Brides of the Kindred(116)

“Excuse me, Commander Baird?” A new voice interrupted his thoughts and Baird looked up dully to see a young, unknown Tranq warrior standing in front of him.

“Yes? What do you want?”

The warrior looked uncomfortable. “The shuttle that just left—the one with your…with the Earth female on it?”

“What about it?” Sylvan snapped. “We’re leaving now. Make it fast.”

“Well…” The warrior swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s my duty to inform you that the shuttle didn’t reach Earth.”

“What?” Baird rounded on him, his pain spiking into fear. “What are you talking about? If it didn’t make it to Earth where did it go?”

“It was intercepted just now. By the Scourge.”



Liv was so upset she barely noticed the jolting stop the shuttle made. It was different from the one Baird and Sylvan had flown her up on. There was an actual passenger compartment separated from the cockpit by an opaque black panel she couldn’t see through so she had no idea what was happening. Not that she cared—she was too miserable.

She tried telling herself it was stupid—that this was what she’d wanted all along. Sure it sucked that things had ended on such a bad note but then, leaving Baird was never going to be easy. And besides, she hadn’t wanted to stay with him, not really. It was only his scent manipulating her, making her think she wanted to stay. So then why do I wish I could turn this damn shuttle around and go back to him right now when I can’t even smell him? whispered the little voice in her brain. Why does it feel like I left part of me back there on the Kindred ship? Why does it hurt so much when I think of never seeing him again?

Liv tried to shut the voice up but it wouldn’t be silent. She just kept seeing the hopeless look in Baird’s eyes as he’d held her tight one last time. He hadn’t even said anything but then, he didn’t need to. She could see what was going on—he was dying inside from losing her. That was the real reason the Kindred didn’t do divorce, she finally understood. Because they couldn’t survive without their mates. She supposed it was a good thing she and Baird hadn’t actually bonded before she’d had to leave or he wouldn’t stand a chance. Maybe someday in the future he’d be able to find someone else, some other girl…

“I don’t want him with some other girl.” Liv put her head in her hands, trying and failing to hold back the tears. “I want him with me. Oh God, what’s wrong with me? Why does this hurt so much?”

“Look at this. We’ve only just captured her and she’s already crying.”

The strange voice from the cockpit of the small shuttle surprised her. Liv’s head jerked up and she found she was staring into a pair of wholly alien eyes. They weren’t the gold of a Beast Kindred or the pale ice blue of a Tranq Kindred or any of the varying shades of brown, green, or blue she’d seen in the few Twin Kindred she’d met. They were a deep glossy black that reminded her of a black hole—a place where even light couldn’t escape. As she watched a red vertical slit appeared in the center of each large iris and elongated alarmingly like a cat’s. Only no cat she’d ever seen had crimson and black eyes.

“Who…who are you?” she asked, finding her voice at last.

The eyes were set in a cold, calculating masculine face with skin the strange color of a dark grey pearl. The speaker had hair as black as his eyes which was pulled back from the stark bones of his face in a way that seemed to emphasize the cruel set of his mouth. More than that, Liv couldn’t see except that he wore some kind of cape over his shoulders. “Who are you?” she asked again since he hadn’t answered her the first time.

“I am your destiny. Are you mine?” He smiled coldly and nodded at someone out of her line of vision. “Get her out of there and bring her before the throne. She must be examined before any tests can be run.”

Throne? Examined? Tests? Liv was beginning to have an idea of what had happened and it was bad—really bad. This wasn’t Earth and her captor was like no kind of Kindred she’d ever seen although he appeared to be as big and muscular as any of the warriors she’d met. The Scourge. Somehow I’ve been taken by the Scourge. His next words confirmed her worst fears.

“Are you deaf? I said hurry. The AllFather is waiting.” He nodded impatiently and suddenly the passenger door of the shuttle was wrenched open and long-fingered alien hands were clamped around her upper arms.

“Hey, let me go!” Liv tried to kick but then someone grabbed her legs as well and she was being hauled bodily out of the shuttle. She struggled for a moment until she saw a body slumped on the ground beside the shuttle—it was the Tranq pilot who had been driving the shuttle in the first place. A puddle of blood under his head made it clear he wouldn’t be flying any more missions. The sight made Liv cold all over and she abruptly stopped fighting. It was no use anyway—the silent guards who held her—both of whom had the same grey skin as her captor—were too strong. And clearly they had no qualms about killing their captives.