Chain was too quick for the Varian. He blasted the bastard right in the head, disintegrating the top half completely. Then, for good measure, he blasted the bottom half too, leaving nothing but a greasy black stain on the nice tan carpeting—which wasn’t quite so nice now, unfortunately.
Job done, Chain decided it was time to go. He would collect the T’lix-Kruthe then put a remote towing device on the Varian ship and drag it out into deep space so the bastards couldn’t track it and come looking for Victoria again.
Next stop, Priima Belle, where he was fairly certain he could buy the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe, rather than having to steal it—which made things marginally easier. Then he could bring it back to his buyer and collect a healthy payday which ought to set him up in style for quite a long time.
But what about Victoria? whispered a little voice in his head. Is it safe to leave her all alone here? What if the Varians should find her after all?
He didn’t think it was even remotely likely, but he didn’t like to leave anything to chance. Still, it wasn’t like he could take her with him—could he?
Chain frowned his he considered the possibilities…
“Chain?” he heard a faint call coming from her bedroom. “Chain, are you all right?”
Poor little female—she was helpless and unable to move until the Varian’s paralytic ray wore off. And yet she was worried about him. That was nice, Chain decided. It was also nice that she hadn’t flinched when he’d told her he was an M-Switch Kindred.
“Just a minute, sweetheart,” he called back. “I’ll be right there.”
He did a once over of the rest of the domicile and found it empty. As he’d suspected, the two Varians that had followed him from the bar were the only ones here. Satisfied, he came back to the bedroom to see that she was sitting up with his scatterlight cloak clutched to her breasts. Since the scatterlight was still activated, this made it look as though half of a sexy, naked Elite was hovering in mid-air above the bed.
Chain pushed a button on his belt to deactivate the cloak and suddenly it was the same deep scarlet it always was when visible. This had the added benefit of letting him see the little Elite’s curves, clearly outlined by the red fabric.
“Oh!” Victoria jumped and looked down at herself, clearly surprised by the sudden reappearance of the cloak and her body under it. “Are you okay?” she asked Chain, looking up and clutching the cloak even tighter to her body. “I was getting so worried about you!”
“I’m fine,” he assured her. “Though I’m afraid the carpeting in your living area isn’t. I had to neutralize the other Varian by the bookcase and it left a stain.”
“Neutralize?” She looked up at him with wide eyes which were quite a bewitching shade of green, Chain noticed.
“Disintegrate,” he clarified. “I’m afraid it left a big black mark where he was standing.”
Oh, right…” She looked faintly ill but then lifted her chin and took a deep breath, as though trying to compose herself. “That’s all right. I’m sure it’s nothing a good stream cleaning can’t get out. Well…” She shrugged. “I guess you’ll be wanting the golden Twix thing you asked me to hold for you and then you’ll be on your way.”
“The T’lix-Kruthe,” Chain corrected her. “Yes, where did you put it?”
“Initially, down my bra,” she remarked, smiling dryly. “But right now it ought to be under the fuzzy pink towel beside the tub which still has the other half of an alien corpse in it.” She shivered and made a face.
“I’ll take care of it,” Chain promised.
Striding into the bathing area, he first took care of the dead alien in the tub with another silent but deadly blaster shot. This turned the water a dirty gray color but since it also disintegrated the plug which had been holding the water in the tub in the first place, it began to drain out almost at once.
As it did, Chain caught sight of the shards of glass in the tub and reminded himself to see to the little Earth female’s cuts as well. She’d been harmed because of him—there was no way he could leave while she was still wounded.
You just want an excuse to heal her, whispered a little voice in the back of his head. Which, he had to admit was true. Since he’d taken the healing serum which allowed any Kindred to heal his female like a Blood Kindred would, healing Victoria ought to be especially interesting.
Reaching under the pink towel, he found the T’lix-Kruthe which was still strobing its vivid display of rainbow colors. He frowned as he examined it. How had she turned it on, anyway? And why had it lit up for her when the other half of it was still missing? Chain shrugged. Well, who could tell? The artifact had several legends attached to it, which was why his buyer was so interested in it.
With a little manipulation, he managed to turn it off and put it safely into one of his inner pockets.
“You found it?” she asked when he came back out into the bedroom. She seemed to be moving better now and had wrapped the cloak completely around herself, rather than just huddling under it.
Chain nodded. “Thanks for holding onto it for me. I’m sorry it brought trouble to your doorstep, though. I’m afraid your living area is a mess now.”
“My living room you mean? Let me see.”
She got off the bed rather shakily and nearly fell before Chain caught her.
“Let me,” he said, lifting her into his arms easily and cradling her to his chest. Gods, he liked holding her! Liked everything about the curvy little Elite, honestly.
“Oh!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “You don’t really have to do that—don’t have to carry me, I mean. It can’t be good for your back.”
Chain frowned.
“I don’t understand why you’re so worried about my back. You’re not at all heavy.”
“That’s not what my ex-husband said,” she muttered, looking away. “But thanks, I guess.”
“He must have been a weak male with no stamina,” Chain remarked contemptuously as he carried her through the hall and into the living area. “You say he is your ‘ex’? Meaning he is no longer your mate? Did he die?”
“No.” She sighed. “He left me for his secretary—for another woman,” she explained, clearly seeing Chain’s confusion at the Earth term. “She’s pregnant now and having his baby. In fact, she’s probably already had it by now.” She shrugged. “I don’t keep up with them anymore.”
Though she tried to be casual, Chain could see the hurt in her lovely green eyes. He shook his head.
“That’s something I don’t understand about humans—the way you can just leave one mate and go to another.”
“Kindred can’t?” she asked, clearly curious.
Chain shook his head.
“No, when we bond, it’s for life. If we can find someone to bond with.” He sighed. “Your ex-mate is a fool. Leaving the woman the Goddess sent to him is like throwing away a priceless gift.”
“Well…thanks.” She ducked her head shyly. “He didn’t seem to see it that way, though. Oh…” She was staring in dismay at the mess in the large room. “Wow—they really tore the place apart!”
“I’ll help you fix it,” Chain offered, feeling guilty. “It’s my fault the Varians came after you in the first place. Here—let me just sit you down and you tell me what to do.”
He placed her carefully on the one undamaged chair and got to work on the rest of the room. The drapes he was able to hang back up with her direction, though they were a bit ragged and torn. And he was able to mend the cushions with his blaster set on low, to melt their plasti-leather coverings back together after pushing the stuffing back inside.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Victoria watched with interest as he worked. “How are you doing that?”
“It’s not hard—and it’s the least I can do after the trouble I brought on you,” Chain told her. “I’m sorry I can’t fix your window-covers the same way but I fear the fabric would only burn if I tried to fuse it back together.”
“That’s all right—
I’ve been wanting to change them anyway.” She stood and took a wobbly step towards the bookcase. “I’ll put back the books while you finish with the cushions.”
Chain frowned, thinking she looked unsteady on her feet.
“Be careful.”
“I’m okay—just a little weak,” Victoria said. “I’m sure I’ll feel like myself in a minute. The alien paralyzing ray has almost worn off completely.” She shook her head. “Now there’s a sentence I never expected to hear coming out of my mouth. God, this has been a weird night!”
“Not exactly what you were expecting when you decided to go for a drink with the male who never showed, hmm?” Chain asked, smiling.
She gave him a wry smile back. “No, not exactly.”
Chain nodded, watching her as she bent to pick up the books the Varian scout had tossed aside and slide them back into the bookshelf. Damn, she looked fine in his red cloak—especially since he knew how lush and naked she was under it. When she bent over to pick up the books, her ass was outlined just right by the clinging crimson fabric—it was enough to make a male weak in the knees! To distract himself, he said,
“So you have a male who never showed and an ex-mate.”
Victoria looked over her shoulder at him sharply.
“Yes, why?” she asked, frowning.
“Well, I was just wondering if there are any other males around?” Chain asked, though his nose told him no males lived in this domicile and hadn’t for a quite a while.
“Well, no—why do you ask?” She looked at him suspiciously.
Chain frowned. “I just wanted to know if you have anyone to protect you if the Varians come back.”
“Come back?” Her eyes widened and she put a hand to her breasts. “But…but I thought you killed both of them. Er…disintegrated them.” She looked with distaste at the greasy black spot on her carpet.
“Oh, I did,” Chain said, shrugging innocently as he placed the last cushion back on the couch and bent to straighten the small table which had been flipped over. “But you never can tell if they sent out a homing beacon or not when they got to your planet. I’d hate for them to come back and find you all alone here with no male for protection.”
He could see the indecision warring on her lovely face. Clearly part of her wanted to protest that she could take care of herself, but another, larger part was worried about what he’d just said. He didn’t like to scare her but he also didn’t like leaving her here unprotected. He had begun to think maybe it would be best to take her with him but he could tell Victoria was a strong-willed female—she would need a good reason to come away from her home with a male who was still little more than a stranger.
“I don’t have a man in my life right now, that’s true,” she said at last. “But I’m fine on my own. At least, I have been up until now.”
“You ought to get out of town for a few days—just until the threat passes,” Chain suggested. “In fact…” He frowned, as though considering it for the first time. “Maybe it’s best if you come with me. I can keep you safe if the Varians try to track you.”
“Go with you where?” Victoria demanded, placing a hand on one lush full hip and frowning at him. “I don’t even know you. All I know is that you’re a Kindred warrior who can hop into other people’s heads—which is kind of weird, honestly.”
“I told you I was an M-Switch Kindred,” Chain pointed out. “I never tried to hide it. That’s what M-Switch means—that I can leave my own body and take over the body of another for a short while.”
“But that’s bizarre.” Victoria protested. “I mean—what if you just want me to come with you so you can hop into my head and make me…do all kinds of things?”
Chain gave her a knowing grin.
“Why, Victoria my lovely little Elite—what kind of ‘things’ do you think I’d have you do?”
She blushed, which made her cheeks a becoming rosy pink and brightened her eyes.
“Well, you know…sex things.”
Chain raised an eyebrow at her.
“You mean I might want to hop into your body so I could touch you all over and you couldn’t stop me?”
“Well…yes, I guess.” Her blush deepened.
“You can put your fears to rest,” Chain told her. “I’m an M-Switch Kindred—the M stands for ‘male.’ Meaning I can only jump into the bodies of other males—I cannot jump to your body because you’re female.”
Her face cleared. “That’s a relief, anyway.”
Chain frowned. “Even if that wasn’t the case, Victoria, if I wanted to take advantage of you, don’t you think I could have done it earlier while you were completely paralyzed from the Varian’s ray?”
“I suppose so,” she said uncertainly.
“Please believe me,” Chain told her earnestly. “I may be a scoundrel and a thief, but I am not an abuser or a rapist. I prefer my females to be completely willing—willing and eager—before I take them.” He gave her a grin. “Or they take me. I’m not opposed to being on the bottom sometimes. In fact, I rather like it.”
“You’re a Kindred—that’s definitely in your favor.” She ignored his innuendo, sounding thoughtful. “I’ve never heard of any Kindred hurting or abusing a woman. Mostly when they’re in the news for any kind of violence it’s because they were defending a woman they love.”
“Exactly. Because we worship the Goddess and revere all things female and feminine,” Chain told her earnestly. “So when I ask you to come with me for a couple of days, it’s only to protect you from danger. Not to try and take advantage of you in any way—I promise. And if an oath is necessary to satisfy you of my truthfulness, I’ll swear to it.”
“An oath?” She looked at him uncertainly.
Chain came over to her and dropped to one knee before her. Reaching up, he took one of her hands in both of his and looked earnestly into her eyes.
“Beautiful Victoria,” he murmured. “I, Chainor of the M-Switch Kindred do give my oath to protect you from all that is harmful or dangerous for as long as we are together. I will shield your body with my own, lend an ear to all your troubles, share your sorrows and joys, pleasure you thoroughly and deeply if you so desire it, and be the best damn companion any female could ask for if only you’ll come with me for a few days until I’m certain it’s safe for you to return to your home.”
“Wow…” She looked down at him, though she didn’t have to look far because of his height. Even on one knee he was almost as tall as the curvy little Earth female.
“Well? Will you come with me?” Chain asked. “At least let me take you to the Mother Ship while I fulfill the second part of my mission and get the other half of the T’lix-Kruthe. Then I can bring you back to Earth on my return.”
“I’ve always wanted to visit the Mother Ship,” Victoria murmured, though she still sounded uncertain. “I hear the wait to take a tour is years long. But…I don’t know…”
“Why? Don’t you believe me when I swear to take care of you and keep you safe?” Chain asked anxiously. He hoped she wasn’t taking his oath lightly.
“Oh, yes actually—I do.” She nodded. “I’m just not…used to grand romantic gestures—that’s all.” She nodded at the way he was still kneeling before her and he saw her cheeks were a bit flushed.
Chain frowned. “Didn’t your ex-mate ever go to his knees for you, beautiful Victoria?”
She shook her head.
“Not even when he proposed. Kevin is a very practical man—he’s an electrical engineer, you know. He was always more about logic than emotion.”
“He sounds like a boring bastard, if you don’t mind me saying so,” Chain remarked. “What fun is life with no ‘grand romantic gestures’ as you put it?”
“I wouldn’t know since I’ve never had any.” Victoria sounded like she was confessing something. “Kevin was the only man I’ve ever, er, been with.”
“Really?” Chain raised his eyebrows in surprise, when he understood what she meant. “I would think that a pe
ople like humans who are biologically able to discard mates and find new ones at will would be much more sexually active than that.”
“Well, most people are,” Victoria said tightly. “But Kevin and I got together young and I believed in honoring my wedding vows. So he was the first—and last—man I’ve ever been with.” She shook her head, her cheeks going rosy. “God, I don’t know why I told you that. It’s what my daughters would call a ‘major overshare.’”
“No, no—don’t feel like that,” Chain protested. Rising to his feet, he took both her hands in his and looked at her earnestly. “I want to know all about you, Victoria. I know that we met by chance, but I find you fascinating—I’m glad you shared such an intimate detail with me.”
“You can’t be for real,” she said flatly. “Why would you want to know about me or my life?”
“Maybe because I find you beautiful and interesting? Not to mention extremely alluring.”
Chain gave her a half-lidded look that seemed to make her blush harder. What an interesting mixture she was! A female of mature years who had life experience in almost every other area, yet she was almost as inexperienced sexually as a virgin.
He was willing to bet that “grand romantic gestures” hadn’t been the only area her ex-mate was lacking in. A male who wouldn’t go to his knees for a female he loved, even to ask her to bond with him, probably wasn’t very good in the bed chamber either, where it was also important to spend time on one’s knees—tending to a female’s pussy with your tongue.
“Well…thank you for your kind words,” Victoria said at last, a bit stiffly. “But I know you’re just being nice. I’m old enough to be your…well, if not your mother, at least your much older sister.”
Chain frowned. “What do our respective ages have to do with anything? Am I not allowed to find you attractive just because you happened to enter the universe a few years before I did? Think of the stars and the planets—does a star refuse to allow a planet to orbit it because it came into existence after the star did? Of course not—that would be foolish.”
This earned him a smile, albeit a grudging one, Chain thought.
Stealing Her Heart: A Kindred Tales Novel (Brides of the Kindred) Page 5