Chapter Five
As the Black Planet grew larger in his viewscreen, Donald K. Mahoney, PhD grew more and more impatient. There it was—an entire planet made of pure Titanium Dioxide. It was superheated to a scorching temperature almost as hot as the surface of the sun it orbited. At such extreme conditions, it shouldn’t have been able to survive at all. Yet, here it was, appearing in his viewscreen like a fist made of black ice.
Not that any ice could form at such extreme temperatures. Donald snickered to himself at the little joke. Indeed, the extreme temperatures kept the planet from forming even ammonia clouds which could have reflected incoming radiation—the result was that the Black Planet absorbed 99% of all heat and light it received and reflected back only 1%. Truly, it was a strange phenomenon, one Donald was eager to study.
Of course he had no plans to actually step onto the surface—that would be instant suicide. But the Kindred ship he was flying was a scientific vessel which meant it had the ability to collect long range specimens. And Donald needed a lot of specimens.
A ton or so of the shadow stone should do it, the dark voice that had been speaking in his brain lately whispered. It must be pulverized…then refined and turned into dust. What is left will be pure evil.
Yes, Donald had equipment that could do that. Absently he scratched the black mole at the base of his right thumb. Actually, it really couldn’t be called a mole anymore—it was more like a patch that covered most of his hand. Donald kept meaning to get it checked out but there were always more important things to tend to.
Like harvesting the shadow stone.
Soon, crooned the voice in his head. Soon the entire Mother Ship will be ours. And then they will pay. All of them will pay…
Yes. Donald liked the sound of that. The image of Maggie’s new paramour—that ridiculously muscle-bound Kindred called Kor—rose in his mind’s eye. He had taken Maggie away but worse, he had changed her. She had been the perfect fit for Donald—running errands, organizing his transportation, complying with his schedule without complaint—before Kor had come into her life. Now she was a changed woman and not for the better, in Donald’s estimation.
You shall have her back, promised the dark voice. All shall be exactly as it was.
Good. Donald nodded to himself and nudged his ship closer to the planet he was orbiting. That’s all I want—for everything to go back to normal. And if Kor happened to meet an untimely demise…well, he wasn’t opposed to that either.
Everything would be fine if he listened to the dark voice. Somehow, Donald was certain of that.
He scratched the black growth covering his right hand absently and prepared to lower the collection arm.
It was time to begin.
Chapter Six
Truth paused a long moment before knocking on the dull silver door that led to the suite of Commanders Deep and Lock and their bride, Lady Kat. He didn’t want to be here. In fact, every fiber of his being rebelled at what he was being forced to do.
A male doesn’t mate with another male and he doesn’t share a female with another either. It’s sick—perverted.
His years growing up in the Rai’ku colony on Pax had taught him that. The Rai’ku were a proud people with noble traditions and unbending ideas about what was right and wrong. Truth’s father had upheld those traditions and ideas and taught Truth to do the same. In fact, the only reason he had agreed to come to the Mother Ship when Far first found and contacted him was from a simple sense of curiosity.
He had heard much of the Kindred growing up—there were several other warriors besides his father in the colony. A Blood Kindred and two Beast Kindred who fit in especially well. Truth had often wished he was Beast Kindred—their savage temperament meant they adapted best to life among the Rai’ku. Even the Blood Kindred did well because of his fangs. But what did Truth have to show for his heritage? Nothing but a missing twin and an absent bond—a bond which would be considered a disgrace among the Rai’ku.
And now he was being ordered to join in such a bond. What would the warriors on his home colony think of him? How could he ever show his face again if he was forced to bring a male bond mate back with him—if he could even bear the shame well enough to return?
Truth didn’t know and he didn’t want to find out. But along with everything else, his father had taught him respect for the Goddess. It was she who guided every warrior’s life from the cradle to the grave. Truth didn’t feel he could ignore her orders, even though they seemed completely wrong to him.
With a deep sigh, he squared his shoulders and knocked on the door. He would honor his promise or at least try to. What else could he do?
* * * * *
Far turned his head to watch as the door slid open, admitting his twin. As always when he saw Truth, his heart thumped painfully. Their features were so much alike it was like looking into a mirror—except for the hair and eye color, that was.
Far could still remember his extreme joy at seeing his long lost twin. His elation at finding that the brother he had longed for, for so many painful, lonely years was a reality, not just a figment of his overactive imagination.
He remembered well their first meeting. It had been in an agreed upon location in the parklands just outside the Sacred Grove. Far had not been able to restrain himself when he saw the other male—he had thrown his arms around Truth, pulling him close, hungry for contact with the brother he had lost at birth.
And Truth had pushed him roughly away.
“What’s wrong with you?” he’d spat, glaring at Far. “A male does not touch another male in such a fashion. I don’t even know you!”
“It’s me—I’m Far. Your brother. Your twin.” Far had held out his hands imploringly. “Forgive me it’s just…I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long. Dreamed of finding my other half so we could at last become whole.”
Truth had given him a cold look. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I came to meet you out of curiosity and because I have never seen the Mother Ship before. I have no wish for anything else.”
“But…” In that moment Far had felt every one of his dreams crumbling, had seen every hope and wish he’d carried since childhood melting away like so much snow in the sun. “But….” he’d said again and then his attention was taken by a soft, hurt cry—the cry of a female in distress.
Truth’s head had gone up too—clearly hearing the same compelling sound. Without a word, both brothers had turned as if by instinct and gone to find the source of that soft, anguished moan. Lying on the grass, a little ways away, they had found Becca. Again, without a word, they had lain down on either side of her and both had touched her smooth, silky, light brown skin.
It was the first and last time they had ever willingly worked together on anything, Far thought bitterly. After that first partial joining with Becca, he had hoped that Truth would come around. Instead, he found his twin brother even more resistant to the idea of ever forming a bond or indeed, having anything to do with him at all. Shortly after their first encounter, Truth had announced his intentions to bond Becca to him and have her for his bride and only his. Clearly he felt there was no room for Far in the relationship—or in his life, for that matter.
The rejection of his twin, the one male he should have been closest to in the universe, had left Far bitter, sarcastic, and withdrawn. And now, finally, they were supposed to form some kind of a bond.
It’ll never happen, Far thought, eyeing Truth’s proud, sharp features so alike and yet so different from his own. He wants nothing to do with me—he never has. All those years growing up alone he was happy—content without a twin. Why should he want to bind himself to one now? He doesn’t need me—doesn’t need anyone but himself.
Truth must have felt his brother’s eyes on his face because he looked up briefly, flashing Far a hostile glare.
Far sighed and looked away. This bond was never going to happen. It didn’t matter what they had promised or how eloquently Commanders Deep and Lock spoke—
Truth hated him. How could you bond with someone you hated?
Chapter Seven
Becca watched the silent exchange between the brothers and bit her lip at the hostility in Truth’s pale gray eyes as well as the hurt it engendered in his brother’s black ones. It made her feel terrible, especially when she considered that she was at least partially to blame.
It seemed strange but it had never even occurred to her that by agreeing to pick one of them she was breaking up a matched set. They seemed so opposed to being together that she hadn’t felt even a moment’s guilt about separating them permanently.
I only thought of myself. I didn’t even think that I might be hurting them—both of them.
But Nadiah’s words of the night before had brought everything home. “Do you realize, Rebecca, that in attempting to choose between the two of these brothers you are subverting the will of the Mother of All Life?” she had said. “Do you understand the harm you are causing to her children?”
Becca felt a dull shame growing in her at the thought. How could she have been so selfish and self-centered? I should have left them both alone. Refused to see either of them again. I could have gone back to Earth and done confession. Mother Superior is wise and understanding, I’m certain she could have worked with me, helped me to get over this, especially since my interaction with them was almost purely mental and barely physical at all.
Except that would have meant leaving Truth and Far behind, never seeing either of them again. And somehow, Becca just couldn’t imagine doing that. Any more than she’d been able to pick either one of them over the other so far.
All this time I lingered on the Mother Ship, telling myself I was just waiting for Maggie to be found and that as soon as she was I would be able to choose which brother I wanted, she thought. And yet she’s been back for ages and I’m still no closer to knowing which one I want to spend my life with. Have I been fooling myself all along?
She looked at the two brothers, standing across the room from each other, and couldn’t help comparing them.
Truth stood tall, his chin lifted and his shoulders out. His black hair was short, cut with military precision and his face was clean shaven. The look in his pale gray eyes was skeptical and when he spoke his words were clipped and precise and always to the point. Every emotion he felt was communicated at once—his need and desire for her at the constant forefront anytime he so much as glanced at her. The fire Becca saw burning in those winter gray eyes made her shiver—it was a flame she both feared and longed to be consumed by.
Far, on the other hand, had his head down, clearly withdrawn into himself. His blond hair was long, brushing his broad shoulders in a soft waterfall Becca longed to run her hands through. When she looked at him, one word came to mind—broken.
The dejection in his big frame wrung her heart but when he looked up, the hunger in his pitch black eyes nearly overwhelmed her. His square jaw was covered in dark blond stubble Becca knew would be scratchy against her fingertips if she dared to go to him and cup his cheek as she longed to do. Far was definitely the more approachable of the two and yet Truth drew her as well with his air of inherent danger.
But for all the longing she felt for both of them, she rarely touched them. Keeping her hands to herself and demanding that they do the same seemed simpler somehow—safer. Aside from the two strange dream-like joinings she’d had with them, holding hands was as far as she had been willing to go with either man. Becca wondered uneasily if she would be able to continue to keep herself aloof…or if things were going to have to change between the three of them.
Her uneasy musing was interrupted when Lock and Deep, Kat’s mates, entered the room.
Becca knew they were twin brothers, sharing equally in her friend’s affection as well as both being the fathers of the twin babies she was carrying. From almost everything she had heard, a single Twin Kindred male was unable to bond with a female or get her pregnant without the intimate participation of his brother.
Exactly how they went about the business of impregnating a female, she didn’t know. Kat, in her frank, open way, had offered to tell her but Becca had declined, believing that such details were better left in the dark. She had the uneasy feeling that she was about to have her comforting ignorance stripped from her. Was she about to get a crash course on Twin Kindred sexual anatomy?
“Hello, brothers,” Commander Deep said nodding at both Truth and Far. “My brother Lock and I welcome you to our home.”
“We understand from our lady Kat that the two of you are having problems,” Commander Lock continued, looking at the twins.
“We have no problems,” Truth said, frowning. “We are compelled to be here by Commander Sylvan and a promise given to the Goddess in a moment of weakness.”
“Of course,” Far muttered. “Because it’s weak to want a relationship with your only living kin.”
“I don’t need you or any ‘relationship,’” Truth growled. “My only interest is in Rebecca.”
“Then why did you come at all?” Far demanded. “If you didn’t intend to honor your promise and try to form a bond?”
Truth’s eyes flashed dangerously and suddenly he was across the room grabbing Far by the lapels of his dark green uniform shirt.
“Are you calling me an oath breaker, Brother?” he growled into the other man’s face.
Far made no move to defend himself. “Why should I say something like that?” he said bitterly. “Why bother when you prove it yourself without me having to say a word?”
“Enough!” Commander Deep shouldered his way between the two of them. “I see the ‘problems’ Kat spoke of are more serious than we thought.”
“Why don’t we all go into the living area and talk?” Lock suggested diplomatically. “We can work this out with words more easily than blows.”
From the way Truth cracked his knuckles, blows would have been his preference. But to Becca’s relief, the brothers allowed themselves to be separated and led into the large living area in the inner part of Kat’s suite.
Kat herself was sitting on a large, three-person couch on one end of the room, sipping a cup of something that smelled sweet and hot. There was another couch arranged directly across from the first one and Deep motioned the three of them to sit on it.
Becca sat, being careful to place herself in the middle between the two feuding brothers. She hunched her shoulders miserably and kept her hands in her lap, feeling like she was sitting in the middle of a lightning storm. God, she wished they got along better! It was awful being between them when they were at each other’s throats all the time.
Truth sat down on her right hand side. His posture was still rigidly upright, his bearing inflexible. The look on his face was angry and closed.
Far slouched beside her on the left. His posture was deceptively relaxed and his face was blank but Becca could practically feel the hurt and anger radiating off his huge frame. Both brothers were so big and their emotions were so strong she felt like a small, helpless kitten trapped between two fierce German shepherds —it wasn’t a good feeling at all.
“Here, doll.” Kat got up and handed Becca a steaming mug that smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. “Tea to calm your nerves,” she said, smiling at Becca sympathetically. “You look like you could use it.”
“Thank you.” Becca took a sip of the sweet, hot tea gratefully. As the warmth rushed through her, she felt a little bit better. Maybe they could work this out somehow. If only Kat’s mates could talk sense into Truth and Far, that was…
“All right now.” Deep was pacing back and forth between the two couches as Lock retired to sit beside Kat with one muscular arm around her shoulders. “Let’s start at the beginning—you claim to have no bond at all?”
“We were separated at birth. So no, none that I have ever felt,” Truth said shortly.
“How?” Kat spoke up. “Exactly what happened that separated you?” Deep frowned at her and she shrugged. “What? I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants
to know.”
“I don’t mind answering though I cannot speak for my brother.” Far threw Truth a sidelong glance which was returned with a look of hostility.
“Fair enough. Maybe it will shed some light on your problems.” Deep shrugged and sat on the other side of Kat.
“Our parents, the Lady Leenah and our fathers, Feels Much and Speaks Wisely, were aboard a Kindred transport from Twin Moons to the Mother Ship,” Far said. “Because there were several pregnant females aboard, it was a long range ship which did not intend to fold space. Unfortunately, such ships are much more vulnerable to attack.”
“They were set on by space pirates,” Truth said, unexpectedly taking up the story. “The Skin Takers—so called because they are known to skin their victims and make clothing and trophies from their hides.”
“Oh,” Becca murmured, looking from one to the other of them. “That’s awful.”
“Many such space faring tribes exist,” Truth said shortly. “The Kindred and their brides are mostly sheltered from such unpleasantness by their ability to fold space and move quickly and safely from one destination to the next.”
“But our parents were not so lucky.” Far looked down at his hands. “From what I have heard, our mother was already in labor when the attack began.”
“I came first, or so my father told me,” Truth said. “It was a fast, clean delivery. And had Far come out the same way, we might all have been saved. Instead he lingered.”
Far cast an incredulous look at his brother. “Do you really blame me for that too? I was an infant—what could I do?”
“I only know what my father told me,” Truth said stonily. “I know that he had an escape pod all prepared but he couldn’t bring my mother into it while she was still in labor. The change in pressure would have killed her—but as it turned out, she died anyway.”