“Kat’s weakness and pain will come back if we don’t touch her enough,” Deep explained.
Lock looked worried. “Mother L’rin told me that might happen but I had hoped she was wrong.”
Deep frowned. “When did she tell you that?”
“When we first brought Kat to her. While you were being—” Lock seemed to catch himself just in time. “When you weren’t there.”
“It’s all right, Lock,” Kat said in a low voice. “I know about what Deep did for me and he knows I know it.”
“You do? Good.” Lock looked relieved. “I’m glad not to have to hide it anymore.”
“I think the three of us should stop hiding a lot of things from each other,” Kat said firmly. “For instance, I notice that you still haven’t answered my question—what kind of deal did you make with the chief?”
The light twin looked uncomfortable. “Tomorrow night is their full moons festival. I had to promise that we would make a sacrifice to their gods.”
“A what?” Deep frowned. “Brother if you think—”
“Not a sacrifice of blood,” Lock interrupted. “Don’t worry about that—no one needs to get hurt.”
“Then why are you feeling so upset about it?” Kat asked. “Just tell us, Lock—how bad can it be?”
Lock blew out a breath and raked a hand through his dark blond hair. “I’m upset because I know you’re going to be upset, my lady. I…I had to promise them a sacrifice of pleasure. We’re going to be acting out the courtship of the sun and the moons for the, ah, private edification of the chief.”
“Lock!” Deep looked angry. “Couldn’t you offer them anything else?”
Lock turned on his brother. “Not without spilling blood! We trespassed on their holy meadow—we’re lucky we’re not all dead right now.”
“Okay, all right you two.” Kat held up her hands. “Look, it’s a lot more comfortable being between you when you’re not angry with each other.”
“I hope you’re willing to be between us in a much more literal sense then, little Kat,” Deep growled. “Because that’s what my brother has promised these savages.”
“What?” Kat went cold all over with apprehension. “What do you mean?”
Lock sighed. “It has to do with the legend of our sun, Nyra, and her two lovers the moons, Dakir and Lanare. She had to choose between the two of them.”
“Oh?” Kat raised an eyebrow, her heart pounding. “And which did she choose?”
Deep gave her a level look. “Both.”
Chapter Nineteen
“I want to hear more about your home world. More about Earth.” The words were demanding but his tone was soft and his blazing red-on-black eyes were almost gentle.
Lauren was so relieved to see him again, to hear his deep voice, that she didn’t care what he asked her. As long as he talks to me. As long as he comes back.
For a time the tasteless nutra-wafers had been brought to her by strange, emotionless creatures that scared her. They had flesh and gray skin like Xairn’s but they reminded her of robots out of a science fiction movie. Their eyes were dead—both the white and the iris were bottomless black pits and when she looked into them, she saw nothing. Nothing at all.
Pushing away the awful memory, she concentrated on the man in front of her. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about your life, your…family.” He frowned. “Is that the correct word for the people you live with?”
“Well I don’t live with anyone right now,” Lauren said cautiously. “And I don’t have a whole lot of family—really it’s just me and my mom. But we’re very close.”
“You…love her?” He said “love” as though it was a word in a foreign language that he didn’t fully understand. It probably is, Lauren told herself. I’m lucky he speaks English at all.
“Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, I love her very, very much.”
“And she feels the same for you?” He was leaning forward now, a look in his strange red-on-black eyes that was hard to define. Hunger? Need? Longing?
“My mom loves me more than anything else in the world,” Lauren said with unshakable certainty. “She would die for me without thinking twice.” And she’s probably dying a little every day right now, wondering where I am.
She could imagine her mother’s frantic, worried face, could picture the way she was probably searching everywhere to find Lauren. Everywhere but in the right place. Because how could she ever suspect what had happened? Oh Mom, I miss you so much! A sudden longing to see her mother, to hear her familiar soft voice and know that everything was okay, came over Lauren so strongly that tears rose in her eyes.