Tyro: Alien Adoption Agency #3

by Tasha Black

  Cash nodded.

  The kettle steamed and she pulled it off the warmer before it could boil, then slowly poured the water over the tea leaves in their mugs.

  The scent brought back so many memories.

  She closed her eyes and she could see the sun rising over the camellias, hear her father humming as he prepared their morning meal.

  “Why did you run?” Cash asked quietly.

  “I didn’t want to get married,” she said simply.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  “Can we be honest?”

  “Your father spent thousands of credits on private detectives to track you down,” he said. “I’ve been traveling for days to find this place. Honesty is exactly what I’m looking for.”

  “You came here just for answers?” she asked.

  “And to bring you home,” he said. “We need you back. Whatever I’ve done wrong, I’ll fix it.”

  “How does the widow Jones feel about that?” she asked.

  His eyes widened.

  “You were only marrying me for my land,” she said softly.

  “And you were marrying me for my water,” he said. “But I don’t see that as a bad thing. It means we’re alike.”

  “Both shallow, greedy fools,” she muttered.

  “No,” he said, his lazy voice suddenly passionate. “The opposite of that. My farm has been in the family for generations. It’s everything to me. And you feel the same way about yours. We belong to that land, Phoebe. Giving ourselves to protect it is an act of love, even if it’s not for each other. Besides, we’re young and attractive, developing those feelings over time would be practically inevitable between us. And if not, we’d find those pleasures elsewhere. But as long as we were together, our homes would be preserved and protected. Isn’t that the most important thing?”

  She stared at him in awe.

  Though she had thought of him as foppish and foolish, he had just articulated all the same reasons she had been willing to marry him in the first place. She did love the land. She was willing to make sacrifices to protect her home. They shared values.

  “And if marriage is out of the question, maybe we can work out something else,” he added. “A means to share land and water without blending our families could be even better for both of us. A purely business relationship.”

  “Why didn’t you offer me that instead of marriage in the first place?” she asked.

  He sighed. “Promise you won’t take this the wrong way?”

  “Honesty is all I’m looking for,” she echoed back at him with a wry smile.

  He smiled back.

  “Phoebe, you’ve always seemed so… proper and ladylike,” he said carefully. “I thought you would want a marriage proposal rather than a business proposal. That way you could know you and your land would be cared for even when your father passed.”

  She bit her tongue, even though she wanted to scream at him. She had asked for honesty and he was giving it to her.

  “But I know now that’s not what you want,” he said quickly. “Believe me. I can see you’re super independent. You’re out here running a submerged berry farm all by yourself, with nothing but some shoddy equipment, one droid and a body guard that brings his baby to work. I respect the hell out of that, Phoebe. And if you’ll come home, I’d like to do business with you.”

  She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. He understood her better after five minutes on this dock than he had after a lifetime as neighbors. Maybe he had a point.

  “You need to be in a place where you belong, Phoebe,” he said softly.

  Suddenly she could hear the angry words of the people in the shop, see the scowl on the face of the man she’d caught on her dock. Everyone on this moon hated her.

  “You’re right,” she said. “You’re absolutely right.”

  19

  Tyro

  Tyro stalked away.

  He had no plan, no destination, his feet merely carried him toward the village and farther from the woman who was tearing his soul into pieces.

  I’m her fiancé.

  She hadn’t denied it.

  And while things must have been complicated for her to leave her system and that man behind, it told Tyro two important things about Phoebe.

  She hadn’t trusted him enough to be honest with him about her past.

  And she had run from another life once, a life with someone she cared about.

  That man was everything Tyro was not - refined, similar to Phoebe in his manners and bearing. And they shared a past. Tyro could never offer her those things.

  A moment comparing him to her fiancé in person had probably been enough to send her packing.

  But what would happen to Atlas? Would Tyro be permitted to accompany them so he could guard the child, or would that wealthy Terran boy pull strings to get a different warrior.

  The idea of losing the child shattered his heart.

  Maybe Phoebe wouldn’t tell the man about her relationship with Tyro. He had been kind to her, maybe she would do him that kindness in return, so that he could stay with Atlas.

  But the idea of being near her, watching her marry another and bear his young…

  Tyro took in deep breaths of the crisp evening air. He was not in control of what Phoebe decided to do. He was only in control of what he did. He had to focus on that.

  He walked on for what felt like hours, trying to know what to do, and longing for the council of his brothers. Their advice had always helped him with difficult decisions in the past. But they were scattered across this moon, tending to their own charges. He only hoped their missions were going better than his own.

  Finally, the scent of good food in the air had him heading toward the village. He hadn’t eaten dinner. Food and drink might help him focus.

  But before he made it to the door of the saloon, a familiar figure in a red dress came out, her pale tentacles glowing in the starlight.

  “Saana?” he asked.

  “You remembered,” the friendly woman said with a smile. “Are you coming to the saloon for dinner? Where’s your wife and that nice fat baby of yours?”

  His heart twisted in his chest and he couldn’t answer.

  “Hey, are you okay, big guy?” she asked.

  “I… I don’t know,” he admitted. “Remember when you told me you could sell me whatever I want?”

  “I do,” she said, nodding, with a concerned look.

  “Would you be willing to sell me some… advice?” he asked. “I don’t have many friends in this new place.”

  She blinked at him in surprise.

  “What kind of advice?” she asked. “My area of expertise is kind of specific.”

  “Advice on women and relationships,” he said quietly.

  “Yeah, I think I can do that,” she said, giving him a half smile. “But you have to buy me dinner.”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “Come on,” she told him. “We’ll eat in my room so we can talk in private. I’ll just call down the order.”

  He followed her to the door on the side of the saloon.

  Two more women in red gowns were leaning against the wall. One clutched a pipe between her ample lips, purple smoke coming out of her nose, as if she were a dragon. The other was reading on a palm projector.

  “Hey, stranger,” the one with the book said, glancing up dispassionately. “Looking to double your pleasure?”

  “Or triple?” the one with the pipe offered, releasing a mouthful of fragrant smoke.

  “I’m flying solo tonight, ladies,” Saana said.

  “Boo,” said the one with the pipe. The other was already nose deep in her reading again.

  Tyro followed Saana in the door and up a set of rickety stairs.

  She took his hand and led him down a narrow hallway to the end, and then opened the door to reveal a small room.

  Tyro wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it wasn’t this.

  The space was neat and tidy with a small table an
d chairs, nicely made bed, and holo-paintings on the walls depicting gardens of different kinds from all over the system.

  “It’s lovely,” he told her, striding up to one of the holos.

  “That’s the hanging garden of Welmurc,” she told him, a fond expression on her face as she gazed at the painting, as if it were her child.

  “You like gardens,” he realized out loud as he looked around.

  “I do,” she said. “Feel free to look around while I order our meal.”

  He admired each of the holo paintings as she called the kitchen from her comm and ordered what sounded like a kingly meal.

  It was fine. He could afford it, and he was feeling hollow inside. Even if he wasn’t hungry, eating was probably a good idea.

  “Sit,” she offered, pointing to the bed.

  He pulled out a chair at the little table instead.

  “You really do just want to talk,” she said, a bemused expression on her face. Her tentacles flowed as if she were standing in a brisk breeze.

  “You are very beautiful,” he told her. “But I have a mate bond to the woman you saw me with before.”

  “She’s not your wife?” Saana asked.

  “No,” he said. “And I learned tonight that she has a fiancé already.”

  “Wow,” Saana said, her tentacles falling flat next to her ears. “So tell me everything, I’m here to listen. And if I can help I will, but no promises.”

  But before he could begin, there was a knock at the door. The kitchen here worked fast.

  Saana hopped up and helped the waiter droid lay out a huge meal and flagons of luxberry wine on the little table.

  When they were finished Tyro paid and, thinking of Phoebe, gave the droid a nice tip.

  It beeped and whirred excitedly as it rolled away.

  “You tip droids?” Saana asked.

  “Phoebe taught me to be kinder to them,” he said, shrugging.

  “I think that’s really nice,” Saana said.

  He noticed her eyeing the table.

  “Please, eat,” he told her. “I’m not that hungry, so I’ll talk to you while you enjoy your meal.”

  He watched as she piled food on her plate, placed a napkin in her lap and used a knife and fork to cut her food into tiny bites with incredible speed.

  “I knew as soon as I met Phoebe that she was my mate,” he said slowly. “That’s the way of the dragons. If we are lucky enough to find a bond mate, we have no choice in the matter.”

  “So you wouldn’t have chosen her otherwise?” Saana asked between bites.

  “Not at first,” he admitted. “She seemed so cold, so distant from everything around her.”

  “That could be cultural,” Saana pointed out. “I deal with people from all over the system. Some of my most passionate clients are very restrained in their manner.”

  “Yes,” Tyro said, smiling in recognition. “That’s exactly it. As I got to know her, I could see that she is not detached at all. She’s smart and energetic and resourceful.”

  Saana smiled and took a long sip of the gently glowing wine. He tried not to think of the image of Phoebe’s face the first time she’d seen the berries glowing.

  “She comes from wealth, I think,” Tyro said. “So this life is challenging for her. But she’s trying, I’ve seen her change her approach already. She’s trying to be kind, to be patient.”

  “So not such a bad mate bond after all,” Saana said.

  “I’m grateful for the bond,” he said. “I was eager to claim her, and I thought she wanted me to take her too, though it hadn’t happened yet.”

  “What are you waiting for?” Saana asked.

  “I wanted her to understand what she was taking on,” he said, feeling stupid. “So the first night, I wouldn’t let myself give in and take her. I regret it, believe me. Then last night, someone showed up on our dock right before we could complete the claiming. And tonight, her fiancé appeared.”

  “That must have been awkward,” Saana said sympathetically.

  “It was infuriating,” Tyro said. “She is mine and I am hers. How could she not tell me about him? And how could she not send word to him that she didn’t want him any longer? What kind of woman is she?”

  Saana frowned and then took a bite of her dinner instead of answering.

  He watched her eat, wondering suddenly if she was bolting down her dinner because she didn’t often get enough food to stem her hunger. Few people on this moon could afford a meal like the one they were sharing.

  She cleaned her plate and then took another long pull of wine.

  “Gods, but that was good,” she said, wiping her mouth daintily with her napkin. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure,” he told her.

  “Do you want my advice?” she asked.

  “That’s why I’m here,” he said.

  “You might not like it,” she told him.

  “Nonetheless.”

  “Wanting to claim your mate is all fine and well,” she began. “But it’s not fair for one person to impede another’s freedom. That goes for her fiancé, and for you as well. She has a right to decide what’s best for her. Your first instinct to hold off on claiming her was the right one.”

  “But she would have been mine,” he said sadly.

  “I have heard it said that if you love something, you should be able to let it go,” she said. “If it comes back, it is yours, if it doesn’t it never was.”

  “Those are wise words,” he said, impressed.

  “They came from some book Mootie was reading,” she said dismissively.

  “Is she the one from outside?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that’s her,” Saana said. “Always has her face in a book, that one. You should eat something.”

  “I’m fine,” he said, standing. “Share the rest with your friends if they aren’t busy. I need to go now.”

  “Thanks,” Saana said, her eyes shining at the bounty she’d been given.

  His heart sank a little at the evidence that the workers weren’t eating well.

  He pulled out a stack of credits and laid them on the table.

  “For your time,” he said.

  “No, no, that’s okay,” she said.

  “I insist,” he told her. “Your time has value.”

  He stalked out of the room and down the hall before she could argue.

  “Thank you,” she called to him. “She’d be a fool not to come back to you, you know.”

  He smiled as he headed down the stairs.

  The two women leaning on the building ignored him but he waved good-bye to them anyway.

  Early-morning light colored the sky pink as he hit the mostly-deserted street. The sounds and scents of the village waking up filled his senses.

  The dragon in his chest moaned in sorrow for his mate and child.

  Thinking of Saana and her friends being hungry made him want to provide for his own mate.

  He decided to stop at one of the shops for provisions. Whatever happened, she would need to eat, and he didn’t trust that snotty fiancé to provide for her here on a frontier moon.

  He headed into the main grocer’s market and gathered an armful of food that would be easy for her to prepare, even if she sent him away.

  Another man was at the counter, covering it with fresh produce and cuts of meat. Something about him was familiar.

  “Guckett?” Tyro said, barely recognizing the man they had caught sneaking onto their dock the night before last. He looked much better when he wasn’t committing crimes while covered in lake-muck.

  “Hey, there,” the man said, turning with a genuine smile.

  “You’re stocking up,” Tyro noticed aloud. “Your luck must have changed.”

  “I found gold on the beach,” the man said, his eyes shining as he pulled a golden chain out of his pocket and held it out to the shopkeeper.

  “Let me just weigh that,” the man said, pulling out a laser scale.

  “You just found that, on the beach?
” Tyro asked.

  “It’s a miracle,” the man replied, turning back to the shopkeeper who was holding out a huge stack of credits in change. “My idiot brother always said there was treasure in the lake from the lost settlement. Guess he was right after all. He’s still an idiot, though.

  “Let me help you carry this stuff out,” Tyro offered.

  “No need,” the shopkeeper said. “My droids will assist you, sir. Please come again.”

  The man nodded with a delighted expression and watched the two droids load up his purchases.

  “Will that be all?” the man asked Tyro.

  “Sure, yes,” Tyro said distractedly.

  He made his purchase quickly and headed back past the beach to the docks of Phoebe’s farm.

  Down near the shoreline he could see people combing through the sand. Their neighbor must have shared news of his find with his friends.

  Tyro sincerely doubted anyone would find another piece of jewelry on the beach. Even one piece of such value was an unusual thing to find on a frontier moon.

  But as he passed there was a small commotion and he saw a woman lift her fist to the sky, an electrum chain dripping with emeralds hanging from it.

  He didn’t need a laser scale to know that would feed her family for a year.

  20

  Phoebe

  Phoebe paced the floor of the yurt, a fussy Atlas on her shoulder.

  Maybe it was just the morning light, but Phoebe thought his green skin tone was a little more pale than before.

  Was he getting sick? Or was Tyro’s absence causing the little one’s chameleon-like skin coloration to change?

  “I can’t believe he was out all night,” she fumed out loud.

  Atlas stopped sobbing to listen.

  “He didn’t even give me a chance to explain about Cash,” she went on. “I mean he’s supposed to care about me and support me, but he just went marching away.”

  Atlas began to whimper again, so she stopped talking and rubbed the place between his little shoulder blades that sometimes made him burp.

  She hoped he settled down and felt better soon. She was frustrated with all the men in her life except Atlas.

  “I’m going to raise you to be respectful,” she whispered into his silky hair.