Bonded by Accident

  “Why not?” Slade asked.

  “Oh, I was just…” She cleared her throat and blushed. “I was just thinking it’s not exactly good first date food. But it’s not like this is really a date. We’re just…working through some issues.”

  “It can be a date…if you want,” Slade offered softly. “If by date you mean a meeting to get to know a romantic partner better.”

  “We’re not really partners though,” Brandi pointed out quickly. “We just kind of…got stuck together by accident. Um…what other Earth food cubes do you have?” she asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

  “Let’s see.” Slade frowned at the food cubes on the shelf labeled “Earth food.” “Looks like you can have…tacos or sushi or tuna salad or pizz-ah. Did I say that right?”

  Brandi stifled a giggle. “That last one is supposed to be pronounced ‘peet-zah’ but that’s okay. Um, sushi might be nice. I can’t afford it very often but I really like it when I can get it.”

  “All right—sushi coming up.” Slade popped the tiny white cube into the re-hydrator and pressed the button. In a moment the small machine let out a ding.

  When Slade opened the re-hydrator, he found a large round white plate with many colorful little circles placed on it in an artful design. There was also a tiny bowl of black liquid, a lump of green putty, and a mound of thin pink shreds. Included with the meal was a small white vessel with a pour spout, a tiny white cup, and two long, thin wooden sticks.

  It looked pretty strange to be honest.

  “Hmm…” He frowned at it and showed the plate to Brandi. “Does this look right to you? Because if not I can always make you something else.”

  “Oh, that looks perfect!” Her eyes lit up and she took the plate from him eagerly. “And it even has some saki to go with it! Not that I ought to drink much in the middle of the day but I’ll have a sip.”

  Slade shrugged. Well, to each his or her own. The Earth food looked strange to him but Brandi seemed delighted with it, which gave him a deep glow of satisfaction. He realized it was just his natural Kindred instinct to want to feed and provide for his mate but it made him happy just the same.

  Putting a cube in the machine for himself, he turned it on and waited for the ding. When he opened the door again, a mound of blue and purple tubes in pink sauce, each about the size of his longest finger and garnished with tiny, orange, crunchy crustaceans called tikis, awaited him.

  Slade felt his stomach rumble as the fragrant scent of the chando-chando drifted to his nose. It was a dish he’d learned to love while fighting in the Blood Circuit because it was almost pure protein, since the tubes were actually muscle from the inside of a ker-dragon’s fire throat. As such, it was a spicy dish but completely delicious as far as Slade was concerned. He was surprised but pleased to find the dish aboard the Kindred shuttle’s food stores.

  “Wow,” Brandi murmured, watching as he brought the plate to the table. “That’s uh, really colorful.”

  “Delicious too.” Slade dug in with the multi-tined utensil that had come with his meal. “Would you like a bite?” he asked, offering her one of the tubes.

  “Well…my grandma Ida always did say it’s good to try new things.” She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth and took the bite he was offering. She chewed for a moment, a look of surprise coming over her face. “Hey, that’s pretty tasty. I thought it was going to be like multicolored mac ‘n cheese but it’s really more like calamari.”

  “Don’t know what that is,” Slade remarked. “But if it’s anything like chando-chando I’ll give it a try. Is yours good?”

  “It’s great.” Brandi sounded surprised. “Although how the Kindred managed to shrink fresh sushi down to a tiny cube and then grow it up again and make it taste like it was just made, I’ll never understand.”

  Slade frowned. “I can try to explain the technology, if you want. Are you at all mechanically minded?”

  “Not a bit,” Brandi said cheerfully. Then she sighed. “I wish I was though. I’d like to be able to fix my old clunker myself instead of always relying on someone else. Back before Earl went to jail, he kept it running pretty regularly but now that he’s gone it just seems to break down all the time.”

  “Earl is your…former mate?” Slade asked, stabbing another bite of chando-chando and popping it into his mouth. “And now he’s in prison?”

  She nodded. “He got busted for dealing and it wasn’t exactly the first time. I begged him to quit. I even quoted him statistics on how much harder kids with dads in prison have it and I warned him I wasn’t going to bring Emmie to see him if he got sent off.” She frowned. “I won’t expose my child to that environment. I thought maybe he’d quit for Emmie’s sake.” She shook her head. “Nothing stopped him, though. Not until they sent him away for good.”

  “To be unjustly imprisoned is fucking hard but I’ve known plenty of males who deserve it too,” Slade growled. “But I take it this Earl is no longer part of your life?”

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “He got sent up for a good long time and then he got into some fights in prison and killed somebody. So now he’s got a life-sentence tacked onto his time.” Her face went hard. “I promised myself that I’d never get involved with that kind of guy again. Not just for my sake but for Emmie’s too.”

  Slade thought uncomfortably that her ex-mate’s situation sounded not unlike his own past. He wondered what Brandi would think if she knew that—he should probably reveal it at once to be perfectly honest. But he was afraid it would end their “date” and they were getting along so well now. Reluctantly, he decided to wait until later to inform her of his own past incarceration.

  “Are you still enjoying your ‘sushi’?” he asked, eyeing her plate where over half of the colorful black and white and orange and green pieces were gone.

  “It’s wonderful. Want a piece?” She picked up a small black and white piece with a green and pink-white center in the two long, thin sticks and offered it to him across the table. “This is California roll—it’s about as mild as sushi gets,” she added. “I mean, if you don’t like trying new things.”

  “I like new things,” Slade told her. Opening his mouth, he allowed her to put the piece of food between his lips. He chewed and was surprised at how flavorful it was. The texture was soft and chewy and the taste was salty and a tiny bit sweet—many flavors, actually, working together to create something that was almost indescribable but very good. The only thing it lacked was a little spice, in Slade’s estimation.

  Brandi was watching him with interest as he chewed and swallowed.

  “So? What do you think?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “Very good,” Slade admitted. “I like the way the textures and flavors meld together. It doesn’t have much heat though.”

  “Well, I told you it was mild as sushi goes,” she pointed out. “If you like spice, I can always give you a piece with wasabi on it.” She indicated the little mound of pale green putty-looking material which was mostly untouched on the side of her plate.

  “Is wazzabee hot?” Slade asked. “If so, I’ll be happy to try it. I like spice.”

  “You could say that.” She chose a new piece and put just a dab of the green paste on it.

  “More than that.” Slade made a “come on” gesture with one hand. “I can handle it.”

  “Okay—you asked for it.” Shrugging, Brandi slathered the new piece of sushi liberally with the green paste and then fed it to him using the long thin sticks again.

  The moment it hit his tongue, Slade felt his eyes begin to water and his taste buds started to sing.

  “Mmm!” He chewed appreciatively as the strong spice filled his mouth and opened his sinuses. “Delicious!”

  Brandi looked at him uncertainly.

  “You liked that? That’s enough wasabi to use on like, twenty pieces of sushi. Isn’t it burning your mouth?”

  “Yes, but in a good way,” Slade told her, grinning. “This green stuff?
??this wazzabee—how hard is it to get? Does it cost a lot?”

  “No, not really, why?”

  “I thought it must be expensive because it’s served in such small quantities,” he said. “But I’m glad to hear it’s not too expensive or hard to get—I want to get some and take it back to the Mother Ship with me.”

  “And put it on what?” She looked mystified.

  “On everything.” He gestured at her plate. “Do you mind if I try a little more of it on my chando-chando?”

  “Is that what your rainbow-plate is called?” She smiled and shrugged. “Sure—I’m certainly not going to eat it. Here.”

  Delicately, she moved the rest of the small green mound of the spicy condiment to the side of his own dish and then wiped the ends of her long thin sticks on a napkin.

  Slade mixed the green paste into the dragon throat tubes and took a bite. Just as he had suspected, the added spice made what was already very good food into something truly special.

  “Mmm!” He ate more, delighted with the new taste while Brandi watched with apparent amusement.

  “I’ve never seen anyone take to wasabi quite that way before,” she remarked. “It’s usually an acquired taste.”

  “I know what I like when I taste it,” Slade told her.

  “Oh…I see.” Brandi’s voice sounded a bit tight and when he looked up, he saw she was blushing. Reaching through their link, he could hear that she was thinking about how he’d wanted to taste her pussy during their encounter at the Puppet House and how she’d put him off because she was embarrassed and uncertain of her own flavor because her ex-mate had said…

  “Your ex-mate was completely wrong about that, you know,” he told her, frowning. “Your pussy tastes delicious—I could tell just be licking your juices off my fingers.” He shook his head. “Some males just don’t know how to appreciate a good thing.”

  “Slade!” She blushed even harder but he felt a kind of pleased embarrassment coming from her this time.

  “Just being honest, baby,” he remarked. “Sorry I, uh, heard your thoughts again but I couldn’t let you think something was wrong with you.”

  “Well…thanks, I guess.” Still blushing, she pushed aside her half-eaten plate. “I think I’m finished now.”

  Slade frowned. “Already full? All you had were those tiny little sushi bites—how could that fill you up?”

  “I’m trying the half-diet,” she explained, a touch stiffly, he thought. “It’s this concept where you only eat exactly half of everything you’re served. So far I’ve lost five pounds,” she added proudly.

  “You lost them?” Slade exclaimed. “Well go fucking find them again, sweetheart! If you’re not careful you’ll end up as skinny as that relative of yours.”

  “Who—Crystal?” She frowned.

  Slade nodded. “I saw her when I first came to Earth looking for you. She’s so thin her ribs and hipbones stick out! Please don’t tell me you’re trying to look like her.”

  An unreadable expression came over her pretty face.

  “You don’t like skinny girls then?”

  “Not at all.” Slade shook his head firmly. “I mean, they’re all right for some males—to each their own. But for myself, I want a female with something to hold on to. Who wants to go to bed with a bag of bones?”

  “Lots of guys,” Brandi said, although she did take another piece of sushi. “I’m always being compared to Crystal and told I ought to look more like her.”

  “Really?” Slade shook his head. “That’s really hard to believe.”

  Brandi sighed. “No, that’s our society. We’re always trying to be thinner.”

  “You can stop trying right now as far as I’m concerned,” Slade told her. “You’re fucking perfect just the way you are, sweetheart.”’

  “Well…thank you.” She blushed prettily again and looked down at her plate. “And thank you for lunch—the food was great. And…getting to know you a little better was nice too.”

  “It was nice,” Slade agreed. “You know, when I first came looking for you on Earth I was really angry. I would never have hurt you but I wanted to speak sternly to you about why you did…what you did. I wanted to make you realize the consequences of your actions.”

  Brandi bit her lip. “And now?” she asked in a small voice. “Are you still…angry at me?”

  Slade sighed. “I can’t be,” he admitted in a low voice. “I…I’m starting to care about you too fucking much.” He put down his utensil and pushed his own plate away. “But I am afraid we’re still going to have to deal with the consequences.”

  “Like the bond?” Brandi asked.

  “Yes.” He rose and cleared the dishes from the table. Then he lifted it, tucking it into the wall it protruded from and brought down the cushion which adjoined the seats they had been sitting on during the meal. This made a kind of rounded couch area to sit on. Slade sat back down and looked at her. “Among other things.”

  “What other things?” she demanded, frowning.

  “Like the fact that you might be pregnant right now, sweetheart,” Slade pointed out. “I came in you completely unprotected and Kindred seed is notoriously strong and fertile. What are we going to do if I planted a baby in your belly?”

  Brandi glared at him fiercely.

  “I’m not getting an abortion, if that’s what you’re asking,” she snapped. “I mean, I don’t judge anyone who’s had one—Crystal has had three. But I won’t do it myself.”

  “Have an abortion?” Slade shook his head. “You think I want you to get rid of our baby?”

  “I won’t do it,” she repeated. “That’s why I had Emmie, even though I knew having a baby would keep me from going to college like I wanted to.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I was going to give her up for adoption but after feeling her growing inside me for nine months and seeing her sweet little face when she finally came out I just…I couldn’t.”

  “I’m not asking you to give the baby up either,” Slade growled.

  Brandi crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin.

  “I’m just trying to say if I’m pregnant, I’ll deal with it. You don’t have to worry that I’ll expect any kind of child support or anything like that. You don’t even have to acknowledge that you’re the father or come around to see it.”

  Slade shook his head, bewildered at her strange ideas.

  “Not come around? Not support you and my child?” he finally got out. “What are you talking about? Of course I want to support you and be a father to our baby! Of course I want to be there and help raise him or her—probably him because of my Kindred DNA—but either sex is fine. I’ve always wanted young ones but the Goddess didn’t see fit to bless me and Cinda with them.”

  “So…what are you saying?” Brandi seemed to have as hard a time comprehending his words as he’d had comprehending hers. “You just met me and you’re saying you want to raise a baby with me?”

  Slade put a hand on her arm and leaned forward, looking into her eyes.

  “Listen to me sweetheart: if I put a baby in you—if your belly swells with my child—I want to be there. To support and protect you and the baby—and Emmie too. No male of worth would ever even consider doing anything else.”

  “No Kindred male, maybe,” Brandi said softly. “I’m afraid an awful lot of human males wouldn’t feel the same way. Earl only offered to marry me after I knew I was pregnant with Emmie because my stepfather, Bud, threatened to shoot him.” She gave a broken little laugh. “It was literally a shot-gun wedding, you know?”

  “All I know is that I care for you—more than seems possible after such a short time,” Slade told her in a low voice. “And I know I want to keep you safe, Brandi. Safe and provided for. I’ve heard your thoughts—your worries about money. You shouldn’t have to worry that way—not when you have a mate who can provide.”

  “I’m not looking for a sugar daddy,” she protested, but her words were without heat. She still seemed bewildered that
he was even offering. “I’m not asking you to support me.”

  “But that’s what bonded mates do,” Slade argued softly. “They support each other.”

  “I can’t…I don’t even know what to think about that right now.” Brandi sounded uncertain. “I mean, we’re still mostly strangers and now you’re asking to support me if I have your baby?”

  “Even if you don’t,” Slade told her in low growl. “I don’t want you to have to worry about money. I have a good job on the Mother Ship—”

  “So that’s what this is about? You want me to move to the Mother Ship?” she demanded.

  “It would be a hell of a lot easier to take care of you there,” Slade pointed out.

  Brandi frowned. “For the last time, you don’t have to take care of me! I’m doing just fine on my own! I can meet all of my own and Emmie’s needs without any help from you.”

  “I can think of one need you can’t meet on your own.”

  Cupping her cheek in his, Slade gave in to what he’d been wanting to do for hours and took her mouth in a long, hot kiss.

  Chapter Eleven

  Brandi’s first impulse was to push the big Kindred away—how dare he kiss her like this out of the blue, right when they were in the middle of an argument? Yet her body couldn’t seem to follow through with her brain’s impulse.

  Oh God, I shouldn’t be doing this…shouldn’t be letting him do this, Brandi thought disjointedly as the hot, delicious kiss continued. But somehow, despite knowing it was all wrong, she wasn’t trying to stop the big Kindred. Instead she leaned into the kiss, feeling so hungry for him she could barely breathe. His warm bonding scent surrounded her, making her want him even more—God she was going crazy with need!

  Slade’s big hands found her waist and Brandi covered them were her own and slid them up until he was cupping her breasts. She couldn’t forget how good it had felt when he’d pinched and sucked her nipples. She wished she had on the same stretchy pink top she’d been wearing to the Mother Ship so he could pull it down and get to her bra. She could just imagine him peeling the lacy cups down and tugging her nipples, making them hot and swollen with his big hands…