Bridging the Distance Read online

  “I don’t care—I don’t want to be hearing your excuses!” The Countess drew herself up and gave the serving male a withering look. “Be bringing the sweet course at once.”

  The serving males’ faces turned positively white.

  “Yes, my Countess. At once, my Countess,” they both said, bowing rapidly. Then they ran off in what was presumably the direction of the kitchen.

  Lorelei hoped they came back soon. Her mouth, throat, and esophagus felt like she had swallowed a flaming sword. She wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to look down and see black smoke billowing out from between her lips every time she opened her mouth. Oh God, why had she downed the tiny shot glasses of tingle and burn so quickly? This burning was a hundred times worse than the slimy fish-eye taste. A thousand times worse!

  Finally, a servant came running up to the pod, holding a white glass dish about as big as a cereal bowl in both hands. Balanced in a quivering mound, three feet higher than the sides of the bowl itself, was a bright blue, swaying mountain of what looked like some kind of meringue.

  “Here you are, Gentlewoman,” he said, leaning over the edge of the pod and setting it down in front of Lorelei. “The sweet course. Only I pray you take care, for—”

  But Lorelei had already picked up the most likely-looking utensil to eat the quivering mountain of meringue—or what she assumed was meringue, anyway. It was a kind of long-handled spork, with a rounded bowl like a spoon, tipped with long, sharp tines like a fork. Recklessly, she leaned forward and opened her mouth as she stabbed at the wobbly blue mountain.

  With a muffled bang! the whole thing exploded in her face.

  Lorelei gasped, drawing in a big breath in surprise and a good chunk of what turned out to be extremely-sweet custardy stuff as well. She coughed and choked, wiping at the blue, smeary chunks which were sliding down her face. It was like she had decided to have a facial with runny blue tapioca pudding—that was the consistency of the stuff which now coated her face, hair, and shoulders.

  “Oh My Lady!” Bound exclaimed and at the same time, the Countess du’Montrive cried out in shock,

  “Oh dear, this is being the worst mess I have ever been seeing in all my days!”

  “All right…I’m all right,” Lorelei managed to choke out. The one good thing about the exploding dessert was that it seemed to have stopped the burning in her mouth. It had a sort of berry-watermelon-mango flavor that reminded her of kid’s too-sweet bubblegum. But it was a hell of a lot better than feeling like she’d been sucking on a blowtorch.

  “This is being terrible!” the Countess exclaimed. “Why my dear Gentlewoman Daniels, I would not be blaming you if you chose to leave the Fren and Chulk and never be darkening our doorway again!”

  “No, no!” Lorelei hastened to reassure her. “Please, my Countess, please don’t think that I am, uh, being upset. None of this is being your fault—it’s all on me. I should have been more, uh, careful with the food. It’s just that we…we are not having anything like this dinner in Haska.”

  “So…you still wish to stay for the sale?” the Countess inquired, looking greatly relieved. “Oh, I do so hope you will be staying!”

  Lorelei wondered why she cared so much. Was she concerned about the reputation of the Fren and Chulk or was Femalian society particularly litigious and she was worried about getting sued?

  Either way, maybe they could use the Countess’s concern to their advantage.

  “I do want to stay,” she told the Countess, wiping away the blue, runny dessert with a golden foil napkin, which didn’t do much more than smear the stuff around. “For I have heard, er—have been hearing a rumor that you intend to be selling a Kindred warrior who has been modified by the V’radors.”

  “Oh no, my dear.” The Countess shook her head, her white plumes bouncing—somehow, though she wasn’t seated that far from Lorelei, her entire outfit was still spotless. “Oh no, we do not be intending to be selling any Kindred at the sale today.”

  “What?” Lorelei exploded. “No Kindred?”

  “Sadly, no.” The Countess shrugged. “We did have one, you know—quite a fine specimen too—a Kindred with black hair and green eyes.”

  Lorelei’s breath seemed to catch in her throat.

  “He sounds…beautiful,” she finally managed to say.

  “Oh, he is—he is being quite the most gorgeous male I have ever seen,” the Countess exclaimed. “But I cannot be selling him. He is much too savage.”

  Chapter Nine

  Bound’s heart leapt in his chest.

  “Too savage?” he heard Lorelei saying. “Whatever do you…I mean, what can you be meaning by that, Countess?”

  “Why, just what I am saying, my dear. The V’radors modified him to be a bodyguard/love-slave but he is being simply uncontrollable! Why, he killed two of my male slaves—simply snapped their necks like twigs! I cannot be setting such a creature loose with a good conscience. And unfortunately, the V’radors are absolutely refusing to take him back. So…” She shrugged. “I’m planning on having him put down.”

  “Put down?” Lorelei and Bound exclaimed at the same time.

  The Countess du’Montrive looked at both of them strangely, as though she thought their reaction was too extreme, and nodded.

  “Well…yes,” she said, speaking only to Lorelei. “Of course it is representing quite a financial loss but only be thinking of the legal ramifications if I was selling him and he was killing more people. Why next time he might be killing a female! Imagine that!”

  Hot words about killing an unarmed male rose to his lips but Bound had to swallow them down and remind himself he was a slave here and nothing more. He must not speak or he would “blow their cover,” as the humans said. He had to be quiet and let Lorelei do the talking. But it was hard—so damn hard when he knew his brother’s life was on the line!

  “I want to see him.” Lorelei said, putting down her gold foil napkin. She had gotten most of the blue stuff off of her face and though she looked rather odd, beauty and determination still lit her lovely features.

  “See him? Why my dear Gentlewoman Daniels, whyever for?” The Countess looked genuinely mystified.

  “Countess…” Lorelei leaned across the table, looking at the other woman intently. “What if I told you that you could still turn a profit on this particular Kindred with absolutely no legal risk to yourself?”

  The Countess looked at her suspiciously.

  “How can you be making such a claim?”

  Lorelei lifted her chin. “I am a member of PETOM—People for the Ethical Treatment Of Males—and I am here to rescue any unwanted males you have today, specifically your Kindred. I will be paying top dollar for this male and taking him far away with me to a different solar system where you will never be hearing from him ever again. And I am willing to sign any legal document you will be producing to clear you of any and all liability. What do you say?”

  “Well…this is sounding like a good offer…” The Countess du’Montrive looked like she was wavering. “But really, my dear Gentlewoman—why would you want such a savage beast? Everyone knows a male who cannot be controlled is worthless! I have some lovely, malleable Jinoshins who have been trained in the art of female worship. They’ll spend all day sucking your toes if you so command them.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lorelei said firmly. “I don’t care about toe sucking—I only want the Kindred.”

  “Well…” The Countess threw down her own napkin with a sigh. “I suppose we can be seeing if he is still alive.”

  “Still alive?” Lorelei’s big brown eyes widened in alarm.

  “Why yes. I ordered him destroyed an hour ago. But you know my dear, my head guard is being so lazy. I really would consider replacing her if it wasn’t being such a pain to find good help…”

  “Can we go?” Lorelei asked. “Can we go to see him right now?”

  “Oh, very well. I am considering this meal spoiled anyway.” The Countess looked at her slave-mate. “Tingor, if