Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Broken Ones,” Dark growled, frowning.
“Excuse me?” Lili asked, lifting her eyebrows.
“That’s what the Kindred call a male who derives pleasure from hurting females,” Light explained. “There’s something wrong inside them—something broken. Most often they are put to death. A male who likes hurting females is too twisted to live.”
“Wow…I see why you, er, wanted to kill that guy, then,” Lili said.
“Do you wish we had?” Dark asked, his eyebrows drawing low over his dark eyes, which were glinting a dangerous red. “Because I’ll go back and find him for you and rip his fucking head off if you want me to, Lili.”
“No, no—you punished him enough, I think,” Lili said hastily. “I don’t think he’ll be going after anyone else for a while—not with two dislocated shoulders and no equipment to hurt anyone with.”
“Well…let me know if you want vengeance,” Dark told her. “Just say the word—I’ll gut him like a fucking piscine.”
“I’ll let you know,” Lili promised faintly. It was hard to square the two different sides of the Dark Twin’s personality. The ruthless killer who had castrated her attacker and the gentle giant who had given her the best foot massage of her life to stop her eyes from “leaking” seemed almost like two different people.
But there was no time to think about it now. The proximity alert dinged again—this time with more urgency.
“Come on—we’re almost there.” Light rose and helped Lili to her feet. “We need to strap in for docking,” he told her.
“Yes, we fucking do,” Dark rumbled. “Let’s go—this ship isn’t going to land itself.”
Lili decided she would worry about it later—if she needed to worry at all. For now she followed the two of them to the cockpit to prepare for her first view of the Mother Ship.
9
LILI
“Oh my God, Lili—are you all right? When Brock got that Think-me call and say you were hurt, I was worried half out of my mind!”
Lili’s best friend, Rachel, rushed into her exam room at the Med Center and threw her arms around Lili’s neck. Her long dark hair got in Lili’s face—it smelled like exotic flowers.
“I’m fine, really.” Lili hugged her back carefully, using her good arm.
Her broken wrist was encased in some kind of quick-healing device which looked kind of like an oversized waffle iron. Its two halves were closed over Lili’s arm and it was emitting a brilliant violet light. All she could feel was heat and pressure but Dr. Olivia—the woman who had been treating her—assured her that the healing waves would penetrate right to the bone and knit it back together.
“You’re not fine!” Rachel exclaimed, pulling back to look at her. Her blue eyes were snapping with indignant concern. “Just look at you! And Brock said you were attacked!”
“I was,” Lili admitted. “But I was rescued—by two really sweet Dark Kindred.”
“Excuse me? Sweet Dark Kindred?” Rachel raised her eyebrows skeptically. “Honey, there’s no such thing! I like almost all the different types of Kindred up here, but those are some scary M-Fers, if you know what I mean.”
Lili smiled.
“They definitely can be scary. One of them dislocated my attacker’s arms and the other one, well…he, uh…” She cleared her throat.
“Go on—spit it out!” Rachel exclaimed.
“Well, he used this laser beam he has that shoots out of this scope he wears over one eye and he, uh, burned the guy’s junk off,” Lili admitted.
Rachel’s eyes widened.
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “But honey, the attacker, did he…?”
“No—he was trying to, though,” Lili said grimly. “Thank goodness Dark and Light burst in when they did.”
“Those are their names? Dark and Light?” Rachel asked.
Lili nodded.
“Treads Lightly and Fights Darkness—but they go by Dark and Light for short.”
“Well thank goodness they were there!” Rachel looked relieved. Then she smiled at Lili. “Didn’t I tell you that you needed to come up here and get yourself a Kindred? But noooo, you were so sure after Mitch that there were no good guys left in the whole world. You were so set on staying single for life…”
Lili laughed.
“Take it easy, Rach! I just met them a few hours ago. It’s not like we’re in a relationship or anything.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do about that.” Rachel closed her eyes and a look of intense concentration came over her face.
“What are you doing?” Lili asked, frowning.
Rachel cracked one eye open.
“Trying to get my sweetie to spill the tea on your two new guys. Now be quiet—I need to concentrate.”
She closed both eyes again and seemed to be involved in an intense mental conversation.
Lili realized her best friend was talking to her husband. She’d forgotten that the Kindred formed a mental connection with their wives when they bonded. By the look on Rachel’s pretty face, she was getting some serious gossip on Light and Dark.
“Okay, thank you, baby,” she said aloud at last. “Un-huh—I’ll warn her. Love you too. Bye.” Then she opened her eyes.