Raised to Kill (Kindred Tales)

“She’s certainly extremely talented,” Brand agreed. “I’ve been trying to talk her into some kind of career in music but her culture teaches that a female’s place is in the home.”

“Ugh, what a shame.” Selena shook her head as they watched Allara on the cello. She was playing a piece that Selena had taught her just that day—Cello Suite Number 1 in G Major by Bach—and though the cello was almost as big as she was, she was executing it flawlessly.

“With talent like hers, she ought to be performing,” Brand remarked. “She’s playing that beautifully,” he added in admiration.

“She likes the cello a lot—almost as much as the French Horn,” Selena told him. “Says both of them remind her of your ‘Song’—by which I think she means your singing voice.”

“Yes, I think that’s what that means.” Brand nodded. He frowned thoughtfully. “I never thought about my voice sounding like any kind of instrument, though.”

“Well, Allara certainly has—she talks about it all the time.” Selena smiled. “Do you know she has perfect pitch? Now that I’ve finally gotten her reading music—which didn’t take her long—she can tell me any note I’m playing or singing at any given time on any given instrument.”

“No, I didn’t know that.” Brand shook his head, looking at his new wife in admiration. Allara had so much potential wrapped up in such a small package! “I only know that when she hears a note she likes she calls it a ‘true’ note,” he added.

“Oh, that’s her way of saying if something’s on key or not.” Selena laughed. “And you better believe she’ll let you know if you’re sharp or flat—it actually seems to hurt her when someone hits a sour note.”

“I noticed that at our wedding reception,” Brand remarked. “When that tone-deaf female began singing off-key, Allara got absolutely ill.” He frowned. “And she said the female was one of the ‘Voiceless ones’. Do you know what that means?”

“Yes, she mentioned something like that to me as well,” Selena said. “I think that’s what they call tone-deaf people on her planet.” She shook her head. “It must be a terrible handicap in a society that values music so highly!”

“Like being visually impaired in a society of painters, maybe?” Brand suggested.

“More like having leprosy,” Selena said grimly. “From what Allara has told me, they round up the ‘Voiceless ones’ and exile them to a distant land. And of course they’re never allowed to attend the Song House—which, as far as I can tell, is the Q’ess version of church—ever again.”

“They do take their music very seriously—it almost seems to be a kind of religion with them,” Brand said thoughtfully. “I wonder if all of them are as talented as Allara or if she’s one in a million.”

“Well, she’s certainly one in a million here,” Selena remarked. “Maybe more like one in a billion or a trillion.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen anyone like her. And I think part of it is because she almost seems to feel music.”

“Well, I know she, uh, likes it when I sing to her.” Brand cleared his throat, not wanting to go into the intimate details of his love life with his new wife. “And she said that my song touched her at our wedding reception,” he added.

“Yes, but when you or I say that, we mean the song caused us to feel emotions.” Selena frowned, her brow furrowing thoughtfully. “But with Allara, I think she means it literally—she can feel music the same way you or I can taste food or see colors. It’s like…a whole different sixth sense that she has.”

“You may be right.” Brand nodded. “She—”

But at that point, Allara finished playing the cello and came to hug and kiss him and the lesson was over.

The music teacher’s remarks stuck with him, however, and he began to understand his wife more. If Selena was right, Allara actually felt the notes that were sung or played as a physical sensation on her skin. Suddenly, a lot of things began to make more sense to Brand.

For instance, the way his new bride begged him to hum or sing to her while she was touching herself. Could his voice be acting like another pair of hands, caressing her skin? Or maybe even like a sex toy, teasing her sweet little clit?

The thought was immensely arousing to Brand. He had already had a habit of humming or singing to himself around the domicile, now he did it on purpose. And he noticed that when he did, it really seemed to affect Allara. When he hummed or sang, she seemed irresistibly drawn to him in a way that not even his Bonding Scent working on her could explain.

It made him wonder what other ways he could use music to enhance their relationship as they went about their daily routine.