Prologue.

"You fool! You've taken the wrong female!"

Y winced as his Master bellowed inside his head. Master Two might be nothing but a chip implanted just under Y's left ear, but he ruled Y with an iron fist despite his lack of a physical body.

"I took the one that sniffed the blossoms, Master, just as you requested," he pointed out.

"But look at her-this is not the Khalla at all-it's the mate of that d.a.m.n tracker."

"I can see that." Y strove to keep his voice level. It would be wrong to raise his voice to the Master...no matter how much he might want to.

On the cold steel floor of the Scourge Fathership, the naked girl with the long, coppery curls moaned and stirred. She had been taken by a molecular transfer beam, a Scourge invention Y had traveled to the abandoned ship to get. It had been set to take whoever inhaled the fragrance of the Dream Blooms, exactly as Master Two had ordered. Y didn't see how it was his fault the wrong female had been taken.

But so it had happened. This female-Kate, Y thought she was called-had apparently unwittingly sprung the trap set for Emily, the new Khalla back on Rageron. Indeed, she still had one of the deep blue blossoms clutched in one hand.

Y wondered how it had come through the transfer beam with her-it was his understanding that only living things were transportable. But maybe the freshly cut flower still had enough vitality to make it through the transfer...or maybe it was the spell the old hag from the Wulven home planet had placed on the blossoms that allowed it to come, clutched in Kate's small hand. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, lying unconscious on the hard metal floor that Y felt his heart twist with pity. He immediately tried to suppress the emotion-doubtless his Master would see it as nothing but weakness.

"She's here now," he said, stolidly. "What shall we do with her? Do you want me to kill her?" He hoped not-he did not enjoy violence, especially towards females. But the Master was not to be denied and anyway, death would be a kinder fate than any of the horrible, twisted tortures the soulless b.a.s.t.a.r.d that lived in Y's brain might devise.

"I would kill her myself, if I had a body!" Master Two hissed, his mental voice filled with frustration. "But no...let me think."

There was a long silence-so long that Y wondered if the Master had gone to sleep. He did that at times-became inactive during a recharging period. Y had come to look forward to such periods of inactivity-they were the only rest he got from the relentless dictator that lived in his skull.

On the cold floor, Kate stirred again and moaned softly.

"Master," Y sub-vocalized in case she could hear him. "She is waking."

"Hush, you fool! Ah-I have it now. We must send her back."

"You mean back to Rageron? And try to take the Khalla instead?" Y asked doubtfully. "That won't be easy-they'll know she was the true target. Doubtless they've taken her someplace shielded."

"No, you idiot! Not back to Rageron-back home. Her home."

"I don't understand. Do you mean her home world of Earth?" Y shook his head in confusion. "But why?"

"Two reasons," Two hissed in his head. "First because we must send her somewhere-we cannot take her with us. Her mate is a Wulven Kindred and they are absolutely deadly in their fur-form-we cannot risk it. Second, because home is the last place the Kindred will expect her to be. They'll search the entire universe before they think to look back on Earth-which is just how we want it."

"We do? But why? Are you hoping to distract them in some way?" Y asked.

"Finally, you're learning! Yes-a distraction. That's exactly what this girl will be. And while the Kindred are busy hunting for her, they won't even give a thought to what we might be up to."

"What do mean?" Y asked. "I thought your entire plan hinged on forcing the Khalla to forget and fear her mate and then transporting her here to the Father Ship for execution after letting him see that she no longer knew him."

It was another one of his Master's convoluted plans which he didn't agree with. Why take the time and trouble to bewitch the flowers in order to make the Khalla react in horror and aversion to the Beast Kindred a.s.sa.s.sin who had claimed her? Why not just s.n.a.t.c.h her away and execute her?

But his Master had declared that he wanted the a.s.sa.s.sin to suffer. He had refused to carry out the contract Two had placed on the Khalla's head and Master Two wanted his last memory of his bride to be a painful one.

Let him know that she feared and loathed him at the last. It is a fitting punishment, he had said. And so the whole elaborate scheme had been carried out exactly as he had ordered...only to fail at the last minute. It made Y wonder if there had been something wrong with his Master's mind when he recorded the personality chip which was currently embedded under Y's ear. He vaguely remembered seeing the corpse of his Master when he first awoke back on Z4, the Dark Kindred home world. It seemed to him there had been dark spots on Master Two's brain...areas of stinking, oozing rot which would not seem to be conducive to logical reasoning...

"I have been so focused on the Seeing that B'Rugh did for me-so focused on the future of the Kindred race," Master Two said, interrupting his treasonous thoughts. "But why settle for destroying their future when I can destroy their present?"

"And how do you plan to do that, Master?" Y asked, careful to keep his voice level and respectful rather that doubtful.

"Have you not noticed, Y, all the lovely toys the Scourge left lying around when they died?" His Master's voice sounded greedy. "This molecular transfer beam is only one of them. Think of everything else they left! The flesh tanks...the sniffer kennels...there are so many tools here, just waiting for the right set of hands to pick them up."

My hands, you mean, Y thought resentfully but did not say aloud. Since the Master rode inside his head but had no direct access to his body, he was forced to do any physical labor involved in Master Two's schemes.

"I see," he said. "So you wish to explore the Father Ship further?"

"Not the Father Ship, no. I think we have found everything we need here. But what of Zlicth?"

"The Scourge home world?" Y shook his head. "But I thought that was a dead world-poisoned beyond repair."

"Fool-we don't wish to herd cattle or grow crops! I'm just interested in seeing what other toys the AllFather might have left lying around. I want to know his secrets...to see through his eyes."

"You're seeing through my eyes already," Y pointed out.

"Yes, and what good does it do me? I need eyes of my own...hands...a body." Master Two cackled gleefully inside his head. "I think our friend the AllFather can help me there."

"How?" Y asked, honestly mystified.

"You'll see, my dear Y. For now, just send the girl you erroneously took back to Earth."

"Which part of Earth?"

"I don't know-nor do I care. Use a set of the Earth coordinates programmed into the molecular transfer beam if you like. There should be several to pick from-I know the Scourge stole females from there regularly."

"Very well." Y obeyed as he always did, although he was becoming increasingly resentful. He punched in the coordinate log and picked a likely one before pointing the needle-like nose of the matter transference beam at the girl who was now moving and moaning regularly. Then he pressed the transfer control.

As she disappeared in a blinding flash of light, Y reflected that at least Two hadn't made him kill or torture her. But he wondered how she would manage back on earth with no memory of her mate or idea of where she was or how she had gotten there.

"Transfer complete," he said.

"Very good." Master Two sounded at least marginally pleased. "Now let's get back to our own ship and set a course for Zlicth at once. I want to see those wonderful toys..."

Y turned at once, leaving the control room of the Father Ship without a second glance. He was glad to be getting away from the huge, haunted-feeling ship. He only wished their destination wasn't more of the same. What could Master Two be planning?

Neither he nor his ever vigilant Master noticed the crumpled blue Dream Blossom flower left lying on the floor where Kate had been.

Chapter One.

Six Months Later...

"So how's work?" Mimi asked as she forked into her steaming pile of noodles from Sarku j.a.panese Bistro-one of the many fast food joints in the International Mall food court.

"Not bad." Kate took a sip of her Jamba Juice Veggie Vitality smoothie. "Same old, same old mostly. I had a woman come in wanting to return an ankle bracelet she said she'd only bought a week ago."

"And?" Mimi raised one skinny eyebrow. Everything about Mimi was skinny from her eyebrows to her elbows to her long, graceful neck. She was built like a giraffe which meant she and Kate looked funny together, especially standing side by side. Kate didn't mind though-at 4'9 she was used to being the shortest kid on the block. Still, sometimes the extreme height difference between herself and her friend bothered her. Not because she thought people were looking and laughing but because it seemed to bring back memories. Memories of someone even taller than Mimi...

No, don't think about it. Kate pushed the half-formed thought resolutely away.

"And the bracelet was tarnished, the clasp was broken, and it was missing a stone," she said, grinning wryly at Mimi. "I mean, really? I wanted to ask if she'd been in a triathlon while she was wearing it. How else could it get into such bad shape in a week?"

"Customers..." Mimi shook her head. She worked across the mall at the G.o.diva store so she knew some of what Kate went through. Although selling high end chocolates was a little different than selling extremely expensive jewelry.

Kate shrugged. "Could be worse. Like the lady yesterday who had a fit because we didn't have the Pandora bead she'd dreamed up in her head. A monkey sitting in a palm tree with a banana dangling from its hand."

"Weird. Why would she want that?" Mimi took another bite of noodles. She could eat absolutely anything and it would never show on her long, gangly body. Kate wasn't nearly so lucky. As short as she was, she really had to watch her weight.

"Dunno," she said, shrugging. "But she got twice as upset when I told her that no, we didn't have someone in the back who could make anything she wanted to her specification. She actually thought I could just go to the back room and magically make the bead she imagined and get it back to her in under an hour. I mean, what do I look like-a witch?"

Mimi jumped as though Kate had poked her with a pin.

"Uh, well you do have that one thing, you know," she pointed out in a whisper.

"You mean the Knowing?" Kate sighed. She really wished she hadn't had to tell her friend and room mate about her peculiar little talent for finding out private details about people when she touched them. It was a gift that had run in her family for generations-her mother and grandmother, both deceased-had both had it.

It was supposed to be a family secret but when Kate had woken naked and alone in the middle of a park in Sarasota six months ago with Mimi standing over her, she had reached out to the other girl in blind panic. Mimi had taken her hand to help her up and Kate had blurted out, "Your name is Marjorie but you hate that name so you go by Mimi. Your mother died of breast cancer exactly one year ago and you own twelve cats even though you told your apartment complex you only have six."

Mimi had drawn back, aghast. But thank goodness for Kate, the outpouring about her personal life had fascinated her rather than repelling her, as it did many people. She'd wanted to know more about this strange, naked girl who'd appeared out of nowhere and seemed to know everything somehow. So instead of driving Kate to the Salvation Army or some other charity shelter, she'd taken her home to her apartment in Tampa and let her stay.

Kate was beyond grateful to her new friend-especially since she had no idea how she'd gotten to Sarasota or what had been happening to her the past three years. She had a serious gap in her memory that bothered her terribly. Mimi, however, had a kind heart and a patient spirit-she was a collector of hurt people as well as animals. She'd told Kate everything would come back in time. In the mean time, she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted to.

Though she appreciated the sentiment, Kate wasn't sure she wanted everything to come back. After all-what if something really terrible had happened to her and she'd blocked it out? Maybe she had a traumatic past that her mind was hiding from her. It was just blind luck that she'd been found by someone like Mimi. Her new friend had given her a place to stay and even let her have her pick of the clothes her last roommate had left in the closet.

The roommate had been 5'4-substantially taller than Kate. But they'd had the same proportions-generous bust and hips with a small waist. So with a little hemming, most of the clothes were wearable. She'd had good taste too so Kate had looked nice enough to get a job at International Mall, the sw.a.n.kiest and most expensive mall in the Tampa Bay area. It was right by the airport and had lots of international customers so Kate's knowledge of languages came in handy too.

The language thing was...weird. She could somehow instantly understand and speak any language she heard whether she knew it or not. It wasn't like the Knowing, a gift handed down from generation to generation. That was just part of her DNA. The language thing hadn't been there before the gap in her memory-Kate knew for a fact because she could remember failing high school French. She'd had what her teacher called a "dead ear" meaning she couldn't hear or master the necessary accent to make her spoken French sound anything but atrocious. Yet now she spoke French like a native Parisian-she'd spoken it just yesterday to a client at her store. And she could speak any other language as well, even if she'd never heard it before.

Kate had no idea how she'd acquired her gift with languages but it certainly came in handy in her job. In fact, it was the way she'd gotten the job in the first place...

She'd been walking through the mall a few weeks after her sudden appearance in Sarasota, looking for work after Mimi had started her shift at G.o.diva. Since she didn't own a car, it made sense to try to find a job in the same place her new friend worked. Unfortunately, it seemed like no one was hiring. Kate was just about to give up on the nicer shops and go try the food court when she'd pa.s.sed by a high end jewelry store on the top floor of the mall. Official purveyor of Rolex watches, proclaimed an elegantly scripted sign out front. Inside, a customer was trying to make himself understood in Farsi.

Of course, Kate didn't know it was Farsi-she only knew that he was speaking in a foreign tongue but she could somehow understand it. For a moment she just stood there, stunned. How in the h.e.l.l could she understand everything the customer was saying when she didn't know any language but English? She stood there staring into the jewelry store, unable to drag herself away.

"No, this is not the one I am looking for," the customer was saying, pointing at something in the jewelry case. "I want one with rubies-those are my wife's favorite stone."

"I'm sorry..." The saleslady said. "I don't understand what you're saying. Do you speak English?"

"What?" Plainly the customer was getting more and more irritated.

"What about Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?" the sales lady asked, switching to Spanish.

Kate's mouth dropped. This she recognized-she'd heard Spanish spoken often enough to know what it sounded like. Only, she'd never understood it before. Now it was perfectly clear.

"What are you saying?" the customer demanded in Farsi.

"I'm sorry," the saleslady said, shaking her head hopelessly. "I only speak Spanish and English."

"Forget it!" The customer threw up his hands in disgust.

It was at this moment that Kate had an epiphany. She didn't know how she was understanding these languages but clearly she was. Behind her in the mall, she heard two women walking by, speaking in Vietnamese. Kate understood every word. Apparently this was a new gift she somehow had.

Being suddenly multi-lingual probably would have freaked out most people but Kate was used to being unusual. She'd grown up knowing she was different from everyone else and the kids in her small town high school had never let her forget it for an instant. You either hid your differences away and let them make you a freak...or you used them to your advantage to make you stronger. Kate preferred the latter.

But just because she understood all these languages, did it mean she could speak them too?

Only one way to find out!

Lifting her chin, Kate stepped into the jewelry shop.

"Excuse me, but I think I know what he's saying," she told the saleslady, pointing to the disgusted customer was preparing to leave. "I think I can help."

"If you can, please!" She was an older lady with an elegant coif of gray hair swept up in the back and a simple strand of pearls around her neck. "I'd love to help him but I can't understand a word."

"h.e.l.lo," Kate said to the disgusted customer in perfect Farsi. "Can I help translate? I know your language."

"Oh, at last! Finally someone who can help-thank you, yes!" He nodded eagerly. "I cannot go home without procuring something for my wife. I see a piece I like very much but I need it with rubies, not emeralds."

"Show me," Kate said and he pointed at the case. Kate translated rapidly between him and the saleslady, amazed to hear the words pouring out of her own mouth. Words she shouldn't have been able to understand or p.r.o.nounce at all and yet they came flowing as easily as if the customer's language was her native tongue.

The saleslady happened to have exactly what the customer wanted in another case. Before long, the sale was made and everyone was happy. Kate was about to leave and see what other languages she could understand when the manager of the store stepped out from the back.

"I saw that-a very impressive display, young lady," he said, nodding at Kate.

"Oh yes, Mr. Myers, she was wonderful, wasn't she?" The older saleslady beamed at Kate. "Thank you so much-I couldn't have made that sale without you to translate."

"So do you speak other languages?" the manager asked. "We get quite a lot of international customers here and we're always on the lookout for sales staff with multilingual capabilities."

Kate had decided to take a chance. "I can speak and understand just about any language there is," she'd said quietly, keeping her voice level and calm so it didn't seem like she was bragging. She wasn't completely certain it was true but it seemed like a pretty safe bet.

"Is that right?" The manager looked even more interested. "You have a gift for languages, do you?"

"You could say that," Kate said.

"And are you looking for employment?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." Kate had stepped up and held out her hand. "Kate McMillan."

"Arthur Myers," he'd said, taking her offered hand. The minute she touched his hand, Kate had known this was a good situation for her. But she needed to take things carefully.