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  She pulled away before he could touch her. “It’s all right.” But her voice and actions said it wasn’t. Said that it would never be all right. And why did that tear at his heart so?

  “Hey, what’s happening over here? That was some kiss.” Apparently the ceremony was over because Kat, one of Olivia’s best friends from Earth, was suddenly beside them. Her full curves were draped in a sapphire blue gown and her deep red hair was piled becomingly atop her head. She was followed by two warriors that Sylvan knew well, though he hadn’t seen them in several cycles.

  “Deep, Lock,” he greeted the Twin Kindred, relieved to find that his fangs had finally returned to their normal size. “It’s good to see you, brothers.”

  “We had to witness our brother’s bonding.” Stabs Deep, the dark twin of the two, nodded formally. He had black hair and eyes and a brooding look on his strong features.

  “We had to see what kind of female would agree to take Baird as a mate.” The gleam of good humor in the warm brown eyes of Locks Tight, the light twin of the pair, let Sylvan know he was joking. Though he resembled his twin closely in the face, he had dark blond hair and stood about an inch shorter than Deep. Both of them towered over Kat and Sophie however—like all Kindred males they were muscular and well over six and a half feet in height.

  “Baird’s bride is a worthy female,” Sylvan said, trying to sound normal, though he was still disturbed over what had happened during the Luck Kiss. “Her name is Olivia. Would you care to meet her before she and Baird cut the bonding confection—er wedding cake?”

  “Lead the way, Brother.” Deep made an expansive gesture with one hand. “But before we go…” He turned to Kat. “Forgive me but what did you say your name was my lady?”

  “Katrina. But I usually go by Kat.” She smiled in an open, friendly manner. “And you two are…?”

  “Stabs Deep and Locks Tight,” Sylvan supplied the introduction politely. “They are second brothers to Baird and myself. Our father married their mother.”

  Lock frowned. “So you said your name was Cat? Like the Earth animal you humans keep as a pet?”

  “Not quite. It’s spelled K-A-T, not…oh never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Kat shrugged.

  “About cats…” Deep leaned closer and gave Kat a speculative look. “Isn’t that the lovely little animal that makes soft sounds of pleasure when you stroke it?”

  For some reason Kat’s cheeks grew pink and she seemed embarrassed, though it was a simple enough question in Sylvan’s estimation. Maybe it was the intent way both Deep and Lock were looking at her that made her blush.

  “I…I suppose. Yes, they d-do,” she stammered. “It’s called purring.”

  “I see.” Deep smiled at her. “I’ve often wanted to stroke a cat just to hear those sounds. I’m certain the vids we have of it on Twin Moons don’t do it justice.”

  “I—” Kat began but before she could say more Lock grabbed hold of his twin’s arm and began towing him away.

  “Forgive him, my lady,” he said, winking at Kat. “Extreme beauty makes him extremely stupid. Come on,” he said when Deep started to protest. “You’re making her uncomfortable.”

  “I’m not—”

  “Just come on.” Lock looked at Sylvan. “I believe you were about to introduce us to the bride?”

  “Oh, of course. This way.” Sylvan cast one last look over at Sophia, but she had already turned away and was talking quietly with Kat.

  He wished desperately that he could apologize one more time, that he could explain to her what had happened. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t explain it to himself. Why had he reacted so strangely to a simple Luck Kiss? And why could he still taste the single, salty drop of blood he’d drawn from her lower lip on his tongue?

  With an unhappy sigh, he decided to let the matter rest and turned toward the place where Baird and Olivia were receiving the well wishes of their guests and kin. He still had no idea why the kiss had gone so strangely, but of one thing he was certain—if Sophia hadn’t hated him before, she certainly did now.

  Chapter Three

  “What was that all about with the Twin Kindred?” Sophia asked as they made their way to the refreshment pavilion which had been set up on the far side of the sacred grove. They’d spent the last hour watching the cake cutting ceremony and then Liv had thrown her bouquet. Kat had been reaching for it but it was Lock, Sylvan’s light haired step brother—or second brother, whichever—who had caught it. He had handed it to Kat with a courtly bow which made Deep, his twin scowl. Kat had blushingly accepted the lovely bunch of lavender roses and then she and Sophie had beat a hasty retreat.

  “I could ask you the same thing. What was going on during that Luck Kiss? At first you looked like you were going to die of fright and then you got really into it—right before you jerked away, anyway. What happened?” Kat asked, squeezing her arm.

  “I…I don’t exactly know. I was scared to death at first,” Sophia admitted. “I didn’t even know I was supposed to kiss him until we got into the bride’s tent and started helping Liv get ready.”

  “I can’t believe she did that to you.” Kat frowned. “She knows what a shrinking violet you are. Well, sorry hon but you are,” she added when Sophie made a face at her. “I mean it’s not like I’m burning up the sheets either, but if you look up ‘shy’ in a dictionary you’d find your picture there.”

  “I’m not that bad,” Sophie protested. “Okay, well maybe I am. But it wasn’t all Liv’s fault—Jillian talked her into adding it. Apparently the Luck Kiss is some kind of Twin Moons Kindred thing. She had it in her ceremony and she thought it was so romantic she wanted Liv to have it too.”

  “It looked more awkward than romantic, I’m afraid.”

  “Did it really?” Sophie felt sick. “Oh please tell me I didn’t ruin the ceremony! I wanted so much to do things right for Liv—it would kill me to think I hurt her special day.”

  “No, no—it was fine.” Kat rubbed her arm soothingly. “Here, have some punch.” They had reached the pavilion at last and she handed Sophie a tall fluted glass filled with some kind of dark blue liquid.

  “What’s this?” Sophie eyed it uncertainly. It looked like dishwashing soap but the fumes coming off it were definitely alcoholic.

  Kat shrugged. “Dunno. Some delicacy from Rageron. Liv wanted me to get something called ‘fireflower juice’ but the supplier I talked to said they were all out. This is the next best thing apparently—and with twice the alcohol content. Bottoms up!” With a grin she downed half the contents of her glass. “Wow, that really packs a punch,” she gasped, her eyes watering.

  Sophie sniffed the thick blue liquid, which smelled strangely of almonds and some kind of spice, and took a careful sip. The flavor exploded across her tongue and burned her wounded lip like fire. “Ow!” She nearly dropped her glass. “That stings! Like drinking freaking Tabasco sauce.”

  “I’m sorry—I should have warned you it was hot.” Kat gave her a worried look. “Hey, are you all right?”

  “I’m okay—it just burned my lip where Sylvan bit me.” Sophie licked the lip in question, sucking it to get the last traces of the alien alcohol off.

  “Wait a minute, he what? He bit you? Is that why you jerked away so fast at the end of the kiss?”

  Sophie shrugged uneasily. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to—he said it was an accident.”

  “Accident or not, he should have apologized.” Kat was still angry on her behalf.

  “He did. Seriously, Kat, it’s all right. But I was afraid something like that was going to happen. I mean, what with his fangs and all. Even though Jillian said they wouldn’t get sharp enough to hurt anyone unless…”

  “Unless what?” Kat frowned.

  “Never mind.” Sophie twirled her glass by the stem, watching the thick blue liquid slosh gently from side to side. “It’s nothing. It just proves that Jillian isn’t the expert on all things Kindred she thinks she is.”

  “She always was a kno
w-it-all,” Kat agreed, much to Sophie’s relief. “I was really surprised when Liv asked her to be a bridesmaid. She’s so—oh look, they’re starting a dance. I better go over and make sure the DJ has the right mix of music.” Patting Sophie’s arm a final time she put down her glass and rushed over to the far side of the pavilion to where a tall Beast Kindred was standing behind a wall of sound-conducting glass manipulating some kind of audio equipment.

  Glad to be alone, Sophie went and took a seat in the shade of one of the green and purple trees. One of the nice things about having the wedding “outside” in the wide park-like area which was the center of the Kindred ship, was that there were no biting ants or stinging bees to worry about. She could wiggle her bare toes in the grass without fear of something creepy-crawly coming after her.

  Gingerly, she touched the hurt place on her bottom lip where Sylvan’s fang had cut her. It wasn’t really a bite—not really. He just cut me by accident when his fangs got so sharp and long. I could feel them growing while we kissed. But why had they grown in the first place? And why had she felt so strange when he was kissing her? Did the growth of his fangs have anything to do with the other “growth” she’d felt lower down? He was hard and pressing against me. Sophie felt hot all over at the thought. And his body felt so big and warm…

  The press of his large, male body had been both scary and exciting. Sophie had to admit she’d almost been enjoying herself until the bite. Sylvan really was very handsome except for those fangs. They’d been so long and sharp—like double bladed daggers in his mouth. They transformed him from a large, very attractive man to something completely different. Something alien and frightening…

  She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself though it was warm in the artificial sunlight. She had an intense phobia of needles and she’d always hated horror movies—especially anything to do with vampires. And what were Blood Kindred if not modern day vampires who just happened to come from a different galaxy?

  “You look troubled, daughter of another star.”

  “Huh?” Sophie looked up, shading her eyes against the pale green sunlight to see who was talking.

  The priestess who had presided over the ceremony was standing there, staring down at her with a thoughtful look in her green-on-green eyes. The irises were a dark olive, Sophie couldn’t help noticing, while the whites of the priestess’s eyes were a pale shade that was almost lime. It should have been a strange combination but somehow it looked right in the Kindred woman’s face.

  “Do you need counsel?” the priestess asked, still staring at Sophie patiently.

  “Uh, counsel about what? Ma’am?” Sophie added at the last minute, uncertain how to address the priestess. God, she’ so tall! Kindred women were very rare as she understood it, but if this one was any indication of the rest, they were certainly able to stand up to their men.

  “About whatever is troubling you.” The priestess settled across from her on the grass and took Sophie’s hands without asking. “I saw the Luck Kiss you performed with the Tranq male—it bothered you greatly, did it not?”

  “Oh no, not a bit,” Sophie said quickly. She was intensely uncomfortable and wished she could pull her hands away from the other woman but she was afraid of being rude. Also, the Kindred priestess had a pretty strong grip and Sophie wasn’t sure she could pull away even if she tried. “I’m fine, honestly,” she said, hoping to get rid of the woman. “And I really need to go see my sister so—”

  “You lie.” The green-on-green eyes narrowed and the priestess frowned. “That is forbidden in the sacred grove but I will forgive it this once since you are not of our people.”

  “Please,” Sophie begged, tugging at the unbreakable grip on her hands. God but the woman was strong. “I don’t want any trouble.”

  “But trouble will find you whether you wish for it or not. Indeed, it is stalking you as we speak.” The priestess leaned forward staring into her eyes. “In order to help you I must look into you.”

  Sophie had no idea what that might entail but it didn’t sound at all enjoyable. “Look,” she babbled, still trying to pull away. “I appreciate your concern but I’m really not ready to perform any kind of uh, religious ritual or whatever it is you’re talking about. I mean, I’m Methodist and we don’t really believe in—”

  “I will look into you now.”

  “I—” Before Sophie could protest further the strange green eyes seemed to grow until they filled her entire field of vision. And then she felt a sensation like cool, delicate fingers prying into her mind and suddenly all she could see was the past.

  Memories of her childhood swept over her: the closeness she shared with Olivia, the love she’d felt for her wonderful parents. Days, months and years blurred together until Sophie felt dizzy. She was just beginning to hope that the priestess was almost done when the blur suddenly stopped and one particular memory was brought to the forefront of her mind.

  Oh no, not that! Cringing mentally, Sophie tried to push the memory away. It was awful—so awful she tried not to think about it. She had buried it deep but somehow the Kindred priestess dug it up and brought it into the light.

  “No!” Sophie gasped. “Please, please not that. Not—”

  “What’s going on here?”

  The loud masculine voice seemed to break the connection between the priestess and herself. Sophie’s eyes, which had been shut tight while she fought the awful memory, flew open and she looked up.

  Sylvan was standing over her with an angry look on his face. No, not angry—enraged, Sophia realized. His ice blue eyes were blazing and his fangs were out again, razor sharp and ready. The expression on his chiseled features made him look like an avenging angel towering over her.

  “Oh,” she gasped, unable to stop looking at his fangs. “I don’t know. I—”

  “What are you subjecting her to?” Sylvan demanded of the priestess who still looked completely calm.

  “I am simply looking into her. There is a shadow around her heart—it is my duty to see into it.”

  “Not if your seeing causes her pain.” Sylvan’s voice was a low, menacing growl. “Release her.”

  The calm expression on the Kindred woman’s face turned to anger and her grip on Sophie’s hands tightened until she squeaked in pain. “You overstep yourself, Warrior.”

  “That may be, but I will not see you hurt her.” Leaning down Sylvan put himself on the priestess’s level and looked into her eyes. “Release her now.”

  The grip on Sophie’s hands loosened and she pulled them away gratefully. The priestess still glared at Sylvan, her green-on-green eyes narrowed. “You have a shadow on your heart as well. A secret pain that taints your very existence—I see it in your eyes.”

  “My pain is not your concern.” Gripping Sophie’s hand, he pulled her to her feet and pushed her behind him protectively. “Now what do you have to say?”

  “Only this—have a care, Warrior.” The priestess rose smoothly to her feet and frowned up at him. “Danger dogs your steps—the shadow on your heart draws it to you. Even the shielding of your Kindred mind is no protection if you allow the darkness to overcome you. Ignore my warning at your own peril.” Then she turned and walked away, her head held regally high and her bare feet whispering over the green and purple grass.

  When she was gone Sylvan relaxed his protective stance and turned to Sophie. To her intense relief, she saw that his fangs had gone back to their normal length. “Are you all right?” he asked anxiously. “You sounded upset.”

  “I…she…she was making me remember—” She realized what she was saying and stopped abruptly.

  “Remember what?” Sylvan was still staring at her but she shook her head.

  “Nothing. I’m fine, really. Uh, thank you for rescuing me,” she added, hoping to change the subject.

  One corner of his thin but sensual mouth quirked up. It was the closest Sophie had ever seen him come to smiling. “Well, you looked like you needed rescuing.”

  �
��Unfortunately.” She was shaking her hands which had gone numb in the priestess’s punishing grip. “Wow, she was really strong.”

  “All of my people are but most of us are taught to temper our strength with compassion. Here.” He took her hands in his and began rubbing her fingers.

  “Th-thank you.” Sophie’s heart felt like it was trying to knock its way through her ribs and her fingers started tingling for a whole different reason. He doesn’t even like me. He’s just being nice, she reminded herself sternly. “What…what was she talking about?” she asked, looking up to meet his eyes.

  Sylvan sighed. “The Mother alone knows. Kindred females have uncharted psychic abilities but they tend to speak in riddles.”

  “But…she said you had pain…a shadow on your heart,” Sophie said.

  A look of anguish flitted across his face and was gone so fast she thought she must have imagined it. “The priestess said you had a shadowed heart as well.” His deep voice was harsh. “Do you really want to speculate about what she meant?”

  Sophie felt cold all over. “No.” She yanked her hands out of his and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, I don’t.”

  Sylvan ran a hand through his hair in a very human gesture of frustration. “Forgive me, Sophia. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just coming over to apologize for hurting you during the, er, ceremony.”

  “It’s all right.” She looked down at the ground, feeling awkward all over again when she remembered the strange sensations that had flooded her body during the Luck Kiss.

  “No, it’s not. I drew your blood and for that I must beg your forgiveness.” He sounded formal again, just as he had when he was talking to the priestess. “The gift of blood must be freely given—never taken or forced.”

  “The…the gift of blood?” She looked up at him uncertainly. “Is that some kind of Kindred ceremony?”

  He looked uncomfortable. “It is part of the mating ritual of the Blood Kindred. And since you have made it abundantly clear you have no wish to be called as a bride, I shouldn’t have taken your blood.”