“Love,”Trin echoed softly. Suddenly she was able to name the emotion that was fillingher—it was joy. A joy so pure and sweet she hadn’t felt anything like it sincechildhood. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much…”

SuddenlyNadiah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, theywere back to their normal color of greenish-blue.

“Um…Nadiah?”Trin looked at her uncertainly. Was she back?

“Yes.”The other girl smiled. “You’ve spoken to the Goddess, haven’t you?”

“Idid.” Trin looked at her in wonder. “I really did.”

“Andwhat did she say?” Nadiah asked, pressing her hand.

“Thatshe forgives me and that…she loves me and claims me for her own.” Trin felt joywelling up in her soul again. “She lifted the blood curse! And told me that that…thatI didn’t have to pay for my sins. She forgave me freely.”

Nadiahsmiled gently. “That’s the way the Goddess works. She loves her children somuch—she never wants to see them hurt or in pain. Sometimes we face difficulttrials and seemingly impossible situations but the Goddess is always near andshe always makes sure we get through it.”

“Ibelieve it,” Trin said. “I believe in her. She spoke to me through you.”

“That’spart of my job—I’m the Mouthpiece of the Goddess.” Nadiah smiled. “She choosesmany different ways to communicate with her children. I’m glad she chose me tocommunicate with you.”

“I’mglad too.” Trin smiled and realized it was the first smile she’d had in days.She raised her fingers to her face and traced the curve of her lips. “It’s sosurprising…I felt like…like I’d never smile again. Never be happy again,” shesaid wonderingly. “And I felt so guilty for…for letting myself love Thraceand express that love physically.”

“TheGoddess approves of the love between those she has brought together. She hasrestored your soul.” Nadiah squeezed her hand. “You are healed—on the inside,anyway.” Her eyes traced the welts that still marred Trin’s skin.

“Shesaid something about that—she said that if I was healed on the outside, I’d becompletely healed on the inside too.” Trin frowned. “But I’m not sure what shemeant by that. Maybe just that I should go to a doctor and do what he tellsme?”

“Maybe,”Nadiah agreed.

“Ididn’t want to before,” Trin confessed. “I didn’t want to do anything but sleepuntil…until I died. Until the blood curse killed me. But now I want to live.”

“Youwill live…a long and happy life.”Nadiah smiled at her. “You’ll have some hardships along the way but alwaysremember the Goddess is watching out for you. And that she has a very specialpurpose for your life.”

“Shedoes?” Trin whispered.

Nadiahnodded. “She does. And now you need to go. I believe there is someone you needto see in order to complete the task the Goddess gave you. You need to behealed.”

“Allright.” Trin nodded her head, feeling her strength and hope and purpose return.She gestured at her arms. “I’m tired of looking like this. I’m going to see ifthere’s anything I can do to look normal again.”

“Youwill be made well.” Nadiah smiled ather. “And, Trin—you are loved and forgiven—a child of the Goddess. Alwaysremember that.”

“Iwill,” Trin whispered. Impulsively she threw her arms around Nadiah’s neck andhugged her. The other girl hugged her back, enfolding her in an embrace thatwas kind and comforting. “Thank you so much. I will.”

Chapter Thirty-nine

“You’resure about this?” Thracelooked at the small vial of blue medicine Commander Sylvan had handed him.

“Quitesure. Our Tolleg doctor, Yipper, has been working on it for months.” Sylvannodded at the little person? Animal? Thrace wasn’t sure what he was buthe was small and gray and furry and wore a white lab coat.

“Hello,hello,” he said to Thrace,nodding his furry head so rapidly it made his long floppy ears shake.

“Uh,hello.” Thracenodded back at him.

“Heactually used much of my own essence as well as that of other Blood Kindred whodonated their time and essence to make it,” Sylvan said.

“Andit does…what again?” Thraceraised an eyebrow at him but it was Yipper who fielded the question.

“Itenables any Kindred male to make a protein in their saliva that acts as ahealing agent. Yes it does, yes it does,” he said in his high, squeaky voice.“So that you can heal the female you are bonded to. Only her and no one else,you understand. Some of the Kindred already have this ability but others wantedit as well. Yes they did, yes they did. So I developed the Healing Compound forthem.”

“But…I’mHavoc, not Kindred,” Thraceobjected. “How do you know this will work on me?”

“YourDNA is almost the same as a Kindred’s—ninety-nine point nine percent the same.Yes it is, yes it is.” Yipper nodded vigorously again. “You should have noproblem metabolizing the compound. No you shouldn’t, no you shouldn’t.”

“Soyou’re saying I should drink this…and then I’ll be able to heal Trin?” Thracewas still skeptical.

“Yes,absolutely,” Commander Sylvan said, nodding firmly. “There should be no problemat all.”

“Noproblem, you say?” Thracefrowned. “Well, I can see a problem.Even if this works, what makes you think I’d be able to convince Trin to let metry it out on her? I can’t get through to her—not even using our bond. Infact…” He passed a hand over his eyes briefly. “To tell you the truth, I’m noteven sure if we have a bond anymore.”

Not that she’d want to be bonded to me—notnow that she knows my past. They’d never really gotten to discuss whatshe’d learned about his first time as a slave back on Yonnie Six but Thracethought they didn’t really need to. It was clear from her actions that shewanted to distance herself from him and while some of that was probably due tothe awful things that had happened to her in the temple, he was certain thathis own terrible past played a part in it too.

Sylvanfrowned. “That could be a problem ifthe bond was completely destroyed. But if it’s only blocked, the compound canstill be effective simply by removing the block.”

“Youthink I haven’t tried? You think I haven’t been reaching out to her, here onthe ship?” Thracedemanded. “I don’t even think she feels me. I’m telling you, Commander, shewants nothing to do with our bond. In fact…” He took a deep breath. “In fact,I’ve decided to leave here. My own ship, TheEmpress, is still in dry dock on Padge and my first mate, Solar is missing.We were drugged and taken to the Flesh Bazaar to be sold as slaves at the sametime. If I can’t help Trin, I might as well go and help him. If he’s even stillalive.”

“Yourduty to your friend and shipmate is admirable,” Sylvan said seriously. “Butyour duty to the female you are bonded to must take precedence.”

“Andit would, if she still wanted me.” Thrace let his fingers wander up totouch the black collar he still wore. Then, with quick, decisive motions, hetook it off and laid it on the chair beside him. “If she would let me in. Butshe won’t, so I have to go.” He looked down at the collar. “Knowing she’s justdown the hallway but being unable to talk to her or see her or hold her…it’stoo fucking painful.”

“Iunderstand,” Sylvan said quietly. “The pain of a rejected bond isexcruciating.”

“Whichis why I have to go.” Thraceturned away. “In fact, you caught me in the middle of packing—not that I havemuch to pack. I was hoping I could borrow a shuttle—just until I get The Empress out of drydock. I—”

“Hello,Thrace.”

Thesoft, familiar voice startled him. He turned to see Trin standing in thedoorway, a look of uncertainty on her face. She was wearing a white, sleevelessgown that showed the long, angry red welts which marred her creamy brown skin.Her eyes were huge and hurt-looking as they flicked first from his bare throatand then to the discarded black leather collar which lay on the arm of thechair beside him.