Freeing the Prisoner Read online

  “Oh…hello, Liv my friend.” Dani tried to smile but it was clear Liv could see right through her.

  “I’m sorry, hon. You thought I was Kyron, didn’t you?”

  “I…I hoped you might be.” Dani sighed. “Forgive me if I seemed rude. I just…miss him so much.”

  “Of course you do.” Liv put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “You know, I think Sylvan’s almost finished analyzing his blood and running tests. You should be seeing him again any time.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Dani whispered, rubbing her eyes to rid herself of the traitorous tears that gathered there. “I like it here aboard the Mother Ship—there is so much to see and do and no one treats me as less because I am female. But without Ky…”

  “It’s going to be all right.” Liv hugged her again. “Tell you what—why don’t you come out and get your mind off it?”

  “Another tour of the ship?” Dani shook her head. “Thank you, Liv, but I’m really not up for more sightseeing.”

  “Sightseeing is over,” Liv said briskly, linking her arm through Dani’s firmly. “I came by today to put you to work.”

  “Work?” Dani frowned. “What kind of work?”

  “Tell me this—how are you with kids?”

  “Kids? Children, you mean? I love them.” Dani smiled…then sighed again. “I had hoped that someday in the future Ky and I could have some…”

  “You will,” Liv said firmly. “But right now, you’re going to help me take a turn at our local nursery school. It’s where my own little guy goes as well as Sophie’s twins. Every once in a while they need some help and it’s my turn to volunteer.” She pulled Dani out of her suite and shut the door behind them. “Come on—you’ll love it. There’s nothing like finger-painting for an hour or two to cheer you up.”

  “Finger…painting?” Dani asked, bemused. Her translation bacteria might help her understand the language aboard the Mother Ship but it didn’t explain some of the more esoteric and confusing terms.

  “You’ll see. Come on.”

  Liv pulled her down the long, curving corridor and around to a lift which took them to another floor. When they stepped out, they were greeted by a wall covered in a colorful display of children’s drawings. An archway in the wall led into what looked like the most amazing playground Dani had ever seen.

  There was a young woman sitting at a desk beside the archway. She smiled when she saw Liv.

  “Well, hello. Are you here to get Daniel or to help out?”

  “Help out, although you know I love to see my little guy.” Liv smiled back. “This is Dani—she’s new here but I can vouch for her. She’s going to be joined to Commander Kyron of the Touch Kindred.”

  “Oh, a Touch Kindred?” The girl’s eyebrows raised. “Wow, I certainly hope you guys end up living by me and my mate. I’ve heard the effects of Touch Kindred love, ahem, spreads throughout their area they’re staying in.”

  “Really?” Dani was surprised. This was the first she’d heard of any such thing.

  “Come on now, Jackie,” Liv said, laughing. “You’re going to make her feel self-conscious about bonding with her man.”

  “Oops, I’m sorry! I just want you to know you’ll be welcome wherever you and your Kindred wind up on the Mother Ship.” The girl named Jackie smiled broadly. “Go ahead in, you two. I believe Sophie is in the middle of art class right now.”

  “Just in time for finger-painting. Come on, Dani.” Liv dragged her through the archway and into the play area.

  Dani looked around with wide eyes, wishing she’d had such an area to play in as a child. There was a corner filled with colorful books where several children were reading on soft cushions Liv called “bean bag chairs,” climbing equipment with spongy padding underneath in case of falls, a pit filled with colorful spheres that several children were floundering in like fish, and so many ingenious looking toys that Dani wanted to sit down and play with a few of them herself.

  “Oh, there’s Sophie,” Liv said and led her to an area where low tables and tiny chairs had been set up. About a dozen children were sitting around the tables squeezing and molding brightly colored putty. Sophie, Liv’s sister, was walking around helping the little artists with their clay.

  “Hey womb-mate.” Liv gave her sister a one-armed hug. “I thought you were finger-painting today.”

  “We took a vote and went with Play-Doh instead,” Sophie said, smiling. “I can’t complain—the kids are having a blast and it’s way less messy. We—”

  “Miss Sophie? Miss Sophie?” It was a little boy who looked to be around four, tugging on Sophia’s blouse.

  “Oh, hello Tsandor.” Sophie crouched down to get on his level. “What’s that you have there?” she asked, pointing to the blue-green lump of clay in his hand.

  “It’s a vranna—I made it for my daddy.” The little boy, who had golden blond hair and big sapphire blue eyes, looked at Sophie hopefully. “Can I save it for him? I thought it might remind him of our home on Tranq Prime.”

  “Oh, honey…” Sophie’s kind green eyes looked suddenly bright. “Yes, of course we can save it for him.”

  “Oh good!” the little boy exclaimed. “And do you think he’ll be here soon so I can give it to him?” He sounded wistful. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen him. I hope he’ll come see me soon.”

  “I’m sure he will.” Sophie gave the little boy a hug. “I know you miss your daddy, Tsandor—he’s just on a very important mission right now but I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”

  “I hope so,” the little boy hugged her back and then took his clay sculpture and wandered back to the table where the other children were sitting.

  “Oh, that poor little boy.” Sophie stood up, swiping at her eyes. “It just breaks my heart…”

  “Isn’t he Commander Sazar’s little boy?” Liv asked sympathetically. “I’ve never seen his father but I heard from Baird they were coming aboard.”

  Sophie nodded. “Yes, they were on Tranq Prime but Commander Sazar moved them here to the Mother Ship after his wife died—I think he wanted a fresh start.”

  “So the little boy’s mother is dead?” Dani’s heart went out to the child—she had not been much older herself when her own mother had been killed. “Where is his father?”

  Sophie shrugged. “Off on another diplomatic mission, I think. He’s responsible for visiting the more sophisticated societies the Kindred find to see if they’d be open to a genetic trade.” She shook her head. “It’s sad to say but I think he distances himself on purpose because Tsandor reminds him too much of his dead wife with that blond hair of his.”

  Liv frowned. “But if they’re from Tranq Prime they should all be blond, right?”

  Sophie shook her head. “Not in this case. Commander Sazar is a Pitch-Blood Kindred.”

  “What?” Liv frowned. “I’ve never heard of that—is it a whole new breed of Kindred?”

  “More like a variation on the standard Blood Kindred,” Sophie said. “They have pitch black hair and there are other differences as well.”

  “What differences?” Liv sounded interested.

  “Well, you know how regular Blood Kindred only bite their mates to, uh, bring them pleasure or to heal them?” Sophie blushed prettily and Dani remembered that her own husband, Commander Sylvan, was a Blood Kindred. “I mean, they look like vampires when their fangs come out but they don’t actually need to drink blood.”

  “Right. So how are the Pitch-Blood Kindred different?” Liv wanted to know.

  “They do need to drink blood. Not a lot of it and not all the time,” Sophie said. “But they only drink from their mates. And if they don’t get it, they can get really sick.”

  “What is Commander Sazar doing now then if his wife is gone?” Liv asked.

  Sophie shook her head. “Don’t know. Sylvan says the Pitch-Kindred can go quite a while without blood but it is a biological need. So I’m not sure what he’s doing—I just wish he’d come back a