Unleashed by the Defender: A Kindred Tales Novel

by Anderson, Evangeline

  But how had he gotten here? He had vague memories of attending a party at his old home—Mother Hownow’s mansion. But after that…nothing.

  What had happened? And why was Imani so sad?

  “Imani?” he asked again. “What happened?”

  “You mean you don’t remember?”

  “No, I d—” He broke off suddenly, realizing that her voice had come from inside his head. “Imani,” he said carefully. “How did you do that? How did you speak inside my head like that?”

  “What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked, aloud this time.

  “I…” J’are frowned and put a hand to his head. “I remember going to the party at my old home—Mother Hownow’s place. And then…nothing.”

  “So you don’t remember the two of us going to look for clues? And Lady Bittlebum catching us? And then putting us into the simulation room?”

  “The simulation room?”

  J’are began to get a vague, uneasy feeling that something bad had happened—something wrong.

  “Let me jog your memory,” Imani said tartly and suddenly his head was full of images.

  He saw the two of them in the simulation room, saw the three moons, the Water Twins and Blood Brother, converging overhead—only he saw it from outside himself.

  From Imani’s point of view, he thought, feeling dazed. She’s showing me her memories of last night.

  He saw himself as she must see him, tall and muscular and frightening, with eyes that glowed in the dim moonlight. Then he heard himself repeating the ancient warning poem…

  “Water above leads only to Love

  Water above and below, Claiming in the moons’ glow.

  But Blood over water, get ready to flee

  If you enter the jungle, it’s Bonded you’ll be.”

  After that, he saw her running—watched through her eyes as she fled in terror, trying to get away from him.

  But I wouldn’t let her go, J’are thought. I couldn’t—I hunted her down.

  “Yes, you damn well did.”

  It was Imani’s voice in his head again and this time he saw what he had done to her. The way he had caught her when she fell out of the tree and then laid her on the ground, the way he had lapped her nipples and pussy and then forced her to her hands and knees and pushed himself inside her…

  “Gods, no! I didn’t—did I?” J’are growled hoarsely. “Please tell me I didn’t do that to you!”

  But it appeared that he had. He had taken Imani against her will—taken her and filled her with his seed and bonded her to him, all without her consent.

  “Imani…” He looked up at her. “Oh Gods, I’m so sorry! So fucking sorry.”

  “I know that…that you weren’t in your right mind,” she said, looking away. “But I thought you should know what happened. After all, it’s not like I could hide it from you—hide the…the connection we seem to have now.”

  “It’s called a soul-bond. But I swear I never meant to force it on you. Please…”

  J’are reached for her hand.

  “Don’t.” Imani pulled away.

  “Did I hurt you?” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “Are you…are you injured?” He wished desperately that he could examine her and heal any wounds that he might have inflicted—though he was certain she would never want him to touch her again.

  “Strangely enough, it didn’t hurt.” Imani’s normally warm voice was cool, detached. “All I felt was overwhelming pleasure…and afterwards, overwhelming regret.”

  She turned her face away, not looking at him as she spoke.

  “After we both…finished, I blacked out for a moment. When I woke up, Lady Bittlebum was standing over me. She was quite pleased.” She cleared her throat. “It seems she recorded the entire…encounter. She promised me that she’ll be in court this morning and if we say one thing against her, she’s prepared to show Judge Thoughtgood everything that happened between us.”

  “That bitch,” J’are spat. “How could she—”

  He broke off abruptly. Mistress Bittlebum would have nothing to show if he’d been able to keep control of himself—if he’d been able to stop his feral side from coming out.

  But he hadn’t been able. He’d failed and the broken look on Imani’s face was the result.

  “Imani,” he whispered. “I’m so damn sorry. I should be executed for what I did to you.”

  “Well, you’re not going to be,” she said briskly. “You’re going to be released from Yonnie Six and then you’ll go back to your home world. I suppose…” her voice cracked a little. “I suppose I’ll be going there too.”

  “You don’t have to,” J’are said quickly. Though he desperately wanted her by his side, he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to go—not wanting to be exiled to an alien planet with her rapist.

  “I never said you raped me,” she said sharply, and J’are realized she had heard his thoughts. “I had the pain collar remote the whole time—I could have used it but I didn’t.”

  “What in the Seven Hells else would you call it?” he growled. “When I chased you down and—”

  “You weren’t in your right mind, as I said,” she interrupted. “And I…well, I’m a grown-ass woman—I can take some responsibility for my own desires. It’s just that…” She shook her head. “That indulging this particular desire is going to have some life-changing consequences for me.”

  “You don’t have to come live with me, just because we’re bonded,” J’are pointed out. “I know why you don’t want to—I know how much you love your home world and your career and family and how you don’t want to leave them.”

  “I do love them, but I’ll have to leave them,” she said grimly and one hand stole to her lower belly. “I don’t have a choice. Not when I’m going to have a Nightwalker baby that will almost certainly be a son.”

  “Gods…” J’are groaned. He sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face. Shame stung him fiercely. “I didn’t even think…”

  “I can already feel the baby moving,” Imani told him quietly. “How is that possible? When…when it just happened?”

  “Nightwalker babies quicken almost immediately,” J’are told her. “They grow at a tremendous pace.”

  “I see.” She nodded coldly. “I’ve informed Commander Sylvan of…of the situation, and also asked him to have a Kindred escort waiting for us when we get out of court. We’ll be going to your home world by way of the nearest wormhole, since I understand that folding space isn’t…isn’t good for the baby…”

  She broke off and looked away, her face a study in misery. Two large tears rolled silently down her cheeks and J’are could feel her regret and sorrow like twin wounds in his own soul.

  He ran a hand over his face again. Gods, what a mess! How could he have done this? Even in his feral state, how could he have hurt the woman he loved so deeply and ruined her life so completely?

  “I’ll take care of you,” he said roughly. “You and the baby. I know you don’t want to hear it now, but I swear by the Goddess, Imani—”

  “No, I don’t want to hear it now,” she said sharply. “Right now what I want is for you to get up and get going. We’re due in court in half an hour and we don’t want to be late. Especially when Judge Thoughtgood has so generously agreed to let you go.”

  “Imani…” This time he tried reaching out mentally, using the link that had been formed when they bonded. But he felt her mental rejection like a slap in the face.

  “Don’t!” she sent. Aloud, she said, “Get dressed. In your regular trousers—nothing crotchless today. We’re going to court, not a fancy party.”

  “All right.” J’are couldn’t say anything else. He had never felt so much shame, so much remorse, in his life. To think that he had hurt the female he loved so deeply—to think that he had run her down in the jungle and raped and impregnated her against her will…

  It was almost more than his mind could take.

  I’m to blame, he thought as he got out of be
d and pulled on the tight black leather trousers. It doesn’t matter that it was my feral side that did it—he’s part of me. A part I failed to control. I hurt her and now she’ll hate me forever.

  There was a darkness gathering inside him—a cloud of shame hovering over his head.

  I ought to be punished…ought to be put to death for what I did, he thought, looking at Imani’s lovely, tear-streaked face. She came to save me—to be my Defender—and look what I did. Look how I repaid her.

  This time Imani’s mental voice didn’t contradict his dark thoughts. Either she wasn’t listening, or she agreed with him.

  J’are was afraid to know which it was.

  Thirty-Eight

  Judge Thoughtgood’s hair was still purple this morning and it looked a bit wilted. The judge, herself, looked wilted as well, Imani thought. Like she was fighting a fierce hangover. She was glad she hadn’t taken more than a sip of her drink at the party last night—clearly overindulgence led to pain.

  Overindulgence in all kinds of things leads to pain, Imani, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. She remembered the intense pleasure she’d felt the night before when J’are had been inside her, bonding her to him. She’d had the strongest orgasms she’d ever known when the big Nightwalker was taking her…but now it was time to pay the price.

  And the cost was the loss of her family and career and spending the rest of her life on a strange planet.

  That’s a pretty hefty price tag for a one-night stand, whispered the same little voice.

  Only it wasn’t a one-night stand—the Kindred didn’t do one-night stands, Imani reminded herself. She and J’are were stuck together for life and she didn’t know how to feel about that.

  She wanted to hate the big Kindred, who was slumped beside her, a look of misery on his face—wanted to despise him for what had happened between them. And honestly, part of her did hate him…but she hated herself too. Hated the way she’d been so eager to spread her legs for him, the way she hadn’t even tried to get away when he was preparing to breed her. She hadn’t tried to fight or run or hide, she’d just gotten to her hands and knees and spread her legs for his cock…

  “Enough,” Imani muttered to herself. It was time to stop thinking of what had happened last night and concentrate on what was about to happen here in court. She would need all her wits about her if she was going to do what she had planned.

  Because this wasn’t going to be just a simple hearing to formalize J’are’s freedom—Imani wanted to see justice done—no matter what it cost her.

  She looked to the other side of the courtroom and caught sight of Lady Bittlebum, sitting with the Prosecutor and several of her morphids. The lemon-haired Mistress caught her looking and shot Imani a knowing smile that was more like a smirk.

  You don’t dare talk, that smile said. Because if you do I’ll let everyone know what you did. Everyone, including the judge.

  Imani looked away and lifted her chin. She would not be intimidated—would not be blackmailed. If this was the last case she was ever going to get to try, the last time she went to court, well then, she was damn well going to make it count!

  “Now, then…” Judge Thoughtgood put a hand to her wilted purple hair and winced. “Let’s make this quick.”

  “Before we begin, your Honor, I have something to say,” Imani said.

  “You do, do you?”

  Judge Thoughtgood frowned at her and from the other side of the courtroom, Imani could see Mistress Bittlebum giving her a worried glare. She ignored her.

  “Yes, I do,” she said firmly, rising from her seat. “Your Honor, I know who killed Lady Zangelo.”

  Thirty-Nine

  “You what?” Judge Thoughtgood sat up straight, her wilted hair and hangover apparently forgotten. From the other side of the room, Mistress Bittlebum was glaring daggers at Imani.

  Imani didn’t care.

  “I said, I know who killed Lady Zangelo.” She pointed across the courtroom. “And she’s sitting right here in this courtroom—it was Mistress Bittlebum.”

  “Your Honor, I must protest this nonsense!” Mistress Bittlebum was on her feet before the Prosecutor could utter a word. “And I must inform your Honor that I have some evidence to present.”

  “Oh, really?” Judge Thoughtgood turned a skeptical eye on her. “What kind of evidence?”

  “It is evidence that Councilor Williams is hoping to suppress,” Mistress Bittlebum said quickly. “Which is why she is making such wild allegations about me now. If your Honor would care to watch it, I have it all here.” She held up a small drive and the bailiff took it.

  Judge Thoughtgood frowned.

  “Well, it seems this has turned from a simple release trial into something else. What evidence is this, anyway, Mistress Bittlebum?”

  “You’ll see, your Honor,” Lady Bittlebum said quickly. “It has to do with the Nightwalker,” she added. “And it proves conclusively that he must never be allowed to go free—that he, in fact—should be executed immediately.”

  “That will be my decision—not yours,” Judge Thoughtgood snapped at her. “However, now my curiosity is piqued.” She looked at Imani. “Councilor Williams, you’re surprisingly quiet over there. Don’t you wish to protest this evidence?”

  Imani shook her head firmly.

  “No, your Honor. I feel certain that my client will be exonerated in the end.”

  “Very well. Bailiff, fetch a screen,” Judge Thoughtgood said.

  A large viewscreen was rolled in and the drive was plugged into it.

  Imani bit her lip and tried to ready herself. She knew very well that the judge was not going to like what she was about to see but she was confident that the other woman could be persuaded to understand.

  For now, she just had to endure this before she would be allowed to explain.

  The scene started in the simulator room after Lady Bittlebum had closed and locked the door. Imani watched, feeling detached, as she took off running and J’are chased her.

  She saw something surprising, however—she saw the big Nightwalker struggling with himself. She watched as he clenched his hands into fists, squeezing until his nails bit into his palms and blood ran down to patter on the jungle floor. He gritted his teeth and fought the powers of the three converged moons and Imani watched as he struggled not to let his feral side go free.

  He tried, she thought. He really, really tried. He didn’t just give in immediately—he really didn’t want to hurt me.

  She could feel deep remorse coming from J’are through their link and knew that she was right.

  At last, however, the battle was lost. Imani watched on the screen as the sentience leaked out of the big Nightwalker’s pale green eyes and the chase was on. She watched herself climb a tree, saw J’are stalking her, catching her…

  “What is this?” Judge Thoughtgood interrupted sharply, staring at Imani. “Some kind of strange game the two of you were playing?”

  “No, your Honor,” Imani said quietly. “It was no game.”

  “Keep watching, your Honor,” Lady Bittlebum said quickly. “We’re coming to the good part now.”

  They were all silent for a moment and Imani felt her cheeks get hot as she watched J’are’s rough seduction and her own reaction to the big Nightwalker. She watched herself pull down her top to bare her breasts and take off her panties and spread her thighs for his tongue.

  And then, worst of all, she watched as she got to her hands and knees and spread her legs for him, giving him what he wanted—what they both wanted—so desperately.

  “This is what you call the ‘good part?’” Judge Thoughtgood interrupted again. She turned to Lady Bittlebum, who had a satisfied little smile curving her thin lips. “Mistress Bittlebum, may I inquire as to why you have brought obscene pornography which violates the highest law of our planet against male penetration into my courtroom?”

  “Why, because, your Honor…” Mistress Bittlebum put a hand to her chest and pasted a shock
ed expression to her face. “It shows that this brute cannot be trusted! This was recorded in a room at my own home—you can see how he acts when he doesn’t think anyone is watching! Why, he chased down his own Defender and forced himself on her!”

  “J’are did not rape me,” Imani made her voice crack like a whip. “Did you see me use the remote to his pain collar? No, you did not,” she answered her own question. “I could have stopped him at any time, but I didn’t.” Which was true and she knew it.

  “Oh, please, Councilor Williams,” Lady Bittlebum spat incredulously. “We all saw just now how you ran from him, how he caught you and held you down and—”

  “He did all that because it was his instinct. Because you locked us in the simulator room—which was built by my client’s adopted mother in order to simulate his home world—and then drove him crazy by setting it to the bonding setting—the breeding setting,” Imani said. “You knew that when the three moons converged overhead he would be helpless to stop himself—helpless to keep his feral side from coming out.”

  Judge Thoughtgood frowned at Imani.

  “Regardless of why or how it was done, that was still a vid of male penetration of a female, Councilor—which we Yonnites find wrong and repugnant.”

  “I understand that, your Honor, but you must make some allowances for different cultures,” Imani said, keeping her voice calm and her face impassive. “In my culture, males regularly penetrate females—it is part of a normal relationship between them.”

  Judge Thoughtgood raised her eyebrows.

  “So you don’t believe that you were wronged in any way and you don’t wish your client to be executed?”

  “No, I don’t,” Imani said firmly.

  “Yes, she does!” J’are shot up from his chair. “I should be executed for what I did!” he said, staring at the judge. “I should be skinned alive and eviscerated—I would welcome the pain.”

  “J’are—stop!” Imani grabbed for his arm and tried to pull him back down. “It wasn’t your fault—you weren’t in your right mind!” she exclaimed.