Switched: Brides of the Kindred 17 (54 page)

When he looked up, he was smiling.

“
So…he’s dead. Two’s
really, finally dead?” Sophie asked in a tremulous
voice.

“
It would seem so,” Sylvan
said gravely. He looked at Kerov. “Commander Kerov, you have shown
exceptional bravery during a time of danger and mortal peril. The
Kindred of the Mother Ship owe you a debt we can never
repay.”

“
The best way you can
repay me is by letting us visit the Sacred Grove again,” Kerov
answered, giving Frankie a sidelong look. “It appears we are in
need of advice from a priestess once more.”

* * * * *

“
Ah, children—back again,
I see. And once more you are Switched into each other’s bodies.”
The priestess looked at them gravely but Kerov thought he saw a
small twinkle in her green-on-green eyes.

They were back in the Sacred Grove, after a
night spent apart in two guest suites. It had been Kerov’s idea—he
wasn’t sure he could trust himself with Frankie when he wanted her
so badly. It seemed like a good idea to take a cooling off period
and see if they would Switch back on their own during sleep. They
hadn’t, however, and so here they were again, speaking to the same
priestess who had seen them before.

“
Yes, Sister…er…Mother
Superior…er…” Frankie cleared her throat. “I’m sorry—I don’t know
what we’re supposed to call you.”

“
Priestess will do
nicely,” the priestess said. “But, you have a question, my child?”
She looked at Kerov.

“
Yes, Priestess—how did
you know that we were Switched into each other’s bodies when we
didn’t say anything about it?” he demanded.

“
Why because—I see your
soul shining in your eyes—or rather, the eyes of your companion.
And vice versa,” she explained, as though it was obvious. “At any
rate, I perceive that you wish advice on how to Switch back
again?”

“
We do.” Frankie nodded.
“Um, should we, uh, just do the same as last time? I mean, the Kiss
of Intimacy thing again?”

Kerov could see that she was blushing—his
skin was fairer than hers and it showed the embarrassed red stain
on his cheekbones easily. Gods, he would be glad to get back into
his own body again. Although…it wasn’t so bad being in Frankie’s
form, he acknowledged. At least he got to touch her again—even
though it seemed he was touching himself.

“
I am sorry, my children,
but I do not know if the Kiss of Intimacy will work for you a
second time,” the priestess said, looking grave. “I’m afraid
something more… intense will be required.”

“
What are you talking
about?” Kerov asked in a low voice. “You don’t mean bonding sex, do
you? Because you know how we feel about that.” He gave a sidelong
look at Frankie, hoping she would contradict him but she just
returned his look and remained silent. Damn it—he wished he could
read her better. But she made his face a mask when she wore it—one
he couldn’t decipher no matter how hard he tried.

“
Yes, I know how you feel
about bonding sex,” the priestess said gently. “The question is,
do
you
know how
you feel about it?”

“
I…um…” Frankie cast a
furtive glance at him.

“
Frankie?” he asked,
hoping despite himself.

She opened her mouth… then quickly shook her
head. “Never mind.”

Kerov would have given every credit in his
account on Tarsia to find out what it was she’d started to say and
had held back. Could it be that she had learned to care for him
too—the way he cared for her? She had been so excited when he
returned alive from his Jump into Two, but afterwards she’d seemed
quiet and withdrawn. He wondered if she still held a grudge against
him for their last encounter and if so, how he could make it
right.

“
So…what do we have to do
to Switch back?” Frankie asked, breaking the silence that had
fallen between them. “You said something
more
intimate than before? Because I
don’t see how…” She trailed off, blushing again.

“
Sharing deep pleasure
with each other should do the trick,” the priestess said, musingly.
“And do not worry, warrior,” she added, looking at Kerov. “Unless
you finish within your female and spend your seed inside her, the
two of you will not be bonded.”

“
So you’re saying we have
to, uh, have sex but Kerov shouldn’t, um, come inside me?”
Frankie’s cheeks were bright red again—or Kerov’s were. He was glad
he didn’t blush as often as she did—it was a very obvious mark of
shame and embarrassment.

“
Yes, daughter.” The
priestess nodded serenely.

“
So then…should he wear a
condom?” Frankie asked bluntly. “Because it’s been a while and I’m
not on birth control right now.”

“
No.” The priestess shook
her head gracefully. “No, to separate spirit from spirit, you must
sink flesh into flesh. Nothing else will do.”

“
What if Frankie doesn’t
wish to make love with me?” Kerov asked harshly. “What if she has
reason to dread it?”

The priestess turned a stern look on
him.

“
Did you
give
your female reason
to dread or fear you?” she asked and this time there was steel in
her voice.

“
No,” Frankie said quickly
before Kerov could answer. “He just…got a little carried away last
time. But this time I think we’ll be more prepared. Won’t we,
Kerov?” She took his hand and squeezed it, smiling at
him.

Kerov felt as though a weight had been
lifted off his heart. He still didn’t know if he had any chance to
win Frankie as his mate, but at least he knew she didn’t hate
him.

“
We will,” he said
gratefully. And suddenly, he knew how. He just hoped Frankie would
agree with him.

“
Very well then, go and
heal yourselves,” the priestess said. “But…” She held up one long,
slim finger in warning. “See that you do not forget yourself,
warrior and allow your seed to spill on fertile ground. If this
happens, you will be bound together forever and what the Goddess
puts together, no male or female can separate. Nothing but death
can end it.”

Kerov thought Frankie looked a little pale
but she just nodded.

“
We’ll remember,
priestess. Thank you so much.”

“
May the Goddess go with
you and grant you blessing.” The priestess nodded regally as they
turned and left the Sacred Grove.

Chapter Twenty-six

“
So here we are in the
suite again.” Frankie sat carefully on the side of the bed,
uncertain how to begin. “Um…back to square one, I
guess.”

“
I suppose.” Kerov wasn’t
sitting still—he was pacing in front of the huge bed, radiating
nervous energy. Frankie wondered how he felt about this—about what
they were supposed to do in order to Switch back this final
time.

“
Do you think we’ll go
back to our own bodies the minute we start, um, kissing?” she asked
hesitantly. “But the same rules apply? We have to, uh, help each
other finish to make it permanent?”

“
Yes,” Kerov said shortly,
still pacing. Being in Frankie’s body, he was wearing the clothing
that Liv and Sophie had found for her. He had admitted that he’d
had a suitcase full of her clothes packed by Lacy but had left it
on Earth, in the HKR building. Accordingly, Frankie’s new friends
had gone to the trouble of finding something for him to wear while
he was in Frankie’s body. They had consulted with Frankie first,
who had had the final say, and she had approved the outfit before
they gave it to Kerov.

It consisted of a nice red
dress that came down to mid thigh and red ballet flats to go with
it. The dress showed her curves but it was a
little
tight in the hips and ass
area. Still, Frankie had decided it was better than wearing the
Sponge Bob pajamas and Hobbit feet slippers.

Now, seeing it move on her body as Kerov
paced up and down, she thought that it was much more revealing than
she’d realized when she gave it to him to put on. The dress had a
v-neckline and they hadn’t been able to find her a bra that fit so
her breasts were loose under the silky red material. At least she
had on panties—that was something, she thought. But otherwise, it
almost looked like she was dressed for sex.

Which you pretty much
are,
she reminded herself and then
blushed.

“
Frankie, I have something
for you.”

Kerov’s voice pulled her out of her
embarrassed musings and she looked up to see that he was holding
something out to her—a small, square box.

“
What’s this?” she asked,
bewildered as she took the box from him. “A present?”

“
No—not exactly. These are
for you to use on me once we Switch back to our own
bodies.”

Frankie opened the box and found a pair of
handcuffs. Not the novelty, furry pink handcuffs you’d find in a
fake bondage kit bought at a sex-shop, though. These were serious
cuffs, made of some thick, bronze metal Frankie had never seen
before. They felt cool and heavy and solid in her hands when she
took them out of the box. There was also a small bronze key that
went with them. From the size of them, it was clear they were made
to hold a Kindred, not a human.

“
What am I supposed to do
with these?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at Kerov.

“
Isn’t it obvious? Put
them on me—the minute we Switch back to our own bodies. Chain me to
the bed.”

“
What? Are you
serious?”
Frankie
frowned at him.

“
Completely serious.” He
gave her a level stare. “I don’t want you to fear me, Frankie. I
know…” He took a deep breath. “I
know
that I got out of control last
time we were…intimate. I have no excuse and no way to make it up to
you, but I don’t want you to be afraid it will happen
again.”

“
Kerov, I know it won’t
happen again,” she said softly. “Because I know you won’t
let
it happen
again.”

“
I still prefer for you to
cuff me,” he said stubbornly. “For my peace of mind as well as for
yours. There’s something about you, Frankie. You’re so different
from any other female I’ve ever been with…so fucking gorgeous.” He
gave her a burning look. “I don’t want to have to fear I’ll lose
control.”

Frankie felt a little spark of pleasure and
desire start in the pit of her belly. She still wasn’t sure exactly
where they stood, but at least she knew Kerov still desired her.
The thought made her feel hot…and adventurous.

“
Well…if that’s really how
you want it,” she murmured, smiling at him.

He nodded gravely. “It is. And I don’t want
you to fear that I might snap and…bond you to me either.”

“
You mean…finish, uh,
inside me, right?” Frankie felt her cheeks heating again. “That
would put us together permanently, wouldn’t it?”

“
It would,” he said
quietly.

“
Oh.” Frankie bit her lip,
wishing she could tell him how she really felt. That she
wanted
to be bound to
him—that she loved him. But how could she bring that up right now
when they were trying to make love
without
becoming bonded? It would be
so awkward—especially if Kerov didn’t return her
feelings.

“
Frankie…” he
murmured.

“
Yes?” She looked at him,
her heart beating so hard it felt like it might bruise her ribs.
Their gazes held and locked for a long moment, then he looked
away.

“
I just want you to feel
safe with me,” he said in a low voice. “Safe and cared
for.”

“
Thank you. That’s…very
sweet and considerate of you.”

“
It’s a safety measure,”
he said evenly. “I don’t know what I might do when I get the chance
to caress your luscious body again. I want you so badly I can
barely breathe, Frankie.”

“
Kerov!”
She couldn’t help the breathlessness in her voice
or the blush on her cheeks.

“
Forgive me.” He shrugged.
“It’s just how I feel.”

“
I…I feel the same way.
For you,” she admitted. Taking a deep breath, she rose from the
side of the bed and went to settle herself in the middle instead,
with her back to the headboard.

Kerov frowned. “What are you doing?”

“
Getting into position.”
Frankie nodded at the elaborately scrolled metal headboard behind
her. “Once we Switch back to our own bodies, there are plenty of
places to hook these.” She handed the cuffs back and gave him a
slow smile. “Come on—straddle me and let’s get started.”

“
As you wish.” He came to
straddle her hips, the short red dress riding up Frankie’s thighs
as he did. Frankie thought she could catch a glimpse of the lacey
underwear under it and wondered how she would feel once they were
back in their correct bodies and she knew he would have the same
view.

Only one way to find
out,
she told herself. Looking up at Kerov
she murmured,

“
Kiss me.”

“
With pleasure,” he said
softly and leaned forward so that their lips met.

The moment their mouths made contact,
Frankie felt a dizzy rush and she was suddenly back in her own body
again. She was sitting in Kerov’s lap, her thighs spread wide to
straddle him and looking into those piercing gray eyes of his.