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  “Don’t. Don’t, Sylvan. I know.” Sophie kissed him again. “I have to go, Liv is waiting for me.”

  He nodded. “Go then. I’ll be here if you need me.”

  “I know.” She tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. She was still swiping tears from her eyes when she caught up to Olivia, who was hovering just outside the closed door of Kat’s room.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Liv’s voice, so strong a moment ago, was wavery and uncertain.

  “I don’t know either,” Sophie admitted. “I just…what can you say about something like this?”

  “You could say, ‘Hi Kat, welcome home.’” The door slid open to reveal Kat standing there with one hand on her ample hip and a little smile on her face. Her long red hair was damp—obviously she’d just gotten out of the shower. Sophie couldn’t see a thing wrong with her except for a tiny green half-circle that looked like the start of a shamrock tattoo on her right cheekbone.

  “Hi, Kat-woman.” Olivia looked at her uncertainly. “Are you okay?”

  “Peachy, aside from the fact that I’m supposed to die in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.” Kat’s voice was perfectly calm but there was something wild in her eyes—a despair that Sophie could see even if their friend wasn’t willing to speak it out loud.

  “Kat,” she choked, holding out her arms. “Oh, Kat…”

  Suddenly all three of them were hugging and crying, right there in the hallway of the med center. Sophie held her friend tight, feeling like if she could just hold her close enough, she might never have to let go.

  Surprisingly, Kat was the one to recover first. Sniffing, she pulled back from the little huddle of misery they had formed and blotted her eyes on the sleeve of the hospital gown she was wearing. The Kindred version of the gown was made of much nicer fabric and came in a variety of stylish colors but unfortunately still gaped open in the back.

  “Okay, that’s enough of that,” she said, wiping her eyes one last time. “I don’t have time to waste getting all emotional.”

  “Sorry,” Sophie whispered, blotting her own eyes. “I just…I can’t believe it. It can’t be true.”

  “It doesn’t feel real to me either.” Kat lifted her chin. “But I guess it is. Sylvan’s the best and if he says there’s nothing they can do…”

  “Don’t give up hope yet,” Liv said, sniffing fiercely. “We just saw Lock and he said Deep was on his way to Twin Moons to find Mother L’rin. She healed you before—I’m sure she can help this time, too.”

  “Yeah, that’s what we were talking about on the way up here.” Kat frowned. “But should Deep be going such a long distance after the wound he got? I mean, you should have seen the knife he got stuck with. It was practically as long as my arm.”

  “Lock said he felt he was healed well enough to travel,” Sophie said. “And Sylvan said something about the Twin Kindred having self healing or self sealing organs or something, I think. Anyway, Lock said they didn’t want to waste any time in case…well, you know.”

  “I know.” Kat nodded.

  “I don’t understand why Lock didn’t just go and let Deep stay here and recuperate,” Olivia said.

  “He probably wants to apologize in person,” Kat murmured.

  “Apologize? For what?” Liv said. “Was it his fault you…” She motioned to the tiny green mark on Kat’s cheek.

  “Oh no, that was just bad luck.” Kat swallowed. “Really, really bad luck. But Mother L’rin was extremely angry at us the last time we saw her—especially at Deep because he was the one who insisted we cut our bond.”

  “And did you?” Sophie asked. “Did you get it cut?”

  “In a way.” Kat sighed. “Look, it’s a long story and I don’t want to tell it here. Hang on while I get dressed—I had Lock go get me some clothes. Just give me a second and then we can go back to my suite and talk.”

  “Wait a minute.” Liv frowned. “You can’t just leave AMA, Kat.”

  “Watch me,” Kat said grimly. “You think I’m going to spend my last day or days cooped up in here wearing a hospital jonnie? I don’t think so. If I’m going to die I need chocolate STAT. And I want to wear my favorite dress—you know, the green one I spent a fortune on and keep in the back of the closet? I’ve never dared to wear it out because it’s too low cut so I feel like my boobs are falling out of it. But I’m going for it now. And I also want to…to…” Her voice began to waver. “Oh hell, I want to talk to my Grandma. I think…I guess I’d better warn her what’s going on. What’s going to happen.”

  “Kat…” Sophie and Liv reached for her again but she shook her head and took a deep breath.

  “Nope, not gonna cry. I am not going to spend the time I have left whining.” She squared her shoulders. “Hang on, I’ll be out in a minute and then we’re going to paint the town red. Or the Mother ship. Or whatever.”

  As the door shut behind her, Sophie looked at her sister. Olivia shrugged. What could they do but comply with what might be Kat’s last request? It’s so like her, Sophie thought, listening to the determined sounding humming coming from behind the door as Kat got dressed. Not to complain or waste time crying. She’s so much braver than I could ever be. It was one of the reasons she loved Kat—why she and Liv both loved her. But to see her friend’s courage tested in such an extreme way was almost beyond what Sophie could stand.

  Liv must have seen the look on her face because she squeezed Sophie’s hand. “I know,” she whispered. “It’s hard.”

  “It’s awful,” Sophie whispered back. “Poor Kat.”

  “She doesn’t want us to pity her.” Liv sniffed and straightened her shoulders. “So we won’t. We’re going to make this the best time she ever had—however long we have to do it.”

  “You’re right.” Sophie blotted her own eyes and tried to be brave. After all, how could they deny their friend’s request to have a little fun before she died? But please, God, don’t really let her die. Don’t take Kat away from us, she prayed fervently. Let Deep find the solution, let him bring back hope that everything is going to be okay.

  Then Kat came out of her room, dressed and smiling and Sophie forced herself to smile back. Everything was going to be all right because it had to be. Losing Kat was unthinkable so she wasn’t going to think about it.

  Not yet. Not until she had to.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  “I am sorry, Warrior, but I can do nothing for you.” Mother L’rin stood wreathed in the pink and gold and green plants of the Healing Garden, looking almost like one of them herself. She had agreed to see him on short notice which was good since Deep hadn’t intended to wait for anyone. He’d folded space and gotten back to his home planet in record time—less than an hour from when he’d left the Mother ship. And now it seemed his entire trip had all been in vain.

  “Please.” He struggled to keep his voice even. “Please, Mother L’rin, I’ll do anything. Anything. Look…” He tore off his shirt, baring his back for her. “Use the whip. Lash me until my skin peals from my body—I don’t care. Only please heal her.”

  She spread her wrinkled hands. “I have already told you—I cannot.”

  Deep wanted to tear his hair in frustration. “Please don’t punish Kat for my arrogance. I know I have been disrespectful and rude and foolish…”

  “You have been all those things.” Mother L’rin nodded gravely. “But worse than anything else, you have blasphemed against the Goddess. It was she who put you and your brother together with the lady Kat. It was her will you broke when you cut the bond she had forged between the three of you.”

  “Then I’ll go to the sacred grove,” Deep began pacing wildly. “I’ll get on my knees and I’ll pray for forgiveness.”

  “You may do that if you wish and I am certain that the Goddess will forgive you—she is merciful in all things,” the old healer said quietly. “However, that does not mean she will heal your lady. Some things cannot be undone, Deep.”

  “But there has to be a