Caitlyn and the Alien Protector (Intergalactic Brides 7)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  Cosmir knelt beside the little girl. “Katy, are you ready to go home? To your new home?”

  She nodded solemnly. “Mommy doesn’t want me anymore. She said I’m too much trouble.”

  He stifled a growl. If he ever got his hands on his daughter’s mother, he would strangle her. Whoever the woman was, she definitely wasn’t winning the mother of the year award.

  “It’s just you and me now, Katy. Let’s go home and figure a few things out. One thing we’ll have to do is get a bedroom ready for you.”

  She hugged him. “I sleep with you, Daddy.”

  His heart turned over in his chest at her words and the chubby little arms embracing him. He hugged her back before lifting her into his arms and carrying her out of the fire station. Ready or not, fatherhood had landed on his doorstep and he was going to have to jump in with both feet. Couldn’t be worse than running into a burning building, right?

  Chapter Two

  Cosmir watched his daughter toddle around his home. He didn’t know what had possessed him to rent the three bedroom, but he was thankful now that he had. He’d never done anything with the third bedroom and now he was glad he hadn’t. It wouldn’t take much to fill it with things a little girl would need. Just as soon as he figured out what that was.

  Not knowing what to do, he called the Terran station, hoping someone would be able to guide him as he figured out this fatherhood thing. The phone rang several times and he began to wonder if anyone would answer.

  “You’ve reached the Terran station at Corpus Christi, Texas. How may I direct your call?” a woman asked.

  “I’m hoping there might be a Terran there who is a parent. My name is Cosmir and I live in Fairhaven. One of the Terrans from your station delivered my daughter to the fire department here this afternoon. I was hoping there might be a Terran there who was a parent that I could speak with.”

  “Hmm. I don’t have any Terrans here who are parents, but we do have a couple who came through here this morning. The mate was human, but the male was a Keshpan. I believe they’re staying near Fairview.”

  “If I leave my number with you, could you get in touch with them and see if they might be willing to speak with me? Maybe even meet somewhere?” Cosmir asked.

  “I have your number off the caller I.D. I’ll try to reach Bane and Ari and see if they will speak with you. I’m sure they’ll be happy to.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cosmir hung up the phone and turned around just in time to see Katy stick the TV remote in her mouth. He rushed forward and took it from her, making her face draw up in a pout. Not knowing what to do for her, he rummaged in the bag that had been delivered with her and couldn’t find a single toy. There were two outfits, some pajamas, a stack of diaper looking things, and a package of wipes. It seemed her mother had been so anxious to get rid of her that she hadn’t even sent proper provisions for the child.

  I was an idiot to have slept with someone so shallow. What kind of mother gave up her daughter and didn’t even hand deliver her? Anything could have happened to Katy on the flight to Texas, and what if she hadn’t made it to the Terran station in one piece? It was a miracle that she was here in his home.

  Cosmir searched for something to entertain the toddler and finally put some cartoons on the television. Picking up Katy, he sat her on the sofa and hoped she’d stay there, at least long enough for him to sort through some things. He had no toys, and he didn’t know how often little girls went to the bathroom, but something told him he’d need more of those diaper things and wipes. Two outfits weren’t going to cut it either, so he’d need to buy her some clothes. And those were just the things he could figure out himself. There were probably a hundred other things she needed.

  He rummaged through the bag again and found an envelope in an outside pocket. He broke the seal and pulled out two sheets of paper and a birth certificate that were folded inside. He glanced over the birth certificate before placing it on the counter that separated his kitchen from his living room.

  Dear Cosmir,

  You probably don’t remember me, but we shared a night together several years ago. We were careful, but not careful enough. Katy is the result of that night. She’ll be three in December, as you can see from her birth certificate. Enclosed is a notarized statement giving up my rights to Katy. She’s yours now and I’m sure you’ll give her a better life than I ever could.

  I’m sorry to say I haven’t been a very good mother, but it took me a year to get up the courage to find you, and it’s taken me until now to locate you. I couldn’t remember your name at first, and then when I did, they told me you had moved away, but refused to hand out any other information. I should have sent Katy to you sooner, but this was the best I could do.

  Please don’t hate me. I hope that you will be able to see her as a blessing and not a curse, which is something I haven’t been able to do. My life just isn’t suited to having a small child. It’s been hell taking care of her these past three years. Had it not been for her obvious Terran heritage, I’d have given her up for adoption. I’m not including my contact information because I don’t want to hear from you, or from Katy, ever again. Tell her whatever you want when she asks about me. With any luck, she’ll never ask why I gave her up. I’m not sure how much she understands about the situation.

  Sasha Nepaul

  Well, at least he had a name, even if he still didn’t remember her. But then, he hadn’t exactly discriminated on who he slept with a few years ago. He’d tried the one-night stand thing just to numb the pain he’d felt over leaving his home again, but had decided it wasn’t the right path for him. As was true of every Zelthranite he’d ever met, he wanted to find his mate and start a family. Well, it seemed he had the family part down, but now he needed a mate. And who the hell was going to take a chance on a male who had lost control and created a child with a stranger?

  The phone rang, and it was a number he didn’t recognize.

  “Hello.”

  “Is this Cosmir?” a male voice asked.

  “Yes.”

  “My name is Bane and I’m from Keshpa. Well, originally. As of the last few years, I’ve lived on Tourmaline with my mate, Ari and our daughter, Elise. I heard you wanted to talk to someone who’s a parent.”

  Cosmir quickly explained the situation, about Katy being dumped in his lap and his lack of knowledge about children. They spoke a few minutes more and he answered all of Bane’s questions.

  “On our way down from the Terran station, we passed a large store that catered to babies and children. Right off the highway? Do you know the one?” Bane asked.

  “I think so.”

  “Can you meet us there in about twenty minutes? We’ll help you buy everything you need. I hope you have some money saved. If you’re having to get everything from a bed to clothes and toys, this could get rather expensive.” Bane chuckled. “Children aren’t cheap, but they are definitely worth it.”

  “I really appreciate any help you can give me. I’ll be there.”

  Cosmir hung up the phone and glanced at the clock. If he was going to make it to that store on time, they’d need to leave in a few minutes. Surely Katy would be all right long enough for him to change clothes, right? He watched her another minute and she didn’t move. Hurrying into his bedroom, he took off his uniform and put on a pair of jeans and a tee. Cosmir slipped on his boots and hurried back into the living room, but Katy wasn’t there. His heart leapt and his pulse raced as he thought of all the things she could get into. A giggle drew his attention to the hall bathroom, where he found her pulling toilet paper off the roll by the handful and tossing it into the air.

  He breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the squealing little girl. “I can see I’m going to have to keep a close eye on you.”

  She grasped his face between her chubby hands and gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek. It was probably the best kiss he’d ever received and it warmed him from the inside out. With a grin on his face he carried Katy to the
front door, picked up his keys, and went out to his SUV. He faced the same problem he’d had at the fire station. She didn’t quite fit in the seatbelt, but he did the best he could.

  By the time he reached the store, he’d checked his rearview mirror a thousand times, making sure Katy hadn’t escaped the seatbelt or found something to stick in her mouth. He nearly leapt from the vehicle and hurriedly unbuckled Katy, pulling her into his arms. He spotted Bane and his family by the front door. It was a little hard to miss a pale blue alien with white hair in a crowd of humans.

  Bane smiled as Cosmir approached. “I see you made it in one piece.”

  “I won’t lie. I was worried the entire way here that she’d wiggle out of the seatbelt.”

  Bane’s eyebrows rose. “So first thing we need to shop for is a booster seat. Although, as little as she is, a car seat is probably better. How old is she?”

  “I think the letter said she’s three.”

  Katy held her arms out to Ari, who was holding the hand of a little girl who looked remarkably like Bane except for her mother’s green eyes. Ari smiled and reached for Katy. Cosmir was happy to relinquish the little girl, still feeling completely out of his depth.

  They entered the store and Bane grabbed a shopping cart. “You’ll want one too. I have a feeling that as much as you’re going to need, it will take two baskets to hold everything. And even that might not be enough.”

  Good thing there’s plenty of money in the bank. No one had ever warned him how expensive children were, but as the baskets filled up, he realized his wee daughter could very well empty his bank account given time. He arranged for a toddler bed and mattress, along with a matching dresser to be delivered later that night, which had cost quite a bit. The store had tried to schedule the delivery for the following week, but Cosmir was determined his daughter would have a bed to sleep in tonight.

  He’d never realized how many clothes someone so little would need. Katy now had more clothes than he owned, by at least triple the amount, and Ari told him he’d probably still need to buy a few things later on. Just how much stuff did one tiny little girl need? It wasn’t until they reached the toy aisle that Katy’s little eyes lit up and she squirmed to get down.

  “Let her pick out what she wants,” Cosmir said as Ari reached for the little girl again. “At least that way I’ll know she likes it.”

  Of course, when he’d said that, he hadn’t realized that Katy was going to pick up a soft, white bunny with satin-lined ears and then ignore everything else in the store. He’d planned to buy enough toys to fill a room, but she seemed hesitant. Bane and Ari picked out a few more things, and Cosmir even asked their daughter to pick out a few things for Katy. In the end, it took both his SUV and Bane’s to get everything loaded and back to his house.

  As the last of the things were brought into the house, Bane rubbed his hands together. “What else do you need? You’ll need a place for her bedroom furniture. Is there a place for it already or do we need to move things around?”

  “I have an empty room. It’s the furthest from my bedroom, but I think it will be fine.”

  “Just remember to put the baby gate across her bedroom door at night so she won’t wander the house if she wakes up before you. And she’ll need to be changed right before bed and right after.”

  “Now that I have a car seat, I can take her to the grocery store with me. Thanks for the list of toddler approved foods.”

  Bane smiled. “We’re in town for a few days if you have any questions, and there’s a chance we may move here. Ari misses being on Earth around other humans, and I think it would be good for our daughter to experience a bit of her mother’s heritage. I’ve been in negotiations with your council to allow the Tourmaline males to have access to the bridal candidates. I’m not sure if they’ll approve it or not, but your race isn’t the only one that will die out without an infusion of alien females. Humans are the most compatible with the Tourmaline, Zelthranites, and Drelthenes.”

  “It would be good for all of us to work together to repopulate our planets. This world has so many single females that it wouldn’t bother me to share with other races. Hopefully, my council will feel the same way. I would hate for females to be abducted from this world because we can’t all get along.”

  Bane snorted. “Abductions already happen. Between pirates, the Vaadens, and my own people, women go missing from this world all the time. The key is not to take so many that it stands out, just one or two here and there, spread out throughout the year. Now that aliens have made themselves known to the humans, it’s not as easy to take off with a woman. For one, they’ve lost the element of surprise.”

  “I want to raise my daughter in a safe environment. Since she’s half-human, there are those who would be interested in claiming her. If we continue to make Earth our home, I will fight to make this world a better place for females.”

  Bane smiled.

  “Perhaps there are others who feel the same as the two of you,” Ari said. “What if you reached out to others here on Earth and formed your own council? You could then petition the Zelthranite government to take more of a stand in protecting the females of my world, maybe even form a special Army tasked with keeping Earth safe. What would it hurt to have ships orbit Earth to keep the pirates away?”

  Cosmir grinned. “You have one smart female.”

  “I definitely got lucky when Ari became mine. I’m sure you’ll find your mate, Cosmir. I know you feel like it’s not likely to happen now that you’re a single father, but you’d be surprised at how attractive human females find males who are the sole caregiver to a small child.”

  “While I think Katy needs a mother, I don’t want a mate who is only interested in me because of my daughter. I want someone who will love both of us.”

  Ari nodded. “I’m sure she’s out there, just waiting to meet you. Or maybe you’ve already met her.”

  With that cryptic statement, Ari gave him a smile and walked off, with Bane and their daughter trailing behind. Cosmir buckled Katy into her new car seat, and hoped he’d be able to get her back out. If what he’d learned today was any indication, his next stop was the grocery store. He’d created a list in his phone of approved toddler foods and had a feeling it was going to cost another small fortune to get everything Katy needed.

  One thing was for certain, this daddy thing was going to be a bit of an adjustment. Cosmir watched over other people as part of his training, but he’d never been solely responsible for someone before, especially someone so small that she couldn’t take care of herself. He only hoped he didn’t screw it up.

  Chapter Three

  The fire blazed around Caitlyn, the heat from the flames making her skin feel like it was going to peel from her bones. Caitlyn coughed as she inhaled another lungful of smoke. The window across the room was open and she made her way to it, hoping and praying someone below would hear her over the roar of the fire. Every step felt labored and she wondered if she would make it. The smoke was thick and heavy in the air and it burned her lungs with each breath she took.

  Bracing her hands on the windowsill, she leaned her head out and tried to call for help, but she only made a croaking sound. The smoke inhalation had affected her throat and she was unable to speak above a whisper. How could she get someone’s attention if she couldn’t yell?

  Caitlyn looked around and saw a water glass on the table beside her. Picking it up, she immediately dropped it, silently screaming in agony as the flesh on her fingers and palm burned from the heat. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why hadn’t she thought about the glass being hot? Anything she touched would likely scorch her.

  Once more she looked out the window, begging the people below in silent entreaty to look up and notice her, to see that she was still trapped in the building. The fire had spread down her hall rapidly and when she’d opened the door mere moments after the alarms went off, she’d been greeted with a wall of flames. The doorknob searing her palm should’ve been a clue, but she’d been d
esperate to escape the building, like the rest of the residents.

  The red lights of the fire truck parked below caught her eye. Three men were diligently working on putting out the flames, but two more held back, checking on the inhabitants of the building, probably reassuring them that help was on the way. Even with the sound of the fire roaring behind her, she could hear the ambulance siren as it drew nearer. She knew her brother was likely one of the men below, but she doubted he’d realized she was stuck in her apartment. He’d called earlier, wanting to hang out, but she’d cried off, giving him an excuse of having a girls’ night out planned.

  When she’d given up hope, relegated herself to becoming Caitlyn barbeque, one of the firemen looked up. He nudged the other one and pointed to her before yelling something at the others. Even from this distance she could tell he was different from the others. His skin was a lavender color and she knew immediately that he was a Terran, probably the one she’d met at the station. One of the men on the hose ran for the truck and a moment later, the ladder started swinging her way.

  From up here, she couldn’t tell which man was her brother, or if any of them were. She’d expected to see him racing her way, but it surprised her when the alien took the initiative to come after her. The Terran began climbing the ladder once it perched precariously against her windowsill. She watched the metal shimmy and shake as he made one step after another toward her, giving her hope that she’d make it after all. When he reached the top, he stepped over the sill and gently took her arm. She coughed, hard enough that she thought she’d cracked something, and he steadied her, offering her his mask so she could breathe easier. She had a feeling he was breaking protocol, but she was thankful for the oxygen. She gulped in as much as she could, then handed it back to him.