Epilogue #1
“Well…here we go.” Commander Sylvan stared at the small, coffee-cup sized machine. He had just inserted a new vial of Kate’s blood into it and now he was fiddling with the controls. He’d asked Olivia to do the actual blood draw since his bandaged thumb made him clumsy. There was nothing to do now but wait for the results.
Kate squeezed Rone’s hand excitedly. They were back at the Mother Ship at last and sitting in the med lab. Actually, they had arrived the day before but decided to spend the night on the Finder before coming back aboard the huge Kindred vessel. After their emotional reunion and Kate’s newly regained memory, they had needed some time to re-bond all over again. In fact, they had spent most of the night in the Breeding Chair, just rocking and holding each other with Rone thrusting deep and slow inside her.
It had been beautiful and perfect and now Kate felt closer than ever to her mate. She squeezed his hand excitedly as they waited for the test results.
“I still don’t understand,” Sophie complained. She and Liv were waiting breathlessly too. “How can it show after such a short time?”
“Doesn’t the fertilized egg need time to implant?” Liv finished her twin’s thought.
“That’s the thing—it implants immediately with Wulven Kindred.” Sylvan was still staring intently at the machine. “They have difficulty conceiving so the Goddess made them in such a way that the moment an egg finally does get fertilized, it begins to grow. That is why females carrying a Wulven’s child typically only have an eleven month pregnancy—not a twelve month one.”
“Whoo-hoo,” Kate said dryly, trying to hide her nervous excitement. “Shaving a whole month off.”
“Listen, hon, after you’ve been pregnant for almost an entire year, one less month is going to sound mighty nice,” Liv told her.
Sophie snorted. “Try being pregnant with twins. And Kindred babies are so big.”
“I know!” Liv said. “Baird and I want another one but I don’t want to have to go through all that again.”
“You didn’t have to go through all of it,” Sophie reminded her. “Remember, it was poor Baird who actually had to have little Daniel.”
“Huh?” Kate looked at the sisters. “Am I missing something? Did you say that Liv carried the baby but someone else had it?”
“My husband, Baird,” Olivia explained. “We happened to swap bodies for a while at just the wrong time.”
“You switched bodies?” Rone asked, frowning. “Is your mate a Switch Kindred? A Trader?”
“A traitor to who?” Sophie asked.
“No—he means a Trader as in one who trades,” Sylvan explained, still fiddling with the small machine. “As in a Kindred who is able to trade bodies with his mate from time to time. There used to be quite a number of them but they interbred with another race—a people who considered the ability shameful and suppressed it somehow.” He shook his head. “It’s a pity—I’ve always thought it was a valuable experience. It gives a male a better understanding of what his female is going through and thinking to spend some time in her body and vice versa.”
“Oh yeah?” Sophie raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t remember you finding it a ‘valuable experience’ when we swapped! You were mostly crying and upset all the time and you threw away my best pair of Jimmy Choos!”
“They hurt my feet,” Sylvan said, in a dignified tone. “And I couldn’t help feeling emotional—you were pregnant at the time and I was bearing the full brunt of your hormones.”
Kate shook her head. “It sounds like you guys have had some wild adventures up here on the Mother Ship.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Olivia grinned at her. “The stories we could tell…”
“And we will too—especially if you stay with us during your pregnancy.” Sophie pressed her hand. “Please say you will! We have a lot of good girl friends up here that are dying to meet you and we have so much fun together.”
“Well, I don’t know about staying on the ship but I’m certain we’ll stay close,” Rone said. “Wulven pregnancies tend to be difficult so we’ll want to be near Commander Sylvan. Not to mention that pregnant females can’t fold space.” He looked at Kate. “Thank goodness we took a wormhole back here instead of asking the Mother Ship to fold for us!”
“The Goddess was watching out for you, all right,” Sylvan said. Just then the little machine he’d been watching so intently made a soft, ding! “Ah, here we go…let’s just see…”
Kate tensed up as she watched him reach into the machine’s slot. What if that first test they had run on her had been wrong? What if the results were some kind of a false positive? What if…?
“Here you go.” Sylvan handed her a flower—a pink one.
Kate looked at him blankly.
“I don’t understand—what does this mean? I thought you guys said I was having a boy. But this—”
The machine dinged again. “And here’s another,” Sylvan said, giving her another flower—a blue one this time.
Kate breathed a sigh of relief.
“Uh-huh.” Olivia shook her head. “I knew it—twice expectant.”
“So…twins?” Kate asked, smiling a little. “Goodness, I don’t know how I’m going to manage that!”
Just then the machine dinged a third time. This time Liv looked at it.
“Uh, Kate, hon?” she asked, reaching into the small slot. “What exactly were you and Rone doing last night that made you too busy to come and see us right away?”
“I…well…” Kate felt herself blushing but then Olivia handed her the third flower—a blue one this time.
Kate looked it in dismay.
“Are you serious? Triplets?”
“What would that be? ‘Thrice expectant?’” Sophie asked.
“It’s not completely unheard of in Wulven couples,” Sylvan said. “But since the period for conception is an entire solar week starting from the time of the first breeding, I must advise you not to have any more—ahem—intimate relations until that time period is up.”
“Unless you want to wind up with a whole bouquet,” Liv said, grinning.
“No, we don’t want that,” Kate said hurriedly. “That’s what started all this in the first place—sniffing that damn bouquet that was meant for Emily!”
“Well this is a different kind of bouquet.” Rone took the three small blossoms from her carefully. “One that will bring us joy.”
“I’m happy too—don’t get me wrong,” Kate said. “This is just…scary. Three at once?”
“Just wait until you meet our best friend, Kat,” Sophie told her, laughing. “She had three at once so she can give you a full breakdown of what to expect.”
“Well, I guess we’re definitely hanging around now,” Kate said. “There’s no way I’m getting too far from a doctor when I’ve got three buns in the oven!”
“I’d say that’s a good choice,” Sylvan said. “You can tether the Finder to the Mother ship for the duration of the pregnancy. That way you can either stay aboard your ship or move into one of the guest suites.”
“That sounds perfect,” Kate said gratefully. She looked at Liv. “Do you guys really have a friend that has triplets? Because I’m definitely feeling in need of some advice right now.”
Liv laughed. “Come on—Kat’s been dying to meet you and so has everyone else.”
“I’ll Bespeak Lauren and ask her to bring cupcakes,” Sophie said. “If you’re anything like the rest of us, you’re going to grow a serious sweet tooth now that you’re preggers with a Kindred baby—babies, I mean.”
“Mmm…” Kate smiled. “Actually, a cupcake sounds really good right about now.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Rone asked and she felt a surge of protectiveness come through their link.
“No, honey—I’ll be fine. This sounds like a girl thing so why don’t you and Commander Sylvan work out the details of our new living arrangements?”
Rone nodded. “All right. I love you.” “Should I tell him?” he added through their link.
“I love you too.” Kate smiled at him. “Yes—now’s the perfect time.” Standing, she gave him a peck on the cheek and turned to her new friends. “Okay, lead the way and I really hope one of the cupcake choices is chocolate.”
“I’m pretty sure it will be.” Sophie hooked her arm through Kate’s. “And let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted our cousin Lauren’s deep, dark, Devil’s Food chocolate cupcakes.”
Kate smiled back at her, feeling a little guilty. But the knowledge she needed Rone to impart was for Commander Sylvan alone. Shooting her mate one last significant glance, she left the room with Sophie and Olivia.
* * * * *
“Well…let’s see what kind of accommodations we can offer you,” Sylvan said as soon as the females were gone. “Personally, I’d rather have the two of you as close to me as possible. Kate is very small and carrying three Kindred babies…well, it probably won’t be easy.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Rone said sincerely. “But before you start making any calls, I need to speak to you about a private matter.”
“Of course.” Sylvan raised an eyebrow. “What is it? Does it have to do with the message you gave me from Two?” Rone had already filled the Kindred Commander in privately about everything the Dark Kindred had said to him and Kate when he’d trapped them in the glade on the night of the full moons’ convergence.
“I don’t know,” Rone answered. “Last night, after Kate and I finally got to bed she had a Knowing dream.”
Sylvan frowned. “I think I remember you talking about this before—it’s when her sixth sense intervenes and gives her some knowledge she couldn’t know any other way, correct? A prophesy of sorts?”
“In a way.” Rone shifted uneasily. “Part of it seemed prophetic but there was also a message for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes.” Rone sighed. “Let me just tell you what Kate saw. Actually, I saw it too—through our link.”
“Really?” Sylvan asked. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
“It wasn’t, before,” Rone explained. “We have a much deeper bond now, ever since Kate tamed my Beast. Anyway…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Kate saw the Mother Ship—specifically the park around the Sacred Grove.”
“I know the area you mean.” Sylvan nodded. “Go on.”
“All right. Well, everyone aboard the Mother Ship was gathered there—a huge throng of people. All the warriors and their brides and children.”
“That would be rather crowded but I think it could be managed,” Sylvan said, nodding.
“I don’t think that the dream was meant to say everyone should gather together,” Rone said. “I think it was more supposed to symbolize everyone on the ship…and something that might happen to them.”
“Like what?” Sylvan asked warily.
“Well…” Rone shifted uneasily. “In the dream, a huge hand came out of nowhere and reached for the sun.”
“You mean the green, artificial sun which hangs over the Sacred Grove?” Sylvan asked, frowning. “The Mother Ship’s power source?”
Rone nodded. “The huge hand grabbed it and squeezed it until it went out. And the whole time you could hear him laughing…”
“Him?” Sylvan frowned. “Him who?”
“This is the strange part…Kate said she thought it might be the AllFather. You know, the Scourge overlord?”
“I’m not likely to forget him,” Sylvan said dryly. “But he’s dead.”
“I know—which is why this doesn’t make any sense.” Rone shook his head. “But Kate’s Knowing dreams are never wrong.”
“Hmm.” Sylvan frowned. “Is the dream saying the AllFather will return and cut off the Mother Ship’s power supply? I don’t see how that could happen. Aside from the fact that he’s dead, we’ve also destroyed the Father Ship of the Scourge. After we found out that Two, the Dark Kindred, had used the molecular transfer beam to steal Kate away from you, the decision was made that it had too many dangerous tools lying around to just leave it derelict. We did of course get the blessing of Xairn—who is the last living Scourge. He’s actually mated to Sophie’s kin, Lauren.”
“Speaking of that, what about Two?” Rone asked. “Do you still want me to track him?”
Sylvan shook his head. “Not now that your mate is thrice expectant. I will find someone else to do that particular job. Two has already attempted to harm you personally—I don’t want any more of his malice directed against you or your family.”
“That’s kind of you,” Rone said. “But even though his actions worked out for good in the end, he meant them to cause malice. When you do track him down, I have a matter to settle with him.”
“Several of us do,” Sylvan said grimly. “But back to Kate’s dream—what else did she see?”
“Oh, yes.” Rone cleared his throat. “After the vision of the AllFather snuffing out the light of the Mother Ship, she heard a voice speaking in the darkness. A female voice—maybe even the Goddess.”
“Go on,” Sylvan said gravely. “What did she say?”
Rone closed his eyes, concentrating to get all the words exactly right, just as he had heard them through their link as Kate dreamed the night before.
“An old threat made new
In the silent dark grew
Can only be solved
By one who jumps True
She into he and he into she
Unless they are one
Apart they’ll not be
Exchange of the souls
A switch of the roles
But jumping between
Will take a harsh toll.”
Rone shook his head. “I know that doesn’t make much sense either…”
“No, it doesn’t.” Sylvan frowned. “One who jumps true?”
“Does it mean anything to you?” Rone asked.
“No…wait! She into he and he into she…” Sylvan snapped his fingers. “Remember we were talking earlier about Trader or Switch Kindred? Well, they’re also called Jumpers. But a True Jumper…well, I don’t think there has been a reported case of one of those in over a century.”
“What is a True Jumper?” Rone asked.
“A Switch Kindred who is able to not just inhabit his mate’s body but to jump into anyone else’s.” Sylvan shook his head. “But as I said, the Switch Kindred interbred with a race of people who considered Switching or Jumping as it’s sometimes called, a shameful ability. They found a way to inhibit and eventually get rid of it all together.”
Rone sighed. “So then, none of the dream makes sense. It warns about a threat that’s already been neutralized and offers a solution that isn’t possible because it doesn’t exist.”
“I would never discount a message from the Goddess,” Sylvan said gently. “But…do you think it’s possible that Kate just had a nightmare?”
“No.” Rone shook his head. “No, absolutely not. I saw the dream, remember? I’m certain of its veracity.”
“All right then.” Sylvan sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You also said there was a special warning for me? What was it?”
“That came at the end of the dream, when Kate was waking up, so I didn’t get to see it as she did,” Rone admitted. “I woke up right before her and I was holding her—she gets so cold during a Knowing dream—it scares the crap out of me, as she would say.”
“It does sound like a frightening event,” Sylvan acknowledged.
“So, as I was holding her in my arms, she kept murmuring, ‘Tell Sylvan he’s not safe…tell him to beware his twin. His twin is evil… his twin is danger.”
Sylvan shook his head. “But…I don’t have a twin. I do have several brothers, all of whom live aboard the Mother Ship, but none of them is my twin or indeed, even my full brother.”
“I don’t know.” Rone lifted his hands helplessly. “I don’t know what any of it means. But Kate and I felt like you ought to know. Do with it what you want.”
“I’ll have to consider it,” Sylvan said. “And bring it before the Council. In the meantime, we’ll be extra vigilant about security and continue the hunt for Two.”
“After the way he lured Kate out to meet my Beast and trapped us in that clearing, I’d say he’s a legitimate danger,” Rone said seriously. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt—especially not you.” He cleared his throat. “Kate and I decided it would be best to tell you privately about the last part of the dream—the part concerning you. We didn’t want to worry your mate.”
“Thank you for that,” Sylvan said gravely. “Sophia has enough to worry about already with our twins. I’ll keep this to myself.”
“I thought as much.” Rone nodded. “Well…I guess there’s nothing else to do but remain vigilant. And whoever you get to track Two, please let them know I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“I will. Thank you.” Sylvan sighed and rose, fingering the bandage on his hurt thumb.
“Are you not able to heal that?” Rone asked, nodding at the bandaged digit. “I thought Blood Kindred had regenerative abilities almost as good as my own people.”
Sylvan shrugged. “Generally we do but this injury does seem to be lingering for some reason.”
“Kate told me you were bitten by some kind of a porcine mammal?”
Sylvan smiled briefly. “A ‘Guinea pig’ is what humans call it. It was either that or a very large rat—I can’t be sure because it moved so quickly I didn’t get a very good look at it. All I saw was that it had red eyes.”
Rone frowned. “I hope you heal up soon."
“You’re very kind.” Sylvan nodded. “I hope so too. In the meantime, let’s see about getting you a place to stay aboard the Mother Ship.”
Rone nodded but he couldn’t help worrying about the future. What had Kate’s dream really meant? Could the ancient threat from the past really return? And what would they do if it did?
He didn’t know but he swore to himself he would be watchful—for now it was all he could do.