Divided: Brides of the Kindred 10 by Evangeline Anderson Page A

could raise a child without hugging them. I mean, I want
to hug my little guys already and they’re not even out yet.” She cupped her
rounded belly protectively.
    “Probably Truth’s father was trying to fit
into the Rai’ku’s repressive society and be certain his son would fit in as
well.” Deep sighed.
    “He may have also been damaged
emotionally. To lose your brother, your mate, and a son all at once…” Lock
looked sad. “It must have been devastating. Honestly, I don’t even know how he
survived at all—usually the death of one Twin Kindred means the death of his
brother too. Maybe Feels Pain was frightened that if he loved Truth too much or
showed him too much affection he would lose him as well.”
    “So instead he raised him to be a
homophobic, touch-phobic, straight-laced, tough son of a bitch,” Deep growled.
    “Which means that basically every single
thing we’ve been asking Truth to do goes against every principle that was
hammered into him as a child,” Becca said quietly. “No wonder he ran.”
    “No wonder,” Far echoed. He closed his
eyes tightly and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand as though trying
to push back a headache. “Gods, this is hopeless.”
    “It can’t be hopeless,” Kat
objected. “The Goddess doesn’t give out hopeless tasks.”
    “Well, then she is going to have to give
me greater wisdom than I now possess,” Far said. He let his hand drop to his
side and shook his head. “I have no idea what to do now…how to get Truth to
come to me.” He looked at Becca. “To us.”
    “Don’t look at me—I don’t know either.”
Becca held up both hands in a helpless gesture. “Besides, all this about having
two…uh, pieces of equipment put together as one…that’s news to me, too. Scary news.”
    “Of course it is. You never learned about
the mating habits of the Twin Kindred because you never considered it a real
possibility,” Far said quietly. “And you still don’t.”
    Becca began to feel defensive. “You and
Truth told me to choose between you. How did I know I couldn’t choose? Until I
found out last night, I mean.”
    “But you still don’t plan to bond with
us—not completely or permanently, do you?” Far asked. There was no bitterness
in his deep voice, just resignation. “Even if Truth was willing to join with me
so that we could bond you to us this minute you would refuse.”
    “I…Far, I don’t…” Becca shook her head,
uncertain what to say.
    “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Your
virtue is important to you. Keeping it—keeping yourself chaste—is your primary
consideration. I understand, mi’now. That is as things should be.”
    “I…guess so.” Becca bit her lip.
Everything that Far was saying was true—she had always been desperate to hang
on to her virtue. Virtue, not virginity—she did have a past, albeit a
very limited one. Still, there were lines she didn’t want to cross. Things that
“good girls” just didn’t do. But how could she fulfill her promise to the
Kindred Goddess to help Far and Truth bond if she wasn’t willing to bend her own
rules? If she wasn’t willing to push back some of those boundaries and open up?
    Truth opened up some just now, a little voice whispered in her head. Not very much
and he snapped closed again almost right away but it wasn’t easy for him to let
his brother touch him…or to touch back in return. How can you expect to heal
this rift in the bond between Far and Truth if you aren’t willing to open
yourself as well? If you aren’t willing to relax some of the rigid rules and
standards you’ve been clinging to for so long?
    For a moment Becca allowed herself to
imagine it—to remember how it had felt in their mental joinings to be naked and
open between the two of them. Truth’s mouth on hers would be hard and
demanding. At the same time, Far would be trailing feather-light kisses down
her skin, seeking her most secret and forbidden spot…kissing and