Bonding With the Beast Read online

  “Yup—I’m bringing everything but the kitchen sink. You’re right—it’s going to be a great party.”

  Kat had asked Isobel to help plan her friend Mei-Li’s baby shower, knowing that Isobel had run a successful party planning business in California before she’d gone back to being a paralegal in Tampa. Isobel was pretty sure her friend was just being nice but she was happy to have a chance to do something she loved again—she missed her little business but she hadn’t been able to take it with her when she left. It was better…safer…to just go back to being a paralegal. She was able to be more anonymous that way, which meant her ex, Mitch, couldn’t find her.

  Mitch…sometimes she could go days without thinking about him and other times he was a dark cloud hanging over her head, a bad penny just waiting to turn up again. Isobel tried to push the thought out of her mind and concentrate on the matter at hand.

  “So when does the Kindred taxi you sent for me get here?” she asked Kat.

  “Should be soon,” Kat told her. “But about that—I, uh, kind of need to warn you about your ‘taxi driver.’”

  “What about him? I assume it’s one of the Kindred, right?”

  The huge alien warriors mostly kept to themselves up in the Mother Ship but seeing them down on Earth was becoming more common. Kat had told Isobel they were trying to be less mysterious and more transparent to the people of the planet they were protecting. The Kindred bride draft had only recently been reinstated after some serious misunderstandings between the two peoples and the big warriors didn’t want their access to marriageable females cut off again.

  “He is Kindred…” Kat still sounded hesitant. “Actually, he’s a Dark Kindred.”

  “What?” Isobel heard the note of panic in her own voice and tried to tone it down. “I mean…why…why would you send me one of those?”

  The Dark Kindred had tried to take over Earth not that long ago. They had decimated whole urban areas before the regular Kindred from the Mother Ship could stop them. There had been a rumor circulating that the Dark Kindred were being controlled by an advanced race of Artificial Intelligence and that was why they had attacked in the first place. But Isobel didn’t care what the reason behind the attack was—she only knew she’d been scared to death for herself and her son and she didn’t really want to meet one of the attackers first hand.

  “His name is Nine,” Kat said and there was a rumble of a male voice in the background correcting her. “Or no—Deep says he goes by Hail now. Like frozen hail? Anyway, he’s a really nice guy and he agreed to come get you because everyone else is busy. He’s a friend of Mei-Li’s husband, Six—he’s a Dark Kindred too, you know.”

  “Okaaaay,” Isobel said doubtfully. “Well, if you’re sending him then I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “He’s more than fine, girlfriend. You should see him—I think you’ll like him, if you like the tall, dark and handsome type.” There was a hint of mischief in Kat’s tone now that Isobel remembered from their USF days.

  “Kat,” she said sternly. “You’d better not be playing matchmaker here. I just got away from a pretty bad relationship about a year ago—and besides, if he’s that handsome and fabulous he’s not going to be interested in me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kat demanded indignantly. “You’re gorgeous, Izzy! With that caramel colored hair and those big brown doe eyes and—”

  “And the plus-sized behind,” Isobel interjected. “Don’t forget about that because you can bet no man ever will.”

  “No human man, maybe,” Kat said. “But Kindred are different. In fact, a lot of them prefer girls with some extra junk in the trunk.”

  “Twin Kindred might like that,” Isobel objected. “But I don’t know what Dark Kindred like and I’m not too interested to find out either.”

  “Why not? Honey, if what you told me about Mitch is true, you’re well shut of him! There’s no love lost there so why not put yourself on the market again? Put your name back in the draft and see if you get called as a bride.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t do that!” Isobel said quickly. Just the thought of entering her name into the Kindred bride draft made her stomach feel like about a billion butterflies had taken up residence there.

  “Why not?” Kat insisted. “You’re beautiful and sweet and smart. Any guy—any Kindred—would be lucky to have you.”

  “They might not think so when they found out about all my baggage,” Isobel said. She frowned in the mirror again and dabbed on some lipstick.

  “What baggage?” Kat asked. “You’re not just saying that because you’re a single mom, are you?”

  Isobel sighed. “Look, Kat, it’s one thing to be a single mom but when you’re kid is on the Spectrum, well, that makes things more…complicated.”

  “I can’t imagine any guy not loving Brandon when they got to know him,” Kat said promptly. “He’s so smart! And he cracks me up with the big words he uses. He’s only seven but he talks like an adult!”

  “Yeah, well I’d like to think that any man who said they loved me would love him too,” Isobel said. “Unfortunately, I don’t believe that’s true. Even his own father—” She stopped short, unable to say it, unable to talk about her ex and the way he had related—or rather not related—to their son.

  “Izzy?” The cautious tone of Kat’s voice said she knew she had hit a nerve.

  “Never mind.” Isobel took a deep breath. “I just…I should be over it by now. Anyway, let’s just say that I don’t feel like I can trust a strange man around Brandon. I’d rather stay single than risk his safety.”

  “Awww, I understand, hon,” Kat said softly. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  “Of course you didn’t.” Isobel took a deep breath and tried to smile, even though her friend couldn’t see her. “I’m fine.”

  “You could be finer though—just think about joining the draft,” Kat urged. “Kindred guys are a lot different from human men—they’re more trustworthy. Plus, you can’t tell me you don’t dream of finding some hot guy and getting a little nookie from time to time.”

  A sudden image floated into Isobel’s head—a tall male with incredibly broad shoulders and a strong jaw. He had short dark hair and sensual lips that looked just made for kissing. But his eyes…

  I can never see his eyes. They’re shielded…hidden…

  Isobel shook her head and pushed the thought away. She didn’t even know where the strange image had come from. From some half-remembered dream probably. At any rate, she didn’t have time for it now.

  “Listen,” she told Kat. “I’d better get going. I want to give my babysitter some instructions before my ride gets here.”

  “See you soon,” Kat said. “Can’t wait, doll.”

  “Me either,” said Isobel, really meaning it. She hung up her phone, tucked it into her purse, and smoothed down her fly-away hair as best she could. Then, with a final glance in the mirror, she grabbed her bag and ran lightly down the stairs.

  “Brandon,” she called. “Did you ask if Mrs. Hallstead wanted a glass of water? She is our guest and—”

  She stopped dead at the foot of the stairs, the words dying in her throat.

  There, sitting beside Brandon at the coffee table was a total stranger who just happened to be the most enormous man she had ever seen in her life.

  Chapter Three

  Hail looked up from the drawing he and the young one had been immersed in. Strangely enough, this was the boy from his dream—the one he had seen who wore thick oculars and had an inward looking expression on his face.

  Hail had been surprised—though only mildly so, due to the low setting on his emotion damper—when the door had opened and the familiar face had peered out. The boy had looked at him quizzically but without fear and had let him in without hesitation when he’d explained he was to take Isobel Yates—who was apparently the boy’s mother—up to the Mother Ship.

  “You’re big,” the boy had said. “Enormous…tremendous…gigantic. Also, your f
ace reminds me of a robot,” he added thoughtfully.

  “I do have some enhancements,” Hail had replied. “My oculars allow me to see great distances and through certain substances. I can also focus on microscopic details with them that would elude my organic eyes.”

  “Oculars? You mean your sunglasses? I have glasses too but they’re not that ad…advanced.” The small boy pointed at his face where a thick pair of lenses sat in front of his mild brown eyes.

  “Do they only correct your vision?” Hail asked. “If so you should seek your mother’s permission to come to the Mother Ship and get a more efficient enhancement. The lenses you are wearing appear to be bulky and cumbersome.”

  “Cumb…cumbersome…” The boy seemed to be tasting the word. “I have to look that up.” He smiled shyly at Hail. “I like people who give me new words.”

  “All knowledge is valuable,” Hail said. “Cumbersome means awkward, clumsy, unwieldy, or inconvenient.”

  The boy’s eyes widened behind his lenses. “Wow—you know a lot of words!”

  Hail nodded. “Thank you. I am still learning your language but Kindred have an innate gift for foreign tongues.”

  “Because you’re genetic traders, right? You go to other planets and marry their women? That way the babies are half Kindred and half the other people, right?”

  “Well…yes. Some of us do, anyway.” Hail was surprised and a bit uncertain. Though the human boy was very young he appeared to have advanced information and understanding beyond his years.

  The boy cocked his head to one side.

  “Can you take your oculars off so I can draw them? I was drawing a diagram for the engine of a hyper-kinetic invisible car…” He pointed to an elaborate and complicated looking sketch covering most of a large sheet of lined paper on the low table in front of them. “But I’d rather draw your oculars—they’re real.”

  “So they are. But I’m afraid they don’t come off. Not all the way, anyway,” Hail said.

  “But if they don’t come off, how can I take them apart and see how they work?” The boy frowned. “I like to take things apart. My mom got kind of mad at me for dis…dis…disassembling our TV. But I wanted to know where the picture came from.”

  “I’ll sit down so you can get a closer look at them,” Hail offered. “And I’ll tell you about the circuitry inside them. Would that be an adequate compromise?”

  The boy appeared to think this over for a moment, then nodded gravely.

  “Yes, that would be ad…adequate,” he said at last. “Oh, and I’m Brandon. I guess I should have told you that first.”

  “Brandon, I am Commander Hail of the Kindred.” On impulse, Hail held out his arm for a warrior’s clasp. After a moment of consideration Brandon held out his small arm and they shook.

  Formalities taken care of, Hail sat down beside the low table to get more on the young one’s level. Brandon sat beside him and got out a new sheet of paper. As he drew a surprisingly good rendition of Hail’s oculars, the two of them spoke of the intricate technology and Brandon surprised Hail by being able to sketch the internal components as Hail described them.

  This young one must be gifted and unique, he thought. He acts very differently from the other human and Kindred young ones I have encountered aboard the Mother Ship.

  He found that he enjoyed spending time with Brandon and sketching and discussing the oculars with him. The child had a quick and inventive mind and he spoke knowledgeably on subjects that should have been too advanced for him to comprehend.

  In fact, Hail found the encounter so enjoyable that he reached to the back of his neck and turned up his emotion damper. He had no worries about going into rage or lust in this setting or with the present company. He simply wanted to more fully feel his pleasure in interacting with this strange but intriguing young one.

  And that was why, when she came down the steps, her presence hit him like a blow.

  So beautiful, Hail thought, his eyes scanning over her lush curves and long, golden brown hair. She had large, brown eyes and delicate features—features he had seen in his dreams.

  This time, because of his heightened emotions, he felt much more surprise at seeing a familiar face from his dreams suddenly appear in front of him.

  Her…it’s her! The one I’ve been dreaming of since I came to the Mother Ship.

  Hail knew it was true. Though he had tried to pretend to himself that the dreams meant nothing and were infrequent, now he had to admit the truth—he had them almost every night and this beautiful female was the one he dreamed of. She and her son, who was still happily drawing at Hail’s side.

  Should turn my emotion damper to the lowest setting, he thought, feeling his heart pound harder behind his ribs. But somehow he couldn’t bear to do it. She was so lovely…so perfect. It took his breath away and made his body react in strange new ways but though they were uncomfortable they were not entirely unpleasant. He wanted to explore these new feelings and it should be safe enough—after all, his damper was still only set to medium.

  “Who…who are you?” The female’s voice shook as she stepped towards him and he saw her large brown eyes flicker rapidly between him and her son. Clearly she feared for the boy.

  Wanting to put her at ease, Hail rose to his feet and took a step towards her.

  “Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier,” he said. “I am Commander Hail of the Kindred and you must be Isobel Yates. I have come for you.”

  * * * * *

  Had Isobel thought he was huge sitting down? Well standing up he was absolutely enormous. A mountain of living, breathing muscle. Not that he was over-muscly in that gross, oily, fake tan, body-builder kind of way. His skin was a natural olive and his musculature was very much in proportion to his size—it was just that his size was XXXL.

  When he spoke his voice was a deep rumble that seemed to vibrate Isobel’s entire body and when he said, “I have come for you,” she nearly fainted.

  The dreams, she thought frantically. His eyes are hidden, just like in my dreams. Oh my God—how could I have dreamed of him?

  “Um…uh…I’m so sorry,” she said at last. “I thought…thought you were Mrs. Hallstead, the babysitter I hired.”

  He frowned, which made his stern features positively frightening.

  “Why would you employ someone to sit on an infant?”

  Isobel felt a hysterical giggle rise in her throat. She swallowed it down with difficulty.

  “No, uh—that’s just a word we have that means someone who stays with a child while the parent goes out,” she explained, trying to keep a straight face.

  “Ah, yes.” He nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you for the clarification. As I was telling your young one, I am still learning your language. Some of the idioms continue to escape me.”

  “Hail has been teaching me new words, Mom,” Brandon said, without looking up from his drawing. “Did you know that ‘cumbersome’ means awkward, clumsy, unwieldy, or inconvenient?”

  “As a matter of fact I did.” Isobel took a deep breath, trying to still her beating heart. When she’d first seen the huge Kindred she feared for Brandon’s safety. However, the two of them seemed to be getting along fine for some reason. It was still strange to see the man she’d dreamed of standing here in the flesh in her living room but she was sure there was some rational explanation for that…wasn’t there? Maybe it was some kind of Kindred thing she could ask Kat about when she saw her.

  “Hail says my glasses are cumbersome.” Brandon looked up at last. “Can I go to the Kindred Mother Ship with you and get my eyes done like his? His oculars can see through metal and wood and they can see far away and up close too. Isn’t that cool?”

  “Extremely cool,” Isobel agreed, shooting an uneasy glance at the mirrored black lenses that covered the huge Kindred’s eyes. “But I don’t know if, uh, oculars like Commander Hail’s would be right for you.”

  “Why not?” Brandon demanded. “I want to see through buildings and look at thin
gs far away like Hail. It would be exactly like Superman only you couldn’t shoot lasers out of your eyes.” He looked at the giant Kindred speculatively. “Or can you?”

  “I do have some weaponized oculars I wear for combat which are capable of shooting bursts of energy,” the big Kindred said, nodding. “However, I have not needed to use them since I came to live on the Mother Ship.”

  You mean since you used them to attack the Earth, Isobel thought and shuddered. How could she have dreamed of this man? And why did being in the same room with him make her feel so strange?

  “So why not, Mom?” Brandon persisted. “Hail says they have a surgeon on the Mother Ship who can give anybody oculars like his.”

  “But if you had oculars like Commander Hail’s then I couldn’t see your pretty eyes,” Isobel said as lightly as she could. “And that would be a shame because I love your eyes, Brandon-bug.”

  She’d meant the remark to be lighthearted but it seemed to have an effect on the big Kindred.

  “My apologies,” he said at once. “I was warned that my oculars might make me appear threatening. I should have thought to divest myself of them earlier.”

  He pressed a small button that seemed to be embedded in his left temple and the mirrored lenses that had covered his eyes abruptly lifted and seemed to collapse in on themselves. Soon they were no more than a thin, dark line just above his eyebrows.

  “Wow, cool!” Brandon, who had been watching exclaimed. But the next moment, he looked intently back down at his drawing. As for most kids on the Spectrum, eye contact was difficult for him. It was probably one reason he’d felt so comfortable talking to the huge Kindred—because he hadn’t been able to see his eyes.

  “Does revealing my eyes put you more at ease?” Hail rumbled, pulling her attention away from her son.

  “Oh, um…” Since his words seemed to imply that she should look into his eyes, Isobel took a hesitant step forward and looked up at him—way up. He must be seven feet tall at least, she thought. And his shoulders were easily twice as broad as her own. When she raised her eyes to meet his, she gave a little gasp.