“But they did it to save them from Blood Fever, didn’t they?” Liv pointed out. “Would their parents really rather have seen them dead than mated to a Kindred?”
Sophia shrugged. “Apparently. Hey, I told you it was a messed up place.”
“I guess so.” Kat shook her head. “Of course anyplace they eat pudding made of bug guts—”
“Kat!” Liv looked green again. “I swear I’m going to get you back the minute you get preggers.”
“Sorry!” Kat looked contrite. “I was just thinking of Nadiah. I feel so bad for her, having to go back and live in that awful place with a husband she doesn’t love.”
“I know.” Sophia was suddenly tearful. “I feel like she’s my little sister and there’s nothing I can do to help her. We were hoping that she’d find a Kindred to connect to—one who would be willing to challenge the bond for her. But somehow it just never happened and now it’s almost too late.”
“Well maybe something will happen soon,” Kat said, putting down her cupcake to give her friend a comforting squeeze. “You never can tell—she might go to sleep and start dream sharing with someone tonight.”
Sophia blotted a tear from her eye. “I hope you’re right but I just don’t know how much longer she can hold out. She looks terrible, the poor thing. I just wish there was someone who could help her.” She put down her own cupcake and ran a hand through her hair. “Sorry for getting emotional, I’m just stretched thin right now. It looks like the minute Nadiah leaves, we’ll be getting another guest.”
“You will?” Liv frowned. “Who?”
“You remember Sylvan’s friend—the one who was supposed to show up for the joining ceremony and perform the luck kiss and didn’t?” Sophia picked up her cupcake again and took another nibble. “Well apparently he’s finally on his way.”
“He is? Now?” Liv shook her head. “Kind of rude to miss the wedding and still expect you to put him up, isn’t it?”
Sophie sighed. “I think so too, but he has a good excuse.”
“What kind of Kindred is he?” Kat asked. “He can’t be a Twin or he’d be bringing his brother with him.”
“That’s the weird thing about him,” Sophia said. “Apparently he’s some kind of hybrid.”
“A hybrid?” Olivia raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. How is it even possible?”
“Well Sylvan says his mother was one of those really rare female Kindred—her mother was a Tranq Prime native and her father was a Blood Kindred.”
“I thought the female Kindred almost always became priestesses of the Goddess,” Kat said.
“Well this one didn’t.” Sophia picked a blueberry out of her cupcake and popped it in her mouth. “She grew up on Tranq Prime and then left and met a Beast Kindred from Rageron. They got mated and had Merrik.”
“Merrik being Sylvan’s long lost friend?” Liv asked.
Sophie nodded. “Yup. Anyway, apparently there’s a reason there aren’t many Kindred Hybrids—they have a really hard time reconciling the two different parts of their personality. Merrik was away on some spiritual retreat trying to do just that when he got captured.”
“Captured?” Kat and Liv said together.
“I told you he had a good excuse.” Sophia shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly who captured him—I got the idea from Sylvan that he was too upset to speak about it. Anyway, he got loose and he’s on his way now to convey his belated congratulations.” She sighed. “He was one of Sylvan’s best friends growing up on Tranq Prime so it’s not like we can say no.”
“Of course.” Kat nodded. “Well, I guess you’re going to be busy for a while. Maybe I’ll get Lauren to help plan my wedding.”
“What?” Sophie and Liv shrieked at the same time.
“You mean you three are finally tying the knot?” Liv demanded.
“Yeah, well…” Kat laughed. “Deep and Lock have been bugging me to do it for some time. It had to happen eventually.”
Olivia grinned. “It’s about time you three stopped ‘living in sin.’ Have you told your grandma yet?”
“That I’m going to get married to not one but two hot alien studs?” Kat said dryly. “Not yet. She’s got a pacemaker, you know. I’m not sure her heart can take it.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy for you once she knows you’re happy.” Sophia patted her arm. “But you better tell her before the big day. It really might give her a heart attack to watch you walk down the aisle with a guy on either arm.”
“And hear you guys say ‘I do, I do, I do,” Liv added, cracking up again.
“Very funny.” But Kat was smiling too. “Well, let’s wait until Lauren moves up and then we can all plan it together. What do you say?’
“Sounds perfect to me. I’ve always wanted to make a wedding cake.”
They all looked up to see Lauren standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.
“Lauren!” The three of them jumped up to give her a group hug which she returned, laughing.
“I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in. Xairn is up here supervising moving my equipment from the shop on Earth to my new Sweet Spot here on the ship and I thought I’d come say hello.”
“We’re so glad you’re coming up to stay.” Sophie gave her cousin another squeeze. “I’m sure you heard but Kat is finally going to plan her big day.”
“I heard.” Lauren gave her friend a smile. “And I’ll be happy to help.”
“So you’re really make me a cake?” Kat asked anxiously. “One without dill pickle frosting?”
Lauren laughed. “No dill pickle frosting, I promise. And yes, I’d be honored to make your cake. Without your help I’d still be stuck back on Earth feeling miserable without my man.”
“It was nothing,” Kat said modestly. “All I did was give you a little bonding fruit.” She snapped her fingers. “Come to think of it, that would be the perfect flavor for the cake. Vanilla cake with a bonding fruit jam filling in between the layers.”
“Kat, shame on you,” Sophie scolded. “If what you’ve told us about that fruit is true, you’ll make everyone at your wedding unbearably horny!”
Kat and Lauren laughed and exchanged a look. “Well, a wedding is supposed to be a celebration of love,” Lauren pointed out. “Just be sure you only invite couples.”
Olivia shook her head. “The two of you can give the whole Mother ship a case of the me-so-hornies if you want, but first Lauren has to cater my baby shower.” Smiling at her cousin, she gave Lauren another hug. “I’m going to need some more of those pregnant lady cupcakes STAT. And this time I want extra dill pickle icing. Okay?”
“You got it, cuz.” Lauren gave her a hug and the four of them laughed together.
“I swear, Liv, you just—” Sophia broke off abruptly, her face going pale.
“What?” Olivia looked at her anxiously. “What is it, Sophie?”
“It’s Nadiah.” Sophia put a hand to her throat. “Sylvan just bespoke me. He said he got an urgent message from the HKR building in Sarasota.”
“An urgent message?” Kat grabbed her hand. “About what? Is she okay?”
“I don’t think so.” Sophia’s eyes were huge with fear. “He says Detective Rast told him she fainted. And now…now she won’t wake up.”
The End
Want More Kindred? Check out Book 5, Revealed, Rast and Nadiah’s story
Nadia has the sight—the ability to see into the future. But the one thing she can’t see is how she’s ever going to be free of the blood bond her parents forced her into when she was only six. Her fiancée is an evil bastard who delights in torturing her and her only way out of a loveless marriage is for a Kindred warrior to challenge the hated bond. But Nadiah has no warrior to challenge for her—she just has Rast.
Adam Rast doesn’t know why he feels so protective and possessive of Nadiah, only that he’s willing to kill or die to protect her. When the chance to set her free arises, he takes it without hesitation, even t
hough his lack of Kindred blood could mean his defeat or even his death. But Rast has a secret, one even he doesn’t know he possesses. When he undertakes Nadiah’s quest, the truth comes out in a strange and provocative way. Can Nadiah and Rast live through their ordeal? Will the truth about Rast set them free…or kill them? You’ll have to read Revealed, Brides of the Kindred 5, to find out.
Brides of the Kindred Glossary
AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.
Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.
Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.
Blood Bond—a bond formed by the exchange of blood between a female and the male her parents choose for her in childhood. This tradition is native to Tranq Prime and the bond created from the exchange is both legally and physically binding. Only a very strong male, such as a Kindred warrior, can hope to break the bond between the Tranq Prime female and her intended mate.
Blood Fever—a condition suffered by unmated females on Tranq Prime, the home world of the Blood Kindred. Blood Fever or Burning Blood as it is often called, is caused by a parasite living on the icy world that affects only women. The parasite—found in the fleeta or blood beetle—reacts with a compound in the Tranq Prime water supply to cause the fever. Symptoms include chills, increased sexual need and the feeling of the blood heating in the veins as well as increased coloration of the nipples and sex. If the fever is not treated in forty-eight hours, it will result in death.
Once a Kindred male has had a female’s blood, he forms a natural antidote to Blood Fever which he can pass on by sharing body fluids with her. The most effective way to get the antidote into the female’s system is for a Blood Kindred to bite her, thereby injecting it along with his essence. However, it is also possible to pass along the healing fluid through sex.
Blood Fever used to be very common on Tranq Prime which is what prompted the cold, proud natives to initiate a genetic exchange with the Kindred in the first place. A recent vaccine has nearly eradicated the disease, however, and the original inhabitants of the ice bound planet have little reason to continue the trade. A faction calling themselves Purists are against any further trade with the Kindred.
Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding sex. They have a set of double fangs located where a human’s canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.
Bonding Ceremony—a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding sex with her and joined her mind to his.
Bonding Sex—the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding sex means sex during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.
Claiming Ceremony—a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.
Claiming Period—women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothership and spend a thirty day “claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succumb to their Kindred male’s seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred ship to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon—devotion to their female’s pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot sex.
Claming Period Rules—The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him:
The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.
The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to massage her with scented oils and make her come.
The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral sex on his bride.
The Bonding Week: sex is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding sex which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.)
The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules—mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth—are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothership and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.
Convo-pillar—A half inch long insect which resembles a brightly colored caterpillar. Convo-pillars were genetically engineered by traders on the fringe colonies around Rageron to translate alien languages by communicating via thought waves to their wearer’s brain. They have been outlawed by the Kindred High Council because their notoriously unreliable translations cause more conflicts than they solve.
Dream Sharing—occurs when a Kindred warrior’s mind aligns with that of his bride and they begin to see each other’s day to day activities and memories in their sleep. However, the alignment of the two (or three in the case of the Twin Kindred) minds can take several forms and is not limited to sleep.
Fireflower Juice—an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.
Kindred—a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.
The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.
Krik-ka-re—a Scourge tradition in which the mind life of one being may be traded for or ransomed by another.
Kusax—a special knife made from the tainted metal at the core of the Scourge home planet. One scratch can be deadly as it infects the wounded person with a soul poison which ensures a slow, agonizing death.
Law of Conduct—the Kindred law which says every warrior is responsible fo
r the good behavior of his bride and gives him the right to punish her—within reason. Often the “punishment” is sexual in nature and some brides become serial offenders simply to experience their Kindred warrior’s particular form of discipline. ; )
Luck Kiss—a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.
Mate of my kin—the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is analogous to the English term sister-in-law.
Marks of Possession—the Scourge way of marking a female as their mate. The Marks of Possession include a close-fitting collar, piercings in the nipples and clitoral hood, and a brand on the inner hip or the top of the buttocks. Scourge with Kindred blood also desire to scent-mark their mates but they require the traditional marks of their kind to really feel bonded to the female of their choice.
Mother of All Life—the main Kindred Deity, a kind and benevolent goddess whose teachings include respect and reverence for all things female.
Numala—a Blood Kindred name which means “liquid pussy.” It refers to a female who produces more than the regular amount of lubrication when aroused. Numalas are much prized by the Blood Kindred and sought after as mates because they are more likely to be able to accommodate a Blood Kindred warrior’s larger than average cock.
Psychic-Knife—a torture device developed by the Scourge which is able to break the mental and emotional bond between a Kindred and his bride.
Rage—also Protective Rage or Berserker Rage—a state of altered consciousness that comes over a Kindred warrior when his bride is threatened. It floods the bloodstream with endorphins and causes such intense anger and aggression that a Kindred in this state becomes a killing machine who will die to protect the woman he has claimed.
Brides of the Kindred Volume One Page 167