Brides of the Kindred Volume One

by Evangeline Anderson

  At last the boy gave a wild yell and jumped off the swing just as it reached its highest arc. Nadiah’s heart leapt up into her throat—she was certain he would break his neck! But he rolled on the neatly trimmed green grass and came up laughing in the bright sunshine.

  “You’re crazy! If Mom saw you do that it would give her a heart attack.” But Jessie was laughing as she said it. She slung an arm around her little brother’s skinny shoulders and he looked up at her adoringly.

  “Jessie, why can’t I come with you tonight? I went to all your other birthday parties.”

  “Yes, but this is a grownup party. I’m eighteen now—you know that.”

  “I don’t see what’s so great about being eighteen,” he grumbled. “You’d just rather hang out with your stupid friends than me. Especially that dumb Mark Hains.”

  Jessie blushed, her creamy cheeks going pink. “Don’t be a brat. Besides, Mark is nice—I like him. And…and I think he likes me.”

  “He likes you all right but he’s not a good guy.” The boy’s mood suddenly turned dark. “Stay away from him, Jessie. I get bad feelings when he looks at you. Really bad.”

  “Don’t talk like that.” She frowned. “You know it freaks people out when you talk about your ‘feelings’.”

  “You’re the only one I talk to about them,” the boy protested. “And besides, you know I’m right. I’m always right.”

  “Not this time.” She ruffled his hair. “C’mon, let’s get something cold to drink. It’s too hot out here.”

  “Okay.” The boy leaned against her side and she gave him a squeeze as they walked toward the back door of the big white house. “Just be careful. I love you, Jessie.”

  “Love you too, kiddo.” She dropped a kiss on the top of his head and they went into the house disappeared from Nadiah’s line of sight. Suddenly a voice spoke in her ear.

  “Remember. Remember and tell him all you have seen. Then he cannot help but believe.”

  Then it was gone and Nadiah felt herself drifting deeper, into the darkest reaches of sleep where there are no dreams.

  * * * * *

  “Do we really have to do this again?” Adam Rast ran a hand through his hair and glared at her. It had been a week since their last encounter and Nadiah hadn’t been sure he would meet her at the HKR building again, but she’d decided to take a chance. To her surprise, he had actually shown up when she called.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said coolly, straightening her tharp which had shaped itself into a close approximation of an Earth skirt and blouse today. She wanted to look calm and collected—professional.

  “I only came to tell you one thing,” he growled. “Stop bothering me, Nadiah, I have work to do.”

  “Because another girl has disappeared, right?” She arched an eyebrow at him and he glared at her.

  “Yeah, good for you. Did you read that on the NewsFeed this morning or did you have another vision about the missing girl?”

  “I have had a vision.” She gave him a level look. “But not about the girl you’re looking for. Last night in my dreams I saw a girl who’s been missing for the past twenty of your Earth years.”

  “What? Now you’re having visions about cold cases?” Rast shook his head. “Seriously, I don’t have time for this! Good bye, Nadiah. Have a nice life and don’t call me again.” He turned away, striding over the grey carpet of the HKR building, heading for the double glass doors.

  “Her name was Jessie,” Nadiah said, raising her voice to be heard over the murmuring of the Earth brides and the Kindred warriors who had called them. “She had long, auburn hair.”

  Slowly, Rast turned to face her. “What did you say?”

  “She smelled like fresh cut flowers,” Nadiah continued. “And she had a beautiful singing voice.”

  “What?” He strode over to her and grabbed her by the arm. His face was white with fury. “How dare you? How fucking dare you bring her into this?”

  “She meant the world to you, didn’t she?” Nadiah looked at him, realizing that he had been the boy in her vision. “She pushed you on the swing and called you ‘kiddo’ and—”

  “Stop right now. Just stop.” Rast dragged her over to one of the dark grey couches and pushed her down. Then he stood there, looming over her with a terrible expression on his face. “I don’t know how you dug up my past and I don’t care. But you stop talking about Jessie right now or—”

  “She sang to you when she pushed you on the swing,” Nadiah interrupted. What she was saying was obviously upsetting him deeply and she would have liked to stop but somehow she couldn’t. Her lips went on moving, forming words whether she wanted to speak them or not. “A special song,” she said. “One only the two of you knew.” Suddenly her throat was filled with the dead girl’s voice and she sang.

  “Swing me up a little bit higher,

  Obadiah, do.

  Swing me up a little bit higher,

  Say you love me too.

  Swing me over the garden wall,

  Tie me up so I’ll never fall.

  Swing me up a little bit higher,

  Obadiah, do!”

  “My God!” Rast sank onto the couch beside her, his face suddenly ashen. “How…what…?” He looked at her wonderingly. “I haven’t heard that song in twenty years. And that was her voice—her voice exactly. How did you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Nadiah said honestly. “Just as I don’t know why I see the things I see. I only know they’re true.” She touched his arm lightly. “She was your sister, wasn’t she? What happened to her?”

  “She was murdered,” he said, his voice grating harshly over the ugly word. “Abducted the night of her eighteenth birthday party and murdered.”

  “By Mark Hains?” Nadiah asked.

  Rast’s head jerked up. “How did you—never mind. Yes, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who did it. They could never pin anything on him but he was seen leaving with her on the night of the party.”

  “You tried to warn her about him,” Nadiah said, remembering her dream. “I saw it—you said you had a bad feeling when he looked at her.”

  “Yeah, me and my feelings.” He ran a hand though his hair and let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Used to get me into all kinds of trouble when I was a kid, until Jessie taught me to keep ‘em to myself.”

  Nadiah felt a burst of excitement. “So you have a gift too—the gift of discernment. You can see into people, read their true intentions.”

  He looked up at her with a frown. “Something like that. I prefer to think of it as trusting my instincts. I can always tell when someone’s telling the truth or not.”

  Nadiah frowned. “Then you must have known earlier that I was being truthful about my visions. Why did you keep putting me off?”

  “Because…” He stood up and started pacing. “You have to understand. We didn’t find Jessie’s body right away. She was missing for years before it was found. My parents…they went a little crazy. Jessie was always their favorite—I came along later so I was just an afterthought. But Jessie, well, she was so perfect and bright and beautiful you couldn’t help but love her.”

  “What did they do?” Nadiah asked softly. “Your parents?”

  Rast sighed. “After the case went cold and the police dropped out they hired private detectives—good ones too. Expensive. But my parents both had extremely successful careers—they could afford it.” He continued to pace, looking down at his shoes. “When that didn’t work, they went farther out into left field. My mom found a psychic who said she could feel Jessie’s energy. She told my mom Jessie was still alive, just waiting to be found.” He shrugged angrily. “It gave her hope—until we found the body, that was.”

  “The woman was a fraud,” Nadiah said flatly.

  “So were all the others my parents hired. They just wanted the money.” Rast sat beside her again, frowning. “And believe me, they got plenty of it. But the worst part was seeing how excited and hopeful my mom would get every time
. She was so sure Jessie was out there, just waiting for us to find her.” He shook his head angrilly. “Fucking money grubbing liars, every one of them.”

  “That’s why you didn’t want to believe me, to believe I was telling the truth,” Nadiah said. “Because of the people who took advantage of your family during your time of grief.”

  “I’ve seen it happen to other people too, when they’re kids go missing.” He gave Nadiah a piercing look. “They’re frantic to find their child. They’d do anything, pay anything. So even though I could tell you were telling the truth, I thought you were just crazy. I could tell you believed what you were saying but I didn’t think anyone could actually see the things you were claiming to see. Not really.”

  “But you rely on your own gift,” Nadiah pointed out. “You have to admit that’s out of the ordinary—outside the realm of what’s possible.”

  He looked grim. “I didn’t rely on it enough to save Jessie. I knew that bastard Hains was trouble—I knew what he wanted to do to her but she wouldn’t listen.” He shook his head. “I should have kept her from leaving that night. Should have hidden the keys to her car, locked her in her room, something…”

  “You were just a child.” Nadiah spoke gently, wanting to comfort him. “You couldn’t help what happened.”

  “I should have made someone listen to me. If not Jessie, then my parents, or the police. I tried to tell them, tried to convince them to listen, to look for her right away. But they wouldn’t, you know?”

  “Because they didn’t believe you?”

  “That and because she was over eighteen—legally an adult. When a minor goes missing you start the case right away. With an adult, you always wait twenty-four hours first.”

  “What? Why?” Nadiah demanded. “That’s stupid.”

  “I think so too.” Rast nodded. “You know what the forensics guys said when they finally found Jessie’s body?”

  “What?” Nadiah whispered, almost afraid to know.

  “They said there was evidence of…of torture.” Rast looked fixedly down at his hands and his voice went low and tense. “They were pretty sure she’d been kept alive for at least a day after she was taken. Kept alive so he could have his sick fun with her. Then after he killed her, he dumped her far away.” He looked up at Nadiah, his truegreen eyes bright with unshed tears. “If I could have made someone listen to me—made them start looking for her earlier—they might have gotten to her in time. She might still be alive today.”

  “Oh, Detective Rast…” Nadiah didn’t know what to say. She put a hand over his and squeezed.

  “Rast.” He sighed. “ Just Rast. Nobody but my mother calls me Adam.”

  “Rast, it wasn’t your fault.” Nadiah looked earnestly into his eyes. “You did everything you could. You tried to warn her—I saw it in my dream.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks for playing therapist but I don’t think I’ll ever really forgive myself. Jessie’s murder is why I do what I do. I keep thinking if I can just find enough of them before they go missing forever, someday maybe I can make up for what happened.”

  Nadiah was touched. “You take your job very seriously.”

  “It’s life or death.” He sighed and straightened up. “Speaking of which, I need to try and find the girl who was taken last night.”

  Nadiah shifted in her seat. “If she was taken by the AllFather then I’m afraid there isn’t much hope for her.”

  Rast shook is head. “I’m still not sure he’s the one who snatched her.”

  She raised any eyebrow at him. “Did they find her clothes in a heap, like the other one—Tabitha?”

  “Well, yes. But don’t forget, Tabitha’s body was found,” he pointed out with an edge in his voice.

  “What was her cause of death?” Nadiah asked. “How did he kill her?”

  Rast frowned. “That’s the strange part. No cause of death that anyone could find. The coroner said her heart just stopped for no apparent reason.”

  “Were there any marks on her?” Nadiah asked. “In my dream I saw wires being implanted under her skin—it’s a kind of torture the AllFather has. He hooks you up to this machine that projects your worst memories for everyone to see.” She shivered. “Baird had it done to him.”

  “He did?” Rast asked in obvious surprise. “Actually, there were little wounds all over her skin but none of them were deep enough to kill anyone. The coroner couldn’t figure it out.” He frowned at Nadiah. “And I still don’t see why he would return the body.”

  “Maybe to send a message?” Nadiah said. “The first girl he took looked a lot like Lauren—maybe he’s still searching for her. Does the second girl look anything like her?”

  “Not really.” Rast reached into his jacket and pulled out a small holo cube. He flipped the bottom switch and the smiling, life-sized head of a girl with pale creamy skin and long black hair sudden popped into view. “See?” he said. “She’s white and Lauren is African American.”

  “I see.” Nadiah studied the holo closely for a moment. There was something about it that bothered her but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. And there was no denying that the second girl who had been taken looked nothing like Lauren.

  “So…” Rast clicked off the cube and put it back in his pocket. “I need to see if I can find her.”

  “I hope you do,” Nadiah said quietly.

  Rast gave her a sharp look. “But you doubt it.”

  “If she’s the one I saw in my dream then yes, I’m afraid so.” Nadiah sighed. “Well, I guess I should go and let you work.”

  “I have to do everything I can to find her,” Rast said seriously. “Even if…you’re right. I still have to do my job.”

  “Of course you do.” She nodded. “Thank you for taking time to talk to me.”

  “Anytime,” Rast murmured. Nadiah started to get up but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Nadiah, look at me.”

  “What?” She searched his truegreen eyes with her own.

  “I mean that. Anytime you have something to tell me, something you saw or you know or whatever—just call me,” Rast told her seriously. “Day or night, doesn’t matter.”

  Nadiah’s heart jumped. “You mean it? You’ll listen to what I have to say now?”

  Rast sighed. “Yes. From now on I’ll listen.” He looked down. “I’m sorry I treated you like you were crazy earlier. It’s just…it was hard to believe anyone could actually have a talent like your…”

  “My gift,” she finished for him. “The Sight.”

  “The Sight. Right.” He nodded. “Well, come on.” He rose and held out a hand to her.

  Nadiah took it, feeling her heart start to pound as he drew her to her feet. “I’m sorry if I upset you, talking about your sister,” she said softly, looking up at him. “But I needed you to believe me.”

  “I understand.” He nodded. “You know I haven’t talked about her to anyone for years.”

  “Really? Not even your parents?”

  He shook his head. “Especially not them. It’s a forbidden subject in their house.”

  “But how sad,” Nadiah protested. “She was such a beautiful girl—so vibrant and full of life. Someone like that shouldn’t be forgotten.”

  Rast’s eyes flashed. “I’ve never forgotten her I just…never had anyone I could talk to about her before.”

  “You can talk to me about Jessie—if you want, I mean.” Looking down, Nadiah realized her hand was still loosely cupped in his.

  Rast seemed to realize it at the same time because he dropped her hand abruptly and cleared his throat. “Well, I’d better go. Call me if you have any more information.”

  “I will.” Nadiah nodded, feeling like an idiot. Of course he didn’t want to talk about his dead sister! To dig up such an old and painful memory. Why had she offered such a thing? “Uh, thanks for listening,” she said, feeling foolish.

  “You didn’t give me much choice, did you?” Rast said dryly. He sighed. “Well…goodbye.”<
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  “Goodbye,” Nadiah echoed.

  Rast nodded and walked out of the HKR building with a swift, businesslike stride. She watched him go, wondering why she wished she was going with him. He’s just a human, she reminded herself. And a cranky, irritating one at that. But she couldn’t get his look out of her mind—the bright sheen of unshed tears in his green eyes when he’d talked about his sister. There was tenderness in Detective Rast—buried somewhere beneath the hard outer shell, she was sure of it. But who or what would ever be able to draw it out?

  Nadiah shook her head. “Only the Goddess knows. But not me, that’s for sure,” she murmured to herself. Then she sighed. It was time to be getting back to the Mother ship before anyone found out she was missing. By the time she got back it would be almost time to go to bed.

  She shivered at the thought of another night of unrelenting nightmares. Still, at least now she knew that if she saw anything, Adam Rast would listen to her and take her seriously. With a last look at the detective’s broad, retreating back, Nadiah headed back for the shuttle which would return her to the Mothership.

  Chapter Thirty

  “I can’t believe it’s only been a week—it feels like we’ve had her forever.” Lauren smiled affectionately at the little bundle of black fur curled up on Xairn’s broad chest. He was reclining on the couch watching some sporting event on her battered flatscreen, and Little One was sleeping on him, as usual.

  “She found her way into our hearts almost at once.” Xairn stroked the puppy which gave a sleepy yawn and flipped over so he could scratch her belly. Lauren watched as he caressed her glossy fur gently, careful as always with the tiny animal.

  It did seem impossible to believe that Little One had been with them only a week. At first Lauren had been a little apprehensive about taking in a stray puppy, especially when it seemed her relationship with Xairn was crumbling apart. But now she could honestly admit that Little One couldn’t have come to them at a better time. Both of them had put aside their worries in order to concentrate on the puppy and as a consequence, their relationship had grown quietly almost without them realizing it.