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  Liv felt her face get even hotter. Oh my God, is he for real? The thought of being pressed up against that huge, masculine, muscular body was doing strange things to her, things she didn’t want to admit even to herself. And no one had ever said they wanted to bond with her before.

  “Baird, you’re only making things worse,” the blond Kindred muttered, tugging at the other one’s muscular arm.

  Baird—is that his name? Does he even know mine or am I just a “bride” to him? Vaguely she remembered him calling her something else, something that sounded like an endearment in another language, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was now.

  “Could you excuse us for a moment?” Kat asked both the Kindred warriors in her best professional tone. “I need to look over this contract and confer with my client.”

  “Certainly,” the blond warrior said graciously. The dark one, Baird, Liv thought to herself, looked ready to protest. But his friend said something to him in a sharp, guttural language and at last he relented and withdrew with a curt nod.

  “Okay girls, let’s get it together.” Kat shepherded them both to the powder blue couch Liv had jumped off of earlier. Liv and Sophia sat on either side of her, staring anxiously at the thick sheaf of papers in her hand.

  “Kat, do I have to go?” Liv asked but even as she did, she remembered their conversation from that morning. Strike that, she thought, looking at the clock hanging on the blank white wall above them, from forty minutes ago. Had it really only been forty minutes since she was sitting comfortably in her own kitchen enjoying a glass of orange juice and pretending to herself that the dark man was only a dream? And now here she was in the HKR building, in her underwear, with her heel throbbing dully from the embedded glass and her head full of confusion and dread. Worst of all, she was about to be hauled away in a space ship by a huge alien warrior who wanted to “bond” with her. It was unbelievable.

  “You have to go,” Kat said, nodding firmly. “But as I said, there is some good news.” She ticked the points off on her fingers. “One, it’s only for thirty days and as long as you don’t bond with him you’re free to go after it’s over.”

  “Wait a minute,” Sophia interrupted her. “He said he had to have sex to bond with her. So that means…”

  “No bonding sex or you lose your get-out-of-jail-free card,” Kat finished for her.

  “Bonding sex?” Liv and Sophia said at the same time.

  Kat frowned. “It’s…as far as I can understand, it’s one step past traditional intercourse. I wish I could tell you more, Liv, but I think it varies with the different branches of Kindred and the girl my firm represented was being called by a Tranq. It’s, uh, pretty obvious yours is a Rager—a Beast Kindred.”

  “The best thing to do is just to avoid sex altogether,” Sophia said in a trembling voice. “Tell him to keep it in his pants, Liv.”

  Liv shivered. “I think I can manage that. I’ll go up to their ship with him but after that…” After that she planned to avoid him as much as possible. He was a huge alien male that had been invading her dreams for months and now he wanted to have some kind of kinky tantric bonding sex with her. She was damn well going to be sure she stayed on the opposite side of the Kindred ship from him at all times.

  “You can’t avoid him,” Kat said as though reading her mind. She was scanning the contract again. “There are some hard and fast rules here, Liv.”

  “Rules?” she asked warily. “What rules?”

  “You have to eat every meal at his table and sleep every night in his bed,” Kat said, reading rapidly. “The good news is, you don’t have to bathe with him until the second week.”

  “That’s the good news?” Sophia sounded aghast. “She has to take a bath with him by the second week?”

  “They’re looking for a lasting union here, girls,” Kat said matter-of-factly. “This isn’t just a getting to know you scenario—it’s a period of deliberate seduction.” She looked at Liv. “He tries to get in your panties, you try to keep him out. The good thing is, he can’t force you against your will. In fact, for the entire first week, he can’t touch you at all unless you invite it. If he does, it’s a breach of contract and you’re allowed to end the claiming period right then and there.”

  “He better keep his distance then,” Liv muttered. Just the thought of having those large, masculine hands all over her body was making her feel warm and nervous. She told herself it was just the shocking suddenness of the whole situation affecting her. Who wouldn’t get a little hot under the collar if they were dragged from their homes and forced to go play sex games in the stars?

  “I don’t know, Liv—he’s pretty damn hot. And the way he’s looking at you…” Kat was obviously losing a little of her professionalism.

  “It’s like he wants to eat you up,” Sophia finished for her and shuddered.

  “Look, hot or not, I have no intention of giving it up,” Liv protested. “I mean, I don’t even know him and he’s talking like he owns me. Plus, did you see his pants? Either he’s smuggling a python in there or he’s got equipment that would put a porn star to shame. I have no interest in doing the horizontal mambo with a guy that’s big enough to split me in two.”

  “I don’t know…” Kat was getting a dreamy, horny look in her eyes that made Liv want to slap her. “Maybe if he was really gentle and slow…”

  “Hello? I’m the one he’s looking to impale,” Liv reminded her. “And does he look like the kind of guy who’ll be ‘gentle and slow?’” He didn’t—not a bit. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that he was staring at her, that intense hunger back in his amber eyes. He looked like he wanted to throw her down right here on the scruffy grey carpet of the HKR building and defile her six ways from Sunday. Just the thought of being caged in by that big, male body made her heart race and her mouth go dry. How the hell was she going to get through this?

  “Plus, even if he was nice about it, gentle and slow doesn’t negate being hung like a literal horse,” Sophia put in. “You always told us Mitch wasn’t much in the size department and it’s been six months since you two split.”

  “Don’t remind me!” Liv groaned. If she’d married her ex-fiancé, her name would have automatically been pulled from the draft and she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Plus, she could have divorced Mitch. A Kindred union didn’t end unless somebody died. Just the thought made her break out into a cold sweat. Tied forever to an alien male, forced to give up her life on Earth to be by his side doing…what? Nothing but getting screwed and probably having sixteen pound alien babies as Sophia had joked earlier. Well, it was no joke now.

  Her years of nursing school, down the drain. Her close relationship with her friends and family, especially her twin, likewise. Her entire existence changed and all because some big alien jerk had decided she should belong to him. It really made Liv mad. More than mad. Furious.

  “I can’t believe there’s not some way for you to get out of this,” Sophia said. Always in tune with her twin, she sounded as outraged as Liv felt.

  “There’s not, though,” Kat reminded them. “You have to at least do the thirty days—that’s nonnegotiable.”

  “Yeah? Well I don’t have to bond with him—whatever that means,” Liv said through gritted teeth.

  “Better stick to your guns on that one, Livvy,” Kat said. “Unless you’re willing to permanently change your zip code for some interstellar sex.”

  “Absolutely not.” Liv lifted her chin. “Don’t worry about me—he’s never gonna get it.” But then she glanced over her shoulder and caught a quick glimpse of those eyes again. God, did he have to stare at her quite so intensely? Nervously she crossed her legs and pulled her robe a little tighter over her breasts.

  “Something tells me you’re going to need every ounce of determination you can muster,” Kat remarked. She had also been watching and had apparently caught the look the huge Kindred warrior was directing at Liv. “He doesn’t seem like a guy who take
s no for an answer.”

  “Look at the way he’s still watching you, Liv.” Sophie sounded awed. “I don’t think he’s taken his eyes off you the entire time we’ve been talking. He doesn’t even blink.”

  “It’s just this stupid nighty I have on.” Liv felt a heated blush climbing up her cheeks. “If they would have let me change I would’ve put on something a little more decent but—” she broke off, thinking hard. “Hey, Kat, does it say in that contract if I’m allowed to have anything sent to me?”

  “Um…yes. Kat rattled the contract. “It says here that we’re allowed to send you items—no weapons of course—but if they’re approved, they’ll reach you fairly quickly—within twelve hours according to this.”

  “Good,” Liv nodded. “Okay, I need you to go straight home and empty out my top dresser drawer and send the contents up to me. Do it quick—I’ll need it tonight.”

  “Need what? What’s in there?” Sophia wanted to know.

  Liv just shook her head. She could see the two Kindred warriors watching them and she wasn’t sure how acute their hearing was. “Just send it—oh, and some clothes too. I need something normal to wear while I’m up there. And don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Actually she had never felt less fine in her life but it would only upset Kat and Sophia more to know that. Even now her twin sister was sniffling and glaring at the big blonde Kindred who had spoken to them earlier. He parted his lips and ran his tongue over the sharply pointed double pair of fangs in his mouth that grew where a human’s canine teeth would be.

  Sophia shivered and looked away. “Okay, we’ll send you the stuff—whatever it is,” she mumbled.

  “As soon as possible,” Liv emphasized.

  “We’ll get on it right away.” Kat rose and handed her the contract. “So that’s it—basically he’s authorized to try and seduce you to stay with him and it’s your job to refuse. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Liv said. “And…I have a week before…

  “Before Mr. Python Pants can try any funny business,” Kat finished for her.

  “All right then.” Liv lifted her chin as some of her old spark came back. He thinks he can just walk all over me and make me his wife without a fight? Oh, buddy, you picked the wrong Earth girl to mess with. And you’re gonna find out the hard way—tonight!

  Chapter Four

  His bride was quiet as they went in the back with the official who was to perform the claiming ceremony. She even refused to meet Baird’s eyes even when they stood across from each other in front of the carved wooden alter. The altar was a human convention since the Kindred didn’t need anything other than a female whose mind had aligned with theirs to claim as their bride. However, Sylvan had told him earlier that having the ceremony presided over by an official in front of an altar somehow made most human females feel more at ease with the entire affair.

  It didn’t seem to be working that way with Olivia, though.

  She stood stiffly across from him, her arms crossed over her chest in an obvious attempt to hide her luscious full breasts and vowed not to break the contract she’d signed, woodenly repeating the words the official fed her. The other two human females flanked her like an honor guard. The one that had claimed to be her legal representative listened carefully to the ceremony, as though filing it away for later thought, but the one with brown hair that had said Olivia was her sister spent most of her time glaring at Sylvan. Apparently he had offended her deeply when he tried to touch her arm, earlier.

  The sister’s attitude worried Baird. Were human women really so intolerant of even the most causal, non-sexual touching? Was Olivia going to object to his touch as well? Worst of all, would she make him wait until the initial introductory period was over to caress her smooth, silky skin?

  Baird felt like he’d been waiting for her forever. It took every ounce of self control he possessed not to simply gather her into his arms and take her mouth in a hungry kiss. He wanted to taste her, to know her, and the idea that she might deliberately delay their intimacy was like a knife in his heart.

  But at least he could touch her during the ceremony. At the official’s prompting, he took her small hands in his, noticing how she trembled when he did. It was time to tell her what was in his heart. Baird had never been good with words—Beast Kindred seldom were. But he knew this was his only chance to let her know how much he wanted her.

  “I searched the galaxy for you, Olivia” he began, ducking his head so that he could look into her beautiful silvery-grey eyes. “At times I didn’t think I’d find you. But I did—well, actually, we found each other when our minds aligned. The first time I dreamed about you, I knew I couldn’t rest until I had you.”

  She looked up at him and he could hear her heart racing, could smell the scent of her unwilling desire and see the fear in her eyes. Gods, did she think he’d hurt her? When all he wanted to do was claim her and make her his? Suddenly more words rose inside him—words that meant bonding and not just claiming—but Baird felt them come to his lips naturally anyway.

  “I pledge to you with my body and soul,” he said, looking intently into her eyes. “I will live every day for you and sleep every night by your side. If need be, I will die to protect you. You are my heart.”

  He saw her eyes soften for an instant and her full, lush lips parted as though she would speak. But just then the human girl who was her legal advisor hissed in her ear,

  “Permanent zip code change, Liv.” At the words, his bride’s chin came up and a look of defiance entered her beautiful face.

  Baird finally understood. For some reason, she was determined to resist him. Well, they would see how long that lasted when his scent began working on her. How long she could hold out when he was at last allowed to touch her. At the base of his shaft, his mating fist throbbed with need.

  He wanted her now but if he had to he could wait. He could wear down her resistance until she begged to have him inside her, filling her with his cock, his mating fist swelling to tie them together, bonding her to him for all time.

  Liv was glad she had Kat standing behind her to remind her of what was going on. If her friend hadn’t been there, she might have melted when the big Kindred had said that line about how he would die to protect her. Mitch wouldn’t even go out of his way to pick up her dry cleaning when she asked so the idea that this huge warrior she didn’t even know would put his life on the line for her was unexpectedly seductive. Well, she didn’t know him except from the strange and troubling dreams she’d been having, Liv reminded herself. But she’d never actually expected to meet the man of her dreams…or get dragged into a strange alien ceremony with him for that matter.

  She repeated the final vows the official fed her in a daze, trying not to look into Baird’s golden eyes. His desire for her was so naked on his face that she could feel herself blushing every time their gazes brushed. Kat was right, she was going to need all her willpower here. She thought again of the contents of her top dresser drawer and hoped they got to her in time.

  “The claiming period has begun. You may kiss your bride.”

  “What?” The official’s words took Liv by surprise. She looked up fearfully into the handsome alien face with its square jaw and inhuman amber eyes. Was he going to grab her now and latch onto her mouth like a lamprey eel? She vividly remembered the way Mitch had kissed when excited—sticking his tongue down her throat until he nearly triggered her gag reflex. Was this big Kindred—this Baird—going to do the same?

  He pulled her close and lowered his face to hers, so close she could feel his hot breath on her skin. It was scented like some kind of alien spice—a mixture of cinnamon and cloves maybe—different but not unpleasant. His mouth drew close to hers and Liv felt herself stiffen in his arms, bracing herself for an oral assault. Instead, she felt the lightest brushing of lips imaginable across her own, as though a butterfly’s wings had fluttered tenderly against her mouth.

  “Don’t be afraid, Lilenta,” he breathed in her ear in that deep, r
umbling growl of a voice. “Not gonna hurt you. Not gonna take what you don’t want to give.”

  Liv tried to keep the surprise off her face when he drew back but it was hard. The look in his eyes said he wanted to eat her alive but he’d just given her the softest, most gentle kiss she’d ever experienced. What was going on? And why was her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in every part of her body?

  “You may retire to the ship for the remainder of your claiming period,” the official intoned, breaking into her train of thought.

  “Oh, Liv!” Sophia threw her arms around Liv’s neck and hugged her close with a little sob. “Be strong,” her twin whispered. “You always were the strong one. Come back to us.”

  “I will,” Liv promised. “You can bank on it, womb-mate.”

  When Sophia finally forced herself to break free, Kat gave her a tight hug too.

  “Remember, stick to your guns,” she reminded Liv in a whisper. “And if you don’t and we never see you again, you better at least send me an e-mail telling me all the dirty details.”

  Liv half laughed, half cried. “No, chance. Look for me in thirty days, not any stupid e-mail, Kat.”

  “I’ll be here with bells on to pick you up,” Kat promised. “We’ll go straight to Magaritaville and the drinks are on me all night.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Liv warned her. Then, knowing she couldn’t delay any longer, she turned with as much dignity as she could muster and looked up at Baird. “I’m ready,” she said.

  She had never told a bigger lie in her entire life.

  Chapter Five

  He took her to a small back door that led to an outdoor space as big as a parking lot. It was enclosed by a high electric chain link fence with warnings in three different languages about the voltage and there was razor wire looped along the top of it. Inside it were parked a number of small, unassuming electric cars, similar to the one she drove herself.