At last when her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn’t keep them still, Charlie pulled her out of the tub and found several rough lengths of fabric to dry her welted skin.
“Are you kidding me with these towels?” she muttered under her breath, trying her best to blot Trin dry gently. “What the hell is wrong with this place? Are they all masochists or sadists or what?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Trin took the rough towel from her and wrapped it around her scored and stinging flesh, ignoring the way it scratched her wounded flesh.
“Yes, it does,” Becca insisted. “And what did they do to you, anyway? I couldn’t tell before with all the dirt but girl, you are all scratched up. You’re a mess.” She reached out a hand and for the first time, Trin noticed her skin tones—they were the same creamy brown as her own—maybe just a shade lighter.
“You…you’re…” She compared their hands. “You’re like me! I’ve never seen anyone like me outside the few Earth vids my mother let me watch as a child!”
“That’s because I’m from Earth—Charlie and I both are.” Becca threw back her hood to give Trin a better look and Charlie did the same.
“All the way from Earth?” Trin looked at them blankly. “But…what are you doing here?”
“That’s a long story.” Charlie put her hood back up and Becca did the same. “Come on—let’s find a safe place to talk and we’ll tell you.”
Chapter Thirty-five
“So…you’ve been watching me for weeks?” Trin looked at them uncertainly. The three of them were seated on a hard, uncomfortable cot with a single thin, scratchy gray blanket. Charlie had grumbled more about the sadistic practices of the temple when she saw the sleeping accommodations but Trin was so tired she had to sit down or fall down. So now she was sitting in the middle of the cot with Charlie and Becca on either side of her.
“In a manner of speaking—I and my guy, Stavros, have been getting visions of you and Thrace—little flashes of what’s going on with you. Oh, and Stav had to watch Two also.” Charlie made a face. “Not great. But that’s why I practically feel like I know you already.”
“And it’s also why we came to get you,” Becca said. “The Goddess told Charlie and Stavros it was time to stop watching and start acting.”
Trin frowned. “What Goddess? Not the Goddess of Judgment?”
“No, of course not. In fact…” Charlie hesitated.
“In fact what?” Trin demanded.
“Well…I don’t know how to say this but when the Goddess—the Kindred Goddess, I mean—the Mother of All Life—spoke to me, she said your goddess isn’t really…well, she’s not real.”
“She is real,” Trin said, frowning. “I was raised in her shadow, trained to fear her from my infancy. She has to be real or…”
“Or you’re doing all this for nothing?” Becca asked gently, indicating Trin’s scratched body and shorn head.
Trin looked away. “Even if she wasn’t real, I’ve still broken the laws of my people—still shamed my mother. I…I deserve all that has happened to me and more.”
“My mother cries over me every night,” Becca said softly. “I was all set to be a nun—that’s like a priestess, you know. I thought I had the calling. But then, I met Truth and Far.”
“Who are they?” Trin asked uncertainly.
“My bonded mates—soon to be my husbands, though you can bet my mom and dad won’t be at the wedding. They’re certain I’m going straight to Hell in a hand basket and you know why?”
“Because she’s mated to two guys at the same time,” Charlie said.
Trin sucked in a breath.
“Two? At once?”
“That’s the Twin Kindred for you,” Becca said. “They have to share a woman—it’s physically impossible for them to be with only one at once. And believe me, my guys tried. It took a lot to bring the three of us together.”
“See two guys and one girl—that’s not commonly done in Earth culture. Well, outside of porn, that is,” Charlie said. “Most people call it offensive or wrong.”
“I call it love,” Becca said softly. “A love deeper and truer than anything I’ve ever felt. But it took me a while to come to that conclusion. I couldn’t get over what I’d been taught—couldn’t give in to the love I felt for my guys until it was almost too late. I nearly lost them because I felt so guilty I couldn’t bring myself to be with them.”
“But what if the guilt you feel is deserved?” Trin asked. “What if your actions have made you a shame and disappointment to those you hold close?” She couldn’t help remembering the disgust in her mother’s eyes.
“You can’t live your life for anyone else but you,” Becca said. “I learned that the hard way. Do I regret hurting my mom?” Her eyes grew bright with unshed tears and she blinked rapidly. “Of course I do. But I can’t give up the men I love—the men I’m bonded too—just to please her.” She sniffed. “I hope someday she’ll accept my decision but if she doesn’t, well, there’s not much I can do about it. I just have to let it go.”
“You have to let it go, too, Trin,” Charlie told her earnestly. “It’s not a bad thing that you fell for Thrace and he fell for you. The Goddess put you together—you’re each other’s destiny.”
“He’s a male.” Trin looked down at her hands. “I allowed myself to fall in love with a male and to…to breed with him. It is the most wrong and unnatural thing anyone can do and I did it.”
“Did you ever think that maybe it’s not unnatural for you?” Becca asked. She looked at Charlie. “She’s half Earth-girl, right? Even though she’s been raised here?”
“That’s right.” Charlie nodded.
“Yes, the seed that created me came from your planet,” Trin said, frowning. “My mother chose it because she wanted an exotic baby—one who would look different and stand out from the rest. She always expected me to live up to…” She swallowed hard. “To a very high standard. But what does that have to do with anything?”
“It has to do with the fact that you’re half Earth. And on our planet, a girl and a guy together is the norm,” Becca said. “Of course we also have girls who go with girls and guys who go with guys but the majority of people pair off with the opposite sex.”
“Becca’s right,” Charlie said, sitting up straighter. “Maybe you couldn’t help being attracted to a guy because of your genetic make-up!” She took Trin’s hand and looked at her earnestly. “Wanting to be with Thrace isn’t bad, honey. It’s in your blood—your DNA.”
Trin didn’t know what to say. She had never considered that her genes might have played a roll in her love for the big Havoc. Maybe Charlie and Becca were right. Maybe she couldn’t help falling in love with Thrace. Maybe—
A likely excuse, sneered the judgmental little voice in her head which sounded a lot like the high priestess Betina’s. As if any excuse is good enough for the sins you committed!
“I…” Trin shook her head. “I don’t know if I believe that my blood has anything to do with it.”
“But it must. Look, we need to take you with us,” Becca urged gently. “Thrace is waiting on the ship with my guys and Charlie’s mate, Stavros. He still loves you—loves you more than ever. Please come.”
“We’ll take you back with us and you can live on the Mother Ship,” Charlie added eagerly. “We’ve got a whole group of friends you’ll love and they’ll welcome you, Trin! And nobody will look down on you for loving a male because it’s the norm for us—not the exception. You’ll finally fit in.”
Trin drew a deep breath and for a moment, she actually allowed herself to consider their proposal. Living in a place where males and females were equal, where she and Thrace could be together without shame or any kind of recrimination…it sounded almost too good to be true.