Accidental Acquisition (Kindred)

“Oh, well in that case…” Jillian pressed a little closer into his arms. It was good to feel his warm, solid, muscular frame against her own after being held in the alien ambassador’s tight, uncomfortable embrace. Kalis seemed to surround her completely with his big body, and God, he smelled so good.

“Are you all right, Chef Marks?” she heard Commander Sylvan asking, and realized she had buried her face in Kalis’s broad chest and was breathing deeply. Was she hyperventilating? No, she decided—she had remained remarkably calm through the whole event—it was just that the scent of the big Kindred made her feel better—made her feel safe.

“I’m just fine,” she said, turning her head to look at Commander Sylvan. “Er, sorry—Kalis says this is necessary,” she added, feeling like she looked extremely unprofessional, hugging her new line cook in front of the Head of the High Council.

“That’s perfectly fine—I just wanted to be sure you were all right,” Commander Sylvan said. “Er, Ambassador Ha’choo Bless’u is going now,” he added. “I think she wanted to say something to you before she leaves.”

“She can talk to my Mistress but she can’t fucking touch her,” Kalis growled possessively. Still, he allowed Jillian to turn around so that she was facing the dining room instead of his broad chest, though he kept his arms firmly wrapped around her from behind.

“I can zzee that you have a male to enfold you after all, lovely zzhef,” the Nebrian ambassador buzzed. “Pleazze forgive me. I believe that the tasty liquor cauzzed my zzycle to zzpeed up momentarily.”

“No problem at all,” Jillian assured her, though to be honest, she was still feeling rather shaky and was glad of Kalis’s muscular arms around her. “Um…I hope you enjoyed your meal with us here at Pat-ar.”

“It wazz lovely. I zzhall zzerctainly return the next time I vizzet the Kindred Mother Zzhip,” the Nebrian ambassador assured her.

“Thank you, please do.” Jillian nodded. She cleared her throat. “Er, I really need to get back to the kitchen.”

“By all means, please go ahead,” Commander Sylvan said, nodding quickly. He had the look of a man who has narrowly avoided disaster, Jillian thought. Like someone driving on the highway who barely missed being sideswiped by a runaway truck.

She felt a little like that herself—still shaky and uncertain—so she didn’t protest when Kalis swung her into his arms and marched back to the kitchen with her.

31

Jillian laid her had on Kalis’s broad shoulder and let him carry her, though a little voice in the back of her head was saying that she probably shouldn’t let herself get so close.

It’s dangerous! the little voice insisted. Remember what he turns into, Jillian!

But he hadn’t this time, she reminded herself. Things had gotten crazy with the Nebrian ambassador, but he hadn’t shifted into the huge, fearsome beast that scared the hell out of her. Instead, he had handled the situation smoothly and gracefully. She had a lot to thank him for.

But just because she was grateful, didn’t mean she was going to have a repeat of the intimate massage from the day before, she told herself firmly. No matter how good the big Kindred smelled or how much she liked being held by him, she wasn’t about to jump into any kind of sexual relationship—or any kind of relationship at all, for that matter—with him.

Remember what happened with Brad when you let him sweep you off your feet—you need to take things slowly! she told herself.

So once they were through the swinging metal doors and safely back in the kitchen, she patted Kalis’s broad chest and slipped out of his arms.

“Mistress, wait…” He didn’t seem to want her to go.

“I’m ‘Chef’ when we’re in the kitchen together and ‘Jillian’ outside it, remember?” Jillian reminded him crisply. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she added, not wanting to seem ungrateful. “That was…a really sticky situation.”

He nodded.

“There must have been some kind of compound in the Woo berries that accelerated the cycle. I’ve only seen it happen once before, back on Yonnie Six.”

“But I thought you said the Yonnites will only meet with Nebrians when they’re in the middle of their female cycle?” Jillian asked.

He nodded grimly.

“Now they will. It was after my Mistress’s run-in with one that was cycling towards male that they made that rule. Kind of a cautionary tale, you know?”

“I can see why.” Jillian tried to laugh, but couldn’t quite manage it. The sound that came out of her mouth was tense rather than amused. “Would…would it really have tried to…to mate with me?” she asked uncertainly. “If it thought I didn’t have a, uh…” How had the ambassador put it? Oh right… “If I hadn’t had a ‘male to enfold’ me?” she asked.

Kalis gave her a serious look.

“It might have tried, but I wouldn’t have let that happen to you, Jillian. I swore to protect you with my life, remember?”