Claimed Read online

  It was true that he’d never had an interest in the tiny, fragile female creatures that made up half the sentient life on this planet. Mostly because they were completely unlike the glacial women of Tranq Prime with their pure white hair and eyes so pale they were almost colorless. Sylvan could still remember Feenah looking at him with those beautiful clear eyes like the finest crystal. Looking at him and saying, I’m sorry, Sylvan. It can never be…

  Sylvan shook off the painful memory and turned his attention back to Olivia’s sister noting that she was nothing like the tall, pale beauties that had always drawn his eye. She was all lush curves and her rich chestnut brown hair was much darker than the hair of the Tranq Prime females. Not to mention the fact that she was so tiny the top of her head would barely come up to his chin. At the moment she was struggling to get through the glass door with an enormous brown cardboard box in her arms and the exertion had turned her cheeks a rosy pink that was most becoming with her large green eyes.

  She appeared to be having trouble so Sylvan ran to help her. “Here, let me,” he said, trying to take the box from her small hands.

  “Oh, thanks. I—” She looked up and her eyes hardened. “Oh, it’s you.” Wrenching the box away from him, she banged through the door herself and shoved past him to enter the building.

  Wonderful—she was still mad at him. Sylvan had no idea what he had done to earn her enmity but for whatever reason it seemed like Olivia’s beautiful sister really hated him. “Yes, it’s me,” he said, following her as she marched up to the front desk. “My name is Sylvan, by the way, I’m Baird’s half brother. And Olivia mentioned your name but I seem to have forgotten it.”

  “Isn’t that a shame.” She nodded at the human behind the counter as she placed the massive cardboard box on the desk. “This needs to get to my sister, Olivia Waterhouse, immediately. She was abducted, uh, claimed by a Kindred warrior earlier today.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” The human attendant nodded. “You’ll need to give it to the Kindred representative who came to pick it up.”

  “Kindred representative?” Olivia’s sister frowned as Sylvan cleared his throat behind her.

  “That would be me.”

  “You?” She whirled to face him. “What do you have to do with it?”

  Sylvan frowned. “Olivia wanted her things. I volunteered to come get them for her so Baird wouldn’t have to. They need to spend time alone together right now—every minute he has with her is precious.”

  “Oh right. So he can seduce her and convince her to bond with him.” She shot him an icy glare and picked up the box again. “Fine. I guess you can take the box to her. She ought to have plenty of time to go through it since I know for a fact she has no interest in spending the rest of her life on an alien ship with a complete stranger.”

  Sylvan smiled, deliberately showing her his fangs. “I think I can promise you with absolute certainty that they won’t be strangers for long.”

  Her large eyes filled with doubt for a moment and then she lifted her chin. “You’re lying. Liv wouldn’t give in that easily. She knows how much I need her here.”

  Sylvan frowned at her absolute certainty. “Did you ever consider the idea that maybe Baird needs her too?”

  “Oh, right,” she scoffed. “He really needs her to scratch his itch. Why can’t he just find a…a hooker somewhere to take the edge off instead of bothering Liv?” Her cheeks were pink again, whether from anger or embarrassment, Sylvan couldn’t tell.

  “If you’re referring to sex, that isn’t all this is about,” he told her. “Olivia is his bride—his bond mate. She is literally the only woman in the universe for him. Besides, he needs her to make him whole again after what he’s been through.”

  A look of unwilling interest came into her light green eyes. “Oh? And what exactly has he been through that justifies him trying to steal my sister away for the rest of her life?”

  “Why don’t we sit?” Sylvan indicated one of the drab grey couches that lined the walls. “Your box looks heavy. Do you mind if I ask what’s in it?”

  “No weapons if that’s what you’re thinking.” She sat on the edge of the couch he’d pointed out and put the box on the floor.

  “I’m supposed to check for them but I’ll take your word for it,” Sylvan said gravely as he settled carefully on the flimsy human furniture beside her. “Not that your human weapons are much good against us.”

  She eyed him warily. “Somehow I don’t find that very surprising. You’re all so big.”

  Sylvan nodded. “Our home world and most of the other planets we’ve initiated genetic trade with have a much heavier gravity than you’re used to here. You have to have a powerful physique to survive there.”

  “I guess I’d be toast then. I’m not exactly in super good shape.” She ran a hand through her thick, wavy hair in an unconsciously sensuous gesture and Sylvan felt his fangs sharpen again.

  “Your shape looks fine to me,” he murmured, giving her a slight smile.

  She blushed and looked down at her hands, apparently unwilling to acknowledge the compliment. For his part Sylvan couldn’t understand why he had given it. It was foolish to make sexual overtures, no matter how mild, to a female that he had no interest in or intention of claiming.

  “Uh…” She cleared her throat. “So tell me what this horrible trauma is that forced your brother to steal away my sister.”

  “I can only tell you what little I know. Baird still hasn’t divulged any…details.” Sylvan shifted in his seat, turning to face her. Now that they were sitting side by side he noticed her light, feminine fragrance which was extremely attractive. “But first, please tell me your name. I really would like to know it.”

  “Sophia.” She looked up at him at last. “But my friends call me Sophie.”

  Sylvan smiled, being careful not to show his fangs this time. “I hope to someday call you that but I think I’d better stick to Sophia for now.”

  She sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I was nasty to you earlier. I know you’re not exactly to blame for what’s happened and you’re just doing what you do, making a genetic trade or whatever. It’s just that…my sister is my best friend and I can’t stand the thought of never seeing her again.”

  “You’ll still see her,” Sylvan objected. “Kindred brides are allowed to return to their home planet on most of the major holidays.”

  “Great, so I get to see her for Christmas and Thanksgiving? Two or three days out of the year? Thanks a lot!” Sophia leaned forward and looked at him. “Let me tell you something—Liv and I have never gone a whole day without speaking to each other in our lives. Even when we were babies my mom said we would cry and cry if you took one of us out of the room, away from the other one. And after our parents died, we got even closer. So please try to understand. I love her—she’s all I have left and I just can’t lose her like this.”

  Sylvan nodded gravely. “I can see your point. There is a similar bond between Baird and myself. We have the same father and we’ve saved each other’s lives many times in battle. I would be sad to only see him a few days of the year.”

  “So you get it.” She touched his knee lightly for emphasis and Sylvan felt his shaft harden in response. “How would you feel if I was threatening to take your brother and best friend away from you for basically the rest of his life?” she asked earnestly.

  “I wouldn’t like it.” Sylvan shifted uncomfortably, hoping she couldn’t see the evidence of her effect on him in his tight black uniform pants. “I guess the only way around your dilemma is for you to be claimed by a warrior yourself. Then you could see your sister every day on our ship.”

  “Oh…oh, no!” Her rosy cheeks paled and she sat back away from him as though he might bite. In fact, that was exactly what Sylvan was longing to do—he wanted to sink his double set of fangs into the tender white flesh of her throat and hear her moan his name as he injected his essence. Feel her slender limbs wrapped around his own when he—No! He pushed the foolish tho