“Commander Sazar and the lovely Sarah! How good to see you again!” The Lord Magnate nodded genially but didn’t rise from his golden chair beside a fireplace filled with blue and green flames. “Do come in,” he said. “Guards, shut the door and don’t bother us.”
“Yes, My Lord.” The Alquon guards bowed obsequiously and closed the door, leaving them alone with The Lord Magnate in the small but sumptuously decorated antechamber.
“Well, you’re looking lovely tonight, my dear. Come a little closer.” The Lord Magnate nodded at Sarah, his eyes crawling over her breasts just as Rando’s had.
Sarah suppressed a shiver of revulsion and started to step forward alone—but Sazar wouldn’t let her. He kept their fingers firmly entwined and stepped forward with her, partially blocking The Lord Magnate’s view of her breasts.
A spasm of annoyance passed over the Alquon ruler’s smooth, handsome features, but he smiled brightly the next moment and Sarah almost wondered if she’d imagined it.
“So,” he said, speaking to Sarah and ignoring Sazar. “When I met you the other day I had no idea we had the answer to our ancient prophesy in our midst!”
“You…you mean the one about the silver fingers and the, uh, ivory mounds?” Sarah asked faintly.
“Indeed, yes.” The Alquon leader nodded decisively. “As you know,” he continued. “I am in the unhappy position of being the only male in our lovely society without the pleasure of a pair partner.” He sighed in a melancholy way. “For I have never found a female with blood pure enough for me to pair with her.” He leaned forward, his aquamarine eyes fixed on Sarah. “Until you my dear.”
“I…I…” Sarah didn’t know what to say. She had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach—the same feeling she’d gotten when Father Caleb had called her into his office to announce the “happy news” that he’d decided to accept her as a “Bride of the Prophet.” Was that what was about to happen here? Was The Lord Magnate going to proposition her?
“What are you saying?” Sazar asked, his voice low and menacing. “Are you insinuating that you will take my mate as your own? Because I cannot allow that.” The last word ended on a growl that made the short hairs on the back of Sarah’s neck stand up.
“I’m offering her a great honor.” The Lord Magnate scowled angrily. “The chance to become my pair partner and rule by my side while she bears me many pure-blooded children.”
“Sarah is my mate. Mine.” Sazar’s eyes flashed red as they had just before he’d attacked Councilor Rando. “I’m not sure you understand what that means to a Kindred, My Lord Magnate, but it is not a relationship to be taken casually. Kindred males form a bond with their females which cannot be broken. We will kill to protect them.”
“Yes, yes—honor and duty until death.” The Lord Magnate waved his hand languidly, as though such concepts were hardly important.
“And love.” Sarah spoke up. She was amazed at her own bravery but she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing while the creepy Lord Magnate tried to steal her away from Sazar.
“Love?” The Lord Magnate raised his white eyebrows as though this was even harder to understand. “What does love have to do with breeding?”
“Everything,” Sazar growled. “I love Sarah and I will never give her up to you or anyone.”
“Is that so?” The Lord Magnate rose, glowering at Sazar now. “Well perhaps I’m not asking you to give her up. I’m telling you. As ruler of Alquon Ultrea, it is my right to have any female I choose and I choose Sarah!”
Sarah’s heart fisted in her chest. Part of her was saying, I can’t believe Sazar really said he loves me! It was probably just part of the act he was playing but still, hearing that possessive growl in the big Kindred’s voice sent a thrill through her entire body.
But she couldn’t enjoy the pleasurable tingle for long because the other part of her mind was screaming, Crap! It’s Father Caleb all over again! He’s going to try to take me and if we say no he’ll feed us to the grike. What are we going to do?
“If you try to take Sarah from me I will fight you until my last breath. And you should know, Kindred do not die easily.” Sazar bared his teeth, letting the Alquon Leader see his double set of fangs which had grown long and sharp.
The Lord Magnate grew pale and the look on his face turned belligerent.
“You dare to threaten me?”
“No, I dare to tell you the truth,” Sazar growled. “You will have to kill me to take Sarah from me.”
“That can be arranged.” The Lord Magnate smirked. “The grike is hungry tonight. I trust you saw it in the palace foyer?”
Sarah’s stomach felt like someone had filled it with a bucket of ice cubes. Crap, crap, crap! What were they going to do? Help! she prayed silently, though she wasn’t even sure who she was praying to. We’re in big trouble here—we need help!
Suddenly a strong, warm presence seemed to fill her mind. All will be well, daughter, murmured a feminine voice in her head. It sounded familiar somehow but not like her own internal monologue.
Sarah opened her mouth.
“It won’t do you any good to take me away from Sazar,” she heard herself saying.
“Oh no?” The Lord Magnate raised an eyebrow and smiled at her coolly. “Is that because you could never love another besides him and you think I could never win your heart? Because I must tell you, my dear…” He leaned forward and deliberately let his eyes run up and down her body from her bare breasts to the tiny golden panties, clearly visible under her split skirt. “I’m not interested in your heart—I only want your body and your womb to breed my pure-blood babies in.”
“My womb won’t do you any good,” Sarah said, still not sure where she was heading with this or what might come out of her mouth next. “Because of the bond Sazar was talking about—the one Kindred have with their wives, er, mates.”
“What are you talking about?” The Lord Magnate glared at her distrustfully. But by this time, Sazar seemed to have picked up the thread of what she was saying—though Sarah hardly knew what it was herself.
“The bond between a Kindred and his mate is unbreakable and it also renders her infertile with any male but him,” he said. “The moment I first spilled my seed into Sarah’s channel, her womb was dedicated to me and my progeny only. She would never be able to conceive your child. She is mine, body and soul.” He put an arm around Sarah protectively. “As I am hers. We cannot be parted.”
“Is this true?” The Lord Magnate glared at Sarah. “I cannot believe it—is it really so?”
Sarah nodded, doing her best to look sincere. Inside she was praying again. Oh please, let him believe us! Oh please let him believe!
Peace, daughter. He will believe, whispered that same warm voice. Then the comforting presence faded but somehow Sarah knew that things were going to be all right.
“I’m afraid it’s true, My Lord Magnate,” she said. “I can’t have anyone’s babies besides Sazar’s. So even though I’m, uh, extremely honored by your offer, I’m afraid I can’t take you up on it.”
A petulant look came over the Alquon ruler’s face. The look of a spoiled child, denied something he truly wants and realizes he can never have.
“But this is not right! How can your people survive if your biology doesn’t allow for interbreeding?”
“We have done well for millennia,” Sazar said firmly. “Our biology precludes the type of relationships you Alquons are used to, but we do not find that we miss it.” He pulled Sarah closer. “And may I point out that one reason the Kindred thrive is that we value diversity. We would have died off long ago if we had been too obsessed with the purity of our blood to make trades with other peoples.”
“In light of what you’ve just told me, I don’t see how we can possibly make a genetic trade with you,” The Lord Magnate snapped, clearly still miffed. “Such a backwards race cannot be mixed in with our own fine bloodlines.”
“Very well. I understand completely.” Sazar made a low bow. “Sarah and I will leave at once so as not to importune you any longer.”
“No!” The Lord Magnate rose from his chair and started pacing, his white and gold-edged robe and trousers swishing against the golden floor. “No, you cannot leave now! Not after causing such a stir by fulfilling the prophesy in such a public way.” He turned on Sazar and pointed a finger at him. “I have given you the place of honor in the throne room. I had hoped to be breeding Sarah while you bred one of my concubines there. But as that is not to be, I will not have you ruining the ceremony by leaving without participating.”
Sarah’s heart sank. They had been so close to getting out of here! And now this. She looked up at Sazar who was nodding.
“Of course, My Lord Magnate,” he said coldly. “We would never wish to cause you embarrassment or disrespect your customs. We will be happy to participate and we will leave directly after.”
“See that you do,” The Lord Magnate snapped, still looking sulky. “And see that you put on a good show during the breeding. Every eye will be on you. Now go!”
He snapped his fingers and the door of the antechamber popped open, revealing an expectant guard.
Silently, Sarah and Sazar left, their hands still clasped tightly together.
We have to get through this. We just have to get through it, Sarah told herself silently. She wished the warm, comforting presence and the soft, feminine voice would come back and help them out of this mess too. Who or what had it been? Maybe the Kindred Goddess? But the presence was gone and the little voice didn’t make another appearance.
Apparently they were on their own.