18. Molly
“Oh my goodness, doll—you look absolutely gorgeous!” Kat—the wedding planner that Commander Sylvan had lined up for them—took a step back to admire Molly in her wedding gown. “What a beautiful bride!” she sighed happily.
Molly looked at herself in the 3D viewer and felt like she was looking at a stranger. The white gown was deceptively simple. It had a rounded neckline and lace cap sleeves and it hugged her curves all the way down. A beautiful, diaphanous veil perched on her hair—which Kat had twisted into a fashionable up-do—and floated around her shoulders and arms like a delicate mist.
“I don’t know,” she said, looking at herself in the viewer. “Don’t you think it shows my freckles kind of a lot?”
Suddenly a deep, male voice spoke in her head.
“You should show them off—I like your freekles.”
Molly gasped and jumped, putting a hand to her pounding heart. She and Commander Torus had only been fitted with the thought/emotion transference devices, (or TETs as Commander Sylvan called them for short) that morning, and she was still getting used to hearing her boss’s voice inside her head.
“You’re going to have to stop thinking of me as your ‘boss’ and begin to envision me as your husband, sweetheart,” he sent through the TET link they now shared. “And don’t call me ‘Commander’ anymore. You must call me simply ‘Torus’ or one of the other ‘pet names’ we agreed on yesterday.”
“Sorry,” Molly sent back to him. “I’m still trying to get used to all this—that’s all.”
“I know, little bird.” His deep mental voice was gentle and patient, which was a good thing, Molly thought. If he had been angry or shouty, like Zach had been, she never could have stood to have him inside her head.
“I’m glad you think I’m nothing like your ex-Mate, but you’re projecting your private thoughts again, sweetheart,” Torus’s voice rumbled in her head. “Remember Commander Sylvan told us to picture a barrier in our minds when we wanted to think privately instead of projecting. Not that I mind hearing your thoughts,” he added. “But everyone has a right to privacy.”
“Oh, sorry!” Molly sent again.
“You okay, doll?” Kat’s voice brought her back from the internal dialogue and she realized the other woman was giving her a worried look.
“Oh, yes—I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Why?”
“Well, because you’ve been standing there frozen, like a deer in the headlights.” Kat shook her head. “I was getting worried.”
“Oh, I’m okay,” Molly assured her. “This is just a lot to get used to all of a sudden. I feel kind of like I’ve been caught up in a whirlwind!”
Indeed, she’d been feeling that way ever since yesterday when Commander Torus—no, just Torus—she reminded herself, had pulled her out of Commander Sylvan’s office and taken her ring shopping…
They had gone to one of the many shops that surrounded the parklands in the center of the Mother Ship. Overhead, the artificial green sun was still high in the “sky” and there were happy couples and families wandering around to the different shops and restaurants that encircled the park.
“Are you really going to buy me a ring?” Molly had asked, still not quite able to believe this whole scenario.
Torus had looked down at her. “Isn’t that what any male who was asking a human female to Join with him would do?”
“Well, yes…but you shouldn’t have to spend your own money on me,” Molly protested. “I can buy it myself—or at least pay you back.”
Torus frowned and shook his head.
“I don’t think so. It’s not proper for a bride-to-be to buy her own ring. I might not know much about human marriage customs, but I do know that.”
He had insisted that Molly looked at all the rings in the shop—even the really expensive ones. But he didn’t just stand around while she looked—the big Kindred was right beside her the whole time. When they finally chose a ring—an Andalusian diamond which looked green in some light and blue in others, (Torus said it reminded him of her eyes)—he had paid for it and refused to let her help with the expense.
They had gotten measured for wedding rings too—white gold and platinum bands that Molly loved. The jeweler had promised to do a rush job on resizing the ring for Torus—it was going to be much bigger than their usual bands—and swore everything would be ready the next morning.
Afterwards, with the engagement ring in a box in Torus’ pocket, they had gone to meet Kat, who had called to say she was ready for them. She had taken Molly’s measurements and asked what kind of ceremony they wanted.
Here again, Torus had been involved in the process. It was so unlike her first wedding, which Molly had been forced to plan herself because Zach was in the middle of testing the beta version of a new game and couldn’t be bothered to help.
“I dunno, babe—just do what you want,” he’d said, whenever Molly had the temerity to bother him with a question about the wedding.
Things with Torus couldn’t have been more different.
The big Kindred helped her pick the flowers and the music and even discussed the reception which was going to be held in the parkland around the Sacred Grove afterwards. Kat assured them that everything was going to be beautiful.
“We’ll have the Sacred Grove all decked out for you—you’ll see,” she had promised. “Don’t worry that it’s last minute—we’re used to pulling things together on the fly here.”
After that, it was getting late and Torus suggested that they go back to the Kindred Information Department and invite all of their coworkers to the wedding.
“Unless there’s anyone else you’d like to invite?” he asked.
Molly thought sadly of her family back on Earth. Even if this was a real wedding and not just a subterfuge, she still couldn’t have invited them. Or rather, she could have, but she knew they wouldn’t come.
“No,” she said softly. “What about you? Do you have any friends or family to invite?”
“No family, but I do have a few friends—some of the Jorgen Kindred who came with me to the Mother Ship will probably attend.”
“Are…are you going to tell them that the wedding isn’t, you know, real?” Molly had asked.
Torus frowned.
“But it is real. We’re going to be married in the Sacred Grove by a priestess.”
“Yes, but it’s not like we’re, you know, actually in love or anything,” Molly protested.
“We need to work on pretending we are, though,” Torus murmured. He had reached for Molly’s hand and entwined their fingers. “From now on, we need to act like a couple everywhere we go,” he told her. “And we need to be sure everyone thinks we’re completely in love.” Then he bent down and pressed his lips to the back of her hand, looking into her eyes for a long moment. “Don’t you agree?” he rumbled softly.
“Oh, yes—absolutely.” Molly’s heart started pounding at the way he was looking at her.
“Good.” He rose to his full height again. “Then let’s go invite some wedding guests.”
The reaction at work had been complete, stunned silence for almost a full minute after Torus had gathered everyone together and announced that he and Molly were getting married and everyone had the day off work and was invited to attend.
Then Lana began clapping loudly and exclaimed,
“Congratulations! You two are perfect together!”
Molly was endlessly grateful to her friend—Lana was so good at breaking the ice. Suddenly, all her coworkers were looking at her with new eyes. They all came up to congratulate her and Torus. Molly smiled and thanked them, still feeling completely unreal. When Lana came up to hug her, she whispered in Molly’s ear,
“You’re going to have to tell me everything later! Because, girl—this is crazy, you know?”
“I know,” Molly whispered back. “But everybody has to believe it—okay?”
“Got it.” Lana nodded and later Molly heard her whispering to some of the other women in the department that Molly and Torus had “been in love for months, but they didn’t want to tell anyone.” She was glad Lana was spreading the rumor to help their ruse—even though her friend didn’t know the details.
Lana would definitely be one of the few people who knew the truth about her wedding to their boss, she decided. She knew she could trust her friend to keep their secret.
The only coworker who didn’t come up to congratulate her and Torus was Karen Geners. She just stared wide-eyed in shock when Torus made the announcement. And then, instead of coming up to say anything, she stayed in her cubicle with her face turned away.
Molly didn’t think much of it—she would be just as happy if her snooty coworker didn’t come to the wedding. Lana was the only one she really wanted to attend—everyone else could come if they wanted or just stay home.
After the announcement and congratulations, Torus appointed Lana as the temporary head of the department while they were gone on their honeymoon, which had made Molly’s best friend even more excited. Not just being the temporary boss—she was happy about that, of course—but it was the honeymoon she wanted to know all about.
Molly had to promise to tell her the details later because she didn’t know any of them herself. All she actually knew was that she and Torus would be going to Earth where the Press could see them and document their “love.”
Following the excitement at their work, Molly had thought she would probably just go home. But Torus had insisted on taking her out to a romantic restaurant that served Twin Moons cuisine. However, when the waiter asked if “the little lady would like to try some of our famous Bonding Fruit mousse for dessert,” Torus had cut him off with a sharp, “No!”
“Sorry,” he apologized to Molly, after the waiter left in a huff. “But I don’t want you to feel obligated in any way to do anything you’re not comfortable doing. And if you take Bonding Fruit in any form you’ll need…relief, to put it delicately.”
Molly knew exactly what kind of “relief” she would need if she ate Bonding Fruit. Being married to Twin Kindred husbands, Lana had told her all about it—in great detail. She was grateful to Torus for not automatically assuming that just because they were getting married, they would also be having sex. After the things Zach had done to her, she was still kind of shaky in that department.
In fact, she hadn’t had sex in five years since her divorce. She didn’t even masturbate because she felt too guilty doing it. It seemed like giving herself pleasure was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. If she would have just taken a bath and not played with her “toys,” when she was alone in the bathroom, the videos Zach recorded wouldn’t have been nearly so salacious…or so damning.
So she tried really hard just to keep sex out of her head and concentrate on anything else. Yes, it was cutting off a part of herself she used to enjoy—a part she’d tried to keep free, even after Zach started caging her in and making her do…things she didn’t want to do. But that was over now, she told herself. She wasn’t going to let herself go there again and she was relieved that Torus didn’t expect her to do anything sexual.
But the minute she had that thought, a new image popped up in her mind—the memory of the big Kindred holding her close as she “over-hugged” him the night before. She couldn’t help thinking of how gentle he’d been…or how good he smelled…
Stop it, Molly! she lectured herself sternly. This marriage is just for show—I’m sure he doesn’t even think of you that way!
The dinner was delicious and afterwards they walked in the rolling parklands in the center of the ship. They held hands quite naturally, Molly thought—it just seemed right to entwine her fingers with Commander Torus’s as they walked together.
Then the big Kindred had surprised her by stopping and getting down on one knee. At first, Molly had thought he was just getting down to her level so they could talk more easily. But then he pulled out the box with the Andalusian diamond ring.
“Molly Byrne,” he had rumbled, looking into her eyes. “Will you Join with me?”
Even though Molly knew the whole marriage was just subterfuge, she couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks got hot with a flush.
“Oh, Commander Torus—” she began.
“No, little bird,” he interrupted her gently. “You must stop calling me by my title. Just ‘Torus’ will do. Or you can pick a pet name for me, if you wish. I understand that humans use them quite frequently for the ones they care for.”
“Like you calling me ‘little bird’?” Molly had asked. He’d called her that several times, though this was the first time she’d had the nerve to ask about it.
“Exactly.” He nodded, a rare smile tugging the corner of his mouth.
“Why…why did you choose that name for me?” Molly asked him.
His face got a guarded look and he paused for a long moment before he answered her.
“Maybe…because of your hair,” he said at last, reaching out to stroke the long, wavy strands which framed her face. “The color reminds me of the feathers of an Earth bird I saw when I was studying your home world.”
“Oh…okay.” Molly had nodded. “So…what do you want me to call you?”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling.
“Anything you want as long as it’s not ‘Commander Torus.’”
“What about ‘honey’?” Molly suggested.
He raised his eyebrows.
“The sweet, sticky syrup made by the insects called bees? Is that a pet name that humans call each other?”
“Yes, because it means you’re sweet—like honey is sweet,” Molly explained.
He frowned.
“But you don’t know what flavor I would be. I think I would probably be salty more than sweet.”
Molly laughed, unable to help herself.
“No, I mean sweet-tempered. Like kind and patient and…and everything you are,” she finished, hoping he would understand.
Torus nodded thoughtfully.
“Thank you—then I’ll take the pet name ‘honey’ as a compliment. What other pet names besides ‘little bird’ would you like me to call you? I have heard some other Kindred males calling their mates ‘sweetheart’ which seems to be in the same vein as ‘honey.’”
“Sweetheart is nice,” Molly agreed. “Or baby or sweetie or really anything but just plain ‘babe.’ That’s what Zach used to call me.” She shivered, remembering the casual way he’d called her that—usually after he hurt her in some small but significant way.
“Honestly, babe, I don’t know what the big deal is—I was just teasing you a little. And I barely touched you! You’re way too sensitive,”he would say after yanking her hair or pinching her or tripping her or doing any of the hundred, mean little things that seemed to bring him so much pleasure.
“Molly? Little bird?”
Torus’s deep voice pulled her back and she looked up to see him staring at her anxiously.
“Where did you go?” he rumbled.
Molly shook her head.
“Sorry, I just had a bad memory, that’s all.”
“Don’t think about him,” Torus told her. Cupping her cheek in his big hand, he looked into her eyes. “Stay here with me, beautiful.”
Molly’s eyes opened wide.
“Oh—did you decide to, uh, add a new nickname to the list?” she asked.
“It fits you,” he murmured.
His eyes held hers for so long that Molly was sure he was going to kiss her. And despite telling herself that she had no wish to do anything sexual or even romantic with the big Kindred, her heart started pounding in her chest. Whenever he was close to her, she could smell that cologne of his—or whatever it was—and it smelled so good it made her want to forget her awful past and jump his bones!
But then, instead of kissing her, Torus had taken the ring out of the little velvet box.
“Can I put this on you?” he’d asked.
Molly had nodded, still too tongue-tied by the intense eye-contact they’d shared, to speak. Then he had walked her back to her suite, although to be honest, she’d felt more like she was floating.
The floaty sensation hadn’t lasted too long though. As soon as Torus said goodnight and she let herself into her suite, Molly had gotten an urgent feeling that someone wanted to talk to her. It turned out to be Lana, demanding “all the tea!”
Molly had stayed up later than she ought to, explaining the situation to her best friend. When she told how Commander Torus had insisted on buying her a ring and had knelt down to put it on her finger, Lana’s mental squeal of excitement made her head ring.
“I knew it! I knew it!”she’d sent over the Think-me connection. “Commander Torus has the hots for you!”
“No, he doesn’t!” Molly protested at once.
“Yes, he does! Why else would he ask you to marry him?
“I just told you why—because we have to pretend to be married for the court case!”
“No, I mean why else would he ask you to marry him that way,”Lana clarified. “I mean, kneeling down and looking into your eyes…”
“He had to kneel down—he’s nine feet tall,” Molly reminded her.
“Still, it’s so romantic. Tell you what, I’ll send some Bonding Fruit juice with you just in case. Ooo—or maybe some of the new Bonding Fruit candy they have out now—it’s extra concentrated!”
“What? No!” Molly protested. “There’s no way I’m going to need Bonding Fruit because we are not going to be Bonding!”
“You might though—better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it,” Lana argued. “Besides, it’s delicious. It tastes like fresh, juicy peaches mixed with ripe strawberries with a hint of buttered popcorn at the end.”
“I don’t care how good it tastes, I’m not going to be using it!” Molly insisted.
“But what if Commander Torus is actually secretly in love with you? I bet he is! I can tell that he’s into you—I could see it during your big announcement about the wedding. His body language?—”
“That reminds me,” Molly sent, interrupting before her friend could get going on the topic of “body language.” “I forgot to ask you, but would you please be my Maid of Honor? I know it’s really last minute, but Kat told me to ask anyone I wanted as bridesmaids and she can whip up a dress in a matter of minutes. She has this machine called a replicator that?—”
“Yes!” Lana had exclaimed, so loudly through the link that Molly’s head ached.
She laughed.
“Okay, okay—don’t get so excited. It’s still just a fake wedding, you know.”
“You say that now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be real,” Lana sent back.
They talked for a little longer, making plans to meet with Kat before the ceremony—which wasn’t until late afternoon. Then Molly had tried to get some sleep.
She was exhausted but the excitement of the day had kept her up until at last, she had drifted into a dream…a very naughty dream, as it turned out.
In the dream, she saw Torus lying on a perfectly enormous bed which had obviously been made for someone his size. He had his shirt off and his muscular chest was bare. His tight black trousers were open, revealing the biggest cock Molly had ever seen in her life.
My God, she thought uneasily. It’s the size of a baguette! And not a small one, either!
But she couldn’t help staring. Despite his huge and intimidating size, Torus was fascinating to watch as he pleasured himself.
The big Kindred had his eyes closed in her dream and he was stoking himself slowly, one big hand wrapped loosely around his massive shaft. After a moment of watching, mesmerized, Molly realized he was saying something. In her dream, she somehow moved closer until she could hear the low rumble of his voice.
“Molly! Gods, little bird…so fucking beautiful…want you so fucking much!”
The words were a low groan that seemed to go right through her. Molly felt her nipples tighten into aching points and her pussy was suddenly wet and hot and needy. God, was he really thinking about her while he touched himself? Could Lana be right? Did her huge Kindred boss who was soon to be her husband want her?
The dream had ended abruptly and she had woken up before she got to watch Torus spurt all over his flat belly. But when she sat up, the image of the big Kindred stroking himself lingered behind her eyes.
As she tried to push the disturbing images out of her head, Molly realized she was feeling extremely turned on. The panties that she’d worn to bed were damp with desire and her legs felt trembly with need. Her nipples ached to be touched…to be sucked. But of course, there was no one to suck them and no one to share her desire.
Molly tried to brush it off. Waking up horny wasn’t actually that unusual for her. She had always had a very high sex drive—which she had done her best to suppress when she was younger.
For a brief time, after she moved away from home, she’d given in to her needs…but look what it had gotten her, she reminded herself sternly, as she sat on the edge of the bed and tried again to push the strange, erotic dream out of her mind. She needed to put a lid on her desire and hide it away—nothing good had ever come of her letting it out of the box.
She had an early morning appointment with Commander Sylvan and Torus to get their new thought/emotion transfer devices installed. So after a brief cold shower, she’d gotten dressed and headed over to the Med Center.
“Now these are going to be temporary,” Commander Sylvan told them as he attached the tiny, clear chip about the size of one of Molly’s fingernails to the right side of her temple. “They’re completely waterproof so don’t worry about taking a shower or a bath with them. You can even go swimming in the ocean if you want.”
“In the ocean?” Molly asked, raising her eyebrows. “Are we going to be near the ocean, then?”
Commander Sylvan smiled.
“Absolutely. We’ve decided to send you to Florida on your ‘honeymoon.’”
“Florida?” Molly asked. But she suddenly felt something negative—a feeling of dislike that wasn’t coming from her. “Oh…” She put a hand to her temple and looked up at Torus, who was already wearing his own TET device. “Don’t you like Florida?”
“I have visited that particular part of Earth before,” he rumbled. “I found it to be extremely hot and the humidity was exhausting. Also, everywhere I went the humans stared at me.”
“Well, we want them to stare at you, I’m afraid, Commander Torus,” Commander Sylvan said mildly. “Florida is known as a good vacation and honeymoon location so it’s a natural choice for the two of you. The Press needs to be able to see how in love you are and how devoted you are to each other. In order to achieve that, we’ll be asking you to go to several high-profile locations such as Disney World.”
“Is that the park ruled by a mouse?” Torus asked, frowning.
Molly burst into laughter.
“Disney’s mascot is Mickey Mouse,” she explained to the big Kindred. She frowned. “But I’m afraid you’re going to be too big to get on any of the rides. I guess we can just walk around Epcot.”
“That’s fine,” Commander Sylvan said. “The main thing is for the two of you to be seen together.”
Torus sighed deeply but Molly felt his resignation as he nodded.
“Of course. We will do everything we can to help the case.”
“Which is going to go to court very soon,” Sylvan told them. “It’s being fast-tracked—I think because Ms. Byrne’s ex-Mate is wealthy and famous.”
Unfortunately, Zach was also extremely vengeful. Molly shivered when she thought of how her ex was probably planning to get back at them.
“Hey…what’s wrong, little bird?” Torus put a hand on her arm and she realized that he must have felt her emotion through the TET devices they both wore. “Why are you frightened?” he asked her.
“Sorry. It’s just…I know how Zach can be. If I know him, he’s going to throw everything he has at us,” Molly told him.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Torus assured her. He put an arm around her and drew her close to his side. “I’m going to keep you safe. Anything your ex-Mate sends at us will have to go through me first, before it gets anywhere near you. I’m going to guard and protect you every minute we’re together. All right?”
Molly felt herself melting against him.
“All right,” she said, looking up at the big Kindred trustingly.
Torus stroked her hair.
“Good—I can feel your trust. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to be worthy of it, sweetheart.”
“Thank you.” Molly wished he was closer so she could nuzzle her cheek against his, the way she had the other night when she had “over-hugged him.” Just being near the big Kindred made her feel safe and calm and protected.
“Thank you,” Torus murmured. “I’m glad you feel that way about me, but I’m not sure you meant to let me hear your thought.”
“Oh…did you hear that?” Molly felt her cheeks getting hot. How had he heard her thinking when she hadn’t meant to send him her thoughts?
“I believe you might be sending me your thoughts unintentionally,” Torus said, answering her out loud.
“Oh no!” Molly put a hand to her temple where the TET was. “How do I turn it off?”
“You can’t,” Sylvan told her. “The only way to stop it is to peel the TET device off your temple. But if you do that, the connection will be lost and you’ll have to come back up to the Mother Ship to re-establish it.”
“But what if I think the wrong thing?” Molly demanded. “What if I think something…something embarrassing?” She was remembering the dream she’d had the night before—the extremely erotic one that starred Torus. No, no—I can’t think about that! I have to stop! she told herself, beginning to feel panicked.
Torus shot her a curious look but didn’t say anything this time.
Commander Sylvan, however, put out a hand to calm her down.
“It’s all right—you just have to learn how to use the TET properly. When you have a true Soul Bond with your mate, you have a natural shield around your thoughts and emotions, so you usually don’t send them thoughts or feelings without meaning to. With the TETs, you actually have to picture a barrier in your mind—try imagining a high brick wall that you’ll keep all your thoughts behind,” he said to Molly. “Go on—close your eyes and try it.”
Molly closed her eyes and imagined a wall a hundred feet high inside her mind.
“Good,” she heard Commander Sylvan say. “Now picture a small gate in the wall. Only the thoughts and emotions you want to send to your partner will get through this gate.”
Molly did her best. She imagined opening the small gate and sending a little thought message.
“Hello—can you hear me?” she sent to Torus.
“Yes, I can hear you, sweetheart.” His mental voice was as low and rumbly as his physical voice she thought. It made her feel calm and happy just to hear it in her head.
“I like your mental voice too,” he sent to her.
Molly opened her eyes.
“Crap! I did it again, didn’t I?”
“I think you may be some kind of natural projector,” Torus told her. “But don’t worry—we’ll have plenty of time to practice our mental technique.”
Molly bit her lip.
“But…what if I think something really embarrassing?” she asked in a small voice.
“I won’t hold it against you,” Torus promised, a slight smile playing around the corner of his mouth. “Now come on—let’s practice some more and then I think you have to go try on your wedding dress, right?”
So they had practiced some more—and Molly had honestly thought she was getting the hang of it…
Until now, she thought, staring at herself in the 3-D viewer again as Kat fixed her veil. When he heard what I was thinking even though we’re not even in the same room together!
Commander Sylvan had told them that the TETs had a limited range—much shorter than a real Soul Bond would be—but so far Molly felt like she was unintentionally shouting all her thoughts and emotions at the big Kindred.
“You look absolutely gorgeous,” Kat told her again, bringing her back to the present. “And I think your friend’s dress should be finished. I’ll go get it and send her in if that’s okay?”
“Oh yes—please send her in!” Molly was eager to see Lana and take her mind off the whirlwind events of the past twenty-four hours.
Kat left the fitting room—which was in a small structure located just outside of the Sacred Grove where the ceremony was taking place—and Lana came in.
“Oh…my…God!” Lana exclaimed, her eyes widening dramatically. “Molly, why didn’t you tell me you were a model?”
Molly couldn’t help laughing at her friend’s over-the-top reaction.
“Maybe because I’m not?” she suggested.
“But you totally look like one! That dress is amazing on you!”
“Thank you.” Molly smiled shyly. “Do you think Commander Torus—I mean Torus—will like it?” she asked.
“If he doesn’t he’s got rocks in his head,” Lana said firmly. “You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.” She sighed, suddenly looking melancholy. “I just wish your wedding was going to be for real.”
“Well, it’s not,” Molly pointed out. “But even though it’s a fake wedding, it’s still way nicer than my first one,” she added.
“Why? What was your first wedding to Zachary Asshole Wyndham like?” Lana put a hand on her hip and arched one eyebrow sarcastically.
“Well, it was nothing special, that’s for sure,” Molly said. “It was before Zach made his money and he didn’t want to spend anything on a ‘big, dumb ceremony.’ So we got married at City Hall with two of his gamer friends as witnesses. None of my family wanted to come because they didn’t approve of Zach,” she added. “Afterwards, we all went and ate at Chipotle and Zach spilled salsa all over my dress. Not that it was anywhere near as nice as this one,” she added, looking down at the gorgeous white gown Kat had made for her.
What she didn’t tell her friend was how the wedding night had gone. How Zach—who had never been a very considerate lover—had suddenly turned cruel. How he?—
She cut the thought off abruptly, hoping that she had kept it behind the wall. Since Torus didn’t send her any kind of thought message saying he had heard her, she hoped that he hadn’t. It was a good thing she’d gotten so good at catching negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones, she told herself. Otherwise wearing the TET device would be a complete disaster!
“That sounds like a lousy wedding for sure,” Lana said, bringing her back to the present. “Not like this one. I’ve already been to the Sacred Grove to take a look—the decorations are just gorgeous! I don’t know how Kat pulled everything together in such a short amount of time!”
“Let’s just say I’m good at what I do, doll,” Kat said, returning unexpectedly. She was holding a hanger with an elegant, moss-green bridesmaid’s dress on it. “Here—try that on,” she told Lana. “And hurry—it’s almost time for the ceremony!”
Molly bit her lip as she looked at the chronometer on the wall of the dressing area. Kat was right—in just a few minutes she would be walking down the aisle to get married to her huge Kindred boss! Who would have guessed that Zach sending that awful video to yet another employer would have ended like this?
But it’s not over yet, she told herself. We still have to get through the honeymoon and the lawsuit!
She just hoped she could manage—it was going to be a challenge. Especially acting like she was in love with Torus while telling him she wasn’t in love with him, though she secretly thought she was beginning to have feelings for the big Kindred.
It was all so confusing! But Molly had no idea how much more confusing things were going to get in the near future…