“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 fiancé? 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 bitch 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 fiancé 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 space 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 sexual 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 Gods I’ll find you and rip your fucking 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 God,” 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, God…” 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 fiancé 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.
Yes, hissed the voice. Yes, come, my son. Come, Therron. Come see for yourself that hatred cures love. And in the absence of love, there is no pain. No pain…no pain…
Kor’s eyes glowed hot and red and he followed the voice, followed where it led to leave the pain of losing Maggie behind forever.
* * * * *
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Maggie said dully. “I can’t believe I’m going home.”
“You’re not just going, my dear—you’re there. Look—the Kindred Mother Ship.” Salix pointed out the familiar shape of the vast white ship orbiting Earth’s moon.
They had just come through the fold in space—a red gash that Maggie knew was a carefully controlled tear in the space-time continuum which allowed the Kindred ships to travel anywhere in the known Universe in no time at all. She and Kor had traveled using worm holes that were known to be stable but that wasn’t necessary for the Kindred.
“Home,” she whispered, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Now, now—no crying in my ship,” Salix said, frowning. “You should be happy. Just look at you, all decently dressed in a nice outfit that doesn’t show off your naughty bits.”
“Yes…” Maggie looked down at herself. After all the bizarrely tight and sexy outfits she’d been forced to wear the past six months, she was officially back to normal. The bounty hunter had thoughtfully synthesized her a pair of jeans and a baggy gray t-shirt along with a pair of tennis shoes and some white socks. A plain white bra and some granny panties were part of the deal, too.
Maggie couldn’t imagine anything less sexy or provocative. Anything more blah and boring and normal. The outfit was the kind of thing she’d always worn but now it felt wrong, somehow, even though the clothes fit her perfectly. Jeans and t-shirts and tennis shoes belonged to the life she’d left behind—the life she used to have before she met Kor.
I’m not that person anymore, she thought, twisting her fingers in her lap. I’m different now…changed.
“And you’re about to see your loving family again,” Salix continued cheerfully, unaware of her inner monologue. “Not to mention your fiancé.”
“My…my fiancé,” Maggie said and another tear rolled down her cheek.
“Well, maybe I shouldn’t mention him, then,” Salix said doubtfully. “My apologies, lovely lady. Did you truly care for the big felon I found you with?”
“Care for him? Yes…yes, I cared.” Maggie swiped at her eyes. “But I couldn’t just go off with him, could I? Not when Donald just got hurt and he needs me.”
“That would be for you to determine,” Salix said neutrally. He sighed. “For now, we’re almost there. I suggest you try to pull yourself together.”
Maggie sniffed and sat up straighter. There was no point in being upset. No point in letting herself dwell in the past. No matter how exciting her time with Kor had been it was over now—he was gone and she was sure he wasn’t coming back.
Chapter Thirty-three
“Margaret, could you pass me the bedpan? All these fluids they have me on are running right through me.”
Maggie tried to repress her irritation at Donald’s whining, nasal tone. He was, as she knew from nursing him through hay fever and numerous colds, not the most pleasant person t
o be around when he was sick. Still, he was her fiancé and she was going to stick with him no matter what—if he still wanted her after hearing what she had to say…if she ever had the nerve to say it.
It had been three weeks. Three long, grueling weeks since she’d returned to the Mother Ship and then back home to Earth. Her family had welcomed her with open arms and had taken her directly to see Donald who was still in Tampa General at the time. He had a long recovery ahead of him but he was getting better, slowly but surely.
The first two weeks hadn’t been so bad, Maggie thought. Donald had been in the hospital and knocked out on pain meds most of the time. But the third week they finally sent him home…back to his apartment which he kept immaculately neat and extremely organized. Or he had until he’d broken his leg. Now it was up to Maggie to see that everything went where it was supposed to be.
They had never gotten around to moving in together but she was staying with him for now and sleeping on the couch because Donald claimed she wiggled too much in bed and jostled his hurt leg.
Maggie told herself she was nursing him back to health… although really it felt more like she was waiting on him hand and foot.
“Here you go, Donald,” she murmured, passing the small plastic basin. “Do you need help?”
“No, I do not,” he snapped irritably. “Just because I have an external fixation device bolted to my femur does not mean I cannot relieve myself without assistance.”
“Sorry.” Maggie sighed and turned her head away as he took care of business. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I just thought—”
“Here—take care of this.” He was already passing the half-full basin back to her. It sloshed as Maggie took it, making her want to gag. Still, she took it dutifully and went into the bathroom to empty it and wash it out.
It’s no more than I deserve after what I did, she thought as she washed her hands afterwards with the hottest water she could stand. After the way I cheated…and the way I still haven’t told.
At first she’d put off telling Donald because he was out of his mind on pain meds. Plus, she told herself that admitting her infidelity when he had just been hit by a bus would be cruel—kicking him when he was already down.
Now, however, she had to admit she was just keeping quiet out of pure cowardice. After all, she’d already lost Kor. What if she told Donald and he hated her? What if he ordered her out of his life and out of his apartment and said he never wanted to see her again? What would she have left if that happened?
Well, you’d have your self respect for one thing, pointed out the snarky little voice in her head. And a lot more free time you didn’t have to spend dumping bedpans.
“Margaret?” Donald called from the other room, setting her teeth on edge. “While you’re in there, would you please be certain the mouthwash bottle is back in its proper place at a forty-five degree angle to the toothpaste? I know you moved it last night. I’ve asked you again and again to put things back where you find them as long as you’re staying here.”
Maggie took a deep breath. “Sorry, Donald,” she muttered, turning the green Listerine bottle a fraction of an inch to the left. During her adventures in space, she’d somehow forgotten what a perfectionist her fiancé was. Really, his need to have everything in the exact location he wanted it bordered on OCD—it was driving her crazy.
“And another thing,” he said as she returned to the bedroom with its blue pinstriped bedspread and matching curtains which also matched the pajamas he was wearing. “I noticed when we were eating supper last night that you de-alphabetized my canned goods. Creamed corn does not go before cream of celery soup as you very well know. Please fix it.”
“You mean you noticed while you were eating the meal I fixed you? The meal that met your exact specifications down to the one-fourth teaspoon of salt and the napkin folded into a perfect isosceles triangle?” Maggie demanded, exasperated.
“Yes, exactly.” Donald nodded without a trace of irony. It irritated Maggie to no end that he either didn’t get her sarcasm or chose to ignore it.
She thought with longing of the meals she and Kor had shared on the little space ship he’d stolen from Lady Pope’nose. They had cooked together, using exotic alien ingredients in the tiny kitchen—laughing and stopping often to touch and kiss. Then, when the meal was done, they had sprawled on the couch and watched a vid or simply talked as they ate. It was lovely and so relaxed.
Maggie hadn’t realized how much she enjoyed that informality until she came back to her fiancé and his precise rules for dining. All meals had to be made exactly to specification and served on a proper china plate at a perfectly set table. There must be only minimal conversation and no other outside distractions during mealtime because it interfered with digestion, according to Donald. Afterwards, dishes had to be done immediately—by hand—and put back in their proper order. It was a joyless routine, one she could never get exactly right—or not right enough to please Donald, anyway.
“What do you feel like for dinner tonight?” Maggie asked, trying to keep her voice even and the conversation light. “Maybe we could try something new.”
Donald looked at her as though she was crazy. “It’s Tuesday. We’re having pasta primavera with exactly three meatballs each.”
“Oh, right.” Maggie sighed. “I just thought maybe it would be fun to switch things around some. Maybe order a pizza?”
“Pizza is Friday night.” Donald frowned. “You know that.”
“Friday. Right. Sorry, how stupid of me.”
“You’re not unintelligent, Margaret, just lacking in attention to detail,” Donald said seriously. “Speaking of which, when you make the meatballs please be sure each one is exactly an ounce and a quarter. Last time you made them they were all over the place—one and a half…one and three quarters…one was even two ounces! I measured it on the food scale.”
Suddenly Maggie felt like her head was going to explode. She opened her mouth, not certain what was going to come out.
“Donald,” she heard herself say. “I slept with someone else while I was gone. I…I cheated on you.”
“What?” He stared at her blankly and Maggie clapped a hand over her mouth.
Oh my God, I can’t believe I just spit it out like that! What a horrible way to tell him! Why did I do it?
But for whatever reason, it was out now. Her dirty secret. The thing she’d been trying to hide. Maggie lifted her chin. Now it was time to face the consequences of what she had done, to be responsible for her actions. She would have to tell Donald everything and let the chips fall where they may.
“It’s true,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to tell you like that. I just…I couldn’t keep it inside anymore.”
Donald frowned and a furrow appeared between his bushy eyebrows—Maggie knew that meant he was thinking deeply.
“So you had coitus with another man,” he said at last, slowly. “Was it purely biological or were your emotions involved?”
Maggie knew she couldn’t lie anymore.
“My feelings were involved, I’m afraid,” she said. “Very involved. I’m…I’m so sorry, Donald.”
“No, no—let’s consider this.” He frowned again. “I suppose since you’ve been unfaithful to me, this should be the end of our relationship.”
Maggie gulped down a little sob. “I…I suppose so,” she whispered.
“Well, then…” Donald took a deep breath, his skinny chest expanding, and then let it out slowly. “Well, then,” he said again. “At the risk of sounding unkind I must say… what a relief.”
“A what?” Maggie looked at him disbelievingly. “What did you say?”
“I said it’s a relief.” Donald frowned. “Look, Margaret, I haven’t wanted to say this but this past week as we have been thrown into closer proximity than ever before, it occurred to me that you really…”
“Really what?” Maggie demanded.
“Oh, what’s the colloquialism? Ah, yes—you really ge
t on my nerves.”
“What?” Maggie stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. “I get on your nerves?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Donald said calmly. “Ever since you came back from your trip through space, you’ve been distracted and moody—not your usual self at all. Worse, you’re simply unable to conform to our usual protocol—you interrupt my entire routine.”
“Oh my God…” Maggie ran a hand through her hair. “Did it ever occur to you that I’ve been distracted and moody because of what I’ve been through? I was sold as a slave, Donald! Captured and implanted with an alien device and sold to the highest fucking bidder! I think I have a right to be a little ‘distracted and moody!’ Don’t you?”
Donald frowned disapprovingly. “I really don’t care for either your tone or your language, Margaret. You never used to swear.”
“I never used to be a sex slave either, Donald. I’ve changed.”
“Yes, I noticed that. Unfortunately not for the better.”
“No, because I’m miserable now!” Maggie exploded. “Here I’ve been waiting on you hand and foot, feeling so guilty for what I did but you’re more upset that I de-alphabetized your creamed corn than the fact that I slept with another man! Who, I might add, was amazing.”
Donald frowned. “You know sexual intercourse has never been my priority, Margaret, so if you’re trying to injure my feelings by comparing me to some alpha-male Neanderthal—”
“Kor wasn’t just some Neanderthal!” Maggie clenched her hands into fists. “He was warm and funny and kind and protective and absolutely incredible in bed. He was everything you’re not.”
Donald shrugged his boney shoulders.
“Well, Margaret, if you expect me to change to conform to your new ideals, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you wish to make an effort to return to normal yourself, I may consider taking you back as a romantic partner.”
“Oh, you’ll consider taking me back? How big of you.” Maggie began to pace. “No, Donald, I’m afraid I can’t go back to the way I was before. And you know what? I don’t want to.”
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