“Youcan, can you?” One pure silver eyebrow rose and her mother gave her adisbelieving look. “You can explain how you come to be sitting naked in the lap of a male who is also naked? And what wasthat you were saying about being pregnant, before we got a visual feed? Is thissome kind of sick joke?”

“It’sno joke,” Thracegrowled from behind her. “Your daughter was poisoned, Lady Trin. We had to saveher life. That’s why we’re…” He cleared his throat. “In this position.”

“Isthat so?” Now her mother’s icy gaze was turned upon Thrace, studying him as though hewas some kind of pet which had suddenly gained the power of speech. “And whom,may I ask, are you?”

“Iam Thrace S’ver, a Havoc of the elder line of S’ver and captain of the merchantclass vessel, The Empress,” Thracesaid, looking Trin’s mother right in the eye. “I am also, through a long andcomplicated series of events, currently your daughter’s loyal slave, bodyguard,and companion.”

“Youbought a slave?” Trin’s mother looked at her again, frowning. “You know theDaughters of Zetta Prime frown on such practices.” She sniffed. “Among other things.”

“Iknow but I had to—for trading purposes on Yonnie Six,” Trin said quickly. “And Thraceis…he’s…” She tried to think how to put it. “He’s more than a slave.”

“Whatdo you mean, more?” Her mother’s tonehad turned soft and dangerous and Trin felt a shiver run down her back. As achild, she had known that the softer her mother’s voice got, the more severeher punishment would be. Thrace,however, didn’t have the benefit of that knowledge.

“Whatshe means is that I love her,” he said, lifting his chin. “I love your daughterand I have pledged my life to her.”

“Sothis pet male of yours believes himself to be in love with you?” Her mother’s silver eyebrows rose another notch.“Which is presumably why I find you in the middle of this disgusting, degrading act?”

“No,Mother! I—”

“Enoughexcuses.” Her mother’s voice rose from a near whisper to crack like a whip. “Ihad hoped that the vid I was sent by a certain Lady Tam-tam of Yonnie Six wassome kind of sick joke—a sham or a fabrication. But now I find you doing this.” She gave them both a look of deepdisgust. “And don’t bother to try and play off the situation young lady, I knowexactly what I am seeing and it sickens me!”

“Mother,you don’t understand!” Trin exclaimed. “I…I was poisoned. Like Thracesaid—with passion berry wine! This…” She motioned with one hand, while she keptthe pillow clutched tight to her chest with the other. “Making love withhim…was the only way to save my life.”

“Then you should have let yourself die.” Thewords were spoken with such cold, brutal certainty that Trin gasped andclutched at her heart with her free hand. Her mother’s scorn and harsh judgmentgave her an actual, physical pain—like an icy blade piercing her chest.

“Mother,please,” she whispered. “You…you don’t mean that.”

“Andif you do, you’re a heartless bitch,” Thrace rumbled menacingly. “How canyou speak so to your own daughter?”

“Andhow can you purport to care for her when you’ve ruined her beyond hope, you…youmale?” Trin’s mother shot back. Sheturned her attention back to Trin. “There’s only one thing you can do now,other than killing yourself. Come home. Come home and subject yourself to thePurification of the Defiled. It is the only way.”

Trinfelt her stomach do a slow, awful flip.

“The…ThePurification of the Defiled?” It was a rite only the head priestess of thetemple could perform—a horrible, painful ordeal which was whispered about withdread. It was mostly reserved for Daughters of Zetta Prime who had been rapedor taken against their will in some way by a rogue male. Some said it was afate worse than death—and her own mother wanted her to undergo it? “Mother,please…” she said numbly.

“Comehome,” her mother repeated firmly. “At once. Have the ritual done. I will speakto the Head Priestess, Betina—I will tell her that this male bewitched you insome way and led you into defilement. I’ll make a large donation to thetemple—she’ll do the ritual. And then…no one will ever have to know about thishorrible thing you’ve done. No one…” She closed her eyes briefly. “No one butme.”

“But…”Trin was trembling. “But it’s supposed to be so painful and…and disfiguring.”

“Lookat you!” Her mother’s voice dropped to a low, disgusted whisper. “Look at you,Lonarra. You were once one of the Unpenetrated. I was so proud of that—so proud. And now…” She turned her head.“Now I cannot even bear to meet your eyes.”

“Mother,please…”

“Comehome. Quickly. Or I will be forced to go to the temple and have you declaredone of the Defiled Dead.” She looked at Trin again. “I don’t want to do that,Lonarra. Don’t make me do that. Comehome.”

BeforeTrin could protest again the image flickered and then died as the viewscreenwent black.

* * * * *

“You’renot actually going to go, are you? You’re not really going to do that?” Thraceexploded when the evil woman who was apparently Trin’s mother finally vanishedfrom the screen.

“Ihave to.” Trin rose from his lap—the encounter with her mother had made Thracego completely soft so she was able to get up with ease. “I have to,” she said again, going to the clothes storage area andbeginning to get dressed. “You heard my mother—there’s no other way.”

“Noother way for what?” Thracedemanded.

“Noother way for me to be forgiven.” Trin had pulled on one of her familiar blackjumpsuits and a pair of black boots. She looked completely different from thefemale he had served on Yonnie Six but it wasn’t just her clothing that waschanged.

Something’s broken inside her, Thracethought, staring at her in concern and remorse. Gods help me but it’s true.

“Yes,it’s true—something is broken.” Trin spoke in a low, distracted voice and herealized that she must have heard him through their newly forged mental bond.“It’s broken but I can fix it…maybe. If I go home.”

“Youcan’t go!” he insisted.

“Ihave to. But there’s something else I have to do first.” She tucked a small,snub-nosed blaster into the folds of her black jumpsuit and turned for thedoor.

“Trin?Where are you going? What are you planning to do?” Thrace rose quickly, stuffinghimself back into the tight leather trousers he wore. Damn it, why hadn’t hegotten himself together when he saw her getting dressed? By the time he wasdecent, she was already out the door. “Trin!” he called, trying to follow her.But to his horror, he heard the sound of a metal bolt snicking into place—shehad locked him in.

“Trin,no—don’t be a fool!” he roared, pounding on the door. When that didn’t work, hekicked it. It held solid despite his best efforts—the metal panel was thick andthe bolt was a strong one.

“Ihave to go.” Her voice was distant and cool from the other side of the door. “Ihave to do this. You’ll be safe in there and I’ll come get you after…if I can.”

“Trin—”Thracebegan but he could already hear her boot heels echoing along the metal corridoras she walked away.

Heknew where she was going—to confront Two. And there was no way he could stopher or protect her.

* * * * *

“My,my—back so soon?” Two’s single eye gleamed with malevolent glee as he saw Trinenter the room. “And feeling much better, I hope?”

“Muchbetter,” Trin said evenly. As she spoke, she took in the situation with asingle glance. Two was standing in the middle of the control area, the dissipaterstill held idly in one hand. The crew—the few that were left—were crowded atthe far end of the room behind him. Doubtless he had been menacing them earlierbut now he had his back to them and was giving Trin his entire attention.

Sheknew what she had to do—she just had to find someone to help her. Trin let hereyes flick up to meet those of her crew. Yonish, her engineer looked away andso did Talah, the ship’s cook. One by one, they all looked away from hersearching glance, denying or ignoring her silent order. But finally, Trinlocked eyes with Sidna. Sidna didn’t look away or drop her gaze. She onlynodded imperceptibly.