Henry said, “She’s with me,” at the same time.
Craig shook his head, then ran his hand over his face. His skin turned purplish.
“I’m aware,” he said. “Moons, don’t remind me.”
“Wait, how do you know?” Henry said.
Vay helped him to his feet. She was wondering the same thing.
“I followed you back to your cabin to make sure you were okay and saw you two through the window.” Craig snorted and looked away. “I suppose you are an adult of your species, as you keep saying. A little young to be bonding, though. Nestlings grow up too fast.”
He sniffed a little. Henry let out a laugh and then grabbed Craig in a huge—for an Earthling—hug. Craig laughed as well, wrapping all of his arms around Henry at once.
A horrific screech pierced the air.
“What the hell is that?” Henry said.
Craig stood, setting Henry down next to Vay. “That is the sound of a Lyrian female protecting her nestling.”
An arc of silver liquid flew through the air above the twisted limbs of the oak tree in front of them. Something bounced along after it.
“Oh dear,” Craig said. He reached out with one set of hands and covered Henry’s eyes, and then, to Vay’s utter shock, he used his other set to cover her eyes. “Barbara, if you could shut off the lights… There are children present.”
There was another screech, then a lot of banging, and the lights went dead.
“Thank you,” Craig sang out. “I think she’s going to be a while. Let’s head to our ship while she finishes up.”
“Yeah,” Henry said. “Let’s…do that.”
Chapter Sixteen
Back at the ship, sipping a warm cup of something Henry couldn’t identify, he tried to make sense of the last day. Bigfoot was real—and an alien. With an incredibly violent and protective mate. He’d been adopted by them, which was apparently part of their cultural norms. And he was kinda-sorta married to Vay.
Mated, bonded, whatever they wanted to call it.
It was amazing. His life was amazing, and he had a feeling it was only going to become more so.
“And then he said, ‘It means I’m hungry’.” Craig let out a huge laugh, regaling Vay with the one and only embarrassing story he had to tell about Henry.
Some things about parenting were universal, it seemed.
She laughed along with Craig, casting a warm smile Henry’s way. The only thing missing was Barbara. Craig had said she would be fine, but Henry still worried.
As if on cue, the door to the ship whooshed open and she stomped in. Silver liquid was dripping from her fur.
“Darling, if you’re going to shake, do it in the other room,” Craig said. “I don’t want you getting quicksilver on the kids.”
She growled, then stomped past them.
“Where’s the Scorpiian?” Henry couldn’t help himself. That was a lot of…Scorpiian blood? He knew from the sounds of what was happening back at the clearing that it was very probably dead, but he had to be sure.
Barbara paused, then turned to face him. She grinned, again showing Henry all of those sharp, sharp teeth.
In a rumbling voice that was almost a purr, she said, “Which part?”
Craig stepped up behind her, nudging her through the door to the other room. “Let’s leave it at that.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Henry said.
When Barbara was gone, Craig turned to Vay, picking up a lock of her hair between his fingers and cocking his head to the side as he examined it. Henry was glad to see that she didn’t flinch away.
“So, my new Sadirian kin, what will happen next?” Craig let go of her hair, then crossed the small room and sat on one of the bench seats that were bolted to the wall.
Vay glanced at Henry and he nodded in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.
“Well, Henry and I had talked about me leaving the Coalition, but I’m not sure that’s for the best.”
He felt like the floor had suddenly fallen out from under him. Did she not want to be with him after all?
“I didn’t realize you’d changed your mind,” he said.
“I didn’t.” She reached over and grasped his hand. “I want to be with you. And I want both of us to be able to stay on your homeworld. But with Scorpiians and Tau Ceti and Centaurans on Earth—”
“And about half a dozen more sentient species that we know of,” Craig said.
Vay cast a quick glare at him. “Earth is in a very dangerous position. It might actually become part of the Coalition before long.”
“Stars guide us away from that path,” Craig said.
Barbara entered the room, her fur white and clean again. She sat next to Craig and hooked her leg with his, planting one set of hands on her thighs and crossing her other arms across her chest.
“What are you suggesting, Sadirian?” she said.
“Vay.” Henry squeezed Vay’s hand. “Her name is Vay.”
Barbara snorted. He knew by now that was a good sign.
Vay turned toward Henry. “You said you wanted to join the Department of Homeworld Security. Did you mean it?”
At the time, it had been a joke. Mostly. But there was a grain of truth in it. He was definitely interested.
“Yes.”
“And do you still want to, even after everything you’ve learned and seen?” she said.
“More than ever.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, and for that moment, he forgot everything else—Scorpiians and Lyrians and evil space empires and aliens—and it was just him and Vay and the warmth and love between them.
Until Craig cleared his throat. “Children.”
Vay pulled back, still smiling broadly, and turned toward the Lyrians.
“You’ve adopted Henry,” Vay said. She turned to Henry and gave him one of those amazing smiles. “And Henry has bonded with me.”
“That’s fairly clear,” Barbara said.
“The law is also clear in this matter,” she said. “The formalities will take me forever, but if we follow proper protocols, which are really common sense—don’t let other Earthlings know aliens are real or especially that we’re on Earth, don’t let any of our technology fall into the wrong hands—I can have us classified as a family with an Earth connection. We’ll all be allowed to stay or go as we wish. It’ll take time—and a lot of authorizations, but I really think I can make it happen.”
Barbara kept glaring. Her mouth started to twitch. The twitch spread until her lips were pulled in a huge smile. Then she threw her head back and laughed.
Craig had his eyes covered and was shaking his head, but his body trembled with laughter. “Stars, Sadirians are hilarious. They make all of these rules and laws to control the universe.”
Barbara finally stopped laughing, but her grin remained huge. “If we can use those laws to our advantage, we’re all for it.”
“And more importantly, it will let us keep our family together.” Craig nudged her with a shoulder.
“Of course, sweetheart.” She leaned closer, until their ears touched and started…caressing each other.
“I’m beginning to understand those kids who aren’t comfortable with their parents being overly affectionate,” Henry said.
Both Lyrians turned to him and grinned, but this time, the look was downright diabolical.
“We have many arms,” Barbara said.
“And we are fond of hugs,” Craig added.
The room wasn’t that big, so when they reached across and grabbed Henry and Vay, there was nowhere to run, even if he’d wanted to. But as they pulled them both into the biggest, furriest hug he’d ever felt, he didn’t want to run. He finally felt like he was home.
A Note for the Reader
What did you think? I’d love to hear from you through a review. If you’d prefer another way to connect, you can stop by my blog (cassandra-chandler.com), follow me on Twitter (@CassChandler) or Facebook (CassChandlerAuthor), or even send
me some email at [email protected]. You can also stay in touch by subscribing to my newsletter (cassandra-chandler.com/newsletter). There are many more adventures to come.
Thanks for reading!
About the Author
Cassandra Chandler has studied folklore and mythology for her entire life and been accused of taking fairy tales a bit too seriously. She sees the starry sky as a destination rather than a matte painting, though her primary residence is on Earth. Her romances range from sweet to scorching, set in extraordinary worlds and driven by characters searching for a deep and lasting love.
Look for More Titles by Cassandra Chandler
The Blades of Janus
PACK
The Department of Homeworld Security (novellas)
Gray Card
Resident Alien
Business or Pleasure
Tied up in Customs
Entry Visa
The Summer Park Psychics
WANDERING SOUL
WHISPERING HEARTS
LINGERING TOUCH
Other Works
“Second Sight” (short story)
“Second Skin” (short story)
CRAFTING A WRITER’S LIFE: Building a Foundation
Coming Soon
The Department of Homeworld Security (novellas)
Duration of Stay
Entry Visa (The Department of Homeworld Security Book 5) Page 9