Raised to Kill (Kindred Tales)

But what did it matter if he was handsome or ugly—if he was tall as a tree or short as a stump? He would be dead by nightfall with her skora piercing his heart.

But not before he pierces you with his shaft, whispered a little voice in her head.

Allara pushed it away.

“I am ready,” she said. “Let us go into the Sacred Grove.”

Five

The trees rustled softly as they walked through the forest. Again, Liv and Kat assured her they were taking her “the back way” through the Sacred Grove.

“Because we can’t have everybody seeing the bride before it’s time!” Kat told her. “I hope you don’t mind, but we decided to keep this a small ceremony,” she added, looking at Allara anxiously. “Just the priestess who’s going to perform the Joining and you and Brand of course.”

“And the four of us,” Lauren put in.

“And our hubbies,” Liv said.

“But we left the kids with a sitter,” Sophie added. “So you could have a nice quiet ceremony and reception without any craziness.”

“I hope you like the decorations—we kind of kept them minimal too, because we didn’t know what your taste was and we figured better too little than too much,” Kat told her.

“And I hope you like your wedding cake,” Lauren added. “I made it for you,” she said, smiling. “But I didn’t know what kinds of flavors your people liked. So I made four different layers, all with a different flavored sponge and filling and of course, butter cream frosting.”

“We’d better let the poor girl get through her wedding ceremony first before we worry her about the reception,” Liv said practically.

“I do not understand,” Allara said to them. “I know about the ceremony but what is the…reception?”

“Oh, it’s the party right after the ceremony,” Sophie said quickly. “It’s a lot of fun—you’ll like it.”

Allara had never heard of having a celebration after a marriage—it was yet another strange and alien concept.

None of it matters, she told herself firmly. Just get through it. Remember your goal—you must kill the Kindred before the night is over.

“Now, here we are at the entrance of the ceremony area,” Kat whispered, breaking her train of thought.

Looking up, Allara realized they had come to a kind of hedge, where the tree branches were entwined so tightly nothing could be seen between their leaves. Up ahead to the right, was an archway decorated in delicate white blossoms. It seemed to be a kind of entrance into the next area but Allara couldn’t see past it.

“Okay—in our tradition, the bride walks down the aisle, so everyone can see how beautiful she is, and meets the groom at the end, right in front of the priestess,” Kat told her.

“But she usually has someone to escort her,” Sophie added, frowning.

“We were hoping your father might come to do that,” Kat added. “To ‘give you away’ as we call it in our culture.”

Allara frowned. Firstly, her father would not be caught dead on the infidel ship. And secondly, no father of the Q’ess “gave his daughter away.”

“Why would my father give me away?” she asked, honestly confused. “How could he make any money at the bride auction if he did that?”

“The bride auction?” Kat said blankly. “Is that how your people get married? By auctioning off the bride?”

“Of course.” Allara shrugged. “In the month when a girl comes of age, she is taken to one of the great auction houses—which one is depending on her status, of course. There many men bid on her. When one of them wins, he pays her father and takes charge of her. They then go to the Song House where he sings his song of ownership and she sings her song of submission. And then they go home—or back to the husband’s home—where he may…” She swallowed hard. “Where he may do with her as he likes,” she ended in a low voice.

“Oh dear.” Kat shook her head. “If that’s the way your people do it, I’m afraid our wedding ceremony is going to seem really strange to you.”

“I will be grateful for anything you have planned,” Allara said graciously.

There was no harm in thanking the alien women for their kindness to her now, she reasoned. Though they would be doubtless cursing her name by this time tomorrow after her killing was found out.

“You’re sweet, doll.” Kat flashed her a smile. “But that still doesn’t solve the problem of who’s going to walk you down the aisle.”

“Could…you do it?” Allara asked, looking around at the four women appealingly. “I mean, all of you?” Despite the fact that she knew them to be enemies, they almost felt like friends. Also, she didn’t want to be alone with the evil one until she could not avoid it any longer.

“All of us? Gracious.” Lauren laughed.

“That’s very sweet of you, Allara,” Sophie said, smiling.