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“Don’t you?” Molly asked.
He shook his head.
“No, not really. I’ve always found her extremely unattractive. Besides being rude and overbearing, she’s too skinny for my tastes.”
Lana, who was still standing by listening, smothered a laugh.
“I bet that’s a first for Karen!”
“Just see that she’s gone from our department when Molly and I get back,” Torus told her. “Right now, I want to talk with my wife.”
He took Molly’s hand in his and led her away from the cake table, where other guests were beginning to gather. He stopped under the shadow of one of the tall sacred trees with dark purple bark and green and purple leaves. Heedless of the immaculate black tux he was wearing, he sat under it and then patted his knee.
“Come here, little bird.”
Hesitantly, Molly settled on his lap.
“Yes?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Are you all right?” Torus asked her. He cupped her cheek in his big hand. “Please don’t let that drunk female ruin our special day together.”
Molly looked down at her hands.
“I’ll try not to. It’s just…she said out loud the things I think about myself sometimes,” she admitted in a rush. “I mean, that I’m not thin enough and that I have too many freckles…”
“Your curves are beautiful!” Torus protested. “You’re an Elite—a goddess! And as for your freekles…er, freckles—I love them.” Lifting her hand, he pressed it to his mouth, placing many little kisses on it. “Every…last…one of them,” he murmured as he kissed.
Molly felt her cheeks getting hot with a blush.
“Really? I’ve always been kind of self-conscious about them.”
“Do you know what we Kindred call them? Goddess kisses,” he told her. “They make you special and perfect and beautiful, Molly. The most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.”
Molly blushed harder but couldn’t help smiling.
“Thank you,” she murmured, looking down.
She couldn’t help wondering why her Kindred boss—who was now her husband—seemed to feel so much for her, (though she was careful to keep her wondering behind the mental wall she’d built.) If anyone had asked her a few days ago what Commander Torus thought of her, she would have said he didn’t think of her at all. But she couldn’t doubt his sincerity—she could feel it coming through their TET link when he spoke to her.
She supposed it was just a mystery she might never understand…
21
MOLLY
The rest of the reception went quickly and—thankfully—without any further incident. Molly was almost able to forget the unpleasantness caused by her drunk coworker and before she knew it, she and Torus had changed out of their wedding clothes and into more casual wear and were headed to the Docking Bay with Commander Sylvan.
“That was a beautiful Joining ceremony,” Commander Sylvan remarked as they walked along. He and Torus were both slowing their pace so Molly could keep up, which was nice. “And very real-looking too,” he added approvingly.
“Thank you. Molly and I have agreed to do everything we can to appear like a ‘real couple,’” Torus rumbled.
“You’re doing an excellent job,” Sylvan told him. “The way you were looking into each other’s eyes and staying so close to each other during the whole reception—I would have sworn you were actually a Bonded pair.”
“The TET device helps,” Molly offered, smiling shyly. She touched the tiny clear chip at her right temple reflexively. “I can really hear Torus’s thoughts and feel his feelings. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
Commander Sylvan looked interested.
“So do you think it does a good job of mimicking a real Soul Bond?” he asked.
