him, knowing he would ride you hard and fast, over and over again until the animal lust that controlled him was finally satiated…

“Stop it!” she told herself aloud. “Stop thinking about it—it’s not going to happen! Rone doesn’t want it to happen!” And it wasn’t like she did either…did she?

Of course I don’t want it to happen—don’t want to let Rone’s Beast do that to me, Kate told herself sternly.

She shut the ancient book decisively and put it on the table beside the bed. Then she blew out the small, flickering glow-flame in the lamp and cuddled under the red flower quilt.

I won’t think of it, she told herself firmly. I won’t!

But somehow when she closed her eyes, the vivid illustrations from the Volume of Submission kept flashing in front of her eyes. Only in the pictures she saw, the girl’s hair was red instead of black and the Beast wore Rone’s face.

It took forever to get to sleep and when she finally did, Kate had such strange dreams…

* * * * *

“Now then, she’s finally asleep, so she is,” whispered the old hag. She was standing at the edge of the forest with Y, who was watching the back of the cottage, outlined in the brilliant moonlight.

“How can you tell?” he asked in a low voice.

“I can sense her, right enough—so I can,” was the reply. “She’s got a power inside, has that one. Grandy See-er will have to be especial careful of her, so she will.”

“I don’t care about her power,” Master Two snarled restlessly in Y’s head. “Tell the old hag to get on with it! We have to get her into the Howlund where that Wulven mate of hers is waiting.”

“How long will it take to get her to her mate?” Y asked the old woman. “My master wishes to have her there soon.”

“Don’t fear about that—Grandy See-er will get her there right enough—if your gold is good.”

Y handed her a bag of coins that made a muffled clinking sound. Grandy See-er opened it and cackled at the dull shine of precious metal in the moonlight.

“All right. I don’t know why your master wishes the little mistress to tame her mate’s Beast—is it just he wants to see some fucking? For that could be managed more easily and for less gold than this. Not that I’m giving it back.” Quickly, she stuffed the sack into her voluminous bosom.

“That is none of your business,” Y said stiffly. Honestly, he still didn’t know himself why Master Two wanted this. He’d said it was to send a message to the Kindred, to let them know that they couldn’t hurt or stop him.

To Y, it seemed needlessly convoluted. Why not just kill both the female and her male and send the Kindred High Council their bodies instead making them breed? But no, that would have been too easy for his Master. He had declared that because the Wulven Kindred didn’t want to hurt his mate, that was exactly what he must do. But it still seemed silly to Y who thought—

“Y, are you having negative thoughts about our plan?” Master Two’s sharp voice interrupted his inner monolog.

“No, Master—of course not,” Y sub-vocalized quickly, speaking under his breath so that the old witch could not hear him.

“I certainly hope not.” The Master’s voice was still sharp and suspicious. “You know how I feel about negativity.”

“Yes, Master—I know.” Reflexively, Y’s hand went to the lump under his left ear where his Master’s personality chip was implanted. Ever since they had made the trip to the home world of the Scourge and the Master had gained some new powers, the lump had been changing. There were curving, raised lines spiraling out from it now. Some seemed to be reaching for his spinal cord…and some were traveling towards his brain.

Y wondered what might happen if the lines reached their intended destinations. Would he become paralyzed, a puppet able to obey only the Master’s will? Would he even be able to think for himself and if he did, would the Master hear every thought? A spasm of fear passed through him but he did his best to hide it. He couldn’t consider that now—not when the Master’s attention was focused on him. He must focus on something else…

“If you’re done muttering to yourself, I’ve got her out into the garden, so I have,” Grandy See-er said, interrupting Y’s frantic thoughts.

“Good,” Y said, trying to make his voice strong. At least Master Two’s other form—that of the gigantic warrior which he had grown in the tanks on the Scourge home world—wasn’t here. It had stayed back on the Scourge home base, attending to some business the Master wanted seen to. He can only do so much to me as a voice in my head, Y comforted himself. And I can still keep my thoughts to myself—at least for now.

“Well?” the old crone demanded. “What are you wanting to do now? Should Grandy-See-er direct her somewhere?”

“Send her away,” Master Two commanded. “I have the situation well in hand—my new powers should allow me to direct the girl now that she is in a sleep trance.”

“My master is well able to manage himself, now that you have her in a trance,” Y told the old woman. “He has gained powers much like your own since the last time we met with you.”

The old crone sniffed disdainfully. “I didn’t see him working the trance himself. As a matter of fact, I don’t see him at all. How can he do anything to the girl if he’s not here?”

“Oh, he’s here all right,” Y said grimly. “Now be off, witch—you have your pay and we must be about our business.”

“Fine.” Grandy See-er sniffed again. “Have it your way if you’re so high and mighty.” She stumped off into the underbrush and Y hoped his master really was going to be able to manage with his new mental powers. Otherwise he would be in a towering rage with no one but Y to take his anger out on.

“Now what will we do, Master?” he asked, looking across to where the girl with long, curly red hair stood motionless in the garden, her eyes open but unseeing.

“Now we will send her to the Howlund and be certain she meets her mate,” Master Two smirked in Y’s head. “And when we get there, I may need to…ah, borrow your voice for a moment, Y. I’m sure you won’t mind.”

“Can…can you do that?” Y’s fingers crept up to the chip implanted under his left ear again. Could the Master take over him enough to use his vocal chords and voice? If so, then he was in worse trouble than he had suspected.

“I do believe I can,” Master Two said. “Come now, let us follow the little female to her mate. What a delightful meeting that will be, I am sure. I cannot wait to see it!”

* * * * *

Kate was having the strangest dream—so vivid it almost seemed real. A sweet and somehow familiar scent had drifted from the garden and into her little room somehow. It tickled her nose until she got out of bed and followed it, walking slowly to the open door and taking a step into the garden.

Wait…why is the door open? asked a little voice in Kate’s brain. Didn’t you close it before you went to bed?

It was an interesting question, but not one that bothered her, for some reason. Kate walked out into the garden, feeling the cool grass tickle her bare feet. The soft breeze played with her hair, teasing the curling tendrils around her face in a mischievous way.

Kate frowned—what a lifelike dream! She couldn’t remember being able to feel such subtle sensations in any other dream she’d ever had.

Are you sure it’s a dream? asked the voice in her head—was it the voice of the Knowing?

Of course it’s a dream, whispered a new voice. It was familiar, though Kate couldn’t think where she had heard it before. You wouldn’t come out of the house and stand in the garden in the middle of the night for no good reason if you weren’t dreaming, would you?

Kate frowned. Where had she heard that voice before?

Never mind about that, the voice whispered. Since you’re having such a lovely dream, why not take a walk in the forest?

No, whispered the voice of the Knowing. No, Kate, don’t do it! You’re in danger!

But somehow she found herself doing it anyway. Her feet seemed to be moving independently of her brain or her intentions and before she knew it, she was on the border of the little plot of flowers, right among the tall, lily-like purple blossoms. Tante Corii’s voice seemed to echo in her head. “These are purple gloved staybacks. A male in his Beast form can’t stand the scent of them.”

Reflexively, Kate reached down and grabbed a handful of the long-stemmed flowers. A sharp tug and a twist and she had them. Carefully, she held them down by her side, keeping the small secret to herself—at least, she hoped she was. The strange dark voice that spoke in her brain didn’t say anything about them.

Kate clutched her bunch of flowers tightly as her feet carried her into the dark forest. What else could she do?

As the shadows of the trees closed around her, a long, animalistic howl sounded somewhere to her left. Kate’s skin prickled into goosebumps and her heart began to pound. Why was she doing this? Even in a dream, she knew it was dangerous. So why was she going into the Howlund at night with the full moons overhead and dangerous males all around?

Never mind, whispered that dark voice. Just keep going—keep going until you find him.

Until I find who? Kate thought desperately, but she was dreadfully afraid she already knew. It was Rone she was going to find. Rone in his Beast form.

But I can’t tame his Beast—I’m not ready, she thought. I can’t—

Suddenly a huge, naked male appeared before her—a male who wasn’t Rone.

A shaft of moonlight shining through the leaves above her seemed to light him from above as he towered over her. His eyes were a blank silver filled with nothing but hunger and lust.

Kate bit back a cry and pressed herself back into the shadows of the tree behind her. He was massive—over seven feet tall and covered in hair. Not just on his chest and his arms, like the Beast in the illustrations she’d been looking at earlier, either. No, this male looked like he was wearing a curly fur coat and a pair of trousers to match. Fur-form, indeed. In fact, aside from his face, the only part of him that didn’t seem to be completely covered in hair was his cock. It sprang up from between his thighs like a long, angry club, eager to pillage and despoil.

Oh my God—has he seen me? Kate tried to keep still, trembling in the shadows as she prayed the massive Beast-male would pass her by. But she had no such luck.

His face lifted and he sniffed the air. Then those blank, silver eyes turned to look right at her.

Night vision, Kate remembered. They have much sharper senses in Beast form. And here she was trying to hide in the shadows like a frightened rabbit, hoping the fox would be too slow and stupid to see it.

I’m the slow and stupid one, Kate thought frantically. I’ll never be able to outrun him. He’s going to kill me!

Or worse, breed her and form a bond with her—a bond she didn’t want with a man she didn’t know.

Oh God, what was she going to do?

The huge, hairy male snorted and moved towards her, a crafty look on his animalistic features. Clearly he had seen her and just as clearly he was moving in to kill…or to breed.

OhGodohGodohGod!

Kate felt frozen to the spot. She closed her eyes and clenched her hands into fists, the long stems of the staybacks crunching against her palm…

The staybacks! In her panic, Kate had forgotten she was carrying them. Now she realized they might give her a chance to get away—she hoped, anyway. Heart pounding in her throat, she waited until the huge Wulven male was right in front of her. Then, just as he was bending down to grab her, she lifted her arm and thrust the cluster of purple blossoms right in his face.

“Get away from me!” she shouted as loudly as she could. “Go on—get back you horny bastard!”

With an angry roar, the hairy male stumbled back. He was swiping at his eyes and nose as though Kate had shoved a bouquet of bees in his face instead of a bunch of flowers. But she didn’t have time to watch him—she’d bought herself some time but not much. The huge Wulven was blocking her way back to the cottage so there was only one way to run.

Gripping the flowers even tighter, Kate fled deeper into the woods.

Chapter Twenty-four

Rone paced the moonlit glade, waiting for his Beast. He had taken off his shirt and boots but he was waiting until he felt it coming closer to strip completely. But, though he had been holding it back by force of will for the past several days, now it seemed strangely reluctant to come out. He’d been waiting and pacing for hours as the moons rose overhead and began their convergence and still his Beast was playing coy, refusing to come to the surface even though he knew it wanted to.

“Come on,” he muttered angrily, speaking to the other half of himself. “Come on, what are you waiting for? You’ve been demanding to come out for days so why won’t you?”

Deep down, he knew the reason why. It was Kate—the Beast didn’t want to come out unless she was there. It wanted to breed her—to claim her and form an unbreakable bond that meant she could never leave them. But that wasn’t going to happen—not if Rone had anything to say about it.

“She’s not coming,” he told his Beast savagely. “And I wouldn’t let you at her, even if she did. The two of you are never going to meet—not if I have anything to say about it. So you might as well come out now because Kate will never be bred by you!”

Still, he felt its resistance, its unwillingness to reveal itself until it could have what it wanted—who it wanted—Kate.

“Fine,” Rone muttered to it. “Be stubborn if you want to. The moons are almost in full convergence. When they meet and fully overlap, you’ll be forced out and you know it. You—”

Suddenly a familiar voice screamed in the woods behind him.

“Get away from me!” it cried. “Go on—get back you horny bastard!”

Oh my Goddess—Kate—that’s Kate! Rone turned towards the direction of the voice. Where was she? And who was after her? The woods were filled with Beasts tonight—it could be any male in the nearby town or the outlying areas. Any one of them—or a pack of them!

He knew it was dangerous to meet her with his Beast so close to the surface but he couldn’t let her be attacked and taken by any other male! A wave of protective anger rose in him and he felt the Beast surge inside him—now, it wanted to come out.

Grimly, he pushed it back down. He had to get to Kate and make sure she was all right, then escort her back to Tante Corii’s cabin before he could let it out. Had to—

Suddenly Kate burst into the clearing he had chosen for his change. She was wearing the long white and green petal dress Tante Corii had made for her against Rone’s wishes and her long, curly red hair was flying out behind her. There was panic in her luminous green eyes and a moment later, Rone saw why.

A huge male in his Beast form came charging out of the forest after her, trampling underbrush and breaking bracken as he ran. His arms were outstretched to grab at Kate’s flowing gown and there was a hungry lust in his pure silver eyes that caused Rone’s gut to knot tight with anger.

At the sight of another male threatening his female, Rone’s own Beast surged forward so strongly he could barely contain it.

Mine! it roared. She is mine!

For once, Rone agreed with it. Growling fiercely, he charged forward to meet the male, putting himself between the other Beast and Kate.

Taken by surprise, the male snarled and tried to get around him. He didn’t even want to fight—he just wanted to get to Kate and breed her.

Just the thought—the idea of any other male touching his female—made Rone so angry that for a moment his vision turned pure red as the Rage took him.

“You bastard,” he said thickly, shoving the other male’s broad, hairy chest as hard as he could. “Stay the fuck away from my mate!”

The other male snarled again and reached for him, his fingers hooked into claws. Rone ducked his clumsy lunge and plowed his fist into the Beast’s nose. There was a loud crunch and blood that looked black in the moonlight was suddenly pouring down the other male’s jaw and chin.

He made a wounded gurgling sound and clawed at his face while Rone stood between him and Kate, who had stopped just behind him.

“Get back,” Rone said harshly when the other male roared in anger and tried to come for Kate again. “Get back or I’ll fucking kill you.” He heard more than a little of his own Beast’s growl in his voice but he couldn’t help it. With Kate this close and in obvious danger, his other half was fighting to get out—determined not to let another male breed her.

The other male roared again but then Kate stepped around Rone and ran at him.

“Kate,” he shouted. “What in the Seven Hells do you think you’re doing? Get behind me!”

But she didn’t listen. Instead, she shoved something she’d been clutching in one hand directly into the other male’s face.

“Go away!” she yelled.

As the male roared and backed away, clawing at his face, Rone’s sensitive nose detected the stinging scent of stayback flowers. How in the world had Kate known to use them? And why had she come to the Howlund in the first place?

But such questions would have to wait. Rone stayed balanced on the balls of his feet, his fists ready in case the other male tried to come at Kate again.

But clearly the hairy Beast had had enough. Between Rone’s punishing punches and the fiery touch of the stayback flowers, he was no longer interested in pursuing Kate. Moaning and gurgling to himself, he stumbled off into the woods still pawing at his face.

“Rone?” Kate gasped in a high, frightened sounding voice. “Rone is he…will he come back?”

“I don’t think so.” He turned to her at last. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I…I thought it was a dream. But if it is, it’s the worst nightmare I’ve ever had and I don’t…don’t know how to wake up.”

“This is no dream,” Rone said grimly. “Come on, we have to get you out of here before my own Beast comes out.”

Even now he could feel it straining against the mental leash he kept it on. Mine…MINE! it was roaring, demanding to get closer to Kate, to taste her honey and breed her…to bond her completely.

No! he told it sternly. I told you, you can’t have her! But despite his struggle, he could feel it getting closer and closer to the surface, closer and closer to taking him over completely…

“Rone?” Kate was looking up at him with fear in her eyes now. “Rone, your eyes…the pupils are…are shrinking. They’re going silver.”

“Like I said, we don’t have much time. Come on, I know a short cut back to Tante Corii’s.” He grabbed her by the arm and walked as swiftly as he could. But when he got to the edge of the small clearing, his head smacked suddenly into something he couldn’t see. “What in the Seven Hells?” Rone rubbed his forehead and then tried again, pushing to get out of the clearing.

“It’s like the invisible barriers they had at Flame and Frost,” Kate said. She, too, was feeling in every direction, trying to find a way past the thing which blocked their path. But there didn’t seem to be an exit.

“In fact, it is exactly like those barriers. My master learned to make them while he was watching over your activities there,” a deep, male voice said.

“Who said that?” Rone looked around, his eyes narrowed and his nose open for the scent of the intruder. But he could smell nothing but Kate’s own sweet, feminine fragrance and a lingering trace of the spicy staybacks she still clutched. “Who are you? Show yourself,” he demanded.

“I am Y—the scion of Master Two of the Dark Kindred.” A tall figure stepped out from behind the shadow of some trees. “And I bear a message for him to give to your master, Commander Sylvan of the Kindred High Council.”

“He’s not my master,” Rone growled. “And if you want a message carried to him, do it yourself.”

Suddenly the voice changed, growing high and evil.

“Oh, I think not,” it said and cackled with laugher. “I think that after what is about to happen to your sweet little female tonight, you won’t be able to help telling him. Because you’ll want him to help you take revenge. Or try to, anyway.”

Rone felt a sick roiling in the pit of his stomach but he forced himself to keep his voice steady and calm.

“What are you talking about? Nothing is going to happen to Kate—I’ll protect her with my life.”

“From other males, yes, certainly you can protect her as we just saw,” the high, evil voice sneered. “But can you protect her from yourself? From the Beast that lives inside you? I doubt that you can, Wulven—doubt it very much. At least, not indefinitely. Look above you—the full moons are almost completely in convergence. When they fully overlap, your Beast will come out whether you want it to or not. And your sweet little mate will be waiting.”

“No!” Rone felt the panic rising inside but he tried to damp it down. “No, do whatever you want to me but let Kate go! Don’t do this to us!”

“Why shouldn’t I? I know about your mission, Wulven—I know how you’re supposed to find me and spy out my whereabouts. Well, let me tell you—you’ll never find me. Not until it’s too late!” The evil voice cackled laughter again and the short hairs on the back of Rone’s neck prickled and rose in response.

“You bastard,” he said hoarsely. “Why are you doing this? You’ve already stolen Kate’s memories. So what if we were sent to track you—that’s no reason to torture us any further.”

“It most certainly is,” the voice proclaimed. “You see, I’m planning on making a metaphor here. A tasty little allegory of what is to come. What you’re about to do to your little mate—the rape you’re about to perform on her—will be nothing…nothing to the rape I plan for the entire Kindred nation!” The voice rose in pitch and fury. “Tell Sylvan that I still remember what he did to my people—to the Dark Kindred. I may have failed to ruin him in the past but I will not fail again.”

“Look, I’ll tell him anything you want, just let Kate go. Just…” Rone swallowed and heard a dry click in the back of his throat. “Just don’t make me hurt her. Please.”

“Too late for pleading,” the voice taunted. “The moons are almost fully converged and so I must leave you. Do enjoy breeding your mate, my dear Wulven. And don’t bother trying to get out—the force-field I’ve placed around you is a bio-chemical construction which can only be melted by the light of the sun. And I think that we both know by sunrise tomorrow morning, the deed will be done.”

Still cackling that high, ugly laughter, the dark shape faded back into the forest.

“Wait!” Rone heard the hoarse, awful panic in his own voice but he couldn’t stop it. “Wait—come back here, you bastard! Come back and let us out of here—or at least set Kate free!”

But it was too late. The figure—who must have been Two, the Dark Kindred himself—had melted into the gloom. He was gone and with him, any hope Rone had of getting his mate to safety.

Already he could feel his Beast straining to be free, its determination to get to Kate unstoppable. There was no way he could hold it in all night—the moons overhead were almost fully converged and it was about to break free.

He was going to do something he had sworn to never do to the woman he loved—something he would rather die than do but couldn’t avoid.

They were trapped and for Kate, there was no escape.

Chapter Twenty-five

“Kate, you have to get back from me. Get away!”

Rone’s deep voice was more than half growl and when he turned to her, Kate saw that his eyes were almost solid silver, the black of his pupils swallowed by the pure, metallic color.

“I would, but…where can I go?” Kate backed away from him, measuring the small, roughly circular clearing they stood in. They were surrounded by trees but when she tried to reach for a low-hanging branch to climb one, she found the invisible barrier was in the way. Kate had a sinking feeling that all the trees would be similarly inaccessible. The evil Two wasn’t going to let a single detail go unnoticed when it came to ruining her life with Rone.

“I don’t know. I don’t know where you can go, I just know you have to get away from here. Away from me.”

Rone paced restlessly around the circle, marking off the dimensions of the invisible force-field they found themselves in. Sure enough, none of the trees were reachable. They were trapped—or Kate was. Trapped in an unbreakable cage with a male who was about to become a ravening Beast. Her heart skittered nervously in her chest—what was she going to do?

“What in the Seven Hells are we going to do?” Kate heard Rone mutter to himself, repeating her internal question. “What can we…” Suddenly his nearly pure silver eyes drifted down to the bunch of purple gloved staybacks she still clutched in one hand. “Those!” He motioned excitedly. “You have staybacks!”

“I do. I grabbed them as I left your aunt’s garden.” Kate looked down at the bunch of flowers which were now looking much worse for the wear—their stems crushed and their petals limp and drooping.

“Use them on me—when I turn,” Rone directed. “Just keep pushing them into my face again and again.”

“But…won’t that make you—make your Beast—angry?” Kate objected.

“Yes, almost certainly,” Rone said grimly. “But it should also keep it—me— from getting to you. Please Kate, promise me you’ll do it. I feel…” He looked overhead, his deep voice strangled. “I feel the moons’ convergence. In another moment they’ll completely overlap and I…I won’t be able to hold it…hold it back any longer.”

“I…” Kate didn’t know what to say.

“Promise!” Rone insisted and his voice was little more than a growl now, his eyes almost pure silver. “Please, Kate—it’s coming forward. Taking over. I can’t…can’t…”

The sentence ended in a long, liquid howl that set the short hairs at the nape of Kate’s neck on end. Overhead, the full moons of G’neral finally completely overlapped and in their pure silver light she saw the man who was her husband—the man who she had forgotten but was beginning to love all over again—changing.

Rone had already taken off his shirt and now his muscular chest, which had always been so smooth, began to sprout hair.

Kate watched in horrified fascination, wondering if he would become as hairy as the other Beast-man who had chased her through the forest. But no, to her relief, Rone’s chest hair mostly confined itself to his well-defined pecs with a small trail leading down the front of his washboard abs and into the black flight trousers he still wore. The whiskers on his face seemed to get thicker too until he was wearing a short, scruffy beard that made him look dangerous—like seven miles of bad road, her mama would have said.

Well at least he didn’t grow a freaking fur coat like that other guy, Kate thought. In fact, Rone’s new look was kind of sexy in an animalistic way—if you liked guys with hairy chests. And Kate had never been opposed to them.

Of course, what she was opposed to, she reminded herself, as Rone turned pure silver eyes filled with lust on her, was being held down and taken against her will.

He made a low, questioning growl in the back of his throat and took a step towards her.

Kate took a step of her own, away from him, as her heart leaped up into her throat.

“Stay back,” he told the Beast, trying to keep her voice level and even. “Just stay back, okay? You and I weren’t ever supposed to meet so just leave me alone.”

The Beast made another inquiring noise and came towards her again. This time Kate held her ground. With a hand that trembled only a little, she raised her wilting bouquet of staybacks and thrust them directly into his face.

Rone’s Beast snarled and staggered back, pawing angrily at his face as the other Beast-man had done. Then he looked at Kate with an expression of distrust in his silver eyes.

“That’s right,” Kate told him in a shaking voice. “Just…just stay back or you’ll get more of the same. Don’t try to get up to anything and we’ll get along just fine.”

He growled softly and came towards her again.

Again Kate thrust the wilted bouquet in his face and again he stepped back…but not as far as before. And it only took a moment before he came for her again.

This time, Kate saw a kind of determination on his face. Rone might not be at home mentally right now but his Beast was clearly determined to get to know her…intimately.

And would that really be such a bad thing? whispered a little voice in the back of her head. Was it the voice of the Knowing?

What—letting Rone’s Beast rape me? Hell yes, it would, Kate told it sternly.

You can’t keep this up all night, the voice said reasonably and this time she knew it was the voice of the Knowing. It isn’t safe—you’re just going to make him angrier and angrier. And you know what happens if the Beast can’t breed…

“He’ll want to feed. Oh God,” Kate whispered to herself. “But what should I do?”

She didn’t often communicate so directly with the inner sense inside her. Most often it only surfaced to give her the occasional warning or allowed her to read people when she needed to. But this time it spoke directly to her.

Submit, Kate. Give yourself willingly.

“Like the girl in the book—the Volume of Submission?” Kate muttered. “I can’t…I couldn’t. I don’t…don’t know Rone well enough for this, let alone his Beast. I’m not ready—not yet.”

You may never be completely ready for something like this, The Knowing told her calmly. But the only way to get through this situation is to submit.

“But what about what Tante Corii said? That the Beast would be able to smell if I wasn’t madly in love with him? With Rone? I mean, I’m starting to care for him but I’m not in love with him—not yet.”

Yes, you are, whispered the Knowing. You just don’t remember it right now. But the Beast will scent your true emotions—the ones that are buried. Trust him, Kate…and trust yourself. You can do this. You have to. It’s the only way.

“The only way. The only way,” Kate muttered to herself. The Knowing had never steered her wrong and usually she listened to it without a second thought. But this…what it was telling her to do now was hard…harder than anything she’d ever had to do before.

A little distance away, the Beast Rone had become made a soft, inquiring growl and stepped towards her again. Kate raised the wilted bunch of stayback flowers once more and saw his pure silver eyes track her movements. A rumbling sound started deep in his chest and one corner of his sensuous mouth lifted in a snarl.

Kate had a choice to make here and she knew it. Either she could continue to try and keep the very determined Beast away from her all night using the wilting stayback flowers…or she could listen to the Knowing and give in to the inevitable. What should she do?

She lifted the flowers higher and Rone’s Beast growled again, its silver eyes filled with anger and mistrust. Kate made up her mind. Later she thought it was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life, but she took a deep breath…and tossed the flowers away.

“It’s all right,” she said, kneeling down to rub her open palm against the grass to get rid of the scent of the staybacks. “Look…see? I don’t have them anymore.”

Standing slowly, she held out her open hands, palm up, just like the girl in the Volume of Submission had.

Rone’s Beast made a soft, uncertain growl in the back of his throat and eyed her suspiciously.

“Really, I don’t,” Kate told it earnestly. “They’re all gone. You…you can come over and see…see for yourself if you want to.”

Remembering another illustration from the book, she tugged at the neckline of the petal dress. It lowered easily and suddenly she felt the cool breeze on her bare breasts. Her nipples tightened immediately and she felt her heart beating like a jackhammer in her chest. But there was no backing down now.

“See?” she told Rone’s Beast. “Here I am…come see for yourself.”

He made another inquiring sound and came towards her again. Remembering that she shouldn’t stare him in the eyes, Kate looked away submissively as he towered over her, his broad, hairy chest level with her face.

This close to him, she could smell the rich, pheromone-laden aroma Rone had said was his Bonding Scent. In fact, Kate had never smelled it so strongly before—the dark, spicy, masculine fragrance seemed to overwhelm her senses and make her almost dizzy.

To her surprise, the scent seemed to calm her. It spoke to a part of her that her cognitive brain had forgotten—to the memories that were buried somewhere deep in her subconscious waiting, hopefully, to someday come out again.

Home…safety…need…love…lust…desire…pleasure…

Rone’s scent promised her all these things and more and Kate found herself responding to that promise, even though she wasn’t completely sure she wanted to.

Having ascertained that the stinging stayback flowers were nowhere to be found, Rone’s Beast leaned over her and sniffed her hair.

Only I guess I shouldn’t keep thinking of him as the Beast or Rone’s Beast, Kate told herself. He really is Rone…just in another form. A slightly hairier and wilder form but it’s still him…still the male I’m coming to care for. The one who loves me so much he’s willing to kill or die for me. He’s mine…and soon I’ll be his.

She hoped, anyway. Would Rone be willing to breed her in his new, mindless Beast form…or would he sense her uncertainty and want to feed on her instead?

Kate held her breath as he sniffed her hair and then pushed it aside to press his face against the side of her neck. This was the moment of truth. If the Beast—no, if Rone—didn’t like what he smelled, he would rip her throat out in a heartbeat.

He could do it, too—she had no doubt. The brilliant, silvery light of the converged moons showed that his teeth had grown longer and sharper. They were nowhere near as sharp as the modified tusks she’d seen in the picture of the wolf/bear beast the Wulven used to turn into before the Kindred had come. But they were still sharp enough and he was plenty strong enough to kill her with no trouble at all.

His breath was hot against the side of her throat. Then, he opened his mouth and she felt sharp, white teeth settle against her flesh, right at the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. Kate felt like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her ribs as the needle-like fangs sank into her flesh, lightly piercing the skin. Oh God, was he going to kill her now? Was he getting set to rip her throat out?

“Rone,” she whispered breathlessly and dared to put a hand to his broad, hairy chest. “Rone, please…that…that hurts.” She wasn’t trying to push him away—the Knowing warned her that would be a mistake—possibly a deadly one. Instead, she curled her fingers in the soft, wiry black hair that had grown between his pecs and stroked him gently. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, Rone, you’re hurting me. I know you don’t really want to hurt me. You…you love me, Rone. You’ve told me so over and over. Please.”

He growled softly and for a moment his teeth bit just a little deeper. Kate felt the warm trickle of blood running down her bare back and shoulder and cried out, unable to help herself. This was it—she was going to die. Rone’s Beast could sense that she didn’t remember him enough to love him and he was going to kill her here and now. He—

But just then the teeth withdrew and a gentle licking began. Kate held still in absolute shock as Rone bathed the bite wound he’d made tenderly with his warm, wet tongue.

When he finally pulled away, she dared to look. It was hard to see her own shoulder but she was able to tell that the wound was gone, as if it had never been. In its place was a prominently placed set of bite marks, already healed to silvery-white scars.

Understanding burst over her suddenly and she looked up at the Beast.

“Marking me—you were marking me, weren’t you?”

Rone made a soft growl that sounded almost like affirmation. His silver eyes blazed with possessiveness and Kate knew as surely as if he’d told her in words that he had had bitten her not to harm or cause pain but to show that she was his—totally and completely his.

“All…all right,” she whispered, still looking up at him. “I’m yours. Now what…what are you going to do with me?”

In answer, Rone lowered his head again but this time he didn’t sniff her neck or hair. Instead, he pressed his scratchy cheeks to the soft, bare slopes of her breasts.

Kate gave a little moan as she felt his hot breath against her sensitive flesh and then Rone was sucking one of her tight peaks, drawing deep and hard to get as much of her breast into his mouth as he could.

“Oh…God, Rone!” she gasped as he sucked hard against her nipple, a sweet, savage kiss that was filled with pure, animalistic lust.

When he released one nipple, he went immediately for the other and sucked it even harder. Kate felt the sharp sting of pain as his big mouth enveloped her, pulling her tight, sensitive peak deep into the hot cavern of his mouth. If the big Kindred had been in his right mind, Kate would have told him to back off a little. But there was no backing off the Beast. There was nothing she could do but try to relax in his tight, possessive hold and let him do as he pleased…let him suck her tender nipples as hard and as long as he wanted to.

She moaned softly in mingled pain and pleasure. Despite her fear and uncertainty, she had to admit this was turning her on. With each hard draw of his mouth on her sensitive peaks, showers of sparks seemed to travel through her, especially down to her pussy which was beginning to feel wet and swollen. The sensation was intense—almost more than Kate could bear. God, would it ever end? Would he ever be through?

At last, Rone seemed to be finished sucking her breasts. He pulled away from her and pawed at the petal dress she still wore.

You know what comes next, whispered the Knowing. Yes, she did. Remembering the Volume of Submission, Kate slipped off the lovely petal dress and let it fall in a soft heap at her feet. Then she stepped out of it and lay down on the grass, using the petal fabric as a kind of pillow. She bent her legs at the knee but kept them closed.

“All right,” she whispered to Rone. “Here I am. Do…do what you want.”

Rone gave a soft, lustful growl and suddenly he was on his hands and knees beside her. Kate tried to stay calm and still—it was important to let him know she was submitting to him, that she wasn’t going to try and get away before he took what he wanted from her.

Her knees were still closed though—she couldn’t bear to part them of her own volition. It was too scary…made her feel too vulnerable. The grass tickled her bare back and bottom and the breeze felt cool against her throbbing nipples. She shivered but Rone’s big form beside hers radiated heat like a furnace, drawing a line of fire down her side when he nudged her gently.

“Rone?” she whispered as he pressed his face to her hip and then followed the curve of her thigh until he came to her closed knees. “Rone, please…” But he was already trying to nudge his way between her legs and Kate remembered what he had told her—about how his Beast wanted to taste her so badly because he was addicted to her honey. Well, after the way he’d been sucking her nipples, she certainly felt wet enough. It was just scary to let such a huge male—one who had been reduced down to his most basic animal lusts—into such a delicate area.

Still, Rone was nudging her insistently and she knew she couldn’t hold him off for long.

“O…Okay,” she whispered in a shaky voice, letting her legs drift apart. “Only please…be gentle, okay? I’m really sensitive there…especially after the way you, uh, tasted me so long last night.”

Rone looked up at the soft, pleading sound of her voice. Kate wasn’t sure if he understood her words but he did seem to understand her tone. He gave a soft growl that was almost comforting and then spread her thighs wide and leaned in to taste her.

“Oh…oh!” Kate gasped as she felt his hot mouth connect with her swollen outer pussy. “Oh, Rone.”

She couldn’t tell if he was trying to be gentle or not—maybe he was at first but his need for her honey seemed to drive him wild. With a hungry rumble deep in his throat, he wrapped muscular arms around her thighs and split her wide.

Kate gasped as his tongue dragged over her slick core, spreading her pussy lips and delving deep to satiate his ruthless desire. He’d been so gentle and patient the night before, when he was showing her that she had nothing to fear from him. But this was a different Rone—this was a male who craved the flavor of her juices the way he craved his next breath of air. There was no stopping him and no appeasing him—no way to help herself.

“Please…please!” Kate moaned as he lashed her tender clit ruthlessly with his tongue, sending sparks of pleasure so intense it was scary throughout her entire body. “Please, Rone! It’s too much—too much!”

She tried to struggle against him but he only growled and held her tighter, his face buried hungrily between her thighs. Kate cried and bucked against him as the first orgasm was torn from her—rushing over her like a freight train you don’t see until it’s too late.

But the more she struggled, the tighter he held her. Kate moaned and scrabbled at the thick grass to either side of her to no avail. Rone only growled as he pressed his mouth hard against her sensitive pussy and lapped away the honey the sharp, hard come had drawn from her. Kate felt his long, hot tongue slide deep into her channel, delving deep to get every last bit of her juices. Then, at last, he lifted his head to look at her.

“Rone,” she whispered. There was nothing of the man she’d come to care for in his face. There was only wild hunger—a desire for her so deep she knew it wouldn’t be easily satiated. His mouth and jaw were shiny with her juices and his silver eyes were half-lidded with animal lust. He licked his lips and then lowered his head for more.

He’s not done yet, Kate realized. Might not be done for hours. The Beast loves my taste…he’ll do anything to get more of it.

So stop fighting him, whispered the voice of the Knowing. Stop fighting and just let go. There’s nothing else you can do.

Kate knew it was true. She was in the hands of a male who was determined to have her—to taste her for as long as he desired. And there was no reasoning with him—no way to ask him to back off or be gentle. All she could do was try to relax and be open to him—all she could do was open her pussy for his tongue and let him taste her until he was ready for something else.

Ready to fuck me, she thought and gave a little shiver. She wasn’t ready for that—not yet. But in the meantime, she took some deep breaths and tried to quell the panic that was trying to take her. All right—everything was going to be all right. Rone might get a little rough but he wouldn’t really hurt her—not even in his fur-form. The Beast just needed to taste her…and she needed to open her pussy for him and let him.

“All right,” she whispered as she felt the hot drag of his tongue over her swollen inner cunt again. “All right, Rone—do what you want to…what you need to. I won’t…won’t try to fight you.”

And as Rone sucked her swollen clit into his mouth and began to circle it over and over his hot tongue, she stopped pulling at the grass and buried her hands in his thick, shaggy black hair instead.

Rone’s Beast seemed to sense her submission because his tight grip, which had been bruising the sensitive flesh of her thighs, loosened a little and he settled down to a more leisurely lapping. Kate moaned and stroked his hair, pressing her hips up to meet his mouth. If she had to give in to the Beast, she would do it completely—would give him everything he needed until he had as much as he desired.

As she had when Rone had tasted her the night before, she lost track of how many times she came. She had the sense that Rone’s Beast had been waiting years for this opportunity—waiting to taste her for himself instead of using Rone as an intermediary—and he wasn’t eager to stop. He lapped her, sucking her clit into his mouth and lashing it with his tongue one moment and then gave her slow, gentle licks the next that nearly made her cry with pleasure at his unexpected tenderness.

Kate wasn’t sure if her body was responding to the big Kindred’s or not but her pussy never seemed to run out of honey. Between her legs, she was wet and hot and open, giving Rone’s Beast a seemingly endless supply of what he craved so badly.

It seemed to go on for hours but at last Rone unwound his long arms from around her legs and sat back on his heels.

Dazed from coming so hard and so often, Kate somehow made her way up into a kneeling position. The Beast was just sitting there, staring at her in the moonlight and she wondered what he was going to do next.

“What is it?” she whispered to him. “What do you want? What do you need?”

Then her eyes fell to his crotch. Rone had been shirtless but still wearing his trousers when she first came running into the small glade. Now Kate saw that he still had his trousers on but there was a large, thick ridge pressing against the tight black leather in a way that had to be painful.

Rone rubbed the ridge in his trousers with one hand and made a soft rumbling groan. Then he looked up at Kate, his silver eyes filled with a different kind of hunger.

Kate felt her breath coming short. Oh God, was he already ready to do that? To take her? No, there had to be something she could do to delay just a little longer. She was no longer trying to fight this but she was still frightened…still wanted a little more time to get ready to have that thick shaft deep inside her.

Then the pictures in the Volume of Submission came back to her again and she knew what she had to do.

“Hey, Rone,” she whispered, knee-walking over to him, the soft, cool grass whispering against her thighs. “Are you all right? Does this…does it hurt?” Very, very carefully, she put out a hand and stroked gently along the rigid shaft of flesh still encased in the tight black leather.

Rone groaned softly and thrust his hips at her, letting her know she was on the right path.

“All right,” she told him, using both hands this time to find the magno-tabs at the front which held the trousers together. “It’s all right. I’m going to take care of you…just like you took care of me.”

With hands that shook only a little, she managed to get the trousers undone and pulled them apart. Immediately his long, hard shaft sprang out. Kate gasped at its size. Yes, she’d seen him naked before and even handled him intimately during the shower the two of them had taken at Flame and Frost. But she was absolutely certain he was bigger this time and he hadn’t exactly been small to begin with.

Could it be that letting the Beast come forward actually increased the size of his cock? Kate had no other explanation for what she saw but she would swear that it was larger…much larger than it had been.

There’s no way I’m going to be able to fit all that in my mouth, she thought in dismay. Still, the book hadn’t said she actually had to deep throat him or anything—mainly it said she had to “taste his seed” before she had him inside her. Kate wasn’t sure why, but the Knowing was whispering to her that it was important.

“All right,” she said, looking up at Rone. “I’m going to make you feel good now—is that okay?”

In answer, he rose until he was standing over her and spread his legs. Kate stayed on her knees, which put his long, hard shaft at the level of her face. Oh God, was she really going to do this? Was she really going to taste him here and now? But what if she didn’t do it right? What if Rone’s Beast didn’t like her technique or got mad at her or…

Stop. Just do it.

Before she could talk herself out of it or give in to the fear, Kate leaned forward and pressed her cheek to one muscular thigh. Then she took his long, hot length in her hand and brought it to her face.

His skin was a soft and silky as she remembered and the broad, plum shaped head had a single drop of precum sitting on its tip. Kate found she wanted to taste that little drop of nectar. Would it be salty or sweet or bitter? Would she enjoy Rone’s taste as much as he obviously enjoyed hers?

But before she found out, she wanted to get to know him a little better. Leaning forward, she rubbed the long, hard, silky shaft against her cheek and breathed him in. His rich, spicy, masculine scent was stronger here and Kate found that she liked it—liked it a lot. God, how was it possible for anyone to smell this good? It made her want to rub against him again and again like a cat marking its territory.

“Mmm,” she heard herself practically purring.

Rone was making a low, rumbling sound that sounded almost like purring as well. Kate felt his large hands stroking her hair with rough tenderness and knew he was enjoying what she was doing.

Knowing that—knowing she was giving him pleasure—gave her the courage to go further, to try more. Taking his thick shaft firmly in one hand, she brought her lips to the tip of his flaring crown and gave him a gentle, open-mouthed kiss. As she did, she swiped her tongue over the tip of his shaft, tasting the little bead of precum she’d been eyeing earlier.

At once his flavor—salty, slightly bitter, and utterly delicious—exploded across her tongue. To her surprise, Kate found that she liked it—more than that—she craved it and wanted more. Was this how the Beast felt about her pussy honey? If so, Kate couldn’t blame him for holding her down until his need for her was satiated.

Eagerly, she took as much of the broad head as she could in her mouth and began to roll her tongue around its satiny, hot surface, trying to coax more of the delicious nectar from the tip of his cock.

Rone rumbled a soft groan and buried his big hands in her hair, urging her to take a little more of him as she sucked. Kate complied gladly. She couldn’t get much—he was simply too big. But she managed to get the broad head in her mouth and at least an inch or two of his long shaft. She caressed the rest of his thick length with her hands, fisting him gently but firmly as she bobbed her head and tried to take as much as she could.

Kate had never been much into blow jobs before so part of her was a little shocked at what was going on. God, can’t believe I’m doing this. Can’t believe I want to do this so badly.

But somehow she did. Rone was so big and hot and hard in her hands and mouth. Also, Kate couldn’t deny that she felt deliciously small and submissive, kneeling as she was before him to please him with her mouth. She just wondered how long it would take him to come…

And how much cum is he going to make? whispered a little thought in the back of her head. Remember when he was coming in the shower? He made so much it ran all over your hands. There’s no way you can swallow all that, Kate—it’ll choke you!

But she didn’t have time to get too worried. Above her she felt the big Kindred stiffen and his hands tightened in her hair. He didn’t force her to take him any deeper but he wasn’t letting her go, either. Clearly he meant for her to swallow.

Kate tensed a little but reminded herself that she needed to relax. It’s all right, she told herself. Just let it happen. Just let it…

And then a warm, wet spurt of something salty and delicious hit the back of her tongue. Kate moaned despite herself. It was like his precum but even better—almost like a version of his delicious Bonding Scent that she could actually taste. It was so completely Rone—the essence of the big Kindred that she was coming to care for so much—that Kate found she wanted more.

As she swallowed eagerly, Rone gave her what she wished for. But though Kate had been afraid that he would produce huge amounts of cum as he had in the shower, it wasn’t nearly as much as she’d feared. Also, the warm, salty spurts of cream seemed to come at intervals, not all at once. So she had time to swallow, and even savor his taste, completely before another hot jet of his essence filled her mouth. Kate drank him down eagerly and was almost disappointed when the big Kindred at last withdrew.

“Rone?” she asked thickly, looking up at him. “Are you finished? You’re not, are you?” For his cock was still long and thick and hard and the head of it was leaking a rivulet of cum that was silvery in the moonlight.

She reached for him again but Rone made a soft sound of denial and drew away. Then he just sat and looked at her. Suddenly, Kate understood what he wanted.

This was it. The moment of ultimate submission and there was no getting away from it. Her eyes couldn’t help flickering to the thick shaft still rising between his thighs. To her surprise, it seemed to grow even longer and thicker. Was that even possible? Was he actually getting even larger? She watched, her eyes wide with incomprehension and shock as he continued to grow until he was half again as big as he’d been while she was tasting him.

Though she’d been extremely eager to keep sucking him, Kate felt a shiver of fear and doubt go down her spine at the idea of taking that thick monster into her pussy.

He’s so big now, she thought, remembering how she hadn’t even been able to wrap her fingers all the way around his shaft. And that was before he’d grown in both length and girth! He’ll tear me in two with that thing! I can’t let him—I can’t!

Panic seemed to take her by the throat and she scrambled up off the ground and started to run. But she barely made it two steps before Rone caught her. Wrapping long arms like muscular iron bars around her, he brought her back down to the ground and pressed her down on her hands and knees in the cool grass.

“No, you don’t understand,” Kate babbled, looking over her shoulder to talk to him. “Please, you’re too big now. You…you’ll hurt me and you know you always promised never to hurt me, Rone! I know you don’t want that. So please…please…”

But the look on his face was uncomprehending. In his silver eyes she saw nothing but lust…a need for her so deep that nothing would satiate it but thrusting his long, thick shaft all the way into her tight depths until he filled her with his seed.

“Please!” Kate begged again in a broken whisper but he only wrapped long fingers around her waist and lifted her hips, spreading her thighs to ready her for his entry.

It’s all right. It’s going to be all right. The voice of the Knowing spoke suddenly in her head, making itself heard as clearly as it had when it told Kate to throw away the stayback blossoms in the first place.

Kate stilled her struggle and listened to it. It was the voice of wisdom, the voice of reason and it had never steered her wrong.

Are you sure? But how can he fit that in me? It’s too big—too much…I can’t…

You can and you will. Just relax and concentrate on being open, the Knowing told her. It’s all right, Kate—everything is going to be all right. Just relax and let him breed you.

Biting her lip, Kate tried to do as it said.

“All right,” she said, looking back at Rone again. “All right I…I’ll hold still and let you…let you take me. But please…please try to be gentle. Okay?”

Kate couldn’t tell if he understood her or not—his eyes were silver pools of lust. But he wasn’t rough with her as he spread her thighs, only firm and unyielding. It was clear he wasn’t letting her get away until he had done this to her—until he had filled her pussy completely with his cock, fucked her, and come deep inside her inner cunt.

Kate gave a little moan. She couldn’t believe what was happening. It seemed like only a few minutes ago she’d been safe in the bed at Tante Corii’s cottage tucked snugly under the red flower blanket. Now, here she was, kneeling naked in the middle of the forest with the cool blades of grass tickling against her naked breasts and tender nipples as Rone in his Beast form prepared to take her from behind. But there was nothing she could do about it—no way to get away. The only thing she could do was give herself to him—her only option was to spread her thighs and her pussy for the thick monster of his cock and let him thrust deep inside her to the hilt.

With a little moan of fear and submission, Kate lowered herself to her forearms as the girl in the Volume in Submission had. The new posture made her hips tilt back and she felt her pussy opening, the wet inner folds spreading completely to reveal the secret entrance of her sex to Rone’s Beast. Never had she felt so vulnerable and frightened and hot—yes hot—because despite her fear, there was something primal about the position she found herself in. Something she’d never experienced before and yet had longed for all her life without even knowing it.

“All right,” she whispered again. “I’m ready now. Take me.”

This time, it almost did seem as though Rone understood her. Or maybe it was just that he had been waiting for her final sign of submission. For whatever reason, Kate felt him looming over her and knew that the wait was over—he was going to take her…was going to breed her and there was nothing she could do but submit.

“Rone,” she whispered brokenly as she felt the broad head of his cock swipe over her tender folds and sensitive clit, only to come to rest at the trembling entrance of her pussy. “Rone, please…”

He gave a low growl and then she felt the massive shaft begin to slide inside her. First the crown breached her entrance and then the first thick inch of his cock followed.

Kate bit her lip and dropped her head even lower, trying to be open for him, trying to take the massive shaft that was entering her so relentlessly. She had never felt so stretched before, so opened.

Fear that he would hurt or tear her in some way made her want to tighten up but she understood instinctively that this was the worst thing she could possibly do. Biting her lip until it bled, she forced herself to spread her thighs even wider, trying to make room, trying to accommodate the Beast’s thick shaft.

And somehow, though Kate had been certain she couldn’t take anything so huge, she felt herself opening for him. It was almost as though her body knew what was happening and was helping her to adjust to the Beast’s extra girth. There was some pain but it was the stretching kind—a good kind, though Kate could scarcely believe it. It was as though her pussy had somehow recognized Rone’s cock and was welcoming him inside, wanting to take him deeper—as deep as he wanted and needed to go.

Kate moaned softly when she finally felt the broad head touch bottom inside her. God, had he actually managed to fit all of that thick cock into her pussy? Somehow, he had and now she expected him to start thrusting, pulling out and ramming back in to fill her and fuck her as hard as he could.

Instead, Rone held perfectly still, still buried to the hilt inside her. Kate shifted under him, wondering what was going on. Then, to her surprise, she felt something hot and wet at the end of her channel. God, was he coming in her? Coming without even thrusting first?

She wasn’t sure why or how but it seemed that he was. The hot rush that had started at the end of her channel soon bathed her entire inner cunt and then Kate felt something hot and wet dripping from between her thighs. Looking between her legs, she saw that his cum, silvery in the moonlight, was indeed leaking from her pussy even though Rone was still filling her to the hilt.

But even stranger, was the warm, supple feeling that seemed to spread throughout her entire pussy. It was almost as though it was helping her to stretch even more, to take him more easily. Kate moaned as his seed continued to spill into her. So much dripped out that she knew they must be wetting the little patch of grass between her thighs and yet still he kept coming, his cum filling her vulnerable pussy and bathing the end of her channel for what felt like forever until Kate thought she must be thoroughly saturated.

Then and only then did Rone at last begin to move inside her. He gripped her hips hard, his long fingers wrapping around her to hold her in place. Then he pulled his long, thick cock almost all the way out of her and thrust back in.

Kate gasped and moaned as the broad head hit the end of her channel. It wasn’t a gentle stroke either. The Beast, it seemed, had used all the gentleness when he had entered her so slowly, giving her time to adjust. Now he set up a hard, steady rhythm inside her that seemed designed to drive Kate wild.

She moaned again and again as he took her in long, hard thrusts, holding her firmly so there was no chance of escape, plundering her soft, vulnerable pussy with his thick cock, ramming deep inside her to take her as thoroughly as possible.

He’s marking me again—but in a different way this time, she realized deliriously as the sharp shocks of pleasure/pain went through her with each deep thrust. He’s filling me completely with himself, making sure no other male within a fifty mile radius will dare to come near me.

She’d come so many times when Rone was licking her, she had been certain she couldn’t orgasm again. But she had forgotten what Rone had told her about his cum inside her giving her longer and deeper orgasms. With each deep, punishing thrust inside her, she felt herself being pushed closer to the edge. And every time he rammed himself to the hilt inside her, his heavy testicles came forward, slapping against her swollen, sensitive clit and stimulating her even more.

Though she wasn’t even sure she wanted to come again, Kate felt another orgasm creeping up on her—a deeper one than she’d had when he was licking her. Then, suddenly, a more intense pleasure than any she’d ever felt before crashed over her like a tidal wave.

Kate moaned helplessly, her fingers scrabbling in the wet grass, her toes curling and her back arching. At the same time, she felt her inner walls clenching tight around Rone’s thick shaft, as if trying to milk even more cum from him.

Rone must have felt it too. With a low growl, he thrust to the root inside her and held steady. To her disbelief, Kate felt something hot and wet pumping deep inside her pussy. Was he really coming again? After all the he’d already come, how was it possible?

But there was no denying the hard, hot jets she felt against the end of her channel. It was almost as though he had found the entrance within her entrance—the very mouth of her womb—and was spurting directly against it, seeding her pussy with his cum in the most direct way possible.

Suddenly, Kate remembered what he had told her before—that breeding with the Beast was almost always a surefire way to get pregnant. Oh God, was that happening to her? Was he getting her pregnant right now? Was she…

And then another orgasm—an even deeper one—suddenly overtook her. Kate moaned in surprise and pleasure as she felt her inner walls rippling.

“Oh God,” she gasped brokenly. “Too good…too much. Rone, please…”

But the words died on her lips as an even more surprising sensation overtook her. Before she had felt as though Rone was coming directly against the mouth of her womb. Now she swore she could almost feel herself opening up inside to let the tip of his shaft enter even deeper. It was almost as though a hungry mouth had opened inside her and was sucking eagerly at the head of his shaft, just as she had sucked him between her lips earlier, trying to get more of his delicious precum and cum.

That’s crazy, she told herself uneasily, even as the strangely pleasurable sensation went on and on. It’s not possible, is it?

She looked between her legs again, trying to see. The brilliant moonlight overhead made it possible. Before, though she’d felt like Rone’s cock had been buried to the hilt inside her, at least an inch had still been outside as he took her. Now, Kate saw that he was all the way inside her. It was as though she’d needed to open up inside to take that final inch. But was the tip of his cock really spurting directly into her womb?

He was still holding steady inside her and Kate could still feel the hot wetness as jet after jet of his cum spilled into her, shooting from the tip of his cock deep inside her pussy. Meanwhile the incredibly intense orgasm seemed to go on and on and on until she almost couldn’t breathe, it felt so good.

Feels so good it hurts! she thought dizzily as the Beast held her down and bred her…held her down and filled her with his cum until it leaked from her pussy and formed a puddle in the grass beneath her and still he came and came and came…

Kate began to feel dizzy. It was too much—too much pleasure, too much sensation…too much. Huge black fireworks were exploding before her eyes and the brilliant moonlight from above was being eclipsed by shadows.

Please, she thought. Please, I can’t…

And then everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-six

“Kate? Kate? Oh Gods, Kate—please wake up! Please!” Rone shook his mate again, hearing the panic in his own voice but unable to stop it. Her head lolled limply on his arm and her cheeks were as pale as snow in the early morning sunshine.

Rone had come back to himself as the sun rose and his Beast retreated…come back to see Kate lying naked and still on the trampled grass, her hair a tangled red cloud around her face. He had gathered her into his arms at once, trying to warm her cold body with his own, but so far he hadn’t gotten any response.

I killed her, Rone thought, fear and horror overtaking him. I knew it—I knew this would happen if she was allowed to meet my Beast! She’s dead…gone…She’s left me and this time there’s no bringing her back. Oh, Kate…Kate…

Of course you killed her, whispered a harsh voice in his head. After the way you used her last night—what female could withstand such treatment? Images tried to invade his brain—ugly snapshots in black and white…Kate moaning…trying to get away while he held her down…while he took her…raped her…

No! Rone tried to push the images away but he knew they wouldn’t go for long. Though he wasn’t himself when his Beast came forward, he could still share in the memories of his other half—could still see what the ugly, animalistic, lustful part of him had done to the woman he loved…

A soft sound broke into his morbid thoughts and he blinked back tears to see that Kate’s long eyelashes were fluttering against her paper-pale cheeks.

“Kate?” he whispered, hardly daring to breathe. “Kate, baby? Lalli?”

“Rone?” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “What…what happened?”

“Don’t you remember? Are you all right?”

“I…think so. And I remember some. Help me sit up.”

She struggled weakly in his arms and Rone helped her, wincing as he saw his brutal handiwork on her body.

There was blood on her chin where she’d bitten her lip and bruises on the pale skin of her hips and thighs where he’d held her down while he took her. He could see dirt and grass under her nails where she’d scrabbled at the ground, trying to get away. But worst of all was the savage scar where her shoulder met her neck—it was a set of teeth-marks—his teeth marks, Rone knew. They showed clearly on the delicate column of Kate’s throat—a visual reminder of what he had done to her.

Because Rone knew it was his fault—knew that he was the real culprit here. Some males might have tried to blame their Beast but Rone didn’t believe in such excuses. The Beast was a part of him—the ugliest, most lustful, selfish part of him and it had treated Kate in exactly the way he must have wished he could treat her. Deep down in the part of his mind he couldn’t bear to look at or acknowledge, he had wanted to fuck her—to breed her. And that was what he had done, whether she wanted him to or not.

That would be a NOT, he thought as more black and white snapshots of the night before paraded before his mind’s eye. Kate moaning his name and begging him not to hurt her, her scrambling to get away before he forced her to her hands and knees…

“Rone…are you okay?”

Kate’s soft, tentative voice jerked him out of his self-loathing for a moment.

“No,” he said shortly. “No, I’m not. But neither are you, thanks to me and we need to make that our priority. Come on.” He stood and fastened his leather flight trousers. “Let’s get you to a healer.”

“What? Why—I’m fine,” Kate protested. She tried to stand, wobbled, and almost fell. “Well, mostly fine,” she amended as Rone caught her.

“The Hell you are,” he said roughly. “Just look at you, Kate! You’re bruised and bloody and scarred and…” His voice grew thick in his throat and he almost couldn’t go on, but he forced the words out anyway. “And I did that to you—all of it,” he finished.

“Oh Rone, honey, no…” Kate reached up to stroke his cheek but he jerked away from her hand. He didn’t deserve to have her touch him—not ever again—not after what he’d done.

“Come on,” he said roughly. “I want to take you to a healer but first we have to get you dressed.”

A few feet away in the grass, he found the petal dress she’d been wearing the night before. Like Kate, it looked considerably worse for the wear. It was crumpled and torn, shedding its petals—and the ones that remained were dirty and ragged. The innocent white petals at the top of the dress, around the neckline, were stained with Kate’s blood.

A snapshot memory came to him—the feel of her small hand on his chest, clenched in pain but not daring to pull away as he sank his teeth into her flesh…the sweetly metallic taste of her blood in his mouth…the high, panicked sound of her voice begging him…pleading with him…

“Please, Rone, you’re hurting me! I know you don’t really want to hurt me. You…you love me, Rone. You’ve told me so over and over. Please.”

Rone clutched the dress to his chest and doubled over, unsure for a moment if he might vomit or not.

“Rone? Are you all right?”

Kate’s soft hand rested tentatively on his shoulder. Rone shook her off.

“Leave me alone!”

“I’m sorry!” She drew back at once, clearly hurt by his reaction.

For his part, Rone couldn’t understand how she could bear to touch him at all.

“Here.” He thrust the dress at her, unable to even look her in the face. “Put it on. We need to get back to the cottage before Tante Corii wakes up and realizes you’re gone.”

“Fine.” With stiff, jerky motions Kate pulled the bedraggled petal gown back on. “I’m ready,” she said after a moment. “We can go now but you’ll have to lead the way—I have no idea where we are.”

I don’t either, Rone thought but he wasn’t thinking about directions.

“This way. Can you walk?” He made himself look at her, even though he didn’t want to. Didn’t want to see how hurt and small and broken she looked in the dirty, bloodstained gown.

“I think so. I’m a little stiff but I feel better now.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I must have really been sleeping soundly.”

“You were passed out,” Rone said shortly. “I thought you were dead at first.” His voice sounded flat in his own ears—flat and cold and empty. His stomach still felt like a clenched fist.

“Passed out?” Kate stared at him blankly. “Really? I was passed out? No wonder I feel so weak and woozy.”

“You feel so bad because I used you hard last night,” Rone told her harshly. “Used you with no thought for your comfort or safety. Used you against your will. I…” He shook his head—this time he really couldn’t go on.

“What?” Kate stared at him frowning. “Rone, no! It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh?” He rounded on her. “How was it then? Because all the parts that I remember go like that. Exactly like that.”

“How can you remember?” Kate protested. “You weren’t you last night—you were the Beast.”

“Never forget, Kate—the Beast is part of me. The ugliest part, to be sure, but at his core he is me—my darkest desires…my most shameful needs.” Rone scrubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. “I cannot and will not hide behind my Beast as an excuse. I have memories of what he—what I—did to you. I know exactly how bad it was.”

“It was a little rough,” Kate sounded like she was trying to be cautious—trying to pick her way through a verbal mine field. “But I went into it knowing it was going to be rough. I…I didn’t mind, Rone.”

“Bullshit,” he said harshly, throwing one of her Earth swearwords at her. “Don’t lie to me, Kate. I remember you trying to get away from me but I…I held you down and…and did it anyway. Took what I wanted.” He swallowed, hearing a dry click in his throat.

“You have it all wrong,” Kate protested but Rone only shook his head.

“I know what I did and I know what I deserve. You don’t have to pretend otherwise to save my feelings. The Goddess knows I certainly had no such consideration for yours last night.”

“Rone! You can’t…”

But he was already moving. The invisible bubble that had trapped them so neatly the night before was gone now and he made his way quickly through the woods, aiming in a straight line back for Tante Corii’s cabin where they had parked their shuttle. Rone knew exactly what he had to do—and where he had to go. But before he could, he had to discharge his duties and the first one was seeing Kate’s wounds—the wounds he was responsible for—healed.

* * * * *

Kate stumbled along behind him, feeling weak and sick and angry all at the same time. Why was he acting like such a jerk? Why wouldn’t he listen to her?

She also felt wobbly and extremely sore between her legs. This was one of those times when she wouldn’t have objected to the big Kindred carrying her in his arms, as he seemed to love to do. But there was no way she was going to ask him to carry her when he was acting like this—like he didn’t even want to look at her or be near her. It hurt her feelings more than she wanted to admit, even to herself—especially after what they’d done together the night before. Well, what she had done with his Beast, anyway.

“You big jerk,” she muttered under her breath as she tried to keep up with his long strides. “There’s no need to treat me like some kind of pariah just because I did the deed with your other half. I mean, what was I supposed to do? There was no other way to get through the night!”

She was speaking to his broad back since Rone was striding along so fast through the forest she could barely keep up with him. Still fuming, Kate hobbled as fast as she could, determined not to fall behind or ask for help. She didn’t see the root in her path until it was too late.

Her bare foot caught under it and she fell with a cry, twisting her ankle in the process.

“Kate?” In a flash, Rone was at her side. “Are you all right?”

“I think so—I tripped. It…really hurt.” She rubbed her scraped foot and injured ankle, hot tears stinging her eyes. Normally she wouldn’t cry for such a small thing but it wasn’t just the physical pain that was hurting her. It was the way he wouldn’t look her in the eye…the way he seemed to hate her and himself both for what had happened between them.

“You must have twisted your ankle. It’s starting to swell.” He frowned in concentration as he examined her left ankle.

“I’m sorry.” Kate swiped away tears. “I…I was just trying to keep up with you.”

“I’ll have to carry you. That is…” He hesitated. “If…if you can stand to have me so close after…after what I did.”

“Of course you can carry me,” Kate said quietly. “And Rone, about last night—”

He held up a hand to stop her.

“Can we not speak of it? Please?”

“All right,” Kate said reluctantly. “I just think you’re remembering it differently from how I do…and from how it really happened, for that matter.”

“It happened,” he said shortly. “That’s bad enough. The way it happened—what I did—is even worse. I…can’t talk about it right now. Not if I want to keep my sanity.”

“All right. I’ll shut up about it—for now,” Kate said. But inside she vowed to herself to make him understand that while the sex she’d had with his Beast had indeed been rough and intense, she in no way considered it an assault.

Rone lifted her gently, as though she was made of fine china, and carried her carefully through the forest, as though she might break if he squeezed her too hard.

Kate tried laying her head against his chest but he stiffened at the contact. Reluctantly, she straightened up again and tried to keep to herself, as much as she could while being carried in his arms, anyway.

There was one thing she noticed—or rather didn’t notice though. His scent—the warm, spicy, masculine aroma which was usually so strong whenever she was close to him—seemed to be muted somehow. She sniffed as surreptitiously as she could but try as she might, she could only catch a faint whiff of it. Why was that? Was it somehow connected to Rone’s mood—which was admittedly very bleak and dark at the moment—or was there some other reason she couldn’t smell him?

Before she could work up the courage to ask, they came out of the woods and Tante Corii’s small cottage came into view. Kate was just going to ask how he planned to sneak in without waking the old lady, when she came bursting out the front door, a wild look on her face.

“Oh, Kate child!” she gasped, her faded blue eyes wide with fear. “I woke and found you gone and I was so worried about you! Where were you? What happened? Are you all right?”

“I’m fi—” Kate started to say but Rone overrode her.

“She was with me, last night Tante Corii. For some reason Kate came and found me in the forest, just before I took my fur-form. And so you got your wish—she finally tamed my Beast.”

“She did? Praise be to the Goddess!” Tante Corii clapped her wrinkled hands together. “That’s wonderful!”

“No. It’s not.” Rone glared at his aunt. “I hurt her, Tante. Hurt her the way Le’la was hurt when she tamed her mate’s Beast. Are you happy now?”

“I’m not hurt,” Kate protested. “Well, except for my ankle but I did that myself, tripping over a tree root.”

“Kate, please.” Rone gave her a level stare. “Don’t lie—to me or to yourself. I know what I did to you last night—I remember. So don’t try to pretend I didn’t hurt you—didn’t…didn’t….” But he was apparently unable to finish.

“Rone—” Kate started but this time it was Tante Corii who interrupted.

“Now, now,” she said, patting Rone on the arm. “A few bumps and bruises are to be expected when a female tames the Beast of her mate. Let’s try to look on the bright side and put the sad times behind us.”

“I can never put what I did to Kate behind me,” Rone said darkly. “I can never forgive myself and she shouldn’t either.”

“Well, at least your bond is restored now, right?” Tante Corii said, obviously still trying to put a good face on the situation. “That must be a relief, mustn’t it?”

For a moment—just a moment—Rone’s hard expression melted just a little. He looked down at Kate and she could tell he was trying to communicate with her—trying to use the mental bond that all Kindred developed with their mates after bonding sex.

But all she could hear was a deafening silence.

“Rone?” she asked hesitantly. “Are…are you trying to speak to me?”

A look of despair came over his strong features.

“Yes…yes, I am. Can you not hear me at all?” His deep voice sounded so desperate Kate wished she could say yes. But there was no way to fake this kind of thing.

“No,” she whispered. “I…I’m so sorry but I don’t hear anything.”

“Gods.” Rone squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment and breathed deeply.

“Rone?” Kate looked at him anxiously. “Rone, what does this mean?”

“It means that our bond is broken beyond repair,” he said in a low, gruff voice. “If what I did to you last night didn’t restore it, nothing can.”

“So…you’re saying our bond can’t be fixed?” Kate whispered. “But I don’t understand—where does that leave us?”

“It leaves us nowhere.” He looked away from her, clearly unwilling to meet her eyes. “We don’t belong together anymore, Kate. I think maybe…maybe I should just take you home.”

Kate felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.

“Home to the ship, you mean?” she asked softly.

Rone shook his head. “No. Home to Earth.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

“Sylvan will be in to examine you in just a minute. Does it hurt much?” Sophie, Commander Sylvan’s wife was sitting by Kate’s bedside in the med center of the Mother Ship.

Rone had decided to go there first, before he dropped Kate back at Mimi’s place in Tampa, because he felt he had to report everything that had happened to the head of the Kindred High Council as soon as possible. If he hadn’t had that duty to discharge, Kate thought bitterly, he would have taken her directly back to Earth and dropped her like a hot potato.

“Does what hurt?” she asked flatly. “If you’re asking about my swollen ankle, yes, it hurts like a son-of-a-bitch. The rest of me is fine. Just fine.”

“Oh…” Sophie bit her lip. “Uh, well, this is awkward, which is one reason Sylvan asked me to ask you about it…”

“What’s awkward?” Kate demanded.

“Your mate, Rone, has asked us to do a rape exam on you.” The new voice came from a blonde girl in pink scrubs who had just entered the room.

Kate looked up at her and then did a double take back at Sophie.

“Hey, you’re…you guys look just alike.”

“Except for our hair and eyes, yeah, we get that a lot,” the girl said. “I’m Olivia, by the way—Sophie’s twin. But you can call me Liv. All my friends do.”

“Well you and I aren’t going to be friends for long if you keep saying that Rone…that he raped me.” Kate glared at Olivia fiercely, letting her know exactly what she thought of such an idea.

“Hey, I’m not saying it—he is.” Liv held up her hands in a “don’t shoot” gesture.

“I think he’s just worried that you might be, well, injured,” Sophie said delicately. “He wants to make sure you’re all right—that’s all.”

“Well he can ask me himself if he wants to know.” Kate crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. “Dr. Sylvan can look at my ankle but that’s all he’s looking at as far as I’m concerned.”

“Sylvan will be with you as soon as he finishes seeing his own doctor,” Liv said. “He’s getting his dressing changed.”

“Oh? What happened to him?” Kate felt a twinge of worry for the blond Kindred doctor. Though she was still kind of upset with him for sending her and Rone to Flame and Frost, which had turned into such a fiasco, she believed he had done it in good faith. And he had been awfully nice to her the last time she’d been aboard the Mother Ship.

“He was bitten by some kind of a rat or Guinea pig or something,” Liv said. “It didn’t do much more than take a chunk out of his thumb but we’re being extra cautious because we don’t know what it was or where it came from.”

“Can’t you study it? Run some tests on it to make sure it’s not carrying anything?” Kate asked.

“Well, we could if we could find it,” Liv said. “But it ran off before he could catch it and now we can’t locate the darn thing. We’ve seriously been over the entire Mother Ship with a fine tooth comb and it’s gone—just gone. Like it disappeared right off the ship somehow.”

“Ugh! I hate rats!” Sophie said and shivered. “But Sylvan is healing up nicely and there’s no sign of infection or anything else, thank the Goddess.”

“When did it happen?” Kate asked.

“Not long after the two of you left for Flame and Frost,” Sophie told her. “By the way—how was it? Were they able to get all the fear toxins out of you and restore your memory?”

Kate shifted uneasily. “I’m afraid not. I mean, they did get the fear toxins out—by almost drowning me in a pool of black goop. But the hole in my memory is still there.” She sighed. “And now it looks like it always will be.”

“Hang on—back up.” Liv held up a hand. “You said they nearly drowned you in goop? What kind of a place is this Flame and Frost?”

“Well, they’re supposed to be a couple’s resort kind of place, right?” Sophie asked.

Kate nodded. “I’m sure it’s probably a nice place if you stay in the Flame part of it—if you stay in the light. Unfortunately, Rone and I got diverted into the Shadow and wound up in the Frost part. That was…interesting.”

“Interesting how? What did they do to you?” Liv wanted to know.

Kate gave them a quick run-down on the Madam of Shadows and the apartment they had put her and Rone in. She omitted the caning she’d taken because she didn’t want Sophie to feel bad.

“Wow—so everything you did, you had to do together?” Liv asked. “That sounds amazing.”

“It was amazing, all right,” Kate admitted. “It forced us to get closer—to touch each other. Which was really what we needed since I was so reluctant to touch Rone. First because of the fear toxins and afterwards because I didn’t really feel like I knew him. Anyway, I got to know him pretty quick while we were there.” She sighed. “And now he’s the one who doesn’t want to touch me.”

“Oh, honey…I’m sure that’s not true.” Sophie patted her arm comfortingly.

“It is true.” Kate felt a lump in her throat and did her best to swallow it back down. “Ever…ever since we woke up the morning after…after I, uh, tamed his Beast, he can’t even look at me—let alone touch me.”

“He must feel like he really hurt you,” Liv said softly. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked us to check you out, uh, down below.”

“But that’s the thing—he didn’t. I mean, it was rough and intense but I expected it to be. And even though he was in his Beast form—which was pretty much the same as his regular form, only a little harrier—he wasn’t cruel to me,” Kate said. “I mean, he was demanding and insistent and scary but he was sexy too. Oh God…” She put her face in her hands. “I’m sorry—I really can’t explain this without sounding like a total freak.”

“You’re not a freak, hon,” Liv said firmly, patting her other arm. “You’re just bonded to a Kindred male. They’re they nicest guys in the universe but things do tend to get a little weird when you’re with one. Believe me—Sophie and I know. Oh, the stories we could tell…”

“But that’s just the thing,” Kate burst out. “We’re not bonded—not anymore. When Two, the Dark Kindred stole me away and took my memories, he did something to our bond as well. Even after…after all the sex Rone and I had the other night, our bond still didn’t come back and I still can’t remember him. And he says…he says…” She almost couldn’t go on, her throat was so tight.

“Go on, honey—what does Rone say?” Sophie encouraged her softly.

“He says the fact that the sex didn’t restore our bond or re-bond us means we’re not meant to be together—ever again.” Kate started crying—she couldn’t help it. “And I…I was just…just beginning to love him,” she gasped, her shoulders hitching. “Especially after…after what happened. I mean I…I made myself vulnerable to him! I let him in. I’ve never done that with…with any man before. Not that I can remember. And now he…he just wants to get…to get rid of me.”

“Oh, honey…” both sisters said at once.

In a moment, Kate found herself enveloped in a three-way hug with Sophie on one side and Liv on the other. The comfort they offered was too much—she felt the last of her defenses crumbling and she gave in entirely to the misery. Big, ugly sobs tore from her throat as she let out the hurt and fear and pain she’d been carrying ever since Rone had started rejecting her.

“He h-hates me now,” she whispered between sobs. “And I don’t know wh-why.”

“He doesn’t hate you—I’m sure he doesn’t hate you,” Sophie told her earnestly.

“I think it’s much more likely that he hates himself,” Liv said practically, stroking Kate’s hair. “These Kindred males—they’re all about honor and protecting their females. If he feels he hurt you in any way—”

“But he didn’t,” Kate objected, wiping her eyes on the sheet. “I mean, I was…was assaulted in college, you know? That was horrible—it was completely nonconsensual. With Rone—with his Beast, I mean, I knew what I was getting into. I was scared but I went in with my eyes open. And I don’t blame him in any way.”

“That doesn’t matter if he blames himself,” Sophie said, frowning. “Liv is right—the Kindred are very big on protecting and cherishing their mates. To harm the female you love most in the world, well, that would be a nightmare for them. The worst kind of nightmare.”

“They worship the Goddess,” Liv put in. “And they revere all things female. It’s in their DNA.”

“I keep hearing about this Goddess,” Kate said bitterly. “Everyone says this is her will somehow and that Rone and I will come out of it stronger than before. Well, where is she now? Why did she do this to us? Or why did she let it happen? I don’t understand. I just don’t understand.”

Just then there was a soft knock on the door.

“Oh!” Sophie hopped up. “That’ll be Sylvan.” She looked at Kate uncertainly. “Um, should I let him in or do you need a minute to get yourself back together?”

“I’m fine.” Kate swiped at her eyes again and straightened her shoulders. “Thank you both—I’m sorry I kind of lost my mind there for a minute.”

“No problem at all,” Liv assured her warmly. “We’re all half-crazy around here, anyway. A little crying jag once in a while is nothing.”

Kate tried to smile at her and almost succeeded. She wished she could have met both girls under happier circumstances—they seemed so nice she was certain they could have been good friends.

“I’m fine,” she repeated. “And I’m not normally so emotional. It’s probably just that time of the month. In fact…” She frowned and looked at Sophie. “I know this sounds crazy but what day is it? By the Earth calendar I mean. I’ve lost track of time whizzing around the universe.”

“It’s the twenty-eight. Why?” Sophie asked.

Kate shook her head. “Nothing, it’s just that—”

The knocking sounded at the door again, this time louder.

“Oh…” Sophie looked at her uncertainly. “Should I tell him to wait?”

“No, no.” Kate shook her head. “Go ahead and let him in.”

“Okay.” Sophie opened the door but it wasn’t Commander Sylvan on the other side of it. Instead, a young priestess with long blond hair that had emerald green streaks running through it stood there. Kate knew she was a priestess by her flowing robes and bare feet—and also because she recognized her as the same one that Rone had consulted the night she followed him to the Sacred Grove.

“Oh, uh…hello,” Liv said blankly. “Are you lost? Maybe looking for another patient? I can help you if you want—I work here so I can find whoever it is you’re here to see.”

“I am here to see Kate.” The priestess glided into the room serenely, apparently unconcerned about the looks of uncertainty the other girls were giving her.

“Do I know you?” Kate asked as the girl settled, as graceful as a swan at the foot of her bed. “I mean, I do—I know you’re a priestess—but I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced.”

The priestess sat beside her swollen left ankle, which was propped up on a pillow. Gently, she put one long, slim hand on Kate’s bandaged foot.

“My name is irrelevant,” she said, looking at Kate intently. “I am here because I have a message for you, Kate—a message from the Mother of All Life—the Goddess herself.”

“You do?” Kate looked at her blankly. “Uh, what?”

The girl closed her brilliant green eyes for a moment and then she began to recite.

“All that was lost shall be restored

All that is hidden revealed

All that is broken will mended be

And all that was shattered be healed”

“Um…what does that mean, exactly?” Kate asked when she was done.

But the priestess simply gave her a mysterious smile.

“I can only tell you what was given to me to say.”

“By the Goddess, right? Well, did she give anything else?” Liv asked practically. “Because Kate here is in a bad way. She could really use some concrete advice on what to do next.”

“Or maybe a sign,” Sophie added helpfully.

The priestess smiled at Kate. “I may tell you one more thing—the desire of your heart is already yours. You need only reach out your hand to pluck it.”

“What? What desire of my heart?” Kate demanded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No,” the priestess said mysteriously. “But you will.”

She squeezed Kate’s wounded foot very gently and rose to go.

“Wait!” Kate called. “Wait—I still don’t understand!” Forgetting that she had a hurt ankle, she hopped out of bed and ran to the priestess, who was already halfway out the door. “Please,” she begged. “Tell me more!”

The priestess looked her in the eyes.

“Only one more thing—do not ignore your appetites. They must be fed.”

“What?” Kate shook her head, more confused than ever. “But that makes even less sense than anything else you’ve said. “Please—”

But the priestess had slipped out the door and closed it behind her. By the time Kate fumbled it open again, she was gone and Commander Sylvan was standing there instead. He was wearing a pale blue uniform shirt which matched his ice blue eyes and a white bandage was wrapped around his right thumb.

“Well, hello.” He looked at Kate with a little frown on his face. “Excuse me but I was under the impression that you had a badly twisted ankle as well as…ahem, other injuries. How are you walking around?”

“Huh?” Kate looked stupidly down at her feet. The tight bandage which had been wound around her left ankle was loose and trailing on the floor.

“He’s right, Kate!” Sophie hopped up to go stand with her. “How are you walking? Your ankle was terrible just a minute ago—it was all puffy and swollen.”

“Looked like a sausage,” Liv added. “In my professional opinion.” She gave Kate a smile.

“I…I don’t know.” Kate looked down at herself again. “It was throbbing like crazy just a minute ago and now it feels fine.” She took a few experimental steps and then bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “Perfectly fine,” she muttered.

“Well, it doesn’t look like you’re injured now,” Sylvan remarked. “But I’ve never heard of this kind of spontaneous healing happening without some outside source.”

“There was an outside source,” Sophie said quietly. “'All that is broken will mended be…And all that was shattered be healed.' She said that—the priestess said it!”

“Yes—and she was touching Kate’s ankle while she spoke,” Liv put in excitedly. “Kate, she must have healed you.”

“What?” Kate shook her head. “No way. Is that even possible?”

“Are you walking around without pain on a foot that looked like a sausage a minute ago?” Liv asked, smiling.

“I guess I am.” Kate shook her head. “But I still don’t understand how or why or what she meant by everything she said.”

“You don’t have to understand—you just have to believe,” Sophie told her.

Sylvan frowned. “Forgive me, ladies, but are you saying that a priestess came into Kate’s room and healed her?”

“And gave her a prophesy,” Sophie added. “Well, kind of a prophesy. It rhymed, anyway.”

“You must have seen her leave,” Liv said to him. “She went out the door literally two seconds before you came in.”

But Sylvan was shaking his head.

“I’m afraid not. I was standing at the central station getting my thumb bandaged by one of the techs and watching Kate’s door for the past ten minutes and I haven’t seen anyone go in or out but Olivia.”

“What?” Sophie frowned. “But…but that’s not possible.”

“Unless that priestess wasn’t really a priestess,” Liv said quietly.

“What? What does that mean?” Kate objected. “We know she’s a priestess—we all saw her. And I saw her before too—she’s the one who talked to Rone the first time we were here, when he went to ask for healing at the Sacred Grove. I recognized her—she was so young and pretty.”

“I’ll ask, but I do not believe there are any young priestesses aboard,” Sylvan said thoughtfully. “They tend to be older here because it takes years of seniority to get a position aboard the Mother Ship.”

“So you’re saying…what are you saying?” Kate asked blankly.

“I am saying that it is possible you had a visitation from the Goddess herself,” Sylvan said softly. “She comes in many guises and forms to see her children and she is ever closest to those who are hurting.”

“That doesn’t seem possible,” Kate objected.

“Neither does your ankle suddenly being healed,” Sophie pointed out. “But it is.”

“All right—say it was the Goddess,” Kate said. “What does that mean? What should I do?”

“Listen to what she said,” Liv answered. “I know it doesn’t make sense now but it will—the words of the Goddess always do…in time.”

“In time,” Kate echoed, frowning. But she couldn’t help wondering if her time was running out. What exactly had the priestess—or the Goddess in disguise if her new friends were right—meant by her strange words? What was the desire of Kate’s heart that she was talking about? What appetites should she feed?

And in the meantime, what was she supposed to do about Rone?

Chapter Twenty-eight

“It’s a short trip back to Earth,” Rone said, strapping himself in to the pilot’s seat in the Finder. “I’ll have you home to your friend, Mimi, in no time but I need to make a stop first.”

“A stop where?” Kate asked, shifting in her chair. Since Rone had come to get her for their flight back to Earth that morning she had been feeling…different. Restless somehow.

“Just a different city on Earth,” he said shortly. “Please don’t worry—I won’t be long. Unless you wish me to drop you off first.”

Drop me off, Kate thought bitterly. As if I was a load of laundry he needed to drop at the dry cleaners. I’m just another errand to him now—just another duty he has to discharge before he can get on with his life.

But she didn’t fully believe that. Though the big Kindred tried to remain stoic, every time she looked at him from the corner of her eye, Kate could see the pain etched on his features. There were lines around his mouth and shadows under his eyes, as though he had spent a very restless night. Of course, she couldn’t know for sure, since he had insisted they sleep in separate guest rooms the night before. But looking at him, she would have bet the price of the Rolex she’d been trying to sell back when he first found her at the International Mall that he hadn’t gotten a wink all night.

Just thinking of that—of her former life and job—made Kate’s gut tie itself in knots. God, how could she go back to that? To an everyday normal existence—to a life that didn’t include Rone? Even though she was angry with him for acting the way he was, the reality that she was about to lose him forever still made her heart ache.

Goddess, she thought, sending out a silent prayer. If you’re going to help me fix this situation, now would be the time to do it.

But no answer came—even her Knowing was silent on the subject. Kate felt stuck—like she was set on a course she knew was wrong but she couldn’t get off of it. Just like when I was stuck in the Shadow side of the hall back in Flame and Frost, she thought morosely. Only there, Rone was willing to stay with me and even go with me into danger. Now it seems like he can’t wait to see the end of me.

But was that really how he felt? Looking at the haggard expression on his strong face from the corner of her eye, Kate wasn’t so sure.

“So…what city are you stopping at?” she asked, as casually as she could.

“Sacramento, California,” Rone said shortly.

“Oh—can I come? I’ve never been to California and I’ve always wanted to go.”

“No,” he said sharply. “I…my business there is private. And…” He pinched the bridge of his nose hard, as though trying to drive back a headache or maybe tears. “And you have been to California—you just don’t remember it.”

“I have?” Kate asked softly. “Where? When?”

“We went to see the redwoods. It was one of the stops on our…on our honeymoon.” Rone took a deep breath and went back to inputting destinations in the navcom. Something about the way his fingers flew over the complicated controls seemed to jog something loose in Kate’s brain.

“Hey—how many destinations can you put into that thing at once?” she asked, trying to steer away from the subject of their forgotten honeymoon.

“Up to a hundred,” Rone said tonelessly. “It enables you to plan an entire trip with stops at various locations.”

“And how many stops are you making? After…after you drop me off?” Her voice was tight but she tried to keep her face neutral.

“Only two,” Rone said shortly. “My journey is almost done.”

Kate didn’t know what he meant by that and she was afraid to ask.

“Rone—” she began but he interrupted her.

“Strap in, please. We’re beginning the descent to Earth.”

As he had said, it didn’t take long. Before she knew it, they were orbiting the familiar blue and green ball Kate had called home for most of her life. She wondered how it would be, being stuck on Earth for the rest of her days. Never going anywhere else again or seeing any other parts of the universe.

She’d always loved travel and exploring. Being with Rone these past few weeks had been stressful for various reasons but also exciting. Now she was going back to her ho-hum life and her ho-hum job in the jewelry store—well, if they would have her after the mess she’d left—never to explore again. At least, not outside the confines of Earth.

As if being stuck on Earth with no way to explore the universe is why you feel so sad, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. Be honest Kate, it’s not the space travel and exploration you’re going to miss—it’s your traveling companion. It’s Rone.

Being held in his strong arms, listening to him call her ‘baby’ and ‘Lalli’, hearing his soft, deep voice in her ear and smelling his warm, comforting scent…she would never have any of that again. Would never have him again…

Kate felt like she wanted to cry. She stared steadily at the navcom as the big Kindred put them in a holding pattern and prepared to take the shuttle down to the surface.

“I won’t be long,” he said, standing and reaching for something in one of the overhead compartments.

“Okay.” Kate blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay. Instead of her out-of-control emotions, she focused on Rone. He was holding a long metal bar with some kind of clunky attachment at the end. “What is that?” she asked, honestly bewildered. “Some kind of wrench?”

“It’s a hyperdrive spanner.” Rone lifted it with one hand and thunked the other end into his open palm, making a meaty thwack sound.

“What are you going to do down there—make some kind of repair? Fix something?” Kate asked.

He nodded. “There is something I need to fix—a problem long left unresolved. But as I said, I don’t think it will take long. I’ll be back soon.”

“All right. I’ll…make myself a cup of tea or something.” Kate sighed.

“You could…could go through your things.” Rone’s throat worked and it was clear he was forcing the words out. “See if there’s anything…anything you want to keep.”

“No.” Kate shook her head and looked down at her hands. “I don’t remember buying any of those clothes and I don’t really have room for any of the furniture or anything else like that.”

“As you wish.” He nodded gravely. “Think about it while I’m gone though. Anything you want is yours.”

Except you—except your heart, Kate thought. But somehow she managed to keep herself from saying it out loud. Suddenly she had the almost insurmountable urge to go to Rone and throw her arms around him. For some reason she just wanted to touch him—to hold him and be close to him. As close as she could possibly get.

Stop it, she told herself fiercely. Stop it—he doesn’t want you anymore. Not like that. But she couldn’t get rid of the restless feeling—the overwhelming urge to be close to him. She squeezed her hands into fists at her sides, forcing herself to stay in her seat until he finally left.

After the big Kindred was gone, she jumped up and paced restlessly. Why was she having this weird feeling? The blinding urge to be close to him? It was almost like a need, gnawing inside her. What was it?

Trying to ignore the strange feelings, she sat back down and stared blindly at the navcom for some minutes before it occurred to her to check his other destinations. It was probably being nosey but what the hell—she would probably never see him again. It wouldn’t hurt to look into where he was going when he left her on Earth. Just two stops he’d said. Where else was he going after he got rid of her?

Kate told herself she didn’t care but it wasn’t true. And besides, she thought she was beginning to remember a little about the controls she’d apparently once handled with ease. If what her memory was telling her was true, the navcom not only set the course for the ship, it also controlled various search engines—very useful for research when you were going to a new planet.

Leaning forward, she punched in a few tentative commands. The navcom obligingly lit up, displaying the coordinates for the next two destinations.

“What’s this?” Kate muttered to herself. “Why is he going back to Flame and Frost?” For the resort was the destination Rone had punched in for his first stop after dropping her off.

The second destination was back on his home planet of G’nera. The navcom even gave the exact location he was going to.

“Corith al Cruthe,” Kate read aloud, frowning. “Now why does that sound familiar?” She felt like it was something she ought to remember but she couldn’t for the life of her place it. Maybe it was just another memory that was lost or buried in the shifting sands of her subconscious, never to be recovered.

Shrugging, she went back to the first location—Flame and Frost. Kate couldn’t fathom why the big Kindred would be interested in returning to the place where they’d had so much trouble and trauma. She knew she certainly never wanted to go back. Not after Madam Shadow had nearly caned the skin off her back. She—

“Oh no,” Kate whispered to herself. “Oh…oh my God!”

Turning back to the navcom, she typed in a few more commands. The more she used the complicated-looking equipment, the easier it seemed to become. Soon enough what she was looking for came up—the result of Rone’s last information search.

“Gregory R. Compton, DDS,” Kate read aloud, the apprehension growing in her gut. “Sacramento, California. Oh my God—it can’t be.”

But it was. One of the links on the viewscreen showed a picture. There was Greg—much as she remembered him—except minus most of the hair on the top of his head. But there was no mistaking that self-satisfied smirk. Kate felt sick at the sight.

The first article she clicked on was about his dentistry practice.

So he became a dentist—it figures. Getting paid to cause people pain would be right up Greg’s alley, Kate thought.

Then she came to another article—this one was about how Greg was being investigated for alleged improper contact with a patient after he’d drugged her for a procedure. There was another article in the same vein and then another and another. Apparently several women had come forward to complain and then the reporter in the case had dug up Greg’s past accusations from college.

Kate wondered what kind of a deal his lawyer had made to even allow him to practice dentistry or any kind of medicine at all. They must have buried the college date-rape case really deep or had the record expunged somehow in order for him to go on and have a career and a normal life. But apparently he couldn’t stop himself from going back to his old tricks.

Her stomach clenched and she felt the same old wave of guilt rush over her.

I should have spoken up. I should have contributed to the evidence the police had. Maybe he would have ended up behind bars. Maybe I could have made a difference.

Or maybe your testimony would have been discounted too, whispered a little voice in her head. Greg’s family had plenty of money to throw at the problem—what were you but just another scholarship girl too poor to even afford full tuition?

Well, that was probably true, Kate comforted herself. She read farther, hoping to find out that Greg had finally gotten what was coming to him. But to her dismay, the next article was about the charges being dropped on some kind of technicality. He hadn’t even lost his license to practice dentistry!

“You fucking creep,” she muttered angrily, scrolling through more articles that said the same thing. “I hope you know Karma’s a bitch. One of these days what you did is going to catch up to you and…”

She trailed off, putting a hand to her mouth. She’d been so caught up in learning about her old attacker she’d forgotten her earlier suspicion.

Rone looked him up, she thought. And then he went down there to find him. With a big-ass wrench in his hand!

She seemed to hear the big Kindred’s voice in her ear, “There is something I need to fix—a problem long left unresolved.”

“Oh my God,” Kate whispered to herself. “Did he really…?”

Before she could even finish her question to herself, she heard the muffled thump of the small shuttle docking with the Finder and then Rone came back into the main cabin. He was still carrying the heavy hyperdrive spanner he’d left with. The end of the spanner had something that looked like red paint smeared all over it.

Only Kate knew it wasn’t paint.

“My God,” she whispered in a low, trembling voice. “You—you went and found Greg and you killed him!”

The big Kindred scowled.

“No, I didn’t kill him. Unfortunately the Earth authorities intervened before I could finish and I had to leave. So the bastard is still alive.”

“Alive? But…but the blood…” Kate stood on shaky legs and pointed at the red-smeared spanner.

“Oh, that.” Rone shrugged as though it didn’t matter. “I never said he wasn’t wounded. I dislocated his jaw and he’ll probably never walk again. But he is still alive. Don’t worry that it wasn’t a fair fight,” he added, seemingly as an afterthought. “He had a weapon too—a gun. But he missed me. I didn’t give him a chance to shoot twice.”

His casual admission of violence should have turned her stomach. Instead, when Kate took another step towards him, she felt a rush of dizzying desire—a deep wave of need so strong it left her feeling breathless and weak in the knees. What was wrong with her? It was the same strange feeling she’d been having right before he left only ten times…no, a hundred times stronger.

“So this…this was why you wanted to stop in Sacramento,” she said, trying to ignore the weird rush of need and sound normal. “To…to avenge me.”

“It is my right and my duty to avenge my mate of any wrongs committed against her,” Rone growled, still scowling. “To punish her attackers.”

“And that’s why the place you’re going after you drop me off at Mimi’s is back to Flame and Frost? You’re going to punish them too? Going to take your spanner to Madam Shadow?”

Rone glowered at her. “No—it’s shameful to do such a thing to a female—even to a sadist like her. What I have in mind for her is a taste of her own medicine. I intend to cane her—to give her stroke-for-stroke, exactly what she gave to you. That’s all.”

Kate shook her head, still fighting the strange tidal pull that wanted to drag her to him.

“I don’t understand—why bother?” she demanded. “Why bother to avenge me—why go to the trouble of tracking down Greg or punishing Madam Shadow when I’m not even technically your ‘mate’ anymore?”

“You are my mate and you will be until the day I die,” Rone growled.

“Then treat me like your mate!” Kate demanded. Stalking forward, she poked a finger in his broad chest. “Don’t run away from me, Rone—don’t run away from us. Stay. Or let me stay with you.”

An agonized look flitted over his face.

“I can’t. Not after what I did to you.”

“Will you stop with that? You didn’t hurt me—not like Greg did! I’m the one who threw away the stayback flowers. I’m the one who came to you. Yes it was scary and intense but it was damn sexy too!” Just thinking of her wild night with his Beast made the desire inside Kate surge almost uncontrollably. But to her dismay, she could see she wasn’t getting through to Rone.

He shook his head. “I’m such a hypocrite, doing what I did to your old attacker.”

“He probably deserved it, according to some of the articles I read.” This close to him, Kate was beginning to catch a whiff of his warm, spicy scent again. It was still muted but she could definitely pick it up—it only increased the strange need she was feeling.

“I deserve much worse,” Rone said in a low voice. “But I will deal with myself last. For now, I have to avenge you before…”

“Before what?” Kate demanded but he only shook his head.

“I have to go. We need to get you back home.”

He tried to push past her but Kate wouldn’t let him. The fine cord of self -control she’d been desperately holding onto finally snapped and the flood of need and desire…of hunger rushed over her, overwhelming her completely.

Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and tangled her hands in the thick black hair at the nape of his neck.

“I am home,” she snarled, glaring at Rone. And then she dragged him down for a brutal kiss.

Chapter Twenty-nine

The spanner fell from his nerveless fingers and clanged loudly on the floor. Rone barely noticed. All he could think of was the female in his arms—because Kate was in his arms somehow. In his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands still tangled in his hair.

Rone gripped her full, luscious bottom in both hands, unsure if he was trying to push her away or pull her closer. Her warm, sweet, feminine scent was invading his senses even as her lush little mouth ravaged his. It was such a familiar aroma that at first he didn’t realize anything was wrong. Then he smelled it—the strange, sweet, wild note entwined with her normal scent. He’d smelled that on her only once before so strongly—it was absolutely unmistakable.

“Gods,” he muttered hoarsely, pulling back at last from her punishing kiss. “You…you’re…Kate, I smell the hunger on you.”

“Is that what this is?” She moaned low in her throat and rubbed against him, pressing her full breasts against his chest and her crotch against the hard wall of his abdomen. Even through the denim jeans she wore, Rone could feel the insatiable heat of her pussy. “God,” Kate gasped, throwing back her head. “I feel like I’m going crazy, Rone! Like part of me is starving…I’m so…so empty.”

“That’s the hunger all right,” he said grimly. “I’ve seen you have it before, but only once this badly—that time we were separated that I told you about.”

“Is this what you were feeling the whole time you were waiting for me to let you touch me again?” she asked, still rubbing against him. “God, how did you hold yourself back from fucking me?”

“I didn’t,” he said grimly. “My Beast—”

“Fuck your Beast!” she snapped. “Actually, that sounds like a really good idea right about now.” She groaned and ground her crotch lower, as though looking for the hard ridge of his cock to rub against. “Can you change into him any time? Can you change now?”

“Even if I could I wouldn’t,” Rone growled, but he had to admit that despite his determination not to touch Kate in a sexual way ever again, she was getting to him. “I wouldn’t do that to you a second time,” he said sternly, frowning at her.

“Well you have to do something.” Kate was nearly crying with need now. “I’m so hot I feel like I’m about to explode.”

Rone sighed. “It's just the hunger making you think that.”

“But is it true? What does it do if you don’t, uh, feed it?” Kate demanded, panting.

“With a male Wulven, it forces him to change—to release his Beast,” Rone said. “And with a female…”

“Well?” She was deep in need now, her breath coming short and her eyes heavy-lidded with lust.

“It…it can kill a female if left unchecked,” Rone said reluctantly. Damn it all to the Seven Hells, if only Kate’s hunger could have held off a little longer! Honestly, he didn’t even understand why she was having it in the first place—he’d thought their connection was almost completely severed. The plans he had made would end with a complete dissolution of the bond between them, but he wasn’t ready to put those plans into effect yet. And it would take too long—Kate would be dead if he left her hunger unfed.

I can’t though—can’t give her what she needs. I don’t deserve to. Don’t deserve to ever touch her again after—

Kate cut off his guilty thoughts with another searing kiss. She was climbing him like a tree, rubbing every part of her lush little body against him that she could and enflaming his own need almost beyond reason.

Rone knew he had to be careful—the hunger of one partner in a Wulven pair could easily spark hunger in the other as well. Although in most cases, it was the male’s hunger that sparked the female’s—he had never heard of it starting in the female instead. But apparently it had in this case and if he wasn’t damn careful, Kate’s insatiable appetite was going to start a fire in him that might end with his Beast coming out again—something he definitely didn’t want.

“Rone,” she moaned in his ear, nibbling his lobe and then biting his neck in sharp, painful little nips that made his cock rock hard. “Rone, please…I need you.”

“We shouldn’t…I shouldn’t,” he protested, but he was already taking her to the bedroom.

Just once more—this one last time, he promised himself. One sweet memory to take with me into oblivion. After all, he couldn’t let her die. Even if he didn’t deserve to have her—even if their bond was almost completely severed—he still had an obligation to her as his mate.

And Gods, how he wanted her! His sweet Kate—his luscious little Lalli—how he wanted to hold her and fill her just one last time.

But first, before he gave her what she so desperately needed, Rone had to be certain she wasn’t hurt. Commander Sylvan had told him that Kate had refused the rape exam Rone had asked him to conduct—she’d only let him examine her ankle and take a few vials of blood. So there was no way Rone was going to make love to her without first making sure he wouldn’t injure her worse than he already had.

Gently, he laid her down on the bed. First he would examine her and heal her if he needed to. Any damage from the night with his Beast would not have been made by his claws or teeth and thus should be healable now. Rone swore to himself that no matter how much he wanted her and Kate wanted him, he wouldn’t take her until he was certain she wasn’t wounded or in pain.

* * * * *

“Rone…Rone, please!” Kate struggled against the broad mattress, trying desperately to get up—to get back into Rone’s arms. The hunger inside her was growing by the minute, threatening to consume her in a fire so fierce she thought she might be burned to ashes if she didn’t have the big Kindred’s body against hers—inside hers—soon. Restlessly, she yanked at her blouse, not caring a bit when it popped open and the buttons went flying everywhere. All she knew was that she needed to be naked—needed to be completely bare and feel his skin against hers.

“It’s all right…all right, baby,” Rone murmured soothingly, stroking her thighs. “Just take it easy—everything is going to be all right.”

“Please…Rone…” Kate tugged off her bra, finally baring her breasts. Looking down, she realized that her nipples had gone from their normal pale pink to a dark color that was almost maroon. “Oh my God,” she muttered. “What…what’s wrong with me?”

“It’s just the hunger,” Rone assured her, but he looked grim. “It can cause pigment changes if left unchecked for too long.” He frowned. “To look at you, anyone would think you’ve been in need for hours—days—not just a few minutes.”

“I…I’ve been feeling weird ever since you knocked on my door this morning and told me it was time to go,” Kate admitted. “But I didn’t start feeling so…so empty until you came back aboard the ship a few minutes ago.”

Rone frowned. “I’ve never heard of it coming on so quickly or so strong before but the symptoms are still normal.”

“So…my nipples are okay?” Kate’s mind was fuzzy with lust but she still had the sense to be worried.

“They should be. Your inner pussy should be the same color,” Rone told her.

“If they’re okay, then why do they ache so much?” Kate demanded. “God, they’re so hard they hurt.”

“They need to be suckled by your mate.” He sighed. “Honestly, without our bond, I’m not sure your body recognizes me that way anymore.”

“I don’t care what it recognizes—I’m going crazy here. Please, help me!” she pleaded. She managed to sit up, despite his restraining hands, and thrust her breasts into his face. “Please,” she begged shamelessly. “Please, Rone!”

The look on his face was a mixture of guilt and desire.

“All right,” he murmured at last. “All right, but only because there’s no other way to ease your pain.”

Leaning forward, he cupped her full breasts in his hands and took one taut peak between his lips. At first he only laved it gently with his tongue, but when Kate pressed forward, trying to get more of her breast into his mouth, he finally relented.

Kate gave a cry of mingled pain and pleasure as he pulled hard on her nipple, sucking it deep into his hot mouth.

Like his Beast, she thought deliriously as she tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him even closer. He’s sucking me hard—like he did when he was the Beast!

The thought brought back memories of her total submission to him and she felt lust surge through her once more. She remembered him filling her…fucking her…owning her completely. That was what she wanted now—what she needed so desperately.

“Please, Rone,” she gasped as he switched to the other nipple and sucked it into his hot mouth. “Please, I need…need you in me. I need you to fill me with yourself.”

“I’m going to, baby—I swear it,” Rone promised her hoarsely, releasing her nipple at last. “I just need to see you—to be sure you’re all right before I help you out.”

“What…what do you mean?” It was hard to think with the lust clouding her mind.

“I mean I want to see if I hurt you when I was the Beast the other night.” He looked at her sternly. “Many females have been torn and savaged during an attempt to tame a male Wulven’s Beast. I want to make sure I didn’t do that to you before I make love to you.”

“You didn’t hurt me,” Kate promised. “I mean—it was a little painful because you got so big—but mostly it felt good.”

“I have to see for myself before we can go any further,” Rone said sternly. “Now will you let me or not?”

“All right,” she agreed. Anything to get him inside her—anything to fill the aching void that seemed to have opened between her thighs.

He unfastened her jeans and Kate raised her hips eagerly, helping him strip them down her legs, leaving her wearing only her little white panties. The crotch of them was already soaked with her juices, making the white silk cling to her cunt mound obscenely.

“Gods…” Rone looked from her panties back to her face. “Kate, I have to ask you—is this all right with you? Do you mind letting me take off your panties?"

“Do it!” she groaned. “Do anything you want—just please, touch me. I’m going crazy and the only thing that seems to help is having you touch me!”

He hooked his fingers into the sides of the panties and gently tugged them down, baring her pussy for him completely.

Kate moaned as she felt a cool breeze play over her naked mound. When she looked between her legs, she was shocked by what she saw—her pussy was wet and swollen with need, opening on its own like a flower spreading its petals for the sun. Her inner folds were the same deep maroon as her nipples, just as Rone had said they would be and her clit looked like a ripe berry that needed to be sucked.

“Gods, baby…” His deep voice was hoarse as he knelt between her legs and framed her pussy gently with his big hands.

“Is everything all right?” Kate somehow managed to ask through the lust that was clouding her mind.

“I think so. It’s hard to tell because the hunger is making you so wet and swollen. Do you mind if I open you a little more—to look at your inner pussy?”

“All right,” Kate agreed breathlessly. Though once this would have made her feel incredibly tense and uncomfortable, now all she could think of was how desperately she wanted his touch on her hungry flesh.

Still being incredibly gentle, Rone spread her pussy folds with his thumbs and bent closer, trying to get a better view.

Kate moaned as she felt his hot breath on her inner cunt.

“God…Rone!” she cried as he circled her swollen clit slowly with his fingertip. “Please…please help me…please touch me more!”

“I can’t tell if I hurt you or not—the hunger has made you too red and swollen.” He looked up at her, his eyes blazing. “I need to lick you, Kate. Need to bathe your pussy with my tongue—it’s the only way to be sure you’re all right before I fill you.”

“All…all right.” She nodded almost at once. Though this act had once made her cringe with uncertainty and shame, now it felt like she would die if she couldn’t feel his hot tongue laving her swollen pussy. “All right, please, yes!” she moaned again, nodding.

“All right,” Rone echoed her. “But I’m only doing this to heal you—that’s all.”

Before she could answer, he spread her pussy even wider and, starting at the very bottom of her slit, dragged his tongue in a long, slow stroke up to the very top of her mound.

Kate moaned and jumped as his hot tongue connected with her tender clit. God, she couldn’t remember ever feeling so sensitive—so needy! After a minute, she realized that the big Kindred was moaning too—a deep, needy sound was being drawn from his throat as he lapped her gently. Clearly he was only doing what he thought was necessary to heal her but just as clearly he wanted to do much…much more.

“It’s all right, Rone,” she murmured, trying to think past the lust that wanted to take over her brain. “It’s all right if you need to taste me more…if you want to…to go deeper.”

He looked up at her and his eyes were silver-blue.

“I shouldn’t,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t…don’t deserve to taste you as deeply as I want to.”

“Yes, you do,” Kate assured him. “You licked me when you were your Beast too, you know—you weren’t as gentle as you’re being now but you weren’t cruel to me either.” She stroked his hair. “It helped get me ready to have you inside me.”

“Did I really take the time to prepare you properly to let me in?” His eyes were pleading.

“You did,” Kate assured him. “You…you tasted me very thoroughly. I swear, Rone.”

His eyes blazed. “I need to put my tongue deep inside you…need to taste your honey right from the source while you’re coming.”

“All right,” Kate whispered. “Do…do what you need to do.”

She stroked his hair again and moaned as he leaned forward and sucked her swollen clit between his lips. He circled it slowly with his tongue, lapping first one side and then the other and at the same time, Kate felt him slip two long, strong fingers deep into her cunt channel.

“Ahh!” She gasped arching her back as she felt him penetrate her and a whipcrack orgasm raced through her. The hunger inside her was screaming that this was what she needed—to be filled—to be fucked. But though his fingers felt good, they weren’t enough.

“That’s right, baby,” she heard Rone murmur as he fucked deeply into her, watching her face for her reaction. “That’s right—ride my fingers. Come hard for me and make plenty of honey.”

“I…I am…I swear I am!” Kate moaned as she felt her inner walls tighten around his invading fingers. “But please Rone, I need more!”

“You’ll have more,” he promised. “You’ll have as much as you can take—as much as you need, baby. But first let me taste your sweet juices.”

And he withdrew his fingers and leaned closer, replacing them with his long, hot tongue.

Kate wailed with new pleasure as she felt him enter her again. Her thighs clamped around his head and she bucked up to meet him, her pussy spasming around his tongue. God it felt so good—so right! And Rone didn’t forget her clit either. As he lapped deep inside her, searching hungrily for her sweet juices, she felt the broad pad of his thumb circle the sensitive little bud until she thought she was going to explode.

Suddenly another hard, quick orgasm raced through her.

“Ahh!” she gasped, bucking up to meet his mouth and tightening her thighs around his head. God, was this really her—timid little Kate—moaning and begging, pulling his hair and riding the big Kindred’s tongue so shamelessly? It didn’t seem possible that she could have gone from being so uncertain about this act to craving the feel of his mouth on her pussy like her next breath but Kate couldn’t deny it was so. God, she wanted him! And not just his fingers or tongue—she wanted his thick cock buried deep in her pussy, filling her just as he had on the night his Beast had finally come out!

“Rone!” she begged tugging at his hair. “Rone, please! I can’t take anymore—I need you now.”

“All right.” He pulled up reluctantly, his mouth and jaw shiny with her juices. “All right, just…just needed to taste you.”

“And you have,” Kate told him. “Now take me—please!”

“With pleasure,” he growled, shucking off his tight black leather trousers. “But this time I want to go more slowly—want to be gentle with you, baby.”

Kate didn’t feel like she needed him to be gentle but right now as long as he put himself inside her, she wasn’t going to complain. She reached for him eagerly as Rone started to climb on top of her but then, suddenly, a memory sparked in her brain.

“No!” She put her hands on his broad chest, holding him off for a moment. “No—not here.”

Rone frowned. “What? Where do you want to go—back to Earth?”

“No, nothing like that.” Kate shook her head impatiently. “To the Breeding Chair.”

“What?” Rone’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “No—we can’t!”

“Why not?” Kate demanded. Before he could protest more she said, “Please, Rone, I don’t know why but that’s where…where I feel like I need to be. Were we need to be. And besides, didn’t you say you wanted to be gentle with me? And isn’t that what the Breeding Chair is for—long, gentle lovemaking? You told me that yourself.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders, defeated.

“All right—yes, I did say that.” He sighed. “You win, baby.” Scooping her up, he carried her over to the large rocking chair-looking piece of furniture and settled himself on it with Kate in his lap.

Kate reached for his thick shaft, trying to fit it inside herself at once but Rone put a hand on her wrist, stopping her.

“Slowly, baby,” he growled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Kate nearly cried in frustration. “You won’t, I swear you won’t!” she promised.

“I just want to take things easy.” Slowly, he rubbed the broad, plum shaped head of his cock over her open folds, making Kate moan. “At least you should be healed of any damage I did the other night.”

“You didn’t damage me,” Kate whispered, trying to reassure him even though the fire was raging inside her. She stroked his hair and cupped his cheek. “You didn’t, Rone, honestly.”

A look of sorrow crossed his strong features.

“I want to believe you but the only parts I can remember of that night are you begging and trying to get away.”

“I did try to get away once. After…after I sucked you.” Kate could feel her cheeks burning as she confessed. “But only because you got so much bigger it scared me.”

He sighed. “Yes, the Beast’s urge is to breed which means I grow thicker and longer and make much more seed in that state.”

“You certainly, uh, made a lot that night,” Kate said. “In fact, that was the first thing you did when you…when you got all the way inside me. Before you even thrust in and out once, you came and came and came. I was, uh, completely saturated before you even started to move.”

“Did I?” Rone looked surprised and cautiously pleased. “I don’t remember that part but I’m glad to hear my Beast had at least enough consideration to help you open before he—before I—bred you.”

“How would coming in me over and over help me open up?” Kate asked, momentarily distracted from her intense need by curiosity.

“The compounds in my seed help you open for me,” Rone explained. “The same compounds that make you multi-orgasmic once I’m inside you.”

“Is that why I needed to…to swallow your seed? Uh, your cum?” Kate asked, feeling her cheeks get hot. “Does that help get me ready too?”

“Ready for the Beast, yes—it’s always part of taming the Beast.” Rone cocked an eyebrow at her. “But how did you know that?”

“I was given a book—The Volume of Submission,” Kate explained. “I was sort of studying it before I went to bed that night. And I remembered that it seemed important that I…that I suck you. Don’t you remember it at all?”

He frowned. “I do, now that I think of it. I remember you on your knees in the moonlight, looking so beautiful as you took me in your mouth…” His jaw clenched. “I remember holding your head…making sure you swallowed.”

“But you weren’t mean about it,” Kate told him quickly. “Just firm. And now I know why—I needed to taste your seed in order to take you in my…in my pussy.”

“Well, that is true,” Rone acknowledged. “The more seed you take, both in your mouth and in your pussy, the easier it is to open for my shaft. In fact…” He frowned. “I think it’s best if I come in you now—just to prepare you before I enter you fully.”

“Really? You can do that?” Kate asked. “You can come on demand?”

He shrugged his broad, muscular shoulders. “It’s a Wulven trait to get our mates ready to receive us.” He stroked her cheek and looked intently into her eyes. “Will you receive me now, Kate? Just one more time, will you take my shaft and my seed deep in your sweet pussy?”

Kate’s breath seemed to catch in her throat. She knew that even if the hunger hadn’t been riding her, she would have agreed to his request.

“Yes,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him again. “Yes, I’ll take you, Rone. Please…please just do it.”

“Gently,” he said. “Here, put your feet on the footrests so you can have some support. I’m only going to put the head of my shaft in you at first as I come in you.”

Kate did as he said, settled herself firmly so that she was straddling his lap with her open pussy suspended over his thick shaft. She moaned softly as Rone slid the broad head of his cock over her wet folds, stroking against her swollen clit several times before coming to rest at the entrance of her pussy.

“Just the head,” he reminded her as Kate tried to lower herself onto him. “Careful, baby—I’m too thick for you to take all at once. I need to come in you first, like I said.”

“So is this always…always how we did it?” Kate asked breathlessly as he slipped just the thick head of his shaft into her soft little cunt. “You would come in me first before we could actually get…get started?”

“Almost always,” Rone assured her. “Sometimes you got impatient with me.”

“I’m feeling pretty impatient right now,” Kate moaned. Despite the stretching pain, she wiggled a little, getting at least one more thick inch of his shaft inside her before Rone grabbed her hips in his big hands and stopped her.

“Just hold still, baby,” he murmured. “Just relax a minute and let me come in you. As soon as I fill your pussy with my cream, you can come down on me all the way.”

Kate moaned and whimpered impatiently—now that she had even a little bit of his long, thick cock inside her, the hunger was riding her again, telling her that she had to get more of him—all of him inside her.

“Hold still,” Rone commanded again. “I’m about to…”

He didn’t finish his sentence but he didn’t have to. Kate felt something hot and wet spurt inside her. She gave a little gasp and looked down, watching his thick shaft pulse as another spurt of hot cum pumped into her pussy. And then another and another.

“Rone!” she gasped as she felt his seed filling her. “God, I can feel you doing it—can feel you coming inside me!”

“Then you should be almost ready to take me.” His jaw was clenched in concentration and she knew he was holding back, trying not to ram himself to the hilt in her pussy.

“I am ready—I am!” Kate promised wildly. The hunger was becoming too much to bear—telling her that she had to have him in her now.

“Come down slowly, baby,” Rone instructed her, loosening his grip on her waist. “Just come down slow and don’t hurt yourself.”

Gripping his broad, bare shoulders for support, Kate obeyed and sank slowly onto him. She moaned as she felt his thickness stretching her, just as it had the night his Beast had come out. But just as it had that night, the cum he had filled her with allowed her to take him with only a slight stretching sensation that was more pleasure than pain.

At last he bottomed out inside her, filling her pussy completely as the broad head of his cock pressed hard against the mouth of her womb. They sat there for a moment, Kate moaning softly in pleasure and need—having him in her was good but she needed even more, needed to feel him thrusting to fill her up…

She started to raise up off his lap so that she could start a rhythm but Rone stopped her.

“No, baby—this is where the Breeding Chair comes in. All I have to do is rock to thrust inside you—you don’t have to do a thing but sit on my lap and ride me.”

“But…but I don’t think just rocking is going to help,” Kate protested. “I mean, I need you in me deep and hard, Rone—I can’t help it!”

“The Chair is built for that too. Watch.” He flicked a lever at the side of the Breeding Chair, just under the seat and suddenly Kate felt the seat itself begin to tilt.

“It’s all right—I’ve got you,” the big Kindred reassured her, gripping her hips. “The seat is on a special hinge. It allows deeper penetration than rocking alone can give. Watch.” He began to rock the Chair and thrust into her at the same time. To Kate’s delight, what he’d said was true.

With every backward rocking motion, Rone’s pelvis tilted away, allowing him to pull almost all the way out of her. With every forward motion, his pelvis tilted up, thrusting deep to bury himself to the hilt in her pussy, the head of his cock kissing the mouth of her womb every time.

“Oh…oh!” she gasped as Rone reached between them and slipped his thumb into her swollen pussy lips.

“That’s right, baby,” he growled, still rocking inside her with slow, hard, deliberate thrusts. “That’s right, ride my cock. Let me fill your tight little pussy with my shaft and make you come, come so hard…”

Kate had already come several times while he tasted her but she knew by now that was just a preview. The big Kindred was more than capable of making her come over and over again…she just wondered if she would have another one of those long, multi-orgasms that he’d given her the other night when his Beast was out. She had the feeling that if he kept touching her and circling her clit while he thrust inside her, she was going to find out.

“Rone,” she gasped, riding his cock. “Ah, God, Rone—that feels so good! So right!”

“Feels right to me too, baby,” he groaned. “Gods, I love to take you to the Breeding Chair—love to fuck you long and hard and deep and feel your sweet pussy milking the cream out of me while I come in you again and again…”

“Come now,” Kate urged him, knowing it wouldn’t be the end of their lovemaking but only the beginning. “Fill me up, Rone—I want you to!”

“Gods, baby, I can’t help it…” With a low groan, he gave a particularly deep thrust as he rocked up into her and she felt another hot, hard spurt of cum bathing her inner pussy.

The intense pleasure brought her to the peak again. Kate moaned as she felt her orgasm rip through her—a much deeper orgasm this time, one that seemed to come from inside her, right where she and the big Kindred were connected.

Then, to Kate’s surprise, she suddenly had another sensation. It was the same feeling she’d had when Rone’s Beast had been taking her from behind—the feeling that some part of her inside had opened up and was sucking the head of the big Kindred’s cock, begging for more of his seed.

“Rone?” she asked, her eyes flying wide as she stared at him. “Do…do you feel that?”

His silver-blue eyes were wide as well—wide with surprise.

“Gods, I do!”

“What…what is it?” Kate panted. She looked down to where they were joined, almost expecting to be able to see what was happening.

“It’s your body—you’re opening up for me,” Rone explained, his deep voice hoarse. “You…you’re actually sucking the seed out of me, directly into your womb.”

“Ahh!” Kate gasped as the deep, intense sensation continued. She was still coming, her inner walls clenching around the big Kindred’s thick, invading shaft and now she knew she was literally milking him, sucking as much of his potent seed inside her as she could. That knowledge, coupled with the pleasure seemed to be doing something inside her—something she couldn’t explain or deny. She moaned louder, gripping hard at his bare shoulders and biting her lip, trying to understand what was happening.

The joining ceremony…the flowers…Emily telling me to smell them…saying they were from Rageron…and the Goddess…what the Goddess said to me before…what she told me before I left the Sacred Grove…oh Goddess…oh my Goddess!

"Oh my Goddess!" she moaned out loud.

“It’s all right,” Rone assured her in a low growl. “It’s okay, baby, it’ll be over in a minute.”

“No…no, you don’t understand.” Kate gripped the side of her head with one hand as a dizzying rush of memories flooded her brain. “It’s not the lovemaking—that's good,” she told Rone, panting. “Keep…keep going!”

“Couldn’t stop if I wanted to,” he admitted gruffly. “We’re locked together down there, baby. We won’t…won’t be able to separate until your pussy stops milking the cum from my cock. Gods.” The last word was a groan because he was still coming too, still overcome with the same pleasure that was overcoming her.

“All right…okay.” Kate realized there was nothing she could do—nothing but spread her thighs and give in to the intense sensations and the feeling of his shaft spurting deep inside her. With a low moan, she ground down against him, giving in to the pleasure and the flood of memories that were washing over her at the same time.

The first time he ever asked me out…our joining ceremony and how happy I was when he slipped the ring on my finger…our honeymoon…the redwoods…the Grand Canyon…traveling all over the Universe in the Finder…searching for Emily when she was taken by Tragar…finally catching up to her…her joining ceremony on Rageron…

And then it seemed she had come full circle, right back to where she’d been when she first started remembering. Just at that moment, the pleasure finally began to fade and she felt her body letting go of Rone’s.

With a moan, she collapsed in his arms, tears stinging her eyes.

“Baby… are you all right?” Rone sounded worried as he held her close to him.

Kate looked up at him with wet yes. “Rone,” she whispered. “I remember.”

“What?” he frowned and stroked a strand of hair out of her face. “What are you talking about? What do you remember?”

“Everything.” Kate looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Rone, I remember everything. I’m back!”

Chapter Thirty

Rone could scarcely believe it. It couldn’t be true—after all this time, could she really have recovered her memories? Could she—

“Yes, it’s true!” he heard her say. “I remember everything from our first kiss to sniffing those damn flowers and blacking out.”

“Our first kiss? You really remember it?”

“Of course! We were walking in the woods, remember? And I stood on a tree stump and asked you to come look at something.” Kate grinned. “Then, when you were close enough, I grabbed you and kissed you.”

“Yes, you did! I remember I wanted so badly to kiss you that whole day but I was afraid I might hurt you or frighten you.” He laughed. “And then you took matters into your own hands and kissed me instead, my naughty little Lalli.”

“Call me that again!” Kate begged, pulling him closer. She looked into his eyes. “I’ve missed it so much—being your Lalli.”

“Lalli, Lalli, La—” Rone broke off abruptly, staring at her.

“What? Why did you stop?” Kate demanded.

“Kate…baby…listen to us. Do you hear what we’re doing? How we’re communicating?”

“What are you…oh!” Her lovely green eyes grew wide. “Oh my God, Rone,” she whispered, finally speaking aloud. “We’ve been communicating mentally this whole time. And that means…”

“Our bond,” he said hoarsely. “It’s back. I don’t understand how but it’s back, Kate!”

“I think I understand.” Reaching up, she ran her cool fingers through his hair, sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine. “It’s because we finally made love.”

“But we did that the other night—or rather, my Beast did,” Rone pointed out. “Why didn’t that bring back your memories and our bond?”

“Your Beast is part of you but he isn’t the part I had a bond with,” Kate said.

“Gods…” He shook his head. “Do you know, I actually thought that might be the reason—if there was a reason—that my Beast was finally allowed to meet you? To…to breed you? And then when I realized it hadn’t brought you back, brought back our bond, that it was all for nothing…”

“It wasn’t all for nothing, honey,” Kate said softly. “No, look at me,” she said when he closed his eyes, unable to bear the thought of how he’d hurt her. “None of this was for nothing—it all had a purpose.”

“What purpose could there be for me to…to use you like I did that night?” Rone asked. He couldn’t help it, no matter how often she reassured him that he hadn’t hurt her, he still had the memories of the Beast that seemed to prove otherwise.

“I had to meet your Beast—I had to tame him and let him breed me,” Kate said. “Listen, Rone, I told you I remembered everything and I have, but there’s something else, something I didn’t get a chance to tell you before I sniffed that damn bouquet of flowers and forgot everything.”

“What?” Rone asked but that moment, the red sensor light mounted high on the wall of their bedroom began blinking and a mechanical voice announced, "Urgent message. Urgent message from the Mother Ship."

“Looks like it’ll have to wait a minute—we’d better get that.” Kate looked down to where they were still joined. “Uh… we’re still stuck together. You think it’s safe to disengage?”

“I think so,” Rone said cautiously. “I’m not coming anymore so you should be done, uh, milking me.”

“That’s never happened before,” Kate pointed out as she carefully disengaged. “I mean, we’ve spent too many nights in the Breeding Chair to count but other than the night I tamed your Beast, I’ve never had that, uh, sensation. That feeling that I was actually sort of sucking you in.”

“No,” Rone agreed. “No, it’s never happened to us but I have heard of it happening to other bonded couples. Usually when a female is taming a male’s Beast. I’ve never heard of it happening otherwise though. I—”

“Urgent message from the Mother Ship,” interrupted the mechanical voice of the ship’s alarm again.

“Come on.” Kate went to her dresser and pulled out a long pink silk robe that tied with a white sash. “Get some trousers on,” she said as she pulled it on. “I’ll go see what they want.”

“All right.” But for a moment Rone just watched her. His mate—his beautiful, sweet, perfect Lalli was back. After so many days and nights of yearning for her, it was hard to believe—he was almost afraid it might be a dream. Then he heard Kate out in the control portion of the ship saying,

“Okay, I’m coming, I’m coming—keep your pants on!”

She really is back, he thought and for a moment tears stung his eyes. Thank you, Goddess. Thank you for sending my mate back to me!

* * * * *

“Hello? Hello, can you hear me?” The face peering anxiously into the viewscreen was Sophie’s and right beside her was her twin, Liv. Kate was surprised at how glad she was to see them both.

“Hey you guys,” she said, smiling at them as she hit the switch that allowed them to see her. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Kate! Oh thank goodness!” Sophie looked relieved. “We’re so glad you’re still on board the Finder and not back on Earth yet!”

“We would have had a heck of a time tracking you down,” Liv put in. “And the news we have, well—it can’t wait.”

“I’ve got news too.” Kate was brimming with excitement, dying to share the news of her recovered memory and her renewed bond but Liv and Sophie looked so serious she decided she’d better hear what they had to say first. “Hey, what is it?” she asked, looking at the two of them uncertainly. “You look pretty upset—both of you.”

“It’s just…well, the news we have is kind of delicate.” Sophie bit her lip. “You see, after Sylvan drew blood from you I convinced him to run an extra test. Because of what you said about being so upset and that time of the month and everything and, well…”

“Well, what?” Kate asked, bewildered. “What test are you talking about?”

“Look.” Liv held something up to the viewscreen so Kate could see it. “I know you don’t know what this is—”

“A flower.” Kate’s voice was suddenly tight. “It…it’s a blue flower.”

“Right,” Liv said. “Now this is going to sound crazy but when you take a test—a pregnancy test—up here, you get one of three results. A pink flower means a girl, a white flower means you’re not pregnant. And a blue flower means—”

“A boy! A son—I’m going to have a son! Rone’s son!” Kate exclaimed, unable to hold back anymore. And then she burst into tears.

“Oh, no!” Sophie looked upset. “Oh, Liv—we’ve made her cry! Oh, Kate, we’re so sorry!”

“Look, hon, we know this is kind of awkward news, especially with the two of you splitting up and everything,” Liv said, staring at her anxiously. “So if you’d like to come back to the Mother Ship so we can talk about it and find a place for you to stay…”

“Because you can stay up here with us,” Sophie put in earnestly. “And we’ll introduce you to everyone. Liv and I will be with you every step of the way. We—”

“Kate isn’t going anywhere.” Suddenly Rone was standing right behind her, his big hands on her shoulders. “She’s staying aboard the Finder with me.”

“I’m sorry…” Kate sniffed and somehow managed to get a grip on herself. “I’m not…not crying because I’m upset. I’m crying because I’m so surprised and happy. And Rone and I aren’t splitting up.”

“You’re not?” Liv and Sophie asked together.

“No.” Kate shook her head. “Because I remembered—I remembered everything! My past, the three years I lost—everything! And even better, our bond is back!”

“Back and stronger than ever,” Rone growled, squeezing her shoulders.

“Wow,” Liv said. “How did you manage that?”

“We, uh…” Kate blushed. “Well, remember how the Goddess said I should, uh, feed my appetites?”

Sophie laughed delightedly. “I’m guessing she wasn’t talking about your appetite for pizza or brownies or any other kind of food, was she?”

“Nope.” Kate grinned, despite her red cheeks. “Anyway, everything just kind of…came back while we were…well, you know.”

Liv cleared her throat. “You know, you might want to be a little bit, uh, careful there. Sylvan told me that due to Wulven Kindred anatomy, their mates are actually able to get pregnant twice, if the second, uh, breeding occurs within a solar week of the first. They call it ‘twice expectant’ or a double conception. So if you don’t want twins…”

“Pregnant twice? Twins?” Rone looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh—you don’t know yet!” Kate exclaimed. Turning back to the viewscreen, she gestured at Olivia. “Show him, Liv! Show him the flower!”

Obligingly, Liv held the small, perfect blue flower up to the viewscreen.

“Here you go,” she told Rone. “Looks like you’re going to be a daddy.”

“Gods!” Rone gripped the back of the seat Kate was sitting in so violently she nearly fell out of it. “Are you serious?” he demanded of Olivia. “Is this really true? Kate is pregnant?”

“She absolutely is.” Liv nodded decisively. “And Sylvan would really like you to come back to the Mother Ship so he can run some more tests and make sure everything is going just right.”

“We’ll come right away,” Kate promised. She looked at Rone who nodded.

“Yes…yes, of course.” He still looked stunned.

“All right then, we’ll be waiting for you in the med center,” Liv said.

“And don’t worry,” Sophie added. “Sylvan says he’s sure everything is fine—he just wants to do a more thorough checkup.”

“See you soon!” Liv added and then the viewscreen went blank.

For a moment Kate just sat there, soaking in the news. Then she looked up at Rone. The big Kindred still had the back of her chair in a death grip.

“I can’t believe it,” he muttered. “I just can’t…I can’t believe it.”

“It’s true, though.” Kate looked at him hopefully. “Are you happy?”

“Happy? Of course I’m happy—this is what we’ve wanted forever. I’m just…just stunned.” He shook his head. “It must have happened when my Beast—”

“When I tamed your Beast,” Kate said quickly, not wanting him to start feeling guilty all over again. “And listen, honey—this is what I was trying to tell you earlier, before the girls called. I had to meet and tame your Beast for just this reason.”

He shook his head. “What do you mean? What are you talking about? I thought you said you had something to tell me that you hadn’t gotten a chance to say before you lost your memories.”

“I do.” Kate looked at him intently, wondering how he was going to react to what she had to say. She took a deep breath. “Do you remember how the statue of the Goddess came to life during Emily and Tragar’s joining ceremony?”

“Remember it?” Rone gave a short, barking laugh. “How could I forget it? I’d never seen the Goddess in person before. It was…amazing how she manifested herself.”

“I was amazed too,” Kate said quietly. “Remember how afterwards, when everyone was leaving the Grove, I told you I had to go back because I had forgotten something?”

“Yes, and…?” he prompted.

“Well, I just wanted a minute alone with her—alone in the presence of the Goddess,” Kate admitted. “I mean, I thought she had left but I went back and knelt at her feet anyway—at the feet of the statue. And I prayed—prayed so hard for what we both wanted so badly.”

“A baby,” Rone said softly. “A son.”

“Or a daughter,” Kate whispered. “I told the Goddess I wasn’t particular. I just wanted a baby to love and I didn’t care what it took.”

“And what happened?” Rone asked in a low voice.

“She came back to life. Or, well—the statue reanimated or whatever you want to call it,” Kate said. “And she told me that the desire of my heart was within reach but I would have to go through terrible hardship to get it.” She looked down at her hands. “I told her I didn’t care—that I would do whatever it took if you and I could just have a baby.”

“Then what did she say?” Rone’s voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.

“She told me my prayer had been heard and that it would be answered.” Kate looked up at her husband. “And then I went to tell you and walked right into that damn trap by smelling the bouquet that was meant for Emily.” She bit her lip. “Are you angry with me? I think…I guess all of this—everything we just went through—is my fault.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Rone shook his head. “We nearly lost each other, Kate. I was going to avenge you or die trying. Then I was going to go to the Desert. To—”

“To Corith al Cruthe. Oh my God!” Kate put a hand to her mouth. “The second destination in the navcom—now I remember where I’ve heard it before! Your aunt told me about it!”

Rone frowned. “Tante Corii has a bad habit of saying more than she should. I bet she’s the one who gave you a copy of the Volume of Submission, isn’t she?”

“Of course she is, but Rone…” Kate got up and went to stand in front of him. “How could you? How could you even think of doing that? Of going into the Desert of Death and letting your Beast take over your mind forever?”

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said simply. “And after what my Beast did to you I felt I deserved no better than the Living Death.”

“For the last time, what your Beast did was necessary.” Kate pressed his hand earnestly. “Listen to me, sweetheart—we were trying to circumvent the natural order of things by using my Knowing to get around taming your Beast. Without a whole and complete bond, I never would have been able to get pregnant. The Goddess knew that and she also knew you’d never let me meet your Beast willingly.”

Rone frowned. “Are you saying she used that sick bastard, Two, to bring you to my Beast on purpose?”

Kate nodded. “I am. I believe there was a reason for everything that happened to us. If I hadn’t lost my memory and been taken away from you, you wouldn’t have spent six months looking for me while your hunger grew. And you know what iron control you have—if you hadn’t been deprived of my touch and taste for so long, your Beast never would have had a chance of coming out to meet me. To breed me.”

He nodded slowly. “I guess I can see that. But Kate…as much as I want a baby, I want you more. I’d rather have you and be childless than lose you.”

“I understand.” Kate stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around his neck. “And I’m sorry, Rone—so sorry I put you through all this. Can you forgive me?”

“I’ll try.” He leaned down into her hug and then gathered her into his arms. “Oh, baby…oh, Lalli,” he murmured, nuzzling her neck. “I can’t believe I came so close to losing you forever. I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.”

His deep voice was hoarse and broken and Kate felt his tears wetting her cheek. Tears of her own stung at her eyes and she hugged him harder.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” she whispered. “I feel the same way. I’m never leaving you again—especially if I’m ‘twice expectant.’ Because you have to help me raise this baby—or these babies if there are two now—I can’t do it on my own!”

“Don’t worry,” Rone whispered through their newly restored link as he kissed her gently on the mouth. “You won’t have to. I’ll be with you every step of the way, Lalli.”

Kate knew it was true. She had finally come home to the man she loved and they would never be parted again.

The End

Epilogue #1

“Well…here we go.” Commander Sylvan stared at the small, coffee-cup sized machine. He had just inserted a new vial of Kate’s blood into it and now he was fiddling with the controls. He’d asked Olivia to do the actual blood draw since his bandaged thumb made him clumsy. There was nothing to do now but wait for the results.

Kate squeezed Rone’s hand excitedly. They were back at the Mother Ship at last and sitting in the med lab. Actually, they had arrived the day before but decided to spend the night on the Finder before coming back aboard the huge Kindred vessel. After their emotional reunion and Kate’s newly regained memory, they had needed some time to re-bond all over again. In fact, they had spent most of the night in the Breeding Chair, just rocking and holding each other with Rone thrusting deep and slow inside her.

It had been beautiful and perfect and now Kate felt closer than ever to her mate. She squeezed his hand excitedly as they waited for the test results.

“I still don’t understand,” Sophie complained. She and Liv were waiting breathlessly too. “How can it show after such a short time?”

“Doesn’t the fertilized egg need time to implant?” Liv finished her twin’s thought.

“That’s the thing—it implants immediately with Wulven Kindred.” Sylvan was still staring intently at the machine. “They have difficulty conceiving so the Goddess made them in such a way that the moment an egg finally does get fertilized, it begins to grow. That is why females carrying a Wulven’s child typically only have an eleven month pregnancy—not a twelve month one.”

“Whoo-hoo,” Kate said dryly, trying to hide her nervous excitement. “Shaving a whole month off.”

“Listen, hon, after you’ve been pregnant for almost an entire year, one less month is going to sound mighty nice,” Liv told her.

Sophie snorted. “Try being pregnant with twins. And Kindred babies are so big.”

“I know!” Liv said. “Baird and I want another one but I don’t want to have to go through all that again.”

“You didn’t have to go through all of it,” Sophie reminded her. “Remember, it was poor Baird who actually had to have little Daniel.”

“Huh?” Kate looked at the sisters. “Am I missing something? Did you say that Liv carried the baby but someone else had it?”

“My husband, Baird,” Olivia explained. “We happened to swap bodies for a while at just the wrong time.”

“You switched bodies?” Rone asked, frowning. “Is your mate a Switch Kindred? A Trader?”

“A traitor to who?” Sophie asked.

“No—he means a Trader as in one who trades,” Sylvan explained, still fiddling with the small machine. “As in a Kindred who is able to trade bodies with his mate from time to time. There used to be quite a number of them but they interbred with another race—a people who considered the ability shameful and suppressed it somehow.” He shook his head. “It’s a pity—I’ve always thought it was a valuable experience. It gives a male a better understanding of what his female is going through and thinking to spend some time in her body and vice versa.”

“Oh yeah?” Sophie raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t remember you finding it a ‘valuable experience’ when we swapped! You were mostly crying and upset all the time and you threw away my best pair of Jimmy Choos!”

“They hurt my feet,” Sylvan said, in a dignified tone. “And I couldn’t help feeling emotional—you were pregnant at the time and I was bearing the full brunt of your hormones.”

Kate shook her head. “It sounds like you guys have had some wild adventures up here on the Mother Ship.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Olivia grinned at her. “The stories we could tell…”

“And we will too—especially if you stay with us during your pregnancy.” Sophie pressed her hand. “Please say you will! We have a lot of good girl friends up here that are dying to meet you and we have so much fun together.”

“Well, I don’t know about staying on the ship but I’m certain we’ll stay close,” Rone said. “Wulven pregnancies tend to be difficult so we’ll want to be near Commander Sylvan. Not to mention that pregnant females can’t fold space.” He looked at Kate. “Thank goodness we took a wormhole back here instead of asking the Mother Ship to fold for us!”

“The Goddess was watching out for you, all right,” Sylvan said. Just then the little machine he’d been watching so intently made a soft, ding! “Ah, here we go…let’s just see…”

Kate tensed up as she watched him reach into the machine’s slot. What if that first test they had run on her had been wrong? What if the results were some kind of a false positive? What if…?

“Here you go.” Sylvan handed her a flower—a pink one.

Kate looked at him blankly.

“I don’t understand—what does this mean? I thought you guys said I was having a boy. But this—”

The machine dinged again. “And here’s another,” Sylvan said, giving her another flower—a blue one this time.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief.

“Uh-huh.” Olivia shook her head. “I knew it—twice expectant.”

“So…twins?” Kate asked, smiling a little. “Goodness, I don’t know how I’m going to manage that!”

Just then the machine dinged a third time. This time Liv looked at it.

“Uh, Kate, hon?” she asked, reaching into the small slot. “What exactly were you and Rone doing last night that made you too busy to come and see us right away?”

“I…well…” Kate felt herself blushing but then Olivia handed her the third flower—a blue one this time.

Kate looked it in dismay.

“Are you serious? Triplets?”

“What would that be? ‘Thrice expectant?’” Sophie asked.

“It’s not completely unheard of in Wulven couples,” Sylvan said. “But since the period for conception is an entire solar week starting from the time of the first breeding, I must advise you not to have any more—ahem—intimate relations until that time period is up.”

“Unless you want to wind up with a whole bouquet,” Liv said, grinning.

“No, we don’t want that,” Kate said hurriedly. “That’s what started all this in the first place—sniffing that damn bouquet that was meant for Emily!”

“Well this is a different kind of bouquet.” Rone took the three small blossoms from her carefully. “One that will bring us joy.”

“I’m happy too—don’t get me wrong,” Kate said. “This is just…scary. Three at once?”

“Just wait until you meet our best friend, Kat,” Sophie told her, laughing. “She had three at once so she can give you a full breakdown of what to expect.”

“Well, I guess we’re definitely hanging around now,” Kate said. “There’s no way I’m getting too far from a doctor when I’ve got three buns in the oven!”

“I’d say that’s a good choice,” Sylvan said. “You can tether the Finder to the Mother ship for the duration of the pregnancy. That way you can either stay aboard your ship or move into one of the guest suites.”

“That sounds perfect,” Kate said gratefully. She looked at Liv. “Do you guys really have a friend that has triplets? Because I’m definitely feeling in need of some advice right now.”

Liv laughed. “Come on—Kat’s been dying to meet you and so has everyone else.”

“I’ll Bespeak Lauren and ask her to bring cupcakes,” Sophie said. “If you’re anything like the rest of us, you’re going to grow a serious sweet tooth now that you’re preggers with a Kindred baby—babies, I mean.”

“Mmm…” Kate smiled. “Actually, a cupcake sounds really good right about now.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Rone asked and she felt a surge of protectiveness come through their link.

“No, honey—I’ll be fine. This sounds like a girl thing so why don’t you and Commander Sylvan work out the details of our new living arrangements?”

Rone nodded. “All right. I love you.” “Should I tell him?” he added through their link.

“I love you too.” Kate smiled at him. “Yes—now’s the perfect time.” Standing, she gave him a peck on the cheek and turned to her new friends. “Okay, lead the way and I really hope one of the cupcake choices is chocolate.”

“I’m pretty sure it will be.” Sophie hooked her arm through Kate’s. “And let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted our cousin Lauren’s deep, dark, Devil’s Food chocolate cupcakes.”

Kate smiled back at her, feeling a little guilty. But the knowledge she needed Rone to impart was for Commander Sylvan alone. Shooting her mate one last significant glance, she left the room with Sophie and Olivia.

* * * * *

“Well…let’s see what kind of accommodations we can offer you,” Sylvan said as soon as the females were gone. “Personally, I’d rather have the two of you as close to me as possible. Kate is very small and carrying three Kindred babies…well, it probably won’t be easy.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Rone said sincerely. “But before you start making any calls, I need to speak to you about a private matter.”

“Of course.” Sylvan raised an eyebrow. “What is it? Does it have to do with the message you gave me from Two?” Rone had already filled the Kindred Commander in privately about everything the Dark Kindred had said to him and Kate when he’d trapped them in the glade on the night of the full moons’ convergence.

“I don’t know,” Rone answered. “Last night, after Kate and I finally got to bed she had a Knowing dream.”

Sylvan frowned. “I think I remember you talking about this before—it’s when her sixth sense intervenes and gives her some knowledge she couldn’t know any other way, correct? A prophesy of sorts?”

“In a way.” Rone shifted uneasily. “Part of it seemed prophetic but there was also a message for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes.” Rone sighed. “Let me just tell you what Kate saw. Actually, I saw it too—through our link.”

“Really?” Sylvan asked. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“It wasn’t, before,” Rone explained. “We have a much deeper bond now, ever since Kate tamed my Beast. Anyway…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Kate saw the Mother Ship—specifically the park around the Sacred Grove.”

“I know the area you mean.” Sylvan nodded. “Go on.”

“All right. Well, everyone aboard the Mother Ship was gathered there—a huge throng of people. All the warriors and their brides and children.”

“That would be rather crowded but I think it could be managed,” Sylvan said, nodding.

“I don’t think that the dream was meant to say everyone should gather together,” Rone said. “I think it was more supposed to symbolize everyone on the ship…and something that might happen to them.”

“Like what?” Sylvan asked warily.

“Well…” Rone shifted uneasily. “In the dream, a huge hand came out of nowhere and reached for the sun.”

“You mean the green, artificial sun which hangs over the Sacred Grove?” Sylvan asked, frowning. “The Mother Ship’s power source?”

Rone nodded. “The huge hand grabbed it and squeezed it until it went out. And the whole time you could hear him laughing…”

“Him?” Sylvan frowned. “Him who?”

“This is the strange part…Kate said she thought it might be the AllFather. You know, the Scourge overlord?”

“I’m not likely to forget him,” Sylvan said dryly. “But he’s dead.”

“I know—which is why this doesn’t make any sense.” Rone shook his head. “But Kate’s Knowing dreams are never wrong.”

“Hmm.” Sylvan frowned. “Is the dream saying the AllFather will return and cut off the Mother Ship’s power supply? I don’t see how that could happen. Aside from the fact that he’s dead, we’ve also destroyed the Father Ship of the Scourge. After we found out that Two, the Dark Kindred, had used the molecular transfer beam to steal Kate away from you, the decision was made that it had too many dangerous tools lying around to just leave it derelict. We did of course get the blessing of Xairn—who is the last living Scourge. He’s actually mated to Sophie’s kin, Lauren.”

“Speaking of that, what about Two?” Rone asked. “Do you still want me to track him?”

Sylvan shook his head. “Not now that your mate is thrice expectant. I will find someone else to do that particular job. Two has already attempted to harm you personally—I don’t want any more of his malice directed against you or your family.”

“That’s kind of you,” Rone said. “But even though his actions worked out for good in the end, he meant them to cause malice. When you do track him down, I have a matter to settle with him.”

“Several of us do,” Sylvan said grimly. “But back to Kate’s dream—what else did she see?”

“Oh, yes.” Rone cleared his throat. “After the vision of the AllFather snuffing out the light of the Mother Ship, she heard a voice speaking in the darkness. A female voice—maybe even the Goddess.”

“Go on,” Sylvan said gravely. “What did she say?”

Rone closed his eyes, concentrating to get all the words exactly right, just as he had heard them through their link as Kate dreamed the night before.

“An old threat made new

In the silent dark grew

Can only be solved

By one who jumps True

She into he and he into she

Unless they are one

Apart they’ll not be

Exchange of the souls

A switch of the roles

But jumping between

Will take a harsh toll.”

Rone shook his head. “I know that doesn’t make much sense either…”

“No, it doesn’t.” Sylvan frowned. “One who jumps true?”

“Does it mean anything to you?” Rone asked.

“No…wait! She into he and he into she…” Sylvan snapped his fingers. “Remember we were talking earlier about Trader or Switch Kindred? Well, they’re also called Jumpers. But a True Jumper…well, I don’t think there has been a reported case of one of those in over a century.”

“What is a True Jumper?” Rone asked.

“A Switch Kindred who is able to not just inhabit his mate’s body but to jump into anyone else’s.” Sylvan shook his head. “But as I said, the Switch Kindred interbred with a race of people who considered Switching or Jumping as it’s sometimes called, a shameful ability. They found a way to inhibit and eventually get rid of it all together.”

Rone sighed. “So then, none of the dream makes sense. It warns about a threat that’s already been neutralized and offers a solution that isn’t possible because it doesn’t exist.”

“I would never discount a message from the Goddess,” Sylvan said gently. “But…do you think it’s possible that Kate just had a nightmare?”

“No.” Rone shook his head. “No, absolutely not. I saw the dream, remember? I’m certain of its veracity.”

“All right then.” Sylvan sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You also said there was a special warning for me? What was it?”

“That came at the end of the dream, when Kate was waking up, so I didn’t get to see it as she did,” Rone admitted. “I woke up right before her and I was holding her—she gets so cold during a Knowing dream—it scares the crap out of me, as she would say.”

“It does sound like a frightening event,” Sylvan acknowledged.

“So, as I was holding her in my arms, she kept murmuring, ‘Tell Sylvan he’s not safe…tell him to beware his twin. His twin is evil… his twin is danger.”

Sylvan shook his head. “But…I don’t have a twin. I do have several brothers, all of whom live aboard the Mother Ship, but none of them is my twin or indeed, even my full brother.”

“I don’t know.” Rone lifted his hands helplessly. “I don’t know what any of it means. But Kate and I felt like you ought to know. Do with it what you want.”

“I’ll have to consider it,” Sylvan said. “And bring it before the Council. In the meantime, we’ll be extra vigilant about security and continue the hunt for Two.”

“After the way he lured Kate out to meet my Beast and trapped us in that clearing, I’d say he’s a legitimate danger,” Rone said seriously. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt—especially not you.” He cleared his throat. “Kate and I decided it would be best to tell you privately about the last part of the dream—the part concerning you. We didn’t want to worry your mate.”

“Thank you for that,” Sylvan said gravely. “Sophia has enough to worry about already with our twins. I’ll keep this to myself.”

“I thought as much.” Rone nodded. “Well…I guess there’s nothing else to do but remain vigilant. And whoever you get to track Two, please let them know I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“I will. Thank you.” Sylvan sighed and rose, fingering the bandage on his hurt thumb.

“Are you not able to heal that?” Rone asked, nodding at the bandaged digit. “I thought Blood Kindred had regenerative abilities almost as good as my own people.”

Sylvan shrugged. “Generally we do but this injury does seem to be lingering for some reason.”

“Kate told me you were bitten by some kind of a porcine mammal?”

Sylvan smiled briefly. “A ‘Guinea pig’ is what humans call it. It was either that or a very large rat—I can’t be sure because it moved so quickly I didn’t get a very good look at it. All I saw was that it had red eyes.”

Rone frowned. “I hope you heal up soon."

“You’re very kind.” Sylvan nodded. “I hope so too. In the meantime, let’s see about getting you a place to stay aboard the Mother Ship.”

Rone nodded but he couldn’t help worrying about the future. What had Kate’s dream really meant? Could the ancient threat from the past really return? And what would they do if it did?

He didn’t know but he swore to himself he would be watchful—for now it was all he could do.

Epilogue #2

Y studied the knife. It had a black handle and a long, silver curving blade that looked wickedly sharp. He put his finger to the tip, pressing very lightly. The cold steel bit into his flesh easily and a drop of crimson blood welled up at once.

So sharp…I could be done so quickly…done with this, with him and then onto a ship and gone.

Y reached up to trace the lump under his left ear. In the time that it had taken to travel from G’nera back to the Scourge home world, which was now Master Two’s base, it had grown again. The curving tendrils had invaded his spinal cord and the base of his brain.

Even now he couldn’t be certain that Master Two wasn’t reading his thoughts, having finally tapped into his mind. But all was silent from the chip—his Master seemed to have temporarily transferred all of his attention to his other scion. The huge Scourge warrior he had grown in the flesh tanks was in another part of the compound—the Souda he had called it, Y thought.

I have to be quick, he told himself. It’s probably going to be intensely painful—I must be prepared for that.

He didn’t care how much it hurt, though. He just wanted to be free of his master—to live his own life. When he got rid of the chip, he had only to evade the huge warrior which was also implanted with his Master’s personality and get outside the Scourge compound. Once out, he could have his pick of ships—there were plenty of derelict but still working vehicles left over from the Battle of Berrni. All he needed to do was get into one and fly away. And then he would never have to hear that high, hissing voice in his head again. Would never have to do anything sick or disgusting or repugnant just because the Master ordered it.

Y raised the knife to the swelling just under his ear. His hand trembled only a little…

“Y, what are you doing?”

The sharp voice came from both his chip and the nine-foot-tall warrior who was suddenly standing in the doorway.

“I…” Y turned, dropping the knife to his side in a vain attempt to hide it. But how could he hide anything from a being who literally lived in his head? “Master,” he began. “I…I can explain.”

“No explanation is necessary. I see I’m just in time.” The large Scourge warrior came forward, grinning in a way that made Y extremely uneasy. To his surprise, he saw that his Master’s new scion was holding a small animal in his enormous hands. It was tiny and furry and it had red eyes. The warrior was stroking it gently as he advanced.

“What’s that?” Y blurted. “One of your spies?” He knew the Master used such creatures—usually animal/robot hybrids—to gather information but he had never seen him petting or stroking one of them before.

“It is. I have them everywhere, as you know. Even on the Mother Ship. Especially on the Mother Ship.” The huge warrior grinned humorlessly as he continued to stroke the little creature. “This one, however, has served its purpose.”

The huge hands closed suddenly and there was an agonized squealing which was cut off abruptly. When the Scourge scion opened its palms, there was nothing but a bloody pulp of bedraggled fur. He flicked it away casually where it landed with a flat splat on the dull metal floor. Then he licked one of his palms, his red-on-black eyes fluttered closed for a moment in obvious pleasure.

"Kindred DNA is sweet—did you know that, Y?"

“What…why…?” Y began but a huge palm was suddenly slapped over his mouth, cutting off his question.

"Taste and see for yourself," the Master ordered. "Don't worry—you're well able to absorb it orally. I made certain of that when I made you."

Y retched and gagged but there was no getting away from the huge hand covering his mouth. The slimy, hot blood of the little furry creature slipped past his lips and he swallowed before he could stop himself.

"Very good." The Master sounded pleased and the huge scion removed its had from his face. “Come, Y—I want to show you something.”

This time the behemoth warrior gripped him by the arm, smearing more of the still-warm blood on his skin. Y felt the iron strength of its hand—of his Master’s hand—and knew there was no escape. Still, he tried.

“Master, you know I want to see whatever it is you have…you have to show me but I…” He swallowed hard, tasting the metallic blood on his tongue and fighting the urge to gag. “I need to see to…to a matter on the other end of the compound. One that cannot wait. If you could just give me a moment…”

“Would that matter have to do with a sharp knife and the intention to rid yourself of my pesky presence?” the huge warrior rumbled. “Because I must tell you, Y, that hurts my feelings most excruciatingly.” He held out his other blood-stained hand. “Now why don’t you give me that little knife and we’ll say no more about it.”

“Oh, I’ll give you the knife, all right.” Desperately, Y raised the sharp blade to the lump under his ear…and stopped. He tried again but as much as he strained, he couldn’t get the knife any closer to the hated chip where his Master’s personality was implanted.

The huge warrior rumbled laughter.

“Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily, Y? I think not—I’ve had full motor control of your body for some time now. Watch.”

Suddenly, Y’s hand began to move, but not in the way he wanted it to. To his horror, he watched as the silver blade came around in front of his face. Slowly, the point of it began inching towards his right eye. Closer and closer it came until he could feel the flutter of his eyelashes against the cold metal when he blinked.

“Master,” he gasped. “Master, please!”

“Don’t worry, Y,” the Master said, from both his warrior scion and from the chip in Y’s head. “I wouldn’t allow you to hurt my chosen vessel.”

Y’s hand lowered slowly to his side and his fingers unclenched and allowed the knife to clatter harmlessly to the metal floor.

“What…what do you mean your chosen vessel?” he asked, his stomach twisting in fear and disgust.

“Why, I mean that I’m taking over, Y. I have plans for your body—my body. Come and I’ll show you.”

The huge Scourge warrior began dragging him along the metal corridors into the inner areas of the complex. Y’s boots scraped reluctantly against the floor but there was no denying the Master’s demand—his body moved independently of his will and there was nothing he could do about it.

Too late, he thought bitterly. I waited too late to gather my courage. I should have cut out the chip when it first started to grow. And now it’s too late…too late…

“Ah, here we are,” the Master’s huge scion stopped in front of a vast metal panel which appeared to be a kind of door—but a door so large that an entire shuttle could have flown through it.

“What is this place?” Y demanded. “And why do you want my body when you already have that one?” he added, nodding at the warrior who was still gripping his arm.

“My dear Y,” the Scourge warrior rumbled in his Master’s voice. “You didn’t really think I’d confine myself to this form indefinitely, did you? This is but a blunt instrument—effective for intimidation and strength, yes—but it lacks finesse. And…well, it’s not very pretty.”

“Pretty?” Y stared at him in amazement. “Pretty?”

“Exactly.” The massive scion smirked at him. “When I mixed the DNA for the body you now inhabit—the one I’m about to take for myself—I made certain it was ‘easy on the eyes’ as the humans say. The better to fit in with Kindred when I finally conquer them. And look at you—those piercing eyes, those broad, muscular shoulders…yes, you’ll do nicely, although a few changes will have to be made. But your body should hold up well for the transformation.”

“Transformation? What are you talking about?” Y demanded.

“You shall see.” Still gripping Y’s arm, the huge warrior punched a button and the immense steel door began to roll to one side. Inside was a vast square room covered from walls to floor to ceiling in red velvet.

No—not red velvet, Y saw, when his eyes got used to the dim lighting. The covering on the walls and floor and ceiling of the room was moving—pulsing—in some way. He felt his stomach do a slow, forward roll. The stuff was tissue—living flesh and it was red because it was full of blood.

“This is the Souda, it’s a special room which channels the power of this entire planet directly to one person. And that person will be me,” the Master explained.

“It…the walls are made of flesh.” Y couldn’t keep the disgust out of his voice.

“Endometrial tissues to be exact,” the Master said calmly. “It is, in effect, a huge, artificial womb. And what better place for a new birth—a rebirth—to take place? Once you enter, a dravik will form around you—a nourishing bubble of blood that will infuse you with power.”

Revulsion filled Y as he looked at the pulsing, scarlet walls.

“I don’t…don’t want to go in there.” He could barely keep from gagging.

“You won’t,” his Master’s voice said in his ear. “I will. Now.”

Suddenly Y had a horrible sensation—the feeling of being pushed aside—shoved into a small, dark, cramped closet with no light and hardly any air. It was happening inside his head and yet the effect was the same as if it had happened to his physical body.

Not my body anymore, he realized, feeling sick. The Master’s body. He’s taking over completely and he’ll never let me go. I’m doomed…trapped.

His vision began to dim and he lost all feeling in his hands and feet.

“Master,” he begged, his tongue feeling clumsy in his mouth—a borrowed instrument he had once owned. “Master, please—don’t do this to me!”

Shrill laugher echoed in his skull.

“My dear Y, it’s already done,” Master Two said.

And then…there was only darkness and silence.

The End? Hardly! There is always more Kindred to come. Read on for an Excerpt of Brides of the Kindred 17, Switched. And be sure to look for the preorder link to The Institute: Daddy Issues, the first book in my new series coming out on Valentine's Day of 2016.

Also, if you have enjoyed Forgotten, please take a moment to leave a review HERE. Good reviews are like golf for an author--they help readers decide to take a chance on a new book. And more good reviews means more sales which means I can continue to write for a living and bring you more Kindred! Thank you so much to all my awesome readers who review. I love you guys!

Hugs and Happy Reading!

Evangeline, November 2015

Switched Blurb:

A warrior with a talent that could get him killed

A girl transported to a new existence with no warning

When the two of the trade lives, it places them in mortal peril.

Not to mention really screwing up their love lives!

Will they ever be able to get back in their rightful bodies?

Or have they been forever…Switched?

Francesca Rodriguez—Frankie to her friends—has a perfectly normal life. She's happily divorced and going to grad school and all she wants is to get her degree and get out of retail hell. Little does she know her life is about to change forever.

Kerov Volx is a Battalion Commander in the Tarkien Army. He loves his job and if his love life isn't anything more than satisfactory, well… he can deal with it. His only problem is that he has Switch Kindred DNA—that is, his people used to be able to trade bodies with their bonded mates. But in Tarkinian society, Switching or Trading is now an offense punishable by death. So imagine Kerov's panic when an invader suddenly takes over his body…

Frankie has no idea what's going on. She only knows she went to sleep in her own bed and woke up in the body of a huge, virile, alien warrior. Now she's expected to live his life—or risk getting both of them killed. Even worse, Kerov is now in control of her body too, and the condition appears to be permanent.

Can Frankie and Kerov Trade back into their own bodies before it's too late for both of them? Or have they been forever…Switched?

Brides of the Kindred 17: Switched

Chapter One

On Thursday morning, Frankie woke up in her own body.

Not that waking up in her own body was unusual—not at that point, anyway. And Frankie had no idea of knowing how unusual it would soon become. All she knew was that she’d hit snooze one too many times and now she was running late.

“Crap,” she muttered as she glanced at the clock on her phone and bolted out of bed. She barely had time for a shower—a super fast one—if she hurried. There was going to be no time to wash her hair though, which meant she was going to be fighting frizz all day, especially if the humidity was high. And since she lived in Tampa, Florida, the humidity was always high.

As the hot water poured over her body, she tried to wake up. Why had she kept hitting the snooze button anyway? Oh right—it was the dream she’d been having. It was almost like a story and she’d wanted to see how it ended.

As she washed, she tried to remember the details. Recalling the dream was surprisingly easy. Most dreams started to fade the moment you woke up but this one was staying with her.

It was about a guy—a really tall guy, she thought, splashing the hot water in her face and reaching for her favorite pink grapefruit shower gel.

Normally the only man she dreamed about was her ex, Carlos, and those were mostly nightmares. Nightmares that she was still stuck in her dead-end marriage with no job, no prospects, and nothing but a life of endless childbearing and housework ahead of her. Not to mention a husband who didn’t appreciate her or think she was capable of anything else. But the man in her dreams had looked nothing like Carlos.

He had short blond hair—or at least, it was really light brown. And those eyes— she shivered. His eyes had been a pale shade of gray Frankie had never seen before. So pale they were almost white but with a solid black ring around the irises that made him look scarily intense. In fact, everything about him was intense. In her dream, he’d been barking orders at a bunch of other guys. All were tall and lean, dressed in some kind of uniform and they shouted back in unison when he asked them questions.

Weird, Frankie thought. Like some kind of Army recruitment film or something. Except the uniform her dream guy was wearing wasn’t like anything from any branch of the Armed Forces that Frankie had ever seen. It was scarlet with accents of gold and the trousers that went with it were black with a scarlet stripe running up the sides. Tall black boots completed the outfit.

He’d been barking orders and marching up and down the line of warriors or soldiers or whatever they were and then the tall, blond man with the scary gray eyes had turned his head and…

“And he looked right at me,” Frankie whispered to herself. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the image. “Don’t be crazy, Frankie—it was only a dream,” she muttered to herself, getting out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and wiped steam off the mirror. A woman with black hair and big brown eyes looked back at her as she reached for her toothbrush.

Frankie—who had been christened Francesca Benita Hermosa Rodriguez— came from a big, traditional Latin family. She was the fourth of seven children, three girls and four boys. Her two sisters, Alma and Carita, were married and had six kids between them. Her two older brothers, Julio and Dominic were also married and of the two younger ones, Tomas was engaged and Aurelio was dating a girl seriously—the family expected him to propose to at any time.

It was enough to make you sick.

Not that Frankie had anything against marriage and family and commitment—she had tried it herself, after all. Her whole family had expected her to marry her high school sweetheart and so that was what she had done. And then she’d spent a miserable five years cooking and cleaning up after him, putting up with him the nights he came home drunk and abusive, and trying to be happy because this was the way life was supposed to be, right?

“Wrong,” Frankie said aloud to herself. “That wasn’t me—wasn’t the life I wanted.”

She often thought that if it wasn’t for her best friend, Lacy, she never would have made it. Lacy was the only one who saw how miserable she was—and she’d been the one to encourage Frankie to take some college classes and provided her with a steady supply of birth control for which Frankie was eternally grateful. Not that she didn’t want kids eventually, but it had only taken her a couple of months with Carlos to know she didn’t want his kids and having children would have compounded an already bad situation.

Despite being miserable, Frankie had stuck out the marriage for five long years because she didn’t want to disappoint her parents. Finally, though, she couldn’t take it anymore. When she told her family that she was filing for divorce, her extremely Catholic grandmother had fainted dramatically and her father had disowned her.

That had been hard—maybe the hardest thing she’d ever gone through. But Frankie was strong—a lot stronger than she’d given herself credit for. She made a new life for herself, going to college full time to get a degree in Women’s Studies. Eventually she hoped to get a PhD and teach but for now, she was just trying to get her Masters Degree without taking on too many student loans.

Frankie finished brushing her teeth and rinsed, taking a final look at herself in the mirror. Whoever had lived in this apartment before her must have been tall—she had to stand on her tiptoes to see more than just her face. Of course, they wouldn’t have to be very tall to be taller than her.

She was a stubby five foot four with what her friend Lacy charitably called, “a juicy caboose.” To put it bluntly—she had a big butt. Frankie often thought she looked completely unremarkable from the waist up—she had B-cup breasts that were nicely shaped and perky enough. But from the waist down, her child-bearing hips and big behind got lots of looks and some outright stares if she didn’t dress to minimize her flaws.

“Not that it’s a flaw,” Frankie told herself sternly, as she dried the body part in question and pulled on some clothes. “It’s part of me—part of my heritage.” Still, she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious about her ass whenever she went out wearing anything form fitting like yoga pants.

She finished toweling off and pulled on a plain khaki skirt and a blue blouse. The outfit would do for her morning class, as well as her shift at work later on. A glance at the clock told her she was still running late. She knew her sisters who lived across town were already up and seeing their older kids off to school and her brothers were probably at work. None of them understood her need to go back to school and change her whole existence. Her mother was still hoping she might get back together with Carlos—Frankie knew because her mom had been inviting her ex to family suppers on the weekends.

“Mira, Mom, it’s not going to happen,” she’d told her mother. “Carlos and I are never getting back together so please just stop inviting him.”

“You were so perfect together in school, mi hija.” Her mother had looked at her reproachfully. “And I know Carlos still loves you.” She had nodded at Carlos, who sat at the end of the table making sad eyes in Frankie’s direction.

Frankie had been unable to contain her surge of irritation. “What he loved was being my boss—running my life,” she told to her mother under her breath. “But I don’t want anyone else running my life. It’s my life—so let me live it. I want to try new things—to experience the world on my own terms and be open to anything—anything at all.”

If only she had known that her wish was soon to be granted—and not in the way that she’d imagined.

But for now, she was blissfully ignorant. She hummed as she grabbed a mango-kiwi-chia seed smoothie she’d whipped up the night before from the fridge. Frankie was a strict vegetarian—another change she’d made as soon as she got away from Carlos. She wasn’t a vegan or anything extreme—she just didn’t eat meat. She felt better and healthier and lighter somehow, even though her new diet earned her many concerned looks from her mother and grandmother when she went home for family dinners.

“But don’t you want any puerco asado? Just try a little piece,” her mother would wheedle.

“I made your favorite chicharones,” her abuela would say. She was still deeply disapproving of Frankie’s divorced status and lit a candle for her daily in church, praying to the Blessed Virgin that her granddaughter would see sense and come back to her rightful husband.

“No thank you, mom, abuelita,” Frankie always said, giving her grandmother a kiss on the cheek. “I feel healthier when I don’t eat meat. But I’d love more rice, please.”

Her grandmother always shook her head but she couldn’t argue that Frankie was wasting away. Despite her vegetarian diet and regular exercise, Frankie’s J-Lo booty stuck stubbornly with her and refused to melt—which seemed really unfair. Neither of her sisters had such a big butt, even after having multiple children apiece.

Not that she needed to be like her sisters, Frankie reminded herself as she got into her ancient Honda Civic and started it up. She’d tried that for years—now it was time to embrace her own identity and get comfortable inside her own skin.

It was a short drive from her crappy apartment in the Carlton Arms complex to the USF campus. Living on campus itself was too expensive. Though she had to take loans to cover her classes and books, Frankie tried her best to pay her own living expenses. This meant living in a less than safe part of town and working a series of crappy jobs, even though students in the Masters programs were encouraged to focus exclusively on their studies.

She didn’t usually mind her apartment—it might look ugly on the outside but inside Frankie had transformed the tiny space into a neat, pretty little nest. However, the crappy job thing was beginning to get her down. If only there were enough TA positions to go around! But it seemed like every professor on campus already had all the help they needed. Which meant that Frankie was stuck doing time in retail, working at Victoria’s Secret in the University Square mall. In fact, she had a shift right after her morning class, Women in Modern Literature.

Frankie sighed when she thought of it. She was sure some of her fellow Women’s Studies students would scoff at her for working in a place that glorified the objectification and sexualization of women’s bodies. But at the time she’d taken the job, she’d been desperate to get away from Carlos and make it on her own. Victoria’s Secret was the only place that was hiring so Frankie had applied. Now she was stuck selling overpriced panties and bras—at least until she completed her two hundred hour yoga certification.

Soon, she promised herself, bouncing up the stairs of the Humanities building. Soon I’ll be out of there for good. In fact, her final test was coming up in two days and she was trying to get in as many classes between now and then as she could, both to practice and to calm her nerves. The two hundred hour certification was enough to teach in most studios but Sheila, the owner of the Lotus Pond where Frankie took her teacher training, was very particular. She had a test that was legendary for being tough to pass. But Frankie knew she was ready. If she could only pass, Sheila had promised she could teach several beginner’s classes a week to start out.

“Focus on your breathing,” Frankie imagined herself telling her students. “Feel the breath flow in and out of you…breath is life…breathe into any tight spaces and as you exhale, rid yourself of anything that does not serve you…”

“Oh, Francesca—I was hoping to see you here this morning.”

The soft, male voice interrupted her thoughts and Frankie turned quickly, her heart pounding.

“Oh, Professor Ramlow.” She smoothed her fly-away hair nervously, wishing she’d gotten up in time to wash it. “Good morning.”

“Now, Francesca, how often do I have to tell you to call me Todd?” He smiled at her benevolently.

“Of course…Todd.” Frankie smiled at him shyly. Professor Ramlow was one of the few males teaching in the Women’s Studies department and he also happened to be very handsome—in a generic, white guy kind of way. But that was fine with Frankie—she’d had enough Latin machismo bullshit to last her a lifetime with Carlos. She was so sick of male posturing—she could definitely see herself with a sensitive, enlightened, emotionally intelligent man. Even if he was white and Protestant, which would undoubtedly give her abuela another fainting fit.

Frankie sighed inwardly. Too bad, Professor Ramlow was married because there was definitely some kind of attraction between them. She had taken his course, Literature by Women of Color, and had stayed after one day to argue about one of the poems they were studying. Ever since, he made it a point to talk to her and pay her special attention whenever he saw her.

Even though she knew he was married, Frankie couldn’t help feeling flattered by the way he singled her out. She was older than the traditional student, after all, and she wasn’t Barbie-doll pretty like most of the twenty-year-old co-eds running around campus. Her fly-away hair and big behind were the exact opposite of the slim girls with their long, straight hair she saw all around her. Yet Professor Ramlow—Todd—seemed interested in her—seemed to respect her intellect. And after years of living with a man who only cared about her cooking and cleaning skills, it was refreshing to find someone who liked the fact that she had a brain.

“I’m so glad I caught you,” Todd said, smiling at her. “I know you’ve been looking for a TA position and something has just opened up.”

“It has?” Frankie couldn’t keep the eagerness out of her voice. “With you?” Though teaching Yoga classes would help her leave retail hell, it still wouldn’t make her enough to move into a nicer, safer place. But being a TA and teaching some classes on the side would certainly pay enough to get her out of the starving-student gutter.

Todd nodded. “Yes, with me. So I was wondering if we could have dinner tomorrow night and discuss it?”

Frankie felt her heart flutter. Stop it, she told herself sternly. It’s only a job he’s talking about and besides, he’s married! Still, it was flattering that he would come looking for her because he wanted her especially as his new TA.

“I’d love that…Todd,” she said, smiling shyly. “Where and what time?”

“Well, I was hoping maybe we could go to your place.” He shifted uneasily, his genial smile slipping just a little. “You see, Jackie—my wife—and I are, er, going through a rather messy divorce. And I don’t need to give her any more ammunition by letting myself be seen with such a beautiful woman out in public.”

“Oh, well…” Frankie could feel herself blushing. “My place isn’t in the best part of town, you know. I really can’t afford—”

“I don’t care about the location,” Todd assured her quickly. “All I’m interested in is the company.” He took Frankie’s hand and squeezed it gently, looking into her eyes. “What do you say? I can bring take-out from Lemon Grass—they were just voted the best Thai restaurant in the Bay area.”

Frankie’s pulse was racing so hard she wondered if he could feel it as he held her hand.

“I think that would be great,” she said softly. “Um…should I give you my address?”

“I’d love that.” Todd brought out his cell phone and tapped it in as she recited it. Then he tucked it back in his pocket and flashed her a grin. “See you tomorrow at eight, Francesca.”

“See you then.” Frankie smiled and headed off to class. She was going to be walking in late at this point but she barely cared. A new TA position and an evening alone with the handsome Professor Ramlow—could this day get any better?

* * * * *

Commander Kerov Volx sighed with satisfaction and armed sweat off his forehead. Could his day get any better? The fighting had been particularly rough of late, but his battalion had repelled the enemy yet again and the Ministry wasn’t predicting another swarm for a week at least. Which was good. It meant he could have some time off—a few days when he didn’t have to sleep in the barracks and live on war rations.

Kerov looked around the large, cavernous holding facility with satisfaction. Everywhere males and females in black and scarlet uniforms were busy—breaking down equipment, servicing transports, cleaning and checking weapons. His people knew they had a whole solar week off but before they could leave, every piece of equipment had to be in top shape, ready for the next swarm. There was an air of suppressed excitement and a hum of contentment all around. Though the battle had been even more arduous than usual, they hadn’t lost a single soldier. It had been a good day.

“Kerov.” A hand clapped him on the back and he turned to see Jorn, the commander of another unit similar to his own.

Jorn was tall and slim with narrow shoulders, a shock of white-blond hair and blackish-purple eyes. His build as well as his long, angular face betokened the fact that he was pure bred Tarkien with no Kindred DNA in his gene pool. Kerov was the opposite—his broad shoulders and heavy musculature gave away his Kindred origins as unmistakably as his pale gray eyes.

Yet, despite their differences and the fact that those with Kindred DNA weren’t always smiled upon in Tarkinian society, the two males were good friends.

“Greetings,” Kerov said heartily, clapping the other male on the back in return. “How goes the battle?” It was a standard greeting but his friend laughed anyway.

“You tell me! I heard you repelled a swarm twice as large as usual and yet didn’t lose a single man. That’s good work, my friend.”

Kerov shrugged modestly. “It’s all in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of those under your command. I have a good group.”

“And they have a good Commander—which hasn’t gone without notice. Brigadier Tlox has requested your presence at the General’s Banquet at the Ministry of War tomorrow night.”

“Really?” Kerov’s heart pounded a little faster though he tried to keep his face impassive. “I wonder what he wants with me?”

“He wants to promote you, of course,” Jorn said. “That’s my guess, anyway. What else would he want from the most successful Commander in the Quadrex sector?”

“I doubt that.” Kerov ran a hand through his short, dark blond hair—much darker than his friend’s white-blond shade and another giveaway as to his ancestry. “You know those in the upper echelon are all pure bred Tarkiens. When was the last time anyone with Kindred genes rose above the rank of Commander?”

“That’s just holdover from the early days when the Kindred first joined our society,” Jorn objected. “Back before the need to Switch or Trade had been bred out. Everyone knows such prejudices are outdated now.”

“Some bigotry never dies,” Kerov said darkly. “Sometimes I think I’ll never live down my ancestors’ shameful proclivity for Trading bodies with their mates.”

“You will—you have,” his friend insisted. “All the old thoughts are dying as younger commanders rise to take the places of our sires and grandsires. Do you know that Brigadier Tlox is only five cycles older than you and me?”

“And a pure Tarkien with no Kindred blood to sully his pedigree,” Kerov pointed out. But secretly, he couldn’t help feeling excited. Could Jorn be right? Was he really being singled out for promotion?

“The Brigadier doesn’t care about things like ancestry and pedigree,” Jorn said, waving off his objections. “He only cares about results—and you’ve been delivering them steadily since you rose to the rank of Battalion Commander. You’ll be commanding a whole Brigade soon. And then a Regiment and before you know it, you’ll be the first Kindred bred General the Ministry of War has ever seen.”

“You have high hopes for me, I see,” Kerov said dryly. “And what about yourself?”

“Oh, I’ll come along with you—I’ll be your Chief of Staff.” Jorn grinned. “I’m going to be at the banquet tomorrow night too, you know. And rumor has it that there are two openings in the Battalion Commanders’ ranks. Next week you and I will be eating together in the Officer’s Mess hall.”

“From your lips to the Goddess’s ears,” Kerov said, smiling at his friend’s enthusiasm.

“The Kindred Goddess, you mean?” Jorn frowned. “Look, I know you’re just kidding but, uh, don’t let the Brigadier or the General hear you talking like that at the banquet. You know, the Kindred religion isn’t actually forbidden…”

“But it is frowned on. Don’t worry.” Kerov clapped him on the back. “I’m not a true believer or anything—it’s just a saying of my sire’s.”

“Well, just don’t say it at the banquet,” Jorn cautioned. “No one there is going to care if you’re Kindred as long as you don’t rub it in their face. And you know those that hold a religious view—especially that old Kindred religion—aren’t considered too bright.”

“My sire is bright enough,” Kerov said a bit stiffly. “He just holds with the old ways—the Kindred ways.” Which was why he had gone against his mandatory mating assignment and married a female he loved instead of the one assigned to him. Such a thing would never be permitted now—a fact which didn’t really bother Kerov much since he was much more interested in promotion at his chosen career than finding “true love”—that elusive emotion those with Kindred DNA seemed to think so essential.

“Of course your sire was bright—he had you, didn’t he?” Jorn grinned. “Kindred DNA be damned, you were the top of all our classes. I never would have gotten through quantum astronavigation without you.”

Kerov grinned. “Only because I drilled the formulae for each test into your thick skull over and over.”

“I thought I’d never get through that class—but look at us now—barely twenty-nine cycles old and about to rise to the exalted rank of Battalion Commander.”

“Thirty-one,” Kerov corrected him but his friend waved his words away.

“Who’s counting? We’ll still be some of the youngest to ever achieve such a rank! Come on—I’m taking you to the y’xx hall to buy you a drink.”

Regretfully, Kerov shook his head. “I wish I could but I have my mandatory sexual encounter tonight.”

“Even better—you lucky bastard!” Jorn pounded him on the chest with a closed fist. “To get news of a promotion and have your weekly fuck-session all in one day—I must admit, I’m envious.”

“Don’t be,” Kerov said dryly. “I’m not exactly looking forward to it.”

“What? Not looking forward to sheathing your saber? Why in the Seven Hells not?” his friend demanded amiably.

Kerov shifted uncomfortably, feeling he had said too much already. Still, Jorn was looking at him for an explanation and he didn’t like to brush his friend off with a curt reply.

“The relations between myself and my state-mandated partner are not always…amicable,” he said at last.

In fact, that was a gross understatement. He found Xirnah, the female he had been matched with, to be cold and off-putting and she, in her turn, had made it abundantly clear that she resented being assigned to a male who had Kindred DNA. If she conceived a child by him, it would almost certainly have physical characteristics that were noticeably Kindred—a fate which would shame her—at least in her view.

Kerov knew she detested his broad shoulders and heavy, well developed muscles, so different from the slender build of a pure bred Tarkien but he couldn’t help being who he was. And to tell the truth, he didn’t find Xirnah especially attractive either.

It wasn’t that she was ugly—she was tall with a perfect, angular figure and a mass of straight, white-blonde hair which was always perfectly coifed. Her wide, blackish-purple eyes were fringed with white-blonde lashes and her breasts were high and shapely. Her hips were almost as narrow as her waist—another Tarkien trait that was considered especially beautiful.

But there was nothing to hold on to while they had sex—she was all angles and straight lines. Kerov couldn’t think of it as making love because it certainly wasn’t. State-mandated sexual relations with Xirnah was a mechanical affair, devoid of any warmth or affection.

When she came to his quarters for their weekly sessions, their routine was always the same. They would sit across from each other on his sensu-chairs making polite but stilted conversation as the chairs stimulated the correct parts of their anatomy.

Then, once he was appropriately tumescent and Xirnah was sufficiently lubricated, they would retire to his sleeping chamber where she would open her sex garment and bend over his sleeping platform to reveal her narrow, bony behind. Kerov would part her thin thighs to locate her tight, almost colorless slit and insert his shaft into her chilly depths.

True Tarkiens had a body temperature that was a good ten to twenty degrees lower than those with Kindred blood. The result was that Kerov always felt like he was fucking an ice sculpture—his partner was quite literally frigid. Xirnah, for her part, often expressed discomfort with his body heat, saying that he burned her with his crude Kindred temperature. Kerov always apologized but again, how could he help being himself?

He would try to hurry the process along because he could feel Xirnah stiffen with resentment at his intrusion. Thrusting mechanically, he took only as long as was necessary to inseminate his partner exactly once. Then he would withdraw, to their mutual relief, and Xirnah would use his fresher facilities.

Though she never admitted it aloud, Kerov was certain she was washing his seed out of herself, as much as possible. It might have hurt him if he had cared for her at all. But even after being paired with her for the last three years, he could summon no emotion other than dread when he knew it was time for their weekly state-mandated sexual encounter.

“How can relations between you not be amicable?” Jorn demanded, breaking his train of thought. “I’ve seen your partner—Xirnah, isn’t it? She’s quite a beauty. I wouldn’t mind plowing her furrow myself.”

“You shouldn’t speak so of another male’s partner,” Kerov said, glowering at him. He might not like Xirnah much himself, but he would be damned if he’d allow anyone to denigrate her. After all, it wasn’t her fault she was assigned to him and that they didn’t get along—it was pretty much the same with any partner he was assigned to and had been since he had reached sexual maturity at eighteen cycles.

“Sorry,” Jorn said unrepentantly. “I’m just saying she’s pretty—I wish I’d be assigned someone like her.”

“No doubt Xirnah would like that,” Kerov said dryly. “In fact, with your pure Tarkinian blood, you’d be her ideal partner.”

Jorn shrugged philosophically. “Well then it’ll never happen—not unless there’s a foul-up of unheard of proportions at the Ministry of Matching.”

“True,” Kerov agreed. The Ministry of Matching was the government agency that assigned sexual partners. But rather than matching males and females that were most compatible together, they sought out the most mismatched pairs they could find and put them together.

This was an unpleasant but necessary part of life on Tarka Six, where it had been determined that too much interest in one’s sexual partner took away focus from an individual’s State-mandated career and responsibilities. Also, by matching people only with the opposite of their ideal, the Tarkinian government had been able to breed the tendency to Switch or Trade bodies with their mates out of the Kindred population.

It was said that such a Trade was possible only between couples that were truly meant to be together—fated by the Goddess to fall in love and form a soul bond. By making sure that the males bearing Kindred DNA were matched with a female they did not love, the tendency to Switch or Trade or Jump—whatever you wanted to call it—had been all but eradicated.

“Well, I’d better go. I can’t keep Xirnah waiting and she always arrives promptly at sixteen hundred hours,” Kerov told his friend.

“I understand. Did you drive your rover?”

Kerov shook his head. “Didn’t know I’d be getting a whole solar week off so I just rode public transport.”

Jorn made a face. “Ugh—it’s a long way home on pubtrans this time of day. I’d offer you a lift but I’m on my way to celebrate.”

“Alone?” Kerov raised an eyebrow at him.

“Sure—why not? If my good friend can’t make it, I’ll have to make do with what I can find. And you never can tell—I might find a female willing to share my company for the night. I’ve been saving my credits to visit the new brothel near the Ministry of Agriculture.”

“Enjoy yourself then,” Kerov said blandly. Prostitution wasn’t forbidden by the Tarkinian government—in fact, it was encouraged as a good way for over-eager males who weren’t content with their weekly mandated sexual encounter to release tension. But the prostitutes all wore masks and no talking was permitted during the encounter, lest inappropriate feelings be engendered by the encounter.

Kerov had tried it once or twice but the sex workers were almost as cold as Xirnah and even more impersonal. Though at least he didn’t have to worry about impregnating any of them due to their mandatory use of contraceptives and plasti-shield barriers both inside and out. Still, he found the encounters to be like having sex with a machine and after one or two trips to the state-run brothels, he’d avoided them ever since.

“I will enjoy myself—for both of us since you’re so dreading your mandatory sex,” Jorn said, laughing.

“You don’t find it…impersonal?” Kerov asked, meaning both sex at the brothel and the state mandated encounters.

“Sure I do, but who cares?” Jorn shrugged his narrow shoulders. “Fucking is fucking, my friend. The sooner you learn that, the sooner you’ll begin to enjoy your time with the lovely Xirnah.”

He clapped Kerov on the shoulder once more and walked off, laughing.

Kerov sighed as he watched him go. He wished he could adopt his friend’s nonchalant attitude but somehow he couldn’t manage it. His parents, who had joined before the Ministry of Matching had come to power, always seemed so fond of each other—so “in love”, for want of a better word.

Although the very idea of passionately loving one’s mate was now considered a quaint and outdated notion, it was the ideal that Kerov had been raised with. He couldn’t help remembering the loving touches and kind words his parents often exchanged and comparing them with the stilted conversation and cold, mechanical encounters he had with Xirnah. He didn’t see his parents often now—he’d had to move closer to the base and the Ministry of War which put his off-site barracks far from their domicile. But when he did manage to get back on State Holidays, his Sire and Mater always seemed as much in love as ever.

It made Kerov feel like he had missed out on something somehow—something vital and important. As much as he tried, he couldn’t reduce sex to a purely biological function or a purely recreational one either. It ought to mean something, damn it! Ought to have some significance other than blowing off steam or producing offspring for the State. At least that was what he thought when he let himself think about it at all.

Overhead, the last whistle blew, signifying the end of the work day and letting everyone know it was time to wrap up tasks and get back to assigned domiciles and barracks. His underlings scattered and Kerov realized he’d stalled long enough. It was time to go home and get ready for his encounter with Xirnah.

An encounter he was already beginning to dread.

* * * * *

“So he actually asked you out on a date?” Lacy leaned forward eagerly, sipping her Pumpkin Spice Latte with evident relish. She was a nurse over at University Community Hospital and since Frankie worked at the University Square Mall across the street, they often tried to coordinate their break schedules to grab some girl time in the food court.

“Oh, no—it wasn’t a date.” Frankie brushed off the idea, though she could feel her cheeks heating at the idea.

“Of course it’s a date,” her best friend said, grinning. “I mean, he asked to come to your house and he told you he’s getting a divorce. That means he’s definitely interested.”

“He’s only interested in having me TA for him,” Frankie insisted. “Which is a good thing—it would finally get me out of Victoria’s Suck-ret.” She took a sip of her Matcha Green Tea slush. “Although I would miss our girl time.”

“I’ll take an extra yoga class a week so we can be together—any one you teach, I’ll take,” Lacy vowed recklessly. “Even if it’s super hard core with a ton of handstands and headstands and inversions.” Of course, since she was tall and thin, and “extra-bendy” as she put it, Lacy would probably be able to manage that kind of class—not that Frankie ever planned on teaching one like that.

“I’m only going to be teaching the beginner classes to start with—and that’s if I pass Sheila’s final exam.” Frankie made a face. “You’d think getting my two hundred hour certificate from the Yoga Alliance would be enough but no—not if I want to teach at the Lotus Pond.”

“But look how far you’ve come,” Lacy pointed out. “You know, it seems like just yesterday we were taking our first class. Remember? You wanted to take kick-boxing and I wanted yoga. We flipped a coin and yoga won—aren’t you glad it did?”

“That was back when I was still with Carlos,” Frankie said. “I remember telling you I was going to scream if I couldn’t let off some tension and that was when you said we needed to take an exercise class together.”

“Your ex is the one who really ought to be glad that coin toss led us to yoga,” Lacy said, taking another sip of her juice. “If you were about to become a kick-boxing master like you’re going to be a yoga master, you would have kicked his ass six ways to Sunday by now.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Frankie sighed and swirled her straw through the green matcha slush in her glass. “You know my mom has been inviting him to family dinners lately? She and my abuela are so sure if I see his face enough I’ll magically want to go back to him.”

“Ugh!” Lacy made a face. “That’s awful, Frankie—you should stop going.”

“Like hell I will.” Frankie frowned. “I’m not going to let that hijo de puta keep me away from my own family—even if half of them think I’m crazy and the other half aren’t speaking to me.”

“Is it really that bad?” Lacy squeezed her arm sympathetically. “I’ll come with you to the next one if you want—for moral support. Only you’ll have to translate for me—you know how bad my Spanish is.”

Frankie laughed. “As if I could forget! Do you think we would ever have gotten to be such good friends if Mr. Gonzalez hadn’t paired us up in tenth grade Spanish Class?”

“I like to think so,” Lacy said comfortably, taking another sip of latte—none of which would settle on her slender figure or perfect little butt, Frankie was sure. “We’re kindred spirits, after all.”

Frankie shivered. “Hey, don’t say the K word, all right? You know that since my divorce from Carlos is final I have to go register for the draft.”

“I’m surprised they reinstated it after all the trouble we had with them a while back,” Lacy remarked. “But don’t worry, Frankie—you know the chances of getting called as a bride are super slim. I'm registered too and I'm still here. Neither one of us is going to end up on the Mother Ship.”

“We'd better not,” said Frankie darkly. “My abuela would have another fainting spell if she knew I was having dinner with Professor Ramlow and he’s just white and Protestant. If I ended up with one of those freaking huge alien Kindred who aren’t even human, she’d probably have a heart attack.”

“All the more reason to keep it from her. And speaking of the sexy professor, you are going to go down to that new salon, Wax Me Beautiful, we were talking about, and get yourself looking all smooth and gorgeous in case the night gets amorous.”

“I can’t afford that,” Frankie protested. “And even if I could, nothing is going to happen. Just because I had the nerve to get a divorce doesn’t mean I can shake a lifetime of being a good Catholic girl all at once.”

“Yes, you can,” Lacy protested. “You haven’t gone on a single date since you got away from that jerk, Carlos. It’s high time you got some good nookie.”

“I’m not going to—” Frankie began.

“Well, just go get waxed anyway, just in case you change your mind.” Lacy finished her latte and pointed her dripping straw at Frankie. “Do it, Frankie—you’ll feel like a whole new woman, I promise. And you can take my appointment—it’s already paid for and you can just pretend to be me.”

“I can’t do that,” Frankie protested. “I can’t let you buy me such an expensive gift.”

Lacy waved her protests away. “Oh please, I got it on Groupon so it was way cheaper than it would normally be. Besides, I was just getting it done because I was hoping Doctor Sloan would ask me out.” She sighed. “He didn’t though and the weekend is officially upon us. So you might as well take the appointment—you’ll get more use out of it than I would.”

“He’ll ask you out next weekend,” Frankie said, squeezing her friend’s arm soothingly. “And if he doesn’t, he’s just an idiot who can’t see how gorgeous you are.” She finished her own drink. “And now I need to get going. I’ve only got one more hour left on my shift and then I’m out of here.

“Good for you—some of us are working a double” Lacy sighed. “Maybe I should go back with you to VS and see if I can find some sexy underwear to cheer myself up before my dinner break is over. You should get some too, you know. To go with your new wax job.”

“I’m not getting waxed there,” Frankie protested. “It hurts too much! I’d rather shave.”

“Shaving doesn’t get you nearly as smooth,” Lacy informed her. “And the waxing might hurt but it only takes a second. You have no idea how sexy you can feel until you have a fresh Brazilian and a new pair of naughty panties to go with it.”

“I’ll consider it,” Frankie promised, sliding off her stool and pitching her plastic cup in the trash. “But for now, I really do have to get back. I just hope Mrs. Hofstadter isn’t going to show up at the end of my shift and want to talk my ear off.”

“Is that the one into all the super kinky BDSM?” Lacy asked with interest.

Frankie nodded and shivered.

“I swear the things she tells me she and her hubby get up to—yuck!”

Lacy smothered a smile. “Hey, give her a break! Personally, I’m inspired by her. I think it’s amazing that a woman in her seventies is still getting busy.”

“I have no problem with her getting busy,” Frankie said. “I just don’t want to have to hear all the dirty—and I do mean dirty—details. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to hear them if she was twenty-five. It’s just too much information.”

“Well just think, you’ll be out of there soon. TA-ing for the sexy professor and teaching yoga like nobody’s business. You’re going to be amazing.”

“What I’m going to be is tired.” Frankie yawned. It had been a long day and she would be glad to get home and take a hot bubble bath before crawling into bed.

Lacy yawned too. “Me too. You know, I think I’ll just head back to UCH, hon. I need to conserve my strength if I’m going to get through the second half of this double.”

“Okay—talk soon,” Frankie said, giving her a hug.

“All right and I’ll text you the details for that waxing appointment.” Lacy hugged her back. “And you better go. Believe me, you’ll be thanking me later when you want to get busy with the sexy professor.”

Frankie laughed and shook her head. “All right, all right. I’ll tell you all about the date tomorrow night after he goes.”

“Unless he stays the night.” Lacy waggled her perfectly shaped eyebrows expressively, making Frankie laugh again.

“Yeah, right—whatever. Never gonna happen. I’m not letting any man stay the night at my place.”

“You might be surprised,” Lacy said mysteriously as she left.

Frankie waved her friend’s words away and went back to her job. Luckily Mrs. Hofstadter didn’t make her usual appearance and so Frankie was able to get through the store closing routine fairly quickly. At the end of the night, before the registers closed, she even picked out a nice bra and panty set—a black lace one that minimized her butt—well, as much as it could be minimized—and a sexy bra to match. Lacy was right—who knew what might happen? She might end up with a man staying the night at her place after all…

The ride home wasn’t too long and Frankie was able to get her bubble bath and climb into bed in fairly short order. Which was perfect—she needed a good night’s sleep because she had a very busy weekend planned. Between the waxing appointment, her yoga final exam, her “date” with Professor Ramlow and the weekly family dinner where Carlos was sure to put in an appearance, she was going to be running from sunup ‘til sundown all day Saturday and Sunday.

That’s all right though, she told herself comfortingly as she snuggled down into her worn but clean cotton sheets. I can handle this. I’m ready for anything…

Or so she thought. But then she started to dream…

Chapter Two

It was such a vivid dream Frankie almost thought it must be real. But how could it be? She was in a subway station—at least, it looked kind of like a subway station. There was a vast underground space hollowed out with people rushing back and forth, all of them obviously in a hurry to get where they were going. And she was walking along with them, using a swift, purposeful stride as her boot heels clicked on the hard, shiny black surface of the floor.

Wait—her boot heels? Frankie looked down at her feet, frowning. She didn’t own boots—there was no point, living in Tampa where you could live in flip-flops almost all year round. But sure enough, she had on black, shiny boots that came up to her knees. They were kind of nice, actually—if a little too masculine for Frankie’s taste. Only…why did her feet look so big? And what else was she wearing?

Black trousers with a red stripe up the side and a red uniform type shirt were what met her eyes when she looked down. That was weird—Frankie didn’t remember owning any outfits that looked like this! As she looked around, she noticed that everyone else in the crowded subway was wearing strange clothing too—all of them were in one kind of uniform or another.

Here a group of blonde women in dull blue jumpsuits with red sashes wrapped around their waists rushed to catch a train. And passing on her right were a bunch of tall men wearing olive green trousers and matching green uniform shirts. Like the women, they had narrow shoulders and white-blond hair. Each had a large black badge pinned to his right shoulder and some kind of weapon tucked into his broad, black belt. Everywhere she looked it was the same—people wearing clothing like she’d never seen before. And most of them seemed to have white-blonde hair. Where was she anyway, Sweden?

And what was the deal with this subway station? Instead of plain or tiled concrete walls, it appeared to be lined with large, flat TV screens. Every spare inch of wall space and some of the ceiling space too was filled with a never ending stream of images and information. Between the screens, the echoing sound of many feet, and the rush and hiss of the trains which must be running somewhere in the distance, Frankie could barely hear herself think. And yet, as she looked around, she noticed that no one seemed to be talking to each other very much. They all had serious, intent looks on their faces as if they were in a hurry to go do something very important.

Apparently she was in a hurry too. Her brisk strides carried her along through the crowds until she came to a long row of turnstiles. They were floor-to ceiling affairs with metal bars separating the crowded underground tunnel into two parts. The more she looked at them, the more Frankie thought they looked more like jail cells than turnstiles. The fact that tall men in black uniforms were patrolling back and forth on both sides of them only enforced the image.

As Frankie watched, someone at the front of the line apparently tried to cheat the turnstile or get in when he wasn’t supposed to. It was a man in a ragged brown outfit that looked like it hadn’t been washed in a while. When he got up to the tall metal bars, instead of sliding open for him, they stayed shut and a red light began blinking over his head.

At once one of the officers in black uniforms came around and dragged the man out of the crowd, over to the side. He had some kind of weapon or truncheon in his hand. Frankie saw it rise and fall and heard the offender squealing in pain as the sudden, brutal punishment was administered. She couldn’t stop staring but no one else in the crowd even seemed to notice—apparently this kind of thing happened all the time.

Frankie became suddenly aware that she didn’t have a ticket or a card of any kind and she was getting closer to the jail door-turnstiles all the time. She began to panic but she was being pushed inexorably forward by the crowd behind her which had now swelled to either hundreds or thousands—it was very difficult to tell in the low, underground space lit mainly by the glow of the large, flat screens.

Up until now, Frankie had been allowing herself to be carried along in the momentum of the dream—because it had to be a dream, didn’t it? She had never been to a place like this or seen people like these. When words scrolled by on the bottom of the screens, she didn’t recognize the language or indeed, even the alphabet. So she had to be dreaming all this, safe at home in her bed, right?

But dream or no dream, she didn’t wish to take a vicious beating just because she couldn’t find her ticket. She began to fight against the crowd, trying to get to the side, to get away from the turnstiles and their guards.

To her surprise, she was able to make some headway, even in the packed area. She realized that she was taller than almost everyone here—taller and stronger too. Which was crazy—she was always shorter than almost everyone, not taller. And though she had worked a lot on her upper body strength in order to do a lot of the inversions and head and hand stands required in yoga, she still wasn’t strong enough to muscle her way through a packed crowd. Yet, that was what she was doing…only not fast enough.

Before she knew it, Frankie had come to the end of the row of turnstiles with only one person in line in front of her. She watched to see what that person—a girl in a dull yellow uniform jumpsuit—would do. To her surprise, the girl simply put her hand to a black pad on the side of the turnstile. Her hand was briefly outlined in brilliant green light and the barred door slid open for her. Then it closed again and suddenly Frankie was next.

She stood there, hesitating, wondering what would happen if she pressed her hand to the pad. She didn’t belong here—would the mechanism inside the turnstile sense that?

The crowd behind her was shoving forward, clearly wondering what was happening and why they weren’t moving forward. But Frankie was an interloper—what if she got shocked? Or what if the black uniformed guard who was standing to one side grabbed her and started beating her with the long, silver metal baton she saw shoved into his belt. Or what if—

“Who are you?”

Frankie looked around but the voice wasn’t coming from anyone around her—no one she could see, anyway.

“Who in the Seven Hells are you?” the voice demanded again. It was deep and masculine—a man’s voice. “And what are you doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Frankie said aloud. “I don’t know where I am.”

Several of the people behind her were glaring at her now and the black uniformed guard was beginning to take an interest in her—doubtless for holding up the line.

“You’re in the pubtrans station. But more to the point, you’re in me,” the voice told her. “What the fuck are you doing in my body?”

And then Frankie realized…the voice was coming from inside her head.

Look for the Brides of the Kindred 17, Switched, coming in early 2016

And read on for the blurb and preorder link for Evangeline's new book, The Institute: Daddy Issues, coming Valentine's Day 2016.

Can Kink heal a Broken Heart?

Detective Andi Sugarbaker is going to find out…the hard way.

Searching for the source of the deadly new date rape drug, Please, Andi and her partner, Viktor Saltanov, must go undercover at the infamous Age Play resort, called simply The Institute.

Here at The Institute, time is rolled back and Andi finds herself forced to relive painful trauma from her past in order to pursue her case. Meanwhile, her partner is showing a whole new side of himself that Andi never dreamed existed.

Born and bred in Mother Russia, Viktor Saltanov is 6’5, muscular, and as stoic as they come. But now he has become Andi’s sole support, protector…and disciplinarian. Letting her partner spank her and touch her in ways she never dreamed of is slowly breaking down Andi’s defenses, taking her to a vulnerable place inside she’s been trying to suppress for years.

Can the two of them navigate the traitorous maze of lies and deception and find a deeper truth about themselves? Or will their experience at The Institute destroy their relationship forever?

Preorder The Institute: Daddy Issues now to have it pop up on your Kindle as a sweet Valentine's Day treat next year. And scroll down to see the sexy cover. ; )

**Please Note—The Institute: Daddy Issues is the first book in my new series about an Age Play Resort. Age play is the term for consenting adults who roleplay in some way pertaining to age. There are all ages but The Institute deals mostly with the DomDaddy/babygirl relationship. (Google Daddy Dom if you want a better idea of what I'm talking about.)

Age Play can also include schoolgirl with headmaster or schoolboy with headmistress, and every conceivable age in between. Consensual Play is key, and let me stress again this is about ADULTS - it has nothing whatsoever to do with anyone under the age of a consenting adult.

This is a new writing interest of mine that I picked up while visiting Fetcon this past year. If this is your kink or if you have an open mind for BDSM books involving domination and submission, I think you'll like The Institute: Daddy Issues. However, anyone who was ever a victim of any kind of sexual abuse may find parts of Daddy Issues triggering. So please keep that in mind if you choose to preorder. Please don't buy the book if you can't handle the content—I like to keep my readers happy and so I'm letting you know exactly what to expect.

Hugs and Happy Reading to you all!

: ) Evangeline

Also by Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred books (in order)

Claimed (also available in print and as an audio book)

Hunted (also available in print and as an audio book)

Sought (coming soon in audio)

Found (coming soon in audio)

Revealed

Pursued

Exiled

Shadowed

Chained

Divided

Devoured (also available in print)

Enhanced

Cursed

Enslaved

Targeted

Forgotten

Switched (coming early 2016)

Mastering the Mistress (A Brides of the Kindred novella)

Stand Alone Novels

Purity (Also Available in Audio)

The Institute: Daddy Issues (Coming Valentine's Day 2016)

The Academy (YA novel)

Born to Darkness Paranormal series

Crimson Debt (Also Available in Audio)

Scarlet Heat (Also Available in Audio)

Ruby Shadows (Also Available in Audio)

Cardinal Sins (coming soon)

***The above books are just a small sample of Evangeline's work. For a complete list of books from all publishers, please visit her website***

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is the New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Brides of the Kindred and Born to Darkness series. 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

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Table of Contents

- Prologue
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Epilogue #1
- Epilogue #2
- Kindred 17 Switched excerpt

- The Institute: Daddy Issues Blurb and preorder link

- Also by Evangeline Anderson

- About the Author