Hidden Rage: Kindred Tales

Now she saw that it was never going to happen. Dragon was staunchly loyal to his Clan and his adoptive parents—he was never going to leave them under any circumstances. And that meant that Bobbi was never going to leave either.

Because the moment he bonded her to him, that was it—she knew, from talking to Kat, that a bond with a Kindred warrior was for life and that nothing but death could break it. After tomorrow night, after she and Dragon made love for the first time, she would be stuck here forever.

The hell of it was that even knowing all that, she still wanted to make love with him. Her body craved his in a way that wasn’t reasonable or right.

What’s wrong with me? Bobbi asked herself angrily. Why can’t I hate him for condemning me to this life? Why do I still want him—still love him—even though he’s being such a jerk?

She didn’t have the answers for any of her questions—she only knew she was stuck and she couldn’t see any way out of this situation.

“Would you like to go on a tour of the women’s room? It’s really quite large,” Res. Tizlah said, breaking into her morose thoughts and making Bobbi realize she was still standing there, just inside the doorway, staring blankly at the room.

“There’s another area around the corner where the sleeping pits are located,” Res. Tizlah went on brightly. “You can have one to yourself or share it with a special friend so you can chat, if you’re too nervous to sleep before the wedding.”

Her words made Bobbi realize that she hadn’t seen Keelah in the group of women who had come to get her. She’d assumed the Saurian girl would be waiting in the women’s room but now, looking around, she saw that her friend was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Keelah?” she asked, frowning. “Is she waiting by the sleeping pits?”

“Oh, well…” Res. Tizlah looked distinctly uncomfortable and some of the other Saurian women began whispering among themselves and casting sidelong glances in Bobbi’s direction.

A flutter of unease ran through Bobbi, like a single, icy finger caressing her heart.

“Well? Where is she?” she asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “She’s supposed to be my attendant at the ceremony—where is she?”

“Now, dear, I did tell you not to get too attached to her. She was, after all, only a Pleasure Girl,” Res. Tizlah began.

“Was? What do you mean, ‘was’?” The icy finger had become a whole hand, gripping her heart with dread. “Where did she go?”

“I sold her,” a hateful, hissing voice replied from behind her.

Bobbi whirled around and saw Zerlix standing in the open doorway of the women’s room.

“You…you what?” she demanded, hating the way her voice trembled.

“I sold her, not an hour ago, to her old pimp in the blue light district.” He smirked at her. “You see, I wanted to buy you and my Little Brother a wedding present, but I didn’t have any money. So I sold her in order to get you this.”

He held something out on a velvet cushion and Bobby saw it was nothing but a piece of bruised tekla fruit, which was sometimes used for garnish in the kitchen but wasn’t considered edible by the Saurians at all.

“Sorry it isn’t more impressive,” Zerlix snarled sarcastically. “But I’m afraid she wasn’t worth much after I spiked her so often—the pimp said she was ‘damaged goods’. Of course, not nearly as damaged as she’s going to be after he sells her to the Rough Bloods Clan tonight for a private Spike Party they’re having.” His nasty smile widened. “I understand that every single one of their enforcers is invited to have some fun and I’m sure your little friend will be entertaining all of them.”

All this time, Bobbi had been staring at him, her eyes getting wider and wider as she tried to comprehend this level of cruelty…of evil. For a moment, she could hardly speak. It seemed so unimaginably horrible—so unbelievably bad, she had almost lost her voice. Finally, however, she managed to say,

“You…you sold her?”

“Are you deaf or just stupid?” Zerlix hissed rudely. “Yes, I sold her.”

“You asshole.” The words came out in a whisper at first but then her voice caught up with her rage. “You asshole!” she screamed and slapped the velvet cushion with its bruised tekla fruit out of his hands.

“Now, wait just a minute!” Res. Tizlah huffed, frowning at her. “You cannot speak to a man like that—especially not my son!”

“Your son is a sadistic sociopath!” Bobbi shouted back.

She knew she shouldn’t—she knew she was probably going to screw up any future relationship with her Mother-in-Law-to-be, but she couldn’t seem to stop. Images of Keelah with her eyes swollen shut from being punched and that necklace of dark green bruises around her throat, rose in front of her eyes and Bobbi simply couldn’t hold herself back.