"No." Kor crossed his arms over his chest. "We want no part of you-or the Kindred," he spat.

Salix frowned. "You appear to have some Kindred blood yourself, friend-as do I. You have a problem with them?"

"My problem is none of your concern," Kor growled. "Maggie is with me now-that's all you need to know. So go back to the High Council and tell them she's safe and she's staying here."

"Kor, no-wait!" Maggie got off the bed awkwardly, keeping the red bedspread bunched to her chest. She nearly tripped over it in her haste to get to the doorway and would have fallen if Kor hadn't reached out a hand and caught her just in time.

"Stay back, Maggie," he said, frowning. "You don't want any part of this b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Yes, I do-at least, I want to hear what he has to say," Maggie protested. "They're my family, Kor. Do you have any idea how scared and worried my mom must be?"

He frowned, his face as dark as a thundercloud.

"Really? It's you're mother you're worried about? Not Donald?"

"Of course I'm worried about my mother!" Maggie snapped. "And my father and sisters and brother. We have a very close knit family, Kor. If you could just meet them you'd understand."

"As it happens, that is a wish I can grant." Salix reached into the large side pocket of his coat and pulled out something that looked to Maggie like a rolled up Venetian blind except it was only about a foot long. He shook it out with a flourish and the slats that made it up clicked together, forming a small one by two foot screen.

"What's that?" she asked, frowning.

"A long-distance portable viewscreen. The latest in Kindred tech." Salix grinned and then looked pointedly at Kor. "Might I suggest that you put on some trousers, friend? Maggie's family is waiting eagerly to speak to her and seeing a large naked male hovering in the background might not put them at ease."

"My family?" Maggie suddenly felt a little sick. "You mean all of my family?"

"What she means is are you also going to display her precious fiance," Kor growled, reaching for his black leather trousers.

"I don't know if dear Donald is going to be in attendance or not," Salix said blandly. "But in case he is, I'd take a moment to adjust your bed linens, my dear. They appear to be slipping." He nodded at Maggie's front and she was horrified to see that the bedspread had sagged, revealing one of her nipples.

"Oh my G.o.d-hang on-wait a minute!" She turned around and quickly rearranged the bedspread, wrapping it more securely around herself to resemble a kind of toga. "All right," she said at last, turning back. "I...I think I'm ready."

Salix c.o.c.ked one black pointed eyebrow at her. "Are you? Very well."

He activated some control on the side of the small viewscreen and suddenly Maggie was face to face with her entire family-her mom, dad, both sisters and even her protective older brother, Michael were all staring at her.

"Oh Maggie!" her mother cried at once. "Oh, honey-is that really you? Are you really all right?" Her eyes were wet with tears, her careful make-up obviously smudged from crying.

"Yes, Mom-it's me and I'm fine." Maggie felt tears gathering in her own eyes. She might have her differences with her sisters from time to time but she had always been close with her mom. "I've missed you so much," she said to the viewscreen.

"I missed you too! Oh, honey-where have you been? And what happened to your gla.s.ses?"

"Forget the gla.s.ses-who's that gorgeous hunk of a man standing behind you?" interjected her little sister Tammy, who was standing beside their mom.

"Yeah, who is he?" Michael was glowering at Kor, who Maggie was afraid was probably glowering right back. "Is he the guy who kidnapped you?"

"No, no he's not," Maggie said quickly. "This is Kor-he saved me, actually. Without him I'd be a slave on some distant planet right now."

"A slave!" Her mother put a hand to her chest. "Oh my goodness! Then we owe you a big debt of grat.i.tude, Mr. Kor," she said, speaking to Kor over Maggie's shoulder. "Thank you so much for rescuing our little girl and bringing her back to us."

"You're welcome but I haven't brought her anywhere," Kor growled. "Actually, I was planning on keeping her for myself."

It was the exact wrong thing to say.

"What? What is he talking about?" Maggie's father demanded.

"Listen, you punk," Michael shouted. "You lay a hand on my little sister and-"

"No, no," Maggie exclaimed quickly. "He's kidding, you guys! Take it easy!" She threw a glance over her shoulder at Kor. "What are you doing? Why would you say a thing like that?"

He glowered at her. "Just telling the truth, sweetheart. I think that's important-don't you?"

Maggie bit her lip. "I-"

"So, shacking up with a hot new guy, huh?" Tammy's voice interrupted her. "I wonder how Donald is going to feel about that...if he ever wakes up."

"Hush!" Tricia, her older sister, elbowed Tammy in the ribs. "We agreed we weren't going to say anything about that!"

Maggie felt like an icy fist had squeezed her heart.

"Say anything about what? What are you talking about? What happened to Donald?"

"Now, honey, he's all right," her mother said quickly. "At least we think he is. This all just happened a little while ago-we were on our way to the HKR building to talk to you when we got the call. It was all so quick, we didn't know what to think. We went to the hospital to visit him-"

"The hospital?" Maggie was horrified. "What hospital?"

"Tampa General and he's getting the very best care there, princess," her father said rea.s.suringly. "So please don't worry."

"But what happened to him?" Maggie demanded. "What? Somebody, please tell me," she appealed to her family.

"Now, Maggie..." None of them seemed to want to talk-except Tammy who was clearly bursting to tell.

"Spill it, Tammy," Maggie ordered her little sister. "Come on, tell me!"

"Donald got flattened by a bus," Tammy said at once.

"Oh come on now," Michael protested, frowning. "He wasn't exactly flattened."

"He had his leg broken in two places and a fractured skull." Tammy snapped the piece of gum she was chewing annoyingly. "I call that flattened."

"He...how did it happen?" Maggie demanded. "Was he just not looking where he was going?" It wasn't an impossible scenario. Donald was the original absent minded professor and since he didn't drive, he regularly rode the bus everywhere when she wasn't there to be his personal taxi.

"Dunno." Tammy shrugged and snapped her gum again. "It was weird-one of the guys who came into the ER with him saw it. He said Donald's eyes got all gla.s.sy and for a minute he could swear they turned red. Then he just stepped right out in front of the bus. We're still waiting for him to wake up." She brightened. "I got a picture, though-you wanna see?"

Maggie felt sick to her stomach but she nodded anyway. "Yes, show me."

"Tammy," her mother protested. "I don't think you ought to-"

But Maggie's sister was already whipping out her large screen cell and scrolling through the pictures. "Nope, that's a selfie of me and Candie...Oh, here it is," she said, flipping it around and pushing it close to the viewscreen. "See?"

"Oh...Oh my G.o.d..." Maggie put a hand to her head, unable to believe what she was seeing. There was Donald, lying in a hospital bed, his narrow face pale and slack. There were tubes and wires poking out of him and... "Blood," Maggie whispered, horrified. "There's so much blood."

"Yeah, well, he had a compound fracture," Tammy said. "If you look, you can see the bone poking out. See?"

"Oh!" Maggie reeled and almost fell. She was actually faint and nauseous with guilt. This is all your fault, whispered the mean little voice in her head. You did this to him. You cheated and somehow he knew. He knew and it upset him so much he stepped in front of a bus!

Maggie knew it wasn't rational but the idea took root in her mind and wouldn't leave her alone.

You should be home right now, the snarky little voice continued. You would be if you hadn't taken up with Kor. If you hadn't decided to do your own thing you would have been to Gaia and back again already. Then you could have driven Donald wherever it was he was going and this never, never would have happened! It's all your fault!

"Maggie? Maggie, please, honey-talk to us," her mother pleaded.

"Put that d.a.m.n thing away, Tammy," Michael growled. "You're not helping anyone showing his G.o.dd.a.m.ned bone sticking out of his leg."

"That picture Tammy showed you was the before shot," her sister Tricia put in quickly. "Donald looked a lot better once they cleaned him up and set his leg."

Somebody's cell phone went off and Maggie's father turned away for a moment. "h.e.l.lo?" Maggie heard him say. "Yes? He is? Wonderful! Look, can I call you right back? Thank you so much!"

He turned back to Maggie with a relieved expression on his face.

"Guess what, princess? That was the nurse at the ER. She said Donald is awake and asking for you-isn't that great?"

"Great...right..." Maggie whispered, putting a hand to her head. "Oh my G.o.d, what am I going to do?"

"If you're talking about picking between Donald and Mr. Tall Dark and Angry over there, I'd say go with plan B," Tammy advised. "Looks like you'd be trading up, Sis."

"Tammy, how can you joke at a time like this?" her mother snapped. "Maggie isn't going to leave Donald-especially not while he's sick and injured. She loves him."

Maggie felt a sick, stabbing pain in her gut-it was as though someone had slipped a knife made of pure guilt right into her stomach and was twisting it viciously.

"You guys..." she began. "I don't know how to tell you this but-"

"Then don't," Kor's deep voice came from behind her.

Maggie looked back at him. "What?"

"You heard me. Don't say anything. You don't have to." He was already moving away from her, gathering his things.

"What are you talking about?" Maggie asked. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving. It's clear I'm not wanted-here or with your family."

"Kor, that's not true! Please stay," Maggie begged.

"Why? To hear more about how much your family loves your fiance? To hear how much you love him? No." Kor was pulling on his shirt as he spoke.

"Kor, wait! Just give me a chance to think about this," Maggie pleaded. "I mean, this is all so sudden and we never said..."

"Never said what? That we'd be together forever? That we loved each other?" he growled. "Tell me, something Maggie-can you deny you're going back to him?"

Maggie felt miserable. "I...I have to," she whispered. "Please, Kor, try to understand-he just got hit by a bus."

"I don't know what a bus is and I don't care. He's not the one you love, Maggie. Or is he?"

"I...I don't know." Maggie twisted the tiny engagement ring around her finger in agitation. "I can't...this is all so..."

"That's all I need to hear." Kor's eyes were glowing red. "If you don't know, if you aren't sure how you feel about me, then it's clear you don't feel the way I do. So I'm leaving."

"Kor, no! Don't!" Maggie reached for him but he shook off her hand.

"Don't worry, sweetheart-you'll be safe with Salix. He may be a son of a b.i.t.c.h but he always gets the job done when there's a payday involved," he snarled. "You'll get back to your family and your precious fiance in one piece."

Salix, who was still holding out the portable viewscreen showing Maggie's family, nodded gravely. "Indeed. I have a ship standing by right now and the Kindred Mother Ship is all set to fold s.p.a.ce for us. You can be home before last meal time, my dear."

"Hear that?" Kor gave a sharp, angry laugh. "You can be home in time for dinner."

"But..." Maggie shook her head. This was all moving so fast. Just a few minutes ago she'd been intertwined with Kor, having the most moving s.e.xual experience of her life and declaring her love for him. Now he was walking out the door and she was going home to see her family and Donald. It was as though she'd been on some wild fantasy ride that the theme parks in Florida were famous for and now the ride was over and the operator was telling everyone it was time to get off. How had her life changed so quickly? And what was she going to do?

"Goodbye, Maggie." Kor nodded at her shortly, just as he had when he was leaving her at the spa. His eyes were unhappy and glowing a bright, dangerous red. "Have a nice life. I hope you enjoy it." He looked at Salix. "Get her safely home or I swear to all the G.o.ds I'll find you and rip your f.u.c.king skin from your bones."

"Not to worry," Salix said smoothly. "Miss Jordan will be safe in the arms of her family and beloved before you put your head on the pillow tonight."

"But..." Maggie's mouth felt numb and her lips wouldn't work except to say that one stupid word. "But...but..."

"Goodbye," Kor said again and then he was stepping out the door and leaving her behind. Walking out of her life a second time and this time, Maggie was certain she'd never see him again. Ever.

"Oh my G.o.d," said Tammy from the viewscreen. "Did you just get dumped? Over Donald? Are you crazy, Maggie?"

"I...I..." Maggie buried her face in her hands and felt the hot tears sting her eyelids. "Oh, G.o.d..." she whispered thickly. "What am I going to do?"

"Just come home, honey," her mother said. "Just come on home."

Maggie supposed she would-what else could she do?

Chapter Thirty-two.

"I told you she never loved you," whispered the dark voice in his head as Kor strode away down the narrow underground corridors. "She was just using you to get the implant out-she planned to go back to her fiance as soon as it was accomplished. As soon as she didn't need you anymore."

Kor knew some of the thoughts the dark voice was feeding him were unfair and deep down he also knew he'd been hasty. Maybe he should have given Maggie more time to think, to consider her options...

If she had to think about it, she didn't really love you in the first place, the voice whispered. You need to forget her, Therron. Forget her and embrace your roots-finish your quest to find your origins and your true people, not those lying Kindred. Come to the Black Planet and all shall be revealed.

Yes. The Black Planet. The thought solidified in his mind like an anchor, something he could grab on to keep from drowning in loss and grief. He would go to the Black Planet and see what the dark voice was talking about. He would banish all thoughts of Maggie and purge his heart of love for her.