“They did?” Lissa looked at him with wide eyes.
“Uh-huh.” Saber shed his pants and climbed into bed beside her, snuggling close under the covers. “So what do you say we give them round two?”
“Oh Saber, we can’t—it would be like putting on some kind of a…some kind of a sex show!” she protested. But he could already feel her body moving against his, responding to his closeness.
“So we’ll put on a show,” he murmured, cupping one of her breasts while he Touched the other. “Now be a good girl and obey your master.”
“I thought I was your mistress,” she whispered a little breathlessly as she pressed her naked body close to his.
“We can take turns,” Saber decided, smiling as he kissed her. “I like it both ways.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened as she took in his meaning. “I do too,” she confessed.
“Good. Then get back on your hands and knees.”
“Yes, Master,” she murmured, getting into position again.
Saber got behind her and stroked her softly rounded buttocks, urging her thighs even farther apart. Lissa moaned her submission and opened for him, welcoming his shaft deep into her hot, wet pussy.
Saber slid into her, filling her to the hilt for the second but not the last time that night.
They proceeded to put on a show.
Chapter Thirty-four
“So I understand you and Saber were the cause of a pretty hot time on the sixtieth row of suites the other night,” Kat said casually, as she poured Lissa a steaming hot cup of klava.
“Oh, Goddess.” Lissa put a hand to her face. But though she was embarrassed, she couldn’t help the smile that crept across her lips. She and Saber had been at it for hours—pleasuring each other and making love while he Touched her over and over until she was completely exhausted.
“Look at her—she’s blushing!” Lauren exclaimed. “If I would have known what a hot time that little outfit I loaned you was going to cause, I would have told you to bring Saber to your suite instead—it’s only a few down from mine.”
“Oh please,” Kat snorted. “Like you need a reason to have hot sex with Xairn. If the clothes you loaned Lissa are anything like your other “play outfits” you’re probably setting the sheets on fire every night.”
“Speaking of hot sex,” Lauren said sweetly. “How exactly did that little test you took come out, Kat?”
Kat sighed. “I was afraid you would ask. Actually, I have the results right here.” Reaching into her pocket, she drew out two perfectly formed miniature flowers. Both flowers were a deep, brilliant turquoise.
“Oh!” Lissa leaned forward to get a closer look. “That’s positive, right?”
“Uh-huh.” Kat smiled ruefully. “Little Miss Lauren was right—I’ve got some buns in my oven just like practically everyone else around here.”
Lauren grinned at her. “I’m so excited for you! But…turquoise? I’ve seen pink for girls and blue for boys and I know white means you’re not pregnant. But I’ve never seen that color flower before. Is it because you’re carrying Twin Kindred babies?”
Kat shook her head. “Nope. The color freaked me out at first, too but Deep and Lock assured me that it’s perfectly all right. It’s a rare but not unheard of variation that happens sometimes with Twin Kindred—it just means the babies will have special abilities.”
“Special abilities? Like what?” Lissa asked.
Kat shrugged. “We won’t really know until they come out. They might become seeker-finders, like Deep and Lock. Or any number of other possibilities.” She grinned. “Whatever they are, if they’re anything like their fathers, they’re going to be a handful.”
“Don’t worry, Kat.” Elise, who had been in the food prep area quietly fixing herself a cup of tea, came over and rubbed Kat’s shoulder. “I’ll help you out when the time comes. I’m officially designating myself the babysitter for everyone else since I’m just about the only one left who hasn’t boarded “the baby train” as you put it.”
“That’s sweet, Elise.” Kat pressed her hand gratefully. “But you could be pregnant by the time I’m ready to pop. A lot can happen in a year.”
Elise shook her head. “I don’t think so—I’m just not ready yet. And I have a theory about Kindred babies—they don’t come until you’re ready for them.”
“I don’t know about that,” Kat snorted. “I certainly don’t feel ready.”
“But you are,” Elise said quietly. “You’ve finally told your grandmother about your men and you’ve got your ceremony all planned out.”
“I guess so,” Kat said grudgingly. “But I’m not ready to get even fatter than I already am!”
“It’s only for a year,” Lauren said soothingly. “And after that, you’ll probably look better than you did before you had the babies. Just look at Olivia—you can’t even tell she gave birth!”
All eyes turned in the direction of Olivia and Sophia who were sitting on the couch, cooing over little Daniel. He was an energetic, curious baby with his father’s inky black hair. His eyes, however, were his most striking feature. They had been newborn blue at first but had resolved into a curious mixture of Olivia’s and Baird’s, with alternating rings of gold and silver-gray.
Everyone who saw him exclaimed over the unusual combination, which was beautiful but also a little disconcerting. It gave Daniel a strange, far-seeing look that was odd in such a young baby. In fact, that seemed to be what Olivia and Sophia were talking about now.
“I feel like he’s looking right through me,” Sophia murmured, stroking the baby’s cheek gently to make him coo for her. “I wonder if my babies will have combination eyes.”
“That would be beautiful—blue and green,” Olivia said. “You know he’s so good at night? He hardly ever cries. He just looks at me with those eyes and I know what he wants. Is that weird?”
“It’s maternal instinct,” her twin said comfortingly. “It doesn’t make little Danny psychic—it just makes you a good mom.”
“I hope you’re right.” Olivia laughed. “The last thing I need is a baby with super powers running around.”
“You mean like the ones I’m going to have?” Kat asked, holding up her twin turquoise flowers.
“Oh!” Olivia laughed. “You know what I mean, Kat woman. I wasn’t talking about…never mind.”
“So how are the wedding plans going?” Sophia asked. “Have you picked out a cake yet?”
“She’s going to have four layers,” Lauren said, naming them off. “Chocolate with raspberry filling, white chocolate with apricot, Lemon with strawberry—”
“And vanilla with bonding fruit,” Kat finished for her and winked. “That should ensure we have a happy honeymoon, don’t you think?”
Olivia snorted. “You and every other unsuspecting guest who takes a piece. You’d better keep a good eye on that layer, Kat. It could cause havoc if the wrong person ate some.”
Kat waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry—I’ll be sure no unbonded people eat any. It’s strictly a married-folks-only layer. We’ll even put a sign on it to be sure.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Sophia nodded approvingly.
“As long as nothing goes wrong,” Elise murmured.
“It won’t,” Kat protested. “And enough about me.” She turned to Lissa. “I want to know about you, doll. Did you and Saber decide to stay aboard the Mother Ship or not?”
“Well…” Lissa hesitated. “I really want to but Nadiah was so upset when I called her that I’m thinking we might go back to First World.”
“Aww, and we were just getting to know you!” Elise pressed her hand gently.
Lissa smiled. “We’d still come back and visit you often. And we can’t leave right away, anyway.”
“Why not?” Lauren asked.
“Because…” Lissa made a face. “We have to wait for the delegation from Tarsia—our home planet. When Saber called to tell his parents that he resigned his place as the Over Chief of all the Clans
, they were understandably very upset.” She sighed. “When he told them why, they grew almost hysterical. His mother did, anyway.”
“Oh, no!” Sophia exclaimed. “So what are they going to do?”
“They’re sending a delegation headed by the one who would have to take Saber’s place—his name is Reddix,” Lissa explained. “To try and persuade Saber to change his mind.”
“How insulting!” Kat exclaimed. “Don’t they know you’re already bonded?”
Lissa nodded. “I don’t know what they hope to achieve—there is no way of separating us now. But apparently it’s a custom when an Over Chief resigns. Anyway, Saber knows the leader of the party—he’s one of his closest friends. So he’s willing to stay and gratify his parent’s wish so he can spend some time with Reddix before we leave for First World.”
“More Touch Kindred aboard the ship.” Olivia shook her head. “I would say that’s going to be a problem but after what happened the other night with you and Saber, the rest of the Kindred will probably throw a party the minute they touch down in the docking bay.”
Lissa blushed and smiled. “There’s that, too. The metal alloy that makes up the Mother Ship seems to act like some kind of conductor. If we move to First World and live in the holy mountain with Nadiah and Counselor Rast, we don’t have to worry about everyone knowing when we…you know.”
“Do the nasty?” Kat asked, laughing.
“Exactly.” Lissa nodded, blushing even harder.
“I can see how broadcasting your love every single time would get old fast,” Elise said thoughtfully. “Some things are meant to be private.” She gave Lissa a discreet wink.
Lissa, who knew the story of what had happened between her and Merrick and how Elise’s mate had talked Saber around, gave her a grateful smile in return. “Yes,” she said. “Some things should remain private.”
“Speaking of private, where is L?” Kat asked, looking around. “I could swear she was here just a minute ago.” She looked at Lauren. “Is she all right? It’s been nearly a month since she came on board to stay but she just doesn’t seem to be clicking with us.”
“She’s so quiet all the time,” Sophia said.
Olivia nodded. “I have to say it, Lauren, but she doesn’t seem, well…happy here.”
Lauren got a troubled look on her face. “She’s had a hard life, you know? But she enjoys living on the Mother Ship. And she loves my mom. They’re always catching up. In fact…” She stood up with a little effort since she was beginning to really show now. “I’ll go check my suite and see if she’s there. She might be using the Think-me to talk to Mom right now.”
“Go ahead.” Kat patted her arm. “But be sure you come back soon—it’s almost time for dessert.”
“What dessert?” Olivia laughed. “We haven’t even had lunch yet.”
Kat got a mulish look on her face. “Listen here, Missy, I spent almost a year waiting on you and getting you every disgusting combination of preggy woman food imaginable. Now that I’m the one who’s knocked up, if I say it’s time for dessert—it’s damn well time for dessert!”
Olivia and Sophia laughed. “Easy, Kat woman!” Liv said. “If you want to eat your dessert first, who am I to stop you? In fact, if you want to get started right now I still have a pint or two of the Ben and Jerry’s Brownie Batter in my freezer. Baird didn’t get through it all before my little Danny boy here popped out.” She shook her head. “Wow, we’re really going to have some weird stories to tell our kids when they grow up, won’t we?”
“Better save it for a while,” Kat advised tactfully. “No kid wants to know it was actually their father who gave birth to them.”
“It wasn’t,” Olivia exclaimed indignantly. “I was there at the very end.”
“Yes, but—”
“Excuse me,” Lauren said, laughing. “But I really need to check on L. You guys go right on arguing. If I’m not back in time, Kat can have my dessert.”
“I’ll take you up on that, you know,” Kat promised. “So you’d better come back.”
“I will.” Lauren gave them a last smile before she swished out the door.
Lissa watched her go and felt a pang as the door shut behind her. Lauren and Kat and all the girls here on the Mother Ship had become such good friends. She missed Nadiah and was grateful her friend wanted her to come back to First World, but she would be sad to part with the Earth girls aboard the Mother Ship.
Well, she comforted herself. We won’t be leaving for a while anyway. We have to stay and meet the delegation from Tarsia so I’ll at least get to see Kat’s joining ceremony and taste some of her bonding fruit cake.
And she knew that no matter where she settled, she would have Saber at her side to love and protect her. To dominate her and sometimes, to submit to her as well. It was going to be a long and happy life and she would live it with the man she loved.
* * * * *
Lauren found her sister staring moodily at the viewscreen, which had been set to show the space outside the Mother Ship. They were orbiting the Moon so the Earth was nothing but a blue disk in the sky, but that wasn’t what L was looking at. Her amber eyes, identical to Lauren’s, were trained on a point far beyond the Earth, studying the vastness of space as though there was something on the other side of it she longed for and could never have.
“Hey…” Lauren came up behind her and put a hand on her sister’s arm. “Are you all right?”
“Oh!” L jumped and then smiled at her. “I’m fine. I was just…thinking.”
“You miss him, don’t you?” Lauren asked quietly.
“I don’t…I…How did you know?” L asked at last.
“I knew there had to be a connection between you—otherwise you never could have talked him around to changing everyone back to their right bodies,” Lauren said. “He must have cared for you very much to do that.”
L looked down at her hands. “He did more than just switch everyone back—he took on the burden of guilt he’d been earning for over a thousand years and all because he loved me.” She shook her head. “I know everyone thinks of him as evil but there was a reason he acted the way he did. And, well…I made him a promise. But now…”
Lauren felt a lump in her throat but she refused to let herself cry. “You want to go back to him, don’t you?”
L sighed. “Yes. I’ve tried to fit in here, Lauren and I love your friends but…well, I feel like I belong with him. We…we bonded—well, partially bonded, anyway. Without him I feel like…like part of me is missing.”
Lauren took a deep breath. “Then you should go.”
L shook her head. “You don’t understand, sister. If I go…there’s no going back. He—Draven—will have to ascend to the plane the Goddess lives on and he wants to take me with him. So if I go…” She bit her lip. “I’ll never see you again.”
This time Lauren couldn’t hold back the tears. “Oh, L…”
“Don’t worry,” L said quickly. “I’m not going. It’s probably too late anyway. He said he’d wait a month and if I didn’t come…”
“No.” Lauren shook her head. “No, you should go. It’s just…I’ll miss you so much.”
“I’d miss you too.” L looked at her. “But you know, when the Goddess spoke to me, she promised you and I would be reunited after death. So…it’s not like I’d never see you again.”
Lauren managed to laugh through her tears. “Right. So I just have to wait until I kick the bucket to meet up with my sister again?”
“I guess so.” L sighed and shook her head. “You’re right—it’s awful. I’m going to stay here.”
Lauren took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “No you’re not. You’re going. Come on.” She grabbed her sister’s arm and started marching her toward the door.
“But…but are you sure?” L asked, turned to face her. “Lauren, are you really sure?”
“I’m positive.” Lauren pulled her into a tight embrace and hugged her twin fiercely. “I swore to myself I’d
never lose you again, L,” she murmured into her sister’s ear. “But I can’t stand in the way of your love. I can’t make you miserable just to make myself happy.”
“Oh, Lauren…” L hugged her back. “I’m so glad you understand. I was so afraid to tell you…to tell Mom.”
“She’ll understand,” Lauren said firmly. “She knows about giving up everything for love—how do you think she had us?”
“All right.” L pulled back and Lauren saw that her eyes were shining with unshed tears. “Like I said, it might be too late though. It’s been a month—he may already be gone.”
“Any man who wouldn’t wait for you is a fool, honey. And I’m not just saying that because you look exactly like me.” Lauren gave her a watery smile. “Come on, you’re leaving now.”
“Thank you,” L whispered. “Thank you for this, Lauren. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Lauren smiled. “Just promise me that when you’re up in heaven with the Goddess, or wherever it is you live, that you’ll look down on me sometimes.”
“I will,” L promised. “And I’ll keep a special eye on your little girl.” She patted Lauren’s rounded tummy gently. “She’s going to be amazing, you know—the first mostly Scourge female in generations. I don’t know where she’ll find a man to keep up with her.”
Lauren laughed. “She’ll probably need two of them—maybe some Twin Kindred could keep her in line. Who knows?”
“I will,” L promised. “And I swear I’ll do all I can to keep her from harm’s way.”
“I’ll tell her all about you,” Lauren said softly. “And how she has her own special guardian angel looking down, keeping an eye on her.”
“You do that.” L hugged her once more and then sighed. “I have to go. It may already be too late.”
“It won’t be.” Lauren lifted her chin. “Go on—we’ve said our goodbyes. Run to the docking bay, I can tell you want to and a pregnant lady is just going to slow you down.”
L kissed her cheek. “You’re the best sister anyone could ask for,” she whispered. “I love you, Lauren. I’ll always love you.”