Falling for Kindred Claus Read online

  “They are certainly beautiful,” Asher said softly. He shook his head before she could answer. “Forgive me—I promised myself I would not make such remarks to you. It’s just difficult when you’re so beautiful.”

  “Um, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” Lisa said, smiling shyly up at him. “And I don’t mind compliments. As long as we both understand they aren’t going to lead to anything else.”

  “Of course not,” Asher vowed seriously. “We will keep our relationship strictly professional.”

  Lisa couldn’t help herself—she started to laugh.

  “Strictly…professional,” she gasped out, when she could talk through her giggle-fit.

  “Yes.” Asher frowned. “Why is that funny?”

  “Well, I mean, we’re standing here together naked—or as good as—in a steam bath. It’s not exactly a professional setting, you know?”

  “Well, no,” he admitted frowning. “But to me professionalism is more about attitude and actions than circumstances and setting.”

  “Good point.” Lisa finally stopped laughing but her little giggle-fit had done her good. It had gotten the last of the fear and anger out of her system. Ba’deal might be an asshole but she was determined not to let him spoil her night.

  I’m on an alien planet sixty thousand light years from home, she reminded herself. Which is so much better than being on a bus headed to some other city in Florida, hoping that Cameron won’t track me down. I refuse to be upset.

  “Oh, there you two are.” Lambada came out of the mists to find them with Natillus right beside her. “We were wondering where you might have gotten to,” she said, giving Lisa a worried look. “Was Ambassador Ba’deal bothering you excessively?”

  “He was,” Lisa said honestly. “But I don’t think he’ll dare to try anything again—not after the way Asher here was staring him down.” She reached out to pat the big Kindred’s arm, noticing that he was solid muscle as she did.

  “He had better not,” Asher growled, frowning. “I will not tolerate anyone hurting my mate.” He sounded so menacing that Lisa shivered.

  “He will stay far away from you now, I am sure,” Natillus said dryly. “For a moment there, it seemed that your eyes were turning color with protective anger—I have never seen such a thing.”

  “It’s a Kindred trait,” Asher said shortly. “When a beloved mate is threatened a Kindred warrior may go into what we call ‘Rage’—a state of berserker fury which persists until the threat is eliminated.”

  “Well, I’m certainly glad the ambassador apologized!” Lambada looked shaken. “I have never liked him,” she confided to Lisa. “Those from the Southern continent are not to be trusted. I do not know why the old Potentate allowed him to come to the coronation of the new Potentate.”

  “I believe they expressed a wish to make peace,” Natillus said mildly. “Though I will be very much surprised if it comes to pass.”

  “Well,” Lambada said, looking at Lisa and Asher. “Have the two of you visited the Mouth of Thufar yet? You must experience it, you know, for the full effect of the purification.”

  “I have while Natillus and I were waiting for you and Lisa,” Asher answered. “But we can visit it again for Lisa’s benefit.”

  “Oh please—by all means,” Lisa said politely. “That sounds lovely.”

  “This way, then.” Asher took her by the hand and led her though the mist, though how he could tell where he was going was a mystery to Lisa.

  Soon enough he stopped in a cloud of especially thick mist and just stood there.

  “What—is this it?” Lisa looked all around her. “Where’s the Mouth of Thufar?”

  “Look up,” Asher said simply.

  Lisa did, but at first she didn’t see anything because of a thick stream of hot vapor coming down on them. Geeze, she was so wet and sticky at this point she was going to need a shower before she got out of here, she thought with exasperation. She hoped that once they “experienced” the Mouth of Thufar, they would be allowed to leave the super-sized sauna. She was really tired and—

  Her thoughts cut off abruptly when the mists above cleared, revealing a truly terrifying sight.

  Directly above them was yet another carved depiction of the three-eyed god but this one was huge! Thufar’s mouth was stretched wide—it was five feet across at least, Lisa thought—a gaping black hole that the clouds of mist and steam were issuing from at regular intervals.

  And then the mouth started moving…coming down as though to eat them.

  Twenty-Three

  Lisa gave a high, frightened cry and started to try and scramble out of the way of the descending mouth.

  “No, Lisa!” Asher grabbed for her quickly, afraid that she would be caught by the massive carving and possibly injured or even cut in two. He pulled her to his chest, holding her close to his body as the mouth continued to descend until it had engulfed them completely in darkness and steam.

  “What…what is it doing?” Lisa’s voice was high and frightened and he could feel her soft, curvy body trembling against his own.

  “It only emits extra steam—don’t worry, it will be over in a moment,” he said, raising his voice over the hissing steam and trying to reassure her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it—I thought Lambada had warned you.”

  “Well, she didn’t.” Lisa gave a trembling sigh. “Sorry, I just don’t like dark, close places. It reminds me…reminds me of things I would rather forget.”

  Asher wished he could ask her about her memories—about what had happened to her. But he felt again that if she wanted to talk about it she would. Until then all he could do was hold her and try to keep her safe.

  “It’s almost over,” he murmured and indeed, the hiss of steam was lessening and the clouds of vapor, so thick he almost felt he was breathing in scented water, were growing less dense.

  Slowly the enormous mouth lifted, leaving the two of them clinging together in the middle of the large room filled with mist.

  Asher knew he ought to let go of the curvy little Earth female now, but he didn’t want to. She felt so soft in his arms—so right pressed against him as she was. He wished he never had to stop holding her.

  For her part, Lisa didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave his arms. She pressed against him and sighed deeply, as though recovering herself.

  It occurred to Asher that she was having a very stressful evening. It was her first time on an alien planet and she had already been attacked by that bastard of a Chorkay Ambassador (Asher promised himself to see to him later) and then she’d been frightened by the Mouth of Thufar. He hoped that their duties were almost over so that he could take her back to whatever quarters had been assigned to them and get her settled for the night.

  “Ah, so you experienced the Mouth of Thufar?” Natillus said, as he and Lambada came up to them.

  Lisa gave a shaky laugh.

  “We certainly did! It’s…quite an experience.”

  “It definitely caps off the ritual of purification,” Asher agreed soberly.

  Natillus frowned.

  “I am afraid it doesn’t though—not quite.”

  “What?” Lisa exclaimed. “I mean, what else do we need to do to be purified?” she asked, trying to modify her tone, though Asher could tell she was upset.

  “Only one more thing,” Lambada said soothingly. “As you are a mated couple, you must retire to one of the private purification chambers and cleanse each other of the mists. Then and only then will the two of you be considered purified completely.”

  “And then we will all be able to get to sleep,” Natillus said heartily. “I know you must be as tired as we are,” he added frankly.

  “Yes.” Lisa sounded unhappy. “Yes, I’m very tired,” she said.

  But whether she was tired of the never-ending litany of purification rituals or the mission they were on or the entire planet of Helios Beta, Asher couldn’t tell.

  Twenty-Four

  “Here we are—you t