A low moaning howl reached Blu’s ears. It was coming from outside beyond his fence further out into the forest. Blu crept from the bed and dressed. He was certain he had heard that sound before, sometime in his past. He gazed out the huge picture window in the living room. He could see nothing. The window liquefied for a mere second as he passed through into his backyard. Blu stopped and sniffed the air. He didn’t smell danger, but there was something out there watching him. The low moan sounded again. It drew him closer. In the dark, past a tree, a shadow moved.
“Who’s there?” Blu demanded. His instincts to protect Adan fired. A surge like no other crept through his body to a greater proportion. When a male dominated a female he grew larger, it was his reward. Blu had come into his reward. It made him even more dangerous. He was territorial by nature to begin with, his emotions amplified.
A snarl sounded and Blu stood still when a female Zargonnii jumped into his path. Blu was puzzled; it was long past the time to Holiday. If she was after Adan he would kill the female, he sensed he was more powerful than she; she was young. The idea startled him, male Zargonnii didn’t kill their females, he had never entertained such a thought.
The female sniffed the air, she held back uncertain, no doubt sensing she was in danger which also surprised her. She moaned again sounding as though she suffered. Her head dropped and she lumbered away howling in agony. Blu watched her go filled with confusion. Why confront him and leave, unless she scented he would best her in a battle? He wondered at her actions, shrugged and turned to go.
A small sound stopped him. With caution, Blu walked around the tree. A small bundle wiggled and began crying. Stunned, Blu lifted the baby into his arms. It hit him then, he knew the female, he had Holidayed with her months ago. There was only one reason a female would give up her child to him.
I have a son.
Finn had mentioned there was a wayward female wandering the forest with a babe, refusing to give him up. Blu hadn’t given it another thought, he had Adan. Overwhelming gratitude raced into his being. He had Adan and his son. He had everything he always wanted. Tenderly Blu gazed down into his son’s sweet face. The baby sobbed for his mother. He was older than a baby should be when going to his father. Blu realized his son’s mother had waited all this time. The baby was her first, she would only ever hand him over to his father or in desperation to a brother.
“I know little one, I know. You’re scared. You’ve never seen a male warrior. I smell different, I speak different. Please know you weren’t abandoned, your mother had no choice. Giving you to me is the safest thing she has done. She loves you, as much as I love you. I’m your father. I will protect you forever. I love you, precious boy.”
Blu laughed. He had to stop using Adan’s cutesy words. But gazing at his child, the word ‘precious’ was appropriate. Blu hugged the babe to his chest and took him home. Adan was waiting for him. She looked relieved to see him walk through the window.
“I thought maybe you were kidnapped by a vine and eaten by some colossal bug,” she said.
“Better than that, look who I found.”
Adan stepped forward and gazed down at his son. “Wow, when you want something you don’t waste any time.”
“His mother is the first and last Zargonnii female I Holidayed with. What should we call our son?”
Adan reached to finger the baby’s long white hair. “How can a mother give up something so precious?”
“Oh no. You are not calling him precious.”
“I could never give up my baby.”
“You never have to. You will never have to give him up, or any daughter we have.”
Adan took him in her arms. “He looks just like you. He’s huge and small, too.”
“He needs a name.”
Adan went to sit on the overstuffed furniture she called a couch. “Nothing except you is familiar. Nothing has been familiar for so long. Everything I’ve had I’ve lost. My dad’s name was Rafe. He was a wonderful father.”
Blu went to sit beside her. The baby was sleeping. He watched Adan rock back and forth. She had been quiet a lot lately, asking questions only when they entered his home. She had been so brave on Brax, as brave as she was the first time he met her in that freezing igloo. Never had she complained. Blu had his brother, his home, Adan and now his son.
“You have a family now. Rafe and I will look after you,” Blu said.
Adan smiled. “How about you and I look after Rafe, and you can kick everything else’s butt for us.”
“Deal.”
* * * *
Adan rocked the boy in her arms. Rafe looked so much like a miniature Blu. His red eyes stared up at her in a trusting fashion. Blu had informed her she was in no danger, his eyes wouldn’t blaze fire until he could control them or every Zargonnii would be in danger of having their homes burned to ash during a temper tantrum. The idea made Adan chuckle and wince at the same time.
The baby babbled and Adan picked up cute little words in his mother’s language. Since this baby had spent longer with his mother he had a better vocabulary than most Zargonnii babies. Unfortunately, Blu didn’t understand him; he was teaching him the male Zargonnii words.
Blu had made Rafe food. It was a lot like the mushy oatmeal tasting goop with tiny meat chunks he had made for Adan aboard the Zargonnii vessel and her first night in her new home. He explained to her once a mother gave up her baby he was ready for solid food. Adan had eyed Rafe’s teeth warily when he noticed her breasts, wanting to feed. She didn’t know how his mother could nurse him, unless she had iron tits.
“Well, little man, what should we do today?”
Adan sat Rafe on the ground. He was the size of an Earth toddler and durable. He walked already but on unsteady pudgy feet. For now, he was content to sit and laugh as she played peek-a-boo with him. She chuckled when he concentrated and made the tips of his hair dance. Blu claimed Rafe would practice being a warrior every day, it was in his blood. By twelve he would be deadly to enemies, but loving toward his family. He would also be bigger than Adan by the time he was eight.
There was an area in a different room set up for him to sleep. For now, Rafe couldn’t climb out of his huge playpen type cage. It was for his safety. Rafe wanted to explore everything and Adan and Blu had their hands full keeping him out of trouble. Adan was crawling through the house when he napped, baby proofing everything.
“Boo,” Adan called out from behind her hands and Rafe laughed hysterically. “Your father will be back soon from his meeting with Titus. Then he promised to take us for a walk again this afternoon.”
They were only recently returned from another morning walk. Rafe loved to be outside and Blu was indulgent, explaining the child and Adan needed to learn immediately what to stay away from. Rafe yawned and crawled into her lap. Adan smoothed her hand over his silky soft, long white hair. In a few short days she had fallen in love with the child. She struggled for a moment getting to her feet, he was a heavy boy, and carried him to his room. She soon had him settled with his blanket and toy, and he was asleep before she left the room.
Blu’s home was a fortress, so she had no fear of anyone breaking in, or anything. Blu had taken her and Rafe on tours of the area he called home. There were ugly monsters Blu said were bangors. Red haired with snot dripping from pig noses. The second Blu had seen the creature, he killed it. With little Rafe in one hand, Blu smashed the bangor into a tree, breaking its back. Rafe had giggled, Adan was horrified. Blu explained the creature’s favorite food was baby Zargonnii.
Once more, Adan crawled around the house on her hands and knees, looking for anything she felt was dangerous to her son. She loved the sound of those words, her son. Blu’s dream was now hers and he was sleeping in his room with his favored toy. The toy was a ghastly-looking creature, the image of a beast Blu said was harmless and on a different planet. Adan was happy for small favors; the creature gave her nightmares, but Rafe adored it.
Standing now, Adan went to the large picture
window in the living room. She thought the material a cool device. She could step through the window as could Blu and walk out. She could also step back through. Nothing else could penetrate the substance. Blu punched in a code when they took Rafe outside, the window wouldn’t let the baby through otherwise for his protection. On Earth the substance would have been wonderful for windows of high rises or mandatory for any window over a certain height. It would have saved thousands of children from falling.
Movement caught Adan’s eye, making her hair rise. Blu said at times a bangor could climb the walls but it was rare. Either way, she and Rafe were safe and snug as long as they stayed inside. A bush wiggled. Something was in their backyard moving closer. It wasn’t a bangor; Adan had never seen anything like it. The creature was huge, taller than Blu but built a bit differently. Its long white hair almost touched the ground. It was void of breasts but Adan knew it was female by some shapely curves. She came close enough to lay her palms against the window. Adan saw the resemblance to Rafe. Her heart plummeted. The female must want Rafe back.
“Go away,” Adan yelled.
“You are too dangerous to be around my son,” the female said, snarling.
Adan understood her words, but was baffled. “I would never hurt him.”
“There is an assassin after you.”
Adan thought about that. “The only assassin left was Alaric and he has been taken to banishment.”
“The assassin hired to take Alaric was injured. He was abandoned in banishment. Alaric is on this planet.”
Adan was stunned. “Veikko has been banished?”
“Until he can get off the planet or his overseers come, yes. Alaric will kill my son and take you. I know Blu isn’t in there.”
“How can you know this? Blu said Zargonnii females don’t travel. They aren’t capable of space flight.”
“Female Zargonnii aren’t as dense as the males think. We know everything that enters our planet; we scent everything that is a threat to our females, and our males. Communication moves fast through our network of calls which travel through the tree vines. The trees aren’t simply for show, they serve a purpose.”
Adan was amazed, and embarrassed, did the Zargonnii females know what she and Blu did? Adan hoped the trees only offered certain information on a need-to-know basis. No one needed to know what she and Blu did together.
“Nothing can get in here.” Adan knew she was stressing a point and hoped Blu was right. She was not handing the child over.
The female wailed and smashed her hands against the substance. “I kept him safe. I only handed him to his father. I waited for his father, longer than any female waits. All the time he was with you instead of his child.”
“We didn’t plan the crash on Brax. There’s no way Alaric can find me.”
“He can. He came close to you at some point. He can track you anywhere with the brand.”
Adan didn’t understand. “He never branded me.”
“He did,” she was insistent. “It was detected a short time ago. Activated this morning. It has the Braxians’ technology Alaric managed to get his hands on or had left over from a previous hit. The brand will make the window fall sensing you are his mate. The technology is that strong to manipulate his entry. It’s why I had to come.”
“Hold the fuck on, Alaric is not my mate.”
“The window is a substance, you can’t argue with a substance. Let me in to protect my son and run. You need to find Blu and the healer. It’s your only way to save yourself and have the brand removed. Please, he’s my son too. I gave him up to protect him. If you love him, you have to do the same. An assassin won’t stop, he will never stop unless you are dead, or he is.”
Veikko had said the same thing. Looking at the frantic female Adan was faced with a reason a mother would leave her child.
“I’m coming back,” Adan said, she gritted her teeth.
The female looked her up and down and shook her head. “You won’t last without Blu’s protection. You need to find him. Do you know where he is?”
“Yes.”
Blu had taken her and the baby to register Rafe, all warriors were registered at the hall. All warriors met Titus. Blu was at the hall ready to report for light duty until his Rafe was older. Normally, a warrior took his son everywhere making it impossible to fight. With Adan there and a war looming, human females were another reason Titus coveted them, it freed his warriors’ hands.
“I will keep the babe safe until Blu returns. Only then will I leave. You need to find Blu.”
Adan punched the code into the panel by the window that would allow anyone entry. She didn’t doubt the female but wondered if she felt killing her would be more effective. There was no danger of her harming Rafe, and Blu was smug when he mentioned he had grown. Adan knew it to be true, Blu could harm the female if he chose. The female entered and then Adan punched the code in sealing them together.
“I would never kill anything my son loved,” the female said. At Adan’s curious expression, she smiled. “I can scent you love him, your emotions are that strong. I hope you come back. I can’t protect you from Alaric. I would die for my son, and Alaric would die to get to you. Blu almost beat me when I challenged him to Holiday. He is stronger now with the birth of his child, I doubt I could beat him again. Without the chip, Alaric can’t get in, that means you must leave. Go, find Blu. He’s the only chance you have.”
Chapter 11
Adan knew the direct route to where Blu was. She had to be fast, but more importantly, she had to be smart. The bangor might like to eat babies but Adan was small and Blu mentioned she would be a tasty snack so she should avoid them.
Ya think?
The jungle setting was warm. Overhead the bright colors of the shimmering rainbow sky allowed sunlight in, adding beauty to the fierce surroundings. After being on Brax with its hideous smells and drab colors, Adan was happy to be under sunlight. At least she had been. She leapt over a vine wanting to stay away from the tall curious trees.
“Tattle tails,” she whispered.
Grudgingly, Adan admitted forewarned was forearmed, even if the information did come from the proverbial grapevine. The air was pungent with smells, not all bad but strong in this earthy place. The planet was definitely home to powerful beings, the strong survived, no wonder Blu worried about her. Adan was moving briskly but staying alert, this was her first time being alone on the planet. Perhaps Earth falling to crap in the last five years had better prepared her for this life, no more strolls in the park, the water scum could eat her.
Blu had pointed out what a novelty the ponds were on his planet, not. The larger the pond, the bigger the threat. The mass amounts of dangerous moss grouped, rose high and would crash over a victim chewing the flesh from the body. Adan had witnessed a bangor’s death that way. Not a pretty sight to behold, even Rafe watched silently.
Blu’s planet was dangerous as hell, so was Alaric. Movement came from all directions. Her heart beat erratically as she fled for safety. Knowing Alaric would follow her was small comfort. He was a dangerous bastard and unpredictable. If he was to be banished, Adan had no idea where he would take her or who he would hand her over to. With the war beginning to rage, Adan could be a pawn to any side.
Another great day in the life of Adan.
She heard him chuckle before she saw him. “I’ve been watching you.” Alaric swung from a vine to the ground before her. He looked rough around the edges. He was covered in dirt and missing a fang. A number of the spikes on his back were broken.
“Looks like Veikko kicked your ass.”
Alaric shrugged. “Yet I am here and he is not.”
“The Braxians will go after him and he will come after you.”
“I wouldn’t expect him to save you, again. I have a pod waiting to take us away,” Alaric moved closer. “We can do this the hard way, or the easy way.”
A puff of green gas slid from his nose and his mouth. Adan had thought she’d never have to smell those
nasty toxins again.
Great, I’m with an assassin who could kill me with bad breath or a fart. “I will not be kidnapped again.”
“You are mine.”
“Fuck you, I’m Blu’s”
“Look under your arm.”
Adan lifted her arms; under her right arm where he had cut her in the nest was a tiny glowing patch of green no larger than a blackhead. Adan hadn’t noticed it, Blu hadn’t noticed it. Her hair had grown in; she hadn’t shaved because Blu didn’t care.
“What the fuck did you do to me, asshole?”
“I claimed you.”
“That wasn’t there before.”
“It’s been there since the nest. I didn’t activate it fully until I reached this planet. I couldn’t chance it being found. It’s undetectable otherwise. I can turn it off and on as desired. How do you think I found you so fast before you reached the overseers? I will always find you.”
Adan was pissed. She was infuriated. It wasn’t enough she had lost her home, survived years hand to mouth. She had been hunted and kidnapped and watched Blu die. She wished Alaric’s stupid, sorry ass was on fire. She could visualize in her mind his ass on fire. Her concentration engulfed her. Her head began to pound. Alaric started screaming. His ass was on fire. Startled, Adan blinked and jumped back. He ran around trying to put the blaze out. Adan stood there gasping for air. Stunned. She had fought Blu’s attacker. Could she fight hers?
Concentrating, Adan summoned her anger. She had a family now, a baby to protect. Rafe was hers. The Zargonnii female said Adan had to leave, but it was because of Alaric Adan had to go and find Blu to save her. But Blu wasn’t here, it was up to Adan.
“Who’s the assassin now, asshole?” Adan said growling.
“You can’t do this,” Alaric bellowed.
Adan could. She centered her thoughts, her emotions. The Gorgano had gifted her with strength. Alaric was puke. He was mean and cruel, evil and now nothing. Her head aching, Adan pinned him to a tree with her mind. Adan walked over to him. He was glaring at her.
Cautious Surrender Page 12
