Handling the Hybrid: A Kindred Tales Novel Read online

  “Forget it Mom,” she said, shaking her head. “You and I both know if the Council decides I’ve defrauded them, they’ll ask for the maximum penalty. And they’ll move fast, too—the news vids are saying I might be sentenced as early as tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow!” Her mother put a hand to her pale throat. “But that’s so unfair! How can they just—”

  “Time’s up.” One of the Correctional Facility guards came over and reached for the viewscreen.

  “Wait, please!” Tandy said earnestly. “I love you, Mom!” she said desperately. “And Daddy and Remy too—please let them know I said so. And don’t come to speak for me—I don’t want you getting into trouble too!”

  “I love you too, Tandy!” Her mother was crying openly now—sobbing as tears fell down her flushed cheeks. “Oh my sweet little girl, I love you so much!”

  Tandy felt her heart squeeze in her chest as the guard turned off the viewscreen and her mother’s face disappeared.

  Little girl—that’s what he called me. And now he’s gone without a trace. He must have seen his chance to get away and rescue his friend from Mistress Tornflesh and he took it the moment I left him alone for a minute.

  Tandy couldn’t believe what a fool she’d been—she’d actually believed the big Kindred loved her! She’d actually believed that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She thought back to the way he’d held her in his arms and talked about their future life together. He had sounded so sincere—so loving. How could anyone fake that kind of emotion?

  Maybe he wasn’t faking, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. Maybe he really did intend to take you with him when he left Yonnie Six until you did the one thing he begged you not to do—until you gave him the rod. You think that might have changed his mind about loving you, Tandy? Maybe made him reconsider if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the girl who took him against his will in front of the Sacred Seven?

  Tandy put a hand to her eyes. That must be it—the reason Vrox had left her. The reason he had stopped loving her. He just couldn’t bear to be with the one who had stripped him of his male pride and dignity and brought him low.

  He probably hates me now, she thought morosely. Probably wishes I was dead.

  Well, if that was what Vrox wanted, it was likely that his wish would come true. The Sacred Seven weren’t known for their leniency in matters of treason—which was what she had been charged with since she had tried to defraud the ruling body of Yonnie Six. They were going to come down hard on her in every way to make an example for anyone else who might consider copying her crime.

  There was no way out and Tandy knew it. Going to the single metal bunk with its hard, thin mattress, she slumped down and put her head in her hands.

  Goddess, what was she going to do?

  TWENTY-THREE

  “Thorn, what is that? A derelict ship?” Mistress Neh’sa, formerly of Yonnie Six, stared at the viewscreen of their small, sleek craft with a frown on her face. She was coming back to the female-run planet for the first time since she had defected to live on the Kindred Mother Ship with her mate, and former slave, Thorn. Her intent was to tie up some loose ends and check on the status of the clinic she’d set up. But she hadn’t expected to see a ship in distress in orbit around her old home world.

  Thorn frowned, the glowing sparks in his mismatched green and blue eyes dancing faster, as they did when he was curious or agitated. He was part Kindred and part Pyro—a lethal combination to anyone who threatened him, since he was able to call and channel fire to do his bidding. Neh’sa, however, was perfectly safe from her mate’s deadly flames—their bond protected her completely.

  “Sending out a scan-probe,” Thorn reported, working busily at the controls. “Looks like their engines are dead—not too surprising considering that’s a short-range craft built for planet-side pleasure cruises and they took it out into low orbit. Not too smart.”

  “Are they still alive?” Neh’sa could just imagine some silly, spoiled Mistress and her bodyslave deciding to go out into space in an unsuitable craft and then drifting helplessly until their oxygen gave out. She was part Lylasian—an empathic race who were able to feel the pain of others—and hated to see anyone suffer.

  Thorn looked at the results of the scan-probe again.

  “Yes—I’m reading life signs,” he told her. “Should I hail them?”

  “Please do—at once.” She put a hand on his broad shoulder. “I can’t bear to think of anyone drifting around up here just waiting to die and I don’t see how they can possibly get down if their ship has malfunctioned.”

  Thorn shot her a swift glance. “You have such a soft heart, Mistress,” he murmured fondly.

  He had come to Yonnie Six as a Kindred spy and Neh’sa had bought him unwittingly and trained him as she would any other male slave. When his deception had been found out, she had been very angry and had felt betrayed but they had bonded and she had long since forgiven him.

  It was a long time since Neh’sa had been his Mistress and Thorn had been her bodyslave but he still called her by her old title at times—especially when they reprised their roles of Mistress and slave in the bedroom. Though Thorn was just as likely to play Master, since they liked switching off the dominant and submissive roles.

  “I just don’t like to see anyone suffer,” she told him. “Hail them, Thorn—if they’re still alive maybe we can tow them to shore or take them aboard.”

  Thorn put in the hailing frequency and after a long moment, their call was answered. But to Neh’sa’s surprise, it was no silly Mistress and her bodyslave who popped up on the screen but two male faces instead.

  “Thank the Goddess,” the pilot rasped. “I’m so fucking glad you found us—thought we were dead meat when the ship died.”

  He had wild, rough black hair and mismatched eyes like Thorn’s, Neh’sa saw—only his were blue and gold instead of blue and green like her mate’s. He also had fangs—she could see them when he spoke—as did the male beside him.

  “Are you Kindred?” she asked hesitantly. “Blood Kindred maybe?”

  “My partner is.” The pilot nodded to the male beside him. “But I’m a hybrid—half Blood, half Beast. And damn grateful that you found us.”

  “What are you doing in low orbit in a short-range ship?” Thorn asked, frowning.

  “It’s a long fucking story, Brother.” The hybrid ran a hand through his rough hair and blew out a breath. “Can you let us come aboard? I don’t think I have the air to tell it here.”

  “Just a moment.” Thorn muted the viewscreen for a moment and turned to Neh’sa. “They look pretty rough. Should we bring them aboard?”

  “They’re Kindred,” she reminded him gently. “I think the Goddess must have put them in our path for a reason. Yes, let’s bring them aboard.”

  “As my Mistress commands,” he remarked, giving her a half-smile.

  Neh’sa smiled back and ran a hand through his hair as he un-muted the screen. Since they were getting close to Yonnie Six, her mate had been reprising his role as her bodyslave more often.

  “Yes, we’ll bring you aboard,” Thorn told the hybrid pilot and his partner after un-muting the screen. “As long as you’re respectful to my mate and Lady, Mistress Neh’sa.”

  “Not another Mistress!” the Blood Kindred male muttered but the hybrid shushed him.

  “She’ll have our full respect,” he told Thorn seriously. “My lady is a Mistress too—or she was before they stripped her of her title. Now she’s in trouble and I can’t get to her.”

  Neh’sa nodded to herself as the feeling she’d had when she first saw the two rough faces on the viewscreen solidified. It was just as she’d thought—this was truly no accident. The Kindred Goddess, who watched over all her children and their chosen mates, must mean for them to help these two.

  “You have my permission to come aboard and tell me your story,” she said to the hybrid. “Let’s see what we can do.”

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