Liv was just deciding to take a long soak in the bathing pool since she couldn’t think of anything else to do when the holo link buzzed. Frowning, she folded the translator glasses and walked over to take the call. Was it Baird calling to tell her something he’d forgotten? Or maybe Sylvan, looking for his brother?
The link wasn’t that different from the holo enabled PC she and Sophie had at their apartment back on Earth but Liv knew from experience that it wouldn’t call anyone off the Kindred ship. She’d tried numerous times and with increasing frustration after Sophie’s cryptic letter until Baird had caught her at it. He’d explained that the link wasn’t made to reach further than the ship so her attempts to contact her sister were futile. Liv hadn’t bothered with it after that because she didn’t know anyone besides Baird and Sylvan on board.
Or do I? The name flashing in the call box at the bottom of the small, square unit that projected 3D images of the caller’s head looked vaguely familiar. Jillian Holms…Jillian Holms. Oh my God! It was the head cheerleader from her high school days—the very one Kat had been talking about on the fateful morning Liv had been drafted and claimed by Baird. Hastily she hit the accept button, hoping Jillian was still there.
She was. Before Liv’s eyes a winking blue dot appeared about a foot above the black cube of the holo link and slowly expanded to show Jillian’s perfect features and flawless skin. There was a reason she’d been voted homecoming queen three years in a row and as she twitched her bouncy honey blonde curls over one shoulder, Liv was reminded why.
“Liv? Livvy, is that you?” the floating head asked, gazing at her.
“Uh, yeah. Yes, it’s me.” Liv suddenly wished she’d taken time to do her hair instead of just putting it back in a pony tail.
“Oh goody!” Jillian squealed, grinning. “I saw your name on the new bride roster and I was so hoping it would be you. It’s so nice to see a familiar face.”
“Likewise.” Liv grinned at her, deciding she didn’t care about her hair. It was true that she and Jillian had never been on much more than a nodding basis in high school but that didn’t matter now. She was another human and she was here, on board the ship. Liv felt a surge of excitement.
“You look wonderful,” Jillian gushed. “Just amazing. I’m so glad to see you again.”
“You look pretty fantastic yourself,” Liv said truthfully.
“Oh, please.” Jillian tossed her hair again. “I guess being bonded to two of the sweetest guys in the universe just agrees with me.”
“Oh, that’s right—you got Twin Kindred, didn’t you?” Liv remembered Kat’s bowlegged impression of the aftereffects of sex with two huge warriors at once and had to smother a smile.
“Uh-huh. Thinks Hard and Sees Much—don’t they have great names? They’re literal translations of their abilities and personalities. It’s a Twin Moons thing. But I just call them Grumpy and Happy—like from the seven dwarves, you know? They’re both just amazingly wonderful and I love them to death.” Jillian grinned. “So how about you? Who are you bonded to?”
“Uh…” Liv didn’t exactly want to admit that she wasn’t truly bonded. “I’m, uh…my guy is a Rager. A Beast Kindred.”
“Ooo!” Jillian shivered. “Omigod, is he an animal in the sack? They say sex with a Beast Kindred is so intense it leaves you sore for like, days afterwards.”
“Really?” Liv raised an eyebrow at her, feeling slightly irritated. “Because that’s what I heard about the Twin Kindred.”
“Well, I mean, it can be a little difficult at first. Especially if you’re not used to, uh, taking two guys at once. And they’re both so big.” Jillian blushed and giggled. “Look, you know I love to dish but this isn’t the way to do it. We need to get together and have some girl talk. What do you say?”
“Sure, I’d love to,” Liv said, thinking that maybe she could get Baird to finally take her out of the suite if she had an excuse to go somewhere. He could hardly deny her a visit with an old high school friend, could he?
“Great,” Jillian said brightly. “I’ll send my coordinates to your suite. If you hurry up we can grab lunch together. Of course, I don’t cook—you remember that from that horrible home-ec class we had together.” She shivered. “But there’s this wonderful little place that does cuisine from the Twin Moons mountain region that’s just to die for and they deliver.”
“Oh, uh, I’m not sure I can today,” Liv said apologetically. “Baird is gone to a conference on the moon and he told me not to leave the suite. He seemed to think it wouldn’t be safe.”