Surrendered Read online

  “A mean, green bee,” Shadow said. “Mommy, we have to help her! Please, can’t we go to her?”

  “You’re not going anywhere but back to bed, little man.” Kat kissed him on the forehead. “But I’ll sit with you a while to make sure you’re all right.”

  “But—but the pretty lady!”

  “It’s all right, honey—it was just a dream,” Kat soothed. And then she carried him into the bedroom and shut the door.

  “Poor little thing—he seemed so upset!” Neh’sa remarked. “And what dramatic coloring he has.”

  “Yes, he’s a shadow twin,” Liv explained. Usually when Twin Kindred mate with a woman, she has twin boys, like her mates. But sometimes a third is born—a shadow twin.”

  “They have it kind of rough because they don’t look like their brothers and they don’t have a twin of their own to grow up with and call a mate with,” Sophie added. “As for the hair and eyes, Kat told me around puberty, they’re supposed to change completely.”

  “Oh?” Neh’sa said. “Will he have auburn hair like his mother? Or black or brown hair like his fathers?” She had met Deep and Lock and liked them both.

  “None of the above.” Sophie shook her head. “Supposedly when the hormones hit, they’ll change his hair to black and his eyes to white—a total switch. Weird, huh?”

  “That would be interesting to see.” Neh’sa thought of the little boy’s gorgeous bone structure. “He’s going to be a very striking looking male when he grows up.”

  “Undoubtedly,” Thorn murmured.

  Just then, Kat came out of the sleeping room and shut the door softly behind her.

  “All right…” She sighed and sank back down on the couch. “He’s mostly asleep again. I tell you, I wish these dreams would stop—they make him so upset. He went on and on about the ‘pretty lady’ and how she needed our help.”

  “Do you think there could be something to it?” Liv asked. “I mean, it’s strange but we’ve all seen strange things since the Kindred came to Earth. Do you think there’s some girl somewhere we ought to be looking for?”

  “I don’t know.” Kat frowned. “I don’t think so but right before Shad closed his eyes, he said the strangest thing.”

  “Oh? What did he say?” Sophie looked interested.

  “He said, ‘Don’t worry, mommy. The Goddess says it’s all right if you don’t believe me—she’s going to let me help the pretty lady myself when I grow up.’” She shook her head. “Isn’t that weird? I swear, when he started talking about the Goddess I got chills.”

  “Maybe it was some kind of dream about his future,” Liv said thoughtfully. “They do say shadow twins have special powers, right?”

  “I’d rather not think about it, okay?” Kat looked at them pleadingly. “It’s hard enough for Shad as it is, not having a twin like his brothers. He doesn’t need to feel singled out in any other way, you know?”

  “I know, honey.” Sophie put an arm around her comfortingly. “It’s going to be all right. He’s such a bright, special little boy. He’s going to find his way—you’ll see.”

  Kat sighed. “From your mouth to the Goddess’s ear.” She leaned over and picked up the drink she’d abandoned earlier. “Hey, let’s stop talking about depressing stuff, okay? This is supposed to be a party. So let’s have some fun!”

  Neh’sa agreed with the sentiment completely—she wanted to have fun with her new friends and her new mate whom she loved so much.

  But she couldn’t help letting her eyes drift to the bedroom door…couldn’t stop seeing the little boy and hear him crying,

  “The pretty lady, Mommy—she’s in trouble!”

  Epilogue

  “All is in readiness, my Sovereign.” The sentient scholar-worker groomed his antennae eagerly. “The scout is dispatched and it carries with it one of the Druvian E’lo stones.”

  “And you’re certain it will work?” Sovereign X'izith demanded. “You’re certain the stones are functional?”

  “We made many trials, my Sovereign,” the worker buzzed, nodding. “The stones will work.”

  “Test her once more before giving her the stone,” the Sovereign instructed. “We must make absolutely certain—we do not wish to bring any but the ten’sora back to the Hive.”

  “The test shall be made and you will see, my Sovereign—this female is the one. The answer to all our prayers to the Nameless Ones,” the worker promised.

  “You had better be right or I will rip off your head and eat it,” the Sovereign muttered savagely.

  The scholar-worker began grooming his antennae nervously—almost compulsively.

  “That will be unnecessary, my Sovereign. You will see—this is the female and soon she will be ours.”

  His certainty satisfied X'izith.

  “Very well.” He rubbed the twisted scar tissue around his breeding barb restlessly. Soon he would make use of it again—he would impregnate this special female with grubs as many times as it took for his successor to be born.

  Soon there would be grubs enough to fill the royal and the common nurseries alike, which now stood empty and waiting. Soon there would be workers and drones and guards and warriors—all the components they needed to take over this little solar system and after that, the entire galaxy!

  Soon it shall be done, he promised himself. By the Nameless Ones, Lords of Darkness I swear it. The Hive shall live forever.

  The End…?

  Nope! There is always another Kindred coming. Look for Kindred 21 in the near future but before that, you'll be seeing a Kindred novella called Seeing with the Heart, hopefully coming out in September. Here’s a blurb to give you a taste:

  Seeing with the Heart: a Kindred Tales novella

  Braxx is a Beast Kindred with a painful past. A traumatic crash stole his brother and his bride from him and left half of his face horribly scarred. Desperate to avoid the pitying and disgusted looks he gets whenever he goes out, he takes a job as a scout, travelling across the universe to find new trade partners and power sources for the Kindred. He thinks he'll never love again until he comes back to Earth and meets Molly.

  Dr. Molly Reynaud has a doctorate in Cultural Anthropology. She's also completely blind and has been since a car accident took both her parents and her sight at the age of sixteen. When she is chosen to do a field study on the elusive Tal'ossi people from Tal'os Trenta, she doesn’t expect to have feelings for the Kindred warrior who is supposed to guard her there. But she can't seem to help the instant connection she feels to Braxx and she knows he feels the same for her.

  Though he wants Molly desperately, Brax is scarred on the inside too--such a perfect female isn't for him, he's certain. If she knew his past, if she could see his face, she wouldn't want him--or so he tells himself.

  Then the unthinkable happens--Molly is kidnapped by the Deep Dwellers of Tal'ossi and taken down to the subterranean depths as a bride for their leader. Braxx must go after her and suddenly the idea of claiming turns from a wish to a necessity.

  Can Braxx overcome his tragic past and save the woman he loves? And can Molly convince him they belong together? Both of them will have to practice Seeing with the Heart or they will be parted forever…

  Hugs to you all, and thanks, as always, for reading. Now read on for a taste of Stone Cold Fox, the third book in the Cougarville series.

  Evangeline

  ***PS--If you've enjoyed Surrendered, please take a moment to leave a good reivew HERE. Good reviews are like gold for an author--they let other readers know it's okay to take a chance on a new series which means I can keep writing for a living to feed your Kindred cravings. ; ) Hugs, Evangeline

  * * * * *

  Stone Cold Fox: Book 3 of the Cougarville series

  Cougarville's mechanic, and resident Alpha fox, shelters a mysterious woman who ignites his protective animal instincts when evil forces try to tear them apart.

  Jo Ferrell has been cast out of her home for reasons she doesn’t understand. The grey streak