Eliza's Miracle

by S. J. Sanders

  It was unlike anything he had felt in years. It brought back bittersweet memories of when he met Lia and the flush of the mating fires had raged through his blood.

  The fires turned viciously, while lacking the roaring torment that had spurred him on his youth, they bit into him, demanding. This female, with all her strength and gentle spirit, stirred his fires as much as she touched his heart.

  Zerik was held in awe. He was well beyond breeding age, as was Eliza. He truly had not thought an older male’s dampened fires could be rekindled. He had been truthful with Eliza when he doubted the possibility. He had never heard of it happening with anyone. But it was almost unheard of for their kind to lose their mates in the prime of their lives. It had earned him many glances of pity over the years from males and females both.

  Yet here he was, longing to pull her beneath his wings once more and hold her against him. He yearned to explore the taste and feel of her body. What had started as admiration when she refused to back down to his prickly demeanor, and her patience and kindness he witnessed as she intermingled with other species, had become full-on desire and affection as he’d gotten to know her.

  And now, she sought to ease his sorrow and guilt. While he was never sure if the pain would go away, she gave him hope for something more.

  He would never stop loving Lia, but for the first time, he could see himself wanting another female.

  He wanted her.

  Zerik was faintly aware of his wings unfolding and the heat beginning to flush through his quills. He fell willingly into the dark pools of her eyes. He was about to pull to her him when he heard a rough cough behind him. Zerik froze and half turned to look at his olo.

  “Ena, whatever you are cooking smells wonderful!” Dareth said, a small grin teasing his lips. His eyes danced merrily. Dareth always was a mischievous creature, even as a fledgling. He knew very well what was happening and was obviously delighted, but he was not ashamed to taunt his sire over it either.

  Melanie, at his side, seemed oblivious as she inhaled deeply. “Oh, that does smells good!” she exclaimed with enthusiasm. “I am absolutely ravenous! Whoever said pregnant women are always hungry wasn’t kidding. I could probably eat all of that by myself.” She laughed when she saw him glance in alarm at the skillet, worried that he’d not made enough food. “But of course, I won’t. I may be exaggerating just a tad— but it certainly feels that way!”

  Eliza laughed and gently pulled her hand from his. Immediately, he felt the loss—and the accompanying irrational irritation.

  “It’s perfectly natural, and quite healthy, for you to want to eat. It’s better to eat smaller meals more frequently, anyway. Better for your digestion while you’re eating to grow that baby.” Eliza grinned, reaching into a small bag at her side, plucking out a red papery package, and handing it to her ala.

  The younger female squealed. “M&Ms! Mom, I can’t believe you managed to get chocolate on the space station. Why didn’t you tell me? I totally would have raided their supply before we left.”

  Eliza chuckled. “No, no supply came in. I’ve kept this squirreled away for a chocolate emergency since we left Earth. But this seems like a suitable emergency to me.”

  Melanie’s eyes narrowed in speculation at her mother’s small bag as she waved the brightly packaged chocolate. Zerik didn’t know what that was, but now he was a bit curious. Not that he was going to ask for any if it was that difficult to get.

  “Just how many emergency stashes of chocolate do you have, Mom?” Melanie demanded shrewdly.

  Eliza merely smiled. “Well, now dear, you know to never ask a woman to air her secrets.”

  She then reached into her bag and brought out a small bar, unwrapped from the shiny foil around it, broke it in half, and then proceeded to hand one half to him and the other to Dareth.

  Melanie moaned in a way that made Dareth instinctively wrap his wings around her, but she laughingly shoved them away.

  “Three Musketeers! That’s it! When we get back, you’ve got to let me see this stash of yours.” She turned to them and said, “Try it. This is one of my top five favorite chocolates!”

  Zerik exchanged a look with his olo. The stuff smelled overly sweet, but he didn’t want to offend, so he took a small sampling bite off the end. The rich flavor burst across his tongue, and he understood why Melanie had moaned as if she were enjoying the pleasure of her mate’s arms. The Tagith had delicacies and various sweets of their own, but this chocolate rivaled most if not all of them.

  He watched in amusement as Dareth quickly swallowed down his own chocolate and began to stare at his portion. He ate it in a rush before his olo could even suggest sharing. He knew well just how cunning Dareth could be to get something he wanted, and his olo was particularly fond of sweets.

  Sweets and liquor were the weakness of their kind. He honestly never expected another species would be capable of making anything that equaled the delights his own painstakingly crafted.

  Zerik turned back to their evening meal and spooned generous amounts into each bowl, topping Melanie’s bowl with a little extra food. He grinned to himself, remembering when Lia was growing Dareth’s egg. It was like she never stopped eating. She was always sending him out to find something she was particularly desiring at a moment’s notice. He had thought he would end up with wing-strain before she delivered their olo’s egg. The hunger of her stomach was only superseded by the hunger of her passion. Dareth was about to be kept very busy by his mate, he thought with a silent chuckle.

  ***

  Eliza sat on the thick cushion of a heavy chair and took a bite of steaming food in front of her. She immediately closed her eyes at the wonderful combination of flavors. The meat was tender and flavorful, enhanced by the slightly sweet burst from the tubers and the assorted flavors of the vegetables.

  Eliza always considered herself something of a foodie and was never afraid to try a new dish or ingredient. She lived for experiences like this. Alien cuisine was always unpredictable, but more often than not, it was delicious. There were a few things she could leave that were considered delicacies on other planets, but overall, she never looked at something she would give a hard “no” to.

  Mel sat across from her at the table, shoveling her food like it was her last meal. Her hair was badly mussed, and Eliza knew it wasn’t just from the flight over. Like Zerik, she had politely ignored the muffled sounds coming from the back of the house while she’d helped him prepare dinner, but it was obvious her daughter had worked up quite an appetite in addition to the demands of pregnancy. Eliza bit back a laugh. Horny as hell often went hand in hand with pregnant, from what she remembered.

  She glanced discreetly at Zerik. The deep grooves in his face were set in fierce lines, a look that had been initially off-putting to her, but now she noticed the tiny tilt of his lips and the way his fiery eyes brightened with good humor. Although sexy as hell, he didn’t exactly look friendly, nor were his words particularly gentle. But despite being rough around the edges, he was very practical and clearly loved his family.

  After years of dealing with a fickle, unstable man who fooled everyone with his boy-next-door good looks, something about Zerik really appealed to her.

  Her gaze again fixed on Mel, just in time to see her nudge Dareth and whisper to him. Eliza stared back at them, wary, as the couple turned to look at her. Dareth was smirking a little, but Mel wore a pleased grin.

  Eliza could practically smell the scheme the two of them were hatching.

  Taking a page from Zerik, Eliza scowled at the pair. She liked Zerik just fine, but she was a little old for a matchmaker.

  Rather than let her mother intimidate her, Mel’s grin widened, her eyes sparkling with purpose as she leaned back in her chair.

  “Mom, do you think you’ll be okay for a day?” Mel asked, her eyes widening with practiced innocence. Eliza narrowed her eyes at her daughter. She was on to her shenanigans. Mel forgot that, as her mother, Eliza knew all her daughter’s usual tr

icks.

  Unfortunately, Zerik didn’t know Mel that well and snapped at the bait.

  “Why wouldn’t she be okay?” Zerik demanded gruffly, looking mildly insulted.

  Mel turned her wide-eyed look to him, and Eliza could almost see her internal fist pump. “Oh, it’s not so much that she won’t be fine, but tomorrow, Dareth is taking me to the festival kicking of the harvest of the sun-spark flowers, so we probably won’t be back until late. I don’t want her to think I’m abandoning her on her first day here on Tagess,” Mel said with a pretty little pout for maximum dramatic effect.

  Eliza was tempted to applaud the performance. Mel had wrangled Zerik like a pro, and he was walking straight into her little trap.

  Zerik’s brow furrowed as he thought. “Well,” he said, “I do not see why your ama should miss out on the festivities. I am sure you two will be busy keeping each other entertained, but I do not see any reason why I cannot fly Eliza over. I am sure she will find it enjoyable.” He looked over, his expression softening. “If she wants to, that is.”

  Eliza swung a pointed look at Mel to make it clear she wasn’t being fooled. Mel’s grin turned into a satisfied smirk. Playing dirty was something she never shied away from to get what she wanted. And in this case, she wanted to see her mother with the Tagith.

  Turning back to Zerik, she smiled. Despite being lured into it, it made her feel a warm rush of pleasure that he offered to take her. “Thank you, Zerik. I’d love to go.”

  Zerik, who had been watching the back-and-forth between her and Mel, turned his bright eyes back to her. He smiled, showing his double set of sharp fangs, where the upper and lower incisor and cuspid would be on a human, and gave a pleased nod of his head.

  The rest of the evening passed with a kind of quiet comfort that Eliza enjoyed. It felt homey, rather than some awkward house guest scenario. After their evening meal, Dareth and Mel retired for the night in their room, and Zerik led her to his daughter’s room.

  The room was stylish and comfortable. Decorated with cool, calming colors, Zerik’s daughter had an eye for décor. Thick, plush baby blue pillows were piled on a bed, matching the sheer drapes hanging over the window, clearly meant to mute the light rather than obscure it and to give some semblance of privacy.

  “I hope you will be comfortable in Ileya’s room,” Zerik said quietly as he pulled some fresh bedding from a drawer near the bed.

  Eliza felt herself flush like a schoolgirl being close to the male so near a strange bed. She also felt an equal amount unnerved, uncertain if he’d return her attraction or even try and make a move. She shook her head, chiding herself.

  This is ridiculous. You’re acting like you’ve never been alone with a man in a bedroom before! And this is Zerik you’re getting so worked up over! Why would he possibly be interested in an aging human politician who’s covered in scars?

  Despite her self-chastisement, Eliza smiled and accepted the bedding from him before he could start making the bed for her. The sight of that body stretched across the bed pulling the blankets over it would put her libido into overdrive!

  “Thank you, Zerik. What a lovely room. I know I’ll be comfortable staying in here.”

  Zerik smiled with unconcealed pleasure. “I am glad you think so. When Ileya mated, I redecorated with hopes of making it a comfortable place if I ever had a guest.”

  Eliza’s looked at him, impressed. “You decorated this room?”

  He nodded in affirmation, his feathers puffing out slightly as he looked over his handiwork. “Oh, yes. Ileya is in my heart, like all my fledglings, but that child has no sense of taste. The blood red and prismatic pink in here made my head hurt just looking at it. I knew no one else other than Ileya would ever be able to feel a moment of rest in here.”

  Eliza laughed, warming further toward the gruff male.

  “Really, thank you, Zerik,” she said, her lips curving into a smile.

  The male’s skin seemed to brighten before he twitched, yet he gave her a small smile in return. “It is truly my pleasure to provide, Eliza.”

  Chapter 7

  Eliza woke nestled in her comfortable bed early the next morning, the warm sun cascading over her through the massive eastern facing window of her room. She stretched leisurely. She would like nothing more than dig out her reader from her bag and spend her morning engrossed in some fiction in bed. It had been so long since she last had a vacation, or even had time to do a bit of pleasure reading.

  She contemplated at least getting in an hour before anyone hunted her out when she heard bang on her door.

  “Mom, get up. Dareth and I are about to head out, and I think Zerik wanted to fly over with us,” Mel shouted from the other side.

  Eliza abandoned her plan with a sigh. She didn’t feel too reluctant about it though. She knew she would find plenty of time to comfortably read on her mini break. Besides, everyone knew that it was always best to start early at any kind of festival and make a day of it!

  “All right, Mel. I’m getting up now,” she called back, sliding out of bed.

  Her feet hit the cool wood floor, and she walked over to her bag and began to pull out fresh clothes. Behind her, she could hear her daughter opening the bedroom door.

  “Mel, are you that impatient?” she turned toward the door, pulling off her nightshirt.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she found herself standing half-naked in front of Zerik. His wide eyes gleamed with an uncharacteristic hunger as they caressed her in their downward travel.

  Eliza felt like she was turning ten shades of red in a matter of seconds.

  “Zerik,” she croaked, her arms folding over her bare breasts, “I thought you were Mel.”

  He didn’t appear to hear her at first. He took a deep breath, his wings spread and quivering behind him. They appeared to flicker with the barest hint of flames upon them. He shook his head as if to clear it and his face returned to its customary stony, hard-lined expression.

  “My apologies, Eliza,” he murmured, his voice thick. “Melanie said you were up. I was just checking to see if there is anything you need before we leave.”

  Eliza’s brain, unchecked, immediately conjured up a good many needs he could fill. She ruthlessly quashed them. What was wrong with her? Other than some minor reactions that could be attributed to any healthy adult, he has never been anything more than polite to her.

  With her sagging breasts, graying hair, wrinkles, and the numerous scars on display to his scrutiny—and boy was he ever looking, his expression becoming fiercer as they lingered upon each one—she was hardly the object of any man’s fantasies. She certainly didn’t feel desirable or sexy.

  Hadn’t felt that way for years, if she were honest with herself.

  His gaze stopped on the long scar bisecting her cheek, and Eliza battled the urge to slap hand over it to hide the shame of it marring her face. Zerik sighed and began to back out of the room, suddenly becoming aware of her discomfort.

  “My apologies, Eliza,” he said quietly. “We will be waiting for you whenever you are done readying. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to call out.”

  With that, he shut the door, leaving her to her solitude. She stood there for a while, struggling with her embarrassment and shame over her body. With a disgusted snarl, she dropped her hands and stripped off her pajama pants before pulling on her fresh clothes.

  Once dressed, she took out her makeup bag and stared at it in her hand. Her other hand rose to touch her face, the fingertips gently tracing her scar.

  Fresh embarrassment flooded through her. Zerik had seen her horrible scars in all their terrible glory. He saw clearly just how disfigured her ex-husband made her. It was all because of her scars she had to coat herself with layers of foundation to look normal. Every time she did it, it was a reminder that she wasn’t who she used to be when she was a young woman. Instead, she painted herself to ward off the curious eyes of the rest of the world, so no one would see who she’d become.