“Trin?”He glanced at her quickly, while keeping most of his attention on the circle ofinterested thugs.

“Sorry,”she whispered. “Just…can’t…”

Witha low curse, he bent down and swung her into his arms as easily as if he waspicking up a doll. “Hold on to me,” he muttered. “Or try, at least—we’re goingto have to fight our way out.”

Thelast memory Trin had was of resting her head against his muscular, bare chestas a hoard of hungry eyes closed in on them.

Then…nothing.

Chapter Nine

“Stav?Stavros?” Charlie snapped her fingers in front of her lover’s face worriedly.

Stavroswas sitting on the side of the bed, wearing nothing but his black satin sleeppants and a blank expression. His hands lay open on his thighs, palms up. Otherthan the rise and fall of his broad chest and some slight twitching of hisfingertips, he was completely still.

Completelygone.

Charliestared at him with growing concern. This wasn’t the first time he’d drifted offinto a weird, blank-eyed trance—the brief fugues had been happening for weeksnow, ever since they’d returned to the Mother Ship from destroying theCollective on the Dark Kindred home world. It was almost like a petite-malseizure, the way he just blanked out suddenly and for no apparent reason butthe Kindred didn’t get epilepsy.

Thetrances scared Charlie, mostly because Stav had been a Sin Eater most of hislife—what the Blood Kindred called a Cursed One. He’d had a parasite which grewon his back and forced him to feel the physical pain of others. It took theform of intricate, curving black lines which looked like an elaborate tattoo.

Killingthe Collective—the group of thinking computers that ruled the Dark Kindredworld—had also killed the parasite, leaving Stav free of its influence for thefirst time in over twenty years. Then the Goddess had healed his heart anddeclared he would have a normal life span instead of the scant six months hehad originally been given. It seemed they were destined to live happily everafter aboard the Mother Ship with the rest of the Kindred and their wives.

Andthen the trances started.

Stavroskept saying it was nothing to worry about and it really wasn’t very dramatic.He would just blank out occasionally, freezing in place wherever he was andstaring into space for a few seconds. It happened infrequently—maybe once ortwice a week—and never lasted very long. Still, Charlie was worried. In lightof his medical history, she didn’t like anything out of the ordinary.

Andthis was definitely out of theordinary.

Itwas also by far the longest trance or fugue or whatever you wanted to call ithe’d had. She’d been calling his name and trying to bring him back for the pastfive minutes and Stavros hadn’t so much as blinked. It was like he had gone faraway—somewhere she couldn’t reach him.

“Okay,enough is enough,” Charlie muttered to herself at last. “I’m calling Dr.Sylvan.”

Stavhad talked her out of involving the Kindred doctor several times in the pastbut this time she was getting some answers. There was a think-me in thenightstand on her side of the bed. She would bespeak her new friend, Sophia, toask if her husband was around, Charlie decided. Sylvan was a nice guy—hewouldn’t mind her calling late.

Butjust as she was rummaging in the nightstand for the thin silver wire think-mewhich enabled telepathic communication, Stavros blinked and took a deep breath.

“Charlotte?” He looked likea man coming out of a dream…or maybe a nightmare. His indigo eyes were dark andtroubled and he ran one hand through his gorgeous mane of deep auburn hairdistractedly.

“Stav,honey…” Charlie had been digging in a drawer for a think-me but she went to himat once, relieved to have him back.

“Charlotte,” he murmuredagain and put his arms around her. Though he was sitting and she was standing,he was tall, as all Kindred were. So when he pulled her close, his head pressedagainst her chest, his gorgeous hair spilling over the deep red nightgown shewas wearing.

“Whatis it?” Charlie was bewildered and concerned at how tightly he was holding her.It was as though he was a drowning man and she was the only one who could savehim. “What is it, honey?” she asked again.

Stavrosturned his head and pressed his face to her breasts but not in a sexual way—itwas more like he was seeking comfort. The gesture tore at Charlie’s heartbecause she knew he had never been able to seek comfort from anyone before. Hisown mother had rejected him when the Mark that proved he was a Cursed Onestarted to grow on his back when he was only six.

“Sweetheart…”she murmured, carding her fingers through his long hair. “Stav, what is it?”

Helooked up at her at last.

“I’veseen him,” he muttered in a hoarse voice.

“Seenwho?” Charlie stared at him, not understanding.

“Two.”He sighed heavily. “I’ve been catching glimpses of him with every trance—ifthat’s what you call it. But this was the longest one yet.”

“What?”Charlie frowned at him. “You told me you didn’t remember anything about thosetrances—that you just spaced out for a second or two and it was nothing.”

“Ilied.” Stavros looked away. “I’m not proud of that. I just…didn’t want to worryyou.”

“LikeI wasn’t worried thinking you were having some kind of mental fugue states forno apparent reason?”

“There’sno apparent reason for this either,” Stav pointed out. “I just keep seeing him all the time. I don’tunderstand it.”

“Imight,” Charlie said thoughtfully. “Remember how he—well, how Ur—reached for you and touched you while youwere filled with all that emotional energy from the Heart of Love?”

“Howcould I forget it?” Stavros said dryly. “Ur’sevil combined with the positive energy is what caused the overload that killedthe Collective.”

“Butit wasn’t just Ur—hewas in Two’s body when it happened,” Charlie pointed out. “What if the two ofyou formed some kind of…I don’t know…some kind of mental connection somehow when that happened?”

“Isuppose that’s possible.” Stav sounded thoughtful. “Though it still isn’tpleasant.”

“Hashe been doing awful things that you have to watch?” Charlie askedsympathetically. Two was a horrible person—if the word “person” could even beapplied to him. Nothing he would do could surprise her.

“Well,up until now I’ve only been catching glimpses. But just now I watched him drugsome poor female’s wine.”

“Hedrugged her? With what? Could you tell?”

Stavrosfrowned. “I think it was passion berries.”

“Passionberries? What the hell is that?” Charlie felt cold all over. As a cop down onEarth working in a college town, she’d dealt with her share of date rape cases.Though the idea of Two trying to roofie someone didn’t sit quite right withher. He struck her as being completely asexual—totally evil, of course—but sexdidn’t seem to be part of his makeup at all. “Is it some kind of aphrodisiac?”she asked. “Like that bonding fruit the wives with Twin Kindred eat to uh, helpease the way?”

“Passionberries are similar to bonding fruitbut much more deadly.” Stav sounded grim. “The saying goes, one sip makes youcold, the next sip makes you hot and the third sip makes you dead.”

“MyGod. So Two was trying to kill her?” That actually fit more with the profileshe had of him in her head.

“Idon’t think so. You see, the third sip isn’t always deadly—not if you have theantidote at hand.”

“Anddid he?” Charlie demanded. Though she had no idea who this girl was, she wasfeeling more and more worried about her. Of course, she would feel worriedabout anyone who found themselves at the mercy of Two—mainly because the sickbastard had no mercy.

“Theantidote is not a compound or elixir which can be administered orally,” Stavsaid dryly. “The only cure for a third sip of passion berry wine is penetrationand insemination.”