"A pity she doesn't want you, then," Far remarked coolly. "Everyone knows dark twins are too miserable and angry to live with alone. Without a light twin-without me to lighten you up-it would be like Becca resigning herself to having bitter berries for first meal every day for the rest of her life."

"I don't need you in my life-to lighten me up or do anything else," Truth growled. "Becca doesn't either. She-"

The door to the suite they were arguing in front of slid open with a soft whoosh.

"She's not going to choose either of you if you continue to stand here in front of my suite and argue at the top of your lungs," Sylvan said, frowning at both twins. "And speaking of twins, my own pair are napping right now. If you wake them you'll have me to answer to."

"Apologies, Commander Sylvan," Truth muttered. "I only wanted to see if Becca was here visiting your spouse."

"And I wanted to talk to you about something else," Far put in. "Something I think may affect the entire Mother Ship."

Sylvan sighed. "I am sorry to disappoint you but Becca isn't available at the moment. And before you ask, Truth, no, I don't know when she will be. Far," he said, turning to the light twin. "I have to be to the Med Station in five minutes but if you care to walk and talk, I'll hear what you have to say."

"That suits me." Far turned to walk with Sylvan and Truth watched them leave with a scowl on his face. Finally, he left too, going in the opposite direction.

Inside the suite, a collective sigh of relief came from three separate girls.

"Oh my G.o.d!" a very pregnant Kat exclaimed, fanning herself. "Seriously, Worst...Twin Kindred...Ever."

"They are pretty bad," Sophie admitted, coming back from checking her twins who had been born a month earlier. Kara and Kaleb were sleeping peacefully in the same crib as always. Though they were fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, they always cried if separated. She and Sylvan found it easiest just to let them stay together.

"It's not their fault." Becca Malone, the girl Truth and Far had been arguing over sighed and put down the baby booties she was knitting. The booties were for Kat's still to be born twins-Becca herself was still untouched. Well, maybe untouched wasn't quite the right word-not after what had happened after she'd eaten a slice of Kat's bonding fruit wedding cake and found herself in dire s.e.xual need. But she still didn't have any worry that she might "board the baby train" as Kat put it, for which she was profoundly glad.

"How is it not their fault?" Kat demanded. "They're awful."

"Not always." Becca pushed a curly lock of reddish brown hair behind her ear. Her father had been pure blooded Irish and her mother was African American which gave her an exotic beauty. She had creamy light brown skin with freckles across the bridge of her nose and bewitching clear green eyes. With such unusual and lovely looks she might have been a model or an actress but she wasn't. To Becca what mattered was inner beauty, which was why she had been about to take her vows as a nun at the Order of the Pierced Hearts convent in Sarasota, Florida.

Before the incident with the bonding fruit cake and Truth and Far, that was.

Now she found herself in a kind of limbo. She didn't feel ready to take her vows-honestly, she didn't know if she would ever feel ready. But she still wasn't sure she could let go of everything she'd worked so hard for and dedicated her life to.

Only one thing was certain-she wasn't about to start living with two men at once. Becca didn't stand in condemnation of anyone else and she thought her new friend Kat's three-way marriage worked remarkably well. But she had been raised in a strict Catholic household and both her parents had been devastated when she announced that she was putting off taking her vows as a nun. Becca wasn't about to devastate them further by entering into a three-way union.

Not that her unwillingness to be with two men at once was a problem with Truth and Far. They were the only Twin Kindred Becca had ever heard of who had absolutely no interest in being together and sharing a woman. In fact, as far as she knew, the only time they had ever cooperated on anything was when the two of them had found her in the Sacred Grove, half out of her mind with bonding fruit l.u.s.t. They had worked together then in ways that made her blush to remember but it seemed to be a one time thing. As far as Becca could tell they hated each other and couldn't stand to be around each other. Which was a problem since both of them seemed to have fallen in love with her.

"They aren't bad when you talk to them separately," she said thoughtfully, adding another little st.i.tch to the miniature sock. "There isn't so much...tension then."

"Oh?" Kat raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen them except when they were together and arguing. What are they like one-on-one?"

Becca frowned, concentrating. "Truth is very intense and very direct-he sees something he wants and he goes right for it. The way he looks at me...it's like he can see me without my clothes."

"He wishes," Sophia murmured with a little smile.

"Probably. He, uh...he told me almost immediately that he wanted to bone me." Becca blushed, her creamy cheeks getting rosy. "Um, wanted to bond with me, I mean."

"No, no-" Kat was laughing. "I think you got it right the first time, doll!"

"And what about Far?" Sophie asked. "What's he like?"

A soft smile formed on Becca's mouth. "He's cooler than Truth-a little more standoffish. But once you get to know him, he's got a lot to say. He's very insightful-and very gentle."

"Sounds like together they would make the perfect man," Sophie remarked.

"They would," Kat said, frowning. "They're supposed to-that's the whole point of Twin Kindred. But to meet a pair that want nothing to do with each other..." She shook her head. "It's just wrong."

"It's because they were separated at birth," Becca said. "They never met each other until that very day when they also, uh, met me." She blushed again.

"Well that was my fault, hon and I'm really sorry," Kat said. "But you really don't need to blush like that. It sounds to me like you didn't do hardly anything worth blushing over."

"She was a nun-or almost a nun," Sophie pointed out. "They're not even supposed to think naughty thoughts, let alone...do anything else."

"You're right, Sophie." Becca laid down her needles. "You know, my Mother Superior says everything happens for a reason. I'm still trying to see what the reason is here, though. At first I thought it might have to do with Far's visions. They seem to get clearer and more accurate when he's with me."

"Like that vision he had of Maggie floating in the pool of blood," Kat said somberly. "I still can't believe she's gone."

"Aren't they still looking for her, though?" Sophie asked anxiously. "Poor Maggie-I was so worried something would happen to her and then it actually did."

"The Kindred search team has looked everywhere but she just disappeared. The couple she was supposed to be with-Ferna and Ratner-said she called from a strange location-some spa on one of Yonnie Six's moons. They were supposed to come pick her up but when they got there she was gone. And now they can't find a trace of her anywhere," Kat said.

"I have my sisters back on Earth praying she's found," Becca said quietly. "I think we just have to hold on and in the meantime, I keep hoping and praying Far will have another vision."

"If these two little guys would ever come out we could do a Seek and Find for her." Kat patted her rounded belly. "Too bad Truth and Far aren't seeker finders like Deep and Lock."

"They might have been-or something like it-if they'd formed a proper bond," Becca said. "They still have gifts though, even separately. Far has his visions-which aren't always clear but still..."

"And Truth?" Sophie asked.

"Just like his name says-he can instantly tell someone's true intentions just by touching them. That makes it hard to tell him to back off," Becca confessed.

"Mmm-hmm, because part of you doesn't want him to. I hear you." Kat nodded.

"Yes." Becca was blushing again. "But I like Far too. He's easier to be around-at least when you get him talking. When he's around Truth he tends to just clam up." She shook her head. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, don't give up," Sophie said. "I know you're confused, Becca, but if there's any chance that Far might have a vision that points us toward Maggie..."

"I know." Becca nodded. "I only met her for a minute when she came to apologize about the mixed up signs on the cakes but she seemed like a really sweet girl. She's the reason I'm still hanging around instead of trying to get on with my life down on Earth."

"I'm sure she would appreciate it if she knew," Kat said gently. "It's good of you not to give up on her, Becca."

Becca looked down at the half finished knitting in her lap. "I have a lot of people who haven't given up on me. How can I do any less for Maggie?"

"I still believe they'll find her," Sophie said, but her voice wobbled. "She has to be somewhere-right?"

"Somewhere, sure," Kat muttered. "But I doubt it's anywhere any of us would want to be. I just hope someone will find her and bring her safely home."

Chapter Twenty.

"Wakey-wakey, my dear. I'm sure you're wondering where you are."

The nasty voice was horribly familiar but Maggie couldn't place it right away. She struggled to open her eyes and see who was talking to her but it felt like someone had tied lead weights to her eyelids-she was so tired.

"Give her some more stimulant," the nasty voice snapped. "I want her awake for this-it's time to show her what her little adventure at my expense has bought her."

Something sharp and cold poked into Maggie's upper arm. She felt a jolt go through her and her eyes popped open. Unfortunately, she still couldn't see anything but a dim room populated by two multicolored blurs-where were her gla.s.ses?

"My gla.s.ses," she croaked. "Where...?"

"You ask the same thing every time." The nasty voice sounded irritated. "For the last time your oculars are gone. Which is a good thing, really-they detracted from your already somewhat limited appeal. How do you expect to fetch a good price at the Flesh Bazaar with those ugly things perched on your little snub nose?"

Maggie was beginning to wake up more and more. "Flesh Bazaar? What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out, very soon." One of the multicolored blurs leaned forward and Nola Pope'nose swam into focus. "Since my good friend Zamir is going to be selling you there tomorrow."

The other blur leaned closer, revealing a lean alien face with green skin and two mouths. Or was one a mouth and one a nose? It was really hard to tell.

Maggie struggled to clear the cobwebs from her brain-she felt like she'd been sleeping for months. "You can't do this to me-I'm with the Kindred! They'll be looking for me."

"Yes, they have come looking, those filthy males." Lady Pope'nose made a face. "They were deflected nicely. I told them I never even met you. Imagine their distress when they realized that you must have wandered off with some strange male into the great city of Opulex where anything can happen."

"But I never..."

"Of course not but your little friends don't know that. They're probably still scouring the city for any trace of your silly little self-if they haven't given it up as a bad cause yet." She leaned closer to Maggie. "And speaking of wandering off with a strange male, if you're wondering where Korexiroth is, he's long gone and he hasn't shown his face around here once since I brought you back to Yonnie Six."

Maggie's heart sank. "Kor didn't...didn't even come looking for me?"

"Not once." Lady Pope'nose scowled. "Why do you think I've kept you around so long, hoping to lure him back in? Unfortunately, it appears he was just using you to get away from me. Males are like that, you know my dear-nothing but untrustworthy canines. That's why they're best kept subjugated and enslaved."

"I..." Maggie didn't know what to say. Her strength was returning now and her head felt clearer. She tried to sit up but something prevented her-her arms and legs were chained down to the table she was lying on. "Let me up!" she demanded.

Nola Pope'nose gave a very unpleasant laugh. "I don't think so, my dear. Not until your b.u.t.ton is activated."

"My what?"

"Your b.u.t.ton. The implant I've been growing in you for the past six solar months."

"Six months?" Maggie shook her head. "I've been out for six months?"

Lady Pope'nose shrugged. "In and out of stasis. That's how long it takes for the creature to grow to maturity inside a living host."

Maggie began to feel sick. Being a sci-fi freak she'd seen the old Aliens movies more times than she could count. Had Nola Pope'nose put a facehugger on her and implanted her with some kind of extraterrestrial larva while she was out cold and helpless?

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "What creature? What host?"

"Unchain her arms but not her legs," Lady Pope'nose said to the strange alien with two mouths.

"To hear is to obey," the bottom mouth said. There was a snick and suddenly Maggie's hands were free.

She sat up on the table and felt a strange pulling in her midsection.

"That's right, my dear-look down at your new best friend." Lady Pope'nose had a nasty grin on her thin face. "Denari Eroticus-a very fine specimen indeed, and its hardware is top of the line."

Dreading what she would see, Maggie reached down with a trembling hand and lifted the ragged, dirty remains of the red velvet gown which she was still wearing.

There, lodged firmly in her belly b.u.t.ton, was a small dark object that looked like a ruby.

"What's this?" Maggie stared at it, uncomprehending. "I thought you put some kind of freaky mutated organism in me and all you did was pierce my belly b.u.t.ton."

"Oh, it's more than a piercing, my dear. Much more." Nola Pope'nose looked at the green two-mouthed alien. "Go on-activate it."

A long thin green hand with three fingers and two thumbs on it came into Maggie's limited vision. It was holding something that looked like a white plastic wand. Before she could twitch away, the tip of the wand pressed firmly against the ruby embedded in her belly b.u.t.ton.

A shock of pure energy ran through her. Maggie gasped and went rigid as every nerve in her body lit up like she was being electrocuted.

"Ahh!" she cried but even before the sound had pa.s.sed her lips, the sensation was over. The shock ended as abruptly as it had started.

"Perfect." Nola Pope'nose was smirking with delight. "It's activated-look at it glow!"

Looking down, Maggie saw that the little ruby had lit up and was blinking slowly with a bright red light.

"What...what is this thing?" she demanded, looking up at Lady Pope'nose. "Some kind of pain collar implant or something?"

"Oh, no-quite the opposite, my dear." Lady Pope'nose grinned evilly. "I think you'll find it quite a bit more inconvenient than a pain collar."

Maggie looked back down at the blinking jewel in her belly b.u.t.ton. "But...what does it do?"

"Should I tell you?" Lady Pope'nose put a finger to her boney chin, pretending to deliberate. "No, I don't think I will. I like the idea of you finding out the hard way. Let's just say it will make you a more willing slave for your new master-whoever he may be."

"You were serious about that? About...sending me somewhere to be...to be sold?"

"Most serious, I a.s.sure you." Nola Pope'nose gave her one final evil smile. "I hope you enjoy being a slave." She turned to the green two-mouthed alien. "Oh, and Zamir-be sure you sell her to the absolute worst male you can find. The crueler and more heartless, the better. I want little Miss Slave-s.n.a.t.c.her here to live out the rest of her very short life in abject misery."

"But-" Maggie began.

"Goodbye, my dear. I would say good luck but I'm afraid your luck has deserted you. A week from now you'll be G.o.ddess knows where servicing some male you've never seen before. Won't that be nice?" She laughed. "Of course it won't-that's the whole point. Zamir, put her under."

Something hard and sharp jabbed her upper arm again and the world faded to black.

She woke up in a cold, unfamiliar place on a hard surface. At first she couldn't remember where she was or what was happening. Then she felt a pulling in her naval. Looking down she saw a bright, blinking red light, right in the center of her midsection. Suddenly everything came rushing back-Lady Pope'nose, the strange implant-whatever it was-the fact that she was apparently going to be sold as a slave.

Maggie shook her head. This can't be real. It must be a bad dream and I'll wake up any moment now. But the hard, cold surface she was chained to in the dark room screamed otherwise. There was nothing dreamlike about where she found herself-unless she was having a nightmare. She pinched herself, hoping the pain would snap her out of the dreadful dream but nothing changed. Slowly, she began to accept the fact that the situation she found herself in was real...horribly, horribly real.