He didn’t have any answers. He might as well ask himself why he’d insisted on carrying her across the road. It hadn’t really been all that busy and there was a clearly marked crosswalk and a lighted hand sign to tell when it was safe to cross. But he’d wanted the excuse to hold her close to his chest, to smell her sweet, fresh scent once more and feel her soft, curvy body pressed against his.
You need to be careful, Braxx, he told himself. You’re becoming besotted with this Earth female and you know she isn’t for you. You think she’d have any interest at all if she could see your ugliness? The failure stamped right on your face? You think she’d want you if she knew what you’ve done?
He was sure she wouldn’t—no female would want him, looking as he did.
But she can’t see it, whispered a little voice in his head. So there’s no reason she should ever have to know.
The thought was immensely appealing. The minute people saw him, they immediately made snap judgments, even if they tried not to. It couldn’t be helped—his scarred face spoke for him before he ever got a chance to speak for himself.
But now, meeting someone who wouldn’t—who couldn’t—make those judgments, well… it was almost like having a fresh start on life. At least with that one person—with Molly. They could talk and get to know each other without pity or disgust or any preconceived notions blocking the way.
Plus, she was fucking gorgeous…and sweet…and her scent…Gods, just being close enough to smell her made him hard.
Braxx wasn’t willing to give that up yet. Who knew if he would ever find anyone like Molly again?
But regardless of how I feel, I have to go with her, he told himself. Some of the Tal’ossi Deep Dwellers are very aggressive. She cannot go alone—I must protect her.
Of course, the plan for her study was for Molly to stay on the surface of the planet with the Tal’ossi who called themselves the Top or Surface Dwellers. But what if she wished to travel to the subterranean depths as well? Someone had to be there with her, to defend her honor and keep her safe—that was all he wanted to do—just protect her.
Braxx tried to believe that was all he wanted to do as the curve of the Earth’s moon grew in the viewscreen and the vast bulk of the Mothership came into view. He told himself he had offered to go with Molly purely out of concern for her safety.
But he couldn’t quite make himself believe it.
Chapter Four
“Hi—you must be Doctor Reynaud. Welcome to the Mothership.” The light, feminine voice wasn’t exactly what Molly had expected when Braxx carefully lifted her down from the high door of the shuttle but she smiled readily all the same.
“Hello,” she said, putting out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you…”
“Oh, sorry! I’m Sophia, Commander Sylvan’s wife,” said the strange woman, taking her hand and shaking it. “He asked me to meet you because he’s running late. And this is my good friend, Kat.”
“Hello,” said another voice which was slightly lower.
Molly turned blindly towards it and held out her hand again. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh—over here.” Kat had apparently moved to the left because her voice came from there now. She took Molly’s hand. “Are you seeing me okay? Did you forget your glasses or lose a contact lens or something?”
“Doctor Reynaud is blind,” Braxx, who was standing behind her, growled. His voice had a low, menacing quality to it, as though he was daring either woman to make something of her disability.
“Oh…” Sophia’s voice trailed off uncertainly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” Kat apologized as well.
“Don’t worry about it.” Molly gave them a friendly smile. “Yes, I’m Dr. Reynaud, the Anthropologist and yes I’m blind. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
Kat let out a surprised sounding laugh.
“Of course it doesn’t! I like you, doll.” She sounded like she was smiling. “Why don’t you come with us to Sophie’s place?”
“Sylvan will join us there,” Sophie said. “Here—will you take my arm?”
“Mine too,” Kat said.
Before she knew it, Molly was walking arm in arm between the two of them, chatting as if they’d all been friends forever. She had an open, frank, friendly personality herself and she recognized the same openness in the two Kindred wives. Braxx followed behind them silently—Molly thought she could feel him like a storm cloud at her back. For some reason he didn’t seem comfortable here on the Mothership—or maybe that was just her imagination.
Sophia and Kat, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease. They had apparently decided to give Molly a tour of the ship because they led her far from the echoing metal corridors and out into a much airier, open place which almost felt like it was outdoors.
But that was impossible, wasn’t it? The Mothership was a space ship—albeit a huge one—so how could any part of it feel like the outdoors? Yet Molly could distinctly smell fresh scent in the air—what she thought of as a green, growing scent—like grass and flowers and trees and soil. Also, she was no longer standing on hard metal—the ground had a giving, springy feel beneath her feet. Did they have some kind of a garden in the middle of the Mothership?
“So this is the common area right here,” Kat was saying. “It’s kind of a big park where families can come and picnic and play. Overhead is the green sun.”
“The what?” Molly turned her face up towards the warmth she felt coming down from overhead.
“It’s the Mothership’s power source—the way they can fold space to get from one part of the universe to another,” Sophia explained. “It’s really pretty amazing.”
“It sounds amazing,” Molly admitted. She lifted her feet and set them down again carefully. “And the grass feels like it must be really soft.”
“Actually, we’re right near the Sacred Grove where you’re supposed to remove your shoes,” Kat said. “Do you think we should take her in to meet one of the priestesses, Sophie?”
“Oh yes—please do!” Molly exclaimed before the other girl could answer. “I’m sorry,” she added, slightly apologetic. “I just get really excited when it comes to learning about new cultures and their religions and I’ve always been curious about the Kindred.”
“Well, you came to the right place, doll.” Kat sounded amused. “Come right over here—we can leave our shoes and go into the grove.”
“All right—as long as you bring me back to my shoes again or I’ll never find them.” Molly slipped off her low heeled business shoes and held Sophia’s and Kat’s hands as they led her into a whispering corridor of leaves which brushed against her cheeks and tugged gently at her long hair as she passed.
“This is the Sacred Grove.” Sophie’s voice was hushed and reverent. “It’s filled with green and purple trees and it’s where the Kindred priestesses commune with the Goddess.”
“Do you believe in the Goddess?” Molly asked them frankly. “Did you two convert to your husbands’ religion after you were married?”
“I believe in her because she’s real,” Sophie said firmly. “Not just because I ‘converted.’”
“Sophie’s right—she’s a real person,” Kat assured Molly, squeezing her hand. “I know you’re probably trained as a scientist to be skeptical but believe me—she is.”
Molly simply nodded politely, keeping her doubt to herself. She was trained to ask questions and observe, not to make judgments about another culture’s beliefs.
“She does not believe.” A new voice—female and strong—suddenly rang out in front of them.
Molly nearly tripped as Sophie and Kat came to an abrupt halt on either side of them.
“It’s one of the priestesses,” Kat whispered in her ear. “Be respectful.”
Molly wanted to ask for a verbal description of the priestess—she’d heard they had green hair and eyes which were also green, not just the irises but the whites of them as well. But there wasn’t time and besides, she didn’t want to a
ppear irreverent.
“I’m sorry?” she said instead, tilting her head in the direction of the new voice. “I don’t understand. Could you please explain?”
“I said, you do not believe, child.” The voice came nearer—it sounded like a woman in her forties or fifties, Molly thought, and there was a scent like herbal incense around her. “You do not believe now, but you will. In the darkness, you will have no doubt.”
“Forgive me, priestess, but my whole life is lived in darkness,” Molly said gently. “You see, I’m blind.”
“That is why you will believe,” the priestess said mysteriously. “For in the darkness, you will see again. But let me urge you, my dear…” A strong, cool hand was suddenly placed on Molly’s cheek and she had to fight not to flinch back from the unexpected contact. “Do not attempt to see the truth with your eyes. It is with your heart that you must look. Only then will you find what you seek.”
“Umm…” Molly wasn’t sure what to say. Though she was used to encountering other cultures and religions, the priestess had somehow knocked her completely off her guard.
“See with your heart,” the priestess repeated. Then the cool hand was withdrawn and there was a whisper in the grass as she glided away.
“Wow…” Kat drew in a shaky breath. “Sorry, doll—we should have warned you. The Kindred priestesses can be a little intense.”
“A little?” Sophie gave a nervous laugh.
“Well, maybe more than a little,” Kat admitted. “Anyway, are you okay, hon?” she asked Molly.
“I’m fine,” Molly assured her, although she wasn’t exactly certain she was. The encounter with the priestess had shaken her somehow and she couldn’t help hearing the woman’s words echoing in her head, “See with your heart…”
“Oh!” Sophia exclaimed. “Sylvan is bespeaking me. He’s back at our suite now and he wants to talk to you, Dr. Reynaud.”
“You can just call me Molly,” Molly offered. “And what do you mean when you say he’s ‘bespeaking’ you? Did he call you somehow?”
The explanation of how the Kindred and their females form a telepathic bond when they get mated was both fascinating and lengthy. It lasted until they got back to the suite Sophia shared with her husband and children and wouldn’t have stopped there if Molly had been able to keep it going. She had to remind herself again that her mission was to study the Tal’ossi, not the Kindred.
But she was finding the Kindred more and more fascinating…especially the tall and mostly silent Braxx who stayed protectively behind her, no matter where she went.
Chapter Five
“I’m very sorry to hear about your assistant’s fiancée, Dr. Reynaud,” Commander Sylvan said, taking Molly’s hand and nodding his head formally, though he must know she couldn’t see him.
“I am too but he’s in the best hospital in Tampa and they’re doing everything they can for him.” There was a little catch in Molly’s voice but she lifted her chin, as though she was trying to be brave.
Braxx couldn’t help staring at her—drinking her in was more like it—every minute he was with her. He’d been entranced by her reaction to the new people and experiences she encountered aboard the Mothership. Her natural curiosity matched his own—he enjoyed scouting for the Kindred to see new things, not just because it kept him away from the pitying eyes of other people.
Her bright personality, though, was the opposite of his own dark brooding. Despite her disability, she was one of the happiest, most positive people he had ever met. It was another reason she drew him, he thought—opposites attract and he found his darkness pulled to her light like a moth to a flame.
“…are willing to go with her?”
“Excuse me?” Braxx realized that Commander Sylvan was now speaking to him and he had missed what the other male was saying in his musing about Molly. He dragged his gaze from her lovely features and forced himself to focus on his commanding officer.
“I said, are you willing to accompany Dr. Reynaud on her field study to Tal’os Trenta?” Commander Sylvan asked sternly.
“Yes, Commander Sylvan. I stated as much during our viewscreen conference,” Braxx answered, nodding.
“This is a serious change and I would not have you take it lightly,” Sylvan said, frowning. “I will need you to swear an oath to protect the good doctor before I can approve of this last minute substitution.”
“I am more than willing to swear it,” Braxx assured him. Now was the time for him to give his word to his commanding officer that he would protect Molly with his life and make certain she got back to Earth safely. But somehow he didn’t want to give his oath to Commander Sylvan—he wanted to give it to Molly herself.
Rising from his seat in the Commander’s living area, he came to the couch where Molly was seated and went to his knees before her. She couldn’t see his gesture but still, she shifted in her seat and he knew she could sense him near her.
“Molly,” he said in a low voice. “Will you give me your hands that I might swear my oath to you?”
“Oh!” She seemed surprised and more than a little flustered. Still, she held out her small, soft hands to him and Braxx took them in his own, much larger ones.
“Dr. Reynaud…Molly,” he said in a low voice, looking into her big brown eyes though he knew she couldn’t see him. “I vow to you now that I will protect you to my last breath. My body will be your shield against danger—I will give my life for yours if need be. May my own blood run dry before a single drop of yours is shed. Before the Goddess I swear this—let her hear and witness my devotion to you.”
For a moment Molly seemed unable to speak. Then she squeezed his hands tightly.
“Oh my…” she whispered faintly. “Thank you, Braxx. That…that’s beautiful. But are we really going into so much danger?”
“The Tal’ossi seem to be a well mannered and civilized race—at least the Top Dwellers, which we will be visiting are. The Deep Dwellers—those who live in the subterranean caverns beneath the surface of the planet—are another story. But we will not be going there.”
She gave a little shiver but nodded.
“Then thank you—I accept your offer of protection and guidance on this new planet.”
“I am more than pleased to offer it,” Braxx murmured. Though his vow was made and he could withdraw and go back to his own seat, he found he didn’t want to. He remained as he was, kneeling before Molly and holding her small, fragile hands in his, studying her lovely face until Sylvan cleared his throat pointedly.
“Well…I am also appreciative that you are willing to facilitate Dr. Reynaud’s research, Commander Braxx,” he said. “As you know, the Kindred have a vested interest in finding out more about them—especially the energy source you reported on. The …what did you call it?”
“The Tal’ossi call it the Cha’llah, Commander Sylvan,” Braxx answered. Taking his commander’s hint, he reluctantly released Molly’s hands and went back to his own seat. “It seems to be some sort of a deity as well as a power source. The Tal’ossi both worship it and harness its power using crystals of various sizes.”
“Of course, we have plenty of power aboard the Mothership due to our green sun which supplies us well,” Sylvan remarked. “But if these crystals could be carried abroad as alternative or backup power sources, it would be very beneficial.”
“Of course.” Braxx nodded his head. “I will endeavor to find out more while Dr. Reynaud is doing her study.”
“Do that. And be certain to stop by the med center and get Dr. Reynaud some translation bacteria so that she can communicate with the Tal’ossi effectively.” Sylvan rose, signaling an end to their interview. He offered Braxx his forearm for a warrior’s clasp and Braxx accepted, shaking firmly.
“Thank you, Commander Sylvan.”
“Of course. And Braxx,” Sylvan added, pulling him close so he could speak in Braxx’s ear. “Be extra vigilant as you travel to and from the Mothership. We have reason to believe that the Hive is searching
for Earth females. They want one special female in particular but they’ll take any they can get. See that you keep Dr. Reynaud safely away from them.”
“Understood.” Braxx nodded gravely. “Tal’os Trenta is all the way across the galaxy, as you know Commander. And we plan to fold space to a spot just outside the planet’s orbit. I’ll take every precaution in between to avoid detection.”
“See that you do.” Commander Sylvan nodded back and released his arm. “And may the Goddess go with you both.”
Chapter Six
“So who or what are the Hive I heard Commander Sylvan talking about?” Molly asked as she felt for the buckles of her seat harness in the new, long-range ship they had boarded. They were a complicated array, unlike the simple seatbelt-like straps in the first ship Braxx had used to bring her up to the Mothership and she was having some difficulty with them.
“You heard that about the Hive, did you? You weren’t supposed to.” Braxx sounded like he was frowning.
“Why not?” Molly demanded. “Are the Kindred keeping something from the people of Earth? I heard Commander Sylvan say something about the Hive looking for Earth women.”
Braxx sighed. “We are only keeping it from you because we don’t want to frighten you. The Hive are a hostile alien species who have recently targeted Earth. But as long as the energy shield the Mothership is projecting around the planet remains unbroken, you have nothing to fear.”
“Nothing to fear? When a hostile species is targeting us?” Molly demanded. Her fingers seemed to be all thumbs—she couldn’t get the damn harness buckled to save her life. “What are they like? Are they anything like the Scourge?”
“Worse,” Braxx said darkly. “Here, allow me to help you with your harness. You must be securely fastened in before we enter the Rift.”
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