Burning for Love (Kindred Tales)

“You’re not going to die! Not while I can save you!”

The Dark Kindred was more animated than Sylvan had ever seen him. Seeing the fierce, protective light come into the other male’s eyes, he thought with approval that having emotions suited him.

“Princess Ka’rissa has requested political asylum aboard the Mother Ship, which I am willing to grant. But she fears she is in danger of, er, spontaneous combustion,” Sylvan explained.

“Your Heat Cycle?” James asked, still focused on the viewscreen.

She nodded tearfully.

“It…it is getting out of control. And there is no way to slake it.”

“I’m coming for you right now,” James said at once. “Can you get out to the small courtyard in the East Garden? There’s enough room to land a shuttle there and it’s hidden by those big tringa bushes.”

“I…I think so.” She swiped at her eyes. “Oh, James—do you really think you can get to me on time?”

“I’m coming right now. Do whatever you can to cool yourself down and I’ll be there as soon as I can,” James said grimly. He looked at Sylvan. “Commander, can you please request a fold in space to Regalia Five?”

“At once,” Sylvan said, nodding. “And may the Goddess go with you, J-8.”

“My true designation is ‘James’. My true self is who I am with her.” The Dark Kindred looked at Princess Ka’rissa as he spoke. “Just hold on—I’ll be there soon, sweetheart,” he told her.

“I will be waiting for you in the gardens,” she promised and then the viewscreen blinked out and she was gone.

54

James didn’t know what to expect when he landed his shuttle in the small courtyard of the palace gardens. He was thankful that the Kindred stealth technology was sophisticated enough to evade the surveillance net around the planet. The Regalians had interstellar travel, but they were still somewhat primitive compared to his own people.

At first, he didn’t think Ka’rissa had made it. He was about to start up to the palace to begin hunting for her, when the huge, flowering tringa bushes rustled, releasing a sweet floral scent into the night air, and the Princess appeared.

“I was hiding in the bushes in case the guards came,” she explained as she made her way towards him.

She was barefoot and wearing a thin, diaphanous gown that floated around her like a cloud. Under it, she was clearly naked and her nipples were glowing red-hot. If her clothing hadn’t been made of flame retardant material—as was usual with all Royal clothing—James was certain they would have set the gown alight at once. The ominous scent of burning sugar became clear as she walked towards him—clearly her Heat Cycle really was getting out of control.

“Ka’rissa…sweetheart!” He ran to take her in his arms but she took a step back from him.

“I…I do not understand. I thought you said you had no emotions for me,” she said hesitantly.

“I lied,” James admitted recklessly. “I’m so sorry, Princess! I thought I was doing what was best for you. I know I gave you pain.”

Her eyes softened.

“You certainly did. But…am I right in thinking that it pained you also, to leave me?”

“Leaving you was more painful than any wound I have ever suffered in battle,” James said earnestly. “It was an agony so great, I feared for some time that I might be going mad. Being without you was terrible because I love you, sweetheart. Gods, I love you so much.”

“Oh, James…” She held out her arms to him. “I forgive you,” she whispered. “And please, I’m so hot…” She began to sway and then her eyes rolled up in her head.

It was a good thing he was close because he was able to catch her as she fell. James looked at her anxiously. Her skin felt like a furnace—he had heard humans say to each other, “You’re burning up!” when one of them had a fever. But Ka’rissa was only moments from literally going up in flames.

Though he wanted to get her away from Regalia Five immediately, James knew he had to do something to cool her down now or they would never make it to the Mother Ship in time.

He laid her soft, curvy body in the cool grass and began chilling his own body as quickly as he could. As soon as both hands were ice cold, he started caressing her face and neck and chest, trying his best to ease the Heat that was rising inside her due to her Fire Blood, but she didn’t seem to be cooling down. If he didn’t do something quickly, she was going to combust!

As a last-ditch effort, James stripped off his uniform shirt and wrapped himself around her, making his body into a living cooling blanket.

Colder…colder! he thought urgently, using his Z’ngu DNA to the fullest extent, chilling his whole body down to freezing temperatures. Never had he pushed himself so far. When he exhaled, he could see his breath coming out in a cloud and frost was forming on his skin. Wherever he touched the Princess, steam rose as their two extreme body temperatures collided.