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  “You can’t do that,” said Jillian, butting in where she was least wanted—at least in Sophie’s opinion. “It’s been added to the printed program. If they don’t do it you’ll have bad luck for your entire marriage. And besides, people will talk and talk and—”

  “I don’t care if they talk—I care about Sophie.” Olivia frowned. “And I don’t believe in bad luck. That’s just silly.”

  Jillian rolled her eyes and gave Sophie a pitying glance. “All right then, if you really feel like you can’t handle it…”

  “Enough.” Sophie raised her hand. “I’ll do it.”

  “No, you won’t,” Olivia said decisively.

  “Oh, yes I will.” Sophie shot Jillian a glare. There was no way she was backing down now. “It’s just one kiss. I can manage that,” she said, hoping it was true.

  “Are you sure?” Olivia looked at her uncertainly.

  “Sure, I’m sure. We’re not in third grade anymore you know, Liv.”

  “No, we’re not, are we?” Olivia sighed. “I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like yesterday you were fainting in that stupid play. And now we’re all grown up and I’m about to get married. I just wish…” Her voice wavered. “I wish Mom and Dad were here to see it.”

  “Oh, honey, I know.” Sophia put an arm around her sister’s waist and gave her a hug. Their parents had died in a car wreck—victims of a drunk driver—when the girls were in their last year of high school. “But I know they’d be proud,” she said, giving her twin another squeeze. “Look at you—you’re so beautiful in Mom’s wedding dress.” She nodded at the viewer again where they were both reflected.

  The twins looked so much alike in the face it was hard to tell them apart. Only the fact that Sophia had brown hair and green eyes while her twin had blonde hair and gray eyes let people know who was who. Today the white lace dress had transformed Olivia’s appearance—making her look radiantly happy and so gorgeous Sophie wanted to cry. Blinking back tears, she kissed her sister’s cheek. “Baird is going to go crazy when he sees you. I hope he knows how lucky he is to be getting my sister as his bride.”

  “He knows.” Olivia gave her a watery smile and then sniffed. “Oh God, I can’t cry—I’ll ruin my make-up!”

  “Then cheer up,” Sophie commanded. “You’re not allowed to cry—that’s my job, remember?”

  The soft strains of Pachelbel’s canon began drifting through the air, signaling the start of the ceremony and pulling her out of her sisterly reverie. She’d been so caught up in the moment with Olivia she’d almost forgotten what she had agreed to do. Now it all came rushing back. The Luck Kiss…crap—why did I say yes?

  “Hey, enough with the heart to heart sister stuff,” Jillian hissed. “It’s starting.”

  “Oh my God, it is.” Olivia fluttered nervously. “Is my veil straight? Does everything look all right?”

  Her sister’s nerves helped steady Sophie. “You look wonderful and everything is going to be fine,” she said firmly. “It’s your day of all days. And it’s going to be perfect—I just know it.” All except the part where I have to lay a hot one on my future brother-in-law. But she refused to let herself think about that. If she did, she was liable to freak out like she had way back in third grade. And she was determined not to ruin her beloved sister’s wedding—not even if she had to kiss a hundred huge Kindred warriors. Except she only had to kiss one—the one who just happened to invade her every waking thought.

  God, what was she going to do?

  * * * * *

  “What’s this?” Sylvan stared down with dismay at the thick, creamy sheet of vellum the bonding-ceremony program was printed on.

  “What’s what?” Baird was busy buttoning his crimson formal uniform shirt up to his chin, but he spared a glance at his half-brother as he worked.

  “This.” Sylvan pointed to a part of the program. “You told me you weren’t going to have the Luck Kiss in your ceremony. You practically guaranteed it.”

  “Really? Olivia put it in?” Finished with his buttons, Baird took the program and glanced over it rapidly before handing it back. “Guess she must have decided she liked it after all.”

  “Decided she liked it? You didn’t even tell me she was considering it.” Sylvan kept his voice low and controlled with an effort that usually wasn’t necessary. Almost nothing phased him—Tranq Kindred were known for having ice water in their veins and he was no exception to his kind. But his natural calm had left him the minute he found out he’d be kissing Sophia. “I can’t do this,” he said, gesturing with the program. “She hates me.”

  “Oh come on, no she doesn’t.” Baird blew out a breath and tugged at his collar. “This damn thing’s so tight I can hardly breathe. Sure will be glad when this is all over and I can get Olivia back to our suite and take it off”

  “You haven’t even had the bonding ceremony yet,” Sylvan said dryly. “I’m afraid you’ve got a while to go before you can strip down.”

  Baird’s golden eyes lit up with a mixture of love and lust. “Believe me, I won’t be the only one stripping. Olivia hasn’t let me have any for the last Earth week—said it’s some kind of tradition so we’ll be ready for the wedding night. I tell you, Brother, at this point I’m so ready I’m about to explode if you know what I mean.” He arched an eyebrow and did an impromptu bump and grind which made Sylvan hope that no one was sneaking a peek into the male’s tent.

  “Baird, please—is that all you think about?”

  “Sex? Making love to my beautiful mate? Hell, yes.” Baird was clearly unashamed of his one track mind. “And that’s all you’d be thinkin’ about too if you’d have the good sense to call a bride.”

  “How many times do I have to say it?” Sylvan said through gritted teeth. “I have vowed never—”

  “Never to call a bride,” Baird finished for him. “I know, I know. I just wish you would change your mind, Brother. Wish you could experience the joy I feel when I hold Olivia in my arms.”

  “I wish it too,” Sylvan admitted in a low voice. “But even if I hadn’t made a sacred vow to the Mother of All Life, I could never call a bride. That part of me is…broken. Damaged beyond repair.”

  “Don’t you think I was broken too?” Baird demanded, frowning at him. “After what I went through on the Scourge Fathership? Hell, I was shattered into a thousand pieces but Olivia fixed me. I’m telling you, Sylvan, the right female can heal your wounds if you’d just give her a chance.”

  “No such female exists.” Sylvan stared down at the program clutched tightly in his hand. “Not for me.”

  Baird sighed. “I’m sorry, Brother. I get so caught up in my love for my bride and I can’t help wishing the same love for you.”

  “Enough about that—I want to get back to this.” Sylvan rattled the piece of vellum in his half-brother’s face. “You should have informed me about the Luck Kiss. It’s going to be excruciatingly embarrassing for both Sophia and myself.”

  Baird frowned at him. “You really don’t want to kiss her, do you? What’s wrong—don’t you find her attractive? She looks just like Olivia in the face, even if they do have totally different personalities.”

  “No, no—it’s not that,” Sylvan protested. “She’s beautiful—gorgeous.” In fact, just the thought of Sophia’s curvy figure and lovely face made his shaft harden uncomfortably in his dress slacks and the double set of fangs in his upper teeth sharpen alarmingly. And then there was the matter of those troubling dreams he’d been having lately…but it was better not to think about that. “I just don’t want to kiss a female who doesn’t want me to kiss her,” he ended stiffly.

  “Loosen up, Sylvan—it’s just one kiss. And it isn’t like you two are going to be spending a lot of time together afterwards.” Baird slapped him on the back. “Come on—I hear the music starting and my bride is waiting for me. Are you going to stand with me or not?”

  “Of course I will.” Sylvan frowned, stung that his half-brother would think he
might go back on his promise. “I’ll always stand by you, Brother—in danger, darkness or despair.” It was a warrior’s pledge and Baird smiled when he heard it.

  “I appreciate that. But why do I get the feeling you’d be more comfortable going back to the Scourge Fathership with me than standing beside me at my bonding ceremony?”

  “Probably because I would,” Sylvan admitted with a sigh. “But today is about joy. Yours and Olivia’s. Come—let’s go celebrate it.”

  “It’s the celebration afterwards I’m more interested in,” Baird rumbled. He had that hungry look in his amber eyes—the gleam he’d had the very first time he’d seen Olivia, when he’d called her to be his bride. Sylvan couldn’t help wishing a little wistfully that he himself might feel such deep emotions for a female, but his one chance had passed and he knew it would never come again.

  With another deep sigh, he followed his half-brother out of the tent and across the wide green and purple lawn to the sacred grove where the bonding ceremony was beginning.

  It was going to be a long, long afternoon.

  Chapter Two

  The ceremony was actually quite beautiful. The pale green artificial sun shone through the leaves of the blessed trees, making magical patterns on the ground and the green and purple grass was springy under Sophie’s bare feet. Shoes were forbidden in the sacred grove, so the entire wedding party was barefoot. The guests—mostly other Kindred and their families, since the sisters didn’t have many relatives—were seated on rows of purple metal benches arranged in a semi-circle around the happy couple and their attendants.

  Olivia’s bouquet of rare lavender roses was beautiful and her white lace dress looked simple yet elegant next to Baird’s dress uniform of black pants and a dark crimson shirt. The statue of the Mother of Life which stood at the head of the sacred grove seemed to preside over everything with an aura of peace and love. Even the stern Kindred priestess who was conducting the ceremony had a look of approval in her green-on-green eyes.

  It was picture-perfect and Sophie knew she would have enjoyed it immensely if the damn Luck Kiss hadn’t been hanging over her head. The entire time while the priestess intoned the words of bonding, first in English and then in the guttural Kindred universal language, Sophie kept stealing glances in Sylvan’s direction.

  Though she’d had several visits to the Kindred ship in the past month, she hadn’t seen her future brother-in-law since the last time she’d yelled at him and stormed out of the Human/Kindred relations building back on Earth. Just the memory of it made her cheeks hot with shame. I really laid into him. He probably can’t wait for this to be over.

  Despite her fear, or maybe because of it, Sophie couldn’t seem to stop looking at him. He looked as handsome as ever and even bigger than she remembered, if that was possible.

  Did he grow or something? No, probably not. He’s just freaking huge is all. She wished the Kindred weren’t so physically imposing. Sylvan’s shoulders were fully twice as broad as her own and the muscles bulging under his uniform shirt made it clear he was strong enough to break her in half with one hand. Not that she thought he would hurt her but it certainly would have been easier to kiss him if he was more normal sized instead of being so ginormous.

  He was wearing black tight fitting pants identical to Baird’s, but instead of deep crimson, the material of his uniform shirt was a pale azure blue that complemented his eyes. His hair was a darker shade of blond than Olivia’s and it was still cut short and spiky. Looking at him, Sophie couldn’t help thinking that despite the severe cut, his hair looked like it would be soft to touch. In fact, she could almost feel the feathery brush of those blond spikes whispering against her fingers…

  She snapped out of the strange fantasy in time to realize two things. One, the ceremony was almost over—in fact, Baird had Olivia bent over one arm and was kissing her for all he was worth. And two, she’d been staring at Sylvan and he was staring right back with an unreadable look in his pale eyes.

  Sophie dropped her gaze quickly, feeling her cheeks get even hotter. She wished she knew what he was thinking but it was impossible to guess when he kept his features under such tight control. Probably thinking how much he hates me and how unpleasant it’s going to be to kiss me. God, this is awful.

  “And now,” the priestess intoned, breaking her train of thought. “For the future good fortune of the happy couple the unmated male and female who stand with them will perform the Luck Kiss.”

  Oh my God, the kiss. It’s time for the kiss! Sophie had thought she would be ready for it when the time came, but somehow the moment had snuck up on her without warning. Sylvan took a step forward but she remained rooted to the spot, staring at him in terror.

  He stared back at her and then held out a hand. There was a breathless silence from the assembled crowd, but when Sophie made no move go to him, a soft murmuring began. Staring out at the sea of faces Sophie saw, or thought she saw, looks of disapproval everywhere. Even Kat, her closest friend besides Olivia, was looking at her with uncertainty in her big blue eyes.

  Oh my God, Sophie thought, panicking. It’s just like Jillian said—if I don’t do this everyone is going to talk about it and say I gave Liv and Baird bad luck. And just listen to them—it’s already starting. I have to do this. I have to kiss him NOW.

  But somehow she just couldn’t.

  * * * * *

  Just look at her—she’s frightened to death. I’m going to kill Baird for making me do this to her! Sylvan stared in dismay at the female he was supposed to kiss, though he tried to keep the negative emotion off his face. He held out a hand to her but she didn’t come—just kept staring at him like a terrified animal caught in the glare of a shuttle craft’s high beams. It was clear that kissing him was the last thing in the universe she wanted to do.

  People were beginning to talk. I’ll have to go to her. Maybe she doesn’t know it’s the female who comes to the male for the kiss? Or maybe she was just frozen with terror. Sylvan’s heart ached at the thought. He was about to step toward her again when her paralysis apparently broke and she ran over to him. But when she reached him she just stood there, her small cool hand clutching his and a look of panic in her large green eyes.

  I held her hands once before, Sylvan couldn’t help remembering. In the Human/Kindred relations building back on Earth. I was trying to prepare her to lose her sister to Baird and she was so angry with me—she hated me. No doubt she hates me still. But Gods, I wish she didn’t have so much fear in her eyes. If only I could make her understand that I would never harm her…

  “Sophia?” he asked softly, trying to make his voice non-threatening. “Are you all right?”

  “I…I…” She shook her head, looking so lost and terrified that Sylvan was almost overcome with a desire to gather her into his arms and comfort her. It was an irrational reaction. He was the one she was terrified of, so how could he possibly give her comfort? Yet he couldn’t help it—the need to protect and soothe the little human female was almost overwhelming.

  Just as the whispering from the crowd was beginning again he saw a change on her face. It went suddenly from terrified to determined. Then, rising on her tiptoes she whispered something that pierced his heart.

  “I’m sorry. “I know you don’t want this—don’t want me—but we have to do it.”

  “I—” Sylvan began, meaning to protest the idea that he didn’t want her. But before he could speak he felt her small, warm mouth covering his and he was suddenly lost.

  She was inexperienced—he could tell that much from the way she trembled in his arms. For some reason that only fanned the flame of lust and need that flared suddenly to life inside him.

  Sylvan pulled her closer, slanting his mouth over hers for greater contact. He forgot that the woman he held didn’t want him, forgot that they were engaged in a ceremonial kiss that was purely for show. All his brain registered was the delicious feel of her soft, luscious curves against his own hard warrior’s body. The press of her r
ipe breasts against his chest, the sweet taste of her tongue as he parted her lips and entered her. Her warm secret female scent filled his senses and his cock hardened, pressing against her belly shamelessly, but Sylvan didn’t care. He was consumed with a new sensation—a pleasurable pain he had never felt before.

  It was a hot, prickling feeling centered around the double set of vestigial fangs which grew in his mouth where a human’s canine teeth would be. They were joined together, rather like a cat’s back teeth, and the second set was slightly shorter than the longer, more prominent fangs in front. Sylvan had felt them sharpen before but this was different—suddenly and without warning they lengthened into finely honed daggers that filled his mouth as surely and completely as desire filled his body.

  Careful, he thought or tried to think through the haze of lust that clouded his reason. Sophia’s so small, so delicate. If I’m not careful I’ll crush her or—

  “Ow! You bit me!” Sophia pushed against his chest with one hand and cupped her wounded mouth with the other. For a moment he couldn’t make himself let her go but then the expression on her face finally registered. The fear was back in her large green eyes and this time it was mixed with pain. “That really hurt,” she whispered.

  “I’m so sorry.” Sylvan’s voice sounded strange even in his own ears as he tried to get used to talking with his new fangs. Damn it, why wouldn’t they shrink again? And why had they grown in the first place? Anyone would think he wanted to bond her to him. But that wasn’t true—couldn’t be true.

  He was aware of the whispering going on around them again but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the wounded look in Sophia’s eyes. The look that said she was in pain and he was the cause of it. It was almost more than he could bear.

  “Please,” he said, reaching for her. “I’m truly sorry. It was an accident.”