“Living on Keala may be better for the children,” I thought out loud. “Especially if there are plans for other babies to be born there. Kids need the company of other children growing up.” I looked at Valran for his reaction.
He shifted under my gaze, drawing in some air to reply, obviously still intent on persuading us to remain on Earth. “We have plans to open up our stations for human crews of scientists, donor volunteers, and their families. I want to invite them to work in a partnership. Your children will have friends here. There will be school classes organized by age.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We just need to find a better understanding with the coalition of Earth’s Governments. Until now, Ricread has done nothing in terms of building a relationship with your officials. Whatever he needed, he simply threatened them to get his way.”
“You do have your work cut out for you in building that relationship,” I agreed. “Your first impression was horrible, coming here. Now, I would suggest you ask for Barbara Adan, one of the three North American representatives to the coalition. I know for a fact she considers Kealans an intelligent race who can be reasoned with. I’d say that’s a start.”
AFTER HAMMERING OUT the main points of our new agreement with Valran, Tairan immediately forwarded the whole thing to his group of lawyers in Atal on Keala.
Following a short discussion between the two of us, we decided to stay on Earth for now. It was liberating to know that we were no longer prisoners and had a choice to move anywhere anytime. At the moment, though, the station seemed the safest place for Elizabeth. I had peace of mind, knowing that everything she needed to stay well and healthy was right here for her.
When this stage of negotiations was done, Tairan left for the communication station of the facility for the first video conversation with his son in over four years. I’d offered to come with him, but ultimately, we both decided that it would be best for him to talk to Erix one-on-one first.
Instead, I had dinner with my brother, who was in awe of Elizabeth when he saw her.
“She’s like a porcelain doll,” he exclaimed, touching her silky white hair, which now reached her shoulder blades. I had to use a hair elastic to gather it on top of her head. The hairdo looked like a funny little water fountain, but it kept the hair out of her eyes and her mouth. “I’d never think someone could be this weird and beautiful at the same time.”
“Did you hear that, baby?” I smiled. “Your uncle thinks you’re weird. Should we tell him everything we think about him?” I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.
“I also said she is beautiful.” He sulked, making me laugh.
“Do you think you could come home for a visit maybe?” Tony asked when we sat in the living room after the dinner. “Mom would love to meet Elizabeth. Mary, too. They both have been asking me constantly about your alien guy. You can bring him as well, of course.”
“I’d love to, Tony. But I’m not sure how safe that would be for both of them. Tairan can’t tolerate sunlight. The trip may be uncomfortable for him. And Elizabeth has to get a little older for travelling.”
He squinted at me, lifting an eyebrow.
“You realize I came to take you away from here? You were ready to spend the rest of your life outside of this place.”
“That was an act of desperation, Tony.” I said, feeling relief that the escape didn’t happen.
“Do you think you’ll be safe here now?
“I believe so, Tony. Evil people happen in every nation, but I have faith in Kealans as a whole.”
“Well, you know who to call if the aliens start misbehaving again.” He puffed his chest, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Oh, Tony.” I hugged his neck, laughing. “You are the best big brother!”
I heard a noise from the entrance and turned that way.
“Tairan!” I exclaimed at the sight of my husband walking in, his expression a little stunned. “How did it go?”
“Good.” He nodded. “Erix has grown so much. And it’s not just his height, the way he speaks, like a grown-up already—” he cut himself short, spotting Tony behind me. “I am honoured to meet my wife’s brother.” Tairan stepped to him, his hand outstretched in greeting.
“Um, hi!” Tony jumped off the couch, energetically shaking the offered hand. “Me too. Honoured, I mean . . .”
I smiled, taking in this moment—my husband and my brother shaking hands. Concidering my brother’s earlier resentment towards ‘the aliens’, this seemed like a good sign for the relationship between humans and Kealans in general.
“You know, just because it isn’t easy for us to travel right now, it doesn’t mean that all of you can’t come here for a visit. What do you think?” I asked Tony.
“Do you really want all of us visiting you here?” He laughed.
“Why not? What’s the worst that can happen? As long as you promise not to hit on the staff, of course.” I pointed my finger at him.
His expression softened, eyes glossing over. “Who knew the alien girls would be that cute out of their cloaks,” he said, as if thinking out loud. “Those tight uniforms—”
“Tony!”
“Got it, got it.” He lifted his hands up, in a pacifying gesture. “No hitting on the staff, no matter how hot they look.”
I just shook my head with a sigh.
AFTER TONY LEFT, I started feeling the effects of the day. My limbs were heavy with exhaustion and my head felt fuzzy.
“We should go to bed.” I walked over to Tairan, who stood at the living room window, staring out into the dimly lit snowy landscape. “How is your wound?”
“It’s fine.” He wrapped his arm around me, drawing me into his healthy side. “I had easy access to the painkillers this time.” He kissed my hair then stared back through the window again “I want Erix to come live with us as soon as possible.”
“Of course, darling. When can he be here?”
“He needs to finish his semester in school then my friends will help him get on the next ship coming to Earth.”
“Good.” I drew in a cleansing breath. It felt so right to have Tairan reunite with his son, after all this time. “I’m really looking forward to meeting him. Can I come with you next time you have a video call with him?”
“Of course you can. I told him about you, he wants to meet you too.”
We stood in silence for a minute, locked in an embrace and our thoughts.
“It’s hard to believe we’re back where we started,” Tairan said as he moved his gaze around the room.
“This is not where we started, honey,” I disagreed. “We’ve come a long way. And it’s been quite a journey. We’ve earned every moment of peace we have ahead of us, because we fought hard for it.”
He gazed at me with one of his rare smiles that I loved so much. “It’s been an honour to fight side by side with you.”
“I’ll live, love, and die by your side, Tairan. Always.”
He brushed my nose with his, gently. “I love you, Isabella,” he whispered against my lips. “Kiss me, my Earth woman.”
And I did. I kissed him like a true Earth woman—deep, long, and hot—the most wonderful kiss on the planet and all of the Universe.
EPILOGUE
AFTER WEEKS OF SCRUPULOUSLY working out every detail of the agreement between The Science Group and us, Tairan finally felt confident enough to sign it.
Even before it was finalized, though, our life on the station had already changed from what it was when Ricread was alive.
Neither of us had any daily schedule forced on us. We gained full control of our time as well as of our bodies and had the freedom to move anywhere within the facility and beyond.
Both Tairan and I got new arm devices, but none of the functionality was restricted anymore, including our ability to communicate with each other and with anyone outside of the station.
I got in touch with my family again, and they were able to watch Elizabeth grow via our regular video calls. We were also planning their visit t
o the station soon.
Tairan had weekly talks with Erix up until the end of his school semester. He would have had them daily if it was technically possible. Unfortunately, because of the enormous distance between our planets, the video calls were not always possible. They ended up being interrupted and needed to be regulated.
A month after we signed the agreement, Tairan got an offer to return to the City Defense Force as head of training, a position he could hold remotely. He came to discuss it with me. I saw the light in his eyes the moment he told me about the opportunity to go back to the job he loved, and my heart swelled with pride and happiness for him.
Since accepting the offer, Tairan spent a big portion of his day working in the office that was added to our rooms for that purpose. He also dedicated a couple of hours a day to working out combat tactics with security staff in the training hall.
One morning a month before Elizabeth’s first birthday, when we were back at the Northern station after another six months spent in Antarctica, Tairan got up way before our usual time. Today was special—a ship was arriving from Keala, and Erix was on it.
Our rooms had been further expanded in anticipation of his arrival. New entrances in the walls had been activated, adding a separate dining room, a bedroom for Erix, and a nursery for Elizabeth, who had been sleeping in a crib by our bed until then.
“You can go back to sleep, my ila flower.” Tairan kissed me on the cheek. “It’s still too early to get up.”
“Nah-uh.” I climbed from under the covers. “No way I’m going to miss the arrival of Elizabeth’s big brother.” I hoped I could call Erix ‘son’ one day, but I didn’t want to impose it on him, feeling he might need some time to accept me as his father’s wife and his stepmother.
Elizabeth stirred in her crib too, as if she couldn’t wait to go meet her brother, either.
After a quick shower and breakfast, we made our way to the landing hangar, just in time to watch the giant space ship glide in through the opened dome of the ceiling.
The material over the entrance to the craft liquefied then shifted down, forming stairs to the ground. Several cloaked Kealans exited one by one.
The figure in the middle was much shorter than the rest, and I realized this must be Erix. When the dome closed, he took off his goggles and shoved the hood back, revealing a thick mop of snowy white braids, just like his father’s.
Tairan rushed to him.
“Father.” Erix stepped into his open arms.
My eyes watered as I watched them hug for the first time in years, overwhelmed by emotion for the two of them. Pressing Elizabeth to my chest, I sighed into the mass of her little braids as she cooed and tugged at my hair.
“Come meet Isabella.” Tairan led Erix to us.
We had spoken via video calls a number of times, which helped me not to feel like a complete stranger to the boy now.
“Hi, Erix.” Making an effort to compose myself, I brushed away an errant tear and smiled brightly.
“Mother.” He bowed politely.
“Oh . . . You don’t have to call me that,” I mumbled, a little lost but definitely touched. “Unless you want to, of course. Then I’d be delighted . . .” I trailed off.
“I have no one else to call by this name,” he replied, looking a little unsure, his navy-blue-rimmed eyes moving from me to Tairan then back again. “You are the only mother I know.”
“Oh, God . . .” I exhaled, losing it after all, my voice cracked. “Come here.” Shifting Elizabeth to my hip, I crushed Erix into a hug—a little awkward, but so very wonderful. “You are my boy now. My baby, too.”
Coming closer, Tairan wrapped his arms around all of us. Squished in the middle, Elizabeth wiggled impatiently then got hold of one of Erix’s braids and tugged hard enough to make him cry out.
“She is small but fierce, this one.” I exhaled a laugh.
“Your sister, Elizabeth,” Tairan introduced her.
Erix stared at the baby in bewilderment. “I can’t believe she is real.” He shook his head. “She is so small.”
“Oh, she’s growing,” I assured him.
Erix freed his braid from her grip, and she immediately got hold of his finger, dragging it into her mouth.
“Watch out,” Tairan warned. “She has a few teeth now. And they’re very sharp.”
Erix only laughed, watching Elizabeth try to chew on his finger with her gums where the molars hadn't come through yet.
“Can I hold her?” he asked.
“Sure.” I handed her over to him as Elizabeth cooed and giggled in delight, waving her arms wildly. “She definitely likes you.”
My heart squeezed a little tighter. This was the first time ever that Erix was meeting a child younger than himself. And Elizabeth hadn’t seen any children before her brother at all.
All that was about to change, though. The space ship that brought Erix to us was taking the first shipment of donated human sperm to Keala. A specifically assembled group of scientists and medical professionals was ready to implement the next phase of the experiment—artificial insemination of several Kealan female volunteers. It was now reasonable to expect that there would be babies born on Keala soon, giving the planet a real future.
The first group of human scientists and volunteers to the Kealan station on Earth had also been selected and approved. Within weeks, they would be arriving here with their families, many of which included children of all ages.
Elizabeth and Erix would have the chance to make friends and to go to the school that was being organized at the facility.
“Father, mother, look, she can walk!” Erix exclaimed in wonder, bringing me out of my thoughts.
He had set Elizabeth down, and she was chasing after him now, moving her chubby legs quickly, even if still a little unsteady.
Laughing, Erix ran aside then caught Elizabeth in his arms when she wobbled to him. He swung her in the air, eliciting another bout of loud giggles from her.
“Well.” Tairan lifted an eyebrow with a smile, pressing me to his side in a hug. “They get along.”
“They sure do.” I laughed, nuzzling his shoulder, and wrapped my arms around him.
Peace settled over me, watching my children play.
We’d earned this moment. We deserved our peace.
Not ready to say goodbye to Tairan and Isabella?
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Wicked Warlock
Cursed Coven – Excerpt
A SUDDEN LOUD NOISE from inside the suite made me shrink back. The floor under my feet seemed to lurch up before all went quiet again.
Unsure what to do next, I went to lean my ear against the door, only to jump back again—the surface proved to be too hot to touch.
Fire!
Alarm shot through my brain, and I yanked my walkie-talkie from on top of the stack of clean towels then tossed it back on the cart when nothing but static came out of the device. My cell phone was downstairs in my locker, along with the rest of my stuff.
It wouldn’t take long for this old building to go up in flames. The best idea was to get out as soon as possible. I turned toward the stairs with the intention of pulling the fire alarm on my way down.
A deep groan reached me through the door of the suite. The sound was followed by more noise and cursing. Someone was definitely inside that room . . .
“You need to get out!” I hammered on the door with the toe of my shoe, not willing to risk burning my knuckles.
My worry was rapidly turning to panic, as no one replied and nobody exited the room. What if they were trapped? Or hurt, unable to move?
Quickly sliding my key through the slot, I wrapped my apron around my hand before pressing the handle down then opened the door while hiding behind it.
> No fire burst out, though. There was no smell of smoke in the air. I carefully peeked around the door.
Semi-darkness greeted me. All the lights were off, and the curtains had been drawn closed on the large bay window. The interior of the spacious living room was illuminated by whatever daylight came through a perfectly round hole that seemed to have been cut out through the glass and the curtains on the window. Green-and-yellow lights curled and sparkled along the edge of the cut-out.
“What is that?” I mumbled, stepping into the suite.
There was no sight of fire or smell of smoke inside, either.
“Fuck me!” A deep voice sounded right behind me, making me jump. “Who the hell are you?”
“April,” I mumbled, cautiously watching a dark, menacing figure by the wall rise to his feet. “I thought there was a fire . . .”
Dressed in a thin, black coat that reached his knees, he drew the hood low over his face, then yanked the silk scarf up over his mouth and nose, before I had a chance to see his face.
“No fire. And why April?” The silk scarf now muffled his deep, rumbly voice.
“I’m April,” I clarified. “It’s my name. I work here.”
“Right.” His eyes glistened from under the hood as he stared at me. With a grunt, he straightened then leaned side to side, stretching his back.
Even if there was no fire, I remembered there had still been some noise and ground shakes. Also, there was that weird hole in the window.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Do you need a doctor? Should I call the hotel management? The police, maybe?” I darted my gaze around the room again, searching for anything else that would help me determine the kind of authorities I should be calling.
There was something intimidating in the man’s size and the all-black outfit that concealed his face and body, making me anxious to get someone else to deal with him and whatever had happened here.
“I was about to make a call,” he muttered, grabbing a cell phone off the side table by the couch, “but I got interrupted.”
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