Accidental Acquisition (Kindred)

“That’s because you’re doing it wrong. And you’re not strong enough. Don’t feel bad though, Brother—almost no one is.”

Jillian’s head jerked up and she saw that Kalis was standing there, in the doorway to the kitchen.

The big Kindred was dressed differently than he had been when she’d first met him in the market. Instead of his brown leather kilt and boots, he was wearing the standard Kindred uniform of tight black trousers tucked into tall black boots. The uniform shirt he had on was emerald green, which went well with his black and iron-gray hair and picked up the green in his silver-green eyes.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Mistress,” he said formally to Jillian. “But I thought I’d stop by and see if you needed help with the thaelite.” He shrugged. “And it looks like you do. If you’re trying to make jumja soup with it, you need to scrape off a few really thin shavings that will dissolve—a big chunk of it will be too much and it’ll make the broth curdle.”

Jillian felt a chill run through her—a complicated emotion that was half fear/ half desire. She couldn’t help remembering the incredibly erotic massage the big Kindred had given her the day before…but she also couldn’t forget the huge, terrifying beast he’d turned into. He seemed so warm and gentle and unassuming right now…but then, he had seemed that way right up until he turned into a huge green Grizzly bear-thing, too.

She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him defensively.

“How do you know about the jumja soup? I don’t remember telling you what I needed the thaelite for.”

He shrugged again, his broad shoulders rolling under the silky green uniform shirt.

“What else can you make with it? Nebrian cuisine is about the only kind that calls for it. Plus, I can smell it cooking.” He nodded at the pot on the stove which was still simmering. “Very distinctive smell—nothing else quite like jumja soup.”

“How do you know so much about Nebrian cuisine?” Jillian demanded, still on the defensive.

“My old Mistress—the one who bought me after my Blood Circuit days—had me trained in domestic duties,” Kalis said mildly. “Including cooking. And she had a lot of Nebrian guests and trade-partners. Since Nebrians are bisexual, the Yonnites are willing to do business with them—when they’re in their female mode, that is,” he added.

“Wait…what? They’re bisexual? Meaning they love both males and females?” Hard asked, frowning.

“No, bisexual meaning that for six solar months a year they’re female and then for the next six solar months they’re male,” Kalis answered. He frowned. “It’s when they’re male that you want to watch out for them. They get hyper-sexual and they’re prone to latching onto any female they take a fancy to and wanting to ‘own’ her and implant her.”

“Implant her with what?” Hard asked.

“Well—” Kalis started, but Suzanne interrupted him.

“Um, before we go any further, do you mind introducing us?” she asked Jillian. “I’m assuming this is Kalis?” She nodded at the big B’varren Kindred.

“You told her about me, Mistress?” Kalis looked at Jillian, who felt her cheeks getting hot with an unwanted blush.

“Of course I did—she’s my best friend,” she said shortly. Though she had omitted the part where he’d given her a “happy ending” at the end of the massage, she thought guiltily. “And I’m not your Mistress,” she added.

“In the kitchen, you can just call her ‘Chef,’” Suzanne said helpfully. “And it’s nice to meet you, Kalis—I’m Suzanne and this is one of my husbands, Hard. The other one, Kind, is at home with our triplets.”

“Good to meet you, Brother.” Hard offered his forearm for a warrior’s clasp. “So you think you can help us with this fucking stuff?” He nodded at the brick of thaelite. “It’s fucking impossible.”

“Hard, honey, language,” Suzanne said, frowning a little.

“Sorry baby.” The Dark Twin looked remorseful. “I’m trying to watch what I say before our boys get old enough to understand,” he admitted to Kalis.

“Because I don’t want their first words to be ‘fuck’,” Suzanne said crisply. “Or ‘shit’ or ‘son of a motherless whore’ or any of the other colorful phrases that come out of your mouth.” She sighed and looked at Kalis appraisingly. “So can you help us with the thaelite?”

Kalis shrugged.

“Sure. Happy to do it.” He looked at Jillian. “If it’s alright with my Mi—er, with Chef, that is.”

Jillian sighed and nodded.

“All right, fine. Please help,” she said, nodding at the thaelite and the ion- scoop. “We need to get it into the soup as soon as possible so it can simmer long enough.”

“All right.” Kalis stepped up, and she couldn’t help noticing how good he smelled. She had noted his warm, spicy scent the day before at the Yonnite spa, but then it had been mixed with lots of other scents too—the massage oil and the tea and the air freshener they’d been blowing into the room. Now it was mixed with the warm smells of cooking from the kitchen and Jillian thought she liked it better somehow because of that.