Brides of the Kindred

Book 1: Claimed

by

Evangeline Anderson

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson on Smashwords

Brides of the Kindred

Book 1: Claimed

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.

Prologue

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

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

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

Neither pair of eyes was human.

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

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

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

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

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

“You find these human women appealing then?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter One

“Bad dreams again last night?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Mine.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Black olives?” Sophia made a face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because of the Kindred.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What were the grounds?” Sophie asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Two

“Just try not to scare her.”

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

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

Baird frowned. “The big bad what?”

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

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

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

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

“No, should I?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sylvan—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Three

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then everything happened at once.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Liv!”

“Olivia!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“As soon as possible,” Liv emphasized.

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

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

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

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

Chapter Four

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Five

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Six

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What’s wrong then?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Seven

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Get…getting me ready?” Liv faltered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For some reason she felt like crying.

Chapter Eight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That would be me.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“While we fuck them?” Sylvan asked roughly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Alone so he can attack her?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Nine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then something brushed against the back of her leg.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hurt her? How?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Ten

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here lies Liv,

Without a care

She died from the bite

Of a teddy bear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The mat went wild.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baird frowned. “Switches? For lights?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Well, I take it dinner is served.”

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

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

Chapter Eleven

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“So it’s good?” he asked again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Not hungry enough to eat five or six large pizzas,” Liv assured him. “But one might be nice if it’s made right. Come on, get out the stuff and I’ll show you.”

Working together, they had a new pizza that consisted only of crust, sauce and cheese assembled in no time. Liv tactfully steered Baird away from the fruit cocktail, which he thought might be good as a single topping, explaining that she liked her pizza plain. Very, very plain. She watched with interest as he demonstrated how to work his version of an oven and explained that it got hot enough to burn off a hand and had to be used with care. When it only took about three seconds to cook the new pizza Liv was amazed but she couldn’t help noticing that Baird was frowning and shaking his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as he removed the piping hot pie and started slicing it into wedges.

“Nothing. Just that it got all gooey and runny again,” he muttered, pointing at the oozing cheese. “I thought maybe it wouldn’t this time without the other crap on top.”

“That’s cheese,” Liv explained as they took the new pizza to the table. Baird had already scraped the old one down the sink which was equipped with a powerful suction attachment that put any garbage disposal she’d ever seen to shame. “It’s supposed to do that. It melts—that’s what makes it so good.”

“You sure about that or are you just trying not to hurt my feelings again?” Baird eyed her suspiciously.

“I’m positive.” Liv smiled at him and took a bite out of her pizza. As the cheese spread out in a long, thin string between her mouth and the slice she was holding she pointed at it. “See? Delicious.”

“We’ll see about that.” Dubiously he picked up a slice of his own and took a bite. Liv watched as the look on his face turned from doubt to excitement. He chewed, swallowed, and took another bite. Then another. Then he was on to his next slice.

“Hey, hang on. Don’t make yourself sick!” Liv cautioned.

He grinned at her. “You’re right. This is really good—especially the cheese stuff. Looks horrible but tastes fuckin’ amazing.”

Suddenly Liv thought of something that made her grin. “You like the cheese, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.” Nodding, he dived into another slice eagerly. “It’s great.”

“You want to know what it’s made of?” Liv asked, still grinning.

He swallowed and looked at her suspiciously. “I don’t know. Do I?”

“Sure.” Deliberately, Liv picked a stray piece of cheese off her plate and popped it in her mouth. “It’s made with milk. Lots and lots of milk.”

“Milk? Really?”

“Yup. You know—cow squeezings?”

For a moment Baird looked horrified. Then the corners of his mouth began to twitch and that deep rumbling laugh Liv was beginning to find so attractive came pouring out. He sounded so happy she couldn’t help laughing with him and soon they were both roaring while Baird pounded the table until the red metal serving trays jingled and clattered.

Finally they tapered off to giggles and snorts. Liv’s stomach actually hurt and she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard.

“Gods.” Baird wiped at his eyes and smiled at her. “I want to thank you, Olivia.”

She grinned. “What for? Feeding you cow squeezings?”

“No.” He was suddenly serious. “I was in a pretty bad place before I met you—before we met outside our dreams, I mean. It was dark and cold and the pain…” He shook his head. “I don’t even want to talk about the pain. Let’s just say it was bad. Really bad. So bad that sometimes I wondered if I was going to have anything left once I finally met you and claimed you. Anything to offer you but agony and hurt and horror. But you…” He reached across the table and took her hand gently in his. “You haven’t even been in my life an entire day and already you’ve given me back the laughter I thought I’d lost forever. I’m grateful to you for that. More grateful than I can say.”

Liv looked down at the big hand holding hers. “I don’t hate you, you know. I just…this isn’t what I want for the rest of my life.” She looked up at him. “I wish you could understand that and just pick someone else.”

“You still don’t get it, do you, Olivia?” He stroked her palm with the broad pad of his thumb, making Liv’s pulse jump erratically. “There’s no one else in the universe for me. No one but you. I know you don’t see that now, but you will.”

Liv frowned and tried to pull her hand away. “How can you be so sure I’ll come around? Aren’t you risking an awful lot on the assumption that you can seduce me?”

“I’m willing to risk anything and everything to have you,” Baird said seriously. “And I know you’ll come to me eventually. I can tell by the way you’re heart beats so much harder when I touch you. By the way your cheeks flush pink when I’m near you. By the delicious scent of your body getting ready for me.”

“My…my scent? I have a scent?” Liv whispered, trying not to think of the other things he’d said.

He inhaled deeply, his eyes never leaving hers. “Gods, yes—if only you knew. Your scent drives me crazy. I could pick you out of a crowd by your scent alone even if I was blindfolded.”

Liv thought about telling him that he smelled pretty amazing himself but decided it was probably a bad idea. “I…I should go get ready for bed,” she said, trying to draw her hand out of his again.

“Are you that eager to come to my bed, Lilenta?” His lids were half lowered over those incredible molten gold eyes and the heat in their depths made her knees feel rubbery.

“You…you know what I mean.” Liv tried to control the tremble in her voice but it was hard when he was looking at her like that.

Baird smiled. “I know. I know better than you do.”

“That’s what you think.” Liv knew her words carried little weight—she’d been reacting to him in every possible way since she’d met him. He must know he affected her—in fact, he’d just told her as much. Still she tried to sound cool and aloof. “Believe me, Baird, I’m not all that eager to hop into bed—not nearly as eager as you are, anyway.”

He shrugged, his liquid gold eyes still fixed on hers. “Yeah, I admit it—I’m damn eager to get you in my bed. Can’t wait to feel you under me. Can’t wait to make you come.” He gave her a slow, hot smile.

“You don’t want much, do you?” Liv tried to sound sarcastic but her words came out breathy instead.

Baird pinned her with a hot look. “I’ll tell you what I want. I want to know what kind of sounds you make when you lose control and feel you tremble against me when I push you over the edge. Want to touch you, taste you, spread your legs and go down on you until you cry and moan and beg and pull my hair. That’s what I’m eager for, Olivia.”

“I…You…” Liv didn’t know what to say. She could feel a hot blush climbing from the valley between her breasts all the way up to her forehead. Baird watched her with a knowing look on his face.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just how I feel.” He let go of her hand and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Why don’t you take the box your sister sent up and take a soak in the bathing pool before you get ready for bed?”

“Sophie sent my things?” Liv had been so caught up in her new world on the Kindred ship she’d almost forgotten. Hope they sent what was in the top dresser drawer! Now more than ever, she was beginning to think what she’d asked for was really going to come in handy.

He nodded. “The box is in the living area near the front entrance. “I hope you find the contents useful.”

Liv gave him a penetrating look as she rose from the table. “I’m sure I will.”

Baird thought about her as he cleared away the rest of the pizza and packed it into a cold bag to hang from a hook in his chillkeeper. Olivia hadn’t eaten much—just a few bites—but he thought he was probably to blame for that. He’d made her nervous, talking about taking her to bed. He knew she wasn’t an untried virgin from the dreams they’d shared but she acted like one when he attempted to discuss sex or bonding with her. Baird thought he knew why.

From what he’d seen in his dreams of her, the few former lovers she’d taken to her bed had no real concept of what it meant to please a woman. Her last lover especially, the one she’d almost made a lifetime commitment to, preferred to please himself and then go to sleep. He’d used her body as an implement of self pleasure without bothering to make sure that Olivia was satisfied, a fact that made Baird angry and disgusted. It was like using a fine musical instrument to play a simple, selfish tune when it was capable of producing a much richer, more complex sound if only you took the time to really master it.

At any rate, he wasn’t going to repeat her former lover’s mistakes—he fully intended to put Olivia’s pleasure first. He couldn’t wait to caress her breasts and tease her nipples until they were stiff little peaks and then run his hands down her soft, trembling belly to cup her ripe, wet pussy. Even with clothing between them he knew he could bring her pleasure—if only she would let him.

Of course what he really wanted to do was thrust deep into her tight sheathe and feel her quake around him when she came—and that was only to start with. Baird was hungry to make her come again and again until she was completely happy and exhausted. He wanted her content to lie in his arms and let him stroke and touch her and bring her pleasure. Wanted to hear his name on her lips as she shuddered to orgasm over and over.

He growled low in his throat as he pictured a warm, naked Olivia in his bed. Just the thought of her softly rounded body pressed against his as he touched her made his cock rise to rock-hard attention in his pants. Gods, but he wanted her! Wanted to touch her, to taste her and lap her sweet, wet cleft, to savor her honey right from the source…of course he would have to wait for that privilege even longer, as per their claiming contract. But Baird was willing to wait.

For right now, even the idea of having her in bed beside him was better than nothing. Just the thought of stroking her body through the thin fabric of her gown until she came and then holding her close as they both drifted off to sleep was very pleasant. He hoped Olivia would allow him to do it. He was only allowed to hold her right now but if she would just relax enough to let him touch her, even over her clothes, maybe she’d be more open to his other advances later.

“Later, Lilenta,” he growled to himself. “But not too much later. In another week we’ll bathe together and the week after that I can taste you. The week after that…” But he wouldn’t allow himself to think about the fourth week of the claiming period. It was too far off and he wanted it too much. Too much to control himself, if he thought about what he’d be allowed to do by then.

Chapter Twelve

Liv did a quick check to be sure the box had everything she’d asked for and then decided to take a bath before she sorted through the contents in detail. A cold shower is what I really need, she thought as she felt her way carefully down the three shallow steps of the sunken bathing pool. It was true, too. After her last conversation with Baird and seeing the heat in his amber eyes she definitely needed some cooling off.

But she wasn’t going to get it in the bathing pool. The warm water swirled about half way up her breasts, making her wish she had a bathtub like it at home. At first she tried to be careful as she got in, feeling sure that she’d be getting water all over the floor. But for some reason the water level never rose. Even when she sank down to her chin, and not a single drop overspilled the edge of the tub.

“Mmmm.” Liv reclined so that the back of her head was resting on the rounded outside edge of the deep pool and closed her eyes. She’d twisted her long blonde hair up on top of her head before getting in and she was glad she had. She had no idea if Baird had anything like a hairdryer and she’d forgotten to ask Kat and Sophie to send one up. Not that she’d have a place to plug it in if they did. The Kindred ship must run on some alternate power source or something because she hadn’t seen a single electrical outlet since she’d been there.

Sighing, she let herself float free in the wonderfully warm water. She couldn’t be completely sure but it seemed like there was a very slight scent to it—nothing floral or overpowering, just a hint of something tangy and fresh like some kind of alien citrus fruit. Liv breathed deeply, trying to identify it but couldn’t. It was something like pink grapefruit with another note mixed in. Maybe mint? Whatever it was, breathing it in seemed to clear her head completely, making her feel like all the poisons and pollutions she’d been breathing back on Earth were being leached out of her system by the healing water.

“Now if I just had some bubble bath this would be perfect,” she murmured to herself. Some bubble bath and someone to wash your back for you. Your back and…other things, whispered a naughty little voice in her brain. “Shut up,” Liv muttered to herself. “It’s not going to be like that.” Except she was afraid it was going to be exactly like that. After all, in a week she was obligated to start bathing with Baird and he would be legally able to touch her with no clothing between them.

Liv just couldn’t get the way he’d looked at her out of her head. “I just can’t wait to make you come,” he’d told her in that deep, rumbling voice. No one had ever talked to her like that before. Mitch had been much too busy trying to get his own rocks off to worry if Liv ever saw fireworks herself. But Baird seemed to have an entirely different focus in mind—her. He actually seemed to want to give her pleasure, not just get off himself. And the way he talked about spreading her legs and going down on her…Liv shivered and refused to let herself think about it. Refused to admit that beneath the warm water her pussy felt ripe and wet and hot with a need she’d never known before.

This isn’t me, she told herself. Sex is no big deal to me—I can take it or leave it. Only maybe she felt like that because she’d never been with anyone who made her care about it. Maybe with Baird things would be different. Much different.

Except she wouldn’t be having sex with Baird, she reminded herself sternly. Not bonding sex, anyway, whatever that entailed. She really needed to get a copy of the contract and find that out. She’d get right on it, she promised herself, as soon as she finished relaxing in the tub…

“Olivia, are you all right?” The deep voice startled her at first but then she realized it was just him—the dark man from her dreams. He’d been in pain before but he sounded happy now—happy because he’d found the one he was looking for. And Olivia was the one. He’s happy because he loves me whispered a thought in her head. For some reason it made Liv smile dreamily. It was true, he loved her. Out of all the women on Earth—all the women in the universe—his mind had aligned itself with hers and hers alone. He…

He was standing at the edge of the bathing pool staring down at her naked body through the clear water just as though he had every right!

Liv’s eyes snapped fully open as the half-dream she’d been having ended abruptly. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, trying to cover herself from his hungry gaze with her hands.

He looked amused. “Just checking up on you, Lilenta. You’ve been in here so long I wanted to make sure you hadn’t drowned.”

“I’m fine, thank you for your concern,” Liv said stiffly. “Now do you mind leaving so I can get out?”

“Feeling shy?” he rumbled, an amused look in his golden eyes.

“No,” she lied, keeping her hands firmly in place. “I just…don’t like being naked with someone I’ve known less than twenty-four hours. I’m funny like that. Now do you mind?”

“I don’t mind a bit.” His eyes were half lidded with desire and his voice was a soft, deep growl. “I’ve been watching you in my dreams for months but the reality is a hundred times better.”

For a moment Liv was thrown off balance by his mention of their dream-sharing. “I…you’re different from the dreams I had of you too,” she said softly.

“I was in a dark place then.” His liquid gold eyes were suddenly far away and filled with so much pain they were hard to look at. “Seeing you every night, memorizing your face, learning your body…it was the only relief I had.” He looked at her seriously. “You saved me, Olivia. As much as if you’d put out a hand and pulled me out of the pit yourself.”

Liv was at a loss for words, as she always was when he talked about the time before they met and the things he’d gone though. Part of her wanted to ask where he’d been and what horrible things had been done to him but she sensed he wasn’t really ready to discuss it yet. Or maybe ever. The remembered agony in his gorgeous, wild eyes was intense—almost too much to bear. But somehow, without even knowing it, she had helped him bear it. She remembered all the mornings she’d woken up after dreaming of him, feeling his despair and wishing with all her heart she could reach him, the dark man in her dreams, and find a way to save him. Was it possible that her sympathy for him had somehow traversed the strange link between them?

“You’re so damn beautiful,” Baird rumbled, still looking down at her. “Your beauty and strength of will kept me going when I wanted to lay down and die. I couldn’t give up because I knew if I did I’d never see you in person.”

“I’m here now,” Liv offered, not knowing what else to say. “But, Baird, I can’t promise to stay with you forever.”

“He shook his head. “Forever is a long time. Right now tonight is enough. Will you come out of the water?” He held out a plush crimson and gold towel as big as a sheet.

Liv bit her lip and tried to stop the stirring of desire his hungry look started in the pit of her belly. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed her. That what he felt was more than just lust, more than just the carnal desire to take her. But she couldn’t help that—she wasn’t ready for his need. She hadn’t asked to be his savior, his dream girl or the love of his life. And if she ever wanted to get back to Earth and the people she loved, she had to be firm. “This is an invasion of my privacy,” she told Baird sternly. “I’d appreciate it if you would leave so I can get dressed.”

The corner of his full mouth quirked upward. “This is our claiming period, Olivia. Legally, you don’t have any privacy. But since you’re still shy…” He shook the towel again. “Come on out, I promise not to look.”

“I’m not coming out until you leave.” She frowned up at him, keeping her hands firmly in place. “I can stay here all night—I don’t mind a bit. I like it in here.”

“Suit yourself.” Baird let the big, puffy towel drop in a heap by the side of the bathing pool. “I’ll see you in the bedroom, Lilenta.” With a final hot look he sauntered out, closing the door behind him.

“You’ll see me all right—but not very much of me,” Liv muttered, watching him go. What was it about him that made her feel so strange? She ought to be outraged right now but instead she felt absurdly…flattered. The way he looked at her, as though she was the most beautiful woman in the world might have something to do with it. And all those promises about the sinfully pleasurable things he intended to do to her the minute he was legally allowed to touch her naked body probably didn’t hurt either. If she hadn’t felt so strongly about leaving Earth and her family to come live on the Kindred ship, Liv might almost have been tempted to let him do whatever he wanted. Almost.

She climbed out of the tub and snatched the towel off the cool tile floor to wind around her dripping body. She was glad she’d brought the big cardboard box Sophia had sent into the bathroom with her. It would have made her nervous to dig through it in the bedroom under Baird’s hungry gaze.

The box had everything she’d asked for plus a short note from Sophie that put a lump in Liv’s throat.

Love you, Sis. Stay strong.

Sophie

Hot tears pricked at her eyelids and she felt ashamed of the things she’d been thinking earlier. Of the fact that she’d been tempted—more than tempted—to let Baird do all the deliciously carnal things he seemed to want to do to her body. She had to stay strong, just like Sophia had urged her to, had to resist his advances no matter how tempting they were if she ever wanted a normal life with her loved ones on Earth again.

Reaching into the box, she went straight for what she’d asked for—the contents of her top dresser drawer. It wasn’t a secret weapon or a can of mace. It was just her winter sleepwear—granny panties and a long pale blue flannel nightgown.

She didn’t have much call to wear them in Tampa but every once in a while there was a pretty hard cold snap—usually in January or February—that sent her running for the decidedly un-sexy outfit. Liv reflected that she was apt to be a little warm in them tonight but that was okay—better a little too warm than so hot she lost control of herself and gave in to Baird completely.

Of course when she’d asked Kat and Sophie to send her the frumpy night gear she’d had no idea she would find the big Kindred warrior so damn appealing. She’d been mainly thinking of modesty. But now that she knew she’d be lying so close to him, trying to resist the urge to give in, she was twice as glad for the thick flannel gown. And as for the granny panties, well, they were made of good sturdy white cotton and came clear up to her navel. Protection was an understatement—Liv might as well have full body armor on

There was a full length mirror in one corner of the bathroom that she’d missed on her earlier tour in the dark. Liv went over to it and looked at herself with satisfaction. Yup, she was lookin’ good. Or rather, bad. The blue flannel gown had long sleeves and it came up to her chin and down to her ankles, effectively hiding every detail of her body. Baird probably wouldn’t even want to touch her when she looked like this. Let alone do anything else.

Feeling secure, if a little stuffy, she let down her hair and left the bathroom.

“Ready for bed Lil—” Baird’s voice cut off abruptly as she entered the room. Taking in the long, thick, flannel gown his eyes widened and then narrowed. “What in the seven hells have you got on?” he demanded.

“My nightclothes.” Liv felt a little thrill of satisfaction at thwarting the big warrior so neatly. “Do you like them?”

“Not nearly as much as that little black outfit you had on the first time I saw you.” He sighed. “But if that’s what you want to wear, well, you look beautiful, Lilenta. Always beautiful to me no matter what you’re wearing. I just wish…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

Liv frowned. “You wish what?”

Baird shook his head. “I guess I just wish you weren’t so afraid of me.” There was sorrow in his eyes that looked sincere. “Wish you didn’t feel you had to hide your beautiful body from me.”

Liv put her hands on her hips. “I am not afraid of you.”

His eyes flashed liquid gold. “Of course you are. You’re afraid of what my body would feel like against yours. Afraid of how you might react if I touch you. That’s why you’re hiding behind that…that thing.” He gestured contemptuously at the flannel nightgown.

“I told you,” Liv flared. “I’m not afraid of you and I’m certainly not afraid of my reaction to you.”

“Oh yeah?” he raised one eyebrow mockingly. “That robe thing you have on says otherwise.”

“For your information, this is not the only sleepwear I have,” Liv told him. “But it doesn’t matter what I wear. I could wear the skimpiest, sheerest little negligee I own and it still wouldn’t bother me to sleep next to you.” It was a blatant lie but she wasn’t about to let the big warrior know how he affected her.

“Is that right?” he drawled, an annoying smirk playing around the corners of his full mouth. “You sure about that, Olivia?”

“More than sure.” She crossed her arms over her blue flannel clad chest.

Baird stopped smiling and sighed. “You’re right—it doesn’t matter what you wear. I’m not allowed to touch you and I refuse to risk another scene like the one we had when I first brought you to the suite.”

“You mean when you grabbed me and kissed me against my will?” Liv was really getting pissed now. “That’s a breach of contract, you know.”

He looked at her from under lowered eyelids. “As I recall, you were kissing back pretty eagerly, Lilenta. You can’t claim breach of contract when you were so obviously ready and willing.”

“Why you—I was not! I mean, I wasn’t…wasn’t myself for some reason.” Liv still had no idea why her self control seemed to fly out the window when she got in close proximity with the big Kindred warrior but she was too angry to try and analyze it now. “Anyway, it’s not like you have any better self control than me—you started it! Why do you think I’m dressed like this?”

“I don’t know—why don’t you tell me?” His eyes flashed gold. “You claim it’s not because you’re afraid of me. Could it be that you don’t trust yourself?”

That was closer to the truth than Liv wanted to admit which only made her angrier. “It’s because I don’t trust you, you big bastard!”

A corner of his full mouth went down and his eyes were suddenly cool. “I told you before I would never take you against your will. You could dress in the most revealing night clothes imaginable and I wouldn’t lay a hand on you if you didn’t want me to.”

“Is that right?” Liv lifted her chin and looked at him speculatively. His words had given her the beginnings of a plan but she’d need some help to carry it out.

“Yeah, that’s right. I have no interest in taking what you don’t want to give.”

“We’ll just see about that. How do I go about contacting my sister? I need her to send me some things and those goons dragged me out of the house without my cell phone.”

Baird frowned at the change of subject. “You wouldn’t have been allowed to keep your communication device anyway. You’re not supposed to contact anyone on Earth directly but you can send a letter.”

“A letter? Can’t I send a holo or even an e-mail?” Liv couldn’t believe she was restricted to such outdated technology here on the advanced alien ship.

He shrugged. “Sorry. Those are the rules.”

Liv sighed. “Fine. I’ll write her a letter.”

“I’ll make sure she gets it. But a word of advice—don’t put anything in there you wouldn’t want the Kindred Security Team to know.”

“You mean they read private mail?” Liv was outraged. “That’s a federal offense.”

“No, that’s security. Don’t worry—they don’t care about personal details. So as long as you’re not plotting anything you don’t have to worry.”

Oh, I’m plotting, all right. I’m plotting how to get out of here and away from you before… But Liv didn’t want to finish the thought. “I’ll write it in the morning. In the mean time, I need some sleep.”

“You need more than that, Lilenta, if you’d only admit it.”

“What are you talking about?” Liv demanded as she climbed into her side of the bed.

Baird turned over and propped himself up on one elbow to face her. His chest was bare and the muscles under his tan skin flexed in a mouthwatering way Liv tried not to see. “I’m talkin’ about what my body needs from yours and what yours needs from mine. This is our claiming period—we need to bond. And you’re going to feel more and more restless and needy and unsatisfied until we do.”

“What are you saying? That I’m going to develop some kind of actual physical need to have you, uh, touch me?”

“To have me breed you. Fuck you.” Baird’s eyes were half lidded and golden.

Liv felt a flash of heat go through her entire body. “I…I don’t believe you.” But her voice shook when she said it.

“Believe it, Olivia. It’s part of the claiming. I need to be inside you, filling you. And you need to be filled.” His deep voice was a soft, intense growl and Liv felt her stomach flutter with something like fear…or desire.

“Guess I’ll just have to live with an itch that can’t be scratched then,” she said tartly but her insides were a mass of butterflies. Could he really be telling the truth? Would she develop an actual physical need to have him touch her, take her? It was unthinkable and yet…Why do I find him so hard to resist? Why do I want to touch him and let him touch me? It is some kind of connection from all the times we dreamed of each other? Or something else?

“Suit yourself, Lilenta.” Baird lay down beside her. “Lights out.”

The room was plunged into darkness and Liv lay in the huge Kindred bed, scared to death. What am I going to do? Should I really send that letter to Sophie?

As the plan took further shape in her mind, she wondered if she had the guts to carry it out. She’d always been fairly modest, although no one who had seen her running around dressed in the skimpy black nighty Baird had first seen her in, would know it. But if it works I can go home and go back to my normal life.

Despite the fact that she found him completely exasperating, she hated to hurt Baird. Deep down he seemed like a decent guy—when he wasn’t being an arrogant male, that was. But the truth was, Liv didn’t know if she could take a whole month of the tension between them without giving in. Hell, she didn’t know if she could take another week. It was only her first night and despite the fact that she was pissed off and frightened, she was still having to fight the urge to roll over and trail her fingertips over his broad back. To reach around and stroke his warm, muscular chest. To…Stop it, there you go again!

Liv rolled over in bed, putting her back to the big warrior. It was no use—she was going to have to do it. She had to get out of here sooner rather than later—or risk not getting out at all. Tomorrow she’d write Sophie and Kat a note asking them to send her some new things.

She just hoped her plan didn’t backfire.

Baird lay in the darkness, his fists clenched, fighting himself. Every instinct he had was screaming that his woman was lying right beside him, just waiting to be claimed, to be taken and bonded. Every inch of his skin throbbed with need for her. But she doesn’t want me—or doesn’t want to admit that she does, anyway.

It was so damn frustrating! Baird had thought he’d been through the worst torture imaginable aboard the Scourge Fathership but the most devastating pain they could inflict was nothing to lying here beside Olivia, unable to touch her. I want her. And damn it, she wants me—I can smell it on her! She’s ripe and ready. If I parted her thighs right now I know I’d find her wet for me. Wet but not willing—it was a contradiction he could scarcely believe but it was true. Olivia’s body might want him, but her mind most certainly did not.

I’ll wear her down, he told himself, trying to get more comfortable and forget that she was lying beside him. Trying not to think of the tantalizing glimpse he’d seen when she’d been lying in the bathing pool before she covered herself. Gods, he’d been able to see her nipples and her soft little slit—everything. He tried to put it out of his mind. I’ll wear her down and if I don’t, my scent will. She’s already reacting to it, it’s just a matter of time.

He felt bad about that in a way—if what Sylvan said was true, humans didn’t understand about mating scents or the way the Kindred pheromones could affect them. But at this point Baird was ready to fight dirty—hell, he was ready to do almost anything to have the woman he so desperately craved. The woman who was lying right beside him but might as well be a galaxy away. He’d warned her as much as he was going to by telling her she was soon going to be wanting him as much as he wanted her. Let her make of it what she would and in the mean time, he would have to keep his hands to himself and let his mating scent do the work for him.

I’ll have you, Lilenta, he thought with renewed determination. Sooner or later you’ll give me what we both want so desperately. And then I’ll claim you for my own and we’ll be together forever.

Staring into the darkness, he imagined what that moment would be like. He would part her thighs gently, slowly so as not to frighten her. Then he would spread her pussy open, sliding his fingers into her slippery depths first, making sure she was wet enough to take him. She would moan his name and he would kiss her while he stroked her clit, making her hotter, pushing her higher. Finally, when he knew she was ready he would mount her and press the head of his cock to her tight, wet entrance.

He would enter her slowly, of course, giving her time to adjust. From what he’d heard human males didn’t have very big equipment as a rule so she’d need to get used to his size. Baird could imagine her shifting under him, trying to be open enough as he slowly filled her, inch by inch. He would be kissing her, whispering encouragement, telling her how much he loved her, how much he wanted and needed her the entire time. Her eyes might be wide and frightened at first but he would soothe her anxiety, he told himself. Soothe her and pleasure her until her lovely silvery grey eyes were hot with lust, filled with a need to match his own. And then when he was finally all the way inside her, touching bottom in her sweet, hot pussy, his mating fist would begin to swell. Once it did they would be locked together for hours, bonding, their bodies and souls entwined.

And then you’ll be mine, as you were always meant to be, Olivia. Mine forever. Comforting himself with the thought, Baird closed his eyes and tried to rest. But it was a long, long time before he could get to sleep with Olivia lying so close beside him and her sweet, feminine scent filling the air.

* * * * *

Liv was awakened by someone’s warm breath in her ear. “What—?” She opened her eyes to see that she was sitting on the side of the bed and Baird was sitting beside her. “Hey.” Liv frowned. “What’s going on? Why am I suddenly just sitting here like this?”

“We’re dream sharing.” Baird smiled at her.

“We are?” She looked around her uncertainly.

“Uh-huh.” He nodded solemnly.

“But how can you tell it’s a dream? The room looks the same.” Liv gestured to the large bedroom and the immense bed they were sharing. “And besides, it feels so real.”

“Didn’t it always feel real when we dream-shared before?” Baird asked reasonably. “But if you want proof, look at what you’re wearing.”

Liv did as he asked and let out a low gasp. Baird was still dressed in the black silk sleep pants he’d worn to bed. But she…“Oh my God—what is this? I don’t own anything like this.”

He grinned. “Helluva lot different from what you went to sleep in, isn’t it?”

It certainly was. Instead of the long flannel nightgown she’d worn to bed, Liv found she was now wearing a barely there white lace nighty that barely came down to the tops of her thighs and tiny white panties to match. The lace the nighty was made of was stretchy and mostly see-through, offering a tantalizing glimpse of her breasts. Why, you can practically see my nipples! Liv crossed her arms over her chest protectively and glared at Baird. “This is your fault.”

He shrugged his broad, bare shoulders. “I might’ve had something to do with it. Although it looks kinda like something you already own.”

Liv had to admit he was right—the outfit looked a lot like a set she’d bought back before she broke up with Mitch. She had a weakness for sexy underwear. But still… “Just because I own something like this doesn’t give you the right to dress me up in it for your viewing pleasure,” she snapped.

Baird grinned. “And it is a pleasure, Lilenta. Or it would be if you’d let me get a good look.”

“Never. And I want to wake up right now.” She said the last words loudly and then looked around the room expectantly, hoping they would have some effect. But after a moment she had to acknowledge that nothing had changed. Apparently there was more to getting out of their shared dream than clicking her heels and saying, “There’s no place like home.”

Baird was still watching her. “Sorry, but it isn’t that easy,” he rumbled. “We’re both stuck here until one or both of us wakes up naturally. And that could be a long, long time, Lilenta.”

“Great. Just great.” Liv crossed her arms tighter across her chest and tapped her toe on the floor.

“It is great,” Baird said seriously. “And I’ll tell you why—since we’re in a dream, nothing counts.”

Liv gave him a sidelong glance. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we can do whatever we want and when we wake up none of it will have really happened. That’s the beauty of dreams, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re crazy if you think I’ll do anything with you at all, dream or no dream,” Liv told him.

Baird shrugged. “Suit yourself. But can you honestly tell me you’re not the least bit interested in how it would be?” He leaned closer so that his muscular arm brushed hers and his thigh pressed against her bare leg. “There’s something between us, Olivia. Something you can’t deny.”

“I…I most certainly can.” But to her distress, her voice came out sounding breathy and uncertain. She cleared her throat. “I mean, you’re wrong.”

“If you’re so sure I’m wrong then you won’t mind letting me touch you.”

“T-touch me? What do you mean?”

“This is our holding week, Olivia.” Baird gave her a stern look. “That means I’m legally permitted to hold you and touch you.”

“But not under the clothes,” Liv reminded him anxiously. God, dream or no dream things were spinning out of control.

“Don’t worry, Lilenta. I won’t break the rules.” He raised a black eyebrow at her. “Worried you’ll lose control when I touch you?”

Liv frowned, her earlier resolve coming back. “Of course not. You know, you are so full of yourself. So sure I’ll do anything you want the minute you put your hands on me. Well I have news for you, Baird, I’m not that easy.”

“Well, well.” He grinned at her. “So you think you can lay there and take whatever I dish out without reacting?”

Liv gave him what she hoped was a supremely confident smile. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Care to make it interesting?” His eyes were half lidded with lust again and filled with amusement. “Want to bet on it, Olivia?”

Suddenly some of her confidence deserted her. “What…what do you want to bet?”

He shrugged. “Nothing sexual, don’t worry about that. We’ll bet tomorrow night’s late-day meal. If I touch you and your body doesn’t react I’ll teach you how to make my favorite dish. But if you do react you’ll teach me to make the dish with sea creatures rolled in those tiny white grains.”

Liv almost laughed. “You really want me to teach you to make sushi? I warn you, I’m not exactly an expert. Although it might be more appetizing than whatever you have in mind.”

“You’d better win the bet then,” he rumbled. “Are we on?”

Liv nodded firmly. “Yes, absolutely. Just…uh, just one more question. How exactly do we know who wins and who loses? I mean, your definition of reaction and my definition of reaction may differ. Like if you, uh, blow on my nipples and they get hard in response to the cool air, that’s not really valid in my opinion.”

Baird gave her that slow, hot smile again. “How about this then—if I make you come, I win. If you don’t come, you win. Simple enough for you?”

Liv’s mouth felt dry. “I…I guess so,” she whispered.

“Good.” He nodded. “So, you ready?”

“Sure.” Liv took a deep breath. “Do your worst.”

“Or my best,” he growled softly and, without warning, he pulled her into his lap.

Liv gasped and started to struggle before she remembered she wasn’t supposed to. Let him do his worst, she reminded herself, sitting stiff as a board on his knee. No matter what he does I’m not going to react. And besides, it’s just a dream.

Baird surprised her. She’d been expecting him to go straight for her breasts, or maybe to thrust one hand between her legs, because that was exactly what Mitch would have done. Her ex-fiance was a go-for-the-gusto kind of guy who had never bothered to find out if she had any erogenous zones besides the obvious ones. So she was braced for a mauling as she held herself straight and tall in Baird’s lap.

What she didn’t expect was for him to pull her close and nuzzle his face into her hair.

“Mmm, you smell so good, Lilenta,” he murmured, his hot, cinnamon flavored breath blowing against the side of her neck.

Liv couldn’t help shivering. “What…what are you doing?” she demanded, wishing her voice didn’t sound quite so breathless.

“Breathing you in.” He nuzzled her again, the slight stubble on his cheeks brushing against the sensitive skin of her throat and making her shiver for a second time.

Being this close to him, Liv could smell him too. Considering it was just a dream, her senses seemed extraordinarily sharp. The warm, masculine musk that seemed to be his natural scent filled her head, making her dizzy. She wondered hazily if all the Kindred’s sense of smell was more developed than a human’s or if it was just the Beast Kindred that were into olfactory pleasures. Whatever it was, Baird seemed content for the moment to just “breathe her in” as he had put it, without touching her with his hands at all.

Liv was still trying to still the pounding of her heart when she felt his mouth, soft and hot, at the side of her neck. God, he was kissing her! Kissing her like he had all night to drive her crazy. Her heart started thumping harder than ever, beating an erratic rhythm against her ribs and she wished she could get away just for a minute to take a breather. But if she did that she’d have to admit his touch was affecting her and he hadn’t even done anything overtly sexual yet! She had to toughen up or she was going to lose.

Clenching her jaw she made a determined effort to slow her breathing and calm her pulse. After all, it wasn’t that exciting. So what if she was sitting in a barely-there see-though nightgown on the lap of a gorgeous man whose only apparent goal in life was to make her come? What was the big deal?

She’d almost succeeded in convincing herself when Baird pulled back for a moment and looked in her eyes. “I can hear your heart beating like crazy, Lilenta,” he murmured. “Are you warmed up yet?”

“I don’t…don’t know what you mean.” Liv tried to keep her voice level and even but she still squeaked on the last word.

“Let me show you, then.” In one swift movement Baird lifted her as though she weighed no more than a doll and laid her on the bed beside him. Rolling up on his side, he propped his head up with one hand and watched her with hot eyes. “Are you ready for me to touch you, Lilenta?”

Liv felt a small surge of triumph. That’s it—foreplay’s over and he’s ready to go for the sweet spot. Just like Mitch. Just like every guy I’ve ever been with, she told herself. They’re all exactly the same whether they’re from across the street or a galaxy far, far away.

“Sure,” she said, having an easier time keeping her voice steady this time. “Do whatever you want.”

“That’s a dangerous invitation to make, Lilenta.” Baird smiled wolfishly. “But I’ll take it in the spirit it was offered in.”

Here it comes, Liv told herself and got ready to endure his clumsy fumblings while he pawed at her breasts and tried to get between her thighs.

But Baird surprised her again. Leaning over her, he gathered her close in his arms and pressed her body against the length of his own. Liv could feel the hard planes of his chest against her cheek and the arms encircling her felt like warm, flexible steel. His big body dwarfed hers, making her feel tiny against him although she’d never felt particularly small with any of the other guys she dated. Of course, Mitch had only been an inch or two taller than her. In contrast Baird was a head and shoulders taller but instead of making her feel threatened, his size made her feel protected and warm.

“So beautiful,” he whispered into her hair again as he stroked her back with his large, warm hands. He didn’t restrict himself to her back either. His hands wandered over her shoulders and arms and down the curves of her hips, exciting her nerve endings and making her tingle all over. But the strange thing was, he never touched any of her erogenous zones—at least none of the obvious ones. It didn’t seem to matter though—Liv was beginning to feel like her entire body was en erogenous zone as far as the big Kindred warrior was concerned. And as he touched her, he kissed her. Softly at first, dropping butterfly kisses all over her upturned face and then more directly, feeding hungrily on her mouth until Liv could barely hold back a moan.

God, how could he do this to her? How could he make her so hot without doing anything but stroking her arms and back and kissing her? Because Liv had to admit it—she was hot. Maybe not hot enough to come—that required some direct stimulation. But hot enough that she felt dizzy and her entire body was buzzing and tingling with need. Hot enough that she actually wanted him to touch her somewhere besides her back and arms and neck.

As though reading her mind, Baird pulled out of a particularly long and passionate kiss and met her eyes. “How do you feel now, Lilenta? All warmed up?”

“Warm enough,” Liv admitted guardedly. “But I’m nowhere near coming—so sorry to disappoint you.”

He grinned. “Oh, I’m not disappointed. Of course you’re not ready to come—we’re just getting started.”

“We are?” Liv looked at him in disbelief. They had already been lying together in bed while he touched and kissed her for about twice as long as it had used to take Mitch to make love to her and Baird was telling her they were just getting started? “What…what else are you going to do?” she asked in a breathless whisper.

“You’ll see,” he murmured, leaning over her again and cupping her face in one warm hand.

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of! Liv thought. Despite her apprehension she found herself relaxing beneath his touch as he stroked her cheek.

“You know, Olivia,” he murmured. “Some men might feel limited by the ways they could touch you with this little lace dress in the way. But to me it’s a challenge. And I always rise to a challenge.” The nudge of his hard shaft against her hip let Liv know he was speaking in a much more than metaphorical sense.

“I bet,” she whispered and for the first time, she wondered what it would feel like if she let him slide the thick, hard cock she could feel throbbing against her thigh inside her. Would it hurt? He was so much bigger than anyone she’d ever been with. But maybe if he took it slowly…Stop it, Liv, she scolded herself. You’re as bad as Kat! Get control of yourself. Trying to do just that, she forced herself to focus on what Baird was saying. But that scarcely helped considering that he’d started talking about what he wanted to do to her again.

“Can’t wait to taste these,” he murmured, tracing two long fingers down the valley between her breasts. “Can’t wait to suck those ripe pink nipples, Lilenta.” He cupped the undercurve of her right breast and thumbed the sensitive bud of her nipple, making her gasp. “Will you show them to me?”

“I…you can see them well enough, can’t you?” Liv demanded. “And besides, you’re not supposed to touch me without my clothes.”

Baird held up his left hand, the one he’d been touching her with. His right arm and hand were under her neck supporting her head. “I won’t, I promise. I just want you to pull the material of this soft little dress a little tighter. I wanna see how tight and hard they are—see if I’m affecting you or not.”

“Well…” Liv decided that it couldn’t hurt to comply with his request. After all, it wasn’t like he’d asked her to pull the white lace nightgown down and bare her breasts completely. Besides, it felt kind of nice to have him devouring her so hungrily with his eyes. It made her feel beautiful—flawless. It was a nice feeling. And besides, it’s only a dream. The thought reassured her and gave her more confidence.

“If you’d rather not,” Baird began but she shook her head.

“No. I guess it’s okay.” Taking a deep breath she grasped the white lace nightgown and pulled to either side of her ribcage, tugging it tight over her full breasts and hard nipples, letting him see what he wanted.

Baird took a deep breath. “Beautiful,” he breathed softly, cupping her breast again. “So damn hard and sensitive.” As if to illustrate he brushed his fingertips over her right peak. Liv gasped and squirmed, feeling a sudden flash of heat at his light touch. God, was he trying to drive her crazy?

“Want to kiss you here.” Baird’s deep voice in her ear was filled with need and before Liv could respond he’d ducked his head to press his mouth to her left nipple.

She moaned softly as his heated breath bathed the sensitive peak through the thin material of the gown but she never let go of the fabric in her hands. If anything she tightened her grip so that the gown’s top was stretched even tighter over her breasts. Only a dream, only a dream! But it certainly felt real.

“Beautiful.” Baird nipped her gently through the white lace and Liv gave a little gasp as a bolt of pure pleasure shot from her erect nipple down to her heated pussy. God, he was right. It was hot to have to work around the nightgown. There was something so forbidden in it, something exotic and naughty that had been missing from her sex life with Mitch, and every other guy she’d ever been with.

Baird took his time going back and forth between her nipples, nipping and nibbling and sucking. Even through the thin material of the white lace gown his hot mouth on her was driving Liv crazy. Just when she was wondering if it was possible to come just from having her nipples sucked, he began to move down her body.

“What…where are you going? she panted when he began to spread her thighs.

Baird looked up, his liquid gold eyes blazing with need. “Need to see if I’m affecting you.”

“But…but…” Remembering how he’d shredded the panties that went with her black nighty earlier, Liv bit her bottom lip.

“Don’t worry,” Baird growled softly. “The panties stay on, I promise. I’ll just touch you through them.”

“I…okay.” Liv agreed, knowing she really didn’t have a choice. He was allowed to touch her as long as he didn’t remove her clothes or try to get beneath them. So there was nothing she could do but spread her legs and let him touch her. And besides, it’s not like it’s really happening. We’re just dream sharing. In reality I’m still wearing my flannel nighty and granny panties.

But if it was only a dream why couldn’t she help being embarrassed as he raised the hem of her white lace gown revealing the small white thong beneath. Her cheeks went hot when she saw that the mound of her sex was clearly visible through the thin material and even her pussy slit was on display under the thin material.

“Gorgeous,” Baird breathed softly, his breath warm against her inner thighs. He looked up at her. “Tell me somethin’, Lilenta—are you wet from the way I’ve been touching you? Am I affecting you?”

“I…” Liv bit her bottom lip, feeling her cheeks get even hotter. The truth was that she’d never felt so wet and hot in her life. But there was no way she was going to say it out loud, even if this was just a dream.

“Never mind.” Baird shook his head. “Just let me see your clit.”

“What?” Liv was so startled by his request that she sat halfway up.

“Not without the panties,” he explained, pressing her back down gently. “Just wanna see if your little button is all hot and ready for me. All you have to do is reach into your panties and spread your pussy open so I can see.”

“I…do you think you could? Through the…through the fabric?” Liv asked at last, feeling her heart pound. Was she actually considering doing this? Only a dream. But even knowing that, it still felt dangerous.

Baird nodded, his eyes half lidded with lust. “Oh, yeah. I think it’s plenty thin enough to see through. Of course I’d rather see you all spread open with nothin’ between us but since I have to wait for that, I’ll take what I can get.” He nodded at her sex. “I’d open you myself but it would be hard to do without reaching inside your panties and touching your sweet little pussy and I know you don’t want that.”

“No.” Liv’s heart was hammering so hard she could barely hear herself speak. “No, that would be a bad idea.” Just the idea of his hand in her panties, of his long fingers opening her, entering her cunt, made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

“All right then. Maybe later.”

“Maybe,” Liv echoed him, knowing he was talking about later when they were awake. When he was allowed to touch her. Trembling, she slid her fingers into the snug confines of the small white lace thong and parted the lips of her pussy to reveal what he wanted to see.

The thong was unlined and the material was very thin so it was possible to see exactly how hot she was. Her clit was swollen and throbbing, nestled in the slippery folds of her pussy like a pink pearl.

“Perfect,” Baird murmured. Reaching out he ran a gentle fingertip over the little pink bump still covered by the silky, stretchy lace. “And you are wet, Lilenta. Wet and hot and ready. I can tell.”

“I…” Liv couldn’t deny it. She was hotter and wetter than she’d ever been in her life and felt like she was going to explode. But even though he’d pushed her to this point, his feather-light touch wasn’t quite enough to send her over the edge.

Baird seemed to know he was driving her crazy because there was a little smile twitching at the corners of his full mouth as he continued to stroke lightly over her sensitive clit with two fingers.

Liv gritted her teeth to keep from begging and tried to remind herself that the object here was not to come even though her entire body was demanding a release. And that was when he started to talk again.

“Want you to imagine something for me, Lilenta,” he murmured, stroking a little more firmly. “Imagine my mouth on you here with no panties in the way. Imagine how good it’s going to feel when I spread your pussy open and taste you. You think you’d like that? Think you’d like being open on the bed for me, feeling my tongue deep inside your cunt?”

“I…I don’t know,” Liv gasped, squirming under his fingers as he stroked the side of her clit with a slightly faster rhythm. Damn him, how did he know exactly the right way to touch her, even in a dream? The slippery material of her thong was rubbing against her open pussy just right, aided by her juices, and she could feel herself slipping closer and closer to the edge. Her orgasm was so close she could almost taste it and she wanted it so badly she didn’t even care she was about to lose their bet.

“I think you would,” Baird continued in that deep, growling voice. “I think you’d come all over my face. Just like you’re going to come for me now.” On the last word, he worked her hard with his fingertips, stroking along the supersensitive side of her bud with just enough force to send her completely over the edge.

“Oh…oh, God!” Gasping and moaning, Liv let herself go, feeling the wave of pleasure overtake her at his intimate touch.

“That’s right, Lilenta. Let it go and come for me. Come hard.” Baird rode out her orgasm, still working her with his fingers, his breath hot on her inner thighs. Then he slid up her body and gathered her into his arms, kissing her again, taking her lips as though he wanted to devour her from the mouth down.

Liv moaned and wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling the hard ridge of his cock rubbing exactly where his fingers had been a moment before and not caring a bit. It felt too good, too right to mind that he was spreading her pussy lips even wider through the thin material of the thong, too delicious to tell him to stop even when he ground against her, rubbing over her sensitive bud as though he was trying to make her come again.

“Feels so good,” he growled, kissing her neck. “So good against you, Lilenta. Just wish I was inside you instead.”

Just for a moment Liv wished the same thing. She wanted to feel him thrusting inside her, filling her completely with the thick cock she could feel spreading her pussy. You could let him, whispered a little voice in her head. It’s just a dream, after all. It’s not like it would really count…No! Liv gave herself a mental kick. Letting him take her, even in a dream, would be wrong. It would ruin everything. How could she resist him in real life if she’d already given in?

But it was very hard to listen to the voice of reason when he was grinding against her that way. Liv couldn’t help herself, she just wanted the delicious feelings he was giving her to go on and on and never stop. She became aware that she was making helpless little noises as she moved against him but she couldn’t seem to stop. Godohgodohgod, if he doesn’t stop I’m going to—

The thought shattered into pieces as another, even stronger orgasm coursed through her.

“Baird! Oh God, Baird!” she heard herself moaning.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” he growled, rubbing even harder. “Say my name. Let me hear you say it when you come.”

“Oh…”

* * * * *

“Baird!” she finished, sitting straight up in bed.

“What? What’s the matter?” Baird was up in a flash, looking around the darkened room for danger. “What’s wrong, Olivia?”

“I…I…” She looked at him in disbelief. “You mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?” He frowned.

“We were dream sharing. Just now.”

He shook his head. “No, we weren’t.”

“Yes, we were,” she insisted. “You said so—you told me so in the dream. I had on this lacy little white nightgown and you said it couldn’t hurt to let you hold me and touch me since none of it really counted.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I said that?”

“You know you did,” Liv said impatiently. “And then we made a bet. You said if you could make me come I’d have to teach you how to make sushi—you know, the sea creatures rolled in white grains? So I—” She stopped abruptly, frowning. “Wait a minute—I don’t know how to make sushi. Why would I offer to teach you as part of a bet?”

“Maybe because you really were dreaming.” His golden eyes were suddenly half-lidded with lust. “And it sounds like a pretty damn interesting dream at that. So tell me, Olivia, did I win the bet?”

She shook her head, refusing to answer. God, how embarrassing! She felt like her face was on fire it was so hot.

Baird was obviously thoroughly enjoying the situation. “I did, didn’t I?” he asked, giving her a lazy grin that made her stomach do flips. “That’s why you woke up shouting my name.”

“Whatever,” Liv mumbled, her cheeks flaming. “I mean, think whatever you want. I’m going back to sleep.” She lay back down on her side of the bed with her back to the big warrior. But it was a long time before she could get back to sleep.

Chapter Thirteen

“What is the meaning of this?”

Sylvan sighed and stood up from the lumpy, uncomfortable grey couch in the far corner of the HKR building. He’d been hoping that Sophia would be in a better mood the next time he saw her but from the way her cheeks were flushed and her big green eyes were flashing with anger, it looked like his hopes were about to be dashed.

“What is the meaning of what?” he asked, nodding at her courteously as she stormed up to him.

“This.” Sophia reached into a large pink shopping bag she was carrying and pulled out a strange looking contraption that seemed to be made of black lacy straps.

Sylvan looked at in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t even know what that is.”

“It’s a bra!” She shook it in his face in an accusing manner and Sylvan saw that there were two pocket-like cups attached to the straps that were joined in the middle. Still, it made no sense.

“A what?” He attempted to take it from her but she snatched it back.

“A bra—you know, to cover your, uh, chest?” Seeing that he was still clueless, Sophia put down the shopping back with an exasperated sound and held the black lace contraption up to her own chest. “Look—like this.”

Today she was wearing a dark green blouse that buttoned down the front and brought out the color of her eyes. It was open enough for Sylvan to see her creamy throat and just a hint of cleavage. When she held it up, the black lace cups of the thing she’d called a bra framed her full breasts and he had a sudden mental image of her wearing it…and nothing else. Gods! His fangs sharpened and he was suddenly almost painfully hard.

“I see,” he murmured, reaching out to trace the edge of the black lace where it framed the top of her breast. “It’s most…intriguing. I didn’t know human women wore such tantalizing undergarments.”

Sophia’s cheeks got even redder and she shoved the bra back into the large pink shopping bag. “They don’t. Or not unless they’re thinking of…thinking of doing something they shouldn’t. What I want to know is why Liv would ask me to send it to her. To send all these things.” She gestured at the bag as she sat down on the couch.

Sylvan settled on the couch beside her. “What did she say in her letter to you?”

She frowned. “Nothing much—just that I shouldn’t worry and she wanted me to send her the sexiest outfits I could find. I got the feeling she was afraid someone might read what she’d written.”

Sylvan shrugged. “It’s possible. The Kindred Security Team does routine checks of all correspondence.”

“They do? But I sent a note with the last box you brought her.” Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “Did you look though it?”

“No, I swear.” Sylvan held up his hands, palms outward in a gesture of peace. “I told you that I would trust you not to send weapons or anything else that might cause harm. But I can’t always promise to be available to ferry correspondence between you and your sister just to maintain the privacy of your letters. I do have a job, you know.”

“You do?” She looked suddenly abashed. “I mean, of course you do. I just thought…I guess I thought all you guys were just, I don’t know, soldiers. Warriors.”

“We are. But we have other jobs as well. Baird is a skilled flight instructor—he can fly anything no matter the make or model. It’s the only way he was able to get away from the Scourge in the first place.”

She looked up. “And what do you do?”

“I’m a medic. What your people would call a doctor, I suppose. I treat the sick and care for the wounded.”

“That’s very noble. You must care about your patients a great deal—like Olivia does—she’s a nurse.”

“She told me as much when Baird brought her up to the ship.” Sylvan nodded. “But actually, I am not emotionally attached to those I treat.”

Sophia had been looking a little more open, a bit more relaxed, but now she sat up straight and frowned at him. “You don’t care about the people you treat? That’s awful.”

Sylvan suppressed a sigh. “I feel very little, as do all Tranq Kindred. It’s one reason we make the best medics. Because we’re not likely to make a decision based on emotion instead of reason.”

“If you’re so cold and unfeeling why did you volunteer to come get these for Liv?” Sophia nodded at the pink bag filled with what Sylvan could only suppose must be more sexually enticing undergarments. “An HKR rep called and told me to bring them just at this time—was that so you could be here to get them?”

“Well, yes.” Sylvan shifted uncomfortably. To be honest, he wasn’t sure why he’d volunteered to go pick up the package Olivia had said she was expecting. Sophia showed every sign of disliking him and, of course, he had no interest in her. Yet…he couldn’t get her fragile human beauty out of his mind. “I was doing another errand that involved coming down to the surface anyway so it wasn’t out of my way to pick up a package for the mate of my kin,” he lied.

“‘Mate of my kin?’ Is that what you call Olivia?”

He nodded, relieved that she hadn’t seen through his obvious falsehood. “It’s analogous to your term ‘sister-in-law.’ It is what we call the brides our brothers have chosen.”

Sophia frowned. “You might as well just call her plain old Liv like I do because she’s never going to be your sister-in-law—not really.”

“You seem so certain and yet you yourself have pointed out that she has asked for some very, ah, revealing garments to be sent to her.”

She looked frustrated. “I know and she gave me no explanation for why she wanted them.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “The obvious assumption would be that she wants to provoke a sexual response from Baird.”

“Yes, but why? It’s only been two days—I know she hasn’t given in that quickly.” Sophia had a stubborn look on her face but her voice wavered just a little. “She wouldn’t just leave me like that—she’s going to fight him, I know she is.”

Sylvan sighed and leaned forward, looking her in the eye. “Sophia, I’m afraid you’re going to have to face the fact that your sister may not be as strong as you think. There’s no way she can resist Baird indefinitely.”

She crossed her arms over her full breasts, a look of stubborn refusal in her lovely eyes. “You Kindred think you’re so hot. He’s an okay looking guy but no man is irresistible.”

“He’s not but his mating scent is—at least to your sister.” Sylvan didn’t know why he was telling her this—it would only make her angrier, he was sure. But he wanted to soften the blow for her, help her accept the inevitable—that no matter how much she loved her sister, she was destined to lose Olivia to another who loved and needed her more.

“His mating scent? What are you talking about?” Sophia’s green eyes narrowed and she leaned forward.

“When the Kindred claim a mate, our body chemistry changes in order to attract them. We start releasing some very strong pheromones that are tailored specifically to their DNA. Those pheromones act as an irresistible enticement to our prospective mates.” Sylvan shrugged. “Very few women in any of the trade worlds we have visited have been able to overcome their influence and resist the temptation to bond with the warrior who has chosen them.”

“My God!” Sophia sat back, her eyes wide with horror. “It’s a drug! He’s drugging her and she doesn’t even know it.”

Here we go. “It’s common knowledge that we’re genetic traders—the fact that we have more than one means to attract a mate of an entirely different species should come as no surprise,” he pointed out.

“You…you cold blooded bastard.” Sophia shook her head. “Poor Liv—she has no idea what he’s doing to her.”

“It wouldn’t matter even if she did,” Sylvan explained patiently, ignoring her insults. “The mating scent is too strong to fight, even with advanced warning. Stronger species than yours have tried and they have all failed. With very few exceptions.” He closed his eyes briefly thinking of Feenah, of her pure white hair and pale crystal eyes. I’m sorry, Sylvan…

“It’s not right. You’re not fighting fair.” Sophia’s words pushed back the painful memory and Sylvan opened his eyes again to see the look of despair and anger on her lovely face. She looked almost on the brink of tears. Wonderful—she was even more upset and irrational than he had thought she would be. He supposed he ought to feel irritated. Instead, the illogical urge to hold and comfort her came over him so strongly that he had to sit back and cross his arms over his chest to keep from reaching for her.

“I believe you humans have a saying that covers this—‘All’s fair in love and war.’ Is that right?” he said softly.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean—”

Sylvan leaned forward again and took her soft, small hands between his own larger ones. “You must understand, Sophia—Baird isn’t trying to trick your sister into anything. He’s simply using every power at his disposal to keep her. Because he needs her—he loves her. She is the only woman in the entire universe for him and the bond that will form between them will be one of undying love and devotion.”

“Maybe for him.” She looked down as though mesmerized by the sight of her own small hands being engulfed in his much larger ones. “But not for Liv. He’s going to trick her into having bonding sex with him —whatever that is—and then she’ll spend the rest of her life hating him once she finds out how he did it.” She looked up at Sylvan. “You don’t know her like I do—she hates being lied to. Her last boyfriend cheated on her and then lied about it and she dumped him and never looked back. If she knew what Baird was doing to her…”

“It’s not as though it’s a conscious choice on his part,” Sylvan tried to explain. “It’s the way our bodies react chemically to our chosen mates. We can’t turn it off, even if we try. Sometimes it comes even when it’s not wanted. We have a saying for it—‘The blood knows what the mind does not wish to see.’” Lifting a hand, he cupped her cheek and brushed away the single tear that had escaped her wide green eyes with his thumb. “It cannot be helped.”

Sophia leaned closer and for a moment he was mesmerized by the lovely depths of her eyes. Then she seemed to realize she was getting too close to the enemy and sat up and away from him abruptly. “It doesn’t matter how you justify it—Liv will hate him for it.” She stood abruptly and gestured at the pink shopping bag. “Go ahead and bring those to her. But please tell her…” Her voice broke but she kept her chin high. “Tell her I miss her and I haven’t given up on her yet.”

Then she turned on her heel and left, leaving Sylvan to watch her curvy figure disappear out the double doors of the HKR building with a feeling of uncertainty and regret. What if she was right? He would have to warn Baird that something had to be said to his bride. If Sophia was correct, he could be jeopardizing his bonding with Olivia without even knowing it.

“They’re drugging her, Kat. That’s what it amounts to. She’s breathing poison gas every minute she’s with him and there’s no way she can keep holding out when she doesn’t even know what he’s doing to her.”

Sophia was sitting at the small round kitchen table with a wad of tissues in each hand, having finally given in to the tears. She hated how easily she cried—even in the best of times a sad commercial was enough to tip her over the edge. And lately, with Olivia gone and possibly never coming back she was just one big emotional mess.

“Are you sure about this?” Kat asked doubtfully. She was standing behind Sophie, rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

“Positive. The big blond warrior—Sylvan—told me so. He didn’t even have the decency to sugar coat it—he just came right out and said that Liv was going to give in eventually because Baird is making some kind of pheromone specifically tailored to drive her crazy for him.”

Kat frowned and sat down beside her at the table. “We have to warn her somehow.”

“He said it wouldn’t make any difference.” Sophie dabbed at her eyes. “He said even if she knew she wouldn’t be able to fight it—the mating scent—that’s what he called it.”

“Still—she deserves to know. We need to write her a letter.”

“And say what? We can’t be too obvious about it—apparently Kindred Security reads through all the correspondence between the brides and their loved ones.”

Kat shook her head. “Worse and worse. It’s too bad you two don’t have some kind of freaky twin language like they do in the movies so you could tell her in code.” She looked at Sophie hopefully. “You don’t, do you?”

“No, I wish. I suppose I could try to tell her in a round-about way although I have no idea how.” Sophia sighed. “If only I could talk to her directly and warn her. Five minutes is all I’d need—five seconds might do the trick.”

“We talked about that—you know direct communication of any kind is not allowed during the claiming period,” Kat reminded her. “I’m sure the Kindred know that the bride seeing tearful holo-vids of her loved ones while the warrior who chose her tries to seduce her would be detrimental to their cause.”

“Well, I’ll just have to do the best I can.” Sophia straightened up. “I’ll write her a letter. I’ll just have to word it obliquely and hope the Kindred Security Team doesn’t get my references.”

“I can’t believe this Sylvan guy came right out and told you all this.” Kat shook her head.

“He acted like it wasn’t a big deal. Said we ought to realize they had more than one way of attracting a mate.” Sophie blew her nose.

“Other than being huge, muscular, and easy on the eyes. Right,” Kat said dryly.

Sophia sighed. “Well at any rate, this certainly explains why no one ever comes back after the claiming period is over. They’re too busy being seduced through their noses and having hot alien sex to want to go back to boring old Earth.” She looked at Kat sadly. “Do you think they’ll let us see her more than twice a year?”

“Come on now, Sophie, it might not be that bad.”

“Might not be that bad? I told you what he’s doing to her and she’s already asked me to send her all her sexiest clothes and underwear.”

“But she also told you not to worry,” Kat pointed out. “She wanted to reassure you that she’s staying strong.”

“For now,” Sophie said morosely. “But how can she possibly hold out for a whole month?”

“Maybe she doesn’t plan on being there a whole month.”

“But I thought you said the claiming period was thirty days—nonnegotiable.”

“It is—unless there’s a breach of contract.” Kat frowned speculatively. “I wouldn’t count Liv out just yet, Sophie. Your sister is a pretty tough cookie and I bet she has a plan. In fact, I’ll bet you a pitcher of margaritas that we’ll be seeing her again before her claiming period is up.”

“I hope you’re right.” Sophie sighed. “I really do.” But she couldn’t stop seeing the sympathy in Sylvan’s blue eyes when he’d told her that she should face the inevitable—that Olivia wasn’t coming back.

Chapter Fourteen

I hope you know what you’re doing, a little voice muttered in the back of Liv’s head as she studied herself in the full length mirror in the bathroom. The bag of sexy clothes and lingerie had arrived from Sophie days ago but she’d been too nervous to put her plan into action. However, the first week was almost up and time was running out. Tomorrow night she’d be sharing the bathing pool with one very large and lusty alien—if she didn’t manage to get away by then. So it was now or never.

She’d taken an extra long soak to try and calm her nerves and now it was time to get on with it. None of the things Sophie had sent were as fancy as the black lace nighty she’d been wearing when Baird first claimed her, but there were some fairly sexy pieces. Liv had a weakness for hot undies and liked the feel of silk and satin against her skin so there was plenty to choose from.

Tonight she’d chosen a reasonably demure silver-grey satin bra and panties set with a short, matching robe that brought out the color of her eyes and made her skin look extra creamy. However, she’d neglected to tie the robe very tightly—the plan was to let it fall open at a key moment—thus tempting Baird into touching her in a sexual way and breaching the contract.

Just the thought of those big, masculine hands touching and stroking her was enough to make Liv tremble. She just hoped she didn’t forget herself when he started and go too far. Of course, it would help if she knew exactly what too far was. What exactly was bonding sex and would she even know if they had it? She remembered Kat saying it was one step beyond traditional intercourse but how the hell did you go a step beyond having sex? She’d asked Baird for a copy of their contract but the dense legal language was too convoluted to make heads or tails of. It frustrated Liv to no end that she was able to decipher the most obscure medical lingo in a patient’s chart but that legalese made no sense to her.

Should have been a lawyer instead of a nurse, she told herself, positioning her breasts in the satin cups so that the top curve of her areolas was visible on either side. She didn’t want to make it too obvious what she was doing but at the same time, she wanted it to be effective. There was no point in strutting around in revealing underwear if it didn’t accomplish what she wanted it to.

Of course if the silver grey bra and panties set didn’t do the trick, she had other, naughtier outfits in the bag Sophie had sent up. But Liv hoped it didn’t come to that. It would be easier and better all the way around if Baird would just make a pass at her and get it over with.

Judging from the looks he’d been giving her for most of the week, it shouldn’t be too hard to get him to do just that. They’d been spending most of their time in the suite although he had taken her out several times for lunch and supper. There were several surprisingly good Earth restaurants and one of them served a very passable spicy tuna roll and a pretty good cucumber roll as well, not far from their end of the ship.

Liv had been surprised when Baird had signed them up for a sushi making class together after having tasted it for the first time. They had spent a very enjoyable afternoon learning just the right way to make the sticky sushi rice and how to roll it without having the filling come out the ends. Considering how big his hands were, Baird had been surprisingly adept at the delicate process and had claimed to enjoy the results immensely.

“Delicious, Lilenta,” he’d rumbled, starting in on his seventh or eight spicy tuna roll. “Reminds me of a dish we make on Rageron from the larvae of the t’liki bug.”

“Yummy,” Liv, who was still on her first roll, had murmured. “Bug larvae. Remind me to put that right at the top of my must-try list.”

“You should try it to be fair. Didn’t I try solidified cow squeezings for you?” Baird had reminded her.

“Yes, but cheese isn’t bugs,” Liv had objected, fighting not to grin. Despite their differences she couldn’t help liking the big warrior. Which was one thing that made what she was about to do now even harder.

It has to be done, she reminded herself grimly, taking one last look in the mirror and smoothing her hair. You have to get out of here while you still can—one way or another. It was true, despite fighting it as hard as she could, she was growing entirely too fond of Baird. Ever since their first night when he had warned her that she would soon want him as much as he wanted her, he had adopted a much lighter tone. He’d stopped talking about bonding her to him forever and had apparently decided to concentrate on being charming instead. Liv never would have believed that such an intensely alpha male could be light and playful but she had been seeing an entirely different side of Baird lately.

Aside from the sushi class, he’d also taken her to an alien petting zoo where she was able to see and touch animals that were native to the three home worlds of the Kindred and they’d been twice to the Kindred version of a movie theater where the seats were wired to make the viewer feel whatever was happening on the screen. He’d also taken her to a musical performance where the musicians played giant drums bigger than themselves and tiny flutes smaller than her pinky finger. The music had been surprisingly beautiful—the melodies sweet and haunting and Liv had been moved.

But it was the evenings they spent alone together in the suite that made Liv really believe she was in danger of feeling too much. Baird cooked for her—sometimes strange but delicious alien dishes and once Earth food, when she’d taught him how to make cheeseburgers. They ate in the dim, romantic light of some candle-like glow sticks he’d placed on the table and there was always very good wine or the potent fireflower juice to go with the meal. Liv was very careful not to over-imbibe because she needed every ounce of willpower she had to remember why she was holding out. For dessert Baird always made sure there was some kind of chocolate because he’d learned from his dreams how much she loved it.

Liv had been thinking lately that she might really be in trouble if she didn’t get away from him soon. If all he’d had going for him was his muscular good looks she could have resisted easily enough. But he was thoughtful too and endlessly interested in her—asking her all kinds of questions about her past and friends and family as well as people he’d seen while they were “dream-sharing” as he called it. Liv found herself talking to him like an old friend, actually feeling comfortable with him instead of being constantly on her guard.

She knew that Baird was actively wooing her, doing everything he could to earn her affection, but even knowing that couldn’t stop her from liking him. She had never been so ardently pursued in her life and she was finding that she actually liked it. Baird had taken her more places and paid her more attention in the past week than Mitch had for their entire relationship. It was intoxicating to always be the center of the big warrior’s attention, to know that he was focused exclusively on her needs and wants.

But attention and attraction aside, there was another factor that was making Liv desperate to get away. Just as he had predicted, the physical attraction she felt for Baird seemed to be growing exponentially. She only had to be in the same room with him for a minute or two, breathing in his warm, spicy scent, and she was instantly ready to jump his bones. The need was growing every day and Liv didn’t know how much longer she could fight it. This is crazy, she would tell herself as she tried to ignore the electrical spark she felt anytime their hands brushed or she touched him by accident. But she couldn’t deny the flare of sheer lust she felt at each accidental contact and she could see the same heat she felt burning in Baird’s golden eyes.

Even wearing her flannel nighty and granny panties to bed every night didn’t seem to help. She hadn’t had any more erotic dreams about him—thank goodness. But at night Liv lay in the dark beside him getting more and more overheated until she felt like she was going to cook in the over-warm fabric. She longed to strip off the restraining garments and lay naked across the big Kindred bed, feeling the cool sheets on her bare skin. But she knew if she did she would never go home because the cool sheets weren’t the only thing she yearned to feel caressing her flesh. How many times had she imagined having Baird’s hands on her, cupping her bare breasts, sliding down the trembling mound of her belly to stroke her swollen sex…

Which is exactly what he’s going to be able to do tomorrow if I don’t get out of here, Liv told herself sternly, cutting off the naughty fantasy just before it really got good. Which is why I have got to get out of here tonight!

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the living area of the suite. They hadn’t spent much time in this room but Baird was there now, lounging on the Kindred version of a couch. It was shaped pretty much like a normal sofa, but it was freaking huge and draped in a pale blue fuzzy blanket which she supposed must be the Kindred’s idea of fancy upholstery.

Baird was sprawled across it, wearing only a pair of long black sleep pants and staring broodingly into the greenish-blue flames flickering in the small round fireplace. Liv had never seen flames that particular color and she would have been mesmerized if his muscular chest wasn’t also on display. She felt the familiar tightening in her lower belly and tingling between her thighs. Damn it, why did he always affect her like this? Why couldn’t she fight it? She had to force herself not to stare at him as she walked casually into the room.

“Hi,” she said, giving him what she hoped was a flirtatious smile. “Room for two?”

“Sure, Lilenta.” He sat up and scooted over, leaving her a place to sit. “What happened to your other, uh, gown? Not that I’m complaining.”

“It was too hot.” Instead of heading for the couch, Liv moved over to stand in front of the fire.

“Beautiful,” she murmured, leaning down to peer into the small round fireplace. “I’ve never seen flames that color.” She was well aware that the hem of her short robe was riding up, giving him a glimpse of her ass. She just hoped it was having an effect on him.

“Comes from the fireflower plant—the same one we make the drink from. It’s native to Rageron.” The slightly strangled sound of his voice let Liv know her impromptu show was having the desired effect and she felt a quick stab of triumph.

“They’re lovely.” Turning from the fireplace, she sauntered over to him, putting a special little sway in her hips and giving him a seductive half smile. As planned, the sash of her robe came loose. By the time she got to the fuzzy blue sofa, it was hanging open, giving him a tantalizing look at her grey satin bra and panties.

“You’re lovely, Lilenta,” Baird growled softly. The hunger was back in his amber eyes, making her feel hot and cold all over. “That’s a helluva outfit.”

“This old thing?” Liv was embarrassed at being on display but she tried to remain cool as she settled herself beside him on the couch and felt the pale blue blanket connect with the skin of her thighs. “It’s just something I happened to throw on. I—Oh my God!” She shot up off the couch and somehow landed in Baird’s lap, grabbing his bare shoulders.

“What? What is it?” He looked at her anxiously. “Bebo bothering you again?”

“It wasn’t Bebo.” Liv’s heart was pounding as she stared at the innocent looking fuzzy blue blanket she’d just been sitting on. “It…it moved. It touched me—I felt it.”

“Of course it moved,” Baird said mildly. “It’s alive.”

“It’s what?” Liv demanded. “What is it? Some kind of plant—a moss blanket you use for covering furniture or something?” She supposed that the blue fuzz did look a little like vegetation.

“Nope. It’s an animal native to Tranq Prime. The residents there use it to keep warm—they have incredibly harsh winters that last for years.”

“An animal? Are you serious? We’re sitting on a live animal?” Liv felt her skin crawl.

“Well, I am, anyway. You appear to be sittin’ on me.” Baird gave her a lazy smile that made her stomach flutter and Liv suddenly realized she was on his lap with her arms around his neck. How had that happened? She could feel the hard planes of his chest pressed against her breasts and he was close enough to kiss. Oh no, don’t even go there, she scolded herself.

“Uh…” Liv laughed nervously. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to jump you like that.” She tried to get off his lap but he pulled her back down.

“What’s the rush, Lilenta?”

“I…I just…” The words wouldn’t come. Liv had been carefully avoiding getting too close to him for most of the week but now that she was in contact with him again, almost full body contact, whispered the naughty little voice in her head, she was finding it hard to think about anything but how good it felt to have his arms around her and how incredible he smelled.

“You just what?” Baird seemed mildly amused. “You just thought you’d come out here dressed in next to nothing and tease me?”

“I never thought that!” Liv felt a hot blush climbing her cheeks as she tried again to push away from him. Baird let her sit back a little but he kept her firmly planted in his lap.

“Of course you didn’t.” He made a show of looking her up and down, his hot golden gaze taking in everything from the way she was nearly falling out of the grey satin bra cups to the skimpy satin panties that completed the set. “You know, Olivia, I can only think of two reasons you would wear something like this. One, you’ve finally decided to give in and let me bond you.”

Liv’s throat finally unlocked. “What’s option number two?” she asked, wishing her voice didn’t sound so squeaky.

Baird’s eyes hardened. “Two would be that you thought you could come out here, flash a little skin and then get me on breach of contract and improper touching when I went for you. You think you’re the first bride to have that idea? Hate to break it to you, Lilenta, but it’s been done before to other Kindred. I was wondering when you were going to try it.”

“I…I would never…” Liv was mortified that he had seen through her plan so easily.

Baird frowned. “Oh no? Then I guess you just like putting on a show for me, hmm?”

“Maybe I was just hot and wanted to wear something cool and comfortable for a change without having to worry about you making stupid remarks or staring at me,” Liv snapped.

“You’re forgetting that we dream shared for six months, Lilenta. I know how you dress when you want to be comfortable. You wear one of those big, oversized night shirts that goes down to your knees and your old pink wrap thing and those slippers with long ears and animal faces on them.”

“I don’t have my pink bathrobe and bunny slippers with me,” Liv protested.

“No, but you could have asked your sister to send them up. Instead, you asked for this.” Baird’s gaze ran hungrily over the open robe and the grey satin bra, displaying the rounded tops of her breasts. “This is not the kind of outfit you put on if you don’t want to be stared at, Lilenta.”

“It doesn’t matter what I wear, you always stare at me,” she accused.

“Because I can’t help myself,” he growled. “Because you’re so fuckin’ beautiful and you won’t let me touch you even though I can tell by your scent you want me to.”

“Don’t start with the scent thing again—why are smells so important to you?” Liv demanded, wishing she could get away from him, from the cage of his big, muscular arms. .

One corner of his mouth curved up. “They’re important to you too—or they should be. They have a lot to do with the way we choose our brides, and the way our brides react to us. My scent helps your body recognize me as your mate the same way your scent let me know you were the one for me. It confirmed everything I’d learned about you during our dream-sharing.”

“Thanks for the Kindred biology lesson,” she snapped, struggling to be free. “Now will you please let me go?”

“When I’m good and ready. He frowned. “And before you scream breach of contract, remember that I am allowed to hold you—I just haven’t been doing it because you were so obviously afraid of me.”

“Are we seriously back to that again?” Liv put a hand on her hip and glared at him. “For the last time, I am not afraid of you or the way you make me feel.”

“Prove it.” There was an undeniable challenge in his eyes. “What’s that human expression? Put your currency where your oral cavity is.”

Liv didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated. “It’s ‘put your money where your mouth is.’ And how am I supposed to prove it?” She had stopped struggling—it was useless. And besides, she had an idea that the way she was shifting all over his lap when she tried to get away was causing him a lot more pleasure than pain. The hot, hard lump she could feel nudging her bottom through his black sleep pants told her that much.

“Kiss me.”

“You already kissed me—back when you first brought me up to the suite. How is that going to prove anything?” Liv was exasperated. Exasperated and hot and confused and a lot more turned on than she wanted to admit.

“Right. I kissed you. But if you’re really not afraid of me or your reaction to me, then you should be able to kiss me with no problem. Right?” He gave her a predatory grin that made Liv distinctly nervous.

“That’s true,” she said even though she knew it wasn’t. “But I’m still not going to kiss you unless you can give me a better reason than that.”

“How about because I won’t let you go until you do? C’mon, Lilenta—just one kiss. And if you can honestly tell me it does nothing for you I’ll let you up and won’t bother you the rest of the night.”

“This is blackmail, you know.” She wanted to be outraged but the fact was that the longer she was in his lap, the less she wanted to leave it. Even now she was trying to keep herself stiff and unyielding but all she wanted to do was melt against him and let him touch her…take her. Hell, let him do anything he wanted. Oh, I am in so much trouble here!

“Call it what you want but if you want off my lap, you’ll take the challenge. Otherwise I’m completely within my rights to hold you like this all night.”

“All night?” Liv was horrified. She didn’t think she could last another ten minutes, let alone hours of being so close to the big Kindred warrior.

Baird raised an eyebrow as though he knew just what she was thinking—as though he knew how close to the edge she was. “Go ahead—I’ll just sit here. I swear I won’t touch you. I’ll just let you kiss me.”

“You’ll let me, huh? Aren’t you just too kind,” Liv grumbled but she already knew she was going to do it. At this point it seemed safer to give him a quick kiss than to stay in his arms any longer. She could feel herself getting hotter, her heart racing, her pulse pounding. She needed to get away from him fast and go take a cold shower—or sit on a big block of ice or do anything to cool off and forget how much she liked being near him.

“Well?” Baird caught her gaze with his and the challenge in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Fine,” she snapped. “But no funny business or I will claim breach of contract and I’ll be out of here so fast it’ll make your head spin.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He smiled at her. “Come on, Lilenta—kiss me.”

Just one quick kiss. Wishing she didn’t feel like her heart was about to pound right out of her chest, Liv braced her hands on his massive bare shoulders and leaned in. She thought about keeping her eyes open but at the last minute his golden gaze was too intense and she shut them quickly. Just a quick kiss, she told herself. But not too quick—she didn’t want him to think she was afraid. Even though she was absolutely terrified.

She brushed his lips with hers, a gentle feather-light touch that was reminiscent of the first kiss they’d shared, the one he’d given her during their claiming ceremony. She heard a low rumble of pleasure in response but Baird didn’t kiss her back right away though she could feel the tension in his big body. He was letting her take the lead—giving her control of the situation and it was surprisingly erotic.

Feeling braver and forgetting she’d intended to end this quickly, Liv kissed him again. This time she tilted her head to fit their mouths for more contact. His lips were full and surprisingly soft. When she parted her own lips and lapped at them gently, they tasted of cinnamon and that strange, delicious alien spice she couldn’t quite name.

Baird still didn’t kiss her back but he parted his lips invitingly and, to her surprise, Liv found herself taking him up on the invitation. His mouth was hot and wet and luscious and she found she was exploring him delicately with her tongue, tasting and testing, learning him, kissing him as though she never wanted to stop.

And then, at last, Baird kissed back. He pulled her close, positioning her so that she straddled his hips, and ran his big, warm hands up and down her back. Sucking her tongue gently, he pressed up against her until Liv felt like she was floating on a cloud of pure lust. She could feel the hard ridge of his cock through his black sleep pants and her thin satin panties, could feel him pressing against her, opening her and spreading her pussy lips to rub against her throbbing clit. And it wasn’t just that Baird was thrusting up to meet her—she was grinding herself against him, gripping his shoulders and working herself on him shamelessly as the pleasure built higher and higher inside her. Her nipples were so hard they hurt and she couldn’t remember ever feeling so wet and ready.

God, if we don’t stop soon I’m going to come…come so hard! The thought finally snapped her back to herself and Liv forced herself to wrench away from the addictive kiss.

“Stop!” she gasped, panting. “Stop, I…we have to stop.”

“Why, Lilenta?” Baird’s voice was soft and deep, his eyes glowing gold and half lidded with lust. “Because you’re afraid if we don’t stop now you won’t want to stop at all?”

“No, just because…because I did what you asked. So now you have to let me up.”

Baird frowned. “Actually, the deal was that I would let you up if you could honestly say that kissing me didn’t affect you.”

“It didn’t, okay? So let me up now.”

His eyes narrowed, showing a different kind of heat. “You’re lying.”

“How would you know?” Liv snapped, wondering if it was possible to die of sexual frustration.

“For one thing your heart is beating twice as quickly as normal.”

Liv put a hand to her chest. “You can hear my heart?”

He nodded. “Your pulse is racing. Your skin is flushed and sensitive.” He trained a fingertip over her collarbone and Liv bit back a moan at the light touch. “Not to mention your scent—you’re practically in heat, Lilenta.”

“There you go with the scent again. Do you really expect me to believe you can tell I’m…uh, hot and bothered just by the way I smell?”

“Believe it,” he said flatly. “If you were to go out of the suite right now you’d have about a hundred Kindred males comin’ on to you before you got to the end of the corridor.”

“I would?” Liv bit her lip, trying not to imagine being suddenly accosted by a hundred men, all of Baird’s impressive size and build. She would never survive such an ordeal. “But…but wouldn’t they know I was, uh, already taken? That you had already claimed me?”

He frowned. “Unfortunately not. At this point you don’t have nearly enough of my scent on you to scare off another male.”

“But how can that be? We’re together all the time. We even sleep in the same bed.” Liv blushed, remembering how hard it had been for her lately not to reach out to him as they were lying together in the huge bed at night.

“Together but not touching,” Baird growled. “I’d have to be rubbing against you a hell of a lot more than I am now—and with a hell of a lot fewer clothes on.”

“You…you would?” Liv felt her heart knocking against her ribs again as the mental image of the two of them, completely naked and pressed together in the big bed, entered her head and refused to leave.

Baird nodded. “You can’t see them but Kindred have scent glands all over their bodies—mostly in the face and groin area. One of the ways we claim a mate is to scent mark her—but that’s pretty hard to do when the woman I want to claim won’t let me touch her.”

“I told you I don’t want to be claimed.” Liv could hear the tremble in her voice but she forced herself to meet his eyes. “I left too much back on Earth to forget about just because you want me as your mate, Baird.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You want to fight it ‘til the end? That’s fine with me, Lilenta. We’ll call it a draw tonight. But you want to remember one thing—tomorrow is the beginning of the second week—our bathing week—so we’ll be sharing the bathing pool every night. And I’ll be allowed to touch you—touch you and make you come.”

“You can’t…you wouldn’t.” Liv felt like she was melting inside. She didn’t know whether to be horrified or intensely aroused by his words.

“The hell I wouldn’t. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms and hear you moan while you come for me.” He gave her a wolfish grin. “The only thing better than that would be going down on you until you come all over my face—but of course that’s for week three, our tasting week.”

Liv honestly felt faint. Tasting week? Was he serious? She’d been so determined to find out what bonding sex entailed that she’d forgotten to be worried about what came directly before it. Better settle down and worry about getting through the second week before you freak out about the third one, a practical little voice in her brain advised. But she was incapable of settling down—at least, not while she was so close to him.

“Just…just let me go,” she said, hating the breathless sound of her voice.

His eyes glowed like melted gold. “Not until you admit our kiss affected you.”

“I already told you, it didn’t,” she whispered through numb lips.

He raised an eyebrow. “So if I touched you right now, if I shredded those soft little panties you have on, you wouldn’t be even a little bit wet?”

Liv squirmed uncomfortably. “That…that’s none of your business.”

“Oh no?” Baird slid one large hand between her spread thighs and cupped her mound. “I’m afraid you’re wrong, Olivia. You’re my bride and it is my business.”

“You…you’re not supposed to be touching me,” she protested. Had her heart been beating fast before? It was going triple time now and all he’d done was cup her lightly. But just the heat of his hand was enough to make her feel swollen and hot and out of control.

“No touching under the clothes,” he reminded her. “But I’m not touching you under your clothes, Lilenta. And don’t worry—I won’t. I don’t have to in order to prove my point.”

“Your…your point?” It was getting harder and harder to think when she wanted him so badly. No, I don’t want him. I don’t! But she was lying to herself and she knew it.

“My point that the kiss we shared a minute ago made you hot and wet and ready for me.” He looked at her sternly, his eyes burning into her. “Admit it, Olivia. Admit it and I’ll let you go. If you don’t…” He let the sentence trail off ominously.

“If I don’t, what?” Liv lifted her chin, determined to stay strong even though she felt like she was melting from the waist down.

“If you don’t I’ll have no choice but to prove it. And if you make me prove it, I won’t stop until you come—panties or no panties in the way.” His deep voice was a low lustful growl that sent shivers through her entire body. But still Liv wasn’t willing to give in.

Forcing herself to meet his eyes she whispered, “Go ahead—I’m not afraid.”

“You should be.” Pulling her down, he kissed her long and hard before releasing her. “So you’re not hot, huh? Kissing me didn’t do a damn thing for you?”

Before Liv could answer one long, thick finger was pressing against the crotch of her grey satin panties. Sitting as she was, spread out on his lap with her thighs wide, her pussy was already open and vulnerable and Baird obviously knew it. With unerring accuracy he pressed between her spread pussy lips, finding the tender bud of her clit which was throbbing behind the thin panel of satin.

Liv opened her mouth to protest and let out a moan instead. God, how did he know just how to touch her? And why couldn’t she resist the pleasure he gave her?

Baird was staring at her hungrily, drinking in her reaction. “If you’re not hot, why can I feel your heat when I touch you?” he growled softly. “If you’re not hot, why are your panties soaked with your cunt honey? And most of all…” His finger continued working against her, sliding over her swollen clit as he spoke. “Why is your pussy open and ready for me?”

“I…it’s the way I’m sitting,” Liv protested, biting back another moan as the pleasure inside her mounted.

Baird shook his head. “No—that’s not enough to explain the state you’re in. Look at this…” He stopped touching her for a minute and pointed to the crotch of her panties which, Liv saw with shame, were now dark with her juices. “Look at how swollen your pussy lips are,” he said, tracing them lightly with his fingertip and making her shiver. “Look at the way they’re spread open, exposing your hot little clit.” His finger glided over the sensitive bundle of nerves, clearly outlined by the damp satin, making Liv cry out involuntarily.

“Baird,” she moaned. “Please…”

He ignored her plea. “Forget about your heart rate and scent for a minute—you don’t get in this state, with your pussy so wet and ready and open without needing to be fucked. And that’s exactly what you need right now, whether you want to admit it or not, Olivia.”

“I…no. No,” she denied but he nodded his head slowly.

“Oh, yes. You need my cock here.” His hand slid down and suddenly two thick fingers were pressing against the panel of her panties, right over her entrance. “You need me inside you.” Baird held her gaze with his own as the fingers pressed inward, pushing the thin satin inside her pussy, entering her and making her gasp and grip his shoulders for support. At the same time, the broad pad of his thumb began rubbing over her clit, pushing the pleasure inside her to the limit and beyond.

This time there was no stopping herself. An orgasm so sharp it left her breathless rushed through her. Liv’s back arched and she bucked against the invading fingers. But my panties are still in the way. So he’s not breaking the rules but oh God… For a moment coherent thought left her and all she could do was gasp and moan as the pleasure spiked inside her. Closing her eyes, she let it, unable to fight any longer as the orgasm ravaged her body.

At last she felt his hand withdraw and she opened her eyes to look at him. Their gazes locked and a mixture of emotions passed over his chiseled features. Lust, need, sorrow, anger, and something that looked almost like despair. “I’m sorry I had to do that.” His voice was rough. “But I wouldn’t have had to if you’d just admitted what you feel—what we both feel.”

“I…” Liv bit he bottom lip and shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Baird, but I can’t be yours.”

He sighed, obviously frustrated. “Gods, you’re enough to drive a male crazy.”

“I could say the same thing.” Taking a deep breath she tried to regain her composure. “So I guess nothing you did just now qualifies as a breach of contract.”

He shook his head. “Afraid not.”

“So…so you could have been….been, uh, touching me this way for the entire past week?”

Slowly, he nodded.

“But…then why didn’t you?” Liv blurted. “I mean, not that I want you to but you keep telling me how much you want to…to…”

A look of sorrow passed over his face. “I didn’t want you to fear me.” Opening his arms, he finally let her scramble off his lap. “Go, Lilenta, you’re free. For now.”

With a last, backwards glance, Liv fled into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

Her heart was still pounding and her breathing was erratic. Worst of all, she was incredibly confused. It had seemed so straightforward back on Earth when he first claimed her—go up to the ship and do her time while resisting him completely. But how was she supposed to do that after the way he’d just touched her? After that look in his eyes when he’d said he didn’t want her to be afraid of him? Everything had been so much simpler when he was just the big bad wolf who wanted to eat her up. Somehow, he seemed to be more than that now. Much more.

Not to mention when he touches me I lose control. And tomorrow there won’t be any clothes at all between us.

Oh God, what was she going to do?

Baird leaned back on the couch and sighed. Gods, he’d expected her to try something like this at the beginning of the week when she’d first had her sister send up the bag of revealing clothing. But not now. Not when they’d been getting so close and enjoying each other’s company so much. To know that she still wanted to get away from him so badly hurt—hurt like hell.

“Bebo,” he growled and the little zicther came waddling over and grunted inquiringly. “Fetch the Think-me,” Baird told his pet. “You know where I hid it, right?”

Bebo snorted in ascent and scuttled off. When he returned he was holding a thin circlet made of silver wire carefully between his sharp teeth.

“Good boy.” Baird scratched the little creature behind his round, fluffy ears and Bebo closed his eyes and made a pleased humming sound. “Sorry things have been so crazy around here lately, buddy,” Baird muttered. “Hopefully they’ll settle down soon.” If Olivia would just accept that we belong together and let down her guard. But of course, that was what he’d thought she was doing for the entire week when he was working so hard to win her over. Instead, she’d been plotting to try and trick her way off the ship. And away from me, Baird ruefully acknowledged.

With a sigh he settled the thin silver wire around his temples, closed his eyes and concentrated. “Hey Sylvan, you up?”

“I am now,” came the grumpy reply. His half brother’s mind voice sounded irritated and sleepy. “What do you want?”

“Forget it. Sorry I bothered you.” Baird started to break the connection but Sylvan’s voice stopped him.

“No, wait a minute. I’m sorry, you just woke me up and I was having the strangest dream.”

“Care to share?”

“Not particularly. So why are you bespeaking me in the middle of the night?”

“It’s Olivia—she…ah, hell. She tried to pull a fast one. Came out here in this incredible little slinky outfit and I’m pretty sure she was trying to get me on breach of contract.”

“So that’s what all those flimsy undergarments her sister sent her were for. I wondered.” Sylvan sounded thoughtful.

“It’s just…I thought I was getting through to her. We’ve been having a helluva good time this week and I thought she was as into it as I was. That she was really enjoying herself and letting down her guard.”

“Maybe she was. Maybe she was beginning to feel for you and it scared her. Isn’t tomorrow the start of your bathing week?”

“Yeah, it is. I’ll finally get to touch her.”

“She hasn’t even been letting you touch her? You’ve at least been holding her at night, haven’t you?” Sylvan sounded incredulous.

Baird shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “Ah, hell…she’s scared, you know? I can feel it comin’ off her in waves. I just didn’t want to make it worse.”

“You have to bathe her tomorrow night, though,” Sylvan pointed out. “If you don’t touch her during the bathing week it’s as much a breach of contract as if you do touch her sexually without permission during the holding week.”

“You think I don’t know that? Damn it, Sylvan—it’s killing me! I want her so much and I can tell she wants me too. Her scent tells me she’s ripe as hell but she’s just not ready yet.”

“She may never be ready. I told you how she feels about losing her sister. Which reminds me—did you tell her about the mating scent? I mean, really spell it out for her?”

Baird frowned. “I tried. She wasn’t very interested though—at that point she was just trying to get away from me.”

“So you did hold her.”

“For awhile. Just wanted to make her admit what she was feeling—not that she would. I tell you, brother, it’s hell to want a woman so badly and know she wants you too but she won’t let you in.”

“Yet another reason I’m glad I vowed never to call a bride,” Sylvan said dryly.

“Yeah, lucky you—I’m about to go crazy over here. The Scourge has nothing on Olivia when it comes to torture.”

“You don’t really mean that.”

Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “No, not really. It’s just incredibly frustrating. When I can smell how ready she is and see the way my touch affects her and she still won’t admit it…It’s making me crazy.”

“She’ll have to admit it tomorrow night,” Sylvan pointed out. “She won’t have a choice. But, Baird, you’d probably better take things slowly. If she’s still so dead set against letting you bond her, your first bathing could be a traumatic experience.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. You think I’d be rough with her? Think I’d do anything to hurt her? Hell, Sylvan, I’d give my life for her.”

“I know you would.” Sylvan’s voice was soothing. “But I know you, Baird—you’re all fire.”

“And you’re all ice,” Baird responded. “All you damn Tranqs are. Sorry I can’t be as cold blooded and level headed as you, brother, but I love her. And I don’t want to lose her.”

“You won’t. From what you’ve told me your mating scent is already working on her. No female can resist that.”

“That’s not quite true,” Baird pointed out and then wished he’d kept silent.

There was a long mental silence and then Sylvan said, “You’re right. There are a few that can resist.”

Baird winced. Damn it, why did he have to bring up his brother’s past pain when Sylvan was trying to help him? “Look, Sylvan, I didn’t mean—”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” Sylvan’s mental voice was brisk but Baird knew that some pain didn’t fade with the passage of time. He cursed himself again for hurting his brother.

“Sylvan—”

“It’s late, Baird. Did you need anything else?”

“No.”

“Good night then. And good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it.”

Baird felt the connection break on his brother’s end. With a sigh, he slipped the think-me off and twirled the thin sliver wire circlet around one finger as he thought. Sylvan was right about one thing—Olivia was going to have a hard time tomorrow night. She didn’t want to accept what she felt for him, didn’t want to accept that her body needed his. But if he didn’t touch her, didn’t bathe her as the contract required, he could lose her. I can’t do that. I need her too much. And she needs me too if only she’d admit it, damn it!

Sighing, Baird took the Think-me back to its hiding place under Bebo’s second favorite cushion and ran both hands through his thick black hair in frustration. What was it going to take to make Olivia see that they needed each other? How could he make her admit she wanted him as much as he wanted her? He had no idea and with the first week already down, he was running out of time.

Chapter Fifteen

Liv looked over the letter again, frowning. It was from Sophie and it had just arrived for her, although her sister had dated it much earlier in the week. Liv wasn’t sure whether it had been held up by Kindred security or just delayed at the HKR building but she couldn’t imagine anyone would find anything subversive in it. To the casual reader, it wouldn’t have seemed like much—some gossip, a few inside jokes and Sophie urging her to stay strong. It was the PS at the bottom of the letter that gave Liv pause. In her looping, feminine script, Sophie had written, Be careful, Liv—a rose by any other name would NOT smell as sweet. Love stinks so hold your nose.

It just made no sense. What was her twin talking about? Clearly it was meant to be a warning but of what? Liv wasn’t getting it but it gave her an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. If only she could talk to Sophie face to face for a moment she was sure she could get an answer. But, as Baird had reminded her, direct communication with her loved ones back on Earth was expressly forbidden during the claiming period.

Of course, Sophie’s letter wasn’t the only thing that was making her nervous. It was almost time to take her first bath with Baird and Liv was almost frightened out of her wits. The big warrior had been silent all day—brooding. No doubt he was thinking about how she’d tried to fool him and was feeling angry and betrayed.

What is he going to do to me? The thought that had been lurking at the back of her brain all day and now it barged right up to the front and demanded to be examined. She didn’t really think that Baird would hurt her but there were other ways than pain to take revenge. Sexual ways…

Liv wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She was sitting on the edge of the big bed she shared with Baird every night contemplating the coming bath and she didn’t even know what to wear. She’d been lounging around in jeans and a t-shirt all day but that obviously wasn’t going to cut it tonight. Does it matter? You’re just going to be taking off whatever you put on, whispered the annoying little voice in her brain.

“Shut up,” Liv muttered. “It’s going to be all right—he’s just going to wash me, that’s all.” Right—wash her and touch her and run his big, warm hands all over her body…God! She could feel herself tingling all over at the vivid mental image and the almost Pavlovian response of her body made her mad. Damn it, why did the big Kindred bastard have to be so hard to resist? Why couldn’t she stop wanting him?

Want him or not you have to resist tonight, she reminded herself. If you ever want to see Sophie and Kat and have a life of your own back on Earth, you can’t give in, no matter how good it feels. Right. Not a problem—as long as she could control her raging hormones while he was doing his level best to get into her panties. But oh wait—she wasn’t even going to be wearing any panties. Great. Just great. Liv sighed.

“Are you all right, Lilenta?” Baird’s deep voice coming from the doorway startled her so much she jumped.

“God, don’t sneak up on me like that,” she scolded. And then she saw he had something in his hands. “What’s that?”

“A bathing robe.” He held it out to her. It was a deep crimson red and its outer surface was made of some thick silky material that reminded Liv of satin. On the inside it was lined with a soft looking fur. “Will you wear it?” he asked.

Liv had a sudden flash of hope. “Am I supposed to wear it in the pool?”

He frowned. “Afraid not. You’re going to be naked in the bathing pool. We both are.”

Liv had expected as much but she still couldn’t quite keep the dismay out of her voice. “Why bother with a special robe at all if I’m just going to have to take it off? If I’m just going to have to…have to get naked so you can grope me?” she demanded.

Baird looked frustrated. “Because this is about more than just getting you naked and groping you. It’s a ceremony—a very old and beautiful one.” His voice got softer. “And I’d like to honor it with you if you’ll let me, Lilenta.”

“I…don’t know what to say.” Liv nibbled her lower lip nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to disrespect your culture. It’s just…I know you’re mad at me—”

“I’m not angry with you.” Baird interrupted softly. “I’m sad because you can’t let yourself feel for me what I feel for you. I’m sorry you still want to get away so badly. And of course I’m frustrated because I want you so damn much and you’re determined not to let me have you. But angry? No. The only fault here is mine—I’ve been pushing you too much, trying too hard and for that, I’m sorry.”

Liv gave a shaky laugh. “Wow—a guy who actually talks about his feelings and takes the blame when we have a fight.” He’d be freaking perfect if he didn’t come with so much damn alien baggage.

“Everything is a fight with you.” But the soft tone in his deep voice didn’t match the angry words. “I wish it didn’t have to be like that, Lilenta. Wish you could give yourself to me and let me care for you.”

Liv felt her throat grow tight. “I told you before, Baird, I just can’t do that. There are people I love back on Earth—things I want to accomplish.”

He nodded. “So be it. One thing I’ll give you, Lilenta, you’re a worthy opponent.”

Liv almost laughed. “You sound like it’s some kind of contest.”

“It is.” Baird’s voice was perfectly serious. “You’re determined not to admit what’s between us and I’m determined you will.”

“So who’s winning?” Liv crossed her arms over her chest.

He arched one black eyebrow at her. “We’ll see after tonight. But for now, I’d like to put that aside for awhile.”

“What? How can I possibly put it aside when we’re about to take a bath together?”

“This is more than a bath—it’s a symbolic gesture.”

“A gesture of what?” Liv still didn’t know if she was buying all this but Baird seemed perfectly serious.

Sighing, he came and sat on the edge of the bed. Liv had jumped up when he first entered the room but when he patted the thick gel mattress with one hand, she reluctantly settled down beside him.

“Long before the Kindred ever reached the stars or found our first trade planet, the females of our kind were already very scarce,” he began in a low voice. “They were as precious and rare as beautiful gems and any male lucky enough to win one as his bride and mate knew he had been given a gift of incalculable worth.”

“Did the women get to pick, back then?” Liv was interested despite herself.

Baird shook his head. “It’s not a matter of males or females picking and choosing, Lilenta. When a male finds his bride and their minds align, the decision has already been taken out of both their hands. But on the Kindred home world, a female would sometimes align with more than one male.”

“That must have been, uh, really awkward.”

“It was more than that—Kindred males will fight to the death for the right to keep their brides. Our people were being decimated and some feared we would die out before we could solve our problems. That’s how the claiming period was born. When a male aligned with a female, he would claim the right to be with her and he had four weeks in order to prove he was the right mate for her and convince her to bond with him.”

Liv was surprised. “So this whole month-long ordeal isn’t just something you guys made up to get unwilling Earth girls up to the ship?”

Baird shook his head. “It is a tradition that has been passed down for generations. If, in the course of four weeks—the holding week, the bathing week, the tasting week, and the bonding week—the male could convince his chosen bride that she should bond with him, they were mated for life.”

“I have a question about that,” Liv said. “Why divide the weeks up like that? I mean, I get that the name of the week tells you what you can…can do to me, uh, to your bride and when. But why name the fourth week the bonding week? I mean, what if the woman you’ve chosen decides not to have bonding sex with you? What can you do then?”

Baird raised an eyebrow and gave her a long look. “The bonding week is the week when I can legally make love to you, Lilenta.”

“But…but I thought you couldn’t…couldn’t do that to me, that you couldn’t have bonding sex with me until I agreed to it,” Liv protested.

“I can’t. Just as I can’t do any of the other things proscribed by the four weeks until their proper time. Unless you give me permission to do them early.” His eyes gleamed. “But make no mistake about it, Olivia, on the fourth week, I am allowed to enter you and fill you with my shaft. And if you can feel the intimate connection between our bodies and minds night after night and still refuse to have bonding sex with me, well…then you’re free to go.”

Liv felt like her heart had stopped beating for a moment. “So we’re actually going to—you’re going to be in me?” God, what else can he do? What can bonding sex be if he’s already allowed to do that? But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“Those are the terms of the contract,” Baird said. “Although you can allow me to make love with you and bond you earlier if you wish. I understand that many Earth brides don’t wait the entire four weeks to make that decision.” His voice was soft and deep and his eyes wouldn’t leave hers.

“That’s not going to happen.” Liv wished her voice wasn’t shaking so much. She dropped her eyes. “What happened in the old days if a male couldn’t convince a female to bond with him?”

If he couldn’t…” Baird shrugged his broad shoulders. “She was allowed to leave him and allow her mind to align with another male. Of course, the weeks on the Kindred home planet were about the length of one of your Earth years, so a male had considerably longer to convince his bride they ought to stay together.”

“Wow.” Liv didn’t know what to say. Here she was worried about holding out for one month and Baird was telling her that the original Kindred brides had had to withstand the blatantly sexual claiming period for four years. “That’s…a long time,” she managed at last.

“Not nearly long enough to be with the woman you love.” Baird caught her gaze with his own until Liv bit her lip and looked away. “Of course, in time traditions grew up around each week,” he continued. “During the holding week a male keeps his bride safe in the circle of his arms and holds her close to prove he can protect her from any danger that might come.” He looked at her steadily. “I wanted to do that for you, Lilenta, but I didn’t want to scare you away or frighten you—any more than you already were, anyway.”

Liv started to deny her fear as she had from the start but something made her stop. It was true—she was afraid of Baird. Of what he represented, of everything and everyone she could lose if she let herself fall into his arms and never look back. Instead she said quietly, “Go on.”

“During the bathing week, a Kindred male cares for and pampers his bride by worshiping her body,” he continued in a low voice. “He washes her hair and bathes and massages and oils her to show her what their life will be like together if she consents to bond with him. The care he takes with her symbolizes how precious she is to him, how beautiful and perfect he finds her.”

Liv cleared her throat. “Sounds, ah…intense.”

“It can be.” Baird gave her a serious look. “Although I hear some females find it most relaxing to be bathed and pampered. Don’t you Earth women go to special places for it?”

“Uh, you mean like a spa? Sure, I guess.” Liv shrugged uncomfortably. “But usually the emphasis there is on relieving stress and the attendants are all very professional and impersonal.”

One corner of Baird’s full mouth twitched. “Afraid I can’t promise you that, Lilenta.”

“I didn’t think so,” Liv mumbled. She tried to imagine a spa staffed with Kindred warriors waiting to bathe and massage the women who came there and thought that it would probably be sold out for years in advance. And here she had her very own ticket for the Kindred spa treatment and she would have done anything to give it away if she could. “God,” she muttered. “This is going to be really interesting.”

“Look at me, Lilenta.” Baird lifted her chin gently, forcing her to look into his amber eyes. “Is my touch really so distasteful to you?” he asked softly.

Liv bit her lip. “You know it’s not,” she said at last, deciding not to bother with a lie. “You pretty much said you can tell how I feel when you…when you touch me.”

“I can smell your arousal, yes.” He nodded. “Then why do you have to fight me every step of the way?”

Liv felt frustrated. “You know why—I told you why. I can’t let myself relax with you because I’m afraid if I do I’ll go too far and let you…let you bond me. Whatever that means, exactly.” She still wasn’t sure but she was damned if she’d ask Baird for an explanation. It was embarrassing enough to hear him explain the holding and bathing weeks and tell her what he would be allowed to do to her at the end of the month, let alone hearing a detailed account of what bonding sex entailed.

He was still looking at her intently and his fingers were warm under her chin. “What if I promised not to bond you to me tonight—no matter what you say?”

Liv looked at him in surprise. “You’d do that? Promise me that? But I thought your whole goal was to get me tied to you as soon as possible.”

“There is that urge, yes,” Baird admitted. “It’s an instinct every Kindred male has because of our past. But I’m willing not to act on it tonight—hell, for the entire week—if it’ll make you feel better.”

“It really would,” Liv admitted. In fact she was so relieved she almost felt weak. But she still didn’t understand why Baird was making this offer. “I appreciate that you’re willing to, uh, put our contest, as it were, aside for a week,” she said cautiously. “But I guess I still don’t understand why you would.”

“I don’t want you to feel forced into anything. Not by me and not by the way your body reacts to mine.” Baird leaned down and brushed her lips gently with his own.

Liv’s heart stuttered in her chest. “God…” she whispered.

“I want you to care for me, Olivia. Care for me the way I care for you,” he breathed. “And I want you to be able to enjoy what I do for you without fear.” He pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes. “So what do you say? Will you try to relax and honor the bathing ceremony with me if I promise not to bond you to me no matter what?”

“For this entire week?” Liv asked, wanting to be sure.

He nodded. “It’ll kill me but yes—I swear on my honor as a warrior that I won’t have bonding sex with you no matter what you may do or say for the entire bathing week.” He flashed a wolfish grin. “Of course, after that, all bets are off. But if I can’t make you want to bond with me during the tasting week, I don’t deserve to have you.”

Liv felt a flash of heat run through her and looked away from his intense golden gaze quickly. “Fine. We’ll take it a week at a time,” she said, wishing her heart would slow down. But it was racing, as it always did when he touched her—kissed her. As if sensing her wish, Baird gave her one last soft kiss and then stood up.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed now. Just wear the robe and nothing else. Come to the bathing pool when you’re ready.” He dropped the robe in a soft crimson heap in her lap and gave her one last burning look. “I’ll be waiting for you, Lilenta.”

Baird waited by the bathing pool, wondering how long it would take Olivia to get up the nerve to come to him. He couldn’t wait to see her in the dark red bathing gown, couldn’t wait to see it fall to the floor and reveal her to him naked for the first time. Of course, he had seen her undressed often enough while they were dream-sharing. Watching her take her morning shower and evening bath had been some of his favorite parts of the dreams. But to actually see her in the flesh and know that he could touch her this time…just the thought made him almost painfully hard.

Hope she can relax enough to let herself enjoy this, he thought, as he paced beside the pool. He’d hated like hell that she was so scared of him, of the way he made her feel. It was one of the things that had motivated him to promise not to bond her for the entire week. In that, he was taking a big gamble and Baird knew it. Every instinct he had screamed at him to make her his as quickly as possible but he forced himself to remember Sylvan’s advice. He had to take things slowly—rushing would only scare Olivia away. After all, the ultimate decision to bond with him or not was hers and right now she was dead set against it. Baird had to be sure he gave her a damn good reason to change her mind. He hoped that by taking away her fear of bonding, at least for a week, he could get her to relax and enjoy the pleasure he couldn’t wait to give her. If he could just make her realize how right they were together, how much they needed each other—

“I’m ready.”

Olivia’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts and Baird stopped pacing and looked up to see her standing there in the long red bathing gown. She looked beautiful and frightened and defiant all at once and he felt his heart squeeze in his chest at the sight of her. Gods, he wanted so much to make this good for her! To pleasure her and make her come over and over until she was finally at peace in his arms. Slowly, he reminded himself again. Slowly.

“You look lovely, Lilenta,” he murmured, his voice slightly hoarse with need. It was true—the dark red of the gown made her hair look like honey and brought out the clear grey of her eyes.

“Thanks.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Uh—what’s next?”

“Now we get in the pool but first we have to get undressed.”

“All right.” She started to pull at the sash on the robe, clearly just wanting to get it over with, but Baird stepped forward and stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“I’m supposed to go first, Lilenta.”

“Oh. Okay, sorry.” She looked intensely uncomfortable and Baird wished he could put her at ease. Unfortunately seeing him naked probably wasn’t going to have that effect. Slowly, trying not to startle her, he pushed down the black sleep pants which were all he was wearing. Then he rose and stood in front of her in a relaxed posture, giving her time to look.

Olivia’s gaze flicked over his body, marking his shoulders and chest and the flat planes of his abdomen before dipping lower to look between his legs. Baird saw her eyes widen as she took in the thick club of his sex which was already more than half hard in anticipation of seeing her naked.

“My God,” she murmured, putting a hand to her mouth.

“Is there something wrong?” Baird looked down at himself. He knew from the material Sylvan had given him to study that Kindred males were pretty much the same as their human counterparts—although built on a considerably larger scale. The only difference in their anatomy was the mating fist at the base of his shaft and it wouldn’t fully inflate until he was buried deep in his bride’s sweet body, bonding her to him.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Olivia’s cheeks were as red as her robe. “It’s just…you’re so big. I mean, can you actually use that thing without being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon?”

Baird realized she was making a joke about his size—probably because it frightened her. “It’s all right, Lilenta,” he murmured, taking a step toward her. “I would never hurt you. I promise that when the time comes for me to enter you, I’ll make sure you’re wet and ready to take me.”

“You’re assuming we’ll make it that far.” Her words were defiant but her voice shook, betraying her uncertainty.

“Not tonight,’ Baird assured her. “Tonight is all about your pleasure, Lilenta.” Reaching for the long sash of the robe, he looked into her eyes. “Will you allow me to disrobe you?”

“I…” Olivia nibbled her bottom lip nervously—a distractingly erotic gesture as far as Baird was concerned. “Yes, I…I guess so.”

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I already regret it,” she whispered but made no move to stop him when he tugged on the sash. The loose knot she’d tied it in parted easily and the crimson bathing robe opened to reveal her naked flesh. Baird caught his breath at her beauty—high full breasts tipped with tight pink nipples led down to the softly rounded planes of her abdomen and the dimple of her navel. And nestled in the tender vee between her thighs was the mound of neatly trimmed blonde curls that hid her sex.

As her scent, warm and secret and deliciously feminine, rose to him, Baird let his gaze trace the shadow of her slit. He had a sudden urgent need to drop to his knees before her, to part her thighs and worship her with his mouth. He could almost taste her—wet and hot and perfect, could almost hear her moans as she opened for him, submitted to his tongue inside her pussy. Later, he reminded himself sternly. Save it for the tasting week. For now, he was privileged to see her fully nude and he wasn’t about to waste this opportunity by rushing her.

“You’re beautiful, Lilenta,” he said reverently, letting his gaze trace her form, drinking in her beauty. “So perfect you make me forget how to breathe.”

“I’m having a little trouble breathing myself.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “Uh…are we getting in the pool soon?”

“Right now,” Baird assured her. Bending down, he lifted her, eliciting a startled gasp as Olivia grasped his shoulders for support. “It’s all right,” he assured her. “I’ll never drop you.”

“You just took me by surprise, that’s all.” She was still blushing and trembling in his arms as he stepped down into the bathing pool. Baird reminded himself that though she was always making smart remarks, she hadn’t had much experience and was clearly nervous. He only hoped he could put her at ease with the ritual they were about to share.

When they were both settled in the pool he let her go and Olivia settled with her back to the curved wall. Her long blonde hair was floating around her and Baird couldn’t help noticing that she had made sure to submerge herself completely, keeping her full breasts below the water line.

Turning to the side of the pool, he picked one of the special jars he’d laid out in a row to choose from. “Will you allow me to wash your hair, Lilenta?” he asked, softly.

Olivia shrugged stiffly and then nodded. “Sure, I guess. Why not?” She waded toward him and then stopped about a foot away and turned around. “Uh, go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Making a cup with his hands, Baird carefully sluiced water over her head until her hair was completely wet. Then he scooped a dollop of sweet smelling cream from the jar he’d chosen and began to slowly but firmly work it into her scalp.

Olivia moaned quietly as he worked on her and the soft sound went straight to Baird’s shaft. Gods, but she was beautiful, all wet and sleek and lovely. His cock was standing at attention, the mating fist at its base swelling with need, but he forced himself to only touch her hair—at least for now.

She sighed in appreciation as he rinsed her hair and then worked a different type of treatment into it. This one was made from the berries of the zerrin bush that was native to Twin Moons and it would make her already soft hair as silky and strong as the plant’s long, floating fibers. Baird loved the feel of her fine blonde strands running through his fingers, loved the soft little involuntary sounds of pleasure she made when he massaged her scalp. He only hoped he could bring similar sounds of bliss to her lips when he touched her elsewhere. The need to pleasure his mate was a deeply instilled instinct in a Kindred male and he wanted her gratification desperately—much more than he wanted his own.

Carefully he rinsed her hair again and then stepped back. It took Olivia a moment to realize that he was done but when she did, she turned around to face him, her movements making tiny ripples in the warm water.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “That was…lovely.”

“It was my pleasure,” Baird said sincerely. “Are you ready to continue or do you need a minute?”

“No, I…we can go on.” She looked up at him shyly from under long lashes that were jeweled with tiny water droplets. “What…what’s next?”

Baird took a step toward her. “Now I need to wash your body, Lilenta.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Everywhere?”

He nodded. “Everywhere. Are you ready?”

Liv wondered if she would ever get used to the way her heart drummed against her ribs whenever Baird was near her. While he had been washing her hair she had almost managed to forget that there was more—much more—of the bathing ceremony to come. His big hands had been so soothing and gentle and yet so firm, easing the tension from her scalp and managing to wash her long hair without pulling it once. He put any stylist she’d ever visited to shame and when she closed her eyes and just concentrated on the delicious warmth of the water surrounding her and his hands in her hair, she could almost have gone to sleep.

Well, I’m wide awake now. Baird was studying her with that intent, smoldering look in his half-lidded golden eyes and she knew the only answer she could give him was ‘yes.’ Part of her wanted to put the rest of the bathing ceremony off but she didn’t want to be in here all night—better to get it over with. Or so she told herself.

“I’m ready.” She took a step toward her and braced herself. “Go ahead.”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “You don’t have to sound so grim about it, Olivia. I promise to be gentle.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered.

“Afraid you’ll like it?” He was already rubbing some new kind of lotion or soap between his palms as he moved toward her. Liv braced herself, waiting for him to go directly for her breasts, or maybe stab a hand between her legs as Mitch would have done. Her ex had believed in going for the gusto and most of the other guys she’d been with had had the same philosophy. She had no reason to expect that Baird would be any different.

Except he was.

“Here,” he murmured, turning her around so that her back was to him. Then he was massaging the faintly sweet-smelling lotion-soap into her shoulders, using firm, strong strokes that stripped away the tension gathered in her muscles and pulled an appreciative moan from her lips.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” he whispered in her ear as he continued to knead her shoulders and upper arms. “Just let it all go and relax.”

Liv found she couldn’t help doing just that. So far Baird was restricting himself to her arms, shoulders, and back and she could feel the tensions melting out of her with each warm, firm move of his big hands. And, though he still hadn’t touched her in a sexual way, she could feel her nipples getting hard at his gentle, intimate touch. “God, you really know how to seduce a girl,” she murmured as he stroked beneath the surface of the water, including her lower back in his ministrations.

She heard his low, rumbling laugh behind her. “Doin’ my best, Lilenta. Do you like the fragrance I picked out for you?”

“It’s very nice,” Liv admitted as his hands slid over the curves of her hips. “Not very strong though.”

“It’s not supposed to be. It’s to enhance your natural scent, not cover it up,” Baird explained. His hands stopped their movement and were still on her waist. “Are you ready for me to wash your front now?”

Liv took a deep breath. She knew what he was asking—the gentle massaging wash he’d been giving her was about to turn sexual and he wanted to know if she could handle it. It’s all right, she told herself nervously. He promised not to bond me to him no matter what I said or did. I’ll be okay. “Yes,” she whispered deciding there was no point in putting it off. “Yes, I…I’m ready.”

Baird got some more of the sweet-smelling lotion on his hands and then he was right up behind her, even closer than before. Liv felt something hot and hard brush against the back of her thigh and jumped in surprise.

“Sorry,” Baird murmured in her ear as he began to wash the top part of her chest. “Can’t help it. You affect me.”

You affect me too, she almost said but bit the words back at the last moment. Just because she was surrendering physically didn’t mean she had to surrender emotionally as well. In fact, she would do well to remember that no matter what he had promised, she was still doing this against her will. If it wasn’t for the stupid contract she’d signed…

But any thought of holding out on him, emotionally if not physically, was driven out of her head when he cupped her breasts. Liv had to bite back a moan as he caressed her flesh, kneading gently and then plucking at her already hard nipples. Baird growled approvingly in her ear when she arched her back, thrusting her chest out, giving him better access. And then his hands were traveling lower.

Liv moaned breathlessly as he massaged her inner thighs before cupping the tender vee of her sex. “You’re hot, Lilenta,” he murmured in her ear. “Even under the water I can feel it. Do you like my hands on you here?”

“You…you know I do,” Liv gasped, unable to lie. God, was he trying to drive her crazy?

“I’m going to open you now,” he told her in that soft, growling voice. “Going to wash you inside, Olivia. Inside your pussy. Are you ready for that?”

“I…I think so.”

“Good,” he said and then his long fingers were parting her pussy lips, opening her to let the heated water of the pool rush over her unprotected sex. Liv gasped and bucked back against him as he slid his fingers over her sensitive flesh, washing her, touching her, making her his.

God, too much…too good… She was panting now, so hot for him she could barely breathe and the warm water of the pool suddenly seemed almost suffocating. With each breath she drew in his scent—that hot masculine spice that made her dizzy with need. “Baird, please!” she moaned, wondering if he could feel how hot and wet she was, even under the water.

“Yes, Lilenta?” he murmured, his fingers never stopping their slow, gentle massage.

“Please, I…I…it’s too hot in here.”

“You’re ready to leave the pool and let me oil you?”

Oil me? What the hell? But Liv was too far gone to care what else he did. She only knew she was feeling overheated and faint—her heart beating so hard it felt like it was shaking her entire body. God, what was wrong with her? “Yes, yes—out of the pool,” she managed to gasp. Almost before the words left her lips Baird was lifting her with no effort at all and wading out of the bathing pool. Liv sighed in relief as the cooling air hit her skin. Her heart was still going about a mile a minute but at least now she felt like she could breathe. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Lilenta,” he rumbled. “I’m sorry if the bathing ceremony upset you.”

“It wasn’t upsetting so much as…” Liv searched for a word. “Intense. Really intense.”

“I’m afraid the rest of what we do may feel intense to you too.” He sounded unhappy about it. “If you’d let me hold you the first week your body would be more used to mine, more acclimated to the powerful feelings we generate between us when we touch. But as it is…” He broke off, shaking his head. “Just let me know if it gets to be too much for you.”

Liv frowned. Now that she was out of the pool she felt more like herself. His insinuation that she was too weak to stand whatever he could dish out stung. “I can take it,” she told him, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Baird—I won’t break.”

He nodded approvingly. “You’re strong—the strongest female I’ve ever met even though you look so fragile.”

“I am not fragile,” Liv complained as he stood her carefully on the tiled floor. She had no fear of slipping, having found long ago that the Kindred flooring actually sucked up water like a sponge. They could stand here dripping and naked, arguing all day, and not create so much as a puddle of water between them.

“Compared to most of the females on the other Kindred trade worlds you are.”

“Well, I can’t help it I’m not an Amazon. I’m actually a pretty normal height and size for a woman my age.”

“Is that right?” Baird murmured as he got the red bathing robe and wrapped it considerately around her. Liv started to protest—the thing was lined with fur of some kind and she didn’t want to ruin it. Then she realized that the fur must have the same water-absorbing capabilities as the floor tiles because within seconds she was dry.

“Wow, this thing works fast,” she exclaimed, looking down at herself as Baird toweled himself off. Even the back of her hair, which had been trapped between the robe and her neck, was dry.

He shrugged. “We try to make things that have function as well as beauty. Most of our household objects are genetic adaptations of plants and animals we’ve found on our journeys.”

Liv looked at him suspiciously. “It’s not alive like that weird blue blanket that lives on the couch, is it?”

Baird laughed as he wrapped the long red towel he’d been using around his waist and knotted it firmly in place. “No, Lilenta. It’s not alive. Now, come, the rest of the ceremony will be in the bedroom.”

“On…on the bed?” Being naked in the bathing pool with him was one thing. Being naked in bed—well, that was something Liv had been avoiding from the moment she came up to the Kindred ship.

His gaze raked over her hungrily. “Yes, on the bed. I need to anoint you with fragrant oils. And I need to make you come.”

The way he said it made Liv’s heart start racing again. It was like he’d said, “I need to breathe” or “I need to eat.” Clearly this was something he didn’t just want to do. He’s hungry for me, Liv realized in a flash. Touching me, giving me pleasure, feeds something inside him, some need so deep it’s ingrained in him. Is this how all Kindred males are or is it just Baird?

“Why?” she whispered as he picked her up again and headed for the bedroom. “Why do you want…need to do that to me?”

“Aside from the pleasure of touching your beautiful body you mean?” Baird gave her another hungry look. “It’s because every time I make you come it prepares your body for mine a little more. When you’re with me—especially when I’m touching you—every breath you take brings you closer to being mine. And when I make you come it starts a chemical reaction that makes you want more.”

“But…you said you wouldn’t…that we wouldn’t…”

“Don’t worry, we won’t,” Baird assured her. “Although you may wish I hadn’t made you that promise before we’re done tonight.”

I doubt that. But Liv didn’t say it out loud. Baird laid her gently on her side of the bed.

“Slip off your robe and lie on your stomach, Lilenta,” he murmured. “I’ll get the oils.”

Well if he was offering her another back massage, Liv was all for it. Not to mention the fact that she wasn’t exactly eager to lie naked face up on the bed for his inspection. Of course, they’d just spent the last half hour naked in the bath together but there at least half of her had been covered by the water. Now that she was out of the bathing pool and dry she felt extremely exposed.

As Baird went to rummage in the chest-like container at the foot of the bed, she took off the crimson robe and flipped hastily onto her stomach. She debated on keeping her arms straight down by her sides but it seemed silly. Baird had already seen her breasts—seen them, cupped them, rolled the nipples between his callused fingertips in a way that shot sparks of pleasure through her entire body…Liv stopped herself before her thoughts could get even more lascivious. The point was, she might as well make herself comfortable and put her arms above her head, even if the position did make her feel a little more vulnerable.

Soon enough he was back with an array of long, thin bottles in his large hands. They looked like blown glass and each bottle was a different unique mixture of colors. Their delicate shapes and intricate designs reminded Liv of the antique perfume bottles her grandmother had let her play with when she was a little girl.

“Wow, those are beautiful,” she said admiringly when Baird started to arrange them on the low, flat table beside the bed. “Are they from your home world?”

“This one is.” He showed her what looked to be the oldest bottle. It was a faded bluish green and there was a fine patina of cracks in the glazing that looked like a field of strange alien flowers when he held it at a different angle.

“May I see?” Liv sat up, making sure to cross her legs and drape one arm across her breasts before holding out her hand.

If Baird noticed her strategic cover-up, he didn’t say anything about it. Carefully, he placed the fragile bottle in her palm. “Each bottle holds a different type of oil for a different part of the bride’s body. This one has been in my family for generations.”

“Different oils for different body parts, hmm?” Liv examined the bottles with interest. The top of each one was a different design. Several looked like exotic alien blooms in red and green and vivid purple and a few were shapes she didn’t know. One seemed to be worked into the subtle shape of an animal face—a cross between a monkey and a fox. She hoped that didn’t mean the oil in it came from that particular animal, whatever it was. She really didn’t want to be rubbed down with ode de chimp or fox musk.

“The oils come from different plants on the Kindred home world as well as our three trade worlds,” Baird said, putting her fears to rest.

“And…you’re going to put all of them on me?” Liv looked at the array of bottles crowding the small table.

He shrugged. “More or less. I’ll decide as I go along.”

“Uh, but won’t that make me smell like an explosion in a perfume factory?”

“Not at all,” Baird assured her, taking the ancient blue bottle from her and urging her to lay down with a gentle nudge. “Most of them are odorless or made to enhance your own natural scent, like the fragrance I used on you in the bathing pool.”

“Oh. Okay.” She settled herself on her stomach again and turned her head to the side to look up at him. “But if the point isn’t the way they smell, then why have so many different oils? I mean, I’m sure that something that would work to relax my back would be just as good for my arms and legs. Right?”

Baird smiled. “To a certain extent, yes. But most of these oils aren’t for your arms and legs, Lilenta.”

“Then what are they…oh,” Liv ended in a small voice. Does he seriously have fifteen different types of alien lube he’s going to rub on me? Or…into me? The thought made her extremely nervous. But then Baird’s big, warm hands were on her back and, just as it had in the bathing pool, her tension seemed to melt away.

She would give the big warrior one thing—he could certainly give a hell of a massage. A girl could really get used to this, she thought drowsily as his hands, covered in some kind of warm, smooth oil, slicked over her shoulders and down to the small of her back. I wonder if Kindred males do this for their women after the claiming period is over or if this is a one time thing? Well, one way or another it didn’t matter because she wasn’t going to hang around and find out. Although if a nightly massage as good as this one was included in the deal, she might be at least a little bit tempted…No, think of Sophie and Kat and your nursing degree, she reminded herself. You didn’t just bust your butt for the last four years to lounge around on a spaceship getting massages and eating alien bon-bons.

Obviously unaware of her internal conflict, Baird spent a long time on her back and arms and legs. The oils he used all felt pretty much the same to Liv except for the special oil for her feet which felt cooling, whereas the oils he used on the rest of her were of the warming variety. By the time he was done, Liv’s muscles felt like melted butter. She couldn’t even get up the strength to feel embarrassed when he flipped her over, exposing her breasts and sex.

“But I’ll get oil all over the bedspread,” she protested feebly as Baird opened yet another bottle and poured an amber stream of the viscous liquid into his palm.

“It’ll wash out,” he assured her. “Close your eyes, Lilenta.”

“Why? What part are you going to massage next?” She looked up at him suspiciously.

“Still don’t trust me, huh? Close your eyes and you’ll find out.” Baird sounded amused.

“Fine.” Liv closed her eyes and braced herself. Despite his gentle touch in the bathing pool, she kept expecting him to go for it and grab her breasts like Mitch would have. Not that her ex would have spent forty solid minutes giving her an all over massage with fifteen different exotic oils. Come to think of it, no man Liv had ever dated would have done that. Not without expecting some hefty payback. She wondered suddenly if the massage thing went both ways. Was she supposed to return the favor when Baird was done? A sudden image flashed through her brain—a picture of her pouring a stream of slippery massage oil over Baird’s long, thick shaft and then rubbing it in…Stop it! she scolded herself. As if things weren’t bad enough without you fantasizing about that!

Baird was taking so long to put his hands on her that she was really beginning to get nervous. But just as she was thinking she couldn’t take it anymore, she felt him begin. Warm, callused fingertips were rubbing silky oil with a soft citrus scent into her…into her temples. She almost laughed. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see that one corner of his mouth was quirked up with amusement.

“Surprised, Lilenta?”

“Yes, I am.” She tried not to smile at him and failed. “You’re full of surprises, Baird.” She didn’t know why she’d said it, but it was certainly true.

“So are you. I see something different every time I look at you,” he said quietly, still rubbing lightly. “But it’s all part of the same beautiful woman.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Liv said lightly, though his intense gaze was making her a little uncomfortable. She closed her eyes again so she couldn’t see it. “You’ve only used four or five oils so far. This is going to take all night.”

“I have no problem touching you all night long.” The desire in his deep, growling voice made her shiver and her nipples peaked.

“I’m cold,” she complained, choosing not to respond to his innuendo.

“Then let me warm you up.” And suddenly his hands were exactly where she needed them to be—although she hadn’t known she needed them until he put them there. Warm and slick with oil, he palmed her breasts, caressing their undersides firmly and then stroking every part of them but her areolas and nipples. Those he left strictly alone, much to Liv’s mingled relief and disappointment. Damn it, she was dying over here!

“Baird,” she moaned in protest and then his fingers were back, this time lightly tracing a circle around her tight nipples, using a different kind of oil—one that seemed to ignite her skin on contact. “God!” she gasped as the heat spread and her back arched, thrusting her breasts up and out.

“Enjoying yourself, Lilenta?” His voice was low and hot but Liv could only moan in reply. “I told you different oils were for different body parts,” Baird murmured in her ear as the fiery, tingling pleasure continued to eat through her, burning from her sensitive peaks outward. It felt to Liv as though the heat was shooting sparks of pleasure from her breasts straight to the cleft between her thighs.

Then Baird’s hands were traveling lower, smoothing some other kind of oil over her trembling abdomen and belly. Even now when she was shaking with desire, he took his time, tracing a shining line around her navel while Liv bit her lip to keep from begging him to go lower. She tried to keep everything and everyone she’d left behind in the forefront of her mind to counteract the pleasure he was giving her but it was no use, her body was taking over and all she wanted was more.

As if reading her mind, Baird climbed onto the bed beside her. “This is a better position for the next part of the ritual,” he murmured in her ear. “Still cold, Lilenta?”

“No, but…”

“But what?”

Having him right beside her made Liv feel suddenly vulnerable again. “But I don’t think it’s fair that I have to be naked and you get to keep your towel on,” she said in a rush, nodding at the dark red towel he still wore around his waist.

“I was keeping it on more for your benefit than mine,” Baird said mildly. “But if you’d rather I took it off…” And before Liv could protest he pulled it off and tossed it to the foot of the bed along with her abandoned robe. “Better?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Not exactly.” Liv tried not to look but her eyes kept being drawn to his cock. Up until now she’d only seen him half erect but now…God, it’s a good thing he promised we wouldn’t do the deed tonight. A damn good thing, she thought, eyeing him with something like awe.

“Do you want me to put the towel back on?” Baird asked and she realized she was staring. Feeling her cheeks heat with a blush, she shook her head and looked quickly away.

“No, no. Let’s just…get on with it.”

He nodded gravely. “If that’s what you’d like to do.”

“It is.” Unless jumping off the bed and running away was an option, that was. But Liv knew she couldn’t legally do that. It wasn’t that what he was doing to her didn’t feel good—it did, way too good. And that scared her to death. She thought again that if Baird hadn’t promised not to bond with her that night she would have been really freaking out at this point. “Do…” She cleared her throat. “Do you have another kind of oil for my…for down there?” She nodded down to the area between her thighs. Her blonde curls were all that was visible at the moment because she had her legs crossed tightly.

“I do. Relax, Lilenta. I’m not going to bite you.”

“Not until the tasting week, anyway—huh?” She tried to laugh and failed.

“Not even then,” Baird assured her. “It’s only the Tranq Kindred who bite when they bond.”

And what do you do? What exactly does bonding sex entail with a Beast Kindred? With you, Baird? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask but then Baird was pouring a different kind of oil—this time directly between her thighs over her small mound of curls.

“Oh!” Liv gasped but it turned into a moan as the oil hit her skin. It wasn’t as intense as the kind he’d used on her nipples but somehow she knew its effects would be longer lasting. She could feel herself reacting, feel the heat blooming along her flesh everywhere the silky liquid touched her and her heart started pounding like a sledge hammer again. God, was this ever going to end?

“No more talk of biting. I would never hurt you, Lilenta,” Baird murmured in her ear. “Can you open yourself and let me touch you now?”

“I…I guess.” Liv’s breathing was already ragged as she unclenched her legs. Then his big, warm hand was back, smoothing the oil over her skin, caressing her inner thighs without quite touching her core.

“You’re so soft here,” he whispered. “So smooth and hot. Are you wet for me, Lilenta?”

“I d-don’t know,” Liv stammered as his fingers slid upward. He’d touched her like this when they were in the bathing pool together but somehow this felt more intense…more intimate. Maybe it was the way he was lying in bed beside her, leaning over her. Or maybe it was the way he was looking into her eyes as he touched her. But for whatever reason, she could barely breathe.

Baird’s searching fingers found her pussy and slowly, gently he began to massage the special oil into her sensitive flesh. At first he concentrated on the outside until Liv thought she would go crazy but just as she was about to scream from frustration, his fingers slid inward, sliding over her slippery folds and finding the tight little bud of her clit at her center.

“God!” Liv nearly jumped off the bed as he rubbed the slick oil into her, giving her a more intimate massage than she’d ever had before.

Baird watched her intently as he touched her but when she tried to close her eyes, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “No, Olivia. Look at me.”

“Wh-why?” Liv stuttered, looking up.

“I want to see you when you come. Want to see the pleasure in your eyes,” he murmured roughly. His voice was thick with need and she felt like she could drown in his golden gaze as he stroked her. Somehow he seemed to have found the exact way Liv liked to touch herself—one fingertip sliding along the side of her clit—and he was working her with a deliberate rhythm she could tell was designed to push her over the edge.

“God, Baird,” she moaned, unable to help herself. “That feels so…God, I can’t…”

“You like the feel of my hands on you? My fingers inside you?” He matched actions to words, sliding two long digits deep into her slippery pussy as the broad pad of his thumb continued to slip over her clit.

The new sensation was too much. Liv felt like she’d been on edge all night, the build up of sexual tension inside her was like a nuclear reactor set to blow. When she felt him enter her she cried out, her spine bowing and her fists clenching at the bedspread on either side of her.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” she heard Baird murmur. “That’s right, just let it go. Let yourself come for me.”

Liv cried out again as the pleasure washed over her like a tidal wave, breaking her into a million pieces and scattering her mind in a thousand different directions. She’d never had an orgasm this intense. Through it all Baird held her eyes with his and continued to thrust deeply into her, riding out her pleasure and adding more until she thought she would die of it.

“Please,” she gasped at last. “Please, I can’t…can’t take much more.”

“We can stop for a little while if you want.”

“For a little while? How…how long do you intend to keep this up?” Liv demanded, still trying to catch her breath.

“I’d love to pleasure you all night—or for as long as you’ll let me.” His eyes were still burning with hunger as he slowly withdrew his fingers.

Liv moaned softly, feeling suddenly empty and weak now that the intense feelings were ebbing. “I appreciate that you want to make me feel good. I mean, believe me, I’ve never been with a guy who seemed so…uh, focused on my pleasure. But I don’t think I can keep this up all night,” she told him. “Just now that was…it was damn near an out of the body experience. I don’t know if I can take it again so soon.”

Baird looked concerned. “I was afraid of that—it’s because your body isn’t used to mine. Come here.” He slid one muscular arm under her head.

“Why?” Liv asked uncertainly but she didn’t fight him when he pulled her close.

“So I can hold you, just for a little while. If we’d been sleeping like this for the entire first week you wouldn’t be so overwhelmed right now. Relax, Lilenta. Let’s just breathe each other in.”

Liv wanted to protest that it was silly and needless but something stopped her. That something was the fact that the feel of his hard muscular body against hers actually felt nice. Not just nice—wonderful, she amended to herself. Baird was so big she should have felt smothered but instead she felt warm, safe…protected. They were on their sides facing each other with her breasts pressed against the hard wall of his chest and her head resting on his bicep. Her face was just at the level of his throat and that same spicy masculine musk she supposed must be his natural smell was invading all her senses at once.

God, he smells good…feels good…Without knowing what she was doing, Liv nuzzled against him, pressing her nose closer to his throat and breathing him in, just as he had said. She felt rather than heard the low rumble of laughter coming up from his chest.

“You scent marking me, Lilenta?”

“I’m not…not sure what I’m doing,” she admitted. She only knew she wanted to be closer, to have his body pressed against hers, to fill her lungs with his delicious scent.

“Well whatever it is, don’t stop.” He pulled her closer and she felt his shaft, like a heated bar of lead against her hip but even that didn’t stop her. She wanted more, needed more and only Baird could give it to her. A soft, needy sound escaped her lips and she tugged at his shoulders, trying to get even greater contact between them.

Baird responded by rolling her under him and covering her completely with his body. A small part of Liv’s brain knew the feeling of him, hot and hard and heavy on top of her, ought to scare her to death. But that part was quickly overruled by the delicious feeling of being pinned beneath him.

“Baird,” she moaned softly as his hot cock branded her belly. “God…”

“Open for me, Lilenta.” His voice was hoarse with desire but there was no question that he was demanding, not asking.

“I…you…you promised. Promised not to,” Liv whispered but she was already spreading her thighs, inviting him in.

“I won’t,” he assured her. “But I need to mark you—rub against you and be sure you’re covered in my scent. Just open yourself for me, Lilenta. I swear I won’t go too far.”

They had already gone too far but Liv’s head was fuzzy with desire and she was finding it increasingly hard to think straight. God, how could he make her lose all her self control so quickly? Somewhere inside she had an idea that she was in a very dangerous position but before her brain could convey that to her body, she had already parted her legs and welcomed him within the cradle of her thighs.

Baird shifted and she felt his cock part the lips of her pussy. He wasn’t trying to enter her but the hot length of his shaft sliding against her sensitive clit was almost more than Liv could bear. She moaned out loud and bucked up against him, feeling the pleasure begin to build again.

“Good. That’s good, Lilenta. Now give me your throat.”

“Wh-what?” Liv looked up at him, her vision gone hazy with lust. “I don’t understand.”

“Raise your chin and bare your throat for me—now.” There was a demanding tone in his deep, growling voice she found it impossible to disobey. Tilting her head, she turned her face to the side and offered him her throat in a display of complete submission.

Baird growled in approval and placed a hot, sucking kiss on the tender skin of her offered throat. “Mine,” Liv heard him mutter as he pulled her even closer, lapping at the sensitive place where her shoulder met her neck and thrusting against her. “Mine, Lilenta. Mine forever and always.”

The possessive words and the heat in his voice should have sent Liv running but instead she felt a thrill go through her. The thrill of being cherished and cared for. The thrill of being owned. God, yes…I’m yours, Baird. Always and forever yours. The words wouldn’t leave her lips—she was too busy moaning as he lapped and sucked at her neck and pressed himself against her in a rocking rhythm that was rapidly pushing her over the edge yet again.

Wrapping her legs around his muscular hips, Liv dug her fingernails into his broad shoulders and rubbed herself against him wantonly. Fear was forgotten. Even the idea of holding out in order to be with the people she loved on Earth was completely eradicated in the mindless barrage of pleasure. Baird was close but not close enough. She needed him closer—needed him in her. Deep inside, filling her, fucking her, making the two of them one.

“Baird,” she pleaded, thrusting up against him. “Please, in me—please!”

“Can’t, Lilenta.” His breathing was ragged as he pressed against her. “Promised you I wouldn’t, remember?”

Somewhere deep inside Liv the rational part of her brain, which had been so conveniently deactivated by intense pleasure, realized he was right. He had promised not to make love to her, not to bond her to him tonight. And at the time, she’d been glad. Now that seemed like utter foolishness. Why would she want him to hold back? How could she not want to feel him inside her, taking her, making her his? She was his bride—his mate. She needed to belong to him completely.

“Please,” she begged shamelessly. “I don’t care what you said. Just do it—do it.”

“Can’t.” He was rubbing against her harder now, faster, as though trying to bring their mutual pleasure to a conclusion. “Let yourself come, Lilenta. Clear your head.”

“I don’t want to clear my head. I want you inside me, now!” Liv tilted her hips and attempted to reach him, wanting to guide the thick shaft that was working against her sensitive clit deep inside her pussy.

“No, you don’t.” Baird caught her hand and brought it up. Then he captured both her wrists and pinned them above her head. “Are you gonna be good or do I have to hold you down?” he growled, his eyes flaring golden as he looked at her.

Liv moaned with need. God, the pleasure he was giving her was amazing and it was growing by the minute but she still wanted more. She felt so empty, so open. But Baird’s grip on her wrists was unbreakable—the harder she struggled, the less she got anywhere. Crying and gasping, she worked herself against him. She might not be able to get what she wanted, but she would damn sure get what she needed and right now she needed to come more than she ever had in her entire life.

Baird seemed to sense her acceptance because he loosened his grip on her wrists and gathered her close against him, wrapping both arms around her and kissing the side of her face as he pushed hard for their conclusion.

“Gods, Lilenta. So soft…so wet,” he groaned as he pressed against her. “Wish I was inside you now. Need you so much.”

“I need you too.” Liv felt like she might cry or explode she was so ready for him. “Please, Baird, please.”

“Can’t, I told you.” He kissed her hard and then more softly before looking into her eyes. “Just let yourself come again and you’ll feel better. Look at me, Lilenta. Let me feel you coming under me.”

The intense eye contact and the low, commanding tone of his voice as much as the delicious friction between them finally sent her over the edge again. As a second, even stronger orgasm crashed down on her, Liv arched her back and cried out her pleasure shamelessly. At the same time she felt Baird getting even harder against her and then, with a low roar, he released in hot, hard spurts against her belly.

God, so intense. Never…can’t… And then none of her thoughts seemed to make sense anymore and everything went grey.

Chapter Sixteen

“Lilenta? Olivia? Are you all right?” The worried voice in her ear pulled Liv back from the foggy grey nothingness where she seemed to be floating.

What happened? Feels like I blew some kind of fuse. Slowly she forced her eyelids open even though they felt like someone had tied lead weights to them. “Baird? What…?” She lifted her head, which was even heavier than her eyelids, and looked down at herself groggily. “Why am I naked? Where am I?”

“Still in our suite on the bed.” There was a concerned frown on his face. “You passed out after you came the second time while I was scent marking you.”

“After you what?” She shook her head, trying to clear it.

“After I rubbed against you to mark you with my scent,” Baird explained. “It’s what I should have been doing the entire first week. If I had, you wouldn’t have had such an extreme reaction when we finally came together.”

“When we…” Liv felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes into the pit of her stomach. “Oh my God, did we have sex? Please tell me we didn’t have sex. Is that why I passed out? Is that part of it?”

A look of pain crossed his face and was gone so fast she thought she might have imagined it. “No, Lilenta,” he said roughly. “I swore I wouldn’t bond you to me this week and I keep my word. I think you were just overwhelmed because you weren’t used to having me touch you, pleasure you. It’s true that bonding and everything that leads up to it can be pretty intense but losing consciousness isn’t usually part of it.”

“What is part of it?” she demanded. “Aside from me losing my mind and turning into some kind of cat-in-heat, begging you to…to…” She shook her head, too embarrassed to go on.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of anything you did or said while we were touching.” Baird’s voice was soft. “It’s just the way your body reacts to mine. We need each other.”

“I don’t believe that.” She looked down at her belly where the evidence of his orgasm was still visible and her heart started galloping again. “You didn’t, uh, get any inside me, did you? Wouldn’t that mean we were bonded?”

Baird shook his head. “There’s a lot more to bonding sex than that.”

Liv sat up unsteadily and reached for the red robe to cover herself with. “Okay, I didn’t want to have to ask you this because it’s so damn embarrassing but after what happened just now, I think I need to know.”

“Ask me what?” Baird frowned.

Liv looked down, busying herself with arranging the robe and trying not to look at him. God, this was so embarrassing but she’d had no luck finding out what the grand finale of this whole song and dance was. She needed to know what was going on before things went too far and she was stuck here forever. “What…” She cleared her throat. “What exactly is bonding sex? I mean, my friend Kat said that according to the contract we signed it’s one step beyond, uh, traditional intercourse—but what does that mean?”

“What do you think it means?” Baird came to sit beside her at the head of the bed where she was leaning against the headboard. It was made of some dark green metal that matched the spread and looked like it should be uncomfortable but it seemed to mold itself to her body like a comforting hand. Which was good. As far as Liv was concerned she needed as much comfort as she could get. “Well?” Baird said, making her realize that she was stalling.

Liv felt a hot blush begin to creep into her cheeks. “I don’t know. All I’ve heard is that you—the Beast Kindred—can go on and on for hours.”

He nodded seriously. “It does take a long time for bonding sex to occur. And it’s longer for my kind because of the mating fist.”

“Excuse me, the what?”

“At the base of our shafts, just here.” Baird was pointing to himself.

Liv bit her lip. Okay, get a grip—it’s not like you haven’t seen it before. Taking a closer look isn’t going to kill you. Taking a deep breath, she leaned a little closer to see what he was talking about. But other than being larger than normal, okay—much larger than normal, Liv amended to herself, he looked pretty much like any other man she’d ever seen.

“I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “I don’t think I’m seeing it.”

“That’s because we’re not touching anymore. Being near you, knowing you’re my mate and the woman I need to bond with, makes me react. But it’s really hard to tell unless we’re in actual physical contact,” he explained.

“Uh, would it help if I…” Liv reached out a hand to touch him, not quite sure why she was doing it. After the wanton display she’d just put on it was obvious that getting too close to Baird was dangerous. And touching him—here of all places—ought to be right up at the top of her Things-to-Never-Ever-Do list. But somehow she couldn’t help herself.

Baird growled softly as she tentatively caressed his length. Despite his earlier orgasm, he was still over halfway hard and the moment Liv touched him he went to full mast immediately. God, he really is huge, she couldn’t help thinking as she stroked slowly down to the base where he had been pointing earlier. His shaft felt hot and hard in her hand but the skin was rose petal soft.

“Here?” she asked, not daring to look in his eyes as she continued to touch him. She could feel herself reacting to the erotic scene that was playing out between them. Her nipples were tight all over again and her sex felt slippery and hot. Baird was hot and hard and perfect in her hand. She’d never thought much of male equipment—it was definitely more functional than aesthetically pleasing. But there was something almost beautiful about him here—the way the clean, strong lines of his muscular body all converged at this point which was all about pleasure and need.

“Lower. Right at the base.” His voice was hoarse with desire and she could feel him trembling slightly under her touch. “Gods, your hand feels good on me, Lilenta.”

“I’m just…just trying to see what you’re talking about,” Liv murmured, wondering if she was trying to excuse her actions to him or herself. But she couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased. Touching him like this, being the one in control and feeling him react to her, was a heady sensation. The fact that she could make such a huge, muscular warrior tremble just from a few light, teasing strokes made her feel powerful in a way she never had before.

“Go a little further and you’ll see. Nothing could make me react more than your soft little hand on me. Nothing but being deep inside you, bonding you, that is.”

Trying not to picture what he was describing, Liv did as he directed, letting her fingers trail down to the very base of his thick shaft. The Kindred didn’t have much in the way of body hair she noted, so it was easy to see what he was talking about when she came to the area he’d indicated. And sure enough, just at the place where his shaft met his body, she felt something different—something not human.

“My God,” she whispered as the area began to swell, forming a kind of ring of flesh that more than doubled the circumference of his shaft. “What…what is that?”

“My mating fist.” Baird’s voice was low and strained and a quick look at his face showed that his eyes were pure molten gold.

“But what…what is it for?” Liv wanted to stop touching him now but she felt almost hypnotized. The ridge of flesh around his base was smooth and firm and seemed hotter than the rest of his body. She tried to wrap her fingers around it and failed—he was much too large now. Like he wasn’t big enough to start with! She was so fascinated that it took her a moment to register Baird’s answer.

“To tie us together when we have bonding sex,” he growled as she touched him. “It won’t fully inflate until the first time I enter you. But when I do—”

“Wait a minute.” Liv looked up from her exploration. “You mean it gets even bigger?”

“It will when I’m inside you, yes. It’s purpose is to fill you and keep us together for as long as it takes for me to bond you to me.”

Her first impulse was to laugh. Surely he had to be joking! “You’re kidding, right?” she said, searching his burning eyes for a clue. “I mean, I’m not a porn star or anything. If we ever had sex—which we are so not going to—but if we did, I’d have a seriously hard time even accommodating your, uh, regular equipment. There’s no way this…” She let her fingers flick over the solid ridge of flesh surrounding the base of his shaft. “Would ever fit in me. No way in hell.”

“Don’t worry about that, Lilenta. I know how tight you are. I was just touching you—remember?” The hunger was burning in his eyes again and Liv felt a flash of shame mixed with desire when she remembered how eager she had been to spread her legs and let him stroke into her. What’s wrong with me? I was really out of control!

“Don’t remind me,” she muttered, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms over her chest. “And how can I not worry when you seem to seriously think you can fit something that size in me? It’s impossible.”

“It’s not impossible,” Baird explained patiently. “As I make love to you the chemicals released by my body will trigger changes in yours and allow you to open yourself to me fully—you’ll feel no pain, only pleasure as we bond.”

“No, I won’t feel pain or pleasure because we are not going to bond,” Liv said, trying to sound firm.

“You’re just frightened, that’s all.” Baird’s voice was a soft growl. “You’ll feel differently when we’re close—when you’re under me, open for me. Then you’ll ache to be filled with my shaft. Every part of it.”

For some reason his words, and the mental image they raised, were frighteningly seductive. There was no way she should want to let him do that to her—no matter what he said it was sure to be a painful experience. But part of her wanted it anyway.

Liv felt a surge of panic. My God, he’s probably right—when he’s got me right where he wants me I’ll probably just give in! What about the way I was acting just a few minutes ago—rubbing against him, begging him to do it? If he hadn’t kept his promise not to I’d be pinned under him right now with him trying to force himself inside me. And God knows how long it could take—hours and hours with no end in sight. Not to mention that I’d be stuck here forever afterwards. I’ve got to stay away from him—far away.

“Lilenta…” Baird reached for her but she shied away.

“No, don’t touch me! In fact, I don’t think we should touch anymore at all.”

Baird frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Liv shook her head, her pulse pounding as all her old fears of being pinned down and helpless under the big alien male came back in a rush. “There’s something about you. I can’t…can’t seem to control myself when you get too close. When you touch me. And don’t tell me it’s my body reacting to yours because we ‘need’ each other again either,” she snapped, when he opened his mouth as if to reply. “I don’t care what causes it, I don’t like being out of control. Don’t like it that I can’t seem to stop myself from…from acting like some kind of animal in heat.”

“I told you this would happen.” Baird shifted on the bed toward her but Liv pulled away again. He sighed and sat back. “Your body is in heat, Lilenta—to a certain extent anyway. And as long as we’re together you’ll get hotter and hotter. Having me inside you is the only thing that will ease you.”

“Well then I guess I’ll just have to manage on my own because there is no way I’m letting you try to get your whole entire uh…self inside me.” Liv’s heart was still racing. “In fact, I don’t think I want you touching me at all anymore. It’s too dangerous.”

Baird’s face was like a thundercloud. “You signed a contract, Olivia. This is our bathing week—you can’t deny me the right to wash you.”

“Exactly—wash me. And that’s it.” Liv lifted her chin defiantly. “I’m pretty sure if I went over that contract with a fine tooth comb there wouldn’t be anything about you being able to rub me with fifty types of oil and lay on top of me and practically hump me through the mattress.”

“I was scent marking you,” he protested. “Gotta do that in order to let other males know you’re mine.”

“I’m not yours,” she flared at him angrily. “And I never will be! So you can wash me—fine, I can’t stop you. But nothing outside the bathing pool. That means no more naked massages with exotic oils. And absolutely no more marking, or whatever you call it.”

“Fine.” Baird was so angry now his eyes were practically glowing. “But if I can’t mark you, then we’re not leaving the suite. Not with you smellin’ so hot and not having any of my scent on you.”

Liv threw up her hands. “Great. Put me under house arrest—I don’t care. Just stay away from me.”

“If that’s how you feel,” he said, his jaw clenched. “I told you once I wasn’t interested in taking what you didn’t want to give.”

“That’s exactly how I feel,” Liv assured him. “And I’m not giving another inch.”

“Fine.” He was still glaring at her but the pain was back in his eyes now—back to stay and Liv knew she was the cause of it. Suddenly she felt horrible.

“Try to understand, Baird,” she pleaded softly. “I never asked for this—for our minds to align or for you to claim me. I never wanted any of it. I just…I just want to go home.”

Baird closed his eyes briefly. “I wish I could let you. But I can’t, Olivia. I need you too damn much. I’m sorry.” He got off the bed and left just as he had the first time he’d brought her into the suite.

Liv sat in the middle of the huge bed and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying not to cry. God, if only she could control herself better around him! It made her feel horrible, like the worst kind of tease to go so far with him and then refuse him anything else. But damn it, she was fighting for her future here! She didn’t want to never see her family again, especially Sophie. She didn’t want to give up the career she’d worked so hard for. Not even for love? whispered a little voice in her head but Liv pushed it away. She didn’t love Baird, despite all the dream-sharing they’d done and the way he made her laugh. Despite the way she felt so safe in his arms—at least until things started getting sexual. All of that, as nice as it was, didn’t add up to love. Did it?

Liv didn’t know but she didn’t intend to stick around and find out.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Baird stood in the ship’s main temple before the statue of the Goddess, looking up at her beautiful, blank face. Because of their three genetic trades, the Kindred had many gods to choose from but the Mother of Life was their original deity—the one they had worshiped back on the Kindred home world before the first trade had ever taken place. Baird’s father, who had been a rare full blooded Kindred with no trades in his heritage, had prayed to her in times of need and taught his sons to do the same. And the gods know I’m certainly in need now, Baird thought ruefully. If only Olivia wasn’t so damn stubborn! If only I could make her see that we need each other.

His thoughts ran in circles as he stood on the green and purple grass. The lush vegetation served as the floor of the temple which was located in the sacred grove. It tickled his bare feet, since he’d removed his boots before stepping on the holy ground.

All around him trees of different variations on the same colors grew. Lavender and mint green leaves mingled with royal purple and emerald bark, filling the grove of the Mother of Life with the warm, resinous scent of growing things. Baird breathed it in, letting the blessed scent fill his lungs and calm him. No matter what deity they worshiped, this temple was a sacred place to all of his people. In fact, the artificial sun that hung overhead and bathed the core of the Kindred ship in golden-green radiance had been patterned off the sun of their home world and specially developed just so these trees would grow.

He sighed, reflecting that he had been hoping to show this part of the ship to Olivia soon. They had only been to restaurants and attractions around the perimeter and near their own suite during their holding week because he hadn’t scent marked her and had wanted to be close to home in case of trouble. He’d thought that after their bathing week she would have enough of his scent on her that it would be safe to take her out to the center of the ship where the three types of Kindred mixed more frequently. But now…he shook his head.

“Warrior, are you in need of counsel?” The soft, creaky voice behind him startled Baird and he turned to see an ancient priestess of the Mother of Life coming toward him. She was one of the extremely rare five percent of his species that were female and in addition to that, he could tell that she was a full blooded Kindred as his father had been. Set in a net of fine wrinkles, her large almond shaped eyes had deep emerald green irises and the whites around them were green also, albeit a paler shade of the color of life. Her hair was white streaked with jade and olive and she wore it loose around her shoulders. Baird knew without even smelling her that she was unmated. Because of their rarity and special abilities, true Kindred females were reverenced by his people and most of them chose to become priestesses of the Mother of Life rather than have a family.

Baird had come to the sacred grove hoping for peace and a way to sort out his feelings without bothering Sylvan again. He hadn’t thought about asking for spiritual guidance but now that he saw the priestess approaching, he felt the appropriate response rise to his lips.

“I have come seeking counsel of the Mother of Life, she who made and nurtures us all,” he said formally.

The priestess came closer, her bare feet whispering over the grass. “You have much sorrow within you. Do you care to speak of it, Warrior?”

Baird scarcely knew where to begin. “It’s my bride—our minds have been aligned these six Earth months and I can tell by her scent that she needs me as much as I need her. But I can’t make her see it. She…refuses me over and over again.”

The priestess frowned. “And this hurts your pride?”

“Hell, yes, it hurts my pride,” Baird burst out. Then he remembered who he was talking too. “Sorry, your holiness. It’s just…it hurts my heart too. I love her so much, need her so much and she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Are you kind to her? Do you honor and respect her? Worship her body with your own?” the priestess demanded.

“Uh…” Baird squirmed uncomfortably. “As much as she’ll let me. She’s, uh, decided that she doesn’t…doesn’t want me to touch her anymore. At least, no more than necessary.”

“She fears you.” It was a statement, not a question.

Baird nodded. “Yeah, I guess she does. Or fears what she’ll lose by giving in to me.”

“What does she fear to lose?” the priestess asked.

“Her family—especially her sister who she loves very much. And her career. She just finished schooling to become some kind of a medic and she wants to be able to use her training.”

The priestess nodded regally. “That is much to give up for the love of a male she’s never seen except in her dreams.”

“I know it is,” Baird said desperately. “But she’s the only one for me—my one true mate.”

“Then what are you prepared to give up for her?” The green-within-green eyes watched him sharply.

“Anything I have to. But it’s not like I can move down to Earth to be with her. The Council has forbidden cohabitation on the planet’s surface until the Scourge is taken care of.”

“Would you wait for her until the war is over?” She raised an olive green eyebrow inquiringly.

“If I had to. But that could take years! And she’s not bonded to me—how could I trust that another wouldn’t win her heart while I was stuck up here without her?” Baird demanded. “I need her—need to bond her to me but she’s determined not to.”

“You present a thorny dilemma.” The priestess stepped forward. “Kneel, Warrior, and let me look into you.”

Baird shifted uncomfortably. “Is that really necessary?”

“Did you come seeking counsel or not?”

“I suppose so.” He frowned. “But I warn you, priestess, you may not like what you see.”

“What I see is what the Mother of Life shows me.” She made a motion to him. “Kneel and let me look.”

Baird knelt before her, trying to keep his posture relaxed though inside he was dreading what was about to happen. Females of the Kindred race had uncharted psychic ability—yet another reason why most of them chose to serve the Mother of Life rather than take a mate. But allowing a priestess into one’s mind was a very uncomfortable experience. He’d endured it when he was first confirmed as a warrior and again when he and Sylvan had chosen to take part in the Earth trade and it wasn’t something he was eager to repeat. Still, he couldn’t ignore the priestess’s demand and maybe she could help him make some sense of his problems with Olivia. Unclenching his fists, he took a deep breath and tried to open himself.

“Very good.” She stepped closer and placed the fingertips of her right hand lightly against his temple. “Now look at me Warrior. Open yourself and let me see.”

Baird tried to do as she asked. As their eyes locked, he felt a soft fluttering inside his head like a thousand wings beating. Then the sensation changed and there were fingers sliding through the cracks in his mind, prying, invading his brain and sifting through his memories like someone might sift through sand at a beach.

He saw his childhood, growing up first on Rageron and then Twin Moons, the loss of his mother and his close bond with Sylvan. His confirmation as a warrior, witnessing his half brother’s pain and rejection on Tranq Prime and their subsequent decision to join the new trade on Earth. Then…the fateful mission when his scout ship had been captured by the Scourge.

Gods, no, don’t want to think about…

But it was too late. He was plunged into darkness, the sour stench of the Fathership filling his nostrils. “Such an interesting flavor this one has. His pain is so unique.” The voice of the AllFather filled his head, harsh and discordant and once again he felt the agony. Sensors all over me, wires coming out of my skin like some kinda damn machine. Leave me alone—let me go! And then the draining pull of the AllFather’s mind focused solely on his own. The overwhelming despair that threatened to drown him as all his memories were twisted, love turned to hatred, pleasure to pain. The huge lighted screen above his head showing him things that had happened in the past but wrong, distorted. He saw himself shouting at his father, killing his brother, and other things too horrible to think of. No, I never did those things. I love them, I wouldn’t…would never…

“Are you sure?” The insidious grating of the AllFather’s voice in his mind was implacable. Slowly but surely Baird could feel himself losing all sense of reality, losing his sanity. Everything was upside down. Every precious memory was warped into something hideous and strange and wrong. He told himself to resist, tried to keep his mental shields strong. But there was nothing the AllFather couldn’t distort. Nothing except…

Olivia… Her mind had found his in the dark pit where the Scourge had chained him. To Baird it had been like looking up into a pitch black sky and seeing the light of a single, brilliant star shining down. He began to dream-share with her, watched her go about her day. The normalcy of her life and her radiant beauty fed him and helped him control the intense pain he felt when the AllFather focused on him. Helped keep his shields strong so that he never let them all the way in, never broke completely. Watching Olivia, feeling her mind linked to his was all that kept him sane.

Baird knew she was seeing him too—he could feel her compassion through their mind link when she saw what was being done to him. And he knew then that he had to escape, had to get away from the Fathership or he would never meet her. Never hold her in his arms and claim her as his bride.

He saw himself waiting for the perfect opportunity. Watched as he ripped the wires that were sucking the life out of him from his skin and used them to strangle the guard who had gotten too close. The desperate game of hide and seek he had played with his captors until he was able to steal a ship and fly away, get back to the Kindred ship where Sylvan waited anxiously, wondering if he would ever be able to function again. Few escaped the clutches of the Scourge and if they did, their minds were usually full of holes and broken memories afterwards. Almost none of them was able to resume their place as a fully functioning member of society.

But Baird had been lucky—he’d had Olivia to pull him through. Because of her he had never given up hope. Because of her he had retained his sanity, his strength. And now that he was free, he needed her. Needed her in his arms, in his bed.

He watched as their claiming ceremony played out, saw the entire last week of his life in fast-forward as he pursued his new bride and she resisted and retreated. He relived the feel of her in his arms, the delicious sensation of having her under him, the heat her soft fingers had raised in him as she caressed his shaft and mating fist. And then their fight, his pain when she refused to let him touch her. Olivia, I love you…Need you so much…my life, my mate, my bride…

And suddenly he was back in the sacred grove kneeling before the priestess of the Mother of Life, knowing she had seen it all.

She drew in a deep breath and removed her fingers from his temple. “You have suffered much, Warrior. Why did you not come to the temple for healing after your escape from the Scourge?”

“Because I don’t like this,” Baird said honestly. “The feeling of somebody else inside my head—I had enough of that with those slimy bastards. Not that it’s as bad when you do it, your holiness, but still, a male should have privacy inside his own mind.”

The priestess frowned. “I understand your reluctance, Warrior, but you should know that delving into the mind of another is no more comfortable for me than it is for you. Some of my sisters call it a curse—the ability to see within a male and know his true thoughts and actions. It is why so many of us choose to dedicate ourselves to the Mother of Life instead of finding a mate. Your memories especially are terrible—some of the worst I have ever seen.”

“I’m sorry.” Baird didn’t know what else to say. He’d had no idea that the process was as uncomfortable to the priestess as it had been for him.

“Do not be.” She patted him on the shoulder. “We each act for the will of the Mother. It is she who decides the fate of us all.”

Baird looked at her eagerly. “And can you see my fate? What will happen with my bride—with Olivia?”

The priestess looked grave. “I wish I could tell you that the way before you is smooth, Warrior. But I fear you have some trials ahead of you.”

“Trials? What trials? What am I supposed to do?”

She closed her green-within-green eyes, a frown crossing her face. “I see a choice you will have to make. A terrible sacrifice. And danger—so much danger.” She opened her eyes and they were troubled. “I fear for you.”

Baird felt a shadow pass over his heart. “What do you fear? It’s not danger to Olivia, is it? I don’t care what happens to me as long as she’s safe.”

“There will be danger for both of you, I am afraid.”

“But what can I do? How can I protect her?”

The priestess shook her head. “I wish I could tell you more but this is all the Mother of Life has given me to see. My own advice to you is to follow your heart. It may be that you will have to lose your bride in order to gain her. And I fear you may lose yourself in the process.”

“What does that mean?” Baird asked in frustration. “How am I supposed to follow advice I can’t even understand?”

She shook her head. “You will have to discover the meaning for yourself. I only pray you will be able to do so before it is too late.” Then she turned and glided away, her bare feet making almost no sound on the sacred grass.

Baird was left kneeling, his head filled with more questions than ever. Damn it, this was what he hated about consulting a priestess. Why couldn’t they just spell things out instead of all this mysterious mumbo-jumbo crap? But the worst thing was, it wasn’t just crap and he knew it. The priestesses of the Mother of Life were never wrong. In the very near future he and Olivia were going to be in danger—what kind he didn’t know.

He just hoped he could keep her safe and get them both out of it alive without losing her forever in the process.

Chapter Seventeen

The rest of the week was incredibly tense. Liv and Baird didn’t speak about their fight but things didn’t exactly go back to normal—or what she’d come to think of as normal, anyway. True to his word, Baird refused to let them leave the suite and toward the end of the week Liv was beginning to go stir crazy. It wasn’t just that she minded being confined to a single set of rooms, although that was bad enough. But there was also the growing attraction between herself and the big warrior to contend with and the more time she spent with Baird, the worse it got.

He warned me it would get worse. I can handle this, she told herself. Forewarned is forearmed. But somehow her determination to hold out and resist got hazy whenever she was near him. And it left her completely every night when it was time for the bathing ceremony. Because Baird insisted on following the contract and washing her in the bathing pool every single night despite the fact that she’d made it clear she didn’t want him anywhere near her.

Of course, there was nothing Liv could do about fulfilling the contract she’d signed. But she wished that just once, she could keep her cool and icy demeanor in place while Baird washed and touched her. Unfortunately, that never seemed to happen, no matter how sternly she talked to herself about not giving in to desire. When he put his big, warm hands on her and washed her bare breasts and stroked between her thighs with his fingers she lost her self control every single time. More often than not, she wound up begging him to take her and Liv knew that only the fact that he had promised not to bond her to him during this week kept Baird from doing just that.

Unfortunately, the end of their second week together was over. The first night of their tasting week was tonight and Liv was pretty sure that the minute Baird was legally allowed to go farther with her he absolutely would.

The worst thing was, she had caught herself wondering, more than once, if it would really be so bad to just give in. She could feel the love in Baird’s hands when he touched her, could see the need in his amber eyes when he looked at her. It was hard to remain unmoved when it was obvious that he had genuine emotions for her. And when she had feelings for him too, though she would scarcely allow herself to admit it.

She might have decided to hell with it and just let matters take their course—she was fighting a losing battle, after all, and she knew it. But there was still something that bothered her. She didn’t like the way she lost control when he touched her, the way she couldn’t remain cool and unfeeling when he washed her in the bathing pool. Liv had never been with a man she couldn’t distance herself from if she wanted to.

Mitch had only ever made halfhearted attempts at foreplay and even the main event with him had been lackluster. Liv hadn’t had a problem putting sex on the backburner with her old fiancé—there was literally nothing to get excited about. But with Baird, she found herself helpless not to feel, unable to block out his need for her and hers for him. He was so gentle and so passionate at the same time. She reacted no matter how hard she tried not to, her body betraying her every time.

There has to be something more to it than just all that crap about the right chemistry and our bodies needing each other that Baird is always talking about, she told herself. There has to be some reason why I can’t say no to him. Why I want him every time he touches me. Why every time he makes me come it doesn’t really satisfy me—it only makes me want him more.

But whatever that something was, she had no idea and she was almost resigned to never finding out. Until Baird told her that he had to leave for a day and a night to attend a conference about the Scourge on the moon.

“I don’t like to leave you like this and I wouldn’t have to if we weren’t still at war.” He sounded apologetic as he got dressed in his uniform, the same tight black pants and deep crimson shirt he’d been wearing when he first claimed her. “I hate like hell to go, especially with things still so up in the air between us.”

Liv was watching him from the bed. “Nothing’s up in the air. You’re determined to keep me and I’m determined to go.”

His face darkened. “You’re not so damn determined when I have you in the bathing pool.”

Liv felt a heated blush creep into her cheeks but she refused to back down. “Be that as it may, what I say or do in the, uh, in the heat of passion doesn’t change how I feel.”

A look that was almost despair crossed over his chiseled features. “Damn it, Olivia, can’t you admit to yourself that you feel for me what I feel for you? Can’t you just try to imagine having a life here with me on the ship?”

“I could…if I didn’t already have a life waiting for me back on Earth.” She sighed. “Look, let’s not fight about this right now. You have to go, fine. I’ll manage okay on my own here.” To be honest she was looking forward to a reprieve from the constant lust she felt while being cooped up with him in close quarters.

He frowned. “I shouldn’t be leavin’ you alone during our claiming period. If I hadn’t had a direct order from my CO—”

“It’s okay, really. I’ll find something to keep me occupied. I’ll try the translator and read one of your books. And I can work the wave well enough to make my own lunch without burning a finger off now.”

“All right, fine.” He looked slightly mollified. “But whatever you do, stay in the suite. Don’t leave for any reason.”

“Yes, sir!” She gave him a mocking salute. “To hear is to obey, oh my lord and master.”

“Lilenta…” He sighed. “This is for your safety. I’m not trying to order you around for the hell of it.”

“No, you just want to make my decisions for me. Stay here, don’t go there. Live the rest of your life on the ship instead of ever seeing your loved ones on Earth again. Why should this be any different?” Liv knew an edge of bitterness had crept into her voice but she couldn’t seem to help it.

Baird scowled. “In time you’ll see that this is best. The only way I can protect you is to keep you close to me.”

“Funny how much being protected feels like being owned.”

“I thought you didn’t want to fight.”

“You started it.” Liv knew it sounded childish but she didn’t care.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Olivia…” Then he shook his head, as though sensing the futility of any argument. He pointed a finger at her instead. “I’m going but I’ll be back tonight in time for the start of our tasting week.”

“You…I’m surprised you want to…to do anything at all.” Liv worked hard to keep the tremble out of her voice but didn’t quite succeed.

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean with you trying to pick a fight at every opportunity and generally resisting me every step of the way? I have news for you, Lilenta, none of that affects the way I feel for you—the way I need you—one bit.” He walked over to the bed where she was sitting on the edge and pulled her to her feet. “I still want you more than any other woman I’ve ever seen. Still need to be inside you, bonding you to me, making you mine,” he growled softly, pulling her close.

“Baird, stop it!” She wanted to beat against his broad chest in protest but she somehow found herself melting against him instead.

“Don’t you want to give me a kiss goodbye?” There was a flicker of bitter amusement in his golden eyes. “No, I guess you don’t. Too bad.” Leaning down, he took her lips in a rough yet tender kiss that took Liv’s breath away. She opened her mouth to protest and he invaded her with his tongue, probing gently but firmly, as though it was his right to explore and claim her. As though he owned her already.

Liv moaned in mingled frustration and desire as she found she was kissing back. As always when she was close to him, in contact with him, her senses were flooded with his warm, spicy scent and her determination to resist him seemed to fly out the window. She could feel her nipples getting hard and her pussy getting hot and wet as Baird twined his fingers through her hair and held her close for the long, leisurely time it took him to explore her completely.

At last he broke away, leaving Liv gasping for air and trembling with need.

“What…why…that really…really wasn’t necessary,” she finally managed to gasp.

“Oh, yes it was. I want you to think of that kiss while I’m gone. Because tonight when I come back, that’s exactly how I’m going to taste you.” His eyes were burning now, molten gold, and Liv couldn’t stop a shiver of lust from running through her.

Down there. He’s talking about tasting me down there, between my thighs. She couldn’t bring herself to think of it more graphically than that without blushing. She’d been with a few other guys—none of them as long as Mitch—but a few. And none of them had been very interested in that particular act. With Mitch, especially, it was as though he thought of it as a distasteful chore he had to get out of the way before he could get to the good part of sex. His attitude had given Liv something of a hang-up about the whole thing and to tell the truth, she really preferred not to go there at all. Or let a man go there, as it were.

So going down was out. When Liv had stopped asking for it, Mitch had been more than happy to leave it out of their admittedly limited sexual repertoire. She’d been a little disappointed but a lot less uncomfortable in the bedroom—it seemed like a fair trade and she’d pretty much decided that no guy really wanted to go there, no matter what they said.

But the look in Baird’s eyes told her differently. The burning need she saw in their golden depths said he wanted to taste her—no, needed to taste her. The hunger in his face, the hard bulge against her thigh as he held her close…He wants to do this almost as much as he wants to make love to me, Liv realized watching the emotions play out on his sharp features. But why?

“Because,” Baird answered and she realized she’d spoken aloud. “I want to make you feel good, Lilenta. Want to taste your pleasure on my tongue as I push you over the edge. Want to feel you pulling my hair and scratching my shoulders as I take you higher and make you come harder than you ever have before.”

Liv tried to keep her cool. “And I suppose this is another Kindred ritual? Some kind of ceremony handed down for generations like the bathing thing?”

He flashed her a grin. “Not really. We just love to do it. Hell, I could go down on you for hours—and I will too, as soon as I get back.” He pulled her forward and gave her another searing kiss before looking her in the eyes. “When I get finished with you, Lilenta, every male within a fifty mile radius will know you’re mine.”

“So that’s what it’s about.” Liv felt a small surge of triumph despite the fact that her heart was still pounding with desire from being so close to him. “You just want to scent mark me—that’s all.”

He frowned. “No, that’s not all. It’s just part of it. Mostly I want to bring you pleasure while I taste your sweet juices. Want to see you spread open for me and hear you call my name while I put my tongue deep in your sweet little pussy.”

Liv bit her lip. There was no denying that his words painted a vivid mental image in her head. Her stomach felt like a flock of butterflies had just taken off inside it. But still…

“I…I think you should know it’s not something I like very much,” she said softly, looking down. “I mean it just doesn’t…do much of anything for me.”

“That’s because you’ve never had a male who knew what he was doing between your thighs before,” Baird said confidently.

Liv frowned. “You’re arrogant, aren’t you?”

“No—I just know what I’m doing.” He gave her a half-lidded glance that made her stomach do flip-flops again. “And I know what I’m talking about. We dream-shared for months, remember? I’ve seen your memories of how other males treated you.”

“You saw me with Mitch?” She felt a sudden flare of embarrassment. “That’s an invasion of my privacy.”

He shrugged. “Can’t help it—when two minds align you see what the dreams show you. You think I would’ve wanted to let you see me where I was? Chained in the belly of the Scourge Fathership with wires comin’ out of me? I wasn’t exactly at my best, Lilenta.” He spoke lightly enough but Liv could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned his own personal season in Hell.

“I felt sorry for you,” she said softly. “I wanted…wished I could help you in some way. Heal you.”

Baird cupped her cheek gently. “And you did. You were my lifeline when I was down in that pit.”

“I’m glad.” Liv frowned. “But I still don’t like the idea of you watching what Mitch and I did.”

“Or didn’t do.” He gave her a level glance. “I saw how he treated you, Lilenta. He didn’t worship you properly with his body or with his tongue. A male who really knows what he’s doing and who wants to pleasure you will spend hours between your thighs, making you come over and over as he drinks your sweet juices. That’s exactly what I want to do to you.”

Liv felt the familiar wire of sexual tension tightening in her belly and had to look away. “I…it just makes me feel…uncomfortable.”

Baird stroked her hair away from her face. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to relax you before I get on my knees before you, Lilenta. Your pleasure will be my first priority.”

Liv knew from experience he was telling the truth. After all, he made her come again and again night after night and never asked for a thing for himself. For all she knew he had the worst case of blue balls in history but he never said a word about it. All he seemed to care about was pleasing her, making her come and holding her as he did it—just as he was now. God, if he doesn’t let go of me soon I’ll be letting him to do it right here, right now and screw the conference he’s supposed to attend. She felt the familiar surge of frustration. Why couldn’t she just say no to him? Why did he affect her so much?

“I guess you won’t stop this time,” she heard herself saying. The words were meant to be bitter but they came out breathless instead. “If I…when I ask you to…to finish it.”

Baird nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I promised not to bond you during our bathing week but when I come back all bets are off. Sorry, Lilenta, but I need you too damn much. Need to be able to hold you and protect you. So yes, if you ask for it, I’m damn well going to give it to you.”

“Baird…” She didn’t know what to say. None of her arguments worked on him. “I…” She shook her head helplessly. “You’re going to be late.”

“Damn it.” He let her go to look at the chronometer on his wrist and Liv sank back down on the bed.

“I guess I’ll see you when I get back. Should I even bother to wear clothes?”

“Lilenta…” He dropped to his knees before her and took her hands. “Please, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Liv lifted her chin. “Yes, it does. I told you before, I’m not giving up without a fight. Now go. I’ll see you later.”

He sighed. “I’ll be thinking of you every moment I’m away. Be well and be safe, Lilenta.” He cupped her cheek and kissed her once more—this time a gentle brush of lips on lips—before rising.

Liv sighed as she watched him leave and heard the front door of the suite hiss shut behind him. God, what was she going to do? She was trapped and the worst thing was, no matter how much she tried not to, she couldn’t help feeling for Baird just as he said. Couldn’t help the shiver of lustful fear that ran through her when she imagined him down on his knees before her, his face buried between her thighs…

Stop it, she scolded herself. You finally have some time to yourself so use it. Try and find a way out of this before it’s too late.

Getting off the bed on legs that were still wobbly from his kisses, she went to do just that.

Two hours later she had to admit that there didn’t appear to be anything in Baird’s personal library about getting out of a claiming contract. Other than breach of contract—which apparently almost never happened—most brides called by Kindred warriors stayed with the male who had called them for the rest of their lives.

“And they all lived happily ever after,” Liv muttered in disgust, shutting the last book that seemed to have any relevance to her situation. Baird kept a lot of his files on minidisks but, like humans, the Kindred had a fondness for handheld books. Of course, when one opened a Kindred book it showed moving pictures of whatever the text was about so it wasn’t exactly the same as an antique paper book from Earth. But it was still nice to be able to hold it instead of reading it off a computer screen.

With a sigh, Liv took off the translator which looked like a pair of wire rimmed glasses with green lenses. They were lightweight and made especially for a human sized head which was nice. If they’d been made on the Kindred scale she never could have kept them from slipping off. When she opened a book, the text was changed by the interface of the translator to her brain and the words on the page appeared in English instead of the strange spiky symbols that the Kindred used as their universal language.

Liv was just deciding to take a long soak in the bathing pool since she couldn’t think of anything else to do when the holo link buzzed. Frowning, she folded the translator glasses and walked over to take the call. Was it Baird calling to tell her something he’d forgotten? Or maybe Sylvan, looking for his brother?

The link wasn’t that different from the holo enabled PC she and Sophie had at their apartment back on Earth but Liv knew from experience that it wouldn’t call anyone off the Kindred ship. She’d tried numerous times and with increasing frustration after Sophie’s cryptic letter until Baird had caught her at it. He’d explained that the link wasn’t made to reach further than the ship so her attempts to contact her sister were futile. Liv hadn’t bothered with it after that because she didn’t know anyone besides Baird and Sylvan on board.

Or do I? The name flashing in the call box at the bottom of the small, square unit that projected 3D images of the caller’s head looked vaguely familiar. Jillian Holms…Jillian Holms. Oh my God! It was the head cheerleader from her high school days—the very one Kat had been talking about on the fateful morning Liv had been drafted and claimed by Baird. Hastily she hit the accept button, hoping Jillian was still there.

She was. Before Liv’s eyes a winking blue dot appeared about a foot above the black cube of the holo link and slowly expanded to show Jillian’s perfect features and flawless skin. There was a reason she’d been voted homecoming queen three years in a row and as she twitched her bouncy honey blonde curls over one shoulder, Liv was reminded why.

“Liv? Livvy, is that you?” the floating head asked, gazing at her.

“Uh, yeah. Yes, it’s me.” Liv suddenly wished she’d taken time to do her hair instead of just putting it back in a pony tail.

“Oh goody!” Jillian squealed, grinning. “I saw your name on the new bride roster and I was so hoping it would be you. It’s so nice to see a familiar face.”

“Likewise.” Liv grinned at her, deciding she didn’t care about her hair. It was true that she and Jillian had never been on much more than a nodding basis in high school but that didn’t matter now. She was another human and she was here, on board the ship. Liv felt a surge of excitement.

“You look wonderful,” Jillian gushed. “Just amazing. I’m so glad to see you again.”

“You look pretty fantastic yourself,” Liv said truthfully.

“Oh, please.” Jillian tossed her hair again. “I guess being bonded to two of the sweetest guys in the universe just agrees with me.”

“Oh, that’s right—you got Twin Kindred, didn’t you?” Liv remembered Kat’s bowlegged impression of the aftereffects of sex with two huge warriors at once and had to smother a smile.

“Uh-huh. Thinks Hard and Sees Much—don’t they have great names? They’re literal translations of their abilities and personalities. It’s a Twin Moons thing. But I just call them Grumpy and Happy—like from the seven dwarves, you know? They’re both just amazingly wonderful and I love them to death.” Jillian grinned. “So how about you? Who are you bonded to?”

“Uh…” Liv didn’t exactly want to admit that she wasn’t truly bonded. “I’m, uh…my guy is a Rager. A Beast Kindred.”

“Ooo!” Jillian shivered. “Omigod, is he an animal in the sack? They say sex with a Beast Kindred is so intense it leaves you sore for like, days afterwards.”

“Really?” Liv raised an eyebrow at her, feeling slightly irritated. “Because that’s what I heard about the Twin Kindred.”

“Well, I mean, it can be a little difficult at first. Especially if you’re not used to, uh, taking two guys at once. And they’re both so big.” Jillian blushed and giggled. “Look, you know I love to dish but this isn’t the way to do it. We need to get together and have some girl talk. What do you say?”

“Sure, I’d love to,” Liv said, thinking that maybe she could get Baird to finally take her out of the suite if she had an excuse to go somewhere. He could hardly deny her a visit with an old high school friend, could he?

“Great,” Jillian said brightly. “I’ll send my coordinates to your suite. If you hurry up we can grab lunch together. Of course, I don’t cook—you remember that from that horrible home-ec class we had together.” She shivered. “But there’s this wonderful little place that does cuisine from the Twin Moons mountain region that’s just to die for and they deliver.”

“Oh, uh, I’m not sure I can today,” Liv said apologetically. “Baird is gone to a conference on the moon and he told me not to leave the suite. He seemed to think it wouldn’t be safe.”

“Pooh.” Jillian made a face. “Silly overprotective alpha males. There’s nothing that will hurt you on board the ship as long as you stay away from the unmated males’ area. Now, I’m looking at your coordinates and it looks like you’re directly across the ship from me. So the fastest thing would be to bring you right through the center. Ooo, have you seen the temple of the Mother of Life yet? Omigod, it’s just gorgeous. I’ll plot you a course that takes you past it so you can grab a peek as you go.”

“But…” Liv shook her head. “Look, Jillian, I hate to disappoint you but I don’t even know how to use the public transportation here. I mean, the ship is huge and Baird has only taken me to places around our area.”

“You don’t have to use the sub-tram,” Jillian said, sounding impatient. “I mean, you’ve got a Take-me, don’t you?”

“Sorry, a what?”

“A Take-me. It’s kind of like a little scooter-type animal thing you ride on? They’re used more in the center of the ship than the perimeter so you might not have seen one yet. I always think they look like that push-me pull-you animal from the Doctor Doolittle books, except for the green fur. Did you read those when you were a kid?”

“I—” Liv started but Jillian steamrolled over her.

“My mom was big into retro-reads and we had the whole set. Anyway, it rests when you’re not using it. Just look for a blue wall panel in the food prep area and push it. It lives off the stuff you put down the waste disposal unit in the sink.”

“Hang on.” Jillian’s chatter was making her dizzy. “Just give me a minute—I’ll go look.” She left the disembodied head hanging above the holo-link and went to the kitchen before Jillian could go off on another tangent. Really shouldn’t be doing this, she told herself as she searched for the wall panel. Well, I’ll just see what she’s talking about. If there is a form of transportation here, I need to know about it in case of emergency. She couldn’t actually imagine an emergency wherein she would have to climb on the back of a push-me pull-you with green fur to escape, but the justification sounded nice.

Sure enough, when she found a small blue square the size of her palm beside the sink and pushed it, a large wall panel, about five by five, slid out of place. Liv looked cautiously into the dim area revealed behind the panel and found herself staring into the big purple eyes of a creature about the size of a large pony—all three of them. The creature made an enquiring humming noise deep in its longish throat and shuffled out into the kitchen. Liv couldn’t help noticing that it had a neck like a llama—or make that two necks. Because right where the creature’s backside should have been, was another long, shaggy neck and head complete with three more large purple eyes. The second mouth appeared to be chewing something—probably whatever she’d shoved down the sink disposal following the breakfast she and Baird had shared.

“Oh, uh, hi.” Liv backed up uneasily but the strange, two headed creature followed her on its six, awkward looking legs. She couldn’t help thinking that the knees bent the wrong way but it seemed to move well enough. “You can…uh, you can go back to your little cave.” Liv made a shooing motion at it which the creature ignored. “I just wanted a look at you, that’s all,” she protested. Turning, she went back to the living area, hoping the Take-me would get the hint. Unfortunately, instead of going back to its home beside the sink, it ambled after her.

“Oh goody, you found it,” Jillian said as soon as the Take-me came into view of her projection. “Bring it here and I’ll give it the coordinates.”

“Jillian, I really don’t know. Baird said—”

“Poo—are you seriously going to let him tell you what to do? I tell you, Livvy, these Kindred guys are great but if you let them they’ll keep you locked away day and night. Mostly in bed.” She giggled. “I mean, they’re just so overprotective it’s ridiculous so you have got to take a stand and come see me. I’d come to you but our Take-me is having a check-up right now. I think maybe I shouldn’t have fed it banana peels but how was I supposed to know they could have allergies to Earth food?”

“Well…” Liv thought of how long she’d been cooped up in the small suite. The truth was she was dying to get out. Her first week with Baird, when they’d gone on so many dates, had been much less complicated and tense and a lot more fun. Besides, he’ll be gone to that conference until tomorrow and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. “It would be nice to see more of the ship,” she said cautiously, thinking aloud.

“Now you’re talking!” Jillian beamed at her. “Great, I am just dying for some female companionship. I mean, my guys are wonderful but when I start talking shoes their eyes just kind of glaze over, you know?”

Privately Liv thought she probably wouldn’t be much better in that area since she didn’t have much of a shoe fetish herself. But maybe I can find out some other things from Jillian. She’s been here longer than me. That thought more than anything else completely made up her mind. “All right,” she said, smiling at Jillian’s disembodied head. “How do I get to your place in time for lunch?”

Chapter Eighteen

The Take-me was surprisingly fast. Despite its wrong-way bending knees, the six shaggy legs could really move, making it a bit of a challenge to hold on to. Liv had ridden a horse before but sitting on the sloping back of the Take-me was different in the extreme. It had a natural dip in its long torso that seemed to conform to her body and make a kind of saddle, so she didn’t really worry about falling off, but its swaying gait still took some getting used to. She did wonder how Baird could ride it though. He was so much bigger than her that his feet would drag the ground—why keep what amounted to a compact car when you were built for an SUV?

But her questions were soon driven out of her head when the Take-me finished navigating the twisting metal corridors and they reached the center of the ship.

“A sun—they actually have a sun up there.” Liv squinted in amazement at the round bright green ball casting emerald light over the large garden-like area that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. There were eateries serving all kinds of food and hundreds of tiny, quaint looking shops edging the perimeter of the park-like center of the ship. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the huge Kindred warriors walking by and the green sunlight, it might have seemed like any tourist town she’d ever been to. As it was, Liv felt like Dorothy finally reaching the Emerald City. “Amazing,” she breathed as the Take-me trundled along the clearly marked pathway right through the middle of the center vegetation.

There were people in the park-like area too, hiking, picnicking on the green and purple grass, and generally enjoying themselves. It was mostly couples, Liv saw, although there were some families there as well. The children were all little boys—the Kindred gene that caused ninety-five percent of their offspring to be male was a dominant one that almost always bred true. Watching them play, Liv couldn’t help wondering what her son would look like, if she and Baird had one. Would he have his father’s golden eyes and dark hair? Would he be as big as the Kindred males from the other genetic trades or have more Earth-normal proportions? She’d always wanted a little boy, whenever she did get around to having kids and Baird would be a strong and patient father…

Stop it, Liv, she scolded herself. You’re supposed to be trying to get away from the guy, not planning to have his babies! Yet she couldn’t help sighing when she saw one of the Beast Kindred males who looked a little like Baird handling a tiny infant. He had the baby over one powerful shoulder and was patting and rubbing its back gently, obviously trying to coax out a burp. Beside him his bride, a lovely Asian girl with almond shaped eyes, was smiling maternally.

The girl was extremely petite, probably not even five feet tall, while her husband was almost Baird’s size. After Liv peeled her gaze away from their baby she couldn’t help eyeing them uncertainly. How had such a tiny woman accommodated a man as large as her Kindred husband? He was a Beast Kindred so he must have the same equipment Baird did. Maybe it wasn’t as big? Of course, Baird had said his body could make chemicals that would help a female adjust and open for him. For his mating fist…

Just thinking about Baird’s unique anatomy made her blush and look away from the happy family scene but not before she saw the Kindred father noticing her. He had a frown on his face and he was sniffing the air, as though he smelled something in the air. Liv wasn’t sure what to think of that but by then she was already past them and into a different part of what she was beginning to think of as the Kindred version of Central Park.

The temple of the Mother of Life was, as promised, beautiful, although like no other place of worship Liv had ever seen. The trees with their many different shades of green and purple leaves were gorgeous and she wished she could get down and wander among them for awhile. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to stop the Take-me and she didn’t want to try getting off while it was ambling along at its deceptively fast rate so she remained seated on her swaying mount. I wonder if I can get Baird to take me here when he gets back? she thought wistfully as the lovely temple faded into the distance. Wish we could get out and do more instead of staying cooped up in the suite. Just because we’re fighting shouldn’t mean we have to stay in all the time.

Coming out on the other side of the park area she expected to see more shops and eateries—and she did—to her right, anyway. To her left was a decidedly different area of the Kindred ship. The shops were darker and closer together and there were various signs in the spiky, angular Kindred language that were flashing on and off, as though to draw attention to whatever they were selling inside. Liv also didn’t see any more families or couples. There were only males going into the shops and none of them looked particularly happy. In fact, if she had to characterize the look on their faces she would have called it hungry, although maybe not for food. What’s going on over there? Whatever it is I don’t think I want to know.

She shivered. Despite the pale green sunlight, this area of the ship seemed darker somehow, more forbidding. Dangerous. As the Take-me ambled past it, she tried not to look at any of the warriors entering and leaving the mysterious shops but she couldn’t help noticing that they were certainly looking at her. Several of them stared at her and lifted their heads, breathing deeply as though scenting the air. Weird… Liv shivered again and then, thankfully, she was past the area and the Take-me was entering a familiar looking warren of blank metal corridors.

This was the area where most of the mated Twin Kindred lived and Liv was looking forward to seeing some up close since they were the only kind of Kindred she hadn’t met yet. She’d mostly seen Beast Kindred and the occasional Blood Kindred, like Sylvan, in the area where she and Baird were staying. She wondered if Jillian would dish more on having two husbands and how in the world such a three-way relationship worked. Liv could kind of see having a ménage a trois with two hot guys—she’d read it was the number one female fantasy in some woman’s magazine or other. But to actually marry two men and try to keep both of them happy all the time? It can’t be easy, she thought as the Take-me came to a stop in front of a flat silver panel door that looked the same as her own. Well, here goes.

Leaning forward, she reached past the Take-me’s forward looking head and rapped sharply on the metal door. It slid open at once and there was Jillian Holms, looking only a little different than she had in high school.

“Livvy!” she squealed, opening her arms for a big hug. “Get off the Take-me and come here.”

“Uh…” It had taken a certain amount of maneuvering to get up on the shaggy green animal in the first place and Liv didn’t want to fall on her face getting off it. Awkwardly, she began to clamber down but Jillian stopped her.

“Wait a minute—why are you doing it the hard way? Make it smaller before you try to get down.”

“Make it smaller?” Liv stared at her blankly. “How?”

“Like this.” Jillian addressed the two-headed creature sternly. “Take-me, half-as-big.”

Liv gasped in dismay as the furry green back under her bottom suddenly began to shrink. In a second she was left standing with her legs still spread wide and a Take-me no bigger than a large dog between them.

“I…I didn’t know it could do that.” Liv stepped carefully away from the placid creature who was looking up at her patiently with all six of its big purple eyes. “Can it get twice as big too?”

“It can be any size you want—well, up to a point. The Take-mes can compress and expand their mass almost infinitely but you wouldn’t want to make it too big to fit in the ship, of course. Now come on.” Jillian tugged on her arm. “We don’t have all day and I’m dying to catch up with you.”

Liv allowed herself to be led into the suite Jillian shared with her two husbands and the Take-me ambled in after them. Jillian put it in with her own Take-me which had apparently just come back from the Kindred version of the vet. It seemed to have a longer back than Liv’s. “It’s a three person model—bred especially for Twin Kindred families,” she explained when she saw Liv staring. “Speaking of which, you haven’t lived until you’ve done it on a Take-me. The way they rock when they walk…” She trailed off giggling. “But I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“Well, no, actually. I had no idea there was any such animal, er, form of transportation, until you told me,” Liv reminded her.

Jillian frowned. “Oh, that’s right. So strange that your guy hasn’t taken you on your Take-me to see the rest of the ship yet.”

Liv felt uncomfortable. “Well, we’ve kind of been staying in a lot. Our, uh, claiming period isn’t even over yet—in fact, this is just the beginning of our third week.” She was not going to say tasting week but she didn’t have to because Jillian said it for her.

“Oh, your tasting week. Well, if your guy is anything like mine are, you’re in for a big treat.” She giggled.

“Right. Can’t wait,” Liv mumbled.

“My goodness, I didn’t realize you were that new to the ship.” Jillian’s eyes widened and she tossed her perfect hair over her shoulder. “I can’t believe he even let you out of his sight.”

“Well, like I told you, he’s away at some conference on the Moon.” Liv shrugged. “And I figured, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Jillian grinned. “That’s the spirit! Well, anyway, make yourself at home. The food got here right before you did and I’m dishing it up right now.”

“Can I use your restroom?” Liv asked. Swaying on the back of the Take-me for the past hour with no hope of getting off had made her have to go.

“Sure. Down the hall and to the right. Look around if you want—all the suites are decorated pretty much the same with us brides in mind. They want us to feel at home, I guess although from what my guys say, our concept of furniture is kind of strange to them. Did you know on Twin Moons they eat lying down and sleep sitting up? So weird.”

“Yeah, that is weird.” Liv really had to go now. Making an excuse to get away from Jillian’s chattering, she ducked down the hall and went to find the bathroom.

As far as she could tell, Jillian was right about the decoration. Her suite appeared to be done in the same style as the one Liv was sharing with Baird. The one different was that the massive furniture seemed to be even bigger. Of course, she thought as she peeked her head into the doorway of the bedroom and saw a bed so immense it dwarfed the one she and Baird slept in. Everything is built for three.

The bathing pool was larger too—to the point where you could almost do laps in it. For a minute Liv wished for one that size and then she remembered that in order to get one, she would have had to put up with two huge Kindred warriors instead of one. No thanks, guess I’ll keep the one I have, she thought with a little shiver.

After she finished in the bathroom, she found her way out to the living area which was just off the main hallway where she’d entered. There was a couch that was half again as long as the one Baird had but at least it didn’t have a creepy living blanket on it. Liv still refused to sit on the fuzzy blue couch cover, although Baird had explained several times that it actually liked to be used.

In Liv’s opinion, household objects should not be able to fondle you or decide that they wanted you to use them. But the Kindred, being genetic traders, had developed a distressingly large amount of appliances that were alive and all too aware of their surroundings. Like that Touch-U thing…ugh! Just remembering the way the black massage mat had molested her still made Liv shiver. Well, at least there are a few useful and easy to use things. The Take-me was relatively simple and now that I know how to make it bigger or smaller even mounting and dismounting should be no problem.

Stepping around the couch she saw a display of wall mounted holo frames, each displaying Jillian with two huge Kindred males. To Liv’s surprise, one of them had dark blond hair and green eyes while the other had brown hair and brown eyes.

“Those are my guys,” Jillian said from behind her, making Liv jump. “Aren’t they handsome?”

“Yes, they are,” she said honestly. “But, uh, I thought they were supposed to be twins.”

“Yes, but not identical—fraternal. Otherwise, how would you ever tell them apart?” Jillian giggled. “Now this one is Happy.” She pointed at the blonde warrior who was slightly shorter than his brother. Not that a few inches mattered one way or another since both of them were over six four.

“And you call him that because…?”

“He’s the cheerful one—the light twin,” Jillian explained. “They’re like two halves of a whole, you know. So you always have a light twin and a dark twin—they compliment each other. Now that one,” She pointed to the Kindred male with the dark brown hair. “Is Grumpy, the dark twin. It took me a little while to warm up to him. But once I did…let’s just say he’s very…intense in the bedroom.” She gave a little mock shiver and grinned at Liv. “What do you think?”

“I think you make a lovely couple…er, threesome,” Liv corrected herself hastily. “You look, uh, very happy together.”

“Oh, we are.” Jillian was positively beaming. “In fact, we’re already trying for a baby. But of course, that’s not exactly easy with the Twin Kindred. What with the way we have to…I mean, they both have to, you know, at the same time. You know?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.” Liv really didn’t want to go into the details. “I’m really looking forward to trying Twin Moon’s cuisine,” she said, hoping to change the subject. To her relief, it worked.

“Omigod, the food—I left it out by itself. Come on.” Jillian grabbed her by the hand and dragged her back to the food prep area.

Once they were settled at the massive table with a circular bench running all the way around it, she proceeded to serve Liv something that looked like a heaping plate of pale orange spaghetti.

“Pasta?” Liv poked at the noodles experimentally with her fork and then gasped when several of them reared up off the plate and poked back.

Jillian laughed. “It’s not exactly pasta although I know it looks like that.”

“But…it’s alive.” Liv laid down her fork and stared at her plate in horror.

“Well, of course it’s alive, silly. You can’t kill Grieza worms until you’re just about to eat them or you’ll lose their delicious fresh flavor.”

“Uh, I think I’ll pass, thanks.” Liv was in the act of pushing the plate away—very carefully because she didn’t want any of the pasta-worms coming after her—when Jillian stopped her.

“Come on now, Livvy—I know it takes some getting used to but believe me, they’re delicious. And look, the sauce that comes with them kills them on contact. See?” She picked up a blue metal rectangular pitcher with a long curling spout and poured a thin stream of pale bluish-green oil over the twitching strands on her plate. The pasta-worms shivered and turned a bright green color. When Jillian stirred them with her fork, not a single one so much at twitched. “Perfect!” Jillian sounded delighted and proceeded to dig in.

“This is some kind of a joke, right?” Liv asked uncertainly as Jillian poked a large forkful of the recently deceased worms into her mouth.

“Uh-uh.” Jillian swallowed and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “C’mon, Livvy, live a little. Hasn’t your honey been cooking for you at all? My guys love to cook for me—sometimes they fight over the privilege.” She grinned. “Of course that’s only because I reward them so nicely afterwards.”

“Yes, Baird cooks,” Liv admitted. “And it’s not all Earth food. In fact, he’d made quite a lot of Kindred dishes for me. But I, uh, kind of asked him not to tell me everything he was cooking.”

“You did?” Jillian frowned. “But that means you’re missing out on half the experience. I mean, the whole point of being up here is to learn their culture so we can understand them. That and the amazingly hot sex, that is.” She giggled.

“Maybe they should spend some time trying to understand us.” Liv crossed her arms over her chest.

“Honey, they’ve been studying us for ages.”

“They have?”

Jillian nodded and took another big bite of her pasta, making an ecstatic mmm sound before continuing. “I mean, think about it, they’re genetic traders. They want to know what they’re getting into before they propose a trade. Why do you think the ship is so easy to get around in? I mean, they could have made it a lot more difficult just by conforming to their own standards of comfort but they designed it to make the Earth brides comfortable.”

“Really?” Jillian thought back to her first night in Baird’s suite. Everything had seemed strange and frightening at the time but she had to admit she’d been able to tell what each room was used for. The kitchen even had a refrigerator and a stove of sorts. Who knew how Baird’s people cooked and stored food back on their home planet? For all she knew they buried it in a cold hole in the ground and seared it on lava rocks or something. She’d never considered that Baird might be living in an environment that was alien to him as well, in order to make her feel more comfortable. But now that she thought about it…

“Really,” Jillian said, breaking into her train of thought. “And since they’re so into learning about us, I figure the least we can do is give their culture a shot. Some things are easy to adapt to—I mean, I never want to live anywhere without a bathing pool again, you know? Other things are a little harder.”

“Like the uh, what did you call them?” Liv gestured at her plate.

“The Grieza worms,” Jillian said, taking another forkful. “Go on, try them, Livvy. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Well…” Liv hesitated, feeling torn. On one hand, she was almost ashamed of herself. She’d been so determined to resist Baird that she’d been closing her eyes to his entire culture. Who would have thought that ditzy Jillian Holms would be more open minded than her? On the other hand, those were freaking worms on her plate. Lots of Earth cultures eat insects and other weird things, she reminded herself. Besides, I never expected to like sushi when I first tried it and now it’s one of my favorite foods. “All right,” she said at last. “Pass the poison sauce. I’m going to kill these suckers good and dead before I dig in.”

“That’s the spirit.” Jillian laughed and handed her the rectangular pitcher with the strange spiral spout. Liv took it and doused the pale orange pasta-worms on her plate liberally with the thin blue-green oil. When they were bright green and didn’t move when she poked them, she felt better. But only marginally. After all, she still had what amounted to a plateful of freshly killed raw worms. Grimly she wound some of the long thin strands around her fork and lifted the dripping mass to her mouth. Come on, she told herself. It can’t be worse than Baird’s first attempt at pizza! Closing her eyes tight, she shoved the worms in her mouth and began to chew.

At first she was so intent on not spitting out what she’d just put in her mouth that Liv couldn’t taste a thing. But after a moment the flavor exploded across her tongue and it was…Sweet. It’s actually sweet! The Grieza worms seemed to melt on her tongue, filling her mouth with a taste like the richest, most decadent chocolate she’d ever had. There were other flavors mixed in, a hint of something like mint and something else like citrus and raspberries and almonds but the main flavor was definitely chocolate.

“See, didn’t I tell you?” Jillian grinned at her delightedly. “It’s like Godiva died and went to heaven in your mouth, right?”

“It’s…pretty damn amazing,” Liv admitted, swallowing and reaching for another forkful. The taste was instantly addictive and she wanted more no matter where it came from. “Why didn’t you tell me they tasted like chocolate?” she demanded after she finished another forkful.

“It’s better if you find out for yourself.” Jillian dug into her own plateful of chocolate pasta-worms happily. “I didn’t believe it myself until my guys got me to try them. Now I can’t get enough of them. And you know the best part? They’re pure protein—no fat and really low calories. You can practically eat as much as you want and not gain an ounce.”

“Wow,” Liv mumbled around another mouthful. She knew she was being rude but she didn’t want to stop eating long enough to really talk. The weird looking Grieza worms were literally the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. Go figure.

They ate in silence for a moment until both plates were completely clean. Unlike eating real chocolate, the Grieza worms tasted decadent but weren’t too rich too eat a lot of at one sitting. Though she was alarmingly full when her plate was clean, Liv thought she cheerfully could have asked for seconds. However, she didn’t want to be rude so she just smiled at Jillian. “Thanks for getting me to try that. It was amazing.”

“I knew you’d like it.” Jillian smiled. “Seriously, I gave up a lot to leave Earth and be with my guys but between the hot sex every night and the Grieza worms it was totally worth it.”

“You really think so?” Liv looked at her closely. “I mean, didn’t you leave family behind? People you loved? And now you can never see them except once or twice a year.”

“It’s a little rough,” Jillian admitted, pouring Liv a glass of wine. “I’m really close to my mom and she cried and cried when I got drafted. Actually, both of us did. At first I was determined to resist but, well…” She shrugged. “The guys are just so sweet. I mean, they think the sun just rises and sets on me. It’s hard to resist that kind of devotion.”

“Baird seems really, uh, devoted to me, too,” Liv admitted. “He’s always really patient.” And I’ve really been trying his patience lately. But she was ashamed to say that out loud. Jillian seemed so happy and well adjusted here on the Kindred ship. It was hard to admit that she herself wasn’t. Only because you won’t let yourself be. But she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

“It’s funny you should say that because Beast Kindred have a reputation of being really impatient. Very fiery and impetuous—especially if they feel like they’re bride is threatened. Of course, that last pretty much goes for all Kindred. Don’t you think it’s kind of romantic to be with a guy who would fight to the death to keep you safe?” Jillian sighed happily. “I mean, my last boyfriend on Earth was nice—he bought me everything I wanted, had his own yacht—you name it. But he never really had time for me. If I complained or wanted to talk he just threw more money at me. It got really boring after awhile. Not to mention that his bedroom technique was, shall we say, lacking.” She giggled. “And I have to say I have no complaints about the guys in that department. What about Baird? Is he amazing in bed?”

“Uh…” Liv didn’t actually want to admit she hadn’t done the deed with him yet. “He’s really focused on my pleasure,” she said carefully. “He seems to be a lot more interested in making me happy than, uh, getting happy himself if you know what I mean.”

“I do—I know exactly what you mean. My guys are the same way,” Jillian said excitedly.

“Still?” Liv raised an eyebrow at her. “I guess I just thought, I don’t know, that maybe the whole ‘put your woman’s pleasure first’ routine was only for the, uh, courting stage of the relationship.”

“Oh no.” Jillian shook her head. “Believe me, the Kindred are devoted to their brides all their lives. Their whole culture reveres women—that’s why they worship a Goddess—the Mother of All Life. I don’t think you could find a single society in all of Earth that’s more into pleasing and protecting their females. It’s really amazing.”

“I guess so,” Liv said slowly. “Baird is very protective.”

“My guys too.” Jillian nodded. “And they want to spend hours and hours making me, well, you know…” She blushed and giggled. “But it’s not just that—afterwards we talk—for hours sometimes. That’s how I learned so much about their planet. They miss it, you know. The ship really isn’t home to any of them either but they came here to take part in the new trade and find brides. One of them, Thinks Hard, told me that even if he never saw his home world again he would consider it worth it because he and Sees Much had won me as their bride.” She put a hand to her chest. “Isn’t that romantic?”

Liv had to admit it was. “Baird seems to feel like we had a connection a long time before we met,” she said cautiously.

“Because of the dream-sharing, of course. I always say that’s better than a background check any day because let me tell you, dreams don’t lie. What you see is what you get.”

Liv thought of the dark man she’d seen in her dreams. The way her heart had ached for him, the way she’d wanted to heal him. Then she thought of the gentle way Baird touched her and the despair on his face when he’d asked why she couldn’t admit her feelings for him. Suddenly she felt like crying.

“Anyway, are you ready for dessert?” Jillian chirped, obviously unaware of her internal struggle.

Liv glanced at her empty plate, trying to push down the tears that threatened. “I thought we already had it.”

“Nope.” Jillian hopped up perkily. “Just wait right here.” A moment later she was back with a large clear bowl filled with greenish-blue globe-like fruits that were somewhere between a grape and a plum in size. “These are twin fruits—see?” She picked one up and Liv saw that it was stuck to another one. In fact, all the fruits were doubled and flecked with a light dew of condensation. They looked cold and juicy and absolutely delicious.

“They look great,” she said, reaching for one of the conjoined fruits and taking a big bite. Her mouth was immediately filled with a sour, bitter taste like lemon juice and aspirin. “Ugh!” It was all Liv could to do not to spit out the bite.

“Ooo—sorry!” Jillian said anxiously. “I should have warned you right away—you don’t eat the flesh of the twin fruit, you eat the pit.”

“The pit?” Liv managed to say after choking down the tart, bitter bite. “Really?”

“Like this.” Jillian picked up one of the fruits and peeled back the blue-green skin and juicy flesh expertly, exposing two rounded pits that looked a little like very large black pearls. She popped them both into her mouth and crunched contentedly before nodding at Liv. “Now you try.”

Doubtfully, Liv picked up her fruit and peeled away the ripe flesh just as Jillian had done. She decided to start with one of the pits instead of eating both but once she popped the first into her mouth she changed her mind and ate the other as well. “Mmm…” she said, swallowing. “Has a texture like pecans—”

“And a flavor like spiced peaches,” Jillian finished for her. “And once again, hardly any fat.”

“It reminds me of my grandma’s peach apple crumble.” Liv helped herself to another double fruit. “Really good.”

“I know.” Jillian sighed happily and reached into the bowl again. “Oh, look—a three part one!” she exclaimed, pulling out a fruit that had three globes joined together instead of two. “Oh, I have to save this one for my guys. It’s considered very good luck to find one—like finding a four leaf clover on Earth, you know?”

“Why is that?” Liv asked, taking another fruit for herself. In their own way, the twin fruit were almost as addictive as the Grieza worms.

“It means happiness between you and your spouses. Anything in threes is considered unusual and lucky in Twin Moons culture. That’s where the Take-me’s originally came from. They domesticated them because of their three eyes on each head, you know?”

“Mmm.” Liv sighed and sat back some. “No more. I was already full and now I’m just making a pig of myself.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Jillian giggled again and then glanced at the chronometer she wore on her wrist. cocked her head to one side. “Hang on—I promised my mom I’d call her around this time. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Uh, no—of course not.” Liv watched, mystified, as her hostess hopped up from the table and fetched a thin silver wire. Placing the wire around her forehead and pressing it against her temples, she closed her eyes and began to murmur in a low voice.

“Mom? Everything okay down there?” What she heard seemed to reassure her because she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I know Lucy’s wedding is in a few days and don’t worry—the guys and I will be there. The Council agreed that a mating ceremony was an important enough event to grant a special pass for. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Look, Mom, I kind of have company right now. Can I call you back in a few? Okay, yeah, I promise. Love you too. Bye.”

Opening her eyes, Jillian slipped the thin sliver wire off her head and laid it carefully on the table. “That was my mom—she’s going nuts trying to plan my little sister’s wedding and she’s constantly wanting to talk about the details. Makes me so glad the Kindred don’t do big ceremonies—although they will if you want them too. They’re really good about being accommodating on a girl’s special day, you know?”

Liv was less interested in what Jillian’s mother had had to say than she was in exactly how she’d said it. “What is that thing?” she asked, pointing to the circular silver filament. “I mean, how does it work? Are you the only one who can use it? Do only the Twin Kindred have them or what?”

“What, a Think-me?” Jillian picked it up delicately between thumb and forefinger. “No, of course not. All Kindred households have one. It’s like their version of a cell phone.”

Liv frowned. “But I thought there was no way to talk to anyone back on Earth. Baird told me the holo-link only worked on board ship.”

“Oh, it does. That’s because it’s for formal communication, between people who don’t know each other very well. It’s considered very rude to bespeak someone you don’t already have a relationship with.”

“But you just talked, uh, thought to your mom,” Liv objected. “Or, uh, bespoke her, I guess.”

“Well, she’s my mom. I mean, of course I know her well enough to bespeak her.”

“Yes, but I mean, she’s on Earth, right? So how can you contact her?”

“Well, technically you’re not really supposed to.” Jillian looked a bit guilty. “But I was so sad about never getting to see her that my guys made an exception for me. Honestly, I got the impression that lots of the Kindred are doing that—letting their brides use the Think-me, I mean. It’s kind of an open secret, you know?”

“Well, it was a closed secret to me.” Liv shook her head. “Baird never said a thing about it.”

“He can’t during the claiming period. A bride isn’t allowed to have any contact with her family during the entire thirty days,” Jillian explained. “Of course if you have someone you really want to talk to…”

“I do, I really do,” Liv said eagerly, thinking of Sophie’s cryptic letter. “My sister—you remember Sophie?”

“Of course—we were all in that horrible Mrs. Tanner’s home-ec class together, right? Go ahead.” Jillian handed her the wire circlet. “Just put it on and make sure it’s touching your temples. Then think really hard of the person you want to contact. Oh, and be sure you let them know right off the bat they’re not going crazy. I nearly gave my poor mom a stroke the first time I started talking right in her head. She thought she was hearing voices—and not in a good way.” She laughed.

“You mean it? You don’t mind?” Liv was already fitting the thin silver wire over her head and pressing it against her temples.

“Of course not—I know what it’s like to be homesick. Just don’t tell anyone or we could get in trouble.” Jillian looked suddenly worried. “Keep it short, okay?”

Seeing the worried look on the other woman’s face, Liv almost took the silver wire off her head. But the urge to contact her twin and make sure she was all right, not to mention finding out what the letter she’d sent meant was too strong. “I’ll be quick,” she promised. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated. “Sophie? Sophie can you hear me?”

Chapter Nineteen

“Sophie? Can you hear me?”

Sophia blinked and looked around her studio. It was really just a spare room in their townhouse she’d converted with drop cloths and an easel but the light was good and she’d done some of her best work here. Not that anything was coming out right now, not since Liv had left. Come to think of it, that voice had sounded just like—

“Sophie?” whispered the voice in her head again. This time Sophie was sure it wasn’t her imagination.

“Liv?” she asked tentatively. “Uh, where are you? Are you like, invisible or something?” She knew it sounded weird but who knew what was possible with alien technology?

The voice in her head laughed. “Hardly. I’m just contacting you from the Kindred ship using a Think-me. Like a Kindred cell phone.”

“Oh. Okay.” Then it really hit her. “Liv! It’s so good to hear from you! I miss you so much!”

“I miss you too, womb-mate.” Her sister sounded wistful. “How are things on planet Earth?”

“Horrible,” Sophie said frankly. “The summer is dragging and Kat and I are bored stiff without you. Not to mention my art’s coming out like crap.”

“What? You do fabulous art—your paintings are gorgeous. What’s the matter? Don’t you have any inspiration?”

“Too much inspiration is more like it. For some reason I keep painting the same thing over and over again.”

“What are you painting?”

“More like who.” Sophia blushed, looking at the half finished canvas in front of her. She really hoped her sister couldn’t see her as well as hear her.

“Who, then?”

“Well…” Suddenly Sophie had a horrible thought. “Liv, you’re not, uh, calling me to tell me you’re giving up, are you?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

The answer was immediate. “No, of course not. You know I’m not a quitter.”

“So you haven’t, uh, bonded with him?”

“No…” There was a longish pause and Sophie knew if her sister was right in front of her, she’d be able to see Liv nibbling her bottom lip—a habit she had when she was nervous or indecisive.

“Liv, what is it?”

“It’s just…Baird is not so bad when you get to know him. And I have to be honest, I’m finding him er…harder and harder to resist.”

Sophie slapped herself on the forehead, heedless of the yellow paint on her hand. “Oh my God, that reminds me—I have to warn you.”

“Warn me of what?”

“I’m so stupid, just chatting away and not even thinking when I’ve been dying to get in touch with you.”

“Does this have anything to do with the letter you sent me? ‘A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet.’ What was that all about, anyway?”

“It’s about Baird. Liv, you can’t trust him!”

“Why not?” Liv’s tone sounded worried.

“Well for starters, did you know he was in some kind of horrible Scourge prison camp only three days before he claimed you?”

“Well, yeah, I knew that. So?”

“So?” Sophie asked the empty air impatiently, wishing she could grab Liv and shake her. “So, he could have like post traumatic stress disorder. He might attack you at any time!”

“I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Liv said dryly. “For all the Beast Kindred’s scary reputation, he’s one of the most controlled people I’ve ever met. I mean, you wouldn’t believe…uh, never mind. Anyway, he’s very in control of himself. Was that all you wanted to warn me about?”

“Not nearly.” Sophie waved her brush in the air in agitation. “There’s something else too and it’s really important. What do you know about something called a mating scent?”

“Mating scent?” Sophie could almost see her sister shrug. “Uh, I may have heard the term. I know the Kindred place a lot of importance on smells.”

“That’s because they use them to seduce their brides. When a Kindred warrior claims a woman as his own, his body immediately begins making a pheromone that’s specifically tailored to her DNA,” Sophie said rapidly, quoting as well as she could remember from what Sylvan had told her.

“Well, Baird does smell really good. But…so?”

“So? So, it’s irresistible. I mean, it makes him irresistible to you. Remember how we were wondering why nobody ever turned the Kindred down and came back to Earth? This is why, Liv—they can’t help themselves. His mating scent is like a drug and you’re being subjected to it every minute you’re with him!”

Sophie was panting she was so upset but on the other end of whatever strange connection they had there was a lengthy silence. It went on for so long that she began to wonder if her twin had hung up on her. “Liv?” she asked at last, looking up in the air as though she could see her floating there. “Liv, are you still there?”

“I’m here.” Liv’s voice was flat. “Are you sure about this? I mean, how did you get this information?”

“Sylvan told me. You know, Baird’s brother?”

“Yes, I know.” There was another lengthy silence and then Liv muttered, “Son of a bitch.”

“Liv, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. You’re absolutely certain this is right?”

“Positive. He didn’t try to hide it or anything. He said that even if you knew, you wouldn’t be able to fight it—it’s that strong. Your body will react to his mating scent—”

“Whether I want it to or not,” Liv said, finishing her sentence in the familiar way they had.

“Exactly.” Sophie sighed. “Didn’t Baird tell you any of this?”

“He talked about smells being important and said I would find that I wanted him more and more but no. He never told me he was using biological warfare on me.” Now Liv sounded really upset and Sophie felt her heart twist.

“Look, Liv, I’m sorry, really I am. I feel horrible now—were you beginning to like him?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve been fighting what I felt so hard but I didn’t even know what I was fighting—just that I couldn’t, uh, help myself when I was close to him. And all this time he was lying to me. God…it’s Mitch all over again.”

“Oh honey, no.” Sophie wished that her sister was there in person so she could give her a hug. “It’s not like you caught him with another woman.”

“No—it’s worse. At least Mitch didn’t drug me to force me to stay with him.” Sophie could tell that Liv’s hurt was rapidly turning to anger. “Damn it, all this time I’ve been wondering why I was so out of control, why I couldn’t bring myself not to want him. The lousy, lying—” She broke off for a moment and when she came back she sounded a little calmer. “Sophie? I need to go. Someone else wants to use the phone …er, Think-me.”

“Do you really have to go? I’ve been missing you so much! Kat and I have been out of our minds with worry.”

“I’m sorry but I’m with Jillian Holms and one of her husbands is trying to get in touch with her. If he finds out she let me use this thing we could both get in trouble.”

“But will you be okay?” Sophie asked desperately. “I mean, what will you do?”

“Whatever I have to in order to get back to Earth.” Liv sounded grim. “Don’t worry, Sis, I’ll be back before you know it. Now that I know what I’m up against, there’s no way I’m going down.”

“But—”

“I love you, Sophie but I’ve really got to go. Give my love to Kat too and tell her I said the first pitcher of margaritas is still on her.”

“Okay. Love you,” Sophie said helplessly and suddenly the sense of having her sister in her head was gone.

She sank to the floor feeling suddenly bereft. After such a long absence, the conversation had been terribly brief but at least she’d been able to convey what she needed to. Now that Liv knew what was going on she could at least be on her guard. But she’d sounded so upset and betrayed when Sophie had told her…

Sophie shook her head and stared at the paintbrush she still clutched in one hand. “I hope I did the right thing by telling you, Liv,” she murmured even though she knew her sister could no longer hear. “I really hope I did.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jillian asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Fine, just fine,” Liv assured her tightly. She knew her hostess could tell she was upset but she wasn’t about to confide in Jillian over what had upset her. And to think I was feeling guilty for not giving his culture a chance. For not giving him a chance. While all the time he was just waiting for me to succumb to his freaking mating scent so he could keep me here forever.

Deep down she knew she was probably being overly harsh. After all, Baird had warned her in so many words that she would find him irresistible over time. Yeah, but I thought he was just being arrogant! Who knew he meant it literally?

“Ooo…I knew I shouldn’t have let you use the Think-me. What was I thinking? And now if anyone finds out we’ll be in serious trouble for compromising your claiming period.” Jillian was wringing her hands in agitation.

Liv took a deep breath, trying to control her own emotions. It was true that the afternoon had taken a bad turn but previously she’d really enjoyed her time with her old classmate. It seemed like a shame to let her bad mood ruin Jillian’s day. “Don’t worry about that,” she said, trying to sound calm though she was seething inside. “I’m not going to tell a soul. My lips are totally sealed.”

“But you’re mad at Baird now and it’s all my fault.” Jillian had apparently heard enough of Liv’s side of the conversation to piece that together at least.

“It’s not your fault. And just because I’m mad at him doesn’t mean I’ll tell him you let me make a long distance call,” Liv said, trying to reassure her. “I’m an adult, Jillian, I can handle this.”

“Well…if you’re really sure. And you swear not to tell on me…” Jillian’s tone was so pathetic that Liv felt moved to give her a quick hug.

“Of course not. Believe me, I didn’t like what I found out but I’m still glad I found it out. And I really enjoyed our time together.”

“You did?” Jillian looked at her hopefully.

“Are you kidding? You introduced me to my new favorite food. From now on I’m going on a strict all-worm diet—next time you see me I’ll probably be ten pounds lighter.”

Jillian giggled. “Wouldn’t the girls back on Earth be jealous if they knew? I only wish I could tell my old cheer squad. They would just die.”

If Liv remembered correctly, most of the girls Jillian was talking about had already been either anorexic, bulimic, or a combination of the two. Finding out they could go on an all protein diet that tasted like chocolate would probably have them foaming at the mouth. But she tactfully didn’t say so. “I bet they would.” She smiled at Jillian. “Look, I should really get back. Baird will be coming home from his conference soon.” And I’ll have a few choice things to tell him when he does.

“All right.” Jillian returned her hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Be careful going back and be sure you avoid the unmated males section. I had to plot you a course right by it on your way here because it was the quickest way.” She looked thoughtful. “Well, actually, it would have been quicker for you to go right through it but I didn’t want you to have to do that. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is don’t wander in there on the way back. You know, in case you decide to do any sight-seeing.”

Liv remembered the dark, forbidding warren of shops and the hungry looks on the males’ faces in that area and shivered. “I’ll pass on the sight-seeing for today. Especially since I don’t really know how to make the push-me pull-you, uh, Take-me, do much of anything.” She patted the shaggy green animal which was waiting patiently to take her back to her side of the ship.

“Oh, that’s easy. Now that you’ve ridden it once, you’ve established a connection with it. All you have to do is think where you want to go and it’ll take you there—no problem.”

“Really?” Liv looked at her mount, which was still the size of a large dog, doubtfully.

“Honestly—they’re mildly telepathic. It makes them easier to train.” Jillian gestured to the waiting Take-me. “Go on, straddle it and think what size you want it.”

“Uh, okay.” Liv did as she said, making sure she was positioned right over the middle of the sway-backed animal and thought at it, “Twice as big.” Immediately the Take-me doubled in size and she found herself sitting on it instead of straddling it. “Wow. That’s amazing.”

“Cool, huh?” Jillian patted the Take-me’s closest neck and smiled up at Liv. Then her expression grew serious. “Look, Livvy, I don’t know what you found out from your sister that made you so upset but please, try not to let it ruin the rest of your claiming period. There’s so much to see and do and experience here and you’ll never find a man who loves you like your Kindred warrior. I mean, sure they can be stupid sometimes but show me the man who isn’t, right?”

“I guess,” Liv said grudgingly. “I don’t know, Jillian. I’m just feeling kind of…betrayed right now. And I think it’s going to take me a little while to get over that.” If I ever do at all.

“Whatever it was Baird did, you can be sure he didn’t do it on purpose,” Jillian said earnestly.

Liv frowned. “You don’t even know him. How can you say that?”

“Because I know the Kindred—I know how they are. They love their women to distraction and would never hurt us on purpose.” Jillian sighed. “Just…give him a chance. Will you at least promise me that?”

“I’ll try.” It was the best Liv could do. “I really do need to get going,” she said. “But thanks for a great time, Jillian. I hope we can do it again.”

“I hope so too.” Jillian pressed her hand affectionately and gave a little wave. “See you next time then.”

“Okay.” Liv gave her a strained smile and then looked down the long metal corridor. Then she thought at the Take-me, “Home, as fast as possible.”

“I’m tellin’ you, Sylvan, I have a bad feeling about her. I’m worried.” Baird glared at the lighted control panel of the shuttle that was bringing them back from the meeting on the Earth’s moon. The entire conference had been one long painful session of “let’s remember” with his superior officers trying to get information on the AllFather by reviewing what had happened during his numerous torture sessions.

Baird had tried to tell them that the leader of the Scourge had been too busy sucking out his emotions and twisting his memories to let anything slip about his battle strategy but they didn’t want to hear that. They had heard from somewhere that the AllFather was looking for something or someone—a girl from Earth who could fulfill the strange prophesy about the fate of their dark race.

Baird had tried to tell them he didn’t know anything about the prophesy but his superiors didn’t want to listen—in their opinion, any warrior who had been a prisoner as long as he had without breaking mentally under the strain should also have had some way of extracting information from the enemy. Baird was exhausted from telling them he didn’t—it had been all he could do just to keep his sanity. Without Olivia, it would have been impossible.

And now, just to make a bad day worse, she wasn’t answering the holo unit when he tried to call her at the suite.

“Try her again,” Sylvan said reasonably. “Maybe she’s just not answering because she’s still upset with you. You did say that you had a disagreement before you left, correct?”

Baird sighed. “Yeah, we did. She’s still determined to hold out. But I think by now she’s getting the idea that she can’t—that she won’t be able to. And since tonight is the start of our tasting week I was hoping to bond her to me permanently.”

Sylvan frowned. “What about not wanting to bond her unwillingly? From what you’re saying, her body is willing but her mind isn’t. I thought you didn’t want an incomplete bond.”

“I don’t.” Baird ran a hand through his hair as he punched in the coordinates of his home holo unit again. “But after what the priestess told me, I’d rather have an incomplete bond and have her safe by my side than no bond at all and know she was in danger somewhere.”

Sylvan looked skeptical. “I don’t know, Baird. I know Father raised us to revere the Mother and believe me, I do. But I’m not sure I’d make such an important decision based on what that priestess told you. Didn’t you say she was vague about the details of her vision?”

“How many details do you need?” Baird growled as the holo unit beeped over and over with no answer. “She said Olivia would be in danger. How can I protect her if she’s not with me? And what better way to keep her near than to bond her to me? Besides, her body needs it. Her scent has been so hot lately you can smell it from two corridors over. I don’t even dare to take her out of the damn suite since she won’t let me scent mark her.”

“That must be hard,” Sylvan said neutrally as he guided their shuttle into the docking bay.

“You have no fuckin’ idea. With her smelling so sweet and not wanting me to touch her…it’s worse than if she was walking around naked all day. All I can think of is how much I need her under me.” Baird sighed and punched the button, cutting off the unanswered call. “You don’t think she tried to run away, do you?”

“Where would she go? And didn’t you say she agreed to stay in the suite while you were gone?”

“Yeah but she might have changed her mind. I got the feeling she thought I was just trying to order her around.” Baird sighed again. “Damn it, maybe I should have told her what the priestess said. But I didn’t want to scare her. And I—” He broke off as a strange presence filled his brain. “What the hell?”

“What’s wrong?” Sylvan asked.

“I’m getting…someone I don’t know is trying to bespeak me.”

His brother raised one ice blond eyebrow. “Damn rude of them, whoever it is.”

“Yeah but what if it’s about Olivia?” Baird felt a surge of fear. “I’d better take it.”

Closing his eyes, he tried to open himself to the unfamiliar connection and after a moment he could hear a voice in his head.

“Baird, my brother in arms, I am calling on an urgent matter. Will you hear me?” The mind voice had the soft double resonance of a Twin Kindred. Baird frowned, wondering if it was someone he and Sylvan had known from the time they spent on Twin Moons after their father had found his third and final bride.

“I’ll hear you,” he thought gruffly. “But you’d better have a damn good reason for bespeaking me instead of leaving a message on my holo unit.”

“What I must say is too important to wait—it concerns your bride.”

Baird felt like someone had punched him in the gut. “Olivia? What’s happened to her? Is she all right?”

“I don’t know. She was visiting our bride, Jillian, and left our suite before my twin and I got home. However, we couldn’t help noticing her scent. It’s very…” The Twin warrior hesitated, obviously trying to think of a delicate way to put it.

“Yeah, I know what she smells like.” Baird frowned. “And I know there’s none of my scent on her to warn anyone else off.”

“Exactly.” The male sounded relieved that he didn’t have to go into details about such a private matter. “Well, from what Jillian told us she rode your Take-me to our suite with no problem and she was supposed to go back the same way she’d come. Unfortunately when my twin tried to track her, he found that her scent trail diverged from the older path.”

“Diverged? How? Where did she go?” Baird was so upset by now that he was talking out loud even though it wasn’t necessary.

There was a pause that went on for so long he thought they’d lost the connection. Then the unknown Twin Kindred said hesitantly, “I’m sorry, brother. We believe she went into the unmated males area.”

Chapter Twenty

Liv swayed along on the back of the Take-me, lost in thought. The scenery which she’d admired so eagerly on her trip up to see Jillian was now just a blur.

It wasn’t that Baird had lied to her, exactly, she decided. But he hadn’t told her the absolute truth either. Of course, what would she have done if he had? Would it have made it easier to deal with her body’s betrayal? Would knowing that she was being chemically manipulated have made her more able to refuse him, to not ask him to…to take her completely? She still didn’t want to think the words bonding sex or what it entailed, even to herself. Baird’s mating fist was a pretty scary part of his anatomy, but not nearly as scary as what would happen if she let him use it on her.

I’ll be stuck here forever. Never knowing if I really loved and wanted him or if I was just addicted to his damn smell. If that’s all there is to the Kindred should skip the whole claiming period. It would be faster if they brought the Earth women they wanted up here and turned them loose in the unmated males’ area. Then we could all sniff around to see who smelled the best and get matched up that way.

The thought made her sad and she looked down at her hands, curled in the shaggy green mane of the Take-me. She’d been feeling more for Baird lately than she wanted to let on, even to herself. He was patient and caring and funny—when they were able to ignore the sexual tension between them and just talk, that was. And there was no doubt he was hands down the most skillful and giving lover she’d ever had even though they hadn’t actually made love yet. No—not ‘yet’, Liv scolded herself. It’s not going to happen. It can’t happen. Not after what I just found out.

“Hello, Earth female. What are you doing here?”

“Huh?” Liv was so deep in thought that it took her a moment to realize that she was no longer in a part of the ship that she recognized. The Take-me had left the plain metal corridors behind awhile ago and entered the bright, open center of the ship. But when she looked up, it wasn’t the park-like expanse of trees and grass that she saw or even the touristy area filled with neat little shops and eateries. What she saw was the dark alleys and narrow, crowded shops she’d passed on the way to Jillian’s suite.

The unmated males’ area—Oh my God! What am I doing here? And speaking of unmated males, there was one standing right in front of her. He was eyeing her the way a starving man might look at a steak. Only you don’t want to do the nasty with your steak. My God, what am I going to do?

“I…uh…” Liv didn’t know what to say. The warrior standing in front of her was obviously a Beast Kindred like Baird. But unlike Baird there was no patience to temper the hunger burning in his golden eyes. The Take-me had stopped obligingly and was standing there stupidly as though waiting for further instructions. “Why did you bring me here? Bad Take-me!” Liv thought at it fiercely but it only shifted from one set of legs to the other and made a braying sigh from both of its mouths. She remembered the fleeting thought she’d had of Earth women being transported to the unmated males’ area and sniffing out prospective husbands. Could it be that the stupid Take-me had heard her and decided she wanted to go here? “You stupid thing, I wasn’t thinking literally”, she told it but her anger seemed to have no more effect on the shaggy green animal than her scolding had.

“Are you here looking for a mate?” a second, warrior, who looked like he might be a Twin Kindred asked.

“Why else would she be here?” replied a third who appeared to be the second one’s twin. At least, their facial features were very alike although they had different colored hair and eyes.

Liv’s head was spinning. How could this be happening? She’d only let her attention wander for a few minutes and now, here she was, in the most forbidden area of the ship surrounded by unmated warriors. All three males were wearing the tight black uniform pants and jewel-toned shirts of the Kindred military but it wasn’t their clothing that worried her. It was the lust in their eyes.

“Back off,” snarled the first one—the Beast Kindred. “I saw her first.”

“You’re staking a claim?” the first Twin Kindred said, his voice a low, menacing growl.

“Well, are you?” The second Twin Kindred came to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother. One of them had light brown hair and blue eyes while the other had black hair and green eyes but the look on their faces was identical—lust.

“What if I am?” the Beast Kindred growled, his yellow eyes glowing with hostility.

Things were rapidly getting out of hand. Hoping to stop a fight, Liv raised her hands and spoke in what she hoped was an authoritative tone. “Look, there’s been a mistake. I didn’t come here looking for a mate. In fact, I’ve already got one waiting for me back on the other side of the ship.”

“Is that right?” The Beast Kindred stepped closer—a lot closer than Liv liked. Starting at the side of her neck and moving down to her crotch he took a deep sniff.

“Hey!” She shied away from the intimate contact but the Beast Kindred was smiling.

“I don’t smell another male on you, pretty one,” he growled, his eyes glowing a hot yellow. “All I smell is a female in heat. A female that needs to be bred and bonded to the right male.”

“I don’t care what you think you smell, I am not available. I have a mate—a really big angry one so you’d better leave me alone.” Liv nudged the Take-me with her knees, wishing the damn thing would take a hint. “Go home—now!” she thought at it desperately but it seemed unwilling to move as long as the Beast Kindred was blocking its path. Maybe he smelled like Baird and that confused it but for whatever reason, it looked like she was going nowhere fast.

“You wouldn’t be here smelling the way you do if you weren’t searching for a mate,” one of the Twin Kindred—the one with black hair—said, frowning. “It is known that no unbonded female would enter this area unless she wished to provoke a Tis’Dane.”

“A what?” Liv stared at him confused.

“A fight between rival males for the right to a fertile female,” growled the brown haired twin. He looked at the Beast Kindred. “A fight my brother and I will surely win so I suggest you leave now, friend.”

“I’m not your friend and I will not leave until both of you are bloody and broken on the ground,” the Beast warrior snarled.

Liv thought about protesting that she wasn’t interested in any of them again but it didn’t seem to have any effect. And since the Take-me refused to go anywhere, her only option was to get down and try to run away on foot. Wonder how far I’ll get? she thought dismally, eyeing the fight that was building before her eyes. The smell of male aggression hung heavy in the air, like some kind of musk. It made her feel dizzy, but not in the good way Baird’s mating scent did. As she watched the Beast warrior began stalking toward the Twins who were standing shoulder to shoulder. She had to get out of here fast while they were still focused on each other.

She thought of shrinking the Take-me down to size in order to dismount but decided that might draw too much attention. At the moment her prospective suitors were staring at each other and not at her, which was how she wanted to keep it. Trying to move quickly and quietly, she threw her leg over the Take-me’s back. Gripping its shaggy green coat, she slid awkwardly down its left side. The animal made the plaintive braying sigh again but thankfully none of the warriors who were fighting over her gave it so much as a glance.

Her heart in her mouth, Liv began backing slowly away from the scene of impending violence. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the park-like area at the center of the ship glistening like an emerald in the pale green sunshine. If I can just get over there I’ll be safe, she told herself. If I can just—

“Well hello, little female. Where do you think you’re going?”

Liv gasped as two strong hands spun her around. Suddenly she was looking up into a pair of ice-blue eyes. It was a Tranq Kindred like Sylvan but he seemed to have none of the quiet self-possession Baird’s brother always showed. His eyes were filled with hungry lust and when he grinned, she saw with horror that his double set of fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be, were long and needle sharp.

“Get away from me!” Liv kicked at him but he only laughed.

“I don’t think so, little female. I think I’m going to bond you here and now while those other fools fight each other.”

“No, please! I’ve already got a man—a mate. Whatever you want to call it, I’m taken!” Liv protested.

Just as the Beast Kindred had done, the Tranq warrior leaned down to sniff the side of her neck. “I don’t think so. I think you’re going to be mine.” Taking her by the upper arm, he started to drag her down one of the narrow alleys between the buildings.

Liv kicked and screamed but it didn’t do any good—he was six foot five and had over a hundred pounds on her—all of it muscle. She was trapped—captured. And there was no way out. No way she could—

“Take your hands off my female.” The deep voice behind her was familiar and Liv almost sobbed in relief when she turned her head and saw Baird standing there with a murderous look on his face. Behind him, Sylvan stood silently, obviously offering backup.

“What?” The huge Tranq warrior turned to face him, frowning. “By what right do you claim her?” he asked, still keeping a firm grip on Liv’s arm.

“She is my bride.” Baird’s deep voice was quiet but savage and the light of possession was shining in his eyes.

A truculent look settled on her captor’s blunt features. “Then why do I not smell you on her? All I smell is her heat.”

“I haven’t scent marked her recently.” Baird’s face was stony, as though he was admitting something humiliating. “But our minds aligned over six Earth months ago and I claimed her and brought her up to the ship myself. She is mine.”

“What my brother says is true.” Sylvan stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Baird. “I myself witnessed it. The Earth female is his.”

“Maybe she would rather belong to another,” the Tranq Kindred sneered. “Maybe that’s why she came here and initiated a Tis’Dane—in order to find a male who was more worthy of her.”

“Oh no, I didn’t,” Liv said, finding her voice at last. “I’ve never even heard of a Tis…Tis…whatever it is. This is all just a big mistake—my Take-me wandered into this section when I wasn’t paying attention, that’s all. But now I just want to go home.” She looked at the warrior holding her arm pleadingly and he scowled.

“How do I know you speak the truth? Your words may be lies—it is your scent that I believe.”

“The Tranq speaks for all of us.” It was the Beast Kindred—the one who had first spoken to her and the Twin Kindred brothers were right behind him. Great. Just great. Liv eyed them grimly. Apparently they’d decided to put aside their quarrels for the moment in order to keep her here in the unmated males’ area. She wondered with sudden unease if the Tis’Dane ritual was a fight to the death or just a strongest man wins type of thing. Either way, she didn’t appreciate the caveman ways of these unknown males. Were all Kindred like this until they found the right woman or were these guys just prize jerks?

Sylvan leaned forward and whispered something in Baird’s ear. Baird frowned. “No, I won’t ask her to do that.”

“It’s either that or fight them all,” Liv heard Sylvan mutter.

“Then I’ll fight.” Baird glared menacingly at the large warrior who still had her firmly by the arm and then widened his gaze to include the other three unmated males. “Prepare to defend your claims with your lives. I offer formal challenge for this female who by rights—”

“Wait a minute!” Liv yelled. She looked at Sylvan. “What do I have to do?”

Sylvan shifted uncomfortably and Baird growled deep in his throat. “It’s of no concern to you, Lilenta. I will be glad to fight and die, if necessary, to keep you.”

“But it shouldn’t be necessary. Not if there’s something I can do to…to prove I’m yours.” She felt stupid saying it after all the times she’d told Baird she wasn’t his and never would be, but really, what choice did she have? She couldn’t let him fight and possibly die if there was some way out of this mess that didn’t involve violence.

“You must submit to him,” Sylvan said, looking her in the eye.

Liv felt her heart give a thump. “Submit to him? Submit how?”

“They need to smell me on you.” Baird gave her a significant look. “Come to me now and offer your throat if you’re serious, Olivia. I need to scent mark you.”

“What? Like…like you did last time, you mean?” Liv’s mouth was dry and her heart was pounding. All she could think of was having him on her, his big body covering hers as he stroked between her thighs. God, part of her craved that, wanted to feel him against her again, touching her, holding her, making her come. It’s just his scent working on me, she told herself. But from where she was standing she couldn’t smell that warm, spicy aroma she’d come to associate with him. Still…

“Not quite,” Baird said, breaking into her frantic thoughts. “But I will need to remove some of your clothes.”

Liv looked up at the warrior holding her arm and then back at Baird. Was she going to wind up stark naked in front of all these unmated males? God, she hoped not! But what choice did she have? Better to be naked with Baird, even if it was horribly embarrassing, than to be claimed by some unknown warrior. “All…all right,” she said at last.

“Come to me then.” Baird motioned for her to join him and then shot the male holding her arm a warning look. “You know you must allow her to choose. If she proves she is mine—”

“If she allows you to mark her, yes. Then you take her. If not…” The Tranq Warrior trailed off, a hungry gleam in his blue eyes. The other males behind him murmured among themselves but none of them protested as he slowly released Liv’s arm. “You can stay with me if you wish, little female,” he told her. “I will prove myself a better mate and protector than this one.”

“Not a chance.” Liv couldn’t get away fast enough. The feel of being surrounded by so many big, alien males and their strange scents in her nose made her feel sick and disoriented. The minute she reached Baird’s side she put her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest. Home. The thought came to her unbidden as his familiar, spicy fragrance filled her senses. She could be angry about his duplicity later—right now she just wanted the safety of his massive arms around her and the feel of his hard body surrounding and protecting her.

“Lilenta,” he murmured and held her close for a moment. Then he pulled away and looked her in the eyes. “I must mark you now.”

“All right.” Liv tried to brace herself but there was no way she could have withstood the flood of emotions that washed over her as, with a quick, ruthless gesture, Baird ripped open her blouse.

It was just a simple cotton button down—that and jeans had seemed like the most practical clothing for riding around on the Take-me. But as the little plastic buttons went flying, exposing her lacy white bra, Liv felt her breath catch in her throat. She wanted to ask whether such a dramatic gesture was really necessary but before she could open her mouth, Baird was pulling down the lace cups of her bra and exposing her breasts.

“Baird!” she gasped and tried to cover herself but he shook his head. God, this was insane! Did he really expect her to just stand here and let him do this—let him expose her to all these complete strangers? Out of the corner of her eye Liv could see the hungry looks that were being thrown her way and her bare skin tingled with embarrassment.

“Look at me.” The low, growling voice drew her attention away from the watching eyes and back to Baird. He was staring down at her, his golden eyes fierce.

“Y-yes?”

“Drop your arms.” He nodded down to where she was still trying to shield herself from the other warriors.

“B-but—”

“Do you want me to fight them and let the winner have you if I lose?” He nodded at the other males.

“Of course not!” She glared at him.

“Then drop your arms, Olivia. I need you exposed and open for me.” The command in his voice was undeniable and she found herself completely unable to disobey.

Slowly she let her arms fall to her side and then, closing her eyes, she leaned her head back, exposing her vulnerable throat to him. She heard a low growl and then Baird was on her, his mouth hot and wet and urgent at the side of her neck. He cupped her breasts in his large hands, his palms warm and rough against their tender tips.

At his touch, lust surged through her like an electric current. Liv moaned and pressed herself against him, all thought of who was watching completely forgotten. All she knew was that she wanted him, needed him and it had been far too long since they’d been so close.

“That’s right, Lilenta,” she heard him growl. “Give it up for me. Just give it all up.”

And that was exactly what she wanted to do. She no longer cared that they were in public or that she was bare from the waist up. All she wanted—all she needed was him—was Baird. Her heart was pounding as she pressed herself against him, arching her back, offering her breasts and throat to him.

Baird took her up on her offer, sucking one of her nipples hard while he twisted the other one gently, sending pleasure and pain through her entire body. Liv cried out as he released her first nipple and began on the second one, sucking it into his hot, wet mouth. She expected to feel him pinching the other but instead his hand slipped down her abdomen and into her jeans and panties.

“God, Baird!” she protested, vaguely aware that they were still in public but there was no stopping him. Before she could say another word two long, thick fingers slipped deep into her pussy, fucking up into her and making her arch her back and moan.

“That’s good, Olivia,” he said in her ear. “Ride my fingers and let me fuck you. Gods your pussy is so hot and wet. Can’t wait to feel you coming.”

“I’m not…I can’t…” she protested weakly but even as she spoke she felt the first inside her building. How could he do this to her so easily? How could she possibly lose control of herself in public with strange men and Baird’s own brother watching her?

But nothing she could tell herself seemed to help. Nothing could stop the pleasure from overwhelming her. Baird’s rough palm was rubbing against her clit mercilessly as he thrust into her and she could feel herself getting wetter and wetter, hotter and hotter…

“Come for me,” Baird commanded in a low voice. “Come now, Lilenta, and prove you’re mine.”

Liv couldn’t help herself. His voice in her ear and his fingers deep in her pussy were too much. With a gasp she felt herself coming, her pussy squeezing hard around his fingers as the orgasm shook her to her core. “Baird,” she moaned. “Baird, please. I can’t take anymore.”

“Oh, you’re gonna take more. A helluva lot more. But not here.” Slowly he withdrew his fingers and showed them to her. To Liv’s mortification they were glistening with her juice, proving exactly how much she wanted him. His eyes never leaving hers, he thrust the fingers into his mouth and sucked them, cleaning away her honey with his tongue. It was an animalistic gesture and the light in his golden eyes was completely inhuman. It scared Liv to death and yet she could still feel her pussy quivering from his assault—almost as though she wanted more.

Baird faced the other males with a snarl. “Satisfied?”

“Enough.” The large Tranq warrior frowned. He and the other unmated males were staring at her and Baird with almost identical looks of lust and envy on their faces.

“I said, enough. You have proved her to be yours.” The Tranq warrior waved a hand dismissively and glared at Baird. “But you should not let your female wander through the ship—especially this part of the ship—without your scent on her. To smell a female in heat and think her unspoken for is a torment to those of us without brides.”

Baird nodded, looking a little more calm. “I ask your pardon.” Giving Liv a significant look, he added, “It will not happen again.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Liv demanded, attempting to pull up the cups of her bra.

“It means when I get you back to the suite I’m going to mark you much more thoroughly. This isn’t going to happen again.” The look he gave her was so dark that Liv closed her mouth instead of protesting. Seeing that animalistic expression on his face again, it occurred to her that Baird was as hungry for her as any of the unmated males who had watched their little display.

The need burning in his golden eyes made her shiver. He’d already exposed her and fingerfucked her to orgasm in public—how much worse were things going to get when they got back to the suite? Oh God, what am I in for?

“I—”she began but Baird only shook his head.

“Come, Olivia. It’s time we got back to our suite.” He made a motion at the Take-me, which was standing a little distance away and watching them with both heads. It came to him at once. Baird straddled it and pulled Liv against his chest. “Twice as big,” he growled and suddenly the beast was much more massive in form and they were both sitting on its back.

The ride back was silent. Olivia kept her arms crossed over her chest to keep her ripped shirt from flying open and tried to quiet the storm of emotions that was brewing in her chest. Though he never said a word, she could feel Baird at her back—a hard, hot presence reminding her of what was coming. She could almost feel his need for her, pressing against her like a big warm hand, touching her everywhere whether she wanted to be touched or not. Even worse, she could feel her need for him. He’s going to do it, she thought as the hard bulge of his cock rubbed rhythmically against her ass in time to the Take-me’s swaying gait. He’s going to take me back to the suite, get us both naked and bond me to him.

The thought should have been horrifying—it was exactly what she’d been fighting for so long. But all Liv could feel was a sense of relief. I can’t fight it anymore. Can’t fight him. He wants me and I can’t stop him from having me.

She knew she ought to be angry. Wasn’t she only feeling this way because of his scent? She wouldn’t want him if it wasn’t for that, would she? She opened her mouth to ask him about it but just then they entered the maze of metal corridors on their end of the ship and he put his arms around her waist.

“Almost home, Lilenta.” His breath was hot at the back of her neck and Liv found herself shivering again. Whatever she’d wanted to say to him flew right out of her head and suddenly all she could think about was what was going to happen when they got to their suite.

They were there before she knew it. Baird was silent until they got inside and he’d sent the Take-me back to its den in the kitchen. Then he turned to her, his eyes blazing and said one word. “Strip.”

“What?” Liv started to back away from him but he followed her, unrelenting.

“You heard me.” His voice was a deep, commanding growl. “Don’t test me right now, Olivia. You don’t know what it did to me—seeing you with those other males, seeing that Tranq’s hands on you—” He broke off with a deep sound of frustration and came toward her again.

“I didn’t want him to,” Liv said, still backing away. Her voice was coming out much more breathy than she wanted it to. “He just—”

“He just assumed you were available because I hadn’t marked you. But you’re mine Lilenta. Can’t stand another male’s scent anywhere near you. Have to mark you. Now.” The last word was a muted roar.

Liv took another step back and something hit the backs of her thighs. Turning her head she saw it was the bed—Baird had backed her into the bedroom. “Please,” she whispered. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Whatever I have to, to make you mine.” His voice was hoarse with need. “Now are you going to strip, Lilenta? Or am I going to strip you? Already made a good start on your blouse.” He gestured at the ragged cotton shirt which hung open on either side of her breasts.

“I…I don’t…” Liv didn’t know what to say. To be honest, there didn’t seem to be anything to say. The light in Baird’s eyes was dangerous and while she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, she was sure there would be a great many things he could do to make her regret her reluctance that didn’t involve pain. “Fine,” she whispered at last, pulling off her shirt and bra in jerky motions. “Fine, I’ll…I’ll strip.” Her jeans and tennis shoes were next and then she was down to her panties. “There,” she said, trying to meet his eyes and failing. “That’s as far as I go. You’ll…you’ll have to mark me like this.”

Baird stood before her bare chested. He’d been taking off his deep red uniform shirt as she removed her torn blouse and Liv could see the muscles in his chest flexing with tension. She had an idea he was barely holding himself in check and her open defiance seemed to be more than he could stand. With a low, lustful growl, he was suddenly on her.

“When I say strip, Lilenta I mean strip. That means your panties come off too.” He pulled her close to him, pressing her bare breasts to the hard wall of his chest and burying his face in her neck as he had earlier.

“Why…why should I have to take them off?” Liv demanded, fighting the urge to submit. God, his hands seemed to be everywhere, stroking her sides and running up and down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her toward him so that the hard bulge of his cock was rubbing against her pussy. How long could she hold out? Not long, she was sure, which was why it was important to make her point now. “You…you’re just going to kiss and bite my neck again,” she whispered breathlessly. “You don’t need me completely naked for that.”

“I’m going to kiss a lot more than just your neck.” Baird pulled away for a moment to look at her with half-lidded golden eyes. “Or have you forgotten this is the start of our tasting week?”

“But…but I thought you just wanted to mark me,” she protested. “With…you said you…the Kindred have scent glands in their face.” He had also said they had scent glands lower—much lower—but Liv wasn’t about to go there. She hoped.

“We do.” He kissed her and rubbed his rough cheek against hers almost like a cat. “But that’s not where other males smell when they’re tryin’ to see if you belong to someone.”

Liv had a brief mental image of the Beast warrior who had first approached her sniffing from her neck all the way down to her crotch and suddenly understood. “Oh, I…so you want to rub your face against me there?” She nodded down to where he was still pressed unrelentingly between her legs.

“Not just my face but it’ll do for a start. And I don’t want anything in the way when I mark you.” Without waiting for her reply, Baird slid one hand down her body and into her panties. Liv gasped sharply as she felt him cup her pussy. “Gods, you’re wet, Lilenta,” he growled softly. “Can’t wait to taste all that sweet honey.”

Liv felt her breath catch in her throat as the old uncertainty came rushing back. “Wait!” She tried to wiggle away from him and failed.

“Not waiting for anything.” Baird slid her panties down her thighs, still cupping her sex with his other hand.

“You promised you would, though,” Liv reminded him desperately. “You said…you said you wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t taste me, until I was comfortable with it. You said you’d put my pleasure first.”

The look in his glowing amber eyes was one of pure frustration. “I did, didn’t I?” He sighed and his expression became more thoughtful. “All right, Lilenta. We’ll take it slow. I’ll start by just marking you and I won’t taste you until I’m sure you’re ready.”

“How…how will you know?” Liv asked, wishing her breathing wasn’t so ragged.

Baird lowered her gently to the bed and arranged her so that her calves were hanging over the side. Then he kissed her mouth, a long, slow kiss that had Liv aching for more. “Believe me, Lilenta, I’ll know,” he murmured.

Liv wanted to protest further but she was rapidly losing all power of speech, mainly because Baird was licking and sucking her neck again, his hot tongue tracing a ticklish trail down over her collarbones and sternum. He stopped long enough to rub his rough cheeks over her sensitive nipples, making her jump and gasp, and then trailed lower to nibble and kiss her trembling abdomen.

Finally he was there—his mouth hovering over her pussy. His hot breathe stirred her soft golden curls and Liv shivered though he hadn’t even touched her yet. Maybe he’ll just be content to rub against me, she thought frantically. Maybe he won’t actually have to…She lost her train of thought abruptly as Baird leaned down and gave her a long, slow lick at the exact spot where her right thigh met her body. Liv moaned as he did the same thing on the other side and then pressed his cheek against the top of her mound and rubbed like a cat. Marking me. He’s marking me with his scent, like he said he would. God, how could he make her so hot without touching her more directly? She could feel his breath against her again, blowing hot over her slippery folds, and it felt like her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest.

God…need him. Want him, so much. Please just…just…

“Just what?” Baird looked up at her, his eyes burning and Liv realized she’d spoken aloud. But there was no going back now.

“Just do it,” she whispered, ashamed of her need but unable to help herself. “I mean, if you really want to.”

“Oh, I want to, Lilenta. Want to taste you like I want my next breath,” he promised. “But first I want to look at you—to drink you in with my eyes. Will you allow me that pleasure?”

“I…” Liv bit her lip. The idea of being tasted was scary enough. But to allow Baird to spread her pussy lips and take his time looking at her, well…it made her feel incredibly nervous—like she was being put on display.

“Please,” he murmured, staring up at her. “I already know you’re beautiful from our bathing week. But I want a chance to open you and explore you completely before I taste your sweet juices. Before I worship you with my tongue.”

His hot words coupled with the look of reverent desire in his eyes were Liv’s undoing. No one had ever spoken to her like this, had ever wanted so badly to see and taste and explore her body as Baird so clearly needed to. “All right,” she whispered. “But just…be gentle.”

“Of course, Lilenta,” he promised. “Always. Even when it comes time to bond you to me and I have to fill your pussy with my cock and mating fist, I swear I won’t hurt you. I’ll open you slowly and make sure you’re ready for me every step of the way.”

Before Liv could protest that she didn’t want to be bonded Baird had returned his undivided attention to the area between her thighs. Placing his thumbs lightly on her outer pussy lips, he opened her slowly but thoroughly, spreading her wide to reveal her pink inner folds.

“Goddess, look at that.” His deep voice was hoarse with lust.

“Look at what?” Liv, who was propped up on her elbows, looked down anxiously.

Baird’s eyes flicked up to hers, his gaze burning with lust. “Look at how hot and wet you are, Olivia. Look how your pussy is glistening with juice.”

“Oh God…” A rush of hot blood colored her cheeks. “I didn’t…I don’t usually get that…that way. I don’t understand why—”

“Relax, Lilenta. It’s not a bad thing.” Baird gave her a hungry smile. “In fact, it’s a very, very good thing. It just proves your body is responding to mine.”

“What…what do you mean? You’re saying I’m extra…uh…”

“Extra wet because your body is getting ready to open for me. A male Kindred’s shaft is usually too large for his chosen female to accommodate without a little extra help and in the case of the Beast Kindred, the problem gets worse because of our mating fist.”

Liv’s breath caught in her throat. “But I thought you said your body would make special chemicals…”

“That help your body open to take me in, right,” he finished for her. “And it will—this is part of it. By scent-marking you just now I started the process and your body is already responding to my pheromones. That’s why you’re extra wet—your body knows you’re about to accept my cock and mating fist deep inside your soft little pussy. It knows you need to be wet and ready to let me slide inside you.”

“I…I thought you were just going to taste me.”

“I am…for now. But I think we both know what that’s going to lead to.” Baird gave her a last, burning look and drew her legs over his shoulders.

Liv bit her bottom lip in frustration. There was a reason she couldn’t help wanting him to do this—this and much more—but it had flown right out of her head. Just now all she could think of was the man between her thighs and how close his mouth was to her wet, defenseless cleft.

“Gods, such a beautiful pussy,” Baird murmured. “I’m really going to enjoy filling you with my tongue and my cock, Lilenta. After I drink all your sweet cunt honey, that is.”

His words seemed to start a fire in the pit of her belly but as hot as she was, she was nervous too. Spread open and exposed as she was, Liv expected him to go for it. The insatiable hunger in his eyes let her know how much he needed this, needed her. So the last thing she expected was a slow, gentle kiss—but that was exactly what Baird did.

Softly, gently, he pressed his hot mouth to her pussy and kissed her sex the same way he kissed her mouth. Liv bit her lip as she watched him nuzzle her. She was trembling with need under him and she could feel the tension thrumming through his big body like electricity but it was obvious he didn’t want to rush this. Against her will she felt herself melting, slowly relaxing into the long, luscious kiss. Baird still hadn’t even used his tongue—preferring to concentrate instead on her outer pussy lips—but she knew it was coming soon. Soon, but not soon enough. The longer the kiss went on the hotter she got. God, when is he going to—?

The soft brush of his tongue over her aching clit answered her internal question. Shivering tingles of pleasure ran down her spine as he did it again and then again, going deeper each time. Liv moaned and arched her back, helpless to withstand the pleasure. God, so good…so good… Baird seemed to know exactly what he was doing. His tongue moved in loops and swirls—alien patterns she’d never felt before that seemed designed to drive her over the edge of reason.

“Delicious,” he murmured, looking up at her for a moment. “Gods, you taste so damn good, Olivia. Hot and wet and sweet and salty…incredible. And look at how open you are—how easily your body accepts me.”

As Liv watched, her breath coming in hitching gasps, he slowly entered her with two long, thick fingers.

“See that?” Baird’s voice was a rough growl of need as he fingered her. “See how your pussy opens for me? You need me, Olivia—as badly as I need you. Your body is hungry for mine—hungry to be filled with my cock and my cum. Hungry to be bonded to me.”

“Oh,” she moaned, her back arching involuntarily as he fucked into her, his finger touching the bottom of her channel. “Baird, oh God.”

“Does it feel good, Lilenta? Good to open your pussy and let me fuck you?” He was watching her face as he spoke, his fingers still working inside her. “It must feel good. Look at the way your pussy is gushing with honey.” Pressing his face back between her thighs, he gave her a long, slow lick with the flat of his tongue as though savoring her unique flavor.

“Baird…oh God, Baird.” Could that needy, gasping voice really be hers? Liv could hardly believe it but it seemed to be true. The pleasure kept building inside her as he tasted her, cresting higher and higher until she felt like she was going to explode. Close, she was so close… And Baird seemed to know it.

“That’s right, Lilenta.” He looked up again, his fingers keeping time inside her. “Just let it all go and come for me. Let me taste your honey on my tongue when you come.” Gripping one of her legs, he adjusted her, tilting her pelvis so that she was even more open and vulnerable to him. Then he put his head back down between her thighs and started again. Sucking her sensitive clit between his lips he tortured it sweetly with his tongue until Liv cried out and bucked up toward his mouth shamelessly, looking for more.

Baird redoubled his efforts, his tongue lashing her mercilessly while his fingers drove into her, pumping hard and deep, showing her exactly how he was going to take her when it was his cock filling her instead.

The thought of that—the forbidden mental image of his huge shaft stretching her open and bottoming out inside her was too much. Liv didn’t quite know how it happened but suddenly she was crying and moaning as the pleasure inside her peaked and rushed over her in a warm wave.

Both her hands were buried in his thick, black hair and she was trembling all over, spreading her thighs even wider, riding his face, grinding against him in a way that was more animal than human as the most intense orgasm of her life overtook her. It rolled her under, like a dangerous undertow at the beach, pulling at her until she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but feel. It was incredible and it wasn’t nearly enough. More, God, I need more of him. Inside me. So much more…

Again Baird seemed to read her mind. He came up from between her thighs, his lips wet from her juices and red from the long, intimate kiss. His eyes were blazing with hunger.

“Ask me, Lilenta. Ask me for it. Tell me you need me to bond you to me. Let me take you now—don’t make me wait another week.” His voice was half commanding, half pleading as he held her gaze and wouldn’t let her look away.

Liv’s mouth opened to do exactly as he said. Hadn’t she already begged him to do this on multiple occasions? Begged him to fuck her? Bond her? The only thing that had stopped him was his promise not to during their bathing week. But this was their tasting week and the pleasure inside her was like a drug—she needed more and more and more…

The thought stopped her. There was some reason why they shouldn’t, why she shouldn’t let him do this… Something about a drug. Suddenly she heard her sister’s voice in her head. His mating scent is like a drug and you’re being subjected to it every minute you’re with him.

“No!” Liv sat straight up in bed and clamped her thighs closed. “No, I…I can’t.”

“Why not?” The edge in Baird’s voice was dangerous and his eyes flashed. Liv didn’t think he’d hurt or force her but it was obvious he was right on the edge. Still, she was determined to stick to her guns.

“Because.” She ran a hand through her hair, trying to get her breath back. “Because I don’t want you to. I mean, I think I do but I don’t, not really.”

“Lilenta, you’re not making any sense.” Baird was still on his knees before her and now he took both her hands in his. “If it’s because you’re afraid, don’t be. I swear I’ll be gentle. I’ll make you come over and over until you’re more than ready to take me deep inside your sweet little pussy.”

Liv shivered at the spike of lust his words shot through her. God, that was exactly what she wanted. To be open for him, under him. To take him deep and long and feel him— No! No, remember what Sophie told you.

Regretfully but firmly she pulled her hands out of his and scooted further up the bed, away from him. “It’s your scent. Your mating scent.” She crossed her arms over her bare breasts protectively.

He frowned. “What about it?”

“It makes me think I want you…want, all this.” She made a sweeping gesture with one hand. “When I really don’t.”

“What?” Baird frowned. “What makes you think that? And where did you hear so much about it?”

“Are you denying it?” Liv wasn’t about to admit her source—she’d promised not to get Jillian in trouble.

“Gods.” Baird ran both hands through his wild black hair. “Sylvan warned me about something like this. I tried to tell you what the mating scent does, how it works.”

“No you didn’t, not really. Oh, you made a few allusions here and there but you never came right out and told me you were manipulating me chemically. That your body was making a drug tailor-made to keep me with you.” Liv knew she sounded accusatory but she didn’t care. The feeling of betrayal was coming back, the anger she felt at being deceived filled her until there was no room left for anything else.

“It’s not like that.” Baird stood up and began pacing in front of the bed. “Not like that at all. The mating smell does help attract a mate, but it doesn’t work unless a warrior and his female are well and truly matched—as we are, Lilenta.”

“I don’t…don’t know if I believe that.” Liv drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. “How can I want so much with my heart to stay here with you when I know in my head that I want to go back to Earth where I have a family and friends and career waiting for me? How can I imagine staying here, making love with you, having…having your sons when it would mean almost never seeing the people I care for most again. How do you explain that?”

“Love.” Baird sank down beside her on the bed and tried to take her hands again. Liv wouldn’t let him.

“What?” She tried to give him a skeptical look even though her heart was pounding again with his proximity.

“Love,” he repeated simply. “You love me as I love you. That’s what makes you want to stay with me, Lilenta. That’s why my mating scent works on you so strongly. And why your scent drives me crazy too,” he added with a sigh. “It’s because we love each other and we’re meant to be together. Can’t you please just accept that?”

“I…” Liv bit her lip, looking down at her knees which were still drawn up to her chin. God, she wished she could believe him. But maybe that was just because he was so close and he smelled so damn good. Just being near him gave her a contact high. How could she trust herself when she was in such a state? “I can’t,” she said at last, looking up at him. “I’m sorry, Baird, but I just can’t.”

“Gods! Lilenta, please—”

“Stop!”

The voice from the bedroom doorway made them both look up with a jerk. Sylvan stood there panting, his face drawn in lines of unhappiness.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Baird moved at once to shield her nakedness. Placing himself in front of Liv, he glared at his brother. “How dare you invade the privacy of my bed chamber? If we weren’t kin I’d tear you limb from limb.”

“Forgive me.” Sylvan made a brief motion of apology. “I know my actions are inexcusable but it can’t be helped. Baird, please tell me you haven’t bonded her to you yet.”

“If I had, we’d still be locked together,” Baird pointed out in a growl and Liv shivered at the mental image.

“True, I hadn’t thought of that.” Sylvan looked relieved. “Thank all the Gods. Baird, you can’t bond her. Not now.”

“What? Why? Who are you to tell me what I can do with my own bride?” Baird started to rise.

“She’s in breach of contract.” Sylvan’s ice blue eyes were filled with pain and regret. “I’m sorry, Brother, but it’s true.”

“She…what?” Baird sank back down again. He looked at Liv and then back at his brother uncertainly. “Is this about what happened in the unmated males area? The Tis’Dane?”

Sylvan shook his head wearily. “Nothing like that. After I was sure you and Olivia were all right, I went back to talk to the Twin warrior who had called you in the first place.”

“Yes, and…?” Baird made a hurry-up gesture with one hand.

“And I spoke to Olivia’s friend, Jillian. She admitted that she’d allowed Olivia to contact her sister, Sophia via the Think-me.” Sylvan ran a hand over his short, spiky blond hair. “Baird, she violated the first rule of the contract—‘No unbonded bride without a complete link to the warrior who has claimed her will have direct contact with her planet of origin.’”

Liv felt like her stomach had dropped somewhere around her feet. How could Jillian be so stupid as to tell on herself—and Liv—like that? What was wrong with her? Should have known. She never could keep a secret, even in high school. “I…I’m sorry,” she said, looking at both Baird and Sylvan. “I mean, I knew it was wrong but I didn’t know it was such a big deal. I miss Sophie so much.” She felt tears begin to rise to her eyes and blinked them away. “This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing her in my entire life. I just…just wanted to hear her voice.”

“Oh, Lilenta…” Baird turned and started to gather her into his arms but a discrete cough from Sylvan stopped him and he drew back.

Liv huddled in on herself, wishing he hadn’t stopped. She could have used some of his warmth right about now. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“The claiming contract between yourself and Baird is null and void,” Sylvan said.

“So…what does that mean?” Liv lifted her chin, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

“It means you get what you wanted, Olivia.” Baird’s voice was quiet and sad. “You’re free of me now. You can go home and have your old life back.”

“With…without you?” Liv knew it sounded ridiculous but suddenly the idea of being separated from the big warrior she’d come to care for so much made her feel sick and uncertain. “I mean…it’s really that big of a deal?”

“It is.” Sylvan nodded. “The rule was instituted especially for situations like this, where the bride’s home planet is at war. If she is allowed free contact with her family and loved ones before she’s completely bonded to the warrior that calls her, delicate information may go astray and endanger everyone on board the ship.”

“But Jillian never said anything like that! She said they were turning a blind eye to it. That all the warriors were letting their brides use the Think-me.”

“They may be but only after being completely bonded.” Sylvan looked grim. “Only having a fully formed link with a Kindred mind can shield your thought messages enough to keep the Scourge from reading them.”

“What’s done is done,” Baird said heavily. “I will inform the Council of my new status and Olivia can go back on the first available shuttle.”

“What, just like that?” Liv could hardly believe her ears. “You go on and on about how much you love me and how we’re meant to be together and now you’re giving me up because I made a long distance phone call?” She knew she wasn’t being rational—after all, this was what she’d wanted from the moment Baird had first claimed her. But she couldn’t help feeling disappointed that after all his words of love and devotion breaking one little rule was all it took to end things between them.

“Please, Lilenta.” Baird shook his head. “Please know that I would never give you up willingly.”

“He has no choice,” Sylvan cut in. “The claiming contract is binding and specific. Failure to follow the proper protocol, especially in the case of a breach of that contract, could result in death for one or both of you.”

“What?” Liv felt cold all over. “Nobody said anything about being killed if you broke the rules. That’s crazy!”

“No, that’s war, Olivia.” Baird turned his head to look at her, his eyes flat and dead. “The Scourge are still out there and they’re able to intercept any unbonded Think-me transmissions.”

“They can read your thoughts?” Liv was appalled.

Sylvan nodded. “If there is an incomplete link they can. Most likely what they’re looking for is a way to harvest the emotions from such exchanges. They…feed on negative energy.”

“They feed on pain,” Baird said bluntly. “Too bad we’re not all on board their Fathership right now. They could be having a fuckin’ feast.” He sighed and ran both hands through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” Liv bit her lower lip. “Look, this is all just crazy. It’s not like Sophie and I were exchanging state secrets. She was just…just warning me about your mating scent.”

“Well you won’t have to worry about it any more.” Baird stood abruptly. “You won’t have to worry about anything outside of Earth anymore.”

“Baird, I—” she began but he shook his head.

“Please, Olivia—just get dressed and packed. Sylvan and I will be waiting outside.” And then he left.

Chapter Twenty-one

Baird felt as though someone wearing metal anti-grav boots had kicked him in the gut. Gone, she’s really gone. Gods, can’t believe I actually lost her and over something so stupid… He had taken the precaution of hiding his own Think-me but it had never occurred to him that Olivia would go use someone else’s. Hell, he hadn’t even known she had any friends on board the ship. Maybe you would have known if you’d asked. If you’d let her talk about her home and her friends more. But no, you were so eager to keep her focused on her future with you that you refused to hear about her past and now it’s too late. He knew it was true but all the self recrimination in the universe wouldn’t help now. Wouldn’t bring her back.

He and Sylvan were standing on the observation deck of the docking bay after seeing Olivia onto a shuttle bound for Earth. Baird had wanted to go with her for one last goodbye but Sylvan had convinced him it would be a bad idea. It would, too. If he’d gone down with her, Baird wasn’t sure he could have brought himself to leave her, even though she’d been fighting for her freedom from him from the moment he first called her.

At least she got what she wanted. She never wanted to be bonded to me, never wanted me as her mate. All she cared about was getting her old life back, seeing her sister every day. But if she wanted that so much, why was she crying when she said good-bye? Baird didn’t have an answer for that. He could still feel her soft, curvy body against him, could still hear her soft sobbing in his ears. When the time had come to go, she had thrown herself into his arms, trembling and saying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” over and over again. Baird hadn’t had any words to give back to her—he was past words now. He’d only been able to hold her tight and press his face to her neck to breathe her sweet scent one more time. One last time. And then she was gone.

Gods, Lilenta… He was still numb and he knew it. It was like the feeling you got when you’d just been wounded in battle. Looking down, seeing the blood pour out and feeling nothing. But sooner or later the pain would come and when it did…When it does it’s going to fucking kill me, he thought in a detached kind of way. It’s going to make the worst torture the AllFather inflicted look like kindness and mercy.

“Baird…Brother, I am so sorry.” Sylvan was looking at him with concern in his eyes. Concern and understanding.

Was this how he felt after what happened on Tranq Prime? Baird stared at his brother blankly without answering.

“If you wish to talk about it…about how you feel…” Sylvan began hesitantly.

“How I feel?” Baird laughed harshly. “I’ll tell you how I fuckin’ feel. I feel like my hand just got cut off and I’m looking down at the bloody stump waiting for the pain to start. She was part of me, Sylvan—the best part. And she’s gone.”

“I know.” There was real agony in his brother’s voice now. “Forgive me, Baird. I blame myself.”

“Don’t.” Baird shook his head wearily. “It would have come out sooner or later, I’m sure. And if it had happened after we’d already bonded, well…”

“There’s nothing worse than a broken bond,” Sylvan murmured.

“I wouldn’t know.” Baird ran a hand over his face, hearing the sandpaper scratch of his rough cheeks against his fingertips. “But if it’s worse than this, I don’t wanna know about it.”

“Baird—”

“Forget it.” He shook his head and turned from the railing that overlooked the docking bay. “Look we should go. I can’t just stand here looking…looking at where she was. Thinking about…” He trailed off, shaking his head. Drunk. I need to get drunk. Maybe that would make this more bearable. To never see her again, to never hear her sweet voice, smell her warm scent…it was simply unbearable.

The loss felt like death and in a way it was—the death of everything that meant anything to him. Gods, how was he going to go on? He would have to file for a new place to live and maybe Sylvan would let him bunk with him until the orders went through. He couldn’t go back to the suite—it was filled with echoes of her. Memories of touching her, tasting her. Even now, he could still taste her salty-sweet honey on his lips, could still hear her cries and moans of passion as she pulled at his hair and bucked up to meet his tongue…Stop thinking about it. You’ll never see her again. Never touch or taste or smell or love her again.

“Excuse me, Commander Baird?” A new voice interrupted his thoughts and Baird looked up dully to see a young, unknown Tranq warrior standing in front of him.

“Yes? What do you want?”

The warrior looked uncomfortable. “The shuttle that just left—the one with your…with the Earth female on it?”

“What about it?” Sylvan snapped. “We’re leaving now. Make it fast.”

“Well…” The warrior swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s my duty to inform you that the shuttle didn’t reach Earth.”

“What?” Baird rounded on him, his pain spiking into fear. “What are you talking about? If it didn’t make it to Earth where did it go?”

“It was intercepted just now. By the Scourge.”

Liv was so upset she barely noticed the jolting stop the shuttle made. It was different from the one Baird and Sylvan had flown her up on. There was an actual passenger compartment separated from the cockpit by an opaque black panel she couldn’t see through so she had no idea what was happening. Not that she cared—she was too miserable.

She tried telling herself it was stupid—that this was what she’d wanted all along. Sure it sucked that things had ended on such a bad note but then, leaving Baird was never going to be easy. And besides, she hadn’t wanted to stay with him, not really. It was only his scent manipulating her, making her think she wanted to stay. So then why do I wish I could turn this damn shuttle around and go back to him right now when I can’t even smell him? whispered the little voice in her brain. Why does it feel like I left part of me back there on the Kindred ship? Why does it hurt so much when I think of never seeing him again?

Liv tried to shut the voice up but it wouldn’t be silent. She just kept seeing the hopeless look in Baird’s eyes as he’d held her tight one last time. He hadn’t even said anything but then, he didn’t need to. She could see what was going on—he was dying inside from losing her. That was the real reason the Kindred didn’t do divorce, she finally understood. Because they couldn’t survive without their mates. She supposed it was a good thing she and Baird hadn’t actually bonded before she’d had to leave or he wouldn’t stand a chance. Maybe someday in the future he’d be able to find someone else, some other girl…

“I don’t want him with some other girl.” Liv put her head in her hands, trying and failing to hold back the tears. “I want him with me. Oh God, what’s wrong with me? Why does this hurt so much?”

“Look at this. We’ve only just captured her and she’s already crying.”

The strange voice from the cockpit of the small shuttle surprised her. Liv’s head jerked up and she found she was staring into a pair of wholly alien eyes. They weren’t the gold of a Beast Kindred or the pale ice blue of a Tranq Kindred or any of the varying shades of brown, green, or blue she’d seen in the few Twin Kindred she’d met. They were a deep glossy black that reminded her of a black hole—a place where even light couldn’t escape. As she watched a red vertical slit appeared in the center of each large iris and elongated alarmingly like a cat’s. Only no cat she’d ever seen had crimson and black eyes.

“Who…who are you?” she asked, finding her voice at last.

The eyes were set in a cold, calculating masculine face with skin the strange color of a dark grey pearl. The speaker had hair as black as his eyes which was pulled back from the stark bones of his face in a way that seemed to emphasize the cruel set of his mouth. More than that, Liv couldn’t see except that he wore some kind of cape over his shoulders. “Who are you?” she asked again since he hadn’t answered her the first time.

“I am your destiny. Are you mine?” He smiled coldly and nodded at someone out of her line of vision. “Get her out of there and bring her before the throne. She must be examined before any tests can be run.”

Throne? Examined? Tests? Liv was beginning to have an idea of what had happened and it was bad—really bad. This wasn’t Earth and her captor was like no kind of Kindred she’d ever seen although he appeared to be as big and muscular as any of the warriors she’d met. The Scourge. Somehow I’ve been taken by the Scourge. His next words confirmed her worst fears.

“Are you deaf? I said hurry. The AllFather is waiting.” He nodded impatiently and suddenly the passenger door of the shuttle was wrenched open and long-fingered alien hands were clamped around her upper arms.

“Hey, let me go!” Liv tried to kick but then someone grabbed her legs as well and she was being hauled bodily out of the shuttle. She struggled for a moment until she saw a body slumped on the ground beside the shuttle—it was the Tranq pilot who had been driving the shuttle in the first place. A puddle of blood under his head made it clear he wouldn’t be flying any more missions. The sight made Liv cold all over and she abruptly stopped fighting. It was no use anyway—the silent guards who held her—both of whom had the same grey skin as her captor—were too strong. And clearly they had no qualms about killing their captives.

The man with black and red eyes nodded approvingly. “Very good. I advise you to remain calm and not fight the situation. Your fear will only stimulate the AllFather and he is much less likely to be lenient when he is stimulated.” Standing up, out of the shuttle, he was even taller than she’d first thought. The black cape he wore covered his broad shoulders and fell to his calves, making him look positively enormous and even more menacing, if that was possible.

“What are you talking about? What does the…the AllFather want with me?” Liv forced herself to lift her chin and stare him in his strange red and black eyes, ignoring the silent guards who were still holding her.

“To see if you are the one.” He jerked his head at her guards and turned.

“The one what?” Liv protested as the two silent, grey-skinned guards dragged her along.

“The one who is prophesied.”

Though she was still scared to death, Liv was also getting frustrated. “Prophesied to do what?”

He turned his head and looked back at her. “That remains to be seen. Perhaps much, perhaps little. But either way you can be certain it will be less painful if you just submit.”

Liv opened her mouth to ask more questions and then closed it again. God, what was she going to do? They must have mistaken her for someone else. But how could she convince Mr. Tall Dark and Scary of that? And what would the AllFather do to her?

She remembered well the scenes from her dream-sharing with Baird. The cavernous shadowy room with the huge screen projecting his thoughts and memories. The glowing wires coming out of his skin…No, don’t think of that. Liv tried to concentrate on the scenery around her instead but it wasn’t much help.

The interior of the Scourge ship was dark and silent. The guards dragged her through claustrophobically narrow metal corridors which connected vast rooms filled with huge, complicated machinery. Liv saw more grey-skinned beings working on the equipment but none of them spoke a word, even to each other. They shambled about their tasks with their heads bowed like people working in their sleep. It was eerie—like watching a factory full of zombies. And what was the machinery for? Did it run the ship? Or was there some other purpose for the enormous, silent mechanisms she was seeing?

She was afraid to know the answer and anyway, she was only half interested in the question. Looming much larger in her mind was her eventual fate. What was the leader of the Scourge going to do to her when he found out he had the wrong girl? And who was the right girl, for that matter?

The trip seemed to take forever but it was still over much too soon. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of a pair of double doors that looked to be four stories high. The doors were dark grey metal with strange designs etched in glowing neon green. Liv wondered if the designs were some kind of decoration or alien script. She didn’t get a chance to stare at them long, however. The tall man with the black and red eyes made a curt motion with one hand and they swung open silently revealing a large round room.

A blast of something came out of the vast shadowy space—nothing tangible that she could see or smell but something nonetheless. To Liv it felt like her entire body had been stroked with a giant hand, one that was cold and clammy to the touch. A feeling of horror like nothing she had ever felt before filled her. A sense that whatever was behind those glowing green doors was evil and meant her harm.

Liv sagged in the guards’ grip, her knees giving way as a nameless dread filled her. Her mind was suddenly full of tragedy, darkness, death. She couldn’t go in there and face the source of those emotions which she understood instinctively weren’t really hers. Couldn’t come face to face with any being that was capable of causing so much fear and distress without even touching her—she just couldn’t.

“Do not worry about the fear you feel—it is simply the AllFather’s aura,” her captor said casually, motioning for the guards to drag her inside the room. “He is one of the Old Ones and does not need a link to harvest emotions.”

Liv didn’t care what he needed to harvest—all she knew was that her mind kept filling up with that horrible, nameless dread, making it almost impossible to think. It was like someone was pouring black, cloudy water into her skull, coloring everything with its murky presence. “Please,” she whispered through trembling lips. “Please, no. I’m not who you think. There must be some…some mistake.”

“We shall see.” Her captor nodded at the guards. “Bring her before the throne and leave her there. The AllFather’s aura will keep her from trying anything rash.”

Her upper arms ached from where the guards gripped her as they dragged her across the threshold of the room and up a long, broad series of steps made of black stone. The fear made her legs too weak to work and she stumbled forward stupidly until at last, at the top of the steps, they let her go.

Liv collapsed in a little heap, a soft sob leaving her throat. Not since she was a little girl and had night terrors had she felt so helplessly frightened. But back then when she’d woken screaming in the blackness there had always been someone to hold and comfort her—her mother or father or Sophie. Now there was no one. She was lost, alone in the dark. No one loved her. No one would ever love her again… No, that’s not right. Baird loves me. I know he does.

The thought felt right in her head and it pierced through the haze of darkness that clouded her mind. It gave Liv the courage to lift her eyes and see what was sitting on the massive metal throne before her.

The throne was decorated in the same glowing green alien script that the doors had been and on it sat a being that seemed to be cloaked in robes made of shadows—the AllFather. When he—or it—moved, they roiled around it like smoke. In the deep recesses of its shadowy hood its eyes glowed a pure, pulsing red. More than that Liv couldn’t see—not that she wanted to.

“Who…what…?” Her voice was little more than a croak but it didn’t matter because her half questions weren’t answered anyway.

“Ssso thisss is the girl.” The deep, hissing voice seemed to make the dread she felt worse.

“This is she,” the tall man with the black and red eyes answered. Had Liv thought he looked alien and strange? He looked like a GQ cover model compared with the thing sitting on the throne. “We intercepted her shuttle on its way to Earth.”

“Excellent. Does ssshe have the mark?”

“I do not know. I brought her directly to you as you requested, Father.” The tall man stood impassively beside her, arms crossed behind his back. Either the enveloping feeling of horror didn’t affect him or he was so used to it, it didn’t bother him anymore.

“What are you waiting for, Xairn? Check her.” The AllFather raised one skeletal hand, his shadowy, smoke-like sleeve moving in dreamy slow-motion with the gesture.

“On your feet.” The tall man with the black and red eyes scooped her up and forced her to stand. He wasn’t unnecessarily rough but his hands on her were cold and impersonal, as though he was handling an inanimate object.

“Please, you have the wrong person. I don’t know who you want but I’m sure it isn’t me.” Liv clutched at his muscular arm to keep herself from falling over. His skin was cold but at least he didn’t exude that feeling of terror she felt from the AllFather.

“That remainsss to be ssseen.” The AllFather gestured again. “Check for the mark.”

“As you wish.” With no warning the tall man grabbed the V neck of the dark blue t-shirt Liv was wearing and ripped it open. Then he twisted her bra in one horribly strong hand, popping and shredding the elastic as easily as if it was paper to reveal her bare breasts.

It was so much like what Baird had done to her earlier in the unmated males’ area that Liv was momentarily stunned. Guess it’s my day to get stripped in public, she thought stupidly, staring down at her breasts, her nipples tight with fear. Then the reality of what had happened hit her and she tried to cover herself with her arms.

“There is no need for that.” The man the AllFather had called Xairn pulled her arms away easily though Liv was fighting with all her might to keep herself covered. “We wish only to see if you bear the mark between your breasts.”

“The mark of what?” Liv managed to ask through numb lips but he didn’t answer. Instead, he knelt in front of her and cupped her breasts in his cold hands, pushing them apart and studying the smooth skin of her chest and sternum carefully. Liv shivered under his touch but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it. At least he didn’t seem to be getting any pleasure out of the contact—his touch was as clinical and impersonal as a doctor’s. Finally he shook his head and let her go.

“I see nothing.”

There was a hiss of frustration from the being on the throne. “I thought ssshe was the one. The thought message you intercepted…”

“Showed much promise. However there is no mark and the prophesy says—”

“I know what it sssays.” The AllFather made an impatient gesture, his red eyes glaring.

“Except for the mark she fits very well.”

“Which is why we must be sssure. Ssstep back and let me taste her.”

“What?” Liv stumbled backward and would have gone head first down the broad, steep steps if Xairn hadn’t caught her.

“Be still, Earth female. The AllFather will not touch you. He means to taste your emotions, nothing more.”

Liv trembled in his grip. For one horrible instant she’d thought he meant to taste her the way Baird had. The thought of that…that thing on the throne with its boney scabrous hands and glowing red eyes between her legs was too much, too horrible. She would rather die than let it touch her so intimately.

Barely managing to stand upright, Liv clutched her torn shirt closed to cover herself. Despite Xairn’s promise that the AllFather wouldn’t touch her, it took everything that was in her not to collapse when he stood, shaking his smoke-like robes loose from the metal throne, and came toward her. If it touches me I’ll go crazy. I know I will—I won’t be able to help it.

But the AllFather didn’t touch her. He—it—as Liv’s mind kept insisting, came within a few feet of her and raised a hand to the level of her face. Then those glowing red eyes closed and the tasting began.

“I’m telling you, you can’t do this, Baird. It’s crazy—a suicide mission.” Sylvan glared at his brother.

“You think I don’t know that?” He nodded at Sylvan. “You gonna strap in or what?”

Sylvan frowned as he slipped into the shuttle and fastened the harness. “I can’t believe you got permission from the Council to do this.”

“Council member Shirafe owed me a life debt—I saved his son during the battle of Brenii—remember?” Baird shrugged. “He told me if I wanted to spend my debt this way I was welcome to do it.”

“But you’re not even bonded,” Sylvan protested as he engaged the shuttle’s engines.

“You think that matters to me?” Baird frowned at him fiercely. “I love her, Sylvan, bonded or not. Wouldn’t you have done the same for Feenah if you’d had to?”

“Of course,” Sylvan said instantly. “Even though she didn’t want what I had to offer I still would have given everything I had to make her safe.”

“Then you know how I feel.” Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair as the shuttle lifted off. “Don’t you get it, Sylvan? This is what the priestess was talking about. I thought after all that trouble in the unmated males section that the danger was over. Thought the sacrifice I had to make was letting them see me mark my female.”

Sylvan nodded thoughtfully. A public marking like the one Baird had done was considered a humiliation but his brother had taken it in stride despite his bride’s defiant attitude. Not his bride anymore, he reminded himself. They’re not even bonded and still he’s willing to give up everything to save her. “I see,” he said neutrally, piloting the shuttle out of the docking bay.

“But that wasn’t it,” Baird continued as they left the Kindred ship behind. “This is. I can see it now and I’m fine with it. I want it.”

“How can you say that?” Sylvan burst out. “You’re going to your death.”

Baird shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under the crimson uniform shirt. “I was dead anyway—the minute I saw her leave I felt it. At least this way it won’t take as long.”

“Baird, listen to me,” Sylvan said evenly. “I know how you feel—no one could know it better. But there is life after a failed bonding.”

“Yeah, but what kind of life?” Baird gave him a long, searching look. “I’ve seen you, Brother. Ached for your pain and admired your strength. But I just don’t want to go through that. If I can’t be with Olivia…” He shook his head.

Sylvan knew what he was saying. If I can’t be with Olivia, I don’t want to be at all. Baird would rather die than live in a universe where his love was denied him. It saddened Sylvan but didn’t surprise him. A Kindred male’s attachment to his female often bordered on the extreme and many warriors didn’t survive the loss of their chosen mate. Their father had been a rare exception but Sylvan was sure he had only carried on in order to care for his sons. Otherwise after the death of Sylvan’s own mother he surely would have taken his own life, as many Kindred did after a mate died. That was the real reason the Council had given their approval to Baird’s request—a warrior who lost a mate was already considered dead so in essence, they were incurring no new losses.

“I just wish…” Sylvan cleared his throat. “I wish I could help you as you helped me. I never would have made it after…after…” It was still difficult to say her name. “After Feenah if it wasn’t for you.”

Baird leaned over the console and gripped his arm. “I’m glad I could be there for you, Brother. I’m sorry it has to end like this.”

Sylvan gave him a tiny smile. “It’s just three days. You might make it back.”

“We both know the odds of that.” Baird smiled back grimly.

They were rapidly approaching the Scourge Fathership. As the vast grey metal cylinder grew in the viewscreen a cold hand gripped Sylvan’s heart. He could only imagine how his brother must feel, returning to a place where he had been tortured and tormented. It must be hell and yet Baird wore a serene look on his face—a look that said nothing else mattered but Olivia. Wish I could feel that way for a female again, Sylvan thought. But he knew he never would. That part of his heart was broken beyond fixing and even if it wasn’t he had sworn a sacred oath to the Mother—an oath he never intended to break. “We’re here,” he said unnecessarily. “Their control room has accepted our truce signal.”

“Let’s go then.” Baird leaned forward as the entrance to the Scourge docking bay yawned open beneath them. “She’s been in there too long already. If he’s already gotten into her mind…”

We may be too late, Sylvan finished the thought in his head. But he didn’t say it aloud. Couldn’t bear to imagine his brother’s pain if the female he loved had been hurt beyond repair. They would just have to pray to the Mother that they were in time…

Liv shivered in revulsion as she felt the cold brush of an alien mind against her own. It was like spiders scuttling over her face—a loathsome, ticklish sensation that made her stomach lurch in disgust. Then the sensation went deeper and she felt him inside her brain. Cold hands with worm-like fingers were searching through her memories like an impatient secretary flipping through old fashioned paper files in a desk drawer. Every once in awhile they would linger on a certain memory—something embarrassing or horrifying or desperately unhappy—and examine it more closely. Liv gritted her teeth as she felt the corpse-cold fingers pick these bad memories up and fondle them like precious gems.

The time Sophie and I saw Miss Meow crushed under the neighbor’s truck…The last time we ever saw grandma alive with all those tubes and wires going in and out of her at the hospital…Opening the door to a policeman saying how sorry he was but we had to come down to the morgue and identify Mom and Dad after the drunk driver hit them…

It was all there, right down to the time in fourth grade when she’d had a crush on Patrick Phelps who told everyone he didn’t like her. The AllFather found each hurtful memory and tasted it thoroughly, tasted her pain and disappointment and humiliation as though it was a fine wine he was savoring.

Liv didn’t know how long it went on, only that after awhile she felt like she was going crazy. She tried to remember how Baird had said he was able to stand it—he’d been a prisoner here in this ship for six months. How had he kept his sanity with this hideous being rifling through his head?

He thought of me. He said I kept him sane—the link we had and the dream-sharing. Maybe if I think of him… Closing her eyes, Liv thought of him with all her might. She imagined him standing there in front of her—so tall and strong, his wild black hair and golden eyes filled with love and need. The way his body felt against hers when he held her close, the warm, spicy scent that filled her senses when she was with him. Suddenly her eyes flew open. God, he was right—I love him. How could I not see that before? How could I wait until now when I’m in a hopeless situation to realize that he’s what I want out of life? What’s wrong with me?

“What indeed?” whispered an icy voice in her brain. “Ssso you were bonded to the one who escaped me. Sssuch a pity…his pain was ssso unique and I never quite got all of it.”

Liv felt him in her head again, prying at her memories of Baird. But somehow, this time she resisted. “No, those aren’t for you!” She imagined erecting a wall around her time with Baird, a wall so high and thick he couldn’t scale it or break it no matter how he tried.

Soft laughter, like the rustling of bat wings filled her skull. “Ssso you resist? Very well, I ssshall break you later at my leisure. Depend upon it, little female.”

And then, as suddenly as he had invaded her mind, the AllFather was gone. Liv sagged in relief, nearly falling again. Resisting his prying attempts to see into her time with Baird had taken everything she had. She felt like she’d just run a marathon or swam a hundred laps in the pool.

The AllFather went back to its throne. “Her taste is prosaic but ssshe ssshould provide a few hours of entertainment at least. Hook her up to the viewer and I will review her memories. Her thought images may provide valuable insight.”

Liv had a sudden memory of the way Baird had looked in the dreams she’d had of him. Chained to a wall with a huge screen above his head and wires coming out of his skin. “No!” She turned to run but Xairn caught her.

“None of that. You belong to the AllFather now. He will do with you as he wishes and you have no say in the matter.”

“I have a say. The Earth female belongs to me so take your fuckin’ hands off her.”

At first Liv thought the deep, familiar voice must be an illusion. A cruel trick either of the AllFather or her own mind. She wanted so much to see Baird, to be with him. But surely he wouldn’t be able to follow her here—would he? Slowly, almost afraid to look for fear he wouldn’t be real, she turned her head and stared down the broad black steps. For a moment she couldn’t see in the dim room and then…

It’s true—he’s really here. But how—?

“Lilenta.” Baird came bounding up the steps and looked at the ragged remains of her shirt. “Did they hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. He said they were looking for some kind of mark.” She nodded at the AllFather’s son who was still holding her and looking at Baird impassively.

Baird glared into the red and black eyes. “Thought I told you to take your fuckin’ hands off her.”

Xairn withdrew his cold hands but didn’t move an inch. “You are very bold for one who has so lately tasted the AllFather’s mercy.”

“Mercy, huh?” Baird spat at his feet. “That’s what I think of your mercy. I’m here to take Olivia home.” He took off his red uniform shirt and slipped it around her shoulders.

“And how do you propose to do that? You are one and we are many.” Red pupils narrowing to slits, Xairn put a hand to his side, fingering some kind of weapon Liv hadn’t noticed before. She tensed but then the AllFather was there, gliding silently toward them.

“Leave him. I sssensed him coming from afar. He has an interesting proposal.”

“His royal ugliness is right.” Baird glared at the AllFather. “I have a bargain for you—me for her.”

“What? Baird, no!” Liv put a hand on his arm but he shook her off and continued talking.

“You have a custom—krik-ka`re. The willing sacrifice of one mind-life for another. I wish to invoke it now.”

Xairn raised one black eyebrow. “It has been some years since we received such a request. You have been studying our culture.”

“If that’s what you call the twisted paths of pain your kind follow then, yes. I have.”

The AllFather stepped closer to Baird, its red eyes glowing. “The traditional time of krik-ka`re is just three days. Why ssshould I give up a tender morsel like this little Earth female for only three days of your pain?”

Baird lifted his chin. “You said yourself last time I was your guest that my pain had a unique flavor. But you never got all of it—you never broke through my shields completely.”

“And? Ssso?”

“So this time you won’t have to.” Baird swallowed but his face remained impassive. “I’ll give myself willingly. That means no shields, no attempt to block you out. You can have whatever you want with no resistance from me.”

“No!” Liv tugged at his arm but he only shook his head briefly and looked back at the AllFather.

“What do you say?” he demanded.

Xairn was the one who answered him. “You realize, of course, what you are offering. It is not just your life we are speaking of here but your sanity. No one has ever withstood the AllFather’s complete and undivided attention for such a length of time and emerged with their mind intact.”

“I know that.” Baird gave a curt nod at Liv. “She’s worth it—to me anyway. To you she’s nothing but another energy cell, one you’ll use up and throw out in a matter of hours.”

“He presents a compelling case.” The AllFather sounded thoughtful. “I do find myself most hungry after the unsatisfying taste of the female’s mind.”

“But her memories,” Xairn objected. “You said they should be sifted in order to find the one we seek.”

The AllFather made a dismissive gesture that left a cloud of dark smoke-like particles boiling in the air. “There are other ways of finding the one. I am inclined to let her go if the warrior agrees to abide by the laws of krik-ka`re.”

“I agree,” Baird said at once. “Just let me see her to the shuttle where my brother waits and swear you’ll disable your magnetic field long enough for them to get away. Then you can do anything you want to me.”

The AllFather nodded, its red eyes glowing. “It is ssso agreed. My ssson and his guard will accompany you to be certain you uphold your end of our bargain. At the end of three days time your brother may return for you…if there is anything left worth returning for.”

Liv felt like hear heart was about to burst out of her chest. “Wait a minute—nobody asked me if it was okay for Baird to trade places with me!”

“Nobody had to, Lilenta. This is my choice, not yours. Come on, Sylvan’s waiting.”

He led her down the steep steps and Liv let him, moving in a fog of uncertainty. They walked back through the Scourge Fathership, Baird striding confidently along as though he knew the way by heart. Well, he was a prisoner here for months and months, Liv reminded herself. And he did escape so maybe he knows the layout. She kept telling herself that Baird had to have some other plan. Surely once they reached the shuttle he would shoot anyone in their way and they would make a getaway and live happily ever after. Despite the guards that now flanked them on all sides and the strange looking weapon the AllFather’s son had trained on them, he wouldn’t really just give himself up, would he?

But when they reached the vast docking bay where she’d first realized what had happened, Baird gave her a long, tight hug and then stepped back. “Good bye, Lilenta.”

“No!” She clutched at his arm. “You have to come with me—you can’t stay here.”

“One of us has to.” He cupped her cheek gently. “Even if it was possible to get away with half the Scourge forces on our tail, a warrior honors his commitments. I swore to abide by the rules of krik-ka`re.”

“You shouldn’t have come.” Liv could feel the tears welling in her eyes though she tried to blink them back. “You shouldn’t have traded yourself for me. Not after what I did.”

“You didn’t know that using the Think-me would break our contract. And even if you did, I still would have come.”

“But why?”

“Because I love you, Lilenta. There is no life for me without you.” He leaned down to kiss her one more time and Liv felt the familiar flare of heat at the brush of his mouth against hers. “Don’t forget me.”

“Never.” She spoke the promise through numb lips and then Sylvan was there at her elbow, leading her away to a waiting shuttle.

“Take care of her, Brother. I charge you with her well being. See her safely back to Earth.” Baird gave his brother a significant look.

“I’ll see to Olivia—you take care of yourself. I’ll be back for you in three days. Just three days,” Sylvan told him. “Stay strong, Brother.”

Baird lifted his chin defiantly. “I will.”

“This is all very touching but the magnetic field has been disabled already for your female’s departure. It will not remain inactive forever.” Xairn nodded at the shuttle.

Baird nodded briefly. “I’m ready. Do your worst.”

“Baird, no!” Liv felt like someone was ripping her heart out of her chest. She tried to run back to him but Sylvan’s grip on her arm was unbreakable.

“Come, Olivia,” he murmured, tugging her toward the shuttle. “We have very little time. Don’t let Baird’s sacrifice be in vain.”

“But…but I don’t want him to sacrifice himself for me.” She was beginning to cry now, unable to help herself. “Please, I don’t want this.”

“But he wants it,” Sylvan said gently. “He needs it. Needs to assure himself of your safety. You must be brave for him—stay strong as he is doing for you.”

Olivia looked over her shoulder at Baird again as Sylvan folded her gently into shuttle’s the cockpit. He was standing straight and tall, his shoulders thrown back, his eyes blazing. There was no reluctance or fear in his posture, no regret in his stance. Only strength and determination. And love. He’s doing this because he loves me. Even though I resisted him. Even though I never… “Oh God, I never told him I loved him! Sylvan, please—please, I have to go back.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late.” Sylvan nodded at the guards who were leading Baird away. “We need to get out of here, Olivia. The Scourge have a twisted kind of honor but I wouldn’t want to trust it too far. If I fail to get you safely back to Earth, Baird’s sacrifice will have been for nothing.”

“Fine.” Liv blotted her eyes on the sleeve of Baird’s shirt, inhaling his warm, spicy scent and trying not to cry again. “But I’m not going back to Earth.”

Sylvan raised his eyebrows. “Oh? And where do you think you’re going?”

“Back with you—to the ship.”

“But you can’t—”

“I can and I will.” Baird was gone now, his broad back and shoulders disappearing into the gloom of the Scourge ship. Liv tore her eyes from where he had been and looked back at Sylvan. “I heard what they said—this krick-krack thing—”

“Krik-ka`re.”

“Right, whatever. Anyway, it only lasts three days and afterwards Baird is coming home. I want to be there to meet him when he does.”

“Olivia…” Sylvan’s tone was quiet and gentle. “What comes back to us will look like Baird but it won’t really be him. It will be a shell—empty…broken.”

“If he’s broken then I’ll fix him.” Liv crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

“You can’t.” Sylvan’s normally impassive blue eyes were sad as he piloted the ship up and out to the air lock. “No one can.”

“Well I’ve got to try, at least!” Liv burst out. “Look, Sylvan—I’ve been a complete idiot up until now and it took having that…that thing rifling through my head to make me see clearly. I used my family and my career as an excuse—as a shield—because I was afraid.” She looked down at her hands—only her fingertips were visible past the long sleeves of the crimson uniform shirt. “I…I love Baird and I think I have for a long time. I just wouldn’t let myself see it until…” She shook her head, unable to say what they were both doubtless thinking. Until it was too late.

But it can’t be too late. I won’t let it be, Liv told herself fiercely. She clenched her hands into fists. He held out for six months before. He can do three days with no problem. Except this time he would have no shields. Liv couldn’t imagine letting the monstrous AllFather into your brain with no resistance. Just the thought made her skin crawl. And he did that for me. He’s doing it right now because he loves me. Even though he has no idea I love him back.

That made her want to cry again but she resisted the urge. She would stay as strong as Baird, would hold out and wait for him and in the end they would be together again. She believed that with all her heart.

I have to believe it. If I don’t, I’ll go crazy. She stared into the bleak vastness of space as Sylvan engaged the drive that would take them back to the Kindred ship. Somehow she would get through these three days without Baird and when he came back she would glue the pieces back together. No matter what she had to do, she was going to fix him.

“Ssso, your female is sssafely on her way.” The eyes of the AllFather glowed like coals, filled with an evil hunger that Baird had seen before.

“Yes.” He lifted his chin, refusing to look away. Less than a month before he’d sworn to himself that he would die before letting himself fall prisoner to the Scourge again. But things were different now. Worth it. No matter how bad the pain gets it’s worth it to know she’s safe. Gods, Olivia, love you so much…

“Your bravery isss most inspiring,” the AllFather hissed and Baird had an idea that there was a cruel smile hidden somewhere in the recesses of that black shadowy cloak—if the AllFather had a face and a mouth to smile with, that was. “I ssshall enjoy ssstripping it away, along with everything else.”

Baird gave him a steady stare. “Do your worst.”

“Oh, I will, Warrior. I will. Before I am done you will beg for death—but no sssuch release ssshall be granted you.”

Fear clawed at him but he refused to give in to it. “Like I said, do your worst.”

“And as I sssaid, I ssshall. And when I am finished, you will do your worst also—against your own kind.”

“What…” Baird cleared his throat. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I like you, Warrior.” The AllFather made a dry hissing sound that might have been laughter. “I think I’ll keep you. Your abilities as a pilot will be very useful to me.”

Baird narrowed his eyes. “Forget it. I’ll never fly for you.”

“Oh, but you will. And very sssoon too. How do you like the idea of flying the vessel that attacks your brethren? Of firing the ssshots that wound and kill your comrades in arms?”

“Never. You can’t make me!” But Baird had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Not without proper conditioning, of course.” The dry, hissing laughter again. “We must begin at once. After all, it takes time to ssstrip a mind completely. Essspecially one as ssstrong as yoursss.”

Chapter Twenty-two

Liv was afraid that the three days until Baird’s return would drag horribly, filled with worry and guilt until the need to see him again drove her crazy. The suite seemed so empty without him. The bed and bathing pool were both too big and even Bebo seemed downright mournful. Liv was glad that Baird had shown her where the little animal’s special food was kept because she didn’t want him to start thinking her toes looked like a good snack. But the second time he came snuffling around the living area where she was sitting on the couch—not on the live blanket which was folded and pushed out of the way—Liv started to have an idea of what was wrong.

“Here Bebo. Here boy,” she said softly, holding out her hand. It was the morning after Sylvan had brought her back from the Scourge ship and she’d barely slept a wink. All she could do was lie in the darkness and stare at the shadowy ceiling, thinking of Baird and what he was going through. She tried reaching out to him with her mind, hoping against hope that he could feel her love for him but she felt nothing in return and they shared no dreams in the few moments she managed to sleep. It seemed that whatever connection they’d once shared it was broken.

She missed having his arms around her, missed hearing his deep, rumbling laugh and feeling his warmth beside her at night. She knew now she would give anything to have him back. To have a second chance to love him and tell him she wanted to be with him forever. I’ll get a second chance, she told herself firmly. But the pitying look that Sylvan had given her when she had declared her intention to wait for Baird told her everything she needed to know.

“Bebo,” she called again, trying to push away the negative thoughts. “Here, boy.”

Slowly, reluctantly, the little zithcher made his way over to where she was sitting. After their first disastrous meeting they had called an uneasy truce but this was the first time Liv had ever actually tried to make friends with him. I didn’t like him and not just because he scared me. It was because he was alien, strange, frightening. Like the idea of giving up everything I knew to stay here with Baird. Carefully she reached out a hand and scratched the little teddy bear creature between his ears, just as she’d seen Baird do. Bebo’s bright blue fur was feathery and soft and after a moment he closed his large eyes and began to make contented humming sounds in the back of his throat.

“You’re not such a scary guy after all, are you?” Liv murmured, still scratching. “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to get to know you before…when Baird was here.”

At the mention of his master’s name, the little animal opened his eyes and made a mournful questioning sound.

“I know.” Liv felt tears rise to her eyes again. “I miss him too. But he’ll be back. And then…then…well, I don’t know how I’ll help him but I will. I swear I will.” To her surprise, Bebo climbed up in the couch and then, with an inquiring look as if to make sure he was welcome, into her lap. Liv stroked him, letting her tears drop on his soft fur. Like everything else about the Kindred way of life, she’d refused to see the good in Baird’s pet until it was too late. Too late…too late…

A sudden rapping at the door to the suite startled her out of her mournful reverie. Carefully, she put Bebo back down on the floor and went to the door, dusting his feathery blue fur off her fingers. She really hoped it wasn’t Jillian—gossiping and girl talk were about the last thing she needed right now.

Her heart started pounding when she saw Sylvan standing there. “What?” she blurted. “Is it Baird? But it hasn’t been three days yet. I don’t—”

“That is not the reason I am here.” Sylvan looked mildly troubled which was as close to really upset as a cool and collected Tranq Kindred could get. He frowned at Liv. “You are some kind of medic on Earth, correct?”

“I’m a nurse, yes. Why?”

“There was a raid on the station we have on the far side of your moon and the influx of wounded is staggering. We need every pair of trained hands we can get.”

“I want to help but I don’t know anything about your medical technology,” Liv reminded him. “Or what kind of meds the Kindred can use. Or—”

“You can help with the triage at least and I’ll do my best to answer any questions as we go. Come on.” Sylvan grabbed her hand.

“Wait!” Liv looked at him fearfully. “How is this going to affect Baird? Will…will the Scourge still give him back?”

Sylvan looked grim. “I’m sorry Olivia but I don’t know. There’s nothing we can do for him now, though. We have wounded to care for and the longer we wait the more will die. Will you help me?”

Liv felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes into her belly but she nodded anyway. “I’ll do my best even though I don’t know your techniques.”

“You can consider this on the job training.” Sylvan pulled her out the door.

So began the most frantic two days of Liv’s life. It was like nursing school all over again but in fast forward and there was no room for mistakes. Previously she’d only seen the leisure side of the Kindred ship. Now she saw the business side and their main business was war. The large med station where Sylvan had her working was constantly busy, the flow of patients in and out as steady as clockwork.

Liv was run off her feet as she assisted in various operations and learned the alien medical technology. Luckily, the Kindred anatomy was basically humanoid so it wasn’t like she was starting from scratch. And she was doing what she loved best—helping to save lives. If it hadn’t been for the constant worry at the back of her head for Baird, she would have been completely content. But no matter how busy she got or how frantic the pace, she couldn’t forget—didn’t want to forget—what he was going through and that she might not ever see him again. Still, she was grateful for the distraction. Even with Bebo to keep her company she knew she would have gone crazy cooped up in the suite with nothing to do but agonize over the situation.

It was at the end of the second day, or maybe the wee hours of the third, Liv had lost count, that a new patient was pushed in front of her. Or maybe floated was a better word since the Kindred used anti-grav technology in their stretchers.

“Gotta live one but he’s non-responsive,” the transport tech, who happened to be a Tranq, barked.

“Injuries?” Liv asked briskly, looking down at the new view-chart bracelet she was priming. Once she put it on him it would document all his treatment and meds automatically. It was one piece of technology she wished she could take back to Earth because it completely eliminated any confusion as to what had been done to the patient and when.

The tech shrugged. “None that we can see, actually, but as I said, he’s completely out of it. Word is he piloted a bunch of wounded here in a stolen Scourge ship and then blacked out.”

“He did, did h—” Liv lost her power of speech abruptly when she finally glanced up and got a look at her new patient’s face. Suddenly everything seemed to swim before her eyes and she felt weak. She stumbled and almost fell, only catching herself at the last minute by grabbing the edge of the floating stretcher. It can’t be him. What is he doing here?

“Hey, are you all right?” The transport tech came around the stretcher to take her arm. “I see you in here every time I come. How long have you been on your feet? You must be exhausted.”

She waved him off. “No, it’s not that. I just…” Is it really him? What if I’m so tired I’m hallucinating because I want to see him so much? The male on the stretcher certainly looked like Baird but when she leaned down close to him, she couldn’t smell the warm, spicy scent she’d come to associate with him. And though his eyes were open they weren’t the brilliant gold she remembered—more of a tarnished brass. Was it really Baird or another Beast Kindred who just looked like him? Liv hadn’t realized how much she depended on his scent to recognize him and as exhausted as she was, she didn’t feel like she could trust her eyes alone. She needed a second opinion. “Tech, I need Commander Sylvan here to look at this patient now.” she said, looking up from her examination.

The tech caught the urgency in her tone and went looking for Sylvan at once. He soon returned, dragging him by the arm.

“What’s this about? I was in the middle of a very delicate—Baird!” Sylvan leaned over his half brother’s supine form, his eyes wide with surprise. “How did he get here?”

Liv repeated the transport tech’s story about Baird piloting a stolen ship and then collapsing. “Do you think he’s just in shock?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t know.” Sylvan leaned down to shine a thin beam of light into Baird’s eyes. “The pupils are responsive but he doesn’t seem to be seeing me.” He looked up at the tech. “You’re sure about what you heard? He actually piloted a ship?”

The tech nodded. “Sure. Some of the other guys said they couldn’t have escaped without him—none of them knew how to fly but him.” He nodded at the silent Baird.

“That’s good, right?” Liv asked anxiously. “I mean, that’s great! He shouldn’t have been able to do that after what the…after what he went through. So he must be still all right—still in there, somewhere.”

“Maybe.” Sylvan looked skeptical. “I’ve never known anyone to withstand a Scourge krik-ka`re. But if anyone is strong enough, it would be Baird. Still…” He broke off shaking his head.

“Still what? What?” Liv demanded.

“He might have been acting on autopilot so to speak. I mean, flying a ship is so ingrained in him that he might not need the parts of his personality that make him the male we know in order to do it.” Sylvan sighed. “I’m sorry, Olivia—I just don’t know.”

“Well I do.” Liv leaned over the stretcher, staring earnestly into the tarnished brass eyes. It seemed as though Baird’s gaze focused on her but she couldn’t be sure. “Baird,” she said softly, stroking his cheek. “Baird, it’s me—your Lilenta. Come back to me—I miss you.” Was there a flicker of recognition in the depths of his eyes? Liv wasn’t sure but it was enough to make her hope.

“Olivia—” Sylvan began but she didn’t want to hear it.

“Sit up.” She tugged at Baird’s arm. To her absolute joy, he did. He moved slowly in strange, jerky motions that reminded her of an old Frankenstein movie, but he did move. Soon he was sitting on the edge of the stretcher with his feet planted on the ground. He was still bare from the waist up, wearing only his black uniform pants and boots, just as he had been the last time she’d seen him, Liv noted. There were also fresh scars on his chest where he must have been pierced by the wires leading to the AllFather’s horrible view screen. “Oh, Baird,” she half whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “What did they do to you?”

Baird made no answer nor did he focus on her face when she spoke. He simply sat there, staring vacantly into space and not moving an inch.

“I was afraid of this.” Sylvan looked grim.

Liv rounded on him. “Afraid of what? Look, he’s doing fine. He responded—he did what I told him to do!”

“Following orders would be part of the brain function the AllFather would leave alone. Olivia, listen to me.” Sylvan put a hand on her shoulder. “I know that Baird is responding to direct orders, but that doesn’t mean he’s the male we remember. I’m afraid that what he endured may have damaged his mind beyond repair. Either that or the part of him we knew as Baird is now hidden, buried so far under so many layers of pain and fear we may never see it again.”

“That can’t be right,” Liv argued. “I won’t accept that. I refuse to accept it.”

“You’ll have to,” Sylvan said gently. “Believe me, Olivia, I’ve seen patients that have been subjected to the krik-ka`re years ago, during the Syrinx wars and this is not unusual. They often retain some of their more vital and deeply ingrained skills and the ability to follow direct commands without ever coming back to themselves. The AllFather does that so that he has a mindless slave who can still be of some use to him. In this case, he left Baird his piloting ability.”

“But he used it to steal a ship and take other warriors to safety,” Liv pointed out stubbornly. “There must be some of Baird left in there. I just need time to find it and let him out.”

Sylvan ran a hand over his short spiky hair. “I don’t know if that’s possible. Maybe if you two had already established a bond…but you didn’t. And without that, I don’t think you have much of a chance. I’m sorry, Olivia—I love him too. I just don’t want you to expect too much.”

“Well I have to try.” She took Baird by the arm and tugged at him. “Stand up,” she commanded and then looked at Sylvan. “You can make do without me for awhile, right?”

He nodded slowly. “We just had a shuttle full of new med techs come in. I’ve been meaning to tell you to take a break.”

“I’m taking it now.” Liv laced her fingers with Baird’s, wishing he would squeeze her hand in return and not just stand there. “We’ll be in our suite,” she told Sylvan firmly.

“All right. Good luck. And Olivia—do all you can. Baird is…very dear to my heart as well.”

Liv could see how much it cost the normally stoic Tranq to say such a thing and she nodded briefly. “Thanks, Sylvan. I will. Come on.” She tugged at Baird’s hand gently. “We have work to do.”

Hours later back in the suite she still had no idea what to do. She’d tried everything from slapping him lightly in the face to calling his name to reminding him in exhaustive detail of the day he’d first come to claim her at the HKR building in Tampa. None of her words or gestures seemed to penetrate the catatonic state he was in—even putting Bebo in his lap didn’t help. Although the little animal nudged him with its head and made soft, inquiring sounds, Baird didn’t even look down. As Liv placed the little creature back down on the floor and watched it waddle away, she was beginning to give up hope.

“Oh, Baird…” She sank down on the couch beside him and put her head in her hands. He was seated on one side of it, sitting up as straight as a ramrod and staring at nothing. His hands were at his sides and his broad chest was barely moving, as though he was hardly even breathing. He’s not really here with me. It’s just his body—a shell, like Sylvan said.

Liv was physically and emotionally exhausted. She’d been working nonstop for what felt like days, trying not to dwell on what Baird must be going through. When he’d come back to her it seemed like some kind of miracle and her hopes had been sky-high. Now she felt them plummeting to the ground. It was too cruel. To get him back again only to find she’d lost him for good.

“Oh, Baird…” Overwhelmed Liv lay down and put her head in his lap. “If only you could hear me,” she whispered, pillowing her cheek on his muscular thigh. “If only I could tell you how I feel—how wrong I’ve been and how much I want you. But you can’t…you can’t.”

Giving in to her misery, Liv let the tears come, rubbing her cheek against his leg as the sobs shook her. I’ve been such a fool. I waited until it was too late to realize I love you. Too late…too late… Then, to her surprise, something hot and hard nudged her.

“What—?” Sitting up, she wiped her eyes and looked down. A lump was growing in the crotch of the black uniform pants Baird still wore. Was that an automatic reaction to her accidental stimulation? Or could it be that somewhere down inside the real Baird, the one who had wanted her so badly, was still there?

Experimentally, Liv reached out and stroked the ridge of flesh. It got even harder and longer and Baird’s hands, which had been lying open at his sides, suddenly clenched into fists. At the same time, he took in a deep breath—almost a gasp—and then let out a soft sound like a groan of pain or pleasure.

Liv’s heart jumped in her chest and she swiped hastily at her eyes, rubbing away the tears. That had to be more than just an involuntary reaction! Maybe if I… She stroked him again, this time leaning close to look in his eyes as she did. “Do you like that, Baird?” she murmured throatily as she caressed his rigid shaft. “You like it when I touch you? I wish you’d come back to me—tell me what you like, what you want me to do and what you want to do to me.”

She thought she saw a flicker of heat in his eyes but still he didn’t speak. His hands remained clenched at his sides and his breathing was still heavy, though, so she decided she must be on the right track. Have to step things up a notch. Standing up, she put herself directly in Baird’s line of sight.

“Can you see me?” Reaching up she pulled the clip out of her hair and let it swirl around her shoulders. “Can you see how much I want you?” Was there another flicker in his eyes? And were they just a little more golden than brass? Have to go further—have to do more. Liv was well aware that to an outsider what she was about to do might seem bizarre, but there was no one there but herself and Baird. And since everything else had failed, she was determined to keep on trying the one thing that seemed to work. Feeling a strange mixture of hope and erotic need, she began a slow, sensual strip tease.

Of course the jeans and med smock she was wearing weren’t exactly super sexy but she took them off as slowly as she could, humming softly in the back of her throat for accompaniment as she worked her hips and pushed the tight jeans down her legs. Were his eyes tracking her movements? Was he watching her? Liv couldn’t be sure but she thought he was. She was down to her bra and panties now, a matching pair in navy blue lace that made her skin look creamy and soft. The bra hooked in the front, offering easy access. Now if only Baird would lift his hands and unhook it himself.

“Come on, Baird, is this what you want?” Please, please come back to me! Liv shimmied enticingly in front of him but though his eyes seemed to follow her movements, his hands remained curled into fists at his sides. Frustrated, she straddled his hips, getting closer. She was just going to have to help him out a little. Unhooking her bra, she peeled it open, revealing her bare breasts to him. “Watch me,” she murmured, twisting her nipples enticingly, stroking the ripe tips of her breasts as she looked into his eyes. Sparks of pain and pleasure shot though her body as she began to really get into it. “Watch me touch myself for you. See how much I want you?”

His eyes actually seemed to be tracking now and she could feel the ridge of his cock getting even harder. More, just need a little bit more to get through to him. Somehow she knew it was true.

Getting up on her knees she spread her legs wide and gently directed his head so that he was looking downward. “See this, Baird?” Slowly she tugged down the front of her lacy panties until her pussy slit came into view. “Look how wet I am for you,” Liv murmured. She had never done this, never exposed herself willingly to a lover like this before and she couldn’t help feeling like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. But this was for Baird—the only way to bring him back. Swallowing her shyness, she reached between her thighs with her other hand and spread her cunt lips open, baring her slippery inner folds for him, giving him the view he had so enjoyed before. “You told me once before that my body would get ready for yours,” she told him. “Well, I’m ready, Baird. I want you. Want you so much.”

Almost…His big body was trembling under her and a low groan came from his lips but still he seemed paralyzed. My scent is working on him, Liv realized. The same way his always worked on me. He just needs a little more…a little taste of me to break the spell. A little taste—that was it! Baird literally needed to taste her. Liv was suddenly sure of it.

Feeling a strange mixture of embarrassment and desire she pressed two fingers between her thighs, dipping into the liquid depths of her pussy to gather her moisture. Then, carefully, she smeared her honey across Baird’s mouth, coating his lips with her essence. “Come back to me Baird,” she whispered as she pressing her fingertips into his hot mouth. “Taste how much I want you and come back to me now.”

The effect was immediate. With a low roar Baird reached up and gripped her hips. His tongue came out, lapping at her fingers and cleaning her honey from his lips with obvious enjoyment. Even better, his mating scent suddenly filled the air around them, invading her senses like a dark spice. Once Liv had feared it but now it filled her with joy. It told her that Baird was in there somewhere, that he still wanted her, wanted to bond her to him…Suddenly Sylvan’s words came back to her. “Maybe if you two had already established a bond…”

That’s what we need to do—what I need to do to bring him back. We have to bond. The idea felt so natural and perfect she knew it was right at once. But was Baird recovered enough to make it possible?

Baird answered that question for her by leaning forward and nuzzling her breasts. Liv gasped and looked down to see that his eyes were almost completely golden again and filled with the old hunger she knew so well. Baird wanted her—needed her as much as he ever had. And she had a strong sense that doing this with him was the one thing that would bring him all the way back from the punishing effects of the AllFather’s mental torture.

“Baird,” she whispered, pressing forward to rub against him—God his scratchy cheeks felt good against her tender flesh! “Baird I want to do this with you—want to make love with you. But you have to help me.”

“Lilenta…” His deep voice startled her but when Liv looked down again, she saw him looking back at her.

“Yes, Baird? Did you…did you just talk?” she whispered. She was afraid to hope—maybe the voice she’d heard had been in her head because she wanted it so badly. But then…

“Need…you.” His voice sounded rusty and hoarse from disuse but the longing in his tone could not be denied.

“I need you too.” Liv felt like crying again—with happiness this time—but she held herself back sternly. They weren’t out of the water yet and she sensed that she needed to keep it up in order to bring Baird all the way back. “Try to touch me,” she urged him, lifting his big, warm hands to her breasts. “Let me feel your hands on me.”

He groaned again as he cupped her soft mounds. Under her ass Liv could feel his shaft getting hotter and harder. Good, that was exactly what she needed—what they needed. Spreading her legs, she lowered herself down and ground against him, rubbing like a cat in heat as he continued to stroke her breasts. She could feel the ridge of his cock pressing against her, parting her pussy lips through the thin silk of her panties and teasing her throbbing clit. God, how she wanted him! And she was so close to having him.

Apparently Baird felt the same way. Liv moaned softly as one of his large hands made its way from her breast down to the tender V between her legs. He stroked roughly over the panties for a moment and then she felt his fingers curve inward, gripping the gauzy material tightly. With a quick, jerky motion Baird yanked, ripping the panties away and leaving her bare just as he had the first time he’d brought her up to his suite, what felt like a million years ago.

Liv’s breath caught in her throat at the sheer eroticism of his act and the molten heat in his eyes. “That’s right,” she whispered as she felt his hand cup her bare sex. “Touch me. Make me naked for you.”

Baird’s fingers were seeking inward now, exploring her wet depths, rubbing slowly over the slippery inner folds of her pussy. Liv moaned breathlessly as he found the pink pearl of her clit and began to work it gently with his thumb. God, he still knew just how to please her!

“So hot,” she heard Baird rumble as his fingers worked deeper. “So wet.”

“Can’t…can’t help it,” she assured him, grinding shamelessly on his exploring fingers. “I always get wet for you. God, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you!”

“Missed you too…Lilenta.” His speech was much less jerky now and his eyes, when they found hers, were almost back to the brilliant gold she remembered. It occurred to Liv that she could probably stop now and he would be all right. But I don’t want to stop now. I want it all! All of him inside of me.

The realization had her fumbling for his pants and before she knew it, the hard, thick, length of his cock was bare between them. Liv touched it tentatively at first, eliciting a groan from Baird, and then more boldly, wrapping her fingers around his throbbing circumference and stroking up and down slowly. She even caressed the hard ridge of his mating fist, down around the base, with searching fingertips. This would have to be in her too. She would have to take all of it—all of him—if she wanted to bring him back and keep him forever. That’s exactly what I want. I don’t care how hard it is or how long it takes.

“Baird…” She leaned forward and kissed him, full of pleasure at the way he took over the kiss and invaded her mouth with his tongue. She could taste herself on his lips, salty and hot. Sharing her flavor with him, tasting her honey on his mouth turned her on in a way she wouldn’t have believed possible. God, she wanted him, no needed him inside her! At last they pulled apart and she leaned her forehead against his, breathing in his warm, spicy scent. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad too.” He kissed her again and nipped her neck gently. “How did you know what to do to bring me out of it?”

“Just a lucky hunch, I guess.” Liv grinned at him naughtily and pressed forward, rubbing her breasts against his bare chest until he groaned.

“Gods, Lilenta, you’re driving me crazy.”

“Not half as crazy as you’re driving me.” Raising up a bit, she repositioned. Gripping his heated shaft in one hand, she rubbed the broad, mushroom shaped head over her slippery entrance. Here we go. This is it. Biting her lip, she lowered herself down, moaning softly as she felt the first thick inch of his cock slip into her pussy. Fighting the urge to clench around his thickness, she pressed down, trying to be open, wanting to take more, to take him all the way inside… but she was stopped by Baird’s hands on her hips.

“Wait a minute.” His eyes were blazing and he was breathing hard but his grip was like iron. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” he demanded, his eyes flicking down to where his cock was piercing her pussy and then back up to meet hers.

“Making love with you.” Liv gritted her teeth and tried to lower herself again but he wouldn’t let her budge so much as an inch.

“Why?” He frowned at her. “Because you missed me? Because you feel bad about the way we ended?”

“Baird—” She wiggled enticingly, eliciting a groan from him but still he wouldn’t let her move. “Please…” She was practically begging now. She wanted more of him inside her—needed more.

“Because I have to tell you, Olivia, I’m not looking for a quick fuck.” He caught her gaze with his own and wouldn’t let her look away. “I don’t want to do this half way—I want all of you.” His voice was a low growl, filled with desire. “That means my cock all the way inside your hot little pussy. My mating fist locking us together while I fuck you and come in you over and over until you’re mine forever. Are you ready for that?”

His hot, explicit words and the blazing need in his gold eyes sent a shiver of lust through her entire body. “I’m ready,” she assured him breathlessly. “And…and that’s what I want too. I want you all the way inside me.”

“But why?” he persisted pulling out of her and putting some distance between them with an obvious effort. “Why the change of heart? I don’t want you doing this out of a misguided sense of guilt or pity.”

“I’m not.” She leaned forward again and gave him a long, leisurely kiss on the mouth. “And I’m not doing it because I can’t help myself either. It’s because I want you and I want to be with you…forever.”

“Gods, Lilenta, I love you.” He crushed her to him in a hug that nearly took Liv’s breath away. “Which is why I can’t do this with you. Not tonight.”

“What?” Liv pulled back and gave him a look of disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Afraid not.” He shook his head firmly.

“But…but I thought I’d lost you.” Liv blinked back tears. “And then when I finally get you back and all I want to do is be with you forever you say no. Why?”

Baird sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not because I don’t want you. Gods, Lilenta, I have never wanted anything more than I want to fill you with my cock and bond you to me right here and now.”

“Then why don’t you?” Liv demanded. “Please, Baird—I’m ready now.”

“I’m not sure you are. Look, Olivia…” He pulled her close and looked into her eyes. “I just don’t want you to rush into anything. I don’t want us to do something now, tonight in the heat of the moment that you’ll regret later. Remember—once I bond you to me, it can never be undone. We’ll be one forever.”

“I understand. That’s what I want.”

Baird kissed her and nuzzled her neck. “And if you still want it tomorrow after you sleep on it, believe me, I’ll be more than willing to give it to you. But not now—not tonight. For tonight just let me hold you in my arms and breathe in your sweet scent.”

Liv appreciated what he was trying to do in delaying their bonding but she still felt irritated. “I can’t believe this. You’re taking us back to the first week—to the holding week.”

“Yeah, if you wanna think of it that way,” he growled. “Which means no touching under your clothes. And since you’re sitting naked in my lap about to drive me crazy I think it’s time we got up and you put something on.”

Before Liv could protest further he’d somehow fastened his pants over his still erect cock and was getting off the couch. She was left sitting there, exposed and more than a little upset.

Baird must have seen the hurt in her eyes because he knelt beside the couch and took her hands in his. “Try to understand, Lilenta,” he murmured. “I just want you to be absolutely sure. I don’t want us to have an incomplete bonding.” He kissed her palms gently and looked into her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you once. I don’t ever want to feel that way again. If we bond, I want it to be the most complete, strongest bond possible. One neither one of us will ever regret for a minute.”

“Baird—”

“I’m sorry.” Rising smoothly, he walked out of the living area leaving Liv on the couch alone.

Well this certainly isn’t how I pictured the night ending! Splashing sounds from the bathroom let her know he was probably taking a dip in the bathing pool. She started to get up and go join him when she realized he probably wouldn’t allow it. Damn! Liv had never felt so sexually frustrated in her entire life and she knew in her heart she was ready—truly ready to become one with Baird. But how could she convince him of that? How could she make him see that she wanted him to do more than hold her? It drove her crazy to have to start from the beginning all over again, made her frustrated beyond belief that they were back to the strict guidelines of the holding week.

Suddenly an idea began to form in her head. The holding week, hmm? We’ll just see about that. Humming to herself, she hopped off the couch and went into the bedroom.

If she hurried, she could be ready when he came out of the bathing pool.

Baird had hoped that a long, relaxing soak in the bathing pool would help him relax and forget his need for his bride but so far it wasn’t happening. He kept seeing Olivia spread out and open for him, begging him to take her. In the past he would have jumped at the chance but his time with the Scourge had made him hesitant. In his mind’s eye, the scenes the AllFather had shown him played over and over in an endless loop. Olivia angry and accusing, demanding to know why he had taken her away from her family. The look in her eyes when she told him she didn’t really want to be with him—that she wanted to leave, to go back to Earth and never see him again…

Lies, everything that bastard told me, everything he showed me—all lies, Baird told himself uneasily. Because that was what the AllFather did—he took your memories and hopes and dreams and warped them. Twisted them just enough to plant a seed of doubt. But even knowing that, Baird couldn’t get over the uncertainty he felt.

Closing his eyes, he tried to push the false memory away but the real one which took its place was even worse. The hurt look in Olivia’s eyes when he’d turned her down, refused to bond with her. The distress in her voice when she’d begged him to take her. I hurt her. I should go to her—make it right. But he couldn’t. Even though he wanted her with every fiber of his being, he couldn’t let himself take her until he was certain she was ready. Not after she’d spent so long fighting and resisting him. And not after the AllFather’s seed of doubt had been planted deep in his head.

I’ll just hold her tonight, Baird told himself. He knew the scent of a willing female—the one female in the universe who was right for him and who was ripe and ready for bonding—would be a torment almost past endurance. But he had no choice. He had to give her a little more time to think—time to be sure—before he took that irrevocable step.

Sighing, he got out of the bathing pool and dried himself thoroughly. Putting on his black sleep pants, he headed for bed. It was going to be a difficult night but somehow he had to get through it. And if Olivia really still felt the same way tomorrow and wanted him to bond her—

His train of thought was cut off abruptly by what he saw when he opened the bedroom door.

Olivia looked up eagerly when the door opened and had the pleasure of seeing the stunned look on Baird’s face when he took in her outfit.

“Lilenta?” He looked at her uncertainly, desire and doubt warring in his amber eyes. “What in the seven hells do you think you’re wearing?”

“This?” Liv gestured down at her outfit. It consisted of a crimson see-through bra which clearly showed the hard points of her nipples through its open weave lace and a tiny black pleated skirt so short it barely deserved the name. It started low on her hips and ended at the tops of her thighs. When she shifted and the flirty pleats of the skirt flared up, a pair of red lace panties which matched her bra were revealed. It was absolutely the naughtiest thing Liv owned and she had never had the nerve to wear it before. But desperate times called for desperate measures and from the look on Baird’s face, he was rapidly becoming as desperate as she was.

“Yes, that.” Baird was positively glaring at her now. “What the hell is it?”

“Nightclothes.” Olivia smiled at him. “You told me to put something on, so I did. Why, don’t you like it?”

Baird ran a hand though his hair. “You know damn well I do. But can’t you wear something different? Where’s that long, ugly gown you were always wearing during our first week?”

“My granny gown? I’m afraid I lost it.” Liv raised an eyebrow. “Now are you coming to bed or not?”

With an unreadable look, he came around and sat on his side of the huge bed. Leaning back against the headboard, he continued to stare at her.

Liv blushed at his intense scrutiny but she was damned if she would back down now. Giving him a seductive little smile, she dropped to her hands and knees and crawled over to where he was sitting. But when she started to straddle his lap, Baird put a hand out to stop her.

“Wait a minute—what do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing against the rules.” Liv looked at him innocently. “I just want to be close to you—isn’t that okay?”

Baird groaned as she settled herself firmly in his lap. “Damn it, this is hard enough as it is.”

“Something is certainly hard.” Grinning naughtily, Liv lowered herself until the lace crotch of her panties was rubbing against the rigid length of his cock. Baird groaned again but made no move to stop her as she pressed against him, letting him feel how hot and ready she was.

“Lilenta,” he whispered hoarsely. “Please…”

“Touch me.” Lifting his hands, Liv placed them on her breasts. “You can, you know,” she said when he seemed about to protest. “If we’re back to holding week rules you can touch me as long as you do it over my clothes. Like this—see?” Arching her back, she pressed her breasts into his hands, making sure he could feel her tight nipples rubbing against his palms.

“Gods…” Baird’s eyes were blazing now and he didn’t move his hands. But he didn’t make any move to touch her further, either. Liv would have been frustrated beyond belief by his lack of action if she hadn’t felt his cock throbbing against her pussy. He wants it—wants me. He just can’t admit it for some reason. Well she would damn well make him admit it then.

“You could even do more. Without breaking the rules, I mean,” she murmured. “For instance, if you wanted to kiss me…” Lifting his hand off her right breast, she raised herself up and pressed her tight peak against his lips. “You could suck me here—suck my nipples,” she told him. “And it wouldn’t really count because I still have my bra on so there’s still some clothing between us.” Never mind that the bra in question was whisper thin and the lace was so open it was practically fishnet. Technically, they were still following the rules.

Baird seemed to agree with her logic, or maybe he just couldn’t resist any more. Whatever the reason, he took her nipple in his mouth eagerly, sucking the tight pink peak through the red lace until Liv moaned and buried her fingers in his hair. God, it felt good—the heat of his mouth, his wet tongue lashing her through the thin material. And when he switched to the other nipple, he continued pinching and tugging at the first, sending showers of electrical sparks from her sensitive breasts straight down to her pussy.

God, so good…so good! But he still made no move to go lower. Liv decided if she didn’t want to be driven crazy with lust she’d better take the lead again. Reaching down, she tugged at the waistband of his silky black sleep pants. Their sleek material felt wonderful against her bare thighs but not nearly as good as Baird’s skin would feel.

But Baird wasn’t so far gone that she could do anything she wanted. He released the nipple he’d been sucking and frowned at her. “Stop right there.” He put a hand on her wrist. “No touching without some clothes between us, remember?”

“But there will be clothing between us,” Liv argued, tugging again until she’d exposed the broad head and thick shaft of his cock. “See?” Lifting her skirt with one hand, she displayed the lacy red crotch of her tiny panties. “Even if I rub against you like this, we won’t be breaking the rules.” Lowering herself down onto his lap, she demonstrated by sliding up and down the length of his shaft until they both moaned.

“Well…” Baird’s eyes flared with lust as he watched the erotic display. “I guess as long as we’re not breaking the rules…”

“We’re not,” Liv assured him breathlessly. “In fact, the only way that would happen is if my panties accidentally slipped to one side.”

“Slipped to one side—how do you mean?” He gave her a burning, hungry look and Liv smiled.

“I’m not sure if I can explain—maybe you’d like me to show you? Just so we can be sure what to look out for so we don’t break the rules,” she added.

Baird nodded slowly, “Maybe you should.”

“Well, it would be like this…” Carefully, Liv pulled the lacy red panties to one side, exposing her pussy completely. She heard Baird’s sharp intake of breath when he saw how wet and swollen she was, her pussy juices leaking freely from her open cunt. “See,” she continued. “If my panties were to slip to one side like this and then I accidentally sat in your lap…Well…I’d probably better show you that too.”

“You probably should,” he agreed in a low growl. “Show me, Lilenta. Show me exactly what you mean.”

“Like this,” she murmured, lowering herself down. She bit back a moan as she felt the hard length of his cock part her pussy lips and settle against her tender clit.

Baird made a noise of pure lust low in his throat. “Gods, Lilenta. So hot and wet against me.”

“You…you see what I mean?” Liv asked breathlessly. “Because then if I shifted in your lap like this…” Slowly, she slid up his length, gasping as the broad head of his cock bumped over her clit and settled at the entrance to her pussy. “If I did that,” she continued, looking into his eyes. “Then there would be nothing between us to stop you from slipping inside me. Like this.” Reaching down between them, she grasped his shaft and pressed the thick head of her cock into her pussy.

By this time she was so wet and hot there was almost no resistance. Baird’s cock parted her folds easily and the first few inches slipped into her cunt smoothly, stretching her inner walls with a pleasurable pain that made her bite her lip. Both of them groaned at the same time and Liv was certain that now he would finally agree to take her but…

“Olivia, wait.” The need in his voice was painful to hear but his grip on her hips was unbreakable as he slowly drew her off him. He looked at her, his eyes filled with desperation. “I can’t…can’t let you do this. What if in the morning you’re sorry and you hate me for it?”

“I could never hate you,” she said fiercely. “What in the world would make you think that?” She searched his eyes with her own and suddenly the answer came to her. Not what—who. It was the AllFather. That evil bastard. She remembered well how horrible it had been, having the leader of the Scourge digging around in her mind. And Baird had been through the same thing only much, much worse. Was it any wonder he doubted her feelings for him—her need to have him inside her?

“Lilenta,” he whispered. “I want you so much. Need you so much. But I can’t risk losing you.”

“You won’t lose me. Oh, Baird, how can I make you understand how I feel?” She kissed him gently and rubbed her cheek against his. “How much I want you, how much I need you.”

“More than you need to be back on Earth with your friends and family?” he asked, searching her eyes with his.

“I’ll miss Sophie and Kat,” she admitted softly. “But I know they’ll understand when I tell them how I feel about you…how much I love you.” Tears rose to her eyes and she blinked them back. “You don’t know how upset I was that I didn’t get to tell you that before. I watched you walking away and all I could think was that I hadn’t told you how I felt. I love you, Baird. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He took her mouth in a hungry kiss. “More than you can ever know.”

“Then make love to me—bond me to you. Please, Baird, I want you to and I know I’m doing the right thing.”

He locked gazes with her. “You’re sure about this? Absolutely certain?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. You’re what I want—what I’ve always wanted. I just didn’t know it at first.” She looked him in the eyes. “It took almost losing you to make me see.”

“Once we’re bonded we can never lose each other,” he promised, his voice thick with need. “We’ll have a link that can never be broken except by death.”

“That’s what I want,” Liv assured him. “I want that with you, forever.”

“Prove it.” Baird sat back, his grip on her hips relaxing at last.

“What?” Liv frowned, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Show me how much you want it, Lilenta. How much you want me.”

Liv understood. She had spent so much time and energy resisting him that he wanted to be sure that the bonding was really what she wanted. It was up to her to take the lead. Well, isn’t that what I was trying to do in the first place?

Once again Liv gripped his thick shaft in one hand and lowered herself down. This time Baird let her. She rubbed the broad head of his cock over her slippery folds, savoring the delicious sensation of his heated flesh sliding against her clit. God, feels so good…so right…They both groaned at the intimate contact and it was all Liv could do to take things slowly. She suddenly had the urge to have him in her now. To feel his thick cock filling her, stretching her to the limit and bottoming out inside her. To know he was hers and she was his forever.

“Want you, Lilenta,” Baird growled softly. “So damn much it hurts.”

Liv wanted to answer but she was too busy sliding up and down against his thick shaft. God, he felt amazing against her. Hot and hard and rose petal soft at the same time. She could feel her desire peaking and suddenly the need to have him inside her now couldn’t be denied any longer.

“Slowly, Olivia,” Baird cautioned as she fit the head of his cock against her entrance and began to lower herself onto him. “Careful now. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Liv said, trying to sound confident. To be honest, he was extremely thick—much more than she was used to—and his shaft seemed to get wider toward the base. The first few inches had slipped in easily but now the stretching pleasure/pain of his entry filled her with equal parts lust and fear. God, it felt incredibly good but how was she going to deal with Baird’s mating fist when she was already so full of him? Liv tried not to think about it. Somehow they would make it work. They had to.

Baird must have seen the uncertainty on her face because he kissed reassuringly as his thick shaft slid inch by inch into her wet sex. “Look at me, Lilenta,” he commanded softly. “Focus on me. Remember I told you that my body would make chemicals to help you open for me?”

“Y-yes,” Liv stuttered, gripping his broad shoulders for support. God, he was so deep in her already, so thick and long and hard but she still hadn’t felt him touch bottom. It was strange because his cock was so lengthy she would have bet she couldn’t take all of him. Yet he continued to enter her inch by inch with no end in sight.

“It’s already happening,” Baird told her. “Your body is already responding to mine. Otherwise there’s no way you could take my entire length inside you, let alone the width.” He nodded down to where they were almost fully joined.

Liv couldn’t resist taking a look and she bit back a gasp at what she saw. His thick shaft was already buried deep inside her, stretching her open, piercing her pussy to the limit. She thought she’d never seen anything more erotic than her body opening to take him in and Baird apparently agreed.

“Gods, you’re gorgeous, Lilenta. So fucking beautiful spreading yourself for me. Letting me fill your hot little pussy with my cock.”

Liv felt her cheeks heating with a blush. “Baird…” she protested weakly.

“It’s true.” He kissed her hungrily. “And you’re opening for me so naturally you don’t even have to think about it.”

“I…I am?” Liv could scarcely believe it but she couldn’t refute what she’d seen.

“You are, Lilenta,” he growled softly. “So here’s what I want you to do—just relax and keep your eyes on me and let me fill you. Don’t worry about anything, just let yourself be open to me and I promise you won’t regret it.”

“All right,” Liv breathed. Doing as he said, she let herself fall into the drowning golden depths of his eyes and tried to be as open as possible. In me so deep. So full. So right…And then Baird groaned and she felt him touch bottom within her at last.

In me, God, he’s finally all the way in me. All except…She had the sudden urge to look down and see how in the world this was going to work but Baird shook his head.

“Stay with me, Lilenta. Just concentrate on letting me fill you.” With a low growl, he leaned forward and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss as he pressed even harder and deeper inside her. Liv felt herself stretching but in a good way, her sex opening as it never had before. Then there was a warm sliding sensation and a throbbing around her entrance that was intensely pleasurable—almost like a mini-orgasm. Then something smooth and hard pressed against her clit, shooting electrical tingles of pleasure through her entire body.

“God, what—?”

“My mating fist.” Baird kissed her again. “It fills you and stimulates you at the same time. Do you feel it?”

“Yes.” Liv rocked experimentally against him, feeling the hot, hard flesh rubbing her sensitive pearl once more. God, it felt incredible!

“I’m inside you now—all the way inside,” he murmured. “We’re joined, Olivia. We are one.”

The words almost brought tears to her eyes and a feeling of rightness—of wholeness she’d never felt before—swept over her. In that moment Liv felt herself to be completely opened and owned. She knew that his mating fist was filling her, could feel it swelling to lock them together as he had told her it would, but there was no pain. Only the pleasure of being so open for her lover, her mate. Only the delicious knowledge that Baird was all the way inside her and that he would be there for a long, long time as he bonded her to him forever.

“I love you,” she whispered. “Love you so much.”

“Love you too,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Prove it.” She threw his own words back at him playfully and then rocked against him in a move designed to tease and entice. It worked.

“Oh, I’ll prove it, Lilenta,” Baird growled. “Don’t worry about that.” He surged upward and Liv gasped as the deep thrust shot a spike of pure pleasure down her spine.

“Baird!” she gasped as he did it again. “God, that’s amazing. More!”

“I’ll give you more.” With another low growl, he thrust up again and then again. Liv gripped his shoulders and tried to match his rhythm. As she did, she felt the bliss cresting inside her, spiking high and hard and deep as he filled her again and again, over and over, taking her, loving her, bonding her to him forever.

“Baird,” she moaned, rolling her hips in time with his thrusts. “I…I’m almost there. So close…Just need…”

“I know what you need.” Reaching between them he found her throbbing clit with the broad pad of his thumb and began to stroke in time with his thrusts inside her. “Look at me,” he whispered roughly when Liv’s eyes closed with the overwhelming pleasure. “Look at me while I touch you, Olivia. Look at me while I fuck you. While I bond you.”

Liv’s eyes fluttered open and she met his intense golden gaze. “Baird,” she whispered, unable to say more.

“Now,” he growled. “Come for me, Lilenta. Come for me so I can fill you up, so I can flood your pussy with my cum and make you mine for always.”

It was too much. With a low cry, Liv felt herself tilting over the edge, losing herself completely in the pleasure of being bonded to the man she loved.

She didn’t know how long it lasted or how many times she came. There were periods of hot, wild fucking where Baird pounded up into her as though he was determined to mark her as his own. But there were also long stretches where he barely moved at all. Instead, he filled her with a slow, rocking movement while he looked in her eyes and told her how much he loved her. He came in her over and over, just as he had promised he would and each time she felt it as she never had with a human man, felt his hot seed filling her and making the connection between them even deeper. And each time he did, it released something in Liv’s body, making her come too. She moaned as she felt herself contract around him, pulling him deeper with every spasm of pleasure. “That’s right, Lilenta,” Baird murmured, watching her eyes as she surrendered to the bliss. “That’s right, come for me. Let yourself go and come.”

Liv did as he said, giving in to him completely, letting him take her where she needed to go—where they both needed to go so badly. She only wished it could go on forever.

But though it lasted longer than any sexual experience in her life, the bonding was finally over. Baird withdrew from her slowly and carefully and Liv curled herself against his side, resting her cheek against his broad bare chest. She sighed with contentment as she felt his strong arms settle around her and hold her tight.

“That was amazing.”

“It was perfect.” Baird stroked her hair away from her face. “Exactly what I’ve been dreaming of from the first minute I saw you.”

“You mean from the first dream-sharing?” Liv looked up at him. “When you were…when the Scourge had you?” She wasn’t sure if mentioning the enemy would bother him but Baird still looked perfectly calm.

“Yeah. And it’s okay, Lilenta. We can talk about it.”

“What happened?” she asked cautiously. “I mean, how did you stand it?”

Baird’s eyes were shadowed. “It wasn’t easy. The krik-ka`re was every bit as bad as I thought it would be.”

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Liv looked at him earnestly. “Didn’t have to trade yourself for me.”

“I wanted to.” He stroked her cheek. “I was glad to, Lilenta.”

“But what you went though…what you endured for me—”

“None of it matters now,” he cut her off firmly. “It was rough, sure. But even though I let all my shields down I still had you, somewhere in the back of my head. Your scent, your taste, the color of your eyes. Even though he tried to twist it, the AllFather couldn’t take that away from me. It kept me sane no matter how bad things got.”

“But how did you get away?”

He sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position. “The details are kind of hazy. I remember the AllFather telling me the Scourge had something special—a little surprise he called it—for my brothers on the moon. He took me with him, I think because he wanted to taste my pain when I saw how he was decimating my fellow warriors when there was nothing I could do about it.”

“But you did do something about it,” Liv pointed out.

Baird grinned. “Yeah, I did. I waited until he and that son of his—the one with the red and black eyes—both left the shuttle to confer with their commanders. I couldn’t do much at that point but the AllFather had left me the ability to pilot.”

“Sylvan said he does that sometimes. Leaves prisoners with useful abilities so that he can…can use them and feed on their pain at the same time.” Liv shivered.

“Well in this case I’m glad he did. I knew I had to act fast because when he came back he was going to make me pull the trigger on my own kind—make me blast the other Kindred warriors who were fighting on the moon. I couldn’t let him do that—couldn’t let him force me to kill my brothers.” A look of hatred and determination passed over his face as he relived the scene.

“Of course you couldn’t,” Liv murmured with a shudder. Baird might be able to recover from torture but the shame of murdering his brothers in arms would have killed him for certain—even if he hadn’t wanted to do it.

“I took the ship around to the worst of the fighting and landed her. It was hard to make my body work—it didn’t want to without the AllFather’s say so. But somehow I managed it. I couldn’t talk but I went to the hatch and waved. Some of the other warriors saw me and got the idea. A bunch of them piled in and we got away.”

“You saved a lot of lives,” Liv told him softly.

Baird kissed her. “That wasn’t really what I was thinking about, though. I was concentrating on the idea of seeing you again. I…didn’t want to die without looking in your eyes one more time.”

“Oh, Baird.” Liv threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in the side of his throat. “I was so afraid. You just sat there and stared and I couldn’t make you respond to me. And Sylvan had told me not to hope too much…Sylvan!” She sat up. “Oh my God, he has no idea. And he was so worried about you. Baird, you should tell him.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself? Bebo…” Baird snapped his fingers and the little blue teddy bear creature came waddling up. It made little grunting noises of delight when Baird scratched it between the ears. “Yeah, I’m glad to see you again too,” Baird murmured, smiling. “Good boy. Now fetch the Think-me.”

Bebo scurried away and came back with the thin metal wire circlet held loosely in his mouth. Baird took it, patted his head, and handed it to Liv. Or tried to hand it, anyway.

“Uh-uh, forget it. That’s what got us into so much trouble in the first place.” Liv backed away, her hands held up to ward him off.

“It’s all right, Lilenta.” Baird placed the thin metal wire on her head, around her temples. “We’re bonded now. Your mind is linked to mine—there’s no way the Scourge can intercept anything.”

“You’re sure?” She touched the cool wire tentatively, adjusting it. “I don’t want you getting in trouble with the Kindred Council.”

Baird frowned. “Well, we will have to go before them and explain what happened and why we’re bonded after having a breach of contract in the first place.”

Liv froze. “We do?”

“Don’t worry about it, Olivia. I’ll take care of it.” Baird smiled at her. “Now why don’t you bespeak Sylvan and let him know I’m back in the land of the living.”

She looked at him uncertainly. “You’re sure you don’t want to do it yourself?”

“Just do it.” There was a twinkle in his eyes she didn’t quite understand but Liv decided to go with it anyway. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the blond warrior who she supposed was now her brother-in-law. “Sylvan? Sylvan, can you hear me?”

“Olivia?” His mental voice was as cool as his physical one but this time it was tinged with surprise. “Why are you bespeaking me?”

“Because I wanted to tell you that Baird—”

“That Baird is back,” A new and familiar voice cut in. Liv opened her eyes in surprise and stared at her new mate. Baird grinned and tapped his temple. But she had bespoken Sylvan, not him. So how—? “It’s an effect of the bond we share now,” Liv heard him say inside her head. “Limited telepathy.”

“Baird? Baird is that really you?” Sylvan’s mental voice cut in. His tone was much less cool now—in fact he sounded like he was going to burst with excitement.

“It’s me, Brother,” Baird assured him. “Olivia brought me back. And, as you can tell, we’re bonded now.”

“That’s wonderful.” The relief in Sylvan’s tone was unmistakable. “How did she bring you back?”

“How do you think?” Baird sounded amused. “I just wanted to let you know and ask you to set up a time for us to meet with the Council. There are a few things we need to get cleared up.”

“There are indeed.” Sylvan sounded thoughtful. “I take it you’re asking me to set it up because you’re still…ah, indisposed?”

“Let’s just say we’re gonna be unavailable for awhile.” Baird gave Liv a look that made her shiver.

“Again?” she thought before she could stop herself. “But we just spent hours—”

“And we’re going to spend a lot more than that. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to show you how much I love you, Lilenta.”

“All right, I think I’d better let you two go.” Sylvan’s mental voice was dry and slightly amused. “It sounds like you have better things to do than talk.”

“You got that right, Brother.”

“Good bye, Sylvan,” Liv barely had time to say before Baird took the silver wire off her head and pulled her in for a heated kiss.

“Come on, Lilenta. Let’s take this someplace more comfortable,” he murmured, scooping her up in his arms.

“Maybe the bathing pool?” Liv suggested. “I’m, uh, kind of sticky. In fact, I think we both are.”

“You have to get dirty before you can get clean. And we’re going to get a whole lot dirtier before we’re done.” Baird kissed her again as he carried her into the bathing room. “Gods, I love you. So damn glad you’re finally mine.”

Liv felt a warm rush of desire as she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back. “I love you too,” she murmured. “Let me show you how much.”

“You can show me all night,” he promised her. “And I’ll show you right back.”

It sounded like a great way to pass the time to Liv. As she sighed and snuggled in his warm, strong embrace she was glad she’d finally found her way to him. It had been a long and winding road but at last she was where she belonged—in Baird’s arms—and she never wanted to leave.

Chapter Twenty-three

“So the Council absolved you of all wrong doing?” Sylvan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“They were very understanding.” Baird smiled at his brother and clapped him on the back. They were at their favorite bar, the same one they’d met at over a month ago to discuss how badly things were going with his new bride. Everything was completely different now but he felt he’d been neglecting Sylvan for the past few days and he wanted to catch up.

“Understanding is an understatement.” Sylvan raised a finger to order a drink. “It probably helped that you saved so many during your escape but I still can’t believe they forgave you for bonding her even after a breach of contract.”

“They did, though.” Baird ordered a drink as well. “There aren’t even any sanctions against me and Olivia is cleared of all wrongdoing too, since she used the Think-me without knowing what she was doing.” He frowned. “That really was my fault in the first place for hiding it from her. But I was afraid if she knew she could get out of the contract so easily she would. She was so determined to get away at first.”

“Almost as determined as she is now to never leave your side,” Sylvan said, smiling a little. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Spending time on the Think-me with her sister. Now that we’re bonded they can talk as much as they want.” Baird laughed. “They’re planning our bonding ceremony down to the last detail. Sometimes I think the damn thing is glued to her head.”

“It’s a good thing the Council loosened their restrictions. And I understand they’re going to let Olivia’s sister come up to see her more often than usual?” Sylvan’s tone was carefully casual and he looked down at his drink as he spoke.

Baird nodded. “Twice every Earth month. It helped that two of the newest Council members are Twin Kindred. When I explained that Olivia and Sophia are twins they decided it was cruel and unusual punishment to keep them apart so much. In fact, there was even talk of letting Sophia move up here permanently.”

“Oh?” Sylvan’s eyebrows shot up. “Is she going to?”

Baird shrugged and signaled for another drink. “Don’t know. She has a career on Earth she doesn’t want to give up. Speaking of which, I want to thank you, Brother. Olivia is really happy working in the med station. She says our technology is fascinating.”

“She’s very accomplished and she actually feels deeply for the patients she treats.” Sylvan looked thoughtful. “It’s given me a new outlook on the whole situation.”

Baird laughed. “You gonna change your cold-blooded ways? I thought Tranqs never learned to feel until they found a bride and blooded her.”

“I’m not looking for a bride as you know,” Sylvan said stiffly. “I’m simply saying that I—”

“I know what you’re saying,” Baird interrupted him. He leaned in, taking a closer look at his brother. “Look, I hate to say this but you don’t look so good. Are things still crazy at the med station?”

“No, that’s cleared up since we routed the Scourge and sent them back to their ships.” Sylvan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb. “I just…haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Bad dreams?” Baird asked sympathetically. He’d had a few himself after his second escape from the Scourge. Luckily Olivia was always there to soothe him and remind him they were safe in each other’s arms. He felt sorry for his half-brother, with no bride to warm his bed. If only Sylvan would retract that damn vow he’d made but Tranq Kindred took such things very seriously. It would have to be a matter of life and death before Sylvan would break his word, especially since he’d made the vow not just to himself but to the Mother of All Life.

But Sylvan was shaking his head. “Not bad dreams, no. They’re just…strange. I don’t know what to think of them.”

“Maybe you should go to the temple and ask a priestess to interpret them.” Baird took a sip of his drink.

Sylvan’s normally pale cheeks went red. “No, I…I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ll be fine anyway. They’re just dreams.” He shook himself and motioned for another drink. “So speaking of your bonding ceremony, where will it be held? Here or on Earth?”

Baird frowned. “Olivia had her heart set on being married—uh, bonded—at the same religious landmark her parents used. But after the way her shuttle was taken by the Scourge the last time she tried to go to Earth, she’s agreed to have it here.”

“You think she’s still in danger from the Scourge? But they let her go—it sounded to me like whoever they were looking for, Olivia wasn’t it.”

“It sounded like that, sure. But I don’t know. They were looking for something—someone with some kind of a mark, from what Olivia told me. To fulfill that damn prophesy of theirs, whatever the hell it is. And you know the Scourge—they won’t stop looking until they find whatever or whoever it is they want.”

“Either that or decimate the entire planet,” Sylvan said grimly.

“Yeah.” Baird ran a hand through his wild black hair. “By the way, there is one way human custom mirrors our own. Their ceremony calls for someone to stand up with both the bride and her mate when they say their vows—just like ours does. Sophia is going to stand by Olivia’s side and I was hoping I could count on you to stand with me?”

“Of course. You don’t even have to ask.” Sylvan nodded. “I’ll be honored to stand with you. But…” He frowned uneasily. “Will you… do you think you’ll be including the Luck Kiss in the ceremony?”

Baird shook his head. “Don’t think so—that’s more of a Twin Moons thing, don’t you think? But why do you ask—would it bother you to have to kiss Sophia?”

“Of course not,” Sylvan said a little too quickly. He looked down at his drink. “Sophia is a very…complicated female. But I’m sure we can bury our differences now that you and Olivia are so happy together.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m sure I am. So tell me, is the entire ceremony going to be Earth-centric or will there be some Kindred customs as well?”

“Olivia’s all for incorporating as much of both cultures as she can.” Baird sighed. “By the time she and Sophia are done we’ll be lucky if it doesn’t take all damn day just to make our heart-promises to each other.”

“Both cultures, hmm? That ought to be interesting.”

“Uh-huh. She wants to serve fresh live Grieza worms at the after-party. Gonna cost me a fortune.”

“Grieza worms? I never would have thought Olivia would be interested in those.”

“Apparently they taste like some kind of Earth delicacy that the females there crave. Some kind of brown gooey sweet stuff that melts in your mouth.”

Sylvan frowned again. “Uh, forgive me but that doesn’t sound very good.”

Baird shrugged. “Yeah, but you never can tell. Have you tried cheese yet? It comes from the most disgusting source but it tastes fuckin’ amazing.”

“I’ll put it on my list of things to try then,” Sylvan said dryly. “And I’ll be sure not to ask where it comes from when I do.”

“Yeah, and—” Baird broke off, grinning as he felt a little mental nudge at the back of his mind. “Hey, I think my bride wants me to come home. She and Sophia must be done picking out the flowering plant life for the ceremony.”

Sylvan raised an eyebrow. “Plant life? You’re going to have plants in your bonding ceremony?”

Baird nodded. “Plants are important and so is the cake—a huge sweet confection that we’re supposed to cut together. Then we feed each other pieces to symbolize…oh, hell, I don’t know what it’s supposed to symbolize. At this point it’s just whatever she wants. I really don’t care as long as she’s happy.”

“Well, suit yourself.” Sylvan motioned at him. “You’d better not keep her waiting.”

“I won’t.” Baird grinned and finished his drink. “See you later, Brother. Oh, and the ceremony is in one Earth month so be sure you get your formal uniform cleaned.”

“So soon?” Sylvan seemed surprised.

“Why wait? She’s already mine by our standards but Olivia wants to make it official by Earth traditions too. Who am I to deny her anything she wants?” Especially since what she wanted right now was for him to take her in the bathing pool. He could hear her thoughts humming just under the surface of his mind, making him eager to get back to her.

“I’ll be there.” Sylvan smiled but Baird couldn’t help noticing the dark circles under his half brother’s ice blue eyes. He thought of asking about the strange dreams that were interrupting Sylvan’s sleep again and then thought better of it. His brother’s guarded Tranq nature wouldn’t let him reveal much and as a medic he could certainly treat himself. He’ll be all right, Baird told himself a touch uneasily. He just needs…But he wasn’t sure what Sylvan needed. Just then he heard Olivia’s mental voice in his brain again.

“Hurry up, lover—what’s taking you so long?”

“On my way, Lilenta.” With a final grin at Sylvan he strode from the bar and back toward the suite he now shared permanently with his bride. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little more than one standard Earth month since he’d first come to claim her. Back then he hadn’t been certain he would ever win her over. And now she was his—his forever and Baird never intended to let her go.

Epilogue

“I don’t understand why you let her go.” Xairn blinked his red on black eyes as he stared up at the AllFather who also happened to be his true father although the fact garnered him no special privileges or attention.

“I know you do not understand which is why you will be an inferior ruler sssome day if you do not learn to pay attention.” The AllFather sighed and tapped his skeletal fingertips against the arm of his throne.

Xairn frowned. “You said her memories might yield useful information.”

“And so they did.” There was a hint of a smile on the skull-like face. “Did you really think I would let her go without ssscanning her most thoroughly?”

“And what did you find?” Xairn crossed his arms over his chest.

“You remember the prophesy of course?”

Xairn repressed a sigh. His father often answered a question with a question but he tolerated no signs of impatience. “One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts,” he quoted. The words had been spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race.

“Exactly—the double fruit of a sssingle womb.” The AllFather rose from his throne and began to pace, his smoky robes leaving wisps of darkness in the air as he moved. “And what do you sssuppose I sssaw when I looked into her mind? Her twin livesss.”

“She lives?” Xairn raised an eyebrow. “We thought her dead. Then her twin might be—”

“The one we ssseek—the one ssspoken of in Mee’ah’s prophesy. Yes.”

“But if the twin is still on Earth we have no hope of getting to her. The Kindred have the entire planet blanketed in a protection grid.”

“We will not need to go and get her. Ssshe will come to us.” The AllFather’s thin lips twitched up into a skeletal smile. “Why do you think I allowed the warrior to go free? They’ll be having a bonding ceremony sssoon—the Kindred and their females ssset great ssstore in sssuch useless ritualsss.”

Understanding lighted Xairn’s red on black eyes. “And she will come up to the ship to attend the ceremony?”

“Even if ssshe doesn’t, the Kindred will have to relax their grid for ssso large a party to get through. Either way, we’ll have her and the prophesy will be fulfilled.”

Xairn nodded. “I bow to your wisdom, Father. But tell me, what is her name—the one who we seek. The one to fulfill the prophesy?”

The AllFather settled himself on the throne again, his shadow robes billowing around him. “I sssaw it in her twin sssister’s mind. The one who we ssseek is named Waterhouse. Sssophia Waterhouse.”

END

Brides of the Kindred Glossary

AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.

Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.

Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.

Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.

Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.

Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means sex during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.

Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.

Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.

Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:

The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.

The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.

The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.

The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)

The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.

Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.

The Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.

The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.

Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.

Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.

Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.

Sacred Grove—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these holy trees to grow and flourish.

Scourge—a genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.

Scourge Prophesy—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are a dying race, forced to create new members in test tubes and artificial wombs because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the same genetic characteristics as the Kindred they are able to create only male children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.

Take-me—an animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me has green fur and two heads, one on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything except banana peels which they are allergic to.

Think-Me—a thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication between people who already have an intimate connection.

Touch-U—a flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.

Twin Kindred—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.

Wave—a Kindred cooking appliance which emits thousands of finely collimated beams of heat to cook food in under a minute.

Zichther—an animal native to the jungles of Rageron, the zichther resembles a small bright blue teddy bear in appearance until it opens its mouth and reveals three rows of incredibly sharp, shark-like teeth.

Read on to find out about Brides of the Kindred Book 2—Hunted

Sophia Waterhouse has always been afraid of needles and vampires so there’s no way she wants anything to do with a modern day Count Dracula—even if he does come wrapped in the package of a huge Kindred warrior with blond hair and ice blue eyes. She’s only on the Kindred Mothership to participate in her sister Liv’s wedding and that’s all.

Sylvan is a Tranq Kindred who has made a sacred vow never to call a bride. After a devastating rejection on his home planet, his heart is a block of ice no one can melt—or so he thinks until he meets Sophia.

When their ship is forced down in the middle of a rugged mountain range Sophia and Sylvan are stranded. Running for their lives they have only each other to depend on. Will they give in to the intense attraction between them or will the evil hunting Sophia take its toll. You’ll have to read Brides of the Kindred Book 2—Hunted to find out.

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com Come visit for some free reads and to find out what’s coming soon.

You can also connect with her on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=745272455

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Table of Contents

Book 1: Claimed

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Epilogue

Table of Contents

Book 1: Claimed

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Epilogue

Table of Contents

Book 1: Claimed

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Epilogue