Raised to Kill (Kindred Tales)

“Come?” Allara shook her head in confusion. “Come where?”

“Never mind.” He winked at her. “We can talk about it later.”

Allara wasn’t sure what to think. Not only was he not angry with her—the big Kindred seemed to actually approve of her touching her forbidden places! It seemed so strange—so unexpected. But then, many things aboard the Kindred Mother Ship were unexpected.

“I brought you First Meal—what the humans call breakfast,” he told her, changing the subject. “Hope you like volk mush. It’s made from a grain grown on my home planet of Rageron.”

The volk mush was dark blue, Allara saw, when he placed the tray across her lap. Steam was rising from the bowl it was in and it smelled sweet when Allara put her head down to sniff it.

“You…made this?” she asked, remembering he had said he could do women’s work.

He nodded.

“Just like my mother used to make. I hope you enjoy it.”

“I am certain I will,” Allara said politely. She still couldn’t quite believe that he would lower himself to do a woman’s chore like cooking, but where else could the steaming blue mush have come from?

Lifting the spoon he had supplied, she dipped it into the blue mush and took a small bite. It was warm and rich and nutty with a smooth, silky texture that surprised her.

“Oh!” She looked down at the bowl of mush, her eyes widening. “It’s really good!”

“Don’t act so surprised, baby.” Brand’s golden eyes danced with amusement. “I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. I told you—Kindred males have to learn early how to take care of their females. Go on—eat up.”

Allara obeyed gladly, washing down the delicious blue breakfast food with a cup of steaming hot tea which tasted both floral and minty.

“But are you not hungry, husband?” she asked, after a few more bites.

Brand shook his head.

“I ate hours ago when I woke up. You were still out like a light and I figured you were so worn out from yesterday, I’d just let you sleep.”

“That was very kind of you,” Allara murmured. Though it seemed strange that he hadn’t woken her and given her any tasks to do. She felt lazy, having slept so long instead of getting up and cleaning or cooking for him. Instead, he had cooked for her. What strange people the Kindred were!

“Now, while you eat, I have two surprises for you,” Brand said. “Are you ready?”

By surprises, did he mean gifts? Allara had heard that men sometimes gave their wives gifts, if they were pleased with them. But she had done little to make Brand pleased with her. However, she only nodded politely and waited while he whisked out of the room.

He came back with an armful of colorful fabrics and a grin on his face.

“Look—I had Kat synthesize these for you this morning while you were still sleeping. I’ve got a variety of fashions and colors—you can choose whatever feels the most comfortable for you to wear.”

“Oh!” Allara couldn’t believe it—a whole armload of new clothes just for her? Even as a daughter of one of the Seven Great Houses, she didn’t get so many new things at once. Mainly because, while she could afford nicer cloth than the peasants and the servants, she still had to cut the fabric and sew it herself. Making a new dress took days—if not weeks. But all these had been made in one morning—how?

“These are beautiful,” she said, watching with wide eyes as the big Kindred flipped through the dresses Kat had made for her. “But how did Kat make them so quickly? And how did she know my size?”

“Oh, she used a synthesizer—a kind of machine that can make clothing almost instantaneously when you feed in the right information,” he explained. “And to get your size, she used your wedding dress.”

“My wedding dress?” Allara dropped her spoon with a clatter, her hand flying to her mouth. The poison pill and the transmitter she was supposed to press in order to send a signal back to her aunt that her mission was complete, were both sewn into the hem of the dress! What if Kat found them?

“Well, sure.” Brand shrugged, clearly mystified by her reaction. “I felt bad about ripping it apart last night so I asked her to fix it. It shouldn’t take long—you’ll have it back in a day or so. I promise it’s all right.”

It won’t be all right if Kat finds the poison pill and the transmitter!

But both of them were tiny and had been sewed into the back hem of the gown, Allara reminded herself. The rip had been in the front of the gown. So maybe things would be all right after all.

Still, it gave her an unsettled feeling to know that the method of her own death was out of reach. What if Brand changed his mind and decided to take her earlier? How could she kill him without also having a way to kill herself if he did so? How—