“What happened? Did the…the Skin Takers…?” But Becca couldn’t finish the awful question.
“She died in labor,” Truth said shortly. “With Far still within her. Speaks Wisely, who had been my father’s brother, died defending her from the pirates who broke through the wall of defense the other Kindred had formed.”
“Oh, no.” Becca put a hand to her mouth.
“My father, Feels Pain—”
“Wait,” Kat interrupted. “I thought you said your father’s name was Feels Deeply.”
“He changed it to Feels Pain,” Truth explained, still staring straight ahead. “I’m sure you can understand why.”
“Of course.” Kat nodded soberly.
“As I was saying, my father saw his brother and wife die before his eyes. He had me in his arms and the escape pod was primed. Believing that Far had died as well, he took me and fled to the nearest habitable planet—Pax.”
“Wait—Pax? You mean Pax in the Silverbeam System? The home of the Rai’ku?” Lock asked, looking interested.
“The same.” Truth nodded briefly. “There was I raised among the Rai’ku and there also my father took a new mate—a Rai’ku female named Lixa. She bore him three more sons—my half brothers. I was raised among them as part of the pack.”
“The pack?” Becca asked, raising an eyebrow.
Truth simply nodded without explaining. “I never had a twin, believing him to be dead,” he said. “And I never felt the lack of one. Nor do I feel it now.”
“Thank you, you couldn’t possibly make that any clearer,” Far snapped.
“But what happened to you? Why didn’t you die like your father thought?” Becca asked him.
“I was delivered only moments after my mother breathed her last,” Far explained. “One of the other Twin Kindred warriors saw her abdomen still moving as I fought for release. He cut me out and gave me to his mate to hold while he continued to fight the pirates who they eventually overcame. He and his brother and female had one other pair of twins—five years older than me. They wanted more children but were unable to have them so they kept me and raised me as their own.”
“That was kind of them,” Kat said gently.
“They are fine people,” Far said in a low voice. “But I never stopped wondering about my birth parents. And…about my twin.” He cast a quick glance at Truth who was still staring straight ahead. “Everyone told me he was dead—that all my people were. My adopted parents thought they had been lost in space. But I couldn’t help feeling that he was out there, somewhere, just waiting for me to find him.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Turns out I was only half right.”
“As usual,” Truth remarked acidly.
“As usual,” Far agreed and sighed wearily. “Anyway, when I came of age, I was able to access the restricted records of what had happened during the attack. I found that a single escape pod had been launched. I did some calculations and deduced that it must have landed on Pax. When I followed up, I found that my remaining father was dead, but Truth was living among the Rai’ku. I contacted him, asking if he would be willing to meet me aboard the Mother Ship.”
“Which I never should have done,” Truth growled. “Far was all over me at once. Touching me as no male should touch another.”
“What are you talking about?” Far demanded. “I only tried to embrace you—a perfectly natural act considering the circumstances.”
Truth frowned. “Males do not embrace. They may clasp arms on occasions of great grief or great joy but nothing more.”
“But that’s awful,” Kat burst out. “You never, ever touch each other? Never hug?”
“What is a ‘hug’?” Truth asked, clearly mystified.
“Where you put your arms around another person and hold them,” Becca said quietly. “Surely your father must have hugged you, Truth.”
He shook his head. “My father, Feels Pain, raised me in the ways of the Rai’ku. I do not recall him ever touching me in such a fashion from the moment of my birth until the day he died. It would not have been right.”
Becca felt her heart twist. “How could he raise you and never hug you even once?” she asked. “That’s terrible.”
Truth lifted his chin. “It is the way of the Rai’ku. Males do not touch other males. I am proud to carry on the traditions of my people.”
“All right, I think I see part of the problem,” Deep said, leaning forward from the other couch. “You don’t want to touch your twin at all?”
“Of course I don’t want to touch him.” Truth looked offended. “What kind of perverted male do you think I am?”
“The same kind we are, apparently.” Moving as one, Deep and Lock stood and put their arms around each other’s broad shoulders.
“You must never refuse the comfort of your brother’s touch,” Lock said gently. “It’s natural to find solace in the closeness of your twin. That’s part of the bond. Especially before you call a bride.”
Truth frowned. “Yet another reason I don’t wish to form a bond with Far.”
“But don’t you see?” Lock asked. “The bond is already there—it forms in the womb. It may be starved almost to death by such a long separation between the two of you but it is there.”
“And it would grow if only you would feed it,” Deep continued for his twin. “You must touch each other.”
Truth shook his head. “I do not wish to.”
“And I won’t touch him if he finds contact between us so distasteful,” Far added, frowning.
Deep sighed. “Fine. Then let us test the limits of the bond you have now.”
Truth looked at him distrustfully. “And how do you propose to do that, Commander Deep?”
“For one thing, you should be able to feel each other’s pain and pleasure. Watch…” He produced a long, sharp straight pin and jabbed his own finger with it.
Lock winced. “Ouch!”
Becca watched with interest. “Will you bleed as well?”
“No, but Lock does feel my pain as I feel his,” Deep explained. “It can be distracting in battle until you get used to it.”
Truth shook his head. “I don’t understand—why would I want such a weakness?”
“Because you feel your brother’s pleasure as well.” Kat stood and kissed Lock softly on the mouth but Becca noticed she was careful to hold Deep’s hand while she did so.
Deep smiled and pressed his fingers to his lips. “Hmm…nice.”
Truth frowned at the display, clearly disapproving.
“Commander Deep, this doesn’t bother you? Seeing the female you have claimed being kissed by another male?”
“Of course it doesn’t bother me. Part of the pleasure of being a Twin Kindred is seeing your lady being pleasured by your brother,” Deep said calmly. “I feel both Lock’s joy in touching Kat’s smooth skin and tasting her lips as well as an echo of her pleasure in returning his kisses.”
Truth shook his head. “That seems wrong. Unnatural.”
“It’s perfectly natural when you are a Twin Kindred,” Deep said. “It doubles and trebles your own pleasure.”
“Of course, when your bond is weak, these sensations are lessened,” Lock remarked. “At the time that Deep and I were wooing our lady Kat, our bond was stretched very thin indeed. We were even able to touch her separately, though it still gave us pain.”
“Wait—what?” Becca frowned. “It hurts if only one of you is, uh, touching her?”
Deep nodded. “It’s a feeling akin to a low level shock running throughout your entire body if you touch your bride without your brother also touching her.”
“Again, you are not making a very good case for me to wish to bond with Far,” Truth remarked.
Lock sighed. “I know it may not seem like it, but there are so many benefits. When you are closely bonded to your twin, sorrows are halved and joys are doubled. You share a kind of communication so deep and intense it rivals any other bond in the universe. Truly, it is a beautiful thing.”
 
; “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it,” Truth said shortly.
Deep frowned and pulled out a new straight pin.
“Hold out your hand,” he demanded, reaching for Truth.
Truth held out his hand reluctantly. “If you’re hoping to provoke some reaction…”
Before he finished, Deep had jabbed the straight pin deep into the pad of his thumb.
Truth tensed his jaw but bore the small pain stoically. All eyes turned to Far who was staring at his own thumb thoughtfully.
“Well?” Becca asked him anxiously.
Far shook his head. “Nothing. Or at least, no more than a tingle.”
“That’s something, though,” she said encouragingly. She thought of suggesting that they try it the other way and jab Far with the pin but she was certain that Truth would deny feeling anything, even if he did. She began to feel irritated with him—damn it, why did dark twins have to be so stubborn? Then again, she was as determined not to be permanently bonded to the both of them at once as Truth was not to be bonded to Far. Could she really judge the dark twin for holding out?
“Let’s work with what we have,” Lock suggested gently. “I do believe the bond is there—it just needs to be nourished.”
“And how exactly are we supposed to do that?” Truth asked warily.
Deep sighed. “There’s no other way—I’m afraid you’ll have to touch your brother.”
“Touch me how?” Far demanded. “With his fists? Because I’m pretty sure that’s the extent of how Truth wants to touch me.”
“Boys,” Kat said, talking to her mates. “Maybe it’s time for a demonstration.”
“Fine.” Deep and Lock turned to each other and embraced.
It was a long, warm hug and it made Becca feel good just watching it. Clearly this was brotherly love in its purest form. Though the sight of two muscular male torsos pressed together was beautiful and sensual, there was nothing sexual in the way Deep and Lock touched each other. It was as though the brothers were drawing support from each other and offering unconditional love at the same time.
“Look,” Lock said, turning his head to take in both Truth and Lock. “Like this.”
Becca looked at the two men she was sitting with. The expression on Far’s face was hungry but Truth still looked closed—and completely disgusted.
“I will not do that,” he growled, scowling. “Males do not—”
“Touch each other in such a fashion,” Far mocked him softly. “Right. We know. Because Goddess forbid you show a particle of love for another male—especially your own brother.”
“I cannot show an emotion I do not feel,” Truth growled.
“All right,” Becca jumped up and glared at the dark twin. “Then how would you be willing to touch another male?” she demanded. “Didn’t you say something about clasping arms or something like that?”
“Yes,” Truth admitted grudgingly. “But only in moments of extreme emotion.”
“Well I’m feeling extremely emotional about both of you right about now and none of the emotions are good,” she snapped. “I’m getting sick of this mess—stop being a baby and hold your brother’s hand, Truth.”
Truth looked at her, clearly surprised. “All right. If my lady wishes.”
“I damn well do wish it.” Becca crossed her arms and tapped one foot impatiently. She surprised herself a little with her boldness but clearly she was the only one in the room Truth was going to listen to. She couldn’t just sit back and do nothing—if she did, nothing would get done. “Now,” she added, glaring at Truth pointedly.
“Fine.” Truth turned to his brother and offered his right hand. “Will you clasp with me?”
Far considered his outstretched hand for a moment and Becca thought she saw a tiny spark of hope in his black eyes.
“All right,” he said quietly with none of his usual sarcasm or bitterness.
“Wait,” Lock said when the brothers were about to touch each other. “Unbutton your cuffs and roll up your sleeves.”
Truth frowned. “Why?”
“Skin to skin contact works best. For any kind of bonding,” Deep said, clearly picking up on his brother’s thoughts.
Becca was certain that Truth was about to start complaining again but she fixed him with a look—one eyebrow raised and a grim expression on her face. To her satisfaction, he kept his mouth closed and started unbuttoning his cuff.
When both brothers had bare arms, Truth held out his hand again.
“Well?” he asked Far.
Without a word, the light twin reached for his brother’s hand.
They clasped arms to the elbow, each brother gripping his twin’s muscular forearm, and stared into each other’s eyes. Becca couldn’t help noticing that Truth’s tan skin was several shades darker than Far’s. Indeed, it was only a few shades lighter than her own warm mocha tones.
Light and dark, she thought. Day and night. They’re so different and yet so much alike—if only they could let themselves see it.
No one said anything as the brothers held the grip, their forearms pressed together, their eyes clashing. At first Becca was anxious—she could tell by the tensing of Truth’s long fingers that he was squeezing his twin’s arm as hard as he could. But Far bore the pain silently, simply staring back into his brother’s eyes as he held contact.
He’s willing to take it, Becca suddenly understood. He’s been so hungry for Truth’s touch that he’ll even willingly accept pain from him because it’s better than no contact at all.
The realization wrung her heart and she was about to scold the dark twin for trying to hurt his brother when she noticed the dynamic between them had changed.
It was a subtle shift but noticeable—the look in Truth’s pale gray eyes was no longer so angry, so disgusted as it had been. In fact he looked almost…thoughtful. It was the most open expression she had ever seen on the dark twin’s face when looking at his brother and it gave her a tiny sliver of hope for the two of them.
Deep seemed to have picked up on the change too.
“Good,” he murmured, speaking to both Truth and Far in a low, soothing tone. “Feel your brother’s energy. His pain is your pain. His pleasure is your pleasure.”
“I feel neither pain nor pleasure,” Truth said but his voice wasn’t quite as harsh as it had been.
“That is because you have to have something to feel,” Kat remarked. She looked at Becca. “Kiss Truth.”
Chapter Eight
Becca felt her cheeks heating. “What, now?”
“Yes, now. On the mouth while they’re still touching,” Kat directed firmly. She nodded at Becca. “Go on. I know what I’m doing.”
“All right.” Feeling like all eyes were on her, Becca stepped forward and leaned toward Truth. Both brothers were so tall that she barely had to stoop down at all even though they were sitting and she was standing.
“Rebecca,” Truth murmured, his deep voice harsh with desire. “Kiss me—let me taste your sweet lips.”
Becca cupped his cheek, well aware that this was the first kiss she had shared with either twin outside the dream-world of their strange joinings. Truth’s lips were full and red with a cruel but sensual curve around the corners. How often had she fantasized about kissing that mouth? Much more often than she’d let herself admit, especially back when she was still planning on taking her vows. But now that she had renounced her desire to become a nun, she found she was about to follow up on those fantasies.
Truth’s mouth was hard and hungry against her own. Heat rushed through her as he lifted his free hand and wove his long fingers through her hair, bringing her even closer.
Besides the heat, she felt something else—a third presence in the back of her mind. Someone else was hovering in the background like a restless shadow, longing to be let all the way in.
Far, she understood suddenly. I can feel him—just barely but he is there.
Despite her determination not to be permanently bonded to both of them, her
first instinct was to reach out and try to draw the light twin in. Far needed this—needed it so badly it hurt Becca to feel his pain. But she understood instinctively that without Truth’s help, she would never be able to draw Far completely into their circle of warmth. He would always be hovering just outside it, a hungry ghost unable to join the feast.
Truth must have felt his brother’s presence too or maybe he just sensed that Becca’s attention was divided. He deepened the kiss and his tongue caressed the seam of her lips, asking for entrance, demanding her surrender and complete concentration.
But Becca wasn’t quite sure she was ready to go there yet—not with Kat and her two husbands watching, anyway.
“No,” she murmured, breaking the kiss.
Truth growled softly with frustration. “I wasn’t done tasting you.”
“I know,” Becca said softly but firmly. “But now it’s Far’s turn.” She glanced at Kat who nodded approvingly.
“That’s right, doll. You’ve got the idea.”
“Good.” Becca smiled and turned to Far who was looking at her with a quiet intensity that sent a shiver of need down her spine. “I know you need this,” she whispered, speaking for his ears alone. “And so…so do I.”
“Mi’now,” he murmured, his black eyes drowning deep. For a long moment they locked gazes, staring into each other, not touching at all. Becca’s heart, already pumping hard from the kiss she’d shared with Truth, began to really pound. In the black depths of the light twin’s eyes she could see all the things Far wanted to do to her—all the ways he wanted to share her with his twin.
She saw the three of them naked in bed together, as they had been in their joinings. Saw the two large male bodies bracketing her own smaller frame as four muscular arms encircled her, keeping her safe and claiming her at the same time. Truth was kissing the vulnerable nape of her neck while Far licked a slow, sensual trail down the valley between her breasts. He was moving lower, clearly intent on tasting her—
Becca pressed her lips to Far’s before the vision could continue. Was it her own private fantasy or was the light twin somehow sending it to her? And if he was, could Truth sense it at all?