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  Indeed, he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to pay the fee that Slk demanded. But somehow he had to if he and Lauren were ever going to be free of the AllFather’s influence and get beyond his reach. And at least he’d gained permission to access their secure parking area. To bring a ship to the splicing district without secure accommodations was asking to have it stripped in a matter of minutes.

  He’d been making his way back through the narrow warren of arching plasti-glass tunnels built high above the skyline of O’ah when a pack of splicers had jumped him.

  He hadn’t been expecting the attack because it didn’t make sense. Everyone knew that Scourge DNA was flawed—their stubborn intractability and volatility made them useless as slaves except to other Scourge and their pearlescent grey skin and red-on-black eyes weren’t considered beautiful enough to replicate for cloning. So why would splicers attack him? Putting the question aside, Xairn had fought them off one by one, despite the fact that his weapon was out of charge. But the splicers were very determined and it was a long, messy business—mostly knife work which left him covered in gore.

  Five splicers lay dead at his feet, their red-black blood splattering the smudged plasti-glass tunnel before he was done. Only one remained alive and in the state he was in, he wouldn’t last for long.

  Xairn knelt on the male’s narrow chest and stared into the pale purple eyes. “Why did you attack me?” he demanded hoarsely, gripping the neck of the splicer’s cloak and twisting. “Is Scourge DNA suddenly in vogue on this benighted planet? I thought we had too many flaws to be of much use to a splicer.”

  “Don’t…don’t want your DNA,” the male choked, a thin trickle of reddish-black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. “Scourge DNA is shit.”

  “Why then?” Xairn twisted harder until the male’s face turned as purple as his cloak. “Tell me now and I’ll give you a painless death.”

  “T-too late for that.” The male broke into a cracked laugh that turned into a sob. “Gods…think my spine is broken. Can’t feel anything…below my waist.”

  “Lucky for you,” Xairn said coldly. “You can’t feel pain in the lower half of your body. But if you don’t want the top half of your miserable carcass to be in absolute fucking agony, you’ll tell me what you know, now.”

  “Spider sent us.” The splicer coughed weakly, spewing black droplets from his thin lips. “He wanted us to kill you so he could have your ship.”

  “My ship?” Xairn frowned. “What the hell does he want with a Kindred Outrider? The damn thing is fifty cycles old if it’s a day—surely he could see that.”

  “He doesn’t…doesn’t want the ship itself.” The light in the pale purple eyes was dying and the splicer’s voice was growing faint. “He wants…what’s inside it.” He coughed again. “Treasure…”

  “Treasure? I don’t have any fucking…” Xairn’s voice trailed off and his eyes widened. “Gods, Lauren!”

  He shook the splicer hard. “What was he going to do to her? Where was he taking her?”

  But the light in the splicer’s pale purple eyes had gone out—he was talking to a corpse.

  Dropping the lifeless body, Xairn leapt to his feet and took off down the warren of smudged, plasti-glass tunnels at a dead run. If he didn’t get back to Lauren soon, there would be nothing to get back to. And if he was too late to save her…

  Xairn didn’t let himself think about that. Didn’t allow himself to explore the new emotions exploding inside him. Rage…possession…desperation…

  Please, he prayed, not knowing who he was praying to. Please don’t let me be too late. Oh Lauren…

  Chapter Two

  Sophie was nervous.

  “Of course you’re nervous.” Liv adjusted her veil and smiled at her. “It’s your wedding day—everyone’s nervous on their wedding day.”

  “You weren’t,” Sophie accused, looking at herself in the 3-D viewer. Like Olivia before her, she was wearing their mother’s wedding dress and she had to admit it looked beautiful. “You were so happy you were completely blissed out,” she continued, pointing at her twin. “So happy you didn’t even think twice about making me do the luck kiss with Sylvan.”

  Liv snorted. “Don’t tell me you’re going to complain about that? You wouldn’t be getting married today if it wasn’t for that luck kiss.”

  “She’s right, you know.” Kat bustled into the small tent-like changing area just outside the sacred grove. Once more she was playing the mother of the bride roll and making sure everything went perfectly. Of course, she had a lot less to do than she had for Olivia’s wedding because Sophie and Sylvan had decided to keep their bonding ceremony a small, intimate affair.

  “I know.” Sophie smiled at her sister and her best friend. “And believe me, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying you weren’t as nervous on your wedding day as I am, Liv.”

  “What are you nervous about?” Kat asked, frowning. “Believe me, there’s nothing to worry you. The guests are all seated, Sylvan’s waiting at the altar—or in front of the priestess, I guess. And I have to say he looks pretty amazing in that native Tranq Prime costume—you didn’t tell me they dressed like cavemen. I love the fur skirt and boots look.”

  Sophie laughed. “I have to agree with you there—Sylvan looks really good in his native outfit. But I assure you not all men look as good in that ‘fur skirt’ as you call it.”

  “I don’t know.” Liv smiled. “I saw Baird wearing his own furry kilt just before the ceremony and he looked pretty hot in it too.”

  “That’s because he and Sylvan both have such nice muscular chests,” Kat said. “I’d be jealous if I didn’t have a pair of hot guys of my own to admire.” She smirked. “Though I don’t know why the guys get to wear boots in the sacred grove while the rest of us go barefoot.”

  “I wondered about that too,” Sophie said. “It’s something to do with the boots being made of the fur of a consecrated animal. Apparently the Tranq Prime warriors pray over the vranna before they kill it.”

  “If that’s the huge abominable snowman thing they have to kill to prove they’re a man, I’d think they’d be praying pretty much every minute they were hunting it,” Liv said dryly. “Praying the damn thing doesn’t rip their heads off.”

  “Well, I have a really cute pair of heels that exactly match this dress.” Kat nodded at the beautiful blue-green silk sheath she was wearing. “I’d be happy to say a quick prayer over them if I could put them on.”

  Sophie shook her head. “You know it doesn’t work that way. No shoes allowed in the sacred grove.”

  “I know, I know…” Kat sighed. “But as I was saying before we got onto the subject of religious shoes, everything is good to go and the refreshments for the reception are all laid out. Everything looks fabulous. Well, except for that weird brown mush from Sylvan’s home world. That looks like dog crap on a plate, unfortunately.”

  “That would be the fleeta pudding.” Sophie made a face. “You didn’t try any, did you? You know it’s made of bug guts, right? There are legs in it and everything.”

  “Anything that looks and smells like that stuff, I’m smart enough not to put in my mouth,” Kat said tartly. “Oh, but I think we’d better stop talking about it. Look at Liv.”

  Liv, who was nearing the end of her first quadmester of pregnancy and just beginning to show, had a hand over her mouth and was looking distinctly green. “I think I need some air,” she whispered.

  “Sorry!” Kat opened the flap of the tent and waved Olivia out. “Just be sure you’re back in ten minutes. The ceremony is about to start.”

  “And that’s what’s worrying me,” Sophie said, as soon as her sister left, shutting the tent flap behind her. “Where’s Nadiah? She was supposed to be here hours ago. I promised her a spot in my wedding but I can’t hold the whole thing up indefinitely waiting for her.”

  “I’m sure she’s on her way.” Kat patted her arm comfortingly. “Don’t feel bad, doll. That’s one of the
advantages of having a small wedding—you’re not making a huge to-do so you don’t have to worry if things don’t go off perfectly.”

  “But Sylvan’s friend isn’t here either,” Sophie protested. “I mean, we knew it was iffy when we invited him but I was hoping there would be someone besides Baird to stand up with him.”

  “Well you could have had Deep and Lock if I hadn’t needed them to help,” Kat remarked. “But as it is, Lock is stationed at the docking bay to grab Nadiah and Sylvan’s friend the minute they get here and Deep is at the entrance of the sacred grove to be sure they get into their places quickly and quietly if the ceremony’s already started. So either way, you’re covered.”

  “Thanks, Kat.” Sophie gave her friend an impulsive hug. “You’re right—I should stop worrying. I can see you have everything under control.”

  Kat hugged her back. “Of course I do. So just relax and enjoy your big day. You look beautiful. Sylvan’s a very lucky guy.”

  “Look who I found, wandering around.” Olivia suddenly pushed back into the tent holding someone by the arm. It was a tall, slender girl with pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

  “Nadiah!” Sophie exclaimed happily.

  “Sophie! Omigoddess, you look gorgeous.” The Tranq Prime girl threw herself into Sophie’s arms and hugged her enthusiastically.

  “You look wonderful too.” Sophie hugged her back. The last time she’d seen Nadiah, her pale blond hair had been cut pixie short and frosted purple and blue at the tips. Now it had grown out past her shoulders and had just one deep blue streak which framed her face dramatically.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” Nadiah said, breaking the hug at last. “The stupid transport I hitched a ride on made an unscheduled stop and then when I did finally get onboard the Mother ship, I got lost. This place is huge. Much bigger than my home grotto.”

  “It really is big,” Sophie agreed. “I’m so glad you got here in time but we have to hurry, we only have a minute to change you into your dress before the ceremony starts.” She nodded at the long pale gold gown hanging from the rack which was the twin of the one Olivia was wearing. “I hope I got the right size. I had to guess so—”

  “Oh, no need for that.” Standing directly across from Liv, Nadiah stared hard at the bridesmaid’s dress she was wearing. “See that?” she murmured, stroking the sleeve of the dark green jumpsuit she was wearing. “Emulate.”

  The dark green jumpsuit shifted and then shivered like a live thing—which was exactly what it was, Sophie realized. Nadiah was wearing a tharp—a living furry blanket-type creature that fed on body heat and could be worn as clothing. But she had never seen a tharp like this one.

  It didn’t look furry, for one thing. And though she knew an intelligent tharp could be trained to configure itself into almost any kind of garment, she’d never seen one that could change color like this one was doing. It actually went from dark green to pale gold as she watched—even its texture changed. In less than a minute it was an exact replica of Olivia’s dress—right down to the lace on the sleeves and the deeply scooped neckline.

  “Wow!” Sophie smiled in admiration.

  “That’s amazing,” Liv, who usually didn’t care for tharps, which she referred to as ‘creepy living blankets,’ exclaimed. She stared at the dress Nadiah was still wearing in astonishment. “I didn’t know tharps could do that!”

  “Well they can’t, generally.” Nadiah grinned. “This is a new kind they’re breeding and Mamam got the very first one. It was going to increase her social status immeasurably—only I got to it and imprinted it first.”

  Sophie didn’t care much for Nadiah’s mother, who also happened to be Sylvan’s aunt, so she laughed. “I bet she loved that.”

  “Almost as much as she loved me hitching a ride to the Mother ship right before what was supposed to be my own bonding ceremony.” Nadiah sighed dramatically. “Of course I’ll have to go back eventually. Yo-dah and I have the bond of blood between us—my parents saw to that when they enacted our engagement.” She shook her head. “I still remember crying when they pricked my finger with the stylus. I was just a little thing and it scared me to death.”

  “Wait a minute.” Kat held up a hand. “Did you just say your fiancée is a guy named Yoda?”

  Nadiah nodded. “Yo-dah Licklow. He’s the son of the local magistrate in my grotto.”

  “Yoda Licklow?” Kat was cracking up. “Seriously? That’s his name? So if you married him you’d be Mrs. Yodah Licklow?”

  “Well, not exactly. When speaking formally, we break up the names to show the possessive of bonding,” Nadiah explained. “So my formal name would be Lady Lick Yo-dah Low.”

  “Lick…lick Yoda…low…” Kat dissolved into a fit of giggles and Sophie and Liv couldn’t help laughing too.

  Nadiah smiled at them quizzically. “I’m not sure what’s so funny. I got a shot of translation bacteria but maybe they’re not working right.”

  “They’re working fine,” Sophie assured her with a smile. “Sorry—I’ll explain why it’s funny later but right now the ceremony is about to start.” She sighed. “I’m afraid there’s not going to be anyone for you to do the luck kiss with, though. It looks like Sylvan’s friend couldn’t make it.”

  “Oh, he’ll be here.” Nadiah was unexpectedly serious. “I know he will—I have forseen it.”

  “You what?” Liv asked, frowning.

  “I forsaw him.” Nadiah blushed and looked down at her fingers. “It’s a new thing for me—I just came into my powers when I came of age. But so far it’s always been accurate.”

  “Your powers?” Kat asked blankly. She had finally stopped laughing and was dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

  “The Sight. It’s hereditary in my family,” Nadiah explains. “It skips every other generation. My Grandmaman had it and I have it too. Basically it just means I can see things before they happen.”

  “So…you’re psychic?” Liv sounded skeptical.

  Nadiah lifted her chin. “Call it what you want, but I do have the Sight. And before I came here I saw myself standing in the sacred grove during Sophie’s bonding ceremony and kissing a Kindred male. He’s big and powerful and he has truegreen eyes.” She gave Sophie’s arm a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Sophie—he’ll be here. And when he shows up, I’m going to give him a luck kiss he’ll never forget.”

  * * * * *

  Detective Adam Rast had the strangest sensation of coming home the moment he set foot on the Kindred Mother ship.

  Of course, that made no sense. He’d never even been off the planet before—let alone aboard an alien ship. The closest he’d come to leaving mother Earth was during his stint in the marines where his squadron had been taught to sky dive. Rast hadn’t cared for that much—he preferred to keep both feet planted solidly on the ground. So being in a ship a fourth the size of the moon orbiting high above the planet he’d been born and bred on should have been an uncomfortable experience. Instead it seemed…oddly familiar.

  He tried to shake the ridiculous feeling as he climbed out of the shuttle and thanked the Kindred pilot who had ferried him up from the Human/Kindred relations building in Tampa. Say what you wanted about the aliens who were protecting Earth, but they were damned polite. And no-nonsense, which Rast approved of. Time spent in both the military and the police force before he’d left to start his own detective agency had left him with little tolerance for any kind of foolishness. He appreciated the precision and dignity that seemed to be innate to the Kindred.

  Of course, he wouldn’t be aboard the Mother ship at all if his latest job hadn’t led him in the strangest direction imaginable. Rast specialized in missing persons cases which meant he was usually tracking down runaways or kidnapped children—usually taken by an estranged parent during or after divorce proceedings. When Abigail Jakes had approached him about finding her missing daughter, Lauren, he’d known that the case was different right from the start. It had appeared that she’d disappeared into thin air, vani
shing right out of her clothes which were left in an oddly orderly heap on the floor.

  In fact, that was exactly what had happened. After a lot of probing, Rast had discovered that Lauren Jakes had been taken by the AllFather himself—the leader and overlord of the evil Scourge. He’d been assured by Lauren’s cousins, Olivia and Sophia, that she was in fact well and on her way home, but he would believe that when he saw it. In the mean time, Lauren was still technically missing and the Kindred seemed to have more information about the case than anyone else. Rast was hoping that meeting Commanders Sylvan and Baird face to face would help him establish a working relationship and maybe even get Lauren home faster—if they knew more than they were saying.

  Speaking of Commanders Sylvan and Baird, where were they? Frowning, he looked around the huge, echoing docking bay. Someone was supposed to meet him and escort him somewhere they could talk. Just as he was thinking he would have to find someone to ask for directions, a tall blond Kindred came over to him.

  “Are you here for Sylvan?” the warrior asked, looking at him anxiously. “I certainly hope so because everything is about to begin.”

  Rast nodded. “Yes, I’m here to see Commander Sylvan. Can you show me to him?”

  “I can but there’s no time to use a Take-me. I’ll have to send you in a transport tube. This way.” The warrior began walking through the docking bay, weaving rapidly through the rows of ships. His black boots echoed in the vast space.

  Rast was every bit as large as the Kindred warrior and his stride was as long but he still had to hurry to keep up. His guide seemed to be in a terrible rush for some reason. “Where are we going?” he asked as they came to a row of round, tubular structures at the end of the bay. Each of them looked like an oversized pipe and was a little larger than an old fashioned telephone booth.

  “To the sacred grove.” The Kindred pressed some buttons on the outside of one of the tubes and its silver door whooshed open. “There—get in. It’s a tight fit and you’ll have to change once you get there. I’ll notify Deep you’re on your way.”