“Do you usually have more than one prophetic dream in a night?” Sylvan asked.
She shook her head. “No, not usually. But nothing about this is usual for me. I’ve only had the gift for a short time.”
“Let’s trust that one dream a night is your limit.” Sylvan smiled gently and came to sit beside Sophia on the side of Nadiah’s bed. “Come, close your eyes and I’ll sing to you.”
“All right.” Reluctantly, Nadiah lay back on the bed and allowed Sophia to tuck the covers around her again. Sylvan hummed experimentally and then his warm, soft baritone filled the quiet room.
“Sleep my little one,
Close your eyes and rest.
Night has come and the grotto is dark.
Follow your dreams to Hush-a-Bye Mountain.
Climb to the top
And make your best wish.
The stars overhead will speak if you listen
And the moonlight will carry you home.
Sleep little one, sleep little one
And the moonlight will carry you home.”
When he was finished, he leaned over and kissed Nadiah’s forehead exactly as he used to when she was a tiny, frightened girl. It made her smile and she noticed that Sophie was smiling too.
“You have a beautiful voice,” she murmured to Sylvan as he rose to leave. “Why haven’t you ever sung for me before?”
He shrugged. “You never asked.”
“Well you can bet I’ll be asking from now on.” She looked at Nadiah. “Are you all right now? Or would you like me to sit with you until you can get back to sleep?”
“I’m all right.” Nadiah smiled at her. “Although…if you want to stay a little while I don’t mind.”
“I’ll stay.” Sophia looked up at her mate. “You go back to bed, hon. I’ll be there in a bit.”
“All right.” He looked at Nadiah. “Sleep well, my kin. We’re just in the next room if you have another vision.”
Nadiah shivered. “I hope I won’t. But thank you, Sylvan. And thanks for the song.”
“Anytime.” He grinned. “As long as you don’t tell Baird and Deep and Lock about it.”
“I’ll keep it to myself,” Nadiah vowed solemnly. “After all, if they knew what a sweet voice you have, they’d all be wanting a lullaby before bedtime.”
Sophia burst out laughing. “Sorry, I just had this mental image of all three of those huge Kindred warriors tucked into one bed with Sylvan serenading them.”
Nadiah laughed too. “That would be a sight.”
“And on that note, I am leaving.” Sylvan smiled. “No pun intended.”
After he left, Nadiah squeezed Sophia’s hand. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here in your suite. I was afraid I’d get in your way at first but now I’m really glad I took your offer.”
“You’re never in the way,” Sophia said. “And just think, if you hadn’t stayed with us I never would have found out what a gorgeous voice Sylvan has.”
“Yes you would have,” Nadiah protested. “As soon as you have children he’ll be singing them to sleep just like he sang to me when I was young.”
Sophia looked troubled. “I hope you’re right. I really do.”
“Did I say something wrong?” Nadiah asked worriedly. “I’m sorry.”
“No, hon, there’s nothing to be sorry for.” Sophia gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s just that Sylvan and I have been trying for awhile and I still haven’t gotten pregnant. I mean, it’s probably not a big deal. I just wish I was going to have a little boy like Liv is.”
“Of course you do.” Nadiah sat up in bed and looked at her earnestly. “Then they can play together and be like brothers.”
“Exactly.” Sophia smiled. “You understand.”
“I want sons too,” Nadiah said. “Not right away, of course. And certainly not with that horrible Yo-dah my parents picked out for me.” She shivered. “I want my first sex to be special and perfect. And if I wind up with him…Ugh, it would be like making love with a skinny, obnoxious tree.”
Sophia laughed. “Nadiah, you crack me up.”
Nadiah looked at her anxiously. “Are there cracks in your skin? Did I put them there?”
Sophia shook her head. “No, silly—I meant you’re funny. You make me laugh. Sorry—I guess the translation bacteria doesn’t cover everything, huh?”
Nadiah shook her head. “Not everything but I usually manage to get what you mean from the context.” She sighed. “I’m just tired right now.”
“Well go to sleep.” Sophia pushed Nadiah’s hair away from her forehead. Her hand felt cool and soothing. “And try to have good dreams this time.”
“I don’t try to have the visions—they just come to me,” Nadiah said fretfully. “I wish the Goddess had not chosen me for the Sight.”
“She must have done it for a reason,” Sophia said reasonably. She looked troubled. “Maybe…maybe you can stop him before he takes another girl.”
“If I can get anyone to listen to me.” Nadiah shook her head. “But from Detective Rast’s reaction I get the feeling that your law enforcement personal aren’t likely to believe anything I say.”
“Unfortunately not.” Sophia frowned. “But I promise you, Nadiah, if you have another one of these…these visions and it shows someone being taken, we’ll do everything we can to stop it. With or without help from the police or Rast or anybody else.”
“All right.” The idea put Nadiah’s mind at ease. “Thank you, Sophie,” she said, smiling up at the mate of her kin. “You’re going to make a wonderful mother someday. And don’t worry too much about it not happening yet—sometimes it takes awhile with Blood Kindred.”
Sophia smiled. “You would know. You’re the expert on them, right?”
“I’ve done a little research,” Nadiah admitted, smiling. It had been her ambition to be mated to a Kindred warrior—especially a Blood Kindred—from the time she was a little girl. Of course, her parents would be horrified at the thought of her polluting her pure blood lines by joining with a Kindred but Nadiah didn’t care. The huge, virile warriors were her ideal and even if they hadn’t been, anyone would have been better than the skinny, sniveling Yo-dah her parents had promised her to.
“Research, huh?” Sophia grinned. “Well then, go back to sleep and try to dream about your ‘research’ and the perfect Kindred warrior who’s going to sweep you off your feet.”
“All right.” Nadiah snuggled back into bed and sighed. “Good night, Sophie.”
“Good night, sleep tight.” Sophia smiled as she left the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Nadiah closed her eyes and tried not to dwell on the disturbing vision that had disrupted her sleep. Please Goddess, she prayed silently. Be with that girl. Protect her or at least let her torment be swiftly over. And please help me to prevent this from happening again. If you have given me this gift for a reason, please help me to use it wisely.
She felt a sense of peace after she prayed, as though the Goddess of All Life was listening. But sleep still eluded her. Turning on her side, she tried to picture the perfect Blood Kindred warrior. He would be tall and strong and he would sweep her off her feet and go with her to Tranq Prime to challenge the blood bond between herself and her betrothed. Then he would take her back with him to the Mother ship and they would live happily ever after in mated bliss just like Sophia and Sylvan.
But somehow, no matter how hard she tried to picture her perfect Kindred, he was always wearing the face of that annoying Detective Rast.
Nadiah fell asleep frowning but at least she had no more dreams.
Chapter Twenty-two
“Good morning.” Nadiah smiled as Sylvan came into the dining area. She and Sophia were already up and enjoying a traditional Earth breakfast. Well, traditional to Sophia’s part of Earth, anyway. Apparently different regions of the planet had different cuisines.
Nadiah wasn’t a big fan of the yellow fluffy stuff the mate of her kin had called scrambled e
ggs—they had a strange texture. But there were thin crispy slices of something called bacon that were salty and delicious. Also, there was a warm, crunchy kind of bread with sweet, sticky berry spread on it that was wonderful.
But best of all, in Nadiah’s opinion, was the bright orange juice squeezed from a fruit—it tasted like liquid sunshine, tart and sweet and utterly delicious. Sophia had offered her white liquid called ‘milk’ as well, but Nadiah had turned it down. She’d already been warned by Baird that it came from a skin bag between a large Earth animal’s legs. Apparently, the bag was squeezed and the white fluid came jetting out. Ugh! It sounded every bit as disgusting as fleeta pudding to Nadiah, who had never been fond of her native dish.
“Good morning.” Sylvan smiled at them both. He kissed Sophia on the cheek and Nadiah on the top of her head before seating himself at the table. “I see you two are finally up.”
“What do you mean ‘finally up?’” Sophia protested. “I’ve been up for ages making you this yummy breakfast. Where were you, anyway?”
“In the viewing room,” Sylvan said, pouring himself a tall glass of the orange juice. “I had a very interesting call to attend to.”
“Oh, was it that annoying Detective Rast?” Sophia asked eagerly. “Did you give him a piece of your mind?”
Nadiah frowned. “How would you do that? With some kind of telepathy?”
“No, it just means to tell someone off,” Sophia explained. She looked at Sylvan. “So did you? Tell him off?”
“I didn’t get a chance,” Sylvan said mildly. “He wasn’t the one who called.” He looked at Nadiah. “It was your parents. And they were very unhappy. Is it true you left your home on the day you and Yo-dah were to be mated?”
“Well…yes.” Suddenly the orange juice tasted sour and flat. Nadiah put down her glass and sighed. “But Sylvan, if you could see him. He’s just so skinny and scrawny and whiny and…and so not Kindred.”
“You have a blood bond with him though.” Sylvan gave her a stern look. “That is not a commitment to be taken lightly.”
“Surely you’re not telling her to go back home and marry a man she doesn’t love?” Sophia scooted closer to Nadiah and put an arm around her shoulders. “I mean, they betrothed her to this guy when she was a little girl—she didn’t even have any choice in the matter.”
“That is how things are done on my planet,” Sylvan said, frowning. “I was betrothed to Feenah. We didn’t have a blood bond but the engagement between us was sacred. If she had not broken it, I would have mated her.”
“And you would have been miserable the rest of your life,” Sophia shot back.
“Sophia’s right,” Nadiah toyed with the strange silver eating utensil Sophia had called a ‘fork.’ “I don’t see why I should go home and be mated to Yo-dah when you didn’t have to mate with Feenah.”
Sylvan sighed. “I didn’t say you had to go back to Tranq Prime—not right away, anyway. But I did have to promise your parents I was watching out for you. And you will have to go home eventually, you know. The blood bond will compel you.”
“I’m not going until I find a Kindred male capable of challenging the bond,” Nadiah said stubbornly. “If I go back alone they’ll tie me down and force me to say the sacred vows. Then I’ll be stuck on that ball of ice having a bunch of scrawny babies with Yo-dah’s ugly face on them.”
Sophia looked like she was trying not to laugh. “Then let’s hope you find someone who can challenge the bond soon.”
Sylvan sighed. “I give up. Do as you please as long as you stay safe and retain your virtue.”
“Sylvan!” Sophia looked shocked. “You can’t tell her that she has to…to do that. A woman’s body is her own to do with as she pleases.”
“Not on Tranq Prime. And not my kin.” Sylvan glowered. “I won’t have it said I couldn’t protect Nadiah’s virtue.”
“Relax, Sylvan, no one has to protect me,” Nadiah said quickly. “And don’t worry—I have no intention of doing anything rash. I’ll go intact to my mate to be—whoever he is—or I won’t go at all.”
Sophia shook her head. “I had no idea you guys had such primitive ideas on Tranq Prime. But whatever makes you happy.”
“What makes me happy is making sure that Nadiah is safe,” Sylvan said. “And furthermore—”
A small chime from the holo-link cut him off. Sophia hurried to answer it and a small blue dot above the unit quickly expanded to form the shape of a Kindred warrior’s head. “Pardon me, Commander Sylvan,” he said formally, nodding at Sylvan. “But there is another call for you in the viewing room and the caller requests that your kin should come as well.”
Nadiah groaned. “Omigoddess. I knew they wouldn’t leave me alone. Now they’ll be calling all the time, telling me to come back to Tranq Prime.” She looked at the disembodied blue head hovering above the holo-link. “Please inform my parents that I will come home when I am ready and not before. And I don’t wish to speak to them.”
“Forgive me, kin of Commander Sylvan, but the caller is not related to you.” The warrior nodded at her respectfully. “It is a human calling from the HKR building on Earth. He says his name is Detective Rast.”
“Detective Rast?” Sophia frowned. “Why is he calling us?”
“I don’t know.” Sylvan frowned. “But let’s go find out.”
Leaving the half-eaten breakfast on the table, the three of them hurried down the curving metal corridor to the viewing room where all off-ship communication took place.
Nadiah wasn’t a bit surprised to see that the human detective didn’t look any happier than the last time she had spoken to him. If anything he looked angrier. The moment she and Sylvan and Sophia stepped into sight of the big viewscreen mounted on the viewing room wall, he started firing questions at her.
“Is this the girl you saw?” he demanded. A picture flashed up on the viewscreen. The girl has Lauren’s same warm brown skin tones but other than that, she bore little resemblance to Sophia and Olivia’s cousin when viewed face-on. Still, Nadiah recognized her at once.
“Yes,” she said as the picture was replaced by an angry looking Detective Rast. “That’s her.”
“All right. Where were you last night?” he asked, glaring at her with those startling green eyes. “Were you anywhere near Sarasota?”
“Nadiah has been here on the Kindred Mother ship since she came for my joining ceremony, detective,” Sylvan said, frowning.
“I’d like to hear her answer for herself, if you don’t mind,” Rast snapped.
“I have no problem with answering your question.” Nadiah put a hand on her hip. “As Sylvan said, I’ve been here aboard the ship. Why do you ask?”
“Can anyone verify your whereabouts?” he demanded, ignoring her question.
“Sylvan and I both can.” Sophia crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s been staying in our suite with us.”
Rast frowned. “She could have gotten out during the night, when the two of you were sleeping.”
“No, she couldn’t,” Sophia snapped. “She had a nightmare last night and Sylvan and I were up with her.”
Nadiah’s cheeks burned. She knew Sophia was just trying to defend her but the way she talked it sounded like Nadiah was a baby who needed to be protected and coddled.
“A nightmare, huh?” Rast glared at her. “What was it this time? Another vision? A prophesy?”
“I saw the same girl that I saw in my previous vision, if you must know,” Nadiah said coldly. “The one who looks like Lauren. She was…” She swallowed hard, remembering the horrible images the vision had shown her.
“She was what?” Rast sounded almost eager. “What? Where was she? Tell me!”
“Why do you want to know what I saw?” Nadiah demanded. “You don’t believe in my gift.”
“I want to know because a girl matching your description disappeared last night.” Rast poked a finger at her. “And I want to know exactly how you’re involved.”
“Wai
t a moment, Detective. What are you implying?” Sylvan took a step forward, frowning at the human. “You think Nadiah would have something to do with abducting a helpless girl?”
Rast ran a hand through his thick light brown hair in obvious frustration. “How else would she know the girl was going to be taken?”
“She knows because of her gift—because of the Sight,” Sophia said, putting an arm around Nadiah’s shoulders.
“I don’t believe that,” Rast said stubbornly. “There must be some other reason—some way she knew.” He looked at Nadiah. “Admit it—you had something to do with this.”
“Be careful what you accuse my kin of.” Sylvan’s voice had deepened to a menacing growl. “Nadiah is closely related to me—she is what you would call my cousin. I can vouch for her honor and tell you that she would never be involved in an abduction.”
“And she would certainly never have anything to do with torture!” Sophia put in.
“Torture?” A muscle in Rast’s jaw twitched. “Who said anything about torture?”
“That’s what I saw.” Nadiah felt sick. “In my dream—my vision. He was hurting her…torturing her.”
“He? He who?” Rast demanded.
“The AllFather,” Sylvan said. “The overlord of the Scourge. Tell me, Detective, did you happen to find the girl’s clothing all in a pile as you did in Lauren’s case?”
“We did.” Rast frowned. “But we assumed that whoever had taken her took the time to undress her first.”
“I don’t think so.” Nadiah shook her head. “She was taken the same way Lauren was—with the Scourge molecular transfer beam. That’s how he got her.”
“And why are you so determined that Nadiah had anything to do with it?” Sophia asked. “The last time she talked about her vision, you mocked her because of what she saw.”
Rast looked uncomfortable. “The details she mentioned…they checked out. The girl disappeared from the place she talked about.”
“What place?” Nadiah asked, truly mystified. “I didn’t see anyplace in particular. I just saw giants kissing.”
Rast cleared his throat. “Maybe…maybe you’d better come down here. I’ll show you what I mean.”
Brides of the Kindred Volume One Page 148