was ridiculous—she barely knew the big Unbondable and it wasn’t like they could have had any kind of relationship. Why should it upset her never to see him again?
“Bye, baby girl.” Leaning down, Raak brushed a swift, feather-light kiss to her lips.
At once, Kara’s heart began to pound and she felt her fangs sharpen and start to ache. The urge to grab the big warrior, brush his hair aside, and bury her teeth in his neck was almost insurmountable. But somehow she held herself back. Biting was a sexual act among the Blood Kindred—not something one would ever do in public—especially not in front of her brother.
“Goodbye,” she said again and watched as Raak gathered up the silky silver uniform shirt and walked off, without bothering to put it on again. His broad, muscular back flexed powerfully as he sauntered off, pushing through the thinning crowd as though he didn’t give a damn what any of them thought.
Kara couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped her lips. I’ll probably never see him again.
Then Kaleb’s hand was on her elbow.
“Come on.” Her twin’s voice was low and tight. “Let’s go home.”
Five
“What were you thinking, Kara?” Her father ran a hand through his short blond hair, his eyes filled with concern. He wasn’t shouting at her—there was honest bewilderment in his pale blue eyes, so much like her own.
“Father, I…” Kara started and then trailed off—she honestly didn’t know how to explain. They were in Sylvan’s study with the door shut, just the two of them and she felt like a little girl all over again, in trouble with her father.
“You’ve been perfectly behaved all your life and then I get two formal complaints about you in one day.” Sylvan shook his head. “You’re far past the age of adolescent angst and rebellion. Yet the Fr’Enson elders said that you laughed at them and mocked them openly. Then directly afterwards you go and risk your life by climbing up the side of Rainbow Mountain with a very unsuitable male. Why, Kara?”
“First of all, I didn’t mock anyone,” Kara said, finding her voice at last. “I only laughed because I couldn’t help it—they were all puffed up and poking each other with their…anyway, they looked ridiculous,” she ended lamely and cleared her throat. “But I didn’t mean to insult them.”
“All right.” Her father nodded thoughtfully. “And the other stunt you pulled?”
“It wasn’t a ‘stunt’,” Kara protested. “I’ve always wanted to know what the mechanisms inside Rainbow Mountain look like—how they work. You know that—I remember asking you when you took Kaleb and me there when we were little.”
Sylvan sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.
“Yes, I remember,” he said reluctantly. “You always did want to know how everything worked. I remember when you took apart the chronometer your mother gave you for your tenth birthday—how upset she was. She thought you were being destructive but I told her it was just your natural curiosity.”
“Exactly.” Kara felt a surge of hope that her father would understand. “That was all it was—curiosity.”
“It was more than that, Kara.” Sylvan spoke in a low, gentle voice. “It wasn’t just the fact that you climbed up Rainbow Mountain—it was who you climbed it with.”
“Raakshas isn’t a bad male,” Kara protested. “Just because he’s a Y’lyn Kindred—”
“He’s an Unbondable.” Her father’s voice went suddenly harsh. “He can’t form a permanent bond with anyone—he’ll only hurt you, Kara.”
“It was nothing like that,” Kara protested. “Raak is just a friend.”
Sylvan frowned. “I know males like that and friendship isn’t what they’re after.”
He thinks Raak wants to change the color of my eyes, Kara thought and felt a mortified blush creep into her cheeks.
“Father, please.”
“Sweetheart…” Sylvan sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’ve been having some…problems lately. But you’re a beautiful, special female. You don’t have to stoop to consorting with a male who only wants sexual favors. You’re better than that.”
“Goddess!” Kara felt ready to burst with embarrassment. Her father never spoke to her about these kinds of things. He had left “the talk” to her mother who had spoken to Kara about the birds and the bees and her changing body years before. But now her father went on relentlessly, as though he was determined to have his say.
“I should have spoken to you before this,” he said, studying her face, which felt as hot as an oven. “I did speak to your brother about it but I didn’t know…exactly how to broach the subject