“Hello, My Lady. Do I know you?” Bound’s intense blue eyes looked into hers, frankly curious.
“As a matter of fact, you do,” Lorelei said, smiling. She put a hand on the Light Twin’s arm. “You just don’t remember me yet. But you will.”
“I would be pleased to remember so beautiful a female as yourself—an Elite.” The Light Twin’s memory of the past might be gone but his courtly manners remained intact, Lorelei thought with an inward smile.
“Well, we’re going to try and help you remember,” Lorelei told him.
“We’re going to take you home, Brother,” Torn said gruffly.
Bound looked up at him uncertainly.
“Home? Whose home?”
For a moment a look of despair flitted across Torn’s face but then he squared his shoulders and replied firmly, “Our home, Brother. I’m taking you back to our suite here aboard the Mother Ship.”
“And I’m coming too,” Lorelei put in. “To help you get settled in. I might even stay a while.”
“I’d like that, My Lady.” Bound frowned a little and looked down at her hand on his arm. “You know, I can’t help feeling I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
Lorelei felt a jolt of hope. She looked up at Torn who had an expression of surprise on his face.
“Gods,” he muttered. “I’ve been with him all his life and you’re the one he remembers.”
“I’m…sorry,” Lorelei said awkwardly.
Torn barked out a laugh. “No, no—can’t say I blame him. I’d rather remember a pretty little Elite like you than a big bastard like me, too!” He nodded at his twin. “Come on, Brother. Let’s go.”
“I wish you all the best of luck. Yes I do, yes I do!” Yipper exclaimed, coming out of his surgery to see them off. Lorelei had told him about their plan to try and recover some of Bound’s missing memories by showing him things from his past and stimulating his senses and the little Tolleg surgeon thought it was a fine idea.
“Though you shouldn’t get your hopes too far up. No you shouldn’t, no you shouldn’t,” he’d said apologetically when Lorelei explained the idea. “He hasn’t responded to any other therapy so far. But maybe your way will work.”
Lorelei hoped it would—she wasn’t sure what she would do if it didn’t. She supposed all she could do was trust the Goddess…which still felt strange to her. She’d lived for so long without faith—a feeling like walking a tightrope over a yawning chasm with nothing to catch her if she fell. Now she felt she had something to hang on to—a helping hand to catch her if she slipped or tripped. It was a wonderful feeling but she still wasn’t used to it.
Bound was leading his brother by the arm out of the surgical recovery suite as she waved goodbye to Yipper. On impulse, Lorelei stepped in between them, taking Torn’s non-metal hand in her right hand and Bound’s hand in her left.
At once, she felt the familiar sexual tingle rush through her and was glad that Yipper had been unable to remove the nanites from the Dark Twin. They might make him really scary in a fight but they certainly had their uses.
“Oh!” Bound looked at her in surprise and then down at himself with apparent shame—a bulge was growing in his black leather trousers. “My Lady,” he exclaimed, trying to draw his hand out of hers. “I…forgive me but I must—”
“It’s all right, Bound,” she said firmly, keeping her grip on his hand. “This is normal for us.”
“For…us?” he repeated uncertainly.
“The three of us,” Lorelei told him. “You and me and Torn. We’re together. Or…” She bit her lip. “We were about to be before you had your…your accident.”
“Lorelei is right,” Torn growled. “You and I were going to claim her together. Don’t you remember, Brother?” he asked hopefully.
“I…don’t know.” The Light Twin shook his head. “It almost seems you’re describing a dream I once had. But it’s all so fuzzy.”
“Fuzzy is fucking better than nothing,” Torn growled but for the first time there was hope on his dark face. “Come on—let’s get home so I can show you some holo-pics of us when we were younger.”
They made their way back to the twin’s suite, which wasn’t far from Lorelei’s own. When they got to the door, she turned to Torn.
“Do you mind if I run get a few things from my rooms? I’ll be right back.”
Torn shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. I’m going to show Bound some holos and see if it helps.”
“Be right back,” Lorelei promised again and ran down the hall to her suite.
One inside, she went to her bedroom and pulled out a change of clothes, some toiletries, and then, after a moment’s hesitation, she added her sexiest sleepwear—a short, silky babydoll nighty trimmed in black lace along the breasts and hem. It fell to the tops of her thighs and had a deep V in front which showed her cleavage to best advantage. She’d bought the nighty on sale some time ago, hoping she would find the right guy to wear it for. But it still had the tags on when she pulled it out.
Well, maybe tonight is the right night, Lorelei told herself. She couldn’t help thinking that Bound seemed to remember more when he touched her skin-to-skin than when they weren’t touching. Maybe it was time to bring Torn into the mix. She could lie between him and Bound and let the two of them just…touch her. It was, after all, the way she and Bound had brought Torn back to himself. Maybe it was the answer to helping Bound regain his memory as well. It would certainly be stimulating to all his senses, which was what they were trying to do.
But we’re not going to do anything but touch, she told herself firmly. Nothing else. Nothing permanent. We need to take this slowly.
She finished packing her things and was about to leave the guest suite when her eye happened to fall on the fruit basket on the dining room table filled with little peach-colored triangular fruits. Kat had left that for her as a homecoming/welcome to the Mother Ship present, on the assumption that she and Bound and Torn would be getting together when she got back.
On impulse, Lorelei walked over and picked up one of the small fruits. They smelled delicious—an indescribably sweet flavor that had hints of peach and strawberry in it. There was a note by the basket in Kat’s handwriting.
Be careful with these, doll! Let me know if you need any help.
Love, Kat.
Lorelei stared at the note, frowning. Be careful? Why? Did Kat mean she ought to be careful because the fruit were precious and she shouldn’t waste them? Maybe that was it.
Maybe I shouldn’t waste them, then, she thought, sniffing the juicy bonding fruit she still held in her hand. Maybe I should eat one…just in case.
What’s wrong with you, Lorelei? whispered a scolding little voice in her head. I thought you were only going to touch the twins—nothing else. Nothing permanent. Wasn’t that how you put it?
But it can’t hurt to eat just one, she argued with herself. They smell so good and anyway, I can be ready in case Bound starts getting more of his memory back. And if he doesn’t and it’s not the right time, I don’t have to do anything. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
Feeling justified, she sank her teeth into the thin skin of the fruit and took a bite—and then another and another. The bonding fruit was amazing—possibly the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. It was sweet and juicy but there were hints of saltiness too—almost like fresh popcorn or buttered toast hiding in the peachy flavor.
It tasted so good that Lorelei found she had started a second one before she knew it and then she ate a third. Finally, she made herself stop.
I can’t eat them all! What if I actually need them in the future—if I want to bond with Torn and Bound? I can’t go back to Kat telling her I foolishly ate all the precious bonding fruit when I didn’t really need it, just because I was being greedy.
Grabbing a paper towel, she blotted the juice from her lips and picked up her pile of clothes. She hoped she’d get to put the bonding fruit to their intended use later. But for now, she and Torn had to help Bound remember his past.