Chained (Brides of the Kindred) (44 page)

“Oh, Kor—no! You didn’t tell him to give
her another breast or cat whiskers or something. did you?” Maggie protested.

“Of course not. I just recommended a mute
collar—so he wouldn’t have to hear her complain.” Kor raised an eyebrow. “So
you see, I really
did
give her what she deserved. Don’t you think?”

Maggie thought about it as she played with
his hand, lacing their fingers together. “I hate to say it but yes. Yes, I
think you did.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want you to be upset
about her fate. After all, if it wasn’t for Lady Pope’nose, we never would have
gotten together in the first place.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Maggie gave
a secret little smile. “I think the Goddess would have found another way to get
us together. You know…oh, Kor!” she broke off.

“What? What is it?” He looked at her
anxiously.

“Look—your hand.” She indicated his right
hand which she had been holding. “Look at it—the last black mark is gone!”

Kor held up his hand and turned it back
and forth, examining it.

“You’re right. I wonder what happened?”

“Who knows?” Maggie smiled. “Maybe it just
finally rubbed off.”

“Maybe…” Kor looked troubled for a moment
and then shrugged. “Well, I’m glad it’s gone. It’s not a reminder I wanted to
keep.”

“I know a good reminder you can keep.”
Maggie pulled him down for another kiss.

“Mmm,
excellent
reminder, blondie.”
Kor ran his hand through her curls and cupped her cheek, kissing her back. “I love
you, you know that?”

Maggie grinned and kissed him again. “I
know.”

The End

Epilogue

The superheated surface of the Black
Planet was filled with demons—spirits or pure evil which were the only
creatures that could survive such extreme conditions. They writhed upon the
surface, struggling for freedom, hungering for the life force of living
creatures. Yet only a few of the strongest had managed to break free of the
planet’s surface and find other places to feed.

One of these was Ur, a demon of renown who
had nurtured his own host and trained the body to his will over many patient
years. Unfortunately, he had been cast out at the last moment, forced to return
to the Black Planet and its writhing mass of dark souls, defeated.

Or maybe not…

“I tell you, my
brothers,”
he hissed as they gathered round him in a
swirling frenzy.
“I have found the perfect hosts. Creatures strong enough
to bear us for the entire natural lifespan of their bodies.”

“Impossible,”
spat one of the other legion of spirits.
“No host
is that strong. None can withstand our presence more than a few days before
they die. It is most vexing…”

“Not impossible at
all, but we must be crafty. We must find a way to bring the fumes and
corruption of our planet to them. Only then, after breathing our dust and
taking the mark of the shadow stone,, may they be possessed.”

“How is it to be
done?”
another demon demanded.
“Most of us
are trapped here without physical bodies. How can we get the corruption of our
world to these new hosts?”

“Leave that to me.
There is one I have Indwelled before, very briefly. I have a greater hold on
him now—he will do my bidding. Soon my brothers…we shall be flesh. All of us
flesh…forever!”

* * * * *

Back at the Med Station on the Mother
Ship, Donald Mahoney, PhD looked down at the strange black mole that seemed to
have grown on the base of his right thumb overnight somehow. What was it?
Should he have a doctor look at it? He had only noticed it a moment ago, after
shaking hands with Maggie’s muscular new paramour.

Donald shook his head. What she saw in the
Neanderthal was beyond him. He probably had no interest in the sciences and his
obvious predilection for public displays of affection was downright disgusting.
The way the two of them had been slobbering all over each other was a
germaphobe’s worst nightmare. And Donald most certainly
was
a germaphobe.
In fact, he was inclined to go wash his hands right now.

Which brought him back to the black mole
again. What was it?

Later.
Donald sighed and put away his crutches so he could go
over some important research. There would be time to worry about mundane
matters at another time. Right now he had to get ready for his research trip to
a nearby solar system where a most interesting new planet had been found. It
was made of pure Titanium Dioxide and it was hotter than the surface of the
sun.

Of course, as a microbiologist, Donald
should have no interest in such a place. After all, no life—not even
microscopic life—ought to be able to withstand such extreme temperatures. But
he found himself drawn to the place anyway.

He opened his new laptop—not top of the
line but perfectly serviceable—and stared at his research. Yes, he would visit
the planet and see what, if any life, could be found there. Absently, he
scratched the black mole which seemed to have grown ever so slightly.

It would be a most interesting trip…

Read on for the first
two chapters of Brides of the Kindred 10,
Divided, coming in 2014.

Chapter One

“So Maggie is making a full recovery?” Kat
ate another bite of donut. “Mmm,
delicious
.”

“You say that about everything you eat,” Olivia
said with a laugh.

“Just feeding my boys.” Kat winced and put
a hand to her very round belly. “Settle down, you two! I’m eating as fast as I
can.” She looked at Liv and shrugged. “See? Can’t help it—they want donuts.
So—Maggie?”

“I’ve been keeping a good eye on her at
the Med station and she’s getting better every day. It’s a miracle, really.
There were some recording devices stationed in the town square and I saw what
happened to her—she should have died of those injuries. All she had was some
blood loss.”

“According to her, she
did
die,” Becca Malone said quietly.
“She claims she was brought back for a purpose.”

“I believe it,” Kat said, looking
uncharacteristically somber. “The Goddess spared my life too, you know—she did
it for Deep when he offered to switch places with me and die in my stead.”

“That’s exactly what Maggie said Kor told
her he was thinking…or praying or whatever, when Lissa started channeling the
Goddess,” Liv said.

“The Goddess recognizes and rewards self
sacrifice—especially when it’s between a bonded pair,” Kat remarked. She looked
at Becca. “Hey, you were almost a nun—what do you think about all this?”

“I think Maggie is a lucky girl but she’s
brave too—she went out to face the demon knowing it could kill her,” Becca
said. She sighed. “I only wish I could be that brave. Sometimes I think my whole
life has been about taking the safest paths and making the decisions I thought
would ruffle the least feathers.”

“Speaking of decisions…” Sophie sighed.
“I’m afraid your own personal decision is headed our way, Becca. Sylvan just
bespoke me and said that Truth and Far are both headed to our suite.”

Kat groaned. “Not both at the same time?
There’s always so much tension around those too—it’s like being caught in the
middle of a lightning storm when you have to be in the same room with them.”

“Do they still expect you to choose
between them?” Liv asked.

Becca nodded. “Ever since I finally announced
that I was giving up my calling to the Church, they won’t leave me alone.”

“Oh, so you definitely won’t be a nun?”
Sophia asked sympathetically. “That must be hard.”

“Harder on my family than me.” Becca
sighed. “My mother cried for days and my father threatened to disown me. But I
just…” She looked down at her hands, trying to think how to put it. “After what
I experienced in the Sacred Grove that day with Truth and Far…it’s like…like a
part of me was woken up. A part I didn’t know I had but now that it’s awake I
can’t put it back to sleep again.”

“That part wouldn’t happen to be your sex
drive, would it?” Kat asked frankly.

“Maybe.” Becca felt her cheeks getting
hot. “I just
can’t
take a vow of celibacy now that I know—at least in
part—what I’d be missing. It wouldn’t be honest to myself or to God. It
wouldn’t be right.”

“You have to do what’s right for you,” Liv
said. “Don’t let your family or Truth or Far or anyone else dictate your life—
you
choose what you want and who you want to be with.”

“But speaking of that, how can she
possibly just choose one?” Kat protested. “That’s like saying you’ll choose
which half of your body to keep.”

“It might seem like that to you, Kat. But
I…” Becca shook her head. “I can’t be with both. It’s already killing my family
to know I failed to take my vows. I can’t tell them I want to be with…with two
men at once on top of that.”

“I used to feel the same way.” Kat nodded.
“I was worried about my grandmother—she’s really strict.”

“Not as strict as my parents, I bet.”
Becca looked down. “You know they sent me away to convent school when I was
just seven? I never even
saw
a boy who wasn’t my brother until I was
eleven or twelve.” She sighed. “That was because my father wanted to keep me
pure. And he thought he had succeeded. Until now.”

“Oh, hon…” Kat reached over and squeezed
her hand. “You can’t beat yourself up over what happened with Truth and Far or
about how you feel now. After all, the heart wants what the heart wants.”

“But I don’t know
what
my heart
wants,” Becca protested, pushing a reddish-brown curl behind her ear. “When I’m
with Truth, I’m so drawn to his fire but when I’m with Far, I love his quiet
intensity. And I just—”

Suddenly there was a soft chime at the
door and all the girls but Becca groaned.

“And
there
they are,” Sophia
muttered. “Becca can you please tell them to keep it down? Kaleb and Kara are
napping and if they wake up too soon I’ll have a terrible time with them
tonight.”

“I’ll do better than that.” Becca put down
her half eaten donut. “I’ll take them on a walk and keep them away entirely.”

There was a chorus of protest.

“Oh, no, hon—you don’t have to do that,”
Olivia protested.

“As long as they keep their voices down it
should be all right,” Sophia said.

“We know how you don’t want to be alone
with the two of them at once,” Kat remarked. “I mean—have you ever, since the,
uh, wedding?”

Becca shook her head. “No, I’ve spent time
with them one-on-one and I’ve spent time with them together when we were in a
group of people, but I haven’t been
alone
with both of them at once
since our first meeting.” She took a deep breath. “But it’s time I started
facing my problems and stopped using my friends as a buffer.”

“But you don’t have to—” Sophia began.

“Yes, I do,” Becca said firmly. “Maggie
was brave enough to face certain death when her man was indwelled by a demon. I
can at least be brave enough to face the two men I have to choose between.”

“All right then,” Kat said doubtfully.
“Good luck, doll.”

“Do you want any of us to put on a
think-me and bespeak you after a little while—you know, pretend there’s a
problem and we need you back here?” Olivia asked practically.

“No. I’ll be fine.” Becca didn’t know if
she was trying to convince her friends…or herself. Her heart was pounding as
she made her way to the door of Sophia’s suite but she forced herself to keep
moving. She let her hand hover over the door release and took a deep breath.
Here
goes.
Then she pressed the latch.

Chapter Two

When the door
whooshed
open, Becca
saw that Truth and Far were already in mid-argument.

“…think you should leave her alone,” Far
was saying, his pitch black eyes filled with icy anger.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? If I’d
just step aside and give you a free shot with
my
female,” Truth growled,
his white-gray eyes snapping with fire.

“She’s not your female. She’s—”

“Stop it, the two of you,” Becca said
sharply. “I don’t belong to either one of you so stop fighting over me like a
couple of dogs with a bone.”

Truth frowned. “What’s a dog?”

“You know—one of those yapping, growling
little animals from Earth. Always barking and sniffing around places they
don’t
belong.”
Far gave his brother a significant look and then smiled at Becca.
“I prefer cats myself.”

“Well,
I
prefer not to be out with
a couple of squabbling children.” Becca put a hand on her hip. “Look at you
two—you’re grown ass men. Now
act
like it.”

She saw the brothers exchange a surprised
look and felt a surge of triumph. Olivia was right—it was time to take control
of her life. And part one of that plan was getting these two in order.

“We’re sorry,” Far said contritely. “At
least,
I
am.”

“I am as well. Apologies if I have
offended you.” Truth made her a short bow.

“You’re both forgiven—for now.” Becca took
a deep breath. “Now, I thought it would be nice if we took a walk.”

“Oh?” Truth frowned. “Which one of us did
you wish to walk with? Actually, I think it’s
my
turn.”

“No, it’s not.” Far glowered at his
brother. “It’s
my
turn.”

“Boys…” Becca held up her hands to stop
them. “You’re
doing
it again.”

They both muttered apologies but neither
looked happy.

“Good.” Becca took a deep breath. “Anyway,
I don’t want to pick just one of you to go on a walk with. I thought it would
be nice if we all three went.”

“Really?” Far looked surprised.

“Is this really necessary?” Truth’s face
was like a thundercloud.

“Yes, it is,” Becca said firmly. “Now,
let’s go. Maybe we can go down to the common area and get some sun.” She was
referring, of course, to the artificial green sun that hung in the center of
the Kindred Mother Ship. It was the ship’s power source and it also shed light
over the Sacred Grove and the vast, grassy parkland that surrounded it.

“What—down by the Sacred Grove where we
first met?” Truth asked, looking at her significantly.

“Um…yes.” Becca felt her cheeks heating in
a blush when she considered what their first “meeting” had entailed. It was the
first and last time she had touched either of the brothers sexually—or rather,
they had touched her. She knew Truth and Far were thinking of it too.

“Look what you’ve done—you embarrassed
her,” Far accused his brother.

“Apologies,” Truth murmured, his eyes
still trained on her face. “I just wanted to be certain I knew what my lady
wanted.”

“That’s right, Becca
is
a lady and
you should treat her as such—not some automated pairing puppet you want to—”

“Enough!” Becca held up her hands again.
“Come on, let’s walk. And listen, boys—if you can’t say anything nice to each
other then don’t say anything at all.”

That shut them up at last and the three of
them walked in silence down the long, curving metal corridor towards the transports
that would take them to the common area.

Becca walked between the brothers but she
was very,
very
careful not to touch them. She kept her hands securely in
her pockets and her elbows tucked close to her torso to avoid brushing either
one of the big male bodies bracketing hers. She was wearing a t-shirt and a
modest knee-length denim skirt but her casual clothing didn’t feel like nearly
enough of a barrier. She wished she hadn’t forgotten her cardigan back at the
guest suite she was staying at—not because she was cold but because it would
have formed another layer of insulation…protection between herself and the men.

Anyone watching her careful avoidance
would probably think she was being so cautious because of her background as a
novice and her attempt to retain her chastity—but they would be only half
right. Becca had other reasons to avoid contact with the two of them.

As they walked, she reflected that she
didn’t have to be nearly so careful when she was with either one of them alone.
Far liked to hold her hand and stroke her fingers when they talked and Truth
loved kissing the pulse point of her wrist—probably because that was the only
place Becca would allow him to kiss her. But though both of these contacts made
her heart quicken pleasantly, neither one felt
dangerous
. Being with the
two of them—especially being
between
the two brothers—did.

Even now, Becca wished she could walk on
one side or the other and not be in the middle but that was impossible—she
always had to act as a buffer between them or they fought like cats and dogs.

You’re not a buffer,
whispered a little voice in her head.
You’re a
conduit. A catalyst. A channel between the two of them. And when they touch you
both at once…

Becca shivered, trying to push the thought
away but she couldn’t help remembering the one and only time she had touched
both brothers skin-to-skin at the same time. The electricity that had jumped
between them, the pleasure so intense it was scary, not to mention the way they
were suddenly all in each other’s heads and the things she had
seen…felt…experienced…

It was only that way
because I ate the bonding fruit cake,
she told herself uneasily.
I’m sure it would be
perfectly safe for me to touch them both now.

All the same she kept her hands in her
pockets. She might be brave enough to go out with both of them at once, but she
wasn’t
that
brave. Small steps—she would take small steps and see where
they led her. And there was no way she was risking that scary pleasure
again—not today, anyway. It was too easy to lose herself that way and after
finally deciding not to take her vows, Becca felt like she was just beginning
to
find
herself. She didn’t want to lose the ground she’d gained.

“Well, here we are,” Truth said as they
stepped out onto the park-like common area.

“Thank you for that, Captain Oblivious,”
Far muttered.

“I believe the Earth term is ‘Captain
Obvious,’”
Truth growled, frowning.

“No, I think I got it right the first
time.” Far raised an eyebrow at his brother meaningfully.

“Boys,
please!”
Becca glared at the
two of them. “I swear—it’s like being with a pair of Kindergarteners!”

She stalked off, heading over the grassy
plain dotted with green and purple trees and happy Kindred families, leaving
them to either catch up or argue.

Unfortunately, they did both.

“I think we should stay away from the
Sacred Grove,” Far was saying under his breath as they came up to her again.
“It might bring back…memories.”

“What’s so wrong with that?” Truth
demanded. “I swear that was the only time I could stand being in the same space
with you.”

“And I, you,
Brother,”
Far spat.

Becca sighed mentally. Back in high school
she might have thought that being fought over by two hot guys was a rush but
she was well past that stage now. The constant bickering between the two of
them was
really
getting old. Trying to tune them out, she watched as a
human girl tried to show her Beast Kindred boyfriend how to play Frisbee.

“Look,” the girl was saying. “You hold it
like this and then just give it a fling—it’s all in the wrist.”

“What is the point of this game?” her
Kindred boyfriend growled, his amber eyes flashing.

“To catch it and throw it back, of
course.” The girl was half exasperated, half laughing. “Come on—it’s fun.”

“So you say. I fail to see the inherent
amusement in throwing a flat disk back and forth.”

“It’s good exercise too!” the girl said.

“I prefer shedding the blood of my
enemies.” The Beast Kindred glowered. “It is not nearly so…
ridiculous
as
jumping and running after a plastic disk.”

“I’m sure shedding enemy blood
is
more aerobically effective but no enemy is going to
kiss
you like I do
when you make a good catch.” The girl batted her eyelashes at her Kindred who
looked suddenly more interested.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah—that’s so. Come on, what do you
say?”

Becca felt a flash of envy run through her
as she watched the flirty little exchange.

She only has
one
guy to worry about. One sexually
confusing partner to deal with. Why did I have to get stuck with two? Why did I
have to get stuck at all? I would have taken my vows and become a good nun. Now
I have to doubt myself and everything in my life—all because of what happened
when I mistakenly ate the wrong piece of cake. It’s not fair!

“Are you ready?” the girl asked her
boyfriend.

He sighed, though Becca could tell he was
really enjoying himself.

“I suppose. Fling it, then.”

The girl wound up and threw the Frisbee in
a comically high arch which was destined to go right over her boyfriend’s head.
Despite his initial reluctance, however, he appeared determined to do his best.
The look on his dark face seemed to say that if she wanted him to play such a
foolish game, he was damn well going to play it to the best of his ability.
Accordingly, he took a running jump for the Frisbee…

And crashed right into Becca, one thick,
meaty elbow hitting her right in the forehead.

“Oof!” she gasped, going down hard. Or she
would have, if there hadn’t been a big male body to cushion her blow.

“Becca?
Mi’now?”
That would be Far,
Becca knew. The name he called her was a word in the Twin Kindred dialect which
meant something like “cherished one” or “beloved.”

“Get off her, you oaf,” growled another
voice which was certainly Truth. Then he was on the other side of her saying,
“Are you well, Rebecca?” He only called her by her full name when he was
worried or really serious about something.

“Fine…I’m fine,” Becca tried to say but
the words came out so faint she couldn’t even hear them herself. Her throbbing
head was being cushioned in someone’s lap and someone else was propping up her
knees.

“Leave her alone,” Far was saying as he
stroked her hair gently away from her hurt forehead. “Go call the nearest Med
Station.”

“I’m not leaving her,” Truth’s deep,
growling voice sounded angry and belligerent.
“You
go run for help. I’ll
stay here.” As he spoke, he lifted her knees a little higher, trying to make
her comfortable on the grassy ground.

Becca felt a surge of warning zip through
her. They were close—
way
too close, the both of them. If they both
touched her at the same time…

And then they did.

To be continued…sometime in early 2014 ; )

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.

Ancient
Ones—
beings which live in the Deep Blue—the darkest and most inaccessible
part of the Rageron jungles. They are sentient but not related in any way to
the Kindred. Each Ancient One has two forms—a bipedal form which resembles a
human or Kindred and a beast form which can be deadly and they can change
between forms at will. The Ancient Ones predate even the First Kindred and
revere the
skrillix
plant, which they
guard jealously.

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.