Enslaved (Brides of the Kindred Book 14) (44 page)

“In
my cabin.” Trin had thought it best to take this particular call alone instead
of from the command center of the ship.

“No—I
mean where’s the ship?” He sounded impatient and unhappy. “I’m out here in the
same orbit you were at before but
The
Alacrity
isn’t here.

Trin
took a deep breath. “That’s because we’re plotting a course back home—to Zetta
Prime.”

“What?”
He frowned. “You’re not actually
going
there are you?”

“I
have to.”

“No
you don’t. Or if you do, then I’ll go with you.”

“A
male on Zetta Prime?” Trin gave a dull, humorless laugh.

“Why
not? There must be a
few
despite what
your people believe,” Thrace
insisted. “Just as there are a few Havoc who choose to break their vows and
bond themselves to females.”

“A
very
few. Mostly they belong to a
small fringe element of females who still wish to preserve our bonds with
Yonnie Six.” Trin ran a hand through her hair. “They aren’t recognized in
polite society. And my mother, who is a pillar of the community, does
not
count any of them among her
friends.”

“Forget
about your mother for a while,” Thrace
said. “What about this…this ritual she wants you to do? You’re not going back
for that, are you?”

“The
Purification of the Defiled,” Trin said dully. “Yes, I must undergo it.”

“But
you said it was painful and disfiguring. What did you mean by that?”

Trin
shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes,
it fucking well does!” he snarled. “Trin, tell me if you’re going into danger.
I need to be there to protect you!”

“I
was protecting myself a long time before you came on the scene,” Trin snapped
at the viewscreen. She passed a shaking hand over her face. “And anyway
this…this is something no one could protect me from. Not even the kindest and
bravest and most loyal slave. Which is why…” She took a deep breath. “Which is
why I am releasing you from my service. You are free.”

“What?
No!” His eyes widened. “You can’t do this! My debt isn’t paid! And even if it
was, my place is with you—at your side. You know that, Trin.”

“Where
I am going, you cannot follow.” Trin lifted her chin. “Consider your debt paid
in full. If you were here, I would personally remove your collar. As it is, you
have my permission to remove it yourself.”

“I
don’t want to—you hear me?” His silver-blue eyes were blazing now. “I don’t
want to leave you or take off the damn collar! And even if I did, you’d still
own me. Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said to you? You own my heart, Trin.”
He clenched a fist over his chest. “My fucking
heart.”

Trin
felt like the icy shell that had covered her emotions was finally breaking
apart but she tried to remain strong.

“I’m
sorry, Thrace,”
she said in a voice that only wavered a little. “You…you have given me loyal
and steadfast service but I cannot take you with me. I will have no need of a
slave on Zetta Prime.”

“Yes,
but you might need a bodyguard!” he growled. Then his voice dropped to a soft,
pleading tone. “Why are you going back there to let them torture you, baby?” he
asked. “Why can’t you just forget about all that and come with me? We can make
our own way. We don’t need anyone else but each other.”

For
a moment Trin almost considered it. It would be so wonderful to go away with Thrace,
just the two of them…but there were more people to consider.

“I
can’t,” she said. “My crew…I’m sure my mother will make the payment on
The Alacrity
and see that they are able
to keep their livelihood if I go back home and do this. I don’t have the credit
for another mission and I’ll never be able to trade on Yonnie Six again. I have
to be responsible.”

“I
told you we’d earn some money somehow,” Thrace argued but Trin shook her
head.”

“I’m
sorry but no. I can’t.”

“Tell
the truth.” He looked grim. “The welfare of your crew isn’t the only reason
you’re doing this, is it?”

“No.”
Trin felt her mask of calm beginning to crack. “No…it’s not.” She looked him in
the eyes though it hurt to do so. “I’m doing this because I…because I
deserve
to be punished.”

“Why?”
Thrace
demanded. “Why should you be punished just for making love with me? We did it
to save your
life.”

“I
know. But…I enjoyed it.” Trin hung her head. “Enjoyed being penetrated by a
male. I…” She looked up at him. “I allowed myself to derive pleasure from the
feeling of you inside me…from the thrust of your shaft within my most secret
and forbidden places.”

“You
had to.” Thrace
ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “You
had
to, baby! You had to come to be cured—I told you that!”

“It
doesn’t change the fact of what we did or how I felt about it.” Trin put a
trembling hand to her eyes. “I have never felt such pleasure. And now…now I
must pay for it with pain.”

“Trin,
baby—no!” Thrace
looked so upset it tore at her heart. He seemed to want to reach right through
the viewscreen and drag her to him. Trin wished desperately that he could. She
wanted to feel those big, warm, muscular arms around her just once more, making
her feel safe and loved and protected. Making her feel cherished.

But
that could never be.

“I’m
sorry, Thrace,”
she said softly. “Really sorry for all of this. I never meant for any of it to
happen.”

“Neither
did I but it did—it happened.” He leaned closer. “You bought more than just my
body that day in the Flesh Bazaar—you bought my soul and my heart. Trin, please
don’t go—I
love
you!”

At
last the mask of cold cracked completely and she felt the warm tears falling
down her face like rain.

“I
love you too,” she whispered. “But this can never be. I’m sorry but please
don’t try to follow me.”

“Trin—”

“Goodbye.”

She
cut the connection and stood staring at the black viewscreen, tears pouring
down her face. Thrace
was gone and she was never going to see him again.

It
was time to go home and take her punishment.

Chapter
Thirty-two

“It
is time.”

The
voice interrupted the strange and awful vision Charlie and Stavros had been
sharing—the trance-like state they had fallen into while making love.

Charlie
came back to herself with a start and realized two things. One, Stav was still
buried to the hilt inside her as she sat in his lap with her arms and legs
wrapped around him. And two, her cheeks were wet with tears.

“Poor
Trin,” she whispered, swiping at her wet face. “Oh, poor,
poor
Trin!”

“She
is going to a judgment which may break her,”
the
voice said and Charlie realized something else—she and Stav weren’t alone but
whoever was with them in the room wasn’t visible.

“Hello?”
She looked around the dimly lit bedroom uneasily. “Who are you and why can’t I
see you?”

“It’s
the Goddess,” Stav whispered hoarsely. “Can’t you feel her presence?”

What
Charlie mostly felt was that Stav was still hard inside her and now they were
apparently being paid a visit from the Kindred deity.
Awkward!

“Oh,
um…” She started to get up or try to find something to cover herself but the
voice of the Goddess stopped her.

“Do
not feel shame for being joined to the male I chose for you,”
the
powerful, feminine voice murmured.
“There is no wrong in it. This is the truth
that Trin does not understand—I put her and Thrace together and it is right and
proper that they should find pleasure in each other. It is what I wish for all
those I draw together.”

“Forgive
me, Mother of all Life, but neither Trin nor Thrace are of Kindred or Earth
blood,” Stavros said. “How is it you claim them?”

“Half
of Trin’s blood does come from Earth—her mother chose an Earth male’s seed to
impregnate her when she wished to have a child. And though the Havoc have tried
to separate from me and deny me, I still love and claim them as my children.
They are but a little removed from the Kindred—another branch of your lineage, as
you know.”

“All
right,” Charlie said, nodding. She wasn’t as startled as she had been but it
was still an intensely uncomfortable sensation to know that the Goddess could
see them locked together like this. “Uh…but what about the goddess that Trin’s
people worship?” she asked aloud. “The Goddess of Judgment. Is she, um, related
to you?”

“She
is no true deity at all but a false idol made up by the Daughters of Zetta to
promote their own beliefs,”
the Goddess assured them.
“They
have formed an idea of what is right but truly it is their own darkness and
ignorance they are worshiping.”

“We
see,” Stavros said, speaking for both of them. “And was it you who sent us the
visions then? I thought I had gained some kind of connection when Two and the
demon he once hosted, Ur,
touched me on the home world of the Dark Kindred.”

“Two
is yet a very dangerous male. He has gained powers through his misadventures and
in the process he has become even more warped and twisted.”

“Well,
from what I just saw of his dealings with Thrace, it seems he will no longer
be troubling us,” Stav said.

“Do
not become complacent in the matter of that male, no matter what you think you
have seen,”
the Goddess said sternly.
“But I am not here to speak to you of the
Dark Kindred. I have come to tell you that your time of watching is over. It is
time for the both of you to act.”

“Act
in what way, oh Mother of Life?” Stavros asked respectfully.

“You
must go to Thrace—the
vessel he is in cannot get to Zetta Prime in time and only he can save Trin. He
must be brought to her before it is too late.”

“But
Goddess, uh, Mother of All Life…” Charlie wasn’t quite sure how to address a
deity. “He already begged and pleaded with her and told her he loved her. What
else can he do?”

“Only
he can save her,”
the Goddess repeated.
“Trin will be given a choice and
she must choose correctly. The future of the Kindred race depends on it.”

“You
say the future of the race, but wasn’t that what Two was talking about?”
Stavros asked. “I saw him—saw him give Thrace some kind of a vision though
I couldn’t witness it myself. What about the other girl he was talking about?
The one with two faces?”

“Her
time is coming but it is not yet here.”
The Goddess’s voice was
growing fainter.
“My time grows short. Go to Thrace, bring him to Zetta Prime.
But he is not to go to Trin at once. Charlotte,
you must prepare the way.”

“Me?
Prepare the way? How?” Charlie asked, so startled she forgot to be respectful.

“Males
are not welcome on the surface of Zetta Prime. But you and one or two of your
choosing may go there in disguise. Wear the robes of a priestess and speak to
Trin—prepare the way so that when she sees Thrace again her heart is open and
ready for him.”
The voice was fainter still.
“She
must come with you of her own accord—do not take her before she is ready. To go
with you, choose only those who have no children and are not with child. Your
task may be dangerous if you are recognized as imposters.”

“I…but
I…” Charlie started to protest.

“Farewell…”
the Goddess whispered.
“Go my children. And do not fail me…”

* * * * *

“…So
that’s what she said,” Charlie finished, staring around the small, crowded
living area. They were meeting in Commander Sylvan’s quarters since it was
slightly larger and could fit the most people. It was still early—well before first
meal—and most of those gathered were yawning. A few were still in their
nightclothes.

Charlie
looked around at the faces of the Kindred wives—the women who had become her
friends after she came to live on the Mother Ship. Liv and Sophie were there,
holding their sleeping babies, as well as Kat who was holding little baby Shad.
He stared up at his mother silently with wide silver eyes. Charlie tried not to
look at Kat’s mates, Deep and Lock. Though she liked Kat, Charlie still
harbored some hard feelings against her Kindred mates for what had happened to
her older sister.

Aside
from Liv, Kat and Sophie and their Kindred husbands, Becca and her two Twin
Kindred mates, Truth and Far, were there. Mei-li was also sitting with her mate,
the former Dark Kindred, Six. Becca and Mei-li were both holding Kat’s other
babies, Seeks War and Makes Peace. The two twins were sleeping peacefully
unlike their brother Shad who was quiet but wakeful.

“Okay,
what did I miss?” Just then the door opened and Lauren bustled in with a baby
on her hip and a platter of donuts and breakfast pastries in one hand. She put
them down on the coffee table in the center of the room and looked around
expectantly. Her baby, Aziza, looked around alertly as well. She had lovely
skin—a warm, clear tone somewhere between the creamy brown of her mother and
the pearlescent gray of her father, Xairn. Her eyes were the same amber as Lauren’s
but when she was upset they shimmered with a reddish light that could look
downright scary at times.

“Hi
doll,” Kat said. “Charlie here is asking for volunteers to go on a top secret
mission given to her by the Goddess.”

“She
what?”
Lauren looked confused.

“Just
hush and you’ll find out. Thanks for the goodies.” Kat snagged a donut.

“And
you’ve been having these visions for how long?” Sylvan asked sternly, frowning
at Charlie and Stav.

Stavros
cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“For
some time now, Commander Sylvan. But it was my distinct impression that there
was nothing we could do for either Thrace or Trin.”

“Thrace
and Trin? Who are they?” Charlie heard Lauren ask Kat.

“The
people Charlie and Stavros have been keeping tabs on. Apparently they’ve been
seeing them off and on in these trances. Mostly while they, uh…you know.”

“No,
I don’t know. What are you talking about?”

“Never
mind,” Charlie said quickly. “The point is, they’re people the Goddess has
claimed as her own and they’re destiny is tied to the future of the Kindred
race. Also, they need our help.”

Rapidly
she outlined the situation, catching the assembled group up on the salient
points of the relationship she and Stavros had seen.

“And
now she’s going back to Zetta Prime to undergo some kind of punishment—a
purification ritual—just because she had sex with the man she loves,” she
ended. “It’s so sad because Trin loves him desperately—she’s just freaked out
about the idea of being with a man, er, a male since her people don’t do that.”

“They
certainly don’t,” Far, Becca’s Light Twin mate murmured.

“Explain,”
Sylvan said to him. “I know you’ve made an in depth study of the other sentient
races our people have encountered, Far—what do you know about the inhabitants
of Zetta Prime?”

“Are
they man haters like the women on Yonnie Six?” Kat asked, looking interested.

“It’s
more like they have no use for males at all. They see them as a kind of
domesticated animal which they don’t care to keep,” Far explained.

“Huh.
Like why would you keep a cow if you’re lactose intolerant,” Liv remarked.

Far
nodded. “Exactly. The females of the planet form life commitments to each other
only. When they wish to have children, they go to a Conception Center
where they can choose from the seed of almost any race of compatible male in
the universe. They have far ranging scout ships notorious for abducting lone
males and extracting their seed before releasing them again.”

“Wow,”
Lauren murmured. “So all those ‘I was probed by an alien stories’…”

“Are
likely true,” Far said. “At least in some cases. But their seed is the only
part of a male they consider in any way necessary or useful. For a Daughter of
Zetta Prime to allow herself to love a male is barely a step above bestiality
in their estimation.”

Liv
gave a long, low whistle.

“Whew—not
so good. No wonder this Trin girl’s mother was so upset!”

“She
wasn’t just upset—she told Trin it would’ve been better if she died rather than
letting herself be with Thrace,”
Charlie said.

“Wow,
doll.” Kat shook her head. “That’s some private soap opera you and Stavros have
going on in your heads. I’m kind of jealous.”

“Do
not be,” Stavros said heavily. “Parts of it have been very difficult to watch.”

“But
that’s the point—we’re done watching now,” Charlie stood up from the low stool
where she’d been seated and looked around. “The Goddess has asked for
volunteers to go with us. I’m going, obviously—I’ve been watching Trin so long
I feel like I know her. But we need some other girls too, to pretend to be
priestesses so we can get to her.”

Becca
was talking softly to her two mates and now she looked up.

“I’ll
go,” she said, nodding at Charlie. “It sounds like the poor girl is dealing
with a boatload of guilt. Being a former almost-nun, I know a little about
that.”

Truth,
her Dark Twin mate snorted. “Just a
little?”

“Okay,
a
lot,”
Becca admitted with a wry
laugh. “Anyway, it sounds like my input might be useful.”

“Perfect.”
Charlie nodded. “Welcome aboard. Anyone else?”

“I
would…”
Mei-Li hesitated. “But,
well…I don’t know if I should risk folding space right now.” She blushed bright
pink and Six, her mate, looked at her with surprise.

“Mei-Li?”
he rumbled, sounding shocked. “Are you…?”

“I
don’t know yet.” Mei-Li blushed even harder. “But, well, I
might
be and I’m just not sure—”

“It’s
all right,” Charlie said quickly. “The Goddess said we should only take women
who have no children and who definitely aren’t expecting.”

“Well,
I guess that rules us out,” Kat remarked, looked at Liv and Sophie and Lauren.

Liv
sighed. “Too bad—I wouldn’t mind a little adventure right about now.”

“Going
to Zetta Prime is no lighthearted adventure,” Far said grimly. “The Zettites
are deadly serious about their religion. If they thought anyone was profaning
their rituals or disrespecting their deity in any way…it could be bad. Very
bad.”

Charlie
looked at Becca.

“Still
want to come?”

“Absolutely,”
Becca said firmly. “Let’s do it.”

“And
Truth and I will come with Charlotte and Stavros to offer support in any way we
can,” Far said.

“And
also because we’re not letting our female go into danger alone,” Truth growled.

“Then
it’s settled.” Sylvan clapped his hands together. “We’ll outfit a large shuttle
for you and prepare to fold space. And, as the Goddess has commanded you to do
this, I will commend you into her care. Go but be careful. We hope to see you
back here with both Trin and Thrace
safely in hand before too long.”