Twisted: Brides of the Kindred 23 Read online

  “I assure you, the reality is even worse,” Malik said grimly. “To have everyone and everything you love obliterated in the blink of an eye by an uncaring, unfeeling machine, well…” He shook his head and looked away. “My entire family…all of my friends and loved ones… Everyone, gone.”

  “Hey…” Impulsively, Nikki leaned towards him and put a hand on his leg. The muscles felt as hard as iron. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “That must have been awful for you. I can’t even imagine losing everyone you love like that.”

  “Of course you can—it’s why you are so eager to get back to your children.” Malik looked at her earnestly. “And I swear that you will. But I must ask your help. The invitation is due to arrive at any day and I have a narrow window of time in which to work.”

  “Of course I’ll try to help you,” Nikki said. “As long as you promise to help me get back home afterwards.”

  “Agreed. I give you my word as a Volt Kindred.” Malik frowned. “But my word might mean nothing to you—you must have something else to let you know that I am sincere and that you are safe with me.”

  Nikki shook her head.

  “You already saved me twice—once in the bathing chamber and once from being poisoned. Oh, and when that awful Ugger attacked me.” She shivered. “So three times—you saved me three times. I’m pretty sure I can trust you after all that.”

  “I thought I was saving my Mistress,” Malik said shortly. “It is becoming more and more apparent that though you look like her, you are nothing like her on the inside. I need to give you surety that I will keep my word and protect you with my life until you are safely home again.”

  “It’s really not necessary,” Nikki protested again but he was already kneeling beside the bed and reaching to take her hand. Bemused, she scooted forward until she was sitting on the edge of the mattress and gave it to him, trying to ignore the shiver she felt as his big, warm fingers enclosed her much smaller ones.

  “My Lady…” he paused, frowning. “I do not know your true name.”

  “Nikki,” Nikki said quickly. “Um, Nicole Davis, if you want to be formal.”

  “My Lady Nicole,” Malik continued. “I pledge to you now my undying service and devotion. For as long as our fates are entwined, I will protect you tirelessly, come what may. My body will be your shield and my heart shall guard your secrets. Every drop of my own blood shall be spilled before even a drop of yours is shed. May the Goddess witness the binding of our pact today.”

  “Oh…” Nikki whispered. He looked so solemn, kneeling to her like a knight might kneel to his queen. And as he spoke the final words of his promise in that deep voice of his, she felt a tingle run through her entire body, starting from the point where their hands were joined. It made the short hairs at the back of her neck prickle as though a powerful electrical current had just passed through his body into hers.

  “Do you feel the truth of my oath to you?” Malik asked, looking up at her earnestly.

  “I…I do.” Nikki nodded. “I mean I really, literally do.”

  “Good.” He nodded. “And to give you surety of my word, I will give you power over me as well. The word that activates my collar is ‘trab’.”

  As he spoke the word, Nikki saw the black leather collar around his neck constrict and he stiffened in pain, his big hand going rigid in hers.

  “Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “Oh, why did you tell it to me if it was going to hurt you? Please, tell me how to make it stop!”

  “The counter word is ‘bard’ but only you may say it—no other voice will stop the flow of the pain chemicals from my collar.” Malik’s own voice was low and hoarse with agony.

  “Brad—I mean bard!” Nikki said quickly. “Bard, bard, bard!”

  She was relieved to see his broad shoulders—which had been tensed with pain—slowly relax as a look of relief came over his face.

  “Thank you. But you need only speak the word once to deactivate my collar—that’s all that is necessary,” he murmured.

  “How does that thing work anyway?” Nikki demanded. “You said it shoots pain chemicals into you?”

  He nodded. “There are tiny needles imbedded in the leather of the collar. Speaking the pain word causes them to pierce my flesh and inject pain stimulators which make my nerves feel like they are on fire. Until the counter word is said, which causes them to retract and stop the injection.”

  “That’s awful!” Nikki exclaimed. “What kind of a person would use something like that on someone else? What kind of a monster is Mistress Hellenix anyway?” Then she bit her lip. “Oh, um…maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Despite the awful things Mistress Hellenix apparently did to Malik, the big Kindred seemed totally devoted to her—he might not appreciate her speaking badly of his absent Mistress.

  But Malik didn’t get angry with her.

  “Mistress Hellenix is… a product of her society,” he said grimly. “She was born into extreme wealth and power and into a world where males are discounted completely—considered fit only to serve as slaves and manual laborers. Given all that, it’s no wonder that she treats me as she does.”

  “Well, I don’t like it,” Nikki said decisively. “You shouldn’t be treated that way!” Leaning forward, she carefully began feeling her way around the collar that encircled his thick neck.

  Malik frowned. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting this awful thing off of you,” Nikki exclaimed. “You’re not wearing it anymore—not while I’m around, anyway.”

  A look of wonder came over his face.

  “But…don’t you want a way to even the field between us? To make sure you’re safe around me? I could snap your luscious little body like a twig—not that I would but my Mistress was always mindful of my superior strength. She had this collar made especially for me.”

  Nikki stopped feeling around his collar for a moment and looked him in his strange, silver eyes.

  “Are you planning to hurt me?”

  “Of course not.” He frowned. “I have sworn my oath to you and I am a Kindred—we protect females.” He sighed. “Even those like my old Mistress.”

  “I didn’t think so. Look, Malik—I trust you—especially after that amazing oath you gave me.” Nikki couldn’t help shivering when she remembered the intense look in his eyes as he’d sworn to protect her. “And I don’t want you to be hurt any more by this awful collar—I want to take it off you now.”

  He nodded. “Very well. There is a release catch at the very back of my neck that should respond to your right index fingerprint. But we’ll have to put a show collar on in its place or the other slaves will become suspicious.”

  “I’m afraid they already are suspicious—otherwise, why would they have tried to poison me?” Nikki said ruefully, as she found the flat, smooth spot on the back of his collar and pressed her right index finger too it. Sure enough, the collar popped open and dropped to the floor. Apparently even her fingerprints matched with Mistress Hellenix’s. Amazing that they could be so similar physically and so different every other way, she thought.

  “You have a point.” Malik sighed. “I’m afraid you’ll have to put on a much more convincing show of dominance than you’ve managed so far to keep them from outright rebellion.”

  “I’ll try.” Nikki bit her lip. “But…I’m afraid I’m not a very dominant person.” If I was, I don’t suppose Gary would feel free to leave me like he is, she added to herself.

  Malik frowned. “Who is this ‘Gary’ person who is leaving you?”

  Feeling her cheeks heat with embarrassment, Nikki realized she must have said what she was thinking aloud.

  “My husband,” she said miserably. “He just informed me yesterday that he’s moving out and selling our house. He’s giving me custody of our three sons, but it’s going to be tough, you know? I don’t make enough to get us a very nice place but even with all the money in the world, they still need a positive male role model. One is fifteen and my two twi