Releasing the Dragon (Brides of the Kindred) Read online

  The Mother Ship was huge—a bustling city floating in space. But luckily, the Docking Bay wasn’t far from the med center and Liv knew a shortcut to get there. Before she knew it, Annie was entering a vast, echoing room bigger than a stadium where Kindred ships of all types and sizes were parked. The roof overhead showed the blackness of space but Liv explained there was an invisible atmosphere barrier in place which kept the oxygen levels in the Mother Ship stable. Ships could pass through the barrier at will but it would never let any of the artificial atmosphere out.

  “Wow, Kindred technology is really amazing,” Annie breathed, looking around at the rows and rows of shiny ships all parked in neat parallel lines. “I’ve always wished I could come up here and check it out for myself.”

  “Bet you didn’t think you’d come up the way you did,” Liv remarked, grinning at her.

  “You mean being brought up by a huge Kindred warrior after being drugged and nearly knifed by my psycho high school crush at a Halloween-themed reunion? No, not exactly,” Annie said dryly. “But hey, at least I got here—right?”

  Liv laughed. “I like you, Annie—you’ve got a sassy streak that reminds me of my best friend Kat. I have to introduce you two.”

  “Thanks.” Annie smiled at her. “I’d like that.” She looked around at all the ships. “Uh, how will we know which one of these is Dru’s?”

  “Baird gave a his general location. Let’s just see if he’s down here…”

  They found Dru’s ship at the end of a long line of similar-looking vehicles. The hatch at the back of the vehicle was open and he seemed to be storing something inside. But the moment he heard Annie call his name, he looked up quickly and came around to the front of the silver ship.

  “Annie…teeska,” he murmured, taking her hands in his. “Have you come to tell me you forgive me?”

  “No.” Annie lifted her chin. “Because I don’t. But…” She bit her lip. “But I wanted to tell you goodbye. In case…in case something happens.”

  “Nothing will happen.” His voice was low and hoarse. “I will come back to you.”

  “But you still won’t Claim me,” Annie said. It wasn’t a question—she could see the regret in his burning black eyes.

  For a moment Dru just looked at her, then he crushed her to him and took her mouth in a kiss so sweet and hot it took her breath away. Annie knew she ought to push him away indignantly—he was still going off on a spy mission with a sex robot instead of her—but somehow she found she was doing the opposite. Standing on her tip-toes to reach him, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, kissing him back for all she was worth.

  His big hands rubbing over her back felt so good and the warm wood smoke-at-twilight scent of him seemed to intensify all around her. Annie found that her pussy was wet and hot and her nipples were achingly tight as she pressed herself against the hard planes of his chest. Once again she had the sensation of huge, invisible wings wrapping around her, securing and protecting her, drawing her even closer to Dru’s big body.

  But then the big Kindred drew away, breaking the kiss abruptly.

  “Forgive me.” His voice was a low, hoarse growl and it had that same, strange double echo she’d heard in it last night when he roared at Christian. His black eyes had split again to show the fiery furnace within. “Forgive me, I…I must go, teeska.”

  “But—” Annie began. She wanted to beg him to stay with her—or to take her with him. She didn’t care which but she had a very strong feeling they needed to stay together. But it was clear Dru wouldn’t go for that. For some reason kissing her had agitated him and now he felt like he had to go.

  He was already striding around to the driver’s side of the shiny silver ship when a new voice called his name.

  “Commander Drugair—before you go I must speak to you.”

  Looking up, Annie saw the blond-haired doctor—Commander Sylvan—striding towards them. There was another Kindred too—one with wild black hair and golden eyes—talking to Liv.

  “Hey Annie—come meet my hubby, Baird,” she called motioning for Annie to come over.

  Annie came but her eyes were on Dru as he and Commander Sylvan walked further up the line of ships, speaking in low tones. From the serious looks on their faces, something bad was happening. Did Commander Sylvan have new information about the man Dru was supposed to be tracking? Was there even more danger than he’d first thought?

  The thought tied her stomach in knots and she could barely muster a smile as she walked up and offered her hand to her new friend’s husband.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” he rumbled. “Olivia told me how the two of you met. Glad to see you’re all right.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you.” Annie sighed and suddenly a deep sadness filled her. Dru was leaving and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She turned to Liv. “Say, do you mind if I go back to the med center now? I really don’t want to stay and watch him, uh, take off. It would be too sad.”

  “I understand.” Liv gave her a look of concern. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No, no—you’re talking to your hubby,” Annie protested. “I know my way back—it’s a straight shot from here.”

  “Are you sure?” Liv asked.

  Annie nodded. “I kind of, uh, want some alone time,” she confessed. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not. I completely understand.” Liv gave her a hug and smiled. “Go on back, hon. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Thanks.” Annie tried to smile but suddenly all she wanted to do was cry. She turned quickly away and walked around Dru’s ship, meaning to go down the row that ran behind it, so she didn’t have to see the big Drake Kindred again.

  But as she passed the back of his ship, she saw that the storage hatch was still open and something inside it caught her eye…something silky and bright red.

  Chapter Eleven

  Taking a step closer, Annie saw that what had captured her attention was hair—long, red hair and it was attached to a girl who was lying in the storage compartment of the ship. She was surrounded by what must be the Kindred version of luggage—cases of varying sizes and colors—and there was a blank expression on her pretty face.

  For a minute Annie just stared at her, uncertain of what she was seeing. Then she realized this must be the Pairing Puppet thing Dru was taking with him to be his “x’aan-chow” or “sex-pet” as he had explained it.

  “Just look at this thing he’s trying to replace me with,” she muttered indignantly to herself. “It even looks like me!” Well, except that the puppet had curly hair while hers was straightened. Also, it had hardly any freckles while she herself had a metric ton of them. But still, did Dru have to choose a puppet that looked like it could have been her sister? Annie wasn’t sure if she ought to be insulted or gratified.

  “You look just like me—well, almost,” she said, speaking directly to the puppet.

  It had been staring upwards with a creepy, blank gaze but now that she was speaking directly to it, the puppet turned to look at her.

  “Hello, Warrior,” it said in a deep, throaty voice. “How may I service you?”

  “Ugh!” Annie took an involuntary little skip backwards. She hadn’t expected the thing to actually talk to her. Still, its mechanical responsiveness gave her an idea.

  “Sit up,” she told it. “Let me get a better look at you.”

  Obligingly, the red-haired puppet sat up. Most of her body had been covered with a black drop-cloth-type thing but now it fell away, revealing an outfit that was positively indecent.

  “Look at you!” Annie exclaimed, motioning to the puppet. “That top is obscene!” She gestured at the shimmery silver blouse the robot was wearing. “I mean, I can see your nipples right through it!”

  “If my clothing does not please you, I can always slip into something more sexy, Warrior,” the puppet said in that same, throaty Mae West voice that Annie found extremely irritating. Was this really what Dru wanted in a