“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 g
oing to last.
Chapter Five
“Are you ready for take off? All strapped in?” Bound looked over at his passenger to make sure she was all right.
“All good here.” Lorelei gave him a tight smile. She looked nervous but determined, which was pretty much how Bound felt himself.
He hoped they would both be more at ease once they had gone through the fold in space and their mission was really underway. The fold would put them a few hours outside the orbit of Femalah—it wouldn’t do to suddenly appear in the middle of the Femalian airspace which might cause suspicion—so they would have a little time to talk. He hoped to get to know Lorelei better in the time it took to get to the planet where his brother was to be sold.
Not that you don’t already feel like you know her, whispered a little voice in his head. Admit it, Bound, she’s amazing. Being with her is like slipping a hand into a glove—it feels so right it’s almost unreal.
But how would it feel once they added Torn to the equation? What kind of shape would his brother be in? What if the V’radors had altered him beyond recognition…beyond redemption?
No, don’t think like that! he told himself sternly. The hand of the Goddess is on this situation. She is the one who led you to Lorelei in the first place and you felt her presence in the room when you gave your oath and took one in return. Trust—you must trust that things will be well.
It was much easier advice to give than to take, unfortunately.
“So, tell me about your brother,” Lorelei said, looking over at him. “What does he look like?”
“Not very much like me, actually. Which is not unusual for Twin Kindred,” Bound said as he piloted the long-range shuttle out of the Docking Bay and up into the vast blackness of space. He was aiming for the red gash in the sky that the Kindred Mother Ship had opened for them—the fold in space that would put them down just outside Femalah.
“Why is it not unusual?” Lorelei wanted to know. “On my planet, twins often look alike—if they’re identical, that is. Fraternal twins look different.”
“Well, as I’m sure you heard, in every Twin Kindred pair there is a Light Twin and a Dark Twin,” Bound explained.
“Right. And you’re the Light Twin in your pair?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
Bound nodded. “Oh yes, definitely. But the designations ‘light’ and ‘dark’ don’t just refer to our coloring or our looks. It also refers to our mood—our general outlook in life.”
“That’s fascinating.” She leaned towards him, propping her chin on her elbow, which she rested on the arm rest. “Tell me more.”
“We often look very different and have very different personalities,” Bound said. “Remember I told you that Torn is more likely to punch first and ask questions afterwards?”
“So…he’s more violent than you?” Her eyes widened slightly.
“Maybe more…intense is the right word,” Bound amended. He didn’t want her to be frightened of his twin, when they finally reached him. “Let’s just say he has a very heavy bad side—he hates with a passion and intensity I can’t find inside myself.” He cleared his throat. “But he loves passionately too. I remember when we were growing up on Twin Moons, we had a pet—a turpa—which is a little like your Earth animal called a cheetah but with feathers instead of fur.”
“A cheetah with feathers? Can it fly?” Her large brown eyes were wide with interest.
“Some of the smaller breeds can. Ours was large though—I think a little bigger than your Earth cheetah. Maybe more the size of a tiger?”
“Wow…” She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m just trying to picture a giant feathered cheetah. So what happened?”
“Our turpa was named Kilji and we both loved him very much.” Bound smiled sadly, remembering. “Of course I was the one who walked him and remembered to fill his feed bowl but it was Torn that he slept with every night, guarding the foot of his bed.”
“And…did that make you jealous?” Lorelei asked, sounding curious. “That you did the work but Torn got the benefits?”
“Of course not.” It seemed like a strange question to Bound. “My brother’s pleasure and joy is my pleasure and joy—just as his pain and sorrow are my pain and sorrow. That’s the way it is with Twin Kindred. Is it different for siblings on your planet?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” Lorelei admitted. “My older brother and I used to fight like cats and dogs, as my mom would say. It seemed like every time I got a new toy, he tried to take it away.” She shrugged. “We’re still not very close. But go on—tell me what happened with Torn and your pet, uh, turpa.”
“Well, we had Kilji from the time we were little—he was a present from our fathers on our fifth name day,” Bound explained. “But then one day, we were out playing and he chased a ball into the road.”
“Oh no…” Lorelei’s eyes were suddenly bright. “Please don’t tell me…”
Bound nodded sadly.
“Unfortunately, he was struck by a mechanized cart going to market, and killed.” He sighed. “Both of us wept, of course, but Torn was inconsolable. He wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep—he grieved so hard our mother was afraid he would do himself an injury.” He ran a hand over his face, remembering. “Gods, it was awful. And then, one night I woke up to find him climbing out of our bedroom window.”
“He was? Where was he going?” Lorelei was looking at him intently.
“I followed him to find out,” Bound said. “I was afraid for him too. My brother was always…so passionate, so impetuous.”
“So where did he go?”
“To the house of the merchant who had hit Kilji with his cart,” Bound told her. “He had some firesticks in his pack—he wanted to burn the house down.”
“Oh my God!” Lorelei put a hand to her mouth. “You’re kidding? Did he do it?”
“No, I managed to stop him but he was so upset. He told me that we had to get vengeance for Kilji—that he couldn’t rest or finish grieving until we did.”
“So what did you do?” Lorelei asked.
“We…” Bound winced, a little sorry he had decided to tell her this story. It didn’t exactly show him or his brother in the best light. “We burned the cart instead—the cart that had run over Kilji.”
“You what?” Her brown eyes went wide.
“Yes, I know it sounds bad.” Bound sighed. “But the thing was, I was grieving too. I mostly kept my grief inside but when Torn showed me a way to let it out, I took it.” He shifted in his seat. “No one was harmed, just to let you know, and insurance took care of the cost of the cart. I know it was wrong but we both felt better afterwards and Torn was finally able to have some peace.”
“Wow…” She shook her head, apparently at a loss for words.
Gods…” Bound laughed ruefully. “You know I’ve never told that story to anyone before? Torn and I are the only ones who know what really happened that night.”
“Your brother sounds…very intense,” Lorelei remarked. “How old were the two of you when this happened?”
“I guess around…twelve cycles old?” Bound shrugged. “Give or take. I, uh, hope hearing that story from our past hasn’t put you off helping him. I was just trying to give you an idea of his personality as the Dark Twin of our pair.”
“I signed a contract and swore an oath, remember?” Lorelei said. “Finding out the two of you were juvenile arsonists doesn’t change anything.”
Bound looked to see if she was serious. To his relief, a smile was tugging at the corner of her lush mouth. Gods, he wondered what her lips tasted like—wondered what it would be like to kiss her…to watch his brother kiss her. Firmly, he pushed the thought away.
“I have a holo pic of him with me,” he said. “Would you like to see it?”
“Oh yes, please!” Lorelei leaned forward eagerly. “Show me.”
From his uniform pocket, Bound pulled out a small clear cube and pressed his thumb to it. Immediately a 3-D rendering of his twin’s head and shoulders came into v
iew. He adjusted the size so that Torn’s figure was life-size and set the cube on the console between them. For a moment, it was almost as though his brother was with them.
The three of us—complete, as we should be, Bound thought longingly.
“Amazing,” Lorelei breathed, studying the holo of Torn. “He does look a little like you in the face. But his hair is black and those eyes…”
“Like emeralds, our mother used to say,” Bound remarked. “Emeralds ringed with onyx. My twin has a very intense gaze.”
“I can see that.” A little shiver went through Lorelei. “Are you two exactly the same height?”
Bound shook his head. “He’s about two of your Earth inches taller than me. It’s not unusual for the Dark Twin to be slightly larger than the Light Twin.”
“Two inches taller? But you’re already so tall!” she exclaimed. “I can’t imagine another one of you, only bigger!”
“Well, that’s what you’re going to get, once we reach Femalah.” Bound tried to make his voice light but he couldn’t help wondering if he shouldn’t have told her the story of Kilji. Maybe she would think he and Torn were reckless now. Maybe—
“Bound, do you mind if I ask you a…um, kind of a personal question?”
Lorelei’s soft voice brought him back to himself.
“Yes, My Lady,” he said. “Of course—you can ask me anything.”
“Well, it’s just that…” She cleared her throat and looked uncomfortable. “I was kind of…watching Kat and her two husbands, Deep and Lock and I was wondering…”
“Yes?” He looked at her, frowning a little. What was she trying to say?
“I was wondering how jealousy isn’t a factor in a Twin Kindred relationship. Especially during, uh…” She cleared her throat. “Sexual situations.”
“Hmm…” Bound tried to think how to answer her but his brief hesitation seemed to make Lorelei think she had offended him.
“I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to—if I crossed a line, just tell me,” she said quickly. “I know I’m an AI shrink so I’m qualified to handle machines, not people, but I still find motivations and emotions fascinating, especially when they go against established norms.”