A Claim for Calix: A Sci Fi Alien Romance (Tallean Mercenaries Book 4)
Page 16
Meal done, they piled onto the mattress, the scene lit by candlelight. It was a convenience to have the look of candles but not the fear of setting the blankets on fire.
“I’ve got a surprise for you.” Emma pointed to the darkening sky as the first fireworks shot over the canyon and exploded into sparks of dazzling color.
Emma had secretly contracted the scene from a programmer on Reka 5 for this occasion. It meant that Zeylum, Arus, Mia, and Sidas all knew the big news before Cal, but they kept it a secret. Zeylum and Sidas offered to split the cost for it. They were more than happy for their friend.
More fireworks lit the sky. “It’s beautiful,” Cal whispered into her ear between booming explosions and piercing whistles. “It’s like watching something blow up. The best part of blowing something up is the explosion.”
Emma laughed and cuddled in closer. Zeylum had assured her that Tallean didn’t have anything quite like a firework display. The closest thing they had were colored flares for signaling and communications, but they were never used for entertainment.
“The best part is coming up.” Emma was nervous. She wasn’t sure how Cal was going to react.
As the last volley of sparkling blue light lit up the sky, it became clear that they formed Tallean glyphs. Since Emma never learned to read the Tallean language, she had had to ask Arus to confirm that the words were correct. At first, Cal did not react.
Then, the meaning of the glyphs slowly penetrated, and Cal turned to her, jaws hanging open.
Emma leaned in and whispered into her shocked mate’s ear, “Congratulations, Daddy. It’s a boy.”
Calix enclosed Emma in the protective cocoon of his arms as the fireworks died down, and the sounds of artificial nature returned.
“Arus said I’m past the most critical point, and the chance of me losing the baby is very low now. I figure we could finally celebrate.” This was their second try, and after the first failure, Emma had kept the details away from Cal. He had reacted worse than she had, and Emma didn’t want to stress him out. So, she and Arus only told him what he needed to know and kept the details quiet. That was almost four months ago.
Cal had told her she smelled different when pregnant, so he must have known. But that was a given due to the experiment. The surprise wasn’t the baby. It was that her body had accepted their child.
“I’m going to be a father.” Cal still had a shocked look on his face, but he was smiling now. “Thank you!” He kissed her hard. “You’ve given me everything I ever wanted and more. I love you so much.”
She had to travel across the stars to find Cal, and it was totally worth it. Here inside his embrace, Emma found love, happiness, family. Happy tears welled in her eyes. Cal did that often to her.
“You are crying again.” He wiped a falling tear from her face.
“Happy tears. I’m glad you claimed me, Cal.”
“You’ve claimed me too, my sweet. Nothing could ever tear me again from you. You are my Stars.”
CLICK TO GET YOUR FREE COPY OF CAPTAIN BAX’S STOWAWAY!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed Calix and Emma’s story. Sometimes the heart knows best, even if the mating bond is slow to catch up.
If you enjoyed the book and want to help me out, I’d really appreciate it if you can leave an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. Your thoughts and feedback keep me writing! Thank you!
JOIN MY READERS’ GROUP to get a FREE copy of Captain Bax’s Stowaway! You will also get sneak peeks and free scenes from the next book I am writing.
I love to connect with my readers! So come leave me a message, ask me a question, or just stalk me for fun on FACEBOOK and GOODREADS.
XOXO
Lynnea Lee
ALSO BY AUTHOR
TALLEAN MERCENARIES
A Deal for Zeylum
A Chance for Arus
A Promise for Vore
TALLEAN MATES SHORT STORIES
Some short stories are available through Readers’ Group only
Captain Bax’s Stowaway