Brides of the Kindred
Book 4: Found
Evangeline Anderson
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Evangeline Anderson on Smashwords
Brides of the Kindred
Book 4:Found
Copyright © 2011 by Evangeline Anderson
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
Author’s Note #1— Again with the piracy—I keep the prices on my Kindred books low so no one will have to steal them. So please don’t. And if you see anyone who is, please send me a link at vangiekitty@aol.com and let me know about it. E-book piracy is a real and growing threat. If it isn’t stopped authors like me won’t be able to make a living doing what we love the most—writing hot new books to share with you, our readers.
Thank you so much for your kindness and honesty.
Author’s Note #2—This is the fourth book in the Brides of the Kindred series. I recommend that you read Claimed, Hunted, and Sought before starting Found.
Hugs and Happy Reading to you all!
Evangeline Anderson
Chapter One
Lauren Jakes was bored.
Although how it was possible to be bored when she was a hundred light years from Earth on a strange planet in a far off galaxy where no other human had ever set foot was beyond her. By all rights she ought to be soaking in the exotic sights and immersing herself in the fascinating alien culture. It was certainly better than the tiny metal cell she’d been kept in on the Scourge Fathership.
The Scourge were a menacing alien race which had come to Earth searching for the one female they believed could mate with their evil overlord, the AllFather. She and she alone would be able to revitalize their race by bearing daughters. Lauren was that female and she had been taken and held within their immense ship for weeks.
While she was there, however, she’d made a connection with Xairn. The huge alien with the burning red-on-black eyes was the AllFather’s son, but he had severed his ties with both his father and his race in order to free Lauren and take her home. Of course, first they had to travel through a wormhole to another galaxy in order to get their DNA modified which, according to Xairn, was the only way they could go back to Earth safely. Lauren wasn’t thrilled with that but if he said it was necessary, she believed him. So she’d been prepared for danger and adventure and excitement…but not for boredom.
Because in order to soak up exotic sights and immerse herself in the alien culture, she would have to leave the small silver Kindred spaceship where Xairn had left her. And the enormous Scourge warrior had made it very, very clear before he left that she wasn’t to do that. Sighing, Lauren remembered their conversation…
“Under no circumstances should you step foot outside the ship,” he told her sternly as he was about to leave himself.
“Why?” Lauren looked out the viewscreen apprehensively. Xairn had landed them in a dark alleyway in a city he’d said was called O’ah but she could catch glimpses of the street beyond which seemed to be the site of a busy marketplace. “Are the native people dangerous or hostile?” she asked.
“Anyplace is dangerous if you don’t know the language and customs,” he replied obliquely. “I’ll be back in one of your Earth standard days. Until then, stay in the ship and speak to no one.”
“All right,” Lauren agreed. After everything they’d been through together on the Fathership and the Scourge home world, she trusted Xairn implicitly to keep her safe. Still… “I know you’re going to find the uh, DNA, guy,” she said, looking up at him. “But I still don’t understand why I just can’t come with you. Wouldn’t that make it easier—save you a trip? After all, you got me some decent clothes.”
She nodded down at the voluminous robe that reminded her of the muumuus her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Goldman, liked to wear back on Earth. It wasn’t very pretty, and the silver-blue material it was made of was extremely scratchy, but it covered her from neck to ankles which was all Xairn seemed to care about. After the cloak he’d loaned her had been ruined, Lauren hadn’t had a thing to wear but the thin towels she’d found in the small ship’s bathroom—a fact that had seemed to bother the large warrior greatly. So much so that the first thing he did when they landed in O’ah was to go out and buy her the silver-blue muumuu dress.
“It wouldn’t be safe for you to come. The splicing quarter is too rough for a female like you,” Xairn growled.
“What do you mean ‘a female like me?’” Lauren put a hand on her hip and frowned at him. “Do I need to remind you that I helped when we were fighting your father’s guards? I may not be as strong as you but I’m not stupid, Xairn. If you give me a weapon I can take care of myself. I won’t slow you down.”
“I didn’t mean that you were stupid or weak.” He sighed and ran a hand over the thick, glossy black hair he kept in a club at the nape of his neck. Lauren had been dying to see his hair let down from the moment she’d met him. With his stern, proud features he would have looked almost Native American if not for the strange coloring of his skin and eyes.
“What did you mean then?” Lauren demanded.
“Your kind has never been seen here. You’ll be considered very…exotic.” His red-on-black eyes flickered over the faint outline of her body under the voluminous muumuu, making her feel warm all over. “Many males will want you.”
Lauren was getting exasperated. “Xairn, are you trying to say I’m too pretty to go with you?”
“That word does not describe you accurately.” He looked away from her, frowning. “It doesn’t do you justice.”
Lauren found herself unexpectedly touched by the oblique compliment. Up until a little while ago Xairn had claimed to have no sexual urges at all toward her or anyone else. Even now, when he had admitted to her that she had woken new and unfamiliar emotions inside him, he still seemed hesitant and uncertain about expressing those emotions. Lauren thought it was because he’d never been given any love as a child—how could he learn to show affection for anyone else when he’d never received any himself? She was determined to work on that, to try and help him as much as she could. But now wasn’t the time for a therapy session.
“That’s very sweet of you, Xairn,” she said. “But I’d still like to go with you.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. Your beauty makes you priceless here in O’ah. Any splicer would give his left hand for a chance to replicate your flawless skin and lovely eyes. I am only one male and there are gangs that search for exotics. If they set on us all at once, I don’t know that I could protect you.” He lifted his chin. “I would die trying, of course. But that would be of little comfort to you if they killed me and took you away to a stripping shed.”
“A stripping shed?” That sounded bad to Lauren.
“A laboratory where candidates with good or unusual DNA are rendered into their component parts for maximum cloning potential.”
Lauren felt sick. “So they kill you and cut you into little pieces?”
Xairn nodded. “Essentially. But that’s only in the splicing district. Not here in the main part of O’ah.”
“But how do you know this…this splicer person you’re looking for won’t want to do the same thing?” Lauren demanded. “How do you know he won’t just kill me and strip me down for parts like a stolen car?” She shivered at the thought.
“Because the DNA specialist I am searching for is one I have had dealings with before. His name is Vrr and he will not betray me.” Xairn reached out one large hand awkwardly as though he wanted to comfort her somehow.
Lauren leaned toward him— after hearing about the grisly things they did on this planet she needed all the comfort she could get. “Xairn,” she whispered.
His long fingers almost brushed her cheek, but then he drew back without touching her. His hand flexed into a fist at his side. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, Lauren,” he said in a low voice. “Planning it. I’ve wanted to get away from my father almost my entire life. This is the only way to get away from him forever—for either one of us. Only by changing our DNA will we make it impossible for him to lock onto either of us with the molecular transfer beam.”
Lauren shivered. “Was that the way he kidnapped me in the first place?” She well remembered the way it had felt to be turned into a million tiny pieces and sent flying through the air. It was not a pleasant sensation at all.
Xairn nodded. “We have to alter ourselves enough that he can never transport either of us again.”
“And you can do that?”
“The Alteration house can. I built the beam for my father—I know exactly which sequences have to be altered in order to make us untraceable and untransportable.”
She sighed. If Xairn really had been planning his escape for as long as he said, then he must know what he was doing. “All right,” she said at last. “I told you before that I trusted you, Xairn, and I still do. But please…don’t take too long.”
“No more than one of your Earth standard days,” he promised, nodding. “Two at the very most.”
That had been three days ago…
Lauren frowned moodily and looked out the front viewscreen at the busy alien marketplace. Though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, it wasn’t boredom that was really bothering her.
It was fear.
What if something happened to him? What if he’s dead or hurt somewhere with no one to help him? What if he never comes back?
She tried to push the troubling questions to the back of her mind, but she could no longer manage it. Xairn was gone and she was all alone on an alien planet a hundred lightyears from home.
What was she going to do?
There was plenty of food, at least. The Kindred ship was stocked with tiny food cubes which expanded into a full sized meal when they were put in the rehydrator. Xairn had showed her how to work the microwave-like machine before he left and Lauren estimated there were hundreds of the sugar-cube sized meals stored neatly in a cabinet at the back of the ship.
True, some of them were pretty strange—she’d rehydrated one which contained what looked like a writhing nest of worms. Lauren had thrown it away—she didn’t like to waste food but there was no way she was eating anything alive. Just thinking of it made her feel queasy. But the other meals seemed edible enough and the portions were so large she could often eat an entire day off a single cube—probably because they were intended for huge Kindred warriors and not Earth females.
“So at least I won’t starve to death,” she muttered, staring out the viewscreen some more. She wished Xairn had parked a little closer to the entrance of the alley. The light in O’ah was a dim, dusky violet which never got much brighter than twilight on Earth. She could make out shapes in the weak, purplish light but it was hard to tell for sure what the alien inhabitants of the city looked like. Lauren wondered if they were humanoid at all or something completely different—huge insects maybe. Or amphibians or reptile-like creatures with claws or beaks or—
“Stop it Lauren,” she told herself firmly. “You’re just giving yourself the heebie-jeebies. So just stop right n—”
Before she could finish the sentence something hopped right in front of the viewscreen. Lauren let out a startled squeak and nearly fell backwards off the black leather seat she was sitting on. “What the—?”
There it was again. The thing hopped up, obviously tying to get her attention on purpose. With one more hop, it finally managed to scramble onto the nose section of the silver Kindred ship. Then it stood up and waved its hands in the air…only they were more like…
“Paws,” Lauren murmured to herself. She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating like a drum because she’d been certain at first that she was being attacked. But now she wasn’t so sure.
The alien hopping and waving in front of the viewscreen didn’t look the least bit menacing. In fact what he looked like was a very large…
“Bunny rabbit.” Lauren finished the thought aloud. “Oh my God, he’s the spitting image of Mr. Kittles!”
Mr. Kittles had been the brown and white lop eared bunny her mom had bought her for her twelfth birthday. He’d been Lauren’s favorite pet and had slept in her bed every night. Extremely intelligent for a bunny, Mr. Kittles had learned to use a litter box just like a cat and had begged for carrots on his hind legs like a dog. Lauren had been heartbroken when he’d gotten out of the house and been run over by a careless driver in a huge SUV when she was seventeen. And now, here he was again—almost ten years later and a hundred thousand light years away…how was it possible?
“Well, he’s not exactly like Mr. Kittles,” Lauren murmured doubtfully. Which was true. For one thing, Mr. Kittles had never worn clothes and this bunny—or the alien who looked like a bunny—was. His short, furry frame was draped in a shimmering purple cape and he wore soft brown boots on his hind feet. He was still waving frantically as though he wanted her to let him inside.
Lauren was tempted to do just that from sheer boredom but she remembered Xairn’s warning and decided against it. “Sorry, little fellah,” she said, watching the caped and booted bunny hop around like crazy. “No can do. No matter how cute you look, you might be bad news and I can’t take the risk.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than an earsplitting roar shook the ship. Lauren had the speakers on the viewscreen turned down but even so, she covered her ears and winced. What the hell was that?
The answer wasn’t long in coming. Suddenly the narrow entrance to the alley was filled with an enormous red reptilian face. It had fierce white eyes outlined in black and a square snout, reminding Lauren of the stylized paper dragons that appeared around the Chinese New Year.
The bunny rabbit’s huge brown eyes suddenly widened with fear and it hopped up and down even more frantically. Its whiskers trembled and it seemed to be mouthing a plea at the viewscreen.
The dragon-like creature saw it and roared again, its jaws gaping open to reveal rows and rows of jagged pale blue teeth. It was a tight squeeze but it began pushing its massive head into the alley. A forked tongue licked out of its mouth and slithered over the rabbit’s right boot before cinching tight. With a jerk of its head, the dragon lifted the terrified rabbit into the air and for a moment it seemed certain that it was going to eat the helpless little creature right before Lauren’s horrified eyes.
Then, at the last minute, the boot came off and the rabbit fell back onto the Kindred ship with a hollow thump. The scrap of brown leather disappeared into the dragon’s gaping maw and it roared angrily when it found its prey had eluded it. The tongue snaked out again…
But by this time Lauren had already slapped a palm over the door release mechanism and was beckoning for the frightened rabbit-thing to come in. “Hurry!” she urged, waving at it. “Come on—get in here quick!”
She had no idea if the rabbit could understand her or not but it seemed to comprehend her gestures. Barely eluding the seeking tongue again, it slid across the slick silver surface of the Kindred ship and right into her arms.
Lauren pulled it tight to her chest and slammed the door just as the forked black tongue was curling toward her. The very tip of one fork caught in the ship’s door and was amputated in a gout of slimy black blood as the silver panel shut. It fell to the floor with a wet smack and lay twitching at Lauren’s feet like a snake that’s been cut in half but doesn’t have the sense to die.
“Ugh!” Lauren took a step back, still clutching the bunny creature to her chest. From the pained roaring outside the ship, the dragon was even more upset than she was. She wondered uneasily if it could force its way into the alley and get her. Would the Kindred ship protect her from something with the size and strength of an angry T-rex?
“Don’t worry.” The piping little voice from between her breasts startled her and when Lauren looked down, she realized she was still hugging the bunny tight—like a little girl clutching a stuffed animal.
“Wh…what?” she managed to stutter. “Who…how…who are you and how can you speak English?”
The rabbit shook itself free of her and hopped down. Then is shimmered and suddenly began to glow and grow.
Lauren watched in horrified amazement as it doubled and then trebled in height and mass until it was a pillar of brilliant light higher than her head. She blinked, trying to get used to the bright glow but almost at once the light solidified into the shape of a blond man wearing a purple cape, black pants and brown boots.
He was tall—almost as tall as Xairn though not quite so broad in the shoulders. Still, he was large and muscular enough to be a threat and Lauren took a step back when he raised his head. His eyes were a pale, silvery-purple and they gleamed strangely when smiled at her.
“Hello, Lauren,” he said. “Welcome to O’ah.”
* * * * *
Deep in the bowls of the splicing district, Xairn raised his bloody head.
He’d spent more time than he liked looking for Vrr only to find that the DNA specialist had retired and given the business over to his son, Slk. The Alteration house he ran still appeared reputable, however, though the price for what Xairn needed done was considerably more than Vrr would have charged him.
Indeed, he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to pay the fee that Slk demanded. But somehow he had to if he and Lauren were ever going to be free of the AllFather’s influence and get beyond his reach. And at least he’d gained permission to access their secure parking area. To bring a ship to the splicing district without secure accommodations was asking to have it stripped in a matter of minutes.
He’d been making his way back through the narrow warren of arching plasti-glass tunnels built high above the skyline of O’ah when a pack of splicers had jumped him.
He hadn’t been expecting the attack because it didn’t make sense. Everyone knew that Scourge DNA was flawed—their stubborn intractability and volatility made them useless as slaves except to other Scourge and their pearlescent grey skin and red-on-black eyes weren’t considered beautiful enough to replicate for cloning. So why would splicers attack him? Putting the question aside, Xairn had fought them off one by one, despite the fact that his weapon was out of charge. But the splicers were very determined and it was a long, messy business—mostly knife work which left him covered in gore.
Five splicers lay dead at his feet, their red-black blood splattering the smudged plasti-glass tunnel before he was done. Only one remained alive and in the state he was in, he wouldn’t last for long.
Xairn knelt on the male’s narrow chest and stared into the pale purple eyes. “Why did you attack me?” he demanded hoarsely, gripping the neck of the splicer’s cloak and twisting. “Is Scourge DNA suddenly in vogue on this benighted planet? I thought we had too many flaws to be of much use to a splicer.”
“Don’t…don’t want your DNA,” the male choked, a thin trickle of reddish-black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. “Scourge DNA is shit.”
“Why then?” Xairn twisted harder until the male’s face turned as purple as his cloak. “Tell me now and I’ll give you a painless death.”
“T-too late for that.” The male broke into a cracked laugh that turned into a sob. “Gods…think my spine is broken. Can’t feel anything…below my waist.”
“Lucky for you,” Xairn said coldly. “You can’t feel pain in the lower half of your body. But if you don’t want the top half of your miserable carcass to be in absolute fucking agony, you’ll tell me what you know, now.”
“Spider sent us.” The splicer coughed weakly, spewing black droplets from his thin lips. “He wanted us to kill you so he could have your ship.”
“My ship?” Xairn frowned. “What the hell does he want with a Kindred Outrider? The damn thing is fifty cycles old if it’s a day—surely he could see that.”
“He doesn’t…doesn’t want the ship itself.” The light in the pale purple eyes was dying and the splicer’s voice was growing faint. “He wants…what’s inside it.” He coughed again. “Treasure…”
“Treasure? I don’t have any fucking…” Xairn’s voice trailed off and his eyes widened. “Gods, Lauren!”
He shook the splicer hard. “What was he going to do to her? Where was he taking her?”
But the light in the splicer’s pale purple eyes had gone out—he was talking to a corpse.
Dropping the lifeless body, Xairn leapt to his feet and took off down the warren of smudged, plasti-glass tunnels at a dead run. If he didn’t get back to Lauren soon, there would be nothing to get back to. And if he was too late to save her…
Xairn didn’t let himself think about that. Didn’t allow himself to explore the new emotions exploding inside him. Rage…possession…desperation…
Please, he prayed, not knowing who he was praying to. Please don’t let me be too late. Oh Lauren…
Chapter Two
Sophie was nervous.
“Of course you’re nervous.” Liv adjusted her veil and smiled at her. “It’s your wedding day—everyone’s nervous on their wedding day.”
“You weren’t,” Sophie accused, looking at herself in the 3-D viewer. Like Olivia before her, she was wearing their mother’s wedding dress and she had to admit it looked beautiful. “You were so happy you were completely blissed out,” she continued, pointing at her twin. “So happy you didn’t even think twice about making me do the luck kiss with Sylvan.”
Liv snorted. “Don’t tell me you’re going to complain about that? You wouldn’t be getting married today if it wasn’t for that luck kiss.”
“She’s right, you know.” Kat bustled into the small tent-like changing area just outside the sacred grove. Once more she was playing the mother of the bride roll and making sure everything went perfectly. Of course, she had a lot less to do than she had for Olivia’s wedding because Sophie and Sylvan had decided to keep their bonding ceremony a small, intimate affair.
“I know.” Sophie smiled at her sister and her best friend. “And believe me, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying you weren’t as nervous on your wedding day as I am, Liv.”
“What are you nervous about?” Kat asked, frowning. “Believe me, there’s nothing to worry you. The guests are all seated, Sylvan’s waiting at the altar—or in front of the priestess, I guess. And I have to say he looks pretty amazing in that native Tranq Prime costume—you didn’t tell me they dressed like cavemen. I love the fur skirt and boots look.”
Sophie laughed. “I have to agree with you there—Sylvan looks really good in his native outfit. But I assure you not all men look as good in that ‘fur skirt’ as you call it.”
“I don’t know.” Liv smiled. “I saw Baird wearing his own furry kilt just before the ceremony and he looked pretty hot in it too.”
“That’s because he and Sylvan both have such nice muscular chests,” Kat said. “I’d be jealous if I didn’t have a pair of hot guys of my own to admire.” She smirked. “Though I don’t know why the guys get to wear boots in the sacred grove while the rest of us go barefoot.”
“I wondered about that too,” Sophie said. “It’s something to do with the boots being made of the fur of a consecrated animal. Apparently the Tranq Prime warriors pray over the vranna before they kill it.”
“If that’s the huge abominable snowman thing they have to kill to prove they’re a man, I’d think they’d be praying pretty much every minute they were hunting it,” Liv said dryly. “Praying the damn thing doesn’t rip their heads off.”
“Well, I have a really cute pair of heels that exactly match this dress.” Kat nodded at the beautiful blue-green silk sheath she was wearing. “I’d be happy to say a quick prayer over them if I could put them on.”
Sophie shook her head. “You know it doesn’t work that way. No shoes allowed in the sacred grove.”
“I know, I know…” Kat sighed. “But as I was saying before we got onto the subject of religious shoes, everything is good to go and the refreshments for the reception are all laid out. Everything looks fabulous. Well, except for that weird brown mush from Sylvan’s home world. That looks like dog crap on a plate, unfortunately.”
“That would be the fleeta pudding.” Sophie made a face. “You didn’t try any, did you? You know it’s made of bug guts, right? There are legs in it and everything.”
“Anything that looks and smells like that stuff, I’m smart enough not to put in my mouth,” Kat said tartly. “Oh, but I think we’d better stop talking about it. Look at Liv.”
Liv, who was nearing the end of her first quadmester of pregnancy and just beginning to show, had a hand over her mouth and was looking distinctly green. “I think I need some air,” she whispered.
“Sorry!” Kat opened the flap of the tent and waved Olivia out. “Just be sure you’re back in ten minutes. The ceremony is about to start.”
“And that’s what’s worrying me,” Sophie said, as soon as her sister left, shutting the tent flap behind her. “Where’s Nadiah? She was supposed to be here hours ago. I promised her a spot in my wedding but I can’t hold the whole thing up indefinitely waiting for her.”
“I’m sure she’s on her way.” Kat patted her arm comfortingly. “Don’t feel bad, doll. That’s one of the advantages of having a small wedding—you’re not making a huge to-do so you don’t have to worry if things don’t go off perfectly.”
“But Sylvan’s friend isn’t here either,” Sophie protested. “I mean, we knew it was iffy when we invited him but I was hoping there would be someone besides Baird to stand up with him.”
“Well you could have had Deep and Lock if I hadn’t needed them to help,” Kat remarked. “But as it is, Lock is stationed at the docking bay to grab Nadiah and Sylvan’s friend the minute they get here and Deep is at the entrance of the sacred grove to be sure they get into their places quickly and quietly if the ceremony’s already started. So either way, you’re covered.”
“Thanks, Kat.” Sophie gave her friend an impulsive hug. “You’re right—I should stop worrying. I can see you have everything under control.”
Kat hugged her back. “Of course I do. So just relax and enjoy your big day. You look beautiful. Sylvan’s a very lucky guy.”
“Look who I found, wandering around.” Olivia suddenly pushed back into the tent holding someone by the arm. It was a tall, slender girl with pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
“Nadiah!” Sophie exclaimed happily.
“Sophie! Omigoddess, you look gorgeous.” The Tranq Prime girl threw herself into Sophie’s arms and hugged her enthusiastically.
“You look wonderful too.” Sophie hugged her back. The last time she’d seen Nadiah, her pale blond hair had been cut pixie short and frosted purple and blue at the tips. Now it had grown out past her shoulders and had just one deep blue streak which framed her face dramatically.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Nadiah said, breaking the hug at last. “The stupid transport I hitched a ride on made an unscheduled stop and then when I did finally get onboard the Mother ship, I got lost. This place is huge. Much bigger than my home grotto.”
“It really is big,” Sophie agreed. “I’m so glad you got here in time but we have to hurry, we only have a minute to change you into your dress before the ceremony starts.” She nodded at the long pale gold gown hanging from the rack which was the twin of the one Olivia was wearing. “I hope I got the right size. I had to guess so—”
“Oh, no need for that.” Standing directly across from Liv, Nadiah stared hard at the bridesmaid’s dress she was wearing. “See that?” she murmured, stroking the sleeve of the dark green jumpsuit she was wearing. “Emulate.”
The dark green jumpsuit shifted and then shivered like a live thing—which was exactly what it was, Sophie realized. Nadiah was wearing a tharp—a living furry blanket-type creature that fed on body heat and could be worn as clothing. But she had never seen a tharp like this one.
It didn’t look furry, for one thing. And though she knew an intelligent tharp could be trained to configure itself into almost any kind of garment, she’d never seen one that could change color like this one was doing. It actually went from dark green to pale gold as she watched—even its texture changed. In less than a minute it was an exact replica of Olivia’s dress—right down to the lace on the sleeves and the deeply scooped neckline.
“Wow!” Sophie smiled in admiration.
“That’s amazing,” Liv, who usually didn’t care for tharps, which she referred to as ‘creepy living blankets,’ exclaimed. She stared at the dress Nadiah was still wearing in astonishment. “I didn’t know tharps could do that!”
“Well they can’t, generally.” Nadiah grinned. “This is a new kind they’re breeding and Mamam got the very first one. It was going to increase her social status immeasurably—only I got to it and imprinted it first.”
Sophie didn’t care much for Nadiah’s mother, who also happened to be Sylvan’s aunt, so she laughed. “I bet she loved that.”
“Almost as much as she loved me hitching a ride to the Mother ship right before what was supposed to be my own bonding ceremony.” Nadiah sighed dramatically. “Of course I’ll have to go back eventually. Yo-dah and I have the bond of blood between us—my parents saw to that when they enacted our engagement.” She shook her head. “I still remember crying when they pricked my finger with the stylus. I was just a little thing and it scared me to death.”
“Wait a minute.” Kat held up a hand. “Did you just say your fiancée is a guy named Yoda?”
Nadiah nodded. “Yo-dah Licklow. He’s the son of the local magistrate in my grotto.”
“Yoda Licklow?” Kat was cracking up. “Seriously? That’s his name? So if you married him you’d be Mrs. Yodah Licklow?”
“Well, not exactly. When speaking formally, we break up the names to show the possessive of bonding,” Nadiah explained. “So my formal name would be Lady Lick Yo-dah Low.”
“Lick…lick Yoda…low…” Kat dissolved into a fit of giggles and Sophie and Liv couldn’t help laughing too.
Nadiah smiled at them quizzically. “I’m not sure what’s so funny. I got a shot of translation bacteria but maybe they’re not working right.”
“They’re working fine,” Sophie assured her with a smile. “Sorry—I’ll explain why it’s funny later but right now the ceremony is about to start.” She sighed. “I’m afraid there’s not going to be anyone for you to do the luck kiss with, though. It looks like Sylvan’s friend couldn’t make it.”
“Oh, he’ll be here.” Nadiah was unexpectedly serious. “I know he will—I have forseen it.”
“You what?” Liv asked, frowning.
“I forsaw him.” Nadiah blushed and looked down at her fingers. “It’s a new thing for me—I just came into my powers when I came of age. But so far it’s always been accurate.”
“Your powers?” Kat asked blankly. She had finally stopped laughing and was dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
“The Sight. It’s hereditary in my family,” Nadiah explains. “It skips every other generation. My Grandmaman had it and I have it too. Basically it just means I can see things before they happen.”
“So…you’re psychic?” Liv sounded skeptical.
Nadiah lifted her chin. “Call it what you want, but I do have the Sight. And before I came here I saw myself standing in the sacred grove during Sophie’s bonding ceremony and kissing a Kindred male. He’s big and powerful and he has truegreen eyes.” She gave Sophie’s arm a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Sophie—he’ll be here. And when he shows up, I’m going to give him a luck kiss he’ll never forget.”
* * * * *
Detective Adam Rast had the strangest sensation of coming home the moment he set foot on the Kindred Mother ship.
Of course, that made no sense. He’d never even been off the planet before—let alone aboard an alien ship. The closest he’d come to leaving mother Earth was during his stint in the marines where his squadron had been taught to sky dive. Rast hadn’t cared for that much—he preferred to keep both feet planted solidly on the ground. So being in a ship a fourth the size of the moon orbiting high above the planet he’d been born and bred on should have been an uncomfortable experience. Instead it seemed…oddly familiar.
He tried to shake the ridiculous feeling as he climbed out of the shuttle and thanked the Kindred pilot who had ferried him up from the Human/Kindred relations building in Tampa. Say what you wanted about the aliens who were protecting Earth, but they were damned polite. And no-nonsense, which Rast approved of. Time spent in both the military and the police force before he’d left to start his own detective agency had left him with little tolerance for any kind of foolishness. He appreciated the precision and dignity that seemed to be innate to the Kindred.
Of course, he wouldn’t be aboard the Mother ship at all if his latest job hadn’t led him in the strangest direction imaginable. Rast specialized in missing persons cases which meant he was usually tracking down runaways or kidnapped children—usually taken by an estranged parent during or after divorce proceedings. When Abigail Jakes had approached him about finding her missing daughter, Lauren, he’d known that the case was different right from the start. It had appeared that she’d disappeared into thin air, vanishing right out of her clothes which were left in an oddly orderly heap on the floor.
In fact, that was exactly what had happened. After a lot of probing, Rast had discovered that Lauren Jakes had been taken by the AllFather himself—the leader and overlord of the evil Scourge. He’d been assured by Lauren’s cousins, Olivia and Sophia, that she was in fact well and on her way home, but he would believe that when he saw it. In the mean time, Lauren was still technically missing and the Kindred seemed to have more information about the case than anyone else. Rast was hoping that meeting Commanders Sylvan and Baird face to face would help him establish a working relationship and maybe even get Lauren home faster—if they knew more than they were saying.
Speaking of Commanders Sylvan and Baird, where were they? Frowning, he looked around the huge, echoing docking bay. Someone was supposed to meet him and escort him somewhere they could talk. Just as he was thinking he would have to find someone to ask for directions, a tall blond Kindred came over to him.
“Are you here for Sylvan?” the warrior asked, looking at him anxiously. “I certainly hope so because everything is about to begin.”
Rast nodded. “Yes, I’m here to see Commander Sylvan. Can you show me to him?”
“I can but there’s no time to use a Take-me. I’ll have to send you in a transport tube. This way.” The warrior began walking through the docking bay, weaving rapidly through the rows of ships. His black boots echoed in the vast space.
Rast was every bit as large as the Kindred warrior and his stride was as long but he still had to hurry to keep up. His guide seemed to be in a terrible rush for some reason. “Where are we going?” he asked as they came to a row of round, tubular structures at the end of the bay. Each of them looked like an oversized pipe and was a little larger than an old fashioned telephone booth.
“To the sacred grove.” The Kindred pressed some buttons on the outside of one of the tubes and its silver door whooshed open. “There—get in. It’s a tight fit and you’ll have to change once you get there. I’ll notify Deep you’re on your way.”
“Who?” Rast frowned even as he climbed into the tiny structure. It was a good thing he wasn’t claustrophobic—his shoulders touched the walls on either side.
“My twin. I’m sorry—didn’t Sylvan tell you about us? I’m Lock, his second brother.”
“Nice to meet you.” Rast nodded.
“You as well.” Lock studied him intently. “Forgive me for asking, but did you know our father? Our second father, I should say—Sylvan and Baird’s sire.”
Rast shook his head. “How would I know your father?”
“He was one of the First Kindred, from the home planet—there aren’t many of them left, you know. And with eyes that color of green, I thought…but obviously I was mistaken.”
“What does my eye color have to do with anything?” Rast was thoroughly confused by now but the warrior was already punching a series of commands into the panel of buttons on the side of the tube.
“Never mind—we’re just glad to have you here.” He smiled at Rast. “It’s a bumpy ride but it doesn’t take long. Deep will meet you at the end and get you dressed.”
“Get me dressed in what?” Rast demanded but the silver door had already whooshed shut before he could get an answer. With a jerk, the tiny tube began to move and there was no time to think—it was all he could do to hold on for dear life and hope he made it safely to wherever Commander Sylvan was waiting for their interview.
Chapter Three
Lauren stared at the tall man with pale blond hair and strange purple eyes apprehensively. “How do you know my name?”
“Many things are known to me, my dear Lauren. But let me introduce myself. My name is Anik Blix but my business associates call me The Spider.” He made a sweeping bow and rose to give her a charming smile.
“Why do they call you that?” Lauren crossed her arms over her chest protectively. “Are you a splicer? Do you cut people up like flies and suck out their DNA or something?”
“Heavens no!” Blix looked suitably horrified. “I am a purveyor of beauty. They call me Spider because once I have a customer in my web of goodies, they have no chance to escape without buying.” He smiled. “A little joke, don’t you see?”
“Uh, well that’s really nice but I don’t have anything to buy or sell so if you wouldn’t mind leaving…” She nodded at the door.
“On the contrary, my dear.” Blix took a step toward her. “I believe you have some valuable commodities here. Some very valuable commodities indeed.”
Lauren backed away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do.” He took another step toward her and Lauren shrank back. If only she had a weapon of some kind! Xairn had left her the finger-sized stunner but there were no pockets in the voluminous silver muumuu so she didn’t have anyplace to put it. She’d been keeping it on the counter across from the rehydrator machine but now the tall blond alien was blocking her way.
Blix leaned over her, so close that she could smell the strange, musty scent of his breath. Lauren was about to knee him and hope that it would hurt a male of his species as much as it would a human, when he suddenly reached past her and threw open the cupboard above her head with a flourish. “Food cubes!” he announced in the ecstatic tones of a prospector striking gold. “Genuine Kindred food cubes.” He turned to Lauren. “I knew it—you have hundreds. They’re quite valuable, you know.”
“They are?” Lauren put a hand to her chest to still her pounding heart. “So that’s what this is all about? That’s what you’re interested in—just the food cubes?”
“But of course!” Blix laughed. “What else would I want?”
“I…I don’t know.” There was no way she was going to tell him she’d been afraid he wanted her.
“I was certain you would have some in a vessel like this. They always stocked this particular model with plenty to spare.” Blix looked around the small ship approvingly. “But you didn’t seem inclined to let me in—which was why I created a small, ah, illusion, to facilitate my entrance into your lovely ship.”
Lauren shook her head. “I still don’t understand how you were able to do that. How did you make yourself look exactly like a rabbit? Like…”
“Like Mr. Kittles?” He raised one pale blond eyebrow at her. “It wasn’t hard at all, my dear. You think very loudly. You really should try to stop that.”
“I do?” Lauren put a hand to her temple and frowned. “But what about the weird dragon thing that was after you?”
“All part of the illusion.” Blix assured her.
“Illusion? But that thing was real. The door cut off a piece of its tongue.” Launre pointed to the slimy black chunk still twitching on the metal floor.
“That did smart a bit.” Blix went to stand by the chunk of tongue. Pointing one foot delicately, he touched it with the toe of his brown boot. There was a faint but disgusting sucking sound and the slimy mess was somehow suddenly absorbed into his foot. “It was me,” he explained as Lauren’s eyes got wide. “All of it. The bunny, the dragon—this form too. Don’t I look slightly familiar?”
Lauren looked at him, frowning. “If you had brown eyes instead of purple I’d say you looked like a grown up version of—”
“Scott Snyder—the first boy you ever kissed.” Blix smiled at her, his purple eyes flashing briefly brown. “He was a senior and you were just a freshman. You weren’t supposed to be out with him at all but you couldn’t resist—he was forbidden fruit. And the way he kissed. Just thinking about it still makes your toes curl, doesn’t it, my dear? Positively yummy.”
“Don’t do that.” Lauren frowned. “Don’t go into my head. I don’t like that.”
“I beg your pardon,” Blix managed to sound contrite and amused at the same time. “I didn’t mean to upset you. On the contrary—I wish to put you at ease.”
“Well you’re not doing a very good job.” Lauren put a hand on her hip. “Look, it was nice of you to drop in and all but my, uh…” She started to say ‘boyfriend’ but that description of Xairn didn’t really fit. “My protector who happens to be a very large, aggressive Scourge warrior will be back at any second,” she continued. “So it’s probably better if you leave. Now.”
“Very well.” Blix nodded humbly. “I realize that I used trickery to gain entry to your ship and my harmless little illusion has made you angry so I will go. But please consider doing business with me in the future. For just a few of those food cubes I’d be willing to give you enough creds to live comfortably here in O’ah for a year.”
“A year?” Lauren looked at the cupboard filled with cubes uncertainly. It wasn’t like she could eat them all. And maybe she could just sell him the ones that rehydrated into worms. Those she was never going to eat. If Xairn really was gone, she’d need a way to survive. No, don’t think like that. He’s not really gone—he’ll be back. But she was no longer so sure.
“Indeed.” Blix nodded gravely. “And a year on my planet is the length of five of your Earth years. As a token of my good faith and willingness to do business with you, please accept these.” With a flourish, he produced what looked like a stack of colorful scarves from beneath his purple cloak and pressed them into Lauren’s hands.
“What are they?” She frowned at the neatly folded bundle.
“Contemporary fashions from the Narn district right here in the city. If you put them on, you can blend right in at the marketplace.” Blix sniffed delicately. “I’m afraid the outfit you have on now would brand you as something of a country bumpkin. Only peasants and old ladies would wear such a thing.”
Lauren looked down at the shapeless silver-blue muumuu and made a face. “Yeah, on my planet too.”
“Well then.” Blix smiled at her and made a low bow. “I’ll take my leave. But please feel free to visit my booth in the marketplace. It’s just to the right of the mouth of the alley. And bring a few food cubes if you’re willing to sell. Only…” He hesitated dramatically.
“Only what?” Lauren asked, trying not to sound impatient. Though Blix was turning out to be harmless, she still didn’t like him invading her space.
“Only you’ll need to come today if you want to make a sale. I’m leaving the district tomorrow for an interstellar buying trip and I won’t be back for quite awhile—what would amount to a year in your Earth time.”
Lauren bit her lip. “I don’t know…”
“Well, take your time and think about it.” Blix smiled. “I’m sure you have enough food cubes to keep you alive until I come back. I mean if your paramour never returns, which is a distinct possibility since he has gone to the splicing district alone.”
“Stop that.” Lauren put a hand to her head. “I told you I don’t like it. And Xairn is fine. I know he is.” She lifted her chin, trying to make herself believe it.
“Forgive me. A force of habit and nothing more, I assure you.” He made another bow. “If you wish to do business with me, I’m just around the corner, as you know.”
Lauren frowned indecisively. “But I was told not to leave the ship under any circumstances.”
“Very wise advice—as long as your lover is here to serve as a go-between to the outside world. Of course if you’re on your own—and I’m sorry, my dear, but you very well may be—you’ll need to get out and learn to fend for yourself. You’re sitting on a goldmine here.” He nodded at the cabinet full of food cubes. “But you can’t do anything about it if you just stay inside your ship and eat up all the profits.”
“All right. But, uh, is it safe? For me to go out there alone?”
“As long as you blend in.” He nodded at the stack of colorful clothes in her hands. “Wear those and you won’t have any problems. If anyone asks, say you’re an associate of mine and they’ll treat you appropriately.” He pressed the release for the door to the ship and it slid open silently. “I hope to see you soon, Lauren. Until then I bid you adieu.”
He stepped to the open doorway and shimmered as he had before. Suddenly Mr. Kittles was back, his whiskers twitching. The rabbit bowed low again and then hopped down the steps and into the dim alley where he disappeared into the violet gloom.
* * * * *
Xairn finally reached the edge of the splicing district, his lungs burning in his chest. The plasti-glass tube he was in ended abruptly and his forward momentum almost took him over the edge. He gripped the sides of the tube tightly and looked down into the purple gloom hundreds of feet below, searching desperately for an air-cab or a cloud cushion which would have been the fastest way down. But neither was apparent.
He cursed softly in his native tongue. There was no time to wait around, hoping for quick transportation. Lauren was in danger. Even now she might be—Xairn cut off that train of thought ruthlessly. He couldn’t think about what might be happening to her. Not if he didn’t want to go completely mad. He would have to climb down the long, latticed tube support system and hope he got to her in time.
“Should have told her more,” he muttered to himself as he swung out onto the ledge and gripped the first slippery metal rung tightly. He felt for a lower rung with his foot and found it, his boot scraping against it loudly in the empty air. “Should have told her what goes on in this damn city.”
Yes, he should have told her more. Should have told her the reason she shouldn’t go outside the ship. Most of all, he should have told her the reason she shouldn’t bargain or trade with anyone. But he hadn’t wanted to frighten her. Hadn’t wanted to tell her that the splicing sheds weren’t the worst place a visitor to O’ah could end up if they weren’t careful.
“Be careful, Lauren,” he begged under his breath as he began the long, dizzying descent. Not for the first time, he wished he had a telepathic link with her, like the Kindred had with their brides. It would be so convenient to be able to contact her mind-to-mind. Of course that kind of intimacy only came with bonding and he knew no female as beautiful and perfect as Lauren would want to bond with a Scourge. Especially not one with such twisted urges…
Stop it. Stop thinking about it and concentrate on climbing. One wrong move and you’ll be splattered like a bug on the pavement. Who will help Lauren then? Who will save her from that bastard, the Spider?
Xairn knew the answer to that question—no one. He had brought Lauren to a strange and dangerous planet lightyears from her home and she had come with him willingly and trustingly. Because he had promised to keep her safe. When he had made that promise, Xairn had thought the worst thing he’d have to protect her from was himself. The dark desires she woke in him made him fearful and wary of getting too close to the tempting little female. But the things Spider would do to her…
Don’t think about it. Just climb!
Xairn tried to take his own advice but it was hard. So damn hard when he knew she was in terrible danger and there was nothing he could do to help her.
Be safe, Lauren, he thought, wishing he could send the thought across space and somehow reach her. Be safe and whatever you do, stay inside the ship!
Chapter Four
“Good, you’re finally here.” A Kindred warrior with coal black hair and eyes dragged Rast out of the transport tube. “I’m Deep, Lock’s brother. Cutting things a little close, aren’t you?”
Rast was so dizzy from the jerky motion of the tube he was seeing double for a moment. “What are you talking about?” he growled, frowning at the warrior. “I came on the day we agreed on.”
“Yes but these things always take time to prepare for, no matter how ‘simple and elegant’ they’re supposed to be. But that’s how it goes when it comes to Earth females.” The warrior called Deep sounded like he was complaining but there was a fond smile on his face as he spoke. “Well, come on—you’re here now and that’s what counts. But you can’t wear that.”
Rast frowned down at the conservative black pants and gray sports jacket he was wearing. “Excuse the hell out of me. I didn’t realize seeing Commander Sylvan was such a formal occasion or I would have brought my tux.”
Deep shook his head. “That wouldn’t be appropriate attire either. Didn’t anyone tell you the males are all wearing the native costume of Tranq Prime?”
Rast was getting more and more irritated. “No. I don’t know what the hell the ‘native costume’ is and I don’t have one with me either. So I guess I’ll have to see him as is.”
“And ruin everything? I don’t think so.” Deep glared at him. “Lucky for you, I have an extra tharp and some boots Sylvan said should fit you on hand. Come to the changing area and hurry—we don’t have long to get to the sacred grove.”
Before Rast could protest, the large Kindred had turned and was leading the way through a park-like expanse of green and purple grass. They appeared to be headed toward a sheltered area filled with well tended trees where presumably Commander Sylvan was waiting. It was irritating in the extreme, but it seemed there was little choice but to follow him.
* * * * *
“Oh my God, Sophie—he’s here.” Kat rushed back into the changing area bubbling with excitement.
“Who’s here?” Olivia asked. “Sylvan’s friend?”
Kat nodded. “Lock just bespoke me. He got him off the shuttle and sent him through the transport tube to Deep. He’s getting dressed right now.”
“Thank God!” Sophie looked relieved. “But the ceremony’s about to start. Will he be ready in time?”
“Don’t worry about that,” Kat said. “Deep says he’ll shove him in a tharp and sneak him into line right beside Baird and no one will even notice. Because all eyes will be on you, my darling gorgeous Sophie.”
Sophie smiled and Nadiah, who had been standing quietly in the corner of the changing tent thought that she really did look radiantly lovely.
“So you were right,” Olivia said, turning to her with a friendly smile. “He did make it here on time.”
“I knew he would,” Nadiah said quietly.
Olivia arched an eyebrow at Kat. “And are his eyes green like Nadiah, uh, forsaw?”
“Hang on, I’ll ask.” Kat put a hand to her temple and closed her eyes briefly. Clearly she was using the mental link all Kindred brides got when they bonded to their males to communicate with one of her mates. She opened her eyes after a second. “Yup. Lock says his eyes are truegreen—the color of the First Kindred males. The ones who started out on the Kindred home world before they made any genetic trades.”
“Wasn’t Sylvan and Baird’s father a First Kindred?” Olivia asked.
Sophie nodded. “I’m pretty sure he was. It’s too bad he died before we got to know our guys.” She turned to Nadiah. “You really predicted that perfectly—I’m impressed.”
“Thank you.” Nadiah beamed. Her grandmamam had told her there would be skeptics if she revealed her powers and she had been right. It was nice to feel vindicated.
“So is he one of the First Kindred?” Kat asked curiously. “I mean, could you see that when you, uh, forsaw him?”
Nadiah frowned. “The Sight can be tricky—it’s not like someone injecting a huge dose of information into your head. I see things—mostly in dreams or visions—and I have to interpret them. But I did get a glimpse of his standing before the throne of the Mother of All Life wearing the ceremonial robes of the First Kindred.”
“That doesn’t prove anything,” Olivia objected. “He was just there on a pilgrimage.”
Nadiah shrugged. “I can only tell you what I saw. And the only other glimpse I got was of me kissing him.”
“The luck kiss.” Sophie smiled sentimentally. “It seems like just yesterday I was scared to death about having to perform it with Sylvan.”
“Well, I’m not scared.” Nadiah gave her a grin. “I’ve been looking forward to my first Kindred kiss since I was a little girl. I promise you, Sophie, I’ll make sure your union to Sylvan starts off with a bang.”
“I know you will.” Sophie gave her a hug and then cocked her head. “Oh my God, the music’s starting. How do I look?”
“Gorgeous.” Nadiah hugged her carefully, trying not to disarrange the transparent white panel she wore over her face which the other Earth girls had called a veil. It was a beautiful and interesting custom—one she was determined to emulate in her own bonding ceremony.
And who knows, she thought as they lined up behind Sophie and began the slow procession out to the sacred grove. Maybe I’ll be meeting—and kissing— my future mate in the next few minutes.
Of course she knew that was nonsense. The blood bond between herself and Yo-dah was practically unbreakable. Her parents had seen to that. Still, a warrior who genuinely cared for her might be able to challenge the bond…
Humming softly along with the lovely Earth music, Nadiah followed her friend out of the changing tent.
Chapter Five
“Well…that wasn’t so bad,” Lauren murmured after Blix finally left. She shut and locked the door carefully, checking it twice to make sure it was secure, before shaking out some of the clothes in the pile.
She had to admit they were a vast improvement over the silver muumuu. There was a tight-fitting blouse with long flowing sleeves in a shimmery see-through pale blue that felt as soft as silk. It fit Lauren so exactly she wondered how Blix could know her size. Probably picked it right out of my head like everything else. The idea made her frown but Lauren pushed it away. If the worst thing that came out of her meeting with the alien mind reader was a new set of clothes she supposed she couldn’t complain.