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  Deep shook his head. “Not if it’s bonding sex.”

  Kat frowned. “I thought that was a one time thing—the way you guys, uh, tied your chosen brides to you.”

  “But the bond must be renewed from time to time,” Deep said. “And since this is the night of their bonding ceremony, I’m sure they’re renewing their bond as we speak.”

  Kat crossed her arms. “Well this is ridiculous—how long can it possibly take?”

  Lock frowned. “How much do you know about Beast Kindred anatomy?”

  “Well, I…” Kat shook her head. Though Liv had dished to both her and Sophie that Baird was an amazing lover, she had been strangely shy about specifics. Of course Kat knew the general details of the different types of Kindred and their various physical endowments—most Earth girls did. But as for the exact details of how everything worked…

  “They have a swelling at the base of their shaft called the mating fist,” Deep said, interrupting her train of thought. “When a Beast Kindred’s cock is lodged completely within his bride’s body it expands to lock them together so they can fuck for literally hours. And they cannot be separated until he’s finished.” He leaned forward. “Are you beginning to understand why we can’t interrupt them?”

  To her intense irritation Kat felt her cheeks getting warm with a blush. “I see you’ve got at least some ‘Earth vernacular’ under your belt,” she said tartly.

  “Some,” he admitted, his black eyes dancing. Apparently he was enjoying their verbal sparring. Jerk, Kat thought. He’s hot all right, but what a bastard!

  She turned back to Lock who seemed to be the reasonable twin. “Okay, well if Baird and Liv are out then I guess that leaves me. What do you want me to do?”

  Deep’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you mean we should use you?” he asked incredulously before his brother could answer. “As a focus? Are you serious?”

  “Why not?” Kat demanded turning back to him. “I admit I don’t know Sylvan all that well but Sophie is practically a sister to me. We’ve been friends since grade school—doesn’t that make me qualified to help, uh, ‘zero in’ on her?”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with how qualified you are.” Deep frowned. “It has to do with you being an unmated female offering to open yourself to two unmated males.”

  “What makes you think I’m ‘unmated?’” Kat snapped. Her single state was a sore spot with her, especially since the dry spell she was currently going through was in its sixth month. Men in Tampa just didn’t appreciate women with curves. “For your information I have a boyfriend back home,” she told Deep. “A big, mean, scary one who gets pissed off when his girlfriend is insulted.”

  “Is that so?” Before she could answer, Deep was suddenly on his knees before her. Starting at her right ankle, he ran his nose up her inner thigh until he got to her crotch where he inhaled deeply.

  It was such a shockingly animalistic thing to do that Kat was frozen in place for a minute. But when the big Kindred pressed his face between her legs and she felt his hot breath against her sex through her silky sapphire gown, the paralysis broke. “Hey!” She jumped back, feeling as though he had burned her somehow. “You son of a bitch, how dare you?”

  Still on his knees, Deep looked up at her, black eyes burning. “I’m just verifying your information.”

  “By smelling me?” Kat had heard from Liv and Sophie both that the sense of smell was very important to the Kindred. But hearing it and seeing evidence of it in action were two different things.

  “Deep,” Lock murmured warningly. “Brother…”

  “She lies.” Deep looked at his twin and something—some understanding or silent communication—passed between them. “There is no other male. There hasn’t been for months.” Slowly he rose to his feet and took a step toward Kat. Towering over her, he looked down into her eyes. “No male in your bed to hold you, to stroke your luscious, curvy body and make you purr. Now why would you lie about something like that, little Kat?”

  Kat had taken enough of his crap. Reaching up, she slapped him as hard as she could. “I don’t know what your problem is,” she told Deep, breathing hard. “But my personal life is none of your goddamn business.”

  Deep rubbed his jaw and gave her a sardonic smile. “Forgive me. I was just making a point.”

  “What point is that?”

  Lock looked uncomfortable. “My lady,” he said hesitantly. “I don’t think you really understand what you’re offering. My brother is trying to show you—though I don’t approve of his methods.” He shot Deep an angry look and his twin looked back blankly.

  “Show me what?” Kat demanded. She wondered if all Twin Kindred were this irritating. If so, Jillian and her husbands really deserved each other.

  “What you’re letting yourself in for,” Deep rumbled.

  “Whatever it is, if it will get us closer to finding Sophie and Sylvan, I’m up for it. Now, are you going to let me help or not?”

  Deep rubbed his jaw again and gave her an appraising glance. “I for one have no objection to letting you help,” he rumbled. “But you might, once you find out what it requires.”

  “Okay, so tell me what it requires. But do it fast—Sophie might be in trouble right now.” Kat turned to Lock who was watching her with an uncertain expression on his face. “Well?”

  “You’ll have to let us into your mind,” he said in a low voice. “And since you aren’t bonded to a male who can shield you, it’s apt to be a very intimate experience.”

  Kat felt cold. “Uh, intimate how?”

  “Imagine all your deepest fantasies and most secret desires laid bare.” Deep took a step toward her, his eyes boring into her. “Are you prepared to deal with that?”

  Was she? Suddenly Kat’s heart was beating double time. How could she let these two men who she’d just met into her head? And yet, how could she not? I’m the only one who can do this and the longer we wait, the more trouble Sophie and Sylvan might be in. Also, she knew Sophie or Liv would do the same thing for her in a heartbeat. And besides, she told herself uneasily, it’s not like I’ll be having sex with these two. It’s just some kind of weird mind-melding Star Trek kind of thing. That’s all—right? She certainly hoped so.

  “Well?” Deep raised an eyebrow at her and she could tell he thought he’d scared her off.

  Lifting her chin she gave him a level stare. “I’m in. How do we start?”

  Chapter Seven

  Sophie came to consciousness with something warm and wet pressed against the underside of her left breast. As her eyelids fluttered she felt it slide upward, tracing along the outer ring of her areola and drawing a low moan from her lips. What’s going on? She didn’t know and at the moment, she didn’t care. She only cared about the deliciously pleasurable sensation that was centered in her breast.

  The warm wet something—a tongue. Feels like a tongue—continued its journey over her nipple, making her gasp as the hard little nub tightened. She moaned again and the tongue repeated its action, seeming to take its time, laving her nipple gently, sending sparks of pleasure through her entire body and building a slow, hot fire between her legs.

  Who…why…? For some reason the pleasurable sensations made her bottom lip throb. Sophie licked it tentatively and found it was incredibly sensitive to touch, as it never had been before. Why am I so sensitive there? Slowly the answer began to form in her brain. Got hurt…someone bit me. Who? A picture appeared in her mind’s eye. The image of a tall, broad shouldered man with spiky blond hair and ice blue eyes like a husky’s. Sylvan…he bit my lip during the Luck Kiss. And then we were in the tube together and he smelled so good…

  Come to think of it, that delicious sharp, spicy scent was filling her senses now. It smelled so delicious Sophie wanted to wrap it around her like a blanket. It made her feel safe and warm but at the same time it made her nipples ache and her pussy wet. How could one smell do so many things? Mating scent…The words drifted through her brain but Sophie pushed them aw