Claiming His Unexpected Baby

by Michelle Howard

  “Fuuuck!” he roared, launching upright. “I didn’t ask to be mated. I don’t want to be mated.”

  “Then don’t be!” she yelled, raising her voice to match his.

  “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

  They both spun around and looked down to find Fleur in the room with tears hovering in her eyes. She’d removed her party dress and wore pink leggings with stars in silver glitter and a purple short sleeved tee.

  Amelie hurried to her side and dropped to her knees to grab Fleur’s forearms. She forced a smile though it quivered on the edges. “Nothing’s wrong. We were just talking.”

  Fleur’s mouth formed a pout as she twisted her hands in the bottom of her shirt. “I don’t want you fighting. It got loud.”

  The heat of Sulen’s glare burned Amelie’s back. The tension in the air eased as he held his silence. She appreciated him not letting his temper loose in front of Fleur.

  His steps drew near and his voice was much calmer when he spoke. “I need to go. Tomorrow, be prepared for more questions. I’ve waited a long time to get my justice and won’t be deterred because of...her.”

  Amelie scooped Fleur up in her arms and stood. “Are you going to tell the enforcement authorities about what I did?”

  Without answering, Sulen strode toward the door and let himself out.

  Chapter 8

  “He’s what?!”

  Scarlett’s screech caused Fleur to twitch in her sleep. Her friend had arrived minutes after Sulen left.

  “Shh. It took forever to get her to settle down. She refuses to let me out of her sight.”

  Amelie brushed a hand up and down Fleur’s arm until her little chest rose up and down in soft exhales again. After the real Sulen left, Fleur had been hard to soothe. She went from questions on why her daddy wasn’t staying to why the strange man wanted to take her.

  The same strange man who’d been talking to her at school also happened to be Roan, which at least solved that puzzle.

  When Amelie’s half-answers weren’t enough, Fleur became inconsolable and cried. It took forever to distract her from the day’s events. Afterward, Fleur had insisted on following Amelie everywhere, fearful she’d leave her for some reason. Poor thing had had a rough couple of days.

  Scarlett leaned over the sofa with Fleur stretched out between them and hissed. “He’s really Sulen? The same Sulen Czen I stole the hormone sample from?”

  “Yep.”

  Flopping back on the sofa, Scarlett groaned. She still wore the dress from the party and the purple skirt fluttered around her thighs. “What are we going to do? What’s he going to do?”

  Amelie had no idea. This scenario had never come up when Scarlett had presented the idea for this whole charade. Back then, their biggest concern was someone sensing she wasn’t bonded for real.

  “I’m not sure. He said he’ll come back tomorrow to ask more questions. I’ll try to keep your name out of it but I’m not sure he’ll accept half-answers, Scarlett.”

  Sulen came across as very intense. He’d hammer at her until the full truth came out and that meant revealing Scarlett’s role in all of this.

  “What about Roan? What was that mess about? I didn’t notice him there and by the time I reached you, he was being loud and obnoxious.”

  Amelie’s fingers trembled as she gazed down and stroked Fleur’s hair. “The ambassador he works with is here on some visit or another. Roan started going on and on about how he knows Fleur’s is his and that I kept her from him. You heard the rest.”

  “That jerk!” Scarlett sat upright, breathing fire. A muscle ticked in her jaw as she glared. “He will not take this beautiful girl from you. Not after the way he insisted you—”

  She broke off and glanced at Fleur. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “He didn’t want a baby and then he violently attacked you in a way that almost guaranteed to make that come true. So no, he can’t have her and I don’t care what we have to do to stop him.”

  Relief almost drowned Amelie. She trusted Scarlett in a way she’d never trusted anyone else, not even her family. “You are the best, Scarlett. I don’t know how hard he’ll fight. Apparently, his wife, Aviana, can’t have children and Fleur is their only option to be parents.”

  “Fuck, no!”

  “Scarlett!”

  Scarlett giggled and checked to confirm Fleur remained asleep. “Sorry, but no way does that cretin get to take our beautiful girl.”

  They exchanged meaningful looks. “Agreed.”

  ***

  “You’re what?!” Garik asked.

  Sulen ran a hand over his hair and gripped the back of his neck. A night of sleep hadn’t helped bring clarity to the matter. “Mated. I have a bond mate.”

  Silence echoed across the comm line. Sulen couldn’t say what had compelled him to reach out to Garik about the situation but he’d been the first person he thought to talk to. To his credit, Garik didn’t question the oddity of him calling. It’s not like they were friends.

  “Tell me how you managed to meet someone, fall in love and bond with her when I only asked you to go there a few days ago.”

  Sulen understood Garik’s frustration. He was frustrated too. “It’s a long story and I only have part of it. I’m hoping to know more today when I meet with her.”

  “Who is this woman? What’s her name?” Garik spat out the questions in rapid succession.

  “Amelie.” Sulen didn’t add information about the daughter. He wasn’t sure how all of it tied together yet.

  “Contact me later. I’ll have the information needed to dispel this fraud.” Garik ended the comm before Sulen could protest.

  He started to call back and tell him not to bother but reminded himself he didn’t know anything about this woman and she’d created an elaborate ruse. Did Sulen want to be a part of something like that?

  A vision of the dark-haired little girl teased at Sulen’s mind. He compared it to the man...Roan with his blond hair and green eyes. Other than the eye color, she didn’t favor the supposed father. Oddly, she looked like...him but that was impossible. Sulen hadn’t slept with her mother.

  And she wasn’t his mate.

  He had to keep saying it to himself. Now that he’d met her in person, Sulen was drawn to her even more. The desire to claim what was his continued to drive through his heart and mind, the bond insisting they were connected intimately and urging him to reconfirm the mating physically.

  Sliding his handheld comm into his pants pocket, Sulen turned off the lights in the rental he’d booked and left for his meeting with Amelie today.

  The walk to her home served two purposes. He could observe the area and the residents for Garik and Saedra’s future home while getting an idea of possible places Amelie might run and hide if he confronted her about her scheme. He’d waited years for this and wasn’t letting her get away so easily.

  He knocked on the door of the house she’d led him to the day before. The quick comp search he’d run on her background showed she’d lived in this residence throughout her time on the colony. It was easy to see the appeal of the place.

  There was an abundance of flowers flourishing behind a fenced in area on both sides of her front yard. The trim on her one level home and the outside décor were in neat order. It matched his impression for the interior when he’d been inside yesterday.

  At the time, anger at his discovery of her fake bond mating story may have been prominent in his thoughts but he hadn’t missed a single detail.

  “She’s not home. Amelie goes to work during the day,” a voice called out.

  Sulen tensed then forced his shoulders to ease as he paused on the walkway to Amelie’s house. An older woman was seated on a chair in front of the house on the right. “Where is she?”

  Tiny wrinkles at the corners of her mouth tightened from his brusque tone. “Who did you say you were again?”

  Sulen turned from Amelie’s house and walked toward the woman. Adjusting his demeanor, he plastered a friendly expression
on his face. He wouldn’t get anywhere if he treated this situation like a preliminary scouting mission to assassinate a target. “I didn’t. I’m Sulen Czen.”

  Sulen had no need to hide the truth of his identity. If this place worked out and passed his scrutiny, Garik and Saedra would live here and there might be the occasion for Sulen to visit.

  “Sulen! You’ve been gone a while. It’s a pleasure to finally meet Amelie’s bond mate and Fleur’s father.”

  Sulen masked a grimace at those false details and nodded as if agreeing without actually saying anything. “Do you know where they are? I was hoping to spend time with them but we haven’t had a chance to coordinate our schedules since I arrived.”

  “Oh. I’m Letty.” Her hand fluttered about her face and she increased the wattage of her smile. “I imagine you’re excited to be back with them. Amelie is more than likely at work which means Fleur will be at school this time of day.”

  Before he could ask how to find either location, she started talking again. Sulen debated if this would be listed as a con on his report to Garik. The assassin would no doubt find the inquisitiveness of neighboring residents intrusive, whereas Saedra would probably think it was wonderful.

  “Learning academy that way.” Letty pointed to the left. Then she pointed in the direction to the right. “Garden center is that way.”

  Sulen nodded his thanks, already heading toward the school. As he made his way to the building with children playing outside in a fenced area with colorful climbing structures, he was unsure why he felt compelled to seek out the daughter before his confrontation with the mother.

  His instincts urged him to resolve this matter as soon as possible and be on his way. Yet here he was ten minutes later, talking to a tiny dynamo with what he had to admit was a pretty endearing smile as she rocked in place, side to side and chatted about things he barely understood in her childish voice.

  “And then, and then, Kyree came over and tried to take her snack but Serene’s a r-rep-rep-itilan like her mommy and so she lick-ted her whole snack right up with her looong tongue before he got it.”

  Apparently, this event was the highlight of her day and she placed a hand on her forehead as she let out a belly laugh that had Sulen’s heart shifting in his chest.

  Just when she was about to launch into what he was sure would be another riveting tale, a lady with graying hair came rushing over. Sulen leaned back on his heels and cocked his head to the side at her approach. It took long enough. Dissatisfaction rolled through him at what he considered a serious lack in the security of this place.

  “Sir, you need to leave. Strangers are not allowed to talk to the children.”

  “Him not a stranger, Madame Tessa. This my daddy,” Fleur announced in an offended tone. Her eyes blazed with tiny sparks as she’d propped thumb sized fists on her hips. The pose thrust the star on her shirt forward.

  Sulen had to bite his inner cheek at the comment that clearly flustered Madame Tessa.

  “Oh. Well. Well, then.” She studied his long leather coat, his leather pants and black tee shirt. Sulen was hardly dressed in what she probably expected from a mild-mannered father. “Sorry. We had an issue recently with a stranger talking to Fleur and we’re all a little protective of her and the other children now. My name’s Tessa Oblong, the headmistress here. The children call me Madame Tessa.”

  She extended her hand over the miniscule waist high barrier Sulen could jump over without straining a muscle. He wasn’t sure how it was supposed to be a deterrent. So far from a security standpoint, he wasn’t overly impressed.

  Seeing her hand hanging in the air, he reluctantly shook it. “Sulen Czen.”

  When their hands separated, she whipped out a small digital device from her skirt pocket and tapped away. After scrolling with a swipe of her fingers, she looked up and smiled. “Would you like to come in and have a look around?”

  If there was a danger to Fleur, why would she invite him in without proof or confirming with the parent she did know? Sulen was further disgusted on the little girl’s behalf.

  Amelie probably wouldn’t take it too kindly if he proved how easy it would be to enter the school without consent, take the children inside hostage and bar the staff from their own facility.

  The headmistress must have noticed his look. “We have your name and information listed on file as Fleur’s father.”

  That gave Sulen a jolt. Before he could deny any relation, the little girl stuck her small hand through the grates of the fence and looped her fingers about his wrist. “Please, Daddy? I drawed pictures you can look at.”

  She fluttered her lashes at him and her eyes held a pleading cast. There must be a class that started at an early age in the art of feminine wiles. Resistance wasn’t an option.

  “Of course.” He propped a hand on the top of the fence and leaped across. When he landed, both stared at him with mixed expressions.

  Fleur’s was part awe and excitement. The headmistress had a flush in her cheeks and eyed him in a manner that was distinctly uncomfortable.

  Madame Tessa’s stare caused his cheeks to burn in an unfamiliar touch of embarrassment. “I’d like to see Fleur’s pictures.”

  The reminder broke her dazed fascination and she led the way inside the squat brown building. Fleur slid her hand in his and Sulen was caught off guard by the size. His hand engulfed hers easily and he ended up holding her fingers instead. She skipped along twice for every one step he took and swung his arm back and forth.

  It was a novel experience and entirely outside Sulen’s scope. The overwhelming sensation to protect her was almost as strong as his need to solidify his forced bond with Amelie.

  He’d have to figure out how to handle them and their false claim so he could put all of this behind him and return to his solitary life.

  Chapter 9

  In the small section at the back of her store designated as a cooling storage, Amelie stacked the last of the ordered tulias on the hover-pallet and swiped her forearm across her damp forehead. Sweat ran in a continuous stream from the labor intensive work. At least today’s work was finally done.

  The four dozen potted plants with their cheerful yellow petals soared above her head as she hit the remote to send the pallet on its track to the outdoor pad. A truck would arrive here in an hour to the prepared staging area and pick up the entire shipment for off-world delivery.

  Never had Amelie imagined that she’d be selling plants from the garden center all over. The business had expanded into far more than what she’d hoped for thanks to her advertising and Scarlett’s advice on a strong sales plan.

  “Do you want me to do anything else before I leave, Amelie?” Toyja asked.

  Toyja had been with Amelie for two years and was turning out to be a great employee despite her lack of prior experience. Some customers had been initially put off by her lavender skin and two dangling tentacles in lieu of hair but her sunny smile and bright disposition soon won them over.

  “Everything is done except for some reports I’ll finish up on the comp later. You go ahead and leave.”

  Toyja shrugged into her jacket, freeing her tentacles from the collar and offered a jaunty wave on her way out. “Thanks. Sorry to bail but I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m already late for date night with my bond mate. He’ll be grumpy.”

  Doubtful. Her Gerelin bond mate towered over her diminutive frame and treated Toyja like a treasure.

  When the door closed, Amelie let out a deep sigh and headed to her desk at the front of the store, hitting the sensor lights along the way. The difference between the artificial lighting and the dim glow worked wonders on her mood and Amelie found herself subconsciously letting go of the tension from an intense day.

  She pulled her stool close to her comp station and began the tedious task of closing out the numbers for the day. Her stomach started growling half-way through but Amelie ignored it with the intent to grab something on her way after she picked up Fleur.

  Their meals ten
ded toward whatever she could get her daughter to eat and rarely anything Amelie truly enjoyed. Nidbits and curlies ranked far down on her list of fine dining cuisine.

  The sensor on the door beeped, activating the vid on her comp. She stiffened at the sight of Aviana on the screen strolling in. By the time Roan’s wife reached her desk, the woman’s mouth twisted down and her nose scrunched, conveying disgust.

  Amelie rubbed determinedly at the pain that suddenly burst in her head from the untimely arrival. She really didn’t need this. Pasting a smile on her face, Amelie stood and walked around the counter to confront her. “Hello, Aviana.”

  Aviana glanced around the building before turning back toward her with a sneer. “This isn’t a social call. I’m here to see what you want for the girl.”

  Amelie’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t mean what Amelie thought. “I don’t understand.”

  Sniffing, Aviana placed one hand on her hip and gestured at Amelie. “How much do I have to pay you so we can have Roan’s child.”

  “You can’t buy my daughter. Under any circumstances.” Anger at the thought had heat boiling in Amelie’s gut.

  “Everyone has a price. Do you know who my father is? We can afford to pay you a generous amount.” Aviana waved at the inside of the store. “You certainly wouldn’t have to trudge your days away in this dump.”

  This supposed dump was her livelihood. Amelie gritted her teeth and spoke as calmly as she could. “I don’t trudge my days away and I’m not sure what Roan has told you but I’d never sell my child. Fleur is mine. Not Roan’s, mine, do you understand? And neither of you are taking her from me!”

  “If you want to play hard about this, I will.” Aviana’s tone dipped and her eyes narrowed to slits. “This was your last chance to come to an amicable agreement and you blew it. Be prepared for us to prove you don’t deserve her. We’re here for another three days and when we leave, Fleur will be our daughter. In fact, she’s young enough for us to change that ridiculous name you gave her.”