Raised to Kill

“Well, I thought she might have to go. If she can get out of that dress to do it.” Sophie eyed Allara’s tight silver wedding dress doubtfully.

“I am quite all right,” Allara said quickly, finally realizing what they were asking her. “I do not need to use the room of necessity at this time. Besides, only my husband may take my wedding gown off me,” she added, feeling a stab of fear at the thought.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s going to enjoy that!” Kat nudged Allara playfully and gave her a friendly smile.

Uncertainly, Allara smiled back.

Having been raised on tales of Kindred cruelty and ugliness, she was surprised to find their women so happy and seemingly content in their lives.

“You are…all Kindred and all married to Kindred?” she asked Liv.

“Oh, we’re not Kindred, doll,” Kat answered before Liv could. “We’re from Earth.”

“Earth?” Allara asked, frowning.

“It’s our home planet,” Liv explained. “The Kindred kind of came and adopted us. They defended us when we were in big trouble and now they have the right to call brides from Earth.”

“That’s how we all ended up with Kindred husbands. Well, all but Lauren,” Sophie put in and Lauren smiled.

“But even my hubby has some Kindred blood in him. So in a way, we’re all Kindred wives.”

“Are they…bigger than you?” The women around her looked awfully tall to Allara. “You are all as tall or taller than the men on my planet,” she explained, when they started laughing again for some reason.

“Well, I’m afraid the Kindred are much taller than we are,” Liv told her.

“You’d have seen some by now if we weren’t taking you the back way to the Sacred Grove,” Sophie added, gesturing to the narrow, winding metal corridor they were walking through.

“But don’t worry—your hubby-to-be is one of the short ones—he’s under seven feet,” Kat added, grinning.

“I…do not know this system of measurement,” Allara said, frowning. “You measure people by the size of their feet?”

“No, not exactly.” Lauren frowned. “It’s kind of like this—a foot is made up of twelve inches which are about this size.” She held up her thumb and finger a small distance apart. “I’m about five foot six or five feet plus six inches—see?”

“I think so,” Allara said, frowning. “You are nearly a head taller than me.”

“Yes, you’re probably around 4 feet eleven inches, I’d say,” Liv said, frowning at her speculatively. “Or maybe five feet at the very most.”

“And how tall is my…my husband-to-be compared with Lauren?” Allara wanted to know. Though she had been warned so many times that the Kindred were twice as big as her own people, she hadn’t really taken the warning literally. After all, how could someone be so tall and still get around? Wouldn’t they be too awkward and clumsy to even move?

Liv was frowning thoughtfully, as though thinking how best to answer her question.

“Well, like Kat told you, Brand—your hubby-to-be—is around six feet, eleven inches. Which is about a foot and a half taller than Lauren. So…around here.”

She lifted her hand well over Lauren’s head and Allara’s stomach twisted in a knot as she looked up.

“So big?” she whispered. “They really are as tall as trees, then.”

“Well, some trees I guess,” Liv said kindly.

“They’re certainly as wide as trees,” Kat remarked. “I have two of them to deal with, since I mated with Twin Kindred, you know. Sometimes I feel like a kid walking in the forest when they’re standing on either side of me.” She laughed.

“But don’t worry about their size—they’re very sweet,” Sophie put in quickly. “A Kindred would never hurt a woman—it’s against their religion.”

“They worship the Goddess—the Mother of All Life,” Lauren said. “One of her priestesses will be presiding over your ceremony at the Sacred Grove.”

“And don’t worry about the height difference making things awkward at the ceremony,” Kat put in. “I already thought of that and I’ve got it covered.”

They made more remarks about the ceremony, but Allara hardly heard them. Her mind was full of giants.

If her Kindred husband really was so tall and huge, how would she be able to kill him? Of course, the blade of her skora unfolded to be three times as long as the ornamental sheathe she wore around her neck, but would it be long enough to pierce his heart?

Be honest, whispered a little voice in her head. That isn’t the piercing that worries you most.

She thought again of how large the Kindred were said to be and what her aunt had told her about the size of a Kindred’s shaft.

“You must expect to bleed,” she said dryly, as though it was of no consequence. “Though we females of the Seven Great houses do not have maiden barriers, as the common women do, you will almost certainly be torn when the evil one forces himself inside you.”

Don’t think about it, she told herself over and over. Just don’t think about it!