Bridging the Distance_A Kindred Tales Novel Read online

  “Lorelei Daniels,” she said. “And could you please hurry? I’ve only got two—no, one minute left before my grace period is up.”

  “Spell that please,” Bob said, clearly ignoring the urgency of the situation.

  “Which part? Lorelei or Daniels?” she asked, feeling exasperated. “Look, can you just look it up by my date of birth? Or maybe you have a list of repos that happened today?”

  “Spell your name—first and last,” he repeated mulishly.

  “But—” Lorelei started to protest but she realized she didn’t have time. “L-o-r-e-l-e-i D-a-n-i-e-l-s,” she spelled rapidly.

  “Okay, okay…” Apparently Bob the repo guy was a hunt and peck typist and it seemed to take forever for him to laboriously enter her name, one keystroke at a time. Finally something seemed to pop up on his computer monitor because he leaned forward, peering at it myopically. “Says here…you have a Honda SD Spark?”

  “Yes, yes—that’s it,” Lorelei said quickly. She was already digging in her purse to fish out a dime and nickel.

  “Yep.” Bob peered at the screen some more. “Says here it was repossessed for overdue and incomplete payment.”

  “Yes, that’s what I said,” Lorelei held out the change to him. “Here you go—this is the rest of the payment.”

  But Bob the repo guy, as Lorelei was beginning to think of him, shook his head.

  “Sorry. Says here your time is up. The repossession is now permanent.”

  “What?” Lorelei exploded. “But this is ridiculous—I only owe fifteen cents! Look, here…” She tried to give him the coins again but he only frowned and shoved her hand away.

  “Sorry, lady. Doesn’t matter if it’s fifteen cents, fifteen dollars, or fifteen hundred dollars, once the repo is final, it’s final. Nothing I can do.”

  “But I’ve been paying on it for years—I only have three more payments on it before I own it!” Lorelei protested. “And besides, it’s old—a hunk of junk. It’s not like the dealership is going to be able to resell it or even lease it! What are you even going to do with it?”

  “Older model like that…” He frowned. “It’ll probably get sold to Rent a Heap down the road. They specialize in renting out junk cars to college kids looking to have a good time without spending too much.” He shrugged. “You can go over there and see if you could buy it back, I guess. They might sell it for a couple of thousand.”

  “Buy it back? A couple of thousand? But I just used all the rest of my money making the payments on it here!” Lorelei exclaimed. “Why do you think I was short only fifteen cents? Your damn payment interface sucked every last cent out of my bank account and then took the car anyway, which caused me to lose my freaking job because I didn’t have a way to get in to work! How am I going to raise several more thousand without a car to drive in order to get to a job?”

  “Sorry, lady—not my problem.” Bob the repo guy was already walking away but Lorelei reached over the counter and grabbed at his pudgy elbow.

  “Hey, stop!” she said. “You can’t do this! I would have been in time if you hadn’t been sitting in the back there, watching porn on your phone instead of doing your job. I want to talk to a manager!”

  Bob the repo guy shook her hand off irritably and turned to face her.

  “For your information, lady, I am the manager. I run this entire department. You might as well face it—your car got repossessed and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. If you want, I can call Leon down at Rent a Heap and let them know you’re on the way to see them and maybe make a deal. That’s all I can do for you.”

  “Wait a minute…” Understanding dawned on Lorelei. “You took your time on purpose—you wanted the repossession to be permanent,” she exclaimed. “I bet you have a personal deal with this Rent a Heap place. How much of a kickback do you get for every car you send their way?”

  “The fuck you talking about?” Bob the repo guy growled, glowering at her. “I think you’d better leave now, lady. I got better things to do with my time than standing here listening to your bullshit so fuck off!”

  “Are you disrespecting My Lady?”

  The new, deeper voice came from behind her. Lorelei looked back to see Bound looming over her shoulder, glaring at Bob the repo guy. He looked down at the other man, a frown on his handsome face.

  “Bound,” she exclaimed, not sure if she was glad to see him or not. “What are you doing here?”

  “It seemed to be taking a long time to make a simple payment. I decided to come check on you and have a look at some of the Earth vehicles,” he explained. “And then I find this.” He glowered at Bob the repo guy. “Do you know that swearing at a female is a flogging offense on my home planet? It’s verbal abuse and it isn’t tolerated.”

  “Well, we’re not on your home planet, Kindred,” Bob sneered, making the word into a curse. “We’re on Earth so why don’t you take your alien ass back where you came from? You and your little Earth whore. You’re not wanted here!”

  Great, Lorelei thought, Bob the repo guy was apparently one of those xenophobic assholes who hated the Kindred and thought they were robbing the Earth of all its fertile women when in fact, only about one in a hundred thousand women was chosen as a Kindred bride.

  “I don’t think so.” Bound’s big hand shot out and fisted in the front of the repo guy’s dark blue shirt. Gripping tightly, he actually lifted the other man, one-handed, and shook him.

  “Hey!” Suddenly the belligerent Bob didn’t seem quite so sure of himself. “What are you doing? Let me down you asshole!” he whined plaintively.

  “You may call me any name you choose,” Bound growled, shaking the shorter man like a Great Dane shaking a Cocker Spaniel. “But you will treat My Lady Lorelei with proper respect and the deference that is due to both a lady and a paying customer. Apologize. Now.”

  He shook the other man again and Bob the repo guy began to snivel.

  “I’m sorry, okay?” he whined sullenly. “But her repossession is final—there’s nothing I can do!”

  “Didn’t I just hear you say you were the manager of this particular department?” Bound demanded in a low, dangerous voice.

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “And as a manager, you have a certain amount of power. Here’s what you’re going to do with that power, Bob.” Somehow Bound managed to make the common, dull name sound exotic and foreign when he spoke it. “You’re going to agree to take the last part of the payment and then you’re going to go get My Lady’s vehicle at once.” He pulled Bob closer, so that they were eye-to-eye, dragging him halfway over the desk to do so. The little silver bell fell, making a tinny ding as it hit the floor. “Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

  “Yeah, yeah—all right! All right, already!” Bob the repo guy exclaimed. “Just let me down—I’ll go get the car, I swear!”

  “Very well.” With elaborate gentleness, Bound set the other man down and straightened the wrinkles his fist had made in the front of Bob’s shirt. “I’ll be watching you.”

  “Fine, fine—whatever!” As soon as he could, Bob the repo guy turned and fled, hopefully to go get the car.

  Lorelei looked up at the big Kindred with new respect. Bound seemed like such a nice guy-next-door type with his chiseled jaw and intense blue eyes but when you scratched the surface, there was serious steel under the pretty outer package. Plus, he must be incredibly strong. There was no way Bob the repo guy was a pound under two fifty and Lorelei was betting he was closer to two seventy-five. Bound had held him up one-handed without any sign of strain, as though it was no big deal.

  “Wow, that was great!” she said, smiling up at him. “Thank you for standing up to that jerk for me.”

  “Of course.” He frowned. “I don’t like a male who disrespects females. That grubby little manager was just lucky my brother Torn wasn’t here as well.”

  “Oh, why is that?” Lorelei felt her heart pounding, considering what it would be like to have two huge Kindred w
arriors backing her up.

  Bound gave her a barely-there grin—just the tiniest quirk of one corner of his sensual mouth.

  “Let’s just say that I’m the nice one of the two of us. If Torn heard a male using that kind of language with a female he would have punched first and asked questions later.”

  “Wow,” Lorelei repeated. But before she could ask any more questions about Torn—who she was becoming more and more curious about—Bob the repo guy was back. “All right—I voided the repossession. The car’s around front.” He glared sullenly at Lorelei while keeping a close eye on Bound. “But you’ll still have to fork over the rest of the payment.”

  “Not a problem,” Lorelei handed the dime and nickel to Bound. “Pay the man, would you, Bound?”

  “With pleasure, My Lady.” The big Kindred leaned across the counter and Bob the repo guy started backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in his attempt to get away.

  But Bound only dropped the dime and the nickel into the front pocket of the other man’s shirt which had “Bob” stitched across it. The coins clinked merrily together, making Lorelei smile.

  “Thank you, Bound,” she said, smiling up at him.

  “You’re very welcome, My Lady. And now, I believe your ride awaits?” He lifted one eyebrow and offered her his elbow with a theatrical flourish.

  Laughing, Lorelei took it and they strolled out of the dealership together. She was really beginning to like this big Kindred—she just hoped she could help him get his brother back as easily as he’d helped her get her car back.

  It wasn’t very likely but still, a girl could dream, right?

  Chapter Four

  “You must be Lorelei—I’ve already heard so much about you from Bound.” A full-figured woman with auburn hair several shades lighter than Lorelei’s red-brown came forward and gave her a hug.

  “Oh, uh—yes, I am. Nice to meet you.” Lorelei smiled uncertainly though she was glad to see a welcoming face in the busy entrance area of the Kindred’s huge ship. “Boy, word sure does travel fast on the Mother Ship. I thought I was only an hour behind Bound. I just had to run by my apartment and get a few things before I followed him to the HKR building,” she added, holding out her battered suitcase as proof.

  In fact, she’d also taken a moment to call Mitzy, her stepmother and let her know where she was going. She didn’t want her dad to worry if he tried to get hold of her and couldn’t, but she didn’t exactly want to talk to him in person either.

  She was certain her fatherh wouldn’t like the idea of her going up to the Kindred Mother Ship with a strange warrior she’d just met today and from there, on to some bizarre mission in another galaxy far, far away. Telling Mitzy while he was busy at the office was a good work-around, in Lorelei’s opinion.

  After making the call, she had gathered her most important keep-sakes, packed some clothes and make-up in an old suitcase, and headed for the Tampa Human/Kindred Relations building where a shuttle was waiting to take her to the Mother Ship. Lorelei wondered if she ought to be glad or sad that it had taken her such a short time to pack up her life and that pretty much everything of importance to her fit in the tiny trunk of her Spark, which was still parked at the HKR building back on Earth.

  Well, either way, I’m here now. Might as well make the most of it!

  “Bound is really excited that you’ve agreed to help. We’re all excited—grateful too.” The red-haired woman smiled at her. “I’m Kat, by the way. I’m here to pick you up because Bound is getting a long-range shuttle ready for your trip. He wants to leave as soon as possible.”

  “Nice to meet you and thanks for coming to get me,” Lorelei said, smiling. “Um, how do you know Bound? Is he a friend of yours?”

  “More like a cousin-in-law, I guess you could say. Bound and Torn are kind of distant kin to my own two mates, Deep and Lock.”

  “Oh—so you’re married to Twin Kindred?” Lorelei asked with interest as they made their way through the crowds to the public transport area.

  As they went, she gazed around her in awe. The Mother Ship certainly was a busy place! Everywhere she looked were tall, muscular Kindred warriors and their much smaller human brides. For a moment she wished that she was here as a bride as well, but she pushed that thought away quickly and told herself to stop being silly.

  “Yup, I have two husbands and three boys by them. I’m completely outnumbered,” Kat said cheerfully. “But I make up for it by having lots of girlfriends up here on the Mother Ship.” She cast Lorelei a glance from the corner of her eye. “Maybe you’ll be joining us once you and Bound get Torn back, hmm?”

  “What? Oh, no!” Lorelei said quickly, blushing. “I’m, uh, only working with Bound in a professional capacity. It’s strictly business.”

  “Yeah, right.” Kat grinned at her. “I’ve heard the way Bound is already talking about you. Just let me know when your ‘strictly business’ turns into ‘funny business’ or ‘naughty business’ and I’ll set you up with some bonding fruit.”

  “Bonding fruit?” Their ride on the public transport was a blur of scenery as they passed through the center of the Mother Ship which held a large park-like area and numerous shops and restaurants. But Lorelei hardly saw any of it, Kat’s words surprised her so much.

  “Sure, doll—bonding fruit. You don’t want to take on Twin Kindred without it, believe me. Oh, this is us!” The transport was stopping and Kat got up quickly, grabbing Lorelei’s suitcase. “Come on—everybody’s waiting to meet you.”

  Feeling bewildered, Lorelei allowed herself to be led from the transport, down a long, curving metal hallway.

  “So, how do you like living on the Mother Ship?” she asked Kat, to make small talk as they walked.

  “It’s wonderful. Almost anything you want, you can get up here. And if there’s something you need that you can’t get, well, Earth is really just a hop, skip, and a shuttle ride away.” Kat grinned at her again. “But I bet what you really want to know is how do I like being mated to Twin Kindred?”

  “Well…” Lorelei cleared her throat. “The thought had occurred to me.”

  “It’s wonderful and frustrating and amazing and perfect,” Kat said. “I love my guys so much I can’t even begin to tell you. And I’m the center of their universe. It’s kind of nice for a drama queen like me.” She laughed.

  “But…how can you, uh, be so completely in love with two men at once?” Lorelei asked. “It just seems like…like you would want one of them more than the other. Or be more sexually attracted to one than the other.”

  “I love them both differently but equally.” Kat sounded thoughtful. “Lock, my Light Twin, is so kind and thoughtful and considerate. He’s a great shoulder to cry on when I’m feeling blue. As for Deep, my Dark Twin…” She laughed ruefully and shook her head. “We still butt heads at least twice a day. But there’s nobody I’d rather argue with. He’s fiery and impetuous and infuriating and sexy as hell. And as for the sex thing…” She gave Lorelei a level look. “They come as a pair, doll. You literally can’t have one without the other. It hurts a Twin Kindred to touch a female unless his brother is also touching her. Especially if they’re touching her sexually.”

  “Really? I didn’t realize.” Lorelei looked at her, wide-eyed. “I could tell that Bound was very close to his twin and that he felt terrible and guilty that he’d been kidnapped and uh, modified but I didn’t know that.”

  “Believe it, hon. And please just realize if you take one, you have to take both. They can’t be separated.” She gave Lorelei a significant nod as they came up to one of the sliding metal doorways that lined the wall.

  “But I told you, I’m only helping Bound out in a business capacity,” Lorelei protested, feeling her cheeks get hot. “I really have no interest in him in, uh, that way. And he’s not interested in me either.”

  “Uh-huh. Right.” Kat grinned at her cheekily. “Keep telling yourself that, doll. Here we are.” She waved her hand and the door whooshed open, disclosi
ng a room full of people—adults standing around talking and about four or five children all between the ages of four and seven running between them in some elaborate game of tag.

  Lorelei hung back at first but Kat grabbed her by the arm and towed her inside.

  “Everyone, this is Lorelei! She’s the AI shrink who’s going to be helping Bound get Torn back.”

  The room erupted in cheers and then people were coming forward to shake her hand and wish her well. As they did, Kat made rapid introductions which went right over Lorelei’s head.

  “This is Olivia—Liv for short—and this is her sister, Sophie. These are their husbands, Baird and Sylvan—Sylvan is the head of the Kindred High Council by the way. This is their cousin Lauren and her man, Xairn—he’s a Scourge but he’s okay. Oh, and here are my two guys, Deep and Lock.” She nodded at two tall Twin Kindred, one with light brownish-blond hair and brown eyes and the other with black hair and eyes.

  “Miss Daniels, we can’t tell you how grateful and happy we are that you’re going to accompany Bound and help him get Torn back,” the one Kat had introduced as Lock said, taking her hand. “Bound is only half a male without his brother—he feels the loss of his twin very deeply.”

  “Being without your twin is like having your heart ripped out, and I should know,” Deep, who Lorelei thought must be the Dark Twin, said.

  “Oh, you lost your brother too at one time?” she asked, trying to keep up.

  Deep nodded ruefully. “And it was my own damn fault I did. I lost him and Kat. It took the Goddess to put the three of us back together.”

  “The…Goddess?” Lorelei looked at Kat uncertainly.

  “The Mother of All Life—she’s the Kindred Goddess,” Kat explained.

  “Oh…okay.” Lorelei had been an atheist since starting college but she wasn’t one of the asshole kind who wanted to rub their atheism in everybody’s face. So she simply nodded politely and smiled.

  “How are the fearsome threesome? Behaving?” Kat asked, going to stand between her two huge mates. She winked at Lorelei. “That’s what I call my triplets—they can be a real handful!”