Shadowed Read online

  “Um…Okay. Everything is going to be okay…” Maggie put an arm around her tentatively. “I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice. “I never know what to say in this kind of situation, and I don’t understand hardly any of what you just told me, but it’s clear somebody really hurt you.”

  “That’s an…an underst-statement,” Nina said through her tears. “I feel like he ripped my heart out and used it to wipe his boots on.”

  “Oh, honey…” Maggie patted her back awkwardly. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, looking at Nina anxiously. “I, uh, wish I knew what to say.”

  “You’re doing just fine.” Nina sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I just…when you said about the Hurkon collar, I couldn’t help it.”

  “It’s okay.” Maggie gave her a quick hug. “Whatever it is, you can get through it. But it’s okay to cry—sometimes you can’t help it. Believe me—I know.”

  Nina sniffed again and blotted her eyes on a napkin.

  “Thanks, Maggie.” She tried to smile at the other girl. “You know, you don’t seem like the cold scientific type.”

  “Oh, well…” Maggie smiled and shrugged uneasily. “I told you—that’s my fiancé’s department. I’m not usually the huggy-touchy-feely type either, but well, you seemed like you needed a hug.”

  “You’re a sweetheart.” Nina blotted her eyes some more and sniffed again. She still felt sad, but at least she was more like herself now that she’d cried a little. She straightened up and took a deep breath. “Okay—better now. And look—here comes Lissa and she’s got Lauren with her.” Lissa had introduced her to all her friends, and Nina liked Lauren very much.

  “Oh.” Maggie brightened. “I haven’t met her yet, but I’ve heard all about her from Sophia and Olivia.”

  “She’s really easy going and laid back—not to mention she makes the most fabulous cupcakes you’ll ever taste,” Nina said.

  “Hi, girls.” Lauren smiled at both of them as she came up and put a hand to her back. “How’s everyone doing? Ugh, better than me, I hope.” She rubbed her swollen belly. “My little girl is kicking me like crazy right now.”

  Maggie frowned. “Is everyone on the Mother Ship pregnant? So far almost everyone I’ve met has either just had a baby or is about to have one. Olivia, Sophia, Kat, you…”

  “Yeah, well, we all boarded the baby train around the same time,” Lauren said, laughing. “Or that’s how Kat puts it anyway. Speaking of the lady of the hour, she told me that you have some beautiful handwriting.” She nodded at Nina.

  “Well, yes, I guess,” Nina said. “Um, why?”

  “Well, I have these signs I need made for the different layers of the cake.” Lauren held out several large rectangles of thick, creamy cardstock with gold edges and a black felt marker. “And my own handwriting is just complete chicken scratch. So I was hoping…”

  “Sure.” Nina took the cards and marker from her and sat down at the table. “What do you need them to say?”

  “Here’s a list.” Lauren unfolded a piece of paper and handed it over to Nina who scanned it rapidly.

  “Hmm… Chocolate with raspberry filling, white chocolate with apricot, Lemon with strawberry. And vanilla with…” She squinted at the paper—Lauren really did have bad handwriting. “Uh, bonding fruit? What’s that?”

  “That is a bad idea, but Kat insisted.” Lauren sighed. “Be sure you put the warning on the bottom of the bonding fruit one.”

  “Okay…” Nina read on with a frown. “Warning—bonded couples only.” She looked up at Lauren. “So only married couples can eat that layer? Why?”

  “Because it’s extremely potent. I cooked about three bushels of bonding fruit down to make the puree for the filling and let me tell you—that stuff is concentrated. Just one bite is enough to make you climb your man like a tree—so you better have a man to climb if you taste it.”

  “Excuse me,” Maggie said, her brown eyes interested behind her thick lenses. “But are you saying that this bonding fruit is actually an aphrodisiac? How fascinating.”

  “It’s a lot more than fascinating if you eat too much of it,” Lauren said grimly. “I’m still not sure if it might not be too strong…”

  “Well, I’ll be happy to write these out for you,” Nina said, smiling. “And I can’t wait to taste the cake—if it’s anything like your cupcakes it’s bound to be delicious.”

  Lauren smiled. “It’s been so much fun to make. I enjoyed it so much I may start specializing in wedding cakes instead of cupcakes. But right now, I have to get back to it. Could you bring those to the reception area beside the sacred grove when you get done? You know the way, right?”

  “I do,” Maggie said at once. “I’ll be happy to bring them as soon as Nina finishes.”

  “Thanks, Maggie.” Lauren smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit. I have to make sure every little thing is perfect with the cake topper. You have no idea how hard it was to find one with one bride and two grooms.”

  Nina smiled. “I can just imagine.” She waved as Lauren walked off and then got back to work on the signs.

  “Well…” Lissa had just finished sweeping up the last of the glass from Maggie’s earlier accident. “It looks like everything is online for the joining ceremony. I hope Saber will get here on time—he promised to try and make it.”

  Nina felt her heart twist. If only Reddix would come too! No, she scolded herself. He’s not coming, and you’re better off without him.

  “I hope he makes it too,” she said, smiling at her friend. “I’m sure it’s going to be a beautiful ceremony.”

  * * * * *

  “It’s going to be a beautiful ceremony,” Saber said, pulling on his flight jacket. “And you’re coming with me.”

  “What in the Seven Hells are you talking about?” Reddix growled. “You know I can’t come with you—Nina’s probably going to be there.”

  “Which is exactly why you’re coming.” Saber put a hand on his arm and tugged him toward the waiting shuttle. “Come on.”

  “No.” Reddix held back stubbornly. “I can’t.”

  “Why not? I know you want to.” Saber turned to face him. “Look, Brother, you’re miserable without her—anyone who looks at you can see it. Even Minda mentioned it to me the other night when we were visiting her. So what’s holding you back?”

  Reddix sighed and looked away. “Let’s just say she’s better off without me.”

  “You really believe that?” Saber demanded. “Why? Because you kidnapped her? I thought she’d forgiven you for that.”

  “No, it has nothing to do with that…”

  “Well, what does it have to do with?” Saber asked. “You might as well know, Lissa told me about what happened the night she and Nina left for the Mother Ship. She said Nina was devastated and that you looked pretty awful yourself. Why did you let her go when we all know you care about her so much?”

  “I let her go because I couldn’t hold her, all right?” Reddix growled. “Because I couldn’t give her what a normal male could.”

  “What do you mean a ‘normal male'?” Saber frowned. “I thought you were cured of your RTS now.”

  “I am…mostly.” Actually, Reddix could still “hear” the emotions of others—for instance, he could tell that his friend was worried and upset for him right now. But it was a distant sensation he could ignore—muffled—like someone shouting from another room. It was irritating but no longer debilitating which was good, he supposed. In the past, such a huge reduction in the disease which had claimed that last ten years of his life would have made him ecstatic. Instead, he just felt miserable.

  Saber frowned. “What do you mean ‘mostly'?”

  “I mean I can still tell what people are feeling, it just doesn’t affect me as much,” Reddix said. “Which is about what Xandra promised me so I guess I can’t complain.”

  “So she did keep her promise.” Saber shook his head. Reddix had given him a very abbreviated version of what had happened without going int