“Three generations? Don’t they leave, eventually?” Would they leave Earth once the Suhlik threat vanished?
“Have the Suhlik stopped attacking your planet?”
“I guess not. There was an attack on the moon base a year ago, I think.” Rosemary had vague memories of news reports. “But there hasn’t been an attack on Earth in years.” Not since she was a teenager.
“The Suhlik will never stop, and the Mahdfel will always honor the treaty.”
“As long as they get women.”
Tani shifted on the bench and faced Rosemary. “They get a new generation, who will lay their lives down to protect their mothers, their mates, their children, and any other Mahdfel territory.”
Rosemary nodded politely but said nothing. She didn’t agree with the price of protection. As far as she could tell, only half the Earth’s population had to pay. It was unfair.
“Now we have the genetic test, so finding a mate is easy.”
“Um, I guess. I’ve never been tested.” Rosemary was unsure of Tani’s motives. She knew the woman could be sneaky, obviously. This entire trip was a ploy to introduce Rosemary to her smarmy and grumpy sons.
“Before the test, the Mahdfel went by scent. A compatible female would smell more alluring than an incompatible female.”
“That sounds…” She searched for the correct word.
“Tedious. When I was a youth, eligible females had to attend one social event a month. Basically, we lined up in a room with tacky paper decorations and poor lighting and stood around while the Mahdfel males sniffed us.” Tani smoothed down the front of her robe. “It was humiliating.”
Rosemary pictured something akin to a high school prom with crepe paper streamers and the vague smell of gym shoes, waiting around for a bunch of muscle-bound brutes to peruse the goods. “Going by scent seems imprecise.”
“Very.” Tani leaned in and lowered her voice, “Pregnancy is always risky, you know. Carrying a Mahdfel baby to term is very taxing on the body. They’re big and grow fast. Many females cannot sustain it. Often they can only have one child.”
Oh, sweet baby cheese. Panic fluttered in her stomach. “Is Hazel going to be okay?”
“She is stubborn and does not listen, but she is strong.”
That did not ease her worries.
“I knew when I met Oran that he was the male for me.” A wistful tone crept into Tani’s voice. “When he entered the room, I knew. I felt this electricity in the air. He walked right up to me. Zero hesitation. He bent over and looked me in the eyes. He said, ‘I am Oran Rhew, son of Dason Rhew. You are for me.’ And that was it.” She clasped her hands together and sighed.
“But what about your life? How old were you? Weren’t you worried you’d never see your family again?”
“And has your sister been whisked away to the far side of the galaxy, never to be seen again?”
Rosemary narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like it when you make a good point.”
“Call it the privilege of age. I have all this experience and wisdom to impart.”
“I think you like to meddle.”
Tani’s bright laugh slipped out. Oran glanced in their direction but seemed satisfied to leave them be for the moment.
“What about Michael’s father?” she asked.
The change in conversation made Rosemary’s head spin. “Um, he’s not in the picture.”
“Is he deceased?”
“No, Vince is very much alive.” And a pain in her tuchus. “He’s just not interested in being a father.”
“Mom! Look!” Michael clutched a golden sparkler in one hand and demonstrated how to write his name in “Terran” for Lorran, who demonstrated how to write his name in Sangrin. She was lucky Lorran didn’t show him how to write his name in the snow. “Are you looking?”
“Yes. Very nice, honey.”
“You were very young when the Suhlik came,” Tani said, dragging Rosemary’s attention away from Michael’s antics. “The fear is fresh in your mind.”
“You mean when Earth learned we weren’t alone and our nearest neighbors were psychopaths hell-bent on destroying us? That tends to stay fresh.” Rosemary could never forget the smell of burning. Everything burning: buildings, plastic, and sometimes people. That kind of soul-crushing stench stayed with you.
“It’s a good life. When we were newly mated, I went with Oran while he served his clan. We lived on a battle cruiser, much as Seeran and your Hazel do.”
“But why? If the Mahdfel’s mission is to forever fight the flipping space lizards, why drag women and children into that mess? It’s not safe.” Hazel shared a harrowing tale of how their ship had been boarded by the Suhlik. Boarded. Not shots fired from one massive ship to another massive ship, like in the movies. Actual Suhlik were in the vicinity of Hazel. None of that was cool.
Tani sighed. “The Mahdfel were designed to fight, yes? But they were also designed to mate. The Suhlik wanted their slaves to make more slaves, but they can only have male children.”
“Seems like a design flaw to me.”
“The Suhlik controlled access to the females. Granting a mate as a reward. Taking that mate away as punishment. Holding them hostage to prevent rebellion.” Their plans didn’t seem to work in the end. The Mahdfel rebelled. “Their instincts are to have their mates close by, to protect them.”
“By bringing them to battlefields?”
“If the females stayed behind, undefended, alone, what would they do if the Suhlik returned? And the Suhlik always return. They raid and capture Mahdfel children.”
Rosemary shivered at the image. She had never seen a Suhlik in person, but she didn’t have to see their weird lizard eyes to know they were heartless monsters. Whatever they did with the captured children was not good.
“Is Hazel safe? With him? On that ship?” It was such a hard concept to accept: keep her safe by bringing her to danger.
Tani nodded. “Safer than if she stayed behind on Earth.”
“Will they be on that ship forever?”
“Even the best warriors age. They can serve their clan in other capacities. When my Oran’s hair turned white, he joined the Council, and we returned to Sangrin.”
“And you bought a winery.”
“It was my family’s. My parents were gone by then, but the property manager had kept it going until I could return. Come, it is nearly midnight. Time to release your lantern.”
Lanterns hung on a string above the patio. Seeran used a pole to take down the lanterns and pass them out. In her hands, the thin paper crinkled and glowed with warmth. The lantern floated when she relaxed her grip. “Hold it tight until the countdown,” he said.
“Make a wish and release you lantern on three,” Tani told Michael. He held his lantern arms fully extended, his face screwed up in concentration.
Rosemary looked down at the lantern in her hand. She should make a wish but didn’t know what to ask for, other than a way to deal with the real-life problems waiting for her on Earth.
On three, she let go. The lantern floated away, hovering a few feet above her. The other lanterns joined hers, clustering together before the wind carried them away. They scattered into the night like stars. In the distance, other points of light appeared as more lanterns painted light against the dark canvas of the night.
“What did you wish for, honey?” she asked Michael.
“Wishes don’t work if you tell them. They have to be secret,” he said with certainty.
Lorran passed around mugs of hot mulled wine. Rosemary sipped at hers and made certain Michael got the hot chocolate, not wine.
Tani settled back to her spot on the bench. “Tell me what you taste.”
“Hmm.” Rosemary took another sip, this time paying attention to the nutty and fruity flavors. “Fruit. Not bright and not too sweet. Nuts or wood. Maybe from the barrel?” Another sip. “This is nice, but it’s clearly not your best wine.”
“Indeed, no. Why waste a good vintage by boiling it
and adding spice?” A smile spread across her face. “Stay with us.”
“I’d love to, but I have a shuttle to get on tomorrow,” Rosemary said with a small laugh.
“No, stay. Work in the Tasting Room.”
Rosemary leaned back, stunned. “Are you offering me a job?”
“Yes.”
“In the Tasting Room?”
“Yes. I have a feeling that customers will come to drink wine with the pretty Terran who has such amazing taste receptors.”
“I thought serving food and drink was taboo?”
Tani shrugged a shoulder. “You’re not serving wine. You open a bottle, and they pour it themselves.”
“So my job will be opening wine bottles and describing the vintage?” It sounded too good to be true.
“I want you to get self-important men drunk and sell them too many bottles of wine.” Tani nudged her shoulder. “I offer a fair wage with room and board.”
“I can’t possibly live in your house.” As nice as the offer was, she would always remain a guest in the Rhews’ home. Wait. How was that her first thought? She wasn’t actually considering this, was she? “I can’t just not return to Earth. Michael has school. We have things.”
“We have schools here. We can hire out movers to pack anything you like and ship it here. We even have a cottage on the property that you can have.” Tani pointed off in the distance. If there was a cottage there or not, Rosemary couldn’t tell in the dark. “The groundskeeper lived there, but now he lives in town with his family. We use it for storage but can clear it out. It’s not big, but there’s two bedrooms and privacy.”
She needed a job. She needed to move away from Vince. This did appear to be the perfect solution. “What about immigration?” She couldn’t imagine that Sangrin authorities would let just anyone move permanently to their planet without some type of monitoring. She and Michael had been approved to enter as tourists. She couldn’t imagine the legal maneuvering to get a work visa.
“I’ll file the paperwork,” Tani said with a wave of her hand.
“Why me?”
“I like you. I like Michael. I’m a greedy old woman.”
“This isn’t some long con to get me hooked up with one of your sons?”
“No tricks. No matchmaking, but I wouldn’t be upset.” Another shoulder nudge.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.”
“Yes, but I need to discuss this with Michael.” He had a say in the decision, too. He’d be leaving his school and friends behind.
“Excellent. My Golau wish is already coming true.” A broad smile spread across the older woman’s face, warming Rosemary.
Chapter Six
Rosemary
Rosemary had never been impulsive or spontaneous. The most impulsive thing she ever did was dye her hair black when she went through a moody teenager phase. She regretted it immediately. So she was at a loss to explain why she accepted Tani’s offer.
All she had waiting for her back on Earth was an eternity of double-shifts, never seeing her son, and fighting Vince for custody. The idea of working so hard to give Michael the life he deserved and never seeing her honey bunny when he was the thing that got her out of bed in the mornings tore her apart.
Accepting Tani’s offer was the right decision, for her and Michael.
She waited until putting Michael to bed to share her news. Rosemary smoothed the blanket and re-tucked him in.
"Mom, you're acting weird."
"Do you like it here?"
"Yeah, I guess." Uncertainty wavered in his voice. She was acting weird, and it freaked him out.
Rosemary smiled. "Tani offered me a job. I want to accept."
"Oh. Cool." He rolled away from her, tucking his hand under his pillow.
That's it? No questions? No concerns about school or leaving his friends, or even about his toys?
"Are you okay with that? With living here?"
Michael sat up. "Are you going to marry Mene?"
"What? No. No," Rosemary sputtered. "This is a job with the winery, in the Tasting Room. I'm not marrying anyone."
"Aunt Hazel said you would."
Rosemary frowned. "It's not very nice to talk about people behind their backs."
"That's why she said I shouldn't tell you."
A surprised laugh rang out. "You are just the worst little gossip I've ever known."
"She said you'd say that, too."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead and pushed him back down to the pillow. "Go to sleep, honey. We'll talk in the morning."
Morning came. Seeran and Hazel left early. They had a three-day journey to return to his post on the Judgment. Apparently, teleportation and pregnancy did not mix.
After a quick breakfast, Rosemary and Michael inspected their new digs.
The cottage was in good condition, if dusty. She’d expect nothing less from the Rhews. Their home was tasteful and well maintained, with the same level of care showed in every building on the property. The cottage had basic furnishings already in place. Despite being old-fashioned, the furniture was in good condition. She saw no reason to drag her old stuff across the galaxy. Most of her furniture was second-hand or the cheap stuff from discount stores. No family heirlooms, nothing like that.
She did decide to catch her afternoon shuttle to Earth to tie up loose ends. While her furniture wasn't worth saving, she had clothes, Michael's things, pictures and other precious items that could never be replaced. She would also need a set of dishes, pots and pans and the other details of everyday living.
The plan was to go back home, hire movers, get rid of everything else and let her landlord know she was leaving. Breaking the lease, actually. With such short notice, she wouldn't get her deposit back, but her conscience would rest easy. While she was doing all that, Tani would get Michael the immunization shots he'd need to start school. Apparently, the Mahdfel Academy had a blend of interstellar and Mahdfel students. Michael wouldn't be the only human in the school.
Rosemary made quick work of packing up her house. If she wasn't so determined to get back to her son as soon as possible, she might have been depressed about how little she had worth saving. Not even the knickknacks on the bookshelves were worth hauling to another planet. Clothes were packed without question as were Michael's toys. She packed her favorite books but set aside the rest to be donated. She carefully wrapped photo frames and packed them with care. She didn't have any photos of her parents. All those had been destroyed, but she had a metric ton of photos of Hazel and Michael. She'd rather tear her heart out than lose a single picture.
As the day wore on, she cleared out the pantry and kitchen cabinets. Next came closets, which she emptied of shoes, sports equipment, board games, and all the other accumulated junk of everyday life. She decided to keep her curtains and bed linens. That little touch of home would be comforting, if not for Michael then for her. A small part of her never outgrew the need for the comfort of a favorite blanket.
She folded her favorite blanket, a red-yellow-orange crocheted afghan, and packed it away. The low-quality acrylic yarn showed every rough year. It was hideous—ketchup red, mustard yellow, processed cheese orange—but her mother crocheted the scratchy, ugly mess. It was all she had left. Her only heirloom. She hated it as a child. Her mother let Rosemary pick the colors. She wanted the colors of the sunset. What she got was the colors of hamburger condiments. The only reason Rosemary still had it was because when her mother woke her in the middle of the night to evacuate the house, she wrapped it around herself. She carried it from refugee camp to refugee camp, and finally into an orphanage. Despite its ragged appearance, Rosemary just couldn't part with the afghan. It was the one tiny part of her mother she still had.
The neighbor came to help and offered to take the beds and sofa. The kids from next door carried out boxes of foodstuffs Rosemary no longer needed. She cleaned out the fridge and freezer, saving just enough for immediate meals.
When the movin
g company arrived the next day, she had her life reduced to a pile of boxes in the living room and a constant ache in her lower back. Once the movers took away the boxes, she had a short shopping list. Hazel wanted chocolate. Not just any chocolate but a specific brand, the German one with the purple wrapper. Apparently what was available out in the depths of space was not good enough. She also wanted to bring a few bottles of wine. Tani would get a kick out of that. Rosemary thought a few bottles, ranging from terribly cheap to modestly fancy that would do nicely as a gift.
A knock sounded at the door. Before she could answer, Vince let himself in.
He surveyed the empty house. "Moving?"
Sugar pops.
"Seems like you're moving to me."
Double fudging sugar pops.
"You're supposed to be gone for four months," she said. Vince scratched his balls, unconcerned. Rosemary couldn't believe she used to love him, or thought she loved him. He was gross on a fundamental level. Just so, so gross. “You got one of the neighbors spying on me?”
"No, this was just a friendly visit, but it seems like my stopping by was a good idea. I'd hate to have you run out on me and take my boy."
"Please. Save your drama for someone who'll believe it."
"Like a judge?"
He didn't touch her, but she felt the sucker punch land in the middle of her stomach. Yeah. She walked into that one.
"Like some other chump who'll give you money."
"Oh, Rosemary. You've my favorite chump." He managed to stretch favorite into three syllables: fav-or-ite. He wandered over to the table and flicked through the papers. Her throat tightened, and her stomach churned. She gathered together her important documents, birth certificate, identification cards, medical records, and more. The shuttle tickets were sitting right on top of the pile. Vince, the bloodhound of sleaze, found it immediately. "Going off-planet?"
Actually, he was more of a crap hound.
"Since when can you afford to go off-planet?" he asked.
A fucking crap hound of the highest degree. "It's none of your business,” she said.
Alien Warlord's Passion (Warlord Brides Index Book 2) Page 7
