“But it’s over now,” Lock finished for her, soothingly. “You’re getting better, Kat, but you’re not out of danger yet.”
“In my dream you were taking me to Twin Moons. Where am I?” she demanded.
“I would think that would be obvious,” Deep growled in her ear. “You’re in our bed, little Kat. And that’s where you’re going to stay until you’re all better.”
“What are you talking about?” She struggled to get up but they held her down, gently but firmly.
“Don’t be upset,” Lock pleaded. “We won’t hurt you, my lady. You must know that by now.”
“Look, I don’t know what you two think you’re doing, but I’m not interested in any more joinings. Especially after the way I felt after our last one. I had a headache so bad I felt like my skull was going to split in two.”
“We fully comprehend your pain,” Lock said.
“Easy for you to say,” Kat muttered. “You can talk about it all you want but—”
“It’s not just talk.” Deep’s voice was unexpectedly somber. “Lock and I know what we put you through. And we can’t tell you how much we regret it.”
Kat sighed. “All right—it’s not like it’s all your fault. After all, I was the one who asked for that last joining in order to find Sophie. I guess you could say I got what was coming to me.”
“No.” Lock shook his head. “We were dabbling in an area we didn’t fully understand. We never should have used you as a focus in the first place.”
“And we have no interest in doing it again now,” Deep continued. “What we’re trying to do is heal you.”
“Heal me? You’re trying to heal me by rubbing your…by rubbing against me?” Kat didn’t even try to keep the skepticism out of her voice. “Yeah, right.”
“Truly, my lady.” Lock’s brown eyes were earnest. “Mother L’rin—”
“Who?”
“The healer we brought you to our home planet to see,” Deep supplied. “She’s an expert in the seeker/finder/focus relationship as well as a master of her craft.”
“Okay, let me get this straight,” Kat said. “I was at death’s door so you two brought me home to the wise old healer lady to be cured. And her ‘prescription’ was for us to all get naked together in bed?” She twisted around to frown at Deep. “Can you see why I’m not buying this? I mean come, on guys—give me a break!”
“It’s true.” Deep glared at her, his coal black eyes burning. “Your spirit has been fractured by the stress of acting as our focus. Until we bind it securely back to your body, you’re in danger of dying.”
“Deep is right,” Lock said softly. “Your spirit could become untethered again at any time.”
“Well that’s a risk I guess I’ll have to take,” Kat snapped. “I’ll let you know if I see a bright tunnel and start hearing the voices of dead relatives telling me to ‘go into the light.’ Until then, you two can keep your hands and your, uh, other body parts to yourselves.”
She started to sit up and this time, as if by mutual consent, they let her. But the moment she was upright, dizziness swept over her, making the world spin and the room dance. She had a vague impression of a large, masculine space lit by soft, glowing lights in the corners. Then she had to put her head in her hands and shut her eyes to keep from getting sick.
“My lady? Are you all right?” Lock’s voice was anxious.
“Fine. I’m just…fine,” Kat managed to say weakly. But she wasn’t fooling anyone—not even herself.
“Little liar,” Deep growled. “Lie back down and let us take care of you.”
“But I don’t want…I can’t…” Kat shook her head and wished she hadn’t. It made the dizziness worse.
“Come back between us,” Lock urged. “Please, Kat, you know we only want what’s best for you.”
Kat struggled to remain upright a little longer. But when she lifted her head again, the spinning sensation was even worse. “Oh God, I can’t take this!”
“Satisfied?” Deep asked. “The only way to make it better is to let us heal you. So stop acting stupid and let us.”
“I’m not stupid,” Kat snapped angrily, even as she allowed Lock to guide her back down to the bed. “That’s the main reason I object to letting you two grope me as a form of holistic healing.”
“What exactly do you think we’re trying to do here?” Deep demanded. “You think we want to fuck you?”