Enhanced: Brides of the Kindred 12 (The Brides of the Kindred) (55 page)

Dark
Kindred
–also known as
Enhanced Ones—
this
faction of the Kindred race broke off centuries ago when there was a shortage
of viable females to call for brides. Vowing to overcome their sexual urges,
the Dark Kindred made a genetic trade with the cyborg-like residents of Zeaga
Four who are ruled by a group of sentient machines called the Collective. Since
all emotion is prohibited on Zeaga Four, the organic inhabitants get emotion
damper implants to keep them from committing Feel-crime. Anyone found guilty of
Feel-crime without a special dispensation from the Collective may be summarily
purged.

Deep
Blue
—the darkest and most inaccessible part of the Rageron jungles

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.

High
Councilor
—the rightful ruler and defender of the Kindred home planet, First World. Only the High Councilor may sit upon the
throne of wisdom and see with the eye of foreknowledge. Without a High
Councilor in place, First World and the rest
of the Kindred race cannot be adequately protected against the evil
machinations of the Hoard.

Hoard—
an
ancient enemy of the First Kindred also known as the
Grimlax
or the Blackness which eats the Stars, they are evil,
demonic beings with ravenous appetites and a desire to conquer, devour, and
destroy every living thing in the universe. They are divided into tribes with
the lowest echelon being the most numerous and primitive. The elite or upper
echelon tribes are more sophisticated and intelligent but also much more
dangerous. They are notoriously manipulative and able to change their
appearances using a technique called “shadowing” to look like anyone or
anything they choose.

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 for 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.

Sacred
Grove
—an area of green and purple trees that houses the temple of the
Mother of All Life. The Kindred Mother ship has been equipped with an
artificial green sun like the one on their home world in order to allow these
holy trees to grow and flourish.

Scourge
—a
genetic trade gone wrong, these menacing outsiders have twisted desires and
sexual needs fierce enough to frighten away even the most adventurous. Their
need to dominate and possess their women completely has led to a strange
prophesy that they must fulfill…or die trying.

Scourge
Prophesy
—“One of two, alike and yet different—the double fruit of a single
womb from the third planet of a yellow sun. She shall be marked with a white
star between her breasts.” These words were spoken by Mee’ah—the last living
female of the Scourge race who was believed to be a great seer. The Scourge are
a dying race, forced to create new members in artificial wombs called flesh
tanks or vats because they have no females. Yet, because they have some of the
same genetic characteristics as the Kindred, they are able to create only male
children and each new generation is weaker than the last. The prophesy refers
to the woman the Scourge believe will be able to mate with the AllFather and
bear only daughters to rejuvenate their race.

Skrillix
Plant—
also known as the Pain Vine. This plant is found only in the heart of
the Rageron jungles called the Deep Blue. The brilliant crimson berries of the
skrillix
are said to cure many
illnesses, including stasis sickness and can also dissolve an improperly placed
or artificial soul bond. The thorns are said to be as poisonous as the berries
are helpful. One prick from a
skrillix
thorn
can give waking nightmares, forcing the victim to relive painful memories. When
minds are linked by the juice of the berries, these visions can be shared with
others who can witness them via a chemically induced neural link.

Take-me
—an
animal native to Twin Moons that has been domesticated by the Kindred for
transportation aboard their ship. The Take-me has green fur and two heads, one
on either end. Each head has three purple eyes. The Take-me has the unique
features of being to expand and compress its mass which makes it ideal for
storage. Because they originally lived in caves, most Take-mes stay very
contentedly in small dark areas in the Kindred food prep areas where they live
off the scraps and leavings of their master’s meals. They can eat almost anything
except banana peels which they are allergic to.

Tharp—
an
animal that looks very much like a thin fur blanket which can be worn as a
garment.
Tharps
are cultivated on
Tranq Prime and prized for their ability to multiply their host’s body heat and
keep them warm in even the most frigid conditions. A
tharp
can be worn by only one person— as a neophyte or youngster it
imprints upon a host and will slowly starve if parted from them.
Tharps
are intelligent and capable of
limited movement. They live as long as their host and subsist only on body
heat, needing no other form of sustenance to survive.

Think-Me
—a
thin silver wire worn around the temples which facilitates mental communication
between people who already have an intimate connection.

Touch-U
—a
flat black mat-like animal native to Tranq Prime which the Kindred have adapted
to be a home health appliance. The Touch-U is capable of giving a gentle
massage or an all-out erotic experience depending on which button is pushed.

Twin
Kindred
—come from Twin Moons—a world of vast, stormy oceans dotted with
craggy but beautiful islands. True to their namesake, Twin Kindred always come
in pairs. The brothers are not identical, however. There is always a light twin
and a dark twin. These labels refer not just to skin, hair, and eye coloring
but to the twin’s moods and perceptions of the world. The dark twin in the pair
is usually more moody and withdrawn while the light twin takes a substantially
brighter view of life. The twins are closely linked and able to sense each
other’s emotions. They cannot be separated by long distances or for long
periods of time without severe pain. They must also share a woman, linking her
into their mental and emotional exchange for very intense ménage sex.

Urlich—
a
type of dog bred by the Scourge. At maturity they are modified with machinery
to heighten their sense of smell and intelligence which results in a
cyborg-type animal. Once in pursuit of whatever scent has been programmed into
their brains, the
urlich
are utterly
single minded and incapable of stopping until their prey has been cornered and
captured.

Wave
—a
Kindred cooking appliance which emits thousands of finely collimated beams of
heat to cook food in under a minute.

Zichther
—an
animal native to the jungles of Rageron, the zichther resembles a small bright
blue teddy bear in appearance until it opens its mouth and reveals three rows
of incredibly sharp, shark-like teeth.

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is a registered
MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a
bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is
thirty-something and lives in Florida
with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for
her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try
and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to
get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and
Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

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