Coalition Reckoning

by Cassandra Chandler

  “Relax,” he said. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Says the guy with a screeching howler-monkey velociraptor in the basement.”

  He let out a chuckle. “Just don’t let Barbara or Craig hear you talking like that.”

  “Craig? Wait a minute. One of those things was here earlier?”

  “They’re not things,” he said.

  “How am I supposed to know what to call them?”

  Dane let out a sigh. This wasn’t going well.

  What the hell had Brendan been thinking, bringing an Earthling to the lodge? NDA or not, if Brigid told anybody what was really going on here…

  No one would believe her.

  It wasn’t a very comforting thought, especially when he imagined the hardship it would cause her. He tried to think of something he could tell her that would reassure her without giving too much away.

  “Barbara is my patient,” Dane said. “She’s…special. And she’s pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. She and Craig are going through a challenging time, and we’re all trying to help them through it while getting our other work done.”

  “You make it sound like they’re human. But no human could make a sound like that.”

  “What they are is family.” Dane was surprised by his own vehemence—and by realizing that he meant it. “We can’t tell you everything, but the work we’re doing here is—”

  “It’s important.” She scowled, glaring at him. “Brendan already told me.”

  “He wasn’t lying.” Dane searched for something—anything—he could tell her. He settled on the secrets that she could probably handle—the relatively mundane ones. “Brendan works for the government.”

  “And all I had to sign was an NDA? There has to be more to it than that. Security clearance, background checks—”

  “And I’m sure Brendan’s taken care of that all.” Dane stepped a little closer, rubbing his thumbs over the soft skin of her arms. “You don’t have to worry about the work we’re doing. Apparently, we just need you to keep Brendan and Henry from starving. And Brendan wouldn’t have hired you if he thought you couldn’t handle it. If he didn’t think you could help.”

  “I guess so. If it’s that challenging of a pregnancy, it makes sense you need to be free to help her.” Brigid took a deep breath, then blew it out. She stood straighter, squaring her shoulders. “Is she on a special diet? I can help with making food for her.”

  He smiled. How could he like someone so much so quickly?

  “I appreciate the offer, but she’s pretty happy with her peanuts.” He nodded toward the pantry.

  “That’s all she eats? That can’t be healthy.”

  Dane had no idea what was healthy for a pregnant Lyrian. He did know that what was healthy for everyone around her was giving her what she wanted.

  “We can try her on some new foods when you’re settled in, maybe,” he said.

  “My twin sister is a veterinarian. She’s helped out tons of different kinds of animals and would be happy to help.”

  “Twin?” His heart seemed to stutter. “Like identical?”

  “Yup, there are two of me.” She laughed, then said, “Not really. Caitlin and I are really different. We can fool just about anybody into thinking we’re the other sister, though. Usually, those kind of shenanigans are her idea.”

  Twins…

  He thought of Marq, and about a million questions started lining up in his head. Questions that might raise Brigid’s suspicions—or worse, someone else’s.

  If any of the other Sadirian soldiers found out Dane had a twin, that would bring up a whole different group of questions. Questions that could get him and Marq separated again—with mind-wipes to keep them that way.

  Dane couldn’t risk indulging his curiosity. He veered back to the original conversation.

  “That’s very kind of you to offer,” he said. “But I think Henry and I will just have to stumble through this ourselves.”

  “Okay.” She was quiet for a moment, then said, “This whole situation is really weird.”

  “Too weird?” He held his breath, hoping he hadn’t scared her off with his honesty—such as it was.

  After a moment, she shook her head. “Not too weird. But close.”

  “I can’t really argue that point,” he said. “Let me take some more boxes downstairs and check on Barbara. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Okay. I’ll get started on dinner.”

  As much as he wanted to, he didn’t let himself lean in and kiss her this time. He’d learned his lesson.

  Instead, he crossed to the pantry and picked up two boxes of peanuts, hefting them onto his shoulder. He couldn’t wait to get back.

  The rest of the house was quiet with everyone down in the basement. Dane hurried through the halls and down the concrete steps as quickly as he could without falling. Once he’d reached the lower level, he could hear voices from Craig and Barbara’s chamber. He slowed as he approached the open door.

  “It’s a pair-bond,” Barbara’s voice rumbled down the halls. “I can smell it on every one of you that was in the room with them.”

  “They only just met,” Henry said. “That seems a little fast.”

  “Didn’t you know when you met me?” Vay asked.

  “Well, that was…” Henry’s voice faltered. “Okay, that’s a good point. And it does seem like Earthlings and Sadirians bond really quickly. It still seems so improbable. I don’t want Barbara to be disappointed if nothing comes of it. You know she’s feeling sensitive.”

  “Sensitive?” Barbara boomed.

  “Sensitive…to…pheromones,” Henry said. “So, of course, she knows what she’s talking about.”

  Dane could hear Barbara’s loud exhalation. He figured he’d been lurking enough and headed through the doorway.

  Barbara was buried in the nest of blankets and comforters she’d made by stripping every bed in the lodge early in the pregnancy. All that was visible of her enormous body was her blue-skinned face, surrounded by bristly white fur. She’d wrapped the blankets around her head so that even her batwing-like ears were hidden.

  Henry and Vay were resting on cushions close by and Brendan stood in the corner, rearranging the boxes of peanuts. Everyone grew quiet, staring at Dane.

  “What?” he said.

  Brendan snickered. Dane glared at him.

  Suddenly, a fur-covered arm was draped across Dane’s shoulders. At the same time, the boxes of peanuts were lifted from his grasp.

  “I think it’s lovely that you’re so taken with our new chef.” Craig shimmered into view, his fur rippling as he dropped his natural camouflage.

  “I was just trying to distract her so she didn’t see you,” Dane said.

  Craig propped his one free hand on his hip. “Excuse me, I was cloaked.”

  “But the boxes weren’t,” Dane said. “How do you think she’d have reacted if she saw a bunch of boxes of peanuts just floating in the air?”

  Craig snorted. He handed off the boxes of peanuts to Brendan, who was still smirking at Dane.

  “Humans are more resilient than you think,” Craig said. “Look at how well they’ve adapted to us.”

  He used his right arms to gesture toward Henry and Brendan, then squeezed Dane harder with the arm around his shoulder while ruffling his hair with his remaining free left hand.

  How the heck do Lyrians keep track of all those arms?

  “Quit it,” Dane said.

  Craig chuckled, then released Dane and returned to the nest with Barbara, sitting in front of her.

  “How are you feeling, my sweet?” Craig said, a strange echoing coo sounding from deep in his chest. “Any better?”

  “When did she not feel well?” Dane took a few steps forward, but everyone in front of him except Barbara quickly shook their heads to warn him off.

  “Barbara picked up Zemanni’s scent,” Brendan said. “It was…upsetting.”

  “Upsetting
?” Barbara said. “That scum tried to kill my family.”

  Her chest began making the popping sounds that preceded a screech. Henry and Vay covered their ears just in time before Barbara let loose with the loudest howl yet.

  Dammit, Brigid is upstairs alone. That probably scared the crap out of her.

  “That ‘scum’ is one of our allies now,” Brendan said. “And a very powerful one.”

  Barbara’s eyelids peeled back, revealing a disturbing amount of white around the blue oblong irises. “And I’m not?”

  “Let’s all stay calm,” Henry said, reaching out to pat Barbara’s shoulder.

  Adopted nestling or not, Dane had to hand it to the Earthling. There weren’t many sentients in the galaxy that would have been brave enough to touch an irate, pregnant Lyrian. Even Craig was curling his head down submissively.

  Dane had to intervene before he had even more patients. “I think a better term for Zemanni is ‘useful’,” Dane said. “I mean, there’s no question who’s more powerful. You tore him apart.”

  Barbara turned her gaze to Dane and his heart began to pound. Taking the target off the others didn’t mean he wanted it on himself.

  “I wasn’t thorough enough,” Barbara said. “He put himself back together.”

  Crap.

  She started making that popping noise again. At this rate, Brigid would run away by the time Dane returned upstairs. She might think the woods were less frightening. He almost agreed at the moment.

  “That just means he’s reusable,” Dane said, using his most placating tone. “If the Reckoning shows up with their gunports firing, we can toss them Zemanni to buy us some time.”

  Craig chuckled.

  “We aren’t using Zemanni as cannon fodder,” Brendan said.

  “It was just a suggestion.” Dane shrugged, watching for Barbara’s reaction surreptitiously. He relaxed a bit as her eyes returned to normal and she settled back among her blankets.

  “‘Cannon fodder’.” Barbara chuckled from deep in her nest.

  “If everybody’s okay down here, I need to get back upstairs,” Dane said.

  Every single person in the room grinned at him. Only Brendan had the decency to half-try to hide it.

  Dammit.

  “To make dinner,” Dane added.

  That killed their smiles. The Earthlings’, anyway.

  “I thought that Brigid was going to be cooking from now on.” Henry shifted around as if trying to get comfortable in the blankets and pillows he was sitting on.

  “Relax,” Dane said. “She’s going to teach me how to cook.”

  Henry didn’t look reassured. He glanced over at Brendan, and said, “That’s…nice.”

  “We’re just doing spaghetti and meatballs tonight,” Dane said.

  “Meatballs?” Henry’s face paled.

  “You know, you could have told me you didn’t like my cooking,” Dane said.

  “Who didn’t like it?” Vay glanced at Henry and Brendan, both of whom were staring at the ceiling. “You didn’t? But it has so much flavor.”

  Henry took Vay’s hand and kissed it. “Yes, but the flavor isn’t usually tuna salad with fish from a can and marshmallow cream as the binder.”

  “And pickle relish,” Brendan said.

  Henry barely suppressed a gagging sound. “Please. Don’t remind me about the relish.”

  “I like Dane’s tuna sandwiches.” Vay smiled at Dane.

  “Sweetie, you’ve eaten nutrient bricks your whole life,” Henry said. “You sprinkle fruitcake in your cereal.”

  Brendan stepped forward. “I think what we’re trying to say is that Dane has more important things to focus on than feeding us. Like studying Barbara’s physiology and making sure her pregnancy is progressing well.”

  “My pregnancy is progressing perfectly.” Barbara reached for Craig, who quickly wrapped his arms around her. “It’s almost time to pass the new nestling to my mate.”

  “Wait, what?” Dane said. “You didn’t tell me the male had a part in gestation.”

  “I’m primarily male.” Craig let out a huff of breath through his nostrils. “Expand your thinking beyond binary genders.”

  Damn, there was a lot Dane needed to learn. He was completely out of his depth with Barbara’s pregnancy.

  Lyrians were so secretive about their physiology—with good reason, since sentients like Zemanni hunted them for their camouflaging pelts.

  “You know, that’s the kind of thing your doctor really should know,” Dane said.

  “I don’t need a doctor,” Barbara growled. “I just need my family close.”

  “Let’s give them some space.” Brendan crossed to Dane and put a hand on his shoulder. “Henry can try to find out if there’s anything else we might need to know about.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” Dane nodded in Henry’s direction, then let Brendan nudge him out the door.

  Chapter Five

  This was the lamest first meal Brigid had ever cooked for a client. She was having trouble caring, after seeing the delight on Dane’s face while they were making it.

  He hung on every word, his brow knit in concentration as he asked questions and really thought through what she was saying. She’d never taught someone with such a drive to learn.

  “Why six places?” she asked, putting the last fork next to the place settings. “There are only four people here now.”

  Unless Craig or Barbara was joining them. Brigid shuddered at the thought.

  She still didn’t know what she had gotten herself into. Wild animals were living in the basement, and she had no clue what they even were.

  “Aren’t you joining us?” Dane asked.

  “I don’t usually eat with my clients. The kitchen table is fine.”

  Her cheeks tingled as she remembered what she and Dane had almost done on that table. Cooking with him had gone a long way in soothing her frayed nerves, especially after hearing another of those howls.

  Dane shook his head. “Brendan won’t be okay with that. Honestly, none of us will be.”

  She didn’t know how to respond. She was already so far out of her normal routines.

  This wasn’t going to be like any of her other jobs. She’d started to wonder about it the moment she saw Zemanni land in that fancy helicopter. The feeling had only become stronger when she met Dane.

  “What about the sixth place?”

  “Brendan always sets a place for his wife, Kira,” Dane said.

  Well… That was pretty sweet. And comparatively normal.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s at our new facility in Florida.”

  “Overseeing the construction?”

  Dane shook his head. “Training, mostly.”

  “Training in what?”

  He turned to her, his eyes wider than usual and his mouth slightly open. It was the same deer-in-headlights expression he’d had earlier when she was heading into topics he couldn’t talk about.

  “You could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me?” She laughed.

  Dane looked stricken. “I’d never let that happen.”

  “It was just a joke.”

  A joke that he’d taken seriously.

  “Wait, that’s not… That’s not a possibility, is it?” she said.

  Before Dane could respond, Vay walked in, followed by a tall, lanky man. He was thin and pale, with tousled brown hair and the beginnings of a beard. His rumpled clothes and the dark circles under his eyes made Brigid wonder when he’d last been able to get a good night’s sleep.

  His companion was just as energetic as when Brigid had met her, though. Vay had a tight hold on Henry’s hand, leading him to the table, and her smile lit up the room. Brigid found herself smiling back.

  “I’m so excited to try spaghetti.” Vay sat with Henry on the far side of the table. “Do your meatballs have ketchup and cherry sauce, too?”

  “Cherry sauce?” Brigid said.

  “Don’t ask.” Dane came up behind h
er from the archway that led to the kitchen, holding a huge bowl of noodles. “I was just…trying something.”

  “There’s no cherry sauce,” Brigid said. “Or ketchup.”

  “Oh.” Vay’s smile faded.

  How could she be disappointed at no ketchup and cherry sauce with spaghetti and meatballs? Brigid suppressed a shudder, hoping that those three things had at least not been served all together.

  “I think you’ll like what Dane and I have cooked up, though,” Brigid said.

  Vay smiled again, but it was more subdued. “I’m sure we’ll love it. Right, Henry?” She leaned against Henry’s arm.

  “Hmm, what?” He gazed around the room, his eyes a bit unfocused. “Yes. It smells great, actually.”

  “Next time, we’ll make garlic bread to go with it,” Brigid said.

  She moved to one of the chairs opposite Henry and Vay, but Dane caught her by the elbow.

  “That’s Kira’s seat,” he said.

  “Oh, sorry.” Brigid looked around. “Where should I sit?”

  “Here’s fine.” He gestured to one of the heads of the table.

  That just didn’t seem right, but at least she’d have a good view of everyone and could gauge their reactions. Dane sat next to her as she lowered herself into her seat.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Brendan rushed into the room, sitting across from her at the opposite end of the table. He smiled as he took in the dishes before him and said, “This looks great.”

  “Dane was a big help,” Brigid said.

  Henry had picked up some salad with the tongs, but froze. He stared at the leaves as if inspecting them carefully.

  “It’s fine, really,” she said.

  “My cooking couldn’t have been that bad,” Dane said.

  Henry stammered. “No… Sure… I mean…”

  “We really appreciate everything you’ve done,” Brendan said. “And I’m glad you’re still taking an interest.”

  “You did a great job.” Brigid reached over and squeezed Dane’s hand.

  The moment their skin touched, she felt more of that white-hot electricity coursing through her nerves. She’d never experienced chemistry like this before. The way his pupils widened as he stared at her, gripping her fingers before she had a chance to pull away, she was pretty sure he felt it, too.