Rone didn’t hesitate any longer. He turned and ran, sprinting with Kate cradled in his arms, as fast as he could go. Thanks to his Wulven speed and strength, that was pretty damn fast. The security guards behind him probably saw only a blur before he was gone from their line of sight. In just a few seconds more, he was out of the mall completely and back to the little Kindred shuttle which doubled as a car when he and Kate were on Earth.
Gently he put her into the passenger seat and buckled her in, using the harness which he had modified specially to fit her small size. Then he got in the driver’s seat and gunned the engine.
The mall wasn’t a safe place anymore—he had to get Kate out of here although where he should take her wasn’t exactly clear. Someplace he could talk to her and get his arm fixed up. It was really beginning to throb by now and he knew even with his healing abilities he needed to get it dressed and cleaned before the flesh and tendons could start to knit together again.
I could take her to the Mother Ship but she might wake up along the way and begin to panic again. It would probably be even worse if he took her to The Finder, the ship they shared as their home, presently in orbit around Earth’s moon. If she woke up in unfamiliar surroundings and thought he was kidnapping her it wasn’t going to help her trust him.
So then, where could he go? Rone didn’t know—he only knew they had to get out of here and fast—before the sirens he heard blaring in the distance caught up with them.
* * * * *
Kate woke up with a quiet humming sound in her ears and the feeling that she was moving. She looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing some kind of strap across her chest and lap—a seatbelt? Was she in a car?
Looking to her right, she saw street lights and houses whizzing by in the deepening gloom. So she was in a car. But who was driving? She felt like she ought to know but she didn’t know why. There was a scent in the air that tickled her nose and filled her senses—a warm, masculine spice that was somehow familiar and yet unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. There was another smell too—a coppery odor that bothered her.
Blood. It’s blood, she thought drowsily. But who was bleeding?
She turned her head and saw that the huge Kindred was driving. Immediately the drowsiness vanished and her heart kicked into overdrive.
“Who are you? Where are you taking me? Let me go!” she blurted, struggling to sit up straighter in the seat.
He glanced at her, a worried look in his glowing blue eyes.
“Thank the Goddess you’re awake. Do you feel all right?” he asked in that deep, growling voice.
“I’ll be fine as soon as I get out of here.” She began fumbling with one hand for the release on the unfamiliar seat harness and feeling for the door handle with the other.
“That won’t do you any good,” he said quietly. “The doors are voice locked to my voice only.”
“What? Why? Let me out of here!”
“I’m sorry, Lalli.” He shot her an apologetic look. “I can’t do that. I have to talk to you…try to make you remember.”
“If you think I’m going to suddenly remember that we’re married you’re crazy,” Kate spat. “Now let me go you big asshole!”
“Kate, please…” He pulled the car to the side of the road and turned to face her. “I can tell you’re frightened of me although I don’t know why—”
“After what I saw you do with your eyes back at the store?” she interrupted him. “What the hell was that, anyway?”
“A partial shift.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I saw that you were in danger and the Beast came out a little bit. I was feeling…very protective…very upset. It happens sometimes when I have strong emotions but I would never let it all the way out. Not around you, baby.”
Kate shrank back in her seat, trying to get as far from him as possible.
“So you admit you have a Beast inside you?”
His eyes blazed. “Hell, yes I admit it! What good would it do to deny it? I know you can sense it—you have from the first minute I met you.”
Kate stared at him in disbelief. She’d thought it was something he wasn’t aware of—or maybe a warning her Knowing was trying to give her that he was bad inside somehow. Sometimes it spoke in metaphorical terms but apparently in this case it was being literal. There really was another creature inside the huge Kindred and he acknowledged it.
“Let me just show you something,” he said and started to reach inside his jacket pocket.
Instinctively, Kate reached for her Glock—only to find it was gone.
“It’s someplace safe,” he told her, plainly seeing her gesture. “You’ll get it back when I’m sure you won’t shoot me with it again.”
“You were grabbing for me,” Kate reminded him tightly. “Of course I shot you.”
“I was trying to keep you from going over that damn railing,” he growled, still digging in the inside pocket of his jacket. “Which you did anyway. And then you nearly shot me again.”
“I didn’t though,” Kate pointed out, although she had no idea why she hadn’t. She’d had every intention of shooting the big Kindred point blank between the eyes but at the last minute, her hand had jerked and she’d targeted the robber instead. Why? She didn’t know. She had no answers when it came to this strange male who now had her in his power. She only knew that being near him made her heart pound and her breath come in short, panicky gasps.
Grimly, she struggled to control the panic. He hasn’t killed me or hurt me yet, she reminded herself. He thinks I’m his wife. Maybe I can use that to lull him into trusting me. And as soon as he does I can get away. I can—
“Look.” His deep voice cut into her frantic thoughts. Kate looked up to see he was holding a small, flat disk the size of a quarter in one broad palm.
“What is it? Some kind of coin?” she asked blankly.
“No—it’s us. Our memories, Lalli. Memories from the last three cycles.”
He pressed something on the small disk with his thumb and it hummed to life. Suddenly a holographic image appeared above it—an image of a couple with their arms around each other looking into each other’s eyes.
The male was huge—tall and broad shouldered and muscular. He was wearing a tux and gazing down lovingly at the red haired woman in his arms who was wearing a wedding dress. She was tiny and petite—her head barely came up past his elbow, yet he was holding her so gently and the look in his burning blue eyes was one of complete adoration. She was looking up at him, an expression of bliss shining in her pale green eyes. Clearly they were deeply in love.
Kate stared at it, trying to make sense of what her eyes were telling her.
“Oh my God,” she said at last. “That’s…me.”
“It’s us,” the big Kindred corrected gently. “This was taken at our Joining Ceremony—on our Wedding Day as you humans call it.” He looked at her hopefully. “Does it help you remember anything? Anything at all?”
“How did you do this?” Kate looked up at him mistrustfully. “How long have I been out? Did you somehow get me all dressed up in a wedding dress and drug me or—”
“Of course not!” There was a growl of pure frustration in his deep voice. “Look.”
He pressed the button on the small disk again and another picture appeared. It was the two of them once more, only this time wearing more casual clothing. They were standing in front of the Grand Canyon—or what looked like it anyway. The big Kindred was holding Kate on his back piggyback style and she was laughing happily and pointing over his broad shoulder at the canyon.
“What’s that?” she said blankly. “The Grand Canyon? Because that’s what it looks like.”
“We went there on our honeymoon,” he told her. “You agreed to come live with me and travel the universe as a tracking team. But first you said you wanted to see some of your own world you’d never had a chance to explore before.”
Kate shook her head. “I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon in my lif
e.”
“Yes, you have,” he insisted. “Look—see how you’re pointing and laughing? You were making a joke. They have those pack animals—those mules—that take people down the side of the canyon on tours. But none of them could carry me—I was too big. So you were teasing me that I would have to be your mule and carry you down the canyon myself. I…” He shook his head, seeing the blank look on her face. “Is any of this helping you remember?”
Kate frowned. “I’m sorry but I’ve honestly never seen you before today.”
“That’s not true. Look…” He scrolled through more holographic pictures—too many to count. Kate saw herself with him in so many poses, so many different outfits and locations, there was no way he could have faked them. Especially since a surreptitious look at the watch on her arm told her it had only been an hour since she’d been at work in the jewelry store.
But none of the pictures made sense—it was like gazing at a girl who looked just like her doing things she couldn’t remember. And it didn’t help that just being near the big Kindred made her feel panicky and unsettled.
Finally she put out a hand to stop him, though she was careful not to touch his skin.
“Please,” she said quietly. “I…I’m really sorry. Maybe what you’re saying is true but I can’t remember any of it. And being around you…being near you…is really scary. Please, can’t you just let me go?”
He took a deep breath and seemed to be trying to master himself. Clearly this was incredibly frustrating for him but he didn’t shout. Instead he said in a low, quiet voice, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Lalli. But you have to promise to talk to me once we get there.”
“Stop calling me that.” Kate frowned. “What does that even mean, anyway?”
He shook his head tiredly. “It doesn’t matter. Where do you want to go? The domicile you share with your roommate?”
“What? You know where I live?” Kate felt violated. “How long have you been stalking me?”
He gave her an exasperated look.
“I only found you today. But I’ve been searching for you for the past six solar months—ever since you disappeared.” He raked a hand through his shaggy black hair. “Kate…baby…you don’t know how scared I was. The awful things I imaged might be happening to you—”
He started to reach for her but Kate flinched away, her heart pounding and her breath coming short.
“Don’t…don’t touch me,” she managed to gasp. “Don’t.”
“All right.” There was a pained look in his eyes but he withdrew his hand, wincing as he did so. He clutched his right shoulder. “Damn—that hurts. Do you have a med kit in your domicile?”
Kate remembered all over again that he was wounded—and she was the one who had wounded him. It was self-defense, she reminded herself. Not my fault—I was fighting for my life! But she still felt guilty. If what he was saying was true, she had shot her own husband. Don’t be stupid, she told herself fiercely. He’s crazy—I’m not married to him or anyone else! Why would I marry somebody who makes me have a panic attack every time he touches me?
She didn’t know the answer but somewhere in the back of her mind a seed of doubt had been planted. How could he have so many pictures of the two of them together if he was lying? Could it be that she’d had a whole other life she couldn’t remember? Was that what had happened during the three year gap in her memory?
But if he’s my husband, why does he scare me so much? Even now, being close to him in the car was difficult. Kate knew the panic that wanted to take her was irrational but that didn’t stop her from breaking into a cold sweat if he got too close to her. Why did she fear him so?
Before she could answer, the car pulled into the driveway of the apartment she shared with Mimi. The big Kindred parked and turned to face her again.
“I’m going to unlock your door now, Kate. Will you promise not to run?”
“I…” Her throat got tight. “I’ll try not to. But this still just doesn’t make any sense.”
“To me either,” he said grimly. “The priestess I spoke to told me the effects of the Dream Blooms should wear off in a solar day or so.” He leaned over her to unbuckle the unfamiliar seat harness and Kate stiffened, fighting the panic that tried to take her at his proximity. The Kindred’s nose wrinkled and he pulled back abruptly, giving her space. “And she said nothing about you fearing me like this,” he finished in a harsh voice.
“Of course I’m afraid of you—you’re huge,” Kate protested, trying to catch her breath. Why did she feel like she was having a panic attack whenever he got too near? Was it just that he was a stranger—a really big stranger—invading her personal space? But she’d been the smallest person in any given situation all her life—she wasn’t afraid of big men. So why—
“There’s more to it than just my size, I think,” the Kindred said, breaking her frantic train of thought. “I do not know what’s going on but we need to get to the bottom of it. We can’t do that if you run from me the minute you get a chance.” He ducked his head, looking into her eyes with an intensity that made Kate’s stomach flutter. “Will you swear not to run, Kate? Will you at least talk to me some more?”
Reluctantly, Kate nodded. Though she didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, clearly there was something to his claims. He wouldn’t have all those pictures, otherwise.
“All right,” she said. “Let me out and we’ll talk—but on my turf.”
“That’s fine with me.” He nodded gravely and spoke in a different language. “Doors open.”
Kate knew it wasn’t English but she understood it anyway.
“What was that?” she asked. “That language? Why did I understand it?”
“It’s the Kindred standard language,” he said patiently. “You understand it because you had a shot of translation bacteria—all Kindred brides get it so that they can understand the language of the natives anywhere they might travel with their Kindred mates.”
“Oh…” Kate felt another little piece of her doubt chip away. “So that’s why I can understand and speak all different languages!”
He nodded briefly and reached for the door latch…then winced.
“Forgive me but you never answered my question—do you have a med kit in your domicile?”
“I have a first aid kit,” Kate said, making a decision. “Come on inside—let’s see what we can do for you, uh…” She cleared her throat. “I just realized I don’t even know your name.”
He winced again and this time she was sure his pain wasn’t physical. But he only said, “Rone. My name is Rone,” in that quiet, deep voice of his.
Kate felt a stab of guilt, as though she should have known his name already. But how could she? No matter how many pictures he showed her or how many facts he told her about this supposed former life they’d shared, she still couldn’t remember a bit of it.
She didn’t know if she ever would.
Chapter Six
Rone followed her to the domicile, wishing he could touch her in some way. The physical bond between a Wulven and his mate was especially strong—even stronger than the regular Kindred bond, because of the hunger. He longed to gather her into his arms and press her to his chest, to cradle her like a child as he had so many times before.
Kate had always loved curling up in his lap and feeling protected and loved. She would press against him, rubbing her cheek against his throat and her full breasts against his chest. Rone would hold her that way for hours sometimes, both of them just relaxing into each other, loving the feeling of being close.
And now the minute I get anywhere near her, she starts to panic.
Why was that? Could it be that the Dream Blooms she’d been subjected to had other effects besides amnesia? Had they somehow turned the female he loved against him? Made her fear him? Why? And how?
For whatever reason, she did fear him, and so he gave her plenty of space, even though it went against every instinct he had. He stood back as she found the spare ke
y, hidden under a plastic rock, and opened the door with trembling hands. He waited until she was well inside before following her in.
“All right, don’t mind the cats,” she told him as he stepped inside at last. “My roommate, Mimi, kind of collects them and they’re always underfoot. They—”
But her words were interrupted by a chorus of hissing and spitting. Rone looked up to see that six or seven of the small, furry creatures many Earthlings kept as pets were glaring at him angrily.
“Oh my!” Kate put a hand to her chest. “What in the world?”
“Cats don’t like me,” Rone said flatly. “Dogs don’t mind but cats sense the Beast inside me and they don’t like it.”
“They…they don’t?” Kate still had a hand pressed to her heart.
“You used to think it was funny,” Rone told her, before he could stop himself. “It was a joke with us. The cat your mother used to have—Mr. Sissykins—hated me with the fire of a thousand suns. Every time I went in that damn house he would find a way to ambush me and attack me.”
“Mr. Sissykins…you know about Mr. Sissykins?” Her voice was faint.
Rone nodded. “He died not long after…” He cleared his throat. “Not long after your mother did, actually. I helped you bury him, out in the back yard of the domicile in Mississippi. I never saw you cry so hard, Lalli. I think because you held it in so hard during your mom’s funeral. And then when her cat died too, it was like you’d lost your last little piece of her.”
But Kate was backing away from him and shaking her head.
“No, stop it! Stop talking like that!”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you.” Rone reached for her and then remembered he couldn’t touch her and drew back. “I’m sorry,” he said again, roughly. “I didn’t mean…I shouldn’t have said that. Any of it.”
“I just…I don’t remember my mom’s funeral. I know she’s gone but I don’t…don’t remember burying her or…” Her throat worked convulsively. “Or anything else like that.”
“I’m sorry,” Rone said again, helplessly. He ran both hands through his hair. “Damn it to the Seven Hells, I’m making such a fucking mess of this!”