Chapter Twenty-eight
“Watch out for the heat-stream,” Nadiah instructed, nodding at a narrow channel of steaming, pale purple water that flowed down the length of the room. It was only about six inches across but Sophie could see how getting her foot stuck in it might result in another twisted ankle. She was careful to keep to one side of it as Nadiah pulled her through the living area of the house and down a long stone hallway. Kind of romantic—like living in a castle, she thought as their footsteps echoed behind them.
“This is your room.” Nadiah threw open a door carelessly—or as carelessly as she could, considering it appeared to be made of solid stone. But as heavy as it was, she didn’t appear to have any problem moving it. Either the Primes were incredibly strong or she was really into fitness. Given the fact that they all seemed to be taller and built on a larger scale than humans, maybe the door just didn’t seem that heavy to her.
Sophie started to go into the room but Nadiah pulled her further down the hall. “This is my room,” she said as they came to another stone door. “Luckily it’s on the other end of the domicile from Mamam’s. Still, it’s better to be safe,” she added, nodding at a flat metal plate attached to the door. Pressing her palm to it for a moment, she muttered something too low for Sophie to make out. When she took her hand away it briefly glowed bright pink and then the door swung silently open.
“Wow, that’s some combination lock you have there,” Sophie murmured.
Nadiah grinned. “Sorry about the security. But Mamam would have a fit if she saw half the things I have in here.” She looked at Sophie anxiously. “I can trust you not to tell, can’t I? I mean, you’re with Sylvan so you must not be a Purist.”
“A what?”
“Someone who’s against the trade. You know—with the Kindred?”
“My sister was just called as a Kindred bride,” Sophie assured her. “So I have no problem with it.”
Nadiah looked relieved. “Oh good. Well come in then, and we’ll get you ready for the feast.”
Sophie came into the somewhat cluttered room and looked around with interest. In the middle was a low, perfectly square sleeping platform that had long round pillows on all sides. It was strewn with furs of all different colors. More fur clothing and various trinkets that looked like they might be jewelry were spilling out of drawers built into the rock walls and there was a full length 3-D viewer in one corner with a blinking red time display at the top. Most interesting, to Sophie anyway, were the holographic posters taped to the walls. They were of various large, muscular men, all stripped to the waist and smiling seductively. When she moved a certain way, some of them seemed to wink.
“Kindred posters,” she said in surprise. “Twin Kindred…Beast Kindred…and you have three Blood Kindred.”
Nadiah blushed. “Well you can’t blame me for having a preference! Besides, the Blood Kindred are so sexy.” Before Sophie could answer she moved a pile of clothes off the bed and motioned for her to sit down. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“Uh…do you mind if I take off my coat?” Sophie asked hesitantly. She didn’t want to corrupt an innocent young mind—although she was beginning to wonder how innocent Nadiah was—but she was getting really overheated and was slightly desperate to get rid of the heavy vranna skin coat.
“Go ahead and take it off—we’re all girls here.” Nadiah smiled warmly.
“Thanks.” Sophie slipped off the thick fur with a sigh of relief, revealing the thin sundress she’d put on what seemed like a million years ago.
Nadiah was instantly interested by the thin cotton material. “Ooo, what kind of tharp is that? Does it keep you cool instead of warm?”
Sophie had no idea what a tharp was but she tried to answer anyway. “It’s called a sundress and yes, I guess you could say it keeps you cool. It’s better than wearing something hot and heavy, anyway. Not that I don’t like Sylvan’s coat but—”
“Oh, is that Sylvan’s?” Nadiah’s eyes sparkled. “Is it from the vranna he killed for his manhood hunt?”
“Uh, as a matter of fact, it is.”
“And he let you wear it.” Nadiah stroked the thick, green-blue fur softly. “His manhood cloak. That’s so romantic.”
“It was the only thing he had,” Sophie said, thinking that her new young friend was getting the wrong idea. “I mean, I would have frozen to death otherwise. In fact, I almost did, even with the coat on. Sylvan had to warm me up with his—uh, he had to warm me up,” she ended lamely.
“He did? How?” Nadiah sat down beside her, blue eyes wide.
“Oh, uh, he…he rubbed my hands and feet.” Sophie hoped she wasn’t saying anything that might give Nadiah the wrong idea—or the right idea for that matter, since Sylvan’s uncle and aunt seemed to be so scandalized by the fact that he’d given her some of his blood.
“Oh.” Nadiah looked disappointed. “Well, that’s nice. Look, we’d better get you ready! The feast is in just a couple of hours and you have to look perfect.”
“Well, I don’t know if we’re going to achieve perfect, ” Sophie said carefully, eyeing the blue and purple frosted hair of her make-over artist. “I think we should shoot for presentable .”
“Uh-uh.” Nadiah shook her head firmly. “Presentable isn’t nearly good enough. Not if you want to outshine Feenah.”
“Who?” Sophie frowned.
Nadiah frowned back. “You mean Sylvan didn’t tell you? Feenah’s his ex.”
“His what?” Sophie couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice. “But I thought he took a vow to never call a bride!”
“He did. And Feenah’s the reason why.” Nadiah glanced up at the time display on her 3-D viewer and shook her head. “Hey, we really have to get you ready. We’ve only got a little while before the feast and you haven’t even chosen a tharp yet.”
Sophia made an impatient gesture. “You choose one for me. I want to hear about what happened.”
But Nadiah was not to be deterred from her make-over, even by juicy gossip. “I’ll tell you in a minute but right now we need to get going.” She bounced up off the bed. “You’re in luck. I just bought some new tharps the other day and I haven’t imprinted all of them yet. Let me go grab them from Mamam’ s room.” She slipped out her door and was gone for what seemed like forever.
Sophie felt like she was going to die of impatience and curiosity. Finally Nadiah came back carrying a stack of what looked like folded fur blankets in all different colors.
“What do you think?” Nadiah sat them down beside her and made a sweeping gesture.
“There’re all really pretty. But look, about Feenah…” Sophie swallowed. “Were she and Sylvan actually, uh, married? I mean, bonded?”
Nadiah frowned. “Of course not. Feenah was just his intended.”
“Oh.” Sophie felt a rush of relief. But really, what had she expected? The Kindred didn’t do divorce, she remembered. So of course he couldn’t have been married to the girl. To this…Feenah. But when Nadiah had said she was his ex…
“They were betrothed in childhood,” Nadiah went on, breaking her train of thought. “It’s not done much now—not with the Kindred anyway—but it was pretty popular up until a few years ago. Before the vaccine was invented.”
“Oh?” Sophie didn’t know what else to say. Not only was Feenah—whoever she was—Sylvan’s ex, she was also his childhood sweetheart! How could she compete with that? You’re not supposed to be competing, she reminded herself sternly. He’s foresworn himself of you, remember? But the thought didn’t make her feel one bit better. In fact, she felt worse.
“Uh-huh.” Nadiah nodded absently. She was going through the pile of fur blankets and holding each one up under Sophie’s chin as though trying to decide which color worked the best. “They were dream sharing and everything—at least I think they were. He’d been gone off planet for years but once you have a connection to a Kindred, you never really lose it.”
Sophie frowned. “Where did he go?”
“His mother—my Mamam’s sister—died when he was nine. So his father took him to Rageron and married again and had Baird. And after she died, the three of them—Sylvan, Baird, and their father—moved to Twin Moons. And I think that was where he was living when he and Feenah started dream sharing.”
“Oh.” Sophie was mildly surprised. She had known that Baird and Sylvan were brothers but she hadn’t known that Sylvan was the older brother. “They—Baird and Sylvan I mean—look about the same age to me,” she said.
“Well technically they almost are. Males from Rageron reach maturity really fast—something to do with their biology.” Nadiah shrugged. “Anyway, the point is, Sylvan and Feenah were intended for each other but when he came to claim her, she wouldn’t go with him for the claiming period.”
“She wouldn’t?” Sophie thought of the way Liv had been literally dragged from their townhouse the day Baird had claimed her. “How did she get away with that?”
Nadiah shrugged. “Her parents are Purists—the leaders of the faction, actually. They backed up her decision. Of course, Sylvan never really pressed the issue.” She sighed. “He got really quiet after that—sad, you know? Not that he was ever very talkative, but he kind of shut up completely. Then he and Baird decided to go all the way to Earth—which I guess is where you’re from—right?”
“Uh, yup. Earth. That’s me,” Sophie said distractedly. “Uh, do you know why Feenah refused to be claimed?”
“I have no idea. I mean, how could she resist him, right?” Nadiah’s eyes went wide again. “I mean, he’s my cousin and everything but I’ll be the first to admit he’s seriously hot.”
“He’s very handsome,” Sophie agreed with a smile. “Which makes me wonder why she rejected him.”
“Oh, you know…” Nadiah shrugged. “It’s that whole Purist thing—they think Kindred males are beasts because of their fangs and how they insist on biting.”
Sophie felt a surge of shame. The same reason I rejected him! Poor Sylvan! “So…the other males on your planet don’t have fangs?” she asked.
“Oh no.” Nadiah shook her head, her long black braid flying. “The Kindred sort of evolved them as a means of curing Blood Fever. The fangs are the fastest way to inject the antidote their bodies create into a girl suffering from Blood Fever. Well, other than you know.”
Sophie didn’t know. “No, what?”
“ Sex . Doing the deed. Riding the vranna. ” Nadiah nudged her with one boney elbow. “That’s why having sex with a Kindred is referred to as ‘getting the love injection.’ You know?”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Sophie said blankly. She remembered Olivia saying that she was going to a planet filled with women mated to Blood Kindred and that she should find one and talk to her. But apparently that was wrong—mating with a Kindred was out of favor here on Tranq Prime. Well, at least I found a source of information, she thought looking at Nadiah. But how reliable was her source?
Nadiah shrugged. “Anyway, it was Feenah’s loss. The Prime male her parents wanted her to bond with ran off with some girl from another grotto. And she’s so beautiful and perfect you’d think she could have her pick of everyone else, but no one is all that eager to bond with an oath-breaker, you know? Besides…” She leaned closer to Sophie conspiratorially. “Everybody thinks she’s still got a thing for Sylvan. Like maybe she’s sorry she let her parents stop her from being claimed?”
“Really?” Sophie was caught off guard by the stab of jealousy that pierced her heart. “Do you think Sylvan might, uh, feel the same way about her?”
Nadiah shrugged again. “Who knows? He brought you here, didn’t he? Then again, he did forswear himself of you, so it’s not like you’re really together.”
Sophie frowned. “How did you know that?”
“I heard Mamam and Patro talking about it when I went to get the tharps.” Nadiah grinned at her. “So is it true that they caught you and Sylvan sharing the gift of blood?”
Sophie felt her cheeks get hot. “Well…” She shifted uncomfortably. “He…he had to. I was dying of cold and it was the only way Sylvan could warm me up in time to save me.”
“Oh my goddess, that is just so romantic .” Nadiah flung herself back on the bed, swooning dramatically. “It’s exactly like the holo-novels—you know, the ones you’re forbidden to read but everybody passes around school anyway? Where the heroine’s family disapproves but she gets Blood Fever and she can’t help herself, she has to let the Kindred warrior take her.” She sat up and sighed. “I wish I could get Blood Fever. Unfortunately I got the vaccine ages ago.”
“I didn’t have Blood Fever—just frostbite,” Sophie said, frowning. “And I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. He only bit his wrist and let me drink some of the blood.”
“What’s the big deal ? It’s only part of the Blood Kindred mating ritual.” Nadiah gestured wildly. “ That’s the big deal.”
“Oh?” Sophie said doubtfully.
“ Yes . It’s the first part of bonding sex. Only usually it’s the female who offers the gift of blood. She says, ‘I offer myself to you freely, warrior, blood, body, and soul.’ Then he bites her and then they, you know.” Nadiah grinned. “Of course, you can mix it up some if you want to get kinky.” She shook her head. “I never would have thought Sylvan was like that though—he seems like such a straight forward guy. I guess people can surprise you.”
Sophie thought of their time in the cabin. How Sylvan had tasted her, how he’d had her bind him to the bed so that he could mark her the second time. That had been pretty kinky…
“Hey, you’re blushing!” Nadiah elbowed her again. “What are you thinking of? Some other naughty things you and Sylvan did?”
“No, of course not,” Sophie lied quickly. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. “I just…I’m embarrassed because now I realize that we broke one of your customs. A very important one.” She sighed. “No wonder your Mom and Dad…er, Mamma and Patro don’t like me. What an awful first impression.”
“Don’t worry.” Nadiah gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “They wouldn’t have liked you no matter what their first impression of you was.”
“What?” Sophie frowned. “Why not?”
“Because you’re an off-worlder and they’re Purists,” Nadiah said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course they’re not going to like you. But Sylvan’s kin, so they have to let him stay. And they have to let you stay too since you’ve drunk of the cup of hospitality.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Omigoddess—the cup! I forgot to give you a drink from the cup!”
“The what?” Sophie asked, but she was talking to an empty room. Nadiah had run out again.
Sighing, Sophie looked down at the folded fur blankets scattered on the bed. How in the world was she supposed to wear one of them to the feast? Well, maybe she could knot it over one shoulder like a toga—as long as it didn’t show too much skin that way. She didn’t want to shock her hosts any more than she already had. No wonder Sylvan’s aunt and uncle had been so upset—basically it was as if they’d walked in on her and Sylvan making love. Sophie blushed miserably at the thought. Well I’ll just have to make a better second impression, that’s all. Maybe I can do really well at the feast tonight. If I just—
“Here you go.” Nadiah was back again, this time holding an elaborately carved stone cup. It was shaped like a trophy cup—at least to Sophie’s eyes—with high set, wide handles on both sides. The stone it was made of was smooth and black, like marble with flecks of gold and silver running through it. It was filled to the brim with pale purple liquid.
“What is it?” she asked, taking the cup from Nadiah and nearly dropping it. “Wow—this must weigh ten pounds.”
Nadiah frowned. “I don’t understand that unit of measurement. This is our family’s hospitality cup and it’s filled with the traditional drink.”
“Which is?” Sophie wasn’t about to drink until she found out what was in the cup.
Nadiah shrugged. “Just water—meltwater from the first snow of the winter. Drink it and you can’t be kicked out—no matter what Mamam and Patro catch you and Sylvan doing.” She grinned.
“Just water, huh?” Sophie sniffed it uncertainly and then took a small sip. It tasted plain enough but the water fizzed in her mouth and tickled her nose like champagne bubbles.” “Goodness!” She swallowed with difficultly and handed the cup back. “Okay, there, I did it.”
“Good.” Nadiah nodded in apparent satisfaction. “Now you can’t be thrown out of the domicile for any infraction or transgression—no matter how big or small. Sophia, let me be the first to welcome you to my family’s dwelling.”
“Uh, thank you.” Sophie nodded. It seemed kind of strange but she supposed that the whole “you can’t be thrown out for any reason” clause was a big deal in a community with no hotels or motels. If your family kicked you out, where else could you go? Especially since the surface of the planet was a frozen wasteland.
“All right—and now we have to find you the right tharp. We barely have time to get one imprinted on you as it is.” Nadiah set the heavy stone cup on the floor with a thump. “Do you see any you like?”
“Uh…that one.” Sophie pointed to the moss green fur blanket that was farthest from her. “I like that one.”
Nadiah frowned and picked up the blanket. She held it up under Sophie’s chin and then shook her head. “Nope, I’m afraid not.”
“What? Why not?” Sophie asked. “You asked which one I liked—well, I like this one.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t like you ,” Nadiah said earnestly. “Believe me, Sophia—it’s not the right one for you at all .”
Sophie looked at the rest of the fur blankets and frowned. They were all different shades from brilliant scarlet to deep purple to bright blue, but none of them would look as good with her eyes and complexion as the moss green. And suddenly she did want to look perfect for the feast—especially if Feenah was going to be there. “I like this one,” she said gently but firmly, taking the moss green tharp from Nadiah’s hands. “And I’m sure it does like me—green has always been my color. Because of my eyes, you know.”
“You do have gorgeous eyes.” Nadiah sighed. “So exotic… All right, maybe you can make it work after all. But don’t blame me if it causes mischief. A mismatched tharp can be your worst nightmare.”
Sophie didn’t know why she was so worried. Holding the moss green fur up to herself in the viewer, she could see that it was the perfect shade for her.
She was going to be beautiful at the feast tonight. Beautiful and poised and elegant. She was going to make a wonderful impression on everyone there—even Sylvan’s aunt and uncle, and she was going to do her best to outshine Feenah. Why should you care about looking better than her? It’s not like you’re in some kind of competition for Sylvan.
Except it felt like she was. And try as she might, Sophie couldn’t ignore the stab of jealousy she felt when she imagined Sylvan’s ex meeting up with him again after all these years.