Aydan (The Azziarin Series Book 6)

by Hannah Davenport

  “Riley, it’s Mom.” Dread pooled in her stomach with the sincerity of her voice. Her mother never called. She patiently waited for Riley to call her, which was once every two or three weeks. With this phone call, Riley knew instantly that something wasn’t right.

  “Hi, Mom.” She swallowed hard and waited for the bad news. Fear made her legs weak as she worried about which sister was hurt… or worse.

  “Riley…” she started, “I need you to come home.” Tears instantly appeared with her mom’s shaky voice.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” Her mind instantly thought of what needed to be done. Living in Florida, it would take her a few days to get home. She would need to check the bus schedule, make sure she could afford the ticket. She needed to…

  “I have cancer, Riley. The doctor said something about it being late stage, and I waited too late… I’m dying.”

  The phone slipped from Riley’s hand as the world crashed around her. Roxy grabbed her arm to keep her upright while the words I’m dying replayed over and over.

  After a minute, which felt more like an hour, she put the phone back to her ear. “Maybe we can get you treatment somewhere else. Florida has great hospitals, and I have some money…”

  “It’s too late. The doctor said it had spread to most of my organs.” All the air rushed from her lungs. What am I gonna do?

  After that, her life changed completely. She went from a free spirit to instant adult, along with all the responsibilities. At the age of twenty-two, she became a mother of four.

  “Riley?” Cassidy’s sharp voice cut through the memories.

  Shaking the thoughts from her head, she looked at her sister. Had she just said something? “What?”

  She stoked the fire in the stove. Thank god, they had the old-timey one. Her parents didn’t like using electricity unless it was absolutely necessary.

  “You’re a million miles away. Whatcha thinking about?”

  “Nothing important.” She tried to erase the intense memories and give her sister a reassuring smile. “Do me a favor and run down to the cellar and get some flour.”

  “Okay.” Cassidy took off. Before their mother passed away, they stockpiled and canned everything. The cellar, which was fifteen feet wide and twenty feet long, had shelves lined with various goods. They had flour, sugar, canned beans, canned corn, potatoes, basically everything that they raised and killed.

  Belle came in carrying a bucket of fresh milk. “Here you go.”

  “Just set it down and help me get breakfast.” Riley grabbed the container of eggs.

  “What are we having today?” Belle eyed her curiously as she washed her hands in the pan of soapy water.

  “I know he’s hungry. He has to be, so I thought we’d have a big breakfast this morning.”

  “Deer strips, eggs, and milk?” She quirked a curious eyebrow.

  Riley raised a shoulder and grinned, knowing how happy it would make Belle. “I thought I might also fix hash browns and bread.”

  Belle’s eyes widened in delight. “You weren’t kidding.”

  “No, now get the friendship bread. It should be ready, and we’ll save two more starters from it.”

  “Has it been ten days already?” The excitement in her voice was easily heard. The friendship bread was a treat, but the entire process took ten days before it was ready to bake.

  “It has, but we have so many starters now, we could probably have bread every other day at least.”

  With an anguished look, Belle groaned, “Then why haven’t we been baking it?”

  “Because I’ve been hunting, among other things, and I haven’t had a lot of time.” It was true. Taking care of the kids, hunting, planting a garden. A lot of work needed to be done.

  Belle gave her a chastised look and pointed a spatula at her. “We can help, you know.”

  “I know.” And Riley did know they were capable. She just wanted to provide a normal childhood for them for as long as possible.

  Cassidy came running up from the cellar. “Here’s the flour.” She held it up with a triumphant grin.

  “Thanks, Cassidy.” Riley smiled as she took the flour and started to work on the bread.

  When breakfast was ready, Belle eyed the bucket of milk. “Do you want me to separate the cream?”

  Riley stared at the milk and pursed her lips. They separated it most days, using the cream for other things, but today she thought differently. “No, leave it. The twins can use the extra fat, and the… and he probably can, too. He hasn’t eaten in a few days, and the added fat and calories will do him good.”

  “Okay.”

  Belle and Cassidy set the table while Riley fetched the alien man and the twins. She stopped short when she spotted the twins curled up with the stranger. Her heart melted, and tears flooded her eyes.

  The twins never knew their father, and for some unknown reason, they had already taken up the alien man. Even when he lay unconscious, she kept dragging them off him. At first, she worried that the twins thought he was a plaything. Now she wondered if they sensed something in him, too. Just like she had.

  He had an arm curled around each of them, all three of them fast asleep. It was too early, and the twins rarely took naps.

  She picked Haley up first and kissed her cheek. “Go to the kitchen,” she said lovingly before repeating the same with Kaley.

  Looking at the peaceful, sleeping alien, she admired him for the hundredth time since his arrival. Short white hair, a strong, chiseled jaw. Her eyes landed on his luscious lips. Sometimes she could see fangs peeking out, sending a sliver of fear down her arms. Her gaze traveled to his muscled chest. He wore some sort of black jumpsuit that had rips and tears. What remained hugged his body and showed every glorious muscle. Shaking her head to clear the lust, she mumbled, “Get yourself together, girl! He’s injured.”

  Riley hated to wake him, but he needed to eat if he wanted to recover. The accident was horrific, and who knew how many injures he had sustained.

  A slight touch to his shoulder startled him awake. His eyes popped open, and Riley smiled guardedly.

  “Breakfast is ready. You need to eat, and then you can go back to sleep.” She nodded down the hall toward the kitchen. “Come on.”

  Halfway down the hall, she looked over her shoulder and watched as he ducked his head. That’s when she noticed how huge he was. His head almost touched the ceiling. Not to mention the fact that his shoulders narrowly missed each side of the hallway as he walked. His muscles rippled with every step, with every sway of his massive arms.

  His presence in the small kitchen dominated the room. A predator amongst prey. He held an edge of danger, oozed it as he walked. Her breath quickened. She slid her hand through her hair, pushed it out of her face. Get ahold of yourself!

  She leaned over his shoulder and placed a plate in the center of the table. She froze when her hand brushed his. Electricity pulsed through her body, tiny sparks heating her from the inside out. Her eyes found his. Desire swirled in his eyes as they shared an intense moment.

  “Hungry, Momma.” Kaley banged her spoon against the plate. Riley slowly pulled her hand back before her gaze reluctantly left his. What just happened?

  Turning to the toddler sitting in the high chair, she said in a stern momma voice, “Kaley, stop that!”

  Kaley stopped but pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Both girls always got that way when they were hungry. They inherited that trait from their father. In their house, it was referred to as being hangry—anger due to hunger.

  “That’s better.” Riley praised the little girl for following her request. She then fixed the girls plates of food before taking a seat.

  Everyone passed around the dishes of food, each taking what they wanted. Strips of venison doubled as bacon, fried and scrambled eggs, hash browns, bread, and a glass of milk. Everyone was in a great mood, talking while they ate.

  Every so often, Riley sneaked glances at the man who dominated her tiny kitchen. Every fiber of her bo
dy knew his every move.

  Chapter Five

  Kavvan

  “He has to be somewhere!” The level-headed Kavvan slammed his fist on the desk, jarring the contents.

  Nikkul stood stoically with his hands laced behind his back. “They found all the others, but Aydan wasn’t there, Commander.”

  “I want to know what happened, where he is,” Kavvan fumed. “I want to know if the Tureis took him prisoner!”

  “Commander, no Tureis were spotted in the area, and none have shown up on our signature heat scans.”

  Kavvan knew his mood had turned volatile over the last few standard days. When the squad reported that six soldiers were dead and Aydan missing, his worry turned to anger and then back to worry, the two emotions alternating hourly.

  “The shuttle crashed. How far could Aydan have gone with severe injuries? Something or someone had to have taken him.” His nostrils flared as he glared at Nikkul. Kavvan knew that if the force of the crash had killed all the others, Aydan could be lying somewhere almost dead.

  “Is it possible that someone is helping him?”

  Kavvan thought about it. When he was Jakke’s second in command, that same incident had happened to Takkeo. A human rescued him and took care of his injuries.

  “Possibly.” He rubbed his forehead knowing that would make Aydan much more difficult to find. “Did you find out what happened to the shuttlecraft?”

  Nikkul cleared his throat. “Yes, Commander, a nearby militant group shot a primitive cannon at the shuttle, knocking out the navigation control.”

  Kavvan dropped his head into the palm of his hand and briefly closed his eyes. “I feared something like that would eventually happen. The humans don’t know who are friends, so they consider us all enemies.” He raked an aggravated hand through his short white hair, pushed up from his chair, and headed over to a wooden table. “I need a drink,” he grumbled as he poured two mugs of Fire’s Breath.

  Just as he handed one to Nikkul, the door chimed. “Enter,” he called before lifting the mug to his lips, the hard, dark liquor burning his throat as he swallowed. The slight burning only made it taste better.

  “Commander,” Padda acknowledged as he entered the ready room.

  Kavvan didn’t respond as he took another sip and then held his mug up, asking, “Want one?”

  When Padda nodded, Kavvan sat his mug down and poured his comrade a drink. Both Nikkul and Padda had dealt with his mood as of late, while the rest of his crew avoided him. Some turned the other direction when they spotted him heading down the corridor, others moved as far away as possible when he passed them.

  Kavvan carried the decanter of Fire’s Breath in one hand, his mug in the other, over to his desk. He set the decanter down, lowered himself into the chair while the other two sat facing him. The room remained silent as each one sipped his drink, all lost in their own thoughts. They probably hoped the Fire’s Breath would mellow him out a little. Truth be known, Kavvan hoped for the same thing. Constantly worrying about someone took a lot of mental strength, which made him exhausted and irritable.

  When he finished his drink, he immediately poured a second. As it was the only relaxing drink on the ship, they had all built up a good tolerance.

  Kavvan finally leaned back and relaxed in his chair, then asked the others, “What do you think happened to Aydan?”

  With a small grin on his face, Padda answered first. “Knowing Aydan, he’s probably shacked up with his true mate.”

  Kavvan chuckled for the first time, hoping that it was true. Better that than lying half-dead somewhere or being tortured by the Tureis. That thought consumed his thoughts often enough.

  Nikkul took a sip of his drink and grinned, his fangs peeking below his upper lip. “All the Earth females are proving to be true mates. I’d say the chances he found his are great.”

  Kavvan stared at his mug, watching the dark liquid swirl around before taking another sip. With one hand, he rapped his knuckles on the desk. When he stopped, his eyes bore into the two officers. “Until we know, let’s keep searching.”

  “We have two squads on the ground searching at all times.” Nikkul took another sip as Kavvan nodded to acknowledge his words. Both Padda and Nikkul knew their jobs. Kavvan had no doubt they would use every resource available to find Aydan.

  Just as Kavvan lifted his mug to his lips, the comm beeped. He reached over and clicked it on. “Go ahead.”

  “Commander, we have company.”

  Company? Who besides them and the Tureis knew that humans lived in the Dreama Sector? What kind of company did he refer to? Kavvan swallowed his last sip. “I’m on my way.”

  He set his empty mug down and pushed up from the chair. He moved with purpose toward the bridge, everyone moving out of his way.

  Kavvan spared Drrak a glance as he headed to the captain’s chair. “Report.”

  “Commander, a Curazin ship approaches.”

  The view screen showed that indeed, not one but several Curazin ships were coming fast. Why were they in the Dreama Sector? How did they find Earth? With a puzzled look, he gently stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. As more questions than answers tumbled in his thoughts, no possible explanations came to mind. While staring at the view screen, he absently said, “Alert the rest of the fleet. Tell them to wait for my orders.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Kavvan watched the slick black ship quickly approach. Five others followed its lead in formation. They were still far away but close enough to talk with the captain.

  The Curazins whom he’d met were a peaceful, lively bunch with pent-up aggression. They would laugh easily, kill without thought, protect what belonged to them. Not having females would do that. It was rumored they had pleasure houses filled with other female species to relieve the excess energy.

  “Hail the ship.” Kavvan’s curious eyes stared at the screen as he waited patiently.

  The screen filled with the face of a Curazin. He mirrored Kavvan’s stance with arms crossed, jaw set. Kavvan studied his light blue face. Three hard ridges lined his forehead while round black eyes stared back. Cold, deadly eyes.

  “Commander,” the Curazin broke the ice. “I am Toran, and we are here to join the fight.” A wicked grin quickly appeared, making him appear fiercer.

  Kavvan’s brows drew close, his lips pressed tightly together. Not that he didn’t want the help, he just didn’t want to appear uniformed. And right now, he felt like the last one to show up at an important meeting.

  “Thank you. I am Kavvan, Commander of the Azziarin Fleet.” His shoulders thrown back, his tone was laced with respect and authority.

  Toran nodded. “Commander Zekke told us that the Tureis had invaded this planet, and we love a good fight. Perhaps we could share information and take them out swiftly?” He raised one eyebrow in query.

  That one statement answered so many unanswered questions. Zekke had spoken with Toran and no doubt had given the Curazins the location of Earth. The only question that remained was why?

  “Your help is appreciated. Why don’t you join me? We can discuss strategies.”

  Toran nodded slightly in acceptance. “Thank you, Commander. I will join you shortly.”

  An uneasy truce had started with the invitation. If the two joined forces, the war with the Tureis could end swiftly. But Kavvan would wait before jumping to conclusions.

  Chapter Six

  Aydan

  Aydan sat at the small round table. The table sat low to the ground, hitting him at waist level. Another clue he didn’t belong here. The sound of Riley’s sensual voice was warm, caressing… the way she stole glances at him, with eyes that drew immediate attention. A warm, unsettling feeling blossomed in the middle of his chest. He didn’t understand the cause for it, but he felt the dull ache as he rubbed his chest.

  When Riley leaned in close, her soft brown hair brushed across his shoulder while the most delicious aroma tickled his nose. He couldn’t recall the smell, but as he slowly in
haled, he closed his eyes and savored the moment. When his eyes locked with hers, they burned with energy, desire. His shaft hardened, and he discreetly reached under the table to readjust himself.

  When she averted her gaze to attend to the youngling, he glanced at the colorful plate of food.

  He chose a piece of meat, held it to his nose and sniffed. It smelled odd, but when he shoved it in his mouth, flavors exploded as the weight of his hunger hit him. He could easily eat everything on the table and then some. Instead, he held himself at bay and chewed slowly, letting the females have their fill.

  They laughed and teased each other. The twins, as Riley called them, had food on their faces.

  “Wook, Mama,” one of them called as she stared at Riley. Her big blue eyes blinked while waiting for a reaction.

  “Haley, you have a milk mustache,” Riley said in a loving tone. The little girl giggled, so the other one, Kaley, not wanting to be left out, made her own ‘milk mustache’. “Wook at me, Mama.” A fine line of white crossed her upper lip as she grinned a toothless grin.

  “You have one, too!” Riley grinned as she reached over and kissed her forehead.

  When the little ones finished, Riley wiped off their hands and faces before they raced from the room. Aydan had no doubt that those two were bundles of limitless energy.

  “When are you heading out?” Aydan glanced up to see Belle as she asked Riley a question.

  “It’s late morning now, so probably by midafternoon. That will be the best time.”

  What were they talking about? Best time for what? Riley turned her attention on him. She glanced at his plate and then met his eyes. “Would you like some more food?”

  Would he? That would be a resounding yes! “Yes, thank you,” he replied.

  Riley had a blank look on her face before shaking it off. “I can’t understand you, but since you’re so big, I’ll take that as a yes.”