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  “Leaving. It’s clear I’m not wanted—here or with your family.”

  “Kor, that’s not true! Please stay,” Maggie begged.

  “Why? To hear more about how much your family loves your fiancé? To hear how much you love him? No.” Kor was pulling on his shirt as he spoke.

  “Kor, wait! Just give me a chance to think about this,” Maggie pleaded. “I mean, this is all so sudden and we never said…”

  “Never said what? That we’d be together forever? That we loved each other?” he growled. “Tell me, something Maggie—can you deny you’re going back to him?”

  Maggie felt miserable. “I…I have to,” she whispered. “Please, Kor, try to understand—he just got hit by a bus.”

  “I don’t know what a bus is and I don’t care. He’s not the one you love, Maggie. Or is he?”

  “I…I don’t know.” Maggie twisted the tiny engagement ring around her finger in agitation. “I can’t…this is all so…”

  “That’s all I need to hear.” Kor’s eyes were glowing red. “If you don’t know, if you aren’t sure how you feel about me, then it’s clear you don’t feel the way I do. So I’m leaving.”

  “Kor, no! Don’t!” Maggie reached for him but he shook off her hand.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart—you’ll be safe with Salix. He may be a son of a bitch but he always gets the job done when there’s a payday involved,” he snarled. “You’ll get back to your family and your precious fiancé in one piece.”

  Salix, who was still holding out the portable viewscreen showing Maggie’s family, nodded gravely. “Indeed. I have a ship standing by right now and the Kindred Mother Ship is all set to fold space for us. You can be home before last meal time, my dear.”

  “Hear that?” Kor gave a sharp, angry laugh. “You can be home in time for dinner.”

  “But…” Maggie shook her head. This was all moving so fast. Just a few minutes ago she’d been intertwined with Kor, having the most moving sexual experience of her life and declaring her love for him. Now he was walking out the door and she was going home to see her family and Donald. It was as though she’d been on some wild fantasy ride that the theme parks in Florida were famous for and now the ride was over and the operator was telling everyone it was time to get off. How had her life changed so quickly? And what was she going to do?

  “Goodbye, Maggie.” Kor nodded at her shortly, just as he had when he was leaving her at the spa. His eyes were unhappy and glowing a bright, dangerous red. “Have a nice life. I hope you enjoy it.” He looked at Salix. “Get her safely home or I swear to all the Gods I’ll find you and rip your fucking skin from your bones.”

  “Not to worry,” Salix said smoothly. “Miss Jordan will be safe in the arms of her family and beloved before you put your head on the pillow tonight.”

  “But…” Maggie’s mouth felt numb and her lips wouldn’t work except to say that one stupid word. “But…but…”

  “Goodbye,” Kor said again and then he was stepping out the door and leaving her behind. Walking out of her life a second time and this time, Maggie was certain she’d never see him again. Ever.

  “Oh my God,” said Tammy from the viewscreen. “Did you just get dumped? Over Donald? Are you crazy, Maggie?”

  “I…I…” Maggie buried her face in her hands and felt the hot tears sting her eyelids. “Oh, God…” she whispered thickly. “What am I going to do?”

  “Just come home, honey,” her mother said. “Just come on home.”

  Maggie supposed she would—what else could she do?

  Chapter Thirty-two

  “I told you she never loved you,” whispered the dark voice in his head as Kor strode away down the narrow underground corridors. “She was just using you to get the implant out—she planned to go back to her fiancé as soon as it was accomplished. As soon as she didn’t need you anymore.”

  Kor knew some of the thoughts the dark voice was feeding him were unfair and deep down he also knew he’d been hasty. Maybe he should have given Maggie more time to think, to consider her options…

  If she had to think about it, she didn’t really love you in the first place, the voice whispered. You need to forget her, Therron. Forget her and embrace your roots—finish your quest to find your origins and your true people, not those lying Kindred. Come to the Black Planet and all shall be revealed.

  Yes. The Black Planet. The thought solidified in his mind like an anchor, something he could grab on to keep from drowning in loss and grief. He would go to the Black Planet and see what the dark voice was talking about. He would banish all thoughts of Maggie and purge his heart of love for her.

  Yes, hissed the voice. Yes, come, my son. Come, Therron. Come see for yourself that hatred cures love. And in the absence of love, there is no pain. No pain…no pain…

  Kor’s eyes glowed hot and red and he followed the voice, followed where it led to leave the pain of losing Maggie behind forever.

  * * * * *

  “I can’t believe he’s gone,” Maggie said dully. “I can’t believe I’m going home.”

  “You’re not just going, my dear—you’re there. Look—the Kindred Mother Ship.” Salix pointed out the familiar shape of the vast white ship orbiting Earth’s moon.

  They had just come through the fold in space—a red gash that Maggie knew was a carefully controlled tear in the space-time continuum which allowed the Kindred ships to travel anywhere in the known Universe in no time at all. She and Kor had traveled using worm holes that were known to be stable but that wasn’t necessary for the Kindred.

  “Home,” she whispered, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

  “Now, now—no crying in my ship,” Salix said, frowning. “You should be happy. Just look at you, all decently dressed in a nice outfit that doesn’t show off your naughty bits.”

  “Yes…” Maggie looked down at herself. After all the bizarrely tight and sexy outfits she’d been forced to wear the past six months, she was officially back to normal. The bounty hunter had thoughtfully synthesized her a pair of jeans and a baggy gray t-shirt along with a pair of tennis shoes and some white socks. A plain white bra and some granny panties were part of the deal, too.

  Maggie couldn’t imagine anything less sexy or provocative. Anything more blah and boring and normal. The outfit was the kind of thing she’d always worn but now it felt wrong, somehow, even though the clothes fit her perfectly. Jeans and t-shirts and tennis shoes belonged to the life she’d left behind—the life she used to have before she met Kor.

  I’m not that person anymore, she thought, twisting her fingers in her lap. I’m different now…changed.

  “And you’re about to see your loving family again,” Salix continued cheerfully, unaware of her inner monologue. “Not to mention your fiancé.”

  “My…my fiancé,” Maggie said and another tear rolled down her cheek.

  “Well, maybe I shouldn’t mention him, then,” Salix said doubtfully. “My apologies, lovely lady. Did you truly care for the big felon I found you with?”

  “Care for him? Yes…yes, I cared.” Maggie swiped at her eyes. “But I couldn’t just go off with him, could I? Not when Donald just got hurt and he needs me.”

  “That would be for you to determine,” Salix said neutrally. He sighed. “For now, we’re almost there. I suggest you try to pull yourself together.”

  Maggie sniffed and sat up straighter. There was no point in being upset. No point in letting herself dwell in the past. No matter how exciting her time with Kor had been it was over now—he was gone and she was sure he wasn’t coming back.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “Margaret, could you pass me the bedpan? All these fluids they have me on are running right through me.”

  Maggie tried to repress her irritation at Donald’s whining, nasal tone. He was, as she knew from nursing him through hay fever and numerous colds, not the most pleasant person to be around when he was sick. Still, he was her fiancé and she was going to stick with him n