Page 15 of Offering Herself to Darkness

“But that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Dr. Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows. “After all, didn’t you tell me you just got married today? Surely you and your new husband can perform this, uh, ‘sacrifice,’ right?”

Nora shook her head.

“You don’t understand,” she said bleakly. “My new husband is actually my boss from the HKR building I work at on the weekends down on Earth. He agreed to marry me so that I could come up here and get Anna seen by a Kindred doctor.” She knew she was admitting to fraud but she didn’t care anymore.

“Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t have agreed to marry you if he didn’t care for you,” Commander Sylvan protested.

Nora shook her head again.

“He’s a Dark Kindred—they don’t have emotions.”

“Oh, dear…” Dr. Olivia’s shoulders slumped. “Well, do you have anyone else in your life? Any other man who could, you know, help out?”

“My fiancé left me when I adopted Anna,” Nora explained dully. “He said he wasn’t about to raise somebody else’s kid and besides, we’d promised we would be child-free so he wasn’t hanging around as long as I had her.”

“What a worthless male!” Commander Sylvan said, frowning. “I’m so sorry—I shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up.”

“It’s all right.” Nora sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to push back the tears that were threatening. “It was kind of you to try.”

“We won’t give up!” Dr. Olivia promised, squeezing her arm. “I’m going to be researching Pulmonary Crystalosis non-stop—we’ll find a way to help your daughter, I promise we will.”

“Thank you.” Nora tried to smile at her gratefully but her mouth didn’t want to work that way. “But Anna doesn’t have very long to live, I’m afraid. Unless you can find a cure immediately…” She trailed off, unable to continue. “I’m sorry,” she said at last. “I should go.”

“I’ll see you back to the front of the Med Center,” Commander Sylvan offered.

Nora shook her head.

“It’s all right—I know the way. Let me just get Anna and we’ll head out. Thank you again for trying.”

She nodded at them both and rose from her chair. Her heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. Her last hope to save Anna was gone but she still had to go through with everything she’d promised in the contract.

She had no idea how she was going to get through her honeymoon night.

8

XAREX

Something was wrong with Nora. Her scent was muted and she’d been almost silent all the way back to the guest suite where Anna and her mother were staying. Xarex had watched anxiously as she hugged the little girl tightly before turning her over to her grandmother. Then she’d looked up at him and said in a flat voice,

“All right, I’m ready. Let’s go back to your place.”

Xarex had done everything he could to get his suite ready for his new bride. There were fresh flowers in a crystal vase waiting for Nora as well as a large box of expensive confections called “chocolate truffles.” He had bought them at one of the shops aboard the Mother Ship which catered to the desires of human brides who moved there to be with their Kindred husbands. On the advice of the clerk, he had also purchased an expensive bottle of the bubbly alcohol called “champagne” and some fresh strawberries to go with it.

In the bedroom, he had all kinds of materials ready, from the silk ropes he’d bought earlier to a blindfold and some sensory play items like feathers and a riding crop topped with ultra-soft fur instead of leather. He didn’t want to hurt his new bride—he just wanted to tie her down and give her pleasure.

But now none of the things he had purchased in anticipation of their first night together seemed appropriate now. He didn’t know much about emotions, but he could tell that Nora was having them—and it seemed to him that all her emotions must be negative. She was quiet and her eyes looked shiny, as though she might be on the verge of tears.

Xarex could only think of two reasons she might be upset—either she had gotten bad news at the medical consultation or she was dreading their first sexual experience together. Either way, he wanted to know what was wrong with her and how he could help.

In fact, seeing her upset seemed to be bringing out a new emotion in him as well. He felt a tightness in his chest as he looked down at his new bride’s pale face. But what could he do? How could he get her to talk to him?

He let her into the suite where the fresh flowers and chocolates were sitting on the table beside the large couch. Nora barely seemed to see them. Instead, she looked around with dull eyes and asked,

“Where’s the bedroom?”

“It’s through there.” Xarex gestured to the hallway that led to the sleeping chamber. “But would you like some chocolate first? Or maybe some champagne? The clerk at the Earth goods store assured me that most human women enjoy those things so I got you both.”

A wan, tired smile touched the corners of her mouth.

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