“Goodbye, T’bukka,” she called over her shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You have no reason to thank him,” T’gana said stiffly.
“He only came to help.” She poked him. “And at least he didn’t have his hands all over me like Crystal did with you.”
He came to an abrupt halt. “You can not believe that I have any interest in that worthless female?”
No, she realized. Despite the momentary flash of jealousy, she really didn’t.
“No. And you should know I have no interest in any other warrior.”
“I know, my S’rah.” Ignoring the girls watching them with wide eyes, he bent down and kissed her until Jane giggled. “Now let us leave.”
“Shouldn’t we at least get the girls some clothes first?”
“They do not need anything from this place. I will provide for all of you.”
This obviously mattered to him, so she didn’t protest. She took one last regretful look around the street and the remnants of her home. But this was her past, behind her now, and she would choose to remember only the happier times. Her future was with the big warrior beside her and the two little girls they carried between them. “Okay, my love. Then let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As the flyer began to descend over the North Carolina mountains, T’gana hoped that he had not been too quick to reject anything associated with his females’ former life. He had sent an urgent request to Commander T’lan, but perhaps he was expecting too much from the busy warrior.
He shot a glance at his females. They were all strapped together in the other seat—not an ideal arrangement but it would do for this flight. He would have the flyer retrofitted to accommodate four immediately. However, none of them had complained about the snug fit, and now they were all leaning forward eagerly to study the scenery. The late afternoon sun gilded the soft folds of the ancient mountains with a welcoming glow.
“Are you sure Emily and T’lan are okay with us coming to visit?” S’rah asked.
“Yes. I believe that if I had still been on active duty, he would have made it an order.”
“Who’s Emily and T’lan?” J’ne asked. “Are they nice and does they have kids?”
“Do they,” S’rah corrected. “Yes, they are very nice, and they have a baby girl named Emlan. And I’m not sure if my friend Rachel is living here yet, but she has a younger brother called Benji.”
“Will he play with us and can we play with the baby?”
“I’m afraid he may be a little old for that and Emlan may be a little too young, but we’ll see.”
He interrupted the conversation to point out their destination. A broad meadow spread across the mountainside, ringed by forest on three sides and opening out over a valley on the fourth. A wooden house was tucked to one side, but he could also see two temporary dwelling units along the other. It appeared that T’lan’s colony was already expanding.
He brought the flyer in for smooth landing next to the small collection of other ships. A third building with an undeniably military appearance was hidden amongst the trees behind them. They had barely landed before Commander T’lan appeared with what must be his human mate. A small, curvy female with wayward blonde curls, she appeared ridiculously small next to the big warrior. Thank the Ancestors that his female was of a more reasonable size.
As he helped his females from the flyer, he noticed another warrior following the couple, cradling a child. One of his horns was missing and T’gana quickly averted his eyes from the shameful sight, then winced. Did other warriors feel the same way about his own injuries? Before he had a chance to consider the thought, T’lan’s mate came rushing up.
“Sarah! Are you all right? T’lan said your house burned down!”
T’gana shot a quick glance at the commander and saw him shake his head.
“She does not need to know the details,” T’lan said in Yehrin.
“Would you stop doing that? As if I didn’t know there’s something you’re not telling me,” the small female said impatiently. Then she caught sight of T’bitha and J’ne, both clinging to S’rah’s legs and her voice softened. “And who are these two pretty little girls?” She bent down to them. “My name is Emily, but why don’t you call me Auntie Em— Oh my goodness, I’m Auntie Em!”
She and S’rah both laughed while he exchanged a puzzled look with T’lan.
“This is Jane and this is Tabitha,” S’rah said after she stopped laughing. “Can you say hello, girls?”
T’bitha gave a shy little nod, her thumb firmly planted in her mouth, but J’ne, of course, immediately started talking. “Hello. Are we staying with you now ‘cause it took forever to get here and I’m hungry.”
Both he and T’lan growled. How could he have neglected to provide for his females?
“Then let’s go up to the house right now,” M’lee said. “I made some cookies this morning that I bet you’d like.”
“Cookies!” J’ne yelled, and even T’bitha smiled. “Is that your baby? Can we play with her?”
“I’m afraid she’s not really old enough to play. But you can hold her for a little while once we get to the house if you’re very careful.” This time the silent third warrior growled but M’lee waved a hand at him. “Stop it, Tren. They won’t hurt her, will you, girls?”
“Uh uh. I’ve never held a real baby before, but I had a baby doll with hair just like that and I used to play with her all the time.” As J’ne started recounting her adventures with her doll, they all started for the house. He picked up T’bitha while S’rah took J’ne’s hand. Instead of snuggling into him the way she usually did, she stared at the one-horned warrior. He returned her stare with equal gravity.
“Owie?” she asked, gesturing at the missing horn, and T’gana winced. Surely the warrior did not want attention drawn to his defect. To his relief, the other male did not seem disturbed but only nodded.
“Yes, but it no longer pains me.”
T’bitha considered him, then gestured him closer with a small, imperious finger. When he leaned down towards her, she bent over and pressed a kiss to the damaged horn.
“All better.”
“Thank you, small one.” A smile spread across the warrior’s face and T’gana suddenly realized that he was shockingly young. He must have been damaged on his first assignment.
“I am T’gana,” he said.
“I am aware of your identity, Sub Commander T’gana. I am Officer T’renan, although the human females choose to call me Tren.”
The baby in his arms started kicking her legs around and his attention immediately turned to her, rocking her gently until she quieted. T’gana focused on her for the first time. Despite her human features, he could see the small black buds of her horns amidst her curls and the tiny black claws topping each finger. His hearts ached. If they had been able to conceive, would his and S’rah’s child have looked like that? But as T’bitha tucked her head into his neck, he could not regret the loss. He had already been blessed beyond his wildest expectations.
“And this is M’lan,” T’renan continued. “She has my honor.”
“I see.” That explained his devotion. “You are stationed here?”
“Yes. Commander T’lan has ordered me to supervise the security protocols as we expand the colony. We are also including the human town at the base of the mountain. If you would care to review the plans, I would welcome your advice.”
“I am happy to be of assistance,” he said. A feeling of satisfaction filled him. Perhaps he did still have the ability to contribute.
Later that evening, T’gana leaned back in his chair in satisfaction. M’lee had provided a meal that satisfied both human and Yehrin tastes and he had been pleased to see that all of his girls had tried the Yehrin food. Two of T’lan’s other officers had joined them for the meal, but although he had eyed them warily, they had been polite and respectful and had not attempted to converse with his S’rah.
M’lee had provided her wit
h alternate clothing and although he missed the sight of her dressed in his clothing, she looked lovely in a pale blue gown that matched her eyes. When she had returned his uniform shirt to him, it occurred to him that although he had been without his shirt until then, no one had looked away or flinched at his scars.
“I think we have two tired little girls,” S’rah said softly from her place next to him. T’bitha was asleep on her lap and J’ne was almost asleep on his, her commentary on everything finally winding down.
“T’lan, is there a place for the girls to lay down?” he asked softly.
“Ooh, yes,” M’lee answered instead. “Can you wait just a few more minutes while I finish feeding Emlan? I want to be there.”
“Yes, of course.”
When she finished feeding the child and buttoned her blouse, she looked around and sighed. “This is when I miss Tren. Did he really need to patrol tonight?”
The young warrior had disappeared with the two other officers once the meal reached its conclusion.
“He does have duties, my L’chka,” T’lan growled. “And I’m quite capable of caring for our child.”
“I know you are, big guy, but she’s half asleep already and I wanted to go with you.”
“We will all go,” T’lan announced.
Where were they going? He had thought T’lan had invited them to stay with him, but perhaps he did not want a damaged warrior in his home.
“Stop that,” S’rah whispered, forgetting that her words would be clearly heard by any Yehrin nearby.
“Stop what?”
“You have that look on your face. The ‘I’m not worthy’ look.”
“I do not know what you mean,” he said stiffly, although her words had an uncomfortable ring of truth.
“I suspect that your mate thinks you have assumed we are rejecting you,” T’lan said, raising a brow.
S’rah blushed. “I’m sorry. I forget how good your hearing is.”
“Isn’t it annoying?” M’lee leaned around T’lan to address S’rah. “It makes it so hard to keep a secret.”
“You should not have secrets from me, my L’chka,” T’lan said sternly.
“No, of course not,” she said, but he saw her eyelid flicker at S’rah in that odd human gesture. “But now isn’t the time for secrets. Let’s go.”
Handing the infant to T’lan, she led the way out of the house as he and S’rah carried their own girls. The cool evening air smelled pleasantly of green, growing things and he wondered if he could recreate S’rah’s garden here in this new place. As they walked across the wide meadow, a million stars glittered overhead. Would he ever travel amongst them again? Probably not, he thought with a mental shrug, but as long as he had his girls at his side, he had no reason for regret. He tugged S’rah closer to his side and she came willingly.
M’lee stopped outside one of the prefabricated dwelling units he had seen from the air, bouncing on her toes.
“This is it. Come on in.” She threw the door open with a dramatic flourish.
“I do not understand,” he said to T’lan.
“After our conversation, I did in fact discuss it with my mate. She insisted that we should proceed with arranging for the dwelling. I believe her words were ‘just in case,’ and as usual, she was quite right.”
“Do you like it? I hope you like it,” M’lee said as she gave S’rah a gentle push across the threshold. “It’s just temporary, of course, and you can change anything you like but the Yehrin buildings are just so… white.”
S’rah laughed. “They certainly are. Oh! This is perfect, Emily. Thank you.”
The main room had been transformed. Although the typical white walls, large windows, and high ceiling remained, there was a bright patterned rug on the floor, soft Earth-style furniture, and an abundance of small, colorful objects.
“And look.” M’lee led them into the small hallway separating the back bedrooms and the sanitary facility and threw open one of the doors. “This is all ready for the girls and I ran down to town this afternoon and got some clothes for them. I had to guess at the sizes, but I think they should be pretty close.”
Tears glittered in S’rah’s eyes, but her smile blinded him. “They are going to love it.”
An explosion of pink glittery objects seemed to fill the room, while white curtains strung with small flowers floated about the two beds. The assault of color shocked him, and he had a difficult time keeping his face neutral, but then J’ne stirred against his chest and her eyes opened.
“Oh,” she breathed, her expression filled with wonder. “It’s beautiful. Is this our room, Daddy Tigga?”
“Yes, little one.”
“Look, there’s a unicorn and a princess castle and two baby dolls and Tabby has to wake up and see this.” She started to reach for her sister, but he pulled her back.
“Not tonight, little one. In the morning.”
“Okay, but can I see the unicorn? He looks so fluffy.”
He let her down and she ran over to a large stuffed animal with a single horn protruding from its head. S’rah lowered T’bitha carefully into one of the beds, but she never even stirred.
“I should probably change her clothes, but I hate to disturb her,” she said softly.
J’ne was wandering around, touching everything with a curious finger and talking softly to herself, but yawns kept interrupting her words.
“There are nightgowns in the closet,” M’lee said quietly. Her own cheeks were wet with tears and he gave T’lan a concerned look. T’lan just shook his head and pulled his mate closer.
“We’ll wait in the other room,” he said firmly, and led her away.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Together, T’gana and S’rah got J’ne ready for bed as she chattered happily about the room, and the toys. It wasn’t until they tucked her in that a worried look crossed her face and she clung to their hands.
“You won’t leave us?”
“No, sweetheart,” S’rah said softly. “We’re just going to be in the other room.”
“But what if there’s a fire?”
“This is a Yehrin building,” he said firmly. “It will not burn.”
S’rah started a small device that played music and sent tiny lights flickering across the ceiling, then they kissed J’ne and left the room.
He stopped at the door and looked back. She looked so small in the bed by herself and his hearts twisted. “Perhaps I should stay with her.”
“Not right now. Let’s see if she settles down on her own.”
S’rah led him back into the main room where M’lee was curled in T’lan’s lap with the infant in his other arm. She jumped up as soon as they entered.
“Did the nightgown fit? I’m so happy she liked the room. Do you think Tabby will like it too?”
The excited flow of words reminded him of his J’ne and he had to hide his smile.
“She loved it and I’m sure that Tabby will as well. How on earth did you get it done so quickly?”
M’lee giggled. “It’s not exactly Earth technology. They had the building up in a single day. Then all I had to do was go shopping.”
“And she is very good at that,” T’lan said drily, as he stood. “Come, my L’chka. It is time to return to our own domicile.”
“Don’t you want to stay here and talk?” she asked innocently.
“No,” he growled. “I wish to be alone with my L’chka.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Sarah…” M’lee looked at the two of them and sighed. “Can you please go wait outside and cover those big ears of yours?”
“The Yehrin do not have large ears. We are not Pachadarns,” he said, frowning.
“I am sure that it is one of her expressions,” T’lan said. “Let us wait outside.”
M’lee closed the door firmly behind them, but he still caught hints of their conversation, including the word “bedroom.” He looked at T’lan, but the commander just shrugged.
“She has been very excit
ed to have the two of you arrive. She enjoys the company of other females and R’chel and T’chok have not yet been here as much as she had hoped. I am glad that you chose to come.”
“I will do my best to be of service.”
“That does not concern me. I understand that T’renan has requested your assistance.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent.”
M’lee appeared at the door, her eyes bright with mischief. “Sarah has gone to take a shower. You wait in the living room for her.”
“M’lee, stop ordering my warriors around,” T’lan said. He picked her up with his free arm without disturbing the infant sleeping in the other. “Now say good night.”
“Goodnight, T’gana,” she said with a small wave, then frowned at T’lan. “You know I can walk.”
“I prefer to carry you,” T’lan said firmly, and the two disappeared into the darkness of the meadow.
Now that M’lee had mentioned it, he was conscious of the desire for a shower himself. The thought of his mate naked and wet as she had been on the ship had his shaft stiffening immediately. He took one step in that direction before he remembered M’lee’s order. Cursing under his breath, he prowled the main room instead. He caught the sound of the bedroom door and turned in time to catch the briefest glimpse of pale flesh.
“Your turn, T’gana,” she called.
Impatient to get to his mate, he took the fastest shower of his life. As he left the sanitary facility, he paused to check on the girls. J’ne’s bed was empty. His hearts stopped beating but then he saw the two small bodies curled together in the other bed. He checked their coverings, dropped a kiss on each dark head, and finally went to join his mate.
When he opened the bedroom door, his hearts stopped a second time, this time from excitement. Two small lights cast a soft glow on the large bed, revealing his mate sprawled naked across wine-colored sheets, her perfect body glowing against the dark cloth. All of the blood in his body rushed to his cock as he sprang into full, aching arousal.
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