Sought...Book 3 in the Brides of the Kindred series (50 page)

“It’s possible, all right. Using
that.”
Xairn nodded at the viewscreen and Kat followed his
gesture involuntarily. What she saw was incredibly strange. There
appeared to be a dark silvery-blue, swirling hole somehow cut into
the fabric of space.
Not just a hole,
she thought, still
staring.
It’s like a funnel or a spout. Like water circling the
drain in a bathtub—the biggest bathtub in the universe.

“What’s that?” Lauren sounded as awed as Kat
felt. “Is it a black hole?”

Xairn made a strange, deep rumbling sound
from low in his chest that made Kat drag her eyes away from the
strange sight on the viewscreen. After a moment, she realized the
big Scourge warrior was laughing. It was a rusty sound, as though
he didn’t laugh very often, but kind of nice anyway.

“Of course not,” he said, one corner of his
mouth twitching with amusement. “If it were, our ship would have
been broken to bits and sucked in by its huge gravitational pull
even before we saw it. That, Lauren, is an inter-dimensional
gateway. A wormhole.”

“A wormhole? And you’re going to fly us
into
it?”

“Through it,” Xairn corrected. “We’ll be at
the Maw Cluster instantaneously. After we conduct our business
there, we can find another to take us home—your home anyway. That
sector is full of them and the star charts indicate several that
will bring us back to your solar system.”

“I don’t know…” Lauren looked doubtful.

“I do.” Xairn closed his eyes for a moment
and his entire body tensed. “Can’t you feel that? My father is out
there somewhere, not far behind. He’s seeking someone or something
else now, but the moment he captures it he’ll turn his attention to
us.”

Lauren looked over her shoulder fearfully
although there was nothing but the back of the ship to see. “He’s
after us? You mean in a ship?”

“He’s pursing with his mind.” Xairn made a
face. “I can hear him whispering to me. Urging me to bring you back
to him… Gods!” He pounded one huge fist on the steering yoke. “We
have
to get away before it’s too late.”

“All right.” Lauren’s face had gone pale but
she began strapping herself into the safety harness with
determination. “All right, Xairn. Get us out of here.”

His grip on the controls tightened and the
look of concentration on his face was frightening in its intensity.
“Hold on. Traversing a wormhole is rough business.”

We have to go!
Lock’s voice in Kat’s
head startled her. She’d been so caught up in the interaction
between Lauren and Xairn that she’d almost forgotten what was going
on.
Kat, we have to go,
Lock said again.
If they take us
with them through the wormhole, we might never get back to our
physical forms.

Got it.
Kat gave herself a mental
shake.
Let’s get out of here, grab Deep and go.

Rising up through the skin of the ship, she
found herself in the darkness of space once more.
Deep? Where is
he?
She felt a moment of panic and then she saw the bright
silver streak of his spirit zipping around, just inches away from
the seeking black smudge of the AllFinger’s tentacle. God, how was
he doing that? Staying one step ahead of the evil like that? Kat
felt her heart, thousands of light years away, jump in fear as she
saw the tendril of darkness almost catch him just before he skipped
away.

Deep,
she called.
Deep, come back
to us! We know what’s going on with Lauren. Let’s go home.

Can’t.
His mental voice was hoarse
with exhaustion.
He’ll feel it. He’ll know there’s more than one
of us if I join you two. Can’t risk it.

Yes, you can, Brother! Come!
Lock
demanded, but his command had no effect on the brilliantly darting
light that was Deep’s spirit.

You’ll have to go without me. I can’t
distract the AllFather and hold you here much longer anyway.

Don’t you dare let us go while we’re
still separated!
Kat raged at him.
We need you, Deep.
Lock
needs you and he’s going to need you even
more after I’m gone.

I’m sorry, little Kat. But I—

Just then there was a blast of light from
the direction of the wormhole. Momentarily distracted, Kat turned
her attention to it just in time to see the small silver ship
circling the wide funnel like a toy boat being sucked down a vast
drain.
My God,
she thought.
Can they survive that?
They’re going to—

Deep!
Lock’s mental voice was filled
with such anguish that Kat felt it like a knife in her heart. From
the corner of her eye she saw something that made her scream in
sorrow and disbelief.

The bright, flitting light had flown too
close to the black tentacle of darkness. As she and Lock watched,
an oily, black, many-armed cloud erupted around it and began to
engulf it, like an octopus snaring its prey. For a moment the light
seemed to be straining to pull free, struggling away from the
tentacles until only one of them had a grip on it.
No, not just
a light—that’s Deep,
Kat thought numbly.
Deep, please no!
Not now. Not when I finally know that you really do care for me.
That you love me the same way I love you! Please!

But her mental plea did no good. As they
watched, a thousand more tentacles exploded, like a nest of
writhing snakes. They covered the light, drawing it inexorably
inward…until the darkness ate it completely.

No!
Kat howled with anguish.
No,
Deep! No!
She felt Lock’s grief too—an agony so intense it was
almost unbearable…and then, suddenly, they were flying backwards,
away from the darkness and the vanished light. Away from Lauren and
Xairn and the wormhole and the polluted Scourge home world at a
tremendous speed until everything was a blur.

Stop!
Kat was in a panic.
Stop! We
have to go back for him! We can’t just leave him there.

He is already lost. Gone beyond our
reach.
Lock’s voice was quiet with despair.
And we cannot go
back. It was Deep’s power that brought us out so far and held us in
place. Without him, we can’t help being pulled back.

Even as he spoke the incredibly fast,
intense journey was over. Kat felt herself reenter her physical
body with an almost audible
thump.
Her eyes flew open and
she found herself looking into Deep’s face.

The coal black eyes she’d grown to know so
well were open but unseeing. His broad chest rose and fell but the
rest of his big body was limp.

“Deep?” Kat patted his cheek eagerly. “Deep,
can you hear me?”

“My lady, he’s gone. He cannot hear you
where he is.” Lock’s voice was thick with sorrow.

“What do you mean?” Kat demanded. “Where is
he?”

“Gone,” Lock repeated. “His spirit is
untethered from his body, lost forever to the AllFather. Only a
shell remains.”

Kat looked in horror and disbelief at the
familiar, sharp features of the dark twin. Deep had made her
completely crazy at times, he had even managed to make her believe
he didn’t care anything for her even though he was madly in love
with her. But despite his contrary nature, she’d grown to love him
dearly. And now…

Now he’s gone,
she thought numbly.
Gone forever and there’s nothing I can do about it.

A sob rose in her throat. A sound of pure
longing and loss and grief.

Gone…forever gone. Oh Deep…

Deep was so far past exhaustion he could
barely feel. The power it took to keep the three of them at a spot
so many light years from their physical forms, as well as the
energy to dart around, keeping one step ahead of the AllFather, was
draining him rapidly. He felt like he was running a race without
oxygen, like his lungs were burning and the big muscles in his
thighs were quivering with fatigue until he might collapse at any
moment. But that was all right—as long as Kat and Lock got to
safety. That was all he cared about, all that mattered.

When he felt the AllFather catch him, like a
corpse-cold hand closing around his ankle, dragging him down to the
bottom of a lake of darkness, it was almost a relief. Still, he
tried to get away. Straining, he pulled with all his might. He
wouldn’t leave Kat and Lock alone if he could help it. Couldn’t
leave…And then the darkness erupted around him and he lost sight of
the stars and planets and space. There was nothing but greasy black
nothingness wherever he looked.

Sssooo,
he heard a familiar voice
whisper in his mind.
I did not know you had sssuch ssspecial
talentsss, Warrior. How fortuitousss, especially when I am ssso
very hungry…

He’ll eat me,
Deep thought with
despair.
He’ll suck down my spirit like a fine wine—he won’t
even have to extract it from my body. I’ve handed it to him on a
silver platter.
That was an Earth vernacular saying which he
had learned only recently but he’d never imagined he would be able
to apply it to himself.
Kat,
he thought as the cold, oily
tentacles slid around him, suffocating him, making it hard to
breath.
Lock, I’m so sorry. I loved you both so much. But if my
death can set you free, it’s worth it.

Sighing, he released the tension inside
himself, the psychic anchor which had held them all in place in
this particular part of space. He thought he heard cries of sorrow
as he let Kat and Lock’s spirits go, allowing them to slingshot
back to their waiting bodies on the Mother ship. But they were so
faint he couldn’t be sure. The AllFather didn’t seem to notice them
at all—he was too busy preparing to devour.

So this is how it ends,
Deep thought,
feeling oddly at peace.
I just hope it goes quickly.

Not quick, Warrior,
the AllFather
hissed in his head.
Not too quickly at all. You helped my ssson
to sssteal my bride. And sssince he is gone beyond my reach for the
present, I want to sssavor your pain. Ssslowly…oh, ssso ssslowly…
I—

No. You shall not have
him.
A sudden flash of light, like a stroke of lightening
splitting the darkness, cut off the AllFather’s words. Deep was
momentarily blinded.
What—?

Not what, Warrior. Who.
The voice in the darkness was filled with authority and distinctly
feminine.

Who, then?
Deep thought at it,
feeling disoriented and confused. Where was the AllFather? What was
happening to him? And who was this new entity he was speaking
with?

Do you not know me?
The
voice was gentler now, almost laughing. The dark, oily tendrils
suddenly shrank back at the sound and then disappeared altogether.
You have worshiped me your whole life,
the voice
went on.
Or pretended to, anyway.

Goddess? Mother of All Life?
Deep
could barely believe it. Like his brother and all other Kindred, he
had been raised to show deep respect to the female deity they
worshipped. But deep in his heart he had always harbored doubt as
to her actual existence.

Doubt no more, Warrior.
The light around him was growing. A soft glow that seemed to be the
exact opposite of the AllFather’s evil black cloud.

I do not doubt,
Deep sent, wishing he
could see the being he was addressing.

To see my face is to die. No
mortal can look upon my true visage and live,
the Goddess sent
gently.
But I have provided a part of myself to you,
Deep—a part you rejected.

To Deep’s surprise, out of the glowing white
light stepped Kat. Or the image of her, anyway. She was wearing the
deep green gown Lock had gotten her for the party on Twin Moons and
her long auburn hair was loose around her shoulders. She was so
beautiful his heart ached, yet he was confused.

I don’t understand. Are you saying that Kat
is actually you? That’s she’s a goddess?

No, of course not.
Musical
laughter like chimes filled the air around him.
But I
place a little piece of myself in every female that I match with my
males. That piece is what calls to you—what starts the dream
sharing and causes the attraction between Kindred males and their
chosen brides. Do you see now why fighting your love for Kat was
useless from the start?

I see.
Deep nodded respectfully.
Forgive me, I beg. Truly, I have misused your gift to me most
shamefully, Goddess.

You certainly have.
The
voice was stern.
For that willful misuse you deserve
to die, Deep. As well you know.

I know.
He bowed his head
submissively.

But there are others who would
miss you if you were gone. Your brother Lock, for instance. Though
you have treated him cruelly, still he loves you. And Kat, of
course
.
She too would grieve your loss,
though you have done your best to turn her against you.

Kat…
Deep almost couldn’t continue.
Forgive me, Goddess, but Kat will not have long to miss me. She
has soul poisoning. I fear she hasn’t long to live.

I am aware of the situation
with your lady, Deep.
The voice was gently reproving.
Tell me this, would you trade places with Kat? Would you take
her pain and the certain death that comes with the wound of the
kusax if I allowed her to live?

In an instant!
Deep felt a surge of
hope.
Please, Goddess, I know now that you’re capable of all
things. Please, if I could give my life for Kat’s, how gladly would
I do so.

I feel the sincerity of your
words.
The voice sounded approving now.
And so I
will honor them in the spirit in which they are spoken. I will give
to you, my errant son, what I have given to few others.