“You must be Lorelei—I’ve already heard so much about you from Bound.” A full-figured woman with auburn hair several shades lighter than Lorelei’s red-brown came forward and gave her a hug.
“Oh, uh—yes, I am. Nice to meet you.” Lorelei smiled uncertainly though she was glad to see a welcoming face in the busy entrance area of the Kindred’s huge ship. “Boy, word sure does travel fast on the Mother Ship. I thought I was only an hour behind Bound. I just had to run by my apartment and get a few things before I followed him to the HKR building,” she added, holding out her battered suitcase as proof.
In fact, she’d also taken a moment to call Mitzy, her stepmother and let her know where she was going. She didn’t want her dad to worry if he tried to get hold of her and couldn’t, but she didn’t exactly want to talk to him in person either.
She was certain her fatherh wouldn’t like the idea of her going up to the Kindred Mother Ship with a strange warrior she’d just met today and from there, on to some bizarre mission in another galaxy far, far away. Telling Mitzy while he was busy at the office was a good work-around, in Lorelei’s opinion.
After making the call, she had gathered her most important keep-sakes, packed some clothes and make-up in an old suitcase, and headed for the Tampa Human/Kindred Relations building where a shuttle was waiting to take her to the Mother Ship. Lorelei wondered if she ought to be glad or sad that it had taken her such a short time to pack up her life and that pretty much everything of importance to her fit in the tiny trunk of her Spark, which was still parked at the HKR building back on Earth.
Well, either way, I’m here now. Might as well make the most of it!
“Bound is really excited that you’ve agreed to help. We’re all excited—grateful too.” The red-haired woman smiled at her. “I’m Kat, by the way. I’m here to pick you up because Bound is getting a long-range shuttle ready for your trip. He wants to leave as soon as possible.”
“Nice to meet you and thanks for coming to get me,” Lorelei said, smiling. “Um, how do you know Bound? Is he a friend of yours?”
“More like a cousin-in-law, I guess you could say. Bound and Torn are kind of distant kin to my own two mates, Deep and Lock.”
“Oh—so you’re married to Twin Kindred?” Lorelei asked with interest as they made their way through the crowds to the public transport area.
As they went, she gazed around her in awe. The Mother Ship certainly was a busy place! Everywhere she looked were tall, muscular Kindred warriors and their much smaller human brides. For a moment she wished that she was here as a bride as well, but she pushed that thought away quickly and told herself to stop being silly.
“Yup, I have two husbands and three boys by them. I’m completely outnumbered,” Kat said cheerfully. “But I make up for it by having lots of girlfriends up here on the Mother Ship.” She cast Lorelei a glance from the corner of her eye. “Maybe you’ll be joining us once you and Bound get Torn back, hmm?”
“What? Oh, no!” Lorelei said quickly, blushing. “I’m, uh, only working with Bound in a professional capacity. It’s strictly business.”
“Yeah, right.” Kat grinned at her. “I’ve heard the way Bound is already talking about you. Just let me know when your ‘strictly business’ turns into ‘funny business’ or ‘naughty business’ and I’ll set you up with some bonding fruit.”
“Bonding fruit?” Their ride on the public transport was a blur of scenery as they passed through the center of the Mother Ship which held a large park-like area and numerous shops and restaurants. But Lorelei hardly saw any of it, Kat’s words surprised her so much.
“Sure, doll—bonding fruit. You don’t want to take on Twin Kindred without it, believe me. Oh, this is us!” The transport was stopping and Kat got up quickly, grabbing Lorelei’s suitcase. “Come on—everybody’s waiting to meet you.”
Feeling bewildered, Lorelei allowed herself to be led from the transport, down a long, curving metal hallway.
“So, how do you like living on the Mother Ship?” she asked Kat, to make small talk as they walked.
“It’s wonderful. Almost anything you want, you can get up here. And if there’s something you need that you can’t get, well, Earth is really just a hop, skip, and a shuttle ride away.” Kat grinned at her again. “But I bet what you really want to know is how do I like being mated to Twin Kindred?”
“Well…” Lorelei cleared her throat. “The thought had occurred to me.”
“It’s wonderful and frustrating and amazing and perfect,” Kat said. “I love my guys so much I can’t even begin to tell you. And I’m the center of their universe. It’s kind of nice for a drama queen like me.” She laughed.
“But…how can you, uh, be so completely in love with two men at once?” Lorelei asked. “It just seems like…like you would want one of them more than the other. Or be more sexually attracted to one than the other.”
“I love them both differently but equally.” Kat sounded thoughtful. “Lock, my Light Twin, is so kind and thoughtful and considerate. He’s a great shoulder to cry on when I’m feeling blue. As for Deep, my Dark Twin…” She laughed ruefully and shook her head. “We still butt heads at least twice a day. But there’s nobody I’d rather argue with. He’s fiery and impetuous and infuriating and sexy as hell. And as for the sex thing…” She gave Lorelei a level look. “They come as a pair, doll. You literally can’t have one without the other. It hurts a Twin Kindred to touch a female unless his brother is also touching her. Especially if they’re touching her sexually.”
“Really? I didn’t realize.” Lorelei looked at her, wide-eyed. “I could tell that Bound was very close to his twin and that he felt terrible and guilty that he’d been kidnapped and uh, modified but I didn’t know that.”
“Believe it, hon. And please just realize if you take one, you have to take both. They can’t be separated.” She gave Lorelei a significant nod as they came up to one of the sliding metal doorways that lined the wall.
“But I told you, I’m only helping Bound out in a business capacity,” Lorelei protested, feeling her cheeks get hot. “I really have no interest in him in, uh, that way. And he’s not interested in me either.”
“Uh-huh. Right.” Kat grinned at her cheekily. “Keep telling yourself that, doll. Here we are.” She waved her hand and the door whooshed open, disclosing a room full of people—adults standing around talking and about four or five children all between the ages of four and seven running between them in some elaborate game of tag.
Lorelei hung back at first but Kat grabbed her by the arm and towed her inside.
“Everyone, this is Lorelei! She’s the AI shrink who’s going to be helping Bound get Torn back.”
The room erupted in cheers and then people were coming forward to shake her hand and wish her well. As they did, Kat made rapid introductions which went right over Lorelei’s head.
“This is Olivia—Liv for short—and this is her sister, Sophie. These are their husbands, Baird and Sylvan—Sylvan is the head of the Kindred High Council by the way. This is their cousin Lauren and her man, Xairn—he’s a Scourge but he’s okay. Oh, and here are my two guys, Deep and Lock.” She nodded at two tall Twin Kindred, one with light brownish-blond hair and brown eyes and the other with black hair and eyes.
“Miss Daniels, we can’t tell you how grateful and happy we are that you’re going to accompany Bound and help him get Torn back,” the one Kat had introduced as Lock said, taking her hand. “Bound is only half a male without his brother—he feels the loss of his twin very deeply.”
“Being without your twin is like having your heart ripped out, and I should know,” Deep, who Lorelei thought must be the Dark Twin, said.
“Oh, you lost your brother too at one time?” she asked, trying to keep up.
Deep nodded ruefully. “And it was my own damn fault I did. I lost him and Kat. It took the Goddess to put the three of us back together.”
“The…Goddess?” Lorelei looked at Kat uncertainly.
“The Mother of All Life—she’s the Kindred Goddess,” Kat explained.
“Oh…okay.” Lorelei had been an atheist since starting college but she wasn’t one of the asshole kind who wanted to rub their atheism in everybody’s face. So she simply nodded politely and smiled.
“How are the fearsome threesome? Behaving?” Kat asked, going to stand between her two huge mates. She winked at Lorelei. “That’s what I call my triplets—they can be a real handful!”
“They’re minding about as well as usual,” Lock said, looping an arm around her waist and dipping his head to drop an affectionate kiss on her cheek.
“Only because I threatened to take their bezom blocks away and tan their backsides if they didn’t straighten up,” Deep growled, putting an arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad you’re back—we missed you, little Kat,” he added in a different, deeper voice clearly meant only for her. Tilting her chin up with his free hand, he laid a scorching-hot kiss on her mouth.
Lorelei wanted to look away—this was obviously a private moment between Kat and her mates. But she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from the scene. As Deep kissed his mate long and thoroughly, Lock watched them, a look of patient lust in his brown, half-lidded eyes. He kept his arm around Kat’s waist and stroked her back with one large palm, not as though he was impatient, but as though he wanted to heighten her pleasure by adding his own touch to the equation.
How can he not be jealous at all? Lorelei wondered. How can he watch his brother kiss the woman they both love and not wish it was him doing the kissing?
Against her will, she imagined herself and Bound in the same situation. Was Bound the Light Twin in their pair, she wondered? And if so, what would Torn look like? Would he be as dark and intense as Deep was? Could she handle a man like that, especially if it meant taking on his brother at the same time?
Then she realized what she was thinking.
Get hold of yourself, Lorelei Daniels! she scolded herself fiercely. And please remember you are here in a professional capacity only!
“There you are, My Lady.” The deep, already familiar voice made her heart start pounding at once.
Lorelei turned to see Bound at her elbow, a smile on his face.
“Oh, Bound!” She reached for him automatically. He was the only one she really knew in a roomful of strangers.
“My Lady Lorelei.” He slipped his arm around her waist as naturally as though he’d been doing it all his life. Lorelei had to remind herself that she’d only known him for a few hours. “Our shuttle is ready for the trip. Do you wish to sign the contract now?”
“I have it in the study,” Deep said. He led the way and Kat and Lock followed. Bound went too, pulling Lorelei gently along by the hand. They went into a small room at the back of the large suite which seemed almost too quiet after the noise and laughter of the crowded living area.
“Here we are—I printed it out because I know you humans have a weakness for paper copies.” Deep handed over a surprisingly short contract—only one page long.
“Thank you.” Lorelei scanned it quickly. It specified only that she would do her best to try and recover Torn and that she would receive fifty thousand US dollars in return. “Wow,” she said. “Short and sweet—where’s the catch?” She looked at Bound. “Don’t you want some kind of clause in there saying if I fail to help bring your brother back I don’t get the money?”
“Unnecessary,” he murmured. “I know you will do your best, My Lady. I can ask no more than that.”
“But…but you barely know me,” Lorelei protested.
“I know enough,” Bound said quietly. “You offered to help me, even before I told you the fee you would be earning. Your heart is as pure as your face is beautiful.”
“Oh…” Lorelei put a hand to her heart. Coming from a human man, it would have sounded like a cheesy pickup line. But from Bound it was beautiful and completely sincere. “Thank you,” she whispered at last.
“Look at that—she’s smitten all right.” Kat laughed.
“That’s a Light Twin for you,” Deep remarked. “Silver tongued bastards.”
“Stop it, both of you,” Lock said, frowning. “Bound means every word he says, don’t you, Brother?”
“With all my heart,” Bound murmured. “Which reminds me, My Lady—there is something which is not in the contract.”
“Oh? What is it—a hidden clause? Fine print?” Lorelei asked, trying to break the tension of the moment. But her words came out breathless instead of joking so the effect was ruined.
“My oath,” Bound murmured.
Suddenly he sank to one knee before her and took both of her hands in both of his. For one alarming moment, Lorelei though he was going to propose. Then he began to speak in a low, warm voice as he held her eyes with his.
“My Lady Lorelei,” he said, looking at her earnestly. “I swear to you now that on this journey I will guard you with my life. My body shall be your shield, my arms, your shelter, my heart, your home. May my blood be shed in an ocean of crimson before even a drop of your own is spilled, for I will die, if need be, to protect you from harm. This I vow to you in the name of the Goddess, she who is the Mother of All Life.”
“Oh my,” Lorelei whispered as genuine awe swept over her. He means it, whispered a little voice in her head. He actually means every word of it! The light of sincerity was shining in Bound’s deep blue eyes and she knew that every word he had spoken was true.
“You okay, doll?” Kat murmured from where she and Lock and Deep were watching quietly. “It’s pretty intense the first time a Kindred warrior gives you his oath.”
“It’s…beautiful,” Lorelei said softly. She looked down at Bound, who was still kneeling. He was so tall she didn’t have to look far. “May…may I give you an oath in return?” she asked.
He looked surprised but at last, he nodded.
“If you wish, My Lady.”
“I do wish,” Lorelei said firmly. Heart pounding, she looked into the big Kindred’s eyes. “Bound-Tight of the Twin Kindred, I swear to you here and now I will do everything in my power to help bring your brother back and reunite the two of you,” she said softly. “I won’t hold back, I promise. If there’s anything I can do to make things right, I’ll do it. Anything.”
There was a sudden ripple of power in the room—a strange surge like an electrical charge that flowed through everything at once. It made Lorelei’s skin prickle and raised the short hairs at the back of her neck as it flowed in a cool, tingling rush down her spine.
She gasped and looked around. “What was that?”
“Both your oaths were heard and witnessed,” Deep rumbled. “I do believe the Goddess is with us.”
“She’s going to be with you on this quest,” Lock said softly. “I’m certain of it.”
Lorelei wanted to tell them she didn’t believe in any God or Goddess, but somehow she just couldn’t. For one thing, she didn’t want to be rude about their religion and for another…what had she felt? Because it had certainly been something. There was no denying that.
“Well…” Kat clapped her hands together briskly. “If you two are done vowing to each other, maybe we can get you ready to go. I’ve had the Clothing Pattern Replicator make Femalian clothes for both of you and you need to know how to act once you get there too.”
“My Lady Kat loves doing research into alien cultures for this kind of thing.” Lock looked at her fondly.
“She’s the best at preparing people for missions on other worlds,” Deep acknowledged, grinning down at his mate.
“I don’t just do it for the fun of it,” Kat pointed out. “Now that the two of you have me tied down here on the Mother Ship all barefoot and pregnant, I have to live vicariously through others.”
“Are you pregnant again, little Kat?” Deep raised his eyebrows. “I thought three boys was enough for you.”
“You know what I mean.” Kat swatted him on his broad shoulder affectionately and motioned for Lorelei and Bound. “Come on, you two. I have everything in the other room.”
Bemused, Lorelei allowed Bound to take her hand and lead her out of the office. She had her copy of the signed contract, folded in her purse, but somehow it didn’t seem nearly as important as the verbal vows she and Bound had just given each other.
We tied ourselves together, somehow, she thought. She didn’t know how exactly they were connected but she had a deep, gut feeling that it was a connection that was going to last.