Hunted

  Sylvan smiled at her. “More than all right. Forget about my worries, Olivia—go tell my brother that he’s soon to be a father.”

  “All right.” She patted his arm. “But just know that I’m rooting for you.”

  “Thank you.” He nodded. “Go—and don’t say a word. Just hand Baird the flower. He’ll know what it means.”

  Still feeling troubled for him, Liv left the med station. She couldn’t wait to tell Baird they were going to be starting a family but as happy as she was, she wished her sister could have the same joy. If only she and Sylvan could find a way around their differences…but Liv couldn’t imagine how they could. Sylvan’s need to bite every time they had sex was a serious issue for the needle-phobic Sophie. Although if Liv could get used to Baird’s mating fist, it seemed like her twin could find a way to cope with being a pin cushion. Couldn’t she?

  For Sophie and Sylvan’s mutual happiness, Liv hoped she could.

  * * * * *

  “A year? Really? A whole year?” Kat’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “That is seriously messed up, Liv.” She scooted forward on the couch to pour herself another tiny cup of klava. Olivia had mysteriously told them she had some very important news and suggested a breakfast get together at her suite. Baird had been called away early to some sort of conference so they had the place to themselves. But so far they were doing a lot more talking than eating.

  “I don’t think it’s so bad.” Sophie hugged her again—it seemed she hadn’t been able to stop ever since her sister had told them the news. “It gives you more time to get everything ready. The nursery and baby-proofing the suite…”

  “It’s easy for you to say it’s not so bad. What if you were the one that was going to be preggers for a solid year?” Kat objected.

  “I hear it’s longer if you’re mated to Twin Kindred.” Olivia nudged her playfully. “Takes more time for the babies to develop because you always have twins.”

  “Ugh, don’t even joke about that!” Kat glared at her. “You know it’s not funny.”

  “Deep and Lock might think so,” Sophie said with a little smile.

  “Speaking of which, are you still reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum’s feelings loud and clear?” Olivia asked.

  “No, thank God.” Kat put a hand to her head and sighed in relief. “It finally stopped. I know this sounds strange but I never thought I’d be so glad to be alone in my own head.”

  “Honey, nothing sounds strange when you’re mated to a Kindred,” Olivia said, sweeping a strand of blonde hair behind one ear. “But what about the headache?”

  Kat frowned. “Still just the tiniest bit—like a dull throbbing at the back of my head. But it’s not nearly as bad as it was.”

  “That worries me.” Sophie frowned at her. “Couldn’t that be the sign of something bad?” She looked at her twin for confirmation. “Like a subdural hema-whatsit or something?”

  Olivia smiled. “Subdural hematoma, you mean? Not to worry, Sophie, that’s an injury you usually get from bumping your head really hard—not from having a kinky alien ménage with hot Kindred twins.”

  Kat crossed her arms over her chest. “Again, not funny. As if I would ever go there—they’d freaking split me in two.”

  “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” Liv looked like she was trying not to smile again. “You know, Jillian never has any complaints about her Twin Kindred hubbies. Practically all she can talk about is how wonderful three-way sex is.”

  “Yeah, but let’s be honest—Jillian isn’t the brightest crayon in the box,” Kat said. “I mean, there’s a reason she was captain of the cheer squad instead of captain of the chess team, you know?”

  Sophie tried not to laugh. “Kat, you’re so bad.”

  “All right, that was kind of bitchy of me,” Kat admitted, one corner of her mouth twitching. “It’s just that this whole thing has me so freaked out. I mean—”

  “Lilenta?”

  They all looked up to see Baird standing in the doorway to the food prep area. Right behind him was Sylvan, who Sophie tried unsuccessfully not to look at. He was looking especially handsome in his pale blue uniform shirt, but he and Baird both had grave looks on their faces.

  “Baird, there you are.” Olivia jumped up from the circular bench and ran to give him a kiss. Then she drew back and looked at him worriedly. “Is everything all right?”

  Baird sighed heavily and ran a hand through his thick black hair. “You’re probably not going to think so. The High Council has finished their analysis of what happened when Sylvan and Sophie crashed and what it means in terms of security.”

  “We’ve just come from giving testimony,” Sylvan said. “I’m afraid they weren’t pleased when I told them all the details of what happened.”

  “What does that mean for us?” Olivia asked anxiously.

  Baird put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “It means they want to send Sophia away.”

  “What?” all three girls exclaimed at once.

  “Send her where exactly?” Kat demanded.

  “Someplace the Scourge can’t find her,” Baird said.

  “Someplace safe,” Sylvan added.

  “I’m sorry kin-of-my-mate,” Baird said, turning to Sophie who was sitting there numbly at the table, trying to process the information being thrown at her. “The Council has determined that as long as you’re here in Earth orbit, the security of the entire Mother ship is compromised. They don’t know why the Scourge are after you but until they do, they want you someplace else.”

  “Where?” Sophie asked, trying to keep her voice even. “I mean, I guess I can go back to Earth. If there’s a place the urlich can’t reach me…”

  “They don’t want you on Earth either,” Baird said. “You’re to go to Tranq Prime. Don’t worry—it’s only about fifty light years away.”

  “Only fifty light years?” Olivia struggled to get out of Baird’s hug in order to glare up at him. “Are you seriously telling me the Kindred High Council has decided that we’re in so much danger Sophie has to be sent to a galaxy far, far away?”

  “It’s okay, Liv.” Sophie held up a hand before her twin could really get going. “Look, I don’t mind—really I don’t.” In fact she was scared to death but she kept her chin up and tried to hide it.

  “Well I do,” Olivia protested. “This is ridiculous!”

  “Liv…” Sophie went to put an arm around her sister. “I don’t want to stay and put you and the baby in danger. If they think I should go, I…I’ll go.” She looked at Baird. “Do they speak English there the way you guys all do?”

  “No. But we’ll give you a universal translator implant before you go,” he assured her. “And besides, you won’t be going alone. Tranq Prime is Sylvan’s home world—he’ll be taking you.” He nodded at Sylvan who nodded back gravely.

  “I hope you don’t mind, Sophia,” he said, addressing her for the first time. “I made it very clear to the Council that you were in no way bound to me, but they still thought it was best because I had been your protector before.”

  “Oh.” Sophie was flooded with a mixture of relief and dismay. Not going alone! sang a little voice in her head. On the other hand, now she had to deal with being in close proximity to Sylvan again. And last time that had ended badly—very badly.

  “Sylvan has been charged with Sophia’s safety,” Baird said to Olivia. “He has accepted the charge and sworn to do everything in his power to protect her.”

  “Well, as long as Sylvan’s going to be with her…” Olivia sounded slightly mollified.

  “I will shield her with my life,” Sylvan promised seriously.

  Olivia smiled at him. “I know you will. I just…don’t like the idea of my womb-mate being so far away.” She hugged Sophie, who hugged her back tightly. Kat joined in the hug as well and for a moment Sophie felt completely surrounded by their love and support.

  Taking a deep breath, she looked up and met Sylvan’s eyes. “All right. When are we leaving???
?

  “Immediately. The space-folder is already primed and ready and I have your translator implant here.” To Sophie’s horror, he held up a large hypodermic needle. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Olivia told me how you feel about shots, but it’s the only way. The implant is actually a strain of bacteria that colonizes the language centers of your brain and enables you to understand new languages extremely quickly.”

  “God.” Just looking at the needle made Sophie’s flesh crawl.

  “Wait.” Olivia held up a hand. “You know I trust you Sylvan but are there any counter-indications with this stuff? Has it been tested on humans before?”

  “The only side effect is a slightly improved short term memory and yes, many of the Kindred brides have already taken the implant injection. We don’t give it to pregnant females, however,” Sylvan added. “Just as a precaution.”

  Liv looked at her. “Sorry, Sophie. It looks like you take the shot or you won’t be able to communicate.”

  Sophie tried to laugh. “Yeah, well, how much do you really need to know what other people are saying?”

  “Trust me,” Sylvan said darkly. “On Tranq Prime, you need to know.”

  “Sylvan’s right,” Baird said, chiming in unexpectedly. “It’s not exactly the most straight-forward place in the world. You really have to stay on your toes there.”

  Sophie took another deep breath and blew it out, trying to steady her nerves. Then she looked up at Sylvan. “Okay, you can stick me, but don’t be surprised if I puke or faint or both.”

  “Come sit down,” Liv said practically. “Kat and I will hold your hands and support you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sophie apologized as they settled on the circular bench, one on either side of her. “I hate being such a baby.”

  “You’re fine,” Sylvan assured her. “And I promise to be as quick as I can.”

  “I have really bad veins,” Sophie warned him faintly. “They’re tiny and they roll.”

  “He’s a really good stick,” Olivia assured her. “He stuck me for the pregnancy test and I barely felt a thing.”

  “Yeah but you’re not a wuss like me.” Sophie extended her arm, feeling like a sacrificial lamb. Sylvan swabbed the inner bend of her elbow and the sharp, astringent smell of antiseptic assaulted her nostrils, making her feel sick. The gonna-get-a-shot smell, She thought faintly. It made her heart race and her breathing shallow. “God,” she whispered, squeezing Liv’s hand tight. “I don’t know…don’t know if I can do this.”

  “You can do it,” her sister murmured, squeezing her shoulder. “Hang in there, Sophie, you’re going to be all right.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sylvan murmured, kneeling in front of her. And then she felt the needle slide home and liquid fire was traveling up her arm.

  Sophie gasped as tears sprang to her eyes. “It burns! Is it supposed to burn like that?”

  “Only for a moment,” Sylvan assured her. His voice sounded strange and Sophie looked up at him. What she saw took her mind off the burning in her vein.

  Unshed tears glimmered in his ice blue eyes and the pain on his face was unmistakable.

  “Sylvan?” she whispered. Freeing her hand from Kat’s supportive grip, she reached out to touch his cheek.

  “I’m sorry. I hate being the cause of your pain.” His deep voice was rough with emotion and he looked away, blinking rapidly.

  “It’s all right,” she said softly as he withdrew the needle and sealed her wound with flesh glue. “You couldn’t help it.”

  “But I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said fiercely and looked at her again. “I never want to do that, Sophia.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  For a long moment they just looked into each other’s eyes and then Kat cleared her throat. “Um, I can tell you two are having a private moment but do you mind telling me what in the world you just said?”

  “Huh?” Sophie turned to look at her friend.

  “Kat’s right.” Olivia looked puzzled. “For a minute there you were both talking a whole different language. Actually, it sounded a little like French.”

  Sylvan looked embarrassed. “I must have slipped into my native tongue. And Sophia answered me the same way.”

  “Wow.” Sophie was amazed. “It works that fast?”

  He nodded. “You only need to hear a few words of any given language and the translation bacteria do the rest. So.” He stood and cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I guess I don’t have a choice.” Sophie stood too, still feeling a little wobbly. “Can I have a few minutes to pack?”

  Baird looked at his chronometer. “Ten minutes and not much more. The Council may be slow to make a decision but once they make one, they want it acted on quickly.”

  “That’s not nearly enough time,” Sophie protested. “My stuff’s spread all over Kat’s suite.” She had elected to stay with her friend rather than her sister, to avoid the embarrassment of hearing Liv and Baird having “sexy-time fun” as Kat jokingly put it.

  “Just pack your personal items—toiletries and underclothes—things like that,” Sylvan directed. “Don’t worry about clothing.”

  “Don’t worry about clothing? You expect me to walk around in my bra and underwear all day?” she demanded without thinking. “Uh, I mean…” She could feel her face getting hot.

  “I know what you mean.” Sylvan’s voice was deceptively soft and she suddenly knew he was remembering how she looked naked. “But no, I don’t expect that at all. None of your clothing is suited to the climate on Tranq Prime. We’ll have to get you new clothes when we get there.”

  “Hear that? The first thing you get to do is go shopping.” Kat grabbed her arm. “Sounds like fun! Come on, let’s go pack up your shampoo and other stuff quick.” She and Liv hustled Sophie away to throw her things together.

  Almost before she could blink, Sophie was in Kat’s suite stuffing bras, panties, nightclothes and hair care products into a bag as fast as Liv and Kat could hand them to her.

  “Sophie,” Olivia said as they worked. “There’s something I meant to tell you this morning except I got sidetracked with my little guy here.” She rubbed her still-flat belly protectively.

  “What is it? Is it bad news?” Sophie asked, alarmed.

  “Well, it depends on how you take it,” Liv said carefully. “Uh…how do I put this?”

  “You’ve only got two minutes,” Kat informed her, stuffing another handful of underwear into the travel bag. “So however you put it, talk quick.”

  Olivia frowned. “Fine. Sylvan didn’t have that cleansing ceremony you thought he had. So he still has feelings for you, Sophie.”

  Kat rolled her eyes. “Like anyone with half a brain couldn’t tell that just by watching him. He’s so head over heels for her it’s a wonder he’s not flat on his back.”

  “You guys!” Sophie could feel herself blushing again. “Come on.”

  “Sorry, but I had to tell you.” Liv pressed her hairbrush and some hair bands into Sophie’s hands. “I promised I’d put in a good word for you. He really loves you, you know?”

  “He does?” Sophie felt elated for a moment, then her heart sank. “But what about his vow to never take a bride?”

  Her sister shrugged. “He said the priestess released him from it.”

  “Oh.” Sophie bit her lip. “That’s nice about the cleansing and the vow and everything but it’s still not the main point. I mean what about…”

  “I know, the biting,” Liv said.

  “It’s not just that he wants to bite me,” she objected. “He wants to inject me with his essence.”

  “His what?” Kat and Liv frowned as Sophie explained rapidly.

  “…and I just can’t imagine feeling what I just felt in my arm times four every time we have sex,” she finished.

  “Can’t say that I blame you.” Kat shook her head. “Damn, why can’t anything ever be normal with these crazy Kindred? They all want to inject you or invade you or—
”

  “Or love you,” Olivia finished firmly. “Maybe it’s not that bad, Sophie.”

  “Yeah, but the only way to find out is to try it,” Kat objected. “And since it’s part of their bonding sex, she couldn’t exactly back out if it turns out to be as painful as hell. The Kindred don’t do divorce, remember?”

  “She doesn’t have to try it—she could ask,” Olivia pointed out. “She’s going to a whole planet full of women who are mated to Blood Kindred males.” She looked at Sophie. “Find one you can trust and talk to her.”

  “I’ll try,” Sophie said doubtfully. “But honestly, you two are the only ones I’ve ever talked to much about, well, you know.”

  “Not to mention that if it’s the norm there, they might have a skewed viewpoint,” Kat said. “I mean, if the women there all get bitten every time they get busy they might think it’s normal to feel pain while your having sex. Like a S&M kind of thing. And Sophie’s not exactly the kinky type.”

  “Hardly.” Sophie shivered and looked down into the bulging travel bag. “Is that everything? I hope so because I don’t think anything else is going to fit.”

  “That’s it, I think.” Olivia frowned. “Oh God, Sophie, I really wish you didn’t have to go. Promise to call me as soon as you get there.”

  “From fifty light years away? I’ll try but I don’t know if we’ll still be in Think-me range,” Sophie said doubtfully.

  “We won’t be but you can communicate using the ship’s viewscreen.”

  “Oh!” Sophie looked up to see Sylvan standing in the doorway. “Oh, uh, thanks,” she said weakly. My God, how long has he been standing there? How much did he hear? She couldn’t tell from the stoic look on his face and she didn’t dare to ask.

  “We have to go now.” Sylvan took the bag from her hands and zipped it up quickly and efficiently despite the way the contents were bulging out the top. “Come, the space-folder takes vast amounts of energy and it’s already been running for a long time.”