Free Devoured: Brides of the Kindred 11 by Evangeline Anderson Page B

honey—there’s no judgment here.”
    “I appreciate that but we didn’t do anything.” Tess shook her head
vehemently. “I mean, he took off my dress and unbuckled his belt but then he
just…just held me.”
    She closed her eyes briefly, remembering
the feeling of warmth and safety she’d felt in those powerful arms. Why
couldn’t he—Garron—have just been content to hold her a while longer? The
warmth of his big body, the dark, spicy scent of his skin…it had been so…so nice. For a moment she almost wanted to
cry but she pushed back the stupid emotion. He
thought you were a Pairing Puppet, of course he wanted to do more than just
hold you! she scolded herself. What
did you expect?
    “So he just held you?” the redhead said flatly. “Really?”
    “Honestly—I know it sounds unbelievable
but it’s true,” Tess said earnestly. “But the way he reacted when I admitted I
wasn’t…what he thought I was, well, you would have thought we did a lot more. Not
that we did—because we didn’t. I mean…”
    “I think I know why he was so upset,”
Becca said. “I’ll tell you if you want to know. But first we should introduce
ourselves.”
    “Oh yes, I’m so sorry!” the girl with
brown hair exclaimed. “You must feel like you’re on trial and you don’t even
know us! Everybody, this is Tess. And I’m Sophie and this is my twin sister
Liv.” She pointed to the blonde girl who did have remarkably similar features.
“And this feisty pregnant redheaded lady is Kat.” She nodded at the redhead who
smiled at Tess.
    “And I’m Becca,” Becca said, smiling. “Oh,
and this goddess bringing us a plate of scrumptious goodies is Lauren.” She
nodded at a woman with creamy brown skin and the most striking amber eyes Tess
had ever seen. She was coming in from the front hallway area and carrying a
huge tray loaded with cupcakes, brownies, donuts, and other delicious looking
baked goods. After a week spent living on alien food, the sweets made Tess’s
mouth water.
    “Hi, Lauren, where did you come from?”
Olivia said.
    “Just dropped by to say hi,” Lauren
remarked. She frowned. “Hey, Sophie, is there something going on? As I was
coming up to your suite, one of the lower ranking guards was right behind me.
He said something about an urgent message for Sylvan.”
    “Oh, who knows?” Sophie threw up her
hands. “Ever since he’s gotten on the Council it seems like everything is urgent. It’s probably
nothing.”
    “Well, if you say so.” Lauren still looked
uneasy.
    “We see the baked goods but where’s the
baby?” Liv asked, gesturing to the tray in her hands. “I’m dying to see her
again—she’s adorable.”
    “Aziza’s just down for a nap so I can’t
stay long.” Lauren smiled and deposited the huge tray on the coffee table in
front of the very pregnant Kat. “I just wanted to run these by because I heard
Kat was dying for something sweet.”
    “When is she not?” Liv said dryly. “But
seriously, Lauren, you’re supposed to be still recovering from having the baby.
You shouldn’t be up and around and baking everything in sight.”
    “I love it,” Lauren said. “Besides, it
gives Xairn an excuse to bond with Ziza. He was scared to death he would break
her at first—he would barely touch her.”
    “Oh, seriously? That’s too bad!” Sophie
said.
    “Yes, well, that didn’t last long.” Lauren
grinned. “The first time she cried while I was up to my elbows in cake flour,
he had to pick her up. Once he
realized that he wasn’t going to drop her, he started falling completely in
love with her.”
    “And I bet she loves her daddy too,” Kat
said, laughing.
    “Let’s just say she already knows she’s
got him twisted around her little finger,” Lauren said. “Not that Xairn
minds—that man is absolutely foolish about Ziza.”
    “I just bet.” Liv sounded a bit wistful.
“I love the way Baird is with Daniel but I can’t help wishing I might have a
girl