Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Then there were the Twins, a branch of the Kindred in which the males always came in pairs and had to share a woman. No one knew exactly why and they declined to offer an explanation. Some said they were telepathic and needed sex to communicate but that hadn’t been proven—not that anyone had ever gotten a chance to study them. The Kindred as a whole kept strictly to themselves and refused to participate in any kind of scientific research or experiments. So no one really knew anything about the Twin Kindred other than they refused to make love to a woman individually.
And then there were the Ragers—also known as the Beast Kindred.
Working for so long in a hospital as she went through nursing school, the sight and idea of drawing blood wasn’t frightening to Liv so the Blood Kindred didn’t scare her. And being a twin herself, she wasn’t terribly afraid of the Twin Kindred either. But the Beast Kindred, well…they scared the ever-loving crap out of her.
As tall and dominant as the rest of the warrior race, the Beast Kindred were said to have the most unpredictable tempers. Rumor had it that they could go into berserker-like rages when protecting their women, killing anyone that stood in their way no matter how many opposed them. But it was the other rumors, the sexual rumors, which put a lump in Liv’s throat.
Besides being filled with animalistic lust, the Beast Kindred were said to have sexual stamina unequaled by anyone. Rumor had it that they could come again and again without going soft and their marathon love-making sessions put even practitioners of tantric sex to shame.
Just the idea of being held in place, helpless, while a huge alien male filled her for hours made Liv’s blood run cold. She hadn’t had many lovers but the men she’d been with in the past had convinced her that sex was like a box of chocolates—you never knew what you were going to get when you went to bed with a man. And sadly, you were more likely to pick the nasty pink marshmallow cream than the yummy nut cluster. So rather than lingering for an indefinite amount of time, it was better to get in, get out, and get on with your life. Cuddling was more fun in the long run anyway.
The year and a half she’d spent with Mitch had only reinforced her ideas. In retrospect, Liv couldn’t understand why she’d stayed with him so long. His idea of good sex was to get on top and grind her into the mattress while chanting, “Who’s your daddy? Who’s your daddy?” over and over again until she wanted to scream and not in a good way. No amount of tactful hints that references to her parentage during intimate encounters didn’t do a thing for her would make him stop. Finally Liv had given up and just plugged her tiny iPod micro-mini into her ear whenever it looked like he wanted some nooky. She’d even had a playlist called “sex with Mitch.”
That had been bad enough but at least Mitch had never had the stamina to get through the whole playlist. Liv imagined with horror what it would be like to have sex with a man who could go through the entire micro on shuffle setting without quitting once. Just the thought was enough to send her running—which was why the idea of getting chosen by a Beast Kindred freaked her out completely.
Don’t they say the Beast Kindred have golden eyes? whispered a small voice in her head. Shut up! Liv told it fiercely. He’s just a dream and that’s all there is to it.
“So what kind did she get?” she forced herself to ask, not looking at Kat while she got a glass from the cabinet.
“Twins, I think.” Kat shivered. “Can you even imagine? I mean, I know lots of people have had three-ways. You get drunk in college and before you know it you’re getting the shaft, both literally and figuratively. But two horny frat guys is one thing—the Kindred are supposed to be hung like Clydesdales.”
“Kat!” Sophie slapped at her with the hand not holding the bowl full of pancake batter. “You are so bad!”
“But I mean honestly, how would they fit? You’d be bowlegged for life if you ended up with a pair of Twin Kindred.” Kat raised her eyebrows comically and took a few wincing steps as though it hurt to walk. Sophie giggled and shook her head. Liv tried but all she could manage was a weak smile as she poured the orange juice and put the carton back in the fridge.
“Well, I hope she’s happy. When does she come back?”
“She’s not. She did her month and she’s staying.” Kat went back to assembling her quiche ingredients which appeared to include fresh thyme, basil, and cilantro as well as some cayenne pepper. “You know everyone that gets drafted has to sign an agreement to at least try things out for that long—a month long claiming period. After that you can come back and call it quits for good—if you and the Kindred stud who chose you haven’t made the beast with two backs. If you have…” She shrugged fatalistically. “Well then it’s too bad for you. You’re a Kindred bride for life and they don’t do divorce or separation. So it looks like Jillian’s stuck”