“I know what you’re saying,” Baird interrupted him. He leaned in, taking a closer look at his brother. “Look, I hate to say this but you don’t look so good. Are things still crazy at the med station?”
“No, that’s cleared up since we routed the Scourge and sent them back to their ships.” Sylvan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb. “I just…haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Bad dreams?” Baird asked sympathetically. He’d had a few himself after his second escape from the Scourge. Luckily Olivia was always there to soothe him and remind him they were safe in each other’s arms. He felt sorry for his half-brother, with no bride to warm his bed. If only Sylvan would retract that damn vow he’d made but Tranq Kindred took such things very seriously. It would have to be a matter of life and death before Sylvan would break his word, especially since he’d made the vow not just to himself but to the Mother of All Life.
But Sylvan was shaking his head. “Not bad dreams, no. They’re just…strange. I don’t know what to think of them.”
“Maybe you should go to the temple and ask a priestess to interpret them.” Baird took a sip of his drink.
Sylvan’s normally pale cheeks went red. “No, I…I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ll be fine anyway. They’re just dreams.” He shook himself and motioned for another drink. “So speaking of your bonding ceremony, where will it be held? Here or on Earth?”
Baird frowned. “Olivia had her heart set on being married—uh, bonded—at the same religious landmark her parents used. But after the way her shuttle was taken by the Scourge the last time she tried to go to Earth, she’s agreed to have it here.”
“You think she’s still in danger from the Scourge? But they let her go—it sounded to me like whoever they were looking for, Olivia wasn’t it.”
“It sounded like that, sure. But I don’t know. They were looking for something—someone with some kind of a mark, from what Olivia told me. To fulfill that damn prophesy of theirs, whatever the hell it is. And you know the Scourge—they won’t stop looking until they find whatever or whoever it is they want.”
“Either that or decimate the entire planet,” Sylvan said grimly.
“Yeah.” Baird ran a hand through his wild black hair. “By the way, there is one way human custom mirrors our own. Their ceremony calls for someone to stand up with both the bride and her mate when they say their vows—just like ours does. Sophia is going to stand by Olivia’s side and I was hoping I could count on you to stand with me?”
“Of course. You don’t even have to ask.” Sylvan nodded. “I’ll be honored to stand with you. But…” He frowned uneasily. “Will you… do you think you’ll be including the Luck Kiss in the ceremony?”
Baird shook his head. “Don’t think so—that’s more of a Twin Moons thing, don’t you think? But why do you ask—would it bother you to have to kiss Sophia?”
“Of course not,” Sylvan said a little too quickly. He looked down at his drink. “Sophia is a very…complicated female. But I’m sure we can bury our differences now that you and Olivia are so happy together.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’m sure I am. So tell me, is the entire ceremony going to be Earth-centric or will there be some Kindred customs as well?”
“Olivia’s all for incorporating as much of both cultures as she can.” Baird sighed. “By the time she and Sophia are done we’ll be lucky if it doesn’t take all damn day just to make our heart-promises to each other.”
“Both cultures, hmm? That ought to be interesting.”
“Uh-huh. She wants to serve fresh live Grieza worms at the after-party. Gonna cost me a fortune.”
“Grieza worms? I never would have thought Olivia would be interested in those.”
“Apparently they taste like some kind of Earth delicacy that the females there crave. Some kind of brown gooey sweet stuff that melts in your mouth.”
Sylvan frowned again. “Uh, forgive me but that doesn’t sound very good.”
Baird shrugged. “Yeah, but you never can tell. Have you tried cheese yet? It comes from the most disgusting source but it tastes fuckin’ amazing.”
“I’ll put it on my list of things to try then,” Sylvan said dryly. “And I’ll be sure not to ask where it comes from when I do.”
“Yeah, and—” Baird broke off, grinning as he felt a little mental nudge at the back of his mind. “Hey, I think my bride wants me to come home. She and Sophia must be done picking out the flowering plant life for the ceremony.”
Sylvan raised an eyebrow. “Plant life? You’re going to have plants in your bonding ceremony?”
Baird nodded. “Plants are important and so is the cake—a huge sweet confection that we’re supposed to cut together. Then we feed each other pieces to symbolize…oh, hell, I don’t know what it’s supposed to symbolize. At this point it’s just whatever she wants. I really don’t care as long as she’s happy.”
“Well, suit yourself.” Sylvan motioned at him. “You’d better not keep her waiting.”
“I won’t.” Baird grinned and finished his drink. “See you later, Brother. Oh, and the ceremony is in one Earth month so be sure you get your formal uniform cleaned.”
“So soon?” Sylvan seemed surprised.
“Why wait? She’s already mine by our standards but Olivia wants to make it official by Earth traditions too. Who am I to deny her anything she wants?” Especially since what she wanted right now was for him to take her in the bathing pool. He could hear her thoughts humming just under the surface of his mind, making him eager to get back to her.
“I’ll be there.” Sylvan smiled but Baird couldn’t help noticing the dark circles under his half brother’s ice blue eyes. He thought of asking about the strange dreams that were interrupting Sylvan’s sleep again and then thought better of it. His brother’s guarded Tranq nature wouldn’t let him reveal much and as a medic he could certainly treat himself. He’ll be all right, Baird told himself a touch uneasily. He just needs…But he wasn’t sure what Sylvan needed. Just then he heard Olivia’s mental voice in his brain again.
“Hurry up, lover—what’s taking you so long?”
“On my way, Lilenta.” With a final grin at Sylvan he strode from the bar and back toward the suite he now shared permanently with his bride. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little more than one standard Earth month since he’d first come to claim her. Back then he hadn’t been certain he would ever win her over. And now she was his—his forever and Baird never intended to let her go.
Epilogue
“I don’t understand why you let her go.” Xairn blinked his red on black eyes as he stared up at the AllFather who also happened to be his true father although the fact garnered him no special privileges or attention.
“I know you do not understand which is why you will be an inferior ruler sssome day if you do not learn to pay attention.” The AllFather sighed and tapped his skeletal fingertips against the arm of his throne.
Xairn frowned. “You said her memories might yield useful information.”
“And so they did.” There was a hint of a smile on the skull-like face. “Did you really think I would let her go without ssscanning her most thoroughly?”
“And what did you find?” Xairn crossed his arms over his chest.
“You remember the prophesy of course?”
Xairn repressed a sigh. His father often answered a question with a question but he tolerated no signs of impatience. “One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts,” he quoted. The words had been spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race.
“Exactly—the double fruit of a sssingle womb.” The AllFather rose from his throne and began to pace, his smoky robes leaving wisps of darkness in the air as he moved. “And what do you sssuppose I sssaw when I looked into her mind? Her twin livesss.
”
“She lives?” Xairn raised an eyebrow. “We thought her dead. Then her twin might be—”
“The one we ssseek—the one ssspoken of in Mee’ah’s prophesy. Yes.”
“But if the twin is still on Earth we have no hope of getting to her. The Kindred have the entire planet blanketed in a protection grid.”
“We will not need to go and get her. Ssshe will come to us.” The AllFather’s thin lips twitched up into a skeletal smile. “Why do you think I allowed the warrior to go free? They’ll be having a bonding ceremony sssoon—the Kindred and their females ssset great ssstore in sssuch useless ritualsss.”
Understanding lighted Xairn’s red on black eyes. “And she will come up to the ship to attend the ceremony?”
“Even if ssshe doesn’t, the Kindred will have to relax their grid for ssso large a party to get through. Either way, we’ll have her and the prophesy will be fulfilled.”
Xairn nodded. “I bow to your wisdom, Father. But tell me, what is her name—the one who we seek. The one to fulfill the prophesy?”
The AllFather settled himself on the throne again, his shadow robes billowing around him. “I sssaw it in her twin sssister’s mind. The one who we ssseek is named Waterhouse. Sssophia Waterhouse.”
END
Brides of the Kindred Glossary
AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.
Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.
Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.
Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.
Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.
Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means sex during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.
Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.
Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.
Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:
The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.
The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.
The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.
The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)
The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.
Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.
The Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.
The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.
Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.
Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.
Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.
Sacred Grove—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these holy trees to grow and flourish.
Scourge—a genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.
Scourge Prophesy—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are a dying race, forced to create new members in test tubes and artificial wombs because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the same genetic characteristics as the Kindred they are able to create only male children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.
Take-me—an animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me
has green fur and two heads, one on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything except banana peels which they are allergic to.
Think-Me—a thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication between people who already have an intimate connection.
Touch-U—a flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.
Twin Kindred—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.