Divided: Brides of the Kindred 10 (4 page)

“Nothing is impossible for the Goddess,”
Nadiah said. “Not even the dissolution of bonds.” She looked sad. “Though it
grieves her deeply.”

Becca took a deep breath. “All right. I
believe you. I…I’ll do my best to help.”

“See that you do.” Nadiah’s eyes blazed
green fire. “The fate of everyone aboard the Mother Ship depends on it. And if
you find that you cannot keep the bond you have formed, come to the Sacred
Grove and ask any of the priestesses to dissolve it once your task is
complete.”

“But Nadiah…” Sylvan stepped forward,
frowning. “What of the vision? Is it true? Should we be concerned?”

Nadiah nodded. “You should be very
concerned. The Goddess has not given me exact times but I believe what was
foreseen will happen very soon. Institute a curfew and be certain that the
unmated males section is secure.” She looked down again and when she looked up,
Becca saw that her eyes had gone back to blue-green. “I’m sorry, Sylvan,” she
said, her voice sounding hoarse and tired. “That’s all I can tell you.”

“You’ve told me more than enough, mother’s
sister’s daughter,” Commander Sylvan said softly. “I am most grateful for your talent
and your willingness to commune with the Goddess on our behalf.”

“It’s fine.” Nadiah ran a hand through her
hair and sighed. “If that’s all, then I really need to go back to bed. Being so
close to the Goddess can be really exhausting.”

“Of course.” Sylvan nodded.

“We’ll call again soon to chat—when it’s
daytime on First World,” Sophia promised.

“Nadiah nodded tiredly. “You do that. Now,
I’m going back to bed—I’m so tired.” She yawned and before she even finished,
the viewscreen flickered and went blank.

“Well…” Becca let out a breath she hadn’t
known she was holding. “That was…interesting.”

“It was ridiculous.” Truth scowled. “Why
should I have to form a bond with another male in order to save the Mother
Ship?”

“Be careful what you say,” Commander Sylvan
said sternly. “Are you calling the will of the Mother of All Life ridiculous?”

Truth scowled even harder. “No. But if
this Nadiah is so close to the Goddess, why could she not just tell us exactly
what the vision meant and how to stop it instead of demanding that Far and I
form a completely unnecessary bond?”

“That isn’t how the Goddess works,” Sophia
said gently. “And if she wants you to form a bond with your brother then you
can bet there’s a good reason for it.”

“I don’t see what that could be,” Truth
growled. “And I don’t have any idea how to go about ‘bonding’ with another
male. I don’t even know what a bond between males involves.” The look on his
face said he wasn’t eager to find out, either.

“Well, maybe I can help there,” Kat said,
stepping forward. “How about if the two of you—and Becca—” She nodded at Becca
and smiled. “Come by my suite tomorrow. I’ll have Lock and Deep talk to
you—it’ll be Twin Bonding 101.”

“That sounds…helpful,” Far said slowly.

“Yes, it does, actually.” Becca felt a
rush of gratitude for the auburn haired girl. She’d been wondering how in the
world she could fulfill her promise to the Goddess. Trust Kat to come up with a
practical solution to their problem.

“Great. Right after supper, then. Uh, last
meal,” Kat amended, seeing the confusion in Truth and Far’s eyes. “Come to our
suite, all three of you.”

“All right,” Becca agreed eagerly.

“I’ll be there,” Far promised. Then all
eyes turned to Truth.

He was looking away, a deep scowl etched
on his chiseled features.

“Truth?” Commander Sylvan’s voice was deep
and dangerously soft. “Remember your promise to the Goddess.”

“I will come,” Truth said at last. Then,
his face still fixed in a scowl, he turned abruptly and left without another
word.

“Wow,” Kat muttered. “Well, he’s
definitely
the dark twin despite those strange, white-gray eyes of his.”

“That he is. I need to go as well.” Far
took Becca’s hand and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles that sent a shiver
down her spine. “Until tomorrow,
mi’now.”

“Good bye,” Becca said softly, giving him
a smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll get things worked out somehow.”

“I hope you’re right.” But Far looked
troubled as he left, going in the opposite direction Truth had.

“I’m afraid you’ve got your work cut out
for you there,” Sophia murmured as they all watched him go. She turned to
Becca. “And I’ve never heard of the Goddess offering to
dissolve
a bond
once it’s formed! That has to be a first.”

“She respects Becca’s beliefs,” Commander
Sylvan said quietly. “The Mother of All Life is a lady—she would never force
herself or her ways and laws on someone who does not wish to obey them.”

Becca shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not
that I
want
to split them up—it’s just that they’re already split. And
being married to two guys at once…my parents are so religious. My mom and
dad—especially my dad—he—”

Sylvan held up a hand to stop her. “No one
is disrespecting your beliefs, Becca. In fact, I believe the Goddess is going
out of her way to honor them. All she asks in return is that you help Truth and
Far to bond.”

Kat snorted. “Yeah, that’s
all
she
asks. But Truth is so prickly and Far is so aloof you’d have a better chance
getting oil and water to mix.”

“Now, Kat-woman,” Sophia said
reproachfully. “You know the Goddess wouldn’t have asked Becca to help if it
was impossible.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kat sighed and looked at
Becca. “Sorry, doll—don’t listen to me—I’m just tired.”

“It’s all right,” Becca said miserably.
“You’re right—they’re awful together. And Truth
is
really prickly.”

“He kept going on and on about being bonded
to ‘another male.’ Not just Far but ‘another male.’ What do you suppose that
means?” Sophia asked thoughtfully.

“Yeah, and how can he only have one
father? What exactly happened to separate the two of them in the first place?”
Kat demanded.

Becca had to shake her head. “I don’t
know. Neither of them much wants to talk about the details of their separation
and I don’t like to pry. Maybe…maybe I should have and then we’d know what we
were up against.”

“It doesn’t matter what you’re up
against—you’re going to be fine,” Kat said firmly. “You be sure to come to my
suite tomorrow. I’ll have
my
guys teach
your
guys how to get
along. Okay?”

Becca nodded. “Okay. And thanks, Kat.
Thanks all of you.” She nodded at Sophia and Commander Sylvan.

“No, thank
you,
Becca,” he said
gravely. “Without the warning you helped Truth and Far provide, we might have
been in serious trouble.” He frowned. “We still may be. I need to go see to the
Unmated Males section at once. If the black cloud you saw is the catalyst for
this transformation, I need to put guards on all the ventilation ducts for the
entire area.” Turning, he left the suite at a swift pace.

“Well…” Sophia clapped her hands. “That
just leaves us girls. Anyone want a snack? I think I have some of Lauren’s
homemade brownies left. She brought them by the other day.”

“What?” Kat asked. “How in the world does
she have time to cook when she's about to pop?”

Sophia shrugged. “You know Lauren—baking
is like therapy to her.”

“Therapy I can sink my teeth into. Let’s
go—lead on to the brownies.” Kat smiled enthusiastically.

“Great.” Sophie turned to Becca. “And how
about you? You want a brownie?”

“No thank you.” Becca sighed and crossed
her arms over her chest protectively. “I seem to have lost my appetite. I
think…I think I just want to go back to my suite and rest. Maybe take a soak in
the bathing pool.”

“Oh, of course, hon.” Sophia patted her
arm sympathetically. “I understand. Just go try to take it easy. Don’t even
think
of those two until tomorrow.”

Becca promised she wouldn’t but as she
left, she knew she couldn’t keep her word. How could she help thinking about
Truth and Far…and what she had promised to do to help them?

Chapter
Five

As the Black Planet grew larger in his
viewscreen, Donald K. Mahoney, PhD grew more and more impatient. There it
was—an entire planet made of pure Titanium Dioxide. It was superheated to a
scorching temperature almost as hot as the surface of the sun it orbited. At
such extreme conditions, it shouldn’t have been able to survive at all. Yet, here
it was, appearing in his viewscreen like a fist made of black ice.

Not that any ice could form at such
extreme temperatures. Donald snickered to himself at the little joke. Indeed,
the extreme temperatures kept the planet from forming even ammonia clouds which
could have reflected incoming radiation—the result was that the Black Planet
absorbed 99% of all heat and light it received and reflected back only 1%.
Truly, it was a strange phenomenon, one Donald was eager to study.

Of course he had no plans to actually step
onto the surface—that would be instant suicide. But the Kindred ship he was
flying was a scientific vessel which meant it had the ability to collect long
range specimens. And Donald needed a
lot
of specimens.

A ton or so of the shadow stone should do
it,
the dark voice that had been speaking in
his brain lately whispered.
It must be pulverized…then refined and turned
into dust. What is left will be pure evil.

Yes, Donald had equipment that could do that.
Absently he scratched the black mole at the base of his right thumb. Actually,
it really couldn’t be called a mole anymore—it was more like a patch that
covered most of his hand. Donald kept meaning to get it checked out but there
were always more important things to tend to.

Like harvesting the shadow stone.

Soon
,
crooned the voice in
his head
.
Soon the entire Mother Ship will be ours. And then they will
pay. All of them will pay…

Yes. Donald liked the sound of that. The
image of Maggie’s new paramour—that ridiculously muscle-bound Kindred called
Kor—rose in his mind’s eye. He had taken Maggie away but worse, he had
changed
her. She had been the perfect fit for Donald—running errands, organizing
his transportation, complying with his schedule without complaint—before Kor
had come into her life. Now she was a changed woman and not for the better, in
Donald’s estimation.

You shall have her back,
promised the dark
voice.
All shall be exactly as it was.

Good
. Donald nodded to himself and nudged his ship closer to
the planet he was orbiting.
That’s all I want—for everything to go back to
normal.
And if Kor happened to meet an untimely demise…well, he wasn’t
opposed to that either.

Everything would be fine if he listened to
the dark voice. Somehow, Donald was certain of that.

He scratched the black growth covering his
right hand absently and prepared to lower the collection arm.

It was time to begin.

Chapter
Six

Truth paused a long moment before knocking
on the dull silver door that led to the suite of Commanders Deep and Lock and
their bride, Lady Kat. He didn’t
want
to be here. In fact, every fiber
of his being rebelled at what he was being forced to do.

A male doesn’t mate with another male and
he doesn’t share a female with another either. It’s sick—perverted.

His years growing up in the Rai’ku colony
on Pax had taught him that. The Rai’ku were a proud people with noble
traditions and unbending ideas about what was right and wrong. Truth’s father
had upheld those traditions and ideas and taught Truth to do the same. In fact,
the only reason he had agreed to come to the Mother Ship when Far first found
and contacted him was from a simple sense of curiosity.

He had heard much of the Kindred growing
up—there were several other warriors besides his father in the colony. A Blood
Kindred and two Beast Kindred who fit in especially well. Truth had often
wished he was Beast Kindred—their savage temperament meant they adapted best to
life among the Rai’ku. Even the Blood Kindred did well because of his fangs.
But what did Truth have to show for his heritage? Nothing but a missing twin
and an absent bond—a bond which would be considered a disgrace among the
Rai’ku.

And now he was being ordered to join in
such a bond. What would the warriors on his home colony think of him? How could
he ever show his face again if he was forced to bring a male bond mate back
with him—if he could even bear the shame well enough to return?

Truth didn’t know and he didn’t want to
find out. But along with everything else, his father had taught him respect for
the Goddess. It was she who guided every warrior’s life from the cradle to the
grave. Truth didn’t feel he could ignore her orders, even though they seemed
completely wrong to him.

With a deep sigh, he squared his shoulders
and knocked on the door. He would honor his promise or at least
try
to.
What else could he do?

* * * * *

Far turned his head to watch as the door
slid open, admitting his twin. As always when he saw Truth, his heart thumped
painfully. Their features were so much alike it was like looking into a
mirror—except for the hair and eye color, that was.

Far could still remember his extreme joy
at seeing his long lost twin. His elation at finding that the brother he had
longed for, for so many painful, lonely years was a reality, not just a figment
of his overactive imagination.

He remembered well their first meeting. It
had been in an agreed upon location in the parklands just outside the Sacred
Grove. Far had not been able to restrain himself when he saw the other male—he
had thrown his arms around Truth, pulling him close, hungry for contact with
the brother he had lost at birth.

And Truth had pushed him roughly away.

“What’s wrong with you?” he’d spat, glaring
at Far. “A male does not touch another male in such a fashion. I don’t even
know you!”

“It’s me—I’m Far. Your brother. Your
twin.” Far had held out his hands imploringly. “Forgive me it’s just…I’ve
dreamed of this moment for so long. Dreamed of finding my other half so we
could at last become whole.”

Truth had given him a cold look. “I don’t
know what you are talking about. I came to meet you out of curiosity and
because I have never seen the Mother Ship before. I have no wish for anything
else.”

“But…” In that moment Far had felt every
one of his dreams crumbling, had seen every hope and wish he’d carried since
childhood melting away like so much snow in the sun. “But….” he’d said again
and then his attention was taken by a soft, hurt cry—the cry of a female in
distress.

Truth’s head had gone up too—clearly
hearing the same compelling sound. Without a word, both brothers had turned as
if by instinct and gone to find the source of that soft, anguished moan. Lying
on the grass, a little ways away, they had found Becca. Again, without a word,
they had lain down on either side of her and both had touched her smooth,
silky, light brown skin.

It was the first and last time they had
ever willingly worked together on anything, Far thought bitterly. After that
first partial joining with Becca, he had hoped that Truth would come around.
Instead, he found his twin brother even
more
resistant to the idea of
ever forming a bond or indeed, having anything to do with him at all. Shortly
after their first encounter, Truth had announced his intentions to bond Becca
to him and have her for his bride and
only
his. Clearly he felt there
was no room for Far in the relationship—or in his life, for that matter.

The rejection of his twin, the one male he
should have been closest to in the universe, had left Far bitter, sarcastic,
and withdrawn. And now, finally, they were supposed to form some kind of a
bond.

It’ll never happen,
Far thought, eyeing Truth’s proud, sharp features so
alike and yet so different from his own.
He wants nothing to do with me—he
never has. All those years growing up alone he was happy—content without a
twin. Why should he want to bind himself to one now? He doesn’t need me—doesn’t
need anyone but himself.

Truth must have felt his brother’s eyes on
his face because he looked up briefly, flashing Far a hostile glare.

Far sighed and looked away. This bond was
never going to happen. It didn’t matter what they had promised or how
eloquently Commanders Deep and Lock spoke—Truth hated him. How could you bond
with someone you hated?