Page 28

28

NORA

“Well, the tests confirm it— Anna’s Pulmonary Crystalosis is completely cured.” Dr . Liv looked over the test results laid out on the desk in front of her, her face glowing with satisfaction. “ I’ll have to show these to Sylvan ,” she remarked. “ He’ll be so happy for you!”

“Everyone here has been so kind to us,” Nora said, smiling at her. “ I’m so grateful to the Kindred and to Commander Sylvan .”

“Well, it wasn’t just the Kindred —though they have some of the best medical tech I’ve ever worked with,” Dr . Liv said. “ It was getting the Flower of Healing that really made the difference. And yes, that was Sylvan’s idea but I think your husband must have played a part too.”

Nora felt herself blushing and was glad that Anna and her mother were still in the treatment room while she and Dr . Liv were in a private consolation room.

“Well…he did,” she admitted. “ We had to go through some pretty, uh, intense things to get that flower. But of course, it was totally worth it,” she added.

“Of course,” Dr . Liv murmured. She had that speculative look on her face again. “ Tell me, if you don’t mind, exactly what did you two have to do in order to get the flower?”

“Oh, um…” Nora cleared her throat. “ We , er, had to put on kind of a, uh, sex show, if you want to know the truth,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks get hot with a blush. “ It was the only way to give the Primiens what they wanted—which was really strong emotions. They can taste them, you see.”

“They can taste emotions?” Dr . Liv’s eyes widened. “ Really ?”

“That’s what they said.” Nora shrugged. “ Also , they can smell if someone is pregnant or not. At least that was what they claimed when I was worried I might have gotten pregnant when we were, you know, putting on a show for them.”

“That’s a valid concern when you’re with a Kindred male,” Dr . Liv said seriously. “ With a human guy, it takes some time for the sperm and egg to come together and for the fertilized egg to actually implant. But with a Kindred , the fertilized egg implants immediately. You can literally be pregnant the minute a Kindred warrior fills you with his seed.”

“That’s what I was afraid of!” Nora exclaimed. “ Especially since Xarex made so much uh, seed. And since he used his knot on me, it kept it all inside me so?—”

“Wait—he knotted you?” Liv frowned.

“Well, yes. He’s half Beast Kindred —he said his knot came from that side—and half this other race called W’rx ,” Nora explained. “ Why ? Does that make a difference somehow?”

“I’m just wondering why he hasn’t come to visit you or Anna in the Med Center since he clearly Bonded you to him,” Liv said, shaking her head. “ He didn’t come last night while I was gone, did he?”

Nora shook her head.

“No,” she said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. “ I kept hoping he might show up, but he never did.”

Dr. Liv shook her head.

“That’s not like a newly Bonded male at all. They usually can’t stay away from their mates for any length of time. The need to be close after Bonding is a Kindred trait.” She tapped her fingernails on her desk thoughtfully. “ Tell me—have you tried contacting him through your mental link?”

“Mental link?” Nora frowned. “ I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“When a Kindred warrior Bonds you to him, the two of you form a neural connection—it means you can talk to each other with your minds. The same way you can speak to someone using a Think -me device, only the mental bond is much closer and more intimate,” Liv explained. “ I always have my husband, Baird , in the back of my mind.” She tapped the side of her head. “ We’re not always talking but I can always reach him when I need him and he can reach me the same way.”

“A mental link…that sounds amazing,” Nora murmured. “ But … I don’t know. I don’t think Xarex and I formed anything like that.”

“If he knotted you, you formed a link,” Dr . Liv said sounding positive. “ You said he’s half Beast Kindred and that’s how they Bond . Why don’t you close your eyes and concentrate—feel around in your mind and see if you can sense him in there.”

It seemed like an odd idea to Nora , but she was willing to try. She missed Xarex and wanted to see her new husband again. Closing her eyes, she felt around, feeling like a blind woman reaching for something she couldn’t see.

She didn’t expect to find anything, but to her surprise, she felt something that hadn’t been there before.

“Weird,” she murmured, still keeping her eyes closed.

“What is it? What do you feel?” she heard Liv ask.

“It’s almost like…like a wall,” Nora explained. “ This is so strange—it feels like it’s hiding something from me. I can’t get around it.” She opened her eyes and looked at Liv . “ What is this thing in my head?”

“It sounds to me like a mental block.” Liv looked thoughtful. “ I wonder if Xarex put it between you for some reason? Did he seem upset after the two of you, er, put on your show for the Primiens yesterday?”

Nora tried to think.

“Maybe a little? I’m honestly not sure. I was so caught up in finally getting the Flower of Healing and bringing it back to Anna .” She shook her head. “ I feel bad, but all I was thinking about was my little girl.”

“Of course you were. And rightfully so.” Liv reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “ It sounds to me like something happened on Primus Nine that’s keeping Xarex away from you.”

“Maybe…” Nora sighed. “ Or maybe it’s just that we both fulfilled our ends of the contract we signed— I got a cure for Anna and he got to ‘breed’ me—so maybe he’s decided he got what he wanted and he’s done with me.”

Liv frowned.

“Look, I know that’s how human guys think but I promise you, it’s not a Kindred male’s mindset at all.”

“It’s not?” Nora frowned.

“No,” Liv said firmly. “ They’re not just after sex like a lot of human guys often are. Especially once they’ve Bonded a woman to them. A Bonded warrior will never leave his mate for any reason unless there are some kind of dire circumstances keeping them apart.”

Nora twisted her fingers together.

“But…what if it’s Anna ?” she asked softly. “ I know my ex didn’t want to raise another person’s child. What if Xarex feels the same way?”

“Kindred males are excellent fathers,” Liv said. “ And they don’t seem to have the same reluctance to help with children that some human men do. I really doubt that’s the issue.”

“Well…what should I do? Should I go confront him? Ask him why he put this, uh, mental block between us?” Nora asked. “ I mean, I really miss him. The thing is, this was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but it turned out to be so much more than that. I thought it had, anyway,” she added.

Dr. Liv gave her a knowing smile.

“I’m not surprised. Yes , I’d go see him if I were you. But first get Anna and your mom settled back in their suite, take a nice long shower and put on something sexy.”

Nora looked at her in surprise.

“You’re saying I should seduce him?”

Liv shrugged.

“If you want him back you’re going to need to break down any barriers between you. And usually with a newly Bonded couple, sex can be very healing. It’s not advice I’d give if you were married to a human man,” she added. “ Sex can just confuse things then. But with a Kindred , the intimacy can bring you closer and reinforce the mental link and the Soul -bond between you.”

Nora nibbled her lower lip.

“But what if he doesn’t want to have sex with me?”

“He just Bonded you to him—believe me, he wants you,” Liv said dryly. “ He probably wants you so badly it’s nearly driving him crazy. But something is holding him back. You need to find out what that is and get past it if you want your Kindred husband back.”

“I do want him back,” Nora said fiercely.

Liv smiled.

“Then go get him!”

Which was exactly what Nora intended to do.