Part 41 (1/2)
Blood Fever-a condition suffered by unmated females on Tranq Prime, the home world of the Blood Kindred. Blood Fever or Burning Blood as it is often called, is caused by a parasite living on the icy world that affects only women. The parasite-found in the fleeta or blood beetle-reacts with a compound in the Tranq Prime water supply to cause the fever. Symptoms include chills, increased s.e.xual need and the feeling of the blood heating in the veins as well as increased coloration of the nipples and s.e.x. If the fever is not treated in forty-eight hours, it will result in death.
Once a Kindred male has had a female's blood, he forms a natural antidote to Blood Fever which he can pa.s.s on by sharing body fluids with her. The most effective way to get the antidote into the female's system is for a Blood Kindred to bite her, thereby injecting it along with his essence. However, it is also possible to pa.s.s along the healing fluid through s.e.x.
Blood Fever used to be very common on Tranq Prime which is what prompted the cold, proud natives to initiate a genetic exchange with the Kindred in the first place. A recent vaccine has nearly eradicated the disease, however, and the original inhabitants of the ice bound planet have little reason to continue the trade. A faction calling themselves Purists are against any further trade with the Kindred.
Blood/Tranq Kindred-are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting rituals to share their supercharged blood and take the blood of their mates during their own version of bonding s.e.x. They have a set of double fangs located where a human's canine teeth would be. These fangs do not develop fully or become sharp enough to pierce flesh until a Blood Kindred is with a woman he wishes to mate and bond with.
Bonding Ceremony-a wedding-type ritual which takes place after the Claiming Period if the bride chosen by a Kindred warrior has allowed him to have bonding s.e.x with her and joined her mind to his.
Bonding s.e.x-the extra step a Kindred warrior takes to bind his bride to him permanently during intercourse. For the Beast Kindred, it is the use of the mating fist. For the Blood Kindred, bonding s.e.x means s.e.x during penetration. Twin Kindred bind a bride to themselves by entering her and coming in her at the same time.
Claiming Ceremony-a sort of engagement service that takes place when a bride is first claimed by a Kindred warrior. He declares his intentions toward her and she vows to obey the laws of the Claiming Period.
Claiming Period-women who are drafted are required to go up to the Kindred Mothers.h.i.+p and spend a thirty day ”claiming period” with the warrior who has chosen them. If, at the end of that time, they have managed to resist the charms of their Kindred mate, they are allowed to go back down to Earth and resume their normal life. However, if they succ.u.mb to their Kindred male's seduction, they are mated for life and must move to the Kindred s.h.i.+p to live, leaving everything else behind and seeing their family and friends on Earth only infrequently. Of course, many women are unwilling to give everything up at the drop of a hat, draft or no draft. But the Kindred have a secret weapon-devotion to their female's pleasure and attention to detail during incredibly hot s.e.x.
Claming Period Rules-The Claiming Period lasts for four weeks during which the Kindred warrior attempts to seduce his chosen bride and she tries to resist him: The Holding Week: the Kindred warrior may hold his bride.
The Bathing Week: the warrior and his bride bathe together and he is allowed to ma.s.sage her with scented oils and make her come.
The Tasting Week: the warrior is allowed to perform oral s.e.x on his bride.
The Bonding Week: s.e.x is allowed but it is completely up to the bride whether she will take things a step further and allow bonding s.e.x which is a special and specific process to the three different types of Kindred males. (Most women have given in well before this point but a few do resist.) The only way out before the claiming period is up is a breach of contract. This can happen if the Kindred warrior does not strictly follow the rules and tries to skip forward in the order of allowed events or by breaking one of the rules laid down by the Kindred High Council. These rules-mostly to do with restrictions on communication with Earth-are for the safety of everyone aboard the Mothers.h.i.+p and are nonnegotiable. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking them and will result in immediate termination of the claiming period.
Convo-pillar-A half inch long insect which resembles a brightly colored caterpillar. Convo-pillars were genetically engineered by traders on the fringe colonies around Rageron to translate alien languages by communicating via thought waves to their wearer's brain. They have been outlawed by the Kindred High Council because their notoriously unreliable translations cause more conflicts than they solve.
Deep Blue-the darkest and most inaccessible part of the Rageron jungles Dream Sharing-occurs when a Kindred warrior's mind aligns with that of his bride and they begin to see each other's day to day activities and memories in their sleep. However, the alignment of the two (or three in the case of the Twin Kindred) minds can take several forms and is not limited to sleep.
Fireflower Juice-an alcoholic beverage made from the Fireflower plant native to Rageron. It resembles milk in appearance but has the flavor of honey, vanilla, lavender and blueberries.
High Councilor-the rightful ruler and defender of the Kindred home planet, First World. Only the High Councilor may sit upon the throne of wisdom and see with the eye of foreknowledge. Without a High Councilor in place, First World and the rest of the Kindred race cannot be adequately protected against the evil machinations of the h.o.a.rd.
h.o.a.rd-an ancient enemy of the First Kindred also known as the Grimlax or the Blackness which eats the Stars, they are evil, demonic beings with ravenous appet.i.tes and a desire to conquer, devour, and destroy every living thing in the universe. They are divided into tribes with the lowest echelon being the most numerous and primitive. The elite or upper echelon tribes are more sophisticated and intelligent but also much more dangerous. They are notoriously manipulative and able to change their appearances using a technique called ”shadowing” to look like anyone or anything they choose.
Kindred-a race of genetic traders who have traveled the universe for centuries looking for viable matches to expand their gene pool. Since a genetic anomaly ensures that their population is ninety-five percent male, they are specifically looking for women.
The three genetic trades the Kindred have already made have resulted in three very specific types of men. But though they take on some of the physical characteristics of the race they are trading with, the Kindred gene always ensures three things: physical prowess, extremely large and muscular body structure, and undying loyalty to the female of their choice.
Krik-ka-re-a Scourge tradition in which the mind life of one being may be traded for or ransomed by another.
Kusax-a special knife made from the tainted metal at the core of the Scourge home planet. One scratch can be deadly as it infects the wounded person with a soul poison which ensures a slow, agonizing death.
Law of Conduct-the Kindred law which says every warrior is responsible for the good behavior of his bride and gives him the right to punish her-within reason. Often the ”punishment” is s.e.xual in nature and some brides become serial offenders simply to experience their Kindred warrior's particular form of discipline. ; ) Luck Kiss-a kiss performed by the best man and maid of honor at a Kindred Bonding Ceremony in order to bring the happy couple good luck.
Mate of my kin-the way Kindred warriors refer to the brides chosen by their brothers. It is a.n.a.logous to the English term sister-in-law.