Sought

“There isn’t going to be a next time,” Kat reminded him, frowning.

  “Oh?” Deliberately he raised his fingers to his mouth and, keeping his eyes fixed on hers, sucked her juices off with apparent relish. “We’ll see what Mother L’rin has to say about that.”

  Kat wanted to answer but a sudden weariness took her and she could only shake her head. Later, when I get more energy I’m really going to let him have it.

  I look forward to it, little Kat. Deep grinned at her mockingly. You have no idea how much.

  Chapter Seven

  “Kat’s all right—for now at least.” Baird was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his massive chest and a serious look on his face.

  “Oh, thank God!” Olivia turned from her husband to her sister. “Sophie, she’s all right.”

  “I heard. I’m right here, you know.” Half laughing, half crying, Sophie hugged her sister tightly.

  “Deep and Lock got her to Twin Moons just in time,” Baird continued. “Their healer…” He snapped his fingers. “What was her name?”

  “Mother L’rin,” Liv supplied for him.

  “Right. She did some kind of healing ceremony and now Kat’s resting. Lock called and told me a minute ago.”

  “I’m so glad.” Sophie felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She’d been feeling horribly guilty ever since they’d allowed Deep and Lock to take Kat away to Twin Moons with them. But she and Liv had both trusted Sylvan’s decision that it was the only way to save their friend. Kat still wasn’t going to be happy to wake up on a strange planet with her two least favorite people in the universe, but at least now they knew she was going to live.

  “When can we talk to her?” Olivia asked eagerly.

  Baird frowned. “Not for a couple of days according to Lock. She needs to rest. But that isn’t the only thing I came to tell you.” He cleared his throat. “Do you remember telling me about the sister of your mother, Lilenta? The one who died in childbirth?”

  “Yes, of course. Aunt Abby.” Liv frowned. “What about her?”

  “Well, I just came from the viewroom and you have a call—you and Sophia both, actually. It’s a woman claiming to be her—your kin. Do you want to speak to her?”

  “What?” Olivia demanded.

  “But that’s impossible,” Sophie protested.

  Baird shrugged. “Could be a hoax, I guess. But I don’t know why someone would want to pretend such a thing. And…” He hesitated. “Well, she looks an awful lot like you two in the face. Looks like blood kin to me.”

  To me too, Sylvan suddenly murmured inside Sophie’s head. His mental voice was serious. I’m in the viewroom now talking to her, Talana, he continued, using his pet name for Sophie. I think you and your sister should come see her.

  On our way, Sophie sent back. “Come on,” she said, hopping up and pulling Liv to her feet. “Let’s see what she has to say.”

  “All right.” Olivia still looked shocked but she followed Sophie out of the suite to the viewing room which was used mainly for long distance conversations. Hesitantly, they looked around the corner at the huge viewscreen mounted on the wall.

  Oh my God, Sylan was right! Sophie was shocked. The woman had black hair and light brown eyes but the face on the viewscreen could have been a slightly older version of hers and Liv’s. Or their mother’s.

  Olivia was obviously thinking along the same lines. “She looks just like Mom. Oh, Sophie.” She nearly crushed Sophie’s fingers with her grip.

  Sylvan, who had been standing in front of the viewscreen talking, motioned for them to come all the way into the room. “It’s all right, Talana, I believe she is who she says she is. Sophia, Olivia, meet your Aunt Abigail.”

  “Aunt Abby?” Sophie could hardly believe her eyes.

  “Yes, that’s me.” The woman nodded and for the first time, Sophie noticed that her lovely eyes, which were a brown so light they were almost amber, looked red from crying. “You must be Sophia and Olivia. I…I’m sorry we had to meet for the first time under these circumstances,” the woman continued.

  “What circumstances?” Olivia put a hand protectively over her belly. She was still in her first quadmester and wasn’t showing yet, but her mothering instincts were already in high gear.

  “Your husband didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell us what?” Liv frowned. “First tell us why you aren’t dead. No offense, but that’s what our mom told us before…before she passed away.”

  Aunt Abby closed her eyes for a moment as though holding back tears. “Yes, I heard about that. I can’t believe I never got to say goodbye to her. I always thought there would be time but I was afraid, so afraid she wouldn’t want me back in her life. And now it’s too late. She’s gone and Lauren is gone…I’ve lost everything. Everyone.”

  “What do you mean ‘she’s gone’ and ‘Lauren’s gone’? Lauren was our mom’s name,” Sophie protested.

  “And it was the name of my daughter too. The one who disappeared. Look.” She pressed a button and suddenly her face was replaced with the image of a lovely girl with creamy mocha skin and eyes the same amber color as Aunt Abby’s. The girl was laughing, her long silky black hair being whipped in the wind and the sun shining through palm trees behind her. She was wearing a pink striped bikini top and shading her eyes with one hand. There was something about the picture that bothered Sophie but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

  “She’s beautiful,” Liv said when their aunt reappeared again. “She has your eyes.”

  “And her father’s skin,” Aunt Abby said grimly. “Which is why your grandparents decided to kick me out when they found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know they’d told your mom I was dead, though.”

  “They said you died having her—having Lauren.” Sophie spoke through numb lips. “Mom never liked to talk about it much. It made her too sad.”

  Aunt Abby shook her head. “Your grandfather paid me a great deal of money to sever all ties with my family. I took it and did well with it—I’m a wealthy woman now, for all the good it does me. I was carrying twins, you know, when I first got pregnant with her. And then I lost Lauren’s sister when I gave birth. But I told myself as long as I had Lauren…” Tears began to leak down her cheeks. “And I don’t even have her now. I don’t know where she is or even if she’s alive.”

  “Oh, Aunt Abby, I’m so sorry!” Sophie wished she could give the woman a hug. “What happened? Is there anything we can do to help?”

  “I hope so.” Their aunt wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I only tracked the two of you down a month or so ago. I was going to contact you first and see if you were interested in having some kind of relationship before I told Lauren. She always wanted to have more family.” She sniffed. “But I’m contacting you now for a different reason. I was hoping that since you’re both with the Kindred, maybe you might be able to help locate her in some way.”

  Sylvan and Baird had been standing quietly in the background but now Sylvan stepped forward. “Tell us about the circumstances of her disappearance and we’ll see what we can do.”

  “All right.” Aunt Abby sniffed again. “She disappeared from her shop almost a week ago. It’s the strangest thing—the police can’t find any blood or hair or fibers that might lead to the…to the attacker at all.” She cleared her throat, obviously forcing herself to continue. “In fact, there was nothing but a pile of clothes in the bathroom. But the way they were layered on top of each other, the clothes on the shoes… It wasn’t like she’d taken them off—more like she’d just…disappeared right out of them.”

  Sophie felt her breath catch in her throat and she saw Sylvan’s face tighten. The molecular transport beam. Could it be? “Aunt Abby,” she said. “Could…could you show us that picture of Lauren again?”

  “Of course.” Their aunt’s image disappeared to be replaced with the laughing picture of Lauren in the pink striped bikini top.

  “There,” Olivia said, striding up to the viewscreen and p
ointing. “Right there. Do you see it? Between her breasts?”

  “The star shaped birth mark,” Sophie breathed. That was what had been bothering her about the picture. She looked at Liv. “The prophesy,” she whispered, aware that her aunt could still hear them if they spoke too loud. “The Scourge prophesy.”

  “Lauren is the one.” Liv’s face was pale and she was whispering too. “Oh my God, the poor girl!”

  “Should we tell her?”

  Sylvan shook his head. “Not yet,” he murmured. “Let’s see if we can do anything first.”

  “Sylvan’s right. There’s no point it giving her news like that until we look into it and make sure,” Baird said in a low voice.

  Aunt Abby appeared once more. “Well?”

  “We’ll do everything in our power to help you.” Sylvan put a hand over his heart. “Any kin of our mates is a priority with us. You can believe that, Ms. Jakes.”

  “Thank you.” Aunt Abby looked like she was going to cry again. “You can reach me through the HKR building in Sarasota, Florida. That’s where Lauren was living when she was…was taken.” The last word turned into a sob and suddenly the viewscreen went blank.

  “What can we do?” Sophie looked at Sylvan frantically. “The Scourge have her, Sylvan—I just know it. Oh that poor girl!” She and Liv both knew first hand what it was like to be captured and interrogated by the evil AllFather. Sophie wouldn’t have wished it on her worst enemy.

  Sylvan looked grim. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, short of attacking the Fathership to take her back by force.”

  “And I don’t think the High Council is gonna go for that,” Baird rumbled, frowning. “Not unless we get some kind of incontrovertible proof that they have her and that’s where she’s being held.”

  “Where else could she be?” Liv demanded.

  “Anywhere.” Baird shook his head. “The Fathership isn’t the only Scourge stronghold, you know, Lilenta. They have a home planet too. It’s a Deadworld now—they killed it with their greed and pollution. But they still have impregnable fortresses there they can go back to in a pinch.”

  “So you’re saying we just have to leave her there?” Liv was beginning to cry. “Leave her with that…that monster?”

  “I’m saying let us talk to the Council first before you go gettin’ all upset.” Baird stroked her shoulders soothingly. “This news has a bigger impact than just the fact that your kin has been kidnapped.”

  “Baird is right.” Sylvan nodded. “If the Scourge have finally found the key to their prophesy, something big may be about to happen. The Council will want to consider all complications and repercussions before they act.”

  “Which means she’ll be dead or as good as dead by the time we get to her,” Liv said dully. “If we get to her. Oh, poor Lauren.”

  “Poor Lauren,” Sophie echoed. Putting her arms around her sister, she held her tight and prayed for the cousin neither one of them had ever even known they had. Let her be strong. Let her be able to stand whatever the AllFather throws at her.

  But she knew from experience how terribly difficult that could be.

  Chapter Eight

  Kat woke up feeling weak but rested. She was glad to find herself alone in bed—and, it seemed, alone in her own head, at least for awhile. Either Lock and Deep were far away, or neither of them was having any really strong emotions at the moment. Whatever the reason, Kat was glad to have some peace and quiet inside her skull for once.

  Sitting up she stretched and yawned. God, she was starving! Was there anything to eat around here? The area she found herself in didn’t appear to have any food. It was a bedroom, from the look of it, with white walls and a green wooden floor. The huge Twin Kindred bed which dominated the entire center of the room was low to the ground. The spread was a warm green and gold that matched the floor and the sheets were a pale off-white color and softer than any linen Kat had ever felt. She pulled one of them around her as she got out of bed, because she had no idea where her clothes were.

  Walking slowly, she made her way to the huge rectangular window across from the bed. It was covered with an indigo shade that gave the shadows in the room a bluish purple tinge Kat rather liked. She wanted to see out the window but the shade wouldn’t move and was firmly anchored in all four corners of the window.

  “Stupid thing,” Kat muttered to herself, reaching high to run her fingers over the topmost edge of the shade. “How the hell does it open?” Just as she was about to give up, her seeking fingertips encountered two small buttons. “Okay, let’s just see what these do.”

  She pressed the top button but instead of opening slowly, the shade suddenly snapped up sharply, leaving the entire window bare.

  “Oh!” Kat stepped back as a flood of brilliant pinkish-gold sunlight bathed the room. She was momentarily blinded and had to shade her eyes with one hand while she clutched the white sheet to her chest with the other. Finally her vision adjusted and she was able to look out and see what was going on.

  Kat had never been to Europe but she’d seen plenty of docu-dramas about it on TV. Now, looking at the narrow, crooked streets and tall, leaning buildings of the Twin Moon’s settlement, she couldn’t help thinking that it looked a lot like a quaint European town. It seemed to have an old world charm that was lacking in her home town of Tampa.

  There were some differences, of course. Instead of being whitewashed, the buildings were made of some pinkish-gold stone and the streets weren’t paved with cobblestones. In fact, they seemed to have some kind of short pink and green vegetation growing in them—an idea that was reinforced when she saw several Take-mes grazing on the edge of the road. The two-headed animals were a pain to ride but if she remembered correctly, Liv had told her that they were native to Twin Moons. Although why anyone would want to domesticate something that looked like the push-me/pull-you from the Doctor Dolittle books was beyond Kat.

  Far beyond the quaint, crooked houses she saw something that looked like a vast sheet of undulating gold. It took her a moment to realize it was water—an ocean in fact. An ocean of golden water. Beautiful… The sight took Kat’s breath away. There were small wooden boats with red and blue sails rocking on the glassy, gold surface of the water and people walking up and down the docks. Despite her fair skin, she’d always loved a day at the beach. She made a mental note to get Lock to take her as soon as possible.

  Dragging her eyes from the enticing sight of the seashore, Kat looked down at the street outside her window and saw vendors selling some kind of meat on a stick and others selling fruit or bread. Wonder what that long purple looking thing is? she thought, stepping closer to the window for a better look. Was it a fruit? Some kind of Twin Moons pastry? Whatever it was, it was shaped like a banana but as large as a watermelon. Just the thought of ripe, juicy melon made Kat’s mouth water and she realized for the first time in ages that she was actually hungry.

  She was just about to look around for some clothes so she could go find something to eat, when the vendor selling the purple banana thing looked up and saw her. He shaded his eyes and then a broad grin broke over his face as he waved at her. He nudged the vendor beside him and he looked up and waved as well.

  Smiling, Kat waved back. What nice people. I wonder if it’s some kind of custom to greet newcomers even if you don’t know them? A handful more of the vendors and a few shoppers were waving at her now and she felt she had to wave back in order to be polite. She held her sheet firmly in place for modesty’s sake and waved until her arm was sore. She started to wonder how long the welcome ritual lasted.

  “Okay, people,” she said under her breath when her stomach started growling and her arm felt like it was going to fall off. “I don’t mean to be rude but I have to get going and find something to eat before I fall over.” Nodding and smiling, she backed away from the window and went to find something to wear.

  There was a long, low box in one corner of the room that could double as a bench if you had really short legs. K
at opened it up and found a green shirt with a blue and pink pattern depicted in short, shiny feathers. “Very fancy,” she murmured, picking it up. It was obviously made for a very large man—probably it was some kind of Twin Kindred dress clothing. She looked around but didn’t see any pants to match it or any other clothing options. Looks like it’s this or the sheet. Shrugging, Kat put on the shirt, which fell almost to her knees. Well, at least she was decent, unless the Twin Moons inhabitants frowned on women showing their bare legs. In which case, too bad. She was hungry.

  Rolling up the sleeves, she made her way out of the bedroom and down a long hallway with the same green wooden floor. There was a spiral staircase on the far end of the corridor which led directly down into a sunny food prep area. All the standard Kindred appliances were there—the glass-front refrigerator and the Kindred stove called a wave. Liv had showed her how to use it, but Kat was still afraid she might burn some fingers off if she messed around with the alien appliance. Then she noticed the kitchen was occupied.

  A tall, slender woman with light brown hair was standing in front of the sink. She was wearing a pink toga-looking garment and washing some juicy blue-green fruit about the size of large grapes. Kat had eaten those before—they were twin fruit. You couldn’t eat the outside though—it was bitter and sour. You pealed the succulent looking outer flesh off and ate the nut inside which tasted kind of like peaches and pecans mixed together. The woman appeared to be engrossed in her task and hadn’t heard Kat come down the stairs.

  Kat cleared her throat, trying not to startle her. “Um…hi,” she said hesitantly.

  The woman looked up at once and smiled at her. “Veelash abra boolash,” she responded pleasantly.

  “Oh dear.” Kat frowned. “Uh, I don’t suppose you speak any English like Deep and Lock, do you?”

  “Deep vun Lock crabash le taber.” The woman made a walking gesture with two fingers and pointed at the door which appeared to lead out to a garden.